Filed to story: Dumped by Scumbag Adored by Billionaire
“We start with our culture!” Akim instantly led them to a section of the room that featured a collection of native Lincolnshireans and their skills.
“We, Lincolnshireans,” Akim began,
“are kind, hard-working people. Unlike other kingdoms, we didn’t abandon our culture for westernization, rather we welcomed and blended it into our culture, and now, here we are. Our people are recognized for their kind spirit, gentle soul, and creativity…” He went on about their traditions and contrary to Isabella’s earlier thought, it wasn’t boring at all.
It was almost like stepping into a new world. A world so similar yet different from hers and one she didn’t know existed, until now.
It dawned on them why the queen wanted them to learn about Lincolnshire culture. She wanted them to feel welcomed and recognize their oneness?- they weren’t so different. Besides, there was nothing wrong with learning something new and the truth is, it was actually thrilling.
Akim treated them to more tales about Lincolnshire as they passed painting after painting. Not long after, they stepped into the section for royal ancestry. But to their shock, it was empty. Not really empty, but there were few pictures compared to the others.
“Isn’t the royal ancestry supposed to be traced from one generation to another? Why are there just three paintings?” Anabelle asked, confused.
“Because it was destroyed,” Isabella said, her eyes focused on a picture at her left.
Stunned by the revelation, they all followed Isabella’s gaze and it rested on the painting of a man piercing a spear into the back of another man with blood forming a puddle around his feet. There was something melancholic yet creepy in a way it sent goosebumps down one’s spine about that painting.
Whoever painted that piece must have witnessed the event because it was laid bare with blood-chilling details. The strokes of his brush were descriptive; the horror on the face of the fallen and the nauseating gratification on the face of the attacker.
“We call them the invaders,” Akim explained, his eyes trained on the painting, “They had settled in Lincolnshire in the early years and our people welcomed them with open arms -“
“Like a sheep welcoming a wolf in their herd,” Isabella butt in. She looked at her little cousin, “Your people might need to work on their kindness,”
Akim smiled, “My grandmother the queen told me that was painted by my grandfather, the late king, as a gift to his son, my father, Kai, just before he was sent away for his survival. Queen-mother had made sure the painting survived while the others were destroyed by the invaders,”
“It’s a beautiful painting,” Anabelle felt for him,” A sad, beautiful painting, “
“It’s a call for survival, ” Pedro mused.
“Never repeat the same mistake twice,” Julie said.
“Betrayal must never be forgotten,” Isabella gave her own view.
Akim turned to them, “That’s why we can not have more war. Not only does war take away lives, it erases history as well,”
———
Bless this shameless author with your golden ticket ????
The?third point of view:
Isabella breathed a sigh of relief when she finally evaded Anabelle. Well, to be honest, Anabelle was the one who sent her away – which was a big relief. Now, she could have the one-on-one conversation she wanted with Pedro.
Both couples walked side by side without saying a word, just enjoying the silence between them. It was evening and the perfect atmosphere for a date. However, in Isabella’s mind, she wanted to do many things with him like having sex – which was impossible.
She had promised Niles not to make sex the foundation of their relationship, so now she had to go the old school way. Yeah, good luck with that.
“A-hem!” Isabella intentionally cleared her throat which drew Pedro’s attention.
Pedro turned to her asking, “Is anything the matter? Do you feel any discomfort?” he asked with concern written all over his face.
“Yes,” Isabella said.
“What is it? Where do you get hurt?” His worry grew.
“Here…” she took his hand and intertwined it with hers, “My hand misses your warmth. Don’t you know, women are more prone to feel cold than men. According to research,?women have a much more sensitive vascular response to the cold, which means they shut down their blood flow sooner, tighter, and for longer than men. The reason for this is that women are just more sensitive to that peripheral cold stimulus. Hormone oestrogen also contributes to making the blood vessels more sensitive to cold… ” Isabella trailed off when she recognized Pedro was giving her a strange look.
Niles had told her to flirt with her partner, that it kept the spark in the relationship alive, but it seems she might have overdone it. Wonderful – note the sarcasm.
“Well….” Isabella tried to do damage control, “What I’m trying to say is that you should always hold my hand,” she said, looking away as a blush crept up her face.
Shit, she hated this slow-burn romance. It was so much better and fun, throwing him on the bed and riding his d*ck. God, this was an epic failure.
However, she was startled when Pedro burst into laughter.
Isabella facepalmed mentally, as expected Pedro found it funny – it was supposed to be romantic. What had she been expecting? That Pedro would be touched? Oh please. Dirty talks were much better.
“God, you’re so funny,” Pedro laughed harder.
“That’s enough,” Isabella grew irritated.
Pedro’s gaze narrowed at her, “Are you angry,”
“No,” Yes, she was.
Pedro halted his movement, standing in her way.
“What?” Isabella wondered what he was up to.
However, Pedro simply palmed her cheeks saying, “You look cute when you talk nerd,”
She frowned, “I’m not a nerd!”
Pedro raised a dark brow, amused, “I never said you were one,”
“Yes,” Isabella stood her ground, “In slang terms, a nerd is an unattractive, socially awkward, annoying, undesirable, or boring person; a dork. Which of that explains me?” she challenged him.
“A nerd is also a?person who is intellectual but generally introverted,” Pedro was tempted to argue with her but he knew better than to react to Isabella’s incitement.
Isabella was an extremely driven person and unless she conceded, he was definitely going to lose nor was he ready to have a taste of her silent treatment.