Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 117: All That Glittered....

Chapter 117: All That Glittered....

"Impossible...." Islinda breathed, as she stood at the balcony and stared at the outside world.

Since her arrival in this place, Islinda had been hidden away in her room sulking, and the one time she had left the place had been at night, hence didn’t see much. But in the light of day, this world was completely different from what she knew.

The fortified structure made of stone sprawled across acres of green land. The grounds were framed by woods, stretching so far that she could barely see the distant line of the forest. More like it was hidden away in an enchanted glade, shrouded in mist.

Aldric was not wrong in calling it a castle with its several feet thick stone walls, so smooth that Islinda knew it would be impossible to climb. Not that she wouldn’t give it a try given the opportunity. However, unlike the human castle she had seen, there was no drawbridge or portcullis, but rather wrought metal gates, positively not made of iron, locked up the place tight.

However, there were still slits in the walls that would enable soldiers to fire arrows or other missiles at attackers except there wasn’t a single soldier aside from Issac and the castle was as quiet as a graveyard. For once, Aldric did something right by having Issac give her a tour of the place else she could go missing for hours and no one would even know.

Nonetheless, it was a place of otherworldly beauty, with fairytale spires and turrets that seem to glow with an ethereal light. The walls were adorned with intricate carvings and crystal windows that reflect the sun’s rays in rainbow patterns. Unlike the human realm, the Fae realm seems heightened with so much color, sunlight, and texture. It looked perfect.

However, Islinda knew this place was far from perfection. It was merely their wretched magic hiding the brutal nature of the Fae. All that glittered wasn’t gold.

Which was why when Issac came up beside her, she asked him instantly, "Why did Aldric go to see the king?"

"This is the servant quarters, Aurelia wouldn’t think of us coming here first when there are many other finer places in the castle to explore." He said with no further answer.

Islinda folded her arms across her chest and stared straight at him,

"You still haven’t answered my question."

Issac lifted a brow, then stood straighter so he towered over her, saying, "Just because I answered your question previously doesn’t mean I’m a snitch. I know my limits."

Islinda face-palm, groaning exasperatedly. So much for thinking she had gained an ally that would spill the truth. Not that she was ready to give up.

"Please," She begged him, almost close to taking his hands again, but didn’t, having learned her lesson from earlier.

"You don’t know how much this is driving me crazy. What if he’s gone back to fight Valerie?! What would I do?! Aw, come on! Please tell me something, Issac?" She gave him her finest puppy face, teary-eyed with her lips trembling.

A furrow crossed Issac’s face at the human’s ugly yet strangely compelling expression. It seems not only Maxi, but the prince has added another trouble to his plate. Just his luck.

He lifted his hand to pinch the space between his brows and expelled a long breath.

"Even I don’t know."

"Please...." More tears gathered in her eyes.

By the gods, Issac groaned, irritated to no end.

"Fine, although I don’t know why the king summoned him, he wouldn’t be fighting with Valerie. My best bet is King Oberon is sending him back to the battlefield to avoid more trouble sprouting with his return."

"The battlefield?" Islinda was hooked now and her eyes glinted with curiosity.

Issac shot her a long look until he recalled that she was a human practically ignorant of their ways.

As usual, he scowled at her, "Had I known that you talk too much, I wouldn’t have taken up this job in the first place."

At once, Islinda grinned, "And had I known that harmless company bothers you greatly, I would have found you earlier." Wait a minute, why did she sound like Aldric? No, she was not getting influenced by him at all.

Issac’s scowl deepened and Islinda swallowed, feeling like a child under his intense scrutiny. The Fae didn’t look friendly, but something told her that it was merely the front he put up to stop others from getting too close to him. Moreover, she loved his guts. As long as he didn’t play games with her like his master, Aldric, she could see the both of them becoming friends.

"There is a library in the east wing and you should be able to keep up to date without bombarding me with questions," He grumbled as if answering her questions was a huge chore.

"Really?" Islinda asked, her eyes bright with excitement. But Issac had already left the balcony to continue with the rest of the tour and she had no choice but to follow after him.

The interior of the castle was vast and labyrinthine, with twisting corridors, and hidden chambers. To be honest, she expected to find a magical portal room leading to unknown lands, but it seems her imagination was far stretched.

It dawned on Islinda the castle can be a dangerous place for unwary mortals, as the faeries delight in playing tricks and pranks on those who venture too close. In that case, she had to be brave and cleverly navigate the labyrinthine halls in case Aldric decides to play a prank on her one day.

"You helped Aldric in that attack, didn’t you?" Islinda asked, following after him.

However, Issac suddenly stopped and Islinda, who was not looking, ended up bumping into his back.

"Aww," she cried out, rubbing her forehead.

Issac turned to her, his eyes cold and biting, "What exactly do you want to ask?"

Islinda fiddled with her hands, suddenly feeling nervous to ask the question that had been on her mind.

"Aldric...." She swallowed, "He said something about Valerie..." She shook her head, without looking him in the eyes, "I -"

"You want to know if Valerie was involved in the attack?"

She blinked, gulping a lump in her throat, before nodding her head timidly as her heart began to race anticipatedly at his answer.

Issac wasted no time, he answered bluntly, "Cruelty and heartlessness run in every Fae’s veins. And we’re all monsters one way or another, including I, so don’t be fooled by my skin. And you, Islinda, are in over your head, having no idea the chaos you have set off with your arrival. You doomed your fate by getting involved with our kind and I’m afraid no one can save you, not even Aldric. "