THE SLEEPING BEAUTYChad wrapped Danika like the king had ordered and carried her out of the room. Danika slept exhaustedly in his arms while he carried her away from the king’s quarters and down to the servant’s quarters.
He had just rounded the corner when he saw Vetta coming toward him. She took one look at them, and her eyebrows shot up.
“What’s wrong with her?” she asked as she strode forward, her forehead knitted in a frown.
“She had a session,” Chad answered simply.
A smile spread across Vetta’s face, and her heart lifted. She wanted the princess to keep suffering for everything her family did to them. No amount of pain was enough.
“She passed out? Which session? The whip? Strip session? Crawl and torture? Devil’s session? Which one?” She called the names the slaves had given to the torture sessions over the years, barely able to curb her excitement.
“It wasn’t any of those, Mistress.”
That had Vetta frowning again. She inspected Danika, who was wrapped in a white sheet, her face peaceful in sleep. She searched for bruises but couldn’t find any. Surely, that white sheet was supposed to be stained with blood. Where was the blood? Vetta placed her hand on the sheet, opening it a bit, but she only saw flawless white skin. No bruises.
“She’s sleeping. The king gave instructions not to wake her,” he said politely.
Vetta clamped up. “Why would the king give instructions like that!?”
“I don’t know why the king does the things he does, Mistress Vetta.”
Vetta was practically spitting fire, trying to figure out what was going on. “The king took sexual pleasures from her?”
Chad nodded reluctantly.
“Who finished for him? Her!?” She tensed up.
“I did.”
Vetta relaxed a bit. Better Chad than this horrid slave. The king did not care for men in a carnal way. She and Chad knew this personally.
But some things just didn’t add up.
Vetta faced Chad again, staring at him defiantly, and he lowered his head in respect for her. They were no longer slaves, and Chad was in a very senior position, where everybody treated him with respect. The king’s personal guard was no small position. But Vetta was still at the head. She was his mistress, and the king had no queen yet, so she was definitely at the top. And she was going to be queen.
“So, if she served the king, why is she this way?” Vetta asked haughtily.
“The king rewarded her for being good,” he answered rather reluctantly and left it at that.
Knowing Vetta, she’d pick it up soon. She did. Her eyes darkened in anger, sheer disbelief, and confusion.
“He gave her pleasure?” She could barely get the word out of her tight throat.
Chad shrugged. “It was a pleasure session. She fell asleep on his bed.”
“Don’t give me that! You and I know that there’s no such session that is pleasurable!” She narrowed her eyes. “How could he do something like that? After everything we went through!?”
“I’m not entitled to know why the king does the things he does.”
His answer only infuriated Vetta, but then she realised what he just said. “What? On his bed?” Jealousy overcame her. He never allowed her to sleep on that bed—ever. “Why would he allow a slave like her on his bed?”
Chad almost told her that Lucien was the king, and that gave him the right to do whatever he wanted to do. He almost reminded her that the king went through hell, too, and that Vetta was not the only person who had, so why was she taking it so personally?
He had always been a man of few words, so he said nothing.
“Where’s the king!?” she hissed.
“In his chambers. Although, I’m not sure he’ll like to be distur—”
She stormed past him in anger and took indignant strides away.
Chad continued forward until he arrived at Danika’s room. He was about to open the door when it swung open.
Sally rushed out of the room, took one look at Chad and the way he carried the princess, and burst out crying.
“He k-killed her?” The kings killed slaves all the time, and it meant nothing. A slave was just an animal, not a human; it meant nothing if they shed their blood.
That was exactly the rule of King Cone…and so many other kings.
“She’s not dead, Miss. She’s just sleeping.” Chad carried Danika inside the room and set her on the bed gently. Danika sighed, shifted comfortably, and settled back into sleep.
Sally let out a deep sigh of relief and bowed her head promptly in greetings. “Thank you so much, sir. Thank you so much.”
Her enthusiastic salutation embarrassed him. Chad knew this girl well, from their period in captivity. “You’re welcome, Miss.” He inclined his head.
Sally blushed fiery red and ducked her head. “I’m not ‘miss.’ I’m no girl of privilege, sir. I’m just Sally.”
Chad nodded and left the room.
Sally stared worriedly at her princess. She confirmed the steady rise and fall of her chest and could relax a little. She wasn’t dead. She was indeed sleeping.
Vetta stormed to the king’s door, but the two guards blocked her way. It was the first time they stopped her from seeing the king, and it made her furious.
“Move away from the door, now!” she commanded them.
They bowed their heads. “I’m so sorry, Mistress. The messenger is in the room, and the king instructed that nobody should disturb him.”
She stopped and listened carefully. She couldn’t hear anything. The king’s chambers had thick walls, but she wasn’t thinking clearly at that moment either.
“I dare you to place a filthy finger on me!” She stormed past them and pushed the big door open, but she stopped short when she saw she had indeed interrupted an important business meeting.
A messenger stood at the center of the room with a long scroll, reading out loud from it while the king sat behind his desk, listening attentively.
When Vetta stormed in, they stopped and stared at her. Anger darkened King Lucien’s eyes.
“Vetta?” One word. A loaded question.
“I’m s-sorry, my king. I didn’t know you were in the middle of something so important.”She faltered because she knew, but she hadn’t believed it.
Lucien’s mouth flattened in displeasure. He turned his attention back to the messenger. “Get out,” he said, dismissing her.
Vetta didn’t need to be told twice. She bowed her head and stepped out of the room in shame. She didn’t have to disgrace herself like that. Slave Danika had her twisted in knots, and she acted without thinking. She shouldn’t do impulsive things that would make her lose the king’s favor.
No, she needed to do something else, she thought with a sudden smile.
It was high time she started that torture session the king had given her permission to do. She just had to get Danika alone.