ANA's POV
"Fish! Ana, there are fish in the river." Clarisse pointed at the swimming fish in the river to me, while she was paddling the water with green foxtail in her hands.
My eyes brighten as I heard Clarisse's yelling, and the fish was swimming towards me, I seized the opportunity to stretch my arm to catch the fish, and found out it was almost as wide as my palm when I held it out of the surface.
"Ana was so good!" The sever-year-old kid, Clarisse, clapped her little hands, "Fish, fish, Clari will have fish to eat today."
"Ana, it was so good to have you, you'll be living with us forever, right?"
Right.
It's been a week since I woke up in their house. I did not tell them who I really am. Not when I am being hunted by my brother and the assassin he hired to kill me .
After escaping my brother, I was unfortunate enough to stumble upon the rogues. They were not so friendly, especially to a fourteen-year-old girl who was lost. But I refused to be enslaved by them so I ran and escaped. It came with a cost, though.
A couple found me unconscious and decided to take me and sell me off. Melissa, Clarisse's grandmother, was the one who bought me to be the bride of his second son whom I have never even met yet.
According to her, it was common for families to buy a young girl as a future bride for their son. During my first week of stay in the isolated Lockwood Village. I realized they do indeed. I saw some families who bought young girls as their son's future bride. However, I saw how they treated the young girls poorly-making them do farm work and basically enslaving them in the household.
I guess I was lucky enough that Melissa did not treat me like that. It doesn't sit well with me, of course, that I was bought to be one of his son's future bride. But I figured hiding here in Lockwood Village even though I have to be an anonymous man's future bride is better than being discovered by my brother. This is a perfect hiding place for me.
Melissa has three sons. The eldest, Caspian Sardothien, is Clarisse's father. The secondborn-Leonidas Sardothien, as Melissa told me-is going to be my future husband. And the youngest, Ismael Sardothien who's at the same age of me and is still studying.
When I asked Melissa where Leonidas is, she just told me he'll be back soon and that to call him Leon. I had the impression that maybe she doesn't know where exactly Leon is or maybe she doesn't want to tell me. It doesn't matter, though. I don't have any plans of getting friendly with him.
After all, I am not planning on staying here forever I am grateful for Melissa but I don't think I would ever be someone's bride nor will I let that happen. My only purpose for staying here is to hide. Once I am 18, at which age, my appearance would change, so I could clear off my brother's radar, I will leave this place.
Since I taught the villagers how to recognize the herbs, and many of them earned money by selling the herbs to the herb shop in the county, they always greeted me friendly and usually invite me to go to the mountain with them.
I accompanied the villagers and the family of Sardothiens collecting the herbs in the mountain today, as usual, and then, I washed the herbs beside the river. The soil on the herbs must be clear completely, and the weeds must be picked out. If there is dirt and weeds mixed with the herbs, we could not sell at a better price.
Luckily enough, I caught a fish enough to satisfy the family today.
When I was ready turned back to put the fish in the basket in case it run away, only to see a handsome man standing in the distance and he was looking at me with ice-cold eyes.
For an instant, I seem to return to the night the elder brother held his sword to kill me. The hellish air around this man makes my blood freeze.
A million things have gone through my mind in a split second. Is he an assassin? Could I send him an instant kill, and if not, could I escape with Clarisse, without involving the family of Sardothiens?
"Clarisse," I called, "Clarisse, listen to me very carefully-"
"Uncle Leon!"
I blinked and looked at Clarisse as she was running toward the man.
The man was walking towards us but he was still giving me a look as though he was trying to figure out who I am. Suddenly, I felt like I want to shrink underground just to escape his inquisitive eyes.
But what did Clarisse say? Uncle Leon?
Is this man Leonidas? The second son of Melissa that I am supposed to marry?
I swallowed hard as he walked closer. His penetrating gaze froze me on my feet. So the villagers didn't lie to me, this man was not friendly indeed. I was wondering if it is too late to escape now.
"Who are you?" he asked and I bristled at how cold he is.
His eyes squinted at me as though he could see beneath my façade.
If I were a little girl who never see the elephant, I might be scarred by him. But I am a 27-year-old woman who time-traveled here. He will not be able to scare me with that deathly gaze of his.
"I'm a p-passerby." I cursed myself for the very poor lie. I should have said I am your future bride bought by your mom.
Then Clarisse looked at me with genuine confusion on her face.
"What's a passerby?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. I was relieved she did not sell my lie out. But then she said, "Is that what you call a future bride? A passerby?"
My whole body froze as I looked at Clarisse.
Then again, this man-Leon-would find out anyway so I just stayed quiet.
But then his piercing glare turned to Clarisse and the latter took a step back. Genuine fear was in her eyes and then a moment later, she burst into tears.
I stepped in front of Clarisse and faced her mean uncle. "Why are you scaring her?"
He did not say anything and just gave me another glare too.
"Leon!" Melissa's voice rang out as she was walking towards us. Behind her was Carla- Clarisse's mother.
Melissa and Carla walked closer to us and smiled at the newcomer.
"Mom, Sis Carla" he greeted.
"Leon, you are back," Carla said.
I could have sworn Carla winced at his cold look. She quickly diverted her attention to my basket, with the squirming fish inside.
I could see the genuine happiness on Melissa's face as he was looking at his second son. And then her eyes went to me.
She walked closer to me and stood behind me to hold both my shoulders. "Ana, this is Leon, your future groom. Leon, this is Ana and she is going to be your bride in the future. Isn't she lovely?" I tried not to wince at that. A bride. Sold off as a bride. This wasn't part of my plan at all but I comforted myself that this is so much better than being killed by my own blood. For now, I have to stay in this family and pretend to be someone else.
When I looked at Leon, he was looking at me with so much disdain that I think I winced.
"Make her leave. I don't want her as a bride," he said.
I didn't want to be a bride for him, but hearing it from him hurt my pride.
"Leonidas!" Melissa yelled.
That was the very first time I heard Melissa yell. She stepped in front of me and glares at her towering son.
"You will not speak to her like that. Do you understand?"
Leon looked at his mother as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"She will be staying with us. Ana is your bride whether you like it or not. And should you dare to drive her out, I will not hesitate to beat you up."
My jaw dropped at what Melissa said. Beat her son up? Leon is literally several inches taller than her and so much bigger.
Leon only pursed his lips. But how his jaw clenched made me think that he was not going to let this go easily.
All they have to know is that I am a mere girl who was unfortunate enough to be a bride. They don't need to know that I am Yara Salvatere, the daughter of the Alpha of the Moonbane pack.
