Chapter 9

Gusts of wind crashed against the windows, sounding as if they could shatter at any moment. The storm had started, and it is the most severe weather I have ever witnessed. It worried me that Aiden's family wasn't concerned about the storm, telling me that they often experience this level of severe weather.

I sat alone, somewhere in the castle, looking out the window. It only gave me a small part of the village surrounding the castle to view, but I could only see little orbs of light since the blizzard blocked the view of anything else. I suddenly felt a presence in the room. I peered over my shoulder to find Jeanette standing in the doorway.

"Jeanette?" I turned to face her more, watching her stroll in.

"Hi, Taisa, sorry to bother you." She said quietly. "May I sit?"

"Of course, go ahead," I said while moving over so that she could have some room. She looked out of the window along with me. "How did you know that I was here?"

"I go to this place to think when I can't sleep at night, or in this case, very early in the morning." Jeanette took her robe and tightly pulled it around her body from the cold radiating off the window.

"Oh, I apologize, I didn't mean to interfere," I said. "Would you like me to leave so you can have some privacy?"

"Oh no, please don't. It is nice to have some company from another woman finally." The sadness in her voice made me concerned.

"You don't usually have company? What about your husband?" I asked, but she shook her head.

"He is always with me, but he is not exactly someone who can keep you company. Our conversations are usually empty and vague, but it gets us through the day." Her words broke my heart into two. From what she said, becoming a part of this family seemed even less of an appeal to me. I wondered if Aiden would ever keep me company.

"Jeanette, I know that we don't know each other well, but maybe we can use each other as a safe place to talk about things. I'm more than happy to accompany you." Jeanette nodded her head. "Being involved with a royal family, especially as a woman, becomes very lonely or hard at times."

"Yes, a safe place." She repeated. "That would be very nice. Although, we can't let neither my husband nor Aiden knows about it." She said firmly towards the end.

"Alright, everything stays between us," I confirmed, which looked like calmed her down. "If it's not too much to ask, why can't they know?"

"The men here... they just aren't people you can ever be on the same page with or even civil with half the time. I spend most of my days alone and thinking to myself, no one to ever have conversations with. If I were to even have a simple chat with a maid, my husband would need to know about it or he'd find out. The men talk away while I am expected to keep my mouth shut. " She explained, not helping my worries. "Now that your here, I assume all conversations with you will be monitored in some way. If they ever feel like you are leaving them out of something, they will dig it out of you until they succeed." Anger began to build up in her voice, causing me to place my hand upon hers soothingly.

"...Should I be concerned?" I asked sheepishly. Jeanette sent a frown my way, answering my question. She opened her mouth to speak, but I noticed her attention move behind me. I slowly turned my head to see Aiden leaning against the doorway, his hands in the pockets of his robe. As soon as he realized that our eyes were on him, he sauntered into the room.

"Mother, why don't you go back to bed." Aiden softly ordered. "Its too early for you to be up, you need your rest." His voice was raspy and quiet, indicating that he must have just woken up. Jeanette stood up to her feet cowardly and nodded her head.

"Alright, I'm quite tired anyway." She said. Aiden placed a kiss onto her head before she walked away. Jeanette looked back at me with worry in her eyes, but I signaled that I would be alright. She left the room, leaving Aiden, and I silently staring at each other. The wind continued to echo through the walls, making our staring contest more intense.

"What were you and my mother doing here so early in the morning?" He asked. I looked down at my hands and shrugged my shoulders.

"We were just talking," I answered plainly. With my unsatisfying reply, he sat down next to me on the ledge.

"Talking about what?" I leaned my back against the wall and looked up to meet his gaze. His eyes looked heavy and irritated, which almost made him seem ill.

"Are you feeling well?" I dodged his question, making him furrow his brows in confusion. I reached my hand up to his forehead to find that Aiden was quite warm. "You have a fever."

"Hm." He sounded while touching his forehead. "It appears I do."

"Do you need anything?"

"I need you to answer my question that you avoided." He said. I sunk into myself, wholly defeated.

"It was nothing, Aiden." I was begging to grow irritated with him already, but he moved closer to my body, resulting in me pushing myself harder against the wall. Aiden propped himself up so that his face was just above mine in a challenging manner.

"I asked you a question, kitten." He seethed, not too harshly, but enough to strike a nerve. "What were you and my mother doing here?" I let out a frustrated sigh and gave in, not wanting to put up with this so early in the day.

"I couldn't sleep and wonder around the castle for a while. I found this place and thought it was just a good place to think. It just happens that your mother likes to come to this spot to think as well. Since I didn't know much about her, I just asked her some things." I said. Aiden then slowly sat back down.

"I see." He mumbled. "What did she say?"

"Well, she is glad that there will be another woman living here, as a family member...She seems lonely, you know." I said. Aiden combed his fingers through his bed head and stood to his feet.

"My mother is just fine." Aiden stated bluntly, not considering my words. "Come with me."' He held out his hand. I narrowed my eyes at him from snapping his way out of the conversation.

"Why?" Aiden impatiently took ahold of my hand and pulled me up next to him.

"You need to go back to sleep. You're going to be so tired during the day." He said and began to pull me with him.

"What about that fever of yours?"

"I will be alright." Although I could tell that he was lying, I closed off any more questions. Aiden quietly guided be back to my room and stopped before the door. "I will come to wake you in the morning." He said before leaning down and kissing my cheek.

"Alright," I replied softly. Aiden gave my hand a light squeeze before leaning over me and opening the door.

"Goodnight." He spoke before scurrying back to his room.

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My eyes opened to darkness one again. My sense of time was quickly beginning to vanish the longer I stayed here. The clock read 7:08, still, a time where I am rarely awake, but I suddenly remembered that Aiden mentioned that he would wake me in the morning. Knowing that he is usually up at this time of day, a ping of confusion and concern crossed me. I threw the warm covers off of me to meet the cold air. From the noises outside the castle, I could tell that the storm was growing more intense, which crushed my hope of going home anytime soon. My eyes landed on a white robe that was folded up and placed on a chair, and I didn't hesitate to grab the robe and wrap it around my shivering body. I then made my way to the door to find that the castle was still quiet and dark.

So far, I have never heard any volume inside of this structure whatsoever, and it was strange to me. I am used to my castle being full of voices and laughter, but this castle sounded vacant. I held my robe tightly around my body as I walked deeper into the hallway to Aiden's room. I approached the door and stood there for a moment, slightly afraid and hesitant. Instead of politely knocking, I went ahead and opened the door, assuming that he wouldn't mind if it was me.

He was still asleep...odd.

I slowly walked into the room while keeping my peeled, scared that I would startle him, but I continued inside. As I got closer, I could see that his condition had gotten worse. Sweat soaked the roots of his hair and glistened on his forehead, along with the fact that his skin appeared to be flushed.

I convinced myself to put my harsh feelings aside for a moment. Aiden didn't look well at all, and knowing how men are, I assumed that he wouldn't take care of himself, even if he was feeling like death.

"Aiden?" I peeped quietly, but no response. I slowly sat on the bed next to him and lightly shook him. "Aiden?" I asked again, but a bit louder. He began to stir in the bed, releasing a painful groan. His eyes soon opened to land on me. His eyes were full of confusion.

"Taisa?" His voice grumbled. Aiden attempted to sit up, but I held my hand onto his chest so that he couldn't. "Taisa, what are you doing?" He relaxed underneath my hand.

"You said that you'd wake me in the morning, and you didn't. I came in here to see if you were alright." I said. He let out a heavy cough and winced. "You need medicine."

"No, I will be fine." He said weakly, but I ignored his decline by getting up. Aiden snatched my wrist. "Darling, listen to me. I don't need medication." He declared.

"Alright, fine. No medicine. I will get you some warm tea." I stated before getting up. He kept his loose grip onto my wrist as I stood up.

"I thought you hated me." I noticed a subtle smirk form on his lips. I returned one.

"We all need help sometimes." I bent over him so that my face was near his. "Be grateful that I'm helping you out of all people."

"Let's not catch an attitude." He said lowly with his grip on my wrist intensifying. Without saying another word, I rolled my eyes before I stood up straight and exited the room to find the kitchen.

As I walked through the castle alone, I still found that it was almost empty. I noticed only a handful of guards standing at different corners of the castle. As soon as I came into their view, they bowed in respect. I nodded in response. I continued on my quest to find the kitchen in this maze of a castle. After what it felt like hours, I felt hopeless of finding the kitchen from walking into hallway after hallway. I noticed a guard standing at the end of the room silently. I walked up to him and waited to speak as he bowed. "Hello, this might sound silly, but I am looking for the kitchen, and I'm quite lost," I confessed.

"Would the King be alright with me assisting you to your whereabouts?" He asked.

"He is in bed, not feeling well. I told him that I would fetch him something to make him feel better. I'm sure he would be alright with it." I explained. The guard stepped forward and began to guide me to the correct location. "What is your name?" I asked.

"Louis." He stated.

"Louis, what?" It almost felt like he was hesitant to tell me his full name.

"Louis Sanders. Why do you ask?"

"Well, at some point, I will be living here. I should know the names of the staff." I said, which resulted in a chuckle from him.

"The king doesn't know my first name, and hardly anyone else does except for the other guards around here."

"The king doesn't care to know your names?"

"No, but I don't understand why that is a surprise to you. You know all of the names of the people that work in your castle?" He questioned.

"Yes, I know all of them," I concluded proudly.

We continued walking to the kitchen, making small conversation. After talking to Louis for a while, I could tell the lack of human connection he has here. It would make sense why a simple conversation could make his day. This made me more determined to show the people of this castle something right for once shortly.

Louis and I eventually arrived and opened the door to reveal the massive kitchen with a handful of workers. They acknowledged my presence and kindly gave their respects to me. A woman who appeared to be the chef came up to me and bowed her head.

"Princess Rosewater, it's an honor." She said. The woman was an older lady. She seemed to have a gentle spirit. "My name is Vicky. I am the head chef. Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Would you happen to know the king's favorite tea or drink?" I asked timidly, slightly nervous with everyone's eyes still on me.

"Yes, black tea with a spoonful of honey. I will have that right out for you." She signaled for the other workers to get on it. "Is there anything else that I can get for you, Princess?"

"No, thank you. I'm alright." I said. As they brewed his tea, I didn't hesitate to take a look around the kitchen. It was spacious, clean, and very pleasing to look at. So far, I am quite impressed with the brilliant style this castle has, but I am not impressed with how many women I see in the kitchen. All of the men seem to have the most uncomplicated duties around here. At home, we have men an women doing the same jobs, and I hoped to see that here one day too.

"Here you are, Princess." Vicky held a cup up to my hands. "It's very hot, so please be careful."

"Thank you, Vicky. It was wonderful to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again." I said politely.

"It's a pleasure. Thank you for stopping by. Have a good day now." She said while guiding me back to Louis, who stood by the door. I flashed a warm smile before we left the area. Louis guided be back towards the stairs that lead back to the only part of the castle that was familiar to me.

"Thank you, Louis. I appreciate your help."

"Of course, any time. Have a good rest of your day, Princess." I happily nodded in response and went on my way to Aiden's room. I climbed up the stairs and finally reached his door. I opened up the door to see Aiden sitting up, his back against the headboard. He turned his eyes over to me.

"You found your way around?" He asked while I walked over to him.

"I had a guard assist me." I corrected, carefully hanging him the warm tea.

"Please, sit with me." He patted the empty spot next to him on the bed. Aiden saw the hesitation in my face and tugged my hand to encourage me. I sat next to him on his bed. My knees pressed against my chest with my back also against the headboard. It was silent for a few moments as he took a few sips of the drink. "Thank you for the tea." I nodded in response and hugged my legs tighter to my chest. "I think we need to discuss some things."

"Like what?"

"...Right now, Emperor Maroon is allowing us to get to know each other before we are married. He was planning on doing the ceremony sooner, but I influenced him to push it back since I figured that it would be easier for you." I turned my head towards him.

"You did that for me?" I asked.

"Yes. I would love to get married to you as soon as possible, but I just had a feeling that it would overwhelm you." He explained. I let a small smile take over my lips.

"Thank you." I peeped, which resulted in a nod from him. "How soon was he originally planning on it?"

"December, so less than a month." My jaw dropped at his answer.

"What about now?" He shook his head and took another sip of his drink.

"I'm not sure." He replied. "This will be a process, a perfect one for everyone to see. I'm telling you this so that you're prepared."

"What do I need to be prepared for, exactly?" I asked. Aiden set down his mug on the nightstand and turned over to me. His hand was brought to the side of my face, making me more nervous by the second. He twirled my knotted hair around his fingers and glided his touch down my bare arm.

"Oh, Princess, I wish I knew the full extent of everything too." I swallowed the lump in my throat with his words worrying me. "Just know that this is just not any other marriage or crowning ceremony."

"Are you implying that this will be a negative experience?"

"No, absolutely not. I am more than proud to be the one to marry you, and I will make that clear to everyone. I was implying that since this is the first time something is occurring in years, we don't know what will come after all of it."

"Could it start a war?" I asked, hugging my legs in closer.

"Yes, it could. Most likely, when we have a daughter because there would be a line for her hand in marriage." I felt my stomach churn at his words.

"What if we don't have a daughter?"

"We have to. The Emperor demands it." I instantly flared up in anger, offended by his words. "I demand it as well."

"I don't think that's how it's going to work, Aiden-"

"I feel like you don't remember anything your Emperor taught you. One of your biggest duties is to have children, daughters, who will continue the path of Royal women."

"I understand that he's my emperor and has the authority, but is there a line?" I questioned. "I am not some breeding machine...that's what I feel like I was made out to be. I feel like my only purpose is to have children." Aiden sighed and pulled back his hair that dangled in his eyes.

"I'm afraid that the emperor is the one that draws the lines, sweetheart. But he has given you this position and you must fulfill your responsibilities, which just happens to include having children."

"First of all, I was given this position when I was a newborn. I had no say in anything since my title was given to me. He expects things of my own body now that I am of age. That should at least be the one thing I have control over...my body." I snapped. Aiden took note of my emotion and moved his body closer to me.

He placed his hand upon mine before he spoke. "You are not just some breeding machine, Taisa. I don't view you like that. But you have to understand your responsibilities. Do you not want more Royal women in the future?"

"Of course, I want women to have a place in the royal system. With Maroon's family's way of ruling and controlling everything the way he does, he would treat my daughters and granddaughters the same way he treats me. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone." I tried to look for understanding in his eyes, but I couldn't see it. Aiden placed his hand on the back of my head, just above the base of my neck, his mood switching like a light.

"There is something that you should know, Taisa... When you become my wife, the Emperor made it clear that he will give all of the rights he has over you to me."

"What-"

"I find the Emperor's plan of starting the new generation of royal women from you brilliant, and I think that will stick with that. You must understand that your body won't be just yours anymore." I attempted to move away from his hand, but he kept his tight grip on the back of my neck. "It will be mine."

"Aiden, you're being ridiculous!" I exclaimed.

"What is yours will be my own." I shook my head in disbelief. He kept his tight grip where it was, but I moved my face just in front of his, our noses grazing.

"A marriage is a partnership. Both parties are involved, so nothing should ever be one-sided. It appears that you think when you marry me, I will be under your complete control, and I'm going to promise you now, that won't ever work out between us. When there is a situation, especially a sexual one, there must be full consent on each person's side." I kept my voice stern and forceful. I felt proud of the courage that I was beginning to gain from realizing that there was only so much he could do to me. Aiden firmly held his eye contact with me, his grip tightening impossibly more. "Let go of me, Aiden. You're hurting me."

"You're such a difficult one." With that, he let go of me. I Instantly brought my hand up to the sore skin on my head.

"I'm only being what you call 'difficult' because you're being abusive." I combatted.

"Taisa, sweetheart, you haven't seen abusive. If you keep talking like that, you will." I was shocked by his bold threat, but it was something I should have expected.

"Enjoy your tea, you bastard." I snapped while getting up from the mattress, but I was too slow. His hand pressed into my chest, slamming me back onto the bed, and crushing my lungs. Aiden straddled my body, making me unable to move my body. He then took his large hand and griped my neck just hard enough to cause me to struggle for my breath. "A-Aiden-"

"Shut your mouth, Princess. You're not going to speak to me like that. After all of the warnings I have given you, I would expect you to be fucking smart. At this point, your father won't be the only person you will need to worry about." With those words, I immediately stopped squirming under his hold. "Oh, yea? Have you forgotten about our little deal?"

"Aiden pl-please." I squeaked. He moved his face close to mine, forcing me to look him dead in the eye.

"I won't hesitate to put you in your place, Taisa. I will put you through absolute hell until I see submissive behavior from you. I will do whatever it takes..." His hot breath shot down my neck.

"I'm begging you, please..." He moved his hand to my jaw, giving me back the ability to breathe. Aiden kept his face close with mine, making sure I got every word he was saying.

"I've concluded that you haven't been exposed to much authority in your life other than Emperor Maroon, who cherishes you like none other, so I have decided to be more patient with you. I will threaten your father's life if I have to, but you must learn your place here, sweetheart. Also, I don't want you to behave just because you want your loved ones to be safe; I want you to do it because you should." Growing more regretful of my words, I stayed quiet.

He caressed my cheek with his thumb while smirking down at me, enjoying the view of my terrified eyes.

"Give me a kiss, yea?" I felt my mouth go dry at his question, but I faintly nodded my head. Aiden locked our lips together, giving me a full kiss. I felt him hum Into my lips as he took in the moment. "That's better, kitten."