Page 19 of Royal Mate

19

P aige

My breath hitched at the 3-D, holographic, Star Wars-like image of my mother. In the soft glow, she was younger than I expected, her dark red hair swept back in a style that spoke of elegance and quiet strength. Her emerald-green eyes—eyes I had inherited—shone with an intensity that made my chest ache. The figure was about two feet tall. She looked directly at me, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

I’d wanted to talk with her my entire life. And now, I was. Sort of. It was enough. It had to be.

“Edelene. Little one.” My mother’s voice surrounded me, steady and clear. It was as if she were standing in the room with me. “If you are seeing this, then something has gone terribly wrong.”

My knees weakened, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, my gaze riveted to her image as tears streaked my cheeks. It felt like a part of me that had been missing snapped into place. I knew I’d heard her voice before, when I was a baby. I strained to remember the softness, sighed with disappointment when not even a whisper of a memory came to me.

But now?—

“This message is for you and you alone,” she continued. “I cannot explain everything, but you must trust that the choices I made were for your protection—and for the survival of our planet. One day, you will understand.”

Her expression softened, and she reached out, as though she could touch me through the shimmering light. I wanted to reach back, to feel her warmth, but my fingers only met empty air.

“You are stronger than you realize, daughter,” she said. “The truth will test you. It will challenge everything you believe. But I know you will find the strength to do what must be done.”

Her voice faltered slightly, and I saw her take a steadying breath, her gaze unwavering. “There is no one else I would entrust with this task. You were meant for this, my darling girl. The blood of a hundred queens runs in your veins.”

A hundred queens? My family was old. Ancient. The weight settled inside me, soothed the lost, uprooted feeling I’d had my entire life. No more questions. No more wondering about who I was or where I came from. Why my parents gave me up. Who they were. What they were like.

I would never need to wonder ever again.

“This will not be easy, daughter. But I have no choice but to share it all with you.”

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to look away as my mother revealed the truth about a series of events all those years ago that led to her death, my exile, and Alienor taking the throne. I tried to keep up. Pay attention. Still I had to ask the house to replay the message several times because I couldn’t focus through my watery tears.

My mother had been beautiful. Smart. Kind. Loving. Strong. So strong. I didn’t blame her for what happened to our family, but that didn’t make the truth easier to hear. I played it through one last time. When the projection flickered, and her image began to dissolve, I let it go. I’d heard enough. I really, really hoped there were other messages for me. Videos from when I was a baby. Images of me with my mother. With my father. Private family moments I could review later. Images from a life filled with love instead of danger.

Now wasn’t the time.

“Remember.” My mother’s voice drifted away as her glowing image faded and disappeared. “Trust your instincts. And trust no one—until you are sure.”

The hologram vanished, leaving the room achingly empty. For a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t think as the column sank back into the floor, all traces of it gone. My mother’s words echoed in my mind, heavy with implications I wasn’t ready to face.

I knew everything now.

Everything.

I wasn’t the naive woman who’d mistakenly been sent here from Earth.

I wasn’t the long-lost princess clueless about her home planet.

I wasn’t… well, I wasn’t Paige any longer.

My mother had empowered me to be what she’d known about me from birth.

I was Queen Edelene.

What was I supposed to do now? I knew the truth, but what the hell was I going to do about it?

I swiped at my cheeks, clearing the tears before any more could spill. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. My mother was counting on me to protect her people. My people.

No matter how alone I felt, I had resources. Ways.

“System,” I said, my voice shaking but resolute.

“Yes, Princess?” the AI responded, its crystalline glow pulsing softly from the wall.

“Can you communicate with the Coalition Fleet?”

“Of course.”

“Privately? Can you make sure no one can intercept the message? Not even Queen Alienor? Or the military? No one?”

“Of course, Princess. My system has advanced quantum encryption. Anything you request of me is top secret per Queen Madallaine’s request.”

Thank god I had this mega-computer on my side. I was going to need all the help I could get. “I need to contact Commander Zeus in the Coalition Fleet. I don’t know where he is, but he has his own battleship.”

The panel shimmered for a moment, and then the room dimmed as a large screen descended from the ceiling, bathing the space in a pale blue light. The face that appeared a few minutes later was one I hadn’t seen for a few days, but one I would never forget.

Commander Zeus was as imposing as his name suggested, his dark hair cropped close and his brown eyes sharp as cut glass. His light copper skin was common among the Prillons, but his eyes and hair looked very…human. His coalition uniform was pristine, adorned with insignias marking his rank and years of service.

“Princess Paige,” he said, his voice steady and calm despite the flicker of surprise in his expression. “Insuri is a busy place today.”

What did he mean by that?

“How can I assist you, other than returning you to Earth?”

I swallowed hard, steadying myself. I rolled my shoulders back, just as my mother had held them in the video.

“Commander,” I said, my voice firm despite the whirlwind inside me. “I need your help.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, he studied me as if gauging the weight of my words. Then he gave a single nod. “I’m listening.”