"Must it be this weekend, Father?" I complained, slouching in the chair that was placed in front of his desk.
"Yes, Dear. I am very sorry, but the Emperor asked for it to be this weekend. He is already almost here, and there is nothing that I can do about it." My father said apologetically. I groaned at the fact that I was going to see Aiden at any moment from now. When royal marriage was typical, there was a tradition that took place for engaged royal couples. After the engagement, the couple would visit each other's kingdoms for dinner to bond with the family and welcome them to the kingdom. Aiden is currently on his way to our castle for this occasion. Nervousness was built up inside me from my last few words with him, which were not so positive.
"I don't like him, you know," I stated while picking at my newly painted nails. My father let out a sigh and nodded.
"I know." His voice almost sounded painful. " I know you don't." My face softened at the sight of my father so upset, I am not used to seeing much emotion from him.
"Father, what is that matter?" I asked while fixing my posture. I placed my hand on top of his to comfort him.
"King Heart... he is an evil man, and I am not sure you fully understand." He replied. "I know that you know the rumors that circle around, but I don't just know the rumors Taisa, I know everything that he does." My stomach dropped at his words, but I did my best to remain calm for him.
"Should I know about these things?" I asked timidly. He shook his head.
"No, I am sorry, but I should not tell you these things while you are engaged to him. They even disturb me." I didn't want to push it, so I just nodded my head.
"Okay, that is alright," I said. I gently squeezed his hand, making him look up at me. "I think that I have had enough time to think about my situation. I fully understand that Samuel won't change his mind and that I will become Aiden's wife no matter what anyone says. Samuel has cared for me like his own granddaughter, and I believe that he wouldn't let anyone lay a hand on me, not even Aiden. So, I will be alright, Father. I promise." I watched as his eyes lit up, making me smile.
"Yes, you are going to be alright." he closed his eyes, telling himself that. His office phone rang, concluding our conversation. My father kissed my hand before picking up the phone. "Hello?" He answered. I watched his expressions, trying to guess what he was being told. "Alright, we will be there to greet him." My guess was correct. He placed the phone down and looked at me, making it clear that Aiden had arrived. "Come on, let's go." I stood up from the chair and followed him out of the office. We found my mother waiting at the entrance for us. My father went to her side and planted a quick kiss on her lips.
"Samuel commented about your behavior to Aiden on the night of the party. I expect you to be kind and respectful to him, especially since he is visiting us as a guest." My mother scowled.
"Yes, Mother," I said firmly. She rolled her eyes and brought her attention back to my father. The guards eventually opened the doors to reveal Aiden. Butterflies erupted in my stomach from the sight of him standing there. He wore a fitted black suit and had his long, wavy hair combed back, highlighting his sharp features.
"Aiden! Welcome!" My father welcomed kindly. Aiden walked up to him and offered a handshake.
"Hello, Jeremy! I am so happy to see you all again." Aiden said and went to my mother, embracing her in a tight hug.
"Oh yes, it is so wonderful to see you, Dear." My mother said sweetly, hugging him back. I stood there quietly, watching them all greet each other. Aiden finally stepped over to me with pride, practically oozing off of him. He looked down into my eyes due to our dramatic height difference.
"My Princess." Aiden smoothy took ahold of my hand and gave it a soft kiss. Still feeling awkward from our phone call, I just gave him a smile. From his face, I knew that he was asking me once again to challenge him. "How are you?" He asked while finally releasing my hand.
"I am alright, thank you." I wanted to end our conversation there until I saw the look on my mother's face. "How are you?" He let out a chuckle.
"I am doing very well." He replied. "Thank you for welcoming me into your kingdom," Aiden said directly towards my parents.
"Of course, make yourself at home. Taisa can show you around while we wait for dinner." My mother chirped. My eyes snapped over to my father, who gave me a look of approval. He appeared kind, but I could see him right through him, and I knew he wasn't comfortable with the idea.
"Alright," Aiden said while placing his hand on the side of my arm, causing me to tense up. My mother took my father and went on their way, which left Aiden and me alone. It was painfully silent for a few moments as I felt his lingering stare. "Hm, you look beautiful, Princess" He took his hand and moved a stray hair out of the way. He tucked it behind my ear and caressed his finger down the side of my neck, making me shutter.
"Don't touch me, Aiden," I demanded while avoiding his eyes. My command only made him more interested. He tilted my head up by placing his fingers on my chin.
"I see we are off to a good start tonight." He commented sarcastically. I moved my jaw away from his fingers and crossed my arms over my chest. "Taisa, must we do this tonight?"
"I never wanted this night to happen in the first place." I stated coldly. "It would be best if you just did the minimum here."
"During our engagement dinner?" He questioned as if I were joking. "You want me to do the minimum during our engagement dinner?"
"I think that I was quite clear." I said back. Aiden huffed through his nose after a moment of staring at each other and cocked his head at me amusingly, as if he found this funny. He then made his next move, taking a step closer in my direction and took his spot inches in front of me. I never took my eyes off of his own, making this even more interesting. Aiden admired me for a moment before leaning down closer to my face.
"And I'm going to make myself clear." He spoke, with slight irritation in his tone. "Tonight is supposed to be about you and I...not just about you and your problems. You're not going to ruin this entire night just because you didn't get your way with the Emperor and that you're pissed at him." He said, making every word more harsh. "I flew all of this way to have a nice dinner with you and your family, and I'm not going to allow you to ruin that for me. So swallow your pride, Princess, and behave for me." By the end of his lecture, he was only centimeters away from me, letting his cologne wash over me. As I looked into his eyes, I only thought about the ways this night could end for me.
I could either resist and create an embarrassing sene for myself, or I could just be polite and keep my head down about my feelings. I sighed, knowing which one I should go through with, especially for my father's sake. "Fine." I gave in and looked down to my side, breaking our eye contact. Aiden caught my wrist and pulled me to him as I got away. "What are you doing? Don't make me change my mind, Aiden. You can't just grab me like some-."
"Where is your ring?" He questioned, holding up my hand. I felt my throat go dry once I looked down at my bare finger. He took me completely off guard, not allowing me any time to form my words. I mentally scolded myself for not putting the ring on like Serene advised me to do earlier.
"I...I just forgot it in my bedroom." I fibbed. "I'm not so used to wearing jewelry on my hands." Aiden lightened his grip and let me go.
"Let's go find it then. It would simply be strange to not wear your engagement ring tonight." He said. I mentally agreed with him, picturing how upset my mother would be if she were to find out that I refused to wear his ring.
"Follow me," I sighed defeatedly before turning around. I felt him close behind me as I made my way to my room silently. We eventually reached my bedroom door, and I opened it to see Serene tucking in my bedsheets.
"Hey, Taisa." She mumbled as she continued to do her job. She looked over to me with a smile but suddenly stood straight up. "King Heart." She noted timidly.
"Serene, hey..." I said, trying to calm her nerves, but she stayed right where she was. I looked over to Aiden and signaled him to come in. "Aiden, this is my assistant, Serene." Aiden smiled warmly and walked up to her. He took ahold of her hand and kissed it as if she were a royal herself, which took her by surprise.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Serene." She seemed to relax from his kind gesture.
"She has been my assistant for a few years now, but I consider her as a sister of mine," I mentioned.
"Yes, it's an honor, King Heart." She replied shyly.
"In that case, please call me Aiden." He said while releasing her hand. "We are looking for Tasia's engagement ring."
"Oh, let me get that for you." Serene moved over to my nightstand and brought it back to Aiden.
"Thank you, Dear," Aiden said. "Are you ready to show me around?" He asked me. I just nodded my head in response. "Alright, thank you again, Serene," Aiden said before placing his hand on my back and walking me out of my room. I made sure to give a smile to Serene on the way out to let her know that I was alright. It seemed to comfort her as she gives me a smile back. Aiden closed my door behind him and gently pushed me forward so that I could lead the way. "Oh, before we start." he stepped in front of me, grabbing my hand in the process. Aiden slid the ring onto my finger and placed a lingering kiss onto it. I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him aside as I started to walk.
"So, that was my bedroom. Serene has her own room right here" I pointed to the room right next to mine "But, we basically share mine since we always spend time together while I am here."
"How was she assigned as your assistant at such a young age?" He walked close beside me.
"My father is close to Serene's father, Chance, who works in the kitchen as a chef. I think my mother wanted an older lady to be assigned to me, but I think that my father wanted me to have a friend and knew that Chance had a daughter around my age." I explained.
"How did you two become so close?"
"I am a single child, and being in my position, it can become quite lonely. When Serene started, she was nervous around me and just focused on her job, but since she had to be around me so often, we simply became friends. She is a single child too, so I think we both found each other's company quite comforting." I said with a small smile growing on my lips.
"Is she a good assistant?" He asked.
"Yes, she still does her job well. I even believe that our relationship has made her a better assistant for me."
"Do you think she would be interested in working for you in my kingdom?" His question erupted excitement inside of me, but I kept calm. I thought about it for a moment, wondering if she would be willing to do that.
"I don't know, but I could ask her about it. You would be willing to hire her?"
"I want the best staff for you, people that I can trust. I would need a little more information about her, but if you think she is a good, I would be willing to hire her as your first assistant." For the first time, I was actually pleased with his words. The idea of Serene coming with me excited me, but I wasn't sure what she and her family would be comfortable with. I would be more than happy if she agreed, but I would understand if she was not up for the job.
"I will ask her about that later...thank you." Aiden must have been surprised by my manners as I noticed his smile. I'd have to say that his smile was much less intimidating that his classic smirk that he always pulled and more flattering. Aiden was a very handsome man, charming, in fact. I think I could understand why so many women gush over his looks, but they are too afraid of him to admit it.
We made our way back to the main floor after going through most of the main hallways on the upper floors. Our castle was pretty big, but I assumed not as big as his own. Suddenly, I heard my mother's voice. Knowing her, she would make some comment about me not being affectionate towards Aiden if she saw us not even touching. Every time Aiden tried to contact me, I would swat him away or subtly avoid it, which I knew he noticed anyway. My mother would cause some sort of scene if she were to see us now. When I noticed her voice become closer, I grabbed Aiden's hand and intertwined our fingers together. I looked up to see him slightly confused but satisfied that I was allowing him to touch me.
"What are you doing?" He asked while adjusting his hand comfortably in mine. My mother came into view, and I just looked at her and back to him. Aiden chuckled. "Oh, I see."
"Hello, you two!" my mother chirped. I mentally screamed from her voice but smiled to cover up my internal pain.
"Hi, Julia!" Aiden exclaimed happily. My mother walked up to us and admired the image of us together.
"Ohh, look at you both." She blushed. "Dinner is ready, come with me." Aiden and I followed close behind her. We reached the dining room to see my father waiting for us. His face lit up as soon as he saw me, which made me feel safer now that he was here.
"Taisa, Aiden, good to see you've made it on time." My father commented while standing up and walking over to me. I released myself from Aiden's hand and allowed my father to kiss the top of my head. He leads Aiden and me to our seats, which Aiden pulled out for me kindly.
"Thank you," I said to Aiden as he took a seat beside me. My parents took their seats before the servers came out. Plates of steak, shrimp, and potatoes were served to them along with wine. The strong fragrance of the food made my mouth water, but unfortunately, they make me stuck to a strict vegetarian diet. A plate of salad with a side of fruit was placed before me, along with a glass of lemon water. Maroon set strict guidelines for my health, which involves a very restraining diet. It's sad to say that the only thing I have ever had to drink was water my entire life, and I won't even be able to taste alcohol as an adult based on his rules.
"It looks delicious," Aiden said while beginning to dig into his meal. My parents then started to eat after him.
"We made sure to ask what your favorite meal was." My mother informed before taking a sip of wine.
"How sweet of you, it tastes amazing." He replies while taking another bite. "How's your food?" I pretended that his question didn't anger me and picked up a strawberry with my fork.
"Lovely." I placed the sour strawberry in my mouth. My unexpected tone struck my mother the wrong way.
"Taisa, attitude." She snapped with a glare. I moved my gaze over to my father, who just looked down at his plate. I kept my mouth shut and picked at my food. "I apologize, Dear. Taisa seems to be forgetting her manners tonight."
"No need to apologize, it's alright, Julia." My mother seemed to calm down and continued eating her meal. "I'd have to say that it would be quite the job to parent this one." Aiden tilted his head my way.
"Oh, yes, indeed it is. From the moment she was born, I knew that she would be a rebellious one. I practically had a heart attack when Maroon crowned her as the princess." My father said. I could tell that my father was trying his absolute hardest to be kind to him. It made me worry if Aiden could see right through him. Aiden let out a small laugh.
"I could only imagine what she was like as a child, knowing how she is now." He sent a wink my way. I quietly scoffed at him, but played if off as a joke.
"Yes, but she's a good daughter. I wouldn't change anything about her if I had a choice." My father said, and I knew that he was truthful.
"I sure would." My head flew in my mother's direction. She sat there with an annoyed look upon her face. I usually never took the things my mother said to heart, but it felt more hurtful to hear something like that.
"Mother..." I said with a pained voice. She just shrugged her shoulders but was quickly brought to my father's attention. He whispered harsh things into her ear as Aiden, and I sat quietly. I could sense that Aiden knew that I was hurt, but he wasn't sure how to respond. I felt warmth creep onto my lower thigh and lowered my eyes to find his hand holding onto me, distracting me from my mother's words. Not wanting to cause a scene, I allowed him to keep his hand where it was. My parents soon returned to their regular positions.
"Aiden, tell us about your kingdom." My father said, thankfully releasing the tension in the room.
"Well, I believe that the most drastic change that Taisa will experience is the weather change. You don't have a lot of snow over here do you?" I cocked my brow at him.
"Snow? No, we have never seen snow here. I know that it snows in other parts of the land, but not here." I said.
"Have you ever seen snow before, Taisa?" Aiden asked me. I shook my head 'no,' which made him raise his brow. "Well, you're in for a surprise."
"Please tell me your kingdom isn't always smothered in snow all year round," I begged, but my hopes were shut down with the look that he gave me.
"Well, the winters can get quite bad. The snow can sometimes block people in their houses for weeks. It can get as cold as twenty-two below zero on a good day, but the summers are quite alright." My jaw dropped. "Don't worry, Love, you will become used to it." He laughed.
"How does the weather affect your castle?" My mother asked while finishing her meal.
"When it snows, we could be blocked in for hours, maybe days depending on the storm, but we have people who clear it out." I was almost stunned by this information. "Since it is currently early winter, we are starting to experience major snowstorms."
"Will you and Taisa still be able to travel out tomorrow?" I just about choked on my water from my mother's question.
"Tomorrow?" I asked, coughing from the water caught in my throat.
"Well yes, we were informed that there is a prediction of a storm hitting his kingdom. We originally were going to have Aiden over for the weekend, but we decided that it would be easier for you to head out before the storm hits." My father informed. I let out a sigh and put my fork down as I stopped playing with my food.
"How is your father doing? I haven't been able to speak with him for some time." My father said.
"He is doing well with my mother. They are pretty excited to meet Taisa and welcome her into the kingdom." I left a sudden nervousness from the thought of meeting his parents, the people that raised this man that millions fear around the world.
"When you see your father, tell him how glad we are to be apart of the family and the future to come." A few servers came around and collected our dishes as they spoke.
"Of course. I'm sure Emperor Maroon will have us all meet soon to converse about our marriage." My father gave him a nod and wiped his mouth with his napkin. I studied my father's behavior, which wasn't very hard to do. I feel like anyone who didn't know my father could tell that he wasn't having a good night. "Taisa, if you could excuse yourself from the table for a moment, please." I slowly met Aiden's gaze.
"Why?" He moved his face closer to mine.
"I would like to speak to your parents privately." He said lowly.
"Why can't I be apart of the conversation if it's about me? I already know it is." He sighed and placed his lips near my ear.
"I'm asking this nicely, and I will only ask this once more. Leave the room." His voice was quiet yet firm. I moved my eyes to my father, who looked somewhat afraid, which didn't help calm my nerves.
"Aiden, what are you going to do?" I whispered worriedly. He gave me a look that scared me down to the core, telling me to leave right now.
"May I be excused," I announced unwillingly.
"Yes, Dear." My father said, not even bothering to look at me. I quickly stood to my feet and smoothed out my dress. As soon as I reached the door, I looked back at the table where everyone was looking at me. Aiden gave me a single nod, signaling for me to go. I left the room in fear of what might happen while I'm gone.