Chapter 199 Senna
Chapter 199 Senna
The man had the most unusual look. He had the eyes of an hawk—they were light brown, so brown they almost didn’t seem normal.
He looked rich. His skin was very tanned, unlike those from the high city, so I could tell he hadn’t grown up here.
We watched each other, assessing one another. I said nothing at first, and neither did he.
“Queen Adriana,” he murmured lightly, breaking the silence. “You intend to take my bride from me,” he said, his voice quiet as though he were intentionally talking in hushed tones.
“You’re quick to jump to conclusions,” I observed aloud.
One side of his lip curved, as if he were proud to finally catch my attention.
“Why were you willing to pay so much for a bride?” I asked.
“Because I can afford to.” He shrugged. Money was obviously not a problem for him.
“Then you should be able to let her go,” I pressed.
He shook his head. “I’ll say this as one rich person to another: we both know that’s not possible, and we both know why.”
“There are always exceptions,” I argued.
“Only if we choose to make one—a choice that doesn’t interest me.” He shrugged.
“Why do you want the girl?” I asked and waited, waiting for him to say something about her—something he liked, something that made her alluring. Instead, he said, “Because her father was willing to give her to me.”
“Marriage is not a business deal,” I hissed.
“Yet you meet princes in restaurants, trying to find which one is most suitable to call your king,” he taunted.
“I am the exception,” I hissed.
“No, you’re not,” he retorted, no fear in his eyes.
“What do you want in return to let the girl go?” I asked. I knew a royal decree was not enough to keep him away from a hundred taels of silver's worth of property. If I insisted without paying him back, it would be an abuse of power and I would never hear the end of it.
He held my eyes. “My name is Ruckus. Most people call me Ruck.” (Note: Adjusted name consistency from Senna, see details below).
I nodded.
“I’ll consider that and get back to you on the day of the next court meeting,” he said. With that, he stood up and walked out without my permission.
The second man came in, his head bowed and his stance humble, but for some reason, I did not buy it.
“How long have you known River?” I asked him, skipping pleasantries.
The question seemed to surprise him because he took his time to answer. “A couple of years,” he said at last.
“Were you close?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I once did a job for her father and saw her often, but we hardly ever spoke or stayed long in the same room.”
I nodded. “Do you like her?” I asked.
“She’s a pretty girl. Her hair is pretty,” he admitted. “And I wouldn’t mind a wife. River is a hardworking girl.”
Truth. It echoed in my head.
It would seem that this Gem recognized only honest words.
Truth.
Again.
I tapped my fingers against the chair, trying to think of how to figure out what was best for River. In the end, nothing came to mind. “You can go,” I dismissed him.
On my way back to my room, I met Senna and his bodyguard. Nothing about the bodyguard caught my attention—I’ve lived with them for so long my eyes automatically made them invisible.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, politely.
His hands didn’t leave his pockets. “I was told people could explore the palace after court proceedings,” he responded.
I nodded. That was true. “Enjoy.” I dismissed him. I might love company, but not his kind.
“Would the queen do me the favor of showing me around the palace?” he asked, his pupils twitching again, like he was excited or high. But he was too composed to be high.
“Are you trying to reduce the queen to a mere tour guide?” I asked.
He laughed. “I was told the Queen was the most benevolent.”
I raised a hand and snapped my fingers. A servant rushed forward in response. “Show them around the palace,” I ordered, then turned to Senna. “Now, you can also claim to be a beneficiary of my benevolence,” I mocked.
I was about to turn away when something nudged my mind. “Senna?”
Senna stopped and turned back to me, having already started walking away before I called.
“Tell me something about River,” I asked.
He blinked, lost.
“Tell me something you like about her appearance,” I pushed.
For once, he lost his composed aura, almost disappointed in himself that he didn’t have an answer. But he recovered quickly. “That’s a boring topic. How about I tell you something I like about YOUR appearance?”
I crossed my arms. “Go ahead,” I encouraged.
“You have the eyes of a flourishing field during the summer—they’re beautiful,” he whispered, looking into my eyes. “Yet they remind me of broken amber.”
My breath hitched. There was something about him. The way he bent forward, forcing me to notice him. His brown eyes were dilating again; I wondered if he could control it. His nose was weird—it looked like it had been broken once.
His fingers came to my chin—rough, calloused. Senna wasn’t born into wealth.
He took a step back.
His bodyguard patted his arm, signaling something to him.
It was then I noticed: there was a bandage around the guard’s right arm.
This party was about to get very interesting.
“Adriana.”
Cody met us in the hallway.
I frowned at him for referring to me without my title in the presence of a visitor. He came forward and placed a hand on mine. “I’ve been searching for you.”
That alerted me. “Did you find something in the library?”
“Are you going to pretend to not have noticed me, Cody? Or are you pretending not to remember me?” Senna smiled humorously at Cody, who looked like he would have preferred to walk away like a stranger.
“You know each other?” I asked.
Cody shrugged. Senna didn't say anything either.
I didn’t have time for this. “I’ll see myself out.”