Chapter 41
BRIANNA’S POV
Last night was torture. I practically rolled from one side of my bed to another, my mind twirling like a tornado over what Amelia had said about Sebastian having a spark for me. Could she be telling the truth? Did Sebastian have… feelings for me?
No….no….no…no…no
It can’t be. He was just being kind, caring and generous. That’s all. Nothing else. Even though I’ve known him for not more than two months. That was long enough for me to know those three qualities were a big part of his nature. Amelia was just mistaking those qualities for something else. For something utterly impossible.
If Hermes, his fellow Alpha King had no atom of feeling for me. And saw me as nothing more than an instrument for drawing his sexual satisfaction. What then could make me believe that Sebastian who was married had feelings for me? A married Alpha King can’t have feelings for another woman aside from his Luna. Especially for a slave he bought in an auction.
Since Sebastian had given strict orders for me to rest and not do any task or chore in the castle until I had fully recovered according to Amelia, I decided to stay a bit longer in bed. I just hoped he had told Catherine about it. And made her understand. It was past dawn. By this time, I would have been long awake and had Catherine’s breakfast ready before any other thing.
I was still sprawled on the sheets, lost in thoughts when a hard knock on the door snapped me back to reality.
Oh no. That must be Sebastian.
Flustered, I got out of bed. I took a glance at the mirror, trying to strengthen my messy hair and adjusting my nightgown. I spotted sleep marks on my face and tried racing to the bathroom to have a quick wash. But the knocks grew louder. Impatient. Persistent.
Sebastian will never knock on the door like that. Maybe something urgent came up. Gosh! I wasn’t expecting him this early. I didn’t want him to see me like this. I was all messed up and not prepared for the day.
Pulling the door open, my breath caught in my throat as I saw Catherine, her blue eyes flying and landing on me like a thousand shards of glass.
She was looking casual - pairing her simple white tank top with cute pink bottoms and white sneakers that added a touch of elegance to her look. Two strands of her hair, which were tied up in a high, playful ponytail, fell along the sides of her lightly made-up face, resembling delicate tendrils.
Even though she did remind me of the wicked witches and stepmothers in fairytale stories, I continued to hold deep admiration for her impeccable sense of fashion and unique style, which never failed to capture my attention.
“I’m…I’m so sorry Luna Catherine,” I stammered, trying to regain my breath. “I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
“You’re so lucky I’m fasting and in a happy mood this morning,” she only stood there, playing with one of her tendrils while washing me with those piercing eyes. “If not, I would have smashed through this door and woken you up with a bucketful of hot, sizzling oil.”
Fear swept through me and I struggled to maintain my shaky control. The pretty woman standing before me was crazy. So crazy. Just like Hermes’s sister. I knew she would do that without a second thought if she had the chance. With her response, I couldn’t tell if Sebastian had told her about my condition or not.
“I’m sorry, Luna Catherine,” I muttered uneasily. “It’s just that I haven’t been feeling too---”
“I don’t care to know how you’re feeling,” she cut in sharply and I fell silent, trying hard not to let my eyes linger on her lethal gaze. “You were so dumb I had to read out my rules to you. And yet you end up breaking them. Breaking my most important rule of them all,” she stressed, grinding the words out between her teeth which looked whiter in her rich shade of pink lipstick.
Oh goodness. I huffed inwardly. Turned out Sebastian didn’t talk to her like he promised he would yesterday about my condition. I guess I'll have to do it myself.
“Please believe me, Luna Catherine. Nothing is going on between King Sebastian and me. The last thing I want is to create a rift between you two. I suffered from a severe headache and was in a very delicate state yesterday. He was only comforting and trying to calm me down. That’s all. I promise,” I pleaded, trying to clear whatever negative thought that was poisoning her mind. But I was sure it yielded little to no effect. What she saw yesterday was very convincing. Enough evidence to tell anyone I was sleeping with Sebastian. I knew I had to do more for her to believe me.
“Say all you want. List all the excuses in the whole wide world. But I’m not blind. I know what I saw yesterday. You appear all meek and innocent like a kitten. But I can see right through you. Beyond all that meekness. All that innocence is a lying snake. A sly fox. Not only are you here to snatch my husband from me. You also want to snatch my position as the Luna from me. But I won’t let that happen. With every step you take, I’m two steps ahead,” the corner of her lips reached her ear in a satanic smile.
My initial fear came creeping and spreading through me like a virus. She was wrong. I didn’t want to snatch Sebastian from her. I didn’t want to take her position as the Luna. I didn’t want any of this. All I wanted and will keep on wanting was just a peaceful, happy life far away from my past. A life far away from that torture. Agony. Suffering. Torment. That pain that swallowed me whole and spat me out all dirty, sticky and in ruins.
Yesterday I told Sebastian to let me go. But he wouldn’t. “You’re not going anywhere. I won’t let you go that easily.” His words that yesterday rippled through me like blood. And I felt an icy chill take over…
“I have big news for you,” Catherine declared, her words a sudden jolt that drove me back to reality. "Tomorrow is our third wedding anniversary. And to celebrate it, we’ll be throwing a dinner party on the lawn that night. Now listen to me carefully,” her tone was velvet, yet edged with steel. “That night, you’re leaving this castle for good.”