A quick update like I had promised;)
Nova
An unknown anger seethed through my veins after witnessing the scene in front of me. I took a good look at the woman who had just walked in. She was quite tall, with sleek platinum blonde hair cascading down her waist and had thick eyebrows with luscious lips. She was dressed in ostentatious clothes and expensive ornaments which indicated she was royal.
She flashed her eyes towards me and an expression of distaste overtook her face. Nicholas had the usual cold expression on his face and he didn't even attempt to push her as she clinged to him like a lizard. I didn't like that, at all!
"What are you doing here, Cassandra?" Nicholas asked her,
"Am I not allowed to visit you, my darling Nik?" she said puckering her lips which made me cringe in disgust,
"You can visit anytime, make yourself at home" he replied solemnly,
I cannot believe he just said that!
Who the fuck is she? Is she one of his ex girlfriend or something?
I felt a pang of hurt strike through me at that thought. I didn't know why I was reacting like that, but I had never felt this intense dislike towards someone I just met. I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard her speaking.
"Why thank you! I also heard you are betrothed to a princess, won't you introduce me to her" she said faking a smile, but I could clearly sense the annoyance dripping in her tone.
"She's right here" he said gesturing towards me.
"This is Princess Isabella Rosette Campbell of Elysian, and my betrothed" he said looking at me and continued "Isabella, this is Cassandra Brooke Caprice, the Queen of Valevia"
Oh! She was a queen. That explains the crown on her head.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" I said politely, even though I felt like thrashing her.
"Hmph, if you say so" she replied pushing her straight hair behind her shoulder.
"Are you sure she is a princess? I thought she was a maid. She looks quite ordinary and plain to me" she said looking at me from top to bottom and scrunching up her nose.
Yes, I was under dressed and I didn't even put on a tiara.
I wasn't even a royal, so why should I care? But, I will be royal once I marry Nicholas, won't I?
Whoa! What the heck am I thinking?
I cannot marry him, I need to get my ass out of here. Stick to the plan idiot, I said to myself.
"She is a princess but quite different from the rest" he said gazing at me.
Was that an insult? I didn't know what to think anymore.
"Oh Nik, you can certainly do better than her" she scoffed.
"Yeah Nik, you can do better than her" I said emphasising 'her' and she knew I was talking about her. Her face turned red with anger and I grinned. Nicholas shook his head at my behaviour. I wasn't the one who started it. I cannot believe he's taking her side.
"Cassandra, I suggest you go settle in your chambers. I'll see you at dinner" Nicholas said to her,
"Alright then! I'll tell them maids to fetch my trunk. I think I might want to be in a chamber closest to yours, it will be easier for us" she said seductively trailing her fingers down his bicep.
I was fuming with anger. She looked at me and smirked. I looked at Nicholas and saw there was no change in expression on his face. I thought he would say something against it.
If I am his betrothed then he shouldn't be seeing other women, right? I guess that's not what it is. He wanted her and of course who wouldn't?
I hated to admit, but she was very attractive. He would obviously want her. Then why the fuck did he force me to come with him when he already had women falling at his feet.
"I'll see you soon, my King" she said in a sickening sweet tone and walked out of the room not before giving me a dirty look.
Bitch! I cursed internally.
I turned to walk away too, but Nicholas grasped my wrist, preventing me from leaving,
"Where do you think you are going?" he questioned with slight annoyance in his tone.
"Away from you" I said looking away from him,
He turned my face towards him, by holding my chin. His deep silver eyes looked at me in confusion and anger.
"I thought you would stay here, with me" he frowned,
"It seems like you have company. You shouldn't keep her waiting, so I suggest you to go and entertain her" I said those words with difficulty, trying hard not to show my grief and continued,
"Whereas I'll go and entertain myself, with these" I said picking out three books and hugging them close to me. He looked at me with a hint of amusement in his eyes, but didn't say anything.
"I'll see you at dinner, then" I said forcing out a smile and hastily walking out of the room.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I failed to understand why the heck was I reacting this way.
"Wait" I heard his deep voice echoing in the corridor.
I stopped in my tracks as I heard his footsteps approach me. I blinked my eyes rapidly to push back the tears, but it was pointless. I felt his hand on my shoulder and he turned me around, so now I was facing him. He cupped my face with both of his hands and looked in my eyes.
"You're upset. Is it because of Cassandra?" he questioned seeing the tears in my eyes.
"You refer to her on first name basis, that's nice. Why don't you go and propose her to be your Queen? I bet she would dance on her toes and readily accept" I scoffed angrily,
"Are you jealous, love?" he smirked at me.
Me? Jealous?
Hell no! I am pissed, angry and I wanna break her perfect nose.
"I'm not jealous of some porcelain doll" I shouted in rage,
"Seems like you are" he chuckled caressing my cheek with thumb. I glared at him.
I hated him but at the same time I craved him. Seeing him with other women made me mad.
"Do you fancy me, love?" he whispered deeply in my ear, which caused butterflies in my tummy. My face turned beet red.
"I do not fancy you, I hate you. You can sleep around with thousands of women for all I care" I lied. The thought of him sleeping with other women made my blood boil.
"I take women to my bed, but I don't sleep with them" he said deeply looking at me with a dark predatory glint in his eyes and continued "I fuck them and they love it"
Oh gosh! I felt blood rush to my cheeks and a shiver of excitement across my spine. He smirked seeing my reaction.
"And I don't intend to stop, unless you say that you want me all for yourself" he said deeply with a devilish grin on his lips,
"I will never want you" I stated, lying again.
I wanted him, I needed him and I knew I would give in to him, someday. I pushed his hand off my face and walked away from him, more like ran away. I didn't stop until I reached my chambers.
I was enraged and I wanted to cry.
No! I am not letting this affect me, I just cannot. I have to be strong, that's what my parents wanted me to be, so don't you dare cry Nova, I said to myself. All these years I've taken care of myself and fought all the hardships in my life, I cannot afford to be weak. I took a deep breath in and calmed myself down. I need to focus on working on the machine. The sooner, the better now. I cannot have feelings towards a monster, I just cannot.
There was a knock on the door. I opened it and I saw Ada and Carter standing there with concern on their faces. My sour mood instantly changed after seeing them and I gladly let them inside.
"Bella, there's something we need to tell you" Carter said with a frown on his face.
"Yes Carter, go on" I said,
"That vile woman has come back to ruin things again. Our fates are damned" Ada said bitterly,
"Ma please, don't scare her. Let me tell her" he said and turned towards me.
"Bella, you must know about Cassandra, she-" I cut him off and said "Unfortunately, I already had the chance to encounter her" I said and continued,
"I know she is one of his many lovers" I said with gritted teeth.
"She's not his lover. Nicholas doesn't do romance" Carter replied,
"Then what? His mistress?" I questioned angrily,
"Not exactly, but you can say that. They did sleep around a couple of times" he said.
I wanted to barf!
"But isn't she a Queen? Also I thought there were no more rulers left as Nicholas has conquered every land in the kingdom" I said,
"Yes, he has conquered every Kingdom. Three years ago he had his eyes set on Valevia. It was a mighty Kingdom, with strong military power and highly skilled warriors. It was impossible to intrude in their Kingdom, so Nicholas needed someone on the inside. That's where Cassandra came in. She was the King's stepsister and wanted nothing more than to be in power. Nicholas met her at the ball and he knew she would be useful to him. She readily agreed to become an ally of Nicholas. She got us valuable information and helped us get inside Valevia" he said and continued,
"Valevia lost the war because we had the upper hand. She requested Nicholas to let her have the title of Queen. He agreed because he owed her. So, she is a Queen who lives lavishly in her palace but has no power of administration"
"Why is she here then?" I questioned.
"She is obsessed with Nicholas. She wants to be the Queen of Arcane. All these years she has tried to charm him but that hasn't worked" Ada answered and continued,
"But when the word spread that Nicholas is marrying the princess of Elysian, she was livid and vengeful. She's only come here with evil intentions towards you" Ada said in a worried tone,
"You need to be careful, Bella. She has managed to earn the respect of Nicholas by her loyalty all these years, so it isn't going to be easy to take her out" Carter said,
"What could she possibly do to me here, when there are guards around all the time? Will she attempt to kill me?" I asked,
"I will protect you with my life, you don't need to worry about that" Carter winked at me showing off his biceps. I laughed at his behaviour.
"Thanks Carter, I appreciate it" I smiled. He was like a brother I never had.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" I asked,
"Do not underestimate her child, she's malicious. She can turn Nicholas against you, after all she's known for her manipulative nature. She's helped Nicholas spy over many Kingdoms by her seductive charms" Ada said.
It all makes sense now. I understood why Nicholas had a liking towards her. She has done him a lot of favours in the past. I felt my insides burn. Maybe I was jealous and I now I knew how it felt to be jealous.
"What's the point, Ada? Nicholas likes her. I saw how close they were. I'm sure manipulation is not necessary for her" I stated.
"So are you jealous, little Bella?" Carter grinned teasingly,
I glared at him and he laughed heartily.
"Oh lord, you are jealous and you have begun to fancy him, the Devil" he chuckled,
"Quit teasing my dear Bella, or you will be dealing with me, son" Ada scolded him,
"Okay Ma, I'll stop" he said immediately, but not before bursting into a fit laughter again.
"Bella dear, I've seen the way Nicholas looks at you and it's different. Don't let her come between you both" Ada said and continued, "Also, I'll make you irresistible for tonight's banquet" she said with determined eyes,
"Banquet?" I questioned stupidly,
"It's the party held before the Annual Winter Ball. Did Nicholas not say anything about it?" Ada asked,
I shook my head no. When does he ever talk when he's with me? I internally rolled my eyes.
"There's a ball too?" I asked in disbelief,
"Yes, and I've ordered plenty of gowns beforehand, for the occasion" she said proudly,
"Splendid! I'm going to enjoy dressing up" I said sarcastically.
I already dreaded the ball. I hated crowds. And I definitely wasn't a fan of gowns.
"Bella, you should get some rest before tonight's celebration. You just recovered from that head injury" Carter said to which I nodded.
"Also, you need to eat and like I had said, no more excuses" Ada piped in,
"Alright then, but you both are eating along with me" I said. They hesitantly agreed and I just smiled. I have powers of persuasion, I knew it.
The food was brought in and I ate in the company of Ada and Carter. I enjoyed being with them. It was fun watching them quarrel occasionally. In the amidst of all this craziness it was good to talk and laugh normally. A while later, they left after strictly instructing me to rest. I got under the covers and closed my eyes. Soon, I fell asleep.
I woke up to Ada's voice calling out my name. I saw three other maids in the room. I proceeded to get ready for tonight. When I said 'to get ready' it's just me sitting on the seat thinking of Quantum mechanics while Ada and the other maids worked their magic on me. I didn't even bother to see what I was wearing and after a while I heard Ada say it's done.
I snapped out of my thoughts and got up. I looked in the mirror and saw a completely different person altogether. I saw the reflection of a breathtakingly beautiful woman in the mirror and I had trouble believing it was me. Ada looked at me in admiration.
"Your beauty and compassion is your strength, my dear. Always remember that and let no one tell you otherwise" she said and continued, "You look lovelier than ever, my dear Bella" she said looking at me in joy,
"All thanks to you, Ada" I said in appreciation,
"You must go now, dear. Have a wonderful time" she smiled and I nodded.
I walked through the empty hallways towards the dining room where the banquet was being held. My palms were sweaty and I was a nervous wreck. The only sounds I could hear was my own footsteps. I reached the dining room in no time. I saw a whole lot of people who had gathered there. They were chatting and drinking in joy. In the far corner of the room, I saw Nicholas with Cassandra grinding herself against him. They were in very close proximity with each other and that sight itself was enough to enrage me.
Cassandra noticed me from the corner of her eye and smirked. And then I saw it, the most dreaded sight I could ever ask for. She smashed her lips against his and started kissing him.
And I felt my heart getting crushed and shattered into pieces!
<Aesthetic picture of Cassandra above>
She looks evil, doesn't she?
Please vote and comment!
Thank you for reading ❤️
(Not edited)