Katherine waited for a moment, but as he didn't continue, she asked: "Do you love her?"
The head of the man bobbed up and down. "She's my childhood friend. I..." one hand wandered to his chest as he grabbed his shirt tightly. "I love her so much."
Sharply, he sucked in a breath. "When I told her how I felt, she treated it as a joke. I got angry and I - I think I offended her."
With each word, Katherine could feel devastation seeping out, affecting her. The man's situation was similar to hers, he also got rejected. However, his counterpart didn't even seem to be interested in him. Treating a heart-felt confession as a joke was a harsh blow to one's pride. Still, the man seemed to be even more in despair about what he did afterwards.
"Did you try to apologize?", Katherine inquired with a soft voice. This topic was tricky. On one hand, she felt like the man had a reason to be angry, on the other he obviously thought that he was in the wrong.
"I can't.
"Do you want to marry me?"He kissed the tips of her fingers one by one. While bending forward, his hair fell in front of his murky brown eyes, hiding the contempt inside. It was too easy to deceive a woman in love.Princess Rina, the third of the thirty-seven princesses of the Dragsa-kingdom - in the number of princesses, Dragsa and the Icelands were vastly different - broke out in tears of joy. The happiness transformed her unassuming appearance with too big of a mouth and slightly protruding ears into a more pretty picture. It couldn't exactly be called beautiful, but at the very least it had some charm."Ethan!" She embraced him tightly, her snotty nose touching his neck. "Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!"His lips twitched as he patted her back. "I'm so happy. I was a bit nervous you'd reject me."She blushed and teased him: "Nervous? You? That's too much of a praise!""Well, convincing your dad wasn't an easy feat." Especially sinc
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. "Why? you ask me why I react like this when you met with a man alone on the balcony?"He swatted her hand away and advanced till her body was caught between his and the railing. "It would be so much easier putting you in a cell to visit when I feel like it. But I was nice. I took care of you when you had nothing, even when you treated me like an enemy."His words were spoken through gritted teeth, patience hanging on a thread. "I know this is a fake marriage, but as long as you are in this, there will be no meeting other men. Never! You are not the only person with pride. I won't tolerate you trampling over it."Katherine's eyes went wide. His accusation caught her unprepared. "You think I am cheating on you?! Do I look like someone so disloyal? Nathaniel!""I know what I saw." His eyes burned holes into her head as if he wanted to see her thoughts to know why she was faking her ignorance."What did you see?" Katherine
One hour beforeA cute girl in a bunny-bodysuit and white ears set on her head slipped out of Lord Orvet's bedroom. Her naked legs showed light red stripes on the backside. She seemed to know the hallway quite well for she strode confidently through the darkness of the beginning night.After indulging in pleasure for half a day, Lord Orvet fell asleep before the sun had fully set. Another prostitute slept beside him.The little bunny passed two guards before reaching the backdoor. Both of them were already used to seeing girls in unusual clothing wander in this direction, so they only eyed her curves lecherously before continuing their patrol.Though there existed a 'Lady Orvet', she was the lady of the house in name only. After marriage, Lord Orvet treated her like a better housekeeper, making her wonder if she was too ugly or too fat for him. Lately, she wasn't even allowed to leave the house anymore.The bunny opened the backdoor. On the ground
The women surrounding them clutched her chests to keep their hearts from going crazy. Some of them sighed longingly. "So cute!"With a frown, Nathaniel stared down on the girl as if asking her what she was planning by calling him daddy. Innocently, Roxie snuggled to his side, her eyes twinkling with delight."Let's find your real parents." Nathaniel emphasized the last two words. He didn't plan on having a child, no matter how cute it was. However, how Roxie acted in front of him reminded him a bit of Katherine. Was she this determined and crafty as a child?When he started to move, the masses parted willingly for the uneven pair. Before long, he found her parents. Her mother even burst into tears when she saw her daughter. The woman shared the fine features of her daughter, but her face was thinner and less lively. If not for their resemblance, Nathaniel might have doubted the truth of their statement with the experience from before, because Roxie held onto him
"If trouble has beautiful black hair and a flat brain, then yes." Nathaniel smirked. He wanted to talk to her. If everything went the most reasonable way, he only had two days until she would shy away from him and realize his unsuitableness. He wanted to spend this time with her, even if it was a dumb thing to do."Flat brain!", Katherine snorted and took another sip of her drink. "You can search for your flat brain elsewhere!""What a shame. I really like this one's fire. I also like her lively eyes, her silliness and especially..."Her sweet lips, he ended the sentence in his mind. However, he didn't say it. With each word in her ear, Nathaniel's arm had inched forward and now he finally reached his goal. He stole the glass out of her hand. "You really shouldn't drink so much, dear."While Katherine was confused with her breath stuck in her throat from his earlier words, he took a sip of her wine. Only he knew that his lips touched exactly the spot hers
Since none of them wanted to fight right now, they danced a bit more before starting to gather information. Of course, to Nathaniel it was a continuation of what he'd been doing beforehand. He already knew the names and occupation of every guest by now.When they wandered from one group to the next, Katherine saw Felix standing in a corner alone and looking depressed. She suddenly felt the urge to rush towards him and comfort him. Knowing his backstory, she felt sorry for him. However, Nathaniel pulled her back and nonchalantly placed his arm around her waist."What - ?!""You should be more vary of him. Magic researchers are very likely to be involved with the organization", Nathaniel explained in a low voice. He didn't say that it was suspicious that Felix seemed to know his magic power. He had recognized Nathaniel by name and flinched back. Besides the royal family and his own servants, this was rare. It had only been a random test when he reached out his bar
"LAYLA!" The King's fists banged on the table. "Don't you dare talk about her like that!"Though she flinched, the Queen rebuked: "I will call a bitch a bitch if I see one! I wouldn't have cared if you only fucked her and left, but that bitch just had to get pregnant! Did you think about my reputation once when you acknowledged him as your son? If this is how you respect me, I should just give you a taste of your own medicine!"With his blonde hair with white strands the King looked very much like an aged lion when he growled: "Didn't you do that already? If you want to count, I am still one behind!"All color drained from the Queen's face, her trembling hands grabbing for her necklace. It was a strangely simple gold chain with a flower pendant out of emerald. She looked like her spirit left her from the shock and the pendant was the last straw she could hold on to. "You -- I didn't -- ""I hope you know now how well I treated you.", the King interrupted
Katherine had not taken the window. On her return from the banquet, she had been surprised to find a messenger of Princess Helmina in her chambers. Said messenger told her about a fire outside the city walls, urging her to help the victims. In a bout of confusion, Katherine had told Hazel to let nobody in. If the Earl heard that she used her power on others, she was sure he'd try to stop her like Ethan did all the time.The messenger led her through a secret passage she herself had no idea existed, before they entered the Princess' carriage at the gate to the second ring. Everything went so fast that Katherine had no time to think. The horror raised by the Earl's words that were so similar to her cousin's had no time to settle. The logical part of her of course knew that the both of them weren't the same, but it was the shock. She was afraid to again love someone that didn't care about other people's life. Someone that was a cold-blooded killer.After treating the inju
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr