Hellbound Heart

When Sebastian woke up, he found that he was alone on the bed. His brows creased a little as he looked next to him. Putting his hand on the empty spot beside him, he felt that it was cool to the touch. She must have left for quite a while already.

Climbing off the bed, Sebastian went to the window and pushed the curtains aside to gaze outside. It was still quite early in the morning. Was Izabelle an early bird?

Still, he had not expected her to be the first to leave the bed. And to think that he was not woken up when she left.

The lines between his forehead deepened and his expression darkened as he realized that he was already thinking of nothing else, but all things related to her as soon as he woke up. Why did such a thing even matter to him?

Displeasure was etched over his handsome face as he strode over to the bathroom. The woman can do whatever she wanted. It was not like she had to wait for him to get up.

By the time he was done getting ready and left their room, his expression was now devoid of any readable emotions.

"Your Highness," a butler approached him and bowed in greeting, "if you're looking for the princess, she's having tea in the garden with Madam Abigail."

Sebastian's eyes twitched as he looked at the butler, his mood suddenly souring, causing the butler's eyes to dart to the side and tensed up. He was not sure what he had done wrong for the prince to look at him like that. All he did was to inform him of the princess' whereabouts.

"Yo! Sebby!" Alexander's voice rang out from behind him, granting the perfect excuse for the butler to escape. The butler bowed low to Sebastian, immediately turning around and leaving after excusing himself.

…

In the garden, Elle and Abigail were merrily chatting over tea and finger food prepared by the kitchen, while enjoying the morning sun when Alexander arrived with Sebastian in tow. Elle's smile faltered slightly for a moment when she lifted her gaze and met Sebastian's stormy eyes. But she was quick to flash him a smile before turning to face Abigail again as the two men settled themselves next to their respective wives.

"You're set to visit Keria tomorrow, aren't you? Seb?" Alexander asked and when Sebastian nodded, Alex sighed. "Do you need my help in cancelling it?"

Elle's eyes widened at Alexander's suggestion and the man immediately noticed her expression and smiled understandingly at her. "Well, it's not fair for you both as newlyweds to immediately jump back into work, right? You two deserve a honeymoon – even if it is a short one – so I guess the visit to Keria could only be cancelled." He explained to her, causing Elle to blush.

However, she quickly shook her head in response. "Oh, I think… uhm… that might not be a good idea. The people and everyone in that place must've already been waiting and it would be a let-down to them if after all their preparations, we send word for it to get cancelled at the last moment. That would not be respectful to them, right?" Elle's gaze alternated from Alexander to Sebastian as she spoke.

She had the experience of being heavily criticized before because she had cancelled out on one of her scheduled visits to a certain town in Dalenn. She had come down with a high fever that very morning of the scheduled visit, causing it to be cancelled as she was just too sick to even get out of bed. Though they had released an official statement, the people still criticized her, saying she had feigned illness to cover up on her laziness carrying out her duties.

The topic had gone so out of hand that she got a slap from her father. And since then, she had never missed a single scheduled event. She always attends it whether she was feeling sick or not.

The thought of gossip news breaking out and talking bad about Prince Sebastian cancelling an important visit just to go on a honeymoon was something Elle wanted to avoid at all costs. Keria was a beautiful and prosperous country located in the Northern Pacific. It was an overseas territory of Viscarria and Elle was aware of how valuable Keria was to the country's economy. Because even though Viscarria was not a popular spot for tourists, Keria, which was located quite far away from Viscarria was one. It was known as a paradise getaway and many affluent people visit the place, hence the tourism's boom.

Citizens in Keria were also mostly consisted of rich and powerful people. Making it all riskier for Sebastian, because Elle knew just how much power rich people have in ruining someone's reputation.

"So, I think Sebastian should just go. Our honeymoon can wait… right?" she faced Sebastian, holding on to his arm as she said that to him with a smile. "It's not that we are in a rush."

"Well, our Elle is right about this. I, too, think it's better for you not to cancel it, even if you can." Abigail agreed with Elle's suggestion and Alexander only responded to her with her with a nod.

Something danced across Sebastian's eyes as he gulped down the liquid in his glass. "If you say so." Was all he muttered, looking away from his wife.

Alexander watched as Izabelle seemed to breathe out in relief while Sebastian's face certainly turned a shade darker. It was obvious to Alex that the man did not want to agree. He bit off a mischievous smile as he stared at Sebastian.

"Well… there is one other way. You both could go together, right? Sebby can see to his work and at the same time spend your honeymoon there. Keria is the perfect place for honeymooners." Alexander said slyly and he could no longer hide his amusement when Sebastian's mood seemed to light up a little. Looks like the lad has it bad for his little wife. But Alex wondered if he was even aware of it himself. This should be interesting to watch. And it was a big relief because with this, it seems, there was no need for Abi to worry about Izabelle anymore.