Sally had the same thought. Her princess had no one, and she had been with her for such a long time. She wished Danika would be alright. “He is a powerful man. He will be fine,” Sally said, rubbing his chest in reassurance.
Chad nodded distractedly. He knew the kind of man the king was, and it worried him. A damaged man in every aspect of that word, the king would rather push people away than let them get too close to him. Already, the former Princess Danika was working her way into the king’s heart, and he was completely unaware of it. Chad wished it would not remain that way for long because it would be a rocky road when it dawned on the very stubborn broken man who had lost every single one in his life in a very brutal way that he was falling in love with the daughter of his nightmare creator.
Chad hoped he wouldn’t be hurting Danika and himself too much when that time came, because if any man ever deserved to be happy, it was the king.
If any man deserved to laugh again, it was King Lucien.
Baski walked out of the king’s bedroom with her heart in her throat. This summons filled her with dread.
She walked to Danika’s bedroom and saw her lying down on the bed, her breathing even. She knew she was sleeping even before she saw her closed eyes. Even in sleep, lines of worry marred Danika’s face. Baski knew that the poor girl was more stressed lately with everything she was going through. And now this…
She touched Danika gently. “Danika, dear, you have to wake up.”
Danika mumbled incoherently and settled back to sleep.
“The king summons you, Danika.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she sprang from the bed with so much force, her head spun.
Baski held her. “Easy, easy…”
Danika fixed her with a worried gaze. “For what? Do you know why, Madam Baski?”
The older woman shook her head. “I don’t know, Danika. But he’s not in a good mood at all.”
All the blood drained from Danika’s face. “Do you think it has something to do with what happened in the church today? Or…” she swallowed tightly. “Or he’s going to want to…”
“I don’t know, Danika, but there’s every possibility that he’s going to want to draw sexual pleasures from your body.” She shook her head miserably. “That is not a good idea, Danika. And with the way he is now, I fear for you.”
Danika’s heart flew away from her chest. “Is his mood that bad?”
Baski nodded calmly.
She swallowed tightly and stared down at her hands. Danika had dreaded this for the past few days; she had worried herself sick. She missed being in his arms, but not like that. It was downright terrifying.
“What do I do, Baski? I think I’m about to die from panic.” Her voice trembled as she looked at the older woman helplessly.
“Here…” Baski pulled her to sit towards the edge of the bed. “Wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”
Danika nodded and watched Baski as she hurried out of the room. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. The king summoned her, and he wasn’t in a good mood.
Oh, whatever was it that blackened his mood? She asked herself worriedly. If it had anything to do with the things her father did, then she really had something to worry about.
The door opened again, and Baski entered with a small, wrapped ball like a small stone and some gel. “I read about this herbal seed many years ago when I was young and still learning herbs from my grandma. One of her herbal old books spoke of this seed in its pages,” she began. “It says it keeps a baby in the womb firm and healthy even during hard times… like the mama had an accident or something. I don’t really know because I don’t read so well, but we don’t have much of an option. I harvested the seeds after I found out that you were pregnant. Just in case.”
Danika bit her lips, staring at the weird-looking seed. “Do you think it will work?”
Baski looked unsure. “I don’t really know, Danika, but I can’t just send you to the lion’s den with nothing.”
“I’m scared, Madam Baski.”
Baski took her hand into hers and squeezed lightly. “You’ll be fine, my dear. You’re Danika and you’ve always been strong and brave. I’ve seen the worst kind of slavery, and yet most of us can give birth during the worst of it all. Back in Mombana, I knew a few women who the guards molested every single day, even when they were pregnant. They subjected some to very hard labour. A few of them still give birth to robust children, and came out healthy.” Baski smiled at her in reassurance.
“A few?” Danika could only mumble, her throat dry like sandpaper.
“We go through a lot, Danika. Slaves. A lot of them didn’t survive.” Her voice took on a sad note.
“How is that supposed to be an encouragement, Madam Baski?” Danika cried out.
“Oh!” The older woman flushed guiltily. “Um, well, let’s see…” She seemed to be in thought for a few seconds. Then her eyes brightened. “The king is… quite partial to you, and you love him so much. Surely, that will help a lot. You’ll be fine, Danika.”
Danika took a deep breath; she didn’t even need to ask how Baski knew she loved the king because she had a bigger problem to worry about. However, Baski’s encouragement worked. Not much of the words, but because she was trying to encourage her. Danika knew that if anything went wrong, Baski would be there for her.
Another deep breath. Danika took the seed from Baski and threw it down her throat. The older woman gave her water, and she washed it down. Then Baski gave her a small bottle of gel. Danika took it from her, murmuring her gratitude, and opened it. Her confusion was apparent as she glanced up at Baski for an explanation.
Baski’s wrinkled cheeks flushed a little. “Vetta once referred to the king as a no-preamble man. Just in case… um, you have to be prepared.”
Danika would have refuted the mistress’s notion, but she was too worked up to try. Indeed, the king was not big on foreplay, and he didn’t like to be touched, but he was different with her. That gave her a pause. He was different with her. Surely, everything would be alright. That, more than anything, calmed her.
She took the gel from Baski, entered the bathroom, and used it, then came out a minute later and walked towards the door.
“Danika?”
She turned at the sound of Baski’s voice. “Hm?”
Baski hesitated. “The king is a very damaged man. He might look well on the outside, but they broke him on the inside. He needs help, but he is not a man that will allow it.”