After school, Valerie is waiting for Tyson. She wanted to make him understand that it is not safe for him to do what he is trying to do. She will make sure that he understands the fact that she will not come anywhere with him and she prefers to stay in the Raven palace. She is tensed. She has a bad feeling that he would find out about this and punish her. She is scared, but she doesn't want Tyson to get in trouble because of her.
Tyson saw Valarie waiting for him near the parking lot. He was thinking that she might not show up. But to his relief, she came.
"Valerie, let's go," he said and began to lead her towards his car.
Valerie looked at Tyson with panic. The parking lot is almost empty as everyone else left for the day.
"No, Prince Tyson, stop," she said and try to dig her feet into the ground. But he is not ready to listen to her anymore. He is done watching her suffer every day.
"No, this will end today. I cannot watch like a silent spectator while everyone is bullying you and intentionally hurting you. You are coming with me" he said firmly and pulled her with more force. She stumbled but managed to pull her hand out of his death grip.
Valarie is now beyond scared. Even if Tyson could protect her from the other kids, she is sure he cannot protect her from Him. There is no way he would let her go easily. She always sees the hatred and loathing in his eyes when he is looking at her. Why wouldn't he hate her when she is the reason why his mother is now paralyzed?
Moreover, she cannot leave the Raven palace until the Queen recovers.
Tyson is angry now. He tried to grab her hand again, but she moved back and out of his reach.
"Are you insane? What is wrong with you? Do you want to suffer even more? No one is treating you like a person here. They are using you as a punching bag. Do you like to be called a slave this much? He will kill you sooner or later" he yelled angrily.
Valerie is quiet. Everything he said is true. But still, she didn't make any move to go with Tyson, which frustrated him. He groaned and looked at the sky.
"Why? Why are you so reluctant to leave him? Is it because he is handsome? Now don't tell me you fell for him too. He is a devil in disguise, Valerie. You are nothing but a slave to him" he said feeling jealous and confused about her refusal to leave the Raven prince.
They both did not notice that Raphael is listening to their conversation. He was there from the beginning. He thought of teaching a lesson to Tyson, but when he saw how much fight Valarie is putting up, he became curious.
'Now what game is she playing?' he wondered.
He abandoned his car and slowly walked closer to the couple.
Valerie couldn't help but laugh at the prospect of her falling for the Raven prince.
"I am not an idiot Prince Tyson. The only thing I feel when I look at him is fear. And the only thing I see in his eyes for me is hatred. I know I am just his slave. But still, I can't leave the palace" she said with honesty.
Raphael is taken aback by the raw honesty ringing in her voice. She aptly described their relationship. Fear and hate, that is what there is between them. Nothing more, and nothing less.
She got his attention with her words. She never speaks in front of him, ever. He punishes her and she takes it. But never opened her mouth to protest. He is curious to know why. So he stood there silently listening to them.
Tyson is shocked by her confession. His eyes have gone soft.
"Then why? Why are you so adamant to stay here and suffer?" he asked her. He wanted to know what is stopping her from leaving.
Her eyes welled up with tears when the events of the night flashed in front of her eyes.
"Because I deserve everything I am being subjected to" she whispered, which shocked Tyson and even Raphael.
Out of everything the Raven prince was expecting her to tell Tyson, this was not the one. The wind picked up, pushing her curls partly out of her face. He saw guilt and pain in the depths of her eyes, taking him by shock.
'What is this? Why does she have to look so vulnerable and honest? What is she guilty about? Did she really try to kill my mother? She always refused it. But why did she tell Tyson that she deserves the torment she is being subjected to? Who is she? What happened that night? Am I wrong about her? But I saw her pulling that sword out of my mother's body. Is she playing a game?' his mind began to whirl with confusion.
"What? What are you talking about? No one deserves that. I know you are a very good girl. You are simply trying to make me hate you" Tyson argued.
Valarie laughed bitterly and wiped her tears away with the back of her hands.
"You know nothing about me, Prince Tyson. I am not what meets the eye. I am being honest with you. Just let me be. You are a good person. I am just making sure that you wouldn't get into any trouble because of me. Don't try this again. It would be better if you stay away from me" she said firmly.
Despite her words, she is feeling sad that she would lose the only friend she ever had in her life.
Tyson is at a loss for words. Numbly he watched her walk out of the parking lot.
'You know nothing about me 'Raphael kept thinking about what Valerie has said to Tyson Nester. Not only Tyson, no one knows anything about her. She is a mystery. She appeared out of thin air and he found her pulling a poisoned saber out of his mother's stomach. He can never forget that day, which changed everything for him. He was supposed to take the Raven crown. But after what happened to his mother, he refused to sit on that throne until she recovers. But as the days passed by and Valerie refused to tell about what happened that night, his anger and resentment towards her increased to the point where he began to hate her. Despite what his mind thinking against her, he became obsessed with her. What she does, whom she talks to, what she eats, what she wears, he took control of everything.'I deserve everything 'He rubbed his face feeling frustrated."What do you mean by that? Did you hurt my mother intentionally and regret it now? But what about when you refused my claims when i a
Valerie is feeling helpless. No one is allowing her inside. She tried every small establishment, and she begged for jobs. Forget about listening to what she was saying, they took one look at her and the opal pendant hanging around her neck and literally pushed her away from their premises. They all know that she belongs to the Raven Prince, so no one is interested to take her in. Taking her in is equal to insulting the prince, which no one would do. As the slave of the Raven prince, her place is inside the palace or death. She cannot go anywhere else with that pendant still hanging around her neck. As the darkness descends, she was left alone on the streets without food or water. No one in Windsor is even allowed to sleep on the streets. Slowly she moved out of Windsor and decided to rest in the nearby woods for the night. She cannot do anything but that. As she is so tired, she took a closer path. This patch of woods cuts across the urban and rural parts of the place. 'What is she
The next morning, Valerie woke up feeling fresh and with a beautiful smile on her face. The chirping of the birds, the soft breeze kissing her, the soft rays of the sun gifting her a new day. She looked around the forest feeling so relaxed and peaceful. She use to carry the weight of what happened that night in her heart. The guilt and the sadness refused to leave her, no matter wherever she is. But now, she is finally free of her guilt as the queen recovered and she is finally free from the heavy shackles of her past. Valerie doesn't have a penny to her name, nor does she have a plan of action to survive. She also knows that she might not get a job or a place to stay until she has that pendant around her neck. She touched that pendant with her fingers. An image of Raphael popped into her mind, which made her shudder with fear. She took a choppy breath. "I am glad that her highness queen Irina recovered Prince Raven. I am not angry about how you treated me. Because I can understand
"So you are not his slave anymore?" Tyson asked with shock. After looking at how beautiful she is, he couldn't believe that Raphael let her go easily. They are sitting in front of the small but that she built for herself. She is looking at the small fire in front of her. As the sun has gone down, the cold breeze began to blow, which made her shiver. Tyson easily lit a fire using his dragon breath. The dried twigs began to burn, slowly spreading warmth and chasing away the coldness. Valerie sighed heavily and shook her head. Oddly she is feeling an uncomfortable twitch in her heart knowing that she might never see Prince Raven again. Tyson on the other hand is happy. He is meddling with the bonfire in the middle. His back is facing her, so she missed the smile on his face. But Raphael didn't. "I am glad that you got rid of him" he muttered. Valarie smiled. "It's more like the other way around. He got rid of me" she whispered sadly. Her statement shocked both men. Tyson turned h
By the time Tyson came back with water, he did not find Valerie anywhere. But he did not search for her, because he could feel the raw power still pulsing in the air, which made the fine hair on his body raise. He understood where she has gone. "Why did he send her away and now why did he take her back? This Raven prince is a mystery. Princess Tasha is vying for his attention for as long as i began to notice girls. But he barely looks at her. So many other women who are beautiful and who come from rich and powerful backgrounds are ready to jump into his bed if he snaps his finger at them. But here he is, running after a nobody like Valerie. He is her tormentor and her protector. I wish that she is safe" he thought out loud. Tyson is jealous of Raphael, who has what he wants. In the Raven Palace, "What happened to her?" Raphael asked the healer who is checking Valerie. The royal healer is one among the very few people who know why Valerie is taken as a slave by the Raven prince.
In the Raven palace, Raphael pricked queen Irina's index finger with a needle which is dipped in Valerie's blood. Quietly Irina looked at her son. She doesn't know what he is doing, but she is sure whatever it is, he is doing something to help her recover. But she is a little surprised at his act. It is the dead of the night and there is no one in the room except for them. He sent the maids out of the room, claiming that he wanted to be alone with his mother for a while.Raphael on the other hand waited anxiously for something to happen. He looked at his mother's finger, eagerly waiting. But nothing happened. It remained as still as it was before.He became depressed. He met his mother's curious gaze."That needle is bathed in Valerie's blood. She said that her blood has some kind of magic. I thought of trying it " he confessed.He saw the shock in her eyes, which made him smile sadly."I know mother. I am not someone who would believe in all this. But I can not lose you too. I alread
"Do you know anything about him?" Raphael inquired Valerie.She shook her head gently."He always used to hide in the shadows. He made me call him as 'Master '. For as long as I can remember, he is the only person I have spoken with. I heard a few voices but never saw anyone. I am sorry" she whispered softly feeling sad that she couldn't help him.Raphael closed his eyes tightly. The small glimpse of the life she has been living until she escaped is making him angry. He wanted to catch whoever this man is and kill him for trying to kill his mother and kidnapping Valerie."Is Valerie your real name?" he asked her softly.She never thought about that."I don't know. He always called me as Valerie" she confessed.Raphael is feeling like an asshole. He let his anger rule his actions. He wanted to punish her for hurting the only person he loves. "Come and sleep now," he told her offhandedly. So many things are running through his mind, and he is feeling restless. He is snapped out of his
"Go" Raphael parked his car in front of Valerie's school. He has some work in school, so he decided to drop her off in person. Valerie tried to open the car door, but she couldn't find what to pull. Raphael leaned over her and opened the door for her. "If you pull that, doors will open" he showed her. She nodded her head, understanding what he showed. This is the first time she sat inside a car. So she doesn't know how to open the car door and close it. Just when she is about to get out of the car, he stopped her. "Valerie" she paused in her tracks but did not look at him. "I am going out of Windsor for a couple of days. I found someone who can cure my mother. I will come back as soon as I can. Someone will come and pick you up from school. Feel free to ask the maids if you need anything. Ok?" he told her. Valerie became tensed. Everyone in the palace made it a point to show her their anger this morning when she was passing by them. She saw hatred aimed at her. But she did not t