The Life and Lies of Cassiopeia Rosier- Regulus Black

.mutually beneficial arrangement.

.you want battle? i'll give you war.

The week leading up the wedding had been hell. The betrayal of my family still stung like a fresh wound. I had thought long and hard about why they would sacrifice me in such a way. They had told me that it was a way for them to try and force my loyalty. I didn't quite believe it though, because I had never given them any reason to question it in the first place.

It was all too much, and the burden on my shoulders was too heavy. I felt as if anything else were to be added, I would break. The only relief came from knowing that it was a matter of hours before I would see Regulus again.

My mother spent all day forcing beauty potions down my throat, and charming my hair over and over again until she got it just the way she liked it. Though my father beat us, my mother groomed us to appear perfectly behaved and perfectly striking. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn't deny that I looked lovely. The inky black of my hair blended in with the midnight color of my dress. A snake of fine silver slithered it's way up my back, delicate chains anchoring it to my dress. My mother's handiwork. I was representing the colors of my house, my eyes being the pop of green that pulled together the whole "perfect Slytherin" representation.

My mother beamed with pride as she admired her handiwork. She had even managed to hide the purple bruise that blossomed on my cheekbone; my father's handiwork. I almost wished that it couldn't be covered, then people would wonder where it had come from. But of course, anything that would tarnish their perfect reputation was shoved under the rug or concealed with something beautiful. People were so used to only looking at the surface level of things, and as long as the surface was appealing, no one cared about the dark secrets that lurked underneath.

My mother led me down the stairs to the entrance hall of the manor, where my brother and father awaited. They both looked incredibly striking in their smart black dress robes, the jet black of their hair contrasting beautifully with the bright blue of their eyes. I didn't say a word to either of them, in fact, I hadn't said anything to any of them all week. My mother had tried to make conversation with me at various times, but I would just stare blankly at my hands in my lap, not willing to put behind me the betrayal that I still so keenly felt.

My father took my arm and disapparated with me, my mother and Evan following closely behind. The second my feet touched solid snow covered ground, I untangled myself from him. Much to my surprise, we weren't inside of the Black Manor, we were out on the grounds. I looked around me, but there was no one else in sight. The only sign of life was the handsome peacocks that roamed around the snowy garden.

Fear gripped my heart, as I realized that he brought me here intentionally. I knew he wouldn't physically harm me, we were about to enter a public place, with people who would notice any physical damage I sustained. That left him with threats to other parts of my life. Those were much worse than any physical threat he could ever bestow upon me.

He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and peered into my eyes with a gaze that blazed like dragon fire.

"We're at a wedding, the perfect time for me to talk to you about this." His words made my blood run cold. "As your Father, I am responsible for arranging an advantageous match for you, and for the Noble House of Rosier. If you want it to be anyone you don't remotely despise, you'll play your part well here tonight, daughter."

I could feel my blood pulse in anger. "Are you threatening me, father?" I replied through clenched teeth.

"Call it what you want. The way I see it, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. You do something that benefits me, and in turn, I don't make your life more miserable than it needs to be." He hissed, the pressure of his hands on my shoulders was starting to hurt me, and I wanted this conversation to be over. The thought of him controlling every aspect of my future was too much to bear.