Page 23 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

Whatever.

Orders are orders, and if Dad wants me to marry after my mission, I’ll do as I’m told.

Like I always seem to do.

July 8th

On that fateful night, the Kingdom of Crystal was reduced to burning cinders. Memories suppressed by the power of Pink Ice shattered and have haunted me ever since the killings, murders, ruthless slaughter, and the selling of their teenage daughter.

My parents organised for me to marry the Prince of fucking Fire. The mutt in the system is filled with deception and games. Does the prince himself know about their dealings?

Likely not.

The deal was between power-hungry parents. He wouldn’t know me.

Pushing Typha off to Prince Walkyer wasn’t enough. They needed their younger daughter to be the assassin in the shadows—the ruthless killing machine who could sway the other brother until we ruled the kingdoms.

But now, even with my freedom, it seems I’ve crossed paths with the one prince I wanted to avoid: the hunter of Eraminia—the cold, calculated, and intelligent fire elemny who thirsts for a kill. A mutt chasing a bone. He won’t stop until he has hunted me down and devoured me whole.

Fuck. I royally screwed up if Nancy thinks he’s hunting me.

As I sift through my memories, I analyse every movement I had made, like peeling dead flesh off a wound to uncover the source of his hunt. The more I pry, the more faults I find in myself. Though my fingers dug into my purse, I kept my eyes downcast instead of fawning over him like every other obsessed fan.

Ultimately, I set myself apart from everyone else by trying to seem disinterested.

Was I supposed to get down on my knees and beg to suck him off instead? The fuck?

The distant voices of Xavier, Sara, and Kylie return as I pull myself out of my thoughts. “…Spare bedroom for you and Kylie to stay in,” Xavier says. “Panda and I will sleep in my old room.” He smirks at me, a suggestive grin that screams, “We’re having sex tonight”. If that’s the case, she will send me spiralling into my head again. My mental state can’t handle anyone touching me at all. Just like the night when…

Deep breaths.

“You told your parents we could stay at yours, yeah?” Sara says. This is the third time she’s brought it up since Xavier invited her, and I can tell it’s her earthly emotions seeping through.

“They’re the ones who suggested I invite all my friends,” he says with a wave. “My parents want my awakening night to be special. They want everyone to come—even my grandparents.”

It’s hard not to stifle a laugh at the “all of my friends” comment. Two friends and a pretend girlfriend. Xavier, that’s a bit…Never mind, it’s not. I have no real fucking friends. What am I on about?

“That sounds like so much fun!” Sara leans forward to look at me. “Are you excited, Panda?”

The nickname has officially bled into her mind from Kylie, and I have no one to blame besides that vagina-hungry guy walking beside me.

I arch my back, perk up, and wrap my arms around Xavier’s arm, saying in an adoring, loving voice, “Of course! It’ll be a magical night!”

I still need an alibi for the four hours before Xavier’s awakening. There’s no doubt I need to keep an eye on it. But if I can get a few hours beforehand to take down King Ragan, everything will go smoothly. I just need to deal with Kylie and Sara first.

“I might go shopping before your awakening,” I say, planting little seeds.

“We can come with you!” Kylie says. “It will be fun to explore!”

“Sure. But I might not explore for long with the two of you,” I say, letting the blush creep in. “I want to buy something for Xavier, but it’s a private…thing.”

Sara and Kylie eye each other. Smirks settle on their mouths.

“Yeah, we’ll leave you to it,” Kylie says. “But don’t go overboard. You might give him a heart attack.”

I bloody hope so.

Xavier leans in closer and whispers, “What do they mean?”