Chapter 149 Chapter 148
The smile on Rayena's face faltered. She hated that she could detect the thinly veiled sarcasm in those words. She leveled Lady Ysolde's stare with one of hers when the latter continued to peer.
Finally, she wore a saccharine smile. "In that case, I will be on my way now. Have a good night," she said, striding out of her room, putting up all airs. Rayena waited till the door closed after her before letting the smile fall from her face, rolling her eyes.
With a scoff, she picked up her book and continued reading.
She didn’t like that woman. Not one bit.
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The next day, soldiers came to handpick women who had been selected to serve the king. Among them were Lady Ysolde and Soraya. They were separated from the crowd, and instructions were rattled out.
"From now till we get to the King's presence, do well not to carry the scent of another person. If you have doubts that you do, strip it all off. Do not adorn yourself with fragrances and try to appear as plainly as possible. Another assessment will be taken by the king once you get to the main palace to find one he is suitable with."
Hearing that, the women quickly distanced themselves. "We will be heading to the main palace now. Maintain a straight line. If you need anything at all to help you comply with these instructions, it will be provided for you there. We will be leaving now."
Hearing everything the official had said, Rayena could only bid Soraya goodbye, watch her leave, and return to her bedroom. With a good number of women already gone from the harem, the building was quiet. With no Soraya to keep her company, it didn’t take long for her to get bored.
She spent the time reading the books she had in her room and even requested more, but she soon got tired of staring at words on the page. Her gaze kept drifting outside the window, where a beautiful, well-manicured landscape lay before her, and she wanted to walk around it.
Though she’d made a promise to never step foot out of the harem anymore, a part of her still wanted out. Back home, she would have gone horseback riding with her father or shopping with her mother. She loved spending her time outdoors, appreciating nature and all it had to offer. Now she just felt like a canary trapped in a cage. She hated the feeling.
More hours passed, and Rayena couldn’t take the loneliness anymore. Thinking that most people would be occupied now that they had to attend to the king, a walk outside wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, it was still daylight. This time she wouldn’t go into the forest; there were still so many places to explore in this palace.
"I can just find a garden around…" she muttered aloud as she slipped down from the bed. "It doesn’t have to be far away from here."
She dressed up, wearing thicker clothes in case it got chilly. Slipping comfortable sandals onto her feet, she brushed her hair, letting it fall freely around her shoulders, and touched up her lip stain. Satisfied with the way she looked, she stepped out of the room.
It was late afternoon already, so the sun’s warmth was a welcome heat against her skin. The gentle breeze was refreshing as it carried the scent of sweet-smelling flowers. All the negative emotions Rayena had been feeling melted like snow in the heat, and she felt lighter than she had in a while.
If there’s one thing she needed to admit to herself, it was that this palace was incredibly beautiful and huge. She could spend all day exploring her surroundings and not get tired. There was always something new to discover. If the harem looked like this, she wondered how the main palace would be.
It took a while for her to realize she had strayed far away from the harem and didn’t know how to get back. She walked around in circles for a bit, unable to figure out a clear path, when she spotted a figure in the distance.
Moving closer, she saw it was a man standing alone. Her heart skipped a beat, and she paused, debating if she should go to him at all. He could be a guard, for all she knew. It wouldn’t hurt to ask for help.
"Um, excuse me?" she called out, watching as the figure turned to face her. "Do you know the way back to the harem?"
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Xenon buried his face into a bowl, throwing up the contents of his stomach, his mouth filled with bile. He was unable to help the disgust crawling up like ants in his body. Bending over and retching till there was nothing left in his stomach, he pushed the bowl away and cleaned his mouth with a swipe of his hand, his breathing ragged, his vision bloodshot.
He’d spent all day trying to pick the woman he could spend the night with to sate himself, but everyone he met made him nauseous. All it took was one whiff of their scents, and he was trying to suppress a gag, his stomach churning and nose crinkling. Not to mention his furious tiger that was prowling and prancing within him, wanting nothing more than to rip them in two.
Collapsing to the ground, he ran a hand through his hair, feeling sweat bead on his forehead. He couldn’t do this. He really couldn’t. He’d tried, but it wasn’t working.
Fresh air. I need to get some fresh air.
Rising to his feet, he removed his ceremonial robes, feeling suffocated in them, and pulled his hair into a bun away from his neck and shoulders. Now left with just a simple tunic and loose trousers, he ambled to the back gardens, the cool breeze washing over him and soothing him slightly.
With the tiger’s agitation lessening, the wolf rose within him now, restless and horny. Xenon sighed, his eyes slipping shut. He could never win.
"Um, excuse me?" A voice broke through his thoughts. Xenon turned to see who it was. A woman. One he didn’t recognize.
"Do you know the way back to the harem?"
For a moment, Xenon was stunned. How dare she ask him a question like that? But then, he looked down at his clothes and concluded she probably couldn’t recognize him as someone of importance because he wasn’t wearing his ceremonial garb and his hair was tied up haphazardly. Slowly tilting his head to the side, he studied her beauty.
With long black hair, round grey eyes, a pointed nose, and a freckle-studded face, she seemed rather striking. But then, he’d met more beautiful women.
"Uh… Did you hear me? I asked if you know the way back…"
He cut her off. "I don’t," he growled, his irritation evident. She flinched, startled.
"Oh, sorry…" she mumbled, averting her gaze as a flush stained her cheeks.