Isadora slouched on her bed, lost deep in thought. So many things had happened to her that she had even lost count of days. Since the moment Alexander got poisoned, her life had turned into hell. How could she have been so naïve to fall for Alexander when she was supposed to kill him? And to add salt to injury, he pretended that he didn’t know her. That was what Isadora believed.

Her mind drifted back to the beautiful memories she shared with him. She remembered her first kiss and her hands instinctively flew to her lips. That moment felt so surreal in her mind. The feel of Alexander’s lips on hers was a moment she’d engrave in her mind forever, however much she tried to forget it.

But she knew that was now in the past. It was either she revokes her title as the true heir of the Crescian throne or she loses her life. All this would not have happened had she not fallen for Alexander. Just a stab and it would all be done. She’d even lost count of how many opportunities she had to end Alexander’s life. She would have easily poisoned him when she had the opportunity and ask Gareth to take her away. But her stupid self had even allowed him to touch her!

And Alexander, he was no lesser of a monster. Someone who made her feel in heaven to only dump her in hell deserved the cruelest of deaths. If there was anything that Isadora was regretting right now, it was to fall for Alex. She remembered how he had ’pretended’ to be a stranger to him. ’Men use women and then dump them when they are done with them. After getting what they want from you, they’ll dump you and treat you as if you never existed in their life.’ That’s what Lord Newton used to tell her whenever she asked about relationships.

And come to think of Lord Newton, he was the only person who would understand her right now. And though she saw how he threw furtive glances and acted shy whenever she talked to him, she knew he never harbored bad feelings for her. But how would he react when she told him that she and Alex had fallen in love? She could imagine what his face would look like when she said that. The man simply cared for her and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. And as if speaking of the devil himself, Lord Newton peeked into her room before he asked,

"May I come in Princess?" Isadora’s gaze shifted towards the door startled. Was he so shameless that he couldn’t knock first in a lady’s room but peek inside instead? What if she was...? She couldn’t even imagine it. Hell, she would strangle the air out of him. In the end, she simply nodded at him. He walked closer to where she sat, his boots resonating with the floor at each step he took.

"I’m sorry I peeked inside but you simply ignored my knocks. So I had to confirm if you were alright," Lord Newton said scratching the back of his neck nervously. He threw a quick glance at the surprised Isadora but quickly averted his gaze when she turned to look at him. Isadora rolled her eyes at this. This guy was shy. Was this how he behaved around every other girl? And come to think of it, she had never seen Lord Newton speak with another woman apart from herself. That discovery surprised her. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But what surprised her most was the fact that Lord Newton had knocked on her door but she had heard nothing. Well, she had Alexander and Griffin to blame for that. Her gaze shifted towards Lord Newton again and she was sure he had been watching her before he averted his gaze as fast as possible. And he was still standing beside her. She made some space for him on her bed and saw him stiffen at this. Rolling her eyes for the nth time, she gestured for him to sit but he was hesitant. He acted as if he saw nothing and Isa could see him swallow a lump on his throat. His Adam’s apple popped up and down making Isadora chuckle softly.

"Lord Newton?" She called him in a low and seductive voice. Gods Isadora! What are you doing to the poor fellow? But she wanted to see more of this side of Lord Newton. The side of him that she knew was strong. He could make heads fall on a bloody battlefield but women...

"Take a seat, Lord Newton," she said tapping the empty space beside her. Lord Newton turned around hesitantly, so damn slow that Isadora thought he was in some kind of pain. Lord Newton stared at where Isadora’s hand lay and he swallowed another lump. He took a deep breath to calm himself down but it was not working. Damn! He cursed. Why was it that he acted this way when it came to women? Damn! He cursed again. This was far worse than dropping heads on the ground.

He took measured steps towards Isadora’s bed and leaned on the frame before he sat slowly on the edge, far from where Isadora was. Isadora didn’t blame him though. And though she was enjoying torturing the poor Lord Newton, a void filled her heart when she thought of what awaited her. Would she really give up on her role as the future leader of Crescia? But why would Griffin ask this of her? He was her uncle for heaven’s sake. She knew he always wanted more, but he had gone too far this time.

"It’s either your birthright or your life," that was what he meant all this time. She had to give her birthright to her uncle if she wanted to live. Her gaze shifted to Lord Newton and the moment their eyes met, she could see just how much courage it had taken him to stare back at her that long. But he was concerned this time. Maybe that was the reason.

"Are you alright, princess?"