Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4)

she must desire me. These things will not happen if she sees my face,” I snap.
Marcellus shakes his head. His gaze turns from worry to pity, and I hate it. Despise it. I want to challenge him just for the look on his face, but I don’t. I need him too badly. He looks enough like I did when I was younger, the ladies enjoy his face, and she will too.
“The ruse would only have to last until she is with child,” I explain, attempting to keep calm.
“If she is to love you, Tib, she will not worry over some scarring.”
“Some?” I ask.
He snorts, his gaze finding mine. “The bear did a number on your face, but you are not the only man to have fought with a beast and won, then had to deal with the consequences of fighting with the said beast.”
I chuckle. “Indeed, I am not the only one, however, I see the way people look at me.”
Marcellus watches me for a moment and shakes his head. “Dear brother, they look at you as they would look at any emperor. You are their ruler, they have just been through the reign of our father. They are wary, but eventually they will warm up to you. Plus, you aren’t the most personable or jovial man I have ever met.”
“I am not jovial?” I ask, feigning surprise.
A smile plays on his lips. “I will do this for you, but only because I love you. You will tell her the truth though?”
Locking eyes with Marcellus, I nod my head. Though, I don’t give him a time frame. There is no need for it. I will tell her in my own time, which will be after she is with child, perhaps even after that child is born and it proves to be the boy that I need, the heir to the empire.
“I will,” I agree.
He arches a brow, holding my gaze with his own, but doesn’t call me on my lie. Though, it is truly not a lie, I will tell her. Just not in the timeline that he would probably prefer, I am sure. It will be on my time. Not his, not anyone else’s.
It will be after she is with child, when she carries my son.

Chapter Three
DRUCILLA
After the weirdest, yet most luxurious bath I have ever had in my life, Cassia had Petronia wrap me in a thick linen cloth, then a thin but soft robe, before setting a pair of slippers in front of me.
I slide my feet into the slippers, they are hard-soled with some type of fur lining and they feel amazing. Then, I follow behind them as they guide me back to my room.
Surprisingly, once I am in the room, they strip the robe and linen from me until I am completely naked. I try to cover myself, but they don’t pay me any attention at all whatsoever.
Next, they wrap a light blue dress around me, then with the same golden type roping they wrap me all up to look just like them. Finally, they do my hair, and it is freaking badass. My blonde hair is braided, knotted, twisted, and pinned in a fancy as shit updo.
At least that’s how I guess my hair is, because this is some alternate world and they don’t have mirrors. But before the women leave, they put a bunch of stuff from these small pots on my face. Hopefully it’s makeup, and again, hopefully, I don’t look like a clown. But by the way they smile at me and nod, I assume I meet their approval.
Returning their smile with one of my own, I can’t help but lift my hand and touch my hair. It feels really freaking awesome and I wish that I could see it.
“Manducare,” Cassia says, lifting her fingers to her mouth a couple of times.
I stare at her for a moment, then she makes a chewing motion overly dramatically, then it dawns on me. Eating. Food. At the thought of food, my stomach growls, loudly. Cassia giggles, then nods her head enthusiastically.
Reaching out to her, I wrap my hand around hers and for whatever reason, I decide that I need to tell her thank you. I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but she was nice, really nice, and for a moment, being with her, I forgot to be terrified.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
She smiles, wrapping her fingers around my wrist, and smiles even wider. She and Petronia leave me a few moments later and I find that I miss them immediately. Biting the corner of my lip, I turn from the door and do what I always do when I’m in a new place alone—I snoop.
A wave of sadness rolls through me at the thought of snooping, knowing that Birdie is the same way. This was something we would usually do together. And it’s not for any other reason other than we’re just curious. Too curious for our own good.
I miss her.
I miss all of my sisters.
I was kind of a bitch to Birdie the last time that I spoke to her, I should have taken time off of work. I should have gone to her and I should have gone to Sybilla’s place.
I should have checked on them.
I should have done more.
What I shouldn’t have done was acted like the selfish bitch the way that I always do. Birdie said it without saying it, but I knew what she meant and she wasn’t wrong. I’m a child. I’m self-absorbed and a child.
I’ve spent my time partying, staying completely on the surface with all of my relationships. I’ve kept myself untouchable, and I’m just realizing that I didn’t just do it with the men in my life, I’ve been doing it with my own family too.
There is a wardrobe and I tug the doors open. I’m taken aback, it has clothing in it. In fact, it’s completely full and there is a mixture of long drapey robes and teeny