TALIA'S POV
Walking through the gates of this palace again makes my blood start rushing through my veins. The moment that I was drugged out by soldiers and a mob was allowed to lynch me keeps replaying in my head.I was so helpless and extremely weak then. I couldn't even fight a single soldier. I should feel safe now, but my heart thrombs the moment too many eyes turn to look at me.Even the outside of the palace is full of people. I see faces that I used to know, my mother's and Taylor's friends, all their eyes turn to stare at me. My whole body quivers. Can they so easily recognise me?Then I see men smiling amorously and I sigh in relief. They don't recognise me. They are just staring for some weird reason."She is gorgeous!" I hear one of the girls whisper to her friends."Yeah, she must be noble. You know her?" Another asks in a voice just as low.It's strange that I can hear them. "I don't know her. But she does look kind of familiar." The first girl answers and my heart throbs hard again. I still keep going. It will be hard for them to figure out that I am the girl that got executed when I am acting so confident.I am not scared of being hurt anymore. I can protect myself now. But it will be hard for me to find my family if they know I am back to life. I forge a smile as I walk past them. Some smile back but seem too shy to say a word."Good afternoon my lady. May I escort you inside? You don't look like you have been here before." One of the young men in a servant's uniform rushes to my side, bows and extends his hand for a handshake.I shake his hand even though I clearly remember his irate voice and those of his fellow servants yelling insults at me while the soldiers drag me out of the palace to be executed. Hearing him speak so sweetly now makes me want to spit on his face.That will however cause unnecessary drama when the best thing is to focus on finding my family."I am not noble if that's what you think." I correct. Seems like I am going to be repeating that a lot. "I have not been here before," I lie, "but I can find the way in on my own, thank you for offering to escort me though." He smiles but I can see that he is disappointed.I don't really care, his insults hurt too much compared to his little disappointment. Besides, I don't want anyone following me around since I am not here to watch Prince Evan get crowned and cheer him like he is some kind of a small god."You look too beautiful for an ordinary girl. You don't mind sharing a name, do you?" The servant asked, now smiling seductively. I want to tell him to f off. But the people who acted shy earlier now join us, all looking eager to meet me."I'm Hilda." I lie as I shake their hands."I think you look very familiar. Yet no one I have ever known looks so beautiful as you do." One of my mother's former friends comments with a friendly smile. Her counterparts nod in agreement."I do look like my cousin Talia who was executed three years ago. That's probably the reason I look familiar to you." I lie again. The shock takes over their faces but no one reacts the wrong way. I said I am Talia's cousin, which is not a crime."I am sorry if you are related to that family. You look so beautiful and I am sure you are a good person as well. But your aunt and cousins did a very awful sin and got punished for it." The woman who used to be a very close friend of my mother says."You shouldn't keep mentioning that you are related to them. It's shameful!" One of her friends adds.I feel like punching their mouths, but I nod my head and forge a smile instead."I was told that my aunt and my other two cousins were sold as slaves, does anyone of you know who bought them?" I ask now that they are convinced that my name is Hilda and I am Talia's cousin.They all shake their heads. "No one would know that. I only heard that they were to be slaves for life so that they would never return here. Don't waste your time worrying about those animals, they are probably dead already." One of the men speaks.My anger starts to surge and I know I won't be able to act cool anymore."I will go to the party and find something to cheer me up. See you guys around." I say and storm off in the direction of the Palace's front entrance.I see a couple dressed like royals ahead and decide to follow them inside. I don't know the chambers of this big palace well since the only time I took this path was the time I and my siblings were being dragged by soldiers to meet the king and the council. I didn't care about the beauty or the size of the place then.The royal couple walks through a crowded corridor before entering an even more cramped hall. People make way for them and since I am following closely behind they do the same for me.I walk into the hall and several eyes turn to stare at me. I already know that my new body dressed in this sleeveless dress is what is attracting their attention so I ignore them and look up at the stage far ahead.The first thing I notice is that tall prince that would easily pass for a demigod. He goes down to one knee so his father can place the crown on his head while the crowd applauds Wildly.Then the incredibly alluring scent hits my nostrils. An odour is so endearing that it makes my mind feel dazed.Hell no! I can't be finding my mate right now. So much would be ruined.My heart skips a beat when Prince Evan suddenly turns his head to look in my direction. I stand frozen for almost a full minute while our eyes stay fixed on each other.I have never felt so spellbound by a living being. Not even on the day before they arrested my whole family.That thought makes me snap out of the daze suddenly and immediately avert my gaze from the prince. I look around and notice that a lot of eyes are still on me. Guess I am not blending in as I wanted.I am still breathing in my mate are alluring scent and it is making me weak in the knees. I just hope that I didn't walk in here to discover that prince Evan is my mate.Any man in here could be the source of the scent. It doesn't have to be the prince. I look back up at the stage and he is still watching me. The queen who was standing several steps away rushes to him with a concerned expression.But he doesn't pay attention to her. Instead, he steps away from the stage and starts heading in my direction. The crowd parts to make way for him, most looking confused as to why their new king suddenly left the stage.Can he have recognised me? Such a busy man I like would not remember the face of a not-so-attractive girl that was executed years ago.The sweet scent becomes more intense as he gets closer. He is my mate? Life really has a way of punching someone in the face. I came back to life to find out that my most powerful enemy is my mate.I don't care about the fact that he will reject me. The problem is he will want me dead again if he has already recognised me.I turn and splint back out of the hall, pushing aside everyone on the way. The good thing is that I am a lot stronger and faster than I used to be."Wait!" I hear his authoritative voice shout but I keep going. I get through the gate before the two guards that were guarding it can stop me. Not that they would be able to. I am powerful enough to handle ten of them. But hell not the prince.TALIA'S POVI thought he would act a little smarter in front of the council and my mate, but he apparently can't get any smarter than he was a few hours ago. I really hope that none of us inherited his stupidity. "How many times will I be punished for that crime? How much more torture do I have to endure before you're satisfied?" He yells out loud, his voice cracking with emotion and fear. I see Evan's jaws clench with annoyance."You condemn me for locking up my daughter but none of you cared when her notorious mother disrespected and humiliated me in the most hurtful ways! Don't your laws apply equally to all?" My so-called father carries on shouting.The entire council regards him with contempt and disgust. "And how exactly did her mother humiliate you?" One of the council members questions."She wouldn't obey me as her mate or husband. She trained to fight against my will and even challenged me into a match when I could no longer stand her immodest behaviour." He answers with a
TALIA'S POVThe tiny cell stinks worse than the time I was locked in it. I had sworn that I would not be coming back here after the last time I walked out fuming. But I feel like it's right that I hear my father's side of the story first before he gets sentenced by a council that doesn't really give a shit about the truth. Their main aim is always to please their king, not to make a fair judgement.I don't think there is anything he can say that can justify what he did to Taylor. Only an insane person would confine their teenage daughter in a dark cabin for months and rarely give her food. Our mother called him a monster and I believe that's what he is. I still want to know what happened between him and our mother before he left. Why did he leave with so much resentment? The soldier that unlocked the door followed me inside but I gesture at him to leave because I don't want the public to know about every one of my family issues. What our father did to Taylor is already shameful eno
TALIA'S POV"You weigh a tonne." I tease and the man resting his head and chest on me chuckles but doesn't move. The waves of his pitch-black hair look like a glorious mess and I couldn't resist the urge to bury my fingers in them. The thick strands feel incredibly soft against the skin of my hand. I am laying on his massive bed, courtesy of my sister spending another night in my room. I am however grateful that I am here instead of alone in that spacious room. At least my mate's scent is doing a good job of lulling my nerves so I can sleep. I had a headache immediately after my argument with Taylor which left me feeling like a wreck on the inside. She didn't say a single word to appreciate everything I have for her or our mother. All she cared about was revenge which I have had enough of. Luckily Michael chose to stay with us. Which is better than if he followed our mother back to a house that no longer looks like what we left behind. And starting off again will not be as blissful
TALIA'S POV"Why are you so shocked?" I ask as I approach the bed and Taylor keeps watching me with a baffled face. I had imagined she would be happy to see me. But don't see a hint of joy on her face. Her gaze doesn't leave my face until I reach the bed and peck her forehead. A timid smile curves on her lips. I was however hoping for a more jubilant reaction."Don't you remember me?" "Of course I do . . . you're my sister. You just look . . . so different. Like a heavenly Queen." She stutters the look of shock finally fading away. I sigh in relief because I had thought she had lost her memory or worse gone mad."You're exaggerating. I only look older because it's been three years since the last you saw me. Your face on the other hand has grown prettier." I give her another peck on her left cheek and she giggles. "I look like a living skeleton thanks to our mad father. I didn't even know he existed until he locked me in a dark room for months." She mutters with pursed lips.I take
TALIA'S POV"Please quit trusting him too much. He is no different from his mother. Don't forget that her evil blood runs in his veins." Her venomous words make my stomach churn. Not because there is any truth in what she is in them, but because the bitterness in her voice is too much that I am afraid she may never be able to see the truth and admit she is wrong. I take in deep breaths and blink away the tears before turning to embrace my mate and my little brother. "What happened to our mom? She doesn't want us!" Michael cries as I hug him. I force a smile and cup his face. "No sweetie, mum still loves us. She is just . . . a little confused right now. She will come back and stay with us soon." I soothe even though I am not sure she will ever accept to return back here. I know she loves us, she would never abandon us forever unless she really doesn't have the chance to be with us. "She thinks you're bad," Michael says looking up at Evan. My stunning mat
TALIA'S POVI told her that I couldn't have saved her, Michael or Taylor without Evan's help, and those are the first words she says to him?! What happened to her reasonable and diligent mind? Can anyone be more thankless?Evan's beautiful face doesn't show any signs of annoyance, he looks totally unfazed by even as she takes a couple of steps back and glares at him. I wish I have the same control over my emotions especially when I know someone is acting irrationally. The fact that he isn't taking her mad raving seriously doesn't mean he is totally fine with it. He is annoyed, of course, his face is, however, good at masking it. Michael looks terrified as he looks up at his mother who has a tight grip on his arm. I imagine this isn't the happy reunion he has been looking forward to, she isn't acting like the incredible mother we knew. "Stay away from my family! We have had enough of your evils!" She again snaps at an unbothered Evan. The beta shakes his head in ast