by Marian Tee
She just wanted to be with him, any way she could.
Julian felt so far away from her now.
“Please,” she sobbed. “Please come back—-”
Julian whirled at the sound, and everything in him shattered at the sight of Cass on the floor, crying and begging for him.
Goddammit, no!
In a second he was kneeling in front of her, pulling her into his arms—-
Cass gasped.
And she saw——
WEDDING BELLS CHIMED in a joyous melody, a tinkling sound that blended in harmony with the cheers and laughter of the crowd as they celebrated the newlyweds.
Cass was a radiant bride, her face glowing as she lifted her head to receive the kiss of her groom – now, her husband.
Hidden in the shadows was a tall figure, dressed to blend in obscurity. He was an austere-looking man, his once strong body now noticeably thin. Once the prince of Ethereal from the House of Rivera, Julian had given up his bid for the throne and even his right as prince to live a life in the darkness.
Once, the darkness had threatened Cass’ life. But never again, every second of his life devoted to watching Cass from afar, turning the darkness into a shield that would protect her from harm.
Every day he gazed upon her face, her smile bringing wonder to his heart. But there were many times he would also see her laughing in the arms of another man, and though he wanted to close his eyes to it, he did not allow himself to. It was punishment for the time he had thought of her as a woman he only fucked.
Every night, sleep eluded him, and not even liquor could numb the ache in his heart. Every night he would end up tormented by the knowledge that Cass was no longer his.
“You are now man and wife!”
Cass’ lips received her first kiss from her husband.
Julian’s face became wet, but he pushed his loneliness aside. Be happy, Cass. Be happy.
This was the future Julian Rivera, once the Prince of Ethereal, had carved for himself because he believed Cass deserved someone better than him, a lifelong sentence for the pain he had caused to the woman he loved beyond his duty to his kingdom, his life, and everything else he stood for.
“CASS?” JULIAN DEMANDED, terrified at the way she had become pale and almost limp in his arms.
Hearing him call her name pulled her out from the dark future of Julian’s world, and the tears streamed nonstop as she came back to the present.
Her lip wobbled at the effort it caused her not to cry, to be coherent as she whispered, “I saw.”
Instantly, he understood, and Julian stiffened.
Her control shattered, and she threw her arms around him, her sobs causing her body to shake.
Julian said brokenly, “I don’t deserve you.”
She cried harder. Reaching out to cup his face, she said fiercely, “You do. You do, Julian. You do.”
Her love shone like a fierce light in her eyes, humbling him, breaking him a thousand times with its innocent strength. “I love you,” he rasped out just before his arms closed around her like steel binds. He would never let her go now. Never. He had tried. God knew he had tried, but he couldn’t do it a second time.
“I love you, Cass. I love you.” He had to say it. He would say it over and over until he deserved to say it. “When I realized you were in danger, I knew then. All those years I had trained as a child, wondering why I had to suffer, it was then I knew. I had to learn how to kill, how to be tough, so I could have the strength to save you.” His voice became ragged. “When I saw you in Jose’s hold, I was thankful – I was so goddamn thankful I went through those years—-”
She stopped his words with a kiss, his love for her so fierce and strong it made her weep harder. “I love you, Julian. Thank you for coming for me. Thank you for saving me.”
His own voice shook as he answered, “Thank you, Cass, for bringing me to life.”
Epilogue
One year later
Cass was seated at one of the benches lining the boardwalk when she sensed a man coming to stand a few feet away from her, facing the ocean. She bit her lip, trying to resist the urge to meddle. She had made a bet with Julian that she was capable of not reading anyone’s fortune and just taking a day’s off from her “work” while he left to inquire about the boat that would take them back to St. Roch.
La la la la la. Cass tried to sing in her mind in an effort to drown the thoughts she heard coming from the man across her. But it didn’t work so she tried another tack, this time thinking back to the months that had gone by.
Julian had withdrawn his bid for the throne. He had only been obsessed about being king because he had been brainwashed by his childhood training to want it. Now, he only saw it as a poison that made men like Jose murder.
Now, he and Cass traveled all over the world, looking for pockets of land that they could develop and transform into something enchanted like St. Roch. This, however, was to be their last trip. With Cass two months pregnant with twins, it was time for them to settle down, and the prospect of doing so was exciting for both of them.
Because it was her first pregnancy, her doctor had advised her to be extra cautious and avoid stress at all costs. Julian interpreted that as a “no-fortune-reading” warning. In the end, they had compromised. She would only read people’s fortunes during weekdays.
Today was a Saturday, unfortunately.
Cass slowly covered her ears. I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say anything. I’m not going to say anything.
The man started to walk away.
Cass quickly put her hands down and called out, “Mr. Beauchesne?” She hoped she had said that right. But the man only continued to walk away. She had to say his name three times, pronouncing it differently with each instance, before he finally turned.
Almost like déjà vu, reminding her of the time she and Julian had first met. The thought made her smile.
Christian Beauchesne saw the smile and immediately thought, Fille folle. He was one of the most successful actors in the world, with two Oscars and three Golden Globes to his name as well as having amassed a billion-dollar fortune from the movies he not only starred in but produced as well. He was, however, also infamous for having been imprisoned for beating his fiancée.
Cass frowned. “What does ‘fille folle’ mean?”
Christian started. How the fuck had she known that?
“I read minds,” Cass said almost apologetically just before asking again, “What does it mean? The words—-”
Crazy girl, Christian thought.
Cass gasped. “I am not. I told you, I just read minds.”
He snorted.
She sighed. “You must believe me.” She paused, his future slowly taking shape. “And,” Cass added slowly, “You should book another flight. What you’re looking for isn’t in St. Roch. It’s in Boracay. Just Google the island. You’ll find what you’re looking for there.”
Christian raised a brow. “And what am I looking for?”
She answered promptly, “Someone who believes you’re innocent.”
WHEN JULIAN WALKED back to his wife, he was not entirely surprised to find her conversing with another man. Of course, he knew there was nothing to be worried about. Of course, he was still jealous as hell. That would never change. He loved Cass more and more each day, and there wasn’t a moment when he was not tempted to lock the two of them in a room so no other man would be able to steal her away from him.
Cass looked up when she sensed Julian approaching.
Julian and Christian’s eyes met, both of them recognizing each other. The look on the actor’s face was familiar, and Julian sighed. “You read his fortune.”
Christian’s brow shot up. “You believe her?”
He offered his hand to the actor. “Julian Rivera.” He gestured to the beaming Cass. “And this is my wife, Cass.”
The actor took his hand as he said slowly, “Christian Beauchesne, Your Highness.”
The other man
was definitely good-looking, Julian acknowledged grudgingly. Black hair, blue eyes, bronze skin, and a strong physique – he could see why the man had a legion of female fans. Knowing that, Julian was very careful not to touch Cass in any way. Her abilities had seemed to thrive the more time Cass and Julian spent with each other. Nowadays, Julian and Cass only had to be physically connected and Cass would be able to see what he saw.
Well, he did not want that to happen this time – or at least not until the too good-looking actor was on his way.
“Do you think he believed me?” Cass asked wistfully the moment the actor left them.
He thought of the last time she had last done something similar: they had been at the Royal Palace of Kivr, and Julian had just introduced her to their hosts when Cass suddenly started blushing. When Sheikh Khal asked if something was wrong, all she had been able to say was 'bunk bed', and that had been it.
Sheikh Khal and his stepsister-turned-wife Ella, along with Sheikh Raj and his pregnant wife Story, became instant believers of his wife's mind-reading abilities.
Glancing down at his wife, he pulled her close, saying, "Even if he didn't believe you now, he'd do so, eventually." The truth of Cass' visions would always come out, one way or another.
"I really hope he does," Cass confessed. "He felt very lonely."
“And that’s why you read his fortune,” he said dryly.
“I tried very hard at first to resist the urge,” she said piously.
“But you still read his fortune, which means you lost the bet.’
“Julian!”
He laughed. “A bet is a bet, and you lost square and fair.”
“But he was really very lonely,” she protested even as he slowly guided her to her feet and ushered her towards the boardwalk.
“Bad for him, good for me,” he said mercilessly, but his hold was gentle as he helped her sit down on the edge. He took off his clothes until he was down to his briefs before sliding into the water.
“Your turn.” He took hold of her hand.
Cass shivered as she got into the water, gasping, “Cold!”
He pulled her into his arms from behind, nibbling on her ear as he whispered, “I’ll have you hot in no time, sweetheart.” If Cass lost the bet, which she did, thanks to the actor, she had to trust Julian and allow him to make love to her in public – just like their first time and he trusted her.
Cass whimpered as she felt his fingers underneath her dress. “What if the boatman comes?”
“He’ll wait.”
“People can really see us now...” But her voice was weak as she spoke the words, her body already reacting to his masterful touch.
“So they will, sweetheart.” He started to stroke her folds and Cass gasped, her breasts becoming heavy with desire. “But all they’d be able to see is your lovely face, flushed with pleasure because you can’t get enough of my cock—-”
“Julian!” But just like before, his dirty talk only made her feel more wanton and in love with him. And then she heard it and she gasped again. The sound of a boat’s engine, becoming louder as it neared.
“Someone might really—-” But Julian had already entered her and Cass whimpered, the pleasure of it so intense she could only wrap herself around him. He started to move, fucking her underwater and even shy as she was, she forgot everything, love being more powerful than all of the other forces in this world, just so, so powerful that Cass couldn’t help but scream—-
Groaning, Julian quickly covered her mouth with his even as his thrusts become quicker and harder, exactly like how his beautiful wife wanted it.
~ The End ~
Author's Note
18 August 2020
Once again, thank you so much for choosing to spend a few hours of your time with me. I hope you've enjoyed My Cynical Prince, which was originally published as part of the Invitation to Eden series. I highly encourage you to check out their Goodreads page and read the other stories set in the series.
Until our next journey,
Marian Tee
P.S. Flip to the next page to enjoy excerpts of the (wickedly fun) stories of the two sheikhs mentioned in the epilogue.
P.P.S. If you enjoyed this story, please do consider leaving a review. I'd love to know if you're looking forward to having more steamy reads added to The Instalove series.
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