Silence fell in the throne room. If a needle were to be dropped on the marble floor, everyone present could hear it. The King fisted his palms and clenched his jaw while Duke Tedric flashed a smile.
The Necromancer was a delicate matter for the King. He not only tortured and killed many Nodorians but also captured the King's only brother, made him kill his two sons, and almost killed Hugo with a spell. If there was a person that hated the Necromancer, that was King Baswein.
"Take great care with what you are saying, Commander Jayden. You might be the hero of Nodor, but I won't tolerate treason!" King Baswein's tone was as cold as the faraway Kingdom of Nordmar.
"And I won't tolerate being mocked!" Jayden snarled. "I have fought and bled for this kingdom, and never once have I asked for anything in return! When I returned home, the only thing I wanted was to marry my betrothed! And now I am told I have to give my wife to that poor excuse of a man?"
Duke Tedric narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you wanted to marry your betrothed? Hugo told me you met Mina on the day you returned from war!"
Prince Liam cleared his throat. "From what Commander Jayden and Mina told Rosalyn and me, they had met before. About five years ago, and apparently, they fell in love and kept it a secret."
"Mina!" Duke Tedric bellowed, and Mina stepped out from behind Jayden. "All those times you claimed you were going to the Fire Church, you actually went to meet with this bastard?" Mina pretended to be ashamed. If her uncle thought she met with Jayden, then no one would suspect that Rosalyn had a romantic relationship with Jayden. "You little!" the Duke hissed.
Jayden snarled. "I thought I made it clear that I don't want you to badmouth Mina!"
"If Mina used to meet with Commander Jayden in secret, who says she didn't meet up with other men when he was at war?" Rosalyn commented.
Mina gripped her dress so hard her knuckles turned white. How she wanted to slap Rosalyn!
Count Jabba's eyes grew wide. "Two or three years ago, while I was having a drink down at the port, I heard a rumor about a woman dressed in gypsy clothes who visited old Liosa." Everyone in Athea knew about Liosa. She was a crazy old woman who claimed to be a witch. "Apparently, the gypsy woman was buying potions to prevent pregnancies from old Liosa. But what caught my attention was that people said the gypsy woman was actually from high society and she was trying to hide her true identity. I made nothing out of it until now," the Count kept saying.
Mina felt everyone's eyes on her, and she suddenly felt sick. Very sick.
Rosalyn gasped. "You did not! Then you lied about still being a virgin! If you bought potions two years ago, you have been warming another man's bed while Commander Jayden was at war! Haven't you stopped to think about what this meant for the family if anyone found out about this? What would people say about the Royal Family?"
The two Royal Guards who stood next to the entrance to the Royal Throne glanced at Mina. Both knew Mina, and she had always tried to be as polite as she could with them. She knew that the walls had ears and it would not take long for the rest of the servants to hear each word spoken that day. And by nightfall, the entire Athea would gossip about Mina.
"If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut!" Jayden spoke in a low tone, and he looked with hate at Rosalyn.
Rosalyn looked upset. Tears pooled in her eyes, and Prince Liam comforted her.
"Commander Jayden!" Prince Liam warned him. "I understand you are angry, but Rosalyn is not the one to blame if Mina kept things hidden from you!"
Each time Rosalyn spoke, she spilled more venom. For a moment, Mina wondered what would happen if she killed Rosalyn. "No wonder you refused to fulfill your duties because you were afraid Commander Jayden would find out about you not being a virgin anymore," she mocked Mina.
Prince Liam looked at Mina in disbelief. She could see how shocked he was, and she felt very ashamed. To protect him and the Royal Family, Mina left Rosalyn to drag her reputation through the mud. When Prince Liam's shock turned into disgust, Mina's heart throbbed with pain.
And what would Jayden say? Would he rebuke her?
Duke Tedric looked so angry Mina thought he would have a heart attack. "Have you no shame?" he spat his words at her.
Rosalyn looked at Commander Jayden. "If you ask for an annulment, no one would blame you!"
Mina looked at her shoes. If Jayden was wise, he would do that because if word got out of her sharing the bed with other men, Jayden would be mocked by everyone.
"Your father and mother would be disappointed by your actions!" The King sounded so disappointed with Mina. "Who would have thought that a well-educated young woman like yourself would do such things?"
Mina suddenly felt tired—tired of always trying to make sure Rosalyn was acting like a proper lady. She was tired of lying for the sake of her family.
"Looking ashamed does not change what you did!" Rosalyn said angrily. "Father, you must disown her!"
"Do not forget that she must be punished for sleeping with a man while she was still unwed!" Count Dickman added.
Mina paled. She knew the punishment for not being a virgin on her wedding night meant—twenty lashes.
"I will not only disown her, but I want to punish her myself!" Duke Tedric demanded the King.
Mina started to tremble, and Jayden snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her eyes went to his face, but Jayden wasn't paying attention to her; he was busy staring at Duke Tudric with hate.
"You have all the right to disown Mina, but must you flog her?" the King asked Duke Tedric. "She could perhaps pay a fee—"
"She has no money!" Duke Tedric said. "She will receive her twenty lashes! The law is the law!"
Jayden laughed bitterly. "This is what rich men do? Whip women because they are not virgins on their wedding night?"
"I don't expect a bastard like you to understand and respect our traditions and laws! Who knows how many bastards you have sired until now! Or how many felonies you committed!" the Duke said and tried to grab Mina's arm.
Jayden stepped in front of Duke Tedric. "You can say what you wish about me. I am already used to it, but stay away from Mina! No one touches my wife except me! You might be her uncle, but she is my wife! You can disown her if you wish, but you won't lay a finger on her!" Duke Tedric tried once more to grab Mina. "I think you have a death wish!"
"You dare threaten me?" the Duke asked.
"I do not threaten anyone, I merely state facts!" Jayden replied. "For your own good, stay away from Mina!"
Mina could not believe Jayden would put himself in danger to protect her.
"Not only has the wedding not been consummated, but I am her legal guardian! What I do with Mina is not your problem!" Duke Tedric barked.
"You are wrong! The moment Addanos blessed our union, she became mine!" Jayden snarled.
"Prove you consummated the marriage then!" Duke Tedric smirked.
"If she was not a virgin on our wedding night, how can I demonstrate I fucked my wife then and all the nights since then? Maybe I can show you the proof that I fucked her in the carriage while we were on our way to the Royal Palace?" Jayden snarled, and Mina looked up at him. He was furious. "I still have her ripped undergarment in my pocket!"
Mina could not believe Jayden had said something like that in front of not only her uncle but also the King.
Rosalyn covered her mouth with her palm, her cheeks turning red. Those who did not know her might mistake her flustered face for that of a woman who was feeling shame, but Mina knew Rosalyn was angry. Or jealous. Perhaps both. Rosalyn's eyes fell on Jayden's pocket before looking at Mina with hate.
The men seemed to not know how to respond for a moment while Jayden shoved his hand in his pocket. Mina put her fingers around his wrist, stopping him from doing whatever he had planned.
"I never thought you would be so depraved!" Rosalyn said to Mina.
"The King might have given you the title of a Baron, but you will never be one of us! Doing such things in the carriage where everyone can see you!" Duke Tedric said. He turned his attention to the King. "Are you sure you made the right decision by giving this bastard the family name of the late Baron Ruxman?"
"I might be a bastard, but I would never harm a woman! Have you told King Baswein you hit Mina the day she told you about our engagement?" Jayden snarled. "Have you told anyone you slapped Mina so hard she hit her head on the coffee table, and you were about to hit her again when I entered the Drawing Room! That day I wanted to make things right and ask for your blessing to marry Mina, but the moment I stepped inside that room and saw what you did to Mina, I knew I needed to get her far away from you!" Mina buried her face in Jayden's chest, and he stroked her hair. It was the worst day of her life. "You are not the one who should be ashamed about that day! I already told you I wouldn't lie for the sake of the Castex name! It means nothing to me!"
Duke Tedric turned red with anger.
Prince Liam snapped his head in the duke's direction. "You hit Mina?"
"It was my right to teach her respect!" the Duke defended himself. "If I had been more strict with her, she would not have shamed me the way she did today!"
"If you want respect, you need to show respect first!" Jayden said. "And talking about respect, I think I've had enough of this charade! Let's go, Mina! We are returning home!" Jayden said and guided Mina to the front doors.
"Guards!" the King said, and the Royal Guards closed the heavy doors. Jayden turned on his heels. "Commander Jayden, I understand you were born in the lower parts of Athea, but even a man like you must understand that everyone must abide by the laws of this kingdom. Even Mina. From what has been told here, Mina disrespected not only her family, the Royal Family but also you, her husband!"
Jayden snorted. "So now I am her husband?"
The King looked at Duke Tedric and Count Dickman. "I think Duke Tedric will agree with me when I say that it would be harder now to obtain an annulment. But there is still the problem with her punishment!" the King said.
"As Mina's legal husband, I forbid anyone to touch my wife!" Jayden said. "If I am not mistaken, the law says the husband is the one that dictates any punishment his wife should receive! And Mina won't be flogged! Ever! Now, can I return home with my wife, or must I fight my way out of here?"
"Are you willing to return home with a woman that slept with other men while you were at war?" Prince Liam asked.
"Mina has always been faithful to me!" Jayden snarled, and Rosalyn snorted. "Why don't we ask Mina if she visited old Liosa?" Jayden suggested.
Rosalyn snorted. "Why bother? It is obvious she will lie!" she said, and Mina turned her attention to her cousin. Perhaps killing Rosalyn was not such a bad idea.
The King sighed and rubbed his temples. "Go ahead!"
"Mina," Jayden said softly and put a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Mina was afraid to look into Jayden's eyes and see the disappointment in his gaze, so she looked over his shoulder. She hated Rosalyn more than ever for putting her in that position. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she wondered what would happen to her if Jayden decided to sign the annulment. "Look at me!" Jayden commanded her, and she obliged. Jayden did not look upset, just genuinely curious. "Have you been visiting Liosa while I was at war?"
Mina shook her head. "Never! I promise!"
Jayden kissed her head before looking at the King. "My wife said she never visited the old witch, and I believe her! Can we go now?"
"You believe her just like that?" Rosalyn snorted.
"Of course!" Jayden replied. "King Baswein?"
"What about my heir?" Count Dickman asked the Duke. "You promised Mina to me!"
Duke Tedric narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps it is better if that slut of my niece remains with her bastard husband!"
Jayden launched himself at Duke Tedric and grabbed him by his jacket. "I told you never to call my wife a slut again!" Jayden growled as he punched Duke Tedric so hard his head snapped back. The Duke fell to the floor and Jayden didn’t stop his attack.
"Jayden! Stop!" Mina yelled, afraid Jayden would kill her uncle.
But Jayden seemed to not hear Mina as he kept throwing punch after punch, and the crack of breaking bone followed.
"Jayden!" Mina yelled again, but Jayden seemed to be deaf.
"Guards!" the King yelled.
The Royal Guards hurried to separate Jayden from Duke Tedric. When Jayden proved too strong for the two Royal Guards, the King called more warriors to help the Duke. Jayden stopped hitting Duke Tedric only to attack the Royal Guards. One of them took out his sword and hit Jayden in the back of his head with the pommel hard, knocking him out cold.
"Take Commander Jayden to the dungeons and call the Fire Mage!" the King ordered.
Mina tried to follow the Royal Guards wanting to know what would happen to Jayden, but Rosalyn got in her way. "Where do you think you are going?"