It was not true.

He – He cannot possibly be the Lord!

Ella's eyes widen at the powerful man who was sitting so majestically on the throne, looking every inch of a breathing danger. His eyes were dark emitting wild fire but the smirk on his lips was camouflaging the menace lurking inside him.

Was he even the same person she saw the previous night? Was he even Xander, he claimed to be?

Waves of fear hit her when the Lord's smirk widened at the shocked faces of the villagers.

"My Lord?" Town head was confused as to what the Lord was citing at. The villagers looked appalled equally. But amidst all this the only person who did not understand the situation was Ella.

"O – One more ritual, My Lord?" Knox knew better than to not question a Lord, not Lord Knight particularly. His face paled when the Lord drew an eyebrow upwards looking at the audacity of talking before a Lord with no requisite respect.

"Knox Garrick, a town head in my region. I am quite impressed you have a impudence to raise an octave." Lord Knight chuckled darkly sending ripples of terror in to the villagers and Knox.

Knox paled and his body stiffened in the immense power the Lord's words carried. He felt like his whole body and senses were in the control of the Lord. Dark eerie fog started swirling around the room with every moment Lord Knight's eyes darken. The amused smirk was still present on his lips but his eyes were speaking volumes.

He did not like to be questioned.

"Lyndon, - "The Lord called for his butler but his eyes were fixed on the shivering Ella. His breath hitched when Ella raised her head and looked into his eyes with tears. There was something in her eyes that he did not like in them. Fear.

Fear of him.

Lyndon nodded his head and walked to the other side of the room. A moment later, he brought in a person who was in church clothes.

"My Lord, the priest is here." Lyndon announced and stepped back bowing to the Lord. Lord Knight nodded his head pleased and stood up clearing his throat.

"You all must be wondering why I had summoned you all to the court room all of a sudden." Lord Knight stepped down from the platform in a slow predator steps. The villagers face was filled with mixture of fear, confusion and apprehension. It was not the news he was going to announce that caused the anxiety but it was the Lord himself. He looked like a dark mysterious superhuman with an invisible power over others.

"The lady here, Ella Rosemane, was brought here to the Knightsfort castle with an expectation to receive consent from me to fulfill a ritual that would possibly help the raging storms." Lord Knight walked towards Ella, his head held high and his eyes inspecting the expression of everyone.

Ella's breath hitched when the Lord walked to her and took her hand in his softly and made her stand. She did not know what was going on. She was still in a shock regarding who Xander was. She was scared but somewhere deep inside her heart; she knew that the feral looking Lord cannot hurt her.

Why? She didn't know. She just has a strange reassurance whenever he looked at her. It was strange for her to give into the passion when the previous night when he merely touch her. It never happened to her that she was affected by a male's attention on her.

Then why him?

"She, as a virgin widow, should sacrifice her virtue out of a religious bond to stop the storms."The villagers and particularly Knox Garrick were paying their full attention to the Lord. Although they wanted to be anywhere but in the radar of the Lord, they were also curious to know what the Lord meant.

"My - My Lord" Ella stuttered and shivered when Lord Knight placed a small peck on her hand. Ella felt tickles in the pit of her stomach and she doesn't know what to do right that moment.

The villagers gasped and Knox couldn't see what was going on. His eyes were clouded with lust for Ella who was looking like a nymph in the white gown.

He was waiting for this moment for a long time and when the time came to have the young Ella on his bed, the Lord took the opportunity. But not to worry, since the deed was done already the previous night, he could have her now.

"We are quite grateful to you, my Lord." Knox bowed his head in respect. The Lord chuckled in an unconcealed amusement and tugged Ella's hand further towards him.

"So, today the reason you all are gathered here is, I am going to enter into matrimonial tie with the Lady that took my heart." Lord Knight's announcement blared in the room like a final blow of command. The villagers started whispering with each other wanting to know who that lady was. Young maiden looked disappointed and envious of the lady who would be a wife to the Lord himself and parents of young maiden were hoping their daughter to be one.

Everyone in the room started shouting words of greetings and congratulations which made Lord Knight smirk one of his evil smiles while Ella's posture stiffened and her face constricted with pain.

"Thank you for your greeting but... would you not congratulate my beautiful bride?" He sounded mischievous, amusement oozing out from his smile.

"We would love to, My Lord. Who is that honorable Lady who is going to be the Lady our the whole Northern region?" A villager asked carefully bowing several times to him not wanting to offend the Lord.

"Come darling," He pulled Ella to the center of the room and looked at the people with a wide smile. "Ella Rosemane, my very soon to be wife and your Lady of honor." Ella's throat constricted with mixture of emotions swirling inside her.

What? Her?

Lord Knight was planning to wed her?

This cannot be possible. This cannot be. This is not right. She was already a married woman.

"But My Lord, she is a shank."

"Oh, My Lord, that woman is jinxed. She is a misfortune."

"What does he mean he will be marrying Ella? She belongs to a dead body."

"Ella? Her mere sight can bring a heap of bad luck for several births, My Lord."

"My Lord, She was a used woman and meant nothing but a sacrificial meat available in hand."

"She doesn't even have a rank. She is much worse than a tramp."

"She must have bewitched him with a spell. Such dirt."

The villagers started throwing comments on Ella trying to save the Lord from her spell. The whole room went haywire with harsh, rude and hurting remarks towards Ella for ensnaring the Lord in a trap.

Oh dear God, what was happening to her? The villager's remarks were too much for her to bear. She cannot take in anymore. Ella covered her ears with her hands and dropped on her knees when the strength in her legs dissipated.

Lord Knight immediately caught her in his arms and lifted her in his arms effortless, tugging her head into his neck.

Knox Garrick was completely shocked with the announcement that he couldn't even speak anything. A no one like Ella was one that the Lord chose? He was expecting his daughter's name to be called out and he was imagining his daughter to come through the door wearing a white wedding gown.

She was supposed to be the Lord's wife and the Lady of Honor. It was her place and it was his necessary to have her in that place.

"No, you cannot." Knox's sentence calmed the room into utter silence and the Lord raised an eyebrow quite wittily.

"And why can't I?" The Lord challenged Knox to say out the reason for the disapproval to which Knox stood in his stop his head held low.

Knox cannot give a sole proper reason for his disapproval. He was a smart man and he knew that Ella was a bad woman just because he caused it to be that way. He knew that if he spoke any word further, it would be his doom since the Lord is the most dangerous person he had ever known of.

"Ella Rosemane has sacrificed her life years ago for the town and this time again she was ready to sacrifice her virtue for the town. She is a beautiful woman, an obedient and a docile creature and most of all, I was the only man who ever touch her. Ella is not just a good woman for me but she is a perfect woman for me. Her love for you all is the credential that is needed to become a Lady of honor." The whole room fell into silence. Villagers were disgusted with the shameless woman who has done this to the Lord.

How can such filthy dirt become wife to the great Lord of the Northern region?

"Father Alys, The groom and the bride are ready to take their vows. The people are happily waiting to serve their new Lady. Start the ceremony." Lord Knight hollered, setting Ella to her feet and holding her arm in a tight grip.