CHAPTER 3

Venus looked at the special guest room of my home. She never knew this would be the place of her wedding night. How many times had Venus played in here as a girl? Had she came to read quietly? Or even entertained special guests who stayed in this room?

Venus shuddered at the yellow and black bed covers before her. They were pulled back, revealing the pearl white sheets below them. The long body length curtains at the windows were drawn and the candles were lit brightly. Wax slowly rolling down them.

Venus had skipped the reception and immediately retired to the room her and Prince Blackscale would spend their first night together.

Venus thanked the Old King that he had ended the law and forbade bedding ceremonies. A terrible ceremony where the couple would spend their first night together surrounded by everyone they knew.

"I had never slept with a man before. I'm really nervous about...it." Venus thought.

While most women had lost their virginity by 18 to 20 years old, Venus was 25 and was still quite a virgin. During her time as a Saintess in the Temple of Lilith, she made herself an oath before the statue of Lilith swearing that she would swear off any bodily pleasures until she was married. Much temptation had came her way but she had not been swayed to break her oath. Her service and the blessed mother was stronger than the service of lust.

But now after tonight, she wouldn't have to worry about breaking such an oath. Venus was married now.

She turned away from her bed and turned to the body length long mirror. she gently picked up a soft brush and began to brush her long brown hair.

Venus sat in a rocking chair before the mirror and stared at herself as she brushed, lost and thought.

"What will my life be like after today? What will life be like in the Salazar castle? Will the dragons eat me? Will the nobles hate me? Will my new in-laws hate me? Can I fulfill my role as a wife?"

Questions that burdened Venus greatly but she couldn't foresee the future.

After some time, she stopped brushing her hair and sighed. She let her hands fall into her lap as well as the brush and she looked down at them.

After today, Venus would no longer see her family and friends. She would be miles and miles away from the Temple of Lilith and everything she had ever known.

Instead of lush green fields and endless forest should be surrounded by volcanic ash, heat and the wrath of dragons.

The Salazar Castle was located at the base of a active volcano. The only reason the castle had not been destroyed was because the castle itself was made out of dragonstone Stone that was heated up to great lengths and hardened by lava and dragonfire. It was practically indestructible.

And on top of this, the magic ability of the dragons and the royal family kept lava and the wrath of the volcano at bay.

The door squeaked open surprising Venus. She turned in her long chair and she frowned when she saw it was her husband, Prince Blackscale.

He was drunk. Extremely drunk. He had staggered in with a skinny long neck bottle of ale in his hand. it was half-filled. Prince Blackscale's chin was dribbling with ale and his shirt stained with it as well.

He staggered around the room for a moment and then turned to the bed. He stared at it for a moment and then turn to Venus.

The Prince pointed to her, setting the bottle down on the floor. "You. Come here." he said in a rough, slurred voice.

Venus said nothing as she slowly stood up from her chair. She walked over to her husband.

Prince Blackscale grabbed her by the forearms and tossed her roughly onto the bed. Venus let out a whimper as she landed on her back.

Venus gritted her teeth as he lifted the skirt of her nightgown over her knees. She gave out an unspoken prayer to Lilith, begging for her to make it quick.

Venus tensed when she felt her husband's hand on her thigh. He began to slowly go up her leg. Venus shuddered and felt goosebumps run through her body as his hand continued to go up her leg. Just as his hand was about to hit the uppermost part of her thigh, his hand stopped.

Prince Blackscale suddenly leaned, forward his eyes closed. Venus watched him for a horrified and yet somewhat confused moment.

Suddenly, the prince lurched and covered his mouth. He then turned away and ran to the bathroom.

Not even closing the door behind him, he went to the chamber pot and began to throw up.

Loudly, Prince Blackscale barfed and heaved out all the alcohol that had been sitting in his stomach. He swore and curse to the gods and blessed mothers for it.

Venus sat up in the bed and watched him confused and slightly feeling bad for the drunken Prince.

After many minutes of rinsing and spitting out his mouth in the chamber pot, he came back into the bedroom. Venus had not dared to move from the bed. She looked up at Prince Blackscale as he slowly rocked back and forth on his feet.

He rubbed his face and then his eyes. He opened his eyes and looked over at Venus. He made a face of disgust and picked up his bottle up the ground. After taking a long swig of the ale, he looked back at venus.

"Go fuck your own self," he said and turned away from her. "You probably can't even make children anywhere with how old you are."

With this, he stumbled out of the bed chamber and slammed the door behind him.

Venus closed her eyes and felt tears escaping them. She rolled over onto her side and onto the bed. She curled herself up in a ball.

This was perhaps the worst wedding day that anyone could ever imagine for a bride. What a joke all of this was. Not only was Prince Blackscale so cruel to her during the wedding, he even refused to lay with her and claim her virginity on their wedding night!

"And I'm not even that much older than him. Venus thought angrily. "I'm 25 and he's 21...."

it wasn't that bad of an age gap to Venus. Venus had seen marriages that had at least 10 to 15 years of age gap between the bride and the broom.

Venus picked herself up off the end of the bed and went to the side of it. Just as she was about to tuck herself into the bed, there was another loud and knock on the door.

She turned around to look at the door wondering if it was perhaps Prince Blackscale changing his mind to claim her as a wife.

She sighed and slowly walked over to the door. To her surprise, when she opened it, it was the King.

King Bloodstar.