*~Gabrielle's POV~*
I really wanted to pull the cloth off… but I knew better than that. I would just be blatantly putting myself in trouble.
"Your Highness…" I turned to him, but he cut me off before I could ask my question.
"Please, call me Damien. Lord Damien publicly. My titles are reserved for others… not you, my lady," he said slowly.
And all I could do was stare at his lips.
ARGH! Those soft lips.
"All right, Lord Damien, I.."'He cut me off again. "Damien."
And I smiled. "Damien… do you have a brother?" I asked.
He instantly seemed taken aback by my question, then cleared his throat.
"No, my lady. I do not have a brother," he said.
But judging by the way he looked… he seemed very uncomfortable. Which only proved he was lying. He did have a brother. But why lie about it? And why wasn't his brother at the ball yesterday?
So… Gorgeous Monster is really a monster, huh?
"If I may ask, why did you ask, my lady?" he said.
I stammered, unable to think of a good response. How was I supposed to tell him that his brother's face was just right beside him only now covered?
"I… urm… I…" I fumbled. When he noticed, he grinned. "It's fine, my lady. It's normal for one to be curious," he said.
"OH MY!" he suddenly gasped, turning around and spotting the face I had carved last night.
"Is this me?" he asked, completely stunned.
"Yes, my lord."
"Who drew this? This is beyond perfect! It got all my angles right and perfectly at that. This person needs to be handsomely rewarded by me," he said, still unable to tear his eyes from it.
"It was me who drew it, my lord," I said. He slowly turned, his mouth wide open. "Y-you…?" he asked, and I could only nod, fazed by his reaction.
"Are you sure, my lady?" Still unable to believe.
"Yes, I am, my lord. I drew it with a rock, alongside every other face on here," I giggled.
He rushed toward me and suddenly lifted me up, spinning me around.
"Wow… such incredible talent, my lady! This is beyond beautiful," he said, checking each and every one of them. I could only smile.
"Who taught you, my lady? I must know who bestowed such a gift upon you," he asked.
I shook my head. "No one, my lord. After my mother found me by the waterside and I lost my memories, the first few faces I saw, my soul desperately wanted to put them down," I said.
He smiled instantly. "Wow. Beauty and brains," he said. "I knew you captured my heart from the very moment I saw you."
My stomach churned. "You shall make a wonderful bride to me… isn't it?" he smiled, then kissed my hand again.
ARGH! He's kissing everything but my lips, really!
"So, you come here to carve… and do every other thing, is that not so?" he asked, gazing and walking around my prison.
"No, my lord, this is my room," I said.
He immediately seemed taken aback. "Your room?… Like you actually sleep here?" Irritation crept into his eyes.
"Yes, my lord. It was assigned to me by my mother herself ever since I was found," I replied.
"NONSENSE!" he growled.
"How could you possibly sleep here? No bed, no closet… nothing! And it was assigned to you by your mother?" He was both surprised and disgusted.
"Yes, my lord," I repeated again, but he blazed on.
"I'm sorry, but why is Lady Arielle so cruel?… This is unacceptable. This is cruel."
He grabbed my hand, and before I could even process it, we both rushed outside.
"LADY ARIELLE!" His voice thundered across the estate.
Mother immediately appeared, along with my sisters, it seemed they'd been busy with something.
"What, my lord? Has Gabrielle offended you?" she asked, her eyes screaming confusion as she looked at me, clearly wondering what happened. But I just faced down.
"No. It is in fact you who has offended me. How can you sit and watch as my wife stays in a horrible room? Isn't she the White Wolf? Doesn't she deserve your mercy?" he snapped.
Wife…? Heat rushed to my face. My heart pounded.
"Oh, Your Highness, it was Gabrielle who chose that place, not me," Mother said quickly.
I nearly choked on that lie. No, I didn't! I could clearly remember every moment I begged her to change my room, I've been trapped in that jail for the past three years!
"And you allowed her?" Damien replied, appalled. "That's unbelievable. I'm afraid I'll have to get married to Lady Gabrielle and take her away from your shambles, because you are clearly not treating her well."
I paused. "Married? To me?"
"Ah! Your Majesty, you are mistaken clearly. Gabrielle loves her room very much. As you can see, those faces she carved on the wall? Oh, she adores it," Mother said with a dismissive wave.
But Damien was adamant. "Still, you are clearly maltreating her. There's not even a bedstand or a closet!"
Then he turned to me, eyes glowing. "Let's get married, Lady Gabrielle. I'll take you away from this place to somewhere that truly suits your beauty and grace."
Damien looked at me. I blinked, completely unable to answer.
"Oh YES!" Mother immediately screamed and rushed toward us. "She said yes!"
"Did she?" Damien asked, confused.
Mother nodded. "Gabrielle always blinks anytime she wants something but can't say it aloud," she said.
And the Alpha smiled. "Really?" he said turning to me.
He turned to me again, kissed my arm, and went down on one knee.
"Thank you for accepting my proposal, my lady. The Goddess knows, I don't even need a mate, because I'll be getting married to the White Wolf," he grinned sheepishly.
My sisters shrieked and rushed to me. "Oh, congratulations!" they squealed.
What just happened? I was dragged out of my room and suddenly proposed to by the Alpha?! My mother accepted on my behalf, and now I'm getting married?
What the hell is going on?! My head was spinning, trying to wrap around everything.
"Oh, I have to leave now, and deliver this good news to the entire pack!" Damien said as he stood, then turned to leave… but halted at the door and glared at my mother.
"If I ever step foot here again and find out she's still sleeping in that room, you will pay the price."
And then… he left.
Mother turned to me, pride glowing in her eyes. "You see? All those years in that room paid off. It triggered the Alpha to marry you," she said, then turned to my sisters.
"We have a wedding to plan," she announced.
They all shrieked, and my stomach rumbled. Sweat dripped down my forehead.
"You see, Gabrielle…" Mother said, grabbing my hands and leading me back toward the room.
"Mother knows best."