The King's Harem

Chapter 2

I sat on the hard wooden stool mulling over the painting sitting in front of me.

A small spring lay beyond the painting and I tried my best to capture the beauty of the place. So far the painting was coming along nicely, but I felt it was missing something. I have painted the heated waters and the beautiful greenery many times. The place went largely unused most of the time. It was only for those that lived in the palace, which was not for many people nowadays.

"Do you come here often?" I heard

The disembodied voice was deep and quiet almost as if he was whispering.

I unfortunately knew that voice all too well.

I turned in my seat to find four of the most beautiful men I have ever seen standing before me. I quickly jumped from my seat and bowed taking the wooden stool with me.

There was a small stretch of silence before Koren spoke.

"You do come here often yes?"

"I-I do come here sometimes t-to paint"

I cringed at the stutter. I hated how nervous I was in just a few seconds.

They did not look as if they were planning to make use of the springs. All of them were dressed in their everyday attire.

A sort of uniform for the harem consisted of sheer oversized fabrics that flowed down the body like water. It was particularly stunning on Koren. He had a figure anyone would be jealous of. He could be considered curvaceous and delicate. The sheer fabric made him look elegant and intimidating.

"That is stunning," said Koren as he leaned forward to inspect the painting

Koren was far too close. He was so pretty it hurt. He was only a little taller than me, but I was tall for a woman. I noticed his delicate and thin fingers decorated with glistening jewels. He possessed every bit of the softness expected from me. It made jealousy settle in my chest, especially with what I saw last night.

Even in that position Koren could not be taken lightly.

"Thank you" I mumbled

"What was that? Speak up if you will" Koren all but growled

"T-thank you" I squealed

"You know we have spent little time with you Allayna"

Elo had spoken this time

Elo was tall and quite funny looking at first glance.

He is painfully handsome without a doubt. His ears were large and his smile was just as large.

I could always tell he did his best to come off as silly and friendly. It could work most of the time, but something was always off. I could see his eyes did not match that large silly smile.

"I agree"

I spoke a little louder this time in hopes of not invoking Koren's calm wrath.

"Yes, that is a shame"

Ren spoke this time, his voice was smooth like silk.

Ren is no taller than Koren but equally stunning. Long pitch black hair cascaded down his back, thick and shiny. Ren possessed all the beauty the court ladies strived for. Dark piercing eyes with long thick lashes. Full lips and a sharp jawline.

"I am fairly new, you all must get used to me first"

It had already been a few months and no real effort to get to know me from anyone in the hare, but I will admit I made no effort either. These men intimidated me so much that I found it impossible to approach any of them.

Koren smiled "Such a pretty girl we should be spending all of our time with you"

The smile on his face made my skin crawl, not in a bad way per se. It made me feel like there was something hiding behind that smile, but I was unsure if it was sinister or not.

He took a curl of my hair and twisted it around his decorated fingers.

"Th-thank you"

He was once again too close.

"I like pretty girls, I like how they make me feel"

He leaned down right into my ear.

"Makes me jealous"

I shuddered at the feel of his warm breath against my ear. He smelled nice like something sweet and flowery.

"With your immense talent, we want you to paint us"

Elo was admiring my painting as he spoke.

"P-paint you? All of you?"

"Yes, well we want a painting of us to decorate Ari's room, he needs something pretty in there"

Koren once again had that smile on his face.

I tried my best to not look disappointed.

Why was I so disappointed? It is not like I truly expected to be included in this.

"Oh, I would be honored"

"Of course, you would"

A snide remark I was not surprised at, but coming from Elo it was a bit of a shock. That silly facade slipped for just a moment.

It was quiet for a moment, and I took that opportunity to pick up my stool and seat myself on it.

I noticed Koren in my peripheral vision. I watched him get almost uncomfortably close to me again. He stared hard before he spoke.

"You have such pretty hair"

He took his hand and grasped a chunk of it and pulled. My head jerked back and rested against his stomach.

"Do not think we did not see you leering at us last night little girl" He sneered right in my ear.

"We will forgive it this time, but next time you will be punished"

I whimpered as he let go of my hair and they started back the way they came.

I was so surprised I had no idea what to say.

"Let's start on those paintings tomorrow alright puppy" Koren called from over his shoulder

I watched them leave, my body still frozen in shock. Koren was terrifying when he wanted to be.