Chapter 130 Protective Fury
The formal dinner that evening was unavoidable. Despite everything, despite the attempted poisoning and Gerrit's arrest, the visiting dignitaries from the Eastern Province expected entertainment. Adrian had been negotiating a trade agreement for months. Canceling would be taken as insult.
So Lila found herself dressed in a simple gray servant's dress, assigned to serve wine at the high table where Adrian sat with his guests.
Lord Petyr of House Ashford was everything Lila had learned to despise about nobility. Overweight, overdressed, with a perpetual sneer that suggested he found everyone beneath him. He'd been drinking heavily since the dinner began, his voice growing louder with each glass.
Lila approached to refill his wine. Her hands were steady despite the lingering effects of Gerrit's poison, Keal's counter-agent having worked quickly.
"Ah, the famous Lady Lila," Petyr said, his words slurring slightly. "Or should I say infamous? The entire kingdom talks about you, dear girl."
Lila said nothing, pouring his wine with careful precision.
"They say you spend your nights in the King's chambers. Warming the royal bed while pretending to be just a humble servant." Petyr's laugh was ugly. "Quite the arrangement. Tell me, does he pay well for such services? Or is the protection enough payment?"
The table went silent. Every noble within earshot turned to stare. At the head of the table, Adrian went perfectly still, his wine glass frozen halfway to his lips.
Lila's face burned but she kept her voice level. "You're mistaken, my lord. I serve only as a palace servant. Nothing more."
"Of course, of course. And I'm sure those nights in his chambers were purely innocent. Medical necessity, was it?" Petyr's smile turned vicious. "Though I must say, His Majesty shows excellent taste. You're quite lovely for a disgraced provincial. I can see why he keeps you close. Much more convenient than sending for a proper courtesan when the urges strike."
Adrian moved.
One second he was seated at the head of the table. The next, he had Petyr by the throat, lifting the larger man clear off his chair. Petyr's feet dangled above the ground, his face purpling as Adrian's hand crushed his windpipe.
"What did you say?" Adrian's voice was arctic. "Repeat it. I want to make certain I heard correctly before I rip your throat out."
Petyr choked, unable to form words. His hands scrabbled uselessly at Adrian's iron grip.
The entire room erupted. Nobles jumped to their feet. Guards rushed forward, unsure whether to intervene. Visiting dignitaries backed away from the king whose eyes had gone completely gold.
Marcus appeared from nowhere, grabbing Adrian's arm. "Your Majesty, release him. He's not worth this."
"He insulted her." Adrian's growl was more wolf than man. "He suggested she's a whore. That I use her like property. That deserves death."
"And you'll give the Eastern Province cause to break our treaty if you kill their lord." Marcus's voice stayed calm but firm. "His words were vile. But his death would be a diplomatic disaster."
Adrian's hand tightened fractionally. Petyr's eyes rolled back, consciousness fading.
"Your Majesty, please." Lila's voice cut through the chaos. "He's not worth your rage. Let him go."
Adrian's eyes snapped to her. For a moment, she saw something feral there, something barely controlled. Then, slowly, his grip loosened. He dropped Petyr, who collapsed to the floor gasping.
"Get him out of my sight." Adrian's voice was deadly quiet. "Out of my palace. Out of my kingdom. If I see his face again, treaty be damned, I'll finish what I started."
Guards rushed forward, hauling Petyr to his feet. The lord could barely stand, his throat already bruising purple.
"This is an outrage," one of the Eastern dignitaries sputtered. "An assault on a noble guest—"
"Your noble guest committed slander against someone under my direct protection." Adrian's eyes swept the room, daring anyone to challenge him. "The punishment for such an offense is death. I'm being merciful by simply exiling him. Be grateful I'm in a generous mood."
The dignitaries said nothing. Everyone in the room had witnessed Adrian's barely controlled violence. The Alpha King's reputation for ruthlessness was well-deserved.
Petyr was dragged from the throne room, still coughing. His departure left awkward silence.
Adrian returned to his seat with deliberate calm. He picked up his wine glass as if nothing had happened. "My apologies for the disruption. Please, continue dining."
No one moved. No one dared breathe too loudly.
Lila stood frozen, the wine pitcher still in her hands. She could feel every eye in the room on her, could hear the whispers already starting.
Did you see how he defended her?
Like she belongs to him.
The way he looked at her...
It's true then. She's his mistress.
Lila set down the pitcher and walked from the room with as much dignity as she could muster. Behind her, the whispers grew louder.
She made it to the servants' quarters before her legs gave out. She sank onto her narrow bed, shaking.
He'd nearly killed a man for insulting her. Had moved faster than anyone could track, violence erupting with terrifying ease. The entire court had witnessed it. By tomorrow, every noble in the kingdom would know.
A knock startled her. Maya entered, her face pale.
"Everyone's talking. About what happened at dinner. About how the King—" She stopped, seeing Lila's expression. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know." Lila's voice came out hollow. "He was going to kill that lord. Actually kill him. Over words."
"Over you." Maya sat beside her. "Lila, the way he looked. That wasn't duty or honor. That was..."
"Possession." The word tasted bitter. "He looked at me like I belonged to him. Like Petyr had insulted his property."
"Or his mate."
The words hung heavy between them. Lila thought of the journal entries. The bond formed in a cathedral four years ago. A connection that shouldn't exist but did anyway.
"I'm remembering more," Lila said quietly. "Every day, more pieces come back. And I think... I think whatever we were, whatever we had, it's still there. Buried under cruelty and pain and time, but still there."
"Then what happens when you remember everything? When he can't hide behind anger anymore?"
"I don't know." Lila's hands clenched in her lap. "But I think we're about to find out."
Because after tonight, after Adrian's public display of possessive fury, there would be no hiding. The entire kingdom would know that something existed between the King and the disgraced servant.
And whoever had worked so hard to keep them apart would realize their plan was unraveling.
The real danger was just beginning.