4

“Here she is,” Prince Layke smirked as he leaned over the balcony. “My dotting fiancé.” He teased. There was something about watching Belle roll her eyes that brought him immense satisfaction, a thrill he couldn’t get enough of.

As expected, Belle rolled her eyes. “Come on Charming, lets get this over with.” Belle turned on her heels, heading back towards the grand hall. She wasn’t sure why she had to give Layke a tour, she was fairly certain that he would be able to figure out the grounds all by his big boy self.

Layke chuckled as he followed Belle’s lead. “Here’s the grand hall, as you know.” Belle motioned her hands around to emphasis her point as she took deep strides throughout the room. As they left the room, Belle took a right and led Layke down the stone corridor. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling every two metres, and considering how long the corridor in front of him was, there was a fair few chandeliers. Each time they passed another crisp white set of double doors with a guard stationed outside, Belle gave Layke a brief explanation of what was behind.

“My mothers office.”

“My office.”

“Security’s office.”

“Guest bathroom.”

“Another guest bathroom.”

“Library.”

“Sitting room.”

“Family dining room.”

Layke struggled to keep his laughter at bay by the time they reached the end of the hallway. “You’re very thorough. I feel like I know the building like the back of my hands now.” He teased.

“Did you need more details?” Belle deadpanned.

Layke grinned. “Not at all.”

Frankly, Layke didn’t expect much more. Other than opening each door and walking him around each room like a dog, there wasn’t much else to say. All he really needed to know was where the staff resided, where he was sleeping and where he could train. It wasn’t as if he and Belle were planning to spend any quality time together when they weren’t working on dealing with the Gylandies.

Belle led Layke to the other side of the castle, showing him the staff quarters and where he could find people of certain positions, such as maids and the chefs. She didn’t miss the battering off eyelashes and shy smiles Layke received from the younger female staff. She wasn’t blind, she knew how attractive Layke was and she knew the unmated staff would dot on him. She couldn’t be annoyed over it, knowing that if she was in their position and she wasn’t being forced into a marriage with the man, she would probably act the same way.

She was used to it anyway from when her brothers, Arlen and Cobi, visited. Unfortunately for the staff, both her brothers were mated and only had eyes for their mates so none of the maids had managed to live out their Prince and the Pauper fantasy as of yet. Here was an unmated, drop-dead gorgeous faerie prince standing before them, they’d be stupid not to ogle him and appreciate the view. So why was it rubbing her up the wrong way?

Shaking her head to rid of the thoughts, Belle lifted her chin and addressed the members of staff currently hovering in the kitchen. “Evening everyone.” Belle smiled as she captured their attention. “I would love you all to meet my fiancé, Prince Layke of the Avalon realm. Layke will be staying with us tonight before we head over to Avalon in the morning. After the wedding in a few days, he will be here much more frequently and you will all be able to get to know him properly.”

Excited and jealous whispers echoed around the room as people welcomed him into the home. “It’s lovely to be here. I look forward to getting to know you all individually and settling in. If you see me walking in the wrong direction, don’t be scared to come and let me know.. it’s a big castle and it’s certainly going to take some getting used to.” Layke chuckled, earning the giggles of his new fan girls.

Belle searched for head of security, Joseph, as Layke continued to chat to the maids who were hanging onto his every word. She made her way to Joseph, spotting him in the corner of the kitchen chatting to his staff. “Joseph?” Belle called out with a warm smile. “Would you run through your protocols with Layke, please?”

Joseph dipped his head, “of course, Princess Belle.” Joseph was an older man who had worked for Belle’s family for years, starting out as a junior warrior back when Belle’s grandmother was Queen. There wasn’t anyone else Belle or her mother trusted to take charge of their security, he was more like an extended family member than part of the staff. “Fiancé, eh? Kept that one quiet didn’t you.” He winked, causing Belle to laugh,

“You have no idea, Joe.” Belle shook her head, leading him back to where she had left Layke. Much to her surprise, but also not really, Belle found Layke flirting with one of the younger maids. Belle scoffed, causing Layke to turn his attention to her. “Really, charming? I leave you for 30 seconds.” She raised her eyebrows, flashing him a discerned expression before turning to Joe. “I think Joe can take it from here.” She told him, before leaving the room.

“Belle!” Layke called out after her but she chose to ignore him. She didn’t need to hear his excuses and frankly, he didn’t owe her one. The engagement was fake and they had known each other less than a day, he was well within his rights to do as he pleased, even if for some reason it did irritate her. She just hoped they could deal with the Hylandies as quickly as possible so this whole thing could be put behind her.

As soon as the wedding day was over with, Belle decided she would focus every ounce of her attention on stopping the attacks. That way, hopefully they could be finished with one another quicker than 3 months time.

“What do you think Avalon is like?” Nia asked as they settled in their favourite spot in the castle gardens. It was a stone bench, potentially centuries old, that sat on the highest point of the grounds and overlooked the whole realm. As the day started to fall and the night began to rise, Belle loved watching over the kingdom as one by one the huts where her people lived began to light up, illuminating her view. If she paid close enough attention, she could watch them fly across the realm like shooting stars in the night sky.

“Most likely the same as here, just less accustomed to the word ‘werewolf’.” Belle giggled back to her wolf.

“Do you think Layke wants to meet me?” Nia asked, wagging her tail.

Belle smiled at her wolf’s purity. “I’m sure he does, Ni Ni.”

Soon enough, Belle’s peaceful moments came to an end as a familiar figure sat beside her. “Jokes aside, I actually do need you to show me back to my room as I honestly can’t remember how to get there.”

Belle sniggered, shaking her head in disbelief. “You didn’t ask the maids?”

Layke sighed, locking his fingers and slightly leaning forward. “It wasn’t what it seemed, Belle. Real or fake, I wouldn’t disrespect you like that.”

Belle’s forehead creased as she glanced at him. “But it’s not real, Layke. You are more than welcome to do as you please. This,” she motioned between them. “Is purely for the sake of saving the kingdoms. Once that’s been accomplished, we will go our separate ways. The only thing we need to agree on is how to work together.” She shrugged.

For some reason, Belle’s words infuriated him. Each word felt like a tiny stab to the heart, deepening the wound as she continued to emphasize that they were nothing. Pressing his lips tightly together, ignoring the prick to his heart, Layke nodded. “Well, that’s straight forward enough. We’ll research everything there is to know about the Gylandies, build up our armies and spend time tracking them. Using the element of surprise, we’ll take them out and restore the kingdoms.”

Belle frowned. “That could take months and it’s not the most effective way to get this done. We need to be working quicker than that, who knows when they’ll go after Moonbeam.”

“We can’t act recklessly, Belle. Rushing this could get people hurt.” Layke demanded, failing to see why Belle couldn’t understand that.

“And biding our time could risk Moonbeam being taken over and more innocent lives being taken.” Belle challenged, rising to her feet from frustration. Layke was too careful, he needed everything planned to the last detail and that could cost them time other people didn’t necessarily have.

Layke rose to his feet, now towering over the petite firecracker in front of him. “I know what I am doing, Belle. It’s important that we get this right, you need to listen to me.” He scolded her, only added fuel to the fire burning up inside of her.

“I don’t need to do anything, I don’t take orders from you.. remember?” Belle bit back. “And I don’t think you’re appreciating the reality of what could happen if we wait too long to handle this!”

Layke rubbed his temples from frustration. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and narrowed his eyes at Belle. “You’re impossible. Are you that desperate to get away from me already?"

Belle let out a loud groan, before taking a moment to regroup. “This has nothing to do with getting away from you, Charming, and everything to do with knowing what can happen if we let this simmer for too long. We’re not getting married to play house, Layke, we’re getting married to save lives.”

Layke’s face fell stern, he was pissed off and Belle knew it. In fact, she was certain if she looked close enough, she would find a vein on his forehead somewhere threatening to pop out. “I know what I am doing, Belle. I’ve trained for this my entire life and if you act recklessly, you will ruin this whole thing.”

Deciding she had no energy left to argue, Belle tucked her hair and slowly nodded. “You know what, it’s late. I’ll have Joe show you where you’re staying.”

Layke clicked his tongue. “No need, I remember now.” He told her, before storming away.