Chapter 41

LORD Dorian Hassildor, who was also known as Ian by his friends, was sitting on the divan that the young queen had requested for him to meet her in her private study room. Ian was looking around before he was regarding the couple that was in front of him right now.
One was the young queen of Niapachad Island, Queen Arabella Dragomir, cousin to the Duke of Belikov, Niklaus Dragomir, who was his best friend, and the other one was the prince consort, Aiden Dragomir, Arabella’s husband.
I don’t like what this young queen will tell me to do, Ian mused before Arabella was sipping on her blood-laced tea before she was smiling at Ian.
“Thank you for coming on such notice. I am sure that you are busy attending to your tenants in St. Betown, my lord,” Arabella said as Ian arched his eyebrow at the young queen.
“Well, it was nothing after all. It’s only 2 days’ travel from St. Betown to be here at the capital,” Ian said before sipping on his blood-laced tea as well.
“So, what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you, Your Majesties?” he asked Arabella, who was looking at Ian with interest.
I can see the similarity of her orbs with Niklaus’, Ian mused before the young queen was clearing her throat.
“As you might know, my cousin, Niklaus, has been married for 2 months now,” the young queen started as Ian was groaning inside.
Here we go, he thought before he was nodding at the young queen. Arabella was smiling at Ian before she said the word that Ian had been dreading to get away from here at any cost right now.
“It’s time for you to get married and produce an heir to secure your lineage, my lord,” Arabella said as Ian was looking at her and the prince’s consort. Aiden was looking at Ian before he smiled.
“Are you seriously asking me to find a bride?” Ian asked the young queen when she nodded at him.
“Yes, why would you think that I would be joking about such a thing?” Arabella asked Ian before the marquis straightened his back.
“Pardon me then, Your Majesty,” Ian said before he sighed.
“But finding a bride at this time of the year…it would be insane. How come I trust my future bride if the mamas of every possible household were trying to shove their daughters at me? The secret of the Higher Court will be discovered by them,” Ian said before Arabella smiled at him.
“Do not fret, my lord. You will know which one to choose when the time comes. For now, just prepare your wedding, yes?” The young queen asked the marquis before Ian was sighing inwardly.
I should not have come here for this luncheon, he mused before he was smiling at the young queen when she was sipping her tea again.

“ARE you sure it would be wise for him to prepare the wedding right away? I mean, the marquis did not have the bride secure yet, my love,” Aiden stated as Arabella was looking at the retreating figure of the carriage that bore Marquis of Kain’s crest.
It was a griffin.
Arabella turned to look at her husband before she caressed his cheek. Aiden leaned into the touch before she was leaning against his hard chest.
“In due time, everything will be perfect just as I planned it to be,” Arabella said before someone was knocking on the door. The young queen moved from her husband’s warmth before she took the letter from the butler. She smiled.
“Right on time,” the young queen said before she looked at the reply of the spy that she put in the Marquis of Kain’s region.
“You have nothing to worry about, my love, for I have thought of everything,” Arabella stated as she was waving the reply from her spy. Aiden sighed as he knew that nothing would stop Arabella from getting what she wanted.
And this time, it was for the Marquis of Kain to marry her choice of a Lady.

LADY Emily Moore, who was known as Emily by her friends or Emmy by Lady Rebecca Davis, was looking outside the traveling carriage that she was taking to the East route. She was breathing in the country air for a long time, as the sea could be heard and it was tasted in the air. Emily could not have been happier.
It had been a rough year for her. Her parents had been killed in a carriage accident and her brother was nowhere to be found. Emily had given up searching for her brother as she had no money or resources to do so.
She could only hope that this new life that she chose would be much better than the life of a lady in the town.
Emily can hardly remember her time as a debutante when she would attend lavish balls and elegant parties just to catch the eye of a suitor. It was useless as she would disappear in the background whenever she could.
She usually spent some time with her friend, Lady Rebecca Davis, who had recently married the Duke of Belikov and was now called Lady Rebecca Dragomir, the 8th Duchess of Belikov.
Becca was high above her best friend’s station now. Emily could hardly reach her as Becca would be busy attending this and that ball with her husband.
Maybe I was destined to be alone, Emily mused before the traveling couch was stopping at the stop for St. Betown.
“St. Betown, St. Betown!” the driver shouted before Emily gathered her skirts, the skirts that she took from her maid as she was determined to be someone else out in the country, in which she would forget she was a peer of this realm.
Not this time, Emily mused before she got out of the carriage and took her suitcase with her. She was thanking the driver before she was looking at the sprawling city of St. Betown. She was smiling before she made her way to the tavern that was near her. It was called the Red Griffin.
Emily opened the door as she was carrying her light suitcase before she went to the tavern that was in front of her. It was not crowded before she was making her way to the counter before she was blocked by someone’s leg.
“Pardon me, sir. Can you please move your leg so that I can pass through?” She was asking the person who was sitting at the table next to her. The person in question was wearing a black coat as well as a black hat. Then, he lifted his head and Emily was sucking on her breath.
His eyes were burning amber.