Chapter 3

Ariela

To rein her in, I used the speed of a werewolf by standing directly in front of her in the next second. I held her by the upper arms and looked at her intently, but she automatically returned my gaze, which made her features soften. "Mum, he's not selling me out. I'm leaving voluntarily. You should respect my decision."

She slapped my hands away and pointed toward the door. "You go to your room now because I'm going to clarify this with your father. I still have to make it clear that I forbid you from going to this monster."

"Mum, I've long since come of age. You can't give me orders."

She raised her voice as she answered: "Ariela, you're 20! You have no idea about life! And as Luna, I have a right to decide over you!" She could be forgiven for what she said because some things are easy to say when angry.

I took a deep breath, otherwise I would have hit the ceiling myself. I inherited my temperament entirely from her.

"It's been decided a long time ago. Besides, please listen to the reasons first. Sit down and we'll talk to each other normally." She ignored me and glared at my dad. "You're selling me and not our daughter. End of discussion."

"By the Goddess! Mum! King Darkbloom only wants me!" I threw up my hands and rushed past her, shouting, "Deal with it!"

"No! I can't accept it!" This woman could be so stubborn. She should be sensible enough to listen to the reasons first. Although you could never blame her for this outburst. I reacted the same way myself.

The door was open, so I could easily go out. My father was allowed to do the rest. At least she now knew that I was acting voluntarily.

I still slammed the door behind me for the right effect. As childish as it was, it had to be done.

I got exactly two steps before I heard Cosima ask, "What's wrong, Ariela?" She sounded unsure and worried. She didn't seem to have missed the ruckus in the house. However, she had hardly heard anything about the conversation, otherwise she would know what it was about.

I stopped and just looking at her made me fall to the ground. My sweet little sister. You would like to protect them from all the evil in this world. With her innocent nature, it was like an inner compulsion. Then I felt relief that I was handed over to the king. She would never be able to cope with this.

I knew in advance that she would cry, which is why I was reluctant to break the news to her. I had enough struggles of my own. In this case, a crying nurse was of little help. Someone else could happily take over that.

I forced a smile and dismissed it with a wave of my hand. "I was just talking to Dad."

"Then why are you screaming? Or why is Beno beside himself?"

I walked up to her and did my best to act normal. "Let's go into the garden. Fresh air is always good."

I forced myself to hold back tears because that would be our last time together in which she had no idea about the future. I should enjoy this one last time because they would soon be cleared up.

I offered her my arm and Cosima's linked arms. She eyed me skeptically, but I quickly turned away and pulled her with me.

I distracted myself with the surroundings by looking at the works of art we passed. They were hanging on the wall and were not a new sight as they had been hanging there for as long as I could remember. However, they were a good distraction.

In my opinion, they were overkill because most of them were too big. They were almost too much for this room. When you walked past them, you had to worry about whether one of them would kill someone.

After a few meters, we reached the stairs, which I paid attention to. The age of the house was proven because the wooden steps had some notches and were worn out over time. The second one always cracked, which somehow sounded louder than usual today. Maybe it was the awkward silence between my sister and me.

When we were halfway down the stairs she asked quietly, "What's wrong? I want an answer." I didn't let that deter me and continued to pull her with me. "It's about the war."

Cosima was always kept out because she never wanted to participate. That wasn't her world either. The gentle creature was not made for this brutality.

My plan to enjoy the rest of the day with her was ruined because Beno came out of the living room. We had just reached the ground floor when he said, "I hope for Mum's sake that she talks Dad out of selling."

We stopped and Cosima asked confused: "What sale?" I wanted to brush it off and change the subject, but our brother beat me to it. "Dad wants to sell Ariela to Darkbloom."

Her face turned white and you could see the shock on her face. No sound came from her lips because she was frozen in place.

I was the only one in this house who was currently thinking rationally. "Beno, there is no other choice. Deep down you know this, which is exactly why you are so angry in the first place."

Tears formed in his eyes as he whispered, "This is so unfair." His anger was gone and sadness took hold of him. At least he tried to stay composed. He should also leave the crying to Cosima because the waterfall should flow soon. As much as I loved her, I just couldn't handle it.

I pulled away from my sister and explained, "You'll excuse me. I have something to do."

There had to be time alone. I would deal with the crooked house blessing later.

In the end, I was drawn to my room. Here I could hide away and let my thoughts torture me.

How could my life have taken such a turn?