2 Agreement of Hearts

Sera leaned back into her mahogany chair. It was frosty against her exposed elbows, but her frilly dress was enough to ward off the chill for now. Too bad it couldn't ward off the harsh words. She wanted to say something but was disciplined well enough to know that now was not the time yet.

Tilting her head to the side, her eyes met her cousin's Rachel's, and she lifted an eyebrow. Rachel shook her head lightly as if to please Sera to not engage and keep quiet. Sera was tired of doing so. And look at where it got her.

Sera swirled the liquid in her goblet before setting it calmly down. It was loud enough to draw attention to her. Her father leveled her glare, but Sera kept her gaze pointed at her parents. Her heart was beating crazily, and she gripped the material of her navy blue dress beneath the table to steady herself.

"Father, have you deployed any mercenaries to try and trail Lilah at all?"

The duke's face at the end of the table flushed before gritting, "It is none of your concern, Sera."

Sera pushed to her feet. "I'll make you deal then. If you find Lilah and bring her safely home, I'll marry him."

"Sera, you are in no position to ask your father that," Mallory scolded.

Derek waved off her mother. "Do you know what you are asking of, Sera? You will become the face of this house. Will you take that burden?"

Sera's face stretched into a tight smile. "You are talking as if Lilah is already dead."

Derek's face was impassive, expressing no emotion. His fingers were drumming on the table, and there was a buzz that went around the table. The chatter of her family made Sera feel even more fried, but she kept her mouth in a tight line until she got what she wanted.

"I grant you the title of the firstborn of the House of Connelly."

The outrage at the table was fierce, but Sera's heart was beating just as fierce. If someone had asked Sera to fight for Lilah just a few weeks back, Sera would've been hesitant. But today, there was regret in Sera's heart. It was what she had to do.

She knew the role that Lilah played was overwhelmingly more vast than one would perceive, but she couldn't think into it too deeply at the moment. She was just another player on the game that her parents were playing on.

Lilah was going to marry the firstborn of the St. James in a fortnight. She had been pledged to him for over a year now. They have never met. The only times that the Connelly and St. James family met was through death. A shiver crawled up Sera's spine as she thought about the ruthless winter solider of the lands.

He brought hell down. Sera was now going to bring hell to him.