"maybe i'll see
you in another life
if this one wasn't enough."

kandilyn's pov

"these eyebrows! you think with the amount of money the ro'meave's have they'd keep her maned." the stylist whimpers, as though i'm not even there.

i wanted to get ready myself but that wasn't acceptable 'given the current circumstances.' apparently meeting your future fiancé is a huge deal. who would've thought.

i woke up to three woman pounding on my door and had to usher jeffory out before they could notice.

one of the ladies is painting my nails a white color, the other is working on my hair and the last is doing my makeup.

they're all being rather harsh, pulling my hair and beating my face with the brushes.

after what felt like forever, they tell me i'm finished. i haven't been allowed to look in a mirror yet, something about them wanting to get the full effect.

they hand me a cream dress. it was supposed to symbolize purity and innocence. which was ironic , really. this was far from pure or innocent. this was a business deal.

the three stand there and i practically have to push them out to have any privacy.

i lock my door, only to hear a knock on the window.

my head whips around, confused as to what the noise was. i'm on the second story. either it was a bird plunging into the window accidentally, or someone was foolish enough to climb all the way up here.

i glance over, shaking my head when i see a familiar face. i open the window and gene crawls in.

"now isn't a good time, really." i begin, but he interrupts me.

gene's hair is a mess and from the looks of it, he just climbed the old oak tree near my window. why in his right mind he would do that? i don't know, i suppose he isn't in his right mind.

"relax, darling. i have no interest in that. not at the moment, anyways. i was just around and thought i'd stop in. what's with the fancy get-up? the amount of powder on your face weighs nearly as much as i do."

i raise an eyebrow, giving him an odd look. "how kind of you, you really know how to woo a woman," i laugh, slipping out of my clothes. gene gives me a questioning look.

"thought you didn't have time?" he inquires.

i hold the dress up, "i'm just changing. and quiet down unless you want someone to head. help me get into this, please." i step into it cautiously, pulling it up.

"that's the only time i've ever heard you ask me to help you put on clothes."

i roll my eyes, "just zip it up already," i whisper, moving my hair out of the way.

he comes up behind me, zipping the dress up carefully. gene places his hands on my waist, nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck that my hair wasn't covering.

he places soft kisses on it, "you look amazing." he murmurs against my skin.

"thank you, but unless you want someone finding you in here, i suggest you leave," i turn around, kissing his cheek quickly. i cant help but laugh at the residue of my lipstick on his face.

-

"kandilyn, i assume you're ready?" garte asks, glancing up at me. and for a second, i almost see a smile. "you clean up nicely." he shortly says.

garte and i had a wilted relationship. growing up, he constantly reminded vylad and i we were nothing more than an affair. zane also had a habit of making sure we didn't forget that.

though, there was a point where i was his little girl. that was long before the power got to him, now it's difficult to imagine a world where it's like that.

garroth, however, always treated me like his younger sister and introduced me as such ; even to people that knew we weren't garte's children.

with the death of my two brothers though, garte has been less hostile towards me. i'm not sure why but i assume it has to do with him running out of options.

i grin politely, folding my hands. "thank you. when will i be off to meet him?" i ask, considering i wasn't exactly told the details.

i didn't have much say in the matter, really. this was the exact situation garroth was in before he died. he was being forced to marry the lord of scaleswind's daughter against his will.

when garroth was younger, he wanted to be lord. most children do. the idea of having so much power and running an entire civilization is fascinating to a young mind. throughout his teenage years, he was very proud and egotistical.

luckily, he grow out of it and became extremely noble. but with his newfound maturity, he also realized he didn't want to be lord. garte was beyond furious when he told him, telling him it wasn't a choice.

"soon. a carriage is on its way. you'll be meeting him in falcon claw. it seemed fitting, considering that'll one day be your home."

it felt surreal, to say the least. like he was bartering my life. really, he was. this was exactly what drove garroth away. what got him killed.

-

"how was your journey here, m'lady? would you like a cup of tea?" the lord asks. his house was nice. not comparable to home, but still nice.

i smile softly, "my journey was pleasant, thank you. and please, kandilyn is fine." i request. m'lady and ma'am made me sound aged, it was just strange. "a cup of tea would be amazing."

"aaron! get down here, would you?" he shouts, glancing behind him at the stairs. he puts a kettle on the stove.

a guy sulks down. it wasn't hard to tell he wasn't pleased to be here. rightfully so, i guess.

he was attractive, nonetheless. tan, tall, dark wavy hair, rather muscular build, deep eyes and sharp features.

he looked older than garroth was but not by a large amount. "why don't you greet our guest? this is kandilyn ro'meave, the lord of o'khasis' daughter. kandilyn, this is aaron. my son." his father says, giving him a glare. the room was overwhelmed with tension and i could tell they'd been arguing.

i wave lightly, giving a soft smile in attempts to be welcoming. maybe his nerves was heightened. this wasn't exactly a casual event. "it's nice to meet you." my voice was quiet, i guess i was nervous as well.

"i wish i could say the same," he murmurs, receiving yet another dirty look from his father. "look, let's just get this over with. i'm guessing this isn't your choice either?" he retorts, glancing at me.

i don't say anything. i mean, what did he expect me to do? not all of us can be arrogant assholes that speak out against what we're told.

i'm guessing he takes my silence as an answer. "yeah, that's what i thought. just let me know when the details later. i have no interest in being friends." he grumpily says, walking past me and leaving.

his father brings me a cup of hot water, a tea bag sitting in it. "he's not always like that, i promise. just going through his rebellious years. he truly is a bright boy," he attempts to reassure.

quickly i dismiss him with my hands, "it's no worries, really. there's not exactly a right way to react to any of this." i stand up, "i'm so sorry. if you'll excuse me, i'll be back. i just need a breath of fresh air." i quickly say.

i can tolerate plenty of things but his quick witted and sour attitude struck me the wrong way.

outside the door, i see him making his way into the woods. as best as i can in this damned dress, i follow closely behind him. after a minute or so, i manage to catch up.

"stop following me. irene, you're like a leech," he spits, not even looking back at me. instead his pace quickens.

"gee thanks." i reach out, grabbing his lower arm and pulling him around so he's forced to face me. "look, i get you don't want this. believe me, i'm not jumping for joy either. but you don't have to be a prick. if we're going to be spending the rest of our lives together-"

"not willingly." he interrupts.

"willingly or not, it's happening. you can live you life as you please. i genuinely couldn't give a damn. but you will pretend to be happy for the time being. so you will manage to muster up some respect for me and your father. because there is no way i'm letting you screw this up. i have people i care about who's lives are being put on the line with this marriage. do you understand me?" i spit. if he wasn't going to play nice, i'm not going to either.

like he did earlier, i take his silence as an answer. "good. i'm glad we're on the same page. nice meeting you," i seethe, turning around to return to the village.

-

zane was on the carriage to ride back. i'm assuming to let father know how it went. "how'd it go?" he inquires.

"great. he's a real catch."