28!

BRIANNA

Liam stormed out of the room immediately, yelling Layla's name. He seems agitated and trying very hard to control his anger.

“Where is she?” He yelled at his guards, shaking the entire building. They left his presence with an immediate effect.

“You need to calm down,” I said as we entered the common room. “You shouldn't believe anything Mikeal said to you,”

“He was right about your parents and Trish's parents,” he said and I sighed deeply.

“Yeah, maybe he was right about that but that doesn't mean he was right about this,” I said to him.

The door of the common room opened, “let's get a drink,” I heard Trisha as she walked in with Layla, Mason and Ethan.

“Where have you all been?” I asked.

“We went out for a walk,” Layla said, “the streets are beautiful at night.” I tried to keep Layla from talking but she wasn't getting my signals.

“What's wrong, Liam?” Ethan asked, noticing Liam's mood, “you look like you have been given something you don't want,” Ethan said and we all have him a puzzled look.

“I'm perfectly fine Ethan,” Liam said, walking away but I stopped him. A surge of energy went through the both of us.

“You should talk about this now before it all comes out or too late,” I whispered to him.

“You should be able to keep it to yourself. Can't you?” He spoke arrogantly.

“Don't speak to me like that,” I said to him firmly.

“Oh oh, first couple fight,” Mason mocked, “let's see how it goes,”

We are not a couple,” myself and Liam said at the same time. We stared at each other for a while, wondering why that just happened.

“But you are betrothed, doesn't that mean you are a couple whether you want to or not,” Trish said.

“Enough about that, you need to ask her about it, right now. The more information the better we know what your father is up to,” I said to him.

“Fine,” he said with gritted teeth, then we both looked at Layla.

“Why are you both looking at me?” She asked, startled by our stare.

“Your grace,” Layla said to me when none of us gave a reply.

I sighed and looked at Liam before talking, “Duke Mikeal was the person the king hired to kill our parents,” I said and they all gasped.

Trish stumbled and Ethan had to help her seat. “What makes you believe him?” She asked.

“That's because everything he said is in line with what we know from our mothers diaries,” I said to her.

“That still doesn't explain the look Liam is giving to me right now,” Layla said.

“One woman got away with her baby,” I said. “When Mikeal found our parents they were giving us to our parents in the human world but he attacked before the third woman could cross her baby over, obviously that baby is,”

“Me,” Layla completed my sentence. She walked away from where she was standing and her scarf fell from her shoulder, revealing a butterfly tattoo.

Liam gasped and his face turned white. When her father was alive, Layla had to dress up in full priestly clothing but now he is dead and she takes the title of lady of her house, she is allowed to wear a dress, sometimes with a scarf.

*What's going on?” Layla asked about Liam's reaction.

“The woman who got away had a butterfly tattoo like yours and so did Liam's mother,” I said and everyone's face filled with surprise.

“No, that can't be possible,” she said and I sighed.

“That's what Mikeal told us and everything..”

“No!” She yelled, “Liam's Mother isn't my mother. Liam's Mom died way before I was born. That's what you told me,” she said to him.

“Everything is still blue, Layla and I promise to get to the button of it,” he said but Layla wasn't having it.

“My father was the best man I knew, he would never lie to me,” she said and walked out of the room.

Myself and Trish followed right behind her, “Layla wait up,” we tried stopping her.

“I want to be alone,” she said and moved at the speed of light.

I looked at Trish, “this is getting really messy” I said to her, “maybe I should just go back to the human world,”

She took my hands by the elbow, “not a chance. Come on, let's get ready for dinner,” she said and dragged me into my room.

We spent the later part of the afternoon preparing for dinner with the duke's family.

“I don't know how I'm going to sit there and not try to choke him,” Trish said as she did my hair.

“You have to exercise restrictions,” I repeated the words she uses on me whenever I lose control of my magic during our training.

“Wow, student teaching the teacher,” she said and we both laughed. We heard the door of my room open.

It was Layla dressed for dinner. I stood up and faced her, “you defile a direct order from your future queen,” I said to her with a firm tone.

“Apologies, your grace. It will never happen again,” she said, bowing down slightly. I hissed, walked up to her and pulled her in for a hug.

“How do you feel?” I asked her.

“Honestly, I feel empty. I don't think I know who I am anymore,” she said.

“Of course you do. You are who you have known yourself to be,” I said. We both walked deeper into the room and helped Trish get ready as well.

“I think we all look stunning,” Trish said as we looked at the mirror.

“I agree, let's knock some tooth's out,” I said and we walked out of my room and into the garden where the dinner is being held.

Everyone bowed as we walked including Margaret who had to put on a smile for the cameras.

“Duchess Mikeal, this is amazing,” I said to her.

“I'm glad it is to your grace's liking,” she said and I smiled.

“You look beautiful,” I heard Liam beside me and I turned to stare at his eyes, which looked a lot brighter under the moonlight.

He held my hands as we walked together towards the dinner table. We were served a lot of delicious food.

Liam got up to serve me which got a lot of murmurs from the people on the table.

As I was about to dig in, someone stopped me, “pardon me, your grace,” he said and took a bite from my food.

I remember him, he was the boy standing far away from us on our way to the betrothal party.

“What's going on?” I asked, looking at Trish.

“He is your taster,” Margaret said before Trish could speak. “You would know that if you are actually a real werewitch,” she said and everyone gasped.

“Margaret,” Lady Mikeal shunned her but she didn't pay attention to her. Her eyes were fixed behind me.

“What's happening to him?” She asked and we turned around to look at my taste.

She was shaking and convulsing, “the food has been poisoned,” someone yelled.