Standing by the waterfall, she embraced the peace that came with it. Staring at the water, she wished her worries would float away like the waters.
Celestial stood at arm's length, quiet while she watched her mistress.
"Do you think I am making the wrong decision, Celestial?" Liora asked,her voice barely masking the storm inside .
"I don't know, milady; only you can answer that question." Do you think he did that out of pity? I thought we went past that.
Liora sighed. Celestial was right, but doubt still gnawed at her. She longed to defend the relationship,but the words wouldn't come.
Maetron Marina saw Liora lost in thought; walking towards her, she placed her hands on her shoulder.
"What's wrong, Liora? Don't you want the marriage?
"I do, Mother, I just... Her voice cracked, threatening to give way to tears .
Seeing her daughter in so much distress, Maerina didn't know how to make her happy or ease her distress.
"This marriage isn't been forced on you, child. Once Kealan arrives take your time, and if you don't want the marriage, we can always call it off. My judgment may be wrong, but he seems to be a good man. It's up to you both to decide the basis of your relationship.
Pity, duties, or love?
Liora stood there for a while after Matron Maerina left.
Entering the lustral pool, she tiptoed so as not to wake Arius, holding a plate of fruits in her hands. Getting closer, the bed was empty.
Panicking, she dropped the fruits and searched around. Soon Arius jumped in front of her, startling her.
"That's not funny, Arius. Your wounds haven't fully healed—I was worried sick."
Arius stared at her for a while before giving her a hug.
"I have missed you, Liora. Sorry it took time for me to come back from my trip." He gave her a sad look.
What's with the sad look? Arius, you had to go for the town's sake, and Auntie told me you had so much fun. How does it feel training to lead Riverlake of Ardentor?
Liora beamed as she spoke her laughter bubbling despite the tension.
"Wait, you are not just Arius anymore, you're lord Arius of Riverlake? she burst into laughter".
Arius knew she was trying to get her mind off something, and she tends to talk a lot and laugh even when nothing was funny.
"Can we talk, Liora?"
Seeing his serious expression, Liora nodded, wondering what he had to say.
"About your marriage... Arius paused for a while before continuing, can you cancel the marriage alliance?"
Liora's eyes shot up in anger, but she tried to control it.
"Why should I do that? And you just woke up after the long process of trying to heal you. Please go back to bed and get enough rest."
"I have rested enough, Liora. I asked for your hand in marriage, and Uncle Thalen hasn't given me a reply yet."
Liora took a deep breath before calmly speaking.
"Arius, we have been friends since childhood, and I only consider you as a friend, nothing more. The last time you told me about the marriage, I clearly refused. Please don't bring this up anymore.
Liora turned to take her leave but was hugged from behind by Arius.
"This is inappropriate, Arius," she struggled against his grip.
I am betrothed to someone else. Let go of me. Her voice was sharp and stern, making Arius take his hands off. He had never seen her this furious; he had clearly gone to far.
"I will pretend this didn't happen, Arius. You are still recovering and clearly not thinking straight. Please don't let this repeat itself, or you will be stopped from coming into the Ardentos fortress. I will take my leave.
Liora!! Arius called out, but he was faced with her raging face before she walked out.
All preparations to leave for Ardentor commenced with the most beautiful carriages, gifts, and dignitaries escorting the prince. He blatantly refused so many escorts that after so much back and forth with the king, he was granted few to escort him to Ardentor.
The maids gathered as they chitchatted. I heard the prince and king got closer. One of the blonde-haired maids spoke in a hushed tone.
Yes, their bonding started after his betrothal. Why do you think the prince agreed to marry her?
"Some say he was in love with his brother's betrothed."
I heard Prince Gavin rejected her.
I think Prince Kealan deserves her more, or do you think he did that to please his father so he could get the throne?
The maids put on a surprised expression, concluding that was the case.
Prince Gavin, who happened to pass tried to contain his anger as his eyebrows twitched higher. How dare they say Kealen is aiming for the throne? He didn't know why he was so angry.
But the throne was his and no one else's.
Noticing the presence of the prince, they bowed and trembled in fear.
Gavin passed by their sides, ignoring them and fuming angrily. He saw the king with Kealan, which further increased his anger.
"Greetings, Father, Gavin greeted.
Gaining King Aldric's attention, who was happy to seeim, he said, "Welcome, Gavin. Your brother was just about to leave for Ardentor. Wish him farewell. I will give you guys space to talk."
Kealan's face was unreadable; he was just not in the mood for Gavin's ranting.
"I heard something intriguing, and I can't help but wonder if it was true. I mean, it looks like the perfect plan. Who knew you were that sneaky?" Gavin burst into laughter as he stared at Kealan's deadpan face .
"Since you have nothing reasonable to say, we will be on our way. You are nothing but a boulder blocking my path,I won't trip on you."Kealan snapped
Gavin took in a deep breath, holding onto his anger; it's not like he could harm this bastard.
"So that's it? You used Liora to win Father's trust and grab at the throne?"Gavins voice was sharp
Kealen paused, wondering where he got such an absurd thought from. He simply just loved Liora, and he wasn't interested in proving that to him.
"It's obvious you weren't loved; if you were, you would have noticed the rumors, which I believe are true. I wonder how your fiancé feels about the fact that you fooled her, thinking you were actually in love with her.
Soon the atmosphere turned deadly the leaves scattered as his eyes turned slightly red.
Lord Varek and Dorian, noticing the dark aura, knew who it was from.
Lord Varek walked where the boys were with a smile. It's nice to see you, Prince Gavin. It's so nice of you to bid us farewell. He put up an awkward smile.
Kealen backed Gavin so he was unable to see his bloodshot expression, but he felt the deadly atmosphere as he got goosebumps.
Gavin facepalmed a little.
"Wh-what was that, you monster?" he stammered. What are you hiding? What's with the change in atmosphere?
Ignoring all Gavin was babbling about, he wondered if that was what Liora felt.
He didn't really tell her why he accepted the marriage proposal; he sighed at his foolishness.
"I have to win her heart; I have to prove myself to her."