BLOOD AND Lightening

Chapter 21

ARVERNINE...

EMPEROR Gildor couldn't stomach the fact that Nimai was gone, the search team has gone on and on looking for her, "she would never run from me" he said countless times, he was going insane, the thought of killing slipping through his mind and him doing his best to remain calm and perhaps convince himself it was a bad dream.

"That demon dabbled with me!" he angerily whacked the Golden case in his chambers while pacing around, Nicholas being under a spell wasn't absolutely helping, he only carried out the Emperor's orders and not necessarily giving indications.

"He came to take her away from me!" he shouted again almost losing his mind, he didn't want to admit it was his fault, he had let in a powerful creature responsible for the death of Nimai's guardians, the creature was a smooth talker like him, slicker and smarter.

He finally sat down with his head hanging low

"I will get her back no matter what, even if it takes me to the end of the world, I have been there before," he said in a low menacing tone scaring Nicholas who was standing staring at him, Nicholas even though under a spell was fighting himself to prevail, but the spell kept suppressing him. The saying "you never know what you have till you lose them" wasn't necessarily the fact here, Gildor knew Nimai was the prophecy, it just hasn't been trained yet, perhaps he hadn't thought properly of the possibilities of her slipping away from him, the thought of her living him was more than nerve-wracking, it was more like his final draw, was he always this obsessed with her, he began recollecting his memory of her, his hard glare whenever he saw her with another male, especially his brother Adonis, he knew the prince was beginning to have his eyes on her, it made him send for her at all time even without him necessarily needing her, he never noticed his own actions till now, he is now like a child who's favorite goodies was collected.

Gildor has shut himself from any official matter throughout the day, he refused to listen to anything if it wasn't about Nimai, and he had personally interrogated her roommates and workmates, he even compiled them without them knowing to get the information, when he realized they were useless he nearly killed them all, but logic won over him, the news of Nimai's disappearance has gone round the place and The princess got wind of it, although she had plans of dealing with her, she didn't care till the rumor about her brother going berserk finding her got to her too.

She quickly began going to the east palace to confront the Emperor on his reckless behavior, if the news went out, his next meeting wouldn't be good, as she arrived at his chambers, she noticed a royal soldier holding onto a letter, it was obvious it was prince Adonis men.

"What is it you want from his majesty?" she asked the poor soldier who was stood out.

"It is a message to his majesty from the General," he said bowing in greetings to the princess

"Give it here, and I will pass it to him," she said stretching out her hand to him

"Am sorry your Highness, it is a royal order to give it directly to the Emperor"

"And am royal, the only daughter and princess of this kingdom and presently the lady of the castle," she said confidently with a frown

"His majesty wouldn't grant you his ordinance nonetheless give it here!" she ordered and the soldier slowly gave it with a heavy heart and slowly walked away. Princess Athena not minding the consequences opened the letter and read through the content, apparently, Prince Adonis went through to BATILOI alone to propose marriage to their first daughter, Princess Lilac, who is also a Duchess, Adonis wrote to tell the majesty that he was allowed in without much hassle and he will keep in touch.

“Adonis went in place of his majesty?” the princess grasped at the discovery, she had thought the Emperor changed his mind but he was just trading with caution, both kingdoms has never been in terms, and she had seen their crown prince purely by chance while at her mother's kingdom and was thinking of asking the Emperor to help her send a letter to him.

She couldn't help but smile brightly while folding the letter back, if his majesty marries Princess lilac the two kingdoms will unite and form an alliance, so her chances of marrying their crown prince a lot wider. She immediately pushed her way into her brother's chambers to see him sitting with a stoic face, she pulled the most beautiful smile she could muster and went over to sit beside him, he only looked at her and forced a smile.

“How dare she sneak out of the palace!” she said solely on purpose, she had come to tell him to get his act together but the letter had changed her stand on the matter on ground

“I was nice to her,” he said in a low tone, “I felt she was just being hated for no reason, I understood how it felt to be hated,” he said again making the princess's heart waver, she began thinking maybe she was too harsh too, she knows the hate their father and people have for Gildor that made him leave the palace, he hardly stayed around the castle even though he was the crown prince, Gildor slowly leaned into her shoulders and she began stroking his head.

“You have a letter,” she said

“Am not in the mood for official matters” he said, his eyes closed as he enjoyed his head being touched

“She is just a common maid, the letter is from brother,” she said, he slowly leaned away and looked her dead in the eyes scaring her.

“You went through it, right?” he asked with a hard tone, she couldn't hold back her head from nodding and panicking internally wondering what came over him, his face slowly turned into a smile and he collected the letter from her.

“Did I scare you?” he said with a smile and her nerve relaxed as she smiled back relieved it was all a tease or was it?

“Good,” he said with a smile after reading through the letter and placing it by the side....

ALFREDO.

NIMAI

I placed my hands into lord Eros's hand in defects as he unlocks the supposed throne room leading me to the devil, it wasn't like the thrown room in ARVERNINE, It was like a ballroom with the throne standing taller than any other thing around, the devil was sitting in a resting position like he was sleeping but I know he wasn't, does he not do a thing just rest? He suddenly adjusted his position, and as his eyes landed on me I felt my breathing freeze, I was holding my breath while approaching him. realizing what was happening to me I immediately inhaled deeply relaxing my tensed nerves as I began thinking of a possible way to start our conversation, what I'm I suppose to say to him, I didn't want to meet him, I was dragged here by Zephyr, well not literally, but I couldn't say no.

His eyes didn't leave mine making it harder to pull a poker face, I tried to play it off by glaring hard at him but he chuckled throwing me off guard again.

“Is this some sort of coincidence or a match perhaps made by the gods?” he said from his throne, am still to know what exactly he is, the discussion I had earlier with Zephyr signifies he has an important position considering the people are dying to see him but what exactly is he? A King? After a minute I realized he was talking about me matching with Eros.

“I would say the young witch has good taste” Eros answered as if I wasn't present, his answer didn't sit right with me, he probably knew of the devil picking the dresses for me. I slightly took my hand away from his cold hand and pulled a poker face.

“Thank you so much, lord Eros,” I said slightly taking a bow while averting my gaze from him to the devil who had a frown.

“Leave us please, Eros,” he said with evidence of annoyance, I expected Eros to challenge him but he left without comment, he must be really important considering Eros is a lord.

“Come here,” he said motioning me to come up to him, his intimidating aura almost made me leap to his front but I won't let him push me around because of some mere gifts and shelter and food, maybe not mere but I won't let him anyway. He began descending from the throne and was standing next to me with an annoying smirk.

“You really made me come to you,” he said leaning into my face

“I didn't force you or ask you to,” I said

“Your outfit is a perfect size, I was hoping I wasn't wrong on the size,” he said looking keenly at me, I didn't like the way his eyes traveled my body at all, I was impressed that he got my size correctly.

“Why were you looking for me?” he asked suddenly, I had lost track of what to say

“Yes about the dresses and jewels, isn't it a little too much, plus the special aid” I finally said

“What's wrong with the aid, I can't change her, you will have to make do with her” well for the first time he was wrong about something

“She is perfect, just that you are being too generous to me, and you are making it impossible to hate you” I let out without holding back, silence fell between us, I couldn't read the look on his face, it definitely wasn't the normal indifferent look.

“I am not being generous specially to you, and you don't have to stop hating me because of mere gifts, stop being too easy to distract,” he said in an unbelievably low tone almost in a whisper but it was clear enough for me to hear.

“I don't care how you lived your life, I brought you into my home for a deal, and you will be treated as a guest, hence the extravagant attire,” he said glancing at my body “you don't look as bad as I thought,” he said and I felt my brows connecting. He just knows how to infuriate one.