𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎 - 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

"𝐃𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍. 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄, "𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐎 𝐈𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐅𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘"

Aurelia had never gotten over the habit of always having to do something. Her days as a maid had taught her harshly of the effects of lazing about.

It was interesting seeing the rich wives and ladies who were comfortable doing nothing for hours on end.

Aurelia had tried to be like them, Aurelia didn't know when but sometime two hundred years ago Aurelia had sat down in her house, a bank account as full as her stomach, her hands-free if callouses, and it sunk in then that she was safe. That Aurelia was wealthy, that she had no one above her to demand what she had become, that her life was now hers, and Aurelia would never relish that control on her life again.

It was the privilege that wealth and education brought her, and Aleksander could pry it from her cold dead hands.

The fresh morning air greeted Aurelia as the Palace doors opened to the large, sprawling gardens. Two guards trailed behind Aurelia, another one of Aleksander's orders and attempts to control her.

Neither would be successful if Aurelia had anything to do with it. The gardens were beautiful, trimmed and cared for to perfection. Bushes cut into the shapes of exotic animals decorated the space.

A large fence lined every edge, it's marble walls seemed impenetrable. Guards walked across the walls in two-minute intervals.

All information that would be important for Aurelia's escape. Or hopefully, Aleksander would realise his stupidity and release her, an unlikely option considering his delusions of making Aurelia queen like she needed a man to make her queen.

Aurelia almost wanted to burst into his chambers and brag about all the past proposals she had. From Emperors to princesses, most of which had ended up in Aurelia's bed anyway.

Aleksander would freeze, then stop breathing for a second, the air would go tense and an angry constipated look would cover his face, something Aurelia used to find attractive, now in her wise age Aurelia knew to be hideous.

Saints, maybe he would even have the audacity to shout at her, Aurelia was almost itching at the chance to draw every drop of his blood from his body.

"Planing a beheading or breakfast, Darling?" Aleksander's interrupted Aurelia's thinking.

Turning to face Aleksander Aurelia wanted to stab him for looking so good so early. The cold morning breath left a puff of smoke out of every breath coming for Aleksander's month as if he had run all the way from the palace doors. His lips were darker than normal thanks to the cold, Aurelia wanted to drown him in gold just for making her notice that.