[Music Recommendation: Hoist the Colours ~ The Wellermen]

Oriana cried, trying to stop her mother, but they left without looking back. "Please don’t leave me behind," she stretched her hand, trying to follow them when Adric intercepted her with a small smile and mischief playing in his eyes. Oriana took a step back and gulped.

"What’s that? I thought we are now friends," Adric asked. His tone was playful, but he was serious.

Oriana looked at the door, then back at Adric. "I don’t want to marry you. Let me go."

"Alright, I don’t usually give people options, but I will since I acknowledge our friendship even though you don’t. You can leave with them, that’s fine, but I’ll be coming to take my debt from Avon, and it wouldn’t be through marriage but I can’t guarantee no bloodshed," he smiled.

Oriana’s golden eyes darted left and right. Someone like Adric would obviously choose war, he wasn’t afraid to take a life. She wanted to leave, not just from Avon but from this whole royal lifestyle. Oriana was stressed out. "I don’t want any... or you can just get married to Sophie."

"Really?" Adric asked, sauntering to close the distance between them while Oriana backed away. "Let’s be realistic, would you take Sophie as your wife if you were me?"

"There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s better than me. I have nothing to offer you," Oriana pleaded. When Adric closed in on her, she held her breath.

Adric raised his hand, touching her face, and Oriana flinched with her eyes closed. "No..." Adric tutted. "You shouldn’t be scared, little sparrow," he drawled, touching her hair gently.

Oriana closed her eyes tightly. She breathed in and out heavily, her whole body conscious of the man standing in front of her.

"How can you be afraid of the same man you gave your body away to so easily?" Adric asked, leaning in. He whispered in Oriana’s ear, and she shuddered.

Oriana opened her eyes. "It was a moment of weakness."

"Was it now? Or did you just want me to take you so bad?"

Angered by those words, Oriana raised her hand to slap him, but Adric held her hand above her head. When she tried to struggle, he pinned both hands above her head, his height towering over her small body.

"The first time was a free pass; there’s no second time," Adric said to her, his free hand cupping her face. Oriana moved her leg to kick him, but Adric was faster, pushing his knee between her thighs.

"Ah!" Oriana gasped, her body trembling with the shock from the contact.

"That’s right. You should sing when you’re under me, not fight," Adric smiled, looking at the helpless look on Oriana’s face.

Oriana was weak, unable to move any part of her body. She just stood there, at the mercy of Adric. "Why are you doing this to me?" Her voice was low and defeated. "I’m sorry if I did anything wrong in the past."

"About the past, have you not been feeling hot lately? Maybe we should recreate that day again... what do you say?" Adric leaned closer, his knee slowly moving between Oriana’s core. Though aroused by the movement, Oriana didn’t feel anything but hate for Adric at the moment. He was not only taking her freedom away but also forcing her to stay against her will. She turned her face to the other side.

Adric grinned. "Shy, are we?" He moved back. "I totally understand, which is why I have moved our wedding forward. Prepare yourself, for you shall be my wife in two days’ time."

"W-hat?" Oriana turned her face to look at him. "No! No... I’m not ready."

Adric nodded. "I thought so too. You don’t need to be. I’ll be ready for both of us." He said, pushing his knee further to hear Oriana moan, and he smiled.

"All you need to do is be awake and alive that day. Leave the rest to me," he smiled.

Oriana pressed her lips. "You don’t want to do this. I’ll hate you forever. I belong elsewhere, not here."

"I guess you’re mistaken, Princess. You only belong in one place; where I am. You belong to me," Adric said, moving his free hand down. He traced his fingers down Oriana’s neck.

Oriana shook her head. "I am my own person. I belong to myself. You don’t have the right to take me by force away from my family. This isn’t right—" the harsh rip of Oriana’s torn gown silenced her.

"You were saying?" Adric moved his hand away from her chest, which he had now left bare for his eyes to feast on.

Oriana’s eyes widened with shock. With her hands pinned above her head and her dress ripped, she was in a vulnerable state. When she raised her eyes to look at Adric, her gaze was filled with hatred just for him.

"You need to know your place, Princess. You belong to me. Your life, your soul, including your body, is mine. I say what I want you to do, and you do it. Don’t ever think that you belong elsewhere. You know what happens when you do that, right?" Adric asked with a grin, but Oriana refused to reply. His lips crashed on hers forcefully as she tried to shake her head and stop him. Oriana opened a small cut on her lips, causing her to wince, but Adric didn’t stop kissing her.

When he pulled back, he touched his lips and smiled. "Still taste the same. Makes me remember how shy and reserved you were under me compared to now... that’s a deadly look in your eyes," Adric grinned.

Oriana breathed heavily, her chest rising. With her torn dress, her bosom became clearly visible. She couldn’t find words to say at the moment. All she did was glare at Adric, and slowly, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Don’t cry. It’ll make me want you more." Adric wiped the tears close to her lashes, and his finger traced to Oriana’s neck. When he raised the necklace, he smiled. "Still have this. I like it." He finally let go and turned to leave the room.

Oriana fell on the floor when she was released. She curled herself up like a ball and cried quietly. All she could think of was how to leave. She wasn’t going to get married to someone like Adric. Never. She was going to escape before the wedding, but going back to Orion was not an option because it seemed like her family had been wrapped around Adric’s fingers.

"Freya... Louis," Oriana muttered, then she stood up. She remembered she still had a family she could run back to. All she needed to do was find a perfect time to escape from Adric. Being his wife was not an option. There was still hope out there for her to be saved. She belonged to nobody but herself. Oriana nodded with newfound motivation.