[Two days before the Great Summit]
"Mariah, would you be a dear and head the planning committee of the summit? We have far more important responsibilities to be bothered with something trivial as such."
Lysandra found herself halting near Seraphine's bed chamber door when she heard Maevis speak strangely. Before she could ponder, Seraphine's loud laughter reached her ears.
"She said the exact same thing?" she seemed to be asking her dearest friend.
"Word by word," Maevis vouched. "She doesn't even remember my fucking name, Sera!"
"My God!" Seraphine began giggling again and Lysandra couldn't hold it in any longer. She barged in and asked them what they were joking at.
"Oh, your mother thought it best to drop some oh-so-great responsibilities upon a crucial being like me." Irritation and sarcasm rolled off of Maevis's tongue.
Lysandra rolled her eyes. For someone with her character, she was too remarkably whiny, sometimes seeming childish even. "Suck it up, buttercup. Don't snivel like an annoying kid."
"Why you- "
Seraphine smacked her forehead and groaned, stretching her hands to stop the two of them from biting each other's ears off. "Enough. Please don't start arguing again. We've got lot of work to do. Emperor Akikazu is here."
Lysandra averted her attention towards Seraphine and raised her hands up in surrender. Maevis grunted before backing off as well.
"Nikolaus talk to you again?" Seraphine asked Lysandra who shook her head as to say no.
"That brat Avgustine is always around. We aren't in a position to take a risk. Besides, I don't think telling him about our whole plan is a good idea. I told him we would stop my father and that Russia would always be ruled by them and he promised us one-fourth of Russian army in case of a war and that is where our deal ends."
"For once I agree with blondie," Maevis affirmed, patting the steely-eyed bellator's shoulder rather brashly.
"What about Nyo? Is she on board?"
"Yep, she positively promised she will make sure there are no snitches who will support Eucarpus gain African front's support. She is with us," Seraphine informed, going through her drawer as if to find something.
"We've got to make a move today," Lysandra stressed and rubbed her forehead, "before my father gets to them. He doesn't trust letters or other sources of communication so, I am positive he will converse with them only in person."
"I already sent a letter which Micky himself delivered," Seraphine waved a folded note in between her fingers, "and here is what I got back."
Today. Thirty minutes past two. In the chapel wing.
"Wow, what the fuck did you write in that letter? Your love confession? That man sounds desperate," Lysandra snickered, arching her eyebrows.
"Shut up. You and Mae are coming with, no questions asked. Meet me here at two thirty."
"I am busy with uh- the ball, no, summit duties. The decor and all, you know," Maevis said, clearly trying to escape.
"You very well know you can assign work to the advisors or workers and join me. This is important, Mae."
"Ugh, alright. Count me in."
Opposed to the castle's grungy look, the chapel was dreamy, with white-washed walls. Candles were placed all over the stage with a huge sculpture of Zeus in the center. Statues of other God and Goddesses lined up on either sides. The roof was decorated with chandeliers with candles embedded within the curves. A few benches were sat in the room for the people to sit down while the prayers went on.
Lysandra did not fully take in the beauty of the room before a gruff voice knocked her gaze back to the lean figure sitting in front of her.
"You tell me you want to betray your King and you need my help." Snake like eyes rove over Lysandra's figure and then moves over to Seraphine and Maevis sitting by her. The man's dark eyebrow raises up, stark against his pale skin. "We are in the chapel where we pray to God almighty and I suggest you don't lie to me here."
Lysandra felt her annoyance shoot up. She hated the position she were in, she hated that they had to beseech other armies because her father was a sick fuck. "With all due respect, Emperor Akikazu, my father is a bloody snake. He is going to ask for your help because he knows he can't get the world in his grasp without your assistance. But once he is the Supreme King, he is going to throw you aside, mark my words."
"You are the little girl who has come back recently, aren't you? The lost princess? All the years apart made you hate your mum and dad and you are here for petty revenge because they left you alone." Those acrid words knocked the wind out of Lysandra and she froze. The young emperor almost felt guilty but, he was not going to apologize. They were taught to be brutal and to assess every ally with utmost care because they never knew when the tables were going to turn. They had to save their own kingdom and people and not put them all in line for friendship or greed.
"I suggest you don't speak if you aren't aware of what actually went down, Emperor," Seraphine remarked sharply. "We are here for the greater good and it is your loss to not join us, ultimately."
"How can I, who speak for my nation as a whole, trust you?" he inquired, fixing his tie.
"You've got no choice here," Seraphine sighed. "Put your life and throne on line and take a risk if you're so fond of things as such."
Akikazu clenched his jaw. "You want me to allocate my armies to you whenever required, is that all?"
"We need you to stand by us," Maevis specified. "Look for yourself, act like you aren't on board with Eucarpus and see how he plays you using your one weakness. Pretend to join him later and he will kiss your ass."
The emperor almost smiled. The corners of his mouth slightly curved and Lysandra cheered to herself. He was obviously convinced. "I think our business is done here. We appreciate you giving us your time, Emperor Akikazu."
He nodded, offering them a curt nod. The three bellators stood up, prepared to walk out through the chapel doors.
"Keep your little wife safe, Emperor. Make sure she isn't caught in the crossfire and you know--"
The rest of her dialogue was muffled as Seraphine smacked a hand to Maevis's mouth, dragging her out. Lysandra spared the Asian King an apology before scurrying out of the room.
Three steady knocks resounded on Lysandra bed chamber door and she groaned, shooting up from the bed. Her plans of staying in for the day were done for.
"Princess Lysandra," a meek voice spoke up, "Queen Zemira has summoned you to her office."
Lysandra kissed her teeth to curb the frustration and strutted out of the room, grumbling to herself. As soon as she reached the destination, she sucked a deep breath in before pushing the dark wood door open to see her mother standing by the table, appearing quite elated.
"Darling," she drawled. "You seem tired."
"What do you want?" Lysandra clipped out and turned back when the door opened again to let her father and Avgustine walk in. "Oh, come right in. We have a family party going on here."
"Hello to you, too, my vixen," Avgustine sassed, kissing her cheek as if they were the perfect couple in love.
She would have slapped him if he didn't move swiftly, going to stand beside her father who, for some reason, seemed rather jolly that day. She wanted to stomp her feet and walk out of there like she owned the place but, she couldn't afford to do that.
"Alright. So, the date is set. You are getting married tomorrow in the morning. In the chapel of the castle itself," King Eucarpus declared.
Lysandra felt her eyes widen, almost to the point where she thought her eyeballs would fall out. Avgustine had a smug smirk upon his face as he bobbed his head saying yes. "What the fuck? Dude, you took this too far now!"
"Enough of your tantrums, Lysandra," Zemira scolded, walking up to her daughter, her gait determined. "There are going to other rulers to witness the merger and you will get married, end of discussion. You are already engaged to him, just in case you've forgotten."
Lysandra couldn't describe how furious she was and before she could get another word in, her father spoke up.
"Why do you want to argue with her, Mira? She will say yes."
"The fuck I will."
Avgsutine clapped twice and the guards dragged in four people whose faces were covered with black bags as they wobbled on their feet. Eucarpus clicked his tongue and walked towards them, pulling the bags off to reveal their faces. Lysandra felt a shiver rake her body as she saw her family, beaten up and dragged into the world she was protecting them from. A gasp left her lips and she leaned back onto the office table, running shaky fingers through her hair.
"Jay," she choked out and the woman looked at her in confusion.
"Please," Jade implored, her lips shivering. "I don't know who you are but, save us. Do what you want with me, let my kids and my husband go. Please! I beg of you."
Lysandra's heart clenched. She did not want to think anymore and she knew she owed her life to the mortal family. She wanted to hug all of them one last time before her life would be ruined after marrying Avgustine but their utterly confused and terrified faces did not help her situation one bit.
"How dare you?" she seethed, glaring daggers at her parents and supposed fiancé. "How dare you bring them here? Do you have no mercy? They know nothing!"
"Oh, I agree they know nothing but to you, they mean everything, don't they?" Avgustine murmured.
Lysandra wanted him gone before she bashed his face in or lost control of her magus to set the whole room on fire.
"Mum, I want food," Jeremy cried, wobbling to his mother and holding her hand in his. Everyone looked at the kid and he shuffled behind his mother further, not liking the sudden attention.
Lysandra could take no more. She took a deep breath in and glanced at her baby brother once again before putting on her best poker face. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffled but her voice held authority as she spoke.
"Let them go, I will do whatever you ask of me."
I've got an architectural history final tomorrow. Anyways, here's an update, hope you like it. Perhaps, it'll be like some sort of a good luck charm for my remaining exams.
Have a happy week ahead, y'all.
P L E A S E V O T E