Chapter 7 BREAKFAST WITH THE KING

The sun filtered through the curtains, bathing the sleeping Haven in its warmth. She stirred but didn't wake up. She pulled the cover closer to her, wrapped it around her body and carried on sleeping.

The door opened and Nerisa stepped in. She shook her head when she found her mistress still asleep.

She would let her sleep, but the king demanded her presence at breakfast.

She dropped the items she was carrying on the table and moved to the bathroom. After preparing the bath, she returned to the bedroom and moved to the bed. Gently, she shook Haven, trying to wake her up.

Haven stirred, and this time her eyes flickered open. She stared at Nerisa for a while, before giving out a smile. “Good morning, Nerisa," she greeted, sitting up.

“Good morning, My Lady. Let's get you ready."

“What for?" She asked, her face twisting in confusion.

“Well, the king demands your presence for breakfast. It's not wise to keep him waiting." Though Nerisa said it with a smile, Haven didn't miss the underlying warning. “I prepared your bath already. Let's go."

" Well, you can go tell your king that I am not interested in having breakfast with him.”

Nerisa shot her a pleading look. " My Lady, the king will punish me if I don't get you ready within an hour.”

Haven let out an exasperated sigh.

Great!

So he would resort to punishing others in order to get her to do his bidding.

She stepped down from the bed, took off her dress and headed into the bathroom. She stepped into the bath in the middle of the room and closed her eyes at the warmth that surrounded her.

She let her mind linger on how her life had taken a drastic turn in just one day. Twenty four hours ago, she had been in her quiet village, running chores and delivering bread for her aunt. But here she was, being treated like a queen only to be put to the sword or sacrificed soon.

Talk of feeding your sacrifice before offering them up.

After the bath, she rose to her feet and stepped out of the bath. Nerisa was by her side, wiping the water off her body and helping her into a robe.

When she stepped into the room and saw the dress laid out on the bed, she was speechless.

“The king himself picked out this dress for you to wear for breakfast,” Nerisa explained.

Haven held up the dress, and with Nerisa's help, got ready within thirty minutes.

Haven gasped as she stared at the mirror in disbelief. The red dress hugged her figure and left her back exposed. Nerisa had woven her hair into an intricate pattern and adorned with a few flower designs leaving a few strands to fall down her face.

She applied a bit of gloss to her lips and Haven couldn't recognize who was standing before her in the mirror.

She looked…beautiful. She looked…not her.

“Let's not keep the king waiting,” Nerisa said.

Both women stepped out of the room and headed downstairs to the dining room.

The moment the large double doors sprang open Haven's breath caught in her throat.

There, at the head of the dining table sat King Auren Drakar. He wore a white shirt and black pants, his dark hair falling in a messy wave over his shoulders. He looked…

No no no. She couldn't think like that. Not when he could hear her thoughts.

His eyes were fixed on her as she walked towards the table. She moved to the farthest chair , pulled it back and sat down. Nerisa served her, bowed and took her leave.

Auren narrowed his eyes at her little childish act, but decided to speak nothing of it.

“How was your night, little flame?" Came the gruff voice that had invaded her unconscious yesterday. The voice she had come to hate in the past twenty four hours. His face was neutral and his molten eyes burned cold.

“Do I get to go home if I say I didn't?” He shot her a glare and she shrugged.

She cut through a piece of meat and placed it in her mouth, all the while wondering how much time she had to stab the king, and escape before the guards found out. Just thinking about it, got her heart racing.

“At that rate, your heart will probably end up on the floor of this room," he said, without sparing her a glance. “Besides, don't do whatever you are thinking. You'll be caught before you even leave this table."

Shit! How could she forget he had access to her private space. “So I'm not allowed to even think in peace," she muttered.

“Watch your tongue or I'll have to use rather pleasant methods to teach you how to." The threat had her shutting up and focusing on her meal.

“While you are here," Auren began. “You will be my bride and you should act the part. You are not a common village girl any longer. You are now the king's bride. After our wedding tonight…”

" What!!” She interrupted, trying to make sense of what was going on.

" Do you object, Haven?” He raised a brow. He expected her to cower and apologize like the ones before her always did. But her next reaction shocked him.

She pushed the plate away from her, folded her arms and stared at the king. " Of course I object. You kidnap me from my home, bring me here and all of a sudden we are getting married tonight? How does that even sound to you?”

" As I was saying,” he continued like she never spoke. “We will be getting married tonight , and after that you will become the queen of this kingdom. You will be expected to act accordingly.”

" And, by accordingly…"

“Know how to defend yourself, know when to speak and when to keep the fuck quiet and most importantly know when not to piss me off.” He rose from his seat and moved to her. Her bent so much that his lips grazed her ear and whispered. " Knowing not to piss me off is what's going to keep you alive.. for longer than you are supposed to be.”

And with that he walked out.