My Arranged Marriage To The Werewolf Prince

Chapter 18

We began to stroll towards the middle of the castle gardens where one of the most glorious fountains I had ever seen was. Upon reaching the front of it, Abbott gestured for me to sit down with him. "I wonder, how has your time at the castle been so far? Have you made any friends or discovered any secrets?" He sounded almost curious. "It's been interesting that's for sure. I've seemed to have already made at least two enemies, one friend, and the guy I'm supposed to marry is one of the most annoying people I've ever met. I haven't uncovered any secrets though. I'm not sure what I would even find if there were any. Let me guess, Lucas has an embarrassing track record?" Abbott laughed out loud at this, his pristine white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. 

"Hmm I sure do have some stories about my brother, would you like to hear one?" He asked. I thought about it for a second. It would be pretty nice to embarrass Lucas when given the chance but he's the last thing I want to think about right now. "Maybe next time? I'm more curious about you. You seem to have quite the reputation amongst those in the castle. It seems people like you more than Lucas so why aren't you in line for king?" He looked to his side at a nearby rose bush and plucked a small yellow rose from its stem. He twirled it in his fingers for a second before handing it to me. "For the beautiful lady," he said placing the rose in my hand. His fingers lingered ever so slightly against the back of my hand and I pulled away quickly feeling my face heat up. "You know it's a good question you ask Aromia. I ask myself the same thing. To be honest, I don't feel like I'm fit to be king. Is my brother a better choice? I'm really not so sure. It seems selfish to choose my own happiness and stability over making sure Luning and its people are stable but it's the choice I've made. Do you think that makes me a bad person?" 

Hearing his confession was interesting. Why he was so willing to open up to me I'm not so sure. Why does he care about my opinion? I also don't know. Abbott seems to be a very interesting guy. "To tell you the truth I don't know much about kingdoms, castles, or their politics but choosing yourself is sometimes the best decision you can make," I said as I lifted the rose to smell it. He gave me a thoughtful look that almost lingered too long before standing and reaching his hand out. I grabbed it and stood up, still grasping the rose he gave me. "Let's walk back together."

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We approached the castle doors and entered upon the guards' approval. Still holding onto his arm, we stopped at the bottom of the stairs where I had the encounter with Amy. I heard talking coming from behind us and turned over my shoulder to see who it was. Lucas and Amy. Of course. "Abbott, what are you doing here?" Lucas asked striding over to where we were standing, Amy following close behind. "Well, I was excited to meet Aromia considering she's new here and soon to marry my brother." I noticed Amy grimace when he said that. "Ahh, Amelia! It's so good to see you. How have you been?" Abbott asked as if they were long-time friends. She gave a half-hearted smile and replied, "I've been well Prince Abbott, until now."

"My dear, what's the big deal? Has something happened to you?" he asked her. By now my focus had turned to Lucas because I couldn't handle the weird interaction happening between Abbott and Amy, who I now know is actually named Amelia. 

Lucas was staring hardcore at the arm I had linked with Abbott's. Curious, I watched his face trying to see exactly what was going on in his mind. His eyes traveled back and forth between my arm and the rose in my hand. All of a sudden his eyes snapped up and met mine, flashing a bright yellow again. I felt my body stiffen, scared of what was going to happen next. Instead of lashing out like last time, his eyes returned to normal and he shifted his focus to the conversation Amy and Abbott were having. Feeling the tension rising I decided to excuse myself and return to my room.

When I returned, Mae was waiting for me. She helped me out of my dress and into a nightgown, undid my hair, and removed any makeup still sitting on my face. I flopped onto my bed, bouncing in the air like they do in the movies. "Mae I have a question and I'm not sure you'd know anything about this but something weird happened today." She walked over to my bedside and sat down in a chair. "What is it? Something to do with Lucas or Abbott?" I sighed sitting up properly to meet her gaze. "I noticed something very weird concerning Lucas. For starters, he randomly got aggressive with me but also his eyes changed color. Like bright yellow. I saw it twice. I know that sounds crazy and impossible but I swear I saw it." Mae's face twisted into a look of confusion. "So you're saying that his eyes just randomly changed color, turned bright yellow, and then went back to normal like nothing? And no one else saw it?" I nodded at her and she shook her head. "I don't know Aromia, I've never heard of something like that happening. Did you tell anyone else?"

"No I haven't but I think at least the king knows about it. He sent guards in to take him away after he pushed me."

"What?! He pushed you??" She said looking concerned. She stood up and started looking me over. "Do I need to call the physician? Did you get hurt??"

"No Mae, I'm fine. Thank you though. I just need you to tell me if I'm losing it or not." She glanced me over one last time before answering. "I don't think you're losing it, but I've also never heard of that happening. I'll make sure to keep an eye out though to see if I notice anything unusual."

"Thank you, Mae. That makes me feel a little bit better." She walked towards the table where the refreshments were held and poured me a cup of water. As she began to bring it to me she stopped and pointed out the rose sitting on my dresser. "Who gave you that? Lucas?" She said smirking at me. I scoffed, "No he's not that kind or romantic. His brother gave it to me when we talked in the garden."

"You met with Abbott?" She asked looking surprised. "It wasn't on purpose that's for sure. You were right though. Total opposite of Lucas. He's handsome too." She smiled lightly and handed me the water. "You've got that right."