Page 6 of Is It Wrong to Escape My Fate? (Dealing With Fate #1)
“Greetings, Lady Beatrix Gadreel of the Havenglow family,” the guard hailed us, halting our entire caravan.
Reuben and Robin formed a protective flank around my carriage, as if it needed defending.
“Duke Caenum welcomes you to the city of Khildan, and personally invites you to his home for a proper dinner.”
Oh shit. I stared at Mia, who was as nervous as I was, before calling for Reuben’s attention through my window.
“Is it okay?” I asked him quietly.
“There is no denying the Duke,” he replied in a clipped tone. “If he knows the exact time of your arrival, that can only mean he has been keeping track of our journey.”
We had no choice then, or risk being rude. “We accept the invitation.” With a brief nod to Reuben, he conveyed my agreement to the Duke’s representative.
“We extend the invitation to Lord Elias Drakon, who we believe is also part of the entourage,” the guard announced, and a second later, Elias trotted from behind and stopped beside my carriage.
He nodded at the guard, then at Duke Caenum. “I accept the invitation, my lord.”
“Wonderful!” Duke Caenum clapped, taking over his guard. “Let us head to my estate and have a simple feast. Your entire entourage is welcome, Lady Beatrix.”
I didn’t have a clue what this invitation was about.
When my entire group was accommodated in the Duke’s estate, letting the horses rest and the men served with food in their mess hall, I along with Mia, Elias, and my knights were brought to the manor’s dining hall.
I seated myself in the middle chair on one side of the long table, while Elias took the spot directly across.
My knights and Mia stood behind me, waiting and cautious.
The duke’s two daughters entered the dining hall next, followed by the Duke and Duchess. I was about to stand up and greet them when the Duke motioned for me to stay in my seat.
“Please, Lady Beatrix, this is an informal dinner,” he chortled, taking his seat at the head of the table. His daughters sat on either side of Elias while giving googly eyes to my bodyguards, which made my blood pressure rise.
“Thank you for having us, Duke Caenum.” I had to talk and distract myself or else I might stab a bitch. Or bitches. I knew I was being irrational, so I tried my hardest to calm down. Apparently, even without ale, I could be a crazy-jealous woman, and wasn’t that unfortunate.
When the delicious-looking food was served, introductions were had, and eating had started, the Duke found it the right time to relay his motives.
“I want to propose your marriage to my third son, Theodore,” he casually dropped, that I almost choked on the meat in my mouth. My innuendo would normally make me laugh, but when I heard the clinking of armor behind me, and Elias’s steel gaze on my face, it sobered me up quickly.
“My lord? A marriage?” I asked, pretending I didn’t hear him right the first time.
“I think you’ll be perfect for our son.” It was the Duchess who answered me, the Duke nodding beside her. “Forgive me for presuming, but I believe your personalities are compatible. Theodore loves reading! He’s also quiet, keeps to himself, and a decent mage. You will be a magnificent couple.”
Well, she was right; Theodore and I did sound similar. I wasn’t sure about the mage part, but the rest was accurate. But still … marriage ?
“Our son is getting older, and he’s still not interested in finding a bride for himself,” the Duke sighed, swirling his wine.
“As you may already know, Lady Beatrix, the Caenum lineage stretches back generations. We preserve it by ensuring meaningful marriages for every son or daughter in the family. We do not take this lightly, I assure you.”
I didn’t think I could fully grasp the implications of this decision right now! And besides, wasn’t this usually handled by the parents? Should I rely on my father and mother in deciding for me?
“I can see the panic in your eyes, my lady,” the Duke laughed, gulping down his wine. “Do not worry, this is not a formal proposal. You do not need to decide anything now, and possibly not anytime soon. But we want you to keep the thought in your head and really consider it.”
Dismissed from dinner, I let Mia and my knights have theirs in the kitchen since they’d be starving, while Elias accompanied me as we were led to the set of guest bedrooms offered to me by the Duke.
The manor was several times bigger than ours, and I would be lost if I didn’t have anyone guiding me.
When the Duke’s maids left, leaving me alone with Eli, he didn’t wait to ask. “Are you seriously considering it?”
“The marriage proposal?” I opened my door to let both of us in, with no hesitation from him. “Of course not. Like the Duke said, it was only a suggestion. Although it was heavy-handed, it was still just a suggestion.”
And besides, I had more important things to think about. Like getting out of here . Before any more talk of marriages or engagements came up.
When I turned and closed the door to the bedroom, Elias loomed behind me and pressed both of his hands on the door on either side of my head, locking me in his space. I felt his breath on my neck. My hair stood up in the most nerve-wracking but also delicious way. “Don’t, Ela. Please.”
I would certainly not, but I was feeling bratty, and while the warmth of his body heat was enticing, the man also had to learn control. Even though he was my childhood friend. “Don’t what , Elias? Use your words.”
His breath hitching against my skin was delectable. I tried not to let anything show through my reaction. “Don’t get married to that guy. Or any other guy. Please.”
Turning around, our faces only inches apart, I didn’t stop myself from lifting a hand and tracing his jaw with my finger, from the side of his ear to his chin.
I enjoyed how his breathing became ragged while his golden eyes never left mine.
“That kind of political maneuver takes careful thought and planning, don’t you think, Elias Drakon? ”
“I never cared for politics,” he growled, and was that smoke that came out of his lips? It certainly smelled like it. “But I understand what you mean. Thank you for heeding my advice.”
I dropped my hand to my side. “Now, let’s go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us. We’ll arrive at Aerahelm within the same day if we’ll be consistent with our speed of travel.”
Elias tensed as he glanced back to the lone bed in the room, then back at me. “Do … do you mean to sleep with me, Ela?”
Oh heavens , this man. That would be desirable, if only to satiate this unreasonable libido. But not here, not now, and not with strings attached. Though this would definitely be at the back of my mind now.
But fuck, now that he brought the subject up, I was wavering. Politics be damned! What was the problem with getting laid before we got to the magic academy? What if there was a “no sex” rule? I wouldn’t last five years!
It fell through when there was a knock on my door. “Miss Bea?” Mia’s tinny voice pushed through the thick wood. My momentary distraction was enough for Elias to move, heading to the balcony and giving me a sad smile before he jumped out.
I would be concerned if I didn’t know Elias was very agile, and jumping from the second floor was probably nothing to him.
In the next second, the door burst open, nearly flinging me off since I was standing right next to it.
“Was there somebody else here?” Reuben grunted, looking around while Robin held his sword and walked around the room, checking every corner.
Silence met them, because even though I was a master of deception, I wanted to lie as little as possible.
“Do I smell smoke?” Robin yelled.
Mia panicked. “Did something catch fire?”
“I’m fine and there’s no fire,” I said, both truthful things.
I wondered when I could be a hundred percent truthful to them.
When Mia went off to warm up the adjacent bath to my room — rich households most likely had them — Robin and Reuben surrounded me, weapons stashed but eyes cataloging every detail of me.
Reuben reached down and lifted my hand to his nose, inhaling its scent. “A trace of smoke here.” His green eyes bore through mine that I almost gulped before I stopped myself. It was the hand I used to trace Elias’s jaw earlier.
Robin lowered his mouth to my ear. “Bad girl, Bea.”
Holy fuck.
What were these men doing to me? Robin and Reuben never tried to — they never expressed anything like this before — the ability to send shivers down my spine so strongly my core tightened around nothing, and their gazes so heated I felt like melting into a puddle.
I had to rein myself in. It was all fun and games imagining them doing naughty things to me until I broke some sort of social norm I wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Despite these two, three if you included Elias, giving me serious fuck-me vibes, I should maintain normalcy until more information surfaced on what the hell was going on with my situation.
Pushing away from our small circle, I raised my eyebrows. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Not a lie.
“But you’re also not telling us the whole truth,” Reuben countered, folding his arms over his chest.
“Does it really matter?” I was buying time. When was Mia going to come back anyway?
Robin huffed. “Of course it does. We swore our lives to protect you, angel, and can't do our jobs without complete information.”
“Nothing terrible happened to me, alright?” But something did happen that I wasn’t comfortable sharing just yet.
My twin knights narrowed their eyes, figuring out the hidden meaning of my words, when Mia knocked at the door again and forced my bodyguards out so she could undress and bathe me.
“Boys, am I right?” Mia rolled her eyes playfully when the two refused to budge for several seconds before she had to physically push them out. “So overprotective. They must feel uneasy staying at another noble’s manor.”
I didn't doubt that contributed to their vigilance, but I was also positive someone else brought it about.
The morning after was a calm affair. The Duke didn’t personally see us out, but the Duchess did, along with her two daughters. They batted their eyes at the twins again, and I felt smug when they didn’t even look at the two beautiful girls.
We went on our way towards Aerahelm. Historically, the magical capital was part of the King’s crown lands. In this generation, the current King gifted the city to the Crown Prince when he requested it, promising to nurture and improve the city to better help in the war effort.
Aerahelm was one of the most important cities of the Kingdom. While it wasn’t the capital, it still put a lot of pressure on the Crown Prince to lead the city, including the only magical academy of the Kingdom. I could never imagine how that would be, as someone close to his age.
Hell, in my world, twenty-five-year-olds should be out partying and having fun while newly hired in the workforce, not managing an entire city while also fighting Demon Lords.
I understood it, though. Even in history, there were thirteen-year-old kings who died at twenty because of a war, or some bullshit like that.
Was it possible to never deal with the nobility? It was making my head hurt.
Focus on the goal, Bea.
Fortunately, as random events went, it was minimal compared to how typical roleplaying games did it. As Reuben planned, we arrived on schedule to the city of Aerahelm, home of the Magical Academy of the Kingdom.
With a bustling economy because of the significant number of students, mages, and fighters training for the Everlasting War, the city teemed with citizens of every station, nobles and commoners alike, while merchants from all around the world sold their unique goods.
The Prince maintained the city’s infrastructure, and security was top-notch to protect the Kingdom’s potentials.
High walls surrounded the city, while a river bisected it in the middle.
The northern half was enclosed in even higher walls, containing the huge, castle-like buildings and forts that made up the Magical Academy.
It was a sight to behold even from afar, with its floating artifacts as if to flaunt that this was definitely the magic school.
My new home for the next five years.