When Freya finally left the breakfast table after eating with Draven, she walked back to her maids with her face flushed. Edith was smiling as she got there, but Joan had the usual blank expression on her face. "My Lady," Edith said and bowed to her. Freya had her brows raised. “Why are you smiling?“ Edith looked at Joan as if to check if she'll try to stop her. Then spoke: “I saw the way you handled general Karen. I swear her face was all red and angry when she walked past us.“ Freya was taken aback by that. She wasn't sure she wanted a possible enemy or rival in a battle which she was already certain she was going to lose. Freya shook her head at last and frowned. “I don't care how she feels. Just take me back to the chambers.“ The maids obeyed and silently followed Freya back to the chambers. Freya thought of her progress as they walked. Draven had seemed particularly tamed while they were having breakfast. He hadn't said a word after saying “We'll see about that” to
After the maids helped bathe Freya and helped her with changing her clothes, she sat on a chair facing the mirror about to comb her hair. She could see Joan and Edith's reflection behind her as she gently brushed her hair into the right places. They had offered to help her earlier but she refused. Freya had a lot on her mind. She was thinking about her situation—if she should still try to flee or not—if she should tell Draven to his face that she had feelings for him despite his ever-changing personality—if she should say how she felt about everything and push him to tell her about himself and why he said all those things to her. Did she really make a mistake coming out of that room as he had said? Freya stopped combing her hair and caught Joan's gaze at her through the mirror. She had been shocked minutes ago when she had revealed the identity of Lord Ethan. Until now, she couldn't believe that he was Draven's step-brother—”elder” step-brother for that matter. If that
FREYA When I woke up, I first perceived the strong smell of herbal juices in the air. The room was eerily quiet, and as I attempted to rise, a wave of pain shot through my body. I collapsed back unto the bed, only to force myself up again upon realising I wasn't in our chambers. Memories flooded back: the castle tour, the discovery of Lord Ethan's chambers and my banter and fight with Karen. Did I really go unconscious? My eyes travelled around the room and I discovered I was in some sort of hospital bed. There were some trays which held some liquid in small glasses at the far left side of the bed, and at the right side there was an array of fruits. The room was sparse otherwise. I started to get up again, ignoring the sharp pain in my arm. I paused for a moment and looked at the areas where I felt pain, and discovered it was completely healed and only had some tiny scars. Confusion swelled within me. I'm pretty sure my wounds are not supposed to have healed so quickly by now
FREYA My heart raced after Draven told me the reason we were going to the throne-room. I know Karen must already be waiting there, and I could picture the expression on her face as she bowed her head low while waiting for my arrival. I wondered what I was going to say. I wonder what Karen had told them already. But I didn't really care. If things go half as badly as I think it would, I will tell the Royal family exactly what has transpired between our two. I raised my head to look at Draven as we walked. He was still holding my hand, and he hadn't said a single word ever since. I wonder what was going on in his mind. Why hadn't he inquired about the reason for our argument beforehand? Why didn't he ask me directly before we got to the throne-room? “D-draven…” his name blurted-out of my mouth. He looked at me with those mysterious eyes of his. “You can ask me if you want. Don't you want to know the reason?“ I asked, having a feeling that this wouldn't end well. He chu
FREYA I watched with awe and disbelief as Draven dealt with the three guards. After all the scream and shrieks had died, he walked up to me and took my terrified hand without saying a word. We were just outside of the Throne-room now. But I knew the occupants of the Throne-room had surely heard the sounds the guards made. Draven started to drag my hands but I stood frozen in place as I stared at the shapes of the lifeless guards on the ground. To my horror, the three of them had a sudden wolf shadow ascend from their body before they turned into ashes. “Let's go,” Draven's voice thundered in my ears, and I almost tripped and fell from the force in which he dragged my hands. He started to walk me through the long halls, and I kept looking back in shock. Why did he come back to save me when he had just told his father that I wasn't his responsibility? And was he going to take me back to our chambers after what he just did? I kept looking behind me as we walked and Draven sudde
FREYA My desperate mind wrapped my hands tightly around Draven's waist as we rode out of the castle. He was going at a very fast pace—almost as fast as the night before—but I didn't dare complain after all he had done. The wind gently tousled my hair as the horse carried us forward, and for the first time since I arrived here, I felt truly alive. Occasionally, I pressed my nose against Draven's back to inhale his intoxicating scent, and a smile crept across my face as it calmed my nerves. It was almost dark now. We had since passed the busy villages and seen people in a frenzy as they cleared the way for our horse. Once, the horse almost collided into a cart of fruits, but the old man quickly pushed it out of the way and fell to the ground bowing. And that was when I discovered they knew who he was. We also passed the chapel where our wedding took place and I gasped at its towering height, getting a mix of different emotions as I remembered the events that transpired there
FREYA After the fire-light turned off for a second, it suddenly turned back-on again, and I fought the sudden urge to scream. I shut my eyes and felt Stace and Susan's touch off my skin. It seemed they stepped far away from me. “M-my Lady… we're sorry for scaring you,” said one of them. “We're not supposed to say that name because of its adverse effects, but we had to since you wanted to know.“ “I'm fine,” I replied, my voice breaking because of the cold. “Just get me out of here.“ I heard their footsteps approach me and they helped me get out of the tub. They towelled me dry and then applied a lotion on my skin that made me regain my warmth. Afterwards, I was led to the wardrobe where they helped me put-on a black night-gown. Stace and Susan then led me back to the room and helped me braid my hair in two. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. I suddenly realised I never told them my name and turned to do so: “My name is Freya, by the
FREYA I was taken aback by Draven's unexpected kiss, but for some reason, I couldn't react. His lips were warm and his tongue delicate as it plunged into my mouth and explored the corners. I found myself leaning in, shutting my brain from all the negative thoughts and enjoying the sweetness of his lips on mine. His hands moved from my neck to my back, where he grabbed me and pulled me closer to him. Something in my stomach coiled as his hands explored my back and suddenly tore-off my nightgown in the blink of an eye. A moan escaped from my lips at that, and I wrapped my hands around his shoulders for the sake of my sanity. My body responded to his every touch positively, yelling and screaming for more. Heat radiated my skin as his hands circled around my naked back and descended to my bosom. Draven abruptly raised me from the edge of the bed. He carried me to the middle and dropped me there, breaking the kiss for the first time. I fought to catch my breath as I looked int