abnabooks Chapter 32: Make him love her
Chapter 32: Make him love her
Chapter 32: Make him love herWhen Lucian arrived at his palace, he dismounted his horse and handed the reins to a guard. He glanced around the messy palace grounds where the Emperor’s soldiers had not bothered to put back all the things they’d scattered while
"I don’t know what to think of her anymore, or what she plans to do," Lucian muttered, genuinely perplexed. The more he thought he knew her, the more she seemed to surprise him with her strange behavior lately.
"Speaking of the cur, here she comes," Zane muttered as Lucian’s carriage came to a stop in front of the palace. The princess exited, yawning and stretching in a manner unbecoming of a lady, let alone a princess. She walked inside the palace scratching her behind without a care for who was watching causing Lucian’s eyes to narrow in her direction.
"Something has changed in her, and whatever it is, you need to keep a close watch on her while I’m away," Lucian instructed Zane, who nodded in agreement.
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Ave had already made the decision to help Lucian become the Emperor, but before that, she had to heal his heart and make him fall in love with her. Even though she cringed internally at the thought, she knew it was her only way out of this hell.
However, despite her decision, she had no idea where to start. Ever since they’d returned from the main palace, she hadn’t set eyes on the second prince. It was as if he was avoiding her as much as possible. She had even lingered near his chamber wings, but hadn’t caught sight of him once.
If he kept avoiding her, how on earth was she going to make him love her? And how did women even make men love them? She had never been in any sort of relationship with a man to know how all this stuff worked, and the thought of it always brought on a headache she couldn’t control.
If Lucian were a normal male from her time, all she would have to do was wear revealing clothes and ask him out and he’d fall in love with her instantly. But this prince seemed different. Still, all men were the same, weren’t they? Would he fall for her if she tried to seduce him into wanting her?
No matter how much he hated his wife, Ave had noticed that day in the pool how he’d looked at her with admiration before attempting to strangle her. Lucian was a man after all, and Ave knew that men were the same all over the world.
However, to seduce him would mean she had to go to him, as she knew he would never come to her. Though she didn’t like the idea of using herself to seduce a man she didn’t like nor dislike, she was relieved that the body didn’t belong to her. She could use it however she wanted.
But then, how does a woman seduce a man, a cursed prince at that?
Ave’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as she sat at her dressing table, her back turned to the mirror. She hadn’t looked in a mirror in the days she’d been here, and the only way she could make things work out for herself was by accepting Victoria’s face as hers for the time being.
She would have to learn the art of seduction before Lucian returned tonight. But first, she had to confront the reflection in the mirror.
Slowly, but gradually, Ave turned to face the mirror where the candle lamps on the table cast a golden glow on her face. She had long red hair that fell all over the place, with deep blue eyes the shade of blue ink. A small, straight nose and cupid’s bow lips that looked lush and full.
Selene was beautiful, even more so than Victoria who had used too much cosmetic surgery on her face making her look more artificial than real. But looking in the mirror now, Ave could see Selene’s natural beauty, despite having the same features as Victoria.
Staring at her reflection, Ave felt like crying as she missed her own face. "This is insane. I miss my life so much..." she muttered to herself, wondering how long she would be stuck in this boring era where there was nothing entertaining, not to mention the fact that the meal here was irregular because of the rules Lucian had set to punish his wife.
How was she going to survive eating one meal in two days?
How was she going to live without junk food, social media, television, her mobile phone, and so on? Not to mention the precious Lamborghini she had paid for and had yet to use because of her accident.
If she was going to stay here, she would have to find another form of entertainment, one way or the other. And the first challenge would be making a cold man love her without feeling anything for him. Well, that wouldn’t be hard because Ave didn’t do love. She had never felt anything towards any man or woman before.
She was born different and intended to remain that way for as long as she lived. Ave thought as she picked up the parchment she had asked Lydia to bring for her along with some ink, and began to write down the goals she needed to achieve before she could go back home.
She wrote down the list:
1. Make the Empress believe I am on her side while I play her like a ball to uncover her plans for Lucian.
2. Make Lucian fall genuinely and madly in love with me.
Damn, that’ll be easy if he’s anything like the men in my time.
3. Take charge of this palace and make changes according to my taste, and make the prince agree on everyday meals.
4. Identify my enemies and allies in the palace.
5. Help Lucian become the next Emperor.
6. Go back home and deal with Victoria!
Ave reread her list and smiled. She’d add more to the list if any challenges arose, but for now, these were her primary goals.
After she finished writing, Ave moved on to her next plan. She’d decided to make a few changes to Selene’s appearance so that Lucian wouldn’t have to see the face of the woman who had betrayed him when she tried to win him over.
Using some tactics she’d once seen on YouTube for making hair wavy and curly with hot water and strings, she and Lydia managed to accomplish her goal. Selene’s long straight red hair now fell down her shoulders in wavy curls, with the edges trimmed as the hair had been too long.
Once they were done, Ave searched through Selene’s wardrobe for a good revealing dress that would make her irresistible to Lucian tonight. It was already sunset, and from what she’d heard, he had been away dealing with something and hadn’t slept in his palace. However, he would be back tonight, and once he returned, Ave intended to pay him a visit.
Ave smiled to herself as she imagined how he would go crazy at the sight of her and confess his love for her.
"Your Highness, you seem and look... different lately. You recovered so quickly after Jasmine..." Lydia hesitated, her voice trailing off unable to finish the sentence. She’d noticed that the princess had been working hard to change her appearance ever since they returned from the main palace. She hadn’t looked one bit shaken like she usually did when she saw someone die before her.
Even when she beheaded a maid on the Empress’s orders, Lydia had watched how the princess struggled every day to appear normal, not to mention when her own sister who even though she rarely saw and talked to, had been killed in front of her.
Ave stopped what she was doing—searching through the wardrobe. With a bitter smile, she turned to the maid. "Grief has its place, Lydia, but wallowing in it won’t bring my sister back. Selene—well, the Selene you knew—may have been a terrible wife, but from what you’ve told me yesterday, she was a good sister. I’ll give her that. But what good would it do to drown in sorrow when the real work lies ahead? The Empress didn’t just strike me; she killed an innocent child right in front of me, leaving me with a trauma she’ll pay for."
Lydia, still puzzled by the princess’s increasingly confusing manner of speaking, asked, "But Your Highness, the pain must still be fresh. How can you think of getting back at the Empress so soon?"
"Because, Lydia, grief makes you vulnerable. It clouds your judgment, makes you easy prey. The Empress is counting on that. She expects me to be shattered, too weak to go against her. But she’ll learn soon enough that I’m not one to break or control so easily." Her eyes narrowed, a fierce resolve gleaming in them. "Nobody gets away with hitting me. And certainly not the Empress. She’ll regret ever thinking I was someone she could trample over."
Lydia’s eyes widened. "You... you’re truly not the same, Your Highness. You’ve changed a lot..."
Ave smirked. "You’re right, Lydia. I’m not. And that’s precisely what makes me dangerous."