I was mad. Livid even.
Did I hear the announcement well? Yes I did. Did I believe what was said? No, and I never will.
The ovation had subsided and the people came to me, congratulating me. I was going to be the wife of the king. Everything felt so surreal.
I knew he wouldn't let me off so easily. The deranged man would do something evil. I had that foreboding feeling ever since he started avoiding me. Now I stood with my hands clenched by my side as I watched people from the crowd plaster fake smiles on their faces and congratulate me.
I yanked my hand from Mr Conrad's hold, gathered the volumes of my dress and ran out of the ballroom. I could hear the voice of Mr Conrad call after me.
"Miss Frieda, wait!"
But I was too far gone to care. If he caught up with me, he was going to stop me and that was the last thing I needed. Who came up with this stupid reward decision? The Dark Lord himself? Well, I was going to have a word with him.
Ever since from the very first day he came into my life, every thing went wrong. He killed my papa, pushed me to murder and now, he was going to marry me? I don't think so.
All I saw was red. I pushed anyone who stood in my way, not feeling sorry for my actions. I heard rapid footsteps behind me and Mr Conrad's now desperate sounding voice.
"Wait up Miss Frieda."
Before I knew it I was already trudging up the stairs, my next stop was going to be the fifth storey. And I was going to tell that king a piece of my mind, whether I got executed or not.
At the second floor, I heard the faint melody from the piano which must be coming from the third floor. The king must be there. Well, that saves me the stress of going all the way up. I dashed through the hallway of the third floor with Mr Conrad following close behind me.
As I kept bunching the dress up to my calves, my left shoe pulled off. I didn't have the time to go back for it. I ran as fast as I could and pushed the door to the music room open.
"No, Miss Frieda, you can't go in there!" I heard Mr Conrad call out from the outside. He didn't dare to come in.
Now without a shoe, I stormed with uneven steps into the room. The room was filled with instruments of music of all sorts but my attention was on the grand piano that sat at the middle of the hall. And behind it sat the pale faced king who was obliviously playing with the keys.
"Your Majesty, I demand to know what is going on!" I yelled with all my might as I stopped in front of him. But he just kept playing his melancholy melodies with his eyes closed. He seemed so peaceful when he played, so serene. But there was nothing serene about the situation right now.
How did he manage to see what he was playing if his eyes were closed?
"Your Majesty!" I yelled again. No response. He just kept playing. There was no way he didn't hear me. He's just ignoring me.
Well, let's see if he can ignore me after this. I pressed on random keys so hard it made a shrill note.
His eyes snapped opened so suddenly, I jerked back in fright. His golden eyes were no longer golden, but rather they were red. Or was it a trick of light?
He got up from his seat very slowly and menacingly, his towering figure casted an omnious shadow. His facial expression made it very apparent that he was not pleased with me at all. I gulped, knowing I deserved whatever thing that happened to me.
I tried to step back, but he was quicker. He grabbed my arm and pushed me against the piano, my back making contact with the keys and creating another shrill sound in the mostly quiet room.
His grip on my arm was so strong, I felt anymore force would snap it in two. How was someone who recovered from an illness so powerful.
"You wanted my attention, and now you've got it. Why are you here?" He asked with the coldest tone I had ever heard. I wanted to answer but if felt like my humerus was going to splinter into pieces. I could only let out a choked cry in reply.
He didn't seem to be putting much efforts in keeping me down, and yet I couldn't stop the tears of pain that clouded my vision.
Suddenly, his grip on my arm loosened but he didn't step away. Rather, he just stared at me with his anger that had toned down to annoyance.
I felt the muscles in my upper arm throb in pain. I looked away from him and blinked back the tears in my eyes that threatened to fall.
"Didn't the butler ever tell you this place is off limits?" He asked in a commanding tone. He held my chin in place so I could look nowhere except at him. I couldn't formulate words under his intense glare, so I just nodded my head.
"So, I'll ask again. Why are you here?"
I looked back at his eyes which were still golden even in the dim light it made me think whether I had imagined a different color earlier.
"I- I came because of the announcement."
"What announcement?" He asked me back. My eyes drew together in confusion. Did he not know about it?
"The announcement at the ball. The one where I have to marry you." I said, hoping he would know something about it.
His hard eyes were still fixed on my face it took a lot of will power not to squirm under him. Then his eyes softened and his murderous glare was replaced with a mocking smirk.
"What about it?"
My eyes snapped up to meet his. So he knew about it. Of course he would know.
"What about it?" I asked him back. It was my future at stake and he was asking what about it?
"What? Do you have a problem with it?" He asked, his smirk widening.
I was so confused at his reaction that I blustered.
"Do I? Of course I have a problem with it your Majesty."
He folded his arms across his chest, looking totally amused.
"Oh, and what could that be?"
"I can't marry you your Majesty." I said, straightening up. "You killed my father!"
He paused and pouted like he was thinking. Then he shrugged.
"Well, to be honest, your father isn't the first that I've killed. I don't think it matters."
My face contorted in disbelief. "What?" Did I just hear what I think I heard.
He nodded.
"It might not matter to you, but you took away the only family I had-"
"And here I am giving you the chance to have another." He said after cutting me off midsentence.
Now I was annoyed. "No. I don't want it. We agreed on this, I cure you and you let me go back to my village."
He shook his head. "I don't remember making any deals with you other than keeping you alive, which I have done."
"There is no way I'm going to marry you."
It annoyed me how his smiles kept growing and growing. It frustrated me and I felt like pulling my hair.
"This is where you're wrong, Frieda. This is not a negotiation. Either that or the execution sword."
"This is not fair. I kept my end of the bargain. You have to let me go."
He chuckled lightly when he heard that. How was what I said any funny?
"You kept your end of the bargain, did you? I don't think feeding me the nightshade poison was part of the bargain."
At the mention of that, my blood turned cold.
"Or was it?"