Rise of The Fallen Son-in-law Vol. 2

Chapter 3: Set up for failure

Mrs. Blackwood shot her daughter a look that could have frozen fire. "Celeste, do not speak out of turn," she hissed. "This is not a topic for you to be involved in."

Celeste's eyes flashed with anger, and for a moment it looked like she might say something she would regret. But then she took a deep breath and said, "As you wish, Mother."

Mrs Blackwood had carefully selected the mode of transportation for the journey, choosing the royal carriages over the more practical, but less refined, dragons. She was determined to maintain a level of dignity and grace throughout the journey, and she would not allow something as trivial as the wind or feathers to ruin her carefully coiffed hair. The carriages, with their opulent designs and luxurious interiors, would make a far better impression than the scaly, fire-breathing dragons.

Mr. Blackwood cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence. "Perhaps we should focus on the matter at hand," he said. "The last thing we need is to be distracted by...petty squabbles."

Aiden's smile turned sly, and he looked at Nicklaus with a hint of triumph. "It seems we have some interesting news to share," he said, savoring the moment.

Celeste's cheeks flushed, and she looked at her mother in disbelief. "Mother, you can't be serious," she said, her voice rising in panic.

"I offer Celeste's hand in marriage." Mrs Blackwood struggled to bring Celeste to the forefront.

"I never agreed to this!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Celeste," Mrs. Blackwood said, her tone cold and dismissive. "Of course you agreed to marry Aiden. It's the best possible match, and you know it."

The courtiers burst into laughter, their eyes alight with amusement. Markus felt a surge of embarrassment, and he wished he could just disappear. But he forced himself to stand tall, his jaw set and his shoulders squared. He would not let them see how much their laughter affected him.

Nicklaus watched the scene unfold with a mix of sympathy and discomfort. He felt bad for Markus, who had been put in an awkward position. But he also couldn't help but feel a bit pleased that it wasn't him who was being embarrassed in front of the court. He downed the rest of his wine, hoping to dull the awkwardness of the moment. Then he turned to Markus and gave him a pat on the back, hoping to show some support.

Celeste stood stiffly in Aiden's arms, her body rigid with anger. Aiden looked at her with a scowl, as if she were the one who had initiated the contact. He clearly did not appreciate being put in this situation, and his displeasure was evident on his face.

The other courtiers looked on with interest, their eyes flitting between Celeste and Aiden. Some of them seemed to find the situation amusing, while others looked a bit concerned. But none of them dared to say anything, lest they become the next target of Mrs. Blackwood's machinations.

Aiden's face flushed red, and his jaw clenched. This was not how he had imagined this evening going. He had expected Celeste to be flattered by his attention, not to reject him so publicly. And to add insult to injury, the courtiers were laughing at him, not at Markus. It was clear that they saw him as the butt of the joke, and that stung.

Celeste, meanwhile, was doing her best to maintain her composure. She didn't want to make a scene, but she couldn't help but feel a bit smug about the whole situation.

But as she looked at Aiden's face, she felt a twinge of regret. He looked truly hurt, and she knew that she had gone too far. She didn't want to cause him real pain, no matter how much he had annoyed her in the past.

Nicklaus was taken aback by the sight of the dancers, their movements both hypnotic and provocative. They were clearly skilled at their craft, but he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the way they were gyrating and thrusting their hips. And then, to his horror, he recognized one of the dancers as Laureline. She was moving sinuously towards him, her eyes locked on his. He tried to back away, but he was hemmed in by the table and the other guests.

Laureline reached out to touch his arm, and he recoiled as if he had been burned. He felt sick as he realized that this was not just some random dancer. This was a woman he had once known, a woman who had betrayed him in the worst possible way. And now she was here, dancing seductively in front of him, as if she didn't have a care in the world. He wanted to run, to escape from this situation, but he was trapped.

And then, as if things couldn't get any worse, Laureline spoke. "Surprise, surprise," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Nick?"

Nicklaus felt like he was going to be sick. He could barely breathe, let alone speak. He just wanted to get out of there, to get away from Laureline and her mocking words. But he was frozen in place, unable to move.

Markus looked at Nicklaus, concern written all over his face. He knew that this was a bad situation, and he wanted to help his friend. But he didn't know what to do. Should he try to defuse the situation, or should he just get Nicklaus out of there as quickly as possible? He didn't want to make things worse, but he didn't want to leave Nicklaus hanging either. He was in a difficult position, and he didn't know what to do.

Meanwhile, Celeste was watching the whole scene unfold with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. She had no idea what the history was between Nicklaus and Laureline, and she couldn't understand why Nicklaus was so upset. She just knew that she wanted to help him, to make things right. But how could she do that when she didn't even know what was going on?

Laureline batted her eyelashes at Nicklaus, a sly smile playing on her lips. She knew she was getting to him, and she enjoyed the feeling of power it gave her. She had always enjoyed being able to manipulate people, to get them to do what she wanted. And Nicklaus was no exception. She had him right where she wanted him.

But then, to her surprise, Nicklaus stood up. He was shaking with anger and frustration, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he spoke. "I'm leaving," he said, his eyes fixed on Laureline. "And I never want to see you again."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him in shock. No one knew what to say or do. They were all stunned by the sudden turn of events.

Celeste was the first to recover. "Father, I think I should go after him," she said, her voice urgent. "He's clearly not okay."

Mr. Blackwood hissed. "You're not going anywhere, you're going to sit there and entertain the king."

Mr. Blackwood's tone was stern and commanding, leaving no room for argument. Celeste bristled at the order, but she knew that she couldn't disobey her father. So she sat back down, her shoulders tense with anger and frustration.

"Celeste, I'm flattered by your interest in me, but I'm afraid I have to decline your advances," Aiden said, trying to be as gentle as possible. "We're from different worlds, and I don't think it would work out between us."

"It's okay, I'm not really interested in you either."

Aiden couldn't believe his ears. He had never expected Celeste to react so calmly to his rejection. In fact, he had anticipated an outburst of anger or tears. But instead, she had accepted his decision with a smile on her face. He was completely taken aback.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked, still a bit skeptical.

Celeste nodded, her smile still in place. "Absolutely," she said. "I'm actually relieved that we can just be friends."

Aiden felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Mrs. Blackwood's heart sank as she watched Celeste and Aiden shake hands, their smiles betraying their true feelings. She had been so sure that her plan would work, but it seemed that fate had other plans. She felt like a fool, and she knew that she had to act quickly if she wanted to salvage the situation.

Turning on her heel, she ran out of the castle, intent on finding Markus.

Mrs. Blackwood marched towards the gate, her heels clicking loudly on the cobblestones. She was fuming with anger, and it was all directed at Markus. She couldn't believe he had dared to come between her and her daughter. He was the one who had caused all this trouble, and she was determined to make him pay for it.

When she reached the gate, she saw that it was already closed. She pounded on the door, her fists balled up in fury.

"Open up, you fool!" she shouted, her voice shaking with rage.