“Guards!” The king called and when the royal guards rushed to his side, he commanded, “Detain that woman and prepare to go back to Silex.” Jadeite was still too weak to go against the royal guards fighting back was already out of the question. She could not even slap their hands away from touching her. Thus, she shook her head at the queen, telling her that she will be alright even though she was not so certain about it. On the other hand, if Emery dared to go against the king at that very moment, it could give chance for their enemies to strike and that was not something she would allow to happen. Most especially because they were outnumbered and stood no chance against the men of Thorine Kingdom. Thus, she walked up to King Lawson with shaking hands. She could not even come up with a lie because her mind was in turmoil out of the sudden turn of events. Plus, his cold and dark glare made her shiver. “Your Majesty, she… she is hurt. Please, do not hurt her even f-further,” she begge

The very next morning, Emery woke up alone in their chambers. She already expected that since the royal concubine was pregnant so it was no wonder why the king chose to stay with her. However, Emery could still not shake away the pain in her chest and it made her feel so pathetic. It was even harder for her to admit that a part of her wanted to be chosen by the king over the royal concubine. It was not something she should dwell upon but then, her feelings of being ignored once again hurt more than they did before. In addition to her frustration was the fact that she could not leave the Western Palace and visit Jadeite in the dungeon. But she was no person who would just sit still and wait for the king’s orders when he was already preoccupied with something. It would no longer be a surprise if he had forgotten about her, especially since a king’s happiness was nothing but an heir to be born. While waiting for a chance to leave her chambers, she grabbed a clean scroll and some paintbru

Emery felt the general flinch upon hearing the king’s voice. The hands that once caressed her hair retreated and he was about to push her back. However, instead of letting him go, the queen tightened her embrace around him, showing no fear that they were caught in such a position. “Your Highness,” General Kyan whispered. He did not want to strain their relationship further. It was not his intention to do so but knowing his own brother, he would not let this matter go and it could bring Emery into trouble. He feared that if he won’t explain the matter to him, King Lawson might not just lock up the queen as punishment. “Please, help me free Jadeite,” Emery whispered back before letting the general go. The moment they parted, General Kyan immediately faced the king to give his explanation. “General Kyan, you told me that you still have some important things to do. As I do not want to keep you any longer, do take your leave,” Emery stated before the general could even speak a word. S

It was already the second day of Emery’s detainment and while she stayed in the West Palace, the king was in his court office. He was engrossed in his paperwork that he failed to notice Royal Concubine Hazel’s entrance into the room. And since Lady Hazel did not want to disturb His Majesty, she simply smiled at him and walked towards the shelves of books and scrolls to distract herself. However, what caught her attention was the small desk at the corner of the room where she saw a set of the same daggers with silver and gold snakes entwined at their handles. Looking closer, she was also mesmerized by the intricate drawings on the blades. Running her finger at the gem placed in each of the daggers, she could not help but smile. “Are you feeling okay?” the king asked when he noticed the royal concubine. Lady Hazel turned on her heels and flashed him a smile. “Yes, Your Majesty. I am getting tired of just lying inside my chambers so I thought of coming to visit you while having some fr

Hearing the queen’s condition made the king scoff. He removed Emery’s hands away from him without breaking eye contact with her and he could tell that she seemed desperate to do anything just to free Lila from the walls of the palace. Without saying a word, he took a few strands of her hair and indulged himself with her scent like that of a purple orchid. It was intoxicating. Letting her locks of hair loose, he took her hand and kissed the back of her hand, his gaze still locked onto hers. He pulled her closer and with his other hand, he wrapped it around her waist just to lift her up and make her sit on his lap. This was quite a shock for Emery but the king did not pay much attention to her reaction as he took advantage of her still weak body. He leaned closer to her-their faces only a few inches apart and his icy gaze fixed on hers-while still clutching her hand, he said, “From every strand of your hair until the very tip of your toes, Emery, you are mine. No other man shall hol