Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 25: Divorce (3)

Selene and Xavier made it to their carriage without being stopped by anyone.

"I’m sorry if it took more time than you would have liked. They kept asking if we were certain we wanted to go through with it and since it was arranged fast under the king’s request, I did not want to rush them," Selene said, trying to calm Xavier’s obvious anger.

"I am not annoyed by how long it took. It moved along rather quickly. I knew well in advance that the king would not let me leave the palace without coming to see us. As you saw today, he has nothing better to do than to see what is between us," Xavier replied.

"Still, you were left outside with Cassandra. You could have waited in the carriage but I am grateful you did not. Did you hear what Gabriel said before you opened the door?" Selene asked, still curious about his timing.

"What did he say?" Xavier asked.

"Right, the stones prevented you from hearing," Selene spoke softly. His anger had nothing to do with what Gabriel started to say. "Never mind. It is not important."

"You are asking if I heard when he mentioned you are ruined? The stones are powerful but some chatter slips by them sometimes. I did not want to hear you waste your breath over that man. He sought to provoke you," said Xavier.

Selene looked down at her lap. "I know he was but I do not like it when anyone speaks of my family. He knew what happened to them before we wed and never spoke of it. Now he wants to speak of them being traitors. Had you not startled us, I might have attempted something foolish."

"You thought of killing him? It would have been a little tricky to get out of it since you were standing in a court but we could have found a solution. You should have told me that it crossed your mind," Xavier said, disappointed.

"It would not have been good to attack him there. The kingdom still loves him and many would hate me for attacking him. I have to think of your reputation regardless of whether you care about it or not. I have troubled you plenty already so I will be careful with everything else," Selene promised.

"I do not care what anyone thinks. My name will always be said in rooms I have never entered and I am willing to bet what is always said isn’t good. If we spend our days caring too much about reputations, wouldn’t our days be boring?" Xavier asked.

"Still, I must be smart with my choices. It is a terrible idea to attack him for anyone to see it. I want to see Gabriel fall but when he does, I do not want my name to be mentioned. For your name to be mentioned," Selene said, explaining her restraint.

"I would tell you not to worry about it but I will enjoy your concern for me."

Selene stayed silent to let Xavier see it as he liked. She was still trying to understand him but for right now, Selene saw Xavier as kind. At least to her, he was kind. "When will we announce our engagement? Must we meet with your family first?"

"We can announce it when you like but I must find you a ring first. I am still a gentleman," Xavier said, deciding to do it right.

"You don’t need to put too much thought into the ring. I am fine with anything. Since I came to you for help, perhaps I should prepare my ring," Selene offered.

"Do not wound me, Selene. I have enough money to find you a ring and not be affected by it. I will find you a ring and you will not think of the price. It is unlikely for my wife to have a simple ring," Xavier said, knowing she wouldn’t be able to resist thinking of what a Blackthorn should wear.

"I will leave it to you. I do not have anyone to tell about my engagement so we can meet with your parents first to be respectful and then announce it," Selene said, not impatient to let the town know.

"We can announce it before you meet with them or not meet with them at all. I do not need their opinion about our union so even a letter may suffice. I prefer the latter so we mustn’t see them. I will have Harold write it up," Xavier replied.

’"Are you not close to your parents?" Selene wondered, curious about what she was in for. She knew it was unlikely Xavier’s parents would not come for a visit once the news of their engagement reached their ears.

"I am close to them. I simply do not care about their opinions. A letter to tell them before the town finds out is giving them enough respect in my eyes. Again, if I am not concerned then you should not be," Xavier reminded Selene.

"Very well. The letter should be sent as soon as we reach your estate-"

"Home," Xavier corrected Selene.

"As soon as we reach home then the letter can be sent. Once enough time has passed, we can make the announcement or simply wed in private and let it be noticed when we attend social gatherings. I prefer to be private for now seeing that others seem to think you will grow bored of me," Selene said.

"That would be better for me. We will not be hounded by nosy people about a wedding if we are already married by the time they find out. We should have the wedding in four days," Xavier said, not seeing any reason to wait long.

"Four days?" Selene replied, surprised it would be so soon. "Is that enough time to prepare?"

"It is unless you had a large number of guests to invite. All we need are the rings and your dress. I do not have anyone who must attend."

"Your parents and friends?" Selene wondered, amazed by how easily he forgot his parents.

"Right," Xavier said. "They will want to come. That is all. We will not need to follow the humans to visit a church so there is not much to prepare."

"You are right," Selene realised. She could find a simple dress to wear. "A few days will be enough. We could use the estate so it is private as we want it."

Selene grew suspicious of the smile Xavier wore. "I am suspicious of you. Have you rushed it so we can share a room? You didn’t get your way before so now you are doing this?"

"You caught me. Would you like a kiss as a reward for practising for our wedding?" Xavier asked.

Selene shook her head and looked out the carriage window to ignore Xavier. "I will not fall for your teasing ways. Practice by kissing a pillow if you need to. Why must we kiss?" She muttered.

Xavier kept his gaze on Selene. "I hope you are not thinking of ruining the fun for our wedding day. I plan to get married once so we must make it memorable. You know where to find me if you need to learn how a proper kiss is done. I shall do my best to keep my hands to myself."

"Your hands will be kept to your side since there won’t be any practice. Please find something else to entertain yourself with," Selene said, not wanting to be caught in his games now.

How was she to survive a marriage with Xavier when he wanted to be this way?