Chapter 4. Perfect Bride

Chantel Raven

The building is really nice, much better than Mount Ambrose. I don't like the cold, even though I've lived at The Ridge my whole life. What I love is the gentle breeze and bright sun.

I'm so captivated by the beauty of the place that I missed a pair of eyes shining on me. The blonde man's eyes belong to him, the con artist's guide, his right-hand man. He's leading us on a tour. I saw the left wing with Laurence, and now we're moving to the right. The left side, with the ballroom, dining room, and meeting room, looked great. I'll probably spend most of my time there. The right side is just as beautiful, where most of the beds are. He would be there, at the very back.

"Shall we continue, Miss Raven?"

"Sure."

When they talk to me all serious, it bothers me. But he won't call me by my name. He says it's too personal and people might get the wrong idea. Laurence seems really stressed; he hasn't smiled at all.

He walks kinda weird, like he has something stuck up there, but he's got perfect balance. His blonde hair is slicked back, and his outfit is super clean, like it's guarded by ghosts or something. His eyes are the only thing that makes him seem more like a person. They're two different colors—olive green on the left and icy blue on the right. It can be kinda scary, especially when he stares right at me. We're almost at the end of the right wing, but I still can't see my room. I keep looking at Laurence, wondering when he'll stop and show me my rooms, but he never does. At least not until we reach the end of the wing.

"I don't want to interrupt your tour, but where will I stay? You've shown me my sibling's rooms but not mine."

I notice a quick but clear emotion in his eyes. It seems funny to me. Whatever he's thinking about makes him happy. "It's right this way."

He points to the big door in front of us. As we go up the stairs, the door at the start of the wing becomes visible. It's likely the biggest room—more like a suite or several rooms. This definitely isn't a small space.

"Isn't this-"

"Yes,” he interjected.

Yes? Is that all he has to say?

"Okay."

I start moving away from him. They're crazy if they think I'll ever agree to this. I can't do it. I came here to kill the king, but I can't. I'll find a place outside the house to stay and figure out how to do it. I don't need to stay here, along with him.

"Miss! Wait! It's the Queen's chambers," he shouted after me.

"Ah-ha great! The queen will love it."

I keep walking, ignoring his quick steps behind me. I try to move faster, but he's really fast. I'm not dumb; I know that's where the Aeden boy sleeps. The rooms are probably connected and separated only by a door. I won't do that. I see Laurence reaching out to me. I turn around to confront him before he can attempt to grab me.

"What? What could you possibly say to change my mind?" I asked, folding my arms.

"You have to stay in that room,” Laurence ordered.

"I don't have to do shit." I rolled my eyes.

"It's the King's order."

"And what makes you think he has any authority over me? I don't acknowledge him as my king." I scoffed.

I can almost see the steam coming out of his ears because he is so angry.

"Miss, you have to. That's the deal."

Another step toward him helps him hear me better. "Fuck the deal." I say firmly, crossing my arms defiantly.

I turn around and start going down the big steps. Workers and guards are running through the halls, preparing for something. I have to stop; Laurence is yelling at me. It's clear that I'm not interested in him. When he suddenly shouts something else, my hand is already on the cold door handle.

"Chantel!"

I stop what I'm doing and wait for him to get to me.

"Chantel, listen. Your dad made a deal, and you need to follow it."

Dad's words are running through my mind quickly. Did he really mean this?

"Fine, why am I here?" I ask Laurence, crossing my arms.

He lets out a long breath, visibly relieved at my response.

"You're to marry the king."

"No. I'm here, as are many other girls. I'm at court. That doesn't mean I have to marry him." I shake my head.

Father told me I had to win the king's love and favor. I agreed, but it was clear I wouldn't do it. That's it—I came here to kill him.

"Not exactly. The deal was that you marry him, and The Ridge gets protection, money, and acknowledgment. It's a deal we made to better the king's image. Falling in love with an underprivileged girl? That would make him seem kind and compassionate."

What the damn fuck?

No. It can't be this. This is silly. There are many more girls who don't have much. I was born to a lord. Everyone else doesn't know, but these people do. There is something else.

"Hmm." I raise an eyebrow.

He looks at me with doubt.

"Is that all you're going to say?" he asks, crossing his arms. "After letting me chase you through the castle for just showing a room, this is your response to the engagement."

He gets more angry when I smirk at him. I can see his face getting redder.

"I'm just waiting." I keep my cool.

He almost yells and loses his cool. "On what?"

"Waiting for the truth." I held his gaze. "I can tell when you realize I wasn't born this morning. I recognize a fake when I see one. You're a fake, too, like your king."

Laurence's eyes are getting a little wider, and he's moving his hands around, clenching his jaw in frustration.

All of these things are very small, but I notice them.

"I am telling the truth, miss," he insists, but I can see he's feeling uneasy.

"We're back to miss, huh?" I laugh out loud. "Okay then, sir. I'm interested. I'll act like I thought everything you said was true. I'll be a wonderful bride."

He gives me one of his fake smiles and points his hand toward the stairs, but he doesn't seem angry.

"What a beautiful voice! Is everything okay?" Zave asks with concern.

As I raise my eyes, I see Z almost flying down the stairs to join me.

“I knew it was you they were yelling at because I heard someone screaming. Move. Please give us some room. Go see your king."

Laurence doesn't back down when Zave glares at him; he just glares back, never breaking eye contact. Zave is about to hit Laurence over the head with something, so I step in.

"Don't worry, Z. We were just arguing, but now everything is agreed upon. Right, Laurence?" I smile at him in the nicest way possible, trying to ease the tension.

He says through clenched teeth, "Of course, miss."

"Go for it. I'll be there soon."

He just nods and walks away, not even looking back. He straightens his back and shakes my hand. I laughed at him and forgot about Zave for a moment.

"Do you already hurt the man?"

"No, most certainly not."

"Okay, little bird." Zave smirks.

"Why don't you get drunk or smoke a cigarette? It's getting close to noon! It's already late," I suggested.

"Are you not funny? I checked out the grounds."

"Checking out the grounds?" I chuckled. "Why? Do you want to change how The Ridge looks?" I ask, amused.

And then he laughs too. He looks at me with a fake face.

"When did you start making jokes all the time? I thought you only used sarcasm as a defense mechanism,” I added.

"Today I'm feeling good. It's funny that way."

I grab his arm and start pulling him up the stairs. I can tell the touch shocks him, but he doesn't say anything about it.

"That's what planning to kill someone does to you," he says, like it's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Does it make you hungry too?" I asked.

"Hmm. Yes, and also horny," he replies casually.

"Quit the fuck up! We're new here!" I interrupts.

I cringe because thinking about my brother makes me sick.

"It's not my fault that the maids look nice!"

"Do you know... I might want to take a look around too. I know we have a job to do, but I also deserve to have fun, right?" I suggest.

I feel bad for his neck because his head turns so fast.

"I think the fuck not, Chantel."

"Laurence is looking pretty good right now," I teased him.

"Chantel, I swear to go-" Zave begins to protest.

I let go of his arm and ran up the last few steps. "See you at dinner, Z," I say as I leave. I don't even look at him. If he can joke about his sex life, so can I.

I don't even notice how happy I am until I almost run into someone.

"Oh, so-"

There's no way for me to finish my sentence. I wish my clothes were made of spikes and nails so they would hurt him when I ran into him.

"Your happiness is really great. A few hours ago, you didn't look that happy. Was it the news that we'll be sharing a room that made you so happy?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Really, then? Because it will be easy for you to get into my room?"

I smirked. "You're reading my mind."

"No, these aren't just your thoughts. They're also mine," he says with a smirk as he moves toward me.

Anyone listening would think we're talking about something sexual, but it's not. At least, it's not about me. His answer could be taken in a few different ways, but the most obvious one is sexual.

The one where he just said he also wanted to kill me is the least likely to be true.

"I don't think so," I said, crossing my arms. "You're disgusting."

"You'll learn to love it," Lexcis said with a smug grin.

"I don't think I'll have to," I retorted, shaking my head.

That was stupid of me to be so clear about what I want, but I can't and don't want to lie to him. Why should I?

For some reason, he hasn't locked me up yet, even though I would have if someone had threatened me. Or, better yet, I would have killed them. But he won't because he needs me for his own image. I believe some of what Laurence told me, but there's something else they're also trying to hide.

"I think you just fell in love with me."

"What?" I laugh, but I feel bad about it because he interprets it differently.

"It's said that looking into someone's eyes for more than two minutes can make you love them. Your eyes have been on me since you got here."

I wish I could wipe that grin off his face.

"Love and hate, you know that. There's a thin line."

"I guess we'll find out," he smirks, raising an eyebrow.

I walk right by him and push him away with my shoulder. The touch doesn't bother me at all—in fact, it's exciting, probably because I can't wait to kill this guy.

I get to Laurence, but I'm not the only one there, which makes me sad.

I can almost feel the King's breath on my neck because he is standing so close to me. I don't want him to know how much it bothers me, but I just can't stand it any longer. I move to the side to open the door and walk into the room. I can almost feel the smile on his face. Don't ask me how; I can.

When I walk into the room, I don't even look around. I go straight for a door and pull it open.

"What the—hey! Don't you agree that we should get to know each other first?" I hear his annoying voice again.

I push past him to reach another door. When I open it, I know I'm in the right place. I slam it shut and lock it right away. The only door in this room is the balcony door, which means the only way in or out is through his room. I feel trapped, and I don't like it.

The porch is connected to his, leading to his room and bathroom.

Too tired to care, I lay down on the bed. It's much more comfortable than my tiny room back at Mount Ambrose. I didn't choose to sleep in the servant's quarter; I was forced to. I was going to move there when the castle was attacked.

They broke into my room and attacked me, but not in the way you might think. This happened two years after I killed some of their leaders. Since Zave's room was right next to mine, he felt bad that he couldn't protect me, but everything happened so quickly. After that, Veronica never left my side.

The three of us slept in the same bed for about two months. When I finally moved to the servant's room, they still wanted to stay with me, but I said no. I had no trouble being close to my family before that. But as soon as I went to sleep alone, the nightmares began. I kept remembering those events, and I couldn't get rid of them. I didn't want to be touched again; I didn't want to live at all.