The Rise Of a Shadow [Preview]

The story of a shadow III

III

He climbed the back of Katarine's house, as usual, used the vines and pushed the usually unlocked window, frowned when the weight of the window did not budge. There was light in the room, why hadn't she opened it for him? This had never happened before. He pressed his ear against the window, heard a rustling of clothes, obviously it was her.

He softly knocked twice on the windowpane. A few seconds later, he heard her unlock, but she didn't give him way in like usual, instead, she opened only a crack so he could see a part of her Elvish face and her beautiful deep blue eyes. He distracted himself with her features until he realized that she kept her brow furrowed.

"Is everything okay, demoiselle13?" He loved to see her soften her face when she heard the term he had learned casually from a essences' merchant, he didn't know what language that was, but found the sound beautiful and soft, unlike his native language that was more rough and guttural.

"We can not see each other anymore." She stared at him through that crack.

"Someone found us out, demoiselle?"

He knew there was such a risk, she did too, it would make sense to forbid her from seeing him, even more so in her bedroom! It would be a disgrace to her family, so he had always taken the greatest care when he went to see her, the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

"Ikke14, I am promised to a merchant lord, so it is better for both of us to stop seeing each other." There was excitement in her voice.

The gleam of those blue eyes alone would have excited him, however, he frowned at the statement as his heart stirred in his chest.

"Seems like he has many possessions, isn't this terrific? I will be the Dame of a master of possessions!" Katerine seemed genuinely excited by the news.

Suddenly Roon felt queasy and gripped tightly the window frame.

"Min15 demoiselle, you don't even know him! How old is he?" He tried to argue with reason since there was nothing else he could do.

His heart was twisting in suffocating pain, he had to stop himself from grabbing his own chest, trying to drown the pain.

Katarine gave him a cold look, she had never done so, the pain in his chest intensified, he knew what was about to happen, she had tolerated him because he told her things she liked to hear, now there was no use for him. He had always suspected but never wanted to admit to himself, this was the admission, the beautiful look of repudiation.

His chest tightened, Ronn took a slow breath, soothing the pain in his throat. Maybe it was not the worst case scenario.

"Katarine, I know I should be happy for you, but I've seen too many arranged weddings to know there's a chance your Sêlkior will treat you badly, he can make you unhappy for the rest of your life!"

Usually arranged marriages between merchant families were held to expand the selling area, he had seen this before, obviously, hidden in the shadows. The Greats Sêlkiors always travelled much, leaving their wives alone at home, that was how the bastards were born and sicknesses appeared in the Dames, who always suffered for the carelessness of their husbands.

She snorted and looked at him strangely as if analyzing him.

"Sêlkior Rurik has a good reputation in several cities to the north and west, my father informed himself, there is nothing to tarnish his name." She looked at him impatiently. "There is nothing you can say to persuade me otherwise, I've had dozens of suitors, my father denied them all, if he chose this one, then he must be the best."