Destroy Him

Chapter Three

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“And the terms?”

“They remain you even know the sort of man you are sending her to? King Ivan is known for his coldness, his strictness and his intolerable manner. He is an austere man, and people tremble in his presence.

And what of his

Later that night, Giselle went to Jasvella's room.

She found her sister sitting quietly, the hurt of the evening still evident on her face.

“Jasvella,” Giselle said softly.

Jasvella looked towards her.

“Do you know what hurts most, Giselle?” she asked, her voice subdued. “It is not even the slap. It is the fact that Father believes he has every right to decide our lives without once considering what we want.”

Giselle approached her.

Jasvella lowered her eyes.

“Is that all women are worth? Are we merely here for men's use and satisfaction? We are expected to obey them, marry whom they choose, give them heirs and never question their decisions.

Does our happiness mean nothing?”

“Please, Jasvella,” Giselle said gently.

“I only wanted him to understand that you deserve more than this.”

Giselle hesitated. For a moment, she seemed uncertain whether to speak. Then she drew a breath.

“There is something I have not told you.”

Jasvella turned towards her.

“I do not wish to marry King Ivan,” Giselle confessed.

Jasvella frowned. “Then why did you accept?”

“Because I cannot go against Father.”

“But why do you not wish to marry him?”

Giselle lowered her gaze.

“Because I love someone else.”

Jasvella stared at her in astonishment.

“Someone else?”

Giselle nodded.

“The Duke of Seine. Cole Winston.”

“Cole?” Jasvella exclaimed. “Our Cole Winston?”

“Oh he is no longer a boy! Jasvella. He is the Duke of Seine.”

“I know who he is!” Jasvella replied, still surprised. “I simply never imagined…”

She paused as understanding dawned upon her.

Suddenly, the closeness between Giselle and Cole, their familiar exchanges and the ease with which they had always kept one another's company made sense.

“Is that why you have always been together?” she asked.

Giselle gave a faint nod.

Jasvella moved closer to her sister.

“Then you must fight for him, Giselle. You cannot simply surrender the man you love because Father has decided otherwise.”

“I cannot,” Giselle sadly replied. “You know how Father is. I cannot go against him.”

“But you love Cole!”

“Jasvella, please. There is nothing I can do.”

“There is always something that can be done.”

“No,” Giselle insisted, taking her sister's hand. “You must not speak to Father about this. I beg you.”

Jasvella looked at her, confused by the urgency in her voice.

“Why should I not?”

“Because if Father discovers that Cole and I love one another, he may have him punished. He could even have him killed.”

Jasvella fell silent.

She had not considered that Edward might turn his anger towards Cole, but the fear in Giselle's voice made the danger clear.

“Please, Jasvella,” Giselle continued. “Do not put him in such a situation. I could not bear for anything to happen to him.”

Jasvella looked at her sister for a long moment.

She understood Giselle's fear, but she could not accept that her sister should be forced to give up the man she loved without a fight.