Chapter 4

The flight back to my kingdom was silent and seemed like it was a lifetime. My parents stayed in their area of the plane and didn't speak a word to me. I guess that my father convinced my mother to leave me alone for the remainder of the trip, and I thank him for that.

I met my assistant, Serene, as I got off of the jet with my parents already ahead of me."Hey, Tay." She greeted warmly while wrapping her arms around me. I squeezed her tight, feeling relieved to see her again. "Are you alright?" I paused for a moment and loosened my arms around her before pulling away.

"I honestly don't know," I stated truthfully. Her kind face was now full of concern.

"Ca-can I see?" She asked timidly, unsure if she had offended me by asking. I smiled and lifted my left hand, exposing my new ring. She took my hand and examined it carefully. "It is a beautiful ring. It's nice and simple."

"That's what I hoped for. I think Emperor Maroon picked that out knowing that I'm not the biggest fan of jewelry." I said. Serene pulled me in for another hug, which I gladly took in.

"I'm so sorry that you're going through this right now. Remember that you're always going to be my best friend, yes?" I laughed at her softly and cupped my hands on her cheeks.

"I'm going to be alright. And yes, of course, we are always going to be best friends." She put off a smile, and we headed to the castle. I helped Serene carry some of my things in and kept a light conversation to avoid the weighty topic of my engagement. Although, I was more than comfortable talking about anything with her. She felt more like a sister to me than anything else. I was raised as a single child up until I was around fourteen when Serene was placed as my assistant. At first, her job was to just help me with getting dressed, managing my traveling, and communication, but over time, we became close friends. Serene has to be one of the few blessings to come into my life so far, and I am very thankful for her and everything she does.

We eventually reached my room, and I didn't waste any time to flop onto my comfortable mattress. "I hate traveling," I mumble into my pillow. Serene laughed and placed my things onto the ground to join me. Her fingers traced patterns along my back, making me relax my body from the beautiful feeling.

"I do too. I should have asked your parents to come with you, but they would have probably denied." She said while continuing to run her fingers along my back. I moved my face to the side so that my words were no longer muffled in my pillow.

"I feel as if my parents and Maroon would have understood for this occasion, but it's alright. I'm back now." I noticed her face fall into a frown.

"When do you leave?" A sudden sadness hit me as I realized that I would have to leave to be with him at some point.

"I don't know, Serene. I hope not anytime soon, but I'm not sure of how fast this will all be." She just nodded quietly. I was about to say more until the sound of a phone interrupted our moment. Serene leaned over and grabbed my phone, answering it.

"Hello, Serene Turner speaking...." her eyes then immediately snapped to me, almost in fear. "King Heart, yes- what can I do for you?" I shot up and tried my best to hear what he was saying. "Yes, of course, I will get her for you." Serene held out the phone for me to take. "He wants to speak with you." I swallowed nervously and shook my head, taking the phone. I closed my eyes and gave myself a moment to calm down before speaking.

"Hello?" I said. Serene got off of the bed to begin unpacking my bags.

"Hi, Darling." The sound of his newly familiar voice sent a chill down my spine.

"Aiden." I addressed quietly. "Why did you call?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you landed safely and were doing alright." He replied.

"Yes, I am alright," I stated blandly.

"Good to hear. Now, I will see you soon, yeah?" I could almost hear the smirk behind his voice.

"I assume so, but I am not aware of what is going to happen now."

"I'm sure the Emperor will meet with us soon and let us know what the plan is. I will give your parents a call as well." Aided informed, making me bite the inside of my cheek.

"Okay," I said. "I must rest now; I've had a long flight." I heard him release a soft laugh.

"Alright Darling, the party was wonderful. The moment I placed that ring onto your finger, I was so proud. I'm so proud to have you as my own." His words only reminded me of how angry I was.

"I don't belong to you." I snapped.

"I'd be careful with your words, Love. My tolerance for such attitude isn't so high. I would be smart about what comes out of that mouth of yours."

"Then I would be careful about the way you treat me. My tolerance to misogynistic men such as you isn't so high, so treat me like a human, and I'll return the favor." With that, I ended the call and tossed my phone aside. I came back to reality when my eyes fell on Serene, who covered her mouth with her hand in shock. "Sorry you had to hear that." I sighed.

"There is no way I just heard someone talk to King Heart like that. If you were anyone else, you'd be dead in a minute!" She exclaimed.

"Lucky for me, I'm not just anyone else," I smirked. Serene laughed and crawled back onto the bed. After a nineteen hour flight, I was quite tired, especially since I was not able to sleep.

"You hold so much power." She grinned. 

"Haven't I always?" I winked playfully. Serene laughed while shaking her head. 

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Serene asked while getting under the covers anyway.

"I was about to ask if you wanted to." I smiled while throwing the blankets over me and sinking into the comfort of my pillow. Serene cuddled her body next to mine.

"Goodnight, Tay." She mumbled into my side.

"Sleep well, Sye," I said while moving the blankets further up to cover us. I ended the night by carelessly throwing my ring onto the nightstand.