Roses Bloom Into You

Leo reaches a gentle hand up to Myra's face, stroking her cheek lightly. With his careful touch, he wipes a glistening tear off Myra's cheek, as if a single mis-touch will break her. Myra feigns sadness, sniffling quietly.

Her face is flushed red, a mix between sheepishness and sadness, the moonlight from the windows lightly bruising her face. It's dark at this time of night, almost too difficult to see if not for Leo's bright ruby eyes.

Myra forces her gaze onto them, lips quivering as she stutters, "I don't know, I was worried you'd leave me for, uh…" she averts her gaze. "Ariana," she chokes out with contempt.

Leo frowns and Myra's sure, almost too sure, that the emotion that flickers over those eyes of his is guilt. She shifts her gaze to a clock by the bedside-table and upon squinting a little, notices that it's half-past midnight. Myra's lips curve into a small smirk. 'It's time'.

Leo rambles on for a second, and before the end of his sentence, is cut off by the sound of his bedroom door being slammed open.

"My Lord, there's been a huge problem!" yells a panicked voice, the lights in the room flashing on immediately. Myra sits calmly on her prince's lap, unperturbed by the sudden appearance of the frantic man, looking as if his life is in shambles. Leo's expression, usually kind-hearted and warm, contorts into one of disapproval, tightening his grip around his fianceé's waist.

"Don't you know it's rude to barge into the prince's bedroom without knocking? Even worse, you're stuttering and a complete mess," Myra remarks in a shaky voice, wrapping her hands tighter around the prince's forearm. She hides her face in the prince's chest, mostly to feign vulnerability before glancing up to the midnight clock which ticks sinisterly away.

"Lady Ariana has gone missing from her manor! Just an hour ago, her maids had reported her being fast-asleep due to a fever but she's no longer within the vicinity of her home," Leo's right-hand man falls to his knees, cowering at the feet of the crown prince.

Leo's eyes widen and his limbs fall limp to Myra's sides. His jaw hangs agape and Myra hears his heart-rate speed up, thumping rhythmically to the background discord of frantic footsteps and shattering glass outside.

Myra remembers that she needs to pretend she's surprised, straightening her back while she gently strokes her lover's arm to comfort him.

"Myra, I need to handle this," Leo tries to jostle her aside, forcing himself up into a stand. It all happens so quickly that Myra is left stunned when she's pushed away, not having expected him to leave her so suddenly over someone as minor as Ariana. Before Leo can rush out of the door, Myra grapples onto his arm, pulling him back towards her.

When she reaches a spidery hand up to his face, she feels something wet, so wet and cold, and catches sight of Leo's puffy eyes like he's been crying for hours. "My sincerest apologies but you—"

"Don't go," Myra tightens her grip around his wrist. "Stay here," she repeats. Leo whips his head towards the open door and then turns back to his fianceé. Melting in her touch, he relents and trudges towards her.

Myra welcomes him into her arms, resting his chin on her shoulders. When he can no longer see her face, she combs her bony fingers through his ashen hair and smirks, the worst, most villainous of all time.

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Before you move on :

➤ For every 50 powerstones, I will release an extra chapter.

➤ Do consider supporting my first novel 'When Our World Ends' and this one as well, for every hundred collections, I will release an extra chapter!

➤ For every Dragon, Castle and Spacecraft gifted, there will be two extra chapters.

➤ If this book reaches Top 25 in bi-annual ranking, ten bonus chapters will be offered, and for Top 50, five bonus chapters.

Look forward to a story of love, betrayal, war.