Bloodied Lilies

Chapter 1

Adelia Constantine stared at the man waiting at the end of the isle, standing in front of the altar where they would be wed.

Duke Leonard Rainford of Aretha was a handsome young man with milky skin, dark curls and almond shaped eyes, the colour of sea foam. However he was not known for his beauty but for his cruelty. The tyrant ruler of Aretha was notorious in all of Delphine.

Adelia would not be his first wife for the late Lady Rowena De'fel had been married to him before her. She too had not married him out of choice. When the tyrant duke said he wanted something, he got it. His cowering subjects would not refuse for fear of what would become of them. However Duke Rainford still followed his whims and got rid of whom he wished at any time. Even Lady De'fel did not last a year.

For Adelia, she was determined not to die by the duke's hand, but this marriage was not one she could escape. Her marriage to Duke Rainford would allow her to pay for the care her ailing sister needed. Her parents had been more than willing to sell her off in order to spare themselves from the duke's wrath and to sustain their remaining daughter.

Adelia stepped forward, the train of her dress trailing behind her as she walked. The wedding dress was black. It was a concoction of lace and layers, fanning out on the marble like a mermaid's tail.

Duke Rainford had requested the colour. It was to contrast with the fairness of her skin. He was, after all, only marrying Adelia for her unique appearance.

Of all the maidens of Aretha, only Adelia's skin was whiter than snow. Her long hair was so pale it was almost silver and her eyes were the colour of blood. She wasn't sure why she didn't resemble her parents but her rare traits had caught the eyes of many. It had been a convenient tool for her work but it was now beginning to turn into a curse.

Closer up, Adelia could see the ruthlessness in his eyes and the venom in the curl of his lips, curved into a cold, condescending smile.

"Lady Constantine," he greeted. His voice was low and smooth, dripping with honey and poison.

"Duke Rainford," Adelia returned. She did not smile.

"We-well then. Shall we proceed with the ceremony?" the nervous clergyman behind the altar said, eager to get things started and then quickly finished.

The duke hummed in agreement and faced the altar. Adelia followed suit.

The pipe organ that played in the background sounded like a requiem. The audience was deathly silent and the clergyman's jittery mutterings was the only accompaniment to the sombre music.

"Do you, Leonard Rainford, take Adelia Constantine as your lawfully wedded wife?" the clergyman stuttered.

"I do," said Duke Rainford.

"Th-then, do you Adelia Constantine, take Leonard Rainford as your lawfully wedded husband?"

Duke Rainford glanced Adelia. There was a challenge in his eyes, as if he dared her to refuse him.

Adelia held up her chin defiantly.

"I do." She spoke each work firmly, sealing her own fate.

The duke smiled at her, pleased. She held his gaze, half listening to the clergyman ramble through the formalities.

The duke procured a ring - a single golden band with their names engraved on the inside - and slid it onto her gloved finger. He looked directly into her eyes as he did, still looking like he wanted to start some sort of fire for fun right in the middle of the cathedral.