Chapter 2: The Other Side of the Coin

Chapter 2: The Other Side of the Coin

Clara’s POV

Cora was right. I didn’t want to marry Kael. I never wanted to.

Being the golden girl, as Cora would call me, came with a lot of responsibilities, but I loved those responsibilities. I loved watching my mom while she made jewelry and talked about how she wanted to teach us how much her craft meant to her. But when Cora would sneak away, I remained because I loved it.

I never really broke the rules. I didn’t see the need to.

But there was one responsibility I never really wanted.

Being the twin who was betrothed to Kael.

I did love the idea of being a sophisticated lady, one with so much money and power. Being the Luna of Valley Pack promised me all of that, but it meant I had to marry Kael, and I didn’t want to. I did not love him.

I did not want a marriage of alliance. I wanted to get married to a man I loved and who loved me equally, too. To be more direct… I was in love with someone else.

“I do not want to marry him, Cora…” I finally said, collapsing onto my sister’s shoulder and sniffing back my tears.

“I am so confused, and I do not know what to do. Father will announce our engagement for sure tonight because we leave for the academy soon, and you know what happens when we graduate… I will have to be his wife. That is not what I want!”

Even though I was leaning on her shoulder, I could tell that Cora was too stunned to speak. I slowly turned to face her. She was indeed too stunned to speak.

I had never rebelled against or challenged my father’s orders or what was required of me, yet here I was, trying to break a promise that was even older than my sister and me.

“Please say something, Rogue…” I whimpered.

“I am sorry…” She immediately turned to face me and grabbed my hands.

“Clara… I am so sorry. I always thought it was what you wanted. I am so sorry I never noticed.”

Oh, my sweet sister…

She might act like her heart was made of stone, but it wasn’t. Cora was my best friend, and regardless of our differences, we were inseparable. It was impossible not to love my sister. We had the same face; it didn’t matter whether she loved swords and I loved roses.

Cora would always tell me to do all the things I couldn’t do in front of others. I could use words that weren’t apparently ladylike, and we would gossip about our parents together.

Yet I had never once told her that I never wanted to marry Kael.

“It’s okay, Cora… I am sorry for not telling you…”

“You must tell Father. He cannot marry you off to someone you do not love.”

I knew Cora would say this.

“I cannot. I cannot go against Father’s rules… You know that…”

“So what? What do you want to do? You want to be married off to that jackass? No way… You are too sweet for him. Kael is too rude to be a husband of alliance. I never liked him, but I thought you genuinely loved him and wanted this. I thought he was a different man with you…”

“He is cold. I do not like him, Cora,” I mumbled.

Kael had never hurt me, but he had never really made me happy, either. He had once said, “We are a team, and if we do what is required of each other, then the days will pass by faster.”

It was at that moment I knew I didn’t want to marry him.

“Then you will not marry him… Do you want me to talk to Father for you? I will try. He never listens to me, but I can try to make him postpone the engagement if I threaten to make a scene if he announces your engagement to Kael on our birthday… Shall I do that?”

I sighed.

“We will look for a way…”

I managed to convince Cora to take off her choker, which was designed with fangs, but she kept her black gown. I couldn’t force her to wear pastel colours like my mom would have wanted.

This was one of the easiest ways to tell us apart, apart from her black hair and my blonde hair.

You could never catch Cora wearing the type of clothes I wore.

“This is just another excuse for Dad to show off and network. Our birthday party, with all his friends and business partners all over the place?” Cora scoffed.

I looked around the party, and it was true. Although there were some of our peers from school in attendance, my parents’ friends and business associates were all over the place.

“Happy birthday, my favourite twins…”

A voice called from behind us. It was our best friend, Zoey.

Zoey was the only friend we both had mutually. I had my own friends, and so did Cora because of our differences, but Zoey was our best friend. We had been friends since childhood.

She was Jace’s cousin, and he was walking towards Cora right now.

He was Cora’s buddy, like her partner in crime.

“Do you like the dagger I gave you?” Jace asked Cora.

She immediately placed her palm over his mouth.

“Shush… Jace! Keep your mouth shut!” She slapped his head.

I swallowed hard. I felt invisible right now. It was always like this when Jace was around. I hardly ever even spoke when he was around.

He was more like Cora when it came to personality. He never really spoke to me. Cora once said he thought I was full of myself.

“Happy birthday, Clara…”

He turned to me. Our eyes met, and my heart dropped.

He was staring at me, and I couldn’t even speak.

“Thank… Thank you, Jace.”

“I didn’t come with a gift, but… I will get you one,” he said to me.

He seemed to be in such a hurry to leave with Cora.

“Cora, let’s check the liquor line! You are an adult now… You can drink liquor!” he said, practically dragging Cora away.

“What’s with you? Why do you look like you just got struck by lightning?” Zoey tapped my shoulder.

“Oh… It was nothing. Don’t you think we should check the liquor line, too?”

It was him!

I looked like I had been struck by lightning because the boy I loved was Jace…

I was in love with Jace.