SWNOVELXO Chapter 16: You do as I say
Prince Nicholas, acutely aware of every subtle sound around him, turned sharply at the sudden hissing noise. His eyes locked onto Luciana, whose face displayed a whirlwind of emotions—fear, uncertainty and something else clouded her brow. Beneath it all, there lingered an indescribable emotion that intrigued him. What could she possibly be feeling?
He gently pushed Lady Evelyn away from him, thinking Luciana was acting like that because he was hugging her. When he visited Lady Evelyn in her chambers, she suggested he go for a walk with her since she needed to do some light exercises during her early stages of pregnancy. He could only agree when Peter, the babbler mouth, earnestly advised,
"Yes, Your Highness, light exercises like taking walks would aid the mother in giving birth smoothly without any difficulties when the time comes."
Considering he had always ignored the woman, he realized he shouldn't be so indifferent when she was carrying his child. The thought of holding his flesh and blood in his arms stirred up something within him, and he had agreed.
Lady Evelyn had wanted to go to the garden to admire flowers, and they took a stroll towards the location. He had been distracted most of the time thinking about Luciana and the official duties he had neglected since her arrival and had reflexively hugged Lady Evelyn in his arms when she screamed after seeing a cockroach.
Luciana's heart thumped in her chest, and she took steps back as if she had seen something impossible. What was wrong with her? Seeing Nicholas and Evelyn approaching, she turned and ran out of the garden. She didn't want them to see what she had done to the flowers.
"Luciana, wait," Nicholas said when he saw her fleeing, but Luciana didn't stop; her steps even quickened after hearing his call.
"Luciana, it's an order. Stand where you are!" He thundered.
Luciana's steps paused briefly, and Lady Evelyn, who saw Prince Nicholas walking away from her, held onto his elbow to stop him.
"My prince, we are still having a conversation; you can't leave me alone like this. Besides, the princess consort looks like she doesn't want to be in the same place as you," Lady Evelyn said.
Nicholas wordlessly placed his hand over hers and effortlessly pried her fingers open before he flung it away from him.
"Don't ever touch me without my permission," he growled and walked away from her, only to find Luciana was not standing at the spot she had been standing in a moment ago.
His anger boiled realizing she hadn't obeyed him. He angrily walked in the direction of her courtyard, emitting a dark aura like a grim reaper that was going for people's souls.
"Sir, I think if she doesn't want to see you, you shouldn't go and find her. Your forcefulness would make her want to avoid you more and create a distance between you. And if you indulge her today, she might be used to it and be more unruly in the future. The princess consort must understand that she's not your only wife," Peter preached.
Nicholas, however, continued to walk away, not paying any attention to what he was saying, but stopped abruptly upon hearing his concluding words.
"You think she's jealous after seeing me with Lady Evelyn?" He asked Peter, who didn't know why the prince had asked him that question all of a sudden but answered,
"Yes, that's exactly what I think, but even though her country doesn't practice harems, the king of Florendel has illegitimate children from other women apart from his wife, so she should understand that and not throw a tantrum."
'She was jealous? Could it be that she was finally going to admit she loved him and wanted him all to herself?' The thought stirred up some powerful feelings within him, and he wanted to see her immediately to confirm how true his assumptions were.
"Don't follow me; I will go alone from here," Nicholas instructed and walked away, leaving Peter alone in confusion. Why was the prince so smitten by this suspicious princess?
~~~
Luciana ran into her courtyard and instructed, "No one is allowed to enter my chambers. I want to be alone; it's an order."
"Yes, Your Highness," the servants chorused.
"My lady, what happened to you? There's blood on your fingers," Dora's voice, full of worry, reached her ears.
"It's nothing; I'll take care of it myself; just don't allow anyone to enter; I want to be alone," she said and closed the door after her.
After entering her bedroom, she sat on the edge of the bed, feeling drained of all energy. She felt like something was wrong with her magic. Her thoughts drifted to the time Lady Evelyn tripped, causing her to almost fall. That day, she had a weird feeling it had something to do with her, but she had brushed it off as a mere coincidence.
How would people treat her if they realized there was something wrong with her? What would happen if they realized she was different?
Her mind drifted to the country of Zubrekacadesh. Zubrekacadesh was a country on the northern side of the Windermere continent, and the country folks hardly left their borders due to how people outside treated them.
In Zubrekacadesh, magic was in abundance, and it was said that whether one was born a commoner or a royal, they all had magical abilities. They had magic straight from birth! Some were stronger than others, and some could set fire to an entire forest and conjure lots of magical things just by thinking of it or by chanting words.
When people from Zubrekacadesh are found in other countries, they are burnt at a stake and treated as witches. That in itself scared Luciana out of her wits. 'What should she do? Who should she talk to? How can she know what is happening to her?'
She stood up from her bed and kept pacing about in her room with countless thoughts running through her mind when she heard Prince Nicholas' voice behind the door.
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is unwell and wants to be alone," Dora said with a quivering voice as she stood in front of the door and saw how the man was glaring at her as if he was the devil himself coming from the pits of hell.
"Move!" He barked, and Dora's heart nearly jumped out of her skin.
Seeing how he looked angry as if heads were going to roll in the next minute, Dora asked her lady for forgiveness in her mind and moved to the side.
'Princess, I'm sorry for not protecting your door until the end.' Dora said in her mind.
Nicholas barged in through the door, and Luciana's heart skipped a beat seeing the look on his face. His gaze looked so dark and bleak, as if he was a monster about to swallow her whole, and instinctively, she took a step back.
"Don't move," he warned, seeing how she widened the distance every time he got closer. But Luciana, being naturally stubborn, continued to take steps back whenever he took one forward. Nicholas had always been swift due to countless wars and training. He swiftly took two steps forward, and his hands went behind her, effortlessly caging her between the wardrobe and his body.
"Don't touch me with the same hands you used to touch her. It repulses me," she spat, feeling angry that he didn't know what personal space meant.
'Must he always have his way? She just wants to be alone to figure things out; can't he let her have that, too?'
Prince Nicholas' gaze hardened as he let her words sink in. He smirked at her with an evil look on his face.
"The drama is just beginning, and you want to back out? You are my wife! You wait when I say you should wait and must obey me and do as I say! You are not allowed to have an opinion!" He growled.
Luciana looked at the arrogant jerk in front of her and replied defiantly, "I will do no such thing. You don't own me!"
Her words had just ended when she gulped in fear when his hold on her tightened, accompanied by a pain that made her feel as if he was going to break her in half.
"Repeat what you said," he snarled, a challenging look on his face.