Heart of Darkness

Angelica lay in bed turning back and forth. She couldn't believe what just happened. Perhaps she never believed he would agree to marry her which was why she was so shocked. 

Oh, Lord! He agreed to marry her! 

Panic set it. Why? What did that mean? What was the benefit for him? But also what should she do? What would happen now? 

Calming herself with a deep breath, she closed her eyes. It was what she wanted so why was she panicking? She turned in bed and curled under the blanket. If she became Lord Rayven's wife what would she be called? He had no last name, so would she be called Lady Rayven? 

She chuckled. It sounded absurd yet she liked it. Having the name Rayven, she would finally be able to leave and go out without any fear of people hurting her or harassing her. Who would dare? As his maid, she wouldn't have that freedom. Still, for some odd reason, thinking of becoming his wife made her chest heavy with guilt. 

All the benefits that would come with marrying him, she couldn't rejoice at. If she married him, she would become more than a prostitute. It would elevate her position and people would have to treat her like a lady. But for Lord Rayven, it would be the opposite. People would pity him and laugh at him. All because of her. 

Angelica clenched her hands into fists thinking about it. He must know this, so why did he agree to marry her? She would have to ask him the real reason. 

Then she thought of William. This marriage would be good for her brother. The monster he spoke about must have been Lord Rayven if this was happening. But why did he call him a monster? 

Angelica kept thinking for almost the rest of the night. She kept imagining herself as a married woman, spending her days and nights with Lord Rayven just to get used to the idea beforehand. But it seemed like she wouldn't get used to it so easily. The thought alone sent shivers down her spine and made her heart race. 

Forcing herself to fall asleep she finally succeeded. When she woke up, it was still dark but someone was in her room. 

She saw the shadow of a tall man, nearing. 

"Lord Rayven?" 

When he stepped out of the shadow, she could see that it was indeed him. What was he doing here? 

"I couldn't sleep." He spoke with his dark husky voice. "May I sleep next to you?" 

Angelica's eyes widened and she blinked a few times. 

"Don't be shy," he said reaching for her face. His cold fingers left a trace of heat down her cheek. "We are getting married. Soon you will be my wife." 

His fingers traveled down her neck, chest and then he grabbed the blanket that covered her. He lifted it and she moved to make a place for him before he got under it and lay next to her. Angelica moved close to him and put one arm around his waist and held onto him. She then closed her eyes. This felt so good. 

When she opened her eyes again she found herself hugging her pillow tightly. At first, she was confused, and then she realized that she had a dream about sleeping next to Lord Rayven and hugging him instead of the pillow. Shocked she almost threw the pillow off the bed. 

Why would she have such a dream? Had she lost her mind? 

Quickly she got out of bed and went to look herself in the mirror. She needed to change from this dirty dress and comb her hair. A bath would be good but she had no other clothes. 

Leaving her room she went to the backyard to fetch some water. She washed her arms, legs, and face. She rinsed her mouth and wet her hair so she could comb it with her fingers. Then she went to make breakfast. Even though Lord Rayven had told her not to call him, she still decided to put the breakfast on the table in case he changed his mind. As she was working she would hear his words from her dream. 

'Don't be shy.' 

'Soon you will be my wife.' 

His wife? She would be Lord Rayven's wife. She would be the Dark Lord's wife. 

Her heart skipped a beat. Everything would be fine. There was no reason to be so… so what? She didn't even know what she was going through. 

At the table, she sat waiting for him, but he didn't show up. Angelica went ahead and ate alone then washed the dishes. 

If she couldn't clean then what was she supposed to do now? She thought of going to the library but then realized it was on his side of the castle. The side where she was forbidden to go to. 

This was cruelty. She needed to read. It would be a waste if those books only gathered more dust. He couldn't possibly know exactly where she was. The castle was huge so maybe she could sneak into the library and read in some hidden corner. 

Watching her surroundings, she tiptoed to the library like a thief. Once she arrived she quickly grabbed a book from the same shelf as before and went to sit in a hidden corner before starting to read. 

It was a history book again. It was about the times when Empires existed. The history of the Obelium Empire and the rule of their cruel Emperor Pavlos Cessuis, followed by an even worse time when his son Demos took over the rule. 

Pavlos was crowned king at the age of fourteen and by the age of seventeen, he had established an Empire and given himself the title Emperor. He also called himself God and demanded to be worshipped by his people. While his people were starving, he built himself a gold throne and several gold statues around the Empire. 

It was said that he was immortal and ruled as Emperor for over three hundred years. People called him the God of destruction and worshipped him in fear of him destroying the world and bringing about the end. 

But his end came before the end of the world when his son Demos killed him to be the next Emperor. It was also said that Demos killed his mother, the Empress as well because of her loyalty to his father. And then times even worse than those of his father's rule began. 

Demos was even crueler than his father. He emptied the court of all men that were supporting his father and built a new court that was only loyal to him. 

The stories of his plunder, exploitations, and killings made her eyes widen. There were also stories of how many groups against his rule tried to kill him but never succeeded. The people hated him as a ruler but no one dared to say as much as a word because no one dared to go against a God. 

Angelica became thoughtful. This sounded like the times when people believed in several Gods looking like humans and living on earth among them. 

Well, she was glad she didn't live in that time and place. Those Emperors thinking they were Gods were the worst. Just as she was about to close the book she saw a pair of tall legs out of the corner of her eye. Before she could look up, a hand grasped her arm and forced her out of the chair where she was seated. Angelica gasped as she dropped the book and found her face inches away from Lord Rayven's. 

'Now tell me, Angel.' She heard his voice in her head and this whole situation felt familiar. Being pulled out of the chair and looking closely into his obsidian eyes. 

"Do you ever listen?" He asked with annoyance. 

"I did not mean to disobey you. I just… I had nothing to do." She said. 

He did not avoid looking at her this time. In fact, his eyes searched her whole face and lingered on a wet strand of her hair that fell near her eye. To her surprise, he gently removed the strand of hair out of her face with a finger without touching her skin. Angelica felt her heart acting strangely inside her chest. 

"Did you think some more about the marriage?" He asked. 

'Soon you will be my wife.' Why did that keep repeating in her head? 

Angelica swallowed. "Yes. I still haven't changed my mind." 

"Good." He said his voice low, causing her to shiver for some odd reason. 

"What are the benefits to you?" She asked. 

"You will know in time." He told her. 

For a short moment, they just looked into each other's eyes before he released her and took a few steps back. He looked at the book that she had dropped and leaned down to pick it up. 

"What did you think of the Emperors Pavlos and Demos?" He asked. 

"Did they really rule for that long?"

"Yes." 

"But no human lives that long. You don't believe in Gods?" She asked. 

A smirk curved his lips. "They were not Gods but they were not humans either." 

"Then what were they?" She became curious to know his answer. 

"They were immortal creatures." He said. 

So he believed such creatures existed. 

"How do you know?"

"I know a lot about this family. They are like my family." He said. 

"I hope not. These men were cruel." She frowned. 

He chuckled. 

Was his family really like that? Did they mistreat him? Was that why he was like this? Full of hate. 

"Only half the cruelty is written here. Emperor Demos killed all of his half-brothers and all of his cousins after killing his father. Then he married his sister off to a cruel ruler for alliance and she killed herself two days after the marriage. His mother…" His eyes darkened. "She knew her time would come. She knew the cruelty of her son. To release him from the sin of killing his own mother and from the pain of having her son kill her, she killed herself. Before she died in his arms, she told him a cruel fate awaited him and he would pay for all of his sins." 

Angelica listened carefully and the way he spoke about it, as if he was there, as if he was Demos, confused her. 

"How do you know all that?" she asked. 

"That is a secret." He told her handing her the book. "You can use the library but nowhere else in this quarter." 

She nodded. "Thank you."

"I will arrange for the preparation of our marriage." He said and her heart skipped a beat. 

He narrowed his eyes. "Is there anyone you would like to invite?" 

"I would wish for my brother to be there." She said. 

"I'll arrange for that. Anyone else?" 

"I have no one else, My Lord."