43Zebian returned to his chambers after seeing Arlet off. He went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for his beloved. Within half an hour, he was done with his making. He glanced out of the window and saw it was still dawning. He set the trolley and wheeled it to his bedroom all the while his servants standing there with eyes downcast. They couldn’t believe the king was making breakfast for someone and that too, for the second time. Little did they believe she was the same woman who left him. For only he could do this for her. He stepped inside the bedroom and found it empty of her. He sighed heavily and rummaged through the room only to find the glass door of the balcony open. He strode toward there and saw her standing behind the railing with an ankle-length cloak on. Zebian walked toward her and gathered her in his embrace. She slightly flinched before loosening up. He nuzzled his nose behind her ear and placed a soft peck. “Good morning, little love,” He whispered softly, hi
*******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