Rhaegar looked at the cigar case on the small table in the middle of his drawing room, his eyes narrowing.
Just like after their first night, the pain in his body subsided, and he could breathe freely again. He did not need the redy when he was with her.
Now, it was confird.
The wolf in him had cald down too. Now, the man could practically hear him purr as he had been put to sleep. But it should not have been like that.
'My mate...' Rhaegar tasted the sound of these words as he silently repeated them over and over.
He closed his eyes and recalled her tiny, white body wriggling underneath him, her small hands desperately clinging to his flesh.
'You have to mark her, she has to be yours,' a distant low voice rang in his ears again.
He could have crushed her if he wanted, but instead, he wanted to cherish and protect her. He wanted to be imprinted on her. He wanted her all to himself.
He wanted her. The human princess. The human princess who was about to marry soone else. The human princess who could never make a choice to be with him instead.
The thought of her silhouette disappearing made the king furrow his brow, but his frown deepened when he sensed a familiar disgusting stench seeping through the tiny cracks in the doors.
The scent was then followed by the loud stomping and just monts later, the doors to his drawing room burst open. Puffing and sweating, Duke Kalder almost jumped on Rhaegar but instantly recoiled and stood behind his guards when the lycan king stood up to greet him.
"Lord Kalder?" He asked him calmly.
"Where is she, you filthy animal?!" He motioned for his n to scatter and the guards began to frantically search both rooms.
"Who are you talking about?" Rhaegar took a cigar from the case and skillfully lit it up, placing it between his lips. He still did not need it but he figured he would rather have his hands occupied with that than have them break the old man's neck.
"Don't play coy with !" Duke Kalder's voice turned into a piercing screech. "Princess Lorelai! The queen's lady-in-waiting saw you take her here! Where is she?! What did you try to do with her?!"
Two n left Rhaegar's bedroom and shook their heads as the old man looked back at them. "There is no one here, Your Grace. We have checked everything."
The duke looked back at Rhaegar, his face fuming with rage and frustration. The king shrugged. "What would I do with the princess, Your Grace? She is your fiancee, isn't she? As far as I am concerned, I do not chase after promised won. Perhaps you should teach the ladies-in-waiting here that lying is bad."
Duke Kalder was rendered speechless by Rhaegar's audacity. The king took a big step toward him, alerting his guards, but he stopped just before the man and leaned down, blowing the thick gray smoke into the duke's fat, red face, his eyes filled with a nacing amber glow.
"You will be well-advised to warn that lady yourself, Your Grace. I don't like liars. When I spot them, I rip their tongues out with my bare hands."
***
Lorelai slowly opened her eyes and squinted as the bright sunlight blinded her with its golden rays.
For a few monts, she struggled to adjust to the light before it finally dawned on her––it was already morning!
Startled, Lorelai tried to get up only to let out a suppressed whimper. Her body was swollen and sore all over and her cheeks instantly flushed red as she rembered why.
The princess was mortified.
'Have I spent the whole night in his bedroom? How am I going to go back unnoticed now?! And the dress!'
She leaned over the bed to look at her ruined dress but instantly regretted it. The shooting pain in her lower back made her eyes tear up and she let out a quiet groan.
Then, however, she was able to dismiss that feeling as panic and fear disappeared as if by magic.
There was no torn dress on the floor. In fact, Lorelai was dressed in her usual white nightgown and was now back in her own bedroom!
'Did he bring here himself?' The answer was obvious and yet, how was it possible for him to do it without others noticing? But then, her lips curled up involuntarily as she rembered sothing else.
'He devoured like a beast but brought back like a gypsy.'
She was relieved. Even though she would definitely suffer today, at least she would not have to face the consequences of being seen with the lycan king late at night, alone.
'Still, that Lady Lucia might try to spread the rumors even if her plan had failed... Althea likes her, she might believe her words too. And the duke...'
Thinking about both the queen and that disgusting old man made Lorelai's head throb. There was just too much to take care of already but this might truly cause her trouble.
Groaning and gritting her teeth, the princess rose from her bed and reached her hand for the cane.
'Strange,' she noticed, 'my entire body hurts because Rhaegar has tortured for so long, but my hip...'
Indeed, it seed like her hip was not bothering her as much as usual, but Lorelai simply dismissed it, thinking that the pain in her hip must have been blended with the rest of her sensations.
The woman sighed and started slowly making her way toward the bathroom when she heard a loud knocking on her door.
"Your Highness! It's Marianna! May I co in?"
Lorelai flinched and took a good look at her appearance. Despite her fears, she looked rather decent. The long nightgown had successfully concealed the marks and bruises on her tender skin but it still ant that she could not let her maids help her bathe.
'Marianna will not notice... hopefully.'
"Co in!" She tried to sound lively and her aide rushed inside her bedroom, a look of distress evident in her big gray eyes. "Marianna? IS sothing the matter?"
"Quick, Your Highness!" She rushed to the princess and started guiding her to her closet. "His Highness is here and he told to bring you to him right away!"
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