Islinda finally realized what being Aldric’s slave means. She was given royal treatment yet treated like shit. She had no opinion. No voice. Aldric’s orders were the law. And she had no choice but to concede to breakfast too.
Fine, she would do this, but not in the way he expects. Aldric loves drama and would likely cause a provocation to get a rise out of her. In one word, Islinda would not let Aldric get under her skin. She would bore him so much that he would not demand having breakfast with her for a while - until he comes up with new antics.
With her mind made up, Islinda walked down the hallway with Aurelia as her escort. She has not seen Rosalind so far and something told her she had to thank the Fae beside her for that. Islinda liked Aurelia and it scared her greatly because if Aldric were to get to her, he would likely use her.
That bastard, Islinda cursed as she stood outside the dining hall. Unlike the palace, there was not a Fae standing guard outside the door. Well, what would Aldric need to guard against when he was danger personified?
With one deep breath for the last time, Islinda prayed for strength and pushed the large oak doors open, going in. Her sight landed on Aldric sitting alone at the long, mahogany table that could easily seat twenty. He was not in dark clothing today, choosing a brighter shade of purple.
If his clothing was chosen according to his mood changes, then Aldric was happy and it spelled trouble for her. Although how someone could wear an overcoat in the middle of summer surprised her. Does he not feel the heat at all? Islinda already planned to ditch the bulky dress for a simple tunic and pants while touring the house later.
"Welcome!" Aldric shot up to his feet to acknowledge her presence, excitement on his face and that alone was not good.
Nonetheless, she kept her look indifferent.
"Thank you for inviting me to breakfast, I was excited at the prospect of spending more time with you," Islinda said sweetly even though her words were obviously sarcastic.
"The pleasure is mine." There was amusement in Aldric’s eyes as if he could see through the game she was playing, not that he commented on it.
"You should sit," He gestured, taking his seat at the head of the table.
At first, Islinda planned to sit as far away from him as possible, however, that would only excite Aldric and prove he had control over her. Sometimes the best way to defeat a crazy opponent was to be crazier than them.
But wait, wasn’t her plan earlier to bore him to death? Well, there was no harm done improvising, right?
Confidently, Islinda sauntered to the table and took the seat beside him which caused him to arch a brow at her.
She stared up at him innocently, "I thought you would need company."
"Oh." Aldric genuinely looked taken aback by her sudden change in attitude towards him, only for his lips to quirk up, "Does this mean you want more after watching shamelessly last night?"
Heat rose to Islinda’s cheeks and her hands balled into a fist on her lap beneath the table, barely holding herself from shooting him a glare.
"No emotions. Do not show him that he affects you. Put on your armor." Islinda chanted mentally, reminding herself of the decision she made while coming for this breakfast.
She pushed the emotions back. Fine, two can play this game.
At once, her entire demeanor changed as she said to him with a sultry voice, "How well you know me, Aldric." She mused, her hand traveling up his chest, feeling his solid, hard muscles.
Wow, she breathed, he was surprisingly warm. Islinda hoped to the gods her reckless brain knew what it was doing because this felt like playing with fire. And Aldric doesn’t burn like Valerie, he razes to the ground.
The dark prince narrowed his eyes at the gesture which wasn’t surprising, this was not like her.
An idea came to Islinda, what if she makes Aldric give up on her? The dark prince was after her because he believes she and Valerie were madly in love with each other. What if she acts like a whore and makes him question if her feelings for his brother were real?
Islinda’s eyes brightened at the prospect of that happening. If Aldric truly becomes bored of her, he might really let her go - or kill her after she outlasts her use. No, she was not going to think about the latter. She would be positive. Hopefully, her acting convinces him.
"What if I want more?" Islinda purred seductively, caressing his chest.
At first, they simply stared at each other, with Islinda resisting the urge to smile at her victory until Aldric moved so quickly that she wasn’t able to second guess his intention until she was lying flat on the table, the empty silverware pushed to the ground and the dark prince leaning over her.
Darkened blue eyes like a turbulent sea sliced through her making the hairs on her body stand on edge. However, that was not the reason Islinda went deathly still, because Aldric’s knee was between her thighs and the scene was so shocking that even Aurelia gasped aloud.
At once, the shocked Faerie clapped her hands twice and the door was pushed open as a queue of servants rushed in with breakfast, but even they halted to a stop when they saw the inappropriate scene, their eyes wide in shock.
One would think that with the presence of others, Aldric would have given up already, instead he bent over her. He trapped her beneath him, such that Islinda began to panic when his lips ghost across her skin, merely skimming past her lips along her throat.
Oh no, this was dangerous! Her plan backfired on her!
Her heart was pounding in her chest and she bet Aldric could hear it because a menacing grin carved his sharp jaw.
"Good idea, Islinda, how did you know I like to fornicate in public?"