*Twenty Seven Years Ago*
Marian was excited about meeting her betrothed for the first time, but at the same time, she felt nervous. She had never seen the duke before and hoped that he was a man near her age.
Her controlling mother came along with her to make sure everything went smoothly. She, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. She would've been more pleased if Marian had married the king, but since he was already engaged, the duke was the best choice. After all, the king and the duke were cousins.
Marian didn't care. As long as her husband was kind and loved her, she would be happy. She silently prayed for luck.
The carriage came to a stop, as did her heart. This was it. She was there.
Marian picked up her skirts and stepped out of the carriage, her mother right behind her. The servants opened the door for them and let them in. She wondered why the duke didn't answer the door himself.
Suddenly, a man ran around the corner, out of breath.
"Sorry I wasn't here to greet you right away. Please accept my apologies," he said, breathless.
Marian was breathless as well. The man in front of her might as well have been from a dream.
He stood tall and proudly. His eyes were a hazel-green, his hair was dark brown and unruly. She could imagine running her fingers through it.
Then she blushed, realizing how inappropriate her thoughts were.
"I'm Marian," she introduced herself, feeling a little self-conscious standing next to him.
"I'm Felix, Duke of Wysteria," he introduced back, smiling.
Marian held back a gasp. This gorgeous man was to be her husband? She would be extremely lucky if he was kind. Based on his friendly smile, he probably was.
"Let me show you around," Felix said, quickly gesturing for one of the servants to take her bags. Marian forced herself to keep calm while entering her new life.
~~~
Planning for her wedding was the most stressful thing Marian had to do. It was still four months until the wedding, but it was still busy work.
There was the reception, the music, the food, the dress, and all of the invites. There were so many other things to so but she was now just fussing over the reception.
When she had decided to plan the wedding personally, although she received help from other people, she didn't imagine the hard work that came along. At some points, she wanted to pull at her hair.
Everyone else seemed to notice her disorientation and go easy on her.
Felix entered the room and glanced at all of the papers everywhere.
"Marian," he sighed, walking over to her and taking her into his arms. "I think you need a break."
"I know," she leaned into him, enjoying the kiss he planted on her forehead. Then she tilted her face up to give him a kiss on the lips.
"Then let me help you," he said, getting up and holding her hand. Felix started to tug her along, away from all of the wedding preparation.
"Where are we going?" Marian asked, confused. She thought he was going to help her. Or maybe it was just to help her take a break.
"I want you to meet someone," he replied, heading to the study.
When they entered, Marian saw a handsome young man who looked quite similar to Felix. Similar frames and hair. The only difference was his eyes, which were grey. They could almost pass as brothers. But he looked so familiar...
"Meet my cousin, Maxwell," Felix announced.
Marian felt her eyes widen. Cousins? Maxwell? The king? King Maxwell was standing in front of her?
Although it was a little delayed, she sunk deep into a curtsy. "Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
The king walked towards her after she stood back up. He bowed, taking her hand and giving it a kiss. "The pleasure is all mine."
Marian froze. Did the king just bow down to her? And did he just kiss her hand in front of Felix?
The look the king gave her lingered a little too long. And when she looked into his eyes, she saw a hidden promise.
~~~
The king had always seemed to find an excuse to talk with her. It was nice to have a friendship him, and he always sent extravagant gifts.
For the upcoming wedding, he had given them a labyrinth. Today, he was going to give her a tour. Unfortunately, Felix was a little busy dealing with a conflict in one of the villages nearby, so he couldn't make it.
"Shall we?" the king asked, holding out his arm. Marian took it out of politeness.
As he navigated to the center, Marian couldn't help but ask, "How did you memorize the route so quickly? Wasn't this finished building just a few days ago?"
"I have an excellent memory," he smiled, finally arriving to the center.
Marian's eyes widened at the sight of the statue in the fountain, letting go of the king's arm. It was a statue of a beautiful woman, that bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
She stepped towards it to take a closer look, noticing something on the statue's leg that made her breath hitch quietly.
In flowing cursive, it read, My Love.
She spun around quickly, just to find that the king was standing right behind her, too close to be friendly. His expression was full of tenderness.
"Marian," he said in a low voice, moving even closer. "I love you," he confessed, grabbing her hands to pull her closer.
Marian just stayed frozen, stunned at his proclamation of love, her heart thudding in her chest. He took her silence as a sign for him to go on. So he leaned forward, pulling her to him and kissing the side of her face.
That finally spurred her out of the her frozen state. She leaned away, putting her hands on his chest to gently push him away, brushing against the small golden chain around his neck.
"Max, stop," she said, gently. After all, the man did confess his love for her.
"What's wrong?" confusion laced his voice but he leaned back in and continued kissing her on her jaw.
"You can't do this," she replied, feeling awful and guilty.
"Why not?" he whispered, ignoring her request by continuing to trail kisses.
Having enough, Marian roughly shoved him away to get his attention and make him realize that she was being serious.
"You are engaged," Marian stressed, trying to reason with him.
"It's only political. You're the one I love," he replied flippantly, not understanding. It made her angry.
"I'm getting married in a week!" she exclaimed.
"Do you want me to break both of the engagements then?" he asked, still annoyingly oblivious to the message.
"No! You don't get it. I love Felix," Marian snapped, getting softer at the end. "I love him and I want to marry him."
As soon as she said that, his face dropped all emotions, becoming a blank slate.
"Are you sure?" he asked emotionlessly, after a long pause.
"Yes," Marian replied softly and honestly. The nonexistent expression on his face worried her.
~~~
Today was the day. Now was the time that she had been waiting for since last year, when she had met Felix.
"I do," Felix smiled, looking so gorgeous in his suit. Her face hurt from smiling so wide, but she couldn't stop smiling.
"You may now kiss the bride."
And kiss the bride he did. Marian threw her arms around him and closed her eyes happily. She was finally married to the man she loved.
The rest of the day went by like a blur. Her father showed up with all of his friends. Every once in a while, she saw her mother lurking around, looking pleased.
But she didn't see Max. In fact, she hadn't seen him since the day he confessed.
Later, when the party was over, guests started to leave. There were only a few people that still haven't left, but they were on their way to.
"Go back to the room, I'll be there soon. I'm afraid I have to finish sending people off," Felix ordered, kissing his bride again. Then he grinned, saying, "I'll make it up to you all night."
Felix winked and left, leaving Marian with a very red face.
She nervously went up to the room, thinking about his sweet promise. Taking advantage of his temporary absence, she took a quick bath and changed into her nightgown, finally getting out of the itchy dress.
Lying down, she waited for Felix to return. After a while, she fell asleep.
But she was soon awakened by someone kissing her collarbone.
"Felix," she murmured groggily, feeling the kissing momentarily pause before starting again. She felt slightly disoriented, considering how it was so dark in the room.
Although it was dark, she could still feel around. In the end, she settled for clutching his hair, which seemed a little more coarse than usual.
Within seconds, she was more awake and leaned up to start kissing him back. Right after she did that, she felt his hand slowly slide the nightgown off her shoulder. Lips landed on the corner of where her shoulder and neck met.
"I love you Felix," she sighed out.
She unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it off, resulting in her getting shoved back down to the bed. Then, she just let her body take over.
~~~
Felix wasn't in bed when Marian woke up. But she got up anyways to put on a robe. Remembering the events from last night made her blush.
After she finished washing her face, she stepped back into the room to see Felix standing there, looking a little flustered. As soon as he caught sight of her, he strode towards her and grabbed her hands, surprising her.
"Forgive me, for I am terrible," Felix started, making Marian confused. "I left my wife alone for the first night we were married because people kept me away. I should've just left them to go wherever they needed to be by themselves."
Marian suddenly paled.
No.
"What time did you get back?" she managed to choke out.
"Just a few minutes ago. I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner like I promised," Felix answered, still apologizing.
Marian's heart stopped in horrific realization. The man who had been kissing her last night - who had bed her - hadn't been her husband.
She felt like hyperventilating. Or maybe throwing up. But for sure, she was nauseous.
"Marian?" Felix asked, noticing how pale she looked. When she looked up to see his concerned eyes, she knew that she couldn't tell him what happened.
"I'm sorry, I have a little headache," she lied. Felix immediately helped her to a chair.
"I'll fetch the nurse," he said, leaving her alone again.
As soon as he was out of sight, Marian broke down in gut-wrenching tears. She unsuccessfully tried to wipe them away, but it was as if she was trying to wipe away the guilt.
How could she have not known that it wasn't Felix?
Then she realized that the bed was a mess. It was only luck that Felix hadn't thought much to it. Marian hurried over to the bed and took off the sheets, reminding herself to change them later.
But as she did that, she noticed a familiar gold chain lying on the pillow.
And just like that, she knew who had been with her last night.
Max.
~~~
For the last nine months, Marian had avoided any contact with the king. She always found an excuse not to go near him.
Now, she could only hope that her child was actually Felix's.
But unfortunately, the next day, when she saw her baby boy open his eyes for the first time, all she could see was grey.
Grey just like Max's eyes.
The baby wailed along to her inner turmoil.
When Felix had noted the color of his eyes, Marian quickly reminded him of how his father had grey eyes. While holding the baby, Felix sat next to Marian on the bed.
"Sebastian's lucky to have you as his mother," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
Marian smiled, simply trying to ignore the guilt that still gnawed at her.
*Fourteen Years Ago*
Eight-year-old Kaiden chased his brother around, determined to finally nick him with his wooden sword.
His brother was too good at swordplay and it bugged him. Actually, Sebastian was just good at everything he did. He was the perfect example of a child and the best brother or friend that anyone could ever wish to have. Which was why it was perfect that he would be the next duke.
"Seb," Kaiden whined. "Stop running so fast!"
His short legs weren't as long as his eleven-year-old older brother's so couldn't catch up. Eventually, Kaiden gave up trying to catch him. Sebastian didn't seem to notice that Kaiden gave up and kept running.
While Kaiden was walking, he saw Mary walking down the other hall. When she saw him, she hustled over to him.
"Where have you been dearie? And where's your brother?" Mary asked. Kaiden pointed down the hall that he was just walking through.
"Your parents want you in the study," she told him before noticing the wooden sword in his hand. Then she took it and gently pushed Kaiden in the direction of the study. "Go on, I'll get your brother."
Kaiden obediently walked to the study and entered the room to see his parents and some other people.
It was there where he met her. His big eyes widened as he saw the prettiest little girl that he had ever seen. Her blonde hair was perfectly curled and her blue eyes sparkled when they landed on her.
He stood there, frozen and speechless until his father called him over.
"Kaiden, I want you to meet Allan, Jane, and their nine-year-old daughter, Genevieve," Felix introduced them. But all Kaiden could process was the girl's name.
Genevieve. It was a perfect name for such a perfect girl.
"Pleased to meet you," Genevieve greeted politely. Kaiden was even awestruck by her voice. He imagined that if she smiled, she would be even prettier.
He was lucky. Because not even a minute after he thought that, she smiled. Kaiden was so distracted that he didn't notice Sebastian enter the room until he saw where her eyes were focused on.
Kaiden grew excited thinking about how great this could work out. They would clearly get along just fine and become great friends.
*Eight Years Ago*
Fourteen-year-old Kaiden impatiently waited near the door, excitedly tapping his foot. Sebastian was finally going to come back home.
For the past two weeks, Sebastian had been away, since he was off visiting their uncle.
Kaiden had been planning to go along with him, but he got sick on the day they had to leave and ended up staying back.
For the last week, he started missing his brother. It was the longest time they had been separated for. The only thing that kept him sane was Genevieve, who missed him as well.
As soon as Kaiden heard a knock on the door, he sprinted over and opened it, a big grin on his face.
As soon as the door was opened, Kaiden found himself engulfed in Sebastian's arms.
"Hey, little brother," Sebastian greeted affectionately, before messing up Kaiden's hair.
"Not the hair," Kaiden complained, although not unhappily.
"Seb!" a girl's voice cried out from behind them. The brothers turned to see Genevieve hurrying down the staircase. "You're back!" she exclaimed, running towards him now.
To avoid being trampled, Kaiden let go of Sebastian before Genevieve threw herself at him.
From the side, he uncomfortably watched her hug his brother. A churning sensation materialized in the pit of his stomach.
If he was being honest with himself, he'd admit that he was a little jealous.
~~~
Kaiden was awoken by the bang of the door to his room. He jumped up in surprise, seeing Sebastian stumble in.
He immediately got out of bed and tiptoed over to him. Sebastian reeked of alcohol. Was he intoxicated?
"Seb, what's wrong?" Kaiden asked, worried about his state of being. His brother groaned in response as if it pained him to hear someone talking to him.
"I-I" he choked out a sob. Sebastian couldn't even get out a full, coherent sentence. Kaiden waited for his gasps to calm down until he was breathing a little better.
"Are you okay?" Kaiden asked, seeing that his distressed state was more diminished now. But now he just looked drunk.
"No, I'm a bastard," Sebastian slurred, tipping forwards head first. Kaiden, confused out of his mind, caught him before he hit the ground.
"You're not making any sense. What do you mean?" Kaiden asked, although by then, Sebastian had closed his eyes and passed out.
Kaiden dragged his brother to the sofa to lie him on it. He also brought a bucket over in case Seb needed to later.
He thought about what Sebastian just told him. What did he mean by that?
~~~
The days following that night, Kaiden had noticed a change in his brother.
He was more quiet and tense, and anytime he talked, it was harsh and curt. Kaiden was very hesitant to even talk to him. But at the same time, he really wanted to know what happened.
Then, one day, after Kaiden asked him what happened again, Sebastian lost any remainder of his composure.
"Kaiden, you are such a selfish little brat," Sebastian snarled, his eyes narrowed. Seb's hostility stunned him. "You can't leave me alone even when I'm clearly giving you signs that I don't want to talk about it."
All he could do was widen his eyes. He couldn't even remember the last time his brother had yelled at him like that.
"S-Seb," Kaiden stammered out.
"Don't you dare 'Seb' me," he seethed, inching closer to him with his fists clenched. Instinctively, Kaiden stepped back until his back hit the wall.
In that moment, Genevieve bounced into the room, looking happy until she saw them. The smile slid off her face as she examined the situation.
"What's going on?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed together. Sebastian's eyes twitched in annoyance.
"Not you too," Sebastian gritted his teeth. Kaiden noticed a frightened and confused expression on her face.
"What do you mean?" Genevieve asked hesitantly.
"Harlots never know when to shut their mouths," Sebastian hissed out venomously, not caring that he was saying awful things.
Genevieve sucked in her breath and a pained look entered her eyes. Tears started glistening. It was silent for a minute.
"Why are you saying that?" she asked, sniffling a little, looking heartbroken.
Kaiden suddenly felt angry at how his brother could treat her like that. But he stayed frozen against the wall as he watched Sebastian walk towards her.
"Because you keep talking," he hissed, finally in front of her. The tears started to flow down her face but she didn't say anything.
After he said that, he stormed out of there, leaving the other two shocked.
~~~
The day after that, Sebastian packed up his bags and left to who knew where.
And for months, he had no contact with either of them, in any way, shape or form.
And Kaiden never found out what happened that one night and what Sebastian had meant by his comment.
*Seven Years Ago*
Now fifteen, Kaiden was going to ask Genevieve if he could court her - for the third time.
He had asked her twice before. Once when he was nine, although he had only half meant it, and the other time when he was fourteen, before Sebastian had left.
Both times, her reply was, "It's too early now. Maybe next time."
He was a little nervous this time, but he had planned everything. From what he was going to say to what he was going to give her.
Genevieve loved roses so he made sure to de-thorn one so he could give it to her.
But when he saw her, all thoughts went out of his head. Her welcoming smile made him forget what he was going to say.
"Hello Kaiden," she greeted, glancing at the rose. That jolted Kaiden back into thinking again.
But he still stammered with nervousness. "I know I, uh, asked you before, but I'm quite serious about it. Not that I wasn't serious before, which I was, it's just that I'm more serious this time, considering how I'm older now. I think we are both of an age where it would be acceptable to have a relationship."
As he was speaking, he was mortified at how far it strayed from his original speech. He couldn't stop his nonsensical rambling. It wouldn't be a surprised if she said no again because of his performance.
"What I meant to say was-" he still stammered, but luckily he was interrupted by Genevieve.
"Yes, I'll let you court me," she said with a smile, taking the rose out of his hand to smell it.
Kaiden just stood there in surprise. He didn't even ask the question but she had accepted. She had said yes.
A giant smile split his face. "You won't regret it, I'll make you happy, I swear," Kaiden promised, determined to keep his promise.
*Four Years Ago*
Kaiden's nineteenth birthday was coming up in two months. So he decided he was going to finally do it.
He was going to propose to Genevieve.
He loved her with his entire being and couldn't imagine living without her. It would be the best birthday gift if she said yes to being his wife.
As he did every week, he brought a rose along with him when he went to visit Genevieve. And this time, he was going to ask her to finally stay at the castle to live with him.
Genevieve took her time answering the door, but when she did, she had a small smile on her face.
"Kaiden," she greeted, plucking the rose out of his hand like she usually did. She dipped her head to smell the flower while giving him a sly look.
"Kiss me," she ordered, wrapping her arms around his neck. Kaiden obediently leaned down and kissed her, smiling against her lips.
After a few minutes, Kaiden pulled back a little to murmur, "Come live with me at the castle."
Genevieve pulled back, her eyes a little widened.
"The castle?" she asked, as if it was unbelievable. "Really?"
Kaiden laughed at her expression. "Of course. You already belong there, considering how much time you've spent there."
Genevieve smiled back at him. "I guess I'll have to arrange for my things to be transferred," her voice chimed. Then she twirled around and headed back into her house.
~~~
Two weeks after Genevieve moved in, Kaiden showed her around the garden, particularly where the roses grew. He leaned against the tree while watching her marvel over the flowers.
"Roses are truly beautiful," Genevieve sighed. Kaiden walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"That's why they are yours," he murmured softly to her, spinning her around so that she was facing him. Pulling her close to him again, he leaned down to press his lips gently against hers.
Suddenly, a whistle pierced the air, making them both jump.
Kaiden and Genevieve both turned their head to see Sebastian sauntering towards them.
Kaiden's eyes widened at the sight of his brother. Over the last four years, Sebastian hadn't changed much appearance-wise. The only thing different from last time was the absence of the hostility and tension in his posture and expression.
Beside him, Genevieve paled and dropped her arms. Then he remembered that the last time she had seen him, he had called her a harlot. It was no doubt that she looked like she wanted to flee, but he held her hand for comfort.
"Hey," Sebastian started. "It's been quite some time since I last saw the both of you. And clearly I missed a lot of things," Sebastian finished, eyeing their intertwined hands. Obvious to what he was referring to, Genevieve uncomfortably released her hand.
"Why are you back? And now, of all times?" Kaiden asked, still trying to decide whether or not to be happy with his return. "Why didn't you contact us for almost five years?"
Sebastian stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I guess I felt like it was time to come back."
He didn't bother answer all of his questions. But as long as he acted civil, maybe he could be tolerated.
"Are you going to act the same as last time?" Kaiden asked warily, trying to make sure Sebastian got the message.
"No," he replied, not too quickly nor too slowly. It was satisfying for now, although it was not even close to enough for fixing their relationship.
"I suppose you know your way to your room," Kaiden invited him, since he would feel guilty if he turned him away. "Just make sure you stop by to see Mother and Father."
"Of course," he nodded his head in respect and turned around to leave.
But Kaiden failed to notice the strange glance Sebastian gave Genevieve.
~~~
Two more weeks passed. Sebastian had been given a stern lecture by Felix but he was forgiven rather quickly since he had been away for so long.
It wasn't a surprise that everyone else forgave him as well. Especially the women, who fawned over him and his charm. The years away gave him the chance to develop interesting skills.
Even Genevieve forgave him after he gave her an apology about what he had said all those years ago. Her posture finally relaxed around him after that.
Sebastian also gave Kaiden an apology. But he still didn't tell him what had happened or why he had been so hostile.
To try to get Sebastian to give up his secret, Kaiden started by admitting something. He figured that if he told him some things, Sebastian would return the favor and tell him some things as well.
"I'm planning to propose to Genevieve on my birthday," Kaiden blurted out. His head jerked up in response.
"What?" Sebastian's attention was finally caught as he looked surprise.
"I want to marry her," Kaiden basically repeated, not sure why it was surprising. Sebastian's eyebrows furrowed and a look of annoyance came into his eyes.
"Does she love you too?" he asked cautiously.
Kaiden frowned. What kind of question was that? "Of course," he replied.
"Are you sure about that?" Sebastian pestered, incessantly questioning him.
Kaiden suddenly grew annoyed. "What are you trying to say?"
Finally, Sebastian stopped his questions. "Nothing," he said stonily, wiping the surprise off of his face. And like usual, he didn't explain anything.
~~~
Kaiden looked for Genevieve. It felt as if lately he hasn't seen her as much. But whenever he did, she acted secretive.
But he found her outside with Sebastian, who looked slightly unnerved. But he left before Kaiden got there, and before he saw him.
Nevertheless, Kaiden continued walking towards Genevieve, who had yet to see him. He decided to surprise her by wrapping his arms around her from behind.
She jumped in his arms before turning her face to the side, seeing him. Genevieve relaxed a little after seeing him, but she was still a little tense.
"Kaiden! You frightened me!" Genevieve exclaimed, half playful, half serious.
"Sorry," he said, letting her go briefly before asking something. "What did you talk to Sebastian about?"
At that moment, Kaiden hated how his last conversation with Sebastian planted a seed of doubt within him. Did she love him?
But as he kept thinking about it, he convinced himself that if she didn't love him, she wouldn't have stayed with him for almost four years. And that wasn't even including the years they knew each other before he started courting her.
Genevieve sighed, making his heart pound in anticipation. "You know, we were planning to keep it a surprise, but if you insist on knowing, we were planning something for your birthday."
Relief flooded into him. Then annoyance spiked, mostly because he hated how he even suspected anything.
"Sorry," he repeated, with a grin this time. "You know that I'm not good with secrets and surprises."
"Fine, then I won't do it next time," Genevieve pouted. "But at least act surprised so that Seb doesn't know I told you."
"Of course," Kaiden replied. "You know I'd do anything for you."
Genevieve smiled in response.
~~~
Tomorrow was the day. The day Kaiden would propose. He was planning to do it in the rose garden. The nervousness was starting to sink in but he was trying to push it away.
Which he was doing quite successfully.
Genevieve breathed hard into his ear, clutching him close to her as he kissed the side of her face. He could feel her pulse racing against his hand, which was lifting her chin up.
Unable to stand it any longer, Genevieve grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his. Meanwhile, she unbuttoned his shirt, took it off, and pulled him to the bed.
Kaiden hovered over her, pulling his face back a little to breathe out, "I love you."
And he did. If she asked to stop, he would immediately stop, no matter how far he was gone.
He quickly returned to what he was doing, untying her hair so that it would be free. Closing his eyes, he returned to going down her neck.
Then a single word shattered him.
"Sebastian," Genevieve sighed out.
Kaiden immediately froze and jerked back until he was sitting up, his eyes widened. And just like him, Genevieve had her eyes widened in horror.
His heart pounded loudly in his chest, surely filling the silence between them.
"What did you say?" he whispered, unbelieving and unsure that he had even heard it right. Surely she didn't say what he thought she said. Didn't moan out his brother's name while he was kissing her.
But she still didn't say anything. All he could see was the detached look in her eyes.
"I'm sorry Kaiden," Genevieve said, making Kaiden's heart drop. Her tone only previewed what was to come.
"What do you mean?" he whispered, not knowing if he even wanted to know. Did he really want to know?
Genevieve swung her legs around so that she could get off the bed. Her eyes were everywhere except for on him. A pit of dread rested in his stomach, which only worsened as the silence dragged on for a few long moments.
"I have to tell you something," she started, still not looking at him.
Those were words that always seemed to indicate that something terrible was about to be said. Even the tone of which she said it in was foreshadowing something that had a bad feeling to it.
"I'm in love with Sebastian."
Kaiden's heart stopped.
"What?" he choked out after a minute, his mind starting to shut down. He couldn't think, but at the same think, he couldn't stop thinking.
She loved his brother. His brother. Not him. Not like he loved her.
"When?" he whispered, realizing that she couldn't have just figured that out now. She sounded so sure in that bitter statement that it sounded as if she had already known.
Genevieve closed her eyes. "I've always loved him, since the day we met," she replied. All Kaiden could feel was the pain in his chest, the pain of his heart breaking.
"Why did you agree to letting me court you?" Kaiden asked, emotions running wild inside. Pain, sadness, anger.
"Because Sebastian left and never contacted me. You were the closest thing I had to him," she answered, digging the knife deeper. The only reason why she was with him was to be his brother's substitute.
"I enjoyed your attention and your gifts, but every single time you kissed me, I saw Sebastian's face," she added. Kaiden felt like hyperventilating, but the only thing he was doing now was crying.
"It was good enough. But then when he returned, my feelings for him resurged. And he felt the same. I know it's true because we made love to each other," she stated.
His heart shattered into unrecognizable pieces, his gut twisting uncontrollably.
Genevieve made love with Sebastian. His brother of all people. She never even let him do anything like that with her. He couldn't stand the thought of them having...
Anger bubbled at the same time. His damn brother knew that she was with him, and he knew that Kaiden had planned to propose to her, but he did that anyways.
Tears, filled with heartbreak and anger, slid down his cheeks.
"I loved you," he choked out a sob, unable to restrain his emotions anymore. And he still loved her. As much as he wanted to loath her, he couldn't change his feeling that quickly.
"I know you did," Genevieve replied quietly.
The girl Kaiden fell in love with was nonexistent. She was no longer that young girl that was sweet and innocent. She was no longer in this world. He didn't know the person standing in front of him. Or, at least, her real self.
"And I wish I could say I loved you back. But I can't," she said another cruel statement. Then she promptly turned around and walked away, leaving him sobbing on the bed.
How could he have not recognize any of it? He had seen the looks exchanged between them. He had remembered the way she had distanced herself from him when Sebastian came back.
But the thing he hadn't seen was the image she had put on. He hadn't seen the way she envisioned him as Sebastian. He hadn't seen the truth about her. Hadn't recognize the lies.
Kaiden felt as if he was suffocating. He needed to get out of there. So he picked up his shirt and quickly buttoned it up, before starting to head towards the door.
But as he got up, he saw someone blocking the door. Sebastian.
"Kaiden," he said as soon as their eyes met. "I'm sorry."
The anger sharply returned before Kaiden threw himself at him. "How the hell could you do that?"
"It was an accident," he started, worsening Kaiden's mood.
"How the hell was that an accident? According to her, you loved her too," Kaiden snarled, wanting to smash his face.
"I don't love her," he said, surprising Kaiden for a brief second. "I was just trying to help you."
The surprise was over by then. "Help me? Help me? You call that helping me? You slept with her!" his voice grew louder.
"Let me explain," Sebastian pleaded. Kaiden stayed silent, although he felt like he might explode at any second.
"I knew she wasn't right for you. Before I came back, I had heard rumors of how there was a girl toying with the duke's son," Sebastian started. This came as a bitter surprise to Kaiden.
"I came back to prevent you from making a mistakes, but I needed to prove she wasn't as good as you thought. I seduced her so easily it was sickening, but she took things further than I liked. And then I freaked out because I couldn't face you. That proof was going to devastate you," he finished.
Kaiden absorbed the information with an expressionless face.
"You should leave," Kaiden said coldly after a minute.
"But I was trying to-"
"Shut up!" Kaiden hissed, interrupting him. "You should've told me what you were doing. I shouldn't have found out this way. I shouldn't have found out this late. I shouldn't have found out the day before I was going to propose."
"Now if you aren't going to leave, I will. And don't bother following me," he finished coldly, pushing past him into the hallway.
Kaiden stormed into the secret wing, where he could be alone for a time being. He went to the room at the end of the hall, where he stayed for the next few hours.
His alone time was broken when he heard the door crack.
Kaiden tensed but immediately relaxed when he saw his mother. He stayed sitting, watching his mother walk and take a seat across from him.
Marian didn't even have to say anything for Kaiden to know what she wanted. But he wondered if he could talk about it without falling even more apart.
"Genevieve cheated on me," he started in a hollow voice. Then he summarize what had happened. But as he did, he watched emotions flicker through her eyes, although he wasn't quite sure if it was because of his story or not.
After he finished, there was a pause. "What do you think of her now?" his mother asked, hesitantly.
Emotions flared within him. "I don't even know. I think I hate her but I still love her at the same time," he answered honestly.
There was another pause before Marian asked the next question. "Do you think it would be better if you didn't know? If you were ignorant?"
Kaiden thought about it. "I do wish I didn't know. It just hurts so much to know. But things like that can't stay hidden for long. It would be even worse if I found this out after I proposed or if we were married. Either way, I'd hate her, maybe even more than I do now."
She closed her eyes, looking like she was having an internal conflict.
"Why did you say that?" she groaned out, confusing him.
"You're the one that asked. What's wrong with you?" Kaiden asked, his mind was temporarily taken off of thoughts of Genevieve and now concentrated on his mother.
As soon as he said that, Marian broke down into tears. Kaiden was taken aback. What was she crying about?
"Do you really hate her?" she sniffled. Kaiden narrowed his eyes slightly. Was she really on her side?
"Do you think he'll hate me if I tell him?" she asked frantically, not bothering to let him answer. Suddenly, Kaiden understood that she wasn't talking about him.
But then what was she going on about?
Once again, not bothering to let him answer, she quickly got up and went over to the desk. On the desk, there was the mirror of truth next to a sharp letter opener. Kaiden hurried and went along with her, still confused.
She picked up the mirror from the desk and nervously asked, "What would happen if I tell him the truth?"
Kaiden peeked over her shoulder to see what the mirror showed. But all he could see were images of death. A pale, lifeless face appeared, making her scream. It was her own face.
All of sudden, his mother went hysterical, wailing at the same time. "I'm going to die!"
After she grabbed him by the shoulders, he freaked out. "What's going on? What do you mean by the truth?"
"Sebastian's not Felix's, your father's, son," she cried, still hysterical. It was as if something possessed her.
Kaiden was stunned at the news. It couldn't be...but it would explain what he said all of those years ago. The thing about him being a bastard.
"Whose son is he?" Kaiden asked, still shocked. It was almost impossible to believe that his mother had cheated because the love they had for each other seemed so real.
"The king's," she wailed, surprising him even more. Sebastian was his...half-brother? The illegitimate son of the king?
Then she continued to blubber about her story, telling what happened, until finally, she said what happened between her and the king.
"What did you say?" a new voice suddenly came from behind them, by the door. They both turned around to see Felix standing there, looking shocked and pained, clearly from hearing everything.
Marian, still traumatized by the image shown by the mirror, looked terrified. She scrambled back a little.
"Felix," she cried. "It was an accident. I didn't know it was him, I thought he was you. I wouldn't have done it but I didn't know until it was too late."
Kaiden flinched at the second mention of accident that day. Felix, on the other hand, grew angry at that.
"The person I was trying to send off, when I got lost, worked for the king," he slowly realized, hardening his eyes. "I'm going to kill him," he promised darkly. Meanwhile, Marian cringed at the word 'kill'.
"Don't kill me!" she screamed, backing up even more. Her crazy demand surprised both of the men. But Felix's eyes widened in concern.
"I'm not going to do any such thing to you," Felix said in a cautious voice, careful of not pushing her too far.
But as he walked closer, she panicked and started to climb up one of the ladders to get onto the balcony.
Kaiden started to worry. His mother was in no state to be up that high. And the fact that his father was walking closer seemed to agitate her even more.
Felix seemed to recognize that and ordered, "Marian, come down. We can talk on the ground."
The wild look in her eyes didn't leave as she walked backwards on the balcony, replying, "No."
"Marian, careful," Felix coaxed, his arms held up to show that he didn't have anything in his hands. But that didn't deter Marian's fear.
As soon as his hand slowly reached the ladder, Marian freaked out and scrambled back, tripping over a fallen book.
Kaiden watched her flail in slow motion, losing her balance as she backed into the railing until ultimately, she went shrieking over the edge.
"Marian!" Felix yelled, at the same time Kaiden did for his mother, and tried to catch her.
But neither of them were fast enough.
The blunt sound of the sickening thud struck them.
Kaiden flinched, horrified as the sound echoed in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that if he opened them, a horrific sight would greet him.
"Marian!" he heard his father sob. Kaiden felt his own heart get twisted but he still didn't dare open his eyes. It felt hard to breathe. His mind was scrambling, not quite processing that the thud he heard had been the sound of death.
Felix cursed and went back to sobbing, doing so for several minutes. Then after maybe half an hour, it went silent.
Kaiden finally opened his eyes to see his father kneeling beside his mother's body. His chest constricted again as he saw her face, which looked just like the one the mirror had shown. Pale, lifeless, her eyes glazed, red pooling around her.
When he couldn't stand it anymore, he looked to his father. The hollow look on his face was devoid of any life.
"Kaiden," even his voice seemed empty.
"Yes?" he managed to whisper out, although he was feeling sick. And nervous. So far, any conversation that started with his name did not end well.
"Do you know what happens when you love someone?" grief finally stained his tone. "Your heart belongs to them, and they hold it, able to do anything with it."
Kaiden understood it perfectly.
"It makes you vulnerable," Felix finally answered his own question. "And when they die, you want to die." Then he eyed something on the desk.
His eyes widened, understanding the terrible message as he realized that his father was looking at the letter opener.
In order to prevent him from getting the sharp object, Kaiden rushed over to grab it to take away the temptation. As soon as it was in his hands, he looked back at his father.
Felix stared coldly at him. "Give it to me," he ordered, getting up to his feet. In response, Kaiden hid it behind his back.
His father quickly stormed over to him and grabbed the arm that was holding the blade. Kaiden struggled and pulled his arm back so that his father wouldn't get it.
"Give it to me!" Felix growled, his eyes as mad as Marian's had been.
"No, father, stop," he pleaded, trying to talk some sense into him. But it failed.
While his father seemed to have more intent about getting the opener, Kaiden had no intention of hurting his father, so he just tried to pry his hands off.
Only paying attention to his arm, Kaiden didn't see his father's other hand come hurtling towards him. Just when it was near his head, Kaiden barely noticed and quickly ducked, losing his grip and balance slightly.
That was when his father jerked on his hand that was holding the blade. And then Kaiden felt the blade sink into something.
Warmness spilled onto his hand. His eyes widened as he looked down to see that the letter opener had disappeared into his father's chest.
Kaiden choked out a strangled cry.
"Father!"
But like his mother, his father's eyes glazed over as his body slowly drooped to the floor, turning still.
Going into shock, Kaiden let go of the blade and stepped back, his heart beating furiously. His breathing sped up in horror as he realized what he had just done, tears leaking from his eyes.
His whole body trembled, even his breaths were shaky. But he stayed there, standing in the position for minutes.
He was so paralyzed that he didn't notice the door creak until he heard a gasp.
Sebastian stood by the door and, with widened eyes, stared at the ghastly sight.
"No, no, no," he whispered to himself, looking completely shocked and horrified.
After a minute, he turned his gaze toward where Kaiden was standing and finally noticed him.
"What did you do?" Sebastian whispered, disbelief in his tone.
Fury bubbled up inside of Kaiden.
"What did I do? This is all of your fault!" he yelled, barely able to tolerate the sight of his brother. If only he hadn't done what he did, then Kaiden wouldn't have had to blurt out what happened to his mother, and then none of this would've happened.
The initial shock on Sebastian's face was immediately replaced by anger.
"My fault?" he spat out. Then Sebastian seemed to lose it as well. "I am not the one who's the only one alive in a room where there are two dead people! I'm the one that just got here to see my dead parents!"
"Yeah? At least you still have your father alive, happily sitting on that throne of his," Kaiden countered bitterly, using information against him. Both of them knew that he was talking about the king.
Sebastian's eyes widened in shock and horror, as if he couldn't believe he used that excuse.
"Damn it, Kaiden. Felix was my father too. Maybe not by blood, but still my father," his voice was a mixture of vulnerability and anger. "I can't believe you would stoop that low."
Kaiden couldn't get ahold of any of his emotions. They were running wild within him.
"Don't talk to me about stooping low. You slept with my girl!" he yelled.
The vulnerability left Sebastian's eyes. "I did you a favor. Now you don't have to marry a girl who doesn't even love you."
That hit Kaiden in the gut, but he refused to back down. "A favor? Look how that turned out. You are so selfish."
"Selfish?" Sebastian's voice raised. "Did you not hear me tell you earlier that I did it for you? Why don't you ever listen?"
"Why don't you leave like I told you earlier!" Kaiden blew up, sick of the sight of him.
"You know what? Fine! I'll even leave the dukedom to you. It's not even mine," Sebastian shouted bitterly before he spun around and left.
As soon as he was gone, Kaiden sank to the ground, drowning in grief.
His father was wrong. Love didn't exist. Just the appearance. And the madness that could ruin it all.
Had his father loved him, he wouldn't have forced him to do that terrible deed. If his mother truly loved his father, she would've realized that he wouldn't have done anything to her. And had Genevieve loved him, she wouldn't have cheated on him.
Kaiden placed his forehead against the ground and let the gut-wrenching sobs out.
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A/N
Hmm...this chapter is kinda unreasonable...but I'm gonna leave it for now.
Anyways, what do you think of his story?
Who do you hate most in this chapter? There's a few to choose from (Grrr... I really hate one in particular)
On a happy note, what do you think of that totally awesome picture on the side?
^_^ ------>
Vote/comment/fan!
:D