Rogue and Riveting

Chapter 2 His Damn Eyes

His voice sounded so masculine that Adelia almost tripped when she heard him greet her. She did not know what was coming to her, but it felt like the world had stopped when she heard the voice of this man in front of him. It was a good thing that her father called her, which brought her back to her senses.

"Welcome to our country, King Enoch," Adelia heard her father greet the man who was still smiling at her. "And I am sure that you already guessed who this lovely woman was beside me, but let me still formally introduce her to you. This is my one and only daughter, the Princess of Sanjolia. I present to you your bride-to-be, Adelia Rossiane Deluna. I now formally give you my permission to have her hand in marriage."

The man who is properly called King Enoch nodded and bowed to her father, and then like lightning, swiftly went to Adelia and took her right hand. He kissed it and then stared at her with his dark gaze. It was the most s****l thing that Adelia had ever felt in her whole life and she was not joking when she thought that this man could take any girl and the girl would not complain even if he bites her hands off. That's how attractive and hot this man was.

But Adelia had her own motives for entering this arranged marriage. So when she remembered that she was not just playing here as she used to in the past, Adelia straightened up as she suddenly got over how the enigmatic young King of Romeodel tried to win her over this very instant. "It is my pleasure to finally meet you, my Queen."

But he makes it extremely difficult to concentrate on her goal though, Adelia thought as she listened to him talk more. One thing was for sure, this man was a natural charmer. He surely knows how to make women drool for him. And if it weren't for his father making small talk as they finally went back inside the palace, Adelia would have been in big trouble.

The two men talked about formalities, and Adelia was just barely listening. All that was in her mind right now was the fact that before this day was over this man right next to her was going to be her husband. And even if this marriage is what experts and critics would just call a 'clever but tasteless political move', Adelia still had to act like she was into this marriage just like in her plan. She wants to impress this young monarch so that he will help them with their problem here in Sanjolia. It was still not sinking into her, but it was also hard not to think of the sudden changes that would soon happen the moment they got married.

The wedding ceremony was just three hours away, and everything was in motion. As the three of them entered the palace, several photographers were following them capturing photographs of them interacting with each other. But Adelia noticed that King Enoch was getting the most attention, especially from the spectators who had gathered around the palace. Adelia could not blame them though. Just as she said, the man was an attention magnet.

Her father was all smiles as he tried to help King Enoch adjust to the setup that they prepared for the wedding. As a tradition, every member of the Sanjolia Royal Family has to get married in the Sky Gardens, a beautiful, man-made garden at the top of one of the buildings annexed to their palace. It was also Adelia's favorite place in the whole wide world so she thought that it was nice to get married there. So when the wedding ceremony was about to start, and she was already waiting to walk down the aisle, it felt like she was in a bubblegum dream.

This was every woman's dream wedding. A perfect place and a dreamy groom, anyone would kill for this. And she almost did. As she started walking towards where King Enoch was waiting for her, she almost felt that this was fate doing its magic. A prince and a newly-crowned King getting married for the sake of their countries. It even sounded so sugary crisp in her head. But then, just like a foreboding sign, she felt something when their eyes met.

It did not even last a second, but Adelia was sure that she saw something in King Enoch's eyes. They kind of glinted, but not in the bright kind. It was like when an animal's eyes were gleaming in the dark. But this one was different, as it seemed to be some sort of magic trick. There was a mysterious flair to it as if King Enoch actually intended to show the trick to her. But Adelia was also not sure if she saw it right. It might just be a trick on the eye from the lights that surrounded them here, as it was already dawn. And this garden was filled with night lights and lamp posts as part of the wedding's motif. The lights could have easily reflected in his eyes.

Putting that in consideration, Adelia did not stop walking. A lovely tune was playing in the background, while a lot of the invited guests were happily admiring her in her rose-colored wedding gown as she walked past them. Her father, who was walking beside her, was already teary-eyed. It made her wonder if her mother would have cried too if she was still here. And when she finally reached her soon-to-husband, he gave her a wide smile and kissed her hand again, telling her the words that any woman wanted to hear from a very desirable man like him.

"You are so beautiful, my Queen. I am glad that I agreed to do this with you." It gave her shivers that she could not understand how to stop, as King Enoch whispered it in her ears. Adelia wasn't even sure if she could go on with the ceremony after that. All the hair in her body had now stood on their end, and one thing was for sure, King Enoch would make a very interesting husband for her.

Because of that, Adelia remained quiet and stiff for the rest of the ceremony. And when the Archbishop told them that they were already married and that the groom can now kiss the bride, she saw it again as he lifted the veil covering her face. Those damn eyes.

Those eyes that looked like they were trying to warn her of the dangers lying ahead of her.