Grand Princess Leandra has seen a great many atrocities in her thirty one years in this Kingdom. After all, obtaining and keeping such a lofty position in this bloodthirsty Court was no easy feat despite what others might think. Thus, she has seen it all; betrayal, death and deception.
Or at least she thought she had.
Her flowing skirts rustled as she practically flew through the hallways, combing winding staircases until she reached the left wing; the King's (and his Queen's) quarters.
She didn't bother knocking nor announcing her impending presence. The sounds she heard from outside the room told her everything she needed to know.
The doors swung open with one fluid push and chaos ensued. What she saw on the bed made bile rush up her throat. Leandra's chest rose and fell in barely concealed anger.
It was her brother, the very much mated and married King of this kingdom, in bed with… with… the Countess of Hensbury?!
Leandra pursed her lips in disgust. She expected anything else; a commoner, a whore or even a maid but not a noblewoman.
With the sound of the doors slamming shut, the two lovers were startled out of their lewd coupling with the blonde-haired woman nearly falling off the bed.
"Get out." Leandra said, her voice deceptively calm but hiding a deathly storm.
"Lea–"
"Don't speak to me, brother." She turned back to the woman, "You, out. Now!"
The woman hurriedly threw on her clothes and tripped over it while trying to leave the room.
Leandra could hear a cacophony of gasps from servants outside. This horrid scandal was sure to be the palace's top gossip item for weeks to come.
"Leandra, you're making this into an even bigger issue," Fabio shrugged on a white dress shirt, "You've even given those gossip-hungry servants something to talk about."
"Oh, I'm making this into a bigger issue? It is a big issue, Fabio!" Leandra raised her voice, waving her hands around in emphasis, "And no, I'm not the one who exposed how utterly disgusting I am, you are!"
Fabio's jaw ticked in rising anger.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Leandra heaved an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temples as if to quell an oncoming headache.
"Fabio, do you know what happens to any soulmate whose partner commits infidelity?"
The King didn't reply but looked deep in thought.
"You are literally killing your own mate with your actions—you are ripping Giselle apart from the inside, Fabio! This could destroy her wolf, or worse your bond could rupture and—"
"What should I do then, sister?" Fabio said through gritted teeth, "Endure my entire existence with someone I despise? My true love left me and the goddess compensated me with her caricature! How can I endure that?"
Leandra shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, refusing to believe that this selfish man was her brother.
Fabio had always been the quiet, mulling type. He never spoke more than three sentences unless absolutely necessary, he barely even raised his voice. It was a situation very worrying to their father that he consulted many healers from all over the Kingdom and outside just to 'save' his future heir. Leandra became his spokesperson; she'd practically raised her brother after their mother died and their father turned them over to nannies to raise them.
It had never dawned on her that her quiet, impressionable brother with stars in his eyes and an insatiable love for astronomy could be so cruel.
"I forbid you to meet that woman or any other, Fabio. It's for your own good."
Fabio barked a laugh, "And who are you to forbid a king his desires, Grand Princess?"
"I am your older sister, Fabio." Leandra's voice shook from how painful it felt to watch her brother slowly descend into…this. "I practically raised you and now—I have failed. I should have tried harder, I should have–"
"Stop trying to guilt trip me, Lea. It won't work." Fabio said, walking away, "If I can't have Genevieve, then I don't want her substitute sister either. Hell, the girl knew what she was walking into when she connived with her parents to approve this sham of a marriage."
"So you don't feel anything at all? No remorse, no guilt? She's in pain, Fabio." It took everything within Leandra not to break down in tears at her brother's cold indifference.
An unknown emotion surged through the young King at the thought of his mate being in pain but he quickly squashed it. What about him? He was in pain too and no one cared, no one even tried to understand how he felt.
He sighed long and deep.
"Leave me be, sister. I don't want to speak about this matter anymore."
"If you continue this foolishness, Giselle could lose her ability to give you an heir." Leandra warned.
The room fell into sharp silence. Fabio sucked in a harsh breath at her words but ultimately remained silent.
"No matter how much you despise your mate, your love for Montegnera must come first. Father would hate—"
"–Father is not here, Leandra." Fabio spat back. "Now I suggest you leave this room before I say something I'll regret."
Leandra shook her head one last time then left his quarters in a flourish of rich fabric, quietly closing the door behind her.
Outside, doors shut rapidly and harried voices echoed down the hallways—probably the servants trying to catch wind of the juicy details before spreading it to the entire palace. It was too late to keep such a scandal under wraps, however. Her thoughts fluttered to the innocent young woman still in pain somewhere in her quarters. She didn't deserve such misfortune much less from the man the Goddess tied to her soul.
Leandra thought back to the blonde woman in her brother's bed and how ruffled yet so sure of herself she seemed.
As daft as Fabio seemed, the Grand Princess knew he was a good ruler and a wise king no doubt.
But he had made a crucial mistake by fucking the Countess of Hensbury, Vivienne DeLuca.
***
"What news, Dorian?"
The King didn't bother raising his head from the piles and piles of paperwork littered across his study desk. It was nearly midnight by now and he was still swamped with work. Dorian, his friend and personal guard, was standing motionlessly by the table, his hands folded behind his back. Even with his crisp velvet black suit, it was evident that the man was primed to protect the throne. However, there was once a time when things had been simpler and they were both just teenage wolves with childish dreams beyond the four walls of this palace.
Fabio blinked and those past memories vanished with it as he flicked through a document.
"Yes, my King." Dorian said, "The maidservant said that the Queen is back in her quarters and still asleep."
Fabio frowned at the news, not knowing what else he was expecting.
"T-that's all?"
"Yes, my King."
"Well, what about the Grand Princess?" Fabio asked, a bit confused.
He definitely expected a broader reaction, possibly an escalation with the elders considering his sister knowing the entire situation.
"Princess Leandra seems to be in her quarters. No one has reported seeing her anywhere else." the bodyguard parroted.
"And the palace—generally—what's the state of things?" He felt out of breath now. Why was he so disturbed? Of course he didn't care if anyone knew what had happened, what he had done. So why did he still care so much?
The thought tore him apart inside.
"My king, if I may speak freely?" Dorian asked.
"You're my friend, Dorry. Of course you may."
Dorian gave a small smile and cleared his throat.
"It is nearing the middle of the night by now and half the palace is exhausted from daily activities. And even if they were not and it was morning already, the rumors have probably reached their various sources so nothing much can be done on your part except to own up to it." Dorian slid into the cushioned seat across from him, "After all, you are the King. Who in their right mind would dare question you?"
Fabio chuckled lowly, reaching for a half-full tumbler of whiskey, "I am the king, Dorian, not invincible. I still have my Court to impress and maintain their support."
"All the more reason to put whoever riles you in their proper place and, permit me to speak out of turn, but even the Queen herself shouldn't be immune to your will."
Fabio downed the drink in one shot, grunting contentedly at the feeling of the alcohol burning down his throat.
He was silent for a minute, seeming to go over his friend's words in his head.
"I just don't get it, Dorry. I mean I…Genny had everything she could ever want, why would she run away?"
Dorian shrugged, reaching for the half-empty bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a full tumbler of the drink and leaned into the seat.
"I mean, omegas would drop everything for the opportunity to ride the next big dick, so…"
The words caught in his throat when he met the King's eyes. He nearly coughed up his drink but managed to swallow dryly and bow his head apologetically.
"Forgive me for my words, my King. It won't happen again."
"It better not." Was the King's harsh reply as he stood up from his chair and sauntered towards the French windows to stare into the night sky.
Somewhere on the opposite side of this hallway was his lawfully wedded wife and soul bound mate writhing in pain because of his infidelity. He couldn't help but try to imagine her anguish. Did she feel the pain of it all every time he thrust into the Countess? Did she wish for his death while she bit her tongue to keep from screaming?
Did he regret his ac—
Fabio shook his head as if to clear it from pesky memories.
"Call my lawyer and have him hire a private investigator to work with him. I want to know everything about how my true betrothed disappeared."
"Yes, my King." Dorian replied simply.
"I also want guards combing through every town, every village, every city. Warn them to be discreet, if word of this gets out to the public, I will have your head first."
He could hear the bodyguard swallow audibly before replying once more, "Yes, my King."
Fabio resumed his gazing over the night's sky, admiring the constellations that he rarely saw these days due to his busy schedule. He could even see the Andromeda constellation so clearly although the night wasn't particularly bright without its moon. Recalling the story behind the constellation about the 'chained princess' who was saved by the noble hero and lived happily ever after, he nearly burst out laughing at the irony.
By all regards he should be the hero in this story, the dashing prince who swoops in and saves the day. Unfortunately for his dear wife, he is the horrid villain who had had her tied up with chains awaiting the monster.
Fabio's plan now was simple—unleash the utmost pain toward Giselle until she confessed what she and her parents did to her sister or until the bond is broken.
Either way, he wins.