Chapter 4: Marriage

Chapter 4: Marriage

Raimere Celeste’s POV

“Open your lips.”

His deep mellow voice littered with playful indifference echoed inside the quiet room.

Those thin lips of his tilted amusingly as he lifted my face. His hand squeezed my jaw with controlled force that bordered the threshold of pain.

His ruby-red eyes boring down on mine flickered with underlying intensity, but no thoughts could be read behind those orbs.

I blanked out.

What does he mean?

I could not follow his thoughts, nor do I wish to.

But it seems like my body has a mind of its own, courtesy of the seal binding us through marriage.

The golden vines ring pattern on both of our ring fingers shone with brilliance, and I could feel an ancient power coursing through my limbs.

My tightly closed lips parted on its own volition, as if waiting for the man in front of me to take his picking, like a doll to be ordered.

Anger rushed to my head, and I forcefully shut my lips by biting them fiercely enough to draw blood.

Seeing my rejection, Varyan did not get angry, instead a wordless chuckle escaped his lips, as if laughing at my weak antics.

No later than his laugh was the soul-numbing pain that travelled through every corner of my body, as if thousands of ants were running around underneath my skin.

“Aaarghhh…!”

My scream jumped out of my throat, and as soon as I parted my lips, the pain disappeared.

What followed was a touch of cold jade on my lips.

It was a soft pillowy touch.

Something I would never expect from a man as widely known as a ruthless devil like himself.

The citrus scent lingered as Varyan’s scorching breath intermingled with my shaking breath that was corrupted with rust.

His lips captured mine and rubbed them delicately.

His tongue licked the dripping blood and dove inside like a starved beast.

My thoughts slowed down and stopped entirely as this new sensation occupied my entire being.

Sparks seem to tingle in the back of my head, and my legs weakened uncontrollably.

My hands unconsciously reached out to Varyan’s shoulder to try to keep myself from falling, but a stinging pain broke the haze on my head as my body was flung downwards.

The back of my head hit the wall and my back collided with the marbled floor.

My arms reddened as it swelled from the force of his slap.

“Hah…a tribute like you should know its place.”

I hurriedly looked up and a piercing gaze filled with animosity met my watery eyes tearing from the pain racking all over my body.

“Don’t touch me.”

Varyan straightened up and roughly wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

His ruby-red pupils turned back to the famous soul-stirring black orbs of the Valerius family, but even the littlest emotions of hate from earlier vanished to glacial detachment as he turned around and walked out of his room.

The silence that followed made me fully aware of the situation that I am currently in.

With my body aching from the forming bruises from Varyan’s hands, I stood up with the help of the wall and walked in front of the mirror embedded next to the ivory black cabinet in the room’s lounge area.

Looking back at the disheveled girl reflected on the mirror, I reached up and touched my still warm lips reddened by what happened earlier.

The bite wound I caused has already healed, but the unfamiliar body heat from that man seems to linger for far longer.

“Stupid! Why am I thinking of that devil?”

“I’m doomed! It’s already like this from day one, then how am I going to survive for a year?”

I knocked my head to the mirror as my mind swirled with thoughts of cursing Celine from head to toe.

This was all her fault, and I am the one paying for the cause of her actions.

If I ever get out of the Valerius family alive once the marriage seal dissolves, then I would never let her go.

My thoughts were disrupted by a set of three orderly knocks on the door. It was followed by the door being opened by a group of six servants ranging from the age of sixteen to thirty. They were wearing long gowns in white gold color with black-red aprons. White gold, black and has always been the color that represents the Valerius king family.

“Young lady Celeste, I am Bella, and we are here to take your measurement for the marriage preparations.”

I blankly stared at the head servant holding a roll of fabric rope with markings.

“Marriage preparations?”

I tilted my head to the side with confusion.

We have already been tied by the marriage seal, surely, we’re already adamantly and reluctantly married, so why the need for marriage preparations?

As if reading my mind, the head servant with brown hair that introduced herself as Bella stepped forward to straighten my messy braided hair and my crumpled dress before bowing her head in front of me.

“The marriage of the grand heir of the Valerius family needs to be witnessed by the royalties and nobles of the Rogue capital.”

“As the grand heir’s wife and princess consort, Young lady Celeste needs to look and be presentable to not tarnish the Valerius line.”

“The marriage will be held at the Valerius Castle at the border of the Blackwood forest in three days.”

My mouth could only gape open at her string of words.

“No, wait a minute! I’m just a marriage tribute, surely, I would not be named as his rightful wife and princess consort?”

Bella and the other servants shared a look and stared back at me like I’m speaking some nonsensical things.

“My lady, a marriage to the Valerius line has always been just for one spouse. The Valerius line does not take concubines since the founding of the kingdom.”

A smile brightened her solemn exterior as Bella took a step forward to hold my hand and lightly patted its back.

“It was a tradition written in blood by the Valerius ancestor.”

“One that cannot be broken.”

Releasing her hold, Bella signaled the youngest servant to hold the other end of the measuring fabric as they huddled around me.

“Remember this, my lady, as long as you are married to the Valerius line, then the wife and princess consort of the grand heir could only be you and no one else.”

Standing frozen in the middle of the bustling servants, my mind once again plunged deeper into the abyss.

What have I really gotten myself into?

A cold shiver run up my spine thinking of the hundreds of noble ladies competing for the place of that devil’s wife.

I feel like I would be put to the blade once I step one foot outside of this manor.

“My lady?”

Bella’s voice snapped me out of my survival crisis that I have been in since the moment I was born.

“Yes?”

“There will be a small dinner banquet this evening for the rest of the family to meet your acquaintance.”

“Huh?”

She folded the measuring fabric and ushered two of the servants to bring the written measurements to the private tailor of the Valerius family.

“Nora, bring a set of formal dress that suits lady Celeste’s size from the royal wardrobe collections.”

“Yes!” The youngest servant, Nora hurriedly bowed to my direction before leaving.

Bella ordered the last two servants to prepare my bath while I was still reeling from the shock of her earlier words.

“W-Wait, why do I need to meet the-.”

Bella did not let me finish my words as she ushered me to the side door of Varyan’s quarters, that I guessed happens to be the bath area.

“As a new part of the Valerius line, isn’t it natural to meet your new family?”