Three days later...The morning proceeded in the same manner as all the preceding days. In point of fact, there was no such thing as an extraordinary dawn; each day was exactly the same; there was no distinction. Yet, I didn't detest anything, I didn't get bored, I didn't even feel sleepy. On the contrary, I eagerly anticipated and delighted in the approach of each new daybreak.When I finally opened my eyes, I was confronted with what I had already become accustomed to seeing. Atlas was looking at me while I was talking with the gentlest smile on his lips. In order to gain a clearer look at the situation, he rested his head on his hand.Oh well, I was hoping to go back to my room in the servant quarters, but he wouldn't let me. He required that I must be present with him throughout the entirety of each and every one of the day's twenty-four hours. In spite of the fact that I argued for it, he did not allow me take the couch. He didn't touch me and instead simply looked at me like thi
Atlas grinned as he selected the blue embroidered ball gown and offered it to me before putting it on. "It will look excellent on you." It was unclear to me whether he had complemented the gown or me when he did so.I walked closer and held it in my hands, completely ignoring the overwhelming thought that came into my head. The off-shoulder sleeves, strapless neckline, and flower motifs all over the surface with lace and tulle made it look very stunning. His option was not at all poor, but it was even superior to the one I went with. In such a little amount of time, I couldn't have possibly selected such an exquisite ball gown."Allow me to be of assistance now." Atlas scowled at me as he inched closer to me slowly."No." I let out a scream and then quickly moved backward. I guess the fact that I was so loud was enough to make him come to a halt. "Don't you dare get within an inch of me." I cautioned him by giving him a look that was menacing.He seemed like he was controlling his sne
After arriving at the destination, Atlas got down to open the door for me. I didn't understand why this man was behaving like I was a nobility — the queen, or the princess. There was no way that he had found out I am the Princess of Prythian. I had been very careful."Stop overthinking, Lady." Atlas's voice broke my concentration on the thoughts. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the man standing outside the car, looking as handsome as ever.His softest warming smile was welcoming me to hug him so tightly. And I was guilty of that. I didn't know from where the willingness came from but somehow it did."Come out, Miss." He said as he reached my hand and pulled me out of the car. In front of me, the large mansion was decorated with beautiful fairy lights. People were swarming like ants in the courtyard, wearing fancy dresses and masks covering their faces.Oh, we were wearing that masks too. Probably it was the reason why no one was bothering him, the king.Atlas entwined o
"Hi, lovely. Would you like me to take you to the dance?" Not much time had passed since Atlas had left when a man dressed in a black suit showed up. I wasn't really in the mood to engage in conversation with anyone. I therefore did not attempt to divert my attention away from the mob in which Atlas had vanished and instead simply nodded without looking at him. When the man drew me towards the dance floor that was being deserted and couples were taking places on the spot, the man's icy hand held mine and he pulled me towards the dance floor. My eyes were moving around a lot. They were so preoccupied hunting for the eyes that I had been looking for that I couldn't even hear them. There were perhaps twenty couples there, and more people were taking part. He was not one of the group of twenty. What in the name of hell happened to him? Is there a chance that he has abandoned me in this place? However, he would never act in such a way, and it was physically impossible. The spotlight flas
It was really dim in that little nook. Even though there were other people in the area, the temperature was unbearable. The stairs walled off one side of the room, while the opposite wall was completely exposed to the adjacent corridor."Why are we doing this?" I inquired while locking my stare with his most intense one. It was really annoying to wear the golden pigeon mask, and it got in the way of being able to fully see around.I took a deep breath out of my nose and tried to remove the mask while doing so. When I was finished, Atlas hurriedly shoved me against the wall and then slammed his mouth on top of mine, cupping my face in the process.What the living hell! He was kissing me, dang!I tried to get away from his contact, but he pinned my hands with his and sucked my lips as I was struggling. Now was the time when my heartbeat was at its most erratic.Why did I all of a sudden feel like something was wrong with me?It was the very first time we kissed. Hell, no. I was unable t
I stiffened on the place. Gasps were emerging in every corner of the place, from every single person except for the man in front of me. He was looking as annoyed as ever.Didn't he know about this? Or was he annoyed by me? Maybe the truths that I had hidden from him. Well, whatever! The thing that mattered now was getting caught.I had been caught in front of all these people. What should I do? Run away, hide somewhere or fight them?As I swirled my gaze, I could only notice hatred on their faces. I would be murdered if I tried to escape or fight. It would be even more impossible to hide. There was no way.But I shouldn't be leaving the place as well. I had yet to find my mother. My mind was blank and all I could do was staring at the person I actually had my faiths in.Of course, it was Atlas. He was my only hope right now. I knew he won't help. It wasn't going to happen. But still, I stood behind him and didn't leave his hand, neither did his hand leave mine. At this point, I garner
I was sure that everyone else was as surprised as I was. But I couldn't come up with a match since I was too confused. Indeed, Atlas was my competitor, but he was also a supporter of mine. If it weren't for him, these individuals would still be able to get the best of me.And he was telling me that if I married him, then not only would I be his wife but I would also become the Queen of Xanthan. He was sane, for sure. Having said that, he was acting in this manner on my behalf. If I were to refuse, I would be forced to leave this location and give up any hope of locating my mother.If I were to say something different, it would imply that you do not need to retreat or give up in this situation. As a member of this pack, it would be required of me to remain here and to remain with him and his family. While I was still struggling with my thoughts and my head, Atlas began counting down the three seconds that he had allotted to me. "One."One thing that stood out to me was that nobody dare
As soon as I arrived back at the castle, the first person I searched for was Ryder. There was a mountain of information to relay to him, including that I had been captured, that they had discovered who I was, and that I had unexpectedly gotten married. I was curious at the severity of his response to it."Good noon." When Atlas's mother saw us enter the dining room, she welcomed us with a pleasant grin and greeted us with her son's name. Atlas was the one who dragged me here against my will to eat lunch with them."Mom. Dad. Please allow me to introduce you to your son in law, Xanthan's Queen. Once more, Atlas wore a broad grin on his face.My nose flared up as I carefully observed the expressions on his parent's faces. They were in the middle of eating the fish curry when they heard what he had to say. As a result, the spoons crashed to the table, and their mouths gaped open. To tell you the truth, being shocked was a perfectly natural and reasonable response to the situation. Even i
Caroline's POV. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."She is the one. My would-be wife Princess Tessa!"The moment I heard Henry saying it, I froze on my position. The floor beneath my feet felt cold and soft, not as much as even a firm carpet, but not right for oak planks. And it seemed to be disappeared along with the world around me."Hey, Atlas. Meet her. She is Tessa!" The only voice I could hear was most probably Henry's.Tessa! How was it possible? Was I seeing things? Was I hearing things? He, Henry is going to marry her!My mind was swirling, my breaths were shallow. My heart still was beating, but against a chest that felt hollow. My eyes still could see, yet the world that was so close around me seemed so far away.I was spellbound until Henry came in front of me and spoke with his clam voice. "Caroline, you know her. I don't think I need to introduce her to you.""Of course, she knows me," Tessa said as she smiled wickedly and took steps towards me. "She is my sister. Twin sis
Caroline's POV..."Atlas. Where are we going?" I asked Atlas, looking outside through the glass of the car. He was not driving to our home.He maintained a straight face and continued driving as if I was no one or just an invisible human. He is behaving like an arrogant pig now."Yah. Answer me." I glared at him and that made him chuckle silently. "You will know it soon anyway. Why are you shouting?" Whenever he drives, he looks extra hot and it makes me want to jump onto him. But no. Control, Caroline.Okay, I can control. But I can not stop staring at him. "What again? Am I looking too delicious?" He sneered."No. Not at all." I squinted. This guy has something on me. He always knows how to make me smile. I was crying like a baby there and he pulled me in his arms. Then every single pain flew away. He has his magic on me.After a long time, he stopped the car. Before I could look around to check the place, he tied a blindfold around my head. "Yah. What are you doing?" I asked as I s
Atlas's POV..."Atlas. Who told you I missed school? Eve?" Caroline asked, smiling at me. She was smiling all these while. Indeed she was so happy today. And I am glad that she was.But I do not think she will be able to smile like this after a while. And I am already feeling guilty about that. I took a deep breath to fill my lungs with air before I looked at her calmly. "Isn't it obvious?""It is." She replied, looking around, scanning the area.We were sitting on the bleachers in the basketball court of the school. There was no one around us, it was empty and somewhat dark."It is, right? She told me about something that she should not." I said and clutched my sweaty hands together as she held my gaze.She drew puzzles in her blank face. "What? What else did she say?" She tilted her head.I pursed my lips, forcing smile. "Well, let's not talk about her." I paused and stared deep into her eyes. "I told you... to be my good friend today. Not a good wife.""Yeah. And?" She asked, raisin
Caroline's POV...Slowly and reluctantly, I uncovered my face. I blinked, closed my eyes, and squinted again. Streaks of sunlight penetrated the window and blinded me."Ah!" A soft winch escaped my lips as I felt the resistance of moving my body. Last night, he was very gentle... but because we did it... again and again, my body was struggling with the soreness.It was already 3 when I glanced at the clock before we go to sleep. I stretched my neck and glanced at the pillow beside me. But where is he?Somehow I managed to sit up, dragged my feet off the bed, and rubbed my knuckles onto my eyes. "Little thief. Where are you?" I called out, stretching my arms above my head, yawning.No response!"Yah. Where are you?" I called out again, peeking at the bathroom. But the door was open so he wasn't there.I took my phone before I went downstairs and searched in every corner of the house. But he wasn't there.Could he be in the garden? I opened the door and rushed outside. As soon as I took
Caroline's POV...After about thirty minutes, we have finished cleaning ourselves and was now sitting in the dining room with my dad while waiting for the housekeeper to prepare the extra set of breakfast for Atlas.There was a happy smile spread across my dad's face as his eyes never stop looking at us.My eyes were held low, my face was still in crimson red. Looking at how dad smiled at us, I was very sure that aunt already told them everything she saw in my room just now.I think Atlas sensed my embarrassment and smiled slightly before he took my hand and gave me a gentle squeeze, telling me silently that he is here with me and nothing to worry about.Atlas let go of my hand when the housekeeper came out from the kitchen, walking towards us. He took the glass of orange juice in front of him and took a small sip, trying to hide his embarrassed expressionAunt placed the plate in front of him and smirked.She leaned closer to me to whispered softly into my ear. "I didn't know... our
Atlas...The morning began to seep through the window allowing the sun to warm Belle's heavenly face. It brought a soft smile on my face by just watching hersleeping in my arms. Waking up beside her again has been the best morning for me since she ran away from home for almost two weeks. Finally, she was back into my embrace again.Bringing my hand towards her face, I gently tracedmy fingers along her jawline with the touch of a feather, feeling her warmth and softness against my skin.There were faint dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Because of all the misunderstandings we had, she must have been very unhappy and didn't sleep well at night too. And last night, I've totally drained her.Thinking about last night brought another wide smile to my face as I leaned closer to kiss the tip of her nose. She smelled like heaven and the addictive scent of her is making my mouth watery and my body reacting uncontrollably again. I buried my face into the curve of my neck, my lip
Atlas's POV...It was actually not my plan, but seeing her slightly red eyes, anyone could easily say that she was... in the mood. Yeah... that mood.So, I thought why not make her suffer for a while?"So... it has happened already. But we don't know anything. Great." Rohan narrowed his gaze at me, talking about Caroline and me.I took some popcorns from the bowl and put them inside my mouth. "It doesn't matter. I'm telling you now.""Paris is the city of love. It's true. By the way, How many times?" Rohan asked as he nudged his elbow against my arm.I show him my five fingers while munching on the popcorns. "Five."Rohan sneered again, his eyes slowly widened. "I can't believe it. My friend is not a virgin anymore."I tilted my head. "Same goes for you. Now stop talking nonsense. And Let's watch a movie together. Where are the ladies?" I pursed my lips and turned my head to Caroline and Sunbin who was in the kitchen,Something was wrong. Sunbin was smirking while my little bonfire was
Atlas's POV...Who was she? The voice was familiar. She must be someone I know, or she knows ne very well. And there is something important I should know? What's that?When my curiosity started overflowing, Caroline's voice shook me up."Anything wrong, Atlas?" She asked, seeing me tensed.I turned around to look at her in the kitchen as I nodded my head firmly. "Someone called me and told me to meet her. She said there is something important I should know!" I shouldn't hide anything from her, it was a promise.Beep BeepMy phone beeped. I glanced at the phone screen before shifting my gaze at her again. "She has sent me the address..""Who?" Caroline's face went puzzled just like mine.I shrugged. "I don't know. But... what do you say? Should I go?"She pursed her lips, thinking deeply. After a while, she took a long breath and nodded. "I think it's work-related. It can be really important. I think you should."It can be important but it can't be work-related. Because if it was work-r
[THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT. Please avoid this chapter, if you are not comfortable reading 18+ content]Atlas's POV...I slowly opened my eyes from my beauty, waking up by the soft tinkling that was coming from somewhere near. I blinked my eyes several times until my blurred vision restored. The sound was coming from the balcony, so I turned to the balcony. There was a wind chime dancing against the soft wind. It was still dark outside and the street lights were seeping into the room through the side window.Did I wake up by any nightmare? But I don't remember. And my heartbeats is steady, I'm not sweating, I'm not trembling. My temperature is normal. No... wait. It's not normal. I feel warm.I gasped when someone tightened an arm around my waist. Wait... the warmth. It's Caroline.My half-conscious mind started to regain its senses and my lips instantly curled up with a soft smile when I felt her soft flesh pressed against my body.With my very gentle move, I manoeuvred my b