Jace
Tenebrae Castle
Ofrua, 1449
I straightened my maroon vest, tightening the gold belt around my waist. I adjusted the sleeves of my linen shirt, allowing the cuffs to open out at my wrists. One of the maids, Louise, draped my long satin coat over her arm. I slipped it and watched it stretch down almost to my knees. Some gold details patterned certain areas of the grey clothing.
Buttoning my black trousers, I tied the strings to my black boots. I stood in front of the mirror to take a final glance at my clothes before heading downstairs.
My mother and father were already waiting at the front entrance when I arrived. The palace guards acknowledged me, dropping to a low curtsy.
"There you are, Jace," my mother instantly fretted. I could see the nerves written across her face when she approached me. It was almost like we were having a big event, but it was just a simple wait for our guests to arrive. "I was afraid that you will be late."
"Mother, I think I have a very good understanding of punctuality," a small grin grew upon my lips.
I stood with my parents to the side. We heard the heavy steps of horses from a distance, and as I looked out, I saw a carriage coming to view. It came to a halt, and I nodded at the coachmen, opening the door to see the new faces.
"King Hugh, Queen Margret, a pleasure to see both of you again," my father greeted, shaking both of their hands.
King Hugh stood a couple centimetres taller than me. He wore a red tunic underneath his grey long coat. Around his waist was a brown leather belt. His clothes also consisted gold details to represent his royal status. Long black boots stretched up to cover parts of his trousers.
He had a full stubble that hid the bottom half of his face. Trimmed eyebrows arched over his green eyes. The warmness of his smile made him appear less terrifying than people described.
I reached over to shake hands with him then turned over to Queen Margret. Grasping her hand, I bent down, pressing a light kiss to the back as a mannerly gesture.
Queen Margret had her brown hair up together. She wore a necklace that held several shiny jade gemstones. It was paired with the stone on her ring. Her yellow gown flared out at her waist and down to the ground. It remained a conservative style to flatter her figure.
I pulled back and smiled over at the young lady who stood beside Queen Margret. I assumed she was Princess Iryna, the person who my mother truly wanted me to meet.
Similar to King Hugh, she carried the jaded green eyes, a colour somewhat more lively compared to what Queen Margret had on her jewelries. Her blonde hair straightened down to her lower back, loose in waves. Her prominent facial features displayed her true European ancestry.
Over her slim frame was a blue gown. Long white sleeves stopped at her wrists, and yellow trimmings decorated around her gown. It was a simplicity that carried out the nature she held. Even her accessories were less captivating to the eyes.
"This must be Princess Iryna," my mother went ahead to give Iryna an embrace. She pulled back then observed Iryna from top to bottom. "My goodness, such a beautiful young lady."
"Thank you, Queen Isla," Iryna said appreciatively.
"Iryna," I greeted, taking her hand before I left a soft kiss to the back of her hand. She slightly pulled back, almost like she was unfamiliar with the gesture.
"King Jace," she did a low curtsy. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Jace is fine. We're both in the same generation. No need for the formalities."
She nodded in agreement. Our parents went ahead to the castle, and I gestured for Iryna to follow. We walked beside each other and tried to hold some conversations, but we would sometimes get trapped with silence. It was almost like we did not have much to converse about.
I was relieved when I saw my sister-in-law with my second eldest brother. She went to Iryna, asking her questions about her trip. I slowed my steps to remain close Rowan.
"You are already dealing with problems?" Rowan whispered, holding back his chuckle. "How are both of you going to be together for eternity?"
"I only agreed to meet Iryna because our parents are constantly on my nerves. It is not like I have a choice," I clarified.
Ofrua was a thriving country that expanded throughout Aigrus, the large continent far from the rest of the world. Ofrua used to be quite small when my ancestors first had it, but after hundreds of years, our ruling only benefitted the nation. As a Marcellus, I was proud to be part of the monarchy. At the same time, I knew burden arose.
Just like every other country, the citizens emphasized greatly on heirs. The country continued to strengthen under my reign, but citizens continued to gossip about me having no family. It had been two years, and rumours sparked around the cities.
My parents grew anxious each day. I would hear my mother complaining, and my father ordered my brothers to help me on my workload in order for me to have spare time for marital arrangements. It was merely impossible to escape the traditions.
It was uncommon for royal members to choose their potential partner. For many years, we had always been paired with someone who could benefit us. It was a mutual advantage that I found ridiculous. A marriage would fail when it was based on materialism instead of true love.
"I should be grateful that both of you came, especially Alana," I smiled, glancing over at my sister-in-law who easily dealt with Iryna without a challenge. Rowan answered with a proud grin as he focused on his wife. She was a true hostess of the show.
Alana was the Princess of Edurim, a match that my mother planned for Rowan. After she gave birth to my nephew and niece, Ralphie and Aubrey, we gained a closer alliance with her father. All of it only seemed beneficial to me because I was in throne.
At twenty three, I took over as the King of Ofura. Before that, my father had trained me young by having me excel in different weapons and fighting with bare hands. Once I was done with my schooling, he gave me time to adjust then stepped down from the throne. I took over the royal matters, learning from my father daily to become a good king with my own mindset. Not the mindset that he placed on me.
My three brothers, Kian, Rowan, and Arlo, were all older than me and had qualities to be in throne. Rowan had a heir and was married. He could easily succeed, but my father insisted the throne to be passed to me. He believed I was the best successor out of everyone. I accepted it in the end after my brothers convinced me. They remained by my side to help with other duties.
Ofrua made enemies from smaller empires, but we also formed alliances to stabilize our home. Other places feared us. Some places tried to attack us, but we still remained the strongest of the entire continent.
Our citizens, including us, were British descendants. They settled in our country, and our family ruled as a monarchy to bring the empire to an expanding nation. Behind the doors, the sacrifice of making an empire shine was from the tough and ruthless nature of a ruler. My father was one of them.
He gave no mercy to anyone, especially those who betrayed him. He tortured his enemies until they gave up their secrets. Blood painted the walls. Screaming pain echoed the room. I saw and heard people cry in misery at the prison cells. Their eyes would turn bloodshot red, and their skin was bruised to purple. I was nearly left traumatized.
My father wanted me to see the harsh reality. Since I was a child, he told me that one sympathetic chance for your enemy meant one stupid chance for you to be killed.
If you did not want to be killed, then you must kill them first.
I suddenly stopped at my steps as I thought about how my brother had never pinned up against me. I heard about other nations, and when a sibling took over the throne, the other siblings would plot to steal the status. Civil war happened in the past, and fortunately, it did not occurred for our family.
We gathered around the table for lunch. My sister and oldest brother rushed inside, settling in their spots after they greeted both King Hugh and Queen Margret. I noticed how Iryna bonded with my sister easily. They were smiling and talking like they had known each other for a long time.
"I appreciate you for inviting us over to the opening ceremony of the garden, Vlad," King Hugh said with great appreciation. He laid the table cloth over his knees. "We are honoured to have this opportunity."
"My pleasure. Margret and Isla are close friends. Isla wanted your family to come visit ever since we last went to Idrora. It's been a while, and Isla had never met Iryna either," my father answered.
My mother and Queen Margret were close friends. They interacted several times but mostly exchanged communication through written letters. Ever since my mother knew about Iryna, she wanted to bring the two of us together. It also meant she could be in-laws with her close friend.
"Jace told me how excited he was to meet Iryna," my mother put me on the spot.
I furrowed my brows, nearly choking on my water. I heard Kian laugh beside me, and I slightly kicked him at the foot underneath the table. He hissed, ticking at me. He was playing around when he should be the one next to get married. He was the eldest too.
"We are all very excited to meet Iryna," I emphasized on the word. I did not want to send any wrong signs to Iryna because of how kind she was.
I raised a finger to allow the servants serve food for us. We were talking around, waiting to eat until my father interrupted.
"Is Arlo out again?" My father commented, his voice lacing with disappointment as he glanced over at the empty seat.
The rest of us remained silent. Arlo was the only sibling who stayed away from royal matters. He was more interested in the ladies he brought back to the castle. His reputation was known as an irresponsible prince to the citizens. It only affirmed my father further to not put him in throne.
"Arlo might just be busy, father," Renee tried to explain.
Renee was the youngest one out of the five of us, and she valued family relationships. Whenever we had problems, she would do her best to diminish the situation. Since she was the only daughter my parents had, my father was weak for her more than us.
"I apologize," my father told our guests and presented his best smile to hinder his annoyance. "It is very rude of Arlo to disappear from the occasion. I will speak to him once I see him."
"We understand that Arlo might have other priorities. Please do not feel apologetic about it, Vlad," King Hugh assured.
My father nodded, allowing the servants to serve us the food. We had chicken meat, roasted with fresh rosemary gathered from natural sources. Our town market had herbs and spices collected from many places in Ofrua. It was highly valued as many natural resources were rare.
Our head servant, Micah, cut the meat with a sharp knife, splitting the pieces amongst our plates. Our sides consisted of pinot noir grapes. The sweet juice burst in my mouth when I took a small bite of the fruit.
"How are the final touches to Esatin Garden, Jace?" King Hugh wondered, bringing the conversation over to me.
"It has been great. I'm heading over tomorrow to check for the last update," I smiled, taking another drink of water. "We're adding in the stone benches and water fountain. The final product will be perfect."
"You should bring Iryna to visit tomorrow," my mother intervened, her eyes hopeful for a positive response.
"It is very chaotic there at the moment, mother. I rather not risk Iryna getting into the construction that is happening around. I would feel guilty if she gets hurt," I responded rather diligently.
There was some truth to my words. The garden was far too messy to be involved in until everything was completed. I would not want Iryna to get harmed at the spot, but a part of me wanted to keep my private matters away. I wanted to take as much time alone.
"Jace has a point, mother," Alana agreed. "We should all wait to see the finish product of the garden instead. A process is nothing interesting. It's the final result that counts."
My mother nodded, setting me free from her proposed idea. I sighed in relief then glanced over at Kian. He already set his eyes on me. His knowing gaze was enough to read my expression. Out of all the brothers, he was the closest to me.
Our guests went to rest after lunch. My brothers and I were in my chancery to discuss some political matters. We reviewed our previous tasks before we completed the last discussion points.
"So when do we get to call Iryna our sister-in-law?" Kian teased.
"Do not make such a joke," I warned, pinching my nose bridge. I hated how he would get onto my nerves about my plans. "I should ask you when I am getting a sister-in-law."
"I am not as important as you, Jace. Father and mother were talking to me about having you get engaged to Iryna. They are expecting her visit to end with a good outcome. I do not think you should disappoint them."
"She is too young for me. If Renee did not tell me that Iryna was even younger than her, I would expect them to be the same age. We have a seven years difference."
Rowan and Kian chuckled. They were clearly entertained by my stress. Our mother kept trying to tie Iryna and me together when I knew nothing about her.
"Alana told me that Iryna seems to like you. If you put in a little more effort, I think you can keep Iryna. You already have her wrapped around your fingers," Rowan revealed.
"Maybe I should start making it clear that I am not interested. Have you not seen us earlier today? We had nothing in common. All we spoke about was our backgrounds," I stated. I thought back to how the silence between Iryna and me treated us better than our actual conversations.
"Be wise, Jace," Kian suddenly turned serious, almost like he wanted to give me essential advice. "As much as you have your differences with Iryna, there are a lot to consider in our family. You cannot just do whatever you want. I want you to know that."
I nodded comprehensively. Kian was more concerned of me being reckless because of my opinions. I wouldn't do anything to put our family at risk, but I had to think of a thorough plan to speak with Iryna. She was an understanding woman. She deserved to have better choices in life instead of me.
Kian and Rowan went on to their royal matters. As I passed down the hallway, I spotted Arlo having an arm around a lady. His brown hair fell to his forehead, uncombed and slightly ruined by hands. The strings of his shirt dangled out, and the opening of his collar revealed some of his bare chest.
The lady was wearing a tight fitted dress, holding the curves on her figure. Her black hair was straightened and down to her mid back. Bold red coloured her lips, leaving a trace over his clothes and skin.
She leaned over to whisper something in his ear. She laughed but eventually noticed me, sending a wink as she pushed Arlo on the chest. Arlo raised his head to match my gaze, his eyes bloodshot from the alcohol. The sharp smell weaved into my nose once we were in close proximity.
"Where were you?" I questioned Arlo, ignoring the attention from the unknown woman. I kept my gaze on my brother even if I could feel hers aiming at me. "Father was upset when you were absent for lunch. He prioritizes our guests."
"I am fine," he assured and had his hand over my shoulder. "Just spending some time with a beautiful lady."
Arlo kissed her on the cheek, a gesture that was meaningless to him. He grinned at me then moved on to bring the woman back to his chamber. The door slam echoed in my ears, and I darted my eyes over to the wooden barrier for a few second. I shook my head, returning to my chancery.
* * *
a/n: so excited to officially publish regally poisoned. hello everyone, it's nice to see you or see you again. thank you so much for starting this new journey with me.
for those who followed from royally bounded, i hope you will spot parallels or find connections to the first book. it's going to be interesting to see how you will notice the details.
also, i hope you can spot the clear difference between hayden and jace. if you do already, let me know who you like better so far. sweet jace or cold hayden?
updates will be every friday!
remember to vote, comment, and share!