I curtsied low, forcing my shaking hands to stay steady as I greeted him. "Your Majesty," I murmured, the words scraping my throat like shards of glass. My every instinct scread to run, but I couldn’t. Not now. I straightened, keeping my face neutral as I clasped my trembling fingers together, hoping he wouldn’t notice how nervous I was. "Would you care to take a walk with ? It’s a beautiful night, and... there’s sothing I’d like to discuss." My voice held steady, but I knew he could probably hear the panic pounding in my chest. I just had to keep it together. I needed to divert his attention—away from Dorian, away from Elara.
He didn’t speak right away, just watched with those piercing ruby-red eyes, studying like a wolf sizing up its prey. The silence stretched on for what felt like forever, thick and suffocating, before a small, dark chuckle slipped from his lips. "Of course," he said finally, his voice low and smooth, but there was an edge to it. Amusent, maybe. Or sothing darker. "Lead the way."
I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and turned, guiding him out of the chambers and down the estate’s path. The cool night air wrapped around , biting at my skin, but it did nothing to ease the knot tightening in my chest. The moon hung low in the sky, casting everything in silver, and the estate grounds stretched out before us, quiet and still. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for whatever was about to happen... to .
I would be a terrible liar if I said I wasn’t fucking terrified.
"Your Majesty..." I started, my fingers nervously twisting the edge of my shawl as we walked. "I hope you can understand why I acted the way I did. Elara was—she’s gravely ill. I couldn’t wait for your approval to call the physician, and I... I only did what I thought was necessary." My words ca out in a rush, and I fought to keep my voice steady. The last thing I needed was for him to sense any weakness, not when I was already walking such a thin line. "I acted only with her best interests in mind. I hope you’ll forgive for overstepping my station."
For a mont, he didn’t say anything, and I could feel my heart racing, each beat pounding in my ears. Then, with a casual grace that sent a shiver down my spine, he turned to . His hand reached out, and before I could flinch away, he brushed a strand of my hair back, tucking it behind my ear like it was the most normal thing in the world. The gesture was so intimate, so out of place, that it left frozen, my breath catching in my throat.
"You had the authority to do that," he said, his lips curling into a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. His fingers lingered near my face for just a mont too long, and I had to fight the instinct to step back. "You are, after all, the king’s bride. You may act as you see fit when it cos to matters of the estate."
Relief flooded , but it was short-lived, cut off as quickly as it ca when his smirk deepened, his eyes darkening with sothing far more dangerous. He leaned in close, so close that I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. "But the one thing you cannot stop," he said, his words dripping with malice, "is what I’m about to do to that male you hugged."
My heart lurched in my chest, and a sharp, cold panic clawed at my insides. No. No, no, no. He couldn’t hurt Dorian, not over sothing so stupid. He straightened, already turning to leave. I acted before I could think, grabbing his arm. "Wait," I blurted, the word tumbling from my lips in a rush. "Please, Your Majesty—Dorian... he ans nothing to ." I could hear the desperation in my voice, and I cursed myself for it, but It didn’t matter. I couldn’t let him hurt Dorian. "We were just caught up in the mont."
That got his attention. His gaze flicked down to where my hand clutched his arm, and his smirk grew into sothing darker, sothing almost... anger. He slowly turned back toward , his full attention now locked onto . "Mont?" he asked, his voice soft, but with a chilling edge that made my skin crawl.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to et his gaze even though every instinct in scread to look away. His eyes swept over , and I felt like I was being picked apart, his gaze stripping away any defenses I had left. "Yes," I said, my voice barely above a whisper now. "It held no aning." My voice remained calm, but inside, I was begging him to understand. To let this go.
His smile widened, and there was sothing almost predatory about it. He took a step closer, his hand reaching up to lightly brush against my cheek again. "Well then, darling," he said, his voice as smooth as silk. His fingers lingered just under my chin, tilting my head up slightly. "You see... there’s always a price to be paid for touching what’s mine."
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air between us, suffocating. "So he has to be punished."
He pulled back his hands, leaving frozen in place.
I shook my head. "No!" The word tore from my throat before I could stop it, my hand shooting out to grab his arm again. He paused, looking down at my grip with mild amusent. "Please," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I have nothing to do with him. I swear under the gaze of the moon."
He furrowed his brow, a dangerous glint in his eye. "Oh, I believe you," he said, his voice a low purr. "But with the way you are trying to protect him, you can’t really bla for..."
"Anything!" I cut in, stepping closer. "I will do anything."
His smile widened. "Anything?" he asked, his gaze traveling over with dark satisfaction. "Well then, darling," he said, his voice soft as he chuckled softly, "I do have sothing in mind."
I didn’t dare ask what that was. I just nodded, my throat too tight to speak, as he stared down at .
And though I’d managed to divert his wrath for the mont, I knew I’d just traded one nightmare for another.
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