Chapter 6 Cage with a Golden Bars
The doors had barely closed behind him, but the air in the room still carried the weight of his presence, thick and suffocating, pressing against Aria’s chest as though she had been trapped beneath an invisible force. She sat frozen in her chair, her fingers curled so tightly around the edge of the table that her knuckles ached, her breath unsteady despite her best efforts to keep it even. She had been prepared for anger, for cruelty, for manipulation laced with honeyed words meant to ensnare her. But she had not been prepared for him.
Kieran was not simply a king who commanded power—he was power. It seeped into the very air he breathed, into the space he occupied, into the way he moved through the world without hesitation, without apology. He was not a man who asked. He was a man who took.
And somehow, she had caught his attention.
She did not know whether that made her the luckiest woman in the kingdom or the most cursed.
The silence of the dining hall stretched on, pressing against her like a heavy, unyielding weight. The grand room, with its golden chandeliers and intricately carved wooden walls, was meant to inspire awe. It was meant to remind all who entered of the vast power the king wielded, of the kingdom that belonged to him in blood and name. But to Aria, it felt like a cage with golden bars.
She pushed back from the table abruptly, the chair scraping against the marble floor, the sound sharp against the quiet. The food remained untouched before her, the rich scents of roasted meat and warm bread making her stomach twist. She had been starving when she arrived, her body aching from exhaustion and hunger, but now? Now, there was no room for hunger. Only unease.
Her feet carried her toward the massive double doors before she could second-guess herself, her hands trembling at her sides as she reached for the handle. It was locked.
Of course, it was locked.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips, quiet and sharp, the sound barely above a whisper. She should have expected this. Should have known that her so-called freedom in this place was nothing more than an illusion, a carefully crafted performance meant to keep her from resisting too much, too soon. She was not a guest. She was a prisoner dressed in silk, a pawn in a game she did not understand.
Her chest tightened.
She could not stay here.
She would not.
Her gaze flickered across the room, searching for another exit, but there was none. The only doors led deeper into the palace, and she had no illusions about her ability to escape through the halls lined with guards loyal to their king. She could run, yes, but where would she go?
The thought of returning to the servants’ quarters was laughable. There was no life for her there, not anymore. Even if she managed to slip away unnoticed, she would never be able to hide from him—not when he had made it abundantly clear that he had claimed her.
Her stomach twisted at the thought.
The way he had said those words, so absolute, so certain. As though her fate had already been decided. As though she had no say in it at all.
Her hands clenched into fists.
No.
She refused to let him decide for her.
The fire in her chest burned brighter, her resolve hardening like iron in the forge. She did not know how, and she did not know when, but she would find a way out of this. Kieran might be a king, but he was not a god. He was not invincible.
And she had survived far worse than this.
A sharp knock on the door made her stiffen, her pulse leaping into her throat. She took a step back instinctively, bracing herself, her muscles coiled like a spring.
The door opened without waiting for permission, and a woman stepped inside.
Aria’s breath caught.
She was tall and graceful, her movements fluid as water, her golden hair woven into intricate braids, her piercing blue eyes scanning the room with the sharpness of someone who missed nothing. She was dressed in deep emerald silk, her gown hugging her curves with an elegance that made it clear she was not a servant.
No, this was someone important.
Someone dangerous.
"You're smarter than I expected," the woman said, her voice smooth and rich, like honey laced with poison. "Most girls in your position would have eaten by now. They would have believed the king's false kindness, clung to it like fools."
Aria’s spine straightened.
"And who are you?" she asked, keeping her voice steady, careful not to reveal the wariness curling in her stomach.
The woman tilted her head slightly, as though debating how much she wished to say. "You may call me Lady Evelyne," she said finally. "I advise the king when he chooses to listen."
Aria’s jaw tightened.
Another player in this twisted game.
Evelyne stepped forward, moving with the effortless grace of someone born into power. "You should eat," she said, gesturing toward the untouched meal. "You will need your strength."
Aria did not move.
"I have no appetite," she said evenly.
Evelyne sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Then you are either braver than you appear, or far more foolish."
"Why are you here?" Aria asked, unwilling to let the conversation be steered in any direction but the one she needed it to go. "What does the king want from me?"
Evelyne studied her for a long moment before exhaling. "That," she said, "is a question only he can answer."
Aria’s stomach twisted, frustration clawing at her insides. "You expect me to sit here and accept this without question?"
"I expect you to survive," Evelyne corrected, her gaze sharp. "And right now, the only way to do that is to be very, very careful."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "Careful of what?"
Evelyne stepped closer, lowering her voice as though she were about to share a secret no one else could hear. "Careful of him," she said. "You think you understand who Kieran Vale is, but you don't. Not yet. And if you aren't careful, by the time you do, it will be too late."
A chill swept through Aria’s veins.
Evelyne’s expression did not change, but her words lingered in the air, heavy and unshakable.
"Why are you telling me this?" Aria asked, searching the woman’s face for any sign of deception.
Evelyne’s lips curved into something that was not quite a smile. "Because I have seen what happens to the ones who do not listen."
And with that, she turned and walked away, the door closing softly behind her, leaving Aria alone in the golden cage that felt smaller with every passing second.