Chapter 3

CLARA

I sat in the garden, my fingers deftly working the knitting needles as I hummed a soft tune. The breeze was gentle and cool, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees and carrying the scent of blooming flowers. For a moment, I was lost in the peacefulness of the garden, enjoying the quietude that enveloped me.

But then, I saw him. Roberto, my 'husband', approached me with a bow and arrow in his hands. As soon as I laid eyes on him, my smile faded and my heart quickened its pace. I didn't want to see him, let alone speak to him. 

He strode towards me with purpose, his eyes focused on me with a bright smile on his face. I tried to ignore him, but he stopped in front of me, his presence looming over me like a cloud. I could feel his eyes on me, his gaze piercing through me.

"Cassandra," he said, his voice deep yet still calm. 

I frowned, my knitting needles stilling in my hands. I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to be anywhere near him. Reluctantly, I set my knitting aside and turned to face him, my eyes meeting his. 

"What do you want, Prince Roberto?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gazed at me for a long moment, his expression inscrutable. Finally, he spoke.

"Cassandra, would you care to join me in archery?" he asked, a smile on his face.

I hesitated for a moment, not sure how to respond "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," I replied. "But I'm not very keen on archery right now. I am knitting."

But he didn't seem deterred by my refusal. "Nonsense," he said, still smiling. "Your father said you loved archery. And I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two."

I could feel my insides churn with anger, but I kept a calm facade. "I'm sorry, but I have no interest in archery," I replied coolly.

He didn't seem deterred by my refusal. "Come on, Cassandra," he said. "I'm sure I can impress you with my skills. I'm sure they surpass yours."

I frowned at his words, feeling a mixture of irritation and curiosity. Was he trying to prove something? Did he think he could win my affections with his archery skills? I highly doubted it.

I shook my head, trying to sound as much like Cassandra as possible. "No, thank you," I said firmly. "I said I'm not interested in archery."

He looked a bit let down at my refusal, but he quickly recovered. "Very well," he said. "I'll just have to go and do it myself. But I promise I'll impress you with my skills."

I rolled my eyes at his words. Did he think he could win my affections with his archery skills? He was sorely mistaken if he did.

But as he walked away, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe I should have gone with him, just to be polite. But then again, he had no right to force me to do something I didn't want to do.

I watched him go, a sense of unease settling in my stomach. Something about him made me uneasy, even though he had been nothing but kind to me. But I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.

I watched as Prince Roberto stood at the archery range, bow in hand, ready to make his shot. He took a deep breath, raised his bow, and began to aim.

I couldn't help but be impressed by the way he held himself. His posture was perfect, and his focus was unwavering. I had to admit, he was quite good at archery.

As he aimed, I watched as his arm muscles tensed, ready to release the arrow. He held his breath for a moment, then let it out slowly as he fired his shot.

The arrow flew through the air, straight and true, hitting near the bullseye with a satisfying thud. I couldn't help but gasp in awe at the accuracy of his shot. It wasn't actually on target, but it was close. 

Prince Roberto turned to me, a smile on his face, clearly expecting praise, "Impressive, no?" he said, a note of pride in his voice.

But I couldn't bring myself to give it. "It was okay," I said with a shrug, trying to sound nonchalant. "I've seen better."

He looked surprised at my response, clearly not used to being criticized. "Is that so?" he asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.

I got up from my seat in the garden, unable to resist the urge to show off my skills. "Yes, it is," I said, a smugness in my tone. "I bet I could hit a bullseye right now."

He raised an eyebrow at my challenge, clearly intrigued. "Is that a challenge?" he asked a hint of amusement in his voice.

I nodded, already feeling the thrill of competition. "Yes, it is," I said, grabbing a bow and arrow from the nearby rack. "Let's see who can hit the bullseye first."

We took our positions at the archery range, and I could feel the tension mounting. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as I aimed my arrow.

I let the arrow fly, and it hit the bullseye, right on target. I smirked, feeling proud of my shot. "Your turn," I said to Prince Roberto, with a tone that showed disdain towards him.

He stepped up to the range, his expression determined. He aimed his bow carefully, his muscles tensing as he prepared to fire.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority as I watched Roberto's arrow fly off course, missing the bullseye by a significant margin. 

"Looks like I win," I taunted, giving him a smug smile. "Maybe you should stick to ruling your kingdom instead of trying to beat me at archery."

Roberto's face turned red with embarrassment, and I could see him bristle with anger. "You got lucky," he snapped back at me, trying to save face.

I just laughed in his face, my smugness and arrogance getting the better of me. "Luck had nothing to do with it," I said, "I'm just a better archer than you are. Maybe you should practice more instead of wasting your time trying to impress me."

Roberto's jaw tightened, and I could see him struggling to control himself yet he still managed to sound calm. "I don't need to impress you," he said, "You are my wife. I married you."

My eyes narrowed at his comment, and I felt my anger flare up. "I'm not just your wife, Roberto '' I said, my voice dripping with venom, "I'm my person. You may soon be King, but that doesn't mean you can refer to me as your wife in a way that makes me feel like an object. ."

I could see the look of shock on Roberto's face at my words, and I felt a sense of satisfaction. 

But then, I felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that maybe I had gone too far. Roberto may be annoying, but he didn't deserve to be made to feel like a fool in front of me. "Look, I'm sorry," I said, softening my tone, "I didn't mean to be so rude. I guess I just got carried away."

Roberto just looked at me for a moment before nodding. "It's okay," he said, "Have a good afternoon, Cassandra." He simply said, his tone measured and I could tell that I might've bruised his ego a bit with my words. And with that, he turned around and left. 

I shrugged, however, and went back to my knitting. 

-:-

I was sitting in the living room, engrossed in a TV show when I heard a noise coming from the hallway. Looking up, I saw an old woman walking towards me. I was surprised, as I had never seen her before. 

"Who are you?" I asked, a bit more rudely than I had intended. 

The woman smiled kindly at me. "My name is Maria," she said, "I am the Prince's nanny, and I've taken care of him since he was a baby."

I was taken aback by her answer. I had heard about the nanny from Roberto, but I had never actually met her. "Oh, I see," I said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Nice to meet you, Maria."

Maria smiled back at me. "It's nice to meet you too, Queen," she said, "I've heard a lot about you from Roberto."

I felt a twinge of discomfort at her words. I didn't want to be Roberto's Queen, I didn't want to be here at all."Please call me Cassandra," I corrected her with a kind smile. 

Maria nodded. "Of course, Luna Cassandra," she said, a small smile on her lips. "His Majesty would be angry with me if I didn't address you correctly." 

"Alright then." I returned the smile and asked, "Speaking about him, how is he? I don't know much about him., "

Maria sighed and sat down next to me. "Well, he's alright. It's been a rough journey for him, though."

I furrowed my brows in concern. "What do you mean?"

Maria took a deep breath before continuing. "Roberto's father was a very strict and ruthless alpha. He demanded perfection from his children and didn't hesitate to punish them severely if they made even the slightest mistake. Roberto bore the brunt of his father's anger more than anyone else."

I gasped, shocked at the revelation. "That's horrible. What about his mother?"

Maria's face was saddened. "She was a kind soul, but unfortunately, she passed away when Roberto was still young. It was a difficult time for him."

I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Roberto to grow up in such a harsh environment. "How did he cope with all of that?"

Maria smiled gently. "He's a strong and resilient young man. Despite everything he's been through, he has a kind heart and a determination to make things right. I'm proud of him.

"Even after everything he went through, he still was not allowed to choose his bride. His father's mother, Grandmother Lee is the one in control of everything, she uses all of them as strings in her master plan. He has suffered so much and never felt love from anyone, I just wish you could be merciful with him. He was also forced into this marriage, you know." Maria said to me, her voice sounded like she was in pain making me swallow in shame. 

"I had no idea," I said under my breath, I suddenly felt like a bitch and frankly, I believed I was one at this point. I stopped my thoughts and turned to her. She had said something I did not hear, but I pretended to have heard and nodded in agreement. 

"He sounds like a remarkable person," I said, and it was the truth. 

I let Maria's words sink in. I couldn't believe the kind of upbringing Roberto had gone through, and the amount of trauma he had faced. And in that moment, I felt ashamed of the way I had treated him and realized that maybe I should be nicer than him.