Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 103: Heartless Aldric

Chapter 103: Heartless Aldric

Islinda did not wait around for Aldric, she walked ahead of him. Her eyes misted and she was not sure she could hold back the tears anymore. A lot of emotions were running through her, but the most potent of them was anger.

How dare he?! How dare they?! They had snatched her dignity and trampled it with their feet. To be honest, Aldric’s behavior was understandable, she never had high expectations of him, but Valerie.... He was her last hope. If there was anyone who should have stood up for her, it was him.

No, she needed to get away from here. Islinda had to find a way to escape Aldric. Surely, she wasn’t literally his slave and he was just bluffing. She would live the rest of her life in hiding, but would be far away from him. From them.

Islinda was cut open so her emotions were raw, and when Aldric snatched her wrist meters away from reaching their carriage, she whirled on him with rage in her eyes.

"Don’t touch me!" She tugged her wrist free, her eyes flashing, "Don’t you dare touch me!" Islinda spat out.

"You’re suddenly behaving like a feral dog. What’s wrong?" He asked her.

Islinda stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. Her laughter was mirthless and was rather mocking. Was he kidding her? He didn’t know what he did wrong?

Before Aldric could comprehend her move, Islinda drew her hand back and slapped him across the face. And the gods, the slap should have been satisfying, instead it felt like she hit a wall instead and her palms hurt.

"Oww!" Islinda cried in pain, fussing over her hand. She knew his cheekbones were as sharp as bones, but no one told her it was actually made from stone.

"Are you okay?" He asked her with concern and she glared at him.

Was he seriously asking her that? She was in pain because of him! Islinda accused him as if Aldric forced her to hurt herself.

"Let me see..." He reached for her hand.

"Get away from me!" She pushed him away roughly. Islinda did not break anything - he was not made of stone after all - but her palms tingled painfully.

She hated him! He was responsible for all of her pains.

Aldric looked at her with a raised brow, "Why do I feel like your hatred level for me just jumped several notches up and you would gouge my eyes out if you had a weapon." He was teasing her, except she didn’t react to the dry joke.

"Oh." It dawned on him. "You really hate me more."

With a scream, Islinda lunged at him but Aldric caught her easily as if she were a mere child throwing a tantrum.

"Let me go! I’ll kill you today!" She screamed, struggling fiercely with him all to no avail.

Aldric grabbed both of her hands and wouldn’t let go.

He said to her light-heartedly, "I believe I’m the one in the position to make threats here, Islinda. However, it pains me that you throw lovey-dovey looks my brother’s way yet you fight me with every chance like some wild animal. That is an unfair treatment, don’t you think so?"

However, Islinda was far from reasoning and rained threats on him instead, "I’m going to get my revenge on you, Aldric. I would make you pay for this one day, you bastard!"

At once, the laughter faded from Aldric’s face like a cloud passing before the moon. Islinda was smart enough to stop at the change in his countenance but it was too late.

She yelped when Aldric tugged her forward, his hand wrapping around her waist and pressing her to his side.

"What are you doing?!" Fear filled her and her mind raced with several thoughts.

"I brought you here to reveal Valerie’s true nature. To erase the fantasy that you have of him, and the delusion that the both of you would be together. But it seems you’re not satisfied with my good work and blame me instead!" He growled at her, his expression darkening.

"Shut up!" Islinda seethed, "Shut up your damn mouth! You know nothing! Absolutely nothing about the both of us!"

"Oh, darling," Aldric let out a twisted smile, "I know enough to confirm that when it comes between you and his crown, Valerie would always never give up his position. He would never choose you!"

"SHUT UP!" Islinda screamed at him with so much intensity that the veins on her neck and forehead bulged and looked like they would rupture.

However, Aldric finally stopped speaking and the both of them stared at each other with Islinda breathing heavily.

"Y-you...." Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking and her lips trembled.

She opened her mouth to speak but her eyes stung with tears and blurred her vision. Before Islinda knew it she had broken into sobs. At once, Aldric let go of her as if the sight of her crying was an abomination, his mouth agape and his expression conflicted.

Islinda lifted her hand to her chest, muttering, "It hurts.... I-it hurts so much..." She cried harder.

Aldric gulped, confused. Islinda was giving him an incomprehensible expression as if she needed him to do something. What was he going to do? The most sensible thought that came to him in a moment like this was to go away. He would give her space and she would calm down, right?

And yet, his feet wouldn’t move.

"How could you be so heartless?" She let out a strangled whimper, wiping furiously at the tears that only fell harder.

Aldric opened his mouth to let out a snarky remark as usual, but her pitiful look stopped him short. She looked kind of pretty while crying, but it didn’t feel right.

Before he could stop himself, Aldric had reached out and cleared a tear with his thumb. Islinda thought she was dreaming, but that gesture was no mistake. Islinda lifted her face in surprise. No, she was so shocked by the gesture that she began to hiccup.

What the.....?