The King's Possession ✔️

THIRTEEN

Word Count: 1829

I walk into the dining hall for breakfast the next morning with my head held high.

Taius is alone, sitting at the table, having not touched a single piece of food on the table. What I can see of the breakfast, looks foreign, with fruits and citrus found only in the warmer climates such as the Golden Province, cut and displayed in a way that has my stomach yearning for a taste.

His eyes find me, more olive green this morning rather than the shadowy forest colour like what I stared into last night during my bath. My blood chills at the intensity of his gaze, the sensuous way it sweeps across the casual outfit I found this morning at the edge of the bed.

I didn't want to admit defeat by wearing his clothing, but it was either this, or Vaia's gown from last night. After the words she spoke to me, just looking at it makes me feel sick.

"I have a lot of questions I need you to answer," I demand, trying to remain confident as I sink into the seat next to him. If Tai felt like it, he could punish me for speaking out of turn to him. He could throw me into a prison, have no mercy for me whatsoever. But something about him makes me doubt that.

"Making demands already," he muses softly. He's not offended, merely amused, which seems to be the permanent expression on his face.

"Why are you doing this? Really? Keeping me from Marek, making me your slave."

"First of all, you're no slave. You're a guest, and are expected to do nothing but keep me company," he reminds me, picking up to sip something from a white cup. Likely tea.

"Secondly, I was telling the truth about wanting company. It's not that deep."

He looks away, dismissively. Stumped, I look across the display of breakfast foods - foreign to familiar fruits, pastries and a few savoury options. I'm hungry, admittedly, and despite how delicious dinner was last night, I refuse to touch any of it. Tai seems to have little appetite, sipping occasionally from his cup.

I breathe in, slow and steady. "Then why keep me from Marek?"

Tai's gaze is laced with a predatory darkness. "I thought he was nothing more than an escort to you? Or are you involved?"

Just hearing those words from his mouth make the surface of my skin flush at an achingly hot temperature. I'm unsure of whether it's because of the way Taius looks at me, perhaps imagining it himself, or because it involves Marek. And the way I feel about Marek right now...It's a confusing mess.

"He doesn't mean anything to me. And no, we are not involved. I hardly know the guy," I admit, leaning back in my seat. Truthful enough. All I know about Marek is that he is hunting my Tani, and has a father that has since passed. Oh, and that he's capable of kidnapping.

Tai tilts his head, a challenge gleaming in his eyes. "Then you won't mind spending time away from him."

I blink. Fine, if he wants to play, then I'm going to dig into his private life.

"What are you hiding?"

"I'm a King. I hide everything," he replies, waving his hand around casually, as if signally to the wealth, the beauty of this place that surely hides a myriad of secrets.

I've stumbled into a world my wildest dreams couldn't comprehend, and although this estate exists in my home province, it's a world away from my simpler life. It's especially evident in the smaller details: the paintings on the wall display faces I'm unfamiliar with, the pattern woven with gold and green thread into the table runner referencing nothing I've ever seen before. And to add to it all, the way Taius looks at me, knowing I'm nothing more than an outsider.