Falling in Love with His Majesty

Chantel Raven

I did not expect I would end up here, killing someone in this Cursed River, trying to get the blood off my clothes. But I have killed people all my life, even when my mother gave birth to me. I am better than anyone at murder.

Argh! Arthur is such a pain. Dealing with his issues is like trying to get his stubborn blood stains out of my clothes – so annoying!

Arthur might have killed me if I hadn't killed him. I'm also not feeling well, which is a problem if he suddenly attacks me without me knowing. Thanks to my not-so-great mother Devora's idea, my dad wants me to marry Arthur Conri. So, I killed the man my dad picked out for me because I get to choose who I marry. He was also chasing a scared woman, and I couldn't let that happen.

"What a creep," I said in a low voice, rolling my eyes and moving away slowly.

I'm not a hero, I meant to kill him to make things quicker. He died painfully, and I tossed his body into the river. He screamed, but no one came to help. He died from a cut throat.

"L-lady Ambrose?" The woman looks at me like I just killed someone.

"Call me Raven or Chantel, not Lady, and definitely not Lady Ambrose. Just thinking about being called that makes me feel really sick."

"Oh, my god! You are General Raven?" she asked.

Is this woman really that stupid? I already told her what to call me, right? I'm not a general. A boss? Yes. I would never be a general, though. I'd rather die.

"Yes, that's me. In the flesh," I say after a deep sigh.

She comes up to hug me, but I act fast, stopping her with my dagger at her throat.

"I do not like to be touched, miss?"

"Sorana Mailon, my lady—" she stutters and stops talking right away when she calls me Lady again. Everyone knows I'm an illegitimate child because my last name, Raven, makes it clear. Why does she not get that?

I've used the surname Raven my entire life to distance myself from my father's legitimate family. As a child, my stepmom labeled me as bad luck, but like a Raven, I see myself as a symbol of intelligence.

I found out Sorana was brought here by mistake to work in a club, so I offered her a job as my maid at Mount Ambrose, and she agreed. I immediately grabbed her hand and ran fast. I have to go home now because our staff wakes up early, and my dad is about to come into my room.

"Follow me, Sorana," I said to her. But then, we stopped when suddenly the most annoying, happy person called my name as we walked through the halls.

"Chantel! Happy birthday, stupid bird."

That's my brother Zave. And that stupid nickname, bird. He won't call me Raven because he thinks it would be like kicking me out or something.

"Sorana, just walk down these steps, tell Shaye I sent you, and you're working with them from now on. Got it? Oh, and tell her not to bake anything, please," I whispered to her.

"Thanks again!" she smiles. I nod, signaling her to hurry. She goes to the steps and takes my robe from me.

As she heads downstairs, someone gently pushes me from behind. He laughs, saying, "You're nineteen now? That's old."

"Hands off, Z."

He stays silent, turning me to face him. His face shows not sadness but hurt.

"Still?" His voice softens, and his brown eyes look full of sadness.

"Yes," I say firmly.

I love my brother a lot. Our connection got even stronger when our older siblings died in the war. We've always been close and stuck together to escape this tough situation.

He taps my nose and says, "Okay, bird, come with me. Dad's been looking for you."

I check the time on his pocket watch. "It's six in the morning! Why is everyone up?" I groan.

"Because It's your birthday, sis. You're his favorite, we all know that."

I rolled my eyes at what he said. He expressed it so well. Favorite my ass! I wonder if Dad would still love me if he knew I ended the life of the jerk I was supposed to marry.

He laughs and heads to the dining room, but I won't eat there. I usually have meals with the staff downstairs. We walk through the dark, candlelit rooms of Mount Ambrose, an old castle in the mountains. It's considered less important than Vaseau and Argenti, as it's underground. The Ridge, where Mount Ambrose is, values the Cursed River and Dark Forest, not the castle. The houses are surrounded by trees and mountains, showing the poverty outside. Despite the castle's wealth, people suffer. Lord Dracio Ambrose claims to want to help, but I doubt his sincerity.

As I walk into the dining room, I see my dad, Devora, and Veronica. That's not all that makes the atmosphere cold, the looks on their faces make me shiver. As soon as Veronica sees us, she walks straight over to me. She bows and says, "My lady."

"Get the fuck up, Veronica!" I swat her arm, and she laughs. I get a kiss from her, and she hugs Z.

"You smell, Zave. How do you get girls in your bed with that stink?" She asks, stepping back from him.

"Girls don't get into my bed for my smell. They get into my bed for my—"

"Stop it. I'd rather die than think about you having sex. Awful. That's not what I want to hear," Veronica declared.

Both Z and I find it funny how disgusted she looks.

Zave tuts and says, "Ah, my innocent sister. As if we didn't see your secret rendezvous with—who was it again, Chantel?"

"Wait, let me think. It was. Hmm…" I think for a moment. "Ah, I remember. Shaye!"

"Yes! Yes indeed. The blond."

She turns pale, and her eyes get big with fear. "Chantel! Z! What the fuck?"

"Oh, whatever, Veronica. She's pretty, you're doing well. Anyway, let's go. It's our sister's birthday, and I want to see her reaction to the surprise," Z said, urging Veronica to move.

She grins and goes, "Oh!" They both smile, then out of nowhere, they both start pushing me forward.

"Reaction to what? Stop, fuck—"

"Watch your words, young lady," Dad frowns.

His strong voice makes me glance up, and I almost apologize, but I hold back. The pushing stops, and the twp guards stand behind me. They're part of the Mount Elffire group, my creation after The Anonymous attacked years ago, and our ongoing struggle with them spans inside and outside The Ridge. I'm determined to keep my promise and eliminate all of those Anonymous.

My dad's unusually gentle words snap me back to reality. "Why don't you sit down, Chantel?"

I hope this won't be a waste of time. I take a seat on his left, just in front of Lady Devora's beauty. V and Z follow, sitting next to me. I sigh, avoiding eye contact with her or my dad.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Devora smirks. "Don't get too excited, Chantel."

"Dad?"

I watch his face closely. He looks into my eyes, waiting to reveal the surprise they mentioned.

"Oh, come on! Just tell her already!" Veronica's voice sounds giddy and excited.

Dad smiled—a rare sight. "Alright," he agreed. "I know I've been bothering you lately," he admitted, a bit unsure. "I've been trying to find the right person for you, but it's been tough because of your..." He paused, searching for the right words.

"My status? My non-existent title? I didn't choose my status, title, or being an illegitimate child. Blame someone else for that."

I saw Devora roll her eyes.

"Your reputation, dear. You're a bit aggressive and hard to handle." Dad said.

“What a lovely conversation to have at six in the morning. Couldn't you have insulted me after dinner?"

He sighs, "I have decided that you don't have to marry—that boy. What is his name again? Albert?"

"It’s Arthur, Dad!" Veronica said, frustrated.

My poor dad doesn't even know his name, of course. He really just wants to get rid of me because his wife hates me. Too bad, I already got rid of that Arthur.

"Really?" I say it loudly, making it seem like I'm excited about the news.

"Yes, really."

"Thanks, Dad." I stand up, give him a quick kiss on the cheek, then return to my seat. I don't usually do that, but it gets the job done. I can sense Devora glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd have been gone since the day I arrived here.

"Go on, tell her the rest,” Devora interrupted.

"The rest?"

Dad takes a deep breath. "We received a letter. You need to go somewhere."

"Sure, do I have to kill someone?"

"No, you have to go to court," Dad answered. I raise my eyebrow and try to understand what's happening when suddenly Devora stands up and says, "We need you to marry the king."