"Lord Chris….I see no reason behind all of this. What is all this supposed to mean? I would be getting married to your cousin so can you please just….let me be?" I asked, shivering and all the curtains dropped.
The room got dark and the only think that I could see were those red flames burning in Lord Chris' eyes. "It would cost me nothing to bury you alive and burn down the whole of crescent village," he threatened.
"You can go ahead and refuse to what I have told you, Princess Aurora, but know that if anything happens to anyone… including your father and maybe even Francis, it's all your fault," he said with a straight face.
How could someone be this cruel?
Over my dead body would I marry this monster!
I stood there, still close to the door and I had no idea of what to say. "You may leave now, princess Aurora," he said and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
If anyone had seen him smile, they wouldn't believe it was the same man who had threatened to burn down the whole village and bury me alive.
"Lord Chris.. . please, I beg you. You can find another woman and she would be willing to get married to you at the snap of your finger," I pleaded and I fell on my knees.
If being begged and worshipped was what he wanted, I was willing to give it to him as long as he was also ready to let go of me.
"I want no one else but you!" He sneered and I flinched. "Leave before I can't hold it in anymore. I have been fighting everything inside of me not to have a taste of you. Leave before his highness starts to hear you call out my name," he shamelessly stated.
I got back up and held the door knob. "I have my eyes on you, Princess Aurora. Tell his highness about it and I would strike you to death that same second. Dare me," he concluded. "Please be well, my princess," he smiled warmly and I was about to walk out of the room when I heard his voice behind me.
"Why do you want to get married to Francis?" He asked. This time, he called the king by his name.
I halted and I felt a lump in my throat. I knew I wouldn't dare to tell him that I wanted to get married to him because it was my mother's dying wish that I marry Francis to avenge her death.
Lord Chris was definitely going to tell me that he would help me with the revenge as well…but I was sure that I wouldn't survive being married to him.
He would definitely treat me like a slave, so…I lied. "Because I love him," I answered.
"Love?" Lord Chris asked and he burst into a loud bout of laughter. "Love? You think Francis knows what it's like to be loved? Do you even know who he is?" He asked me and I nodded.
"The ..the devil," I answered, stuttering.
"He's definitely going to kill you one day because you're breathing too loud," Lord Chris said. "He's ruthless. Francis is a monster. He'll burn you into ashes one day and pour your remains into a river. Have you heard what he did to a princess a few years back? Did you hear that he watched her burn?" Lord Chris asked and my heart raced with fear.
The fear I had towards Francis was already more than enough…and there was Lord Chris, making things worse.
"His highness wouldn't hurt me," I said.
I knew if he would, he would have already killed me. "His highness loves me and I love him too, and I am sure that he will protect me from everything. Including you," I summoned the courage to say those words.
"Let's see how that goes," he answered, laughing.
I opened the door and walked as fast as my legs could carry me and my heart pounded against my chest like a drum.
"Princess Aurora, is everything okay?" Madam Olivia asked the moment I stepped out. She must have seen the look on my face.
I forced a smile through my lips and we headed back to the room. I knew I really had to make Francis love and protect me if I truly wanted to survive.
But how would I make the devil fall in love?
He didn't tell me that he loved me.
He only said he would give me the chance to love him. Maybe it was his way of saying he would never love me…. Or maybe he truly loves me like madam Olivia said.
~Aurora's POV ends
******
Sir. Oliver placed two knocks on the door that led to the study room before he went ahead to open it.
"Your highness, it's late already and I think that you should return to your chambers to have some rest," Sir. Oliver said but the look on his face dropped the moment he caught sight of his study room.
He knew he shouldn't have trusted Francis with his books. "You …your highness. I hope you know that you're supposed to read all of these books and not burn them. All…all I have left are now ashes," Sir. Oliver said, trying so hard not to cry as he looked at the pile of ashes and his empty shelves.
"I know what books are used for," Francis flatly stated as he kept his eyes shut.
"Then ..then why did you burn them?" Sir. Oliver asked, his time the tears had found their way out of his eyes.
"Because every single book keeps telling me to look into her eyes!" Francis growled and he hit the wooden table with his fists. "How would I do that when her gaze feels like hell?" Francis asked, and Sir. Oliver heaved a sigh.
"Your highness…but that isn't enough reason for you to burn all of my books," Sir. Oliver cried further. "You could have just informed me."
"I have had enough of you talking about those books. Or do you want me to burn you alongside?" Francis asked. He opened his eyes and he shot the innocent old man a glare.
Sir. Oliver shook his head.
The old man was going through alot.
"But ... .there are other things you can do to stare up her feelings for you aside from commanding her to love you or looking into her eyes," Sir. Oliver revealed.
"And what's that supposed to be?"
"Touch her," Sir. Oliver said with his head lowered. "In the right places, your highness," Sir. Oliver added.
Francis shook his head. "Now I know why you're not married."