Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 122: Aldric Was Spying On Her

Chapter 122: Aldric Was Spying On Her

The garden exploration came to an abrupt end when almost half the plants and flowers she was interested in turned out to be either dangerous or poisonous. No matter how much she thought about it, Islinda just couldn’t fathom how Aldric’s mind worked.

How could someone see beauty in danger? Except that someone was a twisted Fae and the safest place he claimed she was turned out to be the most dangerous of all. She was the fool to have believed him.

However, Islinda was seated down on a viney bench in the garden with Issac. Although she was still mad at him for his low tactics earlier, the both of them sat down in comfortable silence. The flowers, as dangerous as they were, produced a fragrance so sweet that it was calming.

It was a miracle that Aurelia had not tracked them down considering she had spent the longest time here, however, Islinda guessed the woman gave up. Moreover, it was not like Issac was feeding her any eye-opening secret. She stared at the Fae that made it clear he was not a fan of conversation.

Issac sighed deeply, "Even your silence is full of questions, out with it already, human."

A sheepish grin curved her lips and she shifted closer to him, "So I was curious... "

"Of course, you are curious." He muttered after her.

Islinda continued, "At the party, there were pixies and they had wings."

"So?" Issac frowned.

It was a niggling feeling but Islinda felt like she was touching a sensitive issue.

"I thought about it but shouldn’t, you know," She shrugged innocently, "Fae’s have such features as well. As a kid, I have always imagined that your kind has wings and pointed ears that set you apart from us humans."

"We should," Isaac answered, his voice taut and his gaze distant as if in a memory, "But that magic was lost to us thousands of years ago. However, there are still certain Fae’s with -"

"Why is the magic lost? What happened? Is that how it’s going to be forever? Who are the Fae’s with the wings...?" Islinda bombarded him with questions until she caught herself at the last minute.

"By the gods..." Issac groaned, wiping his palm down his face, "You are even worse than Maxi."

"Maxi? Who is Maxi...?"

Issac gave her a long look.

"Or maybe not," The millions of questions at the tip of her tongue died off as she pursed her lips together. Islinda was not usually like this, but she needed to understand the world she was currently in, or perhaps, the human world she had once lived in was so oppressive it stuttered her inquisitive nature.

Or this is what happens when she has nothing to do.

Fine, Islinda made up her mind to find the library and get the necessary attention she needed so as not to annoy Issac anymore with her never-ending questions.

Although who was Maxi?

Islinda had a feeling she wouldn’t find that information in the library. Was she his lover? Fiancée? Wife? She was curious. Issac was so rigid and austere that she couldn’t imagine him being all lovey-dovey with a romantic partner.

They both fell into silence once again and unlike earlier, she could sense that Issac was on edge. It was almost as if he anticipated another round of questions from her, but Islinda surprised him by keeping her lips sealed - for approximately a minute.

A sudden squawk from the trees made Islinda scream, startled.

"What in the Fae was that?" She asked, her gaze scouring the trees for the source of the noise.

Unlike Islinda who was shaken, Issac appeared relaxed and said, "Aldric’s spies."

"What?!" She shouted, apprehension taking hold of her as she searched left and right for the spies.

"Look ahead." Issac pointed precisely at a group of trees and she followed his line of sight.

To be honest, Islinda had no idea what to expect but it hadn’t been the Ravens perched on various parts of the trees. What the...

"How...?" She gasped in disbelief, staring at the birds.

"How do you think he keeps an eye on the castle without Fae guards?" Issac stared straight into her eyes, almost creeping her out, "He trained them and they’re loyal to him. In the Fae realm, even the trees have ears. The birds whisper all the news which they see and hear into his ears."

Islinda shivered at his words and when she turned to stare at the Ravens, one in particular focused in on her. It was eerie but even with the distance between them, Islinda could swear that the bird’s large, dark eyes were intelligent and drew her in. Its brilliant eyes suddenly contained a wisp of darkness, becoming creepingly familiar that it almost seemed like she was staring into Aldric’s eyes and she broke away from the bewitchment with a loud gasp.

"What is it?" Issac looked at her with concern.

"I thought... " Islinda was heaving and she turned to look at the bird only to find a normal bird with no darkness in its eyes, "I thought..."

"You thought what?"

"It’s nothing." She closed her mouth and composed herself.

What was she going to tell the Fae? That she thought Aldric was spying on her through the raven? Perhaps her imagination had been influenced by what he just told her.

It was obvious Issac did not believe her but there was nothing the Fae could do, so he gave up.

Almost immediately, a loud clap of thunder shook the earth, followed by a flash of lightning that had Islinda frowning as the air turned chilly without warning. She rubbed her arms and expelled a breath only for it to form a mist.

What in the Fae....

She turned her wide eyes towards Issac and he was alarmed as well.

"What’s happening?" Islinda was concerned.

One moment it had been bright sunshine and they had been shielded from the heat with the canopy of trees overhead only for the sun to disappear behind the cloud and the temperature dropped so quickly it was suspicious.

"It seems Prince Aldric has invoked his right to Aimsir," Issac said, relaxing as if it was a normal occurrence.

"What is that?" Islinda asked, feeling a sense of doom.

"Welcome to his winter."