Chapter 75

I could feel my legs begin to ache as I found myself climbing up the stairs with such a driving force I barely registered the pain. My mind blinded by a range of thoughts, but every thought tunnel resulted in a single sentence.

"I'm going to kill him..." I gasped as I reached the seventh floor.

I hadn't realised the palace had so many floors and why it wasn't actually a good thing. I could feel the servants glancing my way and I noticed a footman coming my way in concern, but I continued on my way. Anger covering up the pain and exhaustion.

When I finally reached my intended floor and caught sight of an older butler standing outside the room with the largest, most stupidly decorative door ever I could barely collect myself.

He didn't look surprised to see me and instead offered a consoling smile, as if he understood why I had rushed up the stairs. He held out an arm for me to grab on to and I rested on it gratefully.

"My deepest apologies on his highness' behalf, Lady Colter" He confessed before he had even introduced himself. The moment I caught sight of the bags under his eyes I considered us comrades. Clearly he also deals with this bullshit.

"It seems you were expecting me" I glared at the door that was shut closed.

"Yes. He has been expecting you since he returned" The man seem to have found it amusing and smiled, "Oh how rude of me - I am George White, the prince's butler. I feel like we'll be seeing each other often" He smiled in a way that was mysterious, but I didn't doubt his words.

I could feel the paper between my fingers burning through me to my neck.

George knocked on the door and it opened slowly to reveal his smug face, propped against his fist as he stared straight at me from behind his desk. Red eyes glowing against the setting sun, orange rays of sun gleaming against the darkness of his hair. I stepped forward and George left the room along with the guards. The door shutting tightly behind them.

"Lady Colter- Madeline" The way he said my name so seductively made me even more infuriated, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Well Alexei, Your Highness Alexei" I said through gritted teeth as I reluctantly curtsied, legs trembling in fury, but I had to hold back for what I was about to do.

"How unusually polite of you" He sounded slightly irritated, "Stand up and tell me what it is that had you running up the palace stairs? I can smell the sweat off you from here".

I wasn't surprised. I was heaving and sweaty and angry.

I stood up and walked straight up to him, holding the letter up to his face as my other hand slammed on his desk. Papers shifting at the force.

"What is this?" I could barely contain myself as he looked straight at me, gaze not once straying to the letter as he replied.

"A letter addressed from Mr Connor Archangel to you. A rather friendly one too" His voice did not once deviate from his polite coldness.

"Don't-" I took a deep breath ,"Don't play games Alexei" I glared at him.

"Jules" he corrected and I shook my head.

"Why are you doing this? " I was fed up, feeling like I knew him less and less. "I thought we were friends?"

"Friends?" The word breaking off his act, his polite mask slipping to reveal a coldness and he stood up, towering me as he looked down at me, "Like you were with connor?"

I flinched at his hidden accusation, standing back a bit and then infuriated at his attempt to catch me off-guard replied.

"Yes! I was friends with Connor and we were business partners too"-

"Is that why he writes to you so casually? How does he address you, by your first name?" He plucked the letter from my hand and let out a dry, humourless laugh,"I think it's obvious how he feels about you Madeline so I've given him an oppurtunity to be relieved from that" He said it like it made the most sense in the world.

"You refer to me by first name too..." I defended pathetically. I hadn't expected him to grab my chin and force me to look up at him.

"Don't compare me to him", his red eyes spilling into my brown ones. I felt my cheeks heat up at the sight of him towering over me, my dream vividly flashing before my eyes and I looked away from him.

"He was so excited about it... He helped me so much it isn't fair he's treated like this because of me" I began and quieted at the feeling of his thumb brushing my cheek.

"Blame me for it, but might I remind you that I gave him enough money to purchase a prospering village" He tried to defend himself and I sighed.

Why was I so easily submissive to him like this? I flinched when I felt his thumb press into my wound from earlier. I had dressed it, but the look in his eyes made me think i shouldn't have.

He hadn't been terribly affected by it earlier and he had held back considerably well.

"I can't. I don't understand you at all. You're so perfect. So capable and surprisingly, you have a good personality. Why are you so...?" I stopped as I caught sight of his flushed expression, his face no longer that of the terrifying man from earlier. I had caught him off guard. He looked away, covering his cheek with the back of his hand and sitting down.

"Do you truly think that I'm all that?" He asked and looked at me with a rather bashful expression that almost gave me a nosebleed.

This-This isn't fair at all!!!