To Wed A King

The Bargain

Adeline's eyes widened, her lips parting slowly as she took him in. His fingers were lightly running below her chin, his smile triumphant.

"What? Why... why would you..."

He turned away, a small snicker escaping him. "I have given it a thought, Princess. Your honour is far too big for me to subdue you to the status of a mere... bed warmer. So we shall, immediately proceed with the wedding."

"Why are you doing this?" Adeline yelled, her eyes wide, her voice causing the carriage to halt. She tipped forward from the abrupt stop, and Lucan leaned forward, holding her hand so she would not fall, his eyes holding hers.

"Why? Because I get what I want, Adeline. How dare you look over my shoulder to another man? How dare you reject me in the first place?"

"You gave me a proposal, and I had the right to reject!"

"No. No, you did not. Your right to rejection would make me an option, which I never am. I am going to bind you in a marriage, so when you look at another man, it strangles you. So, when you think of your former lover, your guilt kills you. I get what I want, Princess, and right now, I can think of nothing more than you."

Adeline swallowed, her chest rising and falling in a fast rhythm, her breaths faltering. He let her go, then broke into a smile.

"Of course, I shall invite your father. If you and your royal family are as honourable as you claim, he will teach you to submit to your husband. But I do not know, your father seems very weak of..."

"Do not dare talk about my father!"

Lucan met her eyes, his eyes cold. "Your father is a weak coward who would rather go on his knees and beg than fight me for the dignity of his daughter."

Adeline felt tears pool in her eyes, and she raised her hand to slap Lucan's cheek, her eyes blazing with tears and anger. He held her hand mid-air, then brought her to lean on his nody, his head leaning slowly to meet his eyes.

"You know I am right. Two of the men in your life would easily replace you. They would easily dispose of you. I am not promising you any different, but you have caught my interest. You still have my interest. You better do well to keep it."

"I will die first."

"Oh no, Princess," he said with a laugh. "You will be Queen. Queen of Vahrenhall."

He turned away, the laugh immediately falling off his face, his eyes cold. The carriage immediately continued the trip, leading closer to the imposing buildings of Vahrenhall.

Adeline struggled to make sense of everything. How could she get married to this man? Even though it was better for her dignity and honor rather than being a w***e for him, she could not imagine having to spend the rest of her life with the man who had taken everything from her.

They soon arrived at the massive steel gates of the city, and Lucan gave a small huff of pride, his eyes twinkling as he watched the city he had made.

A large fog settled on the city, and the large buildings pierced right through, creating a breathtaking illusion of houses straight up to heaven itself.

They entered amidst loud hoots and celebrations, women dancing around the caravan, men spilling alcohol and singing songs of praises.

Adeline closed her eyes, her fingers nipping at each other hard, her teeth gritting slightly. She wished she could block out all of the sounds and the noise.

Soon, they arrived at the Jade Fort of Vahrenhall, the largest Palace in the world. It was heavily adorned by black diamonds and roses, and the architecture was one of its kind. With poems that screamed of blood and death engraved on the massive pillars and the massive chandeliers of gold plated candles hanging from the domed ceilings throughout the palace, it was truly a sight to behold.

The carriage stopped in front of the main entrance, where every soldier apart from the ones guarding the Fort, and every servant had gathered in neat, orderly lines.

Angel came forth to the carriage, then bowed as he opened the door. Lucan turned to Adeline and slowly gave her his hand. He knew she would not take it, but he loved to tease her. He loved the fury he saw in her eyes, the light tremble of her plump red lips when she got angry.

Adeline looked down at his hand, then, very much to his surprise, slowly gave her his hand. He soon found out the secret motive behind the rather unlikely behaviour as he accepted her hand, and a sharp needle pierced through his skin, immediately drawing blood.

He met her eyes, his brows raised, and his lips lifted in a smile. To irritate her further, he clasped his hand tightly around hers, then brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss above her knuckles, his eyes holding hers all through.

She clenched her jaws, and he pulled her even further, then leaned to her ear.

"Is this your way of keeping my interest?" He asked, kissing below her earlobe. She moved away, but it only made him smile. "Because you are."

She turned and met his eyes, and he narrowed them, his fingers playing with a lock of hair.

"I look forward to marrying you, Princess."

She turned away, and he pulled back, then slowly brought her out of the carriage. His hand held hers tight, so there was no way for her to break off from him.

The entire crowd bowed simultaneously, and he walked through them, his hand holding hers tight. She turned once, and Evander was on the floor. He was on his knees, his eyes closed, his lips parted. He seemed to have vomited from the fatigue, and he looked extremely unwell.

Adeline turned to Lucan, who was pulling her down the long hallways now.

"Your Majesty," she said, immediately causing him to stop.

He raised a brow and turned to her.

She swallowed, her chest heaving. "I... I want to offer you a bargain."

He held on to her hand tighter, the needle sinking even deeper into his flesh. "A bargain?"

"Yes, I want to..."

"I shall rest, and I will accommodate you when I am free. Before that, do think it over if you want to ask me or if you would rather spare yourself and him."

Before she could respond, he let go of her hand and walked down the halls, leaving her in the midst of the large labyrinth.