Page 54 of Microburst

She wasn’t the only one. I didn’t have an answer, and short of the gods sending us some sort of intervention, we were going to be behind on our sleep for a while longer.

Apparently, one of us actually prayed to that or… I wasn’t sure, but Sunday morning I came to breakfast in a shit mood. While things had gone well with the announcement of Wilder’s leaving the competition and the bullshit why… I was getting pushback on his punishment.

Several of the Alphas were saying that it made no sense to have him do community service which would be in the public if we’d all just strived to keep this private. Were they really so stupid or did they thinkIwas so fucking stupid?

Honestly, I was pretty sure it was a combo and I didn’t know which was more insulting to me… Or them.

It should be completely insulting tothembecause I wasn’t stupid and they should know that already unless they were completely fucking dumb. It was actually getting embarrassing for some of them and I worried how much else they constantly missed.

But they weren’t hearing me that some people did community service just to be better people and that was the goal. I didn’t think it would make Wilder a better person, but it certainly couldn’thurt. I did keep pointing to Joris who had a long history of doing good deeds to be nice. No other reason.

Crazy, right?

But I was seconds from doing something I probably shouldn’t and listening to Queen Rani again about being bold.

And then I was pretty sure I was staring at a message from the gods saying my last time being bold worked out? No, someone’s prayers around me for help?

Fuck if I knew, but I was very,veryconfused as I stared at twenty electric dragons—all female—standing in the dining hall waiting for me. Then I recognized one and realized they were all from the Gurren family.

“I have so many questions,” Maple muttered from behind me.

I pointed to myself and then back to her as if to say I was in the same boat which made a few of the women chuckle and break the ice. One woman stepped out in front of the others and dipped into a perfect low curtsey to me showing deep respect.

And a bit of an outdated practice since most dragons no longer curtsied.

“You’re lovely, child, but this isn’t a conversation for so many ears,” Belinda said as she joined us. “I suggest your private dining room and the cameras off because too many…”

Couldn’t keep their mouths shut.

I saw a few guards give Belinda annoyed looks, but they flinched when they saw me watching them. I kept their gazes. “I completely agree.” I smiled at the women. “Please, come with me.” I flinched when Belinda asked Treena, Myriam, and Velle to join us later but nodded that I agreed. “We’ll be right back.”

“Always with the secrets,” Velle bitched.

I moved in front of her and lowered my voice. “I know you’re tired and we’ve talked, but this is what I’m talking about that people see. You just openly disagreed with the queen in front of everyone as a guest in our country and myaide. You see it as innocent, but they see it as an insult as your royal family would as well.”

She opened her mouth, but then another gift from the gods maybe and Velle actually learned from her mistakes and glanced around. She let out a slow breath and then took it in, meeting my gaze. “I’m sorry. I don’t register things like that. It seems—it’s not the waters I was raised in. It’s not… Can I get like an etiquette tutor?”

I patted her shoulder and looked at our guests. “Yeah, pretty sure I can get you one we can trust now.”

She moved with me when I went to leave. “Sorry I was slow to get this. I don’t…”

I decided to help her with the way people saw her. It wasn’t helping anyone that they didn’t like her. “You saw the problems and attacked them to help me. You had the right priorities. Now you can refine your approach because youcansince we’re making the candidates actually do things like we were promised they would.”

Let them get shit for it instead of Velle. It was true. It wasn’t her fault we couldn’t trust them or they were lazy. Some useless. Even Thorn. He could have done more, but he just focused on access to me. He could have jumped in and tried to help Velle and Myriam. They didn’t tell me that he offered to help them.

He’d offered to helpme.

I nodded for the first woman to go ahead when we were in the private dining room with the rest of the Gurren guests, Belinda, and Maple.

“I’m Yolanda Gurren, Your Majesty,” she greeted, curtseying again. “Your uncle’s older first cousin.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Yolanda,” I said, keeping it formal since she started that way for her own comfort. “You undoubtedly know Princess Maple, and this is Ancient Belinda, my advisor and teacher.”

“I’m honored to meet you both.” She curtsied to both of them but not as deeply.

“You have suffered greatly, child,” Belinda whispered as she went over to Yolanda and rubbed her shoulder. “You did your best. You need to forgive yourself. You are not the villain you feel.”

Yolanda swallowed loudly. “Yes, well, we can always do better and I am here to pay for the sins I have committed.” She blinked quickly and met Belinda’s gaze. “But I thank you for your kind words and also clearing me in front of the queen so we might have a better conversation. I know you don’t do that only for her, but my nerves.”