04

She couldn’t believe it. She couldn't believe the king had three sons; her spouse was a triplet. She gazed around the hall, hoping to find it shocking for the invitees as well, but none of them seemed surprised, not even her father.

So he knew? She wondered to herself, as she felt her blood boil, why her father couldn’t inform her about it. She regained her composure as one of the princes, the one with tied-up hair, stared in her direction, dissatisfied.

Irene had never seen her chosen spouse, as she never bothered about it. She was just given the letter that she was going to get married to him, but she never spoke to the one she was going to spend her entire life with.

They each sat down on their empty seats while she tried horribly to avoid staring at them but couldn’t. Soon, the king was up on his feet, and immediately, the noise died down. One could hear a pin drop as everyone waited without saying a word. Irene herself admired the powers of the royal family. She doubted her father, although he was the most powerful lord, could cause such silence.

“Welcome, all of you, for honoring the banquet held for Lady Aria, our mother goddess, as a token of our love and appreciation. I can’t thank you more for being loyal subjects.” He said it and swallowed as everyone listened to him keenly. “It is also a joyful moment for me to properly introduce your future heir and king to the throne. My son, Prince Jacob.” He said it with a warm smile on his face.

Irene stared at the three brothers as she wondered who the heir was. The heir was her chosen spouse, and she was eager to see him. One of the three brothers, the one who had his hair tied in a bun, stood up from his seat, and Irene raised her brows.

So the rude one is her spouse? She thought to herself as she thought back to the incident at the restroom. Her eyes trailed to the remaining two brothers seated with their eyes locked on hers, and she quickly looked away. She, along with the rest of the guests, began to clap as he stood up.

“My to-be daughter-in-law and my heir’s chosen mate from the house of Sirus, Irene.” The king said this, and this time, Irene stood up on her feet as well.

The crowd clapped once again, and from the corners of her eyes, she could see that the two seated princes did not clap their hands. They didn’t seem excited and were more disappointed. She frowned as she was left confused about why they didn’t. She wondered if they hated the king’s decision to choose her spouse to be the heir, but she couldn’t find the answers to her questions.

“The union of the royal family and the house of Sirus will pave the way for future generations to come. For this, we say cheers to goodwill.” The king said this as he raised up his glass and drank from it.

“Cheers.” The crowd said this as everyone picked up their cup and drank.

“Eat; there is lots of food to spare.” The king spoke to them in an excited tone and sat down.

Irene and her spouse sat down as well. To her discomfort, she noticed that all three princes were staring at her. She could feel an empty, indescribable feeling in her stomach.

“I’m proud of you.” The king said, pulling her attention toward him. She glanced at her father to see him smiling sheepishly. “Is there a problem, my dear?” the king asked, and she stared back at him.

“No, definitely not, your majesty. I’m just full.” She said it with a nervous smile while cursing herself inwardly for how creepy she must have looked.

The party went on with everyone making merry and eating to their fill, while Irene just kept glancing at the princes as they dined. She didn’t know why, but she felt they had their eyes on her, and throughout the banquet, she was only able to eat a little.

Soon, the banquet came to an end, and the guests were taking their leave while some were conversing with the king. Irene just stood awkwardly in a corner as the princes kept staring at her, often now and then. It was an embarrassing moment, and it was the first time in her life she had ever shyed away.

Prince Jacob walked toward his father, the king, while his brothers walked out of the banquet hall. Irene was nervous, as she had no idea what was up to the three brothers or what conspiracy they had against her. She kept wondering if they were upset with the way she had spoken to them in the restroom.

***

Prince Jacob walked toward his father, who was conversing with some of his elite friends. His hands were behind his back as he took graceful strides toward the old men.

“Ah Jacob.” His father said as soon as he noticed him “What is it?” he asked as he noticed the serious expression on his son’s face.

“A word with you, father.” Prince Jacob requested it as he beamed a slight smile at his father’s guests. Seeing his father’s reluctance, he frowned. “It’s quite urgent, father; you might want to hear it.” He added, and he noticed his father crease his brow in curiosity.

With a gesture of his hands, his guests knowingly dispersed with a smile on their faces. “It better be worth my while.” The king said this with his hand behind his back.

Prince Jacob could see from the corners of his eyes that most of the quests were not paying attention to them, so he stared back at his father. “It’s about my spouse, my father.”

“And what about her?” The king asked, and this time his voice was filled with urgency and sheer curiosity to know what his son was talking about.

“You might want to cut off the wedding father, for you may or may not like what you are about to hear.” Prince Jacob said as he walked closer to his father, standing just a few inches away from him.

“Cut to the chase and don’t give me bullcrap!" The king cried out in agitation, and this time he was itching so bad to know what his son so urgently had to tell him.

His voice had attracted the attention of some of the guests, who were now staring at him. Even Irene and her father were curious about what was going on between the king and his son.

“Did you do something bad, dear child?” Lord Sirus asked with his eyes bloodshot and sharp as ice spikes as he glared at Irene, who swallowed and shook her head nervously in denial.

Within her, she thought along the same lines as her father. What if she had done something so terrible as to have provoked the king? Now, she was nervous as her palms began to sweat from the thoughts of what would happen to her if the king stopped the engagement.

The king followed his son’s train of sight and noticed that his quests were staring at them. “Get back to your businesses.” He said it calmly while flashing an assuring smile at them. “Now, go straight to the point.” He said it with a cold gaze as he stared at his son.

“Irene is not just my mate's father,” Prince Jacob spoke as he stared at his father. “She is mated to the three of us. She is mated to your three sons, father.” He finally dropped the bombshell.

The king was awestruck that the cup he held in his hand slipped right through and shattered on the floor, attracting the attention of the guests in the room once again.