Champagne & Sunshine (Part I)

Eva leaned forward, placing her palms on the table before she raised her head and looked up at Davina who was watching her expectantly. Had she said that to provoke her? Oh, they didn't know that it would take a lot for her to be elicited...

"Sure— "

"Before that." Theo intervened, casting her a steely glance that made her wince. His gaze softened, as if her reaction had melted away the anger. Her chest tightened again as he grabbed a plate and started piling up a piece of every dish on it.

Kai, Sebastian, Gwen, and Davina watched with the same curiosity that Eva held in her eyes. Was he telling them that he needed to eat first?

"What're you..." Kai's voice trailed off as he saw Theo place the filled plate in front of Eva.

She knew her face was flushed at his actions as her heart began to thud again in her chest. She glanced up and all she found in each one of their faces was surprise and wonder.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Yes— "

"No!" Gwen cried out simultaneously, shooting Kai a fierce glare that would've made an ordinary person burn into ash instantly.

"Eat first, you haven't eaten a bite all day," spoke Theo, pouring himself a glass of some black-colored liquid that sparkled when candlelight hit it.

"Don't even dare try that out. It's the strongest wine we have here, you'd start sprouting your darkest secrets if you drink a whole glass." Davina warned, and Eva immediately retracted her gaze away from it to see Kai grinning mischievously.

Something inside her mind warned her to make sure that the water in her room was clear and not secretly black tonight.

In a few seconds, everybody filled their plates with the things they wanted to eat. Eva picked up her fork and stabbed the blueberry that caught her eye instantly. Had he intentionally placed it there, knowing how much she loved the fruit? He still remembered?

The days in Xandria seemed as if they had occurred centuries ago. Those memories were mostly all happy, while some were... a little too blissful. The recollection of her first kiss slid into her memory lane as Eva bit into her vegetable and felt its delicious taste spread all over her tongue.

Still, she couldn't compare it to how he tasted—

Somebody cleared their throat, making Eva look up to see that everyone had their eyes on her again. What was it with her gaining all the attention when she never wanted any?

For some reason, she cleared her throat too, and saw Gwen's lips twitch up. "Your story?" the deep male voice startled her as she looked in Sebastian's direction and saw his eyes fixed on her.

It was the first time he had spoken up in front of her, the last time she had heard his voice was when he and Kai were trying to break into the room in which she had first arrived. His voice was a touch deeper than Kai's but a little lighter than Theo's. Eva didn't know if she was biased or not and instantly converted her thoughts, making sure to repeat that Sebastian and Kai had the better voice when her subconscious shook its head at her in disappointment.

Placing her utensil down, she sat up straighter, his warm blazer hanging over her shoulders and providing her the heat her body desperately needed. Wetting her lips, she parted them to start speaking,

"I was born in Gleana, I think, since I don't know how the hell my adopted parents found me." she felt Theo's eyes on her, but Eva continued. "My father died when I was young and so did my sister, which I later found out." Here, she smiled feeling pathetic for herself at how she didn't notice the changes in her sister after Diana killed her and took over her body. 'How could I have been this foolish...'

"After that, I got lost in the Enchanted Forest and met... you." glancing sideways to look at Theo, she instantly retracted her gaze and started speaking once again. "I lived for a few weeks in Xandria and got kidnapped once or twice. Isabella told me how I was the daughter of her elder sister—"

"Ember?" Gwen interrupted, and Eva stared at her in surprise.

"You knew her?"

Gwen pushed her hair back over her shoulder and sighed. "We all might not look it, but we're older than we seem. I've seen wars and battles that were horrifying enough to make a person's blood run cold. I fought in them, and that's how I know each member of every country in Salvador. I was on friendly terms with Ember, but no matter how much I warned her against her sister's schemes, she didn't listen in love for Isabella."

Gulping, her voice was hesitant when she asked, "Did you know who Ember's husband was?"

If anyone expected her to call that woman her mother, they were horribly mistaken. Eva still didn't know why she was left with her adoptive parents and why her biological parents abandoned her in the first place. Until she knew the actual truth, she only knew her adopted parents as the real ones.

Gwen shook her head. "We were acquaintances, but I don't think anybody knows that except for maybe Isabella herself." she paused. "And I don't think she would share that information so readily."

"So now we have a princess sitting in front of us?" Kai spoke to nobody in particular. "Nice to meet you, princess."

Eva gazed at him, her eyes void of any emotion as she said, "Nice to meet you too, Highness."

Gwen spit out her coffee a second later, as Sebastian chuckled and Theodore only smirked as he tilted his head at her. Kai only looked horrified and amazed at her.

"Kai isn't a Lord and neither is Sebastian," Theo told, and Eva furrowed her brows.

"Actually, you're probably the first one to call me a Noble," Kai spoke with a small grin as he looked at her with trust and something else glimmering in his eyes.

Eva passed him a nod in return as her eyes drifted towards Davina, who had stayed quiet the whole time. Their eyes locked as she picked up her glass and gulped it in one go.

Setting it down, she leaned back in her chair, raising a brow. "So, what do you plan to do with your family's killers?"