Chapter 15: Chapter 15

“SCRAM!!”

George, Lord Ernest’s youngest son yelled frustratingly while glaring at Ariel who was looking at him helplessly.

“Please George, just let me meet him for once. I swear I’ll leave once Lord Ernest turns down my request,” she beseeched while staring at the boy who was shooting daggers in her way. His jet-black eyes that once used to admire her with respect were today filled with sheer hatred. Despite the anger, a tinge of pain was also hidden in them that was breaking her more.

As decided Ariel made her way to Theo Dynasty with big dreams but it only proved to be a bad choice. There she was met with hurt and rage-filled glares and was showered with snarky comments. Firstly, the guards forbade her from even entering their territory but luckily, she met George on the way. However, it didn’t help her either.

Ernest George was the youngest son and prince of the Theo Dynasty, the most powerful kingdom of Heaven. They were the rulers of Heaven and bastions of its safety and heritage. George and Diana were friends since childhood. They both attended the same elite institute, Plagminton, School of Magic and Arcane whose gates were opened only for the princes and princesses of wealthy kingdoms. It was the most prestigious educational institute which was owned by Lord Ernest, thus an impossible dream for the hoi polloi. Lord Ernest, no doubt considered the safety of Heaven his top priority and performed all his responsibilities remarkably but he was a despotic, snobbish, and arrogant ruler who treated the grassroots as vermins.

Heaven was a divine and pious piece of the universe. It constituted several grand and affluent kingdoms but the power of money and authority had drawn a big line between the rich and the poor. Plagminton wasn’t for the commoners like Rose no matter how brilliant they are. Though she was friends with Diana, she wasn’t fortunate enough to gain an education as she belonged to an extremely poor class. Her father was a doctor which proved beneficial for her to a bit of knowledge of healing powers. Diana tried hard to get her admitted to that institute but her family didn’t dare to gainsay Lord Ernest. But she didn’t lose hope and educated Rose herself.

Flirty George was a big fan of Rose since their childhood days and always used to tease her but Rose never reciprocated his feelings. Not because she didn’t like him but she knew her boundaries. George belonged to an intelligentsia where people like her were not at all welcomed.

George was fond of Diana and her kind behavior. He wanted one of his brothers to marry her. Since his second eldest brother was already married so he proposed this idea to his eldest brother. To his surprise as soon as he put forward his proposal, Lord Ernest happily accepted it. It was because Diana was the most beautiful Princess of Heaven, a good friend of his son, and also belonged to a powerful kingdom. Her family was renowned for their probity which proved a good opportunity for him to clear his egotistical image.

But Diana’s sudden marriage with the Demon King cast a shadow over his happiness and dreams. Lord Ernest and his family were enraged with their betrayal and were even planning on attacking them on grounds of infraction of rules. The marriage of a Demon and an Angel was the most offensive crime and for that, the King of Theo Dynasty was determined to punish the entire Moonland. George decided to cut all ties with Diana as he was furious with the deception of his only best friend. He was on his way to Moonland to give them the message of their incursion but was stopped by the lady whom he had always respected as his elder sister.

“Just leave before I lose my mind!!“, George grated out. Ariel tried to approach him but her feet were bound by a deep voice that echoed from behind.

“You got the guts to step into our kingdom and show your face to us, Ariel?”

Ariel lowered her gaze as she instantly recognized its owner.

Christian.

The second eldest son and minister of the Theo Dynasty.

Christian took heavy steps in her direction before he stood in front of her, towering over her small frame with his gigantic height. Ariel lifted her head up and meekly peeked at him through damped eyelashes.

“Christian-”

“Don’t ”

Christian immediately cut her off as he lifted his right palm in front of her face making her flinch back in shock.

“Trusting you was the biggest mistake of my life. Your friendship only gave my family pain and sorrow. Jerrick agreed on our conditions and this marriage was decided by mutual consent then how can he renege his promise? How can you all cancel this marriage on your own? Who even gave you the right to play with the mighty Lord Ernest? Even nature works according to his will and here you got the guts to set his decisions and words at naught. And still, you dare to show your face to us?“, he roared.

Ariel let out a helpless cry, “At least once listen to me before jumping to conclusions, Christian. Can’t you-”

“Sorry for the interruption but your presence is requested in the kingdom right now, Prince”

A guard spoke softly cutting the fracas in midway. George and Christian instantly nodded and turned their heels ready to leave. Ariel panicked watching them leave. She quickly blocked their way and spoke while sobbing, “Christian, George, for the sake of Diana’s life just listen to me.”

A deep frown etched on their faces after hearing her words. George instantly stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, “What do you mean-”

“George, we don’t have time to debate on such ridiculous things for now. Let’s go.“, Christian spoke gruffly making Ariel shocked. Even George stared at him with wide eyes, “But Christian, Diana-”

He immediately sealed his lips in a line when Christian shot him a glare. George looked down and removed his hands off Ariel. They both then turned around and left. Ariel stared at their backs with a heartbroken expression. She waited for them to stop but it never happened.

Sighing, she closed her eyes in defeat. A tear trickled down her cheek.

‘Coming here was a fruitless pursuit’

Dejected and disappointed, the Princess turned to leave but was stopped by the same guard who had interrupted her earlier.

“Your presence is also requested by the King.”

His words made Christian and George stop dead in their tracks.

“What do you mean? Is King aware of her presence?“, Christian shot him a question while his fierce gaze was pinned on a stupified Ariel. The guard simply nodded.

George, “Alright then. Let’s not dally further” he quickly spoke and rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder to calm him down. Christian closed his eyes before speaking in his deep voice.

“Okay.”

Ariel was awestruck by the grandeur of the Theo Palace. The floor was so smooth, shining, and stain-free that one can see his reflection. The palace was beautifully designed and equipped with baroque furniture. Huge walls adorned with exotic and exquisite paintings, shelves decorated with intricately carved artifacts, and large glass windows draped with heavy and beautifully embroidered silk curtains. Ariel took baby steps making sure not to dirty the velvet red carpet that took her to the King’s throne with her heels. The Theo Palace was splendid and everything here screamed money and royalty. A small smile crept on her lips as she silently praised herself for choosing this family for her Diana.

‘She will be the next Queen of this thriving Kingdom. My Diana is born to be the ruler of Heaven, not to rot in Hell’, she smirked internally while Christian and George led her way.

No sooner did they enter the court than all the hullabaloo going inside was replaced with a deadly silence. Ariel felt self-conscious as the only sound that could be heard was her uneven breathing and her erratic heartbeat. Though she was herself a Princess, Theo Dynasty was the crown and heart of Heaven. And visiting this vast kingdom was a pipe dream even for the gentry itself.

Finally, after covering the long distance the three of them stood in front of the King.

“Your Majesty, we’re sorry for the trouble”, George humbly apologized while Ariel remained frozen too terrified to even move a muscle. His innuendo didn’t go unnoticed by her but she dared not to say something that could exacerbate the situation more. She simply stood mum but her heart almost burst out of her ribcage when she heard that familiar raspy voice.

“What a pleasant surprise, future sister-in-law”

Ariel jerked her head up so fast that it must have given her a whiplash. But she couldn’t care less. She blinked her eyes multiple eyes as she stared at the Adonis who was seated in front of her in disbelief.

“T-Theodore?”

Her voice sounded foreign to her ears.

That means...

He is the King?

When did that happen?

Ariel was shell-shocked. She knew that Theodore was the apparent heir of the Theo Dynasty but when did Lord Ernest pass the baton to him? Her mind was having a hard time believing the sudden news as she kept staring at him without blinking.

The man in front of her was the eldest son of Lord Ernest and the invincible Prince of Heaven.

He was the spectacular Theodore.

Ariel was intimidated by his dominating presence but his charms rendered her speechless. Thick black brows, small black eyes which had the power to see through one’s soul, perfect nose, fuller pink lips, angular jaw, and his dark mullet were every girl’s undoing.

Theodore noticed her checking him out. His lips twitched up as he was well aware of the effect he has on others. He rested his palms on the armrest as he ensconced himself comfortably in his golden throne that was studded with diamonds and jewels.

“You didn’t notify us about your sudden visit, future Queen of Moonland?“, he rasped but telegraphed his derision with a smirk. Ariel didn’t move an inch. She felt as if a boulder was placed on her tongue. Theodore was reveling in her fears. A pin-drop silence prevailed in the courtroom. Her frozen state was now itching him. He had enough of the drama and decided to cut the crap.

Ariel flinched hard when all of a sudden, his frivolous expressions turned blank. Her heart almost burst out of her chest when two guards abruptly held her forearms in a vice grip. She panicked and looked around only to see George and Christian seated in their respective seats.

′When did they leave?′

She didn’t even notice them walking away as she was so lost in her reverie. Petrified, she looked at Theodore but all colors got drained off her face when her glassy eyes met with his nefarious ones.

“Thought you can play with us?”

Meanwhile

Miles away from Theo Dynasty there was a sequestered village that was situated on top of the Celestial Valley where eyrie small huts were perched insecurely. Though it was a small village the place was lush with exotic vegetation and beautiful flowers.

A beautiful girl dressed in a yellow frock was staring at the pamphlet in her hand with admiring eyes. Her lips curved in a soft smile as she traced her slender fingers on the paper. The cool air breezed through her face and disappeared in her brown locks. She closed her captivating eyes, her olfactory bulbs relishing the redolence of the flowers of the Celestial Valley.

“Jasmine”

A soft dulcet tone rang in her ears which made her turn around. Her eyes shone when she saw her sister Rose running towards her. Jasmine smiled and stood up to greet her.

“Slow down, Rose.”

Rose ignored her playful tone and took deep breaths to calm herself down. Jasmine frowned at her pale face. She looked disturbed and worried.

She grabbed her hand before asking her softly, “You alright?” Rose didn’t reply and kept staring at her. Suddenly her gaze fell on the pamphlet that Jasmine was holding. She snatched it roughly to take a look.

It was a photograph of Theodore.

“What are you doing with this?“, Rose said with a scowl. Jasmine lowered her gaze and bit her lip, “Why? Can’t I see our King?” Her flushed face befuddled Rose.

“Jasmine, how many times I have told you not to waste time. You should be studying right now instead of admiring the King”, she berated her making her pout.

Jasmine was an orphan who was left at the door of Rose’s family. She was born out of wedlock and her cowardly parents refused to take her responsibility. When Rose’s parents saw the baby who was staring at them with innocent eyes, their hearts instantly melted, and instead of getting peeved by the unnecessary burden, they happily adopted her. But they made a promise to themselves to take this secret to their grave. Rose’s parents were no more so they shouldered this huge responsibility to their daughter. Rose loved Jasmine a lot and treated her like a child. But her mollycoddling had spoiled her baby sister.

Rose then took the paper and folded it neatly, “I don’t like this new King at all. He’s too haughty and vain about his handsome features.”

Jasmine glared at her and snatched the paper back. She tucked it into her book and looked at Rose with a pissed face, “I don’t see any problem in that, Rose. He is blessed with charms that give him the right to show off. I don’t think people should get concerned about it nor point at his lifestyle.”

Rose chuckled, “Why are you interceding for him? The entire Heaven thinks that it’s time to overthrow the Ernests and bring someone like Arthur into power. This tyranny needs to be stopped one day.”

Jasmine scoffed, “Pfft! I don’t agree.” Rose looked at her raised brows, “And why is that?”

She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, “You know Rose, you should be happy for our young King. For the first time, we got a King who is amongst our age group. He would think from our perspective and wouldn’t be like his bigoted father. Maybe he would grant us the chance to attend that elite institute.” Jasmine spoke with dreamy eyes.

Rose smiled sadly, “That’s never gonna happen. He is worse than his impertinent father. I wish if we get a queen like Diana or a king like Arthur then only things will ever change for us.”

Jasmine’s smile dropped off hearing her deflated tone. She grabbed her face in her palms and made her look in her eyes, “What happen Rose? Tell me what’s bothering you? And don’t you dare lie to me?”

Rose’s eyes instantly watered. She threw herself in her arms and started bawling her heart out.

“I am scared, Jasmine. I am too scared.”

Jasmine was shocked. She quickly wrapped her arms around her back and started patting her head, “H-Hey, what happened, Rose? Tell me.”

She didn’t expect Rose to cry. Her heart was drumming in her ears as if she knew something dangerous was on the horizon.

“Please Rose, speak up. You’re scaring me-”

She tried consoling her but her words died midway after hearing Rose’s painful voice.

“A demon, he’s after me.”

*****