Always, For You

Chapter 8

Camille doesn't know how to feel. She is being escorted by female knights. Her maids closely following behind with shaky figures. On her way out she sees her parents and it makes her breath out in relief. Her parents were alive.

She is quickly escorted to the palace and to a room. A room which she was supposed to share with Caelus. "Your highness, this is from his grace. The emperor's gift for you. A wedding gift." One of the knight says once they are inside the room.

Camille takes the box with shaky hands. Her maids cower beside her as they help her open the box. There is a beautiful dress. Shoes and jewelleries that goes along with it. And lasty a crown. It is embedded with beautiful pink diamonds.

She doesn't say anything. She doesn't know what to say. The day has been horrifying. Terrifying even.

All those years, Camille had sat beside Kaizen, she never thought he would do something like this. And him being late crown prince Aurelius' blood. She didn't know what to do.

"Leave me alone. Get out of the room." She says. The female knights hesitate but they follow her orders after all she was the empress. "We will be outside. Please call for us whenever you need something. And your highness, please don't think of running. His highness would not be pleased." One of the female knight who seem to be of higher ranked warned. Then they are gone.

"Help me change." Camille tells her two maids. They scramble to do as asked. Camille takes a bath first. She feels sick. The smell of blood is still fresh. Even the scented oil in the bath couldn't make her forget it.

She changes into a more comfortable dress after the bath making herself look presentable enough. She dismisses the maids. She lays on the bed in a fetal position. She felt exhausted and tired after everything that too place. Her eyes catch on to the wedding ring she wears on her hand. She was Kaizen's wife. She didn't knew how to feel.

She closes her eyes. Feeling too tired. She sighs. In a matter of few minutes she falls asleep. The day's event catching up to her.

Meanwhile, Kaizen walks down the hall. It had been a busy day. After the wedding ritual was done, he made the knights escort Camille and his maids. After which, he met up with all the remaining nobles. Including Camille's parents. They had asked for their daughter back but they were sorely wrong if they thought Kaizen was ever going to give her back.

His aide, Bairon, leads him to the room where Camille was. Once he reach the door, he dismisses the female knights who were standing in guard along with his aide. He opens the door and heads inside, closing the door behind him.

He finds Camille on the bed sleeping. She looks so small and fragile laying in a fetal position. She hasn't changed. Every soft features of her still seem to remain. He gets on one knee so they he can lean closer to her. He smiles as he tucks away a strand of hair which had fallen in front of her face.

The simple act seem to startle Camille who wakes up sitting up straight when she sees Kaizen.

Kaizen stands up sitting on the edge of the bed facing her. "How are you?" He asked.

"What do you want me to answer? You killed my fiance. You turned my whole life upside down on my own wedding day." Camille says. Her words make Kaizen's jaw clench. Especially the word fiance.

"I did what I had to do." Kaizen answers shortly.

"Did you always wanted the crown? You always said you didn't want it. You always said you were happy the way everything was." She said pulling her legs closer to her chest.

"I didn't knew the truth then. About my father. About my mother. It made me more determinded to take the throne." Kaizen said. "And don't you think that I took this crown just because of that truth. Everything I have done. Everything I have decided to do is for you." He adds.

"Me?.." Camille mumbled confused. "My poor brother. If he had wanted only the crown I would have given it to him. The crown was useless to me." Kaizen says his eyes darkened as he looked at Camille. His hands reaches out touching her cheek. His touch gentle.

"But he just had to have you as well. And I couldn't accept it. Not you. Then I realised I couldn't take you. Not with the status I had. I decided I will take the crown from him if it means I get to have you." He said as his hand plays with a strand of her hair.

"I can understand you killing the emperor and even the empress but Caelus? Caelus has been nothing but kind to me. All those year when you weren't here. He was someone nice." Camille defends. It makes Kaizen laugh sarcastically.

"You think Caelus is a saint? My, I wonder. Did you fall in love with my brother? Is that what it is?" Kaizen asked, a look of anger in her face. "This isn't about love! I am just saying what I saw." She fights back.

Kaizen sits up running a hand through his hair. He turns back to Camille. His hand reaching out to grab her chin softly, tilting her head up so that theur eyes met . "Caelus was taking part in illegal trades. Trading slaves. Kids and what not. Do you think he liked you? He went along with marrying you because with your marriage with him, the royal family would get better support from your house. Your house, Astrid, is one of the family who was part of this empire's founding. They needed support from a family like yours because although no one knew the truth of how Alpheus became the emperor, his seat on the throne was always unstable. He was not meant to rule and he knew it. So don't go thinking you were sincerely wanted. Especially by Caelus. He has fooled." He says venomously.

He lets go after a while, feeling a little guilty as Camilla's expression saddens. "Sleep for now. I have no plans to touch you. I may be a disgusting prince who killed his own blood relatives in the name of revenge selfishly, but I am not a monster." He said and then he is gone.

He ignores the quiet sobbing sounds that comes out of the room. He ignores the urge to run back to her, to console her.