CHAPTER 3
Arrogant Kings
Angel Ronen's Pov
"Cold air couldn't calm your nerves? What was bothering your sensitive soul this time?" Tiras asks as I walk back into our imperial chambers. He is the only other person awake at this hour as Adon is deep asleep by his side.
I have always had a strong sixth sense, which means I get an awful gut feeling when something is happening and we are unaware of it. Sometimes it's awful enough to wake me up in the middle of the night. But this time I found the cause of my discomfort, and it's beyond appalling.
"I just met our mate outside. She is the worst form of shame that has ever befallen us," I inform in a sad tone.
"What?!" Adon exclaims despite having pretended to be deeply asleep.
"You heard me. She is not just a useless commoner but a weak human as well," I tell.
"That's ridiculous. It was probably a bad dream. How can a human commoner have gotten inside the walls of our palace?" Aitan says dismissively.
"She is one of the singers that came to compete for the chance to perform during our celebration. I could smell her scent from a hundreds yards away. But it could be a fake mate bond designed to fool us," I say.
"Fake bonds are a myth. If you're sure it wasn't a dream you had it will indeed be the worst form of shame for us," Tiras says in a worried voice.
The harsh truth is hard to accept. Despite all the powers and wealth we possess, a useless human is what was considered worthy of becoming our mate. Even the poorest of kings would laugh.
"Princess Andria is the mate we prayed for. It cannot be that we got a stinking human commoner instead," Aitan denies.
"Unfortunately it appears that we are that unlucky, brother. A pathetic human is what we got. We should figure out what to do with her before anyone learns of her existence," I say.
The mate bond will be an extreme disgrace to our good reputation if it is known to the public. And a human commoner is too useless to be worth the risk.
"Why not just kill it and hope that Princess Andria will be our second chance mate?" Adon suggests.
"And what happens when we end up with another human as our second chance mate? What if we never get the princess we deserve?" Tiras questions. "I am not objecting the death of the wretched human, but before we end her I would like to suggest a wiser way we could make use of that mate bond," he adds.
I wonder in what way he thinks we can take advantage of this misfortune. People say that Tiras is the wisest one of us. He might actually have a solution. If it were up to me I would suggest getting rid of the human as soon as possible, before she has a chance to tell anyone about the mate bond.
Ira's Pov
It's dawn and my heart is still pounding hard in fear of what may happen. Being the mate of the angel kings turns out to be a terrible misfortune. After many hours of contemplation, I have come to the conclusion that they might want to bury the truth that they have a human mate. They value their reputation above all things. So they might brand me as a witch just so they can rid of me easily and without the disgrace of admitting that I am their true mate.
They wish for a pretty princess, which makes me wonder why I was mated to them. Do I have anything of value that would make me useful to them? Obviously my missing father was mad to claim that our bloodline has the ability to control all dragons. That is the only thing that would be useful to the angel kings. But it is only Princess Andria that is known to have the charm to tame some.
If I had desired a mate, it would have been someone with a kind heart. Someone that finds me worthy of their genuine love. But for some reason I got the prideful and ruthless kings. I plan on rejecting them before they can declare me a witch.
Everyone stands when the servant who brought us here last night walks into the room. She wears the same stern expression.
"It is because of the infinite generosity of the kings that you will be provided with a healthy breakfast before they are ready to watch your performances. You will follow me to the servants dining area in the next building," she directs. "But the human that was outside last night will follow the assistant of the kings to the main palace," she adds.
My entire body quavers as everyone's curious gaze turns to stare at me. I am the only human in the room. And I am of course the only one that was out in the palace gardens last night. I wonder how different things could have gone if I had just stayed in bed.
The eyes of my fellow singers only shift away from me when a good-looking man in a black outfit and matching boots walks into the room. Is he the assistant of the kings? He must be as mean as them. He doesn't smile, but there is little warmth in his eyes.
"Where is she?" he asks the servant.
Eyes turn towards me again and I step forward slowly. He gazes at me for a long moment.
"Were you outside last night?" he asks after I halt a few steps away.
"Yes," I answer.
"Follow me," he orders and turns to head out.
I follow him out of the building and down the path that leads to the main palace. I am so terrified that my intestines feels like they are on fire. The man doesn't utter a word as he leads me down the spectacular hallways of the main palace. It's like a little heaven, with countless items made of pure gold or other precious stones. The angel kings are even richer than I imagined.
The assistant stops in front of heavy double doors made of steel and decorated with gold engravings. He knocks and the doors open from the inside. He gestures at me to follow inside. My jaw drops at what meets my eyes. Not the exquisite room whose floor is covered with mats of fur, but the three angels kings sitting on their golden thrones at the far head of the room.
It's like all the missing beauty of the world was put into them. Their stunning faces are identical, but their tastes in clothing are different. One is in a leather coat decorated with tiny chains of gold around the neck and shoulders. His hair rests freely on his back and shoulders. The other wears a white fur coat and matching boots. His hair is gathered in intricate braids that look more attractive than of any girl I have seen. The last is in robes of pure silk and his lengthy hair is gathered in just two, thick braids. He must be the one I met last night.
There is only one other thing in the room that equals their beauty, that is the hate in their eyes as they glare at me. The air is thick with their enchanting scents and they are lulling away most of my fear. Somehow I remember that ridiculous rule that I should kneel in their presence as a commoner.
I lower my gaze and kneel on the soft mats before they can find another reason to have me killed.
I had expected a priest to be present to confirm whether the mate bond is real, but the only people in the room are the three servants standing behind the throne of each King, the two soldiers guarding the doors and the assistant of the kings.
"A frail human in tatters. What a resounding insult to our royal bloodline!" the one at the centre exclaims in disgust.
My dress is a bit dull, but not torn at any spot. The angel must think that we all have time to braid our hair like a puzzle.
I am guessing that he is King Adon. Everyone has heard stories about the fanciest of all angel kings. That even a peacock cannot match his elegance. And looking at him now it seems like days were spent braiding his hair alone.