The Prince's Substitute Witch Bride

Heart of Gem

Rowan entered the King's study room not knowing what to expect. The room was dimly lighted, which was weird for a king who was used to work until late at night. The ambiance was eerie... suffocating. The moment he entered, he could feel the King's overwhelming presence instantly. Despite the fact that the old king was sitting on his desk at one end of the room. Rowan could only saw his father's silhouette and yet, he felt his father had wrapped an invisible noose on his own neck. 

He tried his hardest to have his face remained neutral. He would not let his father saw how affected he was.

"Did you call for me, father?" asked Rowan.

The Viscount had closed the door of the room behind him with a thud, leaving Rowan alone with the father that never truly cared for him.

"Ah, Rowan." His father's tone was hoarse yet it managed to make the invisible noose around Rowan's neck tighten. This is the presence a ruler should have, Rowan thought, A presence that makes others want to kneel instantly. 

"Congratulations on your wedding, son," King Edmund Havenglow said, "I'm sorry that I could not attend as I have states matter to attend to."

Lies.

Rowan knew his father chose not to attend because Edmund did not want to. States matter should not be an obstacle for him. Edmund could have shown himself for a mere few minutes to bestow blessings upon his son and the new bride. But the King stayed in his study desk. 

It was a message for Rowan. 

The King deemed Rowan unworthy to get his blessing. That showed to the whole public that Edmund thought so little of Rowan. A clear message that the King did not think of Rowan as the Crown Prince material. 

It might be very well that the King had decided to bestow the title to his brother, Kaidan. Rowan thought he had lost. So, he did not feel like responding to his father. 

"How are you getting along with her?" The King stopped his writing and merged his hands on the desk. He looked Rowan straight in the eyes with his blue piercing gaze. Edmund had a lighter shade of blue than Rowan did. In the darkness, the light blue shone brighter with so much intensity.

"With who?" Rowan had to make sure. 

"With your bride, of course!"

Why is he interested in my relationship with Seraphine?

Rowan looked to the side, thinking about what could be the reason for this question. Is it a test? 

"We... um... civil with each other," Rowan answered. He quickly remembered how he had insulted Seraphine and how she threw the pot at him. Yes. Civil would be the right word describing them. 

Edmund raised one eyebrow. "Only civil?"

"Yes." Then Rowan decided to just tell the truth. "See, she is not the one I intended to marry, Father. I intended to marry–"

"Karen Storm, I know." Rowan was so shocked to hear his father finished the sentence for him. It took him a few seconds before he could register the words in his brain. Then his face turned into a contortion. 

"You... knew?"

His father spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, I knew. Nothing escapes me in my kingdom."

Rowan blinked several times. He had clenched his fists hard to the point of his knuckles turning white. Perhaps, even to the point of his fingernails drawing blood from his palms. He looked at his own father straight in the eyes. The invisible noose on his neck was still there, but the current fire brewing inside him was burning the noose. Soon, it was only fire, raging like a storm inside his soul.

"You knew and you let it happened to me?" Rowan spat out the words. "You knew and you did not even warn me?" He growled at the end, showing how angry he was.

Surprisingly, his father found Rowan's attitude funny. Edmund chuckled deeply. "Come on, Rowan. Everything is a game when you have the throne in your hands. The fact that you did not see Lady Karen's and the Duke's scheme only proved to me that you are still unworthy to become the Crown Prince."

That was a shot straight through Rowan's chest. It felt like his father had just pierced him with a sword cold-bloodedly. 

"And you think Kaidan is worthy?"

It is not fair! Rowan wanted to shout. It was always not fair. Kaidan always had the Queen and many supporters since the beginning. While Rowan did not. Especially, because of the years Rowan had spent in solitude due to the Queen's scheme. Despite his hard work to catch up, it always seemed that the world favored Kaidan over him. 

"At least he has not made a fool out of himself," the King said. 

"Father, I think you have forgotten," Rowan said, "I carry your name. Therefore, when the Duke fooled me, he has fooled you too!"

Edmund was silent for a while. 

Rowan thought Edmund was thinking about his words. But instead, Edmund asked, "Have you slept with the girl?"

"What?" Rowan hissed. "Why would I sleep with the g–"

"Sleep with her," Edmund cut off his words, "Court her. Be gentle with her. Do anything you can to acquire her love."

Rowan blinked again. What the hell? What is this request?

"She is your wife now, might as well make the best of it, right?"

"W– what do you mean?"

"Was I not clear?" his father's tone was raised.

"Oh, you were clear about ordering me to acquire her love. But why should I, father?" Rowan scoffed, "And why should I follow your orders?" His father never cared about him. Edmund did not bat an eye when Rowan was locked away and neglected by the Queen, did not care about the tremendous progress Rowan had made over the years, also he did not care when his own son was walking to the Duke's trap.

So, why he should follow his father's demand? After all, the race to the throne had been set a long time ago in an unwritten agreement. Kaidan, as the son of the Queen, had been set for the throne. While Rowan, the son of a concubine had been set to just fade away. No matter how hard he tried to change their course of destiny, Rowan always failed. 

Why should he bother then?

The King perched his chin on his hands again. He tilted his head, looking at Rowan with a curious look.

"Did you not want to be my Crown Prince?"

"Tch. Will loving Seraphine make you give the title to me? I did not think of you as a romantic, father," he continued, "Didn't you say love is never needed for royals?"

"I didn't say for you to love her. I said, 'do everything you can to acquire her love'."

Rowan was laughing then. It was too ridiculous, too random. "Have you been drinking, father?" That must be the only explanation of why his father requested something dubious. 

Acquiring that annoying girl's love? Tch. As it stands now, she is more likely to kill me than to even be friends with me.

But what came out of his father's mouth next baffled him. 

"If you manage to do it, I will give you the throne."

Rowan almost dropped his jaw. He went so still that he did not even think he was breathing. 

"What?" 

Edmund shrugged. "If you manage to acquire her heart, I'll give you the throne."

Rowan furrowed his brows. This was all too sudden and strange for him. Why did his father want him to make Seraphine in love with him? And what does it have to do with the throne?

"Seraphine Storm's heart?" 

Edmund nodded.

"Y– you'll give me the throne? No Crown Prince, no more competition, no–"

"Nope."

"All I need to do is to make Seraphine falls in love with me?" Rowan was still unsure. "Why? Why her?"

It was too comical that Rowan began to think his father was playing him as a fool. He got angry and was about to lash out when his father said, "I need you to make her fall in love with you."

"And then take her heart literally."

Rowan almost dropped his jaw completely. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone knows that Seraphine Storm was born on a day of an eclipse. The girl showed an affinity to darkness when she was born." 

Rowan nodded. He remembered how he found her earlier. The girl was stretching her fingers to her own shadows and seemed like talking to it. He thought it was weird but he did not think much of it. Could it be that she was practicing her magic? 

"It was also one of the reasons bad rumors circulate around her."

"Indeed," the King continued, "However, we believe that her affinity to darkness was because she had something special inside of her."

The King must have seen the look of confusion on Rowan's face for he explained, "There have not been one single sorcerors we know of that has an affinity to darkness. At least, not in Voltaire. But there is a tribe of magic wielders. Powerful ones. People with more magic varieties. They spread themselves across the world in hiding because their powers were highly sought after."

Rowan knew the tribe. They were called the Devil's Children for their obsidian eyes and white hair also pale skin. All members of the tribe had powerful magic. And yet, because of the name that stuck to them, they were rejected from all. Because of the fear that was accustomed to them, they were hunted. Last Rowan heard, they went into hiding among the civilians. They dyed their hair and hid their magic. 

"What does Seraphine have to do with–"

"Her mother's body, the maid that the Duke had an affair with," the King said, "She died naturally when giving birth. Her hair turned white right after."

Rowan knew that was the natural thing for the tribe. When they die, their bodies would return to their natural states before they could be buried. He gasped at the revelation.

Seraphine is half Devil's Child!

The King said again, "It is known that each Devil's Child has a gem as their heart. The core of their power."

Rowan felt sweats had accumulated on his palms. He knew what his father was about to say next. He had studied it, scourged the library books to study all about magic and sorcerers. They were a blessing to Voltaire's military power. And as the prince, Rowan made sure he would study anything that he could about magic-wielding and how they operated. He even asked the Head of the Sorcerer Academy if he could study the theory along with them albeit he had not the aptitude toward magic.

"Only the ones loved by the Devil's Child could acquire the gem," the King said, "and gain the gem's power."

The King was being serious. His aura was menacing, intimidating. 

"But the Devil's Child tribe... they only acquire the gem if the need arises. If– if it is a life and death moment," Rowan said. "Whatever do you need the gem for?"

"We don't rule without making contingency plans, Rowan," the King continued, "What if something is to happen, and the only thing that could save us is the gem but we don't have the time nor the means to acquire it then? It is better to have the gem's power secure in our hands since the early days."

Edmund's answer was logical. But it did not sit right for Rowan.

"The books state that the only way to do that is to dig the heart out...," Rowan trailed off at the end. Another revelation had hit him. "You want me to kill her?"

"Make her fall in love with you first. Then take her heart."

Rowan felt like laughing again. He thought he had the worst experience as he was fooled by the Duke and had to marry the woman he did not love. And then it turned out that Seraphine's life was more heartbreaking. Imagine that. She was sold off to a marriage she never wanted to die. 

"D– does the Duke know of your plan?" Rowan asked. "Does Karen know?"

His heart was beating fast, waiting for the answer to come. "No."

Rowan did not know if he should feel relieved or disappointed. "Karen did not know?" He tried to think it through, "Then... you allowed my wedding for this chance? F– for me to kill Seraphine and... and..."

"Oh, man up, Rowan," the King said. "Just kill the girl once she is infatuated with you. Be the King and you can marry this Karen you so love."

What the King said made him feel more conflicted. On one hand, he was ambitious about the throne, and the thought of finally being able to marry Karen tempted him. On the other... something about this whole thing was just so off.

"Did you force the Duke to swap Karen with Seraphine?"

Edmund tilted his head. His eyes glinted with amusement and Rowan already got his answer. 

So, Karen did not entirely fool me. It was Father who forced her to... 

Then why did he not feel relieved about it? Why are doubts still taking their roots inside him?

"Why did you not offer this chance to Kaidan?"

The King thought for a while. "I just thought the girl would feel more relatable to you."

Rowan knew it was because they had a similar past. A past where they were isolated and abandoned. But Seraphine also had a mischievous past, according to what Karen told him. The girl was still a villainess in his eyes so he could not think about how they would connect with each other. 

"So, what do you say, Rowan Havenglow?"

Nevertheless, this was a chance that would not be offered twice. With this, he could race Kaidan to the throne. His ambition and revenge were within reach. All he needed to do was to acquire Seraphine's heart. Then he would have gotten everything he ever wanted. 

He nodded his eyes. One arm on his chest before he bowed. "I accept your order, Father."

For the first time, Rowan saw his father bloomed with a joyous smile. Something he had not seen since he was eleven years old.

The same night, he thought about checking Seraphine. He considered apologizing but his main goal was to restart over with her. From that point on, he had to make Seraphine feel accepted and taken care of. He would need to put on a mask in front of her. 

When he walked into the building, he realized that the building had too few staff to take care of her. It was also a secluded building in the palace complex so it would be hard to reach. He sighed. He would have to increase the staff and made her feel pampered. Though... Viscountess Perrone said that no one wanted to be Seraphine's personal maids despite her offering three times the normal wages. He sighed again. He would think about it in the morning. 

He knocked on her door and waited for her to respond. He did it several times, even calling her name. Still, there was no response. He thought she was sleeping. So, he only wanted to check on her and then left her for the night. 

But when he opened the door, he saw the bed was empty. There was no one in the room.

That annoying girl!

She had escaped.