*******A week had slipped by before she knew it. The time went within a blink. Mostly because of the routine she was accustomed to. Wake up, get ready, spend time with her chambermaids, play with the kids, sew some sweaters or spend a day in the kitchen till the evening and in the night, serve the king who would not let her dare to step out until it’s dawn again. But for a few days, he had rarely come to bed on time. It was usually midnight when he would come and by that time, she would have been in her sleep. Yesterday, he had so many meetings that he came when she was waking up. She felt pity for him but again it was his duty to serve his reign. So, today she thought she would make him breakfast. She was setting the trolley when the announcer exclaimed the king’s arrival. Every one stepped back and he straight came to her. “There you are,” He kissed her forehead and backed away to peer into her greys. “What is going on?” He asked, eyeing the food course momentarily. “I was maki
44Her head was throbbing when she forcefully opened her eyes. It took a while for her vision to adjust to the lights and locked on her wrist that was held by a man nearly in his fifties. He was assessing her pulse with a cloth in place. The moment his eyes caught her eyes staring back at him, he retreated his fingers and bowed indirectly. Standing up, he went to Zebian who was instructing someone feet away from her bed. The man spoke in his ear and Zebian swiftly turned around. His eyes didn’t take a second to freeze on her. Without exchanging any word, he began to rush to her. She noticed he had a soft smile lingering over his lips as he came to kiss her temple. His hand cupped her cheek and he stroked it with his thumb. His eyes were warm and Renai couldn’t help but think what could get them like that. “How are you feeling now?” He asked her softly, never stopping caressing her cheek. She nodded quietly. “Good,” He mumbled before backing away and grabbing something from the nigh
45The doors parted open once the announcement of the King’s arrival resounded in the spacious hall. All the noble guests turned their fronts to the foyer from where he would be making an appearance. Everyone was eager to know what it was that made the king host a balling event in the midst of an uprising fatal war. The moment was like a pond of freshwater ready to be drunk before the whirlwind of sandstorms would pollute it. It must be something important that could not be waited for despite danger looming on their heads.Zebian entered the hall with all his grandeur and majestic stance. His long furry robe billowed out as usual, his chocolate brown hair was immaculately combed back and the royal uniform he donned was buffing his broad torso and loaded biceps. He looked deliciously hot and irresistible like always. Many peeresses whose families wrote proposals to the king were present at the ball, their hearts secretly anticipating he would notice them, but none of them had the idea
******It took Renai a second to realise she was alive. The grave wouldn’t be as cold as the surface beneath her. The freezing floor had frozen every square inch of her body, even her fingers were desensitised. Her breath felt cold and couldn’t bring any comfort to her trembling body either.It had been several hours since she had been shuddering like this but her senses refused to source back to her mind. She had been conscious of her surroundings but too light-headed to move an inch and finally now, after long excruciating hours and consciousness finally reaching the right places, she managed to move her body and sagged against a wall. Taking faint breaths, she lifelessly raised her hand to dust off her sticky tendrils just to realise her wrist was secured with a cold material. She opened her eyes and looked down at herself. Her heart fell in the pit of her stomach seeing her limbs tied by shackles and chains pooling around her. The unforgiving and cold breeze was swooping in from
46Two Days LaterThe sun was rising. There were hues of first light seeping through the cellar, falling on a barely alive human. Renai was laying on the floor, her eye sockets were heavy-lidded and her whole face was perilously swollen. She was staring at the daybreak with absolutely nothing in her mind. She could tell her soul was gradually leaving her body, her lower body was almost deprived if any sensation. It had been three days since she last ate something, not precisely ate but tried to. It was stale bread and some dry beans. The food was so bland that she ended up disgorging all the contents out. Tears were unstoppable. She put a hand on her stomach and stared at her dying child with pitiful eyes. She wouldn’t have feared death if this little beat hadn’t been in her womb. The baby was too weak to survive malnourishment. She was sick worried she would lose him if she didn’t eat anything.She blinked at the rising sun before hearing the creaking sound of the door. Someone was
“Relax, I was only helping her. She needed to be fed,” He explained politely. Arlet ground her teeth and fumed in fury. She stepped ahead and fisted his lapel. Kolton seemed caught by shock. “Did I tell you to feed her? Did I permit you…huh?” Arlet asked with a twitched jaw. Kolton frowned in disbelief. “She looked famished. She could have died if I hadn’t fed her,” He reasoned indicatively. Arlet rolled her eyes. “She should, for all I care,” She taunted, loud enough to be heard by the prey. Renai gulped down the embarrassment and willed her tears to stay back. She knew Arlet didn’t like her and why even would she? She was the jinxed one who stole her husband. She was the one who came in between them. Of course, she would hate her to her bones. “Look, sweetheart, you promised me you wouldn’t hurt her if I brought her here. I kept my promise, you will have to keep yours,” Kolton looked meaningfully at her. She wouldn’t betray him. She loved him. She confessed it herself. He raise
47Arlet was dragging her by the chain around her neck. Renai was forcing her legs to work even though it was killing her exhausted limbs. She was numbed to feel the strangling. Her entire focus was on snivelling and constantly begging Arlet to save Kolton, though her voice was undertone and throat gunged up. His stiff gaze blankly locked at her had her mind on the loop. She didn’t care about herself, she cared about the dying man who most probably would be having his last breaths in that cold cellar.They were passing through the corridor when suddenly a loud thump of footsteps hampered the women’s steps. Arlet caught the shadows of soldiers storming in their direction, her heart jackhammered and she hastily hunted around to find a secret spot. Her eyes flashed at the pillar. Her gut instinct unconsciously pushed her behind it. She dragged Renai and compressed her palm against her mouth. Renai shakily breathed over her skin. Her heart was aching when she heard the soldiers trudging i
48Zebian had been pacing around the room like a madman. He had been like this for eight hours. Anxiety was vesting in every pore of his being. No royal servants had seen the king bearing an emotional breakdown ever except for Lucian. His heart was warning him of seizures every time he watched her having them. She was jerking frenziedly. Her body was too weak to shake this badly, only if he could take her pain. It was killing him more than she was suffering. It had been many hours and many seizures she have had since the moment he had taken her back to this heavily-guarded villa. The physicians were on their toes all the while. They were giving their all to save both; the mother and the baby, but the case was turning hopeless. The little one’s life was at stake from the second the arrow pierced her as the arrowhead was coated with poison. And the mother, she also had fewer chances of survival as well. Doctors were keeping the majesty briefed. Every time they told him the severity of
******All the royal children were present in the hall. The hall was echoing with chirping voices. Little birds were spread everywhere until the king and queen’s arrival was announced. The boys back-stepped on the left and the girls took to the right lane. Zebian and Renai treaded between them and took to the stage. They settled on their respective thrones. The instructors rushed close to the stage and bowed. Zebian nodded and permitted the class to begin. They explained the moves and coordination to the children and showed how to combine the steps. After that, they paired the couple. Zenia was paired with Aurelio and that happened on the king’s order. He wasn’t unaware of her daughter’s interest in his sword of honour’s son.Lucian glanced at Zebian and smirked. Zebian smirked back and watched the pair stepping closer. The instructor told Aurelio to place his hand on her waist and grab her hand. Zenia put her hand on his shoulder and began swaying along to the music. She was deeply
Stepping inside the hall, the announcer proclaimed their arrival and both of the kids stood from their seats in respect. Rebian, who turned fifteen last month, was on the right side of the table along with his sister. Zenia will turn ten next week. The youngest one watched her parents advancing close with blurry vision. She wiped her tears with the back of her hands and dashed toward them. Zebian stepped faster and kneeled with his arms open. Zenia hurriedly slammed into his chest and hugged him tightly. He lifted her in his arms and stroked the back of her head. Her soft muffling caught him cooing. “I missed you so much, papa,” She mumbled against his neck and wept. Zebian smiled and closed his eyes. “Papa missed his angel too. Now, why are you crying?” He asked as a tear smeared over his skin. He tried to pull her face away but he snuggled into him and shook her head. “You didn’t come to meet me last night,” Zenia grumbled. Renai smiled and watched Zebian grin. “I thought you w
Bonus Chapter “Oh…oh…oh..ss…s…stop it, you are…t…tickling m…” Renai held his head and tried to pull it away but her husband was keen on sucking her neck while tickling her belly with his unforgiving cold fingers. The queen was erratically wobbling underneath him and he was chuckling against her skin, making it more hard for her. Zebian undid his lips and pasted a mischievous smirk before glancing down at his artwork. It was raging bright and purple sitting on the side of her neck. He was proud of every mark he owned on her body. “Will you ignore me again?” He aligned himself outside her entrance and gritted contemptuously. The mushroom tip was massaging her clit. Renai bit her lip to press her smile and nodded her head, doing hard to keep an offensive frown on her forehead. Zebian lifted his brows and stared at her in amusement. “Are you sure, my queen?” He leaned closer to her face and locked her gaze with his stern one. “If it comes to our children, I shall be ignoring you f
Sleep came to him after two weeks. After bending fate in his favour, he finally had her sleeping in his arms. His eyelashes fluttered as he woke up to her sight. Her soft petals slightly parted, her nose twinkling in pink hues. She was breathing peacefully as if she knew she was safe and protected. His heart drummed quietly against her left shoulder as he brought the back of his fingers to trace the outer-rim of her jaw. He keenly swirled his route down to her chin, grazing it with his thumb. As if her body acknowledged his touch, her lips got closed. He softly smiled and danced his hand all the way down to her stomach, underneath the duvet. He placed his hand on the bare surface and drew circles on it. She was only wearing gauze on her shoulder, the rest was her skin. Closing his eyes, he imagined caressing their baby. How much he dreaded losing him when she was injured by the arrow. That time he thought he would lose everything. Him, her. Every single hope to live.His heart walls
******Renai was being taken to the king’s chamber which was also hers now. Her chambermaids had dressed her in a black nightie and a gown concealing her beauty. “Her Grace, the Queen,” the announcer said. It felt oddly good to the queen as the doors opened for her. The king who was no other than her husband was gazing out with his hands tugged back. He was wearing a silk black gown like her. She stepped inside and the door shut behind her. Her gaze fell on the envelopes. Was he planning to tease her again? She wondered.He turned around. “My queen,” He stepped toward her and curtsied. Renai smiled amusingly. “You may rise,” “With all pleasure,” He straightened, both of them grinned.“You are holding something?” She mentioned. “Your wedding gift,” He presented it to her. She frowned. Wedding gift? Was it really a wedding gift in an envelope?She took it from his hands and took note of his reaction. “Open it,” He jutted his chin. She inhaled deeply and opened it. It was a paper
*****She squeezed the nosegay in her hands. Her palms were sweaty and she was slightly shivering in nervousness. She lifted her anxious eyes and glanced at the children dressed in royal suits and gowns ahead of her. They would escort her to the altar where she was going to marry the most powerful man in the world; who also happened to be her childhood best friend. Then why was she feeling so nervous? She didn’t know it herself. “My lady, it’s time,” Evelyn put a hand on her arm. Renai glanced at her with tears filling her eyes. She didn’t know why she was feeling mawkish. This was the biggest day of her life, it was supposed to make her happy. “This is the last time we are calling her ‘my lady’,” Cora piped in. Renai chuckled out of the blue and a tear tripped down as she closed her eyes. Evelyn smiled warmly and pulled her in a sisterly hug. “He will love you with his life,” Evelyn whispered in her ear.“You think so?” Renai whispered back.“I believe so, we all have seen in hi
Three Months LaterRenai detached the baby’s mouth from her nipple. His tiny lip formed a pout as he rubbed the back of his fist over his right eye. She purred seeing his little move. Her eyes admired his round, chubby sleepy face as he perfectly snuggled in her embrace. She brought her fingers and moved his fist down before bringing them to his cheek and lightly grazing his skin to the chin. The baby sighed in peacefully, coaxing a smile on his mother’s lip. She leaned down and placed two pecks on his cheeks, settling him on the mattress after that. She shielded his body by stuffing pillows around him as she had to leave him to take a bath. A chambermaid would be here to take care of him but she still chose to keep them for the safer side.Renai stood straight and was about to turn around when she heard the indistinct voices swinging from afar, coming through the window. It was early morning but she had been hearing these voices since last night. She smiled and thought to glance out
Renai had seen Zenner killing people. She first saw it when he was taking her to Calmia on Gordian’s—Bancroft’s Sword of Honour—command. She woke up in a carriage after she passed out in her house, looking around she discovered she was not in Sebria anymore. They stopped in a market. A few minutes later, she heard a commotion, she glanced outside the window and saw Zenner stabbing an old man for not giving him the apples on the rate he demanded. It was her first time witnessing a murder. She never recovered from it. Neither had she the courage to see people getting butchered by him. She also didn’t want him to hurt Zebian. King or not, Zenner was close to him. He could have easily killed him. “He said if I told you anything, he would behead you and your people would turn up against you. I didn’t want that, I never want you to get hurt,” Renai flitted her misted gaze at him and snivelled. Zebian was over the moon. His insides were dancing in happiness. The effect her words had on him
She was staring at his face as he blew air on the hot soup. His eyes were swollen and he looked exhausted. Of course, the war and fighting had tired him out. Her heart was filled with pity for him. He lifted his lashes to her mouth as he fed her. “You c..cried?” She asked, gulping the brew. His eyes flicked to her eyes. If only he could tell how many sleepless nights he had spent beside her, praying for her, feeling dreadful whenever he thought she would give up on him. If only he could sob in her lap and tell her how powerless he felt in all these days of misery.“Did you make it?” She asked him to change the topic as he was only staring at her face, it was making her feel awkward. A soft smile crossed his lips as he forwarded the spoon. “Who else could make it with such fine perfection, my beautiful?” He sneered, keeping his gaze on her sparkless orbs that still held the whole world for him. She looked self-conscious. A small bubble of wrinkle sat between her brows.“I’m not beau