Wife of The Demon Prince
Chapter 218: There’s nothing between us

Chapter 218: There’s nothing between us

After the tournament, Ara had gotten to speak with Henry, and he’d told her about his armor being poisoned, also how princess Eadlin had helped him. She didn’t have to investigate further to know that queen Merona was behind this. The princess must have heard about her mother’s plan and went to help Henry.

The queen was really heartless, Henry had done nothing to her. What if Eadlin hadn’t stopped her brother from wearing his armour? He would have...

Ara’s expression darkened, in her previous life, Henry had sacrificed himself so she could escape. But she’d lived a miserable life, and she’d blamed him for leaving her to survive by herself. He was the kind of man who would selflessly die for the people he cared about. She would not allow it to happen again, she would never lose any of her family members again.

She would make Merona pay for this...But the princess, Henry had said her arm was paralysed, and she could sense the worry in his voice when he told her about Eadlin.

He had said, ’I won’t be able to be at peace if it turns out to be a permanent paralysis...nobody would want a woman with one arm. She is foolishly brave enough to put her arm in a poisonous armor just to prove herself.’

’Don’t worry, brother. I will try to send someone to check up on her condition.’ She’d assured him so he wouldn’t worry. Henry was the type who never forgets a favor, he might look rigid outwardly, but deep down, he was soft person who cared a lot.

After Ara had spoken to Henry, Hamon had brought her back to the palace immediately, it was already getting dark by the time they returned. And Hamon had insisted to call the physician to check her up, but she’d protested, and thankfully Oliver soon came to call him from an important work.

Currently, Ara stood in the courtyard near a pond. With her arms folded against her chest as she stared at the crescent moon reflecting in the pond. Her mind kept wandering in different thoughts.

"Your Highness."

She suddenly heard a voice and turned around, then saw Merek approaching her with his usual indifferent expression. She had been informed that he’d returned to the palace, but then they hadn’t met yet.

Merek bowed his head, "Good evening. I am sorry I hadn’t came to report to you about my return."

Ara shook her head with a faint smile, "It’s alright, Merek. How was your stay in the Boxton mansion?"

Merek paused at Ara’s question, but quickly composed himself, "...It went well." Well indeed, he wondered what her reaction would be if she found out he’d hurt her sister by leaving.

Ara replied, "Good, I’m glad it went well for you. What brings you here?" She asked.

"Ah, His highness said you should_"

Crack!

The both turned towards the direction of the sound. And saw Anne standing there frozen with a tray in hand while the two tea cups that was supposed to be in the tray had slipped and broke. But her gaze was glued to Merek, for some reason Ara noticed she looked somewhat shocked.

Ara didn’t think much about her sisters expression and smiled, "Anne, You are here, I thought you’ve left with brother Henry awhile ago?"

Anne didn’t move nor replied, but her blue eyes trembled as she kept staring at Merek instead of answering her sister. Moments later, she opened her mouth and asked, "Merek...why are you here?"

Anne was shocked to see him here, she’d looked for him everywhere, and even begged Henry to help her look for him, but they couldn’t find him. She’d gone days without sleeping because she was worried about his safety and thinking of the possibility that he was caught while stealing or worse. But it turned out he was at the palace all the while.

Suddenly, she recalled he’d once told her he wanted to work in the palace after Ara’s wedding...could it be that Merek liked Ara that he didn’t want to stay in the Boxton mansion anymore after she was married, was that why he wanted to come and work in the palace?

Ha, she wouldn’t be surprised if he really does like her, Ara was a beautiful lady, and any man would fall for her beauty, but Merek...

Anne’s eyes burned with tears, but she didn’t let it fall, "Merek did you leave the Boxton mansion to follow my sister to the palace because you like her?"

Ara stared at the two with wide eyes. What was going on? Why would Anne think that Merek had feelings for her?

Even Merek looked stunned at Anne’s question. Ara hurriedly approached her sister, "Anne, what are you saying? Can you explain to me what is going on between the both of you?"

Anne’s gaze turned away from Merek and glanced at Ara in front of her, "Sister, Did you by any chance know Merek before he started working in the Boxton mansion?"

Anne’s face tensed up as she waited for Ara’s answer, but Ara hesitated for awhile. Merek had disguised as a servant to come to the Boxton mansion to be her bodyguard, and she’d pretended not to know him then when Anne had introduced him to her. Ara suddenly found herself unable to answer.

Merek strode towards the sisters, "Lady Anne, You are mistaken. Her Highness had nothing to do with me leaving the Boxton mansion. Please don’t blame your sister for this."

Anne’s heart sank, the tray in her hand also fell to the ground. Merek, who usually displayed little to no interest in others, was now trying to explain on her sister’s behalf? Wasn’t it clear that he liked Ara?

"Merek...I wasn’t asking you to speak, so please shut up and let me talk to my sister."

Ara looked bemused, she had no idea what was going on between these two, but she decided to explain honestly how she knew Merek and that he came to the Boxton mansion to guard her on Hamon’s orders, "Yes, Anne. I knew Merek before he started working in the Boxton mansion, but_"

"You’ve known him before I did? How?" She didn’t wait for Ara’s reply and turned towards Merek, "Merek you never told me anything about knowing my sister before...And even after I begged you not to leave me that night, You left..."

Ara’s eyes turned towards Merek standing beside her, he had never mentioned a single word to her about this. She then asked, "Are you two having some sort of a secret relationship without my knowledge, Anne?"

Merek hurriedly interjected before Anne could speak, "No, your highness. There’s nothing between us."

"Nothing between us?" Anne broke down in tears hearing his words.

Ara didn’t like this at all, she’d always thought that her sister was too precious to her to be given to any man, but now it seemed she’d fallen for an assassin? And what she didn’t like the more was how Merek kept an indifferent expression on when Anne looked broken.

"Anne are you in love with Merek?" Ara’s eyes widened in surprise when her sister gave a nod, then she turned her head sharply towards Merek who still had an indifferent expression on.

"Anne, Are you an idiot? Why would you desire someone who doesn’t seem to care about you?!"

"Sister..." another thick tear drops began to fall from her eyes, but that only seemed to stir up more anger and irritation in Ara at the sight of it, "I said stop crying Annette! Can’t you see how he doesn’t care about you? You shouldn’t cry over a man like him!" Ara’s voice rose in anger as she shook her sisters shoulders as if to wake her to reality.

Merek’s fist clenched tightly beside him. But he didn’t interfere and only stood there like a statue. But if one should look closely, they’d noticed as his black orbs flashed dangerously.

Anne pushed away from Ara’s hold and took two steps away from her, "Just because you are my elder sister doesn’t give you the right to insult me and talk to me like that." She shot a glare at Merek and turned her heel and fled from the palace, leaving Ara and Merek alone in the courtyard.

As Ara watched her sister run away while crying, she felt her heart shattered into a million pieces. Suddenly the pain in her chest returned again, the agonizing pain that seemed as if it would rip her chest open. She clutched her chest tightly as she slowly crouched down.

"Your Highness, Are you alright?" Merek asked worriedly.

"How could I be..." She couldn’t understand why Anne chose Merek out of all men. He was an assassin, who did nothing but murder. She had meant to turn her anger on Merek, she didn’t like how he disregarded her sister’s feelings, but then it wasn’t for her to intervene in his matter. She’d said those words to Anne out of anger and now...

"Ahh..." Ara clutched her chest as the pain seemed to intensify, it was worse than being stabbed with a sword. What was with this pain? It comes and goes. But now she couldn’t tell if the pain was because of her wound or because of her sore heart.

Merek worriedly looked down at her, "Let me go and get his highness."

"No! Don’t...Please go after Anne, she needs you more."

Merek was about to protest, but then it was his fault this had happened, moreover Anne ran out of the palace, it wasn’t safe. "Alright, I will explain everything to her and bring her back."

Without wasting time, Merek ran after Anne. Ara couldn’t bring herself to say a word and remained crouching down.

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