Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 289: Violet: Dish

16 October, 1348. Westerhaven Palace, Islia.

Thirteen days.

It had been thirteen long days since Violet had lain with Prince Leo.

And the only thing that had changed in the thirteen days was that instead of mostly ignoring her like he used to, the bastard of a man was now actively avoiding her. If he saw her walking towards him, he would deliberately turn and head in the opposite direction or duck into the nearest doorway.

All his hot, passionate looks and whispered words that promised so much in the days leading up to their coupling, had evaporated into thin air the moment he’d pulled his sated cock out of her.

Violet had seen the prince swiftly lose interest in a woman once he’d laid with her. She’d seen the callousness he was capable of with her very own eyes. Not only that, but she remembered seeing it and thinking she’d never be so naive and stupid.

Yet here she was.

Why had she thought it would be so different for her? Why had she deluded herself into thinking she’d be treated differently, that she could manipulate the man to her needs and wants?

Why had she assumed she was smarter and more special than those who’d come before her?

If Violet was brutally honest, the two of them had no interests in common. There had never been anything much between them except for innuendo about things not yet done, pleasures not yet tasted. Once she’d lain with the prince, all the expectation and mystery was gone, wasn’t it?

And with it disappeared any power Violet had ever had over him.

What else did she have to hold such a shallow man to her? Nothing.

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

Lord, she loathed him now. From the depths of her soul, she truly loathed him. A fire would rage in Violet’s belly whenever she saw the vile bastard slinking away to avoid her like a coward.

She hated the prince not only for discarding her, but also for now openly courting her sister.

Ilse and Leo were even more inseparable since the court had settled in Westerhaven, if that were possible. He spent almost all his free time during the day with her at his side. Ilse seemed to float on a cloud of contentment, her eyes sparkling and smile radiant. Her collection of jewellery and new, pretty gowns continued growing.

The courtiers gossiped a betrothal would be announced in the near future, that the only reason it hadn’t already been announced was because King Edward was struggling with the fact the bride would bring no great dowry to his coffers. But Queen Celia was a allegedly supporter of the match and was waging a whispering campaign against her husband, to eventually wear him down and get him to accept it. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Violet’s worst fears were coming true. She couldn’t just stand by any longer and do nothing.

She needed to confront the prince. It was her only hope of getting out of such a nightmarish situation.

She waited that night until her sister was fast asleep, making sure that Ilse was lying closest to the wall so it would be easier to slip out of bed.

Violet rose, then wrapped a velvet robe around herself. Silently leaving their bedchamber, she began to hurry to the palace’s south wing.

Trust her to be in this situation when they’d moved to a palace where she was still very unfamiliar with its layout, she scowled.

Violet made it to the grand archway marking the start of the royal wing, but paused in confusion. She had only seen the doors to Prince Leo’s presence chamber once and wasn’t confident of finding them again in the dim light of the wall torches.

She tiptoed down the corridors, sticking to the shadows. She had to avoid running into anyone at all costs. The guards posted at regular intervals however, didn’t so much as turn their heads as she drifted by. They just stood like immobile statues.

How many women had they seen lurking around Leo’s apartments in the dark before, that seeing her now didn’t even draw their attention?

Violet finally found the grand oak doors decorated with the gilded coat of arms of the Crown Prince of Islia. She quietly sat down on the floor next to the grand doors. She’d heard strains of music and laughter still coming from the grand hall as she’d snuck past. There was no doubt in her mind that Leo and his wild natured friends were still awake and enjoying themselves.

Well, she was going to wait up for him. He was going to hear exactly what she thought about his treatment of her.

With the cold stone wall digging into her back, Violet waited. Soon, she could feel herself struggling to stay awake. She pinched the back of her hand repeatedly to stop herself nodding off, eyelids growing more and more heavy.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she was jarred awake by the sound of shoes scuffing irregularly on the stone floor. When Violet looked up, she saw a broad build moving in a familiar, overly confident swagger.

Albeit it was now a rather drunk looking swagger.

Violet didn’t care how much the fool had drunk. She was going to confront him regardless. Pulling herself to her feet, she stepped out of the shadows and into his path with a sudden movement. Leo’s eyes widened with confusion before recognition darkened his face.

"Err, Lady Violet." he muttered, eyes shifting away with obvious discomfort. "What, um, what are you doing here? Should you be wandering around the palace in the dark?"

"I could ask you the same question, Your Grace." she said, her nose wrinkling at his peculiar scent. It was a mixture of strong wine and flower water.

It was definitely not Ilse’s sweet scent. It struck her that the poor excuse of a man was still dallying with other women in secret, even while he courted Ilse in the light of day.

She shouldn’t have expected any better from him.

"Still having your needs met I see, Your Grace." Violet sniffed him and grimaced with distaste. "Ilse suspects nothing, I’m guessing? She be thinking she’s the only one in your eyes. How I pity my poor, foolish sister for wasting her feelings on a man like you."

"No, you don’t." Leo said with surprising firmness, his drunken slur suddenly gone. "You don’t pity her or even care about her. So stop pretending you do."

"How would you know? How dare you try to tell me what I feel for my own twin?" Violet hissed in quiet outrage.

Leo smirked coldly. "If you truly loved her, you wouldn’t have spread your legs for me so eagerly, just to spite her. So much for sisterly affection."

His words hit closer to home than she cared to admit.

"Who are you to judge me? And what makes you any better than me? You’re fornicating with any woman you can get your hands on while professing to care for my sister!"

"I do care for Ilse, a great deal! Which is why I don’t want any of my other entanglements to hurt her. Especially when they mean so little." Leo’s eyes were blazing now, not with desire like they’d been in the past, but with anger.

"Why should she trust you? Won’t you just toss her aside once you’ve had her too? What then?"

"I won’t toss Ilse aside. I like her. I genuinely like her. She makes me laugh like no one else." The smile on Leo’s face was wistful. "If she can eventually learn to accept me as I am, I can’t see we why the two of us can’t sort well together for years to come."

"Learn to accept you as you are?" Violet parroted. "You mean if she can learn to turn a blind eye to your habit of chasing anything in a skirt?"

"Why not? Ilse knows what I feel for her is on an entirely different plane." Leo had the audacity to make his request sound like a very normal one. "I think every great queen needs to master the art of a dignified blind eye."

Violet knew Ilse would never, ever accept such reasoning.

Sh could also see she was getting nowhere. The conversation was supposed to pull the prince’s attention back to her and all he was doing now was simpering like an infatuated fool over her twin.

Worse, he was referring to Ilse as a future queen.

Violet needed to change tactics.

"But my lord, didn’t our time together mean even a little to you? They were some of the most incredible moments of my life." She peeped demurely at him through her lashes.

She watched as Leo’s shoulders straightened with pride at her sugary praise. He smiled down at her again but his smile was now full of condescension.

"Well, of course it was special for you." For a moment it looked like he might even pat her on the head to soothe her. "You had the honour of bedding your future king. What lady wouldn’t want such an honour?"

Violet could feel her eyes bulging at the sheer arrogance of his words.

"But as you’ve quite rightly said before, you and I walk different paths. You get to enjoy perhaps one fine dish in life, so of course you’re going to cherish it." Leo stretched and yawned, then grinned down at her. "But for me, life is like a banquet of the finest foods available. Why would I limit myself to one dish when I can enjoy a taste of everything?"