Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 451: Her Mother Was Alive

Chapter 451: Her Mother Was Alive

"Well, about that, I have a few theories...." Islinda’s heart skipped a beat as soon as she heard that, and she grew hopeful. Her eyes lit up like a starry night as she drew closer to him.

"Quick," she demanded. "Tell me? What am I?"

Andre said, "I think you might be half Fae."

"What?" Islinda said, stunned.

"Our kind has the closest boundary to your realm, and there are texts that suggest the existence of other supernaturals in their realms, often sneaking into your realm for some strange reason. Your realm is like a beacon calling to those ruthless, bloodthirsty creatures. However, our kind has the biggest war with your kind and hides in plain sight. Not to mention, there are a lot of half-breeds in Astaria. It’s not surprising if one has been living in the human realm and didn’t know. That is the basis for my assumption."

"Wow," Islinda breathed, blinking up at him. That was a lot of information to take in. She stuttered, "B-but I can’t be half Fae... I’ve seen half-breeds and their appearance is proof of their mixed heritage, but look..." Islinda tugged on her ears. "My ears are rounded and don’t show signs of getting ’slightly pointed’ anytime soon. Plus, I’ve lived in my village my whole life, and if they had suspected I was anything other than human, they would have executed me a while ago. Why do you think there are so many half-breeds in Astaria? It’s because the fae realm tolerates them while humans are too scared of the unknown. Half-breeds are too fae to be human and at the same time, too human to be Fae. They are stuck in the middle of an identity crisis that might follow them for the rest of their lives. So forgive me if I don’t agree with you on that."

When Islinda looked at Andre, she expected him to be angry that she didn’t agree with him. However, he didn’t seem affected at all. In fact, he appeared amused and proud of how her mind worked.

"Of course, Islinda, you didn’t think that was my only theory?" He smirked, even though there was nothing funny about the situation.

"You have more reasons?" Islinda was intrigued.

"Why do you think there are gaps in your memories if you were not brainwashed? And what are the chances your mother might be alive?"

Bam!

It felt like an explosion occurred in Islinda’s mind. She stumbled back a step, the thought too fragile to consider. Her mother might be alive? Islinda questioned mentally, her mind reeling from the possibility.

"No," Islinda shook her head stubbornly. She glowered at Andre; he had crossed a line this time with such a baseless theory. She snarled, "Tell me that you’re not playing mind games with me right now?"

Andre frowned. "Why would I play mind games with you?"

"Perhaps because this is your twisted way of punishing me for causing your brothers to become love rivals. You were very mad about that, and now you’re telling me that I might be half Fae and my mother might be alive?"

"Trust me, Islinda, if I wanted to play mind games with you, I would mess you up so bad you’d want death as a relief," Andre said to her in a gravelly voice, annoyed by her accusations.

He came closer, reminding her, "Have you forgotten that you wanted me to help you figure this out?"

Islinda snapped, "Then why would you say my mother is alive? The woman has been dead for years."

"Because you have fucking gaps in your memories, and that might be the handiwork of your mother in order to hide her identity," Andre shouted back at her.

"What?" Islinda stood completely still, the blood draining from her face.

Andre explained, "My kind has always been a little twisted on the inside, and some of them might get bored from living in their realm for too long. So, some of them cloak their identity and cross over to the human realm to..." He swallowed a little, realizing the point he was making. "To have a little fun. You’ve seen how half-breeds are treated in Astaria. Perhaps your mother might not have realized the potency of human seed, and when she turned up pregnant, she handed you over to your father to raise and erased your memories of her."

Islinda felt her breath leave her lungs, and she stared up at Andre, horror in her eyes. She went from realizing her mother didn’t exist to knowing she might be alive, and now she might have been abandoned. By the gods, Islinda felt sick to her stomach.

Andre saw her stricken expression and hurriedly explained, "But there is a possibility that your parents might have fallen in love. However, the idea of a fae and a human together was frowned upon, and your mother might not have had a choice but to erase her memory from her mind. She probably thought you were better off in the human realm and erased your memories so you wouldn’t get curious and go looking for her."

Andre tried to soften the blow, but the damage had already been done. When he saw Islinda’s expression turn green with nausea, his eyes widened, and without a second thought, he swept her off her feet. He just managed to reach the ceramic bowl in time, setting Islinda down as she leaned over it and began to vomit. Andre squatted down and held back her hair, making sure it didn’t get in the mess.

Islinda had not eaten much, except for the disastrous breakfast, and now her stomach couldn’t contain it anymore. She emptied the contents of her stomach until she could only retch. When she felt better, she crawled away from the toilet and leaned against the wall.

The Fae realm was far more developed than the primitive human realm, so they had sophisticated fixtures and advanced practices. But that wasn’t even Islinda’s concern as she sat on the bathroom floor. She no longer cared if she contracted a disease. She couldn’t die anyway.

Islinda was devastated, and with her eyes closed, a lone tear slipped down her cheek.