Chapter 10: Downhill

INDY  

The car ride was completely silent, and I felt myself suffocating with how thick the air was. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong, but why did it feel like I did? A shiver ran down my spine because of how cold Rome’s glare was.  

“Umm, Mr. Gerald,” I muttered, startling the driver. He turned to me with wide eyes.  

“Yes, Miss Lucindabella?”  

I flinched slightly when he used my full name. “You may call me Indy from now on,” I said, startling him further. “Can you turn up the temperature a bit?”  

“Don’t,” Rome said right away. “I’m hot.”  

I pursed my lips and turned to the side. Gerald was going to listen to him, of course. The old man has been working with Windsors since the Queen was still a teen. With that, I sighed and crossed my arms in front of my chest.  

“I knew it,” he muttered.  

I turned to him again, raising one brow. “What now?”  

He shook his head. “You’re doing all of this to get my attention.”  

“I am not,” I said exasperatedly. I felt someone’s gaze on us, so I looked at the rearview mirror and saw Mr. Gerald listening intently to our conversation. However, he quickly averted his gaze when our eyes met through the mirror.  

“I shouldn’t have believed in you—not even for a second. You’ve harmed everyone around me to push through with this marriage, and now you want to call it off?”  

“Is that so hard to believe?” I asked, turning to him completely. He turned to me and looked me in the eyes. I put on the sincerest expression possible; however, I got distracted by the color of his eyes. There were some specks of gold in them, too.  

He clicked his tongue and turned to the side. I snapped out of it and also looked away, wringing my arms. There wasn’t anything wrong with admiring my mate, right? That was all there was to it.  

“Anyway, you should convince my father to break off the engagement.”  

With those words, the car came to a halt. The two of us jolted forward and I felt a strong arm right against my chest.  

Mr. Gerald must have been startled by my words. He bowed at us apologetically. “Pardon me for that, Lady and Alpha. It seems I’m out of my mind.”  

Alpha sighed. “Take us back safely, Rome.”  

“Yes, Alpha,” he said with reverence.  

He began driving just as smoothly as before. However, Rome’s arm was still pinning me to the foam seat. I turned to him and it seemed he hadn’t snapped out of it yet. Being an Alpha, he was naturally protective of those under him. He was doing this out of pure instinct.  

“You can let go now,” I muttered.  

He quickly retreated his arm away. I was right. He wasn’t aware of his actions.  

“I didn’t do it because—”  

“You didn’t do it because you wanted to,” I finished for him. “I get it. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”  

“We’re here, Alpha,” Mr. Gerald said, cutting our conversation short.  

Rome clicked his tongue and got out of the car at record speed. I watched as he stormed inside their mansion. Meanwhile, I was about to head back too, when Mr. Gerald suddenly cleared his throat.  

My hand hovered above the car handle. “Do you need anything, Mr. Gerald?”  

“Sorry, Lady Lucindabella,” he muttered. “Again, I must be out of my mind. You may head back to the mansion.”  

I smiled at him, making him appear as pale as a ghost. “Thank you for driving us back, Mr. Gerald. Oh, and you might be saying my full name out of habit, but I would really appreciate it if you would call me Indy from now on.”  

With that, I opened the door. “And tell your other friends, too.”  

I finally left the car and made my way back to the mansion, where Rome’s and King Osiris’ voices immediately bombarded my senses.  

“The Lord Justiciar contacted me just now. He was apologizing for any of Lucinda’s wrongdoings,” the King uttered.  

I stood unmoving in my spot as I listened in on their conversation.  

“It seemed you also raised an investigation to be conducted for what happened this afternoon.”  

“Lucinda nearly killed Clara,” Rome said.  

“Clara is fine now, I heard from the doctors,” King Osiris said, sounding stressed.  

I pursed my lips. I really did bring a lot of problems to this family.  

“She needs to recover for a week at most before she can come back. Fortunately, her injuries are only superficial.”  

“Fortunately?”  

Rome’s voice didn’t raise, but it sent a shiver down my spine.  

“Do you want me to throw you off the fucking staircase then, Dad?”  

Osiris sighed. “I know that what she has done is beyond the line; however, she is the daughter of the Lord Justiciar.”  

“You know what will happen if we proceed with this investigation. This family isn’t perfect, especially your youngest brother. I have asked the Lord Justiciar to forgo some of his wrongdoings. Moreover, hiding these details about his youngest daughter would be an advantage to us in the future.”  

“The Court of Justice isn’t our friend, Rome. We do not have authority over them. They keep the royals and other leaders in check. They also have a reputation for investigating the smallest things when you get on their bad side.”  

I knew that breaking off the engagement wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t think it would be this complicated. If only I was reborn in this world when Lucinda was still a teen—maybe then, it would have been much easier.  

Just then, the sound of familiar footsteps filled the house.  

“Crap,” I cursed, looking at the staircase and preparing to bolt. However, I knew he would be able to catch me before I could make it to my room.  

I didn’t want him to see that I had been listening in on their conversation.  

With that, I hid behind the huge plant serving as decoration near the front door. I held my breath as Rome emerged from the living room, massaging the bridge of his nose.  

He stopped for a while, making me close my eyes and cover my mouth to prevent myself from making the slightest sound. By the time I opened my eyes, he was no longer there. I was about to sigh in relief when I suddenly felt a sharp tug on my wrist.  

My eyes widened as I was brought face to face with Rome, his eyes filled with anger.  

“You’re not satisfied with what you had done, and now you’re eavesdropping on my conversations, too?”