4. The Meeting

Mariana's eyes were squeezed shut.

"What is the name of your horse again? Ah, yes, Calliope. It will be really devastating if some bad misfortune were to befall the poor horse. It's up to you though, if the horse will remain safe or not," Lydia's threat came back to Mariana's thought.

It still baffled Mariana that her aunt had dared to threaten her. All this was happening because she was an orphan now. It was happening because those beasts had murdered her parents that day. If her parents had still been alive, then she would have been in the safety of her room, not bothered at all about some rich and spoilt prince that whom her aunt had arranged a marriage for her.

"I am done my Lady," Leandra whispered.

This caused Mariana's eyes to fly open. She had totally forgotten that Leandra was in the room with her. She had forgotten that Leandra had been dressing her hair. She had zoned out to another episode of her many thoughts.

Mariana stared at herself in the mirror. She looked different. She looked beautiful. She had never had anyone play with her hair before apart from her mother who used to do it for her when she was younger. The older she got, she refused to allow her mother to play with her hair. She always loved to allow it flow freely down her back.

Leandra had pulled her hair down into a perfect bun that had weavings twisted on the side of her hair. She had also taken her time to dress the hair with some hair ornaments. The little flower-shaped pin kept reflecting light, therefore giving it an aura of a glow. It brought more life to her eyes and she looked vibrant and fiery.

She stood up to face Leandra. Leandra stared at her in awe as she admired her good work of dressing Mariana up.

Her dress had a low V-shaped cut on the chest, revealing a little amount of cleavage. The gown hugged her chest so much so that one could wonder how Mariana was breathing perfectly in it. The gown then gave way at the waist and flowed freely down to the floor. The gown was dark green with golden embroidery weaved in an intricate pattern at the chest as well as all the ends of the gown.

"She looking stunning. Just like a Queen," Leandra complimented Mariana. Suddenly, she gasped.

For the more Leandra stared at her little Mistress, the more she started to see. She suddenly felt frozen on the spot. Her heartbeat accelerated faster than normal. Leandra's intake of breath changed to heavier ones. Her eyes widened with shock as she kept staring.

The images blurred before her eyes and flashed new sets of images so fast over and over again. So much so that Leandra almost believed it was fake and only in her head.

She saw the beautiful Mariana with a crown on her head. The images glitched as the crowned image of Mariana was beginning to conflict with the current and real image of Mariana. The images finally became stable but this time, she wished it hadn't found its stability. For there was blood on the crown. Leandra watched as the blood dripped down her face and tainted Mariana's perfect fair skin.

"Leandra! What is wrong with you?" Mariana exclaimed as she shook Leandra violently.

Mariana had worry and concern etched all over her face. Leandra had been fine minutes ago and suddenly, she was behaving as if she was having some kind of seizure.

Leandra regained consciousness and stared back at Mariana in confusion.

"What just happened to you? Do you need to see the physician?" Mariana asked.

Leandra shook her head in response. "I don't need to. It's nothing. I'll be fine," She answered but the response couldn't even convince Leandra herself.

Mariana was about to drag the matter when she heard a knock on her door. Both Leandra and Mariana turned their heads towards the door.

"I'll get it," Leandra took the initiative and walked towards the door.

She reached it and pulled it open. Sarah's face came poking through the door. She didn't even wait to be invited in. She invited herself in and turned to face Mariana.

"My Lady, your Prince is here to see you," Sarah announced. Her big smile never left her face. A strand of blond hair floated on the side of her hair as she beamed with excitement.

She could not contain her emotions. To one who didn't understand, one would have mistaken Sarah for the one who was to be married to the Prince.

Mariana only sighed. She had half wished that the prince would cancel his meeting or probably have an accident and die. Maybe her thoughts were getting too cruel.

"I guess I should get it all over with if I want to protect my sanity," She finally said.

"Leandra and I will escort you downstairs," Sarah said and gestured at Leandra to follow.

Leandra had been quiet and probably trying to recover from her experience. Her mind had still not settled. But she did as Sarah wanted. She followed Sarah as she led the way for Mariana.

Mariana threw a glance towards the window. She could make a run for it and never come back. She could take Calliope far away from her aunt. Where Lydia would never be able to hurt her again. But she knew the thought was reckless. She wasn't that stupid. She had no money. She needed money to pull it off and the last thing Mariana wanted was to steal or beg for money from Lydia.

She sighed again and reluctantly followed the two women who were waiting at the door for her. They took her out of her room and led her through the corridor. They reached the grand staircase and started to descend it.

Sarah whispered to the women with her.

"The prince is definitely moved by your beauty. He can't stop staring. He has even gotten on his feet for you. Isn't he a gentleman?"

Mariana decided not to look. She didn't want to see the face of the one she would be forced to marry. She began to wish that he would refuse to marry her but the comments Sarah was making weren't helping in any way.

Two men were standing with Lydia as they watched Mariana descend the stairs. It was no doubt that they were both awed by her beauty. They couldn't stop staring at Mariana.

When Mariana reached the end of the stairs, she finally looked up and almost gasped. For a few seconds which felt like a thousand years, she froze.

The same gray eyes that had saved her in the forest just that morning were staring back at her now. Just that this time, they weren't glowing like they had glowed earlier this morning.

She felt her heart begin to beat without rhythm. Her breathing became heavy. So much so that anyone who notice it due to the rise and fall of her chest. She felt herself yearning for him.

She looked perfect despite the fact that he was imperfect. She saw the scar on the left side of his face and she wanted to touch it. She badly wanted to feel it under her fingertips.

She felt herself heating up. Her face became flushed. His stare was intense. There was so much power in it. It was beckoning her in. Pulling her closer to him. So she listened to his command. She unfroze and started to walk towards him.

It felt like an eternity walking over to him but she didn't give up. The pull was strong. It was pulling her to him. His eyes were drawing her in. She was trapped in them and she could not release herself. If his stare could affect her this much, then what would his lips do to her skin? She wanted to know how it would feel.

She finally reached the mysterious man with the most intriguing and most powerful eyes.

"A pleasure to be in your presence, my prince," She greeted breathlessly and did a short bow before him.

Lydia gasped and slapped her niece's palm. "That man is not the prince! He is his guard. This is the prince!" Lydia exclaimed while pointing at the blond-haired man standing beside the man who had so much control over her.

"Huh?" Mariana said in a surprised tone.

"This is a first. No one has ever mistaken someone else for me even when I'm standing right there," Leonard said in amazement.

"Apologies my prince. Mariana is new here. She doesn't know a thing about the Kingdom of Asgaria," Lydia broke in.

Mariana was still shocked as she looked from the prince to the tall and beautiful man standing beside him.

This man whom she had mistaken for the prince never breathed one word. He only stared at Mariana. He looked as if he wanted to ask her questions. Mariana also stared back at me. Her questions were written all over her eyes.

She wanted to ask him who he was. She wanted to ask him where he came from. She wanted to ask how his eyes had glowed earlier today. She wanted to know about him. She wanted to know about his culture, his family, and his lifestyle. Everything there was to know about him, she wanted to know it all.