Sold To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 17: His Jealousy

"Fiancé..." Theron repeated under his breath.

The word rolled around in his head in a very unpleasant way, like a pebble stuck in his boot.

For a moment his heart thumped wildly, dropping somewhere near his stomach. He stood there silently, taking one slow breath after another until his expression returned to its usual calm indifference. Then he bent down, picked up the sword he had dropped earlier, and slid it back into its sheath with deliberate composure.

Unfortunately, the composure only lasted until he looked up again.

Aveline was no longer looking at him.

Instead, she had turned toward the ragged man behind her and was whispering something to him with an urgency that made Theron’s jaw tighten.

That thin thread of patience he had been holding onto finally snapped.

"Aveline."

He reached forward, grabbed the front of her dress, and pulled her a step closer.

Theodore blinked at the sudden movement and scratched her shoulder in confusion. "Who is he?" he asked Aveline, clearly expecting her to explain the situation.

Aveline turned toward Theodore, fully intending to do exactly that. Unfortunately, explaining things was not as easy as she had hoped. Saying ’this is the man who bought the house’ was acceptable. Saying ’this is the man who technically bought me’ was absolutely unacceptable.

She was still trying to arrange the words in a way that preserved at least a shred of her dignity when she heard a low, dangerous sound.

Theron had leaned closer without her noticing.

Now his face was right in front of hers.

Ah.

That sound... that growl... was not a wolf’s growl. It was this man’s.

Aveline immediately closed her eyes and turned her face away in self-defense.

"Don’t throw me to the dogs!" she blurted.

Theron froze.

His hands tightened instinctively in the fabric of her dress, but when he looked at her properly, he noticed the way her shoulders trembled under his grip. After a moment, he exhaled quietly, loosened his hold, and lowered her back onto her feet.

Without saying anything, he began adjusting the loosened ties of her dress with careful fingers.

His brows slowly furrowed as he worked.

He had assumed she behaved that way only around him. The way she closed her eyes when he leaned too close... stupidly saying that she’d be his mistress...

But now she had been standing in a bush letting another man untie her dress.

And she had called him fiancé.

Theron almost laughed.

Before Aveline could gather her thoughts, she suddenly felt the ground disappear beneath her feet.

Theron had picked her up. Just like that.

Despite the ridiculous weight of her gown, he carried her easily and began walking back toward the house with long, decisive strides.

"Hey! Where are you taking her?" Theodore shouted, running after them.

Theron ignored him completely.

His steps were so long that Theodore had to jog to keep up, stumbling slightly over the garden path while trying not to lose sight of them.

Meanwhile, Aveline remained in Theron’s arms, quietly observing him from the corner of her eye.

She told herself she was simply assessing the situation.

In truth, she was staring.

Theron had changed a lot.

Back then, when they were younger, he had barely been taller than her, even though he was a couple of years older. His cheeks had been soft and slightly round, and his hair had always been trimmed short in the proper style expected of noble boys.

Now he looked... entirely different.

His shoulders were broader, his build leaner and harder. His hair had grown long enough to brush against his shoulders, and the sharp line of his jaw gave him a rough, almost intimidating appearance.

Then her gaze drifted downward.

His Adam’s apple moved when he swallowed.

She blinked.

That hadn’t been there before. Or maybe it had been there, and she had simply never noticed it. Either way, it was very... interesting.

Without realizing what she was doing, Aveline slowly reached out a hand.

Just a little... Just enough to poke it and see if it moved again.

But... Her fingers stopped mid-air. Her eyes widened.

What on earth am I doing?

When they stepped inside the house, Theron noticed the man still following them from the garden.

He didn’t bother acknowledging him.

Instead, he continued up the staircase toward the residential floor, his stride long and purposeful, Aveline still in his arms as if she weighed nothing more than a cloak.

Theodore struggled to keep up behind them.

Theron pushed open a door and stepped inside.

Only when her feet finally touched the floor did Aveline realize where they were. Her heart skipped.

"You still remember my room?" she asked quietly.

It had been years since she had been allowed anywhere near this part of the house. Her eyes wandered around the room. It was no longer hers.

Beatrice’s presence was everywhere—gaudy dresses draped over chairs, jewelry boxes left open on the vanity, perfume bottles crowding the table like soldiers. The entire room smelled overly sweet, suffocatingly artificial.

Aveline wrinkled her nose.

She was just about to wander over and inspect the vanity... purely for practical reasons, of course. If she was planning to run away tonight, borrowing a few jewels for her future financial stability was simply good planning.

Unfortunately, she never made it that far.

Suddenly, her feet left the ground again.

Theron’s hand had closed around her waist.

Her back hit the wall before she could react, and in the next moment, he had lifted her slightly, pinning her there with an ease that made her stomach drop.

"You undress in front of any man now?" he asked.

The anger in his voice was unmistakable.

Aveline instantly looked anywhere except at him. The floor seemed very interesting. The wall, too. Possibly... the ceiling.

"Look at me," Theron said.

He didn’t shout, but the command still sent a ripple of fear through her chest.

She kept her gaze stubbornly lowered.

Theron exhaled slowly.

He could see it clearly now—the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled tightly into the fabric of her dress.

She was getting scared.

His anger dimmed, replaced by something far heavier.

He leaned forward slightly, bracing one arm against the wall beside her. His face lowered near her cheek, and his breath brushed softly against her skin.

The warmth made her shiver.

"What was your fiancé doing while you were being abused?" he asked quietly.

The question came out colder than he intended.

What kind of man called himself a man and allowed the woman he claimed to love to live like that?

Aveline hesitated before answering.

"He was abused too," she said softly. "We were kept separately. I had to sneak out to meet him... and when we got caught, we were both caned."

She shrank slightly as she felt Theron’s body stiffen beside her.

"You sneaked out to meet him?" he repeated.

His voice had dropped into a low growl.

Aveline nodded carefully. "Yes... at night it was easier and—"

Her voice faltered.

His breath had grown warmer. Too warm.

His hand beside her head had curled into a fist, and she heard the faint crack of his knuckles tightening.

What have I done now? I’m just telling the truth!

Theron suddenly leaned back.

Aveline immediately dropped her gaze again, but he caught her chin before she could look away.

His fingers tilted her face upward.

"You like him that much?" he asked, studying her expression. "You’re already making excuses for him." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

His grip wasn’t painful, but it was firm enough that she couldn’t escape.

"Tell me," he continued slowly, "what exactly do you do during these secret meetings?"

Aveline opened her mouth to answer.

His fingers pressed slightly deeper into her chin, not enough to hurt... just enough to make her breath catch.

He leaned closer.

Too close.

His lips hovered just above hers, his warm breath brushing across her mouth and sending a strange, unfamiliar heat racing through her chest.

Her fingers instinctively grabbed the front of his coat.

"Tell me," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "Where did he touch you?"

Aveline swallowed. Her heart pounded violently.

What is happening to me?

"Did he kiss you?" Theron whispered, leaning even closer.

Her lips trembled slightly. She didn’t know why her body felt so warm. Or why she wasn’t pushing him away.

Then...

"Aveline? Are you here?"

Theodore’s voice echoed from the corridor.

The moment shattered.

Aveline didn’t even realize where the strength came from. She shoved Theron with both hands.

He stepped back in surprise, stumbling two steps away from her. For a brief second, Theron simply stared at her, his eyes wide.

He hadn’t expected that. Not from her.

Not now.

Theodore’s footsteps stopped outside the door.

Aveline tensed.

Theron caught her again.

This time... she couldn’t push him away.