“Come here,” I hear Theo says. I jump from his voice. “What is it?” I ask, shifting my attention to him. I’ve been doing nothing for the past hour. Without books, I am so bored that I almost fall asleep. So, I shift my attention to him. He has now transferred from his work table to the carpet in front of the fireplace. There is no fire on it though. I stand up and approach him. “Is there anything you need?” “Sit here,” he orders, patting the seat next to him. I swallow nervously. Every time he is ordering me to come close to him, I know what will follow. “I order you to sit,” he repeats when I didn’t move. Without another choice, I sit next to him. I sigh. There are still another five days of stay here. There are still a lot of meetings and knowledge sharing about governance. And I want to go home. At least in Pitchford, Theo will be busy with his concubines which means I can get away from him from time to time. I am also not required to be in the same room as him. Suddenly, T
I look at Theo’s sleeping face on my lap. His arms are still around my waist and his face is turned towards me. He also forces me to place my arms around his body. He looks like an ordinary, defenseless man, and somehow, I am hoping that he is. So, I allow myself to touch his black-violet hair. It feels like a long time since I last touched him. He moans in his sleep as if he finds delight in my action. Getting lost in it, I interlace my fingers in his hair. It is soft and beautiful and in the dim light of the room, the violet in his hair is reflecting against the light. When someone knocks at the door, I jump, causing me to pull at his hair. His brows scrunch, probably from the sting, but before he opens his eyes, I untangle my fingers from his hair. His eyes find mine. He lifts his body and is about to kiss me when the knock comes from the door again. He freezes, with his hands already on my cheeks. Our faces are only a few inches apart. I can’t move and my heart is pounding in m
After making me physically attractive, with all those painful brushing, ornaments, and beautification, I am ushered into a garden. Something that I didn’t expect because it was already seven in the evening. I am about to comment about the bad planning when I am ushered into a small hut instead. Entering the threshold, the door opens up to a round table with two chairs surrounded by vines and flowers. On the ceiling hangs a small chandelier that is connected to a wooden roof. I look around. The walls, ceilings, and floor are all covered in grass, vines, and flowers. It seems like we are in a garden instead of a wooden house. Seth is sitting in the center, and as I approach him, he stands up to meet me. I raise my brow at him. It’s only me who is forced to wear something seductive. He, on the other hand, is wearing his normal open chest robes giving me a glimpse of his muscular chest and torso. There is also an embroidered green sash that’s tied around his waist and placed over one sho
After our dinner, Seth and I walk around the gardens, but our conversation had become more… educational. I bet he will have a great time having tea with Harbin while talking about books and sharing knowledge. I also request to return to the room where I was adorned by the servants. However, it was already closed and Seth assured me that he will send my clothes before we leave for Pitchford. He also insisted to come with me to my room, but thinking about Theo’s flip-flopping mood, I told him no. The provocative clothes, on the other hand, had become comfortable. So, my mood is visibly lighter as I make my way toward the room I share with Theo. Smiling, I grab the doorknob and am about to twist it open when I freeze. Slowly, I gently place my ear against the door and listen in. “Oh damn, my King! Faster! Harder! Fill me up!” It’s Princess Kissa’s voice. I am sure of it. I have been subjected to that same voice and torture. So, I pull away from the door and retreat. My breathing gets
Before returning to our room, I make it a point to take a bath. Thus, it’s already past mid-morning when I ask the servant if Theo is alone in the room. “I think the King is waiting for you, Miss Kaiya,” one servant adds. “He’s been looking for you the instant he woke up,” another adds. “He’s not in a good mood,” the other shares again. The corner of my lips turns upward. This won’t be good. I move towards the closed door and knock, “King Theo, I am back.” I hear the shuffling of feet inside. I look at the other servants. They bow at me and start to scurry away from me. I am still watching them leave when the door opens, and someone pulls me inside. Then it’s followed by the deafening crash of the door against its frame. “Where have you been?!” Theo screams at my face. “You are supposed to be back last night!” I look away. “I had too many drinks and fall asleep somewhere,” I say. He smashes the door beside my head. “I’ve warned you not to drink! Who are you with?!” “It’s not i
I crouch outside the room as I listen to the incessant lovemaking of Theo and Princess Kissa. I can hear Kissa’s screams of pleasure. And I feel as if I can hear Theo’s grunts too. They’ve been at it after bath and dinner and it’s close to midnight now. My only consolation is that Princess Kissa made me leave the room. My hands over my ears tighten, and I bury my face in my knees. I feel dizzy. I can’t take this anymore. It’s been a few days. I want to return somewhere far from both Theo and Kissa. I sense someone approaching but I ignore it. I continue to tremble in this pain as tears continuously flow. Besides, Theo completely occupies my mind. How can he make love with another woman? Is she too pretty in his eyes that he just can’t help it? Or maybe, I’m the only one who can’t think of making love to anyone because of this blasted mate bond, and he knows it! I feel someone wrap his arms around me and I jump from the sudden invasion of my personal space. I look up to see Klevon’s
I tap the pin on his clothes and look up at him. “All done,” I say. Theo pulls me closer to his body and places a kiss on my temple. I grin at him. I make it seem as warm as possible because my heart had already turned cold. Despite that, a simple touch from him can blaze my body into intoxication again. Thankfully, Kissa is already made aware that I am her rival to Theo’s attention. Like right now, the only reason he can kiss and hug me like this is because we are preparing to alight on the kingdom of Duran. And Princess Kissa is busy with all her clothes and make-up. At night, she also monopolizes his attention. She also started to sleep in his room after they make love, despite his annoyance. So, as he promised, he allowed me to move somewhere I cannot hear their lovemaking. That’s what his kindness means. In the morning, once Princess Kissa is out of the room, I enter to help with his bath. During those moments, he will pepper me with hugs and kisses, while I brush his body.
“Drink! Drink! Drink!” is the chant of the people at the bar where Silvino works. Ami holds a pitcher of alcohol and chugs down its alcoholic content. When she empties the pitcher, I clap with the others. “To my friend, Kaiya!” she slurs. “I will chug another for you.” Unsteadily, she leans towards me and whispers, “I know you are not allowed to drink so I will do it instead.” I smile at her and she adds, “For you!” “You just want to drink more,” Nadif comments which Ami answers with a bright smile. “You got it right!” she admits while beaming at him. She heavily sits beside me and says, “To my friend, turned to best friend, who can’t even drink a glass of alcohol, I feel bad for you.” “What’s happening now?” Silvino asks as he walks towards our table. “My handsome lover~~” Ami coos. She stands up and wraps her arms around his waist. “What time will you be out?” “I can play with you now,” he says. He places his arms around her and adds, “One room is freed up so the five of