Chapter 2
Throughout that week, Father didn't disturb me with the subject of my marriage to the Blood King, which relieved me. However, he was acting strange during dinner, constantly staring at me as if there was something on my face.
Finally having enough of the stare, I spoke up. "Papa?"
He gulped down the water from the goblet. "We need to talk."
"About?" I asked, recalling the last time we spoke and how it was about my potential marriage to the Blood King.
"The House of Cordova is still waiting for a response from us."
"Oh," was all I could say. "Very easy. Reject the offer."
"Penny!" Father exclaimed in frustration.
"Even if I were to marry, it wouldn't be to the Blood King," I said. "He's much older than I am."
"He's just twenty-eight years old, Penny," Father corrected.
"And I'm eighteen," I rolled my eyes. "That's a ten-year difference."
"But why does he want me?" I asked. "Why me?"
We had never met, and I couldn't understand his interest in marrying me.
"If he marries you, that would bring our house and Cordova close," he said. "I would always be visiting you at the palace to discuss things with the Blood King."
I looked at Father, and he stared at me intensely. "You know how much this means to me," he said. "Penny, you have to marry him, please."
Please.
My father had never pleaded with me about anything. And now he was begging me to marry the King. I swallowed nervously, unsure of how to respond to him. He stared at me for a few seconds, waiting to hear my response.
"Penny," he began, "this would bring benefits to you and me. Do you know how many young girls would kill to marry the Blood King?"
"Well, I'm not one of them."
"I only want what's best for you."
"How is marrying me to the Blood King, who's ten years older than me, in my best interest?" I asked.
"King Atlas isn't that old," he said.
I tried to imagine what a man of that age would look like, picturing him with any man from our House. There were so many rumors about what the Blood King looked like. Some said he was fat and ugly, while others claimed he looked like a monster. I was terrified of the marriage, especially since my father hadn't seen him before.
I glared at my father. "Don't look at me like that," he said. "Becoming his wife isn't bad. You would be the crown Queen of this kingdom and seven Houses. Do you know what that means?"
"How can you be sure I'm his first wife? What if he has mistresses or has been taken? What if he plans to just marry and keep me locked in his basement?" I sucked in a panicked breath, trying to calm myself.
"If someone had told me earlier that you'd be this scared of the idea of marriage, I would have laughed so hard," he said. "You look so pale, Penny."
"I'm just—"
"You don't have to be scared," he said. "You would be his first."
"And you trust what you heard?" I asked. "Papa, don't forget that we haven't seen him before. What if he's a woman beater?"
"Penny, don't listen to those rumours about the Blood King," he said.
Why wouldn't I listen? What if something happens to me? My father wouldn't be able to do anything.
"You should prepare," he said, rising from his chair. "The Blood King sent his royal commander to come take you to the castle."
"What? Papa!" I exclaimed. "You already accepted it behind my back?"
"I had to," he said. "I couldn't keep the Blood King waiting."
Then he left. I couldn't believe it. I turned to Esther, who looked as shocked as I was.
"Why would Papa accept the invitation without your approval?" Esther asked.
"I don't know what's wrong with him," I said, pressing my lips into a thin line as a deep frown appeared on my face.
Suddenly, I lost my appetite for the food. Rising from the chair, I left for my room. I took a deep breath as I sat down in front of the mirror, tucking my long red hair behind my ears. My green eyes were a gift from my mom, and my skin was pale and flawless, just like Esther. Though she had blue eyes like my father.
A knock sounded on the door, and I turned my head.
"My lady?"
It was Isabella. I let out a sigh, rising from the chair. I headed towards the door, opening it to see her standing there with a bucket of water.
"What, Isabella?" I asked.
She stood there staring at me. Her long jet-black hair was braided in a long ponytail. At twenty-nine, she had been my maid since I was ten.
"I have come to help you take your bath," she said.
I pushed the door wide, and she entered the room, heading towards the bathing chamber. She poured the water in the tub.
"What were you doing?" she asked. "You look so tired."
"Tired of my father's nagging," I murmured.
"He's right, you know," she said as she prepared the bath. "You need to marry now at this early age. I made the mistake of not listening to my mama, and now I will be thirty soon, still unmarried."
"I don't really care what anyone thinks," I said. "I just buried my mother. For goodness' sake, I need time to gather myself, but my father isn't giving me that."
"I understand that you're mourning your mother, but the Blood King would help warm your heart."
"That is what everyone has been saying," I breathed out. "What if he's controlling?"
And I would have to sleep with him every night to produce an heir. No, I wasn't ready for marriage now.
"You are so picky, Penny," Isabella murmured. "You should be excited that the Blood King wants to marry you."
"Isa, we both know I am not ready for that," I said. "I don't care if he's the King."
She sighed, her face contorted with disappointment. "Your bath is ready."
She helped me undress, and as I stepped inside the tub, I remained like that, thinking about everything that happened today.