This is technically not a chapter, but a short interlude from Adrian's pov. I would like to remind my readers that they can friend me on my author only account on facebook; Paige Earthfae, link in my profile. I will have updates and previews for upcoming chapters of Cursed Hearts and my other stories on it.
He knew he was not worthy of her. He knew it all to well. Even that day, the day he had almost killed that coward she had appeared with hair of gold that shimmered down. She looked like a goddess, was his first thought of her. Even in those plain and pathetic rags she wore, her beauty shown out. That voice she swung with was the only match to her beauty on this mortal plain. He knew very well, that he was not worthy of her from the moment he laid eyes on her. Then over the months he got to know her and saw her pure heart, he knew it all too well.
If he had a selfless bone in his body he would release her from this contract to marry him, but at last he does not. He has to have her, at least he doesn't have to worry about tainting her soul. No, her from birth her heart was cursed to be pure and not even something as unworthy and lowly as his own heartless soul can ruin that.
He had come to that little town in search of her...the woman who the fae had placed his heart in. He had searched through years to undo his mother's tangled web of lies and traps she had wrapped around the truth of his curse. In the act he had sacrificed lives without so much as a thought to the truth. Of course, he was not surprised to learn that his mother had promised the fae his heart. His mother had never told him that she had loved him and had passed off his care to nurses and tutors. Even his ever busy father had more of an influence in his life than his mother.
She cared more for balls, gossip, and sleeping with his father's advisers than she ever did him. Sometimes he wondered if his mother had also been cursed to be heartless. Perhaps it was a secret grand family tradition he was unaware of? It didn't matter. In the end he had discovered the truth about a girl named Gabrielle and went to her home to find out about her. He knew she was destined to become queen by fae prophecy. However, he was not sure if she would be his, but that night at the ball where he had saw her in that dress by the glow of the fountain, he knew then that she would be his queen. Even now he still had the glass slipper she lost in his personal positions.
He may not be worthy of her, but the people were. His mother cared little for the people and did nothing to ever improve their situations. If anything she only made it worse for them by increasing taxes to pay for her greed. He might not have had a love of luxury, but he knew his lack of heart limited him from being king. Gabrielle however did not have this problem. She was overfilling in kindness and purity. He knew without a doubt while the kingdom would fear him, they would love her.
They would be opposites in the hearts of their subjects. The vicious King who had stolen the throne from his own father and had subjugated countless kingdoms, including his own and did whatever it took to get his way. She however, would be the goddess of mercy, spreading goodness wherever she went. He already knew that little of the allowance he would give her would go to her own desires, but to the people.
The kingdom was worthy of being her's, but not her king.
He only had one hope and one prayer for her.
That she never would love him. He could not love her back, not without his heart and if she fell in love with him it would overburden a heart that cared too much about the world and everyone who lived in it. In truth, the reason he had killed Isodara was not purely out of vengeance, but for her to see his darkness. A warning to her, don't love me, fear me, and stay away from me. Nothing good will ever come out of you loving me.
After all, it was his heart she carried and he didn't need to see it broken.