"What was that all about, Ethan? You almost ruined my plan!" After the heated talk at her family's table, Lauren got a chance to escape when the King started talking with Alec about palace affairs.
"I was just trying to help you out. You asked me to marry you remember? I saw the Merriweathers walk out from your table and thought that you must have done something. Then later on I realized Lord Everston was asking for your hand in marriage," Ethan reasoned out, holding a glass of champagne. They were at a corner near a table of desserts, their voice low enough for just the two of them to hear.
"Yes, I did ask you that. But you said you were getting married. Was that just a lie?" Her eyes narrowed.
"I can't say that it was a lie, but I don't think it was entirely true. Look, here's the thing. I have this lady in mind I want to marry, and I'm just buying time to ask her hand in marriage. But knowing that you were in trouble, I could not just leave you alone. I thought we could find a solution about it later on."
Lauren sighed. "Thank you, but my problem is solved now." Well, not entirely. But at least things were going as she had planned.
"Are you telling me you are marrying Alec Everston?" Ethan asked in a firm tone, didn't like what she was getting into.
"Yes, but it is not like what you think it is. This marriage is more like a partnership. Something that could benefit us both. Don't fret, I will explain everything to you soon."
Ethan shook his head. "Lauren, I don't think that sounds like a good idea. Lord Everston is not just any other man you can add as a chess piece in your game. He's dangerous and not easy to deal with."
"That is exactly why he is the perfect person for the job," Lauren replied, her lips curving up for a smirk.
Ethan didn't say more and just sighed. He knew Lauren very well. Once she had put her mind to something, there was no turning back.
When Lauren got back to the King's table, her sisters were nowhere to be found. Must have found somewhere else to fit in, or maybe in a room upstairs throwing vases at the wall to ease their frustrations. The Queen looked at her with venom in her eyes as if she was giving her a death sentence in her mind. Lauren gave her a smile, which got the Queen more eager to throw Lauren out of the palace.
"Your Majesty, if you don't mind, I would like to have a minute with Lord Everston," Lauren said to her father before dropping her gaze to Alec.
The King waved his hand, granting her request. Lauren was about to tell Alec to follow her when Alec laid out his hand in front of her.
"Should we dance, Princess Lauren?"
Everyone who witnessed how Alec asked a lady to dance in a ball for the first time was caught by surprise. Even Lauren didn't expect the cold-blooded vampire to pull such a stunt. Was it to make the people see that they now have a connection? She could only guess.
"It is my pleasure," Lauren replied with a sweet smile as she gave her hand to him, earning small gasps from those ladies who had been eyeing the lord as a potential husband for some time. Some even sent Lauren death glares. They could not believe that the princess who was known for her infamous reputation was setting the dance floor ablaze as she was the only lady in the ball privileged enough to dance with the two most sought-after bachelors present at the event.
"I must admit, you surprised me, Lord Everston," Lauren said as Alec put her hand on the back of her waist. "I thought you rejected my offer as I did not hear anything from you."
"Must be the reason you devised a contingency plan and pulled Mr. Sullivan into your game." His eyebrow raised a bit.
As they joined the dancing crowd, she replied, "One must need a countermeasure, don't you think, my lord?"
He didn't say anything and just stared at her with a quizzical look.
"So tell me," Lauren breathed, skillfully gracing the dance. "Did you aim to surprise me tonight? Or did you just come up with a decision on the way here?"
"Does it matter?" he asked coldly, completely not minding how he put her mind in chaos waiting for his news in the past two days.
She wanted to tell her how she could not sleep waiting for a word from him, but she held herself. That should not matter now. After all, he had agreed, which was exactly what she wanted.
"The Queen and my sisters will surely pull some stunts to prevent the wedding from happening. I am telling you now so you would not be surprised. Though I'm sure you can handle those small things very well."
"What a great family you have," Alec said dryly.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
He nodded. "And intriguing."
"We should have a written agreement for our situation, what can you say?" Lauren suggested. It was better to draw clear lines to avoid arguments in the future. After all, she was going to walk down the aisle and marry him for real. She would be tied to him legally. They would live under the same roof and sleep on the same bed. Thinking about it, she thought it would surely not be easy. She never thought of having a husband before.
"Yes, rules are very important," Alec agreed. "Since we are talking about this now, I shall give my first rule, then."
"I am all ears."
She turned gracefully and when he caught her back, they stopped.
"You can't have any feelings for me. I don't do emotional attachments. I can fuck a woman and forget her name afterward," he said without any hint of remorse.
Before she could reply, he added, "You don't need to ask for the same thing. I don't do romance. I won't fall for you. I don't fall at all."