"What are you doing here?!" I hear Theo hisses.
I wake up at his voice. I am crouching in the corner as I rub my eyes and open them. I feel like I have only slept for an hour. The embers on the fireplace have dwindled and I only see shadows. Theo is still in front of the fireplace, but he is with another person.
"My ability allows me to enter any barrier created by magic," a woman's voice answers.
"Princess Kissa! You will be my concubine but you should not do this while we are still within Orttenburg castle!"
"My King, it doesn't matter. Seth and my other siblings know of my passions. And I have desired you ever since I caught a glance of you the last time you visited."
"But–"
"I can't wait any longer, King Theo. I want a taste of you."
I blink and see her sitting over Theo. She is pushing at his chest, while she is completely naked, her chest pronounced and her nipples taut.
"Don't you understand how lucky I feel when they agreed to my proposition to become your concubine? I was thrilled. And see here…" Her fingers run through his chest and down his crotch, then she encloses her fingers around his shaft. "… you are so hard already. I can relieve you of this."
Without another word, she puts him into her mouth. I cover my mouth just in time before I exclaim. Theo groans as the Princess's head moves up and down his entire shaft. Worse, he let her do it for him. And then his head turns towards where I am crouching. Even in the dark, I can see his body shiver in his release at the same time that my tears fall.
I thought it was already done when suddenly, he catches the Princess' waist and pushes her down on the carpet. Slowly, he enters her, and she makes a shrill cry of ecstasy. Then he starts to move, his eyes never leaving my corner of the room. Without a noise, I raise my knees, close my eyes, and cover my ears.
And yet, I can still hear it–Theo's groans, the Princess' crazy cry of pleasure, and the way their flesh collides against each other. It's dizzying, it's painful, and so I try to think of history, of mathematics, of books in Pitchford. No. I am covered with books from Duran, or here in Orttenburg. I am not mated to anyone. I am free. I can go whenever and wherever I want. I can read whatever I can. Most especially, no one can hurt me.
Another mad howl erupts from Princess Kissa's mouth. It should have been me being pleasured by my mate. Theo should only belong to me, and yet… I shake my head. No! I don't want that. Should I move away? Right, as a good personal guard, I should crawl away as quietly as possible away from this room. I start to lift myself, but I am feverish. I am dizzy and I am weakened by this pain.
"Stay!" Theo orders in between his grunts of pleasure.
I drop to the floor. I know the orders are for me. I can't believe that he can still hurt me after all the pain he caused me before. I thought I was past the worst part of loving him.
"What is that?" Princess Kissa asks, her voice thin and high-pitched.
"It's nothing," Theo coaxes. "Now, do what you came here for."
Then, I hear it again, the sound of their incessant sex and lovemaking. I crawl back into my corner and cover myself in the blanket. I start to count and recite poems on my mind. I know that I am trembling and sweating. I feel sick in the stomach and my chest… I don't even know how to describe the sharp pricks on it. Oh please, goddess, let this end.
I am not sure how long it lasts, but when the Princess leaves the room, I know I am a mess. I hear him stand over me and I freeze.
"What are you going to do about it?" he asks over me.
I did not respond. Who would, in their right mind, do something about that? Is he expecting me to assert my claim on him? He is a jerk and I am not that stupid! Not yet, anyway. Besides, how could he do that in the same room as I am?!
"I know you are awake," he says and tugs on the blanket covering my shivering body. I activate my magic and let it envelop me, just so he won't be able to touch me.
I take a deep breath and shout, "Go to hell!"
Theo clicks his tongue and responds, "Being my personal guard and my previous lover, you know that this will happen a lot of times. As a King, I need heirs."
He said that multiple times already, I already know it! "I don't care. Go away!"
He kneels before me. "But if you ask me to–"
"I don't want to hear about it!" I cut him off.
I sense his anger, and I don't dare to look at him. After a few minutes, he clicks his tongue and says, "Next time, I will let you leave the room first."
"I don't care…" I repeat, my tears falling and my chest being jabbed in pain.
Suddenly, there is a knock. The King gets up and opens the door.
"King Theo. King Seth is asking for your presence during breakfast," the Orttenburg servant informs.
"I will let my personal guard be ready and I will be there."
"King Seth specifically suggested not to bring your guard. It's a private discussion, and he assures you that nothing bad will happen to you," the servant insists.
I hear a short pause and Theo's voice saying, "You heard it. Fix yourself up. After this breakfast, you will accompany me the entire day."

****************************
When Theo leaves, I stand up from my corner. I am feverish. I enter the bathroom to take a bath. Then I wear one of the dresses I brought for Orttenburg social functions. The next days are filled with appointments with other foreign dignitaries. Theo also needs to meet with the other Orttenburg royalty.
Facing the mirror, I see the effects of heartbreak on my appearance. In just a matter of hours, my face looks gaunt and my eyes are puffed up from crying. I look pale and even with the beautiful clothes, I cannot hide the ugly thoughts on my mind.
So, I rummage through my things and find some cosmetics. Maybe I can cover the pallidness in my face. I can also put on some rouge and a bit of lipstick so that I will look energetic. Tears fall on my cheeks again and I wipe them angrily. If only I can talk to Ami at least. Then maybe, I won't be such a crying mess. I hope I can break this mate bond already.
The door swings open, and Theo enters. I hurriedly hide my things and face him.
"Hey, have the servants prepare my bath before we meet the other royalties," he orders.
I bow at him and call for the servants. While they are ‌taking care of him, I stare at the floor with my head down. In that case, he won't be able to notice the amount of pain he inflicted on me when he slept with the Princess in the same room.
After washing himself, I stand in the corner of the room. "Come here," he orders. "Put this sash on me."
I approach him and gingerly place the sash around his waist. The instant I am finished, his face darkens in desire. He grabs my chin and lifts it, making me look straight into his eyes.
"What have you done to King Seth so that he will offer for you to become his concubine? He even said that he can make you his Queen," he asks.
"I did nothing," I answer as short as possible. "We just talked."
"You talk to him, but not to me?!" he heaves. Realizing his tone of voice, he lets go of my chin, and says, "Is he with you last night?"
"Yes, but not the way you are with Princess Kissa," I reproach. "So, let me go."
His eyes narrow at me, but he still obeys. "Fine. Befriend him, but make sure that you return some information to me."
"I am not your spy."
"You are my personal guard so I can use your life as I see fit."
"Then, if he asks me to have sex with him in exchange for information, should I do that too?"
"You!" he pauses. He takes in air and calms himself down. "You know my limit," he says instead, before going out of the room again.