CHAPTER FOUR

“He is actually not the king,” she said slowly, hesitating.

Who is not the king? I thought, waiting for her to finish.

"The man is not -" the words stopped in her mouth when a guard entered unannounced.

"The guests have arrived,” he informed without a smile, not feeling any remorse.

Irene sent him a burning glare that could rip off anyone’s skin.

He cared less about it, ignoring her.

“Ok.” I simply said. He left.

“Shall we?” Irene urged calmly.

Wiping off the tears in my eyes, I sent her a nervous smile before we left the room. Along the large hallways, she itched to talk to me about something, but the eyes of the guards on us couldn’t allow her.

We got down the stairs that lead down to the castle hall entrance. She stopped at the corridor, just before the door.

“You’ll continue from here, my princess,” she gave me a reassuring smile before leaving me behind.

As a maid, she’s not allowed to go into the hall with me.

Taking a deep breath, I adjusted myself to go in, but suddenly I felt a hand hard-push me from behind. I staggered away.

If not for stamina, I would’ve fallen to the ground.

The person who pushed me laughed hysterically at me.

“How dare you?!” I quickly confronted when I saw Ursula and her sister, Ivy. It was Ursula who pushed me. I knew from the way she was laughing.

“Don’t raise your voice on us, you unlucky girl,” Ivy warned or perhaps, taunted me.

She's calling me "unlucky" once more.My rage dampened and I instantly developed cold feets. I couldn’t stand their presence again.

“She’s getting married to a cursed demon. How unlucky she is,” Ursula spited me again.

They laughed even more scornfully.

"It's true, sister," Ivy stated. "She is even more unlucky than her dead mother.”

Did she just curse out my dead mother again like she has always done? I have always tolerated her in that way, but not anymore.

I blocked every feeling of weakness to stand up to them.

“Who is the most unlucky here?” I asked, anger building up inside my head.

I can’t let them have their way again. They are frustrated to see me getting married before them.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ursula said, answering my question.

“You’re right,” I responded. “It’s obvious that it’s you two who are unlucky. You should’ve married before me.”

“How dare you insult us?” Ivy raised her hands to slap me.

“Don’t!” someone with a husky voice yelled from a corner. All heads turned, it was General Rometrius closing distance towards us.

General Rometrius is the army commander of our kingdom and also Queen Aurora’s younger brother.

Although being the queen’s only brother, he is not in support of the way I am being treated in the palace.

“You don’t have to slap her,” he said, his voice quieting.

Ivy sluggishly brought down her hand as if considering a second thought not to obey.

“She insulted us,” Ursula didn’t hesitate to protest.

“You were the first to look for her trouble,” he reminded her. “I saw the way you pushed her.”

“I saw everything,” he added.

“Even though. She has no right to defy us. She’s just our father’s past mistake.” Ursula claimed, directing glares at me. “She…”

“Stop it!” General Rometrius yelled again, carefully keeping his voice a little low to avoid penetrating into the hall.

He seems to have become annoyed.

“You two should leave here at once,” he ordered, but they hesitated. “I said you should leave!” he ordered again.

Ivy sighed rudely in front of him before turning around to leave. She left without saying a single word further, howling her feet on the floor to suppress her anger.

“You haven’t seen the last of this.” Ursula daggered glares at me before going after her sister.