Ruined Kiss

Blood began again to gush out of Ariel's lips. Did that man bite her or what? The pain from her lips had lessened but the blood scared her almost to death. All that was on her mind, was to beat the hell out of the stupid King of Vallat.

The latter was busy attending to her bleeding lips and didn't realize that the Prophetess was behind her. She came unannounced. The Prophetess helped Ariel stop the bleeding and healed her wounded lips. Not only then did Ariel realize that someone was standing behind her. She saw the reflection of the Prophetess in the dressing mirror.

She was surprised at first because as usual, the Prophetess would give a sign about her coming but now it was unannounced. Besides, Ariel wasn't expecting to see her.

"Princess Ariel! Why are your lips bleeding." The Prophetess asked. It was the lower part of Ariel's lips that bled. The injuries she had before didn't bleed the way her lips bled. She only got injured during her training in the city.

Ariel touched the place that was wounded only to see that it was finally healed. She breathed a sigh of relief before turning to face the Prophetess that had already taken a sit on her bed.

"It was King Vladimir." She bowed her head. Recalling everything that happened between them thinking that something intimate was going on between them. She didn't expect he did that just to wound her. Was it his way of punishing her? He didn't give her any punishment for trespassing.

That was Ariel's first kiss.

King Vladimir ruined her first kiss and turned it into a punishment for her. Her hands turned into fists and her well-trimmed finger pierced her palm. Only she knows how badly she wanted to rip that soul apart.

"Your husband did that to you?" The Prophetess asked in disbelief.

Ariel nodded.

The Prophetess couldn't believe that the man she pleaded with to be kind to his wife wanted to ruin her facial appearance by injuring her lips.

"How did he do that?"

Ariel narrated everything that happened between her and her devilish husband. The Prophetess shook her head in disappointment. How can he be so mean? The Prophetess thought.

"Is... Is that your first kiss?" The Prophetess asked. She wanted to make sure that the wound didn't hurt her feelings since her husband did it in form of a kiss to punish her.

Ariel was tongue-tied. She only nodded. What can she do? Her first kiss has been ruined. If only she agreed to Prince Richard when he wanted to steal the chance and give her a lovely kiss. Prince Richard was far better than her devilish husband.

First kisses are meant to be memorable because every woman values her first kiss. Surely, Ariel is going to remember hers but not in a good way.

The Prophetess took pity on Ariel. She was guilty of matchmaking. If only she didn't bring up the suggestion of making Ariel the King of Vallat's wife, Princess Ariel would have lived and loved happily. She was only after redeeming the ungrateful King.

"Princess Ariel, I'm sorry on his behalf. He ruined your special moment." The Prophetess stood up to meet Ariel and took her hands motioning Ariel to sit beside her on the queen-size bed.

Ariel didn't know why she was apologizing on her husband's behalf. "It's okay now, all thanks to you." Ariel managed to smile. She was grateful to the Prophetess for healing her wounded lips.

"What did you do to him? He was trying to punish her intimately and so he did." The Prophetess shrugged her bare shoulder.

This caught Ariel off guard. She was at fault. She deserved the punishment but not him punishing her that way. If she told the Prophetess the truth, she knew the blame would be on her. But, what can she do? She told her exactly what she did to anger, King Vladimir.

Instead of the Prophetess pushing the blame on her, she took pity on Ariel instead. "Oh dear, I didn't expect you to abide by his rule though but as for the East Wing, you made a mistake by trying to go there." The Prophetess said trying not to blame her.

The more they warned Ariel about the East Wing, the more curious she became. This was Ariel's stubborn side.

"What is he hiding in the East Wing?" She voiced out her curiosity.

The Prophetess exhaled before answering Ariel. "I believe he'll tell you what he's hiding in the East Wing, if only he wants to." She assured Ariel, but Ariel was not satisfied with the answer she received.

"Do you think there's any way I and the King are going to love each other?" This question kept running through the mind of Ariel. She didn't know how she voiced it out.

Love?

It'll be impossible for her and her devilish husband to love each other. Her hatred for him grew when she discovered that he did that to her lips. How can she love the man she hates now?

"Princess Ariel, slow and steady wins the race. In due time, both of you are going to be love birds." The Prophetess patted Ariel's shoulder with a smile.

Why was she smiling? When she knows that it's impossible!

"Nothing is impossible, only if you want it to be impossible. Follow your heart, Ariel." The Prophetess said standing up to leave.

Ariel stood as well, thinking of what to say but her brain stop functioning.

"I'll go and confront him." That was the last word Ariel heard from the woman who just disappeared in front of her.

As if that was not enough, Ariel took ink and a plain sheet of paper and sat on her desk, and began to compose a letter. She dipped the thick feather inside the ink before using it to write.

When she was done, she called for her maid; Sabre.

"Sabre, pass the message to the given address." She instructed.

Sabre nodded and turned to leave. Ariel was left alone smiling mischievously to herself.