Lying on her soft sheets, staring at her smooth stoned ceiling above her, polished paintings with silver trimming running in straight, intricate lines. A lamp floated in the middle, suspended in the air, pulsing softly like a heartbeat. She sat up and pushed back the sheets, she stood and stretched preparing for the new day.
She took a slow, tentative step across the cold marble floor brushing her feet on polished stone that gleamed like obsidian, catching the light from that floating lamp above.
Her room was massive, high ceilings, violet curtains draped across tall windows, barely letting in sunlight. Books stacked in sections, a massive desk with a feather quill and papers of her latest entry in her diary on it, a wardrobe carved in ivy petals and rugs thick enough to bury your toes in. Everything screamed nobility and luxury but there was nothing noble about her life or luxurious about the way she lived.
Sapphira walked toward the far wall, toward the silver-trimmed mirror gleaming in the corner, but stopped just short.
The mirror was massive, ornate, framed in silver leaves, it stood taller than her and gleamed without a single crack. Sapphira stood in front of it and stared. It was a young lady, maybe eighteen at most, height right for her age.
Had a slender but agile body, the kind that came from practice. Her hair was silver, thick and groomed, her skin was clear, and then there were her eyes; clear, squirt blue like a splash of water, with a gaze so innocent but not.
Sapphira sat heavily in the nearest chair, a high-backed armchair covered in deep violet fabric. The wood was polished and carved in ivy petals, her fingers gripped the armrests like her lifeline.
Knock…knock…knock
Three gentle tapes against the polished door cut through the silence.
"Come in" Sapphira said,
The door creaked
"My lady, " she said with a small curtsy, "Your father wants you to have breakfast with the family this morning."
Sapphira studied her, and she looked up, not afraid of her,"Thanks Zephyr,"
Zephyr tried reading Sapphira's expression but she walked past her and out into the hallway. As she did, she caught her reflection in a mirror mounted along the corridor wall.
"Do you know?"Sapphira asked, "Know what my lady?" "Nevermind…"she said. She walked faster till she reached the doors to the dining.
The doors to the dining hall were tall, twin arcs of mahogany engraved with the Vale's crest, two stars by the side of a quarter moon.
The butler stationed outside gave a short bow and opened them without a word, and Sapphira stepped inside.
The dining hall was lavish, a grand chandelier floated above the long table, its crystals glowing softly, tall arched windows bathed the room in morning light.
Zephyr stood at the far wall closest to Sapphira's chair, everyone was already seated, they all turned to look at her but no one said a word, only her mother smiled.
At the head of the table sat Lord Azael Vale, her father or so she thought, with sharp green eyes like fractured emeralds, with a gaze so cold and analytical and hair swept back like steel.
Next to him on either side sat his wives;
At the left Lady Ravena Vale, his first wife and Sapphira's mother, her hair was raven, her expression soft, with flickers of light in her eyes, she was composed and relaxed.
At the right Lady Naamah Vale, his second wife. Seductive smile, red-brown curls, but her gold eyes held malice. And by her side were her two children;
Cassian Vale, her son, the heir, tall, charming, with that practiced noble smirk that never reached his eyes. His hair was jet black, his features sharp.
Valerie Vale, her daughter, composed, delicate in appearance, her voice as smooth as her insults.
Sapphire approached her seat beside her mother, no one said a word, she pulled it out and sat, lifting her napkin with precision and began to eat.
The food was exquisite, charred quail stuffed with pomegranate and ash, but the silence was sharper than the knives. Then Naamah sneered, "How could you dress so improperly?" "It's breakfast Lady Naamah, not a banquet" Sapphira said as she raised her eyes and stared at her dead in the eye, then the silence returned.
Finally, Azael spoke, his voice low and firm. "Sapphira, your coming of age has passed and you have finished your etiquette training. Tomorrow, you leave for the academy, if you fail you would be married off immediately, you'll depart at dawn. A carriage will be waiting, no entourage, just the driver and your handmaiden."
That was all, Sapphira set down her knife calmly, no farewell speech, just commands. "Understood father."
She could feel his eyes on her, judging and her stepsiblings eyes probing. But she didn't meet their stares, she didn't need to. She wasn't here to win him over, not anymore.
"This is the first time you've had a conversation with Father without trying to please him" Valerie said. She let out an utterly fake laugh, Cassian just watched, his lips twitching like he wanted to enjoy the show.
Sapphira kept eating with slow, meticulous efficiency, she didn't speak nor did she meet their eyes. "Maybe she has finally known her place" Valerie chimed.
Sapphira didn't respond right away, she chewed, swallowed, wiped her mouth neatly then, finally, she looked up. Her squint blue eyes locked on Valerie's with all the cold indifference, "Wow," she said, voice calm, Valerie blinked. Sapphira tilted her head, expression neutral.
"I wonder if you even have a place because the last time I checked you are terrible in everything." The whole room erupted in silence, Valerie choked on her drink. Ravena froze mid-bite, even Cassian's eyebrows rose slightly and Lady Naamah's eyes narrowed.
Ravena set down her fork a little harder than necessary and stared at her, Sapphira didn't flinch, she just reached for her cup and sipped, like she hadn't just insulted Father's favorite in front of everyone. Cassian recovered first, with a cold smile, "I see the academy might teach you some manners, assuming you survive long enough to learn them."
Sapphira stared at him for a second longer, then looked back to her plate. "Bold of you to assume you'll live long enough to see if I make it." Lady Naamah inhaled sharply, "Azael!". Lord Vale didn't raise his voice, he didn't need to.
"That's enough, " he said, tone absolute, "there will be order at this table." Everyone went still, that was the end of it. No more laughter, no more taunts, just the quiet sound of a knife carving through meat and a subtle shift in the air.
Because something has changed about Sapphira and they all felt it. As the last of the dishes were cleared away, Lord Vale leaned back in his chair. The staff moved silently around them, clearing plates with the efficiency of ghosts.
Lady Ravena cleared her throat, "My Lord, will you send her off unescorted? It's a three-day journey and her siblings aren't leaving tomorrow, could you please…" Lady Naamah dabbed her lips with a napkin, her voice light as air as she interrupted, "At least, her handmaiden is going with her what else does she need." Lord Vale raised one hand, she kept quiet. "She will go that way and it'll be tomorrow." His gaze didn't waver from Sapphira, there was no malice in it, no warmth either, just cold chill but Sapphira met his eyes without blinking.