Dark Prince & the Doe

Chapter Nineteen: Apologies & Briberies

Part 2: The Voice

Chapter Nineteen: Apologies & Briberies

Anne

"This arrived for the princessa last night," Aiden said, holding out a large box to Wevoni. "It's the dress Izeal demands she wear today."

Dark circles hung under Aiden's bloodshot eyes. The lapels of his unform were wrinkled as if he hadn't bothered to have them ironed. His black leather boots were dull and scuffed. Everything about Aiden had lost its glow and it was her fault. Normally, he would have apologized by now and they'd have made up. But whenever she even tried to speak with him, he'd leave the room in a hurry.

If all went according to plan and she received the support of the Arch Priest and at least sixteen votes from the skylords, then she'd be the Voice of the Life Aria. Anne couldn't bear the thought of her last words with Aiden being ones of anger.

She stood from her desk, tucking her speech inside a book on Adderian cuisine. Well, in truth, it wasn't her speech at all – it was entirely written by Izeal. When she'd changed a few of the lines to sound more natural and reveal a bit of what had occurred in Adders, Izeal had gotten angry about it and demanded she adhere to exactly what he'd written. So, she was making sure to memorize it carefully. Many have claimed to be the Voice, but only a rare few have ever been accepted. She couldn't risk making any mistakes.

Izeal had told her to be prepared for the worst, there was a strong chance she'd lose this. So far, her brother had bribed five skylords to vote in her favor, but that was not nearly enough for her to win. Izeal had also warned her through the Echo this morning that Aiden was working against them ever since the Church's summons had been sent and that she needed to do something to keep Aiden from speaking against her during the Vote.

The Vote had been called on short notice in an attempt to keep Aiden, or any other skylord, from taking complete control. It also meant Izeal had less time to influence the Vote. But it would have all come down to who had the most gold – and that would be Aiden and the Brena family's bottomless pockets.

"Knight Commander Brena? May I have a private word?" Anne asked cautiously. Aiden froze, his shoulder's stiffening.

"My apologies, princessa," Aiden said coarsely, "but I have important matters to attend to." Yes, buying up as many votes as he could in the short amount of time remaining, she was well aware.

He strode for the door as if he wanted to run but didn't want to humiliate himself by actually fleeing her presence.

"Aiden, please," Anne begged, grasping at her dress. Wevoni cleared her throat pointedly at Anne's lack of formality. "I need to apologize. I've been awful over these past two weeks, and with everything that has been going on...this might be my last chance to speak with you. Please, Aiden?"

He sighed, pressing his hand to his face. His other hand wavered over the doorknob uncertainly. "I have a short amount of time to speak with you. If that is your request."

"Thank you, Commander Brena," she said with relief. "Will you join me in my sitting room?" He gave her a slight nod without truly looking at her and followed her across the room. Wevoni opened the door to let them pass and quietly shut it behind them, leaving the two of them in privacy. Although, knowing her maids and retainers, at least two or three of them were currently pressed up against the door listening to everything that was about to be said.

Anne sat on her favorite couch, resisting the urge to clutch the decorative pillow to her chest. Aiden sat across from her with a heavy sigh, staring at his hands in silence. The white bones of his knuckles strained against the skin.