THE REGENT'S MAGE

Chapter 9 : Registration Office

It was incredibly easy to understand the Santiago family's dynamics. Lilly had most say in family matters, big or small.

Jacob being in charge of supplying money through the large business and influence they had as a family.

Meanwhile Helena was being advertised as the highest level mage with endless potential that the family had seen in the past century.

Primrose as a person didn't occupy any seats. Her only and biggest demerit was that she couldn't offer anything to the family. Being useless as as bad as being a burden.

When Primrose started to date Austin, their feelings were like strangers getting to know each other. Primrose could tell that the previous one occupying the body didn't have much feelings towards that prince.

Her room had no trace of him. Her phone had barely any pictures of them together. No heartfelt confessions hidden away in a diary or the notes app. If a girl in love never did those things, it was right to assume she never felt deeply about you.

However, the reason why Primrose dated Austin wasn't for herself. It was to raise her value in the family. She wanted to bring something to the table and show her family that even though she didn't have mage powers as bright as Helena, she still held value and would join the royal family in the future.

Austin had somewhat of the same intention. Holding the Santiago family's eldest daughter in a relationship meant the unconditional support from them. Who would want to let that go?

Their relationship was somewhat similar to the one between Primrose and Cassius.

However, right now she was met with resistance. Why? Because a prince can rise up to become king. A regent cannot. They are lawfully prohibited from competing for the throne.

The only thing Primrose brought to them was now gone. Helena had it now and her value went up significantly.

Primrose didn't want to dive deeper into the whole boyfriend snatching done by Helena. She was aware that Helene simply did not want Primrose to have anything nice and ended up doing that.

Now that she was married to Cassius, Helena still didn't want Primrose to have anything and Lilly wished Primrose would choose someone of more value.

What about her own heart? Nobody cared about that insignificant little thing.

"Reconsider, Primrose." Lilly demanded.

"I love him. There is nothing else to reconsider."

Helena chuckled, "How many times have you met? And since when did the regent have qualities that can impress someone enough to make them fall in love?"

"Would you like to know, my dear?" Primrose turned enthusiastic at the flip of a coin. Helena was taken aback by it.

"He doesn't need too many qualities. Nor does he have to do anything to impress me. His face is enough. You can't deny that all the good genes of the royal family were gifted to him."

Primrose rubbed her fingers together. The golden sparkle was hidden behind the palm of her other hand. Smiling, Primrose addressed her mother.

"I never intended to join the bloody race to the throne. Let Helena bear the burden of being a princess. I'll stay true to my elder sister character and give her my blessings as her aunt in the future. I think that's the best for both of us." The smile slowly faded and a look of seriousness took over her eyes.

Lilly's next words didn't make it to her tongue. She closed her lips into a tight line, waiting for Primrose to finish. The amount of respect given to Primrose in the past two months was more than what was given in the twenty one years of her life.

Primrose of the present didn't like others talking over her the most. Lilly involuntarily shut up.

"I am over twenty years old. Mentally and physically capable of making my own decisions. I didn't ask you before getting married because I didn't see the need to. Even now I don't seek your approval. Don't come to my wedding of you don't wish to see me happy. I don't care. I'm going to the registration office to get my name removed from the family and added to the royal family. My name won't be a burden to you anymore."

The impact of those words hit hard and the reaction was slower than usual. Despite the changes in Primrose, her family still thought they held a place in her heart. At the very least, Lilly thought Primrose still wanted to be a part of the family and hence, they could use the position to make her change her mind.

Helena was scared too. Her habit of not taking Primrose seriously had her inclined towards the possibility that Primrose was doing this for attention.

"So what if Primrose married him?! It's her loss. It's not like she's of any use anyway. Two useless people with no future must make a good pair. Let them be!" Helena grumbled.

Outwardly her words were laced with ridicule and contempt. Her heart's state was only known to her.

Primrose may have said some nonsense but one thing was for sure : Cassius really was too handsome. Oozing with masculinity from head to toe. His presence was larger than the King himself.

Helena couldn't hold down the jealousy in her heart. Who doesn't wish for a handsome man like that to be her lifelong partner. Helena wouldn't have snatched Austin from Primrose if she knew her next target was going to be the regent.

Regret had no medicine.

Jacob and Lilly were not as shallow as Helena. They had a lot more to think of and many aspects to worry about. Unfortunately, Primrose cut off their way and now they were helpless.

Primrose wasn't joking when she said her name would no longer belong to the Santiago family. She got dressed and sprayed a decent amount of perfume the next morning. She ate breakfast like usual at the table with the rest and left the house with the clicking of her heels behind.

Two hours later, Primrose sat on a hard chair, tapping the red nails over the armrest with displeasure written all over her face.

She checked the time on her phone for the hundredth time and huffed. Her back was aching from sitting on the hard chair this long. It was impossible not to be irritated.

"Miss, are you here to register your house as well?" The person sitting next to her asked in a hushed time.

"Huh?"

The man must have taken that as a yes. He slid closer and started to ramble on about his problems as if Primrose was his free therapist.

"The process is way too long. The officers ask for way too many documents and even then they might not stamp it! They'll ask for some more documents. It's my third time here and I still didn't get part of the inheritance. It's annoying, isn't it?"

Primrose opened her mouth to shut him up when a shadow fell on her and the man. Primrose didn't realise how close that man had gotten until they both looked at each other.

"Um?" The man gulped after looking up.

Primrose rised her chin as well. She met the amber eyes which haunted her dreams last night and smiled widely.

"Husband! You are finally here! What too you so long?"

Primrose bounced up from the hard chair and hung on his arm. The height difference was clear when they stood together. Primrose hated looking up at him all the time but the height difference appeared cute to the onlookers. She even raised the end of her sentence a little to sound a bit coquettish.

Cassius was visibly discomforted by her actions. His tense face was rigid and the ticks in his jaw made Primrose genuinely happy for the first time since she woke up.

"Let's go. It's about to be lunch time too. We need to get the work done before the staff leaves for an indefinitely long lunch break!"

Primrose pulled him along only to find him stuck to the ground like a thick electricity pole. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if she needed to do more to get him walking.

Unexpectedly, Cassius wasn't even looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the man who was chatting her up earlier about his own life problems.

"Cassius, come on!" She tugged on him again.

She intertwined their fingers together and that seemed to do the job. It successfully shocked him into tearing away that locked gaze. He finally looked her way. The dazzling amber eyes, like shots of whiskey ready to drown her in it's intoxication.

Primrose had a moment of glitch where she thought he was hypnotising her. Without delay, Primrose led him away.

As Cassius followed after, she felt him squeezing their intertwined fingers until her small fingers between his thick ones started to hurt. Primrose had to put everything in to control her expression.