Chapter 7: The devil's illegitimate son

Azea blinked her eyes after processing all that she had discovered. She twirled around to leave and go in search of Aleena and Navel to end their existence from the surface of the earth.

"You need to stay still," A woman scolded.

Azea halted. She glanced around confused by the sudden change. She was just outside the inn with the De Luza family.

It was confusing how the scene suddenly changed to the garden she stood in. Azea stood in the midst of five women who were busy fixing her gown right before the eight mirrors arranged around them.

'What sorcery?'

She panicked. "How did I go from the inn to this place," she raised a question.

"By a chariot, you arrived two hours ago. We've been attending to you since your arrival, the queen mother wishes for the wedding to take place before sunrise," One of the ladies replied to her.

Azea was thunderstruck. Disbelief filled her eyes, not only had she been played by her look alike but it seemed that she had lost track of two hours of her time.

The time that she could have spent hunting down the real Aleena De Luza and keeping to her promise. She had clearly warned Aleena of the consequences of tempting fate by playing games with her.

"Where is my father?" Azea asked.

The man was the only one that could get her out of the crazy mess his daughter had cursed her too. She decided to tell Lord De Luza the truth of her encounter with Aleena and explain that there has been a big misunderstanding.

"With other nobles of Astria," the woman from before replied her. "I'm Magnolia, I'll be your right-hand lady," she introduced herself.

"Pleasure, I must see my father right away," she demanded.

"As you wish," Magnolia let out giving hope to Azea. Going through with the wedding would be a disaster since it was for no cause. It was best to get out.

Magnolia led the way. All the other ladies moved out of the way and moved a mirror out to clear a path for them. Azea was relieved that Magnolia was nice and was granted her wish.

As they walked, Azea came to realize, where she was, it was raised above the ground. As they walked towards the edge, it looked higher and higher.

When they got to the edge of the garden, Azea could hardly make out a single figure on the ground. Yet the place was filled with people, she could hear their voices which sounded as though they were miles away from her.

"He must be in the front lines in the crowd of nobles of Astria. Ready to witness the wedding of the king and future queen of Astria," Magnolia said looking down at the crowd.

Azea felt trapped.

"How do I get out of here, I need to leave," she declared.

Magnolia raised her head from the crowd below and shot her a gaze, cold and distant. "The same way you came in," she added.

Azea had no idea what that was. Too lost in her thoughts to have seen how she made it to that roof or garden or whatever it was that she was standing in.

"Which was?"

Magnolia laughed. It was as though she had heard the best joke of the season. Her laughter resonated in the air, not loud enough to mask Azea's panic in her mind.

'I feel screwed,' she cursed.

"There are two ways you can leave here," she said and paused momentarily as though she was weighing on the words she was about to say. Azea paid attention eager to know the way out of the madness she found herself in. "Either as the queen of Astria or dead," Magnolia dropped the bomb.

Azea fell back. Magnolia rushed and caught her. Azea was short of breath. Aleena had played her real bad.

"This dress was made especially for this night. Each detail of your gown was the king's design. Don't you dare dirty it before the wedding," Magnolia warned. "It should be dressed after when the king tears it apart," she let out with a devilish smile playing on her face.

Magnolia walked Azea back. Azea was shocked beyond words. She needed to think and find a way to free herself from the shackles of the life that Aleena had written for her.

She was Azea Zal Dameo, she was no damsel in distress. She didn't need a prince to save her as she was perfectly capable of saving herself.

"I hear that he eats people's hearts."

The words of the woman adorning her neck with a necklace drew her out of her thoughts. It piqued her interest.

"I heard the king is the illegitimate son of the devil," the woman said.

Azea lowered her gaze to find them with looks of pity for her. She had been pitied before however at that moment the pain struck differently.

All the while, she had written her fate. It was the first time she was being pitied for a story that someone else wrote for her. And she feared their pity might be well put.

"I heard that his eyes burn with an everlasting flame. And it annihilates anyone who looks into them for more than a moment," they said.

Azea's lips trembled. Her eyes moistened. In all her life, it had to be the second time that real tears formed in her eyes.

First was when she was leaving home anf now after learning about the king. She thought that a boarding school in the countryside was bad. But at that moment she could kill to be anywhere but on that rooftop.

"I heard that he is a night creature and drinks the blood of everyone in the palace," Magnolia confessed. "I wonder if the feeling of his bite is as magical as the ones written in books?"

Azea's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. While her insides were breaking apart after hearing the rumors about the king. Magnolia found the rumors something to daydream about.

She was devastated and hurt.

Was she truly going to marry the devil's illegitimate son?