Chapter 27: Chapter 27

~ NYSSA

A knock on the room door an hour after had me frowning.

I ignored it at first, but the knocking came again, a bit more persistent this time.

“What?” I snapped.

The door opened and Leah walked in, her hair braided neatly down her back. Shame and embarrassment filled me instantly and I rushed to my feet.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was-”

“It’s fine,” she cut me off, a small smile on her face. “I’ve heard much worse for much less.”

That didn’t make me feel better at all. The last thing I wanted was to be like all the stuck up aristocrats that she had the misfortune of meeting.

“I really didn’t mean-”

“It’s alright, my lady-”

“Nysaa, please,” I cut her off. “None of that status crap. I’m just Nyssa. Did you need something?”

“I was asked to lead you to the upstairs roof for dinner.”

Just like that, my mood soured.

If Rowan thought that dinner would change the fact that he was rude as fuck to me earlier then he was clearly mistaken. I had no intention of eating with him or being in his overall vicinity.

My plan was to get healed, spend my two weeks and get the fuck out of here.

“You can tell the King that I’m declining his invitation.”

I turned away from her but her words stopped me in my tracks. “The invitation is not from the King, it’s from his sister.”

That piqued my interest. “Did she say why?”

She smiled softly. “Maids don’t ask questions. We just do as we’re told. Do you want to get changed first?”

I looked down at what I was wearing; sweatpants and a loose shirt.

A rooftop dinner would be a formal event that required better dressing than this, but I had no intentions of changing my clothes. Being here already put them at an advantage, it was time to play the game to my taste.

“No, I’m good. Lead the way.”

I could see the apprehension in her eyes, but like she said before, maids didn’t ask questions.

She led me through the halls and up two flights of stairs. By the time we got to the top, I was beyond exhausted. I couldn’t imagine doing this every single day.

When I heard rooftop, I expected a small space, like a balcony, what I wasn’t expecting was for an entire portion, more than twice the size of my bedroom.

It was decorated with flowerpots and a large table with silver trays of food. Aria sat facing me, carefully adorned in a beautiful red dress and messy curls.

“Thank you, Leah,” Aria said, her voice carefully neutral as she took me in. “You may go.”

Leah bowed before walking away, the sounds of her footsteps receding until I couldn’t hear them anymore.

“Please sit,” she said, gesturing to the three other empty chairs. “If I’d known you’d come in sweats, I would have worn something more casual.”

I didn’t move, I just watched her carefully.

“Would you prefer to stand?” she asked. “I can’t imagine that eating while standing will be very comfortable. You could choke or-”

“Why are you doing this?” I cut her off. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s games.”

Her lips quirked. “Life with you must be very boring. A good game is what makes things fun.”

“Cut the act, Aria. You don’t like me, you’ve that clear. You asked me to leave the first time I was here-”

“That was before I knew you were his mate. If I’d known, I would have forced you to leave, not asked.”

At least she was being honest.

She leaned back into her chair, abandoning the pretense of a poised princess. Aria wasn’t hard to read, she was the stereotypical girl who’d grown up having everything she could ever want.

She treated her position with recklessness and a nonchalance that was almost enviable.

“Now that we’ve established that you don’t want me as your bothers’ mate, why are you doing this? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to treat me like shit so that I’ll leave?”

“It would,” she admitted. “But from what I hear, he’s already doing a good enough job at that. The entire palace probably knows about your argument in my mother’s gardens. I have to say, I’m impressed that you spoke back to him.”

“Why?”

“Because you remind me of a cowering little girl. It’s good to see that I’m wrong sometimes.” She gestured to the chair opposite her. “Sit, Nyssa. You intrigue me, and I like that in people.”

“So what, I’m like a puzzle you want to solve?”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

I did as she asked, lowering myself into the chair she’d gestured to.

She intrigued me as well, and if the situation was different, we probably would’ve been good friends. Unfortunately, there was too much baggage and confusion getting in the way of that.

“You know if you really don’t want me here then you can convince your brother to break the deal we made. As long as he agrees to send help to my pack, I’ll stay away.”

She chuckled darkly. “If you think my brother is someone that can be convinced to do things then you’re sorely mistaken. He is as hot headed as they come, and as stubborn. He doesn’t want you, Nyssa.”

Her words stung more than I expected.

I knew he didn’t when he didn’t get me the day he promised, but hearing it from someone so close to him further solidified the hurt that came with it.

I knew it was irrational and illogical to base my entire worth on a rejection, but seeing as it had happened twice, it was hard not to.

Two powerful males had decided they didn’t want me enough to mate but wanted to keep me around.

“However,” she continued. “I think you’ve intrigued him. Not many women stand up to him; it also doesn’t help that you have ties to the one person he hates.”

“So it’s my fault?” I asked incredulously.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I hope you packed an umbrella, because you’ve just walked into a pissing contest between two males, and do you know what happens to the person in the middle?”

She paused for a moment, leaning forward on her elbows.

“You’re the one who gets covered in piss.”

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