Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 217: Peace Was Not An Option

Chapter 217: Peace Was Not An Option

"Welcome to my humble abode, brother," Aldric made a dramatic bow to Andre just as the Fae staff who escorted him to the receiving room, turned and left.

"No, " Andre tugged his overcoat closer to his body, saying meekly, "I should be the one honored for accepting my request considering our last meeting didn’t end so well."

"Pfft! Don’t be silly, brother!" Aldric laughed it off, "At least you didn’t encroach on my territory this time and gave me my deserved respect. Trust me, I’m not that unreasonable."

Oh, you can be quite unreasonable, Andre thought in his mind.

"Fine, if you say so." Andre didn’t argue with him anymore, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room with his hands clasped in front as silence fell upon them.

Although he and Aldric got along well compared to his brothers, it didn’t mean they were close enough to gossip about their wonderful lives.

"So," Aldric started, and Andre knew that it was a clear tactic to ease the unease in the air, "I believe that you haven’t had breakfast yet because I made plans before your arrival and Islinda would be joining us."

"Of course, I don’t mind, especially with Islinda present," Andre said with pure delight in his voice. He had come here to speak to Aldric about the incident, but it was a bonus if he could check up on the human and ensure she was doing well. Valerie must have given her quite a scare last night.

"If you say so then," There was a twitch in Aldric’s mouth when he saw the way Andre’s eyes sparked at the mention of Islinda. He hoped to the gods he didn’t have another of his brothers vying for Islinda’s attention; Andre didn’t want to be his enemy.

The first time the both of them met, Aldric assumed Andre’s flirting with her was harmless fun. But now, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Valerie is competition enough and he wouldn’t want another of his brothers added to the mix.

Why Islinda though? It’s not like there was something special about the female except she was human - and there are enough humans in Astaria that should grab their attention. Neither was Islinda beautiful enough to make heads turn or topple kingdoms.

Okay, fine, she was cute in the same adorable manner that females want to adopt a pet and spoil it rotten till the poor creature forgets its primitive role in life and becomes lazy. But she was mundane. Ordinary. Yet his brothers wouldn’t keep off. Perhaps they were simply obsessed with coveting what he had. And of which, he wasn’t surprised, his throne being one of the many first.

"Come then, brother, let me walk you to the dining room," Andre extended his hand towards him with a beckoning smile. He had to perform the role of a proper host and prove to Islinda that he could be sweet when he wanted to.

Andre came over to him but didn’t take his gloved hand, following his lead instead.

"This way," Aldric directed him even though this wasn’t the first time Andre had been here and was capable of identifying the dining room without a chaperone.

There was no tension, but a lot of unspoken words between the brothers as they walked ahead. Andre knew Aldric was tactically delaying the inevitable. Nor could he understand why Aldric was insisting on breakfast when he wanted this over with as quickly as possible - not because he couldn’t stand Aldric’s presence, but to stop Valerie from coming over.

Valerie was still not comfortable with his decision to help him and if the summer prince were to somehow sense that Aldric was being difficult, he could make an impromptu visit and that was enough to cause a war since Aldric doesn’t do well with members of his family stepping into his territory without a pass. Heck, both of them could not survive being together in the same space. Add the tension from yesterday’s incident into the mix and Astaria would be sure to rent in two.

However, it was as if Aldric was trying to paint an illusion that they were one happy family as it was constantly portrayed during meals at the palace. As much as they attempt to deceive the citizens of Astaria that the royal family is united, even a blind Fae could sense the underlying tension and distrust.

They arrived at the dining room with Faeries bowing in respect to them and Aldric took his seat at the head table while Andre sat across from him. The Fae began to serve the sumptuous meal and it wasn’t until they were done that Aldric resumed conversation.

"I have to admit, I was quite surprised to receive the message from you, and at that time of the night," He lifted his gaze to him, "It makes me quite curious about the reason for the visit, brother," Aldric said with an ominous smile, stirring a soup and tasted the spoon in the end.

"Don’t worry, this is a visit that would benefit you immensely," Andre said with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes, subtly summarizing the reason for his visit. His brother Aldric knew why he was here and yet was pretending not to. As the one in control, he wanted him - Andre - to raise the issue first.

"However," He added, "We should enjoy our breakfast, before delving into the matters of the day, don’t you think so?"

"Of course, brother. After all, he wouldn’t want to fall out in the middle of breakfast?" Andre told him, pushing a spoonful of his food into his mouth while his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Andre tried to keep a positive attitude, but it was getting hard with Aldric hinting that he was all for violence. His little brother knew he was for Valerie and peace did not seem to be in the option.

Nonetheless, Andre did not give up and changed to other lighter conversations, asking questions about how he was adapting to his "vacation" and "brief" break from the battlefield.

Aldric indulged him, although Andre couldn’t help but notice the way his brother avoided speaking about Islinda. His lips were sealed, unlike Valerie who wouldn’t keep speaking about Islinda and how he ruined what they had. He wasn’t confident he could win her over anymore.

Either Aldric had sinister plans about the girl and didn’t want to let it out by accident or he was really possessive about the human. Either way, none of it was good.

Well, Andre’s curiosity did not last for long because the human arrived and by the gods, she was pretty.