Immediately after I said those words, Cross looked down at his exposed chest.
My eyes remained fixed on it.
“They look exactly like mine.” I muttered.
The moment the words left my mouth, he pulled his shirt back into place and covered the mark.
I didn’t say word, I waited.
Surely he would explain and tell me why the wound on his chest looked exactly like the one that had nearly killed me, but he said nothing.
The silence between us slowly became uncomfortable.
I frowned.
“Are you not going to say a thing?” I asked.
Cross rubbed the space between his brows before letting out a quiet breath.
“It’s nothing to worry about.” He replied.
His voice was firmer this time, shorter and more direct.
Almost as if he wanted to end the conversation before it even began.
It only annoyed me more.
I rolled my eyes, folded my arms across my chest, and turned away from him.
“Leave. I want to be alone.” I pouted, trying my best to hide how upset I was.
Instead of leaving, I heard his footsteps.
He came closer.
“Are you mad at me?” He asked softly.
I refused to answer.
I kept my eyes fixed on the other side of the room.
“Imogen.” He called gently.
I said nothing and immediately the mattress dipped beside me.
Before I could move away, Cross gently held my shoulders and turned me to face him.
Our eyes met and his expression had lost its usual calm mode.
“I didn’t mean to keep things away from you. It’s just better if you don’t know about them.”
His hands rested lightly on my shoulders, giving them a small squeeze.
His voice was so gentle that some of my anger faded without permission.
I hated that, I wanted to stay angry.
Instead, I found myself calming down.
I let out a little sigh.
“Okay.” I replied quietly.
Deep down, I already knew the truth.
He was hiding many things from me.
A whole lot of things and I think it really was for the best.
Even if he told me everything, would I understand any of it?
I wasn’t from Larvana and I wasn’t even supposed to be here.
I forced a smile and Cross smiled back.
The tension between us slowly disappeared, he gently stood up.
“I have to go now.” He said.
I looked up at him.
“Where are you going?”
“I have some royal business to settle.” He replied.
For a brief second, his eyes became cold, then the warmth returned so quickly I almost wondered if I had imagined it.
Royal business.
The words immediately caught my attention and curiosity lit up inside me.
“Can I come?” I asked.
I almost hoped he would say yes.
Cross shook his head.
“You can’t. I don’t want to involve you in the royal business, some of the demons are not so nice, and right now you have a human essence on you. It will only cause confusion.”
I lowered my head slightly.
“Okay.”
Cross stepped closer again.
Without warning, he leaned down and gently kissed my forehead.
I froze.
Why was he always so warm?
Every single time he touched me, my heart refused to behave.
This wasn’t a date.
He wasn’t my boyfriend and he wasn’t even human.
So why was my heart acting like it had forgotten all of that?
I should have pushed him away and told him to stop treating me like I was really his bride.
Instead, I stood there, unable to move or stop the warmth spreading through my cheeks.
He slowly pulled away and a little smile played on his lips as he gently pinched my cheek between his fingers.
I quickly looked away before he noticed how flustered I had become.
“The maids will bring you something more eatable. I’ll be back soon, and I have a surprise for you.” He said.
A surprise?
That immediately caught my attention.
I looked back at him.
“What kind of surprise?” I wanted to ask but before the words could leave my mouth, he had already left.
The large doors slowly closed behind him and the room instantly became quiet.
I stared at the closed door for several seconds before letting out a sigh.
Why did the room suddenly feel so empty?
I climbed back onto the bed and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
Minutes passed, I rolled onto my side, then onto my back again.
The silence was becoming unbearable.
Another few minutes passed.
Finally, I sat up.
“If I stay here any longer, I’ll die of boredom.”
A wild thought suddenly crossed my mind.
What if I explored the palace instead?
At least it would keep my mind busy until Cross returned.
I looked toward the door, then I smiled to myself.
I slipped off the bed, walked quietly toward the door, and slowly pulled it open.
A cool breeze immediately brushed against my face.
The palace looked even more beautiful during the day.
Tall black pillars lined the walkways, colorful flowers swayed gently along the stone paths, and somewhere nearby, birds I had never seen before sang softly.
It was peaceful.
I slowly began walking, letting the breeze carry away the boredom that had been building inside me.
A group of servants immediately stopped talking the moment they noticed me.
They lowered their heads and I could tell from their eyes, that wasn’t respect, it looked more like fear.
I ignored it and kept walking.
Not long after, I found myself standing on a small stone bridge that overlooked a clear pond.
I rested both hands on the smooth railing and leaned forward.
Tiny silver fish swam lazily through the water while a few larger ones occasionally leaped above the surface before splashing back down.
A smile spread across my face.
“They’ll taste great though.”
The thought slipped into my head so naturally that I almost laughed.
“No.” I shook my head immediately.
” I’m not cooking anything again.”
That mushroom soup disaster was enough embarrassment for one lifetime.
I sighed softly.
Honestly, I was only trying to pass the time until Cross returned.
I wondered what he was doing.
Royal business.
The words still sounded mysterious and a part of me wished he hadn’t left.
Immediately that thought crossed my mind, I frowned.
What was wrong with me?
Why did I even care and before I could think any further, a calm voice spoke behind me.
“You must be Princess Imogen.”
I froze and turned around immediately.
Another demon stood a few steps away.
Instinctively, I took a step backward.
He noticed and a small smile appeared on his face as he slowly raised both hands.
“I won’t bite, Princess.” He said.
Now that he was closer, I could finally study his face properly.
Surprisingly, he looked a little like Cross.
The sharp jaw, the same skin but that was where the similarities ended.
He wasn’t nearly as tall.
His presence wasn’t overwhelming.
Cross barely had to look at someone before they became terrified.
This man, he looked approachable, good-looking but he was short.
“I hate short men or demons.” I muttered.
He smiled again.
“I thought you died during the war.”
War?
I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about and I simply stared at him without replying.
He chuckled softly.
“Cross already warned you about me.” He said with a smirk.
“That boy.”
I narrowed my eyes but wait a minute, he called him Cross and not King Cross.
That meant they either knew each other very well or they absolutely hated each other.
I decided not to jump to conclusions.
“I mean no harm. I am just surprised why you still decided to choose him after everything. Don’t you remember he was the cause of your parents’ death?”
My eyebrows rose.
My parents?
That made even less sense.
My parents were alive.
My father had walked away years ago.
My mother married a billionaire and left me in an orphanage.
Neither of them had anything to do with demons, kingdoms, or wars.
Everything this man said belonged to real Princess Imogen not me.
“Okay.” I replied casually.
He frowned.
That clearly wasn’t the reaction he expected.
Honestly, he sounded like one of those people who enjoyed poisoning other people’s minds.
“I know you’re back now, and he will be moving toward a marriage with you, but I hope you can reason with me soon and leave while you still can, Princess. Has he told you about how many people who died because of him. Cross is not who he seems to be.”
I folded my arms.
He yaps a lot.
“So?” I blurted out.
The word escaped before I could stop it.
The demon blinked and even I surprised myself.
From everything I had seen so far, Cross had been patient, gentle, protective and kind towards me but he could be an asshole to others.
Everyone else feared him and maybe he really was a monster.
I don’t know anything about him, his past or present life but so far he hadn’t treated me badly.
I looked back at the strange demon.
He was just trying to poison my mind against him.
“Who are you exactly?” I asked.
He didn’t reply and he spoke again.
” I wonder how you can still act all innocent after everything you have done.
You don’t really remember the war, do you?”
I frowned.
“What war?”
His eyes widened slightly before narrowing.
“You were responsible for the deaths of thousands in Larvana.”
My heart stopped..”What?”
“Cross never told you, did he?” His voice dropped.
“He protected you from the truth.”
I stared at him, unable to speak.
Thousands of people?
What the hell had Princess Imogen done and why was Cross protecting her from all these?