"Meribella, meet Raven Crest—my brother," Raze announced, making Meribella shake. His voice was calm as he introduced the tall figure standing near the couch. Meribella stared at Raven, offering no greeting but observing him as she swirled through her past memories.
'Is this the man Raze kidnapped me for?' she appalled trying to recall if she had ever seen him before. She found nothing in her memory.
Raven had dark hair, neck-length and slicked back with oil to keep every strand ideally in place. It didn't have that unkempt Greek look; instead, it was glossy and immaculate. His intriguing dark eyes seemed capable of digging deep into one's soul, revealing hidden secrets. He was tall, still shorter than Raze, and had an athletic physique. His fair complexion contrasted sharply with his hair colour. He wore tight black trousers that hugged his legs from the knee to the hip before flaring out loosely, paired with a long white shirt with a cravat.
Raven, on the other hand, bowed politely. "A pleasure, Meribella." He smiled at her politely, "If we may, kindly excuse us. I need to have an important word with my brother... Alone! Please, make yourself comfortable." With that, he turned and called out, "Durian!" Immediately, a woman emerged from the kitchen, dressed in a simple brown cotton one-piece cloth that hung loosely around her figure until it reached ankle length. A thin beaded circle graced her head. She had long dark hair and was a middle-aged woman.
"Yes, Master," she responded, first bowing to Raven, then she turned to bow to Raze. But then noticed a woman standing beside Raze in a bridal dress. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of him holding a woman's hand, yet she bowed to them both regardless, keeping her thoughts hidden.
"Make some lemonade and a few snacks for the lady. Make sure she is comfortable." Raven instructed. "Lord Azkariel and I will be in the study."
Durian nodded, offering Meribella a warm smile. It was kind yet guarded tinged with curiosity. She gestured for her to sit before both Raven and Raze disappeared down the hallway, and Meribella was left flabbergasted.
Once the brothers were alone in the study, Raven turned to Raze with worry marring his features while Raze looked calm. "Wasn't she supposed to be married to Crown Prince Edwyn yesterday? What's she doing here?" He could hardly fathom Meribella's presence at their house when she was supposed to be on the way to Frosthearth with the Crown Prince.
Raze's tone remained even as he sat down, "I received her last letter stating she wanted to run away from the wedding. And... she also invited me to the wedding."
Raven's eyes widened in surprise. He definitely thought there was some misunderstanding, and he was sure Raze misinterpreted the contents of the letter.
"Why would she run away from a marriage she had been preparing for? It was her dream. Are you sure you didn't misunderstand what she wrote?" Raven glanced at the door, clearly concerned for Meribella. "Seriously, Raze. It is quite the romantic leap you have taken." Hearing the last sarcastic comment from Raven, Raze's eyes narrowed on him.
"Who told you it was her dream?" Raze asked quietly. He did not remember Raven meeting her ever before. He wondered why he was talking about Meribella as if he was familiar with her.
Raven exhaled deeply, imagining all that Meribella must have endured until now. It was time to share everything, even though he wished he had never been placed in this situation; however, he had no other option. He needed to come clean about his actions. "Raze, I apologize. But I read all her letters—and I hid some before you ever had the chance to see them." He settled into the couch across from Raze, his hand moving to rub his forehead.
This confession struck Raze like a blow. However, the calmness on his face remained unwavering. "What do you mean, you hid some letters?" His voice turned grimly.
"The ones where she mentioned Edwyn and her dreams about marrying him," Raven admitted with guilt plain on his face. "I thought if you saw how important Edwyn was to her...you would stop writing her altogether. And you… Well, you appeared to take pleasure in reading her letters. So... I wanted that bond to persist. And I occasionally responded to her on your behalf for those letters, which I kept hidden from you, telling her that you could write with both hands. This way, she would not question who authored the letter. But I could never have imagined you would end up… kidnapping her."
For a few second Raze remained silent as his eyes narrowed on Raven.
"Are you really that fool? Did you think I would care if she liked someone else, Raven?"
"I thought you had a soft spot for her," Raven whispered. "You even held her hand and gave her your cloak. That's not something you do lightly."
"Are you trying to justify your meddling with my letters?" Raze furrowed his brows slightly, glaring at his brother.
Raven's shoulders slumped as he shook his head. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it would create a misunderstanding and you would go so far as to bring her here. Are you going to send her back now?"
With that question, silence settled between them. Raze thought of Meribella's reaction throughout the journey, her confusion, her anger, and her repeated claims of wanting to return to Edwyn. This would not have happened if Raven had not hidden those letters from him. And why did Meribella write him a letter saying she was scared about her wedding with Edwyn?
Raze recalled the words he had read in Meribella's letter, the one where she expressed her doubts and fears about marrying Crown Prince Edwyn. She had written about how overwhelmed she felt and how part of her wished she could marry a simple man who wouldn't carry such a heavy burden of responsibilities and high expectations. She was scared, nervous—uncertain if she could go through with such a grand and demanding marriage.
And yet, after all that, she spoke passionately about returning to Edwyn's side. He did not understand what had changed and why she wanted to marry him all of a sudden. He had been thinking about this for a while. Now he understood why.
"Raze," Raven called, pulling his brother out of his thoughts. "What do you plan to do now? Are you going to send her back to Crimson Crown?" He asked again.
Raven was concerned for Meribella. This wasn't just any kingdom they were discussing. It was the Crimson Crown, ruled by the Tyrant King. If Raze sent Meribella back, she would likely face a grim fate at the hands of King Godric. Raven could hardly bear the thought of her suffering or, worse, dying because of misunderstanding.
Raze stood and walked to the window, which faced the backyard of the house. "I don't know," he confessed. "I brought her here…thought I was saving her from a fate she didn't want. But—" He paused, pressing his lips into a thin line as if wrestling with words he rarely used. "But now, everything was nothing but a huge mistake." His dark lashes half-lowered as his gaze drifted to Raven. "I told her she will become your bride," he murmured. It was more an admission than a command, but the effect was no less jarring.
Raven's eyes widened. Disbelief flickered there, quickly kindling into exasperation. "Marry me?" he repeated, he stood in shock. "Raze, you can't just…decide someone's fate at your convenience. Do you think she'll just accept this arrangement?" Of course, Raze knew she was anything but pleased. She had already refused his proposal. Raven continued, "Besides, how could you be all right with it after going to such lengths to take her from Crimson Crown?"
For a moment, Raze's face was unreadable, as though carved from ice. "She wrote about wanting freedom and escaping the burdens of becoming crown princess. I…thought I was giving her that."
Raven's hands clenched at his sides, torn between pity for his brother and anger at his cold logic. He shot Raze a sharp look. "You claim you feel nothing," Raven said, each word clipped, "and that you don't understand emotions. Yet look at everything you've done for Meribella." He let out a mirthless laugh. "If you truly felt nothing, you wouldn't risk inciting King Godric's wrath just to take her away. You know what kind of monster he is. You know that, right? They will either lure us out of Ravencrest or bring their army here."
Raven moved to stand beside Raze, both of them looking out the window at the fading light. He stuffed his hands in his pockets to steady himself, then turned again to examine his brother's face. "Don't tell me you didn't realize what you were getting into when you crashed that wedding," he said, eyeing him suspiciously.
"I am thinking of introducing you to Crimson Crown, the real culprit for all the confusion." Without changing his expression, Raze asked, "What do you think, Raven?"
Raven frowned slightly before clearing his throat. "I'm your brother; you can't do that."
Raze's eyes flickered for a moment before they cooled to their usual flat calm. "Perhaps I should have stayed away from human affairs altogether," he replied, his voice low and as emotionless as ever. "It would have been…simpler."
A crisp knock on the door broke through the tension.
"Enter," Raze commanded.
The door swung open to reveal Durian, who stood there trembling, eyes darting as though seeking a place to hide. "My lord," he began shakily, "the lady is not in the house. I—I searched everywhere, but I can't find her."
Hearing this, Raze's expression remained unfazed, though Raven looked tensed. Before Raze could move toward the door, Raven placed a hand against his shoulder, stopping him.
"Leave this to me," Raven said briskly. "I'll bring her back."
No sooner had those words left his lips than Raven transformed into shadow and feathers. In the blink of an eye, he became a sleek raven. He swept past the windowsill and vanished into the sky beyond.
Durian lingered, wringing her hands as if unsure whether to stay or flee. But Raze offered no further instructions, only a chilling silence that underscored his unreadable gaze. At that moment, he looked more like a statue than a man, standing against the arch window.
Somewhere far from Raze's house, Meribella was out on her own.
"Where did you find the strength to run away after being starved and tormented all day?" Raze muttered under his breath as he stared out at the backyard.