Lahat ng Kabanata ng HATING HER KING: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

"You are smiling." Gwen said lowly.Gwen found herself in Alexander's arms, spinning gracefully across the polished floor, dancing as he had asked her. The walls and people around them had blurred into a swirl of colours and murmured voices as her focus was on him alone. She was acutely aware of his firm grip on the small of her back, and his other hand holding hers, suspended in the air as they moved together. Her dress flowed around her, brushing against her legs with each turn, managing somehow to escape being stepped on. The music swelled, filling the room with more life and they moved deliberately, as if the sound was sewed into the very fabric of their being.His smile, though, made her rather nervous."I am aware." Alexander whispered in her ear, his voice deep and bold. They were the only two people on the floor. "I have waited the entire night to dance with you." Her eyes narrowed. There was no need for him to have waited; he could have claimed this dance with her the moment

The water softly trickled down the statue, its gentle sound shaming the turmoil in the mind of the lady who sat by it. The lights on the castle walls shined, their brightness reflecting off the water and casting a warm, golden glow that danced across the ripples. It was a scene of perfect and continuous tranquility, yet Gwen's thoughts were anything but serene.How could she be in love with Alexander?! She could not! The thought was absurd - impossible! Yet, no matter how vehemently she denied it, a deeper part of her, buried beneath layers of fabrics and repudiation, knew the truth. Her body betrayed her, responding to the mere thought of him with a tightening in her thighs and a warmth that spread like fire through her veins. Her heart slammed, sure of the knowledge she was so desperate to reject. Realization was a fist to her midsection.Her temples throbbed painfully and her fingers trembled with excitement, as they sometimes did whenever she played the piano. She clenched them in

Alexander sat alone in the drawing room, the darkness closing in as he had dismissed Edmund and the rest of the servants. He had even sent the wine away with them, and commanded that most of the candles be put out.The ball had ended some time ago, and graciously so. Lords and ladies had come to bow to him before their departure, lavishing praise on his bride, their future queen, and expressing delight at the news. Alexander did not care if they spoke the truth or not. Carlisle even had assured of his early arrival on the morrow, before departing with his wife and mother.Until he had tired of the sycophancy and left, Guinevere did not return to the ballroom, and Alexander had resisted the urge to go after her. Now, sitting in the near-darkness, he stared at the door, burning a hole through it with his intense gaze. She had left rather abruptly. What had he done? What had he said to send her fleeing? How had her expression changed so suddenly?The thought unsettled him deeply. He was

"Never!" The prince replied firmly, yelling in his face. "We are second sons, spares - you and I. We should never covet what is not ours." Lord Denney paused, his eyes narrowing as they swept over the prince from head to toe. "You lack ambition." He finally said, his voice filled with contempt. "And you lack propriety and contentment." The prince's voice had hardened. "Cease your greed this moment if you hope to live after tonight." Lord Denney smirked. He did not seem the least bothered. "I have come this far, I shall not stop now." At once, he turned and walked away, leaving a tensed silence in his wake. Gwen's heart began to race, her breath coming now in quick, shallow bursts. The prince turned, leaned in close to her, his voice low and urgent. "Get out of here as fast as you can." He whispered, slipping something cold and firm into her hand. It was his knife. Her eyes widened in fear, but she nodded, clutching the weapon tightly. "And you?" His right eye blinked. "Do

Gwen woke up in stages, and as soon as she opened her eyes, a blinding headache overtook her. She groaned and carefully pressed her hand to her temple, trying to relieve the throbbing pain, and then to her aching face. Her other hand ached too. She studied it. Of course, the wound from the tree. It had been cleanly dressed now.She forced her eyes to open fully and took in the surroundings – a bedpost, windows, the soft bedding beneath her and the warm cover draped over her. She was in her bedchamber. But how had she gotten here? Who brought her? The last she remembered was…Alexander!Her heart skipped a beat, and her head pounded even harder. She recalled seeing him before she had fainted, except her vision was cruel and had lied to her.Gwen sat up abruptly, and when her head spun, instantly regretted it. She looked herself over and exhaled. Now in her night garment, and in her bed, she was safe from her assailant, but where was Alexander?Suddenly, she felt a presence in the room