The Bride of the Immortal (37 page)

Mairin started to shake and he caught her when her legs gave in. Once she had regained the control of her own body she immediately stepped away from him.

Adrijan pursed his lips without taking much notice of it and left Mairin alone to attend to his unpleasant duty of telling the house keeper that her mistress had passed away.

Afterwards he would deliver the old woman’s generous donation to the nearest church and take Mairin back to
Mondstein
castle, where she belonged.

“Ah, finally the lovebirds have returned,” Vivian bantered them. Adrijan glared at him while Mairin simply ignored what he had said. Quite aggressively she trudged over to him and mumbled without looking at him, “I accept.”

“Hold on. You accept wha-? “ Before he could finish his sentence she had already left.

“What’s going on?”

Vivian repeatedly blinked, wondering if he was dreaming.

“She’s going to marry you, Viv,” his brother explained.

“Ah. Alright,” Vivian mumbled. “Wait… what?”

Adrijan shrugged. “I’m in no mood to explain.”

He followed Mairin’s example and the immortal was left behind in the entrance hall, scratching his head about what had occurred outside the walls of
Mondstein
castle.

Despite the amount of servants that accompanied them, it was Vivian who opened the door of her carriage and supported her as she awkwardly tried to find the first step with her foot. The weight of her cloak, gown and petticoat as well as the tightly fitted corset complicated the process and if the master of
Mondstein
castle hadn’t adjusted his grip at the right moment, she would have slipped and without a doubt become the laughing stock of
Traumstadt
.

Vivian encouraged her with a smile and led her through the swirling snowflakes towards the first inn, where they were to meet part of the townsfolk.

Mairin pulled her cloak together with her free hand, trying to keep out the freezing cold. Icy wind tore at her clothes and swept defenceless snowflakes over the street, sometimes whirling them into the air and making them eerily look like forlorn souls that were roaming the pathways of the artificial town. The temperature had declined far beyond the freezing point and Mairin realised that she had never before experienced snowfall during a cold spell like this.

Between the specks of white, Adrijan’s hair flickered like a flame of blood. He entered the inn before them to announce the immortal and his bride.

“The immortal, ruler of
Traumstadt
and master of
Mondstein
castle, his majesty Vivian Anfarwol and his bride, her ladyship Mairin Muriel.”

Vivian led her through the entrance, leaving her no time to be surprised about the way she had been introduced to the crowd. The commoners bowed obediently before the important guests and soon the room was filled with music, chatting and laughter.

As instructed Mairin had handed out Christmas presents to the children. There had been nothing to complain about regarding her behaviour but Vivian had noticed that her cheerfulness hadn’t been thoroughly authentic.

He was still wondering what had happened between her and Adrijan and more than ever he was determined to find out what was keeping them apart. For now though, he had set different priorities. There had neither been revolts nor assassination attempts and the carefully supervised security flaws that had been meant to lure out their enemy had not been made use of. Adrijan had always stayed close and Vivian hadn’t been worried about his own safety but nearing their final destination, he was faced with thoughts about the possible danger of his plan.

Mairin couldn’t believe that she was back in Sunflower Garden. This time everything was different though. This time the grand hall had been decorated in Vivian’s and her honour.

In midst of all the grandeur
Traumstadt’s
elite had gathered to see the legendary immortal and his fortunate bride. Vivian looked regal and stunningly handsome like always – today in a Victorian outfit – and there was no sign that he minded being stared at. Mairin assumed that if she had been perfect like him, she wouldn’t have cared about being the centre of attention either. Unfortunately she was in her own skin and also in the less likable position – if looks truly had been able to kill she would have already lost her life in the first of the six inns they had visited. Although it had unsettled her, it hadn’t been respect and awe that had exhausted her this much – it had been the envy and the hate she had been certain to sense wherever they had gone.

Despite her previous home being their last stop, she hadn’t been able to get accustomed to the procedure. To make matters worse, the people present were of high social standing and therefore more difficult to impress.

“Can I… just hide?” she whispered. Their arms were linked and she awkwardly moved closer to her groom.

Vivian gave her a smile and put his gloved hand on hers.

“Relax,
princesse
. You look amazingly beautiful in this flowing crème coloured dream of a gown.”

The warmth of Vivian’s hand felt nice. Why was it, that he always knew what to do and what to say?

“Your dress is simple yet exquisite and will most likely set a new trend. Moreover it puts accents to your figure where it should – and if I may say so, gaining a little bit of weight has only made you look more alluring.”

Mairin blushed but the immortal wasn’t finished yet.

“I’m certain many of these girls admire you and would kill to have curly hair like yours. Raise your chin and face them properly like the queen you’re going to be. Be aware that you are the fairest and richest woman in Sunflower Garden. You’re not wearing jewellery worth half of
Traumstadt
for nothing.”

She had already suspected that she was wearing expensive jewellery but after being told their worth Mairin had to suppress the thought that it was wasted on her.

“If you’re still not convinced, then be at least proud that you’ve been chosen by Adrijan
and
by me – and telling from the looks of the gentlemen in this grand hall, we’re not the only ones. You didn’t think they were staring at me, right?”

Mairin felt her cheeks burn. Why had Adrijan never told her something like- No.

No, it was over.

“Thank you,” she said in a low voice and tried to face the crowd with newly gained self-confidence.

“Will you come with me for a moment?” It cost Adrijan quite an effort to ask this simple question.

Mairin indecisively gazed at Vivian, as if she were asking her future husband for permission. The master of
Mondstein
castle nodded encouragingly and finally she turned to follow Adrijan.

Mairin kept her distance and as they proceeded through the hall, she repeatedly gazed over her shoulder at the immortal. It seemed that his brother was able to support her better than him after all.

“Where are you taking me?” she quietly asked.

They had already arrived at their destination and stood in front of Mairin’s sister Renga, so that an answer seemed unnecessary. Adrijan inconspicuously retreated to watch the scene from the shadows.

Renga’s eyes had widened in surprise and a moment after she fell into her arms.

“Mairin! It’s really you!”

“Sister… “ Mairin gently pushed her away and tried to recover her breath. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“I was appointed as Sunflower Garden’s headmistress half a year ago,” Renga explained. “Oh, Mairin, I wish you had such a good life as we had. I’m ashamed to tell you but once you had been chosen by the immortal everything changed for the better. I’m just surprised that you haven’t gotten married yet.”

Renga’s words made her feel bitter but she was grateful to Adrijan for the longed for opportunity to talk to her nonetheless. Mairin wanted to thank him for overlooking part of the contract she had made when she hadn’t been much more than a child but to her surprise he hadn’t remained by her side. Where had Adrijan gone?

“Sister? Who are you looking for? Your charming husband-to-be is over there.”