Baski gasped at her admission. Her hands went to cover her mouth in shock and disbelief. Angie suddenly took a new interest in the ceiling above them. He wished he wasn’t there at all.
King Lucien’s shoulders were hunched as he stared at Vetta like he was seeing a stranger. Silence descended between them. He turned his back on her. “I trusted you.”
“Please, Lucien, it was just one time, and it was a mistake!” Vetta cried, trying to get out of bed and go to him, but she couldn’t.
He turned and glanced at her with eyes so cold. “I trusted you.” He threw the words at her like a man would throw a weapon. “I trusted you!”
“I was not thinking at all! P-please, it was just one time!”
The king shook his head slowly. He felt so betrayed he had no idea if the feeling could be described. He felt...disillusioned. He never expected this. Not from Vetta.
Vetta rose from the bed, kneeling on it, not caring how her body protested the movement as pain shot through every single part of her. Her hands reached for him, but he stepped back like she was a peasant reaching out to him before she could touch him. It didn’t stop her from trying—from pleading desperately. “P-please. Please, believe me! I never meant to do that. I swear to the gods! Please, hear—”
“Dargak.” One word filled with rage.
“No! Please, Lucien, please listen to me!”
The door opened, and the guard rushed into Baski’s bedroom. He knelt before the king. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Take her to the dungeon,” he ordered, throwing Vetta a venomous glance.
“Um...” Angie felt he should contribute here. “She’s in a bad condition now—”
“Take her to the dungeon now. I do not want to see her here in the next coming minutes. I will decide her fate later.” The king turned towards the door and began his steady walk out.
“Please, Lucien! Please, don’t do this to me! How can you do this to me!? Please—” she began screaming when she felt the huge unbearable pain begin inside her again.
He did not turn, even as she screamed and begged him.
He did not turn, even as her scream cut off, and she began spasming again.
He did not turn, even when Angie shouted that she was having another crisis.
He did not turn, not even when movements burst behind him as they rushed around to try and save her.
He walked out of the door without looking back.
.
.
.
The rumor of what happened had spread all over the palace. It was the first thing Danika heard when she woke up from sleep.
The rumor flying around the wind goes like this.
The mistress was cheating on the king. She had other lovers, and she’d gotten pregnant by one of her lovers. Then she proceeded to flush the baby away so that the king would not find out about it, but the king did found out, and Vetta is in trouble!
It had been several hours since Danika heard that. She’d tried to go about her daily activities, but she couldn’t help worrying about the king and everything going on. Were the rumors true? How was the king taking all this? He was a man that didn’t give trust easily; how betrayed would he be feeling right now? Danika had a hunch that this would affect him badly.
The more she thought about it, the more she worried. It had taken her mind off her quarrel with the mistress and the words she said to her in the afternoon.
She’d asked Baski if the rumors were true, but the woman seemed depressed and only shrugged.
Danika had gone to the king’s chambers before, but Zariel had informed her that the king did not want to be disturbed.
At sundown, in the privacy of her own room, Danika tried to get some sleep, but she couldn’t. It was not because her baby was kicking her ribs like his personal football field, but because of the king.
At that point, she couldn’t take it any longer. She got up from the bed, staring at the hourglass at her bedside table. It was so late at night. Reaching for her nightrobe, she slid her arms into it and strode towards her door. The walk to the king’s chambers was quiet.
The two men standing guard saw her and became worried. One of them shook his head as she walked closer.
“The king does not want to be dist—”
“Please. Let me go in. He has been in there for a long time. I know you’re as worried about him as we all are,” she explained in a plea. “Do not worry. I will not put you or your job in danger because of this.”
They hesitated and turned and looked at each other worriedly. Then they faced her again and nodded affirmatively.
She thanked them before she took a step towards the door and knocked on it. When she didn’t hear any royal command to come in, she became more worried.
The door squeaked loudly as Danika opened it and walked inside it. The room was empty. She walked towards the closed door of the king's inner chamber and stared at the door worriedly. That door had been off-limits to her for the past year because his pregnant sister was murdered in cold blood in the room behind the door. She raised her hand to knock. She couldn't. In the end, she reached for the doorknob and gently turned it towards the right. A click interrupted the silent night as the door opened. She pushed it open and entered quietly.
The room was in darkness. Danika squinted her eyes but still couldn't see a thing, but she felt his presence in the room. She didn't know how she knew he was there, but she did.
Walking as slowly and gently as possible, Danika's hand touched the wall searchingly until she found what she was looking for. She flipped the switch.
A light came on above her head. It wasn't too bright to be blinding, and it made her feel relief because she was sure he wouldn't appreciate a blinding light at the moment.
Danika took in the library, her eyes seeing the big dominating shelves at each side of the room, filled with all kinds of books. Then her eyes fell on the huge, dominating figure sitting on the chair that occupied the front of the left side of the enormous shelf.