Chapter 55

" Wait! Hey!!"I screamed.

Four knights surrounded me at once. I stopped running, I will get out of this room by every means possible, even if it means using force. I parted my legs and formed fists. Took a deep breathe to calm my body.

"Nalani, don't even think of fighting, otherwise your punishment will be worse" the King threatened.

My jaw dropped. What did he mean? Has he seen me fight before? My eyes darted back and forth glancing at the closed door. My heart raced when I imagined I might be caught.

"Hey!!" I shouted again.

"If you know what's good for you, you will stand down. NOW!"

He was warning me and he was extremely serious. My mind started thinking of ways I could get out of there alive. If I didn't take his warning seriously, what would he do to me? I looked at the four knights who seemed to be waiting for me to make a move. Before I could punch the one closest to me, four other knights joined them.

"I know you are an amazing fighter Nalani, but please refrain from getting hurt or worsening your situation" he pleaded.

He was pleading. If I started a fight and any of the knights died or got hurt, I would be punished according to the law. I had two options: one, fight my way out, or two; do what the King asks for now until he is no longer angry. Option two seemed like the safest for now. I should go with what is safe if I want to be free someday.

"Fine.." I raised my hands in defeat.

I saw the King smirk when he got what he wanted. I almost laughed at his little victory, but I remembered, I was playing a long game. He might have won this time but that doesn't mean he will win forever. As I was being led out of his room, I saw him full-on smiling like an idiot. We have established that I am in love with a psychopath. I was led to the chambers I dreaded the most, the Queen's chambers.

King Ambrose was torturing me. But he was also aware this was the only room that could hold me. The knights shut the door on my face and proceeded to lock it. I was locked in with nowhere to go and nothing to do. The King thought he won. He has another thing coming. I was still tired from yesterday's extracurricular activities, so I took the opportunity to take a nap.

Sleeping has always been a way for me to distress.

XXXXXXXXXX

For the last week, my routine has been the same; eating, sleeping, staring outside with a lot of longing then sleeping again. This was the longest lockdown I have ever experienced. By the third day, I was going insane. I have never spent so much time in a locked room with nowhere to go. My only friend was the four walls that surrounded me. Although the chambers were big and pretty, it felt like they were a gorgeous prison. The more I stayed locked up the less I wanted to be Queen.

The King, Ambrose has come to see me a few times but none of the visits went well. He thought keeping me here would make me want to be his, but frankly, it was doing the opposite. It made me value my freedom more. If this was a depiction of how my life would be with him, I'd rather stay in the streets. The longer I was left with my thoughts, the more I wondered if I did love him. 

Or if he loved me as he claimed, why would he do this to me?

This is not loving behavior.

This was possession!

I wondered if he knew the difference between the two. The door to my chambers opened and I didn't bother to turn and acknowledge the visitor.

"I see you are still angry," said the King's voice as he walked towards me.

I maintained my composure and refused to look at him. I was angry and there's no point in proving otherwise. He stopped behind me and gently grabbed my shoulders. His hands moved up and down my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down.

" Don't touch me!" 

He sighed loudly, something he has been doing a lot lately. He moved even closer; he laid his head on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist.

"This is the only way I can keep you with me."

I have to admit, I should have been silent about my plans to leave his side. I should have left a note, after running in the dead of night. With Kellen by my side, we would have finally been free. We would have moved to the farthest town from the capital. Somewhere no one would care who we were. This has always been my plan after getting revenge for my family.

However, instead of getting revenge for my poorly convicted father, I ended up falling in love with the person who killed him. And to make matters worse I almost became a Queen of the country that advocated for his murder. I was not exactly patriarchal after they took my family from me. I digressed so far from the original plan and I was paying for it.

"Please stop." I begged "Doing this will not make me want to be Queen"

I felt him stiffen behind me.

" Why does the idea of being Queen scare you so much?" he asked.

"Because I don't deserve it and there are so many people more qualified for the position than me," I answered honestly.

He released me and walked a few steps away. 

"What kind of bullshit is this!" he growled.

He was getting angry, good, now he will let me leave. I turned away from the window to stare at him. He was handsome, especially when he was angry. If I was an ordinary woman from an ordinary family, with no past, I would have married him. However, I was a lady from a complicated past that he didn't know about, this marriage was set to fail.

"Nalani, tell me the truth. Why don't you want to marry me?" he asked.

He was expecting a grand explanation. Well, if you think about it, my explanation was explosive and it would ruin a lot of relationships. So, I went with something simpler.

"The reason I don't want to be your Queen is because I don't love you."