Rian's POV
Days passed, but I hadn't seen the King since he gave me this room. Not a glance. Not a word. Just silence… and distance.
I still rose early each morning and went to the kitchens, though no one ordered me to. The routine grounded me. Chopping vegetables. Scrubbing pans. Hauling baskets of laundry. It reminded me of who I was and who I wasn't.
Whispers followed me everywhere. They thought I couldn't hear them, but I did.
"She's still alive?"
"What kind of witchcraft is keeping her breathing?"
"He must be playing with her. He'll get bored soon."
Sometimes they didn't even bother to lower their voices.
Madam Serah gave me a tight-lipped nod when I arrived each day, allowing me to work but never treating me as anything other than an outsider. Others avoided me completely. Except Maya.
She met me with a kind smile every time. She stood close when others stepped away, shared her portion of bread, and once, even brushed my hair when she found me crying in the corner of the laundry room.
"You're stronger than all of them," she'd whispered. "They just don't see it yet."
Yesterday, a pair of guards I barely knew left a folded bundle on my cot. Clothes. Simple but new. Soft. Clean. I didn't ask who sent them. I didn't want to hope.
This morning, I was returning from the laundry yard when I rounded a corner and froze.
A woman stood in the hallway, draped in silk and confidence. Tall, flawless, and wearing a gown that looked like it belonged in a painting. Her hair was braided with gold chains, and her sharp blue eyes sliced into me the moment they landed.
I dipped my head instinctively. "Apologies"
"You're her," she interrupted.
I looked up slowly. "I… I don't "
"The one they all whisper about. The girl the King didn't kill."
Her voice was sweet and venomous, every word wrapped in amusement and threat.
"I'm Lady Nora . His betrothed," she said, lips curving. "Though I suppose no one told you."
The word betrothed made my stomach twist, but I nodded, silent.
"How charming," she said, looking me over like I was something on her boot. "Since you seem to enjoy pretending you're useful, you can carry these." She shoved a basket into my arms heavy, overflowing with silks and ornaments.
"Yes, ma'am," I murmured.
I followed her through the halls, trying not to stumble. My arms ached, but I kept quiet. She led me into one of the smaller guest parlors, then gestured at the floor.
"Sort them. Carefully. And if you tear anything " she paused, smirking "I'll make sure you pay for it."
I knelt down, heart pounding. My fingers were trembling as I unfolded the silks, trying to stack them neatly.
One slipped. A sharp tearing sound followed as a corner of a beaded shawl caught on my ring.
"No," I breathed.
The room went silent.
Elira turned slowly. "What… did you do?"
"I….I didn't mean to. It was an accident," I whispered, rising to my feet with the ruined shawl in hand.
She didn't yell. She smiled.
A terrible, delighted smile.
"Girls," she called. Two maids appeared instantly.
"Bind her," she said.
"What?" I gasped.
The maids hesitated, glancing at each other.
"She ruined my property," Elira said coolly. "She wants to play servant? Then she'll be punished like one."
"Please " I began, backing away. But hands grabbed my arms and forced me down.
They tied my wrists behind my back. My knees hit the marble. I cried out, struggling, but no one helped. Cold sweat dripped down my spine.
Elira took her time selecting a whip from the wall one clearly not meant for decorative use.
"This is what happens to little rats who sneak into castles and forget their place."
She raised her hand and brought it down.
The leather cracked against my back.
I gasped, biting down a scream as pain exploded across my skin.
She lifted the whip again, smiling cruelly.
But before it landed
"Enough!"
The voice that rang out turned my blood to ice.
Everyone froze.
The whip halted mid-air
The whip clattered to the floor.
I opened my eyes to see him_the King storming into the room, fury etched into every line of his face.
"What the hell is going on here?" he growled.
"She disrespected…"
"You dare touch what's mine?"
Elira paled. "I—I didn't know..."
Before she could finish, he shoved her back. Hard.
"Lady Nora of Elenor," he said coldly, "you are hereby placed under royal arrest. Guards take her."
Two guards appeared, seemingly from the walls themselves. She sputtered in disbelief as they grabbed her arms.
"You can't "
"Try me," he snarled.
And then his eyes landed on me.
I was shaking, tied, my cheek bruised from hitting the floor.
He moved faster than breath.
With one flick, the ropes fell from my wrists. Then he lifted me into his arms as though I weighed nothing.
"Easy," he murmured, but his voice was tight. Angry. Not at me at them.
I buried my face into his chest without meaning to. His scent surrounded me warm, wild, safe. A contradiction. A danger I couldn't stop leaning into.
"Who did this to you?" he asked, voice like thunder.
I couldn't speak. I just clung to him.
He looked around, daring anyone to answer.
No one did.
Without another word, he turned and carried me out, his arms cradling me as if I was the most fragile thing in the world.
But for the first time… I didn't feel like I was breaking.
I felt found.