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Huling Na-update:
2021-04-21 19:14:17It was around midday when I arrived at our meeting spot.
Just in case, I have a knife strapped to myself under my top shirt, although I imagine once Vaia gets a hold of me, it will be confiscated. I wonder if Marek is here, despite our agreement that no one else would be joining us.
The smell of Vaia's floral perfume guides me into the tavern - the neutral ground. Sure enough, the room is void of anyone at all, aside from Vaia, who sits at a table in the centre of the room, drinking what looks like beer. I would have never imagined Vaia opting for that drink, although by the looks of her,
Kaugnay na kabanata
The King’s Seduction 25
Marek’s firm grip on my arm doesn’t release until I’m in the room.The one he has brought me to is unfamiliar, likely in the servants quarters. The fawn brown curtains have already been drawn, the room relying on just one full light to chase away the shadows. A single cot bed is pushed up against the far wall, dressed in plain white linen sheets, next to a sturdy bedside table.That’s it. And a pair of chairs.
Huling Na-update : 2021-04-29The King’s Seduction 26
As night has fallen, Marek has left me with guards outside my door, not telling me much about what he intends to do from now.At this point, I'm incessantly pacing through the room, checking to find the window is locked - it's not as if it would be worth it to escape now anyway, not with the guards swarming the grounds. I need information to go back with anyway, otherwise this black eye isn't going to be worth it.But how am I going to get information when I'm stuck in here?"
Huling Na-update : 2021-04-29The King’s Seduction 27
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-02The King’s Seduction 28
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-02The King’s Seduction 29
Tonight, my door isn't locked, and no one is guarding it.Which means sinful ideas have crept mercilessly into my mind, all of which seem to lead back to me leaving here. Vaia told me that tomorrow morning I will be allowed to leave, which is an opportunity I plan on taking without much protest.But I have a bad feeling about the sudden lack of guards outside of my room. Either Vaia truly doesn't see me as a threat, or she does plan on actually letting me go tomorrow. It's going to mean she will come at me with all the more force when she finds out I betrayed her trust.
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-02The King’s Seduction 30
Even with Tai by my side at almost every waking moment of my day, I still can’t escape the lingering thoughts that haunt me.Today I sit out in the garden on a little wooden bench, staring out across the formal lawn, bordered by the forest. As sheltered as this place is, I still get a flutter of nervousness at the idea that Vaia and her rebels could storm in here at any moment. Since leaving their stronghold a week ago, I haven’t spent a moment each day not thinking about them.I’ve been thinking about Vaia and her plan to have me drink from the Forbidden River. I would surely die, or worse, become some horrifying Tani. And I’ve been thinking about Marek as well, about whether he was truthful when he told me he still cares abo
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-13The King’s Seduction 31
I don’t remember falling unconscious, so when I wake, shrouded in darkness, I’m seized with panic.Something woke me. I’m in the infirmary, the shadows of nearby empty beds telling me that. The window near my bed allows creamy beams of moonlight to flood in, alighting the area so I can see the dried blood on my skin and on the sheets.Attempting to sit up, I wince, a harsh feeling rattling on the inside of my head, my vision erupting with bright colours and spots of black. A sharp pain in my stomach causes me to lay back down, my hands resting on the tender spot as I breathe the pain, trying not to let it overcome me. I’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m not even sure I should be alive right now.
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-14The King’s Seduction 32
The moment the morning sun hits my skin, I feel immediately better.Tai and I walk hand in hand through the formal lawn, and into the forest. The silence between us is comfortable, even if I can sense that Tai has a lot to say to me. We continue our walk through an unfamiliar part of the woods, before we emerge from the thickness of the trees and into a field, a stream running right through the centre of it. I nearly have to pause to look around, surprised a place like this exists out here, in the Jade Province."You know all the most beautiful places around here,” I whisper, the suns gentle rays warming my cheeks, the slight breeze that weaves t
Huling Na-update : 2021-05-23
Pinakabagong kabanata
The King’s Seduction Epilogue
~AkaraVaia is merciless, shoving us into carriages, three security guards squeezing in next to us, giving us no chance to escape.Evolet's gaze is trained directly onto the floor the entire journey there, lost in her thoughts. Strangely, I don't fear my imminent doom. I'm more concerned about Tai's fate, once I drink from the river and die. And what about Marek? For all I know, he could have already been killed, or worse...Captured by Vaia to be tortured.It takes over an hour for us to make it to the river. There's only one way in, through a parting in the dense forest. People are usually prohibited in this area, although it seems this part of the P
The King’s Seduction 54
~AkaraMy body is propped up against a concrete wall when I wake.Wincing, I shift, tilting my head back and forth. I'm presuming Vaia is the reason for my sudden blackout that has led to a throbbing headache. As I lift my arms, I realise they are pinned down, my wrists cuffed with metal attached to chains pinned to the ground. No matter how much I tug, I'm trapped.And to make matters worse, I'm in a cell. This is in the prison section, rather than the room where Tai is locked up. It seems Vaia doesn't want to allow me a single mercy in her demented plot to destroy all of us.
The King’s Seduction 53
~AkaraMarek's grip is tight on my shoulders, gaze intense."I'm going to make you look like some random girl off the street," Marek explains calmly, as if I'm not about to step back into the hell I've escaped from twice now. I can only hope for a third time, accompanied by Tai. "Vaia doesn't care much for her guards, so as long as you have the uniform, she won't question it."We stand near an overgrown entrance to the tunnel that leads close to the estate. We can't get close enough that we would be spotted by any of Vaia's guards, who I'm hopefully going to blend into with Marek's powers controlling my appearance.
The King’s Seduction 52
~AkaraI stare at the cottage, quiet.Beyond the faded doors, are my parents, as Marek has assured me. The place is nice, perfect for them. With father no longer going to the war, they needed a place like this to settle down, and once this is all over, I doubt they will want to move back to the Jade Province."Are you okay?" Marek asks softly from beside me. I turn to look at him, noting the wariness in his eyes. He has been almost too gentle with me since we arrived, probably trying not to crowd me after everything has been revealed. I'm grateful for that, as I don't think I have it in me to look at him the same yet.
The King’s Seduction 52
~AkaraI stare at the cottage, quiet.Beyond the faded doors, are my parents, as Marek has assured me. The place is nice, perfect for them. With father no longer going to the war, they needed a place like this to settle down, and once this is all over, I doubt they will want to move back to the Jade Province."Are you okay?" Marek asks softly from beside me. I turn to look at him, noting the wariness in his eyes. He has been almost too gentle with me since we arrived, probably trying not to crowd me after everything has been revealed. I'm grateful for that, as I don't think I have it in me to look at him the same yet.
The King’s Seduction 51
~AkaraSurprisingly, Tyrien stood and listened to me explain the entire situation, not interrupting once.With the last words of my recount passing my lips, I settle back into myself. I've done everything but go back and get Tai myself, and if this doesn't work, then I'm going to be left with only one choice. Even so, I'm just grateful Tyrien is willing to even hear me blurt out my struggles, essentially on the verge of tears at this point."I wish there was something I could do to help you, Akara," Tyrien responds carefully. I know he means it, that he can't just go marching into territories, resolving conflicts on behalf of people. It would create a
The King’s Seduction 50
~AkaraI don't remember dozing off."Akara...Wake up." I jolt up, pressing my back against the wall of the carriage, staring back at Marek, startled. He removes his hand from my arm, successfully having shaken me awake."What's going on?" I ask, rubbing my bleary eyes. The carriage rattles uneasily, suggesting we are on uneven terrain. The flimsy curtain has been pulled over the small window of the carriage, watery light stream through it's sheer fabric."You fell asleep." Marek doesn't look as though he has slept, his clothing unrumpled and hair in relatively undisturbed condition. "We
The King’s Seduction 49
~AkaraThe sound of wheels grating along a gravelled surface roused me from sleep.Jolting up, my heart patters violently in my chest as I look around at my surroundings, memories struggling to come back to me. I'm in a carriage that sways back and forth, moving quickly, and sitting opposite me is Marek, with a solemn expression on his face.My mind tumbles back into a dark memory. Almost a year ago, when Marek first kidnapped me from the Inn, and I woke in a carriage just like this one, as confused as I am now with a man in front of me who was basically a stranger.
The King’s Seduction 48
~AkaraA dark, cold feeling of dread trickles through me."Jessa...You're here," I say slowly, my mouth feeling like it's stuffed with cotton. I haven't seen Jessa in months, but she looks no different. Maybe a little more haunted than usual, her dark eyes roving over me quietly."I am." The edge of her lips quirk up. "You look horrible."I release a long breath. "I'm sick."I'm not sure if I expect her to feel sorry to me, to pity us and let us go, b
