Charlotte
I opened my eyes feeling the throbbing pain, silk sheets wrapped around my body and arms I didn't know.
I looked back and saw Otávio's face sleeping serenely, I looked at the clock on the wall, it was three in the morning, how many hours had I been at that little party?
And which room was I in? Everything was still spinning, but the thirst was already there.
"I have to go" I said, almost crawling over the edge of the bed in the dark "George must be looking for me"
I felt a strong hand pull me away.
"Let him worry and go back to sleep"
I looked at Otávio and frowned, the cold way he spoke was insane.
"Let me go" I said angrily "George is my husband!"
"You don't like him!"
"I do"
"Then why did you keep repeating all night that you hated him W?" Otávio rubbed his face and stretched, he turned on the lamp and looked at me sitting on the bed. "Charlotte, let's be honest, I know the drink is still in your body, but you wanted everything you did and everything you said."
"I didn't do anything"
He laughed.
"Cynic, do you think we only slept?"
I remembered everything I had done, but I didn't remember everything I had said, I knew that just denying it wouldn't be enough to get out of that situation.
"You said you hated him, that you were tired of a man who had nothing to provide for you and when I asked you what kind of man you wanted, you said a man with power" Otavio looked at me seriously.
"George is a powerful general"
"You're only with him because of the dragon" Otavio said bluntly "What if I told you there was a way to make his dragon yours?"
My heart raced as Octavian's words hung in the air.
"How?" I found myself asking, "The dragon is bound to George, that's impossible!"
"Not with dark magic" He gestured with his hands and opened a wide smile "You have a kingdom, I have a kingdom, we have a common enemy that's why you came, but I think that if you were my wife there wouldn't be a single person in the world who would challenge our power. There wouldn't be a kingdom that wouldn't bend, George has a dragon that could be yours if you were mine. Think about it, witches, dragons, kingdoms, armies and our revenge!"
I looked into his eyes, intrigued, tempted to accept and feeling my heart pounding.
"George is my husband"
Otavio laughed out loud, making me angry, and I looked into his face, feeling it heat up.
"Keep repeating that and let's see how far love can take you, you know you want so much more, Raila my witch predicted your arrival two days ago, as well as your thirst for power and revenge" Otavio stood up and started to put on his hobby, my head was throbbing and my vision was still blurred "Think about it while you're here, you and I are perfect for each other because George doesn't have a third of what I can offer you Charlotte!"
Otavio rubbed his face again, still awake, and looked me in the eye.
"Think about it, I'll call a guard to take you to your room."
I shook my head thoughtfully and went up to my room, it was only half past three in the morning, I was dressed only in a hobby and I didn't want to go into the room knowing that George would be a mess, my head still ached and I just wanted to sleep, which made me look down the corridor and wonder if I shouldn't go back to Otavio's room to avoid another argument while my head was still throbbing.
I found myself turning the doorknob and entering the room, with only the lamp on and the smell of cigars permeating the room, I saw George in the corner of the room sitting in the armchair with a glass and a drink in his hand.
"Was the party good?" He asked, putting the cigar back to his lips. I picked up the pillows and started to take them to sleep while ignoring George.
He looked me up and down.
"He didn't even leave you with your clothes, did he?"
"What are you implying to George?" I shouted, exploding as I glared at him.
"You know exactly what I'm thinking, you're clever aren't you? So intelligent and superior, isn't that what you say?" He stared at me, in his eyes I could see all the bitterness of life.
"You're acting like a madman," I said, taking off my hobby and putting on my sweater, my heart feeling like it wanted to jump out of my chest.
I knew he knew, after all, who arrives at dawn wearing the king's hobby? But I didn't intend to argue about it, George wasn't a worry, he was a nuisance.
"Don't smoke a cigar in the bedroom, you know I hate it!"
"Charlotte, have you ever really loved me?" His question stopped me, he'd been asking it for two weeks.
"George you're drunk and I need to sleep, those adulterated drinks didn't do me any good" I said, lying down on the bed and arranging the covers, ignoring his eyes on me and the weight they had, the whole room was heavy and the atmosphere was suffocating.
"You really can sleep, can't you?" He asked, "They say a woman can lift you up, but she can also be your downfall."
"How could I be your undoing?" I asked him, looking into his eyes. "George, did I give you a kingdom or have you forgotten? To be married to me is to have the whole of Torrem at your feet!"
He twisted his face in disgust and felt angry at my dismissive gesture.
"Put out the cigar, I won't ask you again"
George put out the cigar that was almost finished on the table and took another from the box, lighting it slowly to tease me.
"Slut" he said, his words coming out quietly "You forgot to hide your tracks, your slutty screams were heard all over the castle in the king's bedroom."
I felt my blood boil and on an impulse I got up from the bed and walked towards him, flying at him, but before I could slap him George grabbed my hands, I tried to use my nails to tear him, but he held on tighter.
"Let me go or I'll scream!" I said, glaring at him, still wanting to rip him apart.
George's calmness made me even angrier. He threw me down on the bed with force and I got up furiously, going at him again. George pinned me to the bed and held my face firmly so that I could look into his eyes.
"Tell me, Charlotte, did you think of me when you lay with the king, or did you think of Zaïm's crown on your head?" he asked, practically spitting. He asked, practically spitting in my face. He held my face tighter "You must have everything in your womb except a son of mine!"
I tried to get free, I tried to turn my face, I felt my whole face hot, but I couldn't, trapped by my hands, arms and face. The look on his face was one of anger.
"Damn the day I decided to do my wife, I regret it bitterly. Not the soul in you, just greed!" He let go of my face and stormed off, I was still trying to recover when he stopped at the door and said "You'll regret this Charlotte, life itself will bring you what you deserve!"