Beauty and the Damned

26 | The Four

“I suppose you want introductions, first?” Rowan said and then looked at her.

“My love,” he said and she tried not to scowl at him for what she just called her he. “This is Malik, third in line to the throne. Malik, this is my beloved, Ariadne Roseinhart.”

Malik’s brows furrowed as he looked at her. “Aren’t you that Queen?” Ariadne pretended to smile.

“I supposed I am, whatever that is,” she answered and sneered at him. Being bad is more fun to do to people who deserved it. Malik was one of the people who deserve it.

Malik faced Rowan, his fresh smiles couldn’t hide the anger seething from him. “How could you choose a woman like her? Didn’t you hear what they say?”

“And what do they say, brother? What did you hear about my bride?” Rowan’s grip on her hand tightened. She isn’t sure if it was a warning for something or Rowan was just squeezing her hand as a reminder. Whether it was a reminder for her or a reminder for him, she doesn’t know but she squeezed his hand back.

“That she’s cursed!” Malik exclaimed, now standing up from the golden throne.

She rolled her eyes. Enough of not having other people know that she isn’t cursed. Malik knows she’s cursed. Who else does? Ariadne made a mental note of asking Rowan about it later. She knows what Malik is doing. He isn’t going to give up the throne just like that. Not when he already had a taste of it: the power, the authority, everything that comes with being King.

“Yes, indeed I am. And I suppose you also heard why I was cursed in the first place?” She let out a wicked smile when she saw Malik’s terrified smile. She doesn’t know how much Malik knows about the curse but she could see how he paled. Ariadne doesn’t care what reason he was thinking as to why he got curse. She’s liking it and she planned to keep it that way.

“How dare an outsider meddle with Cern’s business, Rowan. She doesn’t belong here. She brings curse with her. She will get this kingdom cursed just like her!” Malik was now hysterical but she did not bother removing the wicked smile on her face.

Rowan shook his head and eyed Malik who was now standing but couldn’t seem to leave the seat. As if he was scared Rowan would sit there the moment he leaves it. She could literally see how his nose flared with anger and how his face has become redder and redder each time.

“Guards!” Malik called. The two guards guarding the door was quick to march down the red aisle towards their direction.

But before they could even lay there hands on them, Rowan’s voice was cold as he said, “Lay a finger on her and you’ll find me running after your lives.” The guards instantly stopped and stood back. When she looked at Malik’s expression, it was a mixture of fear and disbelief.

However, Rowan wasn’t done and faced the two guards. Both his hands on his back and he eyes the guards who were looking straight ahead.

“I am the Crown Prince and now with the absence of the king, I am tasked to take the throne. My father had faith to all of his royal guards and you had faith in him too. He has placed the role of ruling this kingdom a long time ago and I wish for you to follow my orders and not his.” He pointed towards Malik who was now shooting glares at him. “Tell the other guards too and tell them if they so much as touch a strand of my bride’s hair, they’ll answer to me and I promise it won’t be good.”

The two royal guards were looking straight ahead as they were trained to do so but then it didn’t escape her eyes as they swallowed hard. It was when Rowan dismissed them that they immediately left the throne room. Even as Malik called them many times to stop, the guards did not listen. The royal guards has chosen their King and it was not him.

Obviously infuriated, Malik stepped down from the dais and faced him. Rowan maintained his smirk while she plastered her mask of being the wicked and cruel Queen Malik believed her to be.

“I wish you enjoyed your little time on top of the gold,” she whispered the moment Malik passed. Malik stopped walking and faced her but she gave him her sweetest smile. Rowan’s brother did not say anything and walked away. When they were finally alone in the throne room, it was when she took a deep breath. Rowan did the same.

He walked towards the throne and touched its side. She just stared at him as he seem to be studying it. Or perhaps just recalling a distant memory. And then she saw him kneel in front of the throne and bowed so deep his forehead almost touching the floor. She doesn’t know what it was but she somehow know it was his way of paying respect to his dead father.

She waited for him at the foot of the dais and when he was finally done, he looked at her. “We’ll be facing the wrath of my four brothers from now on, Ariadne,” he said as he looked at her from the top of the dais.

“Are you saying that to make me worried?” She tilted her head. “I’m already here, Rowan. Scaring me won’t be effective. Like I said, I would do anything to lift this curse and help my kingdom. Even if it means I’ll have to face your brother’s wrath.”

Rowan let out a small smile before he walked down the dais and stand in front of her. “I will have men find the old seer I was talking about and when they find him, we are going to find the answer you need,” he said as he looked at her as if assuring her that he will do everything he can to help her with her quest.

The first time she met him, she was shocked. Although she has seen men hailing from different kingdoms and countries just to ask for her hand, she couldn’t help but marvel at Rowan. He is probably the most beautiful man she’s ever seen and coming from someone like her who has a very high regard of herself, complimenting someone as beautiful says something. And to a man! She never liked men. She sees them as slaves or a means to an end. But Rowan—he managed to ignite something in her that nobody ever did. He was a match and she was a piece of wood waiting to be ignited. And the moment he ignited her, she wasn’t able to stop. She’s afraid that she’s getting used to his presence. What is this? It was new, it was foreign, it was unfamiliar. Ariadne never felt that way before.

Perhaps it was the lust, she thought. She cursed herself silently. How could she even differentiate love from lust if she never felt the former? She had to make sure.

So she smiled at Rowan. “Yes, Your Majesty,” she said and gave him a grin.

Rowan stared at her for a moment as if digesting what she just called him. “What did you just say?”

She chuckled. “I’m not going to say it again, Rowan. Last time I checked, you are not deaf. Now show me where is my chamber,” she said and tilted his head. Rowan tipped his head back and laughed.

“In my chamber, of course,” he said and grinned and offered his hand which she gladly took.

***

Dinner, thankfully, was an hour before sundown. Which means she has an hour to deal with Rowan’s brothers before she could go back to her chamber and transform in to a beast. As much as she’s tempted to just transform into a best in front of all of them, she dismissed the idea. They know she is cursed. She doesn’t know how much they know about it and she’d rather not give them something they could use against her. The last thing she want to happen is for them to find something that could jeopardize their whole plan.

She sat beside Rowan in the dining table facing the others. She isn't familiar with the others but she knew Malik. She would recognize his glaring eyes everywhere.

"It's a surprise, brother," said the one with blue eyes.

"What is surprising about it?" Rowan asked while folding his hand for his chin to rest on top of it.

The blue-eyed man shifted on his seat and did not respond. While the older among the four looked stupid, the other three doesn’t look like they’re easy. One of them, perhaps the third oldest, have blue eyes too. He looked calm and Ariadne could tell that the man is calculated. The next one has hazel eyes and looked very alike to Rowan. He’s quiet and with one glance, one could tell he is someone who doesn’t like to stick his nose to somebody else’s business. But she knew better.

The youngest one was probably the worst of them all. He is someone who smiles a lot and acts all friendly and bubbly. She knows his kind. They make themselves approachable. They will make you comfortable and that’s when manipulation starts.

She felt Rowan’s hand on hers and she looked at him. Rowan stood at the head of the table and she stood with him.

“Thank you for joining me tonight, brothers,” he started. His brothers didn’t say anything. Rowan went on, anyway. “Father have entrusted me the role of a King. I took it because I believe I could be a better king. I came back, after being accused of killing my own father, but this time I am back to take what’s rightfully mine. So my brothers,” he took my hand to his mouth and kissed its back, “this is Her Royal Majesty Ariadne Roseinhart, my soon to be bride.”

All of them looked in their direction, wide-eyed. It was Malik who said something first, “See, I told you, brother. I told you he brought curse in this kingdom.”

Rowan ignored it gestured to Malik. “You have met Malik playing in the throne room earlier.” He then pointed towards the other blue-eyed man, ignoring Malik’s death glares.  “That is Kali, the third eldest, the fourth in line to the throne.”

Rowan gestured towards the hazel-eyed quiet man who continued eating his dinner. “That is Leo, the quietest among them. And this is Marco, the youngest.”

The four brothers didn’t look happy to see them. To see her. Not that she cared, though. “The feeling is mutual,” she blurted out causing the brothers to look in her direction. She gave them a saccharine smile before she said, “I’m very glad to meet you too.”

“You are the cursed Queen,” said Kali.

“Indeed I am,” she said and met his eyes. She is not going to let anyone use her curse to destroy her. She’s going to use it to destroy them.

“What makes you think this kingdom would accept you, Cursed Queen?” Leo said, his eyes scrutinizing. But she stared back.

“Because the Crown Prince chose me and whether you like it or not, you’d have to deal with me, Prince.” She purposely gave enough emphasis when she called him Prince. As if saying he’s just a Prince while she is their King’s soon to be bride.

“We have the right to choose whoever you choose as your bride, brother,” said Leo as he averted his gaze on her and went to Rowan.

But Rowan shrugged and said, “You don’t. I choose who I want to marry. Why don’t we talk about the culprit, instead? Since you all are hell-bent as I am to find the culprit of our father’s death, you might as well want to help me with the investigation. I have already tasked some guards to look at it. Instead of choosing whom I marry why don’t we use that to punish the ones that needed to be punished?”

All their heads whipped in Rowan’s direction. “What do you mean you tasked guards?” Kali asked.

“Oh, you know what that means, brother,” Rowan let out a smile. “I had them start investigating the four of you. Where have you been and what and who can vouch for your alibis,” he said and she couldn’t help but marvel at how their eyes looked at Rowan with so much panic. If they killed someone, they should at least pretend not to be too obvious about it.

“This is violation—“ Marco did not finish what he was about to say when Rowan held up a hand and looked at him.

“It isn’t. I have the right to do so. After all, I already am the Crown Prince and the throne is already mine in the first place. What reason would I need to kill our father?” Rowan looked at his brothers who were no gripping the cutleries a little too tightly. “And what reason do you have not to kill him?”

Before his brothers could even respond, Rowan walked away, bringing her with him. They walked the grand staircase back to their chamber where they both let out a sigh. Then they looked at each other before they started laughing.

It was probably the most fun pretention they have done so far. They were making enemies that could possibly kill them but strange enough, Ariadne was having fun. And when he looked at Rowan, she could tell he was having fun too.

Ariadne was about to say something to him when Rowan was suddenly in front of her. Before she could even ask him why, his lips claimed hers in a passionate kiss.

More passionate than they ever had.

* * *