Duchess Of Sebria ✔️

Happenings At The Event

41

After serving them lunch, the servants retired to their other duties. It was now the king, his mistress and his sword of honour present in the hall. Lucian had occupied a corner while the two of them had their meals under the golden hues of sun striking through the looming window behind the king.

Zebian was quietly taking his food whereas Renai was just fumbling with the beans. Despite feeling famished, she couldn't bring herself to lift the fork. Her mind continued driving her back to the threats that sonorous voice had made. How many times she had tried to shut her thoughts but apparently her mind was too stubborn to listen to her. She sighed tiredly and carried on to stare blankly at her plate.

Zebian was methodically chewing his morsel when his eyes fluttered to her filled plate. He glanced up, finding her lost in her own bubble. His brows quirked. She was blinking recurrently but her forehead had strained lines.

He swallowed the morsel and cleared his throat, seizing the line of her thoughts. She looked at him dumbfoundedly and schooled her expressions before he could question that.

Zebian brought his drink to his lip and sipped. "You are not eating," He pointed out without glancing at her face after gulping down and putting the glass on the table.

Renai peeked back at her plate and blinked again, this time with awkward realisation. Her plate was indeed untouched. "Um, yes..." She mumbled with a small smile, involuntarily erecting her back. She forked a bite, more like forced it and directed it to her mouth.

Zebian was keenly following her movements when, suddenly, his eyes flitted down to the cut carved on her wrist, below her blue veins. Instantly, his lips curled in displeasure. This girl was ready to hurt herself for an unfamiliar low-grade whore disguised as a noble princess. And now that she knew she was his concubine, these thoughts grated on his nerves even more.

Before she could take the fork to her mouth, he stretched his hand and took the fork from her hand, freezing Renai. She looked at him with a puzzled look. His eyes turned into the softest shade of blue as he roamed them at her lips while extending the fork toward her seam.

Taking the clue, she hesitantly opened her mouth and took the morsel. He watched her chewing like she was some baby. A faint smile crawled at the corners of his lips.

Satisfied, he made another bite.

Renai cast down her eyes and cleaned the edge of her bottom lip with her thumb. Zebian followed her thumbpad and gulped as she wiped the surface. His eyes again darted on her slightly bruised wrist.

"Your honour," He called him out of the blue.

And as if the sword of honour was waiting for the clue, he stepped ahead. "Your majesty,"

"Fetch me the ointment Doctor Haden has prepared," Zebian commanded while keeping his eyes on his woman. Lucian gracefully bowed his head and stepped back, leaving the hall.

After feeding her the bite, he put the fork on the saucer and grabbed her wrist below the bruise. Renai quietly watched him bringing her wrist near his face and scrutinising it as if it happened to be a roadmap of some battleground.

Abruptly, he brushed his thumbpad on frozen blood and made her hiss lowly. He immediately reckoned her reaction with a firm gaze, her features contorted. He breathed out deeply which fell on her bare skin.

He leaned down and placed his lips above her bruise, a fluttering sensation coursed through her veins and directly punched her guts. He could feel the shiver running down from her wrist to her stomach.

He stared her down while remembering how helpless and vulnerable he felt when he saw her defending that slut. He would have been standing on the battleground if not she had stopped him from killing her. Beheading their princess would have open encouragement to the war and he had no care for how strong the opponent's army and defences could be, even if the remaining states would merge their resources, it would still be less than his. For he was the king of eight states and needed no alliance to assist him. It was only that he wanted to pick two prey with one arrow.