When all she did was dumbly stare at him while shaking with the fear of the eyes she would recognize anywhere.
He was here to kill her! He must be.
“Won't you say it?” he insisted. She just stared back in horror.
“Why don't you take a seat, my dear fiance.” the King raised a brow at her unresponsiveness.
Her mind went through all the terrors she had seen that unfortunate night and shook her head. "Ple-Please excuse my intrusion, Sire. I'll leave you to enjoy your evening."
"I was expecting a more gutsy introduction." Despite his jab, she hurriedly performs a courtesy and side-stepped to leave. He knew she was a witch. He was here to end her!
"Tsk." With a swish of wind, he was in front of her. She stumbled back frantically in her attempt to escape. He was quick to hold her by her jaw and throw her on the divan. "Weird. I remember telling you to sit, Laylin."
Is he here to execute her because her cover as a witch was blown? Or was it because she had harmed his body that night?
“Please, that's enough! I didn’t want to either, I had no choice. I want to go back to my room!” She spoke with an air of finality despite her compromised position. The King only stared at the woman.
He could hear her heart drumming in her chest, but her poker face was resolute. There was something about her that was pulling him in. Unconsciously his eyes shifted to her plum lips.
“I wonder where your confidence is coming from.” the King asked with disbelief, before chuckling. The woman's face reddened and she tries to pry his hand away, “What makes you think, I won't end you right now?”
Nothing.
Nothing gave her this delusion. She wondered why he was dragging it, why wouldn't he kill the witch who had attacked him? Was he a psychopath and was enjoying her struggles? Silence reigned between them once more, before Laylin finally replied.
“I... I ask you to excuse this subject's inability to recognize Your Majesty. I was just out for a stroll as I couldn't sleep.” She admitted, her first priority was getting away from him. She then moved and tried to pry his hands away, this time just tapping his hand as she stared directly at him.
She was scared. The King was a devilishly handsome man but his smiles and wiles wouldn't ever make her overlook the monster she knew was right under his skin.
When he didn't move, she bit her lip and pitifully stared up at him.
“Please... I beg you to have mercy! I'm not ready to greet you just yet. I wish... to appear fomally before you for judgement in court...” Laylin urged out desperately, but he just observed her.
He just furrowed his brows sexily. "How did you do it?"
His words seized her eratic movements, "Huh? What?"
She had a hunch he was talking about that night. Shouldn't he know better than any other person how she did it?
"I'm afraid, I don't follow, Sire." She hesitantly asked, testing the waters.
He looked irked but climbed a top of her. She squealed, but his grip was strong. "Your Majesty!"
"How are you even alive? What did you do?" Sweeping his hair away from his face, he slightly tightened his hold on her jaw, "When I woke up on the forest ground, my back had bruises and cuts. With how you are squirming here, you obviously didn't do it. Who accompanied you that night?"
'Oh...'
Everything clicked in place for her at that moment. So this was why every courtier was interested in questioning her instead of waiting for the King! The King didn't remember a thing of that night! Maybe he can't remember what he did once his beast takes over...
“You spared me, My Lord!” she exclaimed, a strategy forming in her head “I don't remember much, but I swear to only tell you the truth. My journey here was arduous with no rest for days so everything I know must be hazy but I swear on my life and Ehan that you were the only person there except me that night.” she finished in a calmer voice.
She breathed in his alluring fragrance. She didn’t want to spew out filtered truth, but she had to do this for her survival.
"Uh...Ha." He exclaimed lightly as if he was just probing her, "And then?"
She pursed her lips as her heart thundered in her chest. She had never considered herself brave enough to fool a monarch but the situation asked for it. If she told him the truth, she would be as good as dead. “Can-Can I sit up, please? I'm feeling dizzy-"
"Speak before my patience for you runs out." With his eyes narrowed, he scared her witlessly. His closeness was overtaking her mind.
Clenching her lips, she spewed her first lie, "I was dizzy and exhausted when the be- Your Highness entered." She winced. There was no way to say it without making him sound like an unhinged animal.
Scoffing, the King shook his head. He was distracted by her deep eyes and sweet whispers. "Speak comfortably. I'll excuse your language today."
With a careful nod, she set her eyes on his sharp jawline, "...I ran for my life and somehow landed in the narrow passage and you banged it when you couldn't reach me. The walls and ceiling there broke, I'm guessing that's where Your Majesty got injured. Then-”
"And you had no major fracture when the ceiling fell on you?"
Her heart rate spiked and he knew something was amiss: "I must have been lucky, Sire. I don't remember much but I remember you choking me and slamming me against a wall nearby after that. More of the ceiling might have fallen on you." she finally said, “And I... I'm not really sure as I have no wounds but... Sire, you bit me here.” She pointed to lower neck.
He, who was apathetic throughout her whole story, was startled, "I bit you there?" He looked so incredulous that she had trouble nodding.
'It wouldn't be easy knowing your alter ego is into cannibalism,' she sympathized with him.
Every word was like a hammer to his already aching head but now the woman even claimed she was marked. Laylin, unaware, just kept adding to it.
Now that he knew, he felt it vividly. The strange mercy he was feeling for her and how she seemed particularly pretty to him. He must have hidden the mark, that is why even he couldn't sense it right away.
She patted the junction between her neck and shoulder, "I passed out after that. I wasn't even found out until the next morning-"
He was off of her, running his hand through his hair. "Leave."
"Ah... Sire, I-"
"I said, leave! Damn it!" Startled by Ambrose's outburst, she scrambled off of the couch. "Shift back to the King's Palace next morning."
"Sire... I'm good here-"
"Shift on your own before I drag you kicking and screaming." She heard him say when she was almost out of the door.
The next day when Ivan came with Princess Scarlet to look at the on-going reconstruction of the King's Palace, he couldn’t help but let out a low whistle at the sight of it. He looked around in awe, absolutely gobsmacked at just how much work needed to be done. "He's going all out. Do you reckon it had something to do with that little spitfire he's hiding under his wings?" Princess Scarlet sneered bitterly, still unable to swallow the humiliation, "Of course. It is like Laylin to exceed expectations." “I didn’t know King Ambrose would give a damn about anyone other than Sayon. Though I don't blame. The Princess is a sight for sour eyes.” Ivan remarked with faux sympathy, and Princess Scarlet felt some of the tension leave her as she sighed in resignation. “At least now Sayon will have a rival,” she scoffed, “The way he went off on m .ol e, you would expect I was keeping her captive! He should be thankful to me that she's alive!” she backtracked, and Ivan lightly held onto her el
Hessy quietly indicated to a maid to follow Laylin. Princess Scarlet smiled at her quick thinking. She bowed deeply towards Ivan, and moved to get past him, but stopped for a moment, looking back at him hesitantly. “I will be fine, General.” Princess Scarlet insisted once more, “I have a prior arrangement so if you will excuse me.” With his feeble nod, she left him behind. Princess Scarlet led her entourage through the halls of the palace and the garden. Some of her witches headed off to fetch errands for her. She watched as they moved around her. She was trying to quell any kind of suspicion the servants of the King's Palace might have. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Melissa waving her hand and she hummed, turning around to face her entourage. "Sansy is there with me so please excuse me." They all snapped their heads to look up at the creepy bird circling the sky and glowering at them from above. "But Princess, the protocol-" "Get going if you don't wish to be fired." She
"First Daughter of House Calanty, a high-ranking official and your biggest rival." As she said that she saw Laylin's body stiffening, "There's a way to men's hearts. Ambrose doesn't necessarily have to love you but he can't hate you if you wish to survive." Scarlet leaned closer to emphasize her point. "If you give him an heir, your position in the court will be steady." She fell back in her seat. "...An heir? Do you know what I saw that night? I'm scared even of the thought of being alone with him again." She shuddered but her heart thumped in excitement. Scarlet giggled, at Laylin's reddening cheeks, "For someone so uninterested, you sure are snooping a lot around him." Laylin rubbed her sweaty palms, looking away, "...I was asking to be aware." It was hard for her to think of the man she saw last night as the beast who had tried to feast on her... Scarlet pursed her lips: "Transforming in our lycan's form is painful and leaves you with aches for days. We are not allowed to shi
"I heard of your arrival so I thought I would come to visit,” she flicked her long hair back and sat on the couch with seductive grace. The King nodded at her briefly in acknowledgment, before rising to his feet and fixing his appearance. He then stepped aside, striding past her to pour himself something. Sayon followed him to the counter, flaunting her figure in her see-through dress. The King turned his eyes to her and furrowed his brows, "You came here like this?" What she called a dress was a halter neck with almost a see-through pattern. It fell past her knees and no woman would even wear it in her bedroom as it offered no resistance against the cruel cold. You could see her lingerie from anywhere. He can only guess how it was in natural light. “Yes, I did." She stood up in front of the mirror and giggled coyly as she swirled in it. "Don't I look like the most beautiful creature you have ever beheld?" Scoffing, the King chugged down the bitter nectar, and turned back to the co
"Argh...! Where the fuck did she even come from?" She loved to think she knew King Ambrose better than anyone in Rakhbar. After all, she was the one responsible for bringing up that tormented child. She watched Ambrose change with a purpose in life. It was him, who gave her a purpose in this world. The moment he became her savior, her fate was sealed to him. In frustration, she sat down, untying the bundle of another set of letters. With her one hand, she flipped the table, clattering everything in the room. She breathed hard, trying to reign in her rage. Scoffing, she picked the letters from the floor and threw them against the wall. All the intel was mundane and nothing that would faze King Ambrose. Though she had just laid the foretold as an excuse, there was something amiss about the foreign Princess. She was sure there was a secret this Ehanian Princess carried. It just wasn't possible for her to survive a mad lycan as strong as the King. Maybe if she’d see the Princess hers
“Laylin!” She looked around at the chaotic scene, before seeing her frantic Governess. She in tears, holding onto her hands as though she was holding on to dear life. Laylin was instantly alarmed by the uncalled frankness. “Agatha, what is it? What’s wrong?” she quickly inquired, feeling her heart sink. “Why did I just see armed Knights? Is it perhaps because of the commotion we heard earlier in the day?” she frantically looked around out of the window, before spotting a trail. Laylin couldn’t help but feel her heart constrict in her chest when she realized they were all heading in the direction of the forest beside the West Tower. “No! It can’t be!” Laylin exclaimed in disbelief, turning back to ask the Governess, “Isn't that where Eloise said she was going to subdue her aura? Is she back? Summon her at once!” “Oh, she isn't back!” Wailing Agatha cried out with tears streaming down her face, “I heard them say, an assassin witch caused the explosion!” Laylin gasped in alarm, cover
Laylin had just managed to arrive inside the corridor but was immediately stopped at the reception hall. "This is the King's Office District. You don't have a permit to enter. Princess, please return." A middle-aged man raised an arm, stopping her from proceeding any further. When the Princess only craned her neck stubbornly, he clicked his tongue. This wasn't going to end well. The King was already irked by her servant who turned out to be a witch and now this woman... Laylin clenched her jaw and spoke with her most daring voice, "I'm here to see my husband. What makes you think you are authorized to get in my way?" Martin scoffed with a smile, "Husband? Last time I checked, you didn't have a ceremony-" Laylin sneered, getting in his face, "I had, in Ehan, with the seal of the King's agreement. I was his bride the moment I stepped in the carriage headed to Rakhbar!" The man's brows climbed up. It was what the law was, though it wasn't how weddings worked but he had nothing to ref
“You keep forgetting a charge of treason and attempted murder also falls upon you. My Mistress almost lost her life!” The King began cruelly, “Millions have flushed down the drain at the construction site because of you.” He listed off all of the cases against her, making Laylin face the harsh truth. With every accusation, he took one step closer to her, looking all the more imposing. He only stopped when he was only a step away from her quivering form. His sweet scent confronted him. “And you want me to show mercy to a witch and be a laughingstock?” he finished, looking down at her, “Tell me why I would do that?” She gulped, feeling the tremors of fear and nerves from his proximity run through her veins, “...I have never seen Lady Sayon. I have no reason to hold resentment for a person I don't even know of-” “Didn't you do it because you were jealous of her? Isn't it because I didn't visit your chambers?” he accused her, caressing Laylin's thin waist with the firm tips of his fing