Chapitre 15: A Soft Katrina.
~Karl~
Night fell faster than I'd expected, the dark clouds seeming to echo my own frustration.
I sat outside at the dance party, surrounded by curvy, beautiful women twisting their bodies, hoping to catch my eye, hoping to end up in my bed.
But I wasn't interested. My mind was elsewhere, spinning on how to stop this wedding.
I even found myself blaming my mother. If she had told me the name of the concubine, I would've known it was Katrina, and maybe I would have stopped all this before it began.
"Enjoying the party?" Rowland asked, snapping me from my thoughts. He'd spent the day in the library, digging for some loophole to cancel the wedding, but we'd come up empty. It seemed the gods were set on making me suffer for my ignorance.
"No. Where's Katrina?" I scanned the garden, catching glimpses of guests, but she was nowhere to be found.
This was a small, private gathering, just a few of the most important guests from outside the royal family.
"There are beautiful women all around you, and you're only looking for Katrina?" he teased. "You're in love, Your Highness."
I shot him a look, my calm slipping into irritation. "I am not in love. I'll admit I like her, but love? Don't be ridiculous. I don't fall in love."
Rowland nodded, though I could tell he didn't believe me. He knew me too well to argue.
Love wasn't for me. All I wanted from a woman was loyalty, nothing more.
Then I spotted her. Katrina had just stepped through the entrance, and my heart leaped as I took her in.
She looked more beautiful than any woman I'd ever seen, wearing a yellow silk dress that hugged her curves. It was as if she wore it just for me, like she wanted me to look at her—and yet she kept a cold distance that drove me mad.
Why did she keep tempting me, then pulling away?
She despised me, yet I sensed a flicker in her eyes that betrayed something else.
She couldn't hide it; my presence stirred something within her, whether she'd admit it or not.
Her dress was off-the-shoulder, hugging her curves, accentuating the delicate lines of her neck and shoulders, and drawing attention to her chest.
She moved with effortless grace, stealing glances at me through her lashes. I waited, expecting her to come my way—but she didn't. Instead, she walked over to Elvin, asking if she could sit beside him.
He smiled and agreed, and she turned my way, bowing ever so slightly.
My blood burned. What was she playing at?
I gripped the arms of my seat, fighting the urge to order the guards to drag Elvin out of here. "She's doing this to get under my skin," I muttered to Rowland, unable to take my eyes off her as she laughed, leaning in closer to Elvin as he whispered in her ear.
"Or maybe she isn't," Rowland shrugged, glancing between them. "Elvin is charming. Any woman might fall for him if there weren't… well, you."
My jaw clenched, jealousy twisting in my chest. "I need to settle things with her about last night." I felt the fire rising within me, the punishment of her games too much to bear. "Tell her to meet me by the oak tree."
Rowland nodded, summoning a guard to deliver my message. Katrina's eyes met mine as she received it, and she gave a small nod.
Just as I was about to rise, Fortuna appeared beside me. Katrina smiled, turning back to Elvin as if she'd won, laughing softly at some joke he shared.
I forced myself to remain calm, swallowing down the impulse to lash out at them both. What would that achieve?
"Oh, Fortuna," I murmured, "you're making this difficult."
She looked stunning in a red dress that complemented her skin, but even she couldn't compete with Katrina tonight.
Katrina's dress, her grace—she was radiance itself, drawing every eye in the room, especially mine. She was driving me mad, and I needed to get her alone.
"I don't think so," Queen Fortuna said, sitting beside me with a frown, and I knew right away she'd come to complain.
"What's wrong, my queen? Who's made you sad? Tell me, and I'll come down on them like a storm."
"What if I told you the person who hurt me was… you?"
"Me?" I was surprised.
"Yes, you gave your concubine a horse," she said, her voice laced with hurt.
"Ah, here we go again—it's about her," I muttered, sighing as I gently slapped my knee.
"You embarrassed me by giving her that gift. She's the first woman in Xylonia to own a horse. What are you trying to prove?" Her eyes were filled with pain.
"I can gift whoever I want, whatever I want," I replied firmly, reminding her that my choices weren't hers to question. "You have no right to interfere. Understand?"
Fortuna looked taken aback, as if she'd expected an apology or at least an excuse. But I didn't offer either.
"The gift is too much…" she began, but I cut her off.
"My day's already bad enough. Don't make it worse for both of us," I said, standing up. "Find a way to let go of this petty jealousy. It doesn't suit you."
Without giving her a chance to reply, I walked away from the gathering and headed to my quarters. Fortuna would feel hurt, I knew, but she was used to me being this way.
"Your Highness," a servant called out, stopping me. I recognized her face, though I didn't know her name.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Marissa, Your Majesty," she replied with a bow. "Princess Katrina is waiting for you under the oak tree."
A smile crept onto my face. Was this real? I thought she didn't want to see me, which was why I'd been heading back to my room.
I nodded and headed toward the oak tree, spotting a few roses along the path.
I plucked some, thinking of how she might react. My mind raced with a hundred things I wanted to say, an apology being one of them—a strange feeling since apologies weren't exactly in my nature.
As I approached the oak tree, I saw her instantly in that stunning yellow dress, glowing against the dark green of the trees.
Then, to my surprise, she ran to me. I froze in my tracks, not knowing what was happening.
She leapt into my arms, wrapping herself around me. Instinctively, I held her close, still stunned, feeling her warmth. What was happening?
The fierce Katrina I knew had melted into something softer—someone reaching out to me in a way I'd never expected.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone