The first thing Islinda noticed upon arriving at the palace was the ease of access, a stark contrast to Aldric’s previous experience. It was clear that everyone in the palace had been expecting him, and this realization made her stomach sink. Islinda was no fool; she knew that tonight was not going to go smoothly.
And yes, she was still not speaking to Aldric, which was why she practically jumped out of the carriage as soon as it was packed.
"Islinda!" Aldric called after her, but she ignored him, walking on and lifting the hem of her dress as it was quite long.
Truth be told, Islinda had no idea where she was going, having only been in the palace once before. However, since this was a big ball with several Fae in attendance, she decided to follow the crowd. But that was until Aldric grabbed her arm and pulled her away, drawing the attention of others who finally noticed the presence of the dark Fae prince and shrunk away fearfully.
Great!
With him hovering around her, everyone was going to avoid her throughout the event as if she carried a plague.
"What’s wrong with you?! Let go!" Islinda managed to free her arm from his grasp and glared at him intensely. "What in the Fae is your problem?"
Aldric breathed heavily. "Why are you mad at ? It shouldn’t bother . Heck—!" He ran his hand through his braid, agitation evident on his face. "I shouldn’t even entertain your tantrum, but it strangely annoys . What have I done this ti? Tell !"
The desperation in his eyes both touched and stunned Islinda. She had planned to ignore him for the rest of the night, but now, she felt compelled to give him a chance.
Without a word, Islinda reached out and pulled his braid, causing him enough pain to register.
"Ouch," he said robotically, as if he was unaffected by the effort she had put in to hurt him. However, the ssage got across.
"That’s how it feels," Islinda said. "You hurt with your words, and you expect to be okay with it."
But Aldric frowned. "I’ve been hurting you with my words since the first day you arrived at my place."
Islinda arched her brows, baffled. "So you’ve been hurting on purpose?"
Aldric’s mouth twitched. "But that’s not the point, right?" He cringed, feeling self-embarrassed for the first ti.
Islinda burst into laughter. It was a special kind of self-deprecating laughter, but it was funny nonetheless.
"You’re insane," she sniffed, wiping away the tears that had escaped her eyes.
Aldric grinned. "You tell that every day, love."
Islinda’s eyes widened in surprise at the use of such endearnt. The bastard had a lot of nicknas for her, but they were always ant to taunt or mock her. This was the first lovely endearnt he had ever used, and it made her heart skip a beat.
Aldric realized his mistake and coughed, trying to cover it up. He hastily explained, "Not that you’re my love or anything... I—it’s just an endearnt. I call you a lot of nas, don’t I? They don’t an anything... no, I’m not capable of love..."
Islinda could only nod, stunned, as Aldric continued to ramble. She wondered if he even realized he was doing it. She had never seen the dark Fae prince so flustered before. He was usually in control.
"... I just said it without realizing, no, this must be Eli —"
"Aldric!" Islinda touched his arm, and he finally stopped. A flush crept up his neck as he finally noticed what he had said.
A hint of a smile played across Islinda’s features. She didn’t mind seeing Aldric this confused once in a while. It made him look cute and showed that he wasn’t always in control.
"Fine, I understand. I don’t care about the other tis you were a an bastard. However, won are quite sensitive about their bodies, and you cannot call old again. I will not talk to you ever again if you do that. " Islinda scolded him.
"That’s not possible, you love to talk—"
Islinda cut him off with a disapproving hiss, and he smiled so wide she was sure his cheeks hurt.
"Fine, whatever you say," he glanced at her with softened eyes until a couple passed by them and caught sight of them. The Fae couple gave them an ugly look.
Aldric’s kindness instantly evaporated, and his deanor transford. Islinda noticed the shift as his spine straightened, emitting an icy coldness. His ability to switch masks seamlessly bewildered her; the Fae before her now was starkly different from the one seeking forgiveness monts ago.
This was the asshole Aldric she was used to seeing, and it made Islinda’s lips press into a thin line. No one could convince her otherwise. Islinda was convinced that there was a third personality that hadn’t made its introduction yet. Otherwise, how could he have three contrasting personalities?
"We’re finally here, sweet Islinda," he grinned at her with that eccentric thrill in his eyes.
Islinda shook her head in disappointnt and turned to leave, but he grabbed her.
She stared at his grasp, annoyed. Islinda was tired of him blowing hot and cold. He was goddamn confusing.
Aldric told her, "If I were you, I’d stick by my side. Aside from the protective charm, I’m your best chance of staying alive."
"You throw out to the wolves, yet here we are claiming to want to protect . So no, I’ll take my chances," Islinda retorted, trying to move. But his grip was too strong, and she couldn’t get away.
She glared at him with blazing intensity, but that didn’t deter Aldric. He leaned in so close that their lips were about to et, but he made a detour at the last minute and whispered into her ear.
"Sweetest Islinda, if you want to keep your head intact tonight, avoid my brother and your dear Valerie by all ans. Otherwise, you might experience the wrath of an ambitious mother," he kissed her on the cheek after delivering the ssage, finally releasing her.
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