THE REGENT'S MAGE

Chapter 8 : Comfort above pretense

Primrose dreamed of herself falling down a cliff right into the blubbing lava with unidentified objectes floating into it. Not the kind of dream one would expect to have in the afternoon during a nap.

She woke up in cold sweat. The phone sliding off her chest gave her fright similar to a black cat gliding on top of a gravepost in the middle of the night.

With her first hand experience with death, Primrose didn't think death could scare her anymore. That dream proved her wrong in more than one language. As she was falling, it all felt so real that she kept crying for help but no one was around to hear her cries.

Hence proven, than death experiences don't do anything to reduce fear of it. If anything, the fear had elevated a notch since the dream.

Did that stop Primrose from going back to sleep? Absolutely not. She was still sleepy and this time she made sure to keep only good things in mind while falling into the slumber so that nightmares won't plague her again.

It didn't go exactly as planned. She ended up dreaming about her first encounter with Cassius instead.

Not the best thing to dream of either but she'd take it over falling off a cliff into bubbling lava.

Cassius was as hot as ever. In his favour black suit, a wine glass in hand that never ended up touching his lips. His finger tapped patiently the bottom of the glass as he interacted with whoever approached him that night.

It happened to be the night when she also saw Austin for the first time. Before that she had only heard from her wolf that he was the supposed ex and now getting married to her sister, a betrayal of years was done in a day.

It was a given that Primrose wanted to avoid seeing him at all cost. That avoidance brought her closer to Cassius. It didn't help that she also had to hide from the second Prince Archer, who was hell bent on pestering her with his bullying.

In the night lit up with gold and silver, Primrose saw herself sitting under the window outside the palace. Hiding behind the bunch of bushes. It was significantly darker in the corner compared to the banquet.

It was the first time Primrose used her mage magic.

"You can light up the space." The wolf had suggested seeing how Primrose was sweating from fear.

Primrose was slightly afraid of the dark. The only weakness she was somewhat willing to admit.

The mage magic grew between her fingers with a single rub of the tips and a will of her heart. The golden lights appeared within her grasp, coloring the darkness with it's spark and the corner with Primrose enveloped in it was immediately aglow.

That's when Cassius walked in on her. The wine glass was still resting on his palm, his fingers rubbing the smooth glass in small strokes. His amber eyes fell on the corner where Primrose's face glowed under the golden sparks.

"Are you trying to burn the palace down?" He asked, his voice covered in amusement and mockery.

She couldn't forget that sound even in her dreams. His face was vivid but that sound, the way it made her feel that night was complicated. So very complicated that she couldn't find a name for it and in the end called it dislike.

After all, the regent wasn't the best person in the world. And the speculation turned around and bit her in the face right then.

When Cassius stepped forward and poured the wine on her dress.

The cold wine left a stain on her grey dress. It was an old dress Primrose had found in her closet. It wasn't her style and nor was it very beautiful. It shouldn't matter much even if it's ruined. For some reason it rubbed her in the wrong way.

The spark between her fingers didn't light up the palace but it did fire up the handkerchief in his pocket when she pulled it off to rub off the wine drops off her cheeks.

The cloth was set ablaze within seconds of use. The fire was blue, a color that signified it's mage elements. Cassius was either not shocked or knew how to control his expressions way too good.

Primrose was inclined towards the latter. It wasn't just the fire that lit up between them. Something had sparked that night. Their eyes were trapped in a battle. As the clamour within the palace hall increased, their background became increasingly quite.

Cassius was the one to break the eye contact. He scoffed and left, leaving Primrose standing by the window with the golden light spilling all over her body. The wine stain remained on her dress, splattered like blood.

"What a d*ick." She remembered mumbling. Handsome, but still a d*ick.

As much as Primrose disliked Cassius for his rudeness, she could never forget th love of everything holy, deny that he was a gorgeous production of whoever made him. He must most definitely be an important project which ended up in success.

Primrose laid peacefully on the bed, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The supposed nightmare was not giving the reaction it should have.

Hours later Primrose woke up with a stretch. The loose edges of her silk shirt slid up, revealing the smooth surface of her torso. The soft evening orange hue scattered into the room through the gaps in the curtains.

When sleep finally loosened its grip on her eyes, primrose found her phone had one additional message and a phone number. Both were from Cassius.

A giddy feeling reached up her throat. She quickly called the number and made an appointment. Once the important job was done, she washed up and went to see her family of three.

The family of three was definitely not at ease. The air was so tense, it might as well solidify and turn into bars that confine them into the living room itself as they loved the space so much.

"Primrose!" Lilly called.

It was inevitable at this point. The same thing was repeated every time. Since she signed that marriage certificate, her life was bound to never be the same.

Primrose literally signed up for this.

"Yes, mother?" Primrose responded. However, she was clearly not paying attention. She stopped the housekeeper and asked in a low voice if dinner was ready.

"It will take another half an hour." The housekeeper answered in a matching low voice.

These days nobody in the house tried to piss her off. Nobody knew when Primrose might blow her top and start doing unexpected things, which was not limited by their imagination.

"Right. Call me when dinner is served."

Lilly's fist shook on her thigh. Instead of shouting like she did before, Lilly chose a peaceful approach.

"Primrose, come here. We need to sit down and talk."

Primrose frowned and sat on the sofa. She was still in her silk pyjama set which didn't fit into the aesthetics of their evening clothes.

Comfort was above pretence.

Helena was there too. Primrose waved lightly which made the poor girl flinch. The slightest movement from her brought bad memories. Primrose was satisfied by that reaction. That's how it should be. Not the other way around.

Lilly took a deep breath and started the conversation with a soft smile. Primrose's smile turned into a grimace. A fake smile was as disgusting as a back stab.

"Don't smile if you can't."

The housekeeper served some light fruits and snacks to hold them up until dinner time. Primrose directly grabbed a plate of delicate fruits and munched in them. Her eyes were watching Lilly carefully.

Under her honey eyed gaze, Lilly was having a hard time forming sentences. For some reason that stare held immense power. Like something heavy was being pushed into her chest. It took away the ability to breathe and talk.

Lilly took a deep breath as soon as her eyes fell on the plate of fruits. Her body was unnaturally stiff too. Those things were still ignored as there were bigger matters to deal with.

"You can't marry the regent. It's not just because of Helena. The regent is the current king's brother. He has no future in the royal family. For the rest of his days, he'll remain in that position without moving forward. You can't waste away your chance by entangling with him. Choose wisely. The second prince is interested -"

Primrose groaned in disgust. "Don't mention that man in front of me! Interested? In me? I'd be happier if he goes blind just so he wouldn't see me everyday! The regent is way better. He's hotter too. Right, Helena?"

The pointed stare caught Helena. The younger sister didn't dare make a move. Jacob rubbed her back in consolation.

From the other point of view, the dynamic of the Santiago family seemed to have gone through a tremendous change. The passive one was not taking action and the others were forced into the corner.

Although they were 'conversing', it was mostly Primrose asserting dominance with her eyes and her body language. Even in pyjamas she was the woman that could and most definitely would choke the person in front with a single look.

"You can't say that about the prince!" Lilly reprimanded.

"The same goes for the regent. You can't talk s**t about him, especially not in front of his wife." Primrose made it a point to put that thought across.