Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
My mother never doted on me like she did with my brother and my father was no different. I’ve been like an outsider in my own family for as long as I can remember. Maybe I lack the thirst for power and approval that drives them through every minute of the day, or maybe my mind just isn’t dim enough to be satisfied with the idea of ruling. What man in his right mind would strive to rule? What position or career is more anemic than a king? Power? No. A king offers the illusion of power, the opportunity to grow soft and fat while he bids others to do as he wishes.
My claim to the throne hangs over me like a curse, and were it not for my brother’s obvious desire to have it, I would gladly give it away. As much as I may loathe the idea of ruling, I can’t let the city fall into Titus’ hands. He would either lead it to ruin through carelessness, hubris, or out of spite, or even a combination of all three.
“Dear, stop fidgeting with your hair,” says my mother.
Titus straightens a little, pulling his hand away from his head. “Sorry, mother.”
“Roark,” says my mother, who speaks to some point a few feet in front of my head instead of to me. “You don’t need to bother yourself with this. Why don’t you retire for the evening? Get some rest in your chambers.”
I say nothing, staring forward, fixating my eyes on the doors where she will be entering the room at any moment. Elizabeth. She is a pretty little thing. Of that, there’s no question. Over the years, I’ve made a few of the journeys alongside my brother to the outside. I’ve seen snapshots of her life and I’ve seen enough to know she lives a miserable existence. Her family keeps the truth about who she is hidden out of jealousy, and they’ve mistreated her for something she didn’t even know about since she was a child. Now she probably thinks she has received the first bit of good news in her entire life, except she’s about to find out she has been destined to marry a monster her whole life.
A monster… But who am I to call Titus a monster? He has killed men before, but he kills in the way most powerful men do. He kills for pride or for duty or even boredom. Titus has never killed to feed a hunger in his soul. He has never killed because something dark within him threatened to take control and do much worse if he didn’t. He’s not the one living a lie--pretending to be normal while something hideous lurks within him.
No. There is only one true monster in the Burkewood family. Me.
However much I may pity this young woman for being bound to my brother, I should pity her more if it had been me.
The doors swing open with a reverberating bang. A team of three stylists sweeps through the opening, followed closely behind by Elizabeth, who is also followed by Calian. The group surrounds her like flitting birds, making small touch ups to her appearance as she walks.
I watch her approach, noticing the way her eyes dart over the details in the room but can’t seem to stop flitting between Titus and I at first, and by the time she has reached the steps to the raised dais where the thrones and Titus wait, she can’t seem to take her eyes away from me.
She had better be careful where her eyes wander. My brother is a jealous man, and if he even thinks she prefers me over him, her future is going to be a much, much darker place. Her existence will be more miserable than the one she just left.
“My lady,” says Titus in a voice full of forced calmness and reserve. He takes her hand, kneeling and kissing it before standing again.
Seeing Elizabeth in the styles of our kingdom is like seeing her for the first time. She will make the women of the royal court buzz with jealous chatter, and they will likely try to ostracize her before they even get to know her. They will dye her dark hair blonde soon to show her true royal heritage status, and her full head of blonde will also draw the ire of every eligible woman in the palace. Not to mention those perfectly perky nipples and her absolutely mouthwatering tits. Fucking hell. I’ve always thought the Paris of Troy was a fool for starting the Trojan war over Helen, but now I can better understand.
It’s nonsense though. I can think grand thoughts about what I would do with this woman, but even if she wished my attentions, pursuing her would drive a wedge so squarely in the middle of this city it might fracture the whole thing into a thousand tiny pieces. As the eldest Prince and heir to the throne there isn’t much beyond my right, but my own brother’s bride is one of those few things.