Chapter 31 - There Might Be Something There

Eleanor was currently the farthest place she's ever been from home. In some mountains located in Otari. The state stretched from the middle of Heaspia and went to the top of the country. They were currently in the top part of the state. It was west of Amsey, the northernmost state.

She was there checking out the venue for her wedding. The wedding with Rowan that completely slipped her mind.

"The view of the valley from here is what makes this the most ideal place to have the wedding," Caine said, his arm outstretched.

"We've had our eye on this place for a while and thought it would be perfect for Eleanor to get married," Kathrine added.

The mountain they stood on gave them a perfect view of the valley right below it and the smaller mountains that surrounded it. The entire thing was covered in varying shades of green and red vegetation. It was breathtaking. The only problem that Eleanor had was how strong the winds could get since they were up on a mountain. That, and the fact that she was getting married.

Right now, they were standing near the edge, and behind them, was the setup for the wedding being assembled. The center was a large tent, covered with sheer white silk that was tied to the supporting poles surrounding it. There were other, larger, and longer tents that were completely covered in white silk.

"That's where all the food and staff will be. Nobody will be able to see because of the silk and of course, it adds a very nice touch to the entire thing. White was definitely the right choice of color." Kathrine clapped her hands. "What do you guys think?"

Eleanor glanced at the valley, before looking back at her parents. "I would rather jump off the si-"

"It's lovely, Mr. and Mrs. Louis. I think the venue is amazing. And I agree, white was a gorgeous choice of color. Nothing would have been better." Suck-up Rowan cut her off.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and turned her head away. "Yes. It's nice."

Her mother gave her a tight smile and laughed. "Of course, it looks good. It needs a little more time, but it will be done perfectly, so don't worry."

"Oh, I'm not."

Eleanor heard Rowan's sigh, but she didn't look at him. She didn't want to. Not after the previous night. She was angry and ashamed. Eleanor could not believe that she wanted something more from him. A message that she was sure was on full display across her face, and he flat-out rejected her. She wanted to know what he was thinking in the moments he made her insides boil with the intensity of his gaze.

"Let's take a look around," Caine said.

The group walked around the venue for about twenty minutes, with her parents pointing out the most useless details about the place. Eleanor was not surprised in the slightest by their action as she knew that they had been planning her wedding since she was born.

Every second that passed was a cruel reminder that Eleanor had little to no control over her own life. Her parents had thought of everything and whenever she tried to give any input, they completely ignored her but instead listened to what the commoner had to say. He had probably never even seen a wedding.

"At first we wanted Eleanor to have the biggest wedding with thousands of guests, but we realized that it would be more meaningful if the wedding was smaller and had a select group of people," Caine told them.

"Do you have any family that can come to the wedding, Rowan?" Kathrine asked the gladiator.

A silence fell over the group, and Eleanor briefly glanced at Rowan. He was an orphan as far as she knew.

"I... don't have any family that could attend with me. But I do have a few close friends that could attend."

Eleanor held in a sneer. There was no way in hell, she was letting those filthy commoners into her wedding. And after how they treated her. She was going to make sure of it. But she would bring that up with Rowan later.

The group finished looking at everything her parents set up before they ate a trial lunch of the food that was going to be served there before going home. Eleanor was grateful that the food was things that she liked, especially the desert. She would give in to anything with fruit or sugar in it, so to say she was in heaven when she tasted the strawberry cake picked out for them, would be an understatement.

Eleanor traveled back home with a giant slice of the cake on her lap. And as soon as she got into the house, she went straight to the kitchen to store it. She was probably going to finish it by the next morning, but still.

"Eleanor," Rowan called her.

"Hmm," she hummed. Properly securing the brown paper around the cake before starting to wrap it in cloth.

"Are you still really that upset about getting married to me?"

"I'm upset about getting married in general. This isn't about you."

He took slow steps toward her, "So even after everything, you still don't want to get married *to me*?"

"I'd rather not get married to someone I am forced to. And what is 'everything'?" Eleanor opened a cabinet under the counter and placed the cake in one of the insulated containers they kept down there.

"We live together and have done a lot of things together because of it. I would say that our relationship has improved quite a bit."

"I guess so. I haven't tried to murder you again." Eleanor placed her forearms on the counter and leaned on it. She looked around at the decor of the room and out the little door that was to the right of her, leading to the backyard.

Eleanor felt his presence closing in on her. Thoughts of the previous night came rushing back, coloring Eleanor's cheeks red. She turned her head away. Here she was, the one who so strongly fought against Rowan and even trying to kill him at one point, harboring some sort of weird feelings toward him.

"Then why haven't you looked at me for the day?" He was right behind her, the affects of his voice sliding down her spine.

Running away was an option, but it would only make her look worse. Rowan knew why she was acting that way, and Eleanor was way too embarrassed to admit it. He saw her as a spoilt child and nothing more, and here she was, combusting just because he touched her feet. Eleanor had never felt more pathetic in her life.

"Last night... what were you thinking about?" Eleanor asked slowly. Better to confront and get it over with.

"I was... I wasn't thinking about anything."

"Really?" Eleanor turned around, facing him for the first time. Her breathing was deep, she tried to keep her mind steady. She looked up into his eyes and looked for some kind of sign that proved her wrong. That he didn't see her as a child. That she didn't get the wrong message.

"What would I be thinking about?" The gladiator exhaled.

Eleanor stepped closer to him, and without thinking, she placed her hands on his arms that crossed his chest. Her fingers gently caressed the flexed muscle. And there it was, the spasm in his arm, the tremble of his gaze, the dropping of his mask.

"Eleanor, you should not be-"

"What?" Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "I'm just trying to get the truth out of you. What's the harm in honesty?"

"More than you can understand," Rowan grumbled.

"And I guess you aren't looking to enlighten me." Eleanor sighed and brought her hands to her side. "Well, whenever you're ready, I'll be willing to listen."

Rowan mumbled a curse under his breath and then walked out of the kitchen without looking back.