After our dinner, Seth and I walk around the gardens, but our conversation had become more… educational. I bet he will have a great time having tea with Harbin while talking about books and sharing knowledge.
I also request to return to the room where I was adorned by the servants. However, it was already closed and Seth assured me that he will send my clothes before we leave for Pitchford. He also insisted to come with me to my room, but thinking about Theo's flip-flopping mood, I told him no. The provocative clothes, on the other hand, had become comfortable. So, my mood is visibly lighter as I make my way toward the room I share with Theo.
Smiling, I grab the doorknob and am about to twist it open when I freeze. Slowly, I gently place my ear against the door and listen in.
"Oh damn, my King! Faster! Harder! Fill me up!" It's Princess Kissa's voice. I am sure of it. I have been subjected to that same voice and torture.
So, I pull away from the door and retreat. My breathing gets caught in my throat even when I should be used to it by now. I feel dizzy from the pain. And my heart is constricting against my chest. It's always the same pain, always the same reactions.
And so, I decided that I will just come in tomorrow. I didn't even notice when I am already rushing back to the garden. This time, I don't feel sorry for myself. I feel anger. With these feelings of pain, I want to give everything back to him! How can it be that a mate bond can be as painful as this?!
I return to the wooden shed in the garden and peer inside. Seeing that Seth is not around and the table is all cleaned up, I enter and lie down on the floor. It is made of grass and probably nurtured by magic. I spread myself on it and cover my eyes with my arms.
Tears finally fall. I hate how he wants me to be exclusively his and yet, I can't ask him the same. And it's all because he is a King and I am just one of his subjects. If I tell him I was an Alpha Queen, will he treat me fairly?
My chest cramps and I grab it to lessen the pain. I can't go back to that pain I suffered from when I lost my child. I can't continue like this!
I hear the door opening and a voice that says, "You are pretty conscious about your dress earlier, but now you are slumped on the ground. I can see everything, you know."
It's Seth. I wipe my tears and open my eyes. He is standing over me. "Why are you back here?" I ask.
"Because I was hoping you'd run back here."
He hands me a bottle of liquor. I sit up and notice that he brings, not only one or two bottles, but a whole case of them.
"You seem prepared that I will cry running back here."
"Because I know my sister. She won't leave your King unless she had a full buffet of him again."
"You mean you read her mind?"
"Yes," he admits.
I clench my jaws and take the liquor from his hand. He sits down beside me and I am about to drink it when I pause. Theo ordered me not to get drunk anymore. So I stare at the bottle.
"What? You don't like whiskey? Should I get wine instead?"
He is about to take the bottle when my grip on it tightened. I frown at him and keep the bottle away from his reach. He raises his arms in defense and I drink straight from the bottle. I empty it in a matter of seconds.
"Wow! My sister and King Theo making love must have really hurt you."
I glare at him. Making love is for me. The other women are for his fucking! Then I growl at the absurdity of it all. It doesn't make any difference! I am so stupid!
"I don't want to hear that from you!" I shout at him instead.
He taps on my forehead and asks, "You will not mutilate me in your wolf form, right?"
I take another bottle from the case and open the cap. "Do you want me to?!" I scold, before finishing up the other bottle in seconds.
He grins. "Darius is outside. You won't be able to do it."
"I am his Alpha Queen!"
"And I am his King."
I take from the case again, but he taps my shoulders this time. "You would get drunk easily if you do that. Try to take a little at a time," he suggests.
"How will you know that?! Are you an alcoholic King?!"
He smirks. "I think you are being affected by the whiskey now."
I relax a little, and as he suggested, I sip on the bottle a little at a time. "What do you think of mate bonds, Seth?" I ask, breaking the silence between us.
"A wonderful thing. It will perfectly fit me."
"So, for royalties, it's a good thing…" I whisper. I raise my knees and hug them to my chest. It's the same with Theo. He always says that he's happy with our mate bond.
"Not all royal bloods. I only find it wonderful because of my special case. Imagine wanting to have sex with a woman most of the time. Even if I don't know her that much or even if I can hear her thoughts. I am sure my kingdom will be ecstatic. New heirs will come out every year. I might probably name them by alphabet. So that when they queue up to greet me, it will be easier for me to remember each of them."
Despite the pain, I find myself smiling. "Are you planning to have over twenty children?"
"It's better to have some extra letters," he kids.
"I feel bad for your wife then."
"Aw, don't feel bad for yourself."
"I'm not going to marry you."
"You will. You just don't know it yet."
"I wish you are taught how to flirt properly. In that case, I won't be subjected to this torture."
"Well, at least I can make you smile."
"I am not smi-"
He suddenly leans towards me and I pause midway. A victorious smile appears on his face and he says, "Now, do you think I am still no good at flirting?"
I slap and push the front of his face. "If startling women means flirting to you, then I feel bad for the next woman you ‌‌inflict that on."
"Prepare yourself then," he says and sips on his bottle of whiskey.


*******************
I woke up the next morning with a blanket over my body and a splitting headache. I sit up and find out that I fell asleep in the hut with Seth, who is sleeping soundly beside me. I look around the room. In the daylight, the rustic charm of the wooden hut is more apparent. It was romantic at night, but a comfortable nook in the morning. I guess this is one of Seth's hiding places.
Then my eyes go to the bottles of liquor around us and the empty case that he brings with him. Now, that explains my headache. And wait, the sun is already high ‌in the sky!
I stand up, but remembering what I heard last night, I lie down on the floor again. I am sure I won't be missed. Besides, Princess Kissa might still be in his bed, probably sleeping and very sated. My heart pricks while I picture it out. Definitely, that's something I don't want to witness. This painful living should stop. I don't want to live like this anymore!
I glance at Seth who is still sleeping beside me. In his sleep, he looks younger. There is no frown on his face and he looks free and nonchalant. I wonder, if I said yes to him, will I be able to take revenge against Theo? Will Theo feel the same pain as I did before?
I sigh, knowing that I won't be able to do it. Right now, I am bound to Theo until the marking expires. And besides, I don't want to be royalty. I'm sure that I will also suffer the same way as I did with Theo. My fate with either of these two men will just be the same.
"Done appreciating my handsome looks?" Seth asks without opening his eyes.
"What do you mean by handsome? Your hair tie had snapped so your hair is all around your face."
This time he opens his eyes and looks at me. He grins. "It's the same with you. You look wild… in a nice way." He reaches for my head and I pull back. He stops. "That must change. You need to get used to me."
I sit up and hug my knees to my chest again. "I don't want to leave here," I blurt out.
"Aha! At last, you admit it! You are enjoying your time with me!"
"That's not it. I am afraid to see your sister in our room."
"You ‌realize that you've been rejecting a King nonstop?"
I turn my head to him. He is still lying on his side on the blanket-which I am not sure when it's placed-and his head is propped up on his hand.
"Should I be lucky that you don't kill those who reject you?"
"I'm not that type of King. My father is one though."
Changing the subject, I start, "Is it really okay with you that your younger sister is…"
"Promiscuous?"
I nod.
"First of all, Kissa, being King Theo's concubine is already official. Second, she will have relations with my generals if I don't allow her to be with your King. She's horny, but she's not stupid. She knows what a concubine is. And third, I don't care. She's already old enough. At the very least, there will be more Orttenburg heirs. I will miss her barriers though."
I take a deep breath. After a while, I say, "Well then, I need to return. I just hope that your sister is already out of Theo's room."