My father's face was stern and cold. Every word he said came with its own dagger to my chest as he repeated his previous sentence , but a side of me refused to believe it. I formed a frown and tried to keep myself calm.
"Is this about Shadrach?" I barely managed to get out.
He stroked his beard, making a face I couldn't quite understand. "No."
"No?" I asked as my breaths quickened,"So this engagement is not that sudden; it existed long, long ago."
He finally looked at me in the face. "And that is why I wouldn't allow any form of intimacy between you and that man."
I got up from bed and walked to him, closing up the distance between. "Tell me it's not true." I pleaded. "Tell me you are not doing the exact same thing that Grandpa tried to do to you!"
His eyes widened, and he turned away. "Our situations are totally different," he spat walking away obviously getting uncomfortable.
"It doesn't seem like so." I said, closing up the space again. He glared at me, and I backed down by two steps.
He rubbed his forehead like I was the one giving him the headache.
"The young Alpha Forchesca has always admired you. He sadly lost his mate a few years ago. He will take great care of you and promised to keep you safe. He is a respectable man, and–"
"It doesn't matter who you chose.I wasn't asked.The point is you didn't care to involve me in matters concerning my life" I shot at him despite the guilt I felt from arguing with him. But this was the one thing I expected him not to do. It was like he had broken his own principles.
"But it's for your own good. Would you prefer to be a wife to that low class wizard instead?!"
"Maybe not to him, but I want to have a choice—not to be some little pawn or a gift you can give a friend when his first wife dies."
"You are not a pawn.You know that, Bella." He said, softening, and just as suddenly, his rage grew. "All I ever do is try to keep you safe. The last choice you made almost got you killed!"
"No,no,do not act like this is my punishment; this was planned ages before the Grand Courtier's Ball. And you didn't even bother to tell me until now.."
"You will learn to love Lohan Forchesca. I have seen you and the wizard before; that's not love. It's just misplaced affection."
"And so what if you don't see it?" I asked, almost startled by my voice's coolness. "Did grandpa see yours?" I chuckled in disbelief.
"And I assumed I would never have to go through this because you know exactly how it feels to be forced into something,to not be understood, and to be stripped from your happiness.You are the same monster he was!" I yelled at him and stormed out.
"Kiara, you will soon understand my point now you have to start getting mentally prepared because you will be meeting your future husband very soon!!"
Halfway down the stairs was my sad-looking grandmother, starting at me. She unfolded her arms and extended them for a hug. It was not until I pressed my cheek against her silky hair that I realised the cold liquid that was resting under my left eye.
"I will try to talk to him," she said as we broke away. I nodded and forced a smile in an attempt to remove her sad face.
"Go get some rest,"she told me before going down to the library. I stood rooted in the middle of the stairs, trying to focus my senses to hear what they were saying,to see if he would listen to his own mother could take me out of these shackles called an engagement. Curiosity must have really killed the cat, because what I heard I did not like. I found out that he had absolutely no intentions of breaking it, and she somehow already knew and was only mad about the timing of the announcement. I climbed down the stairs slowly as the words of my father trying to justify his actions died in my ears.
I went to bed that night with remnants of that tear drying on my cheek. Carlotta kept me company all through my ranting about the situation. She managed to console me and anger me with sentences like,
"Lohan is a decent man."
"He is nature's gift to you."
"At least he is not the elder Valerian brother, right? It could have been worse."
I turned to Carlotta after the last sentence. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't find out what exactly I wanted to say. A soft rush of familiarity rushed down my veins, and I snuggled under my covers,hoping for sleep to arrive soon.
*Adriel's POV*
I adjusted my cloak and strided to the patio, where I had my guest seated, unlike other guests. I received Alpha Denzel away from my family's castle. The old man has made quite a name for himself with his tactics and cunningness, and honestly,I would rather not risk it. Out here, there were guards at every corner with bows and arrows,ready to shoot at any signal of altercation. The visit was the first of its kind, and for both our sakes, I hope it was the last.
I sat opposite him and picked up a glass from the table. His eyes wandered as if he could swear all of them were poisoned.
"What a pleasant surprise." I said,deliberately letting my sarcasm show. It was always a nice conversation starter.
"Indeed." He said this, still looking at the beverages on the table.
He finally stared up at me. "Do you want to play chess?" he asked.
"No," I said almost instantly.
He curled his lips downward and shrugged as he swooped a glass in front of him. "Such a shame. I came to personally address you about the law you broke. As members of the same council for security,you broke a serious rule by sending those men to spy on me.I was hoping we could resolve the issue over a nice game"
I drank my wine slowly, eyeing him as he spoke. "Where are they?" I asked after a pause.
"Their ashes are probably scattered somewhere; the cruel sun burned them.Poor men, not even in the class to afford to walk in the sun." He said that and nodded at my daylight ring. "Not everyone is as lucky as you."
I shrugged,unbothered. I knew he probably forced them under the sun to scorch to death. That was their fault for being sloppy enough to be caught. That was just an ounce of how I treated his spies I caught. I lost my patience when those loyal fuckers refused to talk.
"Your spies didn't get a happy ending either,but I'm not crying about the rules now, am I?"
Denzel groaned and set his drink back down. He hadn't even tasted it. So Kiara was the only trusting Whitman then.
"I hate beating around the bush, Adriel. I found out from Xhao that you have the old Hybrid Foundation Castle in your possession. I will like to buy it."
I cracked a laugh that came out as breath. "You and your daughter always have the same motive, or is this an errand your darling daughter made you do?"
"How much?"
"You couldn't afford it. I want Mount Covey,or as you nicknamed it, Mount Isabella."
Denzel stiffened, and his gaze flared as if he were steaming in anger. He came forward and rested his elbows on the ebony table.
"I am willing to pay a handsome price and negotiate an actual, fair exchange."
"Who is the guy?" I asked not to let myself think it through.
"What guy? he asked.
"Your daughter's future husband."
It was the headline of "The Royal Eye." A few days ago, and my mother read it on my behalf and kept yapping about it till I heard every detail,that is, only the one provided in the papers. The name was not revealed for the sake of some idiotic principle that forces the paper to not reveal it,something about a dead mate or so.
She on the other hand,could be thrown in the spotlight, though, and that was hardly fair. But I didn't feel the need to advocate for that. My desire for her body had lied under my surface calmly, and it made no sense to try to awaken it. Although I was still curious as hell and wanted to know who the man was.
Denzel stared at me as if I had asked for a nude painting of her. He was a protective man; I will give him that. Maybe too protective, but who was I to judge anyway?
"How does that information interest you?" he asked.
"I'm a curious man." I smirked.
"Do not play games with me; my daughter is out of your limits," he said through gritted teeth. I could hear a low growl there. Yet I couldn't be less unphased.
"All I did was ask for a name. I could find out other ways, but this is easier, you know. And maybe I could actually be interested in making a transaction with you if I'm told."
He rested back in his chair. "It's Alpha Leo of the Third Order ,"he said. I searched for the reluctance in his face but found none. Maybe he didn't mind telling me after all. I tried to remember what I knew of Alpha Leo,and I instantly hated the idea. He was a twisted man, and he was actually my werewolf partner once upon a time. The mere fact that I liked him once should cause panic in normal minds. How could Denzel make Kiara marry him? I was under the impression that he loved his daughter .
I cleared my throat, realising I had pondered too long, and now Denzel was narrowing his eyes at me.
"I will give the damn castle back for free." I said, and Denzel's eyebrows shot into his hair. "As long as you let Kiara know that I am sorry we didn't get to end our night, and the castle was my engagement gift to her."
"Why? " he asked, more unhappy than perplexed.
"Because I want to and I can."
"No,I will buy it",he said, shaking his head and feeling his pride shake.
"Swallow your pride and accept the darn thing." I said,"I want you to always remember that you owe me, though."
His eyes ran across me. "I like how you play your sick games, Adriel."
"That's...." I was a bit taken aback. "Touching but I'm about to leave. I think you have overstayed your welcome."
He got up and looked me in the eyes. "I was just about to leave too."
"Do not forget to deliver my message to her." I told him as he walked past me.
"Sure thing," he replied.
* * *
I hit the ground with a loud thud. This time loud enough to bang my head against the metal that was supposed to protect me from such anguishing pain. The fact that I even felt pain must mean I fell a bit too hard. The scent of my blood found its way to my nostrils, and I frowned and groaned. Only then did I feel the sting on my side. "The son of a bitch" I cursed as I heard the thuds approach me and Charles's voice over me.
"You are distracted, "he observed.
There were other voices from afar murmuring how clumsy I was today.
"Take advantage of it to impress the ladies." I said as my wounds healed. I sat up and took off my helmet.
He stood over me with his lance, which was still stained with my blood. "I don't need to embarrass you to charm them. And as much as I love making you bleed,it gets boring." He pierced the stick into the ground and got down from his courser. He gave his horse a pat on the forehead and ordered a stable boy to take him away. He treated animals like he didn't force their blood to move in abnormal ways for his pleasure.
I got up, and a handful of ladies cheered. I glanced at them momentarily and went back to Charles.
"I am going to marry her," I told him.
"Ugh,"he said, rubbing his head. "Who?"
"I want to have a baby with her," I said plainly.
His eyebrows rose. "Is that your way of saying you want to sleep with her?"
"No, I would be more vulgar if that's all I planned.I'm going to tell the partners my new plan. Which involves a fake marriage and a baby, death and absorption of power.They will love it"
He took off his gloves and shook his head. "This way seems way too far-fetched."
"Who fucking cares?" I shrugged. "It is the most efficient type of power grab. The energy from both she and the baby could even be more powerful than the entire Mount Isabella itself. We would use that power to take over the werewolf territory and the mountain. It's like double the opportunity, and the only downside is that we have to wait a few months for the child to be born."
He looked at me with his mouth agape. "The only downside? What about the woman involved in all of this? What becomes of her?"
"I am starting to think that she bewitched your entire family into adoring her."
There was a loud thud behind us, and we turned to see a young knight who had fallen the wrong way, and now his neck was at a twisted angle. The medics rushed to him and started examining him. It was a bloody scene, but we returned to our conversation anyway. It was nothing but a good old manly battle.
"I think you are losing it." He said to me with seriousness in his eyes. "This whole plan is just cruel."
"You made someone choke on their own blood two days ago. You are no saint." I reminded him. "And the best part about it is that it is a lone man's job. I love working alone."
"So you are just telling me,not asking for my opinion."
"Exactly. You are catching on." I told him as we accepted the water from the tray a maid offered.
He did not speak again. He wiped his sweat and focused on the field. The broken-neck knight was nowhere to be seen, and an entirely new pair were ready to hurt themselves to impress the ladies and have a good time.
I glanced at Charles and saw he was holding a hard stare with one of the princesses. At least one of us was having fun. I looked in the crowd for someone to pass the night with. I got bored too soon and decided to head home. Maybe not tonight.
I thought about my plans, and excitement crept up my skin like a haunting thought. I was oddly impatient about it all. I sighed loudly. I am starting to believe Kiara Whitman bewitched me too.