A Wicked Game [The Crown Saga II] (Under Editing)

Paintings of Gold

The Heliacian I'd used to communicate my entire life felt like a foreign language. Words appeared in my mind like colors rather than serving as a reminder of what they represented, and my tongue twisted whenever a sound crawled through my throat.

The king wanted me to marry Tarkan—the wicked brother who'd been trying to get rid of me since day one with no reasonable cause.

"Sons," the king said, lifting his hand to direct his two sons toward the back, where the staircase leading to us was hidden.

I clenched my jaw, struggling to appear unphased, when I realized the king's announcement wasn't a request for me to accept.

My heart was threatening to beat right out of my chest as I saw Caiden and Tarkan walking toward us with hasty steps. None of them was smiling. They weren't even frowning. Emotions had no role on their barren faces.

I swallowed a gasp as Caiden's eyes swiftly shifted to mine before they returned to look at his soon-to-be fiancé. Tarkan's gaze was locked on me, and although his face displayed no emotions, his eyes shot lightning and stormed with a raging blaze.

Tarkan took my hand and raised it as Caiden raised Piper's before they simultaneously slipped the golden rings onto our fingers, both decorated with three small stones as red as the first blood in a row.

"You won't get away with this, Wildcard," Tarkan whispered when he turned to stand beside me as my future husband—for now.

I chose not to comment. We couldn't argue here with the cheering audience surrounding us. This was not the proper time to release the monster of hatred and revenge roaring in my chest. Tarkan would have to wait.

Caiden and Piper were the first to lead the way out of the Battle Arena. Tarkan and I followed suit not long after. Unfortunately, I'd lost sight of Alia in the crowd of attendees congratulating us.

Evie was standing at the entrance to the Battle Arena with a smile as wide as the bow around her slim waist. "Congratulations, lovebirds," she said, stopping us in our tracks. "The king would like to see the four of you in the Dining Hall in a few hours and discuss the structure of the upcoming weeks. The weddings are still two months away, but many affairs have to be in order before then. For now, I recommend that you return to your chambers and freshen up or enjoy a cup of tea in the Parlor. Enjoy your afternoon."

Caiden immediately turned to face Piper, whose cheeks turned deep blue. "I'm afraid duty calls, Miss Weldon," he said, raising her hand to his lips. "I will look forward to seeing you again this evening."

My chest tightened as Caiden's lips pressed against the back of Piper's hand. It was even worse when he turned toward me and nodded politely. "Miss Aldwyn," he said before he turned to Tarkan. "Brother, may I have a word?"

Tarkan nodded, and they both left without exchanging another word.

"Do you want to join me in the Parlor?" Piper whispered beside me. "I thought you might want to talk a bit. I mean, you didn't exactly appear prepared for Prince Calix's proposal."

She wasn't wrong. Thoughts and concerns were weighing on my mind, but I had a task at hand that needed to be completed before I could vent to her.

"Thank you, Piper. I would love to, but I have something I need to do first. I don't know how long it might take, but you're welcome to wait for me in the Parlor if you want to. Then I'll join you when I'm done."

Piper nodded and squeezed my hand before she left me in the hall to take care of my business.

I'd probably been waiting for more than ten minutes until I finally heard the voices of the people I'd been waiting for.