The same evening Cristiano and Portia were supposed to join the rest of the family for dinner. It was the official family dinner where the entire family would be joining.
Portia got ready in a maroon-coloured dress that was sent by Queen Charlotte. Her pale skin looked beautiful against the contrast of the maroon dress. Her hair was let loose with a one beautifully carved hairpin decorating her hair.
Cristiano was dressed in a formal suit as usual. She noticed that the pocket square of his coat matched her dress. She knew that he would throw a fit if he noticed it. She did not say anything and merely focused on painting her lips a shade of maroon.
Once they were ready, they left together for dinner with the family. There was an unspoken truce between them and nobody dared to break it.
At the dinner table, the king was sitting on the head chair while Queen Charlotte had taken her seat next to him. On the other side, his other wives Alezia and Violet were sitting.
There was one more older woman sitting on the dinner table and it was no one else but Seraphina who was no one else but King's beloved sister who never married and stayed in the palace.
The newly married couple greeted everyone. Portia was introduced to everyone present at the dining table.
"I did not know Alpha Kane was hiding such a beautiful daughter in his residence," Seraphina commented with a chuckle.
Alezia, who had been enjoying the king's favour these days, spoke, "He has to hide her or what will he do if she gets kidnapped by the werewolves?" She looked at everyone who fell silent and laughed portraying that she was joking.
"At least, Alpha Kane has a treasure to hide in his residence," Queen Charlotte answered with a smile. With a simple sentence, she put a mere mistress into her place.
Sadly, polygamy was legal in Moonhaven. But Charlotte never accepted these two lowly women as her husband's other wives.
"Cristiano, have you ever seen a woman as beautiful as your wife in the world?" Seraphine asked. "If I did not know any better, I would have taken her as a mythical creature. Only a fairy could possess such beauty."
"I would go with the incarnation of the moon goddess," Atlas, Cristiano's half-brother, said all of a sudden.
"Atlas, it's blasphemous to compare our god with us humans," Violet scolded her son.
Portia looked at Cristiano's youngest sibling who had beautiful violet-coloured eyes. He looked quite innocent among everyone sitting there. In her front was Jackson Lockwood, Cristiano's older half-brother.
"Your Majesty, Jackson just secured a deal with the Z Nation," Alezia spoke with a soft smile.
The king hummed. "We will hold celebrations about Jackson later. We shall focus on Cristiano first."
Azalea's smile turned bitter and Jackson did not bother to look up at anyone.
The dinner ended with Portia knowing a little of everyone in the Lockwood family. Once the dinner ended, Cristiano left with his father to talk about an important matter while she was standing alone in the corridor waiting for him, under the moon.
Jackson who happened to leave the dining room saw his brother's unwanted wife standing in the corridor, soaking the moonlight.
He wanted to move and walk to his room but he could not help but want to soak more of her image. Unable to tear his eyes from her figure, he stood there for some time.
As he heard some movements around him, he came out of a trance and found himself walking to her.
"May I ask what the Crown Princess is wondering?" Jackson's voice rang in her ear and she turned to find Jackson, her husband's brother standing beside her.
"Prince Jackson, please call me Portia," Portia insisted. He was older than Cristiano and her and it felt wrong to hear him calling her by her title.
"Then you must call me Jack, Portia," Jackson tenderly smiled at her.
"Yes, Prince Jackson," Portia nodded her head.
"Portia."
Portia happened to smile at him. "I will try, J.. Jack."
It was the exact moment when Cristiano came out and happened to see his wife flashing a smile at his brother. Something ugly stirred in his chest as he saw the scene unfolding before him.
He immediately stood next to his wife, putting his hand on her waist as if claiming her and said, "We shall take our leave, Wife."
Portia blinked her eyes as she experienced his unusual behaviour. "Okay."
"Say goodnight to my older brother, Wife," He said with a dark smile.
Portia looked at the older prince and said, "I wish you a good night, Prince Jackson."
Jackson smiled tenderly at her. "Good night to you too, Portia. And I insist that you call me Jack. we are family and we should not treat each other with formalities."
"En.."Portia just nodded her head, unable to say anything.
Cristiano just held her waist and dragged her away from there. As they left Jackson behind, he turned to her and said, "Stay away from, Jackson."
"What?" Cristiano said to her. "He is a fucking psychopath. Stay away from him."
Portia argued, "But he is your brother."
Cristiano gripped her chin in his fingers and said, "If I was you, I would not be fool enough to trust anyone in this family. You trust them once and they hit you where you never expected. I would not even trust my own mother, Portia Hawthrone."
She was just staring at him with those big obsidian eyes.
He was not done just yet, "Also, don't you ever address Jackson with anything but his title."
He left her standing there and walked to their room.
Rubbing her chin which was paining her, she muttered, "My husband has a penchant for violence."