Chapter 237 Chapter 236
Rayena and Soraya spent the night together in the room that was provided for them. It was hard, being a new environment with all the threats, but sleep came quickly due to how exhausted they had been coming here.
The next day, however, Rayena immediately got to work, asking questions about the new king and learning all she could.
From the other members of the harem, she learned the new king's name was Dorian Hawthorne, and despite being mate to Lady Ysolde, he still kept multiple women and slept with all of them. Even with the state of the realm and the starvation around, all he cared about was siring an heir.
"What? That's selfish!" Soraya commented as she listened to the lady who had introduced herself as Tricia.
"Queen Ysolde herself isn't helping matters. She keeps having miscarriages every time she takes in. Even a few of us who had managed to get pregnant, it all ended in miscarriages as well. We can't help but think the king is cursed. All these bad things started happening the moment he took the throne."
Rayena was puzzled. Constant miscarriages. Plagues, drought throughout the realm, and no food? Things are a lot worse than she had imagined to be.
"That's terrible indeed. But if I may ask, how did this new king get into power? What exactly happened to Xe–I mean, King Xenon?"
"He was labeled a tyrant by the Royal Council and executed. The Royal Council then voted and replaced him with this…" She said, pointing around.
A deep sigh of regret escaped her lips, her gaze turning forlorn. "If only we knew that this was going to happen, we would have stopped the execution. We all regret it now. The new king doesn't care about us, and our lives are so much worse because of it. We really didn't know how good we had it when King Xenon was still on the throne."
Rayena waited when she saw she still had more to say. "And this is just in the palace. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on out there."
Rayena slowly turned away, deep in her thoughts, while Soraya held her hands, offering some reassurance. The reality of what she had just walked into crashed over her, and she slowly started to regret coming back here.
All Xenon had wanted to do was keep her safe. Even if she'd lost their child. She should have gone on living with her family. It's what he would have wanted. Being a mistress to a crazy usurper king is not.
"Do you know where King Xenon was buried?" Rayena asked, her voice thick with grief.
The woman shook her head sadly. "There isn't an official burial site for King Xenon, but people have erected a memorial to mourn him for all the good years they had with him."
A flicker of something ignited in her chest, but Rayena chose not to name it. "Can you take me there?"
"Of course," she answered.
Rayena let out a breath, feeling tears well in her eyes. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get dressed now. You can wait for me here," Tricia said, rising to her feet. Rayena and Soraya watched her go.
A while later, she was properly dressed, and they headed out of the palace in a carriage to where the memorial was erected. Passing through town, Rayena saw how much the drought had impacted the realm. The trees were bare, the ground arid with dust. Everywhere and everyone screamed desolation and despair.
The carriage finally arrived at the memorial erected for the king, and they all stopped out of the carriage. Ironically, despite the emptiness she'd seen before their arrival, Rayena was surprised to see dried-up flower stalks and fragrant herbs placed in front of the memorial stone.
It's true what they say. You don't realize what you have until you've lost it. The people loved him now that he was no longer here to rule them.
She stepped forward, feeling tears sting her eyes. This time she didn't blink them back. The marks on her neck throbbed, and she reached up to rub them, finding the act strangely soothing. Lowering herself to her knees, Rayena brought out a handkerchief from her pocket and held it in her hands.
She gazed at the inscriptions on the stone and sighed, opening her mouth to speak. "This isn't what you promised me, Xenon," she began, tears streaming down her face. "You said you were always going to be here, and you died." Her voice shook. "You died."
The tears came—hard and fast.
"The kingdom is in shambles, our child is gone, and no matter how much I think I've moved on, I still miss you. Why did you do this to me? Why did you leave me, all alone?"
"It would have been better if we were killed together. At least we would be reunited in the afterlife. Staying alone on this earth is hell. I want you back."
She hung her head, sobbing into her hands.
"Why did you leave me all alone? Why?"
Someone knelt next to her. It didn't take long for her to see it was Soraya. The latter didn't say a word, just held on to Rayena.
Rayena stifled her sobs and placed the now-wet handkerchief on the front of the memorial stone. "Rest easy now, Xenon. One day I'll meet you where you are."
Her curiosity had been satisfied. The man she'd hung onto no longer walked the earth.
She could move on with her life.
After she figured out a way out of this damned place.
.
.
.
"How's my child, healer?" Ysolde asked the woman, who had pulled away from her and begun to sterilize her equipment. Her heart was in her throat, and her fingers wouldn't stop trembling.
Since her altercation with Dorian last night, she'd been bleeding intermittently. It ignited panic in her chest. She was terrified of losing the child.
"It's fine..." the healer said in a bored tone. "You experienced a lot of stress in such a short period of time, that's why you're spotting. A few days of bed rest and you should be fine."
Ysolde let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, she hadn't miscarried yet.
"Still, you and your baby are in a fragile state. It would be beneficial for you to avoid encountering any stressful moments, or you might lose this child too."
Her heart skipped multiple beats and she held her stomach, feeling dread swirl in her chest.
"I've dropped some medicines for you that will help strengthen your body. Take nutrient-dense food and get enough sleep. I wish you good luck, Your Majesty," the healer said with a bow, walking out of the room.
Left alone, Ysolde allowed her mind to wander. How was she supposed to avoid stressful situations when her biggest stressor had just arrived at the palace? It didn't help that she was mated to the most depraved man in the realm.
She swallowed, blinking back tears.