Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 365: Kill A Fae

Chapter 365: Kill A Fae

A sudden awkward hush fell upon the crowd like an unexpected veil of silence. Even the jealous Fae faltered, her earlier confidence failing as she had not seen that response coming. She dropped the words out of resentment, feeling cheated of her chance of getting Valerie for a mate.

Now, it was as if an invisible pause button had been pressed, and the collective awareness of her circle of friends braced for an uncertain moment, leaving a lingering discomfort in the silence.

"Does your parents know that you are not interested in Prince Valerie?" One of the Fae finally spoke up, breaking the palpable tension that hung in the air.

Elena did not answer the question, lifting the goblet to her lips and the Fae thankfully got the hint and did not press for answers.

"A-hem," Another Fae intentionally cleared her throat to dispel the apprehensive ambiance, "Well, it’s not like Valerie is the only potential mate out there, I even heard he got entangled with a human. How shocking!"

At the mention of Valerie’s romantic relationship with a human, the awkward silence vanished and even the jealous Fae was able to relax once more. Although she remained quiet for the most part, scared to drop another comment that would attract trouble. She knew deep down that her pals blamed her for her callous words earlier, after all, everyone here sucked up to Lady Elena. What was so special about her aside from her impressive family background?

Elena did not speak either, choosing to keep herself busy with her drink, looking at them over the rim of the goblet. In the hush of vigilant observation, silence becomes the discerning ally—unseen, unheard, yet revealing the shadows that betray the presence of potential adversaries. When people talked, they revealed too much and it was an opportunity to seek out her allies and foes.

One of them turned to her with concern, "I heard from a reliable source that Prince Valerie is quite taken with the human, in fact, that is the reason Fae Queen Maeve organized the ball in the first place to tie him down with a....." The Fae trailed off when she realized she had spoken too much.

Elena’s lips curled up, the motion shielded by the goblet. See? Information is revealed in gatherings like this, Elena remarked inwardly.

They fell into silence again but it was not prolonged like the first time, a Fae harrumphed, "Have you forgotten what Elena is capable of? I’m sure she will not let Prince Aldric walk over her and use her to shield the puny human. Moreover, the princes would fight each other just to have her hand in marriage!"

"Indeed." Another concurred.

The jealous Fae finally spoke up, her eyes lighting up as she asked, "Does that mean aside from Prince Valerie, there’s another Fae prince you’re interested in? I mean, I heard Prince Andre is not a bad choice."

Another Fae objected at once, "Forget Prince Andre, Prince Theodore is valorous and he’s next in line for the throne of Astaria after Valerie," She said suggestively and that surely drew attention with most getting the point.

The Raysin family had quite a sway over the public and many allies among the high Fae of the summer court, which was why marrying Elena was a shrewd political move. In one word, any of the princes with the backing of the Raysin family and King Oberon’s support is guaranteed the future king of Astaria. So yes, this was enough reason for the princes to vie for her hand in marriage.

"Elena, tell us then, which of the princes are you most curious about?"

The attention was back on her again, all waiting for her answer with great anticipation.

"Hmm," Elena rubbed her cheek thoughtfully, pondering over it, "Which of the princes am I curious about?"

"Just tell us already, I’m dying here." The jealous Fae cried out.

"Prince Aldric." She finally revealed.

"What?!"

Their eyes widened in disbelief as a profound shock settled in, their lower jaw dropping with a stunned weightiness. Their expression spoke volumes, a non-verbal testament to the unexpected revelation that left them momentarily speechless.

One of the Fae recovered enough to ask, "You are kidding me, right?"

"You asked a question, I answered. So there you have it. It was actually nice talking with you all and I hope you meet your dream mates at the ball," Elena lifted her drink and cheered for them.

She then left the circle of friends and entertained the others. So when the soiree came to an end, Elena did not wait around to be lectured by her mother about her performance at the event and retreated for the night. Her handmaiden helped her bathe and dress for bed.

All alone, Elena couldn’t help but go over her answer at the soiree, a small smile crossing her features. She was curious about the little dark prince that every Fae was supposedly afraid of, wondering how damaged he was. Elena loved a good challenge and it will be thrilling to fix Aldric. She had been an obedient child for Fae too long, it would be interesting to walk on the wild side for a change.

With such rebellious thoughts in her head, Elena slept quite peacefully. She even had a dream about meeting Aldric for the first time at the ball. Of course, his reputation precedes him and Aldric did not speak to her. But she was persistent and chased after him to other’s disapproval.

It must have been in the middle of the night when Elena sensed something was not right and jolted from her sleep. The Fae sat up and prepared to attack once she saw a finger hovering in her face and startling her. But before she could summon even a spark of her destructive magic, she was caught in the intruder’s spell.

The intruder was no other than Lola, the witch who swore vengeance against Aldric for the death of her sister Dorcas and has been biding her time in the shadows, thinking of the perfect plan against the untouchable prince Aldric and finally came up with one.

With Elena frozen under her spell, Lola took her hand, sliced her palm open with a knife, and let her blood pour onto her own wound. While that happened, Lola began to chant in a strange language, the air crackling with energy like lightning. The atmosphere became charged with a palpable energy, and a subtle breeze seemed to respond to the impending magical incantation.

As the climax of the spell neared, time seemed to slow, and Lola chanted faster, strands of her hair turning white from the root as her life span was used as an exchange in the dangerous spell. Half of her hair was now completely white while the other was untouched. The magical energies surged and then, with a breathtaking release, the spell unfurled.

A sinister glint entered Lola’s eyes as she stared at the unblinking Fae. She reached out and tucked Elena’s hair behind her ear, saying, "Now, you are mine and would do my binding, sister."

Since she couldn’t kill a Fae as a witch. She would kill a Fae with a Fae.