Alien Prince's Bride: Scifi Alien Romantic Triangle Romance Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

said, leaning on the balcony’s edge and observing the flow of Atreens below them. “She hates all of this. You know that.”
    “Yes, but she’s still taking it all out on me.”
    Pearl laughed. Her laughter was clear and hearty. The way her entire face lit up with it reminded Violet of her mother. Pearl really was a rival, but she didn’t hold it against her. She’d still triumph in the end.
    “Stop whining, Violet,” she said, grinning under her red hair falling over her eyes to her shoulders. “Lookat all this.”
    “I am looking. I don’t think there is even a single warrior, man, woman or child I haven’t seen enter.”
    “I believe you,” Pearl said seriously. “I do. And this is all for us. So stop whining about your mother, her tournament is long gone. It’s our time and you’re ruining our mood. Enjoy. This is going to go down in history.”
    Violet sighed.
    “I know, I know,” she said. “I just want everything to be perfect, you know. And don’t tell me this is going to be great. I’ve never heard of such a gathering before. I didn’t think there were this many of us. Even the Overlord didn’t compete against such numbers.”
    “Your father didn’t compete,” Maige pitched in. “He just came and took what he wanted.”
    “True,” Pearl said. “ That is true. But can you imagine how boring it was for the calayas ?”
    Violet turned before Marelle even opened her mouth. She knew what was coming. So did Pearl, probably, but she enjoyed poking people. “Boring? Sure it was boring to see so many champions die. Knowing they’d die.”
    “Don’t be so dramatic,” Pearl said. “Not that many died that year. They didn’t all fight to death.”
    Marelle said nothing, but Pearl turned back to Violet.
    “You know what the Overlord has in store for them?”
    “No,” Violet admitted. “He wouldn’t tell me.”
    “Does your mother know?”
    “Probably,” Violet laughed. “She knows everything. I think she even knows his name.”
    “Now you joke,” Maige said.
    “I don’t!” she exclaimed, grinning. “I really asked her once. She said, and I quote, ‘ of course I know ’. And when I wanted to know too, she just laughed in my face and said no way! Can you believe her?”
    “I can,” Pearl admitted. “That sounds like Irmela. But you can return the favor and never tell her the Prince’s real name.”
    Ah, now there was the taunt. Violet took a moment to try and see whether Pearl was trying to rile her up or if she was just playing. The latter seemed more plausible. Besides, it barely mattered. Her eyes were already busy dreaming him up and her mouth was doing that smiling thing.
    “Really now?” Maige chuckled. “You don’t even know what he looks like.”
    “No one besides the Raiders do, to be fair,” Violet said. “It makes it so much more exciting .”
    “I don’t get you,” Maige said. “Hoping for someone you haven’t even seen.”
    “Oh, but I’ve heard of him,” was all Violet had to say.
    It said it all, really.
    With all the Atreen clans and worlds trying to rebuild the empire from their own standpoint, wars were pretty common. Terrible raids and endless bloodshed was the natural part of their lives. All those things called for someone to actually do the fighting. Of course, all clans had their own warriors, but there were always those opportunistic enough to sell their service – the mercenaries.
    It had been a kind of an insult before, to fight for someone who wasn’t your fief lord but, somehow, the Raider Prince had changed that. Violet still wasn’t really sure how he’d done it. Everyone stilllooked down upon mercenaries, but they liked him. There was something in the easy, carefree, playful way he did things. As they said, even those he’d betrayed couldn’t help but like the bastard. Naturally it wouldn’t stop them from throwing him out of the airlock the first chance they got, but they’d feel bad doing it.
    Not that anyone had ever