"I am to be his wife. I was supposed to be picked instead of a vermin like you," the lady said, grabbing Aila by the arm as she continued her whisper. And if you dare speak of this to anyone…
She didn't get to finish the sentence as the door opened, and she hurriedly moved away from Aila. Aila stood there, shocked and unable to process everything that had just happened. Her gaze found the door, only to see the man who had welcomed them boringly watching them.
His face was devoid of emotion as he stalked towards them, barely eyeing her before turning to the lady, "You did a good job, my princess." He said, his orbs flicking everywhere on Aila's face.
"Of course, father. You know I would always do the best thing for you."
Aila snapped her head at the girl, frowning on her forehead at the switch of voice. Before, she sounded like the actual devil, the real evil sea mermaid, and threatened her, and now, she was just there like a lost puppy, batting her eyelashes at her father.
A flick to her forehead brought her back to her senses, turning to meet the man's eyes again,
"Your father tells me your name is Akila," he stated.
Aila gulped down, clenching the sides of her dress.
Akila. A name that was not hers, yet she now has to claim.
"You don't reply when spoken to?" she heard the man say, her gaze flicking towards him before lowering her head.
"Y…yes….no….Yes…my name is Akila," she stuttered.
He lifted her chin up with his finger, his grim face boring holes and daggers into her face- or Akila's face. Aila held her breath, staying still as he watched her, his eyes scanning for something.
She slowly gulped down as her gaze flocked from place to place, but never his face.
Does he know?
Is he searching for signs of the magic?
What if he finds out?
He casually dropped his finger, pulled a napkin from his pocket, and wiped his hand as if he had just touched bile.
His gaze left hers without saying anything, pulling his daughter away to a corner of the room. She stood there, her heart beating so fast with fear and danger.
Her mind and thoughts raced to Akila. A new chill crawled up her spine. She swallowed down nervously.
She needed to get away from here.
No, she needed to escape.
She shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have allowed Akila to convince her of this.
Her eyes scanned the room for any window, any escape path. She focused on one of the windows, the sun beaming through the room. What if she jumped now? What if she ran off before they figured she had dabbled in dark magic?
"Akila," the man drawled out, a new wave of panic settling deep in her stomach.
"Y..y..yes," she turned slowly to catch his eye as he walked forward with his daughter.
"This is my daughter, Darya," he started. You are to listen to and obey her. Here, she would be your governess, teaching you everything you need to know." Aila glanced at the lady and nodded her head in response.
"The king won't have time for you. This marriage is not real and would never be. All you need is to do what you're asked for at any time, and all would be well."
He strode towards Aila, halting with two steps left to be by her face. His voice was low and dangerous. "Do not make me regret choosing your family. Are we clear?" he warned.
Aila nodded instinctively, too terrified to say anything.
"Good girl," he continued, his voice loud again. "Now we would meet the king, but I would let you see your father and mother again. Once we meet the king, you would now belong to him, your body, your soul, your life, everything would be his…
The more he talked, the faster her heart raced. Different voices clashed in her head, telling her to jump and run away. She didn't even notice when they left the room, both father and daughter, until the door opened and her father's voice rang in.
Her eyes instantly met with Akila's, who was already eyeing her.
"My daughter, you look so beautiful!" Her father's voice rang out, a hearty smile on his face.
Aila picked up her gown and rushed towards Akila, ignoring her father. She grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her out, blocking out her father and mother's calling as she slammed the door close, turning to meet Akila's eyes.
"I can't do this," she said, her eyes wide with fear.
"What?" Akila asked, her brows furrowing.
Aila shook her head, her breath getting heavier and heavier, "I…I…I can't do this. It's dangerous..Akila…the…these people, they're dangerous. They don't want me. They don't want us…they'd know, Akila."
She grabbed Akila's hand, staring intensely into her own face as desperation loomed in her voice—scared and terrified, "They'll find out, Akila. It's just a matter of time. They'll know something is wrong and they'll find us and kill us. I can't do this, Akila." she begged.
Akila snatched her hands away instantly, her voice plain. "I can't help you, Aila."
Aila's face creased with a frown, taken aback as she squinted her eyes at Akila. "What…what do you mean, Akila?"
She lowered her voice, "I'm not joking! These people would know, and they'll kill us!"
Akila shook her head, slowly pulling away.
Aila's eyes widened, fury and rage bubbling within her. "I'm helping you, Akila! You're the one supposed to be here! Not me! I decided to help you…
Akila hurriedly covered her sister's mouth with her palm, pulling her far away from the door and to another corner of the passage,
"I can't help you, Aila. We've switched already, and I didn't collect the reverse soul spell from the witch. You have to get on with this. You have to continue. There's nothing I can do."
Aila's heart shattered into tiny pieces, her pupils dilating. "Tell me you're joking, Akila," Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "Please, Akila, please, tell me..
Akila didn't say anything; she just simply stared back at her silently.
Aila felt her world collapse at that moment, her frantically beating heart stopping as she looked into Akila's eyes, hoping for a flicker of hope.
Akila could not be serious, no..no..Akila would never do this to her.
She blinked more than twice as they stood in silence, the shattered pieces of the spell and the soul-switching moment clicking in her brain. Her eyes suddenly widened as realization dawned on her. Her sharp gaze found Akila's eyes.
"You tricked me." She uttered slowly, tears burning at the back of her eyes.
"You knew I was going to do it, and you tricked me into doing it. That's why you threatened me with running away. That's why you didn't say anything to me again last night when it was all done, leaving the room. That's why you've been avoiding me since morning."
More tears dropped down Aila's eyes, rolling to her cheeks as Akila refused her gaze, "All of this was a trick! All of this was your plan! You lied to me about it all!"
The door opened, revealing their mother and their father. "What's going on here?" their mother asked.
"Don't cry at all, my daughter. You'll ruin your face, your beauty. It won't be good." Adnan walked towards Aila, wiping the tears off her face.
Aila's eyes remained on Akila's, the betrayal sinking and clenching her heart amidst her ribs. She should have known. She should have figured it when Akila smiled at her last night after the ordeal, when she went to bed without speaking to her. She should have figured.
It was all classic Akila: pushing you into something and backing out of it. This is what Akila has done throughout their lives.
And now she had done it again and also in the worst way possible.
She was here in her body, a new kingdom, trapped, with nowhere to go, no one to tell.
If they found out, they'd kill her, and Akila would simply continue living.
"It's time. Come with me," a guard announced, catching them off guard.
Akila walked away without sparing her any other glance, without any word of apology.
Aila watched her sister's back as she walked with her father, hand in hand, and with a loud, beating heart that could fall out at any moment.
The hall stretched endlessly, and with every step closer, her stomach coiled tighter. She swallowed dryly, trying her best not to tremble and give off something to her father who seemed so happy by the way his hand was on hers.
They stopped in front of a large golden door, the height of it enough to make her legs wobbly.
"You two can proceed first. She has to go in with her father alone when they hit the drum," the guard said to her mother and Akila.
Akila still didn't spare her any glance, striding away in her own body with no care in the world and her mother following suit. Aila clenched her jaw, swallowing hard again as her eyes started to burn with tears.
What had she gotten herself into?
They stood in front of the door for what seemed like an eternity to Aila, her nerves wrecking her insides, fear gnawing at her at every corner.
She was doomed.
Doomed by her sister and doomed to a man that might be a beast.
The guard disappeared into the room for a few minutes and returned with his black eyes fixed on Aila. Aila's heart skipped a beat as a single drumbeat rang out—sharp, deep, and thunderous.
"It's time," the guard announced.
The doors swung open, but she barely registered the sound. Different faces turned towards her, their gazes heavy and expectant, sending a chill down her spine. The first thing she noticed was the silence, the kind that suffocated her and confirmed her fears that this was not good. Her eyes met the lady who had dressed her up—Darya. Her eyes were sharp and judging, and their disgust was too evident to be masked.
She broke eye contact, turning her gaze forward only to be struck.
It was him.
The mad king.
Her father took the first step, forcing her to go with him. Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked closer and closer to the altar, where he stood with his broad back turned to her, his ponytail dangling stiffly.
The guard approached them again, telling her father to let go of her as she would walk the last herself.
"Be queen, my daughter." She heard her father say as he walked away.
Her feet wobbled as she took the last steps towards the altar, her hand shaking desperately. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she climbed the stairs to the altar, a cold sweat running down her spine as his musky scent wafted into her nose. She stood on the second stair, dread forming deep inside her as she waited for him to turn his back away from her.
"Your highness, the bride is here!" The guard announced.
And then he turned, their eyes clashing against each other.
Her breath caught the moment their eyes met.
Cold. Black. Endless.
Two strands of his hair fell on his face.
Aila had only read about monsters that are pretty in books; she hadn't seen them in real life.
And even though Akila's black eyes were stunning, the one in front of her was mesmerizing, pulling her in and fleeing all the thoughts of fear she had in her head far, far away.
He stared at her deeply, too deeply. His black eyes for that split moment were already running through her own. Her breath hitched as he exhaled a sharp air, fanning against her nose.
His gaze flicked from her to the crowd and then back to her, making her heart flutter even for a second.
The mad king was just as they said.
A god- his beauty, unparalleled.
And then his lips parted into something dangerous, a smile too good to be true and too mesmerizing that Aila couldn't pull her eyes away.
She had never considered touching a man, but for the first time, she wanted to trace the smile on his pursed lips and feel if his skin was as smooth and supple as it looked.
The corners of his eyes dipped into a smirk as he leaned towards her, their lips just a bit away from each other.
And with just four words, and a cold, emotionless tone, all her fears returned, doubled even, every thought of running her fingers through his large seam of hair yanked from her being,
"You must be the bride," he said, his voice a quiet purr.