Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 273: Queen Maeve’s Plan

Chapter 273: Queen Maeve’s Plan

"Mother," Prince Theodore was startled to see the queen at this time of the night when he opened his door.

The spring court Queen Nirvana shoved past him, entering his room as if she owned the place while her son let out a deep sigh, closing the door after her. He knew whatever brought his mother here couldn’t be good. Her expression alone spelled trouble.

He went in after her, wrapping his arms across his chest in a business-like fashion, his eyes boring into her as he asked, "What brings you here at this awful time of the night? I would love to have my sleep uninterrupted," He chided her.

Queen Nirvana ignored his fussing – as she believed it was – and said, "I couldn’t sleep, not after I went through the guest list," She produced a list and stretched it out towards him.

Theodore accepted the list with both a mix of anxiety and anticipation, and read it, his brows furrowing the more he went through it. He lifted his eyes and the list, "What is this?"

Queen Nirvana was disappointed by his response and scowled at him, "Don’t you see it, Theodore? Most of the eligible maidens invited to the ball are summer court Faeries. At least seventy percent of them are. I knew that damned Fae Maeve would do this!" She stamped her feet in frustration.

"So?" Theodore blinked, seemingly lost.

Queen Nirvana glanced up at him and scoffed," Are you kidding me right now? You don’t understand the power play at work here? Not only is the queen looking down at the other courts, our courts...! " She emphasized, her tone increasing, " Most of the powerful spring court families were not invited, just lesser Fae. She intends to saturate the royal family with summer Fae scums!"

The Queen’s eyes suddenly shimmered with such desperation he shivered. It was the kind of reckless abandon that suggested the queen might go to any length to get what she wanted.

The spring prince had no chance to express his own opinion because she continued, looking at him pleadingly, "You can’t marry a summer court Fae, we need a spring court maiden. Theodore, you need a pure-blooded heir this time -"

"Could you stop it!" He snapped at her, rendering the queen speechless, but only momentarily.

Tilting her head, the queen asked with a challenge in her eyes, "Why should I stop?"

"What?"

"I’m the one always pushing you, without me you would be all laid-back and let your half brother take everything that should belong to you."

Theodore’s hands fell to his sides as he cursed beneath his breath yet his mother did not stop.

She took a step closer, saying," Do you even know who Queen Maeve has set her eyes on? Elena of the Raysin family, an eligible high Fae. With her, Valerie’s position as the future king of Astaria is guaranteed and they would birth a strong heir. An heir that would take over from Valerie and the summer court is bound to rule Astaria forever."

Theodore’s jaw fell open, "Isn’t Elena, Valerie’s second cousin once removed."

Queen Nirvana scoffed, finding his question childish, "Who cares? It’s not like they’re siblings. Moreover, the royal bloodline must be preserved."

A malicious grin suddenly spread across Queen Nirvana’s face and she closed the space between them, reaching out to cup her son’s face, stroking his features with her thumb, "However, it’s all talk and nothing has been done about it yet. Nor do I recall a law forbidding you from stealing a potential bride."

Theodore’s blood ran cold and he jerked away from his mother’s touch as if she burned, retreating from her with a step.

He thought it over with confusion written all over his face, "You want me to seduce Elena and steal her right from Valerie’s nose?"

She shrugged, "Is seducing a maiden that hard? Moreover, I heard Valerie is still quite enamored with the human. You would be doing him a favor, son. I’m sure Valerie would appreciate it, although Queen Maeve wouldn’t," Queen Nirvana laughed at the thought of that happening. She couldn’t wait to see the defeated and embarrassed look on the Fae Queen’s face. That would make her day.

Theodore shut his eyes, lifting a hand,

"Wait a minute," He drew a long breath, holding onto control, "Didn’t you say you want a pureblooded Fae?"

Queen Nirvana pulsed her lips, thoughtfully, "As much as I need a pureblood heir, Elena is still a strong high Fae and though intermarriage between the courts dilutes bloodlines, look how you, my son, Valerie and Andre turned out. You are royalty Fae and held on to your core magic all because you had powerful mothers. "She added in the end with scorn," Although you could have done much better. "

Theodore’s face darkened at his mother’s statement and he unconsciously clenched his fist. He was not oblivious to his mother’s disapproval of his weakness. He was the firstborn son and should have been the strongest, yet he could not defeat Valerie. There were even rumors circulating that Andre would defeat him in a fight and the Autumn prince had been only holding back in previous duels to save his face.

Of course, all of this had done nothing but dealt a huge blow to his self-esteem resulting in his overbearing attitude as he transferred the aggression towards innocent bystanders. No one knew what it felt like to be criticized and to be looked down on as the first born. No one respected him. Yet, his mother had to go and press on that sharp wound.

"Get out." He ordered.

"What?" Queen Nirvana’s face distorted. No. She must have heard wrongly. Theodore wouldn’t dare to –

"I said get out this instant!" He barked at her, startling her.

The queen nearly jumped out of her skin, giving her son a look of disbelief.

She was enraged and warned him, "You wouldn’t dare to –! "

Queen Nirvana was still talking, when Prince Theodore waved his hand and a thick vine burst through the window, shattering the glass and aimed for her. Queen Nirvana was caught off guard and wasn’t able to defend herself as the creeper wrapped around her waist, lifted her off her feet, and tossed her out the corridor before slamming the door in her face.

Behind closed doors, Theodore let out an anguish scream and began to wreck everything in his room.