Chapter 110 Oils and Perfumes!
Silently rolling her eyes Astrid began her plan, using the time when they were all distracted to take firm hold of the scissors. She brought the tool over to Audrey's dresses, gripping the fabric she was about cutting through it when a hand shot out, snatching her wrist and the scissors to the ground in the process. Astrid turned around sharply, her eyes wide expecting the worst but her pulse calmed when she saw Anaise glaring back at her with wide eyes. She looked behind Anaise to see everyone in the room staring curiously at the exchange.
"Is everything okay?" Audrey's asked, oblivious to the situation as was the other two girls.
Anaise swiftly placed her foot over the scissors to conceal it from their gaze. She stood to her full height, plastering a tight lipped smile on her face and turning around, "Everything is fine, I was just checking if the dress is perfect for tonight. You should wear blue, it looks absolutely gorgeous on you" she addressed.
Astrid just stood there, brooding. Audrey thought nothing of it and turned back to their previous activities along with Orchid but Greer continued to exchange suspicious glances between the two sisters.
Keeping a close narrowed gaze at them she walks over to the dress and picks it up, looking it over and glancing back at them. Anaise held her breath in that moment, expecting the worst but wishing for the best. She exhales a sight of relief as Greer turns to help Audrey into her dress.
"We'll go get the oils and perfumes!" Anaise announced to no one in particular as she bent down, quickly snatching the scissors from beneath her feet and pushing Astrid to follow her into the dressing closet.
Once they were in Anaise grabbed hold of Astrid's arm, shaking her as she spoke, eyes wide and her exterior wild much the opposite of Astrid's whose attention and mind was on the failure of her plan. "What were you going to do! Cut Audrey's dress?!" She whisper yelled not intending the others hear their conversation. "What has gotten into you!?"
Astrid pulled her hands away, "Unlike you I am not blinded by foolish fondness. I am simply doing what I always do, going after what I want" Astrid said with all form of seriousness, no intention of hiding her plans from her sister.
Anaise withdrew, her brows creased and shock clear on her face "And what is it you want?" She asked, dreading the answer she already knew was coming.
"I want the king" the words immediately dropped a weight on Anaise's chest. "I want Darius, I want him all to myself"
Anaise took several steps back, shaking her head in utter disbelief "You can't be serious. You can't seriously be lusting over the princess consort's mate" she almost screamed, charging towards Astrid and grabbibg onto her shoulders.
"I am not lusting over him. I want him, there is nothing wrong with that. I wish to mate with him and he also has the option to mate with someone else as well. I will be his bride or his mistress, whichever will suffice" Astrid spoke without a trace of remorse on her features, like she was saying the most casual of things like making enquiry about domestics.
Anaise looked at her sister like she had grown two heads, it would have been a much better situation than what was currently happening. In fact Anaise hoped Astrid would burst out laughing and tell her it was some sick joke that she was pulling.
Anaise didn't want to believe it but now it all seemed to make sense, the secret glances Astrid would make towards Darius, the jealous gaze she would give to Audrey and Darius, how she would want to always find something suspiciously convenient to say when they were together. Anaise had been a fool, if she had noticed and paid more mind to it maybe it would not have gotten this far, however far she was sure it had already gotten.
"Astrid, sister please. Please tell me this is a joke" she desperately begs. "You can't be serious! You can't really want the future Queen's mate. That-that's treason, plotting against their union is plotting against the betterment of Bludhäven, please see that!"
"It will be better for Bludhäven to have a queen that's a wolf, not some fake human that isn't even a royal blood, she isn't even one of us!" Now it was Astrid's turn to look at Anaise like she had grown two heads. It was obvious, everyone was just being foolish even her sister Anaise.
The wise ones being Astrid herself and the council knew better than to let a pest, a human take the thrown alongside their powerful king. Astrid wished everyone would wipe the fog of deceit and false affections from their eyes and see the truth that was right in front of them.
The very idea of having the future heirs of Bludhäven as half bloods sickened Astrid to her stomach, almost making her hurdle over and puke. It wasn't right.
Someone needed to do something and she was going to be that person, unfortunately for Audrey she had refused to take the hints Astrid was kind enough to give and now she had to show Audrey her place once and for all and do just that she will.
"I'm doing the right thing! You should be supporting me, father would be proud of the path I'm taking, what about you? Huh" Astrid pointed a finger towards Anaise, making her frown.
"What about me?" She asks, her eyes narrowed as she watches her twin shift the attention.
"You think I don't see you. Subtly flirting with the king's hand, Ryker!? I see it all, everything. I didn't call you out and condemn you like you are doing now" she stated bitterly, making Anaise pull back, her emotions getting the best of her and melting her resolve. "I didn't do that because unlike you I'm a good sister and that's what good sisters do, they look out for each other"
Anaise couldn't utter a word. In truth she had been fawning over Ryker, it had been subtle and she believed no one would notice, heck not even the male wolf noticed himself but now it seemed her affections towards him had been found out.
She knew very well that her father, the well respected General of Darius's armies would not take kindly to word of his daughter falling for someone who wasn't an Arch Duke nor a Marquis for that matter. Their father, the general made it very clear that they were to be married and come back to present their well placed, well titled husbands to him.