Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 664: Staying In The Winter Court

"What brings you here, brother?" Eli said, turning around and giving Andre his back. He believed he could successfully pull off acting as Aldric, as long as he maintained a cold, emotionless demeanor. However, he had to be careful not to betray any sign of his true identity. That’s why he turned away, preventing his brother from reading anything in his expression that might give him away.

"I heard of your many deeds in the winter court on my way coming and I thought, atlas, he has changed for good, but it seems in the end, you would always be a great actor, or am I wrong here, brother?" Andre said with a mixture of disappointment and bitterness in his tone.

"If you came all the way here to the winter court to speak in riddles, brother, then I’m afraid your visit was for nothing..." Eli paused, then added, "However, you mentioned bringing gifts for Islinda, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Andre huffed, "Oh now, you are interested in Islinda?"

"Of course, I am always interested in Islinda," Eli started as a matter of fact, only to clear his throat at the last minute, realizing his mistake. Aldric was good at masking his affection for their little mate.

He said almost immediately, "We both know how fragile humans are and I have to ensure my little human doesn’t break easily, not while under my care. I’m not a reckless owner after all."

Andre’s hands balled into a fist. Perhaps it was a good thing Aldric was not looking at him while spewing those words else he would have knocked out two of his front teeth.

Andre could not exactly tell when he became over protective of Islinda, but he was sure of one thing — he was jealous of Aldric.

If Islinda could look at him the same way she looked at Aldric for just a minute, he would lay the entire world at her feet. Aldric was just a fool for not realizing how much her affection burned for him. He dared to say, Aldric was not deserving of her.

"Fine," he breathed deeply, "You are curious about what gifts I had brought for Islinda. Well, first of all, Valerie gifted her —" Andre barely called out Valerie’s name when Aldric whirled around, his expression betraying unmistakable jealousy.

Ignoring it, Andre continued, "two servants during their stay together and, of course, her Wrry cat, whom you ripped from her company when you whisked her away without so much as asking what she must have left behind." Andre finished, the accusation deep in his voice.

Eli didn’t even realize when he crossed the distance between them, snarling, "What servants are we talking about here? So Valerie attempts now to plant spies at her sides?"

But Andre did not even flinch from the furious energy he exuded, instead he lifted a questioning brow, saying sharply, "You mean the same way you are in cahoots with Elena, Valerie’s fiancée?"

"I do not fucking care about Elena!" Eli wanted to snap, only to remember that he was supposedly under her manipulation. The plan was to ensure eveyone noticed how oddly he behaved.

Elena hadn’t anticipated Andre’s unexpected visit to the winter court. After all, no one could predict the future. She must have been confident that she could control Aldric long enough to achieve her goals before anyone suspected her manipulation. However, Islinda had been the first to sense something amiss and sounded the alarm. Though no one else reacted to the accusation, the seed of doubt had been planted in the minds of the Faeries, and Elena knew she needed to be much more cautious from now on. However, time was running out, and she must be rushing, increasing the likelihood of making a critical mistake—a vulnerability they could exploit.

Andre waited for Aldric’s outburst, but when nothing he said, "Only you would think the worst of others even when they had a good intention. Valerie probably gifted them to take care of her seeing the way she ran away from you. Thinking it now, even I would do the same" Andre’s expression turned grave in the twinkle of an eye, "If you would make Islinda’s life miserable, just let her go already. She has suffered enough. Nor is Valerie going to end up with her. You already saw it, Queen Maeve made sure of it."

Eli growled threateningly at him. "You are beginning to overstep your boundaries, brother."

What nonsense! How could he let his mate go! Never!

"You plan to kill Valerie already, letting her go is the least you can do. At least, she doesn’t have to watch you murder the Fae she once loved during the death duel."

Eli’s growl reverberated in the room, his eyes ablaze with fiery intensity. "Not. Another. Word!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "And take the damn servants away, else I’ll send them back to him in pieces. Trust me, Andre, you wouldn’t want to see the state they’d be in."

"I wouldn’t advise you to do that," Andre replied, unfazed by the threat.

"What?"

"Islinda has already formed a bond with them—a fellow human and a half-breed. We both know how empathic your little pet can be. Imagine the havoc she’ll wreak in your life once she discovers you’ve broken her gifts. That’s if you don’t lose her completely," Andre stated arrogantly, confident in his victory.

Eli let out a disgruntled sound but there was nothing he could do because Andre was right. If Islinda really liked Valerie’s gifts, then he was only incurring her anger, turning her further against him. Not to mention, he knows her stance on him hurting people. Worse, people close to her. Fuck. Well played Valerie. The silent and seemingly innocent manipulator!

As Eli simmered with internal rage, Andre made his declaration. "And while we’re on the subject, I’ll be staying in the winter court for the duration of Islinda’s visit. After all, I should be here to protect her from whatever sinister plans you and Elena are concocting that could inadvertently harm her in the end." Andre didn’t ask for permission; he commanded it.