by Fawn Bailey
Zara was quick to nod, but Safiya was looking right at me when she asked the question.
Why is she so quick to judge me?
I wouldn’t disappoint her, her secret was safe with me, but I didn’t like that she was quicker to think I’d tattle over Zara.
I offered her a cool smile, nodding to signify I wouldn’t tell a soul.
“Do you still love her?” Zara blurted, and I chastised her with a look that she studiously ignored. “I just want to know. You wouldn’t be here if you did, right?”
Safiya’s mouth set in a thin line and she refused to meet our eyes.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter,” she responded. “And it’s none of your business. I’m moving on, one way or another.”
Zara looked away, flushing, and discomfort settled between us like a poisonous snake coiling itself around our friendship.
“Do you know anything else about Luxuria?” I was quick to ask Safiya, to try and disperse the tension. “Any local myths and legends about the royals?”
“There is something.” The sparkle was back in Safiya’s eyes as she turned to face us. “There are quite a few castles in Luxuria, given how small it is. One of them is very close to here… See those woods?”
She pointed at the dense forest looming in the distance, and Zara and I nodded in response.
“There’s an urban legend that there’s a castle within them,” Safiya told us. “So well-hidden and protected no one has seen it in centuries. It’s private land, with guards watching for trespassers, so it could be plausible.”
“Another castle?” Zara asked. “Do people still use it, or is it a museum?”
“Legend says,” Safiya went on, “a monster lives there with his captive. But when I was reading up on it, I found out monster and his victim might have become one in more ways than one…”
“That sounds…” I started.
“Exciting!” Zara cut in, clapping her hands together. “Oh my gosh, I love these fairytales. Did you find any more information, Safiya?”
The other girl shook her head, but there was no mistaking the flash of interest in her eyes.
“It’s part of the reason I came here,” she finally confessed. “I’ve always been interested in urban legends, this one being just one of them. I will try to research it a bit more, and let you know what you find out.”
“Yes, please,” Zara said, and I found myself nodding along. I was genuinely curious. Could there be any truth to the story of the mysterious castle? I was eager to find out.
“Hello, ladies.”
The three of us turned in the direction of the deep, booming voice, and flushed in unison.
“Your Highness.”
Safiya was the first to curtsy, with Zara and me following her greeting. Olivier stood a little way off, and my heart started thumping once again.
He’s come to find me! I thought. Oh, if only Freya were here to see this.
I wore a triumphant smile on my lips when Olivier said, “I’m so sorry to break up your pleasant morning, but I was hoping to borrow one of you. Would that be okay?”
The girls looked at me, both with pride and jealousy, and I felt my chest swelling with emotion, unable to get rid of the smile on my face.
“Not at all,” they said.
“Perfect,” Olivier grinned, his gaze drinking me in.
I could just tell his mind was on the night in my bedroom, on his fingers bringing me pleasure like I’d never felt before.
“Zara, will you come with me?”
Excuse me?
I gritted my teeth as my friend exchanged surprised glances with us before curtsying again, taking Olivier’s arm and following him out of the maze. She threw me an apologetic look over her shoulder while I stood there stewing in my own jealousy.
He’s supposed to pick me every time!
Jealousy cut through me like a knife, and Safiya knew better than to say a word as we made our way back to the castle.
9
Olivier
After being forced to attend to some royal business, my schedule had finally cleared up enough so I could be available for a dinner with the women in the competition.
I knew Amber was angry with me, but instead of making me worried, it brought a smirk to my face.
I fucking loved making her jealous.
She seemed so headstrong at times, I couldn’t help but want to shake her confidence a little. Those moments when she doubted herself, when she hated me with all her might… in those moments, she was the most vulnerable she’d ever been for me, and I fucking loved it.
I knew eventually I’d bring more of her submissiveness out to play, but for now, I’d have to be happy with the moments I stole from her by toying with her body, mind and soul.
Dinner was to be a traditional Luxurian affair – with all of us in our best clothing, and with live music. I was enthusiastic. After my father’s death five years ago, we’d never quite gotten back to the energetic, sparkling essence of the castle.
I picked out a Berluti midnight blue velvet tuxedo, pairing it with cognac-colored moccasin penny loafers. My hair was slicked back, the unruly curls tamed into submission, the faint hint of stubble on my jaw. I finished off the look with a splash of tobacco cologne on my wrists and neck.
I knew I looked good, and as I entered the candlelit dining hall, the gasps, giggles and whispers of my girls only served to confirm it.
I walked over to my mother, sitting at the head of the table. She smiled affectionately as I pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek.
We hadn’t had the easiest relationship lately, but I was pleased to see her adapting to me. I wasn’t going to let her rule over my life.
She might be the Queen, but she isn’t the boss of me.
My eyes scanned the gathered crowd and settled on a head of flame-red hair.
I grinned to myself, walking over to the girl with my hand brushing the sleeve of her dark gray dress. But when she turned around to face me, I didn’t recognize her.
Of course. Eva, the other girl with red hair, who looked frighteningly like Amber.
I offered her an apologetic smile, then realized I’d better say something.
“Looking beautiful tonight,” I managed before retreating with a disarming smile.
I saw the girl’s composure slip for a mere second as she let me see a more vulnerable side to her. It was beautiful, and my smile was genuine.
Finally, I located Amber standing at the edge of the room with her friend, Zara. I’d had a good chat with Zara the previous day.
I’d wanted to get to know her better since Amber seemed to be so close to her, but I couldn’t lie to myself – it pleased me immensely to see how jealous Amber had gotten when I’d led her friend away instead of her.
A little bit of jealousy put fire in her, and I fucking loved how riled up she got.
Our eyes met across the room and she parted her lips in a surprised o-shape that was soon replaced by a delighted smile. I winked at her, smirking before returning my attention to my mother.
In a few minutes, we’d all sat down around the large, intricately cut oak table, and the servants started coming out with the first course of our meal.
I’d been forced to sit next to my mother, with Freya taking the seat next to me, and Asya, the Turkish princess, the one opposite me.
I kept glancing at Amber, but she kept her distance, sitting a few seats down from me. I guess it wasn’t fair to the other girls to keep picking her as a favorite… but how the fuck was I supposed to help myself?
That night especially, Amber looked like a fucking vision.
She wore a midi-length dress with thin spaghetti straps, the top of the dress draping across her bust and exposing the top of her décolletage in beautiful cobalt blue silk. The bottom of the dress was down to her knees in a gorgeous fluid fabric that elongated her limbs. She’d paired it with simple thin-strapped black suede sandals, and a white faux fur stole draped over her creamy shoulders. Her hair was
down… and now I was staring, and my mother had caught on.
I glanced at her, seeing her displeasure right away.
“Enjoying dinner, Mother?” I asked in a perfectly pleasant voice.
“Very much,” she replied, tight-lipped.
A felt a sliver of remorse, realizing maybe I’d been too harsh on her.
She was controlling, but she did only want the best for me, and I could hardly blame her for that.
Of course, the moment I considered moving on, she piped up with another concern.
“Speak to Asya,” she bit out at me when no one was listening. “She’s the next best thing after Stephanie. A princess, Olivier! That’s exactly what this castle needs.”
She gave me a long look imploring me to do what she said, but my rebellious streak made me want to defy her.
I turned to Freya instead, who seemed delighted at the prospect of my company.
We chatted for a while and I got to know her better, finding out she came from a family of three siblings, all boys. She spoke about her brothers with affection, and I liked how obvious it was that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
I liked an independent woman. It was that much sweeter to watch her submit for me.
“Olivier,” my mother interrupted, and I turned my eyes to her. She gave me another imploring look, glancing between myself and Asya, and I swallowed the reply I really wanted to give her.
I turned my attention to Asya and engaged her in conversation.
She was beautiful, but then again, weren’t they all?
Asya’s features reminded me of a porcelain doll, all big eyes and plump, pouty lips. Her skin looked like china and she smiled so prettily I wanted to capture every moment her lips turned up.
If I was being completely honest with myself, I had to admit I was very much enjoying my time with her.
But I didn’t want to give her false hope. I already knew who would be left standing at the end of the competition.
Once our conversation ended, I gave her a smile and returned to my meal, but my mother wouldn’t have any of it.
She turned to face me again, impatiently touching my hand with her cool fingers laden with expensive rings.
“Olivier,” she reminded me again. “Ask Asya about her country’s history. There’s so much to learn about Turkish culture… Not quite as brutish as I’d imagined!”
She laughed, and Asya returned a nervous smile, though I could tell she was uncomfortable.
And suddenly I’d had enough.
Enough of my mother’s cloying presence, enough of her demands to pick a wife she approved of. It was my path, my journey to take, and I would end up with the woman she’d clearly despised from the beginning, however much she might try to dissuade me from it.
“I need some air,” I growled, pushing my chair back, much to the annoyance of my mother.
“Stay,” she insisted. “They’re almost ready with the next course. I ordered them to serve quail eggs, Olivier – your favorite!”
“I’ll be back shortly,” I ground out without quite meeting her eyes.
I felt her gaze on the back of my neck as I made my way out of the room. She was angry, but I’d deal with that later.
For now, I just needed to get some air. Get away from the presence of my overbearing mother.
My thoughts were everywhere, scattered and leaving me wondering about what my purpose was in this fucking charade of a competition.
It was obvious who I wanted to pick, though my mother seemed hell-bent on preventing it from happening. But we both knew the choice would be mine in the end, no matter how hard she tried to convince me otherwise.
I walked down the dimly lit hallway, not knowing where I was going. I just wandered the halls of the castle until my angry thoughts simmered down to a quiet rage. But at least it was the kind of emotion I knew how to control, and I was grateful that I’d managed to keep a lid on it.
I heard noises coming from ahead of me – whimpers and whispers that were suddenly interrupted by a muffled cry.
All my senses were on high alert as I rounded the corner and came across a situation that made my blood boil.
A woman was standing against the wall, with a male figure looming over her. He had his palm pressed against her mouth, effectively muffling her cries for help. She was struggling against him, but he paid it no mind, his strong hands making sure she couldn’t move an inch.
Rage overwrote any other emotion I was feeling, and then the unthinkable happened. Moonlight coming through the window illuminated the woman’s form and her hair glinted red in the darkness.
Amber!
“Hey!” I shouted, and the male figure froze as I strode closer. “Get your fucking hands off her!”
In a flash, the male figure disentangled himself from the woman. I was too far away to stop him, and before I could run after the guy, Amber collapsed against the wall. I reached her just in time to stop her fall, my arms cradling her body against mine, holding her up.
It took me a second to calm down and realize the woman in my arms wasn’t Amber at all.
It was Eva, the Dutch beauty whom I’d chosen to be part of the competition solely because of her resemblance to my favorite girl.
She was barely conscious, her eyes fluttering open and closed so fast I wasn’t sure whether she could see or hear me at all.
“Eva,” I said gently. “Open your eyes. You’re safe now. I’m going to make sure nobody hurts you anymore. You’re going to be okay.”
I looked after her assailant, knowing I had two choices.
I could run after the bastard, but that meant leaving Eva alone and vulnerable, and I couldn’t imagine what could happen to her in her shaky state.
I held her closer, her scent assaulting my nostrils in a mixture of vanilla and citrus. It was sharp and sweet and completely intoxicating.
Once again, her lashes fluttered open, putting me face-to-face with the most beautiful hazel eyes.
Those eyes that were a mix between brown and green and speckled with flecks that glittered in the darkness. She was exquisite…
And I was getting lost in her beauty when I should have been proving to her how much better I was than the man who’d assaulted her.
But for one second, one sick, twisted second, I understood why they stranger had cornered her.
She was unmistakably beautiful, awakening an urge deep within me that I was desperate to quiet, but failed miserably in doing so.
“Help me,” she whispered, her voice sweet, gentle and heavily accented. “Don’t let him touch me anymore.”
My hands formed fists in the fabric of her dress and I helped her to her feet.
“I won’t,” I promised her. “No one is going to hurt you. Let me help you back to the dining room.”
She looked up into my eyes, and when she did, something passed between us, a promise of something we could have together, an electric current awakening right under my skin.
I was so desperate to have more of it, to pursue this strange electricity tying me to her, but I stopped myself in my tracks, my thoughts going back to Amber.
It could have so easily been her.
As I helped Eva back to the dining room, my thoughts were dominated with images of Amber being hurt like this. Cornered like an animal, forced into submission by a taller, stronger man who could make her do anything he wanted.
Eva and I reached the dining room, and as soon as we walked into it, the quiet murmur of the conversation escalated into loud exclamations, shocked gasps, and questions were fired at us as the women surrounded us.
“What happened?” Freya cried out as she helped Eva to a chair. “What on earth happened?”
And then my mother was there, and I felt the rage returning.
“Leave her alone,” I roared at the Queen, who had already started fussing around Eva. “Just let her fucking breathe, she’s had the scare of her life.”
My mother gave me a surprised look and I was disguste
d with myself when I realized she was afraid of me. I didn’t want her fear. I just wanted some respect from the woman who was supposed to want the best for me.
I scanned the crowd of girls, my eyes settling on Amber’s petite form and drinking in her curves. Thank fuck she was safe. I didn’t know what I’d do if something had happened to her.
I shifted my attention back to Eva as Chloe, one of the younger girls, rushed over with a glass of water, offering it to her friend. Eva took long, thirsty gulps of the cool liquid, and I was relieved to find the color returning to her face.
My mother approached me again, firing off questions.
“What happened? Where did you find her? Did she wander off with someone? Did she faint?”
“What happened?” I repeated. “She was fucking assaulted, that’s what happened.”
“Olivier!” My mother gasped, her expression scandalized. “Well, that’s just impossible. Who in their right mind would try to hurt one of the women? No, I refuse to believe that happened.”
“You refuse to believe it?” I stood in front of her, towering over her small but regal form, and she flinched as if I’d struck her. “It happened, right under your nose. I suggest you keep a better eye on your royal subjects around the girls, because I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt them.”
“Olivier, calm down,” she begged me, but my rage knew no bounds and as we faced off, she seemed to sense my animosity, taking a careful step back. “It was an accident, I’m sure. Nobody would dare to touch the girls, especially with the both of us so close by.”
“I saw it with my own eyes,” I got out through gritted teeth, fully aware that we now had the attention of every woman in the room, even Eva, who was still struggling to catch her breath. “I saw a man covering her mouth and feeling her up.”
The Queen chuckled nervously, waving her hand in the air. “Nonsense, Olivier. Now please don’t cause a panic. I’m sure this is all just a misunderstanding.”
All I felt was anger. A red mist descended over my vision and I seethed at my mother.
