"Are you lost, my dear?" The stranger asked her as she was blinking her eyes. Becca tried to form sentences but she stammered instead. The stranger chuckled lowly. Then, Becca was clearing her throat before she glared at the man.
"No, my lord," she did not know if he was a gentry or not but it was never hurt to tell them, just to boost their ego. "I am merely looking around to take in the sight of the ballroom. It was mesmerizing that I cannot help but turn around, making myself look like a fool," Becca said sarcastically before the blue-eyed man was amused with her answer.
It usually worked the other way.
"Well, you must thank the host of this ball then. It is grand, I must admit," the stranger said before Becca was rolling her eyes. The tomes on her etiquette lessons would be cursing and her tutors would roll on their sleep as Becca was doing the things that a lady of the genteel breed should not do.
Talking sarcastically.
Rolling her eyes.
What's next? Scoffing?
"If you must know, my lord, I don't think I want to meet the host of this ball. I'm merely here because of my parents, in which I must find them right now. Excuse me," Becca said before the stranger was looking at her intensely.
"Why are you so against the ball?" He asked Becca before she blinked at him. Why indeed, she mused before she was smiling at the man.
"Well, my mother was determined to make sure that I will be landing a husband the next time we're at the ball. And tonight I am at one so I know that she will be plotting something behind my back. That is why I have to get going now," Becca said before she was about to gather her skirts when the stranger spoke.
"Would you give me a chance to dance with you, my dear?" The man said before Becca was looking at him. By the looks of it, he was handsome and wealthy. Becca just wished that he was not one of the Higher Court lords. If he was, her mother would flip with joy if this man asked her to marry him, Becca thought as she was considering the offer.
Becca was looking around and saw that her parents were nowhere to be found. She might as well just play it by ear and maybe they would turn up after her dance with this lord.
"May I know the name of the lord that was asking me to dance with him? As we all know, we cannot dance with a stranger," Becca joked before the stranger was smiling at her. He took her hand before he was kissing her knuckles. Becca felt butterflies in her stomach as she sucked on her breath as the lord was looking at her.
With his sharp blue orbs.
"Lord Niklaus Dragomir, at your service, milady. And may I ask your name now that you know mine?" Niklaus asked her before Becca was smiling at him.
"Lady Rebecca Davis but you can call me Becca, my lord," she said as she curtsied to him. Niklaus smiled.
"Call me Nick then," he replied as Becca was arching her eyebrow.
Again, her tutor would roll in their sleep at the lack of etiquette that Becca was showing.
"Isn't your name Niklaus?" She said before Niklaus chuckled.
"Shall we?" Niklaus said as he was offering his hand to Becca. She looked at it before she took it. Electrics were inside her veins before the butterflies intensified. What is wrong with me, she mused before Niklaus was guiding her to the dance floor. The crowd was parting around them before Niklaus was putting his hand on her lower back and the other was gripping her hand.
"Do you know how to dance?" He asked before Becca scoffed.
One more lack of manner.
"Of course, do you think I was raised in a barn?" Becca asked Niklaus before he chuckled. Then, they were dancing off. The musicians were playing the soft waltz on strings quartet as Becca and Niklaus were sweeping off their feet to the music.
"Do you always have people coming up to you and ask you for a dance after their conversation?" Niklaus asked Becca before she sighed.
"No, they would usually cower away and I was left to my own devices," she said as she was glaring at the lord in front of her. "Unlike someone that I know tonight," she mumbled before Niklaus laughed. His throaty voice was stirring something inside Becca as she was wishing that Niklaus would be staying with her throughout the night.
Wait, what?
"Hmm, I am glad to hear it. It seems that I was not offended by your words, my dear,"
"Do not call me 'my dear'. We barely know each other," Becca said as they were twirling and moving across the dance floor as the dim light from the gaslights was making Niklaus' blonde hair looked like a halo on his head.
"Well, you might want to think about that because," Niklaus said before he was moving his mouth to Becca's left ear as he whispered, "you never knew what the future holds, my dear," he said before the music ended and Becca was hearing her mother's voice.
"Darling, what are you doing there?" Lady Georgia asked Becca as she turned to look at her mother. Lady Georgia was looking at Becca before she smiled at her mother.
"Nothing, Mama, I was just—"
"Oh, we have been searching for you, Your Grace. It's a good thing that we found you with our daughter nonetheless," Becca's mother said before Becca was turning to look at Niklaus. He was smiling before her father was greeting Niklaus with his formal name. Becca paled after that realization.
"Your Grace, we are honored to be invited to the young queen's ball. You have outdone yourself again, Your Grace," her father regarded Niklaus as Becca was blinking her eyes. Wait, Your Grace was reserved for Duke of Belikov, which means Niklaus was—
"My pleasure and please enjoy the ball. I have to go now," Niklaus said as he turned to look at Becca who paled after his formal title was being called out by her father. "I hope to see you again, my dear," Niklaus said before he was kissing Becca's hand and went away. Her mother was gasping before Becca groaned inwardly. This is indeed the worst decision that I came to the ball, Becca mused before she was looking at the retreating figure Duke of Belikov.
*****
"Did you enjoy my little show?" Niklaus asked Ian as he was standing on the balcony again. He was sipping on the blood-laced wine before Ian chuckled.
"I have seen something much more entertaining than that," his friend said before Niklaus chuckled.
"Well, the lady in question did not know who I was until her parents came along to greet me with my title," Niklaus said before Ian was arching his eyebrow at him.
"What are you planning, Nick?" Ian asked Niklaus before he turned to regard his friend. Niklaus smirked.
"Something that will put the Higher Court and the young queen off my back," Niklaus said as he was looking at the family that he was determined to snatch the last daughter of Lord Matthew Davis for his personal gain. Lady Rebecca Davis, you shall be my bride when the time comes, Niklaus mused to himself as he was enjoying the sight of his future bride being smothered by her mother.
*****
Becca was sighing as she was taking the coat that the servant was giving to her. Becca put it on before she was walking out into the cold air as Becca was looking at her parents. Her father, bless his soul, has stopped her mother from asking too many questions.
Becca was thankful for that but she did not think that would stop Lady Georgia to get the answer that she wanted. Their carriage arrived before the footman was opening the door of the carriage. Lord Matthew helped his wife to get into the carriage before her father was helping her. Becca gathered her skirt as she went inside the carriage, then her father followed her and the footman shut the door.
"So—"
"What did I tell you, dear? No more questions. It was enough that you asked her to come to this ball when she did not enjoy being in the crowd," Lord Matthew asked his wife as he was arching his eyebrow at her. Lady Georgia scoffed. Talking about scoffing in public, Becca mused before her mother was glaring at her father.
"She would not only capture one of the most-sought out bachelors of the island if she decided to stay at home tonight. Imagine the social status that we will have, Matt,"
"Enough. Was it always power that you seek when you married our daughters?" Lord Matthew asked his wife before Lady Georgia was silent. Becca was clapping her hands in her mind as only her father could silence her mother with words.
"Now, I know that you were hoping the duke would take an interest in our daughter," Lord Matthew said before Lady Georgia was beaming at him. Then, her husband continued. "But I heard that he was one of the Higher Court. On top of that, he was the most powerful lord as well since he was related to the young Queen. I cannot imagine what would happen to Becca if she was married into that lifestyle," Lord Matthew said as he was looking at his daughter. Becca smiled.
"But she did not have to work for a single day in her life—"
"I can still manage to feed her and give her clothes and home. If she chose to be a spinster, then so be it," Lord Matthew stated before ending the conversation that Becca knew her mother would revisit it again and again until the duke was on the front door of their house.
And Lady Georgia Davis should know that she must be careful about what she wished for.
It’s been one month. One fucking month until I can get my hands on Aiden’s body. Not that I don’t have anything to complain about but right now, I was relieved that we had escaped the party and the coronation for I was the current monarch with my prince consort.Aiden Dragomir.Niklaus was furious that I would marry a commoner but when I explained to him that Aiden was my soulmate and my demon had been claiming him as mine, he did not have anything to add anymore.He just let me plan the wedding and the coronation on the same day.It was exhausting, of course, for I was running around, cheering when the people of Niapachad Island were coming together to look at me. As well as the only queen who took a commoner as her prince consort.I was breaking history today, people!I sighed as I was leaning against the door when Aiden was removing his cravat from his neck, sauntering inside my bedchambers with the elegance tha
After Arabella left, Aiden was looking around his room for any trace of her. I cannot believe that she tricked me, he thought furiously before he took the clothes that Arabella wore and threw them into the fireplace. He was breathing hard before he was looking at the crackling firewood when his Nana entered the room.“You cannot blame her for why she’s been keeping a secret from you,” she said before Aiden was turning to look at his grandma.“So you know who she was? All this time?” he asked before he snorted. Aiden cannot believe that his Nana herself would not tell him the truth. The old woman shrugged.“Well, it was not my secret to tell and I have been hinting at her to tell you the truth. Perhaps she was afraid that you might be reacting like you are now?” she said before Aiden growled.“It’s not the same,”“No? Then you mustn’t forget the first time when you discovered th
I was looking at myself in the mirror as I was wiping my face. I sighed before I felt the stiff muscles as I slept on the chair last night. Next to Aiden. I smiled before I walked out of the washroom and Aiden was standing outside.“Oh, you’re awake already?” I asked him as he was looking at me. He smiled charmingly before he was nodding.“Yeah, I think I had the strangest dream ever last night,” he said as I was arching my eyebrows.“Oh, do tell?” I said as I was smiling at him. Aiden was looking at me before he shook his head.“You would not believe it,”“Try me,”He took a deep breath before I was waiting for him to continue, “I dreamed that your eyes were bleeding black and you attacked the cronies that my boss was coming at you to rape you. I tried to stop it but I was being stabbed in the stomach. It seems…so surreal that I don’t think I was dreaming a
Aiden was looking at the people that were coming at him at once. He was determined to keep Arabella from getting hurt as his boss and his cronies were going after her.“You son of a bitch! You will share your whore with us!” his boss said before they were coming at him. Aiden was thinking faster than his action. He took his ax and swung it as a form of defense. But of course, it was not going to deter the men from coming at Arabella.“Come on, lads! He just one man, what harm can he do to us?” the boss said before everyone was laughing. Aiden was gritting his teeth before he was slamming his shoulder into the boss. He went down before the cronies were coming at him, punching and kicking him in the stomach as he went down.“Aiden!” Arabella’s shout as he was struggling to keep his head above the attack. It was all his coworkers who did not have any honor or dignity in their blood. They only wanted to have fun and Arabella
Niklaus was looking outside the castle as the sun was on the horizon. He could not get any sleep lately for he feared that his cousin might be in danger. The all lords of the Higher Court were worried about their monarch.“Anything?” Niklaus asked his friend, Baron of Fell, Marsh, before he shook his head. Niklaus sighed before he took a seat at the head of the council meeting. There were five of them, the inner circle that Niklaus trusted to find his missing cousin.Bloody hell, Arabella, why do you have to be so stubborn at times? He thought before Ian was looking at him.“So, what do we do now? We cannot just sit idly and not be taking action about this. The prince will come here any day now and if Her Highness was not around to receive him—”“There will be a catastrophe. I know,” Niklaus said as he was rubbing his dry mouth. He did not know where or when Arabella had been slipping away from the palace but thei
Aiden was cutting the lumber into small pieces so that it would be easier to burn for the winter. He wiped his forehead which was accumulated with sweat before his boss came from behind.“Rough night, Blackwood?” he asked before Aiden turned to look at him. He was regarding the man before he smirked.“You could say that,” he said as he was cutting the log again. His boss smirked.“I bet that woman who warms your bed was worth it then. How much you got her for?”Aiden stopped his work before he turned to look at his boss. He was smirking at Aiden before he smiled charmingly at him.“She’s not for sale. She’s my wife,” Aiden lied smoothly before the boss was blinking his eyes at him.“You’re joking, right?” his boss asked but Aiden just left the conversation there as he was making his way out of the lumber field.“Have a good day then,” Aiden said