Love Letters With The Devil

There were many things she had expected to have learned from her father by the time she turned twenty, but being betrothed to the King when she had been ten years old had not been one of them. Not even in her nightmares

All her life she had seen her father as the paragon of nobility and justice, after all he had been a Lord Inquisitor himself before he had been appointed as the Prime Minister of Verax by the King. But to overhear the King remind him of the deal they had made, with her being the oblivious party, had been truly jarring.

She had spent nights tossing and turning in her bed, wracking her mind for a solution, any solution no matter how ridiculous it might’ve been, yet none had truly formed. Hence her departure from the capital to try and clear her head of her anger and instead create a plan.

This was the reason why she had volunteered to be sent to Syrax to congratulate the newly graduated Inquisitors and tell them which state they had been stationed to. Other than that, there was no other reason for her to be here in this cold that was so pervasive it went through her black leather trench coat.

The sky was dark and a little cloudy, seeing as she couldn’t see the stars in the moonless night, and it was a nigh perfect reflection of where she was at the moment in her life. All darkness and gloominess with no visible light to hold on to. All hopelessness and no hope. What made things worse was that she didn’t even have a practical plan formed in her mind yet, despite all the days on the road.

To worsen the already worse situation, sooner or later she would have to return to her home where her father and future husband were waiting for her. She would have to return to the capital where her father had battered her ten year old arm to a twenty year old king, and where she could lose everything.

She hated the idea of being married to the King for a myriad of reasons, chief of them being that once she married him, she would no longer hold her position. She would no longer continue to do her job but instead become a Queen forced to do jobs she hated. There was also the fact that she felt very uncomfortable in the King’s presence.

If only there was a way for her to avoid the marriage to the King, if only there was someone she could return home with as her husband. If she could do that, if she could return with a man bold enough to marry the Prime Minister’s daughter and Lady Inquisitor of Verax, then the King would have no choice but to find a bride elsewhere. After all, divorce only happened when one of the party was found to have either had an affair, was being abusive or was a criminal.

It also happened when both parties mutually agreed, but if she could find the perfect candidate that wouldn’t buckle under the pressure from her father and the King to divorce her, she would get to keep her job and wait till the King eventually married someone else.

The only problem was that no one was willing to be with her in any other capacity that wasn’t perfunctory, not even her own teammates who were a year older or three, were daring enough. If she’d had a long line of men, she wouldn’t have even bothered to take a long trip to avoid the betrothal yet to be exposed. She would have simply picked one and held on for about a year or two before she divorced him and went on with her life.

Sometimes she wished she was like other girls born into an average family, that way she wouldn’t have had this problem to begin with.

Then again, if she had been born an ordinary girl, there would have been little chance for her to become an Inquisitor and then the Lady Inquisitor of Verax at twenty.

“Unless your plan is to freeze to death, I would think it wiser for you return to the castle or at least wear a wool over your leather.” She heard a voice say as he approached the boulder she was sitting on.

“Huh?” She asked in surprise before she turned to look at the owner of the voice only to find a young man, one of the graduates from the Inquisition Academy of Syrax she had posted, walking towards her with a wool coat over his leather trench coat.

“You heard me Lady Inquisitor.” He said before he chuckled and sat beside her while removing the wool coat from himself. “Here, wear this.”

“If you are giving me your wool coat, what then do you plan to wear?” She asked as she accepted the coat while looking at him from head to toe.

“Me?” He asked before he gave her a smile. “My body naturally runs hot.”

“Now that’s bullshit.” She said with a snicker. “I am a Healer, so not even a cold can bother me. You on the other hand are an Anodyne, you need this more than I do.”

“Would you look at your ability to deduce what I am?” He said with a chuckle. “Also, if I were to catch a cold, I could always have you to heal me.” He asked with a raised brow that had her burst out in laughter.

“You think I am your personal Healer or something?” She asked with a smile as she looked away. “You are being stationed to a place I won’t be, so you will have to look for another Healer to heal you.”

“No, Lady Inquisitor.” He said as he shook his head in disagreement. “There is no way I will let another Healer take responsibility for your actions.”

“My actions?” She asked before she looked at him again with a smirk and raised brows. “Now what have I done that is so bad I need to take responsibility for?”

“You are still wearing my wool coat despite your talk about me needing it more than you do.” He said with a smile as she looked away from him.

“I am not one to reject a kind gesture.” She said as she shook her head while watching the rest of the capital of Syrax which was already dark save for a flicker or two of lamps and torches that still burned at the houses.

“Noted.” He said with a chuckle before he leaned back on the boulder, using his hands as a brace. “I didn’t think you were one to have too much on your mind Lady Inquisitor.”

“Why wouldn’t I have a lot on my mind. I’m human like you.”

“Nah.” He said as he shook his head in disagreement. “You are a Healer, the race of people highly glorified in Verax, I on the other hand am an Anodyne, the rest of the people that were unlucky to be born without magic.”

“You sound a little aggressive.” She said before she slowly turned to look at his small frown. “You’re not taking out your frustration on me, now are you? Especially now that you have become an Inquisitor?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” He said before he looked at her with a smile. “I’m just curious as to what could possibly be a bother to you, given who you are.”

“So you are well aware that I am the Prime Minister’s daughter and the Lady Inquisitor of Verax.” She said as she raised her brows and tilted her head to the side.

“That’s why I am curious.” He said before he smiled at her. “You don’t have to tell me of course, I am nothing but a new recruit.”

Of course she didn’t have to tell him. Up till now, he had been nothing but a stranger she had congratulated and posted. There was no reason whatsoever for her to tell him anything, especially since he offered no solution to her. However she felt a little calm about potentially telling him her problems.

Perhaps it had been the way he had spoken to her with such ease as if he had known her a very long time. Or it had been the way he had sat in her presence as if she didn’t make him feel any kind of insecurity or fear.

One thing she knew for certain was that there was something off about him.

“Who are you?” She asked instead.

“Huh?” He asked in confusion as he looked at her and then away from her as if to gather his thoughts. “What… what do you mean?”

“You are the first person to have been able to muster the courage to speak to me this informally.” She said. “Not even the sons of the Governors of Verax have dared to do that. So who are you?”

“A newly graduated Inquisitor?” He asked before he chuckled nervously. “I mean, do I need to be more than that to speak with you? You might be a Healer and I might be an Anodyne, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t speak with you, does it?”

“Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with us talking together, it’s just that I am surprised.” She said before she shook her head. “Since tonight will be the last time we will talk to each other, how about you tell me your name?”

“My name?” He asked before he let out a half laugh. “It’s Alexander Pope, and you are Sarah McVale.”

“Nice to meet you Alex.” She said as she stretched out her hand to shake his.

“This might not be the last time we speak though.” He said with a smile as he shook her hand. “You are the Lady Inquisitor, I’m sure you can request for me to join your Squad.”

“Ah…” She said in understanding. “That’s why you approached me huh? To change where you have been stationed?”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try right?” Alex asked as he shrugged his shoulders. “The worse that can happen is that you deny my earnest request to work with someone as amazing as you are.”

“Amazing?” She asked before she looked away from him to huff. “Now you are flattering me.”

“You have been the highest performing Inquisitor from when you joined two years ago till date. There is no one with a higher success rate at catching criminals and putting them behind bars than you. I want to work for no one else and I see no problem in asking you to give me that opportunity.” Alex said as desperately as he could which made her let out another scoff.

“Now you are coming down heavy with the flattery.” She said before she cleared her throat. “You are right when you say that I have the power to request a change of station for you, but I won’t.”

“Because I am not a Healer like the rest of your Squad?” He asked with narrowed eyes which had her let out a scoff at his blatant rudeness.

“I thought you had far more self esteem than that Alex, you are making a poor impression of yourself.” She said as she shook her head in disappointment.

“I see.” He said before he nodded his head and stood up from the boulder. “Well, I hope I have not being a nuisance to you, have a great night, my lady.”

With those words he walked back to the castle, leaving her alone on the boulder.

At his departure , a cool breeze blew on her and caused her to tighten the wool coat around her body as she returned to watching the city while thinking about her very unpalatable situation.

She had a king she would rather die than marry at home, as well as her father who would inevitably pressure her to do his will back at home, and she had an unknown husband of convenience for her in the figment of her imagination. If there was a way to bring out her imaginary husband, who would stay with her long enough until the King had no choice but to marry another woman, she would do it. If only she could project the image of the man on some guy and hope he would behave accordingly.

Sadly she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She was stuck without any possible option. All the guys around her were not brave enough and none of the children of the nobility of Verax were tolerable enough. None were even comfortable around her not to talk of being balsy enough to agree to her frankly daring plan.

None.

Except…. Alexander Pope.

The thought immediately ignited something in her as she sat up with her brows raised while her mind raced at the speed of light.

None had oozed the confidence he had oozed, none had been that balsy as he had been in that few minutes he’d spent with her. None but him.

Alexander Pope was a legitimate choice, but there were considerations to decide upon before she went head long into such a gamble. There was nothing she knew about him, save for the fact he was an Anodyne and two years younger than she was. Nothing about him screamed of danger, but nothing also screamed of innocence. The air he carried was a little bit of both which both endeared her and scared her, but what choice did she have?

She either returned to Tyra, the capital of Verax and married the King upon arrival, or she returned with a husband, permanently avoiding a marriage to Jeremiah Schloza, King of Verax.

With a deep breath, she stood up from the boulder and looked around the small garden on the hill she had spent the last couple of minutes thinking. She had no other choice before her, the only thing she could do now was to go to him and hope he would accept her deal.

Alexander was the first person bold enough to talk to her and even argue with her. He had no fear of her place in society and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind, the perfect candidate that she could take home as her future husband. Sure it would rattle her father and the King, but someone like Alex might not even care about them. As long as she gave him what he wanted of course.

In impatience, she walked away from the boulder and back to the castle in search of Alex, hoping against hope that he would be receptive to her idea when she had only moments ago rebuffed his idea.

Her idea was half baked at best, but it was all she had at the most desperate moment of her life. She didn’t know Alexander from anywhere, he could be dangerous for all she knew. However, someone that bold and fearless could be the perfect fake husband that would ward off the King.

“Lady Inquisitor.” She heard one of the graduates say as she walked into the castle, but she simply responded with a nod of her own and kept walking.

Despite the hustle and bustle around her in the castle, her mind remained focused on what she had to do in order to achieve the freedom she desperately desired. She gave no mind to the Inquisitors waltzing around nor the servants who moved from person to person to serve, her eyes remained honed on the search for Alexander.

“Sarah.” She heard one of her Squad member say as she walked through the hall and into a hallway.

“Jacob.” She replied as she kept looking around the hallway for any face that resembled that of Alex.

“You look like you’re in a hurry.” He said to her in a little slur as he tried to keep pace with her.

“I’m looking for someone.” She asked as she looked into the various rooms she came across which were empty.

“Who? I could help you look.” He replied.

“You’re too drunk to tell your left from your right Jacob, I will find him on my own.” She replied before she saw the stairs that led to the roof.

What are you doing Sarah? Searching for some stranger like your life depends on it is very unladylike.

Well, her life did depend on it. Her autonomy was on the line, and nothing was going to come between her and her agency. Not even her own ego or some stairs.

With a determined glare, she went up the stairs.

“I’m not that drunk!” He shouted after her, but her mind was too focused on finding Alexander to bother with a reply.

It took her ten leaps to run up the stairs and once she got to the door, she stopped and tried to bring her breath under control. It after all wouldn’t be good if she met him all out of breath.

As she stood, she watched him.

From her position, he did look good. The way he stood on the roof with his eyes closed and his head tilted towards the sky made him look so serene and calm. The confidence he oozed made her feel like he had no particular problems in mind. Another reminder that he could actually make a great candidate for her great scheme. A scheme that not even the greatest conspiracy theorists would even cook up.

Imagine that Sarah, a Lady Inquisitor scamming the entire country with a green Anodyne.

That sounded so fictional even to her ears.

“Fancy seeing you here.” She said with a nod and a smile as she approached him.

“I am pressed to ask why you are breathless and happy to see me but I won’t ask.” He said as he kept facing up with his eyes closed.

Arrogant much.

“I need your help.” She bit out.

“After you just denied to help me?” He asked before he brought his head down to look out the roof, still refusing to face her. “Now that’s just wild.”

“Let’s make a deal Alex.” She said instead, choosing to focus on why she was there and not his tone or behaviour towards her.

“About?” He asked in confusion as he slowly turned to look at her walking towards him.

Please be receptive, my freedom depends on it.

“I need a husband.” She said at last to which he raised both brows in intrigue.

“Now, that is what I call a twist.” He said as he tilted his head to the side in contemplation. “You’re telling me this because…”

“I want you to marry me tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry what?” He asked with a snicker as if she had cracked a joke. “I’m definitely not ready to marry anyone and even if I were, why would I marry you with your clear bias against people like me.”

“I don’t have any bias against you.”

“Then why didn’t you want me to join your Squad?”

“Because not everyone can.” She replied as calmly as she could. “To join my Squad, an Inquisitor would need to have a proven track record of catching criminals moments after they’ve committed a crime. You are just a newly graduated Inquisitor, it would be unheard of for you to join me. It’s called the Royal Squad for a reason.”

“But you will let me join you if I agreed to marry you right?” He asked before he let out a small laugh. “How long will the marriage last?”

“A year.” She said. “The person who wants to marry me is ten years older than me, he will need to marry soon to have an heir so if I were already married, he would give up.”

“There are very few people you could be betrothed to.” He said as he scratched his chin in thoughts. “The King for starters and maybe his younger brother. So are you trying to use me as a shield against the King so that you will have your freedom?”

“Uh…” He was smart, she had to give him that. “That’s precisely my plan. You will be my shield for a year, or until the King gets married and then we get a divorce.”

Silence was allowed to settle after her words as Alexander clearly thought over her suggestion with the patience one who had nothing to lose had. While the younger man was taking all the time in the world, her heart kept beating too loudly for her to hear her own breath. She had never been this nervous before, never had she been this anxious. Throughout her career as an Inquisitor, certainty had always been her guide. Nothing had been on the balance, nothing had given her sleepless nights like the matter of her autonomy, but now everything was in the hands of a stranger.

“You seem to have all the gain in what you just suggested.” He slowly said before he shook his head. “I am yet to see what is in it for me.”

“Whatever you want, now is your chance to ask for it.” She said as she held her breath.

“Joining your Squad is already a given once I marry you.” He said. “How about you pay me?”

“Huh?” She asked in confusion.

“You pay me for my services Sarah.” He said with a smile. “There is a reason why you chose me, so why not pay for it in cash. That way, I will still be able to survive in Verax when I am inevitably made jobless by the King.”

“Oh…” She whispered. He does have a point there. “Like how much a month?”

“How much do you get paid a month?” He asked her with a smirk that slowly grew, which promised her nothing good.

“Fifty thousand Veraxian Note.” She replied carefully.

“Give it to me every month for the duration of the marriage.” He said with a full smirk. “What you make in a month, is what I get paid in a year and half, so it’s fair to get your wages and then my wages. After the King gets married and we get divorced, at least I will be able to live off the money you have given me.” He said before he walked towards her. “Do we have a deal?”

Did they have a deal? She had to say yes regardless, but the Lady Inquisitor in her still had to think it over one last time.

All she would lose was money that she already had enough of and some physical commitment to their act, but she would gain her agency, since no one, not even the King could break a marriage. This provided her a shield to remain in her station and keep on doing the work she loved. She only hoped that Alexander was exactly as he seemed, an over confident boy eager for glory.

“I see no problem in your request, so yes Alex, we have a deal.” She said as she looked into his eyes. “Now, we need to work on our cover story or no one will believe our marriage to be legitimate.”

“How about we say that we’ve been exchanging love letters with each other for four years now, from the day I met you in my orphanage when I was fourteen?” He asked with a nod.

“That’s very... detailed.” She slowly said before she nodded her head in agreement. “It also sounds very plausible, so we’ll go with it.”

“One more thing Lady Inquisitor.” He said with a smile before he placed one hand on her waist and another on her cheek. “We should get some practice.”

Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he leaned towards her and kissed her.

The first sensation she got was the softness of his lips against hers and then the cold detached feeling behind the act. It was also awkward as she felt as if he was trying a little too hard to kiss her like it was his first time kissing a girl. The kiss wasn’t some lovingly sweet kiss, it was instead short and forgettable. Too forgettable.

“What the hell was that?” She asked as she opened her eyes to see him looking at her in embarrassment.

“A kiss?” He asked before he looked away from her nervously to scratch the back of his neck.

“That wasn’t a kiss Alex, that was a disaster.” She said before she shook her head. “You are right about one thing though, we have to sell our affection for one another or no one will believe it. This means we have to practice.”

Without further ado, she grabbed unto his neck and pulled him in for a real kiss. Not that she’d had any experience herself, but she at least knew that his own kiss to her had been laughable. With the wealth of knowledge she had, courtesy of Janet, she was able to navigate the both of them in the recently chattered sea of kissing. This time, the kiss flowed naturally, even though it still lacked the warmth a kiss was supposed to have.

It didn’t matter though, after all, her freedom depended on this arrangement, and she would be damned before she let something as simple as a kiss, make her fail at her one chance to avoid marrying the King of Verax.