Cursed Eyes

Chapter 30

Its been a week and more and more of the auctions have been shut down. Throughout the week Alinia hadn't seen Alfonzo and her heart hurt because of it. During the week she tried to do various things to stay busy but it was hard to not stare out of the window as she worried about him. She rolled over with a sigh, after a sleep filled with tossing and turning, she gave up.

She sat up and noticed two boxes with a bouquet of dragon lillies on top. She picked up the dragon lillies to smell them when she noticed a card had fallen.

Meet me for dinner? A carriage will arrive by 7, it will wait for an hour. If you don't arrive, then I shall stubbornly respect your decision. No matter your decision, you will forever have my protection.
                         ~Alfonzo

Alinia smiled softly at the note before smelling the flowers. They truly did smell wonderful, she thought. A servant came in to gather the laundry and was shocked to see Alinia awake so early. "Can you get me a vase for these," Alinia asked her nicely. The servant nodded and took the flowers before leaving. Alinia then pulled the boxes to her. Inside one was a beautiful shimmering black dress. It was backless and had a deep cut in the front. Although revealing, it was floor length. It was definitely a little ahead of it's time, but she found it beautiful. There was also a new black fur lined cloak, and a pair of heels. In the other box was a new protection charm, a pair of diamond earrings, a diamond bracelet, a silver and diamond flower shaped clip, and a red bottle of perfume. After smelling it, she knew it was dragon lilly.

"He surely does know how to apologize," she whispered to herself. She then looked at the bottle of perfume. In Fae culture, when a man gives a woman a bottle of perfume, he is asking she marry him. Scent means everything to the Fae. They offer a bottle of fragrance as a proposal because it is asking their partner to change their scent for them. How one accepts the proposal is they wear it while gifting them a bottle of fragrance.
It is after the marriage they exchange rings. 

She bit her lip as she held the bottle in her hands. Being without him this past week truly hurt her inside. He has done so much to try and show her he was sorry. Making up her mind, she decided to get dressed and head to the market.

Alfonzo had never been so nervous in his entire life. He has faced down many challenges that has almost cost him his life, yet he didn't bat an eye at it. This however, was make it, or break it. Once the clock chimed seven he kept looking at it nervously. He had chosen to have their private evening in the same place they had their first. If she rejected him, then it allowed him to let out his broken heart. If she accepted it however, who knows where the evening would lead them.

When he heard the carriage approach he tried to get his racing heart to calm down. He stepped outside as the carriage came to a stop. He opened the door and there she sat in the gifts he had given her. He held out his hand and she accepted it as she stepped down from the carriage. He took her inside, and removed her cloak, his nose catching the scent of dragon lillies. Every ounce of doubt went away. She smiled softly as a light pink blush colored her cheeks as she summoned a small box to her hands.

"I may not have the money to splurge like you do, but I do hope it is to your liking," she told him. He smiled as he took the box, " I'm sure I will." Inside the box was a bottle of cologne that smelled of pine and mint. Both scents that relaxed her. There was also a leather cuff bracelet. "It has a spell that let's me know where you are and that you're okay. I missed you these past few days, and I was also incredibly worried because I didn't know if you were okay or not. I told myself that I was going to ensure that I always knew," she explained to him. She had just finished talking when he pulled her in for a kiss, keeping her from saying anything else. She melted in to the kiss, letting him control it.

"I love you," He said when they pulled away, his forehead resting on hers. "I love you too," she said a little breathlessly. He then took her hand and lead her to the living room where they relaxed on the couch. "Are you sure you want this," he asked her. She smiled as she laced her fingers with his, "I have never been more sure in my entire life."

"Then just know, I'm going to stick very close to both of our traditions," he told her. "And yes, I am including your pixie traditions as well." He knew it would mean his ears will be pierced once they were married, but he was fine with it. The reason pixie males pierced their ears is because many are craftsmen of some kind so they tend to wear gloves, so instead of wearing wedding rings that would be covered by the gloves, they pierce their ears. There were several traditions that could possibly clash, if not handled right, but Alinia was positive they could handle it easily.

"I would like that very much," she said with a soft smile.

"I must be honest though," He told her. "It will be a struggle to do my traditions." He ran a hand through his hair. "Growing up I was an orphan, shunned by my community. I knew my parents, and I knew they hated me just as much as they hated each other. They were fate bound mates, but they hated each other from the beginning. They came from two rival clans who were at war with each other. My father had killed my mother's parents during the war on the battlefield. When her uncle and his parents discovered they were mates, they used their mating to unify the two clans. However, just because they were unified didn't mean they were at peace. When I was born, they hated what I represented and just dropped me at the orphanage, never wanting to see me again. It was then, the past guild Master adopted me, to turn me into the killer I am today. I had blamed my parents for everything that happened to me at the guild as a child. It turned into hatred for them, and my own kind since the community had also turned their backs on me. So I tossed aside my heritage and traditions. Then I see you. Despite the horrible past you had, you still are proud of your fae and pixie roots."

She nodded, "That is thanks to the Red Assassins. After they saved me, they got me to accept who I am." He nodded, "Torick tried the same after he saved me, but I was a stubborn bastard. When Gloria came in to my life, I wanted to follow tradition, however, she too shunned them, telling me to cover my ears. She had lied, saying she wanted her parents to accept me, and they wouldn't if they knew I was dark fae. The reality was that she was ashamed of what the fates had mated her too. The only reason she didn't reject me was because she was enjoying my money and power. When I caught her having sex with a bar keep in a tavern, I was crushed. She appeared to be this sweet and caring woman on the surface, but she was truly the best con artist beneath her facade."

The memories hurt, but he wanted her to know them. He wanted her to know everything about him.

"And where is this Gloria now," Alinia asked him. "She is currently married to Lord Hicklom. I believe he is her third husband," he replied. "When he goes off to chase after women that aren't his wife, she is busy altering his papers and such so when they divorce, she can steal it all from him. She truly is a vile thing."

"I'm sorry the fates mated you to someone so horrible," Alinia told him. "Its not all bad, after all, it lead me to you," he told her. That made her cheeks warm as she smiled.

He kissed her temple, "So tell me, how do you wish to announce our engagement?" "I think just simply mentioning it as if it isn't a big deal to our loved ones, can be rather entertaining," Alinia said. He chuckled in agreement, "I can't wait to see Aqua's reaction." She laughed softly in agreement, "It will truly be a thing to see."

When it was late, he took her back to the castle. He kissed her deeply before letting her go inside.

"I see you accepted a certain Guild Master's proposal," Theo commented as he saw her in the halls. Her face warmed, "You knew?" He nodded, "He came and asked for my blessing." Her heart warmed at that. "So how do you plan on telling the others," He asked her. "Just going to simply mention it like it's no big deal," she told him. He chuckled, "It will truly be interesting." He then hugged her, "I'm happy for you Alinia." She smiled, "Thank you Theo." After years of pain and loneliness, she finally found someone she could truly be happy with. Now just had to ensure no one could take that from her.