Chapter Fifteen.

I'M SO TIRED BUT I LOVE WRITING. (ʘ‿ʘ✿) ˶⚈Ɛ⚈˵

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The door was locked. But the sound of soft clicking down the hall told me it wouldn't be for long.

The heels stopped in front of the door, and the handle started to twist. I rushed to stand right behind the door against the wall, so when the door opened I wouldn't be seen.

The door burst open, my hand going to straight for the handle but not before it plunged into my stomach. Weirdly enough it wasn't the only thing that ached when I awoke.

"Where is she?! Ugh, never mind I don't have enough time to care. You find her, she's probably hiding in here somewhere. Tell her she's needed in the throne room immediately. Her majesty is glad to have her back, safe and sound." The voice with heels stated.

The sound of what I can guess was the head servicer of the palace looking for me. Like I'm not even a person, but a present to wrap and gift to my amazing guardians who perfectly run Ecrea.

As if they don't have a literal riot at the gates.

"Her majesty also requested your presence as well. Make sure to look...more suitable by then. I'll give you an hour before I hunt you both down and drag you there myself. Ta-ta."

The rapid clicking of her heels, descends on volume as she sweeps by my hiding place.

The suspiciously quiet one in the room, moved towards the center, sighing as she left. I got a glimpse of a tall figure with a mop of familiar dark brown hair.

"I know you're there. Before you say anything just please-" He says into the open room, with his head turned towards the skyline window.

I gently push the door away and slip past it to step further in.

"Leave. I can't look at you right now."

He turns around, and those eyes of his, the ones I thought I was getting to know, meet mine. My blood begins to boil, while my mind traces every memory with him. Scouring, for any clue that I missed, or any hints that could help me better understand who I could be looking at.

Buzzing begins in my ears, the world goes mute. My heartbeat becoming more vivid, faster and faster speeding away.

"Who are you? Because I thought I was getting to know you. I thought that when I saw those green eyes I could trust you. Maybe that's on me though, the fact that I even let myself trust you, when I knew. I told myself..."

"Verona-"

"That's not my name." I wince at the name, and take a long breath, closing my eyes for a second to just breath. "Not anymore. I...Verona isn't my name anymore."

My dry mouth, pounding head, and blurry vision make my voice waver. I look up to blink away the water in my eyes, refusing to let him see my tears.

"I'm sorry, Adria. Really, I am. I wanted to tell you before things got complicated but I didn't know how to say anything." He pleads inching closer.

I can feel the electricity crackling between my fingertips. "How long." I ask, still looking up not able to face him.

"Since the first night." He solemnly states.

My lightning gets to be unbearable, with the entire room tensing with electrical energy. I can feel the grip on my own restraint failing. "Get out. Before I do something you definitely deserve." I stare at him coldly.

I don't care how much remorseful he is, or what his reasons were. I don't have an energy left for it.

I just feel empty, alone, and broken. Again.

He walks past me, and he's out the door when I force the words out of my mouth.

"Oh and, Jasper? You have no idea what you've done bringing me here." I grit out, the hollow pit in my stomach growing thinking of what I'm going to have to do next.

"I'll see you in an hour, Adria." He peers guiltily back at me as I shut the door in his face.

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I despise lots of things. Other people for sure, but nothing like I despise my aunt.

No one is as cold and dead inside as her.

I know the one thing she absolutely abhors is me. That's why when I saw it, the dress from that fated night, behind the box of things in the floorboards I almost died of laughter. Because while she may hate me, I love to see her eyes burn with rage.

The only thing my aunt Vivien loves is her throne. Everything else is a nuisance. An annoyance that isn't worth her time. There was a time where I was just that. A ghost in the castle, that no one paid any mind to.

That is until I became of age. That was when I became a threat to the throne. And everyone Vivien has deemed a threat doesn't last long.

There was an enforcer that worked in the city. They believed that the current societal ladder was more harmful than helpful to Ecrea and came up with a better solution.

At first, she didn't care. Waved it away, giving some half ass solution by believing the situation wasn't worth her precious time. But when they kept appearing at the castle, they put a target on themselves. And after two weeks, they disappeared without a trace.

She pretended to care, feigned empathy and made small adjustments to the aristocracy. Small enough to appease, but not big enough to make an actual difference. The nobles played along with each one of them knowing exactly what happened to that enforcer and out of both greed and much fear, keeping quiet.

I felt sorry for that enforcer. But much more than that I knew exactly how it felt to be targeted by Vivien. To be locked away, night after night in a place you never felt you belong in.

I know how that officer felt because at first she didn't have time to target me. She was too busy burying my image and everything it reminded her of underneath the thousandths of papers she had to sign.

So I spent nights scouring the dungeons, and cells for that enforcer, because I wouldn't wish my own fate on anyone. I never did find them though.

Standing outside the double doors wearing my old wedding gown, I found underneath the box in the floorboards, I couldn't stop buzzing. The gown was stunning, a deep berry blue blended with navy ebbing and flowing onto the floor. The sleeves themselves were sheer thin with swirls of sapphires, with the front a deep plunge and several more sapphires woven in.

I felt the stares, and could cut the tension with a knife. Even the guards themselves couldn't stop staring.

I don't want to be here, but I had no choice. Even if I could escape there would be no way I could stay gone this time because since the moment I awoke every news article and hologram was reporting my return.

I can already imagine the headlines: The lost heir is back!

The air quieted around me, turning my attention to another presence in the room.

I didn't hear him, I never did, but I felt his eyes on me as soon as he walked in. Standing near enough to me, he kept his face forward as he spoke.

"I know you're still mad at me. And I'm really sorry. But we need to talk."

I kept quiet, maintaining control over my emotions, as to not light his ass up right here.

"It's about your parents. Adria, I know you think Vivien hired me as a bounty hunter, but there's more I have to tell you."

The world froze, when Jasper mentioned my parents, I faced him. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that there's more we need to talk about." He pleads, facing me. His jewel eyes sparkle, and that when I take in the rest of his outfit. A sleek thin turtleneck, fitting his form perfectly, with a button down vest masking his muscular build. His dark trousers and sleek loafers make him look poised.

My mind works overtime to get back on track, focusing on his pleading voice.

"I know you think I was tricking you and that everything was a lie, but it wasn't. I really like you, Adria."

"If that's what you want to talk about then there's nothing more to say Jasper."

I quickly turn back, standing straighter.

He begins to say something, when the tall doors to the Great Hall start to open up.