The Priestess' Affair [Books 1 &2]

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈. 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐞

Vittoria had me again!

"The way you walked, it almost reminded me of—" Nuncia stopped when I threw her a glare. "Erm, I'm sorry. You looked good in that," she muttered.

"Vittoria told you to make it, didn't she?" I confronted her. She fell quiet immediately. Since she had nowhere to escape, I continued grilling, "Answer me, Nuncia. I want to hear how you plotted this with the woman I hate the most!"

I was on the edge of snapping. I could have never imagined Nuncia betraying me this way.

"I—I don't understand why it's making you so mad? It's just a dress," She asked, looking pleasantly surprised. It made me stop for a moment and scrutinise the bewildered look on her face.

I shouldn't be mad at her.

After all, she has been only following the orders without being aware of the malicious intent behind them. She was another of the pawns in Vittoria's game... just like me. I sighed deeply, leaving her question unanswered. Nuncia studied me carefully with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright?" She asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," I muttered. "The dress was beautiful but don't do it again," I warned. She nodded before changing the subject to defuse the tension between us. I didn't have any classes today, so I spent the rest of the day with Nuncia in her small workroom at the back of the shrine. I was supposed to help her arrange the place, but for the most part, I remained distracted by Vittoria's plans and my brother's idiocy. I wondered if I was stepping into Vittoria's trap at each step. Each day, I wondered how far those company of troops had been.

In the evening, I snuck out of the dorm. Since Nuncia was still busy arranging her workroom, it was easier for me to sneak out tonight. I went straight to Vittoria's office, ensuring no one followed me.

When I reached the High Priestess' Office, I cracked the heavy door open as quietly as I could, forgetting my manners for a while. I held my breath as I peeked inside the office, searching for the woman who was the subject of my nightmare, but she didn't seem to be there.

I dared to open the office door wider and took a few steps inside to make sure that Vittoria was not in her office. The thought of having to find her in this situation made me restless until I remembered about the lagoon.

I had my doubts about that incident. It often felt like a distant dream I had somehow managed to remember well and sometimes, it felt like a part of my reality.

I left the shrine through the exist facing the woods at the back. Since I didn't have any candles with me and the moon was behind the clouds, it was harder for me to find my way down to the side of the island. After struggling through the woods for a while, I was finally on that narrow beach from where I started walking North.

The closer I got to the lagoon, the more hesitant I felt about this decision. My heart started racing when the lagoon came into view. I could see the boat's silhouette and some light flickering on it from a distance.

Though tonight, I spotted only one person on the boat. I halted abruptly and studied the shadow on the boat before continuing to head that way.

It was only Vittoria tonight.

Her back was to me when I arrived by the lagoon, but I knew that she was well aware of me; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked, "What has brought you here tonight?"

"I wanted to talk to you," I declared.

"About what?" She inquired with her back to me. In response, I got into the water and climbed onto the boat before sitting in front of her. I faced her grimly while she studied me, looking more relaxed than ever.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Vittoria. I know it wasn't your initial plan to give me the priestess title,"

"What makes you think so?" She challenged before taking a long drag.

"Why? You hate me,"

"Hate would be too strong to describe what I feel for you," she clarified, "I merely have a bias against you,"

"Because I'm a Royal?"

"Maybe,"

"So it is true. You didn't want to give me the title?"

"Yes," Vittoria responded, looking bored.

"Why?"

"Reasons,"

"What reasons? If you didn't want to give me the priestess title, then why did you bring me here in the first place?"

"You'd rather be rotting where they had locked you away and forgotten about you?"

"So you brought me here out of pity?"

"Maybe," Vittoria shrugged.

"I know I was never supposed to be a priestess," I declared.

"Are you suggesting I should revoke your title?" Vittoria teased.

"No," I breathed, "I want to know why you gave me the priestess title even though you didn't want to. I know that nothing can change your mind, Vittoria. Then what made you change your mind this time? What made you give me the title? I know it wasn't just because I had that stupid knife against your neck,"I spat in frustration.

"I did it out of convenience,"

"What kind of convenience?"

"Your questions make me want to turn you mute,"

"But you cannot,"

"You have no idea," Vittoria laughed. It shut me up for a few moments.

"Tell me this one thing, Vittoria. Why didn't you want to give me the title?"

Vittoria took her time to answer, but the only answer I got from her tonight night was, "It'd be useless. There'll be a time when it'll be revoked. I solely wanted to keep my records clean by not giving you one in the first place,"

"I don't get it," I shook my head. None of her words made sense.

"You wouldn't," she dismissed before tossing the leftovers of whatever she had been smoking into the lagoon water and getting up.

"Are you leaving already?" I asked.

"Yes, I have stuff to do, unlike you," she responded while stretching in the boat. I was about to protest when she started to leave, but she disappeared in thin near. Though not before telling me, "Be ready on the beach before sunrise tomorrow,"

_

The next 3 chapters are free on Inkitt. Read up to chapter 32 on Patreon. The Links are in my bio.

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