Plaything

Of all the lies I've heard,

"I love you,"

Was my favorite.

—Unknown

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Back in the Kingdom of Vermont, every courtier's face turned towards the door when they heard it swing open.

A woman stepped inside, not stopping to stare around and strolled towards the throne as if it was her daily routine to do so.

The woman's hair was pearly silver in color standing out amongst the group of black, brown, and blonde-haired men. Her face resembled the shape of an oval, her lips thin making her young face look bleak. A person might think that she might've been happy when young, but her present appearance defied all those positive thoughts.

The men all bowed low, not daring to look into the woman's eyes. Her posture was confident as her eyes scanned the crowd for someone particular whom she didn't find. Her green gown trailed behind her as she climbed up the steps to the throne and faced the room, which had gone silent as soon as she had arrived.

The moment she sat on the throne the men looked up and one of them stepped out of the rows of advisors. He was slightly shorter than the rest and bowed as soon as he met the Queen's eyes.

"My Queen, there is somebody who wants to meet you behind the curtains," he informed and Isabella's lips curved up slightly at the ends.

"I was starting to wonder where he was," she spoke, getting up and brushing off invisible dust off her gown. Turning her back on the men present in the room, she pushed aside the red curtains that were hanging behind the throne.

Stepping inside the hidden room, her silver eyes spotted the man who was leaning against the fireplace, staring at her.

"You made me get up from my throne. I'm quite tired."

The man bent his head in acknowledgment and passed a strained smile. "I apologize. There was something I needed to tell you, My Queen."

"Be quick about it Alastor. Unless..." her voice trailed off. "It's about her."

The man named Alastor gulped seeing the menacing look in the Queen's eyes. "It is about her. She's with the King of Xandria-"

In less than a second, he was pinned against the wall with Isabella's hand clutching his neck in a vice-like grip. Her nails dug into his skin making little beads of blood appear where his skin was getting cut. He groaned in pain as her clutch tightened and tried his best not to resist.

"What did you say?" she asked in a low voice.

"There was this ball and her family was invited. When her sister and mother came back, Diana contacted me and told me that the King had forced her to stay there. I'm sorry for failing you."

Isabella let go of his throat, taking a step back and passing a glare towards him. "After all these years of keeping an eye on her, you finally let your guard down? Do you have any idea what Theodore is capable of doing?" she asked, her voice rising with each syllable.

"We'll get her back, I promise My Queen. She doesn't like him, Diana told me that she was forced. All we have to do is bring her back somehow."

The Queen crossed her arms, her posture radiating off power and authority. "And how are you going to manage to do that?" she asked. "Theodore doesn't let go of the things that he picks for himself."

"She's just a temporary plaything for him. He'll get tired of her and we'll persuade him to give her back in return for something," he advised and Isabella considered his idea for a minute.

"What's your plan?" she asked, looking up at his face to see a frown settle on his forehead.

"I don't have any, other than that we have to wait for a few days to plan a perfect one. The King is a dangerous man. We sent that lord to get her back but he still hasn't returned. I'm sure that his heart isn't in his body any longer." he spoke with a tired sigh.

Isabella let out a frustrated breath, raking a hand through her silvery blond hair. After all these years of careful measures and precautions, her two spies had lost hold of the girl. The girl that was the future of this Kingdom.

"What if she doesn't want to leave him?" asked the Queen, wondering about all the possibilities of the things that could go wrong.

Alastor grimaced. "There is no way in hell that she would ever feel anything for him except for hate. He is a monster and dangerous to her. She is meant to be with me, remember?"

Isabella walked to a chair and sat down on it. This feeling called fear was completely new to her. Never had she feared anybody but she had witnessed what this King was capable of doing. If he refuses to let the girl go, then war could break out across all the Kingdoms.

The results were obvious. There was no way possible that they could win a war against the Devil if he rejected their offer in return for the girl.

She knew that when a Devil falls in love, he'd be ready to go to the depths of hell for her. Theodore was not be underestimated and she had learned that lesson a long time ago.

"She would never be able to trust him. Diana made sure to warn her," said Alastor and Isabella shifted to look at him.

"Well, Diana isn't there with her to keep warning her. The King might manipulate her into falling for him-"

"She is mine and no one else's." growled the man, stalking towards where she was sitting. "We are destined to be together and I've been taking care of her for all these years. It's evident that she is going to choose me over that bastard."

The Queen relented, leaning back in the chair with a defeated sigh. "If something goes wrong, you will face my wrath Alastor. She would never be yours if you don't get her back quickly."

Alastor bowed, looking straight into Isabella's eyes with an intense stare.

"A monster like him doesn't deserve an angel like her. I'll get her back."

With a dismissive wave of her hand, he walked towards an open casement and placing his foot on the sill, jumped out of the window with a leap.