103: After breaking the wood

After breaking the wood

The loud bang startled Anastasia, who turned around to find Dante's intense eyes staring at her. Her eyes looked at the door, which was no longer in its previous position but had fallen to the ground. Did he break it? When she locked the door, her intention was to unlock it later. 

Dante, on the other hand, scowled even more when he caught Anastasia and the servant sticking their heads out of the window. A few seconds ago, when he had reached the front of the room and tried to push the door open, it appeared to be locked. 

Hearing Anastasia's racing heart, as though fueled by adrenaline, his immediate thought was that she was attempting to escape. And he only jumped to the conclusion because of how strongly the woman clung to the idea of gaining her freedom, and in her eyes, freedom came with being away from him. With everything that had happened to her, he didn't blame her for wanting to flee. 

Anastasia noticed Dante's eyes falling on the bedsheet on the floor, which she hadn't picked up earlier, and she could only imagine the thoughts running through the prince's mind. To prevent either Theresa or herself from being scolded, she hastily provided an explanation. 

"We were looking at the view outside the window… After our meal—I mean, my meal. For some fresh air. We weren't doing anything bad," her voice trailed off uncertainly. 

"I know," Dante responded, and the grim expression on his face softened. His gaze shifted towards the window, through which he could hear the soothing sound of the waves outside. He said, "The door didn't open, and there was no response. I thought something might have happened."

Anastasia wondered if she and Theresa had been so absorbed in watching the sea and listening to the waves that they hadn't heard the doorknob turning. She gave him a nod as if she believed his explanation, and she observed Dante look away from her as if a little embarrassed about something. 

"Did you finish eating?" Dante asked her, and Anastasia responded with another nod before verbally replying,

"I did. Have you eaten yet?" After all, earlier, it seemed like he had spent hours waiting for her to wake up. 

Theresa's eyebrows subtly rose at Anastasia's direct question to the prince as if their relationship had taken on a more familiar tone akin to that of acquaintances. It seemed that the young woman was correct when she said the first prince treated her with kindness. 

"I ate a little, but I am still hungry," Dante's gaze locked with Anastasia's brown eyes, and it took a second for her to understand the underlying meaning, causing her eyes to widen. He then turned to look at Theresa and questioned, 

"Theresa, was it?" 

Theresa promptly offered him a bow and replied, "Yes, Prince." 

Both the women felt scrutinised as Dante stared at them with intimidating eyes. He then stated, 

"Anastasia will require a maid to attend to her, and as you both appear to enjoy each other's company, you will be the one to serve her from now on. I will speak to Norrix to arrange the change in your position. You will receive all the necessary instructions once you reach your room."

Courtesans had maids? Anastasia questioned herself, as the words spoken by Dante didn't seem to align with what she knew, making her feel uncertain about the situation that was unfolding. 

"I would be more than happy to serve her, My Prince!" Theresa exclaimed with enthusiasm, thrilled to spend time with Anastasia again, just like the old times. 

"You can leave," Dante ordered the woman, who offered him another bow before walking to the bedside and picking up the bedsheet to place it back on the bed. Theresa then pulled the trolley before pushing it out of the room, but not before glancing back at Anastasia, who was looking back at her. 

With only the two of them left in the room, Anastasia observed Dante turning towards the door, seemingly about to close and lock it, only to remember that he was the one who had broken it. 

"This won't do," Dante murmured with a slight frown, and he then turned back towards her and inquired, "Can you walk?" 

Anastasia was still standing by the window, and she nodded in response. She then heard him instruct, "Follow me. You can leave the other things as they are," he added when she took a step towards the bed. 

When Dante stepped out of the room, Anastasia followed him, her bare feet softly padding on the carpet as they made their way through the corridors. They ascended the stairs, heading towards a familiar area where the rooms of the princes and princesses were located. 

With the corridors deserted and the place illuminated by flickering torches, Anastasia inquired, "Where are we going?" 

"To a new room. One that has an attached door," Dante replied. When he noticed Anastasia walking a few paces behind him, he slowed down his footsteps to allow her to catch up.  "Don't worry. You won't be sleeping in my room. Not yet," he assured her.

Anastasia felt relieved upon hearing this because she doubted she could sleep peacefully with how things had been spiralling between them. She asked him, "Did you have time for dinner?" 

"I don't have much of an appetite. But if I do get hungry, I will have something," Dante replied truthfully, as he genuinely wasn't craving food right now. However, there was something that he did crave, and that was blood—fresh, warm, flowing blood. The thought made his jaw tighten. 

Given his family belonged to a demon bloodline, the idea of drinking blood was something no one had ever desired. And though he hadn't been the one to get hit on the head, he felt a headache forming. Refocusing his attention on her, he asked, 

"Did you eat well?" 

"I did. All the dishes were delicious. Thank you for that," Anastasia expressed her gratitude for being allowed to taste all that extravagant food. As they continued to walk through the corridors, her gaze shifted towards him. When they were about to pass one of the torches on the wall, her eyes fell on dark dots on his shirt. 

Her eyes then moved to look at his hands, observing how they swayed back and forth, wondering if he was done dealing with the Vizier. Suddenly a door opened, capturing their attention, and Anastasia looked ahead to see a familiar figure in the corridor. He offered a slight bow, resembling more of a nod, and as his eyes met hers, he acknowledged her with a small smile. 

"Good evening, milady," Prince Raylen greeted her before remarking, "You look a little more disarrayed than the last time we met."

Dante's eyes narrowed at the man's remark, and he inquired, "Is the room and service to your liking?" 

Prince Raylen shifted his gaze to Dante, who stared back at him, causing a small smile to appear on the Storm Prince's face. He responded, "Very much so. The staff here is as excellent as in my palace, but it must be the change that is the reason I have trouble sleeping." 

His words didn't go unnoticed by Dante, who stated, "Let us hope you will be able to sleep well and avoid walking in these corridors at night. We already have too many people arousing suspicion and heading towards the path of death row."

"It looks like I have arrived at an inopportune time," Prince Raylen replied. He then continued, "Also, I was with the Elder ministers when the request from the royal palace arrived and was processed and sealed, regarding you having your own concubine. Congratulations to both of you." The corner of the prince's eyes crinkled as he smiled. 

Upon hearing Prince Raylen's words, Anastasia blinked in surprise before the revelation slowly sunk in, and she turned to look at Dante, silently seeking confirmation that it was indeed true. No, it couldn't be… 

If the person in front of him wasn't a prince, and if their families didn't have a truce preventing them from killing each other, Dante would have done it by now. However, he could sense Anastasia's eyes on him, and he knew without turning that her gaze would hold feelings of shock and betrayal. 

"We had a long day, and it appears the night will be just as long, so we will be taking our leave," Dante replied, and he caught Anastasia's hand, noticing that it had turned cold, before leading her away from there. 

Prince Raylen watched the couple leave and murmured with a slight smile, "Hm? Did I say something I wasn't supposed to?" As he was about to step back into the room, he caught sight of a shadow lingering on the other side of the corridor. He remarked, "I thought I was the only one unable to sleep, but it seems I have company." 

Soft footsteps resonated from the end of the corridor, and Princess Niyasa emerged into the light. A smile graced her lips as she addressed him, saying,

"Fancy seeing you here, Prince Raylen. I didn't know you were visiting us." She politely bowed as she stopped before him. 

"I thought I would surprise you," Prince Raylen humoured her, prompting an even wider smile from the young princess. 

Princess Niyasa had grown up believing that she was destined for greatness and that her path to greatness would be realised through her marriage to a man of high status. And who could be a more suitable match than the Prince of the Storm family to take her hand? Maybe he could aid her mother, unlike her brother, who was currently keeping their mother captive. With these thoughts in her heart, she said, 

"If we knew of your arrival earlier, we would have made better preparations for you. After all, we should treat each other well."

"How odd, because I was thinking the same, as it seems not everyone shares the same opinion," Prince Raylen replied, adding, "I wouldn't wish to keep you away from your rest any longer, Princess." He stretched his hand forward, picking up the princess's hand, before placing a kiss on the back of it. "Goodnight, Princess Niyasa."

Princess Niyasa's face turned slightly pink, and she replied, "Have a goodnight's sleep, Prince Raylen. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning, as I have some important matters I wish to discuss with you."

"I cannot wait for it," Prince Raylen smiled at her, and for a brief moment, it appeared as if his eyes were closed. As Princess Niyasa turned and walked away, his smile dropped like a stone, and his blue eyes turned serious. Instead of stepping inside his room, he closed the door and followed in the direction that the princess had taken.

On the other side of the palace, when Anastasia and Dante arrived in front of the room, which was situated on the same corridor as the first prince's room, he finally let go of her wrist, which he had been holding as they walked. 

"Anastasia," Dante addressed her, as she hadn't uttered a word. 

However, Anastasia remained unresponsive, and she took a step inside the room as the realisation of why Aziel treated her in such a manner, providing the extravagant food, and why Dante appointed Theresa as her maid began to dawn on her. 

"I didn't mean for you to find out about it like this," Dante said, as he had intended to tell her once she settled into the room. 

Anastasia's hands clenched, and when she turned to look at Dante, he noticed tears gathering in her eyes. She expressed, "No matter how I would have learned the truth, it wouldn't have changed how I felt about the position, Prince Dante." Trying to compose herself, she took a deep breath and continued, "You gave me your word, and I trusted you."

It was easier to push the blame on his grandmother, who was the one who had sent out the request to turn her into his concubine, but he was the first one to vocalise it openly for everyone to hear. He felt relieved to see that she was at least willing to listen, and he proceeded to explain carefully, 

"The circumstances that unfolded today forced me to take a stand about you. It appears that the current king has set his sights on you, and if I am not mistaken, it is because you remind him of Marianne. I had to do something to prevent him from claiming you, so I did what I thought was right."

Anastasia understood that he acted out of a desire to protect her, but it wasn't what she had hoped for. And when she closed her eyes, the tears she had been holding back finally spilt forth, streaming down her cheeks before falling to the ground. 

When Dante went to take a step towards her, Anastasia instinctively took a step backwards. Though the gesture may have been small, it caused him to clench his jaw and his eyes darkened in disapproval. He asked, 

"Do you hate me?" 

Anastasia opened her moist brown eyes, and she shook her head, whispering, 

"I don't." Even if she did feel that way, did she have the liberty to express it? She then said, "I know you did it to protect me. But where I am now is where my sister once stood, and it is a place I prayed not to find myself in."

Dante wanted her to trust him and, if possible, fall for him, so she wouldn't have to feel the heartbreak she was experiencing over the news she had received. Yet, he hadn't lost his rationality when it came to her. It had only been three weeks since he had openly started pursuing her. To ease her worries, he said, 

"You have my word that I will not take another woman while you are by my side."1

"You also told me you wouldn't turn me into your concubine unless I willingly accepted it. I know," she added the last words because she knew his reason. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she continued, "But that is precisely the issue. The future is uncertain, and within this palace, anything can happen." 

"I don't have a soulmate. What I do have is a rabbit that wants to escape," Dante said, trying to lighten the mood. He then said, "Throughout my life, I have followed my beliefs and pursued what I liked, without bending for people or things that didn't align with me. When my father cast me and my mother to the lowest position, I vowed not to take a woman for a companion. Until you came along. You are unlike any woman I have met before, and you are someone I am able to get along with, and I hope you can tolerate me too."

Anastasia fell silent, staring into space for a few seconds as she processed his words again in her mind. Finally, she spoke, 

"Please do not be offended by what I am about to say. I am only speaking about what I know and understand." She paused for a moment before continuing, "In the past, while talking to Mary, I found out about her and King Maxwell. She was convinced that he loved her, just as she loved him. Being concerned for her, I asked her how she was so certain, and she told me that he had confessed his feelings, telling her she was different."

Dante's lips twitched, and he remarked, "And I told you that you are different as well." His lips twisted before he continued, "I think you should know that Lady Evin isn't Maxwell's soulmate. At least that is what some of us believe." 

Anastasia's eyebrows furrowed, and anger surged within her. To think her poor sister's heart was broken because of a sham? The last days of her sister's life were filled with nothing but sadness and tears. 

"I see. It was for the sake of the throne," Anastasia whispered and softly huffed in frustration. If the situation had involved a true soulmate connection, she guessed it would have been even more agonising, given everything she had heard about such unions. 

"How despicable for him to toy with my sister's feelings like that… There are nights when I think about what would have happened if I had been more firm in stopping Marianne from developing deeper feelings for him. Maybe it would have saved her. Or if I insisted on her leaving with me. Even King Maxwell had assured my sister that he wouldn't force her to become his concubine, yet he went back on his word later. When the time comes, we cannot defy our destiny."

When another tear escaped Anastasia's eyes, Dante stepped towards her and gently wiped the tear off her cheek with his thumb. He dropped his hand to his side and said, 

"I understand every word you have uttered, and I am fully aware of your concerns. However, I truly meant it when I said no one would harm you, and I will protect you. And I will do that by taking the throne."

The throne? Anastasia's eyes subtly widened as she absorbed his decision. But taking the throne didn't eliminate the issue that posed a threat. She inquired, "What about your soulmate?" 

"If I ever happen to meet mine, which I believe I won't, I promise to sever the bond with that woman, especially since it is something that worries you deeply," Dante promised her. 

"Is that even possible?" Anastasia questioned, and Dante nodded. 

"A few cases, yes." There had been a few instances in the past, but some individuals managed to find ways around it, although it wasn't without difficulty. "So, can you not close yourself off to the possibility of having me by your side?" 

Anastasia and Dante stared into each other's eyes before she whispered, "I need a day or two... before I give you my reply." 

pqdm.com