Chapter 239 Chapter 238
Dorian sat slouched on his seat, body buzzing with the satisfaction he had just received from the maid who had given him back blow job. Several if not thousands of reports lay unopened in front of him, talking about the same. The Starvation in the realm had gotten so much worse and the people were pleading for some intervention.
He scoffs at the message, not wanting to dispel the good mood he'd slid to. The added advantage of all these suffering was that no one had the energy to fight him. After all they were the ones who put him here.
He'll get to them when he gets to them.
His mind drifted to the newly acquired ladies in his harem, eventually settling on Rayena, the late King's mate. It's been two days since she was brought in and he'd grown curious about her, already itching to bring her into his bed.
Though Human, she was more beautiful than the women jer had. And the fire in her eyes.
Oh, that intrigued him greatly. She still had a lot of fight in her.
"No... It's too early." He muttered, a sly smile placing on her lips. She needed to get acclimated to this place first, then he'll move. He leaned back, eyes gleaming while tapping his feet to the ground.
He'll have her.
Sooner or later.
He will.
.
.
.
A week went by without any summon from the king. Rayena also didn't bump into Ysolde, which was a good thing according to her. It had given her more time to make inquiries around the castle, trying to plot their eventual escape out of the realm.
However, the information she'd gathered made her realize how impossible that task might be. The security in the palace was especially tight, and the lustful soldiers who wanted to lay with her weren't making things easy. Even if she managed to slip out of the castle, there were the hungry people she had to contend with.
Though Rayena believed with every fiber of her being that she wouldn't be trapped here forever, all these obstacles made her wonder how quickly they would be able to make their exit.
One fateful evening, while she was trying to keep her mind occupied with some embroidery, the summon from the king finally arrived.
"The king has called for you to be in his chambers and not keep him waiting," the soldier announced sternly.
Rayena froze, her eyes widening as she gazed at the soldier. Beside her, Soraya had gone rigid with fear. "He's finally called on you!" she cried in a hushed voice.
Rayena took in a deep breath, doing her best to steady her nerves. "At long last. Guess he couldn't wait any longer," she muttered with a calmness that never revealed the chaos in her chest.
Setting the fabric aside, she rose to her feet. "I best get going then."
"You're still going?" Soraya cried in a shrill gasp. "Don't you realize what you're about to do there?!"
"I do. But I also don't have a choice. I don't want to attract more problems to us by defying him. Let me get there and hear what he has to say. Contrary to what we think, it may not be so bad."
Soraya didn't look convinced, but there was little she could do now.
"In that case, please be careful."
Rayena nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and followed after the soldier who had come to call her. He led her to the king's chambers, stopping by the grand doors. Rayena's heart skipped multiple beats as she stared at the familiar engravings. In the past, this chamber had belonged to Xenon, and she was always so excited to come here.
Times change too quickly.
She raised her hand and knocked, breath caught in her chest. A low rumble of approval reverberated through, and she shuddered. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she pushed the door and stepped into the chambers.
It was much darker than she remembered, with most of the curtains drawn, plunging the entire chambers into an oppressive darkness. When her eyes finally adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw that the entire place had been redecorated and was so much uglier.
Rayena grimaced, displeasure twisting in her gut. Whoever picked out this décor did a terrible job. The air smelled bad too, reeking of stale liquor and cheap incense. Rayena took another tentative step forward only to freeze when she felt a gaze on her. The hair on her nape stood, and she stiffened when she saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her.
"Your Majesty, you summoned me," she muttered in a low voice, delivering a bow, the sentence having a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.
"Indeed. You're finally here," he drawled with a lisp. She heard more than saw him rise to his feet, stealthily making his way toward her. "I've been biding my time, you know? I wanted you to settle in first."
He murmured in a poor attempt to seduce her with words. Rayena bit back the urge to scoff.
"How could I settle in a place like this? My needs are hardly being met, and I have to get several things for myself. If anything, I've been more uncomfortable," she grumbled as he closed the distance between them.
He was so close now, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She crinkled her nose, her nausea getting worse. "Forgive me for that. That's the situation we've found ourselves in the realm lately. I assure you, all these problems will be solved in due time."
"Indeed," Rayena mumbled under her breath. She didn't need a seer to tell her this man didn't have a capable bone in his body.
He reached for her hair, and Rayena jerked away from his hold, her gaze narrowing in distrust.
Seeing the action, Dorian broke into a dry chuckle. "Let me get to the reason why I called you," he said, straightening to his full height. His eyes grew cold.
The room seemed to shrink around her.
“You were pregnant for the late king,” he said, voice smooth as a blade. “Yet you arrived alone.”
Her heart plummeted. Her stomach dropped to the bottom of her shoes.
His gaze sharpened, predatory, calculating. “Where is the child?”
Not what happened. Not grief. Not sympathy. Just hunger for leverage… or proof.
Rayena’s blood ran cold.