El Destino

CHAPTER 11 : ENGAGEMENT

Recap

Before Marina could take a step ahead, her hands were held tightly by the Prince. With all her might she screamed hard, the first word that crossed her mind, that now would decide the events that were about to unfold.
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"DESTINO!!"

Her shriek or rather scream echoed in the whole palace getting the attention of the audience inside the ballroom (whose doors had been opened owing to Marina's voice).

"You bitch--"

Marina did not wait for Alfredo to finish and jumped into the arms of her father. King Wilhelm and his wife looked at their daughter with confusion and worry reflecting in their eyes. Never in their lives had they imagined Marina to be here that too with Prince Alfredo.

The murmuring started in the ballroom, loud enough for Marina to hear.

"Is she Princess Marina of Torrentice? What was she doing with the Prince?"

"Are the two in a relationship?"

"No one took her to be someone who'd be characterless--"

"STOP!!!"

Marina pulled away from her father, her eyes welled up with tears, after all those whispers weren't the best compliments.

She looked up to her father, but those words were not of her father, the voice seemed so familiar to her. She turns to the direction of the voice, only to come face to face with Nathan.

"Firstly, I request all of you to kindly stop all this murmuring because it is not really helpful and secondly before passing a judgement you should first know the whole story and lastly this is my castle so I get to decide things not all of you."

No sooner did he finish his sentence than everyone stopped. All eyes were focused on Marina, each gaze, each pair of eyes drowning her in their unspoken questions.

"Who are you exactly?" Marina asked, her voice barely audible.

"Its obvious, I am the Prince of Alves. Prince Nathaniel Verdirosi, the first - in - line to the throne of Kingdom of Alves," Nathaniel answered while smirking at Marina's puzzled face.

All her senses shut down. A tsunami of questions was rising in her, ready to break all the barriers. Never in her wildest dreams she expected Nathan, a trader, to be, Prince Nathaniel of Alves. All this new information was making Marina's head dizzy and the accusing gazes weren't helping her case at all.

"What was she doing with Prince Alfredo? If you think we are too quick to judge then for your information, innocent princess' from reputed families don't roam around with a boy at this hour of night!"

Someone spoke from behind and soon the crowd engaged themselves in yet another conversation. Nathaniel cleared his throat loudly once, twice and finally the whispering died.

"Before pointing out on Ma-Princess Marina and her character, you should know that--"

"If he says full story, then I am sure Prince Alfredo's going to make me sound guilty, which I am not, but, who will listen to me. I will-" Marina continued rambling to herself, when all of a sudden air was knocked out of her lungs when she heard Nathaniel's words.

"Princess Marina and I are engaged."

"WHAT??"

The whole crowd along with Marina and Nathaniel's parents asked whereas Marina stood gaping at Nathaniel, too shocked to realize any emotion.

"Where is the ring then?"
This time Prince Alfredo asked Nathaniel with anger lacing in his voice. After all, he wanted Marina for himself.

"You want to see the ring?" Nathaniel asked while taking out the only ring, he was wearing from his hand and sliding it down into Marina's finger.

"Here is the ring. Now are you satisfied?" Nathaniel asked the crowd while raising Marina's hand in the air and showing his ring on her hand.

"Marina is my fiance and is it really so much wrong for a girl to take a tour of the castle with her to-be brother in law?"

Everyone silently stands not having the courage to meet Nathaniel's fierce green eyes glowing with anger and his voice lacing with dominance and challenge.

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Nathaniel excused himself out along with Marina and her parents, and took them all in a guest room.

"You all need to hear me out before you ask any questions to me. I know what I did was wrong but that was the only way to save Marina, I mean Princess Marina, from this situation," Nathaniel said while nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"I know my brother when the people would have asked him what were they doing together. He would have straight away blamed it all on M-Princess Marina and would have destroyed her reputation while making her earn the tag of characterless."

Marina visibly winced on hearing that word. She was not in a state of shock anymore but like a slow poison, anger was clouding her senses. Still on her parents' wish, she was hearing out Nathan's so-called justification.

"Here in Alves, there is a law. When a girl/woman is engaged, in other words, is someone's fiance, then no matter what the circumstance is, she cannot spend a night with a man. If anyone tries to force her, then the man gets a good punishment for his deeds."

"What a weird law! Why when a girl/woman is someone's fiance only then this special treatment is given?" Queen Sofia questioned Nathaniel.

"I don't really know why, Your Majesty. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the girl/woman is between the stage of a maiden and a wife or maybe to make her few days before marriage good," Nathanial said while scratching his neck.

"I see where you are going. You pulled this engagement act because firstly it stopped your brother from making any false story because if he did so his actions would lead him into trouble. Secondly, it also made Marina's meeting with Prince Alfredo come out clean. Still I am not so pleased with it and neither am I pleased with your actions," King Wilhelm replied while narrowing his eyes at both Marina and Nathaniel.

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Oh God, this was a lengthy, suspense filled chapter, I hope all my readers liked it.

By the way, 'El Destino' crossed 100 reads and is currently at #22 in historical fiction. I sincerely thank all my readers and friends for all their support.

Till the next update, keep shining ;)

- Love Addy :)