Chapter 24

Although her companion had left, Elena could still feel his presence in the tower as she stared animatedly at the dead plant in front of her. It had almost been an entire week since she was forced to starve over the 'damned' plant.

The more she pondered over her situation, reckless thoughts started to flood into her brain.

"If only I could get my hands on some poison...no, that would be no good. Perhaps a holy relic..." She pushed her right index finger to the side of her lips, utterly exhausted with the new way of life.

The young princess slowly started to crave for excitement, of any sort and form. Little did she expect that her wish would come true and take the worst form!

"How dare you!!" She heard an aggressive voice roar out loud from below, the princess reflexively jumped out of her seat, forgetting about the heavy chains that weighed her down.

She unconsciously tripped over them and landed on her elbows, "ah!" She exclaimed with gritted teeth, while struggling to stand on her two feet.

A cold breeze flooded the room, followed sharply by the ear deafening sound of aggressive flapping of wings. Elena felt her chest tighten, she didn't need to be told twice, who it was that was paying her a sudden visit.

On cue, she sprung to her feet, while messily picking up the chains sprawled across the wooden flooring. Her emerald green eyes looked at every inch of the tower, but the window.

The sound of heavy footsteps landing inside the tower gave Elena the impression that perhaps her abductor had grown impatient with her.

An outcome she desired.

Elena cleared her throat, then raised her head to speak, "it seems that you've realized that I do not possess the..." Alixandre's firm fingers wrapped around her neck, caused her to lower her jaw in stun.

He roughly pushed her to the bed and glared at her with tinted yellow eyes, coated with raw animalistic intent to kill.

"Wh...what are you..." She tried to question him, using her hands to slap away his fist, barely able to breathe through the suffocating leather, pressing hard against her skin.

"Shut up! How dare you bring a man into my tower?!" His voice reverberated across the entire tower, and perhaps even beyond.

Elena's countenance fell at his words, she felt her stomach tie a nervous knot as she soon realized that he knew about the knight sent to rescue her.

He somehow knew it all!

"You are too daring for a slave! I must not have been harsh on you enough." He said and hardened his stare on her face, he hissed at how she gasped for air then abruptly let her go, allowing her to breathe.

"No use torturing a dead animal." He murmured under his breath, loud enough for a distressed Elena to hear.

"Did he touch you?" Alixandre suddenly asked, sitting at the edge of the bed with both hands in between his wide spread thighs.

His tone was so subtle that Elena failed to catch what he said, nor did she care enough. Seeing as he had the same murderous eyes as before, when he murdered those mages before her eyes. She hurriedly wrapped her chains around her shoulders and tried to dash out of the chamber!

Her feet made messy steps towards the door, taking Alixandre's fazed stare into consideration and using the element of surprise to her advantage. Elena knew that she could have been able to reach the door and dash out at least a second before Alixandre would react.

However, as soon as she reached the door, her body suddenly became hot and felt weaker! She tried to stretch her left hand towards the handle, but couldn't even manage that much.

'What is happening to me?' Elena panicked in wide eyed shock, as Alixandre's tall dark shadow fell upon her.

Her heart pounded even faster when he grabbed her by the wrist and pushed chest against the table, knocking the plant to the ground, breaking it's pot!

Elena bucked against him as he pushed his weight upon her, firmly pressing her breasts against the wooden table. She tried to use her hands, but found them wrapped around her chains.

'When had he done that?' she thought at the back of her mind, stricken with fear at the countless possibilities of what the scary king would do to her.

"I asked you a question! Did he touch you? What were the two of you doing in this chamber?!" His voice rang in Elena's ears, almost deafening her.

She pressed her lips firmly against each other, conflicted at how best to respond, Elena was aware that there was no use in lying to him. But she was aware that he would have her head for the truth.

Hence, she carried out one of the reckless ideas that had been looming on her mind for a while.

She stretched her fingers forward till they grazed his long raven black hair. Without thinking twice, she wrapped his hair around her fingers and yanked hard on it!

Alixandre flinched in response, but that was all, her attack did nothing more than merely catch him off guard. If anything, it only served to convince him that she was truly having an illicit relationship with the man Remmy spoke of.

Alixandre's lips twitched.

He was pissed.

"You don't deserve to live!" He announced and flipped her over, he raised one hand over his head, allowing his murderous intent to leak out.

Tears streamed down her eyes as she could only watch in fright, as he lowered his unforgiving hand to render the final strike, ending her life!

"That's enough of that!" Two synchronized voices hollered from the door, Alixandre showed no sign of listening, he barely even reacted to their intrusion.

Elena let out a frightened squeak, before clenching her eyes, unprepared for the worse. However, the worse never came, because, two strong hands held back Alixandre's suspended fist, slowing it down.

Elena flickered her eyelids open, to notice two men that she had seen once or twice before, struggling against Alixandre's slowly moving fist.

"Mistress!" The butlers cried out, scurrying to the scene, their faces contorted into a worrisome expression.

They hurriedly undid the chains wrapped around her hands and led her away from Alixandre, standing in front of her, with arms spread apart.

"What in the blazing hell do the both of you think you're doing?!" Alixandre angrily demanded, breathing heavily as he watched the butlers take her away from the corner of his eyes.

"Forgive me master, but I swear my allegiance is to you alone." Said the man who had the gruesome claw like mark above his left eye. The presumed bandit who had brought Elena into the kingdom.

"It is far too early to lose your head." The other added, exerting more force than his companion, who seemed to be using only a small amount of strength.

He was the man who had barged into the tower some nights before and was almost killed by Alixandre for the intrusion.

Elena understood this well enough, but still couldn't phantom why these cruel men where here, trying to prevent their master from hurting her.

"How dare that harlot sleep with a man in my chambers!" The enraged king angrily spat in her direction, placing a damper on Elena's self esteem. "Women like her don't deserve to live! I'm going to kill the witch!"

Elena felt a surge of anger envelop her insides at his harsh words, she had tried to bite her cheeks and let his taunts roll off her back. But today, she felt a new sensation, one that Elena never knew she was capable of feeling.

The desire to want to spite someone.

"While you're at it, you might as well hang yourself in the gallows! If I am to be a harlot, it's only right a murderer die alongside me!" She spat at him in return, adding fuel to the flames!

"What was that?" He retorted sharply, clenching his jaw tightly.

Elena felt her spit dry at his tone, but did not withdraw from the exchange, "I admit that yes, I slept with him and that I am the harlot you make me out to be. But so what? You're not any better...demon." she said the last part with pure hatred, reminding Alixandre of who he was.

Or rather, what he was.

The butlers tensed up after hearing her words, same went for the men who were doing their absolute best to try distil the tension.

They were all aware of how much their king hated it when someone spoke back and name called him. The only people who had done such were tortured heavily then scorched to death.

Princess Elena would be no different, especially after being touched by another man, they all thought, with no will to put up a fight against Alixandre.

"Kneel." Alixandre ordered in a domineering tone, staring directly at both men who struggled against his one arm.

They immediately complied to the order mindlessly and fell to their knees, regretful expressions planted on their faces.

He walked past them both, then stood in front of the butlers, who still stood defensively in front of Elena, putting up a meaningless struggle.

"Move." He ordered once more with a serious look in his eyes, the butlers found themselves stepping aside involuntarily, allowing Alixandre reach Elena.

She curled her jittery fingers into a tensed fist and closed her eyes, mentally painting a gruesome image of the scene of her dead body in her head.

Alixandre moved towards her, but did not stop, he pushed her aside with his broad shoulders then walked quietly out of the room, wearing an expressionless look on his face.