Pretty man

His palm slid inside her hair before settling on the back of her neck.

Archer cleared his throat and adjusted her head on the seat.

Her hair fell back and he glanced at her beautiful face under the dim lighting of the car.

The lone teardrop gliding down her cheek caught his attention.

He retracted his hand from her neck and glanced at her face for some time reaching his hand towards her face.

His fingers were barely a few inches away from touching her skin.

But in the end, Archer retracted his hand from her face.

He grabbed a few tissues from the glove compartment of the car before pasting them on her face.

Turning the lights off, he stepped on the accelerator, a frustrated sigh escaping his mouth.

A pair of blue eyes opened in the dark.

Elvina's lips thinned as she felt the paper stuck on her face.

She dozed off with various thoughts running in her head.

She woke up when he tried to shift her but she pretended to sleep so that she could see his real intentions and then it was too late and awkward to open her eyes.

She closed her eyes again, even though her hands were itching to tear off the tissues on her cheeks and throw them at him.

…

''You live here?" Archer looked at the dilapidated house which was at a distance from the seashore.

Elvina glanced at the dark house. There were no lights on.

Was her Aunt not here?

She looked at the pearl bracelet in her hand and her gaze flashed.

Her mother had left this ability in these pearls so just like, she could also see whether the members of their clan were in the sea or not.

Her Aunt was back into the sea. Did she already know about her marriage?

Before leaving, Elvina had dropped a text asking her to deal with the CCTV records.

From what she observed, Archer's parents were convinced and even Archer looked convinced that Emily Hale just did not want this marriage and that's why she left.

But she could not be sure about what was going on in his mind so taking precautions was still the best. No one should see Andrew Hale going out with Claire in the middle of the night.

So, it could not be Claire who told her Aunt about this.

Then….

''Pr… Elvina.''

Elvina tilted her head to the side and glanced at the man who was making his way towards them.

So, it was him.

Letting out a relieved sigh, she walked towards him, ''You're here,'' she smiled.

Archer's brow raised slightly as he glanced at the 'pretty' man. Yes, that's how he decided to describe the person standing in front of him.

He was tall and well built but his facial features were so feminine that they can make guys bend the wrong way.

'Is he her boyfriend?' Archer wondered, not noticing any similarities in their facial features.

Moreover, the way he looked at her was not like a brother, nor was it like that of a friend.

Hmm, it was dangerous in between.

The night was boring and he had nothing to do… so Archer casually thrust his hands inside his pockets and stepped towards them, looking at the sky.

His left ear was one step away from twitching and elongating to transform into elephant ears.

''Is Aunt not here?"

''She had some work,'' The man told Elvina.

She must have gone back to their Kingdom. Elvina opened her mouth to say something but she paused.

She tilted her head to look at the man who was seemingly counting stars.

''I'll pack up and come back. Can you wait here?" she asked.

''Are you not going to ask me in?" Archer's head snapped in her direction, ''Or at least offer some tea or coffee?" his eyes narrowed.

What did she mean by 'wait here'?

''Your dignified self won't look good in our humble abode,'' she paused for a moment before adding, ''We don't have tea leaves.''

''I can make do with coffee,'' Archer shrugged, waiting for her to give in to him this time.

''Coffee is bitter and I like sweet so no coffee as well,'' Elvina crossed her arms in front of her chest.

''Water…'' Archer spoke through gritted teeth, ''…will also do.''

''Have some organic water instead,'' Elvina pointed her hand towards the sea.

Archer's eyes narrowed and he chose to stay quiet this time.

He leaned back on the car and watched as Elvina grabbed the pretty man's wrist and dragged him inside her house.

She didn't let him inside her place and she did not even introduce them.

Must be something shady.

Not like he cared, but she should at least give him a heads-up if she was going to cuckold him.

He decided to have a conversation about this with her later on.

Archer massaged his brows and took his phone out before dialing a number, ''I want you to check on someone,'' he glanced at Elvina's retreating back.

...

As they entered the house, Elvina turned the lights on.

''Princess,'' The man lowered his head, his striking red hair resting above his brows. He held her hand before kissing the back of her palm.

''Nate, what are you doing here?" Elvina asked as he straightened up.

''Lady Dahlia was the one who had summoned me earlier to keep an eye on things just in case something goes wrong.''

Elvina's shoulders relaxed.

Her Aunt. Nate. The only two people she cared for the most after Claire.

After their parents left, these were the only two people they could trust and love.

It was different for Claire. She was like a ray of sunshine who would manage to spot a hint of goodness even in the evilest things.

But she never fell for it. She knew how humans had two faces, one they show to others and one they keep to themselves.

Her parents always believed that humans are kind creatures unlike them, the sirens who had been hailed as evil.

But Elvina was far from falling for it. They could tell you one thing on your face and the moment you would turn around; they would change their words.

''Princess…''

Elvina snapped out of her daze, only to realize that Nate has called her twice.

Nate sighed, ''Are you leaving with him?''

Elvina removed the white curtains and gazed out of the window, ''Yes,'' she said, looking at Archer who seemed to be busy on his phone.

''Can he be trusted?" Nate frowned.

''No,'' Elvina replied within a beat.

He was good to his parents; he did not behave inappropriately with her although they were not on very good terms after this marriage.

But Elvina did not like this man. He was another epitome of 'two-faced humans'. Although he was angry today but in front of his family, he was still his calm and gentle self.

But as soon as they were out of that place, he showed his true colors by mocking her and being sarcastic with her.

Instead of being bothered about it, she was relieved. The more he acted like that, the better it was for her. She would not have to play a 'gentle' wife with him and if the time comes, she could just take his life without Claire shouting something about him being 'innocent'.

''Then..''

''He is a good pawn,'' Elvina tilted her head to look at Nate, ''Staying with him gives me access to all my targets,'' They found Andrew easily because 16 years ago, on that night he was not wearing any mask like others.

That did not apply to other murderers.

But they shared the same social circle.

Those people. Perhaps, they thought they would get away with it that's why they were careless in hiding the evidence.

They dropped their guns in that cave, not knowing whose hands they will end up in.

From their investigation, those guns turned out to be rare ones.

They had no resources when they came here.

And it took them years to get to the bottom of it.

It turned out that the gun dealer was in France so they went there, looking for him.

And that's where she accidentally broke her mother's pearl bracelet and lost a pearl which somehow ended up in the museum.

''But you need to be careful,'' Nate said, ''Don't put yourself in danger and don't do anything that might affect our clan. It has taken our ancestors centuries to redeem ourselves. Maybe, you should… at least try to forgive them. If the King and Queen were here, they would have done the same…''

''I am not them,'' Elvina raised her hand, indicating for him to stop speaking and as he did so, she shook her head, ''…And they are not here. That makes the difference.''

…

The wedding event was organized on an abandoned island in the United Kingdom.

A place which many ordinary citizens did not even know about until the distinguished Cardale Family announced their heir's marriage and the venue was Relis, the very same unpopular island which was doing rounds in the tabloids now.

Archer drove over to the helipad and from there on, they took his private chopper.

Hayselton City, UK.

As soon as the chopper landed and they descended, a black sedan stopped in front of them.

The driver stepped out and opened the door for Archer.

Archer walked to the other side of the car before opening the door for Elvina.

Elvina glanced at him.

The whole journey took them around 6 to 7 hours and they did not talk to each other during this time.

It was peaceful for her but she could not help but she was intrigued by Archer's actions.

When he said that they will be husband and wife for pretense, did that mean they were not going to talk to each other behind closed doors?

Elvina was not the kind of dying to talk to him but during her stay here, was she going to stare at the ceilings and talk to the walls?

Even the attendants were all stone-faced.

No matter how beautiful a color palette is, it will be odd without colors.

They could just smile a bit despite whatever is going on in their lives, no?

Ugh... Elvina's brows scrunched slightly as she glanced at Archer's driver. Look at this young man. He is brooding as if his girlfriend cheated on him.

Elvina could not help but contemplate it.

''Do you have a pen?"