Amelie (ON HOLD)

XVIII

"I can imagine that would be important so... yes." I looked down at my hands and sighed lightly. Pevensie furrowed a brow before apprehensively beginning, "Not to overstep, but I suspect that you and His Highness are not on the same page recently?"

"No." I shook my head. "He's a very... adamant person."

"The prince is used to getting what he wants. The fact that you're so resistant must drive him mad – especially considering you are his soulmate, he must be climbing the walls by now!" she laughed. In a way, I wanted to laugh too, but I couldn't. The whole soulmate thing was still hard for me to believe. Stupid, I know, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. You're telling me a prophecy made centuries ago named me as Vincenzo's soulmate? And, as much as it sounded cliché, why me? Out of everyone in this whole entire world throughout all of the centuries, it chose me.

There had to be some sort of reason. I was told there were things only Vincenzo knew about this so-called prophecy, things he was able to pick out from the hundreds of girls who had done the Scarlet Prince Ritual before and met their tragic end. I wanted to know what that was. What he saw. What he knew. It was eating at me.

Yet, to talk to Vincenzo about this had to mean we were on the same page and, from what I took it as, we were on entirely different books. So, then we needed to get on the same book. Strike a compromise. If we needed to create a unified front, we needed to be civil, something we really weren't at the moment.

Vincenzo wanted me to instantly fall desperately in love with him. And I wanted to go back to my old life. None of those things could happen, I knew I was more on the moping side when it came to what I wanted but, hey, this whole thing hasn't exactly been the easiest. And I couldn't instantly fall in love with Vincenzo let alone... desperately. For me, love took time but it was the time I was worried about because time now meant forever.

I had dreams before I was stuck here, a life, something to drive me. Here, I had nothing. Nothing that I wanted at least. This was where the compromise was – where the scary bit lied.

❦

For the rest of the day, I was pampered constantly. For a while, the attention was nice. I had never had my hair or makeup done before, yet after a while, the constantly touching and poking became annoying and I couldn't wait for it to be over.

My hair was tugged and pinned tightly and my face was brushed and beat with so many different products. All I could think about now, was the dress.

"Drink up, Miss. The ladies will be here in a moment to help you get dressed." Pevensie said as she placed a glass of blood on the table and left the room, gently closing the double doors.

I sighed and looked down at Bailey sitting by my feet. "How am I not going to make myself look like an idiot tonight, huh?" Familiars couldn't talk but it was worth a shot as Bailey whimpered as if to say 'I don't know'. Fair enough.

Without warning, the double doors opened and I jumped up in surprise.

"The parties already started." Enrica announced as she walked in. "It's now or never." She looked amazing in a navy-blue gown that sinched in at her waist with a neckline that scooped low but still remained modest. Her hair was softly curled with the top half pulled away from her face, only small strands falling loose to frame it.

"What's now or never?" I asked, turning in my chair.

"Your insanely hot entrance to the ball, duh." She announced.

I chuckled, "If you think I can look hot in that... thing." I cringed back at the yellow monstrosity on the hanger. "You're blind."

"That's why I'm here." She walked over to the table and picked up the glass off blood. "You going to drink this?" I shook my head in response with a grimaced. "Good." She chirped, "Be right back." And walked off to my bathroom.