Free Web NovelChapter 9: Demons’ Scheme.
"What do you mean, Mother? How long am I supposed to wait for Kane to choose me?" a feminine voice cried from one of the tents not too far away.
Aunt Freya looked at her beautiful red-haired daughter, Samantha. She was not only beautiful but also a warrior who had fought for the North since she came of age. Out of all the women in the North, she was the most desired by men. Many had tried to win her heart, yet there was only one man she wanted.
Kane.
And Kane was the only man who refused to look at her.
Samantha had turned down every suitor, including the king’s right-hand man, Cassius, all because of Kane.
"You should remain calm and never give up, my child," Aunt Freya said as she rose from the edge of the bed. She walked over and gently placed a hand on Samantha’s arm. "I have everything under control."
"Under what control, Mother?" Samantha asked, tears filling her eyes.
She had done everything she could to get Kane’s attention. Nothing worked until recently, when he had finally started noticing her.
Just when she thought she might at least become his concubine, the princess appeared out of nowhere and became his wife.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the wedding celebration and the way Kane had swept the princess off her feet in front of everyone.
"I will fix things. I promise."
"Pssttt... Did you see the way he looks at her?" Samantha asked, struggling to hold back her tears. "I have never seen him look at any woman like that before. Not even once."
Aunt Freya sighed and rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered why her daughter had fallen in love with Kane instead of focusing on becoming his Luna.
"It doesn’t matter," she said coldly. "She will die tonight, and all of that will mean nothing."
"She won’t," Samantha said through her tears. "He won’t consummate the marriage tonight. I know what I saw, Mother."
She continued crying. It was becoming painfully clear that her mother did not have a better plan this time.
Kane had outsmarted them.
"Did you not see the way he carried her in his arms? Like she was something so fragile that he might break her?" Aunt Freya asked.
"I did."
"And you still think they won’t spend the night together?"
"Will they?"
"Of course they will. Don’t be foolish," Aunt Freya said as she walked away.
She crossed the tent to a small table standing in the corner. Picking up a bowl, she fetched some drink from an earthen pot and poured it into a cup.
The cup had been a gift from the king himself. He once claimed that people from distant lands drank from such cups.
Aunt Freya had no idea if that was true. She had never traveled beyond the North.
"By tomorrow, the princess will be dead, just like the other women Kane shared a bed with. Then you, my daughter, will be the one left behind to become his true Luna."
A smile quickly appeared on Samantha’s face. She wiped away her tears with the back of her palms.
"If she dies by morning, Kane will marry me by evening, right?"
"What makes you think he will marry you?"
A masculine voice suddenly interrupted, making Samantha’s heart skip a beat.
She quickly turned around.
Relief washed over her when she saw who it was.
"Ragnar? You should learn to knock before entering a woman’s room."
"It’s Mother’s tent," Ragnar replied as he walked inside carrying a tray filled with fruits. He placed it carefully on the table.
"I picked these for you, Mother."
Aunt Freya’s face softened into a proud smile as she looked at her son.
"You always outdo yourself, Ragnar. I appreciate your gifts, but you don’t have to do this. The women can take care of such things."
"If I can do it myself, why leave it for the women?" Ragnar asked, his brows drawing together in confusion.
He was only seventeen and knew there were many things he still did not understand.
His mother was far older and far more experienced than him.
"Because these are not jobs meant for men," Aunt Freya said firmly. "Go spend time with the men. Hunt with them. Train with the warriors."
"I could do all of that and still serve fruits to you..."
"Shut up, Ragnar!" Samantha snapped. She was already upset, and his words only made it worse. "You are so dumb. How did you even end up being the man?"
"You have no right to tell me to shut up. I wasn’t talking to you," Ragnar replied with a deep frown.
On his way to visit his mother, he had promised himself that he would not argue with Samantha today.
But as usual, she was getting on his nerves.
"I can talk to you any way I want, and you won’t do a thing about it," she hissed as she marched toward him.
A smirk appeared on Ragnar’s face.
"No wonder Kane won’t look at you twice. Honestly, you disgust me too."
The words struck exactly where he knew they would.
Samantha had spent almost her entire life chasing Kane’s attention. Everyone knew it.
"What did you just say?" she shouted.
Without thinking, she lunged toward him, her hand already raised to hit him.
Before she could reach him, Aunt Freya quickly stepped between them.
"Stop it, both of you!"
"Mother, did you hear what he said?" Samantha cried. Her face was red with anger and disbelief. "Did you hear him?"
"I don’t think that’s what he meant," Aunt Freya said, trying to calm her.
"I meant every word of it, Mother," Ragnar said with a laugh as he backed toward the exit. "Kane will always choose someone else over her."
"Did you hear that?" Samantha shouted again, fresh anger burning in her eyes as she turned toward her brother. She looked ready to chase after him.
"Enough!"
Aunt Freya’s voice suddenly thundered through the tent.
The siblings froze instantly.
Both turned to face her.
They knew very well what their mother’s anger looked like, and neither of them wanted to see it unleashed.
"Forgive us, Mother," they said together.
"I have told both of you countless times not to fight each other," Aunt Freya said firmly. "You are family. You should be helping one another, not tearing each other apart."
"I would help her any day, any time," Ragnar said, pointing at Samantha. "I swear I would."
His expression then turned serious.
"But Samantha needs to understand something."
The tent fell silent.
"You can’t force people to do what you want. You can’t keep forcing Kane to choose you. And you can’t keep hurting the women around him just because you want him for yourself."
The smile vanished from Aunt Freya’s face.
Samantha’s eyes widened.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Because Ragnar had just said the one thing nobody in the tent wanted to hear.
"Look, Mother. Your darling son is taking a stranger’s side instead of mine," Samantha said, folding her arms across her chest. "He has already chosen to side with the enemy. But guess what, Ragnar? The princess is going to be dead by morning."
A cruel smile appeared on her face.
"And do you know who will cause her death? Kane."
Ragnar stared at his sister.
No matter how much he explained, she never seemed to understand what he was trying to say.
"That is Kane’s business," he replied. "I cannot interfere with what happens inside his household."
"Then why are you interfering with mine?"
"Because I am your brother," Ragnar shot back. "And because you need to realize that the princess is now the king’s wife."
"It doesn’t matter, Ragnar," Aunt Freya said.
Her voice was calm, but there was confidence in it.
"They will consummate the marriage tonight, and by morning she will be dead."
"We are not certain of that, Mother."
"I am."
Ragnar frowned. His mother’s certainty bothered him "How can you be so sure?"
Aunt Freya let out a small laugh "Because I made sure of it."
Both Ragnar and Samantha looked at her. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"I told the princess that the only way she could truly become Luna was by consummating the marriage."
The words slipped out before Aunt Freya could stop herself.
She had never planned to reveal that secret, but Ragnar’s constant doubts were beginning to irritate her.
"W-what?" Ragnar asked, completely shocked. He could not believe what he had just heard from his mother. "Why would you do something like that?"
"I am Kane’s aunt, and I will do what I believe is right for him," she said firmly, standing her ground.
"Why do you even care about the princess?" Samantha asked, her eyes filled with confusion and anger. "She is going to die anyway. Even Mother’s intervention won’t change that."
Ragnar’s jaw tightened.
"Whether she lives or dies, she will still end up closer to Kane than you ever will," he said sharply, before turning and storming out of the tent.
Samantha stood frozen for a moment, still shocked that her younger brother would speak to her like that. All because of a stranger he had only just met.
"Do not mind him," Aunt Freya said calmly. "He is still a child."
"He is a grown man with a broad chest and muscles. Stop defending the idiot."
"He is not an idiot. Ragnar is your brother and you must—"
Aunt Freya stopped mid-sentence when Ragnar suddenly returned.
"What happened?" she asked immediately.
"Prince Ethan has returned," Ragnar announced.
"Ethan?" Aunt Freya repeated, clearly surprised.
It was unusual. Before Ethan ever came back, he always sent word to his father first, and King Kane would inform her ahead of time so preparations could be made.
She turned toward Samantha, who quickly shook her head, showing she had no idea why he would arrive without notice.
"I guess we will find out when we go out," Aunt Freya said at last.
