Chapter 55 Untitled Chapter

Chapter 55 Untitled Chapter


LILY'S POV

Murmuring followed after Anya's proclamation. It spread through the crowd like fire through dry grass, people whispering and craning their necks to get a better look at us. I laid there on the ground, sobbing my heart out, my shoulders shaking with every breath I took. Anya bent down to me and pulled me into her chest, cuddling me close like I was a child who needed comforting.

And while I pretended to cry deeply, my face buried against her shoulder, I peeked over at the guard who had his spear pointed at me just moments ago. He was murmuring to someone I couldn't see, his head tilted toward a space behind him. When he shifted out of the way, I saw who he was talking to.

Another man stood there, but this one was of higher status, that much was clear from the way he held himself and the fine cloth of his tunic. He was staring down at us with disgust written all over his face, like we were something foul he'd stepped in. It was very obvious they didn't believe us. Not one bit.

And we were already attracting too much attention. The crowd had grown thicker, people pushing forward to see what was happening, vendors abandoning their stalls to join the commotion. I had thought they would know me, recognize me as the princess, the wife of their prince. But the looks on their faces told me otherwise. They saw two dirty, bleeding women on the ground and nothing more.

So much for being the bride of the then-crowned prince.

Then we heard it. Hooves. Many of them. Coming from behind us.

I didn't stop my acting, I kept sobbing and shaking, but my ears were tuned to that sound. I heard when the horse was driven to a stop.

"What's going on?" A voice spoke from behind me, it sent shivers down my spine. I knew that voice that well.

I turned slowly, still sniffling, and met the hard gaze of Prince Atlas.

He wasn't supposed to be part of this. I thought we had a plan. He was supposed to stay back, to wait, to not be seen. What was he trying to gain by showing up here? His hard gaze wasn't on me though. It was fixed on the guards who had been staring down at me with such disgust. And I watched as those same guards shivered under his look. But unlike my shivers, theirs were the bad kind, the kind that came from fear.

The murmuring of the market fell silent. No one spoke. No one moved. It was like he commanded authority just by existing, just by showing his face. The whole world held its breath.

The higher status guy braved himself to speak. "Your highness, they are frauds pretending to be the princess." He said pointing at us.

Atlas walked up to him slowly and deliberately. His hand shot out and clasped around the man's throat, tightening his grip immediately. When he spoke, his voice dripped with venom.

"Are you dumb?" He squeezed harder and the man's eyes went wide. "The commoners know nothing of the princess's disappearance. If they were pretending, you should have tied them up and brought them to the palace. Not standing here making a spectacle."

The higher status guy managed a nod, his hands coming up in the air like he wanted to fight the hold but thought better of it. His face was turning purple, the color spreading across his cheeks and up to his ears. But Atlas had no intention of letting him go. If anything, he was increasing his grip, his knuckles going white.

I called out his name sharp and clear. "Atlas."

He didn't react.

"Atlas, let him go."

This time he glanced at me and I felt my chest loosen from a hold I didn't even know was there. A weight lifted just from having his eyes on me. But when I saw how dark his eyes were, how clouded with something dangerous, I understood. He hated that they had embarrassed me. He hated that they had made me cry on the ground, even though this was part of the plan, even though it was all pretend.

I shook my head at him slowly , hoping he would understand. This wasn't the time. This wasn't the place.

He held my gaze for a long moment and then slowly, inch by inch, he released his grip. But not before giving the man a strong push that sent him stumbling back and landing hard on his butt in the dirt.

The higher status guy held his throat, already red and sore, and he motioned to the guards with a wave of his hand.

He grunted out. "Tie them up, take them and head to the palace." that ended in a fitful cough from him

The guards took a step toward us.

Atlas spoke again, his voice carrying through the silence. "Touch any part of her body and I'll murder you."

He said it so calmly, but he would carry it out.

The guards froze where they stood and none of them moved another inch.

"You don't know your princess when you see her?"

Atlas said it loud enough for everyone to hear, his voice carrying across the marketplace like a whip crack. He gestured toward me with one hand, a sweeping motion that drew every eye in the crowd.

As if on command, they all fell to their knees. The guards went down first, their armor clanking as they dropped. Then the higher status guy, still holding his throat, scrambled to kneel in the dirt. And after them, the commoners followed, bowing their heads and murmuring among themselves, finally understanding what was happening.

I laid there on the ground with Anya's arms around me and I watched them all kneel. Watching them bow to me like I was someone important, someone worth respecting. It felt wrong. It felt like a joke I wasn't in on.

"What is he doing?" Anya whispered close to my ear, her breath warm against my skin.

I shook my head small, not taking my eyes off Atlas. "I don't know. I never know what he thinks or what he's going to do next.”