Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 420: This Is Not Over

Chapter 420: This Is Not Over

Islinda felt uneasiness wash over her as she sat rigid, expecting one of them to charge forward and chaos to ensue. However, it was Aldric who first looked away, his signature smirk playing on his lips. He examined Islinda with delight in his eyes and said, "But don’t worry, none of us will be dying today. After all, you did say this room is a safe space."

Islinda breathed a sigh of relief. Aldric had respected her boundaries. She had no idea what she would have done if a fight had broken out between them.

She gave Aldric a small smile before glancing at Valerie, who seemed unimpressed by their interaction. Valerie believed that Aldric mistreated her in his castle, which was why he had attempted to switch her soul. It was as if the summer Fae prince wanted to believe that Aldric was a terrible monster, as it would justify his hatred towards him.

Islinda had once thought that way too, which is why it pained her. Aldric had his faults, but the brothers could salvage something from their dysfunctional relationship. At this point, Islinda wondered if disappearing from their lives would even solve the never-ending animosity between them.

Exhaustion finally washed over Islinda, and she found herself fighting to stay awake. After all, who knew what they would do while she was asleep and unable to supervise them.

"Just sleep, little human. I promise I won’t harm your prince charming," Aldric sarcastically assured her.

Valerie bared his teeth, showing that he too had a bite.

"Swear it," Islinda demanded, not willing to take any chances.

Aldric rolled his eyes, but he was the first to comply. "I, Prince Aldric Huxstabel, promise not to fight or harm my darling brother Valerie. This oath is binding until a new day dawns."

A familiar tingle of magic washed over Islinda, assuring her that the oath was effective.

Now that Aldric had finished, both of them turned their attention to Valerie. Islinda frowned at the stubborn look on his face and briefly feared that he wouldn’t follow through on the agreement.

Valerie reluctantly gave in. He made his promise, saying, "I, Valerie Huxstabel, promise not to fight or harm Aldric while Islinda sleeps. Let this oath hold over me until morning comes."

Islinda noticed that Valerie did not address Aldric as his brother, but the tingle of magic still occurred. She guessed that it was enough. Now she could sleep in peace.

"Goodnight," Islinda yawned before her eyelids grew heavy.

When Islinda woke up early in the morning, her first instinct was to search for Valerie and Aldric. However, they were nowhere to be found, and her heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to sit up and look for them, a strong arm pressed her back onto the bed.

"What the...?" Islinda exclaimed.

"Hello, princess," Aldric greeted, shocking her. He was in bed with her. How did he end up here? It clicked in her head. Her eyes widened. "Valerie...?"

Aldric allowed her to sit up this time, and Islinda didn’t have to move far to see Valerie sprawled out on the bare floor. The steady rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was asleep, which brought Islinda a great sense of relief.

She relaxed back into the bed, but then it hit her. Why was Valerie on the floor and Aldric in her bed? As if that wasn’t enough, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Aldric suddenly pinned her down with his body.

There was something strange in his gaze, and before Islinda could figure it out, he tilted his head and pouted, "I thought you missed me, princess."

Islinda cursed inwardly. Eli. She panicked, her wide and anxious eyes darting towards Valerie on the floor.

But Eli didn’t seem to care, as his lips closed over hers. Islinda let out a startled gasp as he kissed her. He wasted no time, kissing her deeply and causing Islinda to forget all about Valerie’s presence. She became lost in the moment.

The kiss was rough, but Islinda could feel the excitement coursing through her body, the butterflies in her stomach, and the way her skin tingled with his touch. An involuntary moan escaped her lips, and it wasn’t until she had to break away for air that her senses finally returned. They were kissing with Valerie present. This was a dangerous situation.

Eli didn’t push for more; instead, he leaned his forehead against hers, locking eyes with her. Then he whispered in her ear with a promise that made her stomach coil with both dread and anticipation.

"This is not over."

With that, Eli got off her and without even sparing one last glance, he left through the door. Islinda finally exhaled, realizing she had been holding her breath. What in the damned Fae just happened?

Eli was gone. Did Aldric let him out as per their agreement - although she had technically agreed to spend thirty minutes with him? Or did Eli let himself out? Would he be staying, or was this just a temporary loss of control on Aldric’s part?

Islinda suddenly felt worried for him. What if someone found out that Aldric was acting strangely? No, not even she had easily noticed it. The fact that no one knew about the personality changes was proof that Eli wouldn’t compromise the safety of his host. After all, if Aldric died, Eli would die too.

However, Valerie’s presence grabbed her attention, and Islinda realized how dangerous this game was. She couldn’t continue dating Valerie and Aldric’s alter ego at the same time. One of them had to go. She needed to tell Eli the truth, unless, of course, he already knew and was being stubborn about it.

As she thought about it, she realized that he had just kissed her with Valerie in the room and declared that it wasn’t over.

Shit.

How did her life end up like this? Who put her in this predicament? Love triangles were no joke.

Carefully, Islinda got out of bed and went to wash up before Valerie woke up and noticed Aldric’s scent on her.