Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 282: We Have Motives

Chapter 282: We Have Motives

There was a saying that enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road, the same could be said when Aurelia and Rosalind bumped into each other on the passageway. Rosalind had always stayed in her lane and never interfered in Aurelia’s work, but lately, everyone could sense her rebelling.

The tension between both female Fae was palpable and it always heightened whenever Islinda was involved. They stared at each other for a while before Rosalind sidestepped her and attempted to move but Aurelia blocked her way

"Do you need anything, Aurelia?" Rosalind asked calmly.

Aurelia tilted her head, regarding her intensely, "I’ve been trying hard not to think about it, but I can’t help but wonder..." the Fae looked her dead in the eye, "Should I be worried about my work? Lately, my orders have been overlooked and replaced with yours. Tell me, do you desire to covet my position?"

"You don’t need to think the worst. The situation merely requires so and your job is yours to keep."She attempted to move again but Aurelia kept getting in her way.

Rosalind glanced up at her, irritated. She ran her hand through her hair,

"What’s your problem? Just say what you want to and stop beating around the bush." She was done with the pretense.

Aurelia closed the space between them and they stood at the same height. Although she was older than Rosalind, the Fae looked like a human in her late twenties.

"I turned a blind eye to your relationship with Prince Aldric because you were humble and seemed to know your place in the first place. However, this good work has turned to bite me in the ass because I raised a tiger instead. However, this is an advice Rosalind,"

Aurelia reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears. Her gesture appeared to be tender, but there was nothing affectionate in her eyes, instead, it was cold and unwelcoming.

Rosalind yelped as she suddenly clutched a fistful of her hair and pulled. Her mouth parted in pain and shock as she stared at the Fae who never hid the malice on her face.

"What are you doing?" She gasped, trying to loosen her grip on her scalp but her hold was quite strong.

"My dear Rosalind, you should not bite more than you can chew. Do note that I am not against you satisfying Prince Aldric’s urges but you acting like you’re something unique and the princess of this house is what I can’t condone."

Rosalind whimpered, biting down on her lips when Aurelia increased her grasp, "You should know that if Prince Aldric were to choose between the both of us, you would be cut off... Why? "She laughed cruelly, "Because you’re of no use to him anymore. While you were busy playing my role, someone else took your place and we now know who is the true young miss of this household."

Rosalind gasped in relief when the Fae finally let go of her hair and when she looked at Aurelia, there was a bit of fear in her eyes. This was the first time the Fae she once thought to be kind and gentle, treated her this way.

Aurelia lifted her hand and Rosalind visibly flinched. She had not intended to hit her but the visceral reaction she elicited made her lips curl in satisfaction. The bitch sure knows her place now.

She instead patted Rosalind’s cheek saying, "I don’t like us being this way, let’s go back to those much friendlier times. You understand, right?" Aurelia looked at her in anticipation, waiting for an answer.

Rosalind reluctantly nodded her head and Aurelia smiled so brightly she could shame the sun.

"Good. We both are here with our motive or the other and wouldn’t want to be a hindrance to each other." Aurelia spoke, her words having a hidden meaning that Rosalind couldn’t decipher yet roused suspicion. She chose to stay mute, playing dumb.

Aurelia finally departed and Rosalind watched her the entire time, her hands turned into fists till her knuckles turned white. Her eyes were red and her body shook with barely controlled anger. Rosalind made up her mind at that very moment, she would kill Aurelia if that was the last thing she would do.

Meanwhile....

Islinda made her way towards the library, the only place she could find peace and as well, find information about the strange realm she lived in. Aldric had left her after that encounter in the bedroom and she had no idea whether to be relieved or bothered.

Sure, she was happy that he was back, now, her plan of escaping could be fulfilled. At the same time, Islinda was genuinely happy that he was back, the castle had been kind of lonely without him. Aldric’s drama and invasion of her privacy were something she could look forward to and kept her occupied.

However, the guilt gnawing at her chest and the funny feeling in her belly, was not what she wanted. All she had ever wanted was to leave the Fae castle and relish the freedom her stepfamily had taken from her. So why should she feel bothered when the plan to do tomorrow was the right thing to do in her situation?

Islinda groaned, running her hand through her hair and tousling it. Fine, she would bury her face in books today and try not to think much about it. Stepping into the library, Islinda traced her hand across the shelves, letting her instincts guide her on what book to choose since she couldn’t magically summon the book of her choice.

Her hand stopped on a book and she was about to pull it out when a crash startled her and she nearly jumped out of her skin with a scream. What in the Fae? She looked across the library, alarmed. There was nobody here, Islinda was sure of it. This was her safe haven and nobody dared to invade it. Except Aldric of course.

But Aldric would not hide like a coward and would have come out by now with an annoying smirk on his face. Islinda’s heart began to race in her chest with each passing second. There was no sign of anyone but call it her instinct, Islinda was sure that she wasn’t alone; Someone was here with her.

Of course, the right thing to do would have been to leave the library and report what she heard, instead, Islinda followed the direction of the crash. What if whoever was responsible for it escapes once she leaves? She reasoned. What if this was some sort of trap and she gets killed? Islinda did not think of that part.

Islinda walked through the space between the rows of shelves, eyes scanning both sides, her senses on high alert. So when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her, she whirled around at once, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest only to see....

"Issac?" Islinda was startled, surprised to see him. She bent over, resting a hand on her knee and the other on the chest, trying to catch her catch.

She glared up at him, "What the hell are you doing here, you nearly gave me a heart attack?"

"I am sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you." Issac apologized with the guilt written all over his face. However, Islinda couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes kept flickering to the corner, almost as if he was trying to hide something.

"Tell me truthfully, what are you doing here?" Islinda asked him, full of suspicion. She was sure of it, he was hiding something.

"I–I eh..." He wasn’t able to respond, confirming Islinda’s suspicion. She bet he couldn’t lie out of this one.

However, his eyes suddenly widened causing Islinda to frown, wondering what was up with him when the hairs on her nape stood on edge.

She let out a shaky breath, communicating to Issac with her eyes instead, "Something is behind me, right? "

"Yes." His eyes answered.

Islinda screamed at the top of her lungs when an arm snaked around her waist until she turned and met a familiar face.

"Hello, sister."

"Maxi?!" Islinda shouted in disbelief.

"Has anyone told you that you sound adorable when you scream, like a cute rabbit?" She smirked knowingly, "No wonder Aldric likes scaring you."

Islinda could hardly believe what she was seeing. It was not enough that it was almost a week since she last saw Maxi and yet, she dared to come out in broad daylight. What if some Fae had seen her and reported it? They would kill her. Maxi was not like Aldric. She liked her - and would miss her greatly once she left.

As if her sudden appearance was not enough, Maxi treated her to another shock of her life.

"Hello, my shy Fae," Maxi walked over to Issac with a suspicious sway of her hips and before Islinda could comment on it, she cradled Issac’s face in her palm and kissed him on the lips.

Islinda’s jaw fell to the ground.

Slap her.