Wars of the Heart
Amelia Luna-dynn is a young damsel of unassuming character. However, there is a deadly secret she harbors: that she is the daughter of a forbidden race, a tribe despised by the royals of the Kingdom. She is the sole survivor, discreetly living an unseen life as a commoner. But there are scars on her back that betray her origin, requiring her to cleanse herself in order to stay alive and unrecognised. With such reins attached to her race, it is impossible to find someone who would love her despite the dangers of her origin. But one night, when at the verge of being eaten by beasts, she is saved by a mysterious man from the grasp of death. Curiosity drives the damsel to chase love. Despite being downtrodden, she stumbles upon the opportunity meeting with high society by joining a Book Club run by the beautiful daughter of the Duke, Charlene Walterus. Amelia makes friendships with nobles and soon comes close to a romance with a man she suspects to be her secret rescuer, but is hopeless that his heart is far gone in the arms of the duke’s daughter. Will she win a wedding with the man of her dreams? But most importantly, will her fantasies of a perfect marriage come true? Or will she suffer a strained marital relationship, with unrequited feelings, far from the heart of the one she loves? Excerpt: That night, he was exhilarated to have married the woman of his desires. But Charlene had told him a bothersome fact about the origin of his newly wedded wife that he could not shake off his mind, for he knew she would have told him, had it been true. The tall man stepped into Amelia’s chamber and found her seated at the rim of the bed, blushing. The very sight of her innocent disposition had always brought him the insane urge to sweep her up in his arms and protect her. But before they would make love, there was an important question blaring at the edge of his mind. “Y-you’re here”, her soft voice was almost breathless. She rose to her feet, but rested against the wall, shy and nervous. “Amelia”, he tasted her name, drawing close to her. Tenderly placing a finger under her chin and lifting her face to meet his, he gazed into her eyes and asked, “Is it true that you are of the Celeste Clan?” There was silence in response and fear in her eyes. She did not deny it. A strong feeling of hurt enveloped his chest, when he realised that she was no different. Charlene’s words about her were not simply contemptuous lies of jealousy planted to his attention, but the raw truth. ~ Amelia gasped when he rammed his fist against the wall in the absolute pangs of frustration. It was like it burnt his senses to think that she would deliberately hold something as significant as her origin from him, regardless of all things of his secrets that he had shared with her, while they were yet secret lovers. She knew the fault was hers, but she had been too scared to relay, for she had loved him far too much to lose him. “Why did you hide this from me?” he breathed, voice cold and low and deadly, colored by his unpronounced rage. His face was dangerously close to hers, such that she could hear his very breath, seething. Tears began to pierce her eyes, threatening to fall. She had never meant to deceive him. But in that moment, she was afraid. Heart throbbing loud enough to be heard, her lips were quivering and she shivered. When his gaze swept down at her frightened disposition, there was a flicker of tenderness in his eyes. But it lasted not even as long as a moment’s worth. He was cold. He did not confront her for the secrets she was keeping, but silently withdrew himself. There were many things she wished to say in apology, but she could not find her voice. And by the time she could speak, he had left her chambers. Tears flurried down her face. She could not believe that her fears had ruined the very first day of her marriage. It was the day she had wished to divulge her secret to him, but it seemed like it had already been out.
59. The Prince's Secretive Interests
The Prince's Secretive Interests
~
Avenues of the Town of Crimsonton,
Kingdom of Velicia,
Darkling hours of Nightfall,
The Eighth Day of the Month of November,
Thirty Third Year of the Reign of King Jesse Crestings
Nate felt the wind running through his blond hair as he galloped though the streets of the Town of Crimsonton. Something about the unbridled energy he had while riding his horse in the dead of the night with no limits had an exhilarating feeling.
The man knew Reid was chasing close and rode faster until he drew the reigns to a halt a few blocks before the Vintage Tavern.
Aaron seemed to be standing there, arms folded and leaning against a lamppost. He had the regular unamused expression when he saw Nate thundering in.
"A race with Reid again?" Aaron asked, raising a brow.
"Of course not", the blond haired cavalry chief laughed in denial, before Reid whizzed past them on horseback.
"Over here!" Nate called, watching the olive haired archer draw his horse to a stop a few shops away and head back to where he was supposed to halt.
"I didn't win, did I?" he asked, seeming disappointed.
"You guys…", Aaron held his hand to his temples, like he was done with their games.
The two men dismounted their horses, chuckling, before turning to Aaron and asking, "Where's Prince Rayzenn? Wasn't he patrolling this area?"
"Yes, but he left to the village for a little while. He should be back by now", Aaron, the infantry captain of dark hair said.
Nate nodded in response. Then, running a hand through his fair blond hair, he asked, "And how was your share of the errand at the tavern? Did you drink?"
"No", the dark haired man shot him a glare, before saying, "But the disguised visit was quite useful. I retrieved some valuable information."
"That's good to hear", Reid nodded. "Any insights on potential war or just the word on the street regarding the castle?"
"Both", the infantry chief answered. "There seem to be no suspicion of spies for as long as I surveyed. And I also heard what the people's perception of the castle's affairs are."
"That's neat", the olive haired archer nodded.
Just then Nate noticed a dark silhouette approaching slowly and broke a grin, "Looks like our prince is here!"
The men waved as Rayzenn drew close and dismounted his horse. The fair haired cavalry general noticed that he did not look as cheerful as he always did when they went out of secretive visits across the kingdom.
"How was the survey?" Nate asked, hoping to understand what seemed to have dampened his moods.
"Wonderfully, quite", the Prince replied, his expression looking far from his words.
Just then, the sound of hooves across the street sounded and the company of royal men knew that Zebedee, the naval chief had arrived too. The man dismounted his horse and treaded over, to join the conversation.
"I believe he met the dame today", Aaron said, glancing over at the dark haired heir to the throne.
"You mean the one you've been watching for a while now?" Nate couldn't help the thrilled grin that spread across his face.
"Well yes", Rayzenn answered, a soft smile making its way over his lips.
"And what did you do? Watch from a distance and observe her every move?" Reid nudged his arm, with a chuckle.
Prince Rayzenn's smile doubled to an uncontrollable expression of mirth as he tried to bite his lip and hold it back. "I saved her from a maniac who was looking to take advantage."
"Whoa!" there were expressions of amused shock from the team. "So you rescued her", Zebedee chuckled, impressed.
Prince Rayzenn gave them a shrug and leaned back against his stallion.
Nate was concerned, since the dark haired royal had seemed moody earlier. "What's wrong though? Had you arrived too late to help?"
"No, no, I was just on time. By a miracle", the man said, shaking his head.
Reid whistled, "And you have her cloak?" staring at the soft fabric hanging over the man's left shoulder.
A sad smile played at the side of the Prince's lips and he nodded, "She couldn't wear it, so I lent her mine."
There was another round of applause, before Aaron got serious. "So, why do you seem so bothered? Isn't this a fine progression of affairs, Sire"
"Well", the Prince said hesitantly, before leaning his head back and looking up at the skies like he was deciding his words. Nate noticed his Adam's apple moving like he was swallowing, before Rayzenn finally spoke, "I believe she is in love with someone else."
There was an uneasy silence. The blond haired man realised that they had never factored in that she could be taken, eventually. "But she seemed like she had no male company save that brother of hers until yesterday", Nate spoke his earnest thoughts.
The Prince nodded silently, before saying, "Today, she felt different. She was formal and defensive, unlike her usual friendly demeanour. After all, it isn't like she belonged to be to begin with. And for what she is like, I should have expected this to happen eventually", his tone sounded defeated.
"But did you tell her who you are?" Reid asked.
Rayzenn shook his head 'no' and answered, "I told her I was a merchant. 'Lance', I reckon."
"You know she would leave any man for you if you told her you were the Crown Prince, right?" the archer raised a brow.
The Prince shot him a glare, "That is precisely the sort of woman I do not want. I began liking her for hr charity and kindness and lack of expectation. She also seemed loyal."
He turned towards the street he had come from, looking into the distance wistfully, like his heart was aching, before he said, "I cannot believe I am regretting that loyalty I admired her for, now that she is yielding it to another man."
~