My Darling Katherina

Chapter Eleven

Katherina couldn't help but feel a weight lifted off her shoulders as she went to bed that night.

Sure, the dinner was a little awkward at first, but they eventually accepted her. He accepted her. And he wanted to get to know her.

Her eyes welled up as tears streamed down her cheeks. However, They weren't tears of sadness or despair. They were tears of joy. Joy of what might come next.

As she curled herself into her warm velvet sheets, Katherina couldn't help but think about how one meal may change everything.

However, Unbeknownst to her, no one knew if it was for the better or the worst.

***

As she stared into her father's violet eyes, her hands trembled. Her heart was pounding hard enough to be heard across the room, but if she concentrated close enough, she could hear theirs pounding just as frantically as hers.

Just thinking about that gave her the strength to reach out and take her father's hand.

Katherina wondered how she had gone so long without touching him.

His hand resembled the wing of a butterfly. Delicate and gentle.

It made her feel a little uneasy. Katherina's hands were soft but bumpy. Because of the massive scar that went across her palm.

When Katherina was younger, everytime she was feeling nervous or something her mother disapproved of- she would get a scar out of it.

For all of them- including the burns and bruises. They all had a story to tell.

So when Katherina escaped the Mountain and she felt anxious, There was no pain. No scar or burn or bruise to reflect on that feeling. Just... emptiness.

Katherina didn't like it, so she developed a habit of digging her nails into her palms hard enough to draw blood anytime she was uncomfortable, apprehensive, or agitated. Leaving a mark.

She saw her father's face fall the instant she put her hands in his. He didn't say anything despite the fact that she knew he had felt the little bump.

Instead, he just took her to the table and offered her a seat before returning to his High Lady.

Despite Katherina's lack of a... "regular" childhood, she was aware that the High Lord sat at the head of the table.

So when he sat down on her left, the handsome Illyrian sat down on her right, Leaving Katherina to sit at the top.

Her stomach twisted and curled inside her. Despite the fact that it appeared that no one else in the room was concerned with seating arrangements, she was.

Ignoring her trepidation, she slid into the chair.

Right when her body collided with the seat, a powerful- twisted feeling swelled up in her.

It was like a serpent, twisting her heart. Though it wasn't a painful kind of twist. It felt... right.

A vision then flooded her mind.

***

The sun was obscured by clouds, robbing it of its warmth. Thunder rumbled over the sky, causing the earth to tremble.

Katherina sat atop a seat made of stone and vines. Her nails were long and sharp. The color black shined, making it seem that Katherina's hands were dipped in ink.

She was dressed in a midnight Amethyst gown. Except for the center of her thighs, when it let go and blew out, it hugged her curves flawlessly.

Gold was used to embellish her fingers, neck, and ears.