Chapter 216 Chapter 215
(Three months later)
Xenon sat in his study, hands clasped in front of him as he listened to another report from Morvan.
"More assassins tried to sneak in last night. Fortunately, we were able to detect them on time and put a stop to it before they could infiltrate the palace."
Xenon let out a deep breath, trying his best to control the rage brewing within him. That was the third assassination attempt this month, and he had already lost count of the sheer number of ambushes he had encountered within the palace—all because he had announced Rayena as his mate.
"What are your deductions?" Xenon asked, tapping his fingers on the table, his voice neutral, belying the fury in his chest.
"My guess is that whoever is doing this is hell-bent on getting rid of Rayena." Morvan stated.
A muscle ticked in his jaw, his eyes darkening. Xenon had faced more issues in court too. Every time he brought up mating with Rayena, the werewolf nobles kept pushing against his plans to mate Rayena, proposing riots and even going as far as threatening to attack the weretigers should he go ahead. Pleas had gotten nowhere, as the Royal Council seemed intent on frustrating his efforts.
There was no way he could tell Rayena about this. He had kept it a secret all this while and it was taking its toll.
"Your Majesty, if I may ask… what do you plan to do concerning this situation? Should we open investigations to find out who is behind this?"
Xenon glanced at him, frustration simmering within. "Haven’t we done that already? It keeps leading us to dead ends."
"We can torture answers out of the ones we catch. I’m sure one would be able to lead us to the one who’s sending them."
Xenon scoffed. "I doubt that would yield any results. The last time we attempted that, the assassin took poison before we could question him. They’re hell-bent on keeping themselves secret."
Morvan let out a breath, though his face contorted with fury.
"You can go ahead, though. Maybe one will speak to you," Xenon finally gave permission.
"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered, giving a small bow.
"Be discreet." He groaned as an afterthought.
"Of course, Your Majesty," Morvan replied.
Xenon rose to his feet, throwing the blanket Rayena had made for him over his shoulders, and walked out of the study. He went straight to his chambers, where he met Rayena taking a bath. She was being assisted by a new female worker he had hired specifically for her and met her lightly dozing off as she sat in the tub, the water rippling around her.
His chest twisted at the sight, his jaw clenched. Lately, she had been struggling with sleep, and it was already taking a toll on her. The dark circles beneath her eyes had grown prominent. Her face was permanently flushed now, and he hoped she wasn’t struggling with swelling or fatigue. Clearing his throat, he watched as her eyes fluttered open, her unfocused gaze landing on him.
A weak smile bloomed on her face, and she started to rise out of the water. "Xenon, you’ve returned," she said in a frail voice.
"I came to check up on you," he muttered, walking deeper into the room. With a grunt, she stepped out of the bath, unashamed of her nakedness, while the maid wrapped a towel around her.
Rayena waited until the maid was done and had stepped away before closing the rest of the distance, engulfing him in a hug. “I’m fine. I was feeling too hot, so I called for a bath.”
Xenon cocked his head to the side. “What about food? Have you eaten yet?”
Rayena frowned, pulling away from him as she touched her belly. “Nothing they brought in was appetizing enough. And the ones I tried to stomach, I ended up retching. I don’t know what to eat.”
Xenon had seen this coming. He glanced at the maid. “Tell the chefs to prepare some soup and have it delivered.” Then, to Rayena, he added, “It’s alright. I’ll feed you myself.”
The maid bowed and instantly stepped out of the room, leaving them alone. Xenon carried her to a seat and, placing her legs on his thighs, began to massage her swollen feet, watching as she let out sighs of relief.
She glanced at him through lidded eyes. “How was work today?”
“It’s fine. Running into some issues, but they’ve been sorted out already,” he muttered, his focus on her feet and the muscles beneath his hands.
“Do you mind telling me what those issues were?”
“No need to concern yourself with that. I can handle it,” Xenon groaned with a tight smile.
Rayena watched him, feeling somewhat heartbroken. Up till now, Xenon was still unable to trust her with matters of the court. It made her feel like she wasn’t invited into his world, even though he was fully part of hers.
She didn’t press, however, not wanting to aggravate him. When he was done with the massage, Rayena tested her legs and found they hurt a lot less.
“Thank you,” she whispered with a smile, while he gave a silent nod of acknowledgment. A while later, the door opened and food was wheeled in.
“Time for you to eat,” he announced, waiting for the food to be served on the table. Picking up a bowl of chicken ginger soup, he motioned for Rayena to come closer. “We’ll start with this first.”
“But I’m not hungry!” she whined, kicking her legs like a petulant child and clutching her blanket.
Xenon gave a half-smile. “Maybe you’re not, but what about the baby? You haven’t eaten all day. It’s just chicken soup—it shouldn’t be so hard to drink. It tastes really good too.” He took a scoop into his mouth. “See?”
Rayena eyed him suspiciously.
“It tastes really good,” he repeated. “A couple of spoonfuls and I’ll let you be, I promise.”
She gave a sigh and he caught her rolling her eyes, her lips drawn into that adorable pout he loved to see. “Okay, I’ll try. But if I throw up on you, you better not get mad,” she warned, scooting closer to him.
“Don’t worry, I won’t get mad. Now take a bite,” he said, pushing the spoon to her lips.
Rayena opened her mouth, accepting the food. She grimaced at the taste of herbs steeped into the broth but ultimately chewed and swallowed it.
Xenon gave her a small smile. "There we go. Have some more. Slow and steady," he groaned, scooping up small chunks of chicken meat and potatoes. Rayena leaned against his shoulder, quietly eating and swallowing. Her stomach still twisted with nausea, but it was bearable now.
"I'm full," she groaned after a couple of bites, pulling back from the spoon.