Chapter-12. Family
[Xanthea]
We walked through the luxurious corridors of the castle that were in shades of gray, white, black, and golden gothic aesthetics. Black and golden mostly dominated the decor. Same as my room. The floor I walked on was mostly covered with black marble, with intricate golden patterns carved in them.
I kept my gaze fixed on the marble floor, for I could feel all eyes turn on me as I passed through.
There were tall, arched doorways that lead to various chambers or other corridors.
After a ten-minute walk and short guide and tour into the castle by Mavka, we reached the grand dining hall. There was a huge rectangular glass table in the middle of the hall surrounded by almost twelve chairs. Five chairs on either side and a chair, each at the head and foot of the table. Above the table hung the most beautiful and royal chandelier I had ever seen.
But no one was at the table yet.
"Remember, keep your gaze low as the family enters the hall. Don't look them in the eye. Speak only when spoken to and don't do anything else," Mavka whispered in my ear.
I nodded once.
The sound of rolling wheels caught my ears. I didn't have to turn around to see the source of the sound. A boy riding a skateboard skated around me in circles. His black jacket billowed behind him.
I could feel him analyze me. He was wearing a white hoodie, black pants and sports shoes. His fingers obscured his forehead, meeting his glasses. From his look, I could easily tell he was a teenager, eighteen maybe.
He stopped skating right in front of me. With a deft kick, he had the skateboard in his hand.
"You must be my new sister-in-law. I heard you did some pretty impressive job of pissing off my brothers," he chuckled, chewing a bubblegum.
I lowered my head even further.
"I am Cedric. Nice to meet you. I always try to piss them off. But nothing works on them. From bang! Shooting at them, poisoning them, stabbing them, bombing their cars. I have tried everything. Literally everything you can think of. But they never fall into my trap. Haha. But it hasn't even been a day since you arrived and you've done the job pretty well. You broke their unity. I like you already. Friends?"
Cedric stretched out his hand for a handshake as he laughed.
"We can both form an alliance and kill them together. What do you say? Then I'll become the alpha of this pack and I'll take you as my luna."
My eyelids fluttered as I peered at his hand blankly. I was honestly speechless. After hearing everything I did, I wasn't sure how to respond to him.
Had someone said those same words in the palace of a pack in the earthly realm, they would have been thrown into dungeons or killed on the spot.
"Cedric, stop plotting with their bride, will you? She herself is at their mercy, huh! Just because they haven't killed her yet, doesn't mean they won't." A woman's voice came from behind me.
"Nesryn, when did you come back home?" Cedric asked the lady dressed in a shirt and jeans topped by a denim jacket.
"Last night," Nesryn said.
She stood beside him. She had long hair tied up in a high ponytail. The tip of her ponytail brushed against her thighs as she moved.
I knew I wasn't supposed to lift my gaze or look at them, but I just couldn't take my eyes off her. She wore her beauty with an effortless mix of grace and sensuality.
She looked at me, and I swiftly lowered my gaze.
"So, how's your undercover agent job going? Found yourself a hot gig?" Cedric said in an amused tone.
"If you don't want to gag on your own dick, shut that damn mouth of yours," she scoffed and strolled off to the breakfast table.
"Feisty, isn't she? I like her as well. I could use her skills and knowledge to rebel against my brothers, but she is my elder sister. Can't make her my luna, so I don't wanna form an alliance with her. Not that she would ever take me seriously. No one ever takes me seriously, even when I kill people or hijack their mind and control them to get my work done. Then I make them kill themselves because a good criminal never leaves proof behind or a witness."
A nauseous feeling churned into my stomach, rising to my chest at his words.
"Nesryn is twenty-five. How old are you?" He asked.
Swallowing the lump rising up my throat, I said, "t-twenty three."
"Oh, you are two years younger. Good. What do you do?" He asked.
I pursed my lips. I never had a career, but I was preparing for one when my life took this turn. I wanted to tell him I once dreamed of becoming a doctor. A dream that was crushed and now I no longer knew if I had the right or the time to dream at all.
"Like Nesryn works for my brothers. Your husbands. Although she owns her own company of various demon services and contracts. You'll be shocked to know how many people from your realm sign up for demonic services and sell their souls for petty things. Hehe. Isn't it, Nes?"
Cedric looked at Nesryn. Nesryn scoffed. Cedric looked back at me and continued.
"She scoffs modestly. She has an active running business and also has a spy network reaching the celestial packs. Therefore, she is their favorite family member because she is useful. They say I'll be useful to them only when I successfully assassinate any of them. Tsk! I am still trying, even going to an assassination academy..."
I tightened my grip on my fingers that rested over my belly.
"But that's enough about me. Tell me something about yourself. What do you do?"This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
"I..."
"Hey, you are beautiful. So I would prefer it if you looked into my eyes and then talked to me," he said.
Breaking into a cold sweat, I lifted my gaze and looked into his bright, starry eyes. His eyes were literally in shades of white and black. It seemed as if some patterns from white sparkly ink had been drawn on his pitch black eyeballs. He snapped his fingers, lowering his glasses back over his eyes.
"My eyes can be tricky. Haha. I almost captivated you, didn't I? Well, that's another reason I wear glasses. I don't like captivating everyone, you know. It could get really tiring. Back to my question: what do you do? What are your skills?" Cedric squinted his eyes.
"I-I... I don't... know..."
"Umm. Can you kill people?" He asked.
I shut my eyes and shook my head, "no."
"Umm. Can you seduce people?"
"No."
"Hmm," he let out a sigh. "Can you manipulate people, control them?"
I shook my head.
"Does life not bore you? How do you even live with yourself without these skills?"
"Hey! Ced! Enough! Come here and eat your breakfast. Just because I am home today doesn't mean I will drive you to your academy if you are late," Nesryn yelled.
"You don't have to drive me. I have a bike now and my skateboard. They are enough to take me to the sky, you know," Cedric skated to the table and sat on the chair right in front of Nesryn as the maids served them their breakfasts. My gaze met Nesryn's jewel-like lavender eyes for a second, then I quickly lowered it.
"They are my lords' half-siblings. Princess Nesryn is from our late Alpha Deimos' second wife, her highness, Letitia. Prince Cedric is from his third wife, her highness Alessia and my demon lords were born from our High lady, her highness Demetria," Mavka said.
"How long do you plan to stand there and stare at the floor?" I flinched at Nesryn's voice.
00000
I cautiously lifted my gaze at her.
She was indeed looking at me. "Yes, I am talking to you, bride. The food's not gonna go in your stomach if you keep staring at the floor. Unless you are planning to eat the marbles."
Cedric laughed, stuffing steak into his mouth
"Go," Mavka whispered. "Sit with them. But don't take the middle six chairs. The three chairs on the left are reserved for demon lords and no one ever sits there and the three chairs on the right are for our former alpha's three wives. No one sits on those chairs either. Sit at the head of the table."
"Will they... demon lords mothers... they won't join us?" I asked in a suppressed voice.
"They mostly don't leave their rooms. Lady Letitia and Alessia showed up for the previous brides. Our High lady never showed up for any of the previous bride's first family breakfast. So, I don't think she'll come for yours. And they aren't here by now. So it means they won't be showing up. But it depends on them and their mood. At least two members showed up. You were asked to sit at the table by one of them, so sit," Mavka guided me to the chair at the head of the table. I sat at the head of the table and on my right was Nesryn and left Cedric.
Mavka arranged food on my plate and then silently stepped back.
Spreading the napkin over my lap, I picked up the knife and fork.
"Eat up," Nesryn commanded. "With this physique, forget about carrying triplets for my brothers. You won't even be able to conceive."
"She won't be able to conceive, anyway."
A soothing voice wafted through the air. But the power it held had made all the maids around the table bow.
"High lady," Nesryn and Cedric got up from their chairs.
I dropped my knife on the floor in a hurry to get up from the chair.
I bent down to pick the knife when Nesryn held my hand and made me stand straight.
She merely glanced at Mavka, and a chill ran down my spine. Mavka rushed over, picked the knife and stood behind with her head held low.
"The High lady is here to meet you. Mind your manners," Nesryn hissed.