Mated To The Cruel Prince

"She’s back!"

A Fae ran into the servant quarters with the piece of information causing all eyes to turn in their direction. And that included Lizy. The servant Fae did not need to guess who her coworker was talking about, it was the human Islinda and the prince Aldric, the dark Fae.

The couples were all everyone could talk about since nothing extraordinary happened in the castle, except petty fights and arguments between servants which occurred once in a while. They often kept the castle running during Prince Aldric’s absence, although the number of staff was usually cut down and more were employed after his return. She was one of them.

Although Lizy appeared not to be interested in whatever gossip the Fae came with, the truth was that her attention was not on the book she was reading and her pointed ears perked up to gather more information – for Queen Victoria.

Even if Lizy didn’t want to, the rumors would reach her ears anyway since their voices were loud and there was little privacy in the sleeping quarters. It was usually the low Faerie taking up menial tasks like this one, to try to make up for their low magical talent and poor background.

As a strong Faerie, even if from a poor background, there were higher chances of a Fae succeeding since Astaria honors the powerful and there were better-suited positions with high rewards for such talents especially in the King’s army. Sadly, low Fae like her from poor backgrounds scrambled to get their hands on anything. In other words, whether in the human realm or the Fae realm, power and money still brought about a division of classes. There was still a great distinction between the poor and the rich. The great and small.

Lizy had worked for some noble Fae and she had to admit that their living quarters in Aldric’s castle were better than most. Usually, the servant’s sleeping quarters were small and crowded. It would be located on the lower levels of the castle, far from the grandiose rooms of the lords and nobles. Poor lighting with little ventilation, the rooms were usually cold and drafty, especially during the winter months, and basic wooden beds were shared by multiple servants. Despite the uncomfortable living conditions, the servants would have been grateful for the shelter and protection that the noble Fae provided.

However, that was not the case at Aldric’s castle. The room was so huge and spacious, the servants had extra spaces to keep their things and not breathe each other’s farts. Although it was still basic, designed to be functional and practical rather than luxurious, with minimal furnishings and décor. That was understanding since they were here to work, not laze around, nor were they a "guest" like Islinda.

The room still lacked natural light since it was located in the basement, with low ceilings and small windows to maximize insulation during the winter session. And while Lizy was not comfortable with sharing the room with multiple servants, it was better than others. After all, she had a bed, a small table, and a stool for sitting. That was enough luxury.

"You should have seen the both of them together," The gossip started, "The moment their carriage arrived at the castle, Prince Aldric stepped out and opened the carriage door for her. He as well, gave her his hand and helped her climb out of the carriage. It was so romantic!" The Fae swooned, her hand on her chest while the other Faeries gathered around her and watched with the same fascination in their eyes.

"I mean, how can a dark Fae be so romantic? Didn’t they say that they’re demon’s spawn and are monsters?" One of the Fae servants asked, confused by Aldric’s odd behavior.

Another one scoffed, "Don’t be fooled by appearances, we’ve already had moments with the dark Fae prince and seen the monster lurking inside of him. He just seems to cover it up well."

"Exactly," Another concurred, "I couldn’t forget that time in the marketplace he had broken a Fae’s hand who had refused to sell to him. We have good reasons to resent his kind, they are dark and twisted from the inside."

"And let’s not forget his horse. I can’t help but feel like there’s something off about that stallion and it might as well be crossbred with dark Fae powers which is why the both of them work so well. I mean, that creature gives me goosebumps. The other day I was unlucky enough to clean its stall, and let me tell you, I felt its eyes on me the entire time. There was this eerie intelligence in its eyes and I could tell it was looking for ways to stomp me to death," The Fae servant recalled the experience with a shudder.

The previous Fae sighed," If that is the case, then I pity the human. I mean, Prince Aldric captured her from the human realm, and for all we know, he might be blackmailing her into dating him. Their relationship might not be as romantic or consensual as we think. What does even a dark Fae idea of romance mean?"

"He kidnapped her, that doesn’t sound consensual to me." argued the second Fae.

Another Fae chirped in, rolling her eyes upward and saying with a condescending tone, "Oh please? Why worry about the human when we don’t see her complaining? I heard rumors that Prince Aldric is a prowess in bed, which is no wonder she looks comfortable in her situation. I mean, if I were in her situation, I would take my own life before letting him place a hand on me!"

The Fae who started the gossip let out a naughty laugh," You just said it all, Prince Aldric is prowess in bed. " She hinted that the human Islinda was addicted to the dark Fae prince’s bedding expertise; she couldn’t leave him even if she wanted to.

At once, all five Faeries who were gathered around each other burst into knowing laughter while Lizy rolled her eyes, wishing Aurelia could see this and assign more duties to them.

A female Fae laughed so hard, tears slipped from her eyes yet still managed to ask, "I’m curious though, what’s so special about Prince Aldric’s dick. I mean is it....." She trailed off intentionally, fisting her hand and the others laughed a second time, understanding the gesture.

Lizy shook her head at this point, they really had nothing productive to do. Unfortunately, the gossip did not end there. To make it worse, the rest of the Fae in the room who had been minding their business initially joined them, curious to hear the juicy information.

"Wait a minute, is it that huge?" One of the new Faerie inquired, her gaze filled with burning curiosity.

"Of course, It is." One of them affirmed, "I do clean up Prince Aldric’s room, and once I stumbled into him rousing from sleep. He slept naked and when he stood up, his arousal was staring me right in the face. It was so huge that it startled me!" She described theatrically, the Faeries surrounding her held in suspense.

"What happened next?" Another Fae inquired, on edge.

"He simply winked at me and left for the restroom."

"Ahh!" Screams and squeals echoed across the room as the females were awed and shocked by the encounter.

"Could you keep it down?!" Lizy had no choice but to scold them this time. They were not the only ones using this room and their dirty gossip was beginning to get on their nerves - even though it was oddly interesting. It was weird and felt perverted, objectifying someone like that, even if it were a dark one. Prince Aldric still deserved respect.

Unfortunately, Lizy was outnumbered, and pretty much everyone in the room was interested in the gossip, so she was ignored.

"What a shame though. Rosalind would have been in a better position to describe her experience with the prince, even though Lady Islinda has taken over her spot. She must miss those good times!" The Fae berated Rosalind on purpose.

"Indeed, I would be in a better position to describe the experience, Miramar." A familiar voice spoke out and the Faeries turned around, their eyes widening in shock and embarrassment when they realized that Rosalind was standing right behind them. She must have come in at the last minute and heard the conversation.

"Rosalind.... " The Fae called Marimar jolted up to her feet, guilt flashing across her features as the weight of her words dawned on her, "I–I I...." She stammered, unable to come up with an excuse.

Rosalind turned from her indifferently, her cold gaze roving across the other Faeries who couldn’t meet her eyes, embarrassed.

She announced, "Lady Islinda would not need your help settling in for the night, so have a nice sleep. It will be hectic tomorrow." The dark promise in Rosalind’s tone proved the Faeries would not be going scot-free the next day.

Lizy laughed inwardly, thanking the gods she did not join them, although she prayed Rosalind wasn’t petty enough to make this a mass punishment. After Aurelia, she was the second in the hierarchy and a female deserted by her lover was not to be trifled with.