A Disaster in the Royal Carriage

The rhythmic, relentless bouncing of the carriage sent another wave of vile nausea churning through Kaelia’s stomach. She pressed her temple against the cool, dark red velvet of the interior, closing her eyes tightly to block out the moving scenery. The journey from Scotland to the Capital was a brutal, exhausting test of her endurance. Her father’s ironclad decree still rang in her ears. He was forcing her to marry Valerius, and no amount of screaming into her pillows back home had changed his mind. Now, she was trapped in a moving box, headed straight toward the Imperial ball to solidify an arrangement she despised.

Outside, the horsemen called out to one another, driving the lush vehicle forward over the uneven dirt roads. The exterior of the grand carriage proudly bore the fine black ink swirls of the Scarlet Dragon Clan, while the inside was padded with thick carmine cushions dotted with tiny, luminous gems. Right now, Kaelia hated every single luxurious detail of her transport. If it were up to her, she would have simply shifted into her white dragon form and flown straight to the Imperial Dragon Kingdom. The flight would have been fast, smooth, and painless.

But the Empire forbade it. Taking to the skies and flying directly into the Capital was viewed as a blatant military threat against the castle. She groaned softly, clutching her stomach as the carriage hit another bump. Why couldn't this world invent cars? A sleek, fast car with proper shock absorbers would solve everything. But in this supernatural realm, void of humans, anything that emitted signals to the human world was strictly banned. Unless the engineers of this nightmarish society could build a vehicle that bypassed human detection, the elite dragon clans were doomed to suffer these agonizing, medieval death traps.

"I wonder why brother insists on riding with you," Verity murmured from the opposite seat, breaking the tense silence. The younger girl tilted her head, her bright green eyes watching Kaelia with blatant curiosity. "I doubt I have ever seen Valerius so agitated."

Kaelia huffed, cracking one eye open. After the explosive fight with her adoptive father, she had absolutely zero patience left for Valerius. The Alpha heir had eagerly tried to hijack Verity’s spot in the carriage, practically begging the guards to let him ride with Kaelia. He wanted to play the doting fiancé. Kaelia, stubborn and furious, had slammed the door right in his handsome face, barring him from entering.

"I believe he lets his idiotic physical urges overrule whatever tiny shred of reasoning he has left," Kaelia said dismissively. She reached out and patted her younger adoptive sister’s head with a forced softness. "He’s a brute acting on instinct. He thinks he can just force his way into my space whenever he pleases."

Verity smiled faintly, leaning back against the velvet. "He can be silly, yes. But I do wonder what he actually did to you to make you this furious."

Kaelia clamped her mouth shut. She wasn't about to explain Valerius's relentless, animalistic attempts to breed her to her younger sister. She just sank deeper into the plush cushions. The rocking motion spiked her headache into a throbbing, relentless migraine. Her stomach flipped dangerously. She deeply regretted eating breakfast before embarking on this miserable journey.

"I just need to sleep," Kaelia muttered, letting her heavy eyelids fall shut to keep the sickness at bay. She forced her breathing to steady, seeking the brief sanctuary of a nap.

When Kaelia finally opened her eyes again, the violent swaying had stopped. The heavy wooden doors clicked open, revealing the crisp, high-altitude air of the Capital.

A horseman set a small black stepping stool on the cobblestone ground and offered a gloved hand. Kaelia took it, ducking her head gracefully. She planted her feet firmly on the stool to avoid her usual clumsiness, then stepped down. She finally looked up.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

The golden castle of the Imperial Dragon Clan loomed against the vibrant blue sky, looking like it had been ripped straight from the vivid imagination of a child’s storybook. Towering spires pierced the clouds, gleaming fiercely in the midday sun. Massive, cascading waterfalls sliced right through the gaps between the great towers, the roaring water sparkling like crushed diamonds. How could a fortress built into rushing water look so impossibly sturdy?

Kaelia stared in pure awe. If towering golden spires and rushing waterfalls could coexist in this sprawling courtyard, she wouldn't even blink if a herd of mythical unicorns suddenly trotted past the lush green hedges.

She squinted up at the colossal structures, her neck craning backward. Were the stone bricks actually painted gold, or was the Imperial Clan so disgustingly wealthy that they built the entire castle out of solid, heavy gold? It was flawless. The gleaming metal stood out beautifully against the sprawling landscape of deep, bonny foliage. It was perfection.

"What a beautiful castle, Kaelia," Verity breathed dreamily as she stepped out of the carriage to stand beside her sister.

"It really is," Kaelia agreed without a second of hesitation, her bad mood momentarily forgotten.

Nearby, she spotted several cobalt-blue coaches resting on the pristine premises. The Cobalt Dragon Clan had beaten them here. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Valerius stepping out of his own grand coach. He adjusted his dark coat, his gaze locking onto her instantly. He started marching in her direction, an eager, determined look on his face.

Before he could even close the distance, a strict line of Imperial staff intervened. Smoothly and efficiently, they separated the women of the Scarlet Dragon Clan from the men, ushering Kaelia and Verity toward the massive oak wood doors. Kaelia threw Valerius a smug, fleeting glance as he was abruptly blocked from reaching her side.

The colossal doors parted, revealing a breathtaking grand hallway. Rows of heavily armored guards stood at attention on either side of a lush red carpet. Their armor was flamboyant, flashing in specific, vibrant colors: Gold, Cobalt, Red, Ashen, and White. It represented every surviving dragon clan in the Empire. Noticeably absent was black. Black dragons were forbidden, treated as an unforgivable taboo, and mercilessly killed on sight.

Kaelia’s shoes padded softly against the red carpet that stretched down the massive corridor. Sunlight streamed through giant, teardrop-shaped windows, reflecting off the solid golden walls and bathing the entire space in a warm, ethereal, glimmering light. If heaven actually existed, Kaelia was fairly certain it looked exactly like this glowing hallway.

But her brief appreciation of the divine architecture was brutally cut short.

Her stomach gave a violent, ugly lurch.

The brief respite from the carriage ride was officially over, and the motion sickness came rushing back with a vengeance. Despite being a powerful White Dragon, Kaelia had always been cursed with a ridiculously weak stomach for as long as she could remember. The rich, overwhelming scent of the castle and the lingering dizziness from the bumpy roads twisted her insides into a tight, agonizing knot. The bile rose sharply to the back of her throat.

She clamped a hand over her mouth, swallowing hard.

An Imperial staff member guided her away from the main group, leading her up the stairs toward her private guest quarters to rest before the evening ball. The moment the heavy twin doors of her vast room clicked shut behind her, the sickness surged uncontrollably.

"Please excuse me," Kaelia gasped, pressing a trembling hand to her sweaty forehead. She looked terrifyingly pale, the color draining completely from her cheeks.

Her assigned maid stepped forward, her brow furrowing with genuine alarm. "Are you alright, Lady Kaelia?"

"Give me a few minutes," Kaelia choked out, waving the woman off. She spun away, clutching her churning stomach. Dear Gods, no. Not right now.

The maid looked confused but quickly bowed, stepping out of the grand chamber and pulling the twin doors shut to give her privacy.

The second she was left alone, Kaelia broke into a frantic sprint. She darted across the luxurious, expansive room toward a heavy wooden door that had to be the bathroom.

She grabbed the golden knob and twisted. It didn't budge.

She rattled it aggressively. Still nothing. It was locked.

"Curse my luck!" Kaelia hissed through her teeth.

She spun around wildly, her panicked eyes scanning the vast, immaculate room for a bin, a vase, a bucket—anything she could barf into. The place was practically empty of small containers.

Her head pounded in rhythm with her racing heart. She pressed both hands tightly over her mouth, desperately trying to repress the rising tide, but her body was in full, uncompromising rebellion. The sour taste flooded her tongue. She was going to lose it.

Driven by pure, blind panic, Kaelia ran toward the nearest source of fresh air. She lunged at the grand window, threw back the heavy velvet blinds, and shoved the glass panes open.

She leaned out over the edge, opened her mouth, and violently emptied the contents of her stomach directly into the open courtyard below.

She heaved once, twice, a third time, the terrible motion sickness finally purging itself from her miserable system. A cool breeze brushed against her sweaty forehead. Instant, blissful relief washed over her. She leaned her forehead against the window frame, panting softly.

"Oh, thank goodness," she whispered to herself.

Her quiet sigh of relief was suddenly shattered.

A chorus of horrified gasps erupted from the ground floor below her. Kaelia froze. Because of her sharp dragon hearing, the sounds drifting up from the courtyard to her third-floor window were crystal clear.

"Your Highness!" a woman’s terrified, ear-piercing shriek echoed up the castle walls.

Kaelia’s eyes blew wide in absolute horror. She slapped a hand over her mouth and threw herself backward, ducking her head away from the window. She pressed her spine flat against the golden wall of her chamber, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.

What had she just done? What was she thinking, throwing up out of a random window?

More panicked voices rose from below. Grunts of disgust, scrambling footsteps, and the chaotic rustling of fine clothing.

"What sort of mannerless behavior is this?!" the woman shrieked again.

"Are you alright? We are—"

"Find who did this to me and report at once!" a deep, thunderous voice roared. The sheer, furious power in the man's tone made the walls vibrate.

Kaelia clamped both hands over her mouth, feeling sick all over again for a completely different reason. She hadn't just vomited into an empty decorative garden.

She had vomited directly onto an Imperial Prince.

Terror seized her chest in an icy, suffocating grip. If they caught her, the consequences would be catastrophic. It would utterly destroy her image and drag the Scarlet Dragon Clan’s honor straight through the mud. The Imperial Clan would instantly withdraw whatever honors or alliances they had intended to bestow upon her. She had been in this beautiful, gilded palace for barely ten minutes, and she had already assaulted a royal with her stomach contents.

Karma had finally caught up to her. For years, Kaelia was never raised to have the best manners, and whenever she did something wrong, she usually found a way to get away with it. There was no talking her way out of this one. What were the odds she would vomit on an Imperial? She was seriously rethinking her attendance at the evening ball. In fact, she wanted to flee the Capital immediately.

The furious shouting from the courtyard grew louder as guards began to scramble. They were looking for the culprit. They were going to search the rooms.

She couldn't stay here.

Trembling with panic, Kaelia pushed off the wall. She dashed to her bedroom doors, slipped out into the hallway, and broke into a desperate run to find Verity.