The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 134. Reconciliation… Maybe.

Chapter 134: 134. Reconciliation... Maybe.

Sometimes in battle that has been going on and on without a clear ending date, it was wise to know when to call a truce. That way lives, time and strength could be saved and peace could return.

At the point they were at in this particular battle, it was obvious a truce had to be called... And she, as the benevolent and beautiful princess that she was, was going to be the wise one between the two of them.

"You know what, we have both been in this place all afternoon. The evening has come and now the moonless night has even taken over. I am hungry and tired, I wish to return to my room and have a bath." Neriah explained and Rakima watched with her eyes squinted and her brows cringed as she wondered what direction the sudden speech was heading to.

"So, why not do this? Let us call a truce."

"A truce?"

"Aye. I will choose to gree that we hurt each other if you also choose to gree to the same." Neriah offered, "And we shall both seek forgiveness from the other and end this feud once and for all. So we can get out of these locked doors." Neriah concluded her speech and folded her arms over her chest as she stared and waited for Rakima.

The princess stared at her sister-in-law silently. Her own hands too were crossed over her chest. Minutes went by without her uttering a single word.

"What say you, princess? Do you truly not wish to get out of here?" Neriah asked as the silence was dragging on for too long. "Princess Ra—"

"Fine." Rakima breathed with a surrendering sigh. "Let us agree that we both have wronged and hurt each other. And as thus, we shall seek forgiveness from one another. Fine... Agreed. Now, who is going to seek forgiveness first?" Rakima asked

Neriah scoffed with a laugh, her hands dramatically opened wide as she said and pointed, "Of course the one who had erred first should seek forgiveness first. And I believe we can both come to an agreement that I was peacefully on my own, having a peaceful conversation with Barni when you interrupted and insulted me. So Aye, I believe you should be the one to seek forgiveness first." Neriah shrugged and added, "Logically speaking."

Rakima rolled her eyes with a low snicker as she stared at Neriah, "Oh, I think not. Even if I were to agree that indeed I had erred first, what is the assurance that after seeking your forgiveness, you would seek mine?" Rakima shrugged and Neriah grated her teeth and scowled.

It annoyed her that Rakima’s words were very disrespectful and yet so very true. That was her plan all along. To make her seek forgiveness and then not give her one in turn... Who would have known the princess was smarter than she acted.

"Fine! It is not like I planned on doing that anyway, but—" Her lies were never ending, "I am tired of being here, so how about we seek each other’s forgiveness at the same time?" She lied a lot, but one thing was true, she was tired of staying locked up in that room and having no other choice but to stare at her husband’s annoying sister. If it was to seek forgiveness, fine. It wouldn’t mean she meant it anyway.

"How gree you to that?" Neriah asked.

"Who is to tell if you would pretend to want to speak but then shut your mouth, making me the only one who seeks forgiveness?" Rakima shrugged and Neriah wanted to just hammer two nails into her shoulders so she wouldn’t have the strength to shrug again.

"Oh you little—" Lords she wanted to curse!

"It would seem you have been lied to all your life, but I am being sincere right now! We shall seek forgiveness at the same time and end this madness! You can even count one to three!!" Neriah snapped.

"Dear Narcissus, calm down woman." Rakima said with a skeptical look. "Alright, fine. I will do the countdown. When I say three, we both seek forgiveness from each other. Agreed?"

"I suggested it, obviously I agree." Neriah said.

"Do not use that tone with me." Rakima frowned.

"Just count and let us end this." Neriah retorted

"Okay! One," Rakima started and Neriah leaned in closer, placing her elbows on the table, "two," Rakima did the same, leaning in closer to each other, staring deep into each other’s eyes.

"Three!"

"I ask that you forgive me for what I did that day!" Only after the words came out, and echoed in a single voice did Neriah realize that she had been the only one who opened her mouth. Rakima did not say a word!

"Why you! And you call me a liar! You did not seek forgiveness! I was the only one who spoke!"

"Aye, Aye, I just could not trust you. You do know you have a reputation for lying brilliantly. I just could not forget how you lied about your first night with brother. So I hope you understand my reason for not trusting you."

"You—"

"Forgive me." Rakima voiced and Neriah’s anger paused. "Forgive me for this and that day." She said and something seemed sincere about it. So sincere that Neriah’s anger moved from pause to vanishing completely.

"You still cheated." Neriah grumbled.

"Can I say something?" Rakima suddenly voiced.

"Since when did you need permission to do anything?" Neriah scoffed with wonder. Why was the lady suddenly acting and looking weird?

"It is fun and all that you had tried to use brother’s death to get out of thee marriage—"

"Huh?"

"But then, it would have been fun for you alone. For the people who he would have left behind, it would have been hell." Neriah was shocked. Shocked that Rakima was looking serious, not a bratty kind of seriousness but a mature serious young woman who is speaking from a place of certain pain.

"I cannot begin to imagine what would happen to mother if she loses her precious first child and father if he had lost his son whom he considers his second best friend. I can tell you how I would have felt to have lost him... Although he is annoying and very controlling sometimes, he is my older brother and albeit I hate saying it out loud, I care for him and love him. My heart would have been broken."

Neriah stared at her as she spoke and it touched her. It touched her heart deeply as she wondered what Rakima would feel if she realized that she was still planning to use her brother for her escape plan. That she was still planning to take Barak’s life with the help of Lyle.

Why were they all doing this to her? Bringing up talk about Barak... First it was Rakavi asking a question that caused a lot of confusion in her head and heart, now it was Rakima.

Rakima’s words were making her picture a lifeless Barak with blood spilling from every part of his body and it made her nauseous. Her chest ached and her hand clenched her cloth at her breast line. The thought alone hurt her. The image was painful. Once again, she wanted to pray... to pray that he would defeat every obstacle that came his way so he would return to her and she would be able to hate him continually.

"He annoys me greatly and I never tell him but he is someone whom I pray for each time he is away in a battle. I pray for his safe return because after mother and father, he is the one I always run to."

"Rakima," Neriah said her name, not knowing the reason why. The name just slipped out.

Rakima went silent for the next couple of minutes, just looking at her own fingers on thee table, making Neriah wonder what was going round in her head.

"All I am trying to say is that it is fine to use people for your own benefit." She said and lifted her lashes with a weary and understanding smile, "But sometimes it is also good to think of other people that are attached to the person you wish to use. And I will add this in case of the future because I do not think you love my brother yet, neither do I think you have accepted you marriage with him yet. I believe you are still planning your escape from this marriage as we speak, so I will say this..."

Her lashes fell over her eyes and when they opened again, her expression had gotten darker, and to Neriah it so much resembled Barak that one night he had gotten angry beyond reasoning. And it touched a fear nerve in her, "Plan your escape, use brother as much as you wish, but be certain that he does not lose his life in the process. Or else, I promise you... you shall lose yours in return."

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