Chapter 150 Chapter 149
He peered at her again. The wind blew, bringing her scent to him. Human. She must be the one Mavron brought in recently. His brows furrowed. Why didn’t she apply to be part of the train he was to inspect?
"What are you even doing here?" he groaned.
"Oh… I went on a walk and was enjoying the view, got carried away, and now I can’t find my way back to the harem. I apologize for trespassing," she mumbled, rubbing her arms nervously.
He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "What’s your name?"
"My name is Princess Rayena," she answered, a corner of her lips quirking up but not quite forming a smile.
"Didn’t you hear of the King’s decree? That he summoned women? Why aren’t you part of that?"
"Oh, that one? I did. I just decided not to join because I’m still healing from the injuries I sustained."
His eyes widened softly. She must be the one he attacked when he lost control that night. A pang of guilt hit his chest, but he glared at her. "You shouldn’t have trespassed."
"I know, jeez, I’m sorry," she whined, pouting.
"Get better quickly," he growled, his voice softer. She turned to him, surprise reflected in her eyes. Then a soft smile graced her lips. "I will, thank you."
Then she looked up at the sky, a frown hitting her lips. "I still don’t know my way back, and it’s getting late."
Xenon looked back at the building he had stepped out from only moments ago. If he entered, he’d go back to the duty of trying to find a suitable female to sate himself with. He didn’t want that.
"I’ll help you," he groaned. "Let’s go." He began walking towards her.
"Really?" she asked, brightening up. "Thank you so much!"
He shrugged, falling into step with her.
"Wow, you’re really tall…" she murmured, looking up at him. "Handsome too. If that’s the right word to use." Then she rubbed her chin, peering at him. "Interesting color of eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on anyone before."
He ignored her, walking ahead. She rushed to catch up with him. "What’s your name?" she asked, trying to match his strides.
Xenon debated if he should tell her the name he was known by, but he didn’t want to scare her. Glancing down at her, he mumbled, "Lylall. My name is Lylall." Very few people knew that name.
"Lylall." She tasted the name on her tongue, smiling afterward. "I like that." She brought out a hand for a shake. "I know I already told you my name, but you can call me Raye. Nice to meet you."
Xenon stared at her outstretched hand. "Raye," he muttered, liking the sound of it. He took her hand.
"Nice to meet you too."
.
.
.
Xenon followed Rayena as they made their way back to the harem, his hands clasped behind his back, strides slow so she could catch up. As they walked, she talked, not caring if he responded to her or not.
She went from complimenting the layout of the gardens they had encountered to complaining about not meeting the king of the realm ever since she arrived. From her tone, she seemed quite displeased about it since he was the reason why she was here in the first place.
You're walking with him... he thought to himself as he listened to her ramble but never admitted it out loud.
"If you wanted to see him so badly..." he began slowly, his voice low and even, "why didn't you follow the rest of the women when they applied to serve the king? I'm sure you would have caught a glimpse of him then." He muttered, glancing at her.
"Well..." She started and cut herself short. Taking a deep breath, she continued more heatedly. "Well, that's because I'm still healing. I didn't think I was compatible for what he wanted to use us for."
He looked down at her, watching her movements. She seemed fine to him. He wondered if she was lying.
Then she folded her hands, blowing out a breath. "Anyway, why didn't he call on me when I first arrived? I was fine then!" she argued. Xenon pursed his lips, sighing.
Huffing, she rushed forward. "That doesn't matter again. I don't think I want to see him anymore."
Xenon was taken aback, but she wasn't done talking. "I'll just keep my head down and try not to attract trouble now that I'm here. It seems to be the best course of action."
Xenon rolled his eyes, swallowing down a scoff. Keeping her head down indeed.
"We're here," he announced suddenly, pausing his steps.
"Hmm?" Rayena asked, looking up at him. He gestured forward. She turned her head. "Oh, there's the harem!" Hitting his arm playfully, she chuckled. "You did know the way back! Thank you for helping me out! See you around, Lylall!"
Without waiting for an answer, she raced forward, only to turn around and wave at him, a huge smile on her face. He watched the wind blow her hair around, the setting sun’s rays shining against her face, giving her a resplendent shine. She turned back around, sprinting towards the harem.
He scoffed, turned back, and made his way to the main palace. Then froze as realization settled. He wasn't disgusted in her presence. On the contrary, he enjoyed it.
He glanced at the hand she shook, then slowly brought it to his nose, sniffing it. Her scent was there... and it was pleasant too.
That was strange. Baffling even.
Xenon noticed a figure rushing towards him, and when he looked, he saw it was Morvan
"Your Majesty!" he called out, his voice breathless. "I've been looking all over for you. Where did you go and why are you dressed this way?"
Xenon let his hair down, running his hand through it to try and smooth it. "I was feeling suffocated, so I pulled off my clothes and went on a walk."
When Morvan narrowed his eyes at him, he added, "I didn't lose control, so don't worry."
Morvan checked for confirmation before nodding. "Well, I heard you haven't been pleased with the women we introduced to you. Well, there are still more waiting for you to check out, so we should go back—"
"There's more!?" Xenon looked horrified.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"How many women are in the harem?!"
"A lot more than you realize. Please, come. It's getting late and we still haven't found one you're compatible with. And if there aren't in this batch, we'll move on to the next."
I think I've already found her, Xenon thought as he looked back. Rayena was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she was inside already.
"Is anything the matter, Your Majesty?" Morvan asked. Xenon stared ahead and glanced at his right hand, his brows furrowed. Balling it into a fist, he glanced at Morvan and shook his head.
"Let's go..." he groaned, moving forward. Morvan stared at the king as he walked before following behind him.