Chapter 3
Papa had informed me that I would have the opportunity to meet the Blood King once I arrived at the castle. But why did he not come himself? I must be quite naive to think the Blood King of Westfall would actually travel from the House of Cordova just to meet me.
However, Esther had mentioned this morning that the royal commander had returned from his journey. He was having conversations with my father in the drawing room.
Dressed in a long blue gown gifted by Mother, I discreetly hid my dagger beneath my garter. I was not going to stay in this room throughout while they discussed my fate—since it appears I was being sold to the Blood King.
I opened the door and stepped out, making my way carefully to the drawing room. I was relieved to find the door slightly ajar.
Through the small opening, I saw Father extend his hand toward someone I assumed to be the commander. His back was facing me, obscuring his features.
The commander loomed over Father, making him seem small. The man's shoulders were broad and hard.
As the commander slowly turned around, I caught a glimpse of him. He had deep, dark skin, pronounced cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. He was dressed in soldier attire, with armor covering his chest and back.
From my observation, the commander appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He looked remarkably striking as if he had just walked out of a painting.
I wondered if he traveled alone; it seemed unlikely considering the distance. Others must be downstairs or around the mansion.
Father laughed at something and I strained to hear their conversation, but their voices were too low. A maid presented a goblet of wine to them.
Then, as if sensing someone was staring at him, the commander turned his head, meeting my gaze. I jolted, taking a few steps backward and nearly losing my balance when someone caught me.
Raising my head, I saw it was a young woman dressed in a soldier's attire. I quickly pulled back, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Be careful with your steps," she said. "We wouldn't want the King's wife to get hurt."
"Thank you," I said.
She took a step closer. "What is your name?"
"Penny," I replied. "Penelope Balfour."
"That is a beautiful name," she smiled. "I'm Elain, a soldier serving the Blood King."
"Can you tell me more about him?" I asked.
"Who?"
"The Blood King?"
"He's the King of Westfall, ruling seven Houses," she replied.
I shook my head. "I mean, can you describe his appearance, what he looks like?"
She opened her mouth to speak when the door creaked open. Turning around, I saw my father and the royal commander standing there.
"Penny."
"Papa?" I said, bowing my head to him.
"This is my daughter, Penelope," my father introduced me to the commander.
A slight frown appeared on my face as he continued.
"Penny is a very caring and responsible young lady," he said. "And she has never been approached by any man."
"Are you certain she agreed to this marriage?" he asked.
"Yes… yes," my father quickly replied.
"She looks so young. How old is she again?"
"Eighteen," my father said.
The commander slowly turned to me, scrutinizing me from head to toe.
He stepped closer. "I'm Adrian, chief commander of King Atlas."
He extended his hand toward me, and when I shook it, I felt warmth seep into my cold skin as I quickly pulled back, bowing my head again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said. "I'm Penelope Balfour."
Adrian turned to my father and asked, "Did you prepare any wedding gown for her?"
"No, but I will ask the tailor to prepare one quickly."
"Don't worry about that," Adrian said. "In Cordova, we have our traditional wedding gown, which is strictly for brides. Penelope will wear that for the wedding."
"When is it?"
"We won't be staying here for long," Adrian said. "The wedding will be tomorrow."
What? My eyes widened as I darted from Father to Adrian in disbelief.
"Will… will the Blood King be present for the wedding?"
"No," Adrian shook his head. "That is the reason I'm here. I will stand in for the Blood King."
I felt a cold chill run down my spine at his words. Was he serious right now?
"Papa?" I frowned slightly. So, I'm going to marry a man I've never even met. What if I don't like the King? What if he isn't what I was expecting?
"Penny," Father turned to me, scolding me with his eyes.
"Is there any problem?" Adrian asked.
I turned to him. "Will there be an engagement before the ceremony?"
"No," he shook his head. "But the Blood King sent you a gift."
I raised an eyebrow. A gift from someone who hadn't seen me before? Shouldn't he worry if I look ugly?
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.
"What's in there?"
Adrian walked towards me, handing the box to me. "Why don't you open it and see for yourself?"
I took the box from him and opened it to find a diamond ring inside. My eyes widened at the sight of the huge diamond stone.
Taking it out, I slowly wore it around my finger. So I'm officially engaged then?
Father walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it.
"Why don't you go to your room and have some rest?"
I'd been resting since morning, unable to sleep with the thought of the commander's arrival. I hated that my father didn't care about my feelings. He didn't care about Esther either because I knew once I leave, he will marry her off to someone. What if her husband ended up being a woman beater? That would not end well for us.
Turning around, I returned to my room. My eyes fell on a painting of our family. I saw Mother holding Esther when she was a baby. I was just three years old there. Mother looked so young. She had told me her father married her off at the age of fourteen because he couldn't pay his debt. I was so angry at Father when I heard it from Mother. I tried to imagine how she felt being married to a man twice her age. Clenching my hands into a fist, I slipped out of my room, snuck through the back door, and left the mansion, escaping through the back gates.
As I walked down the quiet road, I paused my footsteps when I heard a cry, then the fall of something to the ground. Turning around, my eyes widened in shock to see Adrian holding a sword with blood splashed everywhere. Lying on the ground next to him was a dweller.