Chapter 194

[Evelyn’s POV]

“Alexander, I hardly think me going to the market is considered a risk,” I said from the dresser.

I chose a light pink blouse and a faded pair of jeans. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to the open market. Actually, I could.

It was the time when Alexander had found me there with Michael. He’d completely lost his resolve and took all of his anger out on me.

As long ago as it was, the memory still pinched in the back of my mind like an itch I could never fully scratch. Everything was so different back then. Alexander and I were nowhere near the kind of close we are today.

It made me want to smile. But I still wanted to return to the market. It was once my happy place before it had gotten sullied by the sour feelings. I wanted to regain my happy place back and move on. However, Alexander was beginning to have some major misgivings when it came to leaving the manor lately.

As unsettling as it was to find out that Alexander had openly blackmailed the King into handing over his title and power, things had been quiet. Perhaps a little too quiet which was why his suspicions were clearly getting the better of him.

I felt the firm warmth of his hands curl around my arms as he pulled me back into his chest.

“It’s not personal. I’ve held off travel beyond the borders for everyone at the moment,” he explained. “I just don’t want to take any risks. Things are tense and they’re not going to get any better until a decision has been made.”

I leaned my head back into his shoulder, letting out a deflated breath through my nose. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of my cheek.

“I know it’s not what you want to hear. All I ask is that you give me time to see this matter through.”

“It wouldn’t matter as much if I didn’t actually need things,” I told him.

“Tell me what you need and I’ll have them delivered here.”

I appreciated him wanting to find some kind of a compromise but that wasn’t what I had in mind. I shook my head and pulled out of his hold.

“Thank you, but no. It’s not the same,” I said.

When it really came down to shopping for what I needed, I had to take my time and actually look at what was in front of me. There was no measuring the amount of trust I had in Alexander’s soldiers to protect and defend us when needed. However, I couldn’t put that same amount of faith when it came to picking out the right type of succulents and herb plants.

I headed into the bathroom so I could finally change and finish getting ready.

“Is this about your serum?” he asked. “I thought you’d already perfected it?”

I arched my brow and gave him a pointed look. “As flattering as that is that you believe I’ve managed to perfect a newly developed applicator in just a handful of weeks...That would simply not be possible.”

Even though I didn’t need to use Henry’s testimony in court, he made it very clear that he still wanted to keep in touch when it came to the ongoing development of the serum.

Alexander was wise to keep his comments to himself when I’d told him about Henry’s interest in my work. He even made the suggestion that I should catalog my own personal changes to using the serum since I was its only tester.

From what I was able to gather having used the serum for the last two weeks, a majority of the redness around the scarred tissue had faded, leaving only the actual scars to see. My goal was to fade the actual damaged skin to where it would hardly be noticeable.

But there was no telling how long that sort of development was going to take, especially at the rate I was going to be able to enhance it.

“What about meeting with Wendy and Nina? I know they have a bunch of new ideas regarding the wedding,” he suggested.

I stopped in my tracks and glanced at him. “I don’t think I have it in me to sit down and plan a wedding when we could very well be on the brink of war.”

“Nothing has happened yet—”

“Yet the tension is there,” I pointed out softly. “It’s the reason why you’ve been so anxious, yourself, lately. I’ll be in the greenhouse, alright?”

It was strange seeing Alexander so unnerved. Word had gotten around of his and the King’s last meeting and, apparently, the palace had become scattered, leaving many people to wonder what was to happen next.

As I made my way down to the greenhouse, I tried to take my mind off of my own worries. Since I wasn’t able to continue working on my serum, I decided to switch gears and focus on one of my current tea mixtures.

As much as I wanted to lose myself in my own work, my mind kept tracing back to the ongoing issue. I didn’t want to even entertain the idea of Alexander facing off against the King. Yes, I knew that his army was strong and well-trained, but what about Gregory’s?

I wasn’t fully aware of the number of men that he had at his disposal. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt even if this was what they were specially trained for.

Right as I was in the middle of clipping a few flowers on one of my Chamomile plants, a thunderous noise rang through the air, causing the ground to shake.

BOOOMM!!

My heart jolted in my chest while every nerve in my body stood on edge. The force from the explosion made several of the small glass windows in the greenhouse crack. The air filled with dust and smoke. Dozens of shouts followed after.

Oh, God. Are we being attacked??

Had the King decided to take another course of action against Alexander’s choices?

From where I was standing, I saw a large handful of soldiers race over to the source of the noise. But something far more troubling caught my attention out of the corner of my eye.

A large, dark shadow dashed toward me. Within seconds my arms were constricted and relentlessly tried to fight back.

“Let me go!” I shouted. “Let me go now!!”

The man merely grunted and tightened his hold on me. With the heel of my foot, I stomped down on the top of his foot. He let out a sharp curse and swung me toward the door. Although I couldn't see who was trying to capture me, I knew he was strong.

He practically kicked the door off its hinges while dragging me outside. I took the chance to call out again but was swiftly stopped when he clamped a large hand over my mouth. All the noise became stuck in my throat.

A surge of fear coursed through me, mainly because I didn’t know what was going to happen. There was no telling where this man was taking me or what he was planning on doing to me. I’d survived Fiona’s wrath but that was mainly due to luck.

Will I be so lucky the second time around?

The uncertainty of it all left me feeling terrified.