Mated To The Cruel Prince
Chapter 629: Mad At Her

Chapter 629: Mad At Her

"This is getting pitiful to watch," Ginger said to Ailee, clasping her mouth with her palm while her heart broke at the sight.

Islinda was kneeling at the entrance of Aldric’s court. She has been at it for hours and it was beginning to make them uncomfortable. They would have joined her, but the young human had demanded fiercely that this was her battle to fight and they shouldn’t be part of her punishment. Now all they had to do was watch her suffer herself because the dark Fae prince was not moved by her action at all.

Aldric was really, really mad at Islinda.

It wasn’t until the morning after the party that Islinda realized that she had messed up. She had woken up to see Zaya the healer beside her who simply shook her head sympathetically and went ahead to treat her. Islinda had been fed ambrosia, an enchanted Fae wine and unlike the first time in the past when it made her sick, her body took it quite well this time. Shockingly well. She might as well have drunk normal wine as it had no lingering effect.

However, that was just the prelude to all of Islinda’s problems, as the realization dawned on her that she had engaged in intimate relations with Aldric in the presence of the winter court. While enduring whispers and being labeled Aldric’s "whore" was one thing, confirming it in front of the Fae was an entirely different ordeal. Mortification washed over Islinda, rendering her unable to face anyone for the remainder of the day, despite Zaya’s reassurances that there was no need for shame. According to Zaya, the Fae were remarkably open about such matters, and as she put it, "it is all the winter court could talk about." Indeed, it seemed Islinda had unwittingly found the fastest route to fame, much to her chagrin

It was all her fault, her stubbornness knew no bounds. But this time it seems she was paying for it. Aldric has refused to meet her ever since that day. At first, Islinda had thought he was merely occupied with court and dealing with the aftermath of the party — which was precisely what she wanted to talk to him about — but he refused to see her.

At first, It felt like a joke, but when a whole day went by and there was no response, not even in the form of a letter, Islinda knew at once something was wrong. She has known Aldric to a certain extent now and he would never keep quiet after what went down between them that night, yet there was nothing from him.

Islinda barely slept the whole night and woke even before the day broke, hoping to catch him before he got busy again. But she was refused entrance to his quarters. She tried and tried all she could, but they wouldn’t let her in and even manhandled her.

The rejection hit Islinda harder than she expected. It was the first time she truly felt the weight of her powerlessness as a human in the Fae court. What had she done to deserve this? Islinda replayed her actions in her mind, aside from the indiscretion at the party, she couldn’t find any fault in her behavior. Wasn’t Aldric relieved that he fulfilled their cultural expectations with her, rather than another female? Or was she just deluding herself with false hope?

Undeterred by the rejection, Islinda decided to make another gesture of goodwill. She headed to the kitchen and began preparing Aldric’s favorite meal. Drawing from her brief stint as one of Aldric’s "staff," she had picked up a few Fae cooking techniques, which she combined with some of the human dishes that Aldric enjoyed, particularly the Akara balls.

With the tray of fresh food in hand, Islinda was confident she wouldn’t be rejected or so she thought. They wouldn’t let her in even with Aldric’s food. So she begged that they served him the food instead. But minutes later, Islinda was dumbfounded when the meal was sent back to her room claiming the high lord would prefer a food cooked by the royal kitchen to hers.

Islinda bit down on her lips so hard she drew blood. Aldric was taunting and daunting her on purpose. If he had a problem with her, he should come out with it rather than torture her like this. So with grim determination, Islinda made up her mind to confront Aldric.

However, she was reminded once more of Aldric’s powerful status and Islinda realized she may have taken the dark Fae prince’s favor for granted. Either Aldric tasked them with putting her in her place or he took off his protection over her because the guards were quite crass and direct with their words. They claimed a human had no business within these walls and her place belonged among the servants.

Islinda had never felt so insulted and her hands balled into a fist from the embarrassment. However, she was a shameless person who could swallow her pride to get what she wanted. So she plopped down to the floor outside the court entrance and waited. She knew there were side doors Aldric could leave through if he wanted to, unless he wanted her sitting here for the rest of the day, he would come see her.

Hence Islinda remained stubborn and remained on the floor amid her maidservants urging her to give up the pursuit. But Islinda was determined. Yes, she might have gotten carried away with Aldric’s positions and overstepped her boundaries, but he too had forgotten how driven she could be.

Sweat dripped down Islinda’s forehead, her legs growing numb from the hours spent in that unyielding position. Despite the discomfort, she gritted her teeth and persevered. Finally, the imposing doors swung open, ushering in a flurry of conversations that abruptly ceased as all eyes turned to Islinda.

Islinda became the focal point of their scrutiny, their gazes filled with curiosity and speculation. None of them could comprehend why Aldric’s lover would subject herself to such a degrading position. Was her favor with him lost? Islinda could sense the myriad of thoughts racing through their minds, but she remained resolute, lifting her chin defiantly, silently challenging anyone to make a disparaging remark.

The courtiers eventually regained their composure and departed one by one, returning to their own affairs. Islinda released a deep breath, relieved that the scrutiny had finally subsided. Despite her outward facade of strength, she couldn’t deny the fear and shame that gnawed at her from within. She thought it was finally over. Little did she know, it was just the beginning.

"What have we have?" Someone approached with a sneer.