The Wizard Prince's Secret Soulmate

Chapter 9

Matteo stood in front of his mirror, dressed in a light grey suit and a white shirt, holding up two ties to his neck, trying to decide if he should go with the light blue or the dark blue one. He didn’t even ask who it was when there was a knock on his door, just told them to come in without taking his eyes off himself. He wasn’t narcissistic, he just wanted to look his best, even though he detested the reason for this party tonight.

He looked into his mirror as the door opened and was surprised to see Emma walking into his room.

“Hey,” she greeted him shyly and he nodded before looking back at the ties in his hands.

“I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, because I don’t think we’ll have an opportunity to be alone at the party tonight,” she said hesitantly, wringing her hands.

“Sure, what would you like to talk about?” Matteo tried to remain polite, his eyes following her as she sat down on his bed.

He finally decided on the dark blue tie, so he put the other one on the dresser and started making the knot.

“I actually liked the other one better…” Emma admitted, but looked away when their eyes met in the mirror.

Matteo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Part of him wanted to keep this tie out of spite, but his rational side knew that he shouldn’t start their relationship like this. After all, it was just a tie, and if it made her happy, he would wear the other one.

He could see her smile a little when he undid the knot and reached for the bright blue tie instead.

“Sorry, but this one matches your eyes, you know? And I really like your eyes…” Emma blushed, making Matteo feel like a dork for wanting to dislike her out of principle.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, and they stayed in silence for a while.

Matteo was watching his future wife as she sat on his bed, quiet and demure. Her black hair was falling over her back in big curls, she was wearing little make up and a simple silver silk dress that ended just below her knees. He noticed that while it looked fairly conservative on the front, it was completely backless. He couldn’t help but imagine someone else wearing that same dress, and how he would love to let his fingers run down her exposed spine until… he quickly shook his head. He was about to get engaged, he really should stop daydreaming about another woman.

After one last glance into the mirror, he believed his look to be acceptable, walked over to his fiancée and sat down next to her, leaving ample space between them.

“What did you want to talk about, Emma?” he reminded the young woman next to him about her reason for walking into his room.

“Oh, well…” she stammered, “I just wanted to get to know you a little better, you know?”

He couldn’t stop the next words from stumbling out of his mouth, even though he regretted them immediately.

“Why? We’ll have to get married regardless.”

He could see that she was hurt by his statement, and he tried to soften his voice.

“Tell me, Emma. Wouldn’t you prefer to marry someone you love? Your anima gemella?”

An anima gemella (twin soul) was a wizard’s mate, the other half of his soul. She shook her head at that suggestion.

“No, I don’t think my anima gemella would be better than you. And… I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

Matteo didn’t even know how to respond to that. They both didn’t have a choice, but maybe, if they both refused…

“I’m sure your true mate would be better than me…” he started, but she interrupted him.

“I don’t think so. You’re powerful, and wealthy, from a good family, smart and handsome. What more could I ask for?”

As she listed his redeeming qualities, she counted them off her fingers as if she had learnt them by heart in advance. But the fact that she listed his power and wealth before his intelligence and looks did put him off just a little. It showed what her and her family valued the most, and it wasn’t his personality, but rather his pedigree.

He didn’t answer her question, instead, he stood up and motioned for the door.

“We should get going. After all, we are the ones the party is about.”

He cringed at his words, knowing that this party would happen regardless of his attendance. It was more of a merger between two powerful families, less about him and Emma.

They wordlessly walked downstairs and over to the Southern part of the castle, where they could already hear the chatter and the music. Matteo silently hoped that nobody would notice their arrival and he could just spend some time with his sister before sneaking back into his room.

“Matteo,” Emma placed her hand on his arm before they rounded the last corner, and he stopped and looked at her.

“I know, you’re not happy about this. And… I’m fine with that. I don’t ask anything of you, not your trust, your love, not even your loyalty. All I’m asking is for you to be honest with me, and maybe see if we can work this out together.”

Her green eyes shone with hope, and he felt his heart break for the young woman next to him. She didn’t expect anything of him, yet he wanted anything except her. Fate had been cruel to the both of them, and instead of making the best of it, he had decided to make both of them suffer for the burden they carried simply because of the families they had been born into. He didn’t want to cause her pain, just because he himself was hurt.

“I’ll try my best, Emma, ok?” That was all he could promise her at the moment, and she smiled at his response.

He offered her his arm and she took it, walking next to him into the Knight’s Hall. All the important parties were happening in here. Both the floor and the ceiling were made of wood, as were the pillars that ran down the centre of the large room. The marble portal and the walls around the windows were covered in carvings that depicted men and monsters fighting with each other, reminding them that they had to remain powerful in order to defeat the evil around them. In front of the large windows was a podium with a single microphone, waiting for a speaker. There were about fifty guests in attendance, all delegates from the different covens of Northern Italy, the atmosphere was relaxed as everyone knew everyone, and they enjoyed this opportunity to do some catching up with people they hadn’t seen in a while.

A string quartet was playing in the corner, probably Beethoven, as that was his father’s favourite composer. It only reminded Matteo further that this was not his party, not what he would have chosen if he was getting engaged to the woman he loved. But when he looked at Emma, who was still attached to his arm, he found her smiling at the music, at the people who had come to celebrate with them, and at the waiters, who were walking around, passing out flutes of champagne and little hors d’oeuvres on shiny silver platters, and he decided to keep silent about his feelings. If his fiancée was happy, then he should be happy as well.

He took two glasses from a passing waiter and handed one to Emma, who seemed more relaxed than him.

“We should go find our parents,” she suggested after taking a sip. “So we can get this party started.”

Matteo nodded and looked around. It didn’t take him long to find his father, he was always at the same spot in the centre of the room, allowing the other guests to approach him if they wanted to talk to him, instead of walking around and searching for conversations. The king enjoyed being the literal centre everyone else revolved around.

“Father,” he lightly bowed his head in respect as he greeted him.

“You look handsome tonight, son,” his mother, who was standing by her husband’s side, eyed him carefully and he could see that she was proud of him. “And you, Emma, you look absolutely stunning, dear.”

As the women started talking about dresses and designers, Matteo turned towards his father.

“We are ready to start whenever you are.”

Without waiting any longer, the king walked towards the stage and climbed up the stairs, and the room started to quiet down.

“Good evening, everyone, and thank you very much for coming here tonight.”

By now, all eyes were on him, and Matteo knew how much he enjoyed that. His mother had already excused herself and joined her husband on stage, leaving Matteo alone with Emma and her parents.

“It is with great joy and pride that I can finally inform you all, that my son Matteo has found his bride, and tonight, we are here to celebrate his engagement to Emma, the lovely daughter of Thomas and Stefania Gruber.”

He waited a little bit for the cheers and claps to subside.

“So please, enjoy yourselves, mingle, drink and eat as much as you can, and please do congratulate the happy couple. Thank you again, to all of you, who came from near and far to participate in tonight’s feast. Let’s have a wonderful evening, everyone!”

His father raised his champagne glass and every guest joined him, cheering on Matteo’s misery. His cheeks were already burning from faking his smile. This would be a long evening.