May Death Do Us Part

170 Chapter 170 : Keep a close eye.

Julia darted her eyes between the three women sitting in front of her and gulped. “What is it you want?” It was always like this, everyone always wanted to use her for something, first the Gavarian queen, then it was Elric and now Melissa. Anyway, she had tried to kill her so it’s the least she could do right?

Melissa smiled at the green eyed woman and leaned forward. The movement made Julia instinctively move back and almost fall off the chair. “I want you...”

Julia was breathing quickly in anticipation.

“I want you to tell me what’s really going on between you and prince Clovis,” Melissa spoke and resumed her previous posture.

Julia blinked a few times before furrowing her brows in confusion, “what?”

“Come on Julia,” Melissa spoke with a teasing smile, “everyone in the palace is talking about it. They say you two have tea together everyday, and he’s been seen walking out of your bedroom a few times as well. Don’t hold out on me.”

“That’s what you want?” Julia responded in confusion, “gossip?”

“Well when you put it like that it seems bad,” Melissa responded with an embarrassed look. “I have been bored out of my mind these past two days. I’m sure you heard that the king and I had ummh.. a small misunderstanding. And he may or may not have banned me from leaving our chambers and taken away all my books.”

“Oh..” Julia didn’t really know what to say, she thought Melissa would ask for a favor or something, but here she was just looking for someone to talk to? This woman was strange indeed.

.....

“I mean these two aren’t any help,” Melissa pointed and Maria and Vivian. “Maria’s stories are a little depressing and Vivian is to shy to tell me the details of her relationship with Zander.”

“I’m not shy I just don’t think it’s an appropriate topic!” Vivian yelled, she folded her arms and turned away with her face as red as a tomato.

“And how are my stories depressing?” Maria whined.

“You’re always talking about how sick your mother is and how you lost your father,” Vivian commented, “and no offense I love your mother, she’s a sweetheart, made me the best bread, but it’s a little bit much.”

Julia smiled as she watched the women bickering, she had never really had friends growing up, so seeing this play out in front of her was nice.

“Okay fine,” Julia responded, “since you asked nicely, and I owe you, I’ll tell about my little dilemma with the prince.”

*

Elric knocked lightly on Clovis bedroom door, “Clovis! May I come on?!”

The king knocked a second time, “Clovis!” When he got no response he slowly pushed the door open and saw his brother standing in place looking out the window.

“You and Jeffrey really need to learn how to respect my privacy as the older sibling,” Clovis muttered without turning to face Elric.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get a response when I knocked,” Elric responded and walked to stand by his brother’s side.

“That should have told you that I’m not accepting any visitors right now.”

Elric shrugged and looked out the window, his eyes widened when he noticed that Clovis was looking out at their mother’s grave. “Please don’t tell me you’re planning on killing our father Clovis.”

“I’m not,” the silver haired prince responded, “I was just trying to see things from his point of view. You see how her grave is slightly tilted to the left? Father’s chambers are right next to mine, on the left.”

“He can look right at her from his window can’t he?” Elric asked with a sigh. “Gods he was so in love with that woman.”

“Hence his irrational behavior.” Clovis turned to look at Elric, “can you imagine how completely insane you would go if Melissa died. I mean you waged war just by her leaving your side.” He turned back to look at his mother’s grave, “I know I’d not hold my sanity for very long if anything ever happened to Julia. And I know what you’re going to say, I only just got to know her, but still, I just can’t seem to control my feelings around her. I just want her safe and next to me all the time. Does that make sense?”

Elric smiled slightly to himself, he knew exactly what was going on with his brother, he had read about it many times before. There was no mistaking that feeling. “It seems Julia is your mate dear brother.”

Clovis scoffed and turned to go and sit on his bed, “you believe in that ‘lycans only have one mate for life’ nonsense?”

“As a matter of fact I do..”

“Because of Melissa? Don’t you think it’s just an obsession?” Clovis added on while stretching his neck from side to side.

Elric wasn’t very sure anymore, in the beginning he really did feel that Melissa was his mate but things were different now. He cared about her yes, but not in a possessive romantic way, maybe that’s how it had always been and he had confused those feelings with being in love. But now came the question, if Melissa wasn’t his mate, who was it? And would he ever get the chance to be with them, whoever they were?

“it’s the only logical explanation,” Elric responded. “Anyway, to appease father you know that Julia has to face some sort of punishment right?”

Clovis glared at his brother, gods he was a lost cause. Just the mention of Julia was enough to trigger his inner wolf. “I won’t allow you to hurt her.”

“I’m fully aware you would rip me limb from limb if I as much as looked at her funny,” Elric responded while taking small steps around the room. “So after much thought, I’ve come up with a suitable punishment for her.”

“Which is?”

“She will be banished from the royal palace and the Merian capital until further notice,” Elric responded.

Clovis stood up and walked towards his brother, “and where exactly do you plan to take her?”

“What I know is that the governor of the kingdom is responsible for these kinds of decrees,” Elric responded with a straight face. “The king merely banishes, the governor is in charge of whatever happens to the offender afterwards.”

“But the governor of Meria is...”

“You,” Elric responded with a slight smile, “exactly, took you long enough to get it.” The silver haired king turned around and headed for the door, “good night brother, I’ll see you in the morning at breakfast.”

Clovis stood there stunned for a while, had Elric just helped him? He didn’t think that his brother had a soft side, he had changed so much since they were children. Who knew that the perfect son would bend the rules for a forbidden relationship?

“Thank you..” Clovis muttered as Elric closed the door.

*

Finwe found his brother in the stables feeding the horses after wandering the palace looking for him, “what are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

Gareth turned to face his brother and smiled gratefully at him, “how did you know?” He spoke.

The blonde prince knitted his brows in confusion, “how did I know you were here? One of the maids told me.”

“No Finwe,” Gareth spoke with a chuckle, “how did you know about star?”

“Star?”

Gareth moved aside and revealed the majestic creature he had been feeding. It was a pure white horse with a long mane and a small patch of black fur on its neck that resembled a star.

“In my past life I got Mel a horse exactly like this, she named him star,” Gareth explained while stroking the horse. “I found this note that told me to check for ‘a special gift’ to present to her once we’ve reunited.”

Finwe took the note and read through it, “brother i didn’t write this, and I certainly didn’t get you a horse.”

Gareth now looked confused, “but the letter, it’s in the same handwriting as the note you left with the ring.”

“I didn’t get you that ring either Gareth,” Finwe responded.

“Then who did?”

“I honestly don’t know,” Finwe responded while inspecting the horse, “but now it’s starting to worry me. First the ring and now the horse, maybe it has something to do with what Aiden was talking about earlier.”

“Aiden? What does aiden have to do with any of this?”

“Well he says he constantly feels like we’re being watched or something like that,” Finwe responded as he stroked the horse’s snout. He couldn’t help but admire the creature, his brother had bought Melissa a horse like this? Before he was a prince?? Wow, love really was something.

Gareth placed his finger on his mouth thoughtfully, “he said the same thing when were on our way here. Do you think Aiden knows something that we don’t?”

“Or he’s hiding something,” Finwe commented, “he did just show up out of nowhere claiming he wanted to get to know his sister, something doesn’t add up. We should keep a close eye on him.”

Theodora who had been listening in on the conversation in the shadows slowly pulled away. She had to warn Aiden that the princes were suspicious of him, she had to make sure he got to Melissa so he could get to Estel, it was the only way she could get the chance to see him smile.