Lilibeth nods, and I turn away, walking out before someone convinces her to change her mind. This day couldn’t have gone any better. The one person I expected to stir the most trouble has been the very same one to set my plans in motion. And now, I’ll get revenge for what she did to my brother, Nikandr.
Chapter 3 - Lilibeth
Agafon and my family are in charge of planning the whole wedding, but with less than three weeks to go, there are certain responsibilities I have that I need to address. These include hair, makeup, and finalizing my dress—things no one else can take off my plate.
One morning, I wake up with a fluttering heart. It has been this way, my heart fluttering with anxiety, since I agreed to marry Agafon. The fact is that I’m in over my head, though no one knows it. Keeping the truth from my family is even harder than I thought, but there’s no way I can march in there and tell them that I’m not marrying a stranger.
I’m marrying someone worse.
Nikandr’s older brother.
Of course, I’m a nervous wreck.
Nikandr and I had kept our relationship under wraps when we were dating in college. Our secret romance—mostly kept secret from my family—ended rather abruptly, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth to this day.
I can only imagine howNikandrfeels about this. In the back of my mind, I’m curious to see how he would react to seeing me as his sister-in-law. It's not that he loves me—nothing like that.
But because of how much he hates me.
God, I think to myself as I turn over in bed, clutching a pillow to my body and willing my racing heart to calm. I haven’t seen Nikandr since I left for my travels, and haven’t heard from him since.
And now, to have his brother knocking on my door for my hand in marriage is the strangest turn of events. But I know my family owes Agafon for supporting us after Mark killed Charlie Letvin. The truth is, Agafon sees this marriage as a way to solidify his position by tapping into my family’s power. That’s fine by me.
But still, I’m nervous as hell. What exactly could married life look like for Agafon Letvin, Nikandr’s brother? I imagine it's not one full of love.
It’s fine,I tell myself as I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.Think of it as a job. A role.
Just then, I hear a knock on my door. “Come in!” I answer cheerily as I sit up in bed, knowing that when I act anything less, my family begins to worry.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Sofia walks in with a tray of breakfast, which she lays down on the table beside my bed. I instantly grab the coffee and take a sip.
“Mmm,” I moan, closing my eyes.
“How have you beeeeen?” she asks in that sing-song voice of hers, the one I know she uses when prying for information.
“Good, good. And you? How come you’re here?”
“I missed you, and the kids are away at a weekend camp.” She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Natalia and I were wondering if you needed any help with… You know… all that wedding stuff.”
All that wedding stuff.Anytime anyone mentions it, it sounds like a disease. Over and over, my cousins keep checking in, asking if I’ve changed my mind, half expecting and half hoping I would.
But I didn’t have a choice when I agreed to marry Agafon, did I? I royally messed up, and everyone thinks I don’t know that. But of course I do. I’m a nervous wreck. When I said I wanted responsibility, I thought I’d be looking over some operations or digging through paperwork. I thought I’d ask for a desk in any of their offices.
I didn’t know I’d be walking down the aisle in the name of responsibility.
But I stood there, outside Nikolai’s office, listening to them roar at each other in anger. I knew what my cousins, my family, were capable of when it came to protecting their own. They would never have agreed to barter me off in marriage, and, in turn, their alliance with the Letvins would have fallen apart.
When an alliance falls apart in our world, it’s usually succeeded by a bloodbath. I couldn’t bear to think of it—one of my own getting hurt, all because I can’t marry a man to save them.
So, of course, this responsibility falls on me. I will marry Agafon, and to avoid worrying others, I will pretend that all is well with me.
I’m so lost in my thoughts, and Sofia notices. I feel her squeeze my hand again. “Beth, remember what I said,” I hear her say softly, and I snap my eyes to her. “If you change your mind—”
“I won't.” I break into a smile. “This is for the best. The alliance is too important.”
“Your happiness is important too, Lili.”
I shrug, looking away. What's happiness compared to preventing a war between families? What's my comfort compared to keeping us all safe?
