Using the torches they had brought from the castle, Darius inspected the trap that Felix had found.
"Reginald." He said through a chuckle.
Felix was puzzled. "Would he really plot an attack at such a time? His daughter just got here and he cannot risk the possibility of us using her as a shield."
Darius studied it closer. "A trap like this is nothing to us. He did this to help us stop his daughter from fleeing when she gets the chance. I can't say he is wrong for considering that might happen. Let's go."
Nearby, Delaney stilled her breath behind a tree. When the king and his advisor were far enough and she could no longer hear the crunching of dry leaves under their feet, she crept towards the trap to observe it closer. Making sure she couldn't leave before having a son with the king was indeed something her father would do.
She looked at the castle and walked back. She had indeed thought of running away and had come to the forest she knew would lead her back to the world she was used to when she crossed it. When she heard the footsteps of Darius and Felix, she had to hide away, and only after hearing them speak did she realize that she might have fallen into a ditch if she walked on.
"Maybe not tonight." She muttered.
Going back to her room, it felt as though there were needles in the soles of her feet. She met with a pair of eerie, golden eyes as soon as she opened the door.
"What are you doing here, again?" She took a step back but had to stop when the door shut behind her. She shot a look at the door and back at the man sitting on her bed. Her heart picked up its pace. Did he just… was he a phantom?
"Come here." He ordered, wagging two fingers to beckon her over.
Her feet obeyed him more than she wanted to, and she was standing before him before she could think of scurrying away.
"You said you wouldn't look at me twice." She stuttered, her voice letting in on the fear she badly wanted to hide.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her over, making her land on his lap with a yelp. "I said I wouldn't look at you twice. But I don't remember giving any promises about touching you."
His mouth was on her neck, his warm breath making her shiver.
"I didn't mean to ruin your night." She struggled to get off his lap, only for him to tighten his arms around her.
"You certainly did."
"She will come back if you summon her." She said, referring to the woman she had seen behind him at the door to his room. "If not, I'm sure someone else will."
He chuckled at her fazed demeanor, burying his face into her neck. "You like running away, don't you?"
She pretended not to know what he was talking about but her racing heart gave her away.
"What do you think, is the forest beautiful?" He taunted.
She bit her lip to stop herself from saying something that might annoy him. She had resigned to her fate and no longer cared if he killed her, but she was not ready to die yet. When he finally let go of her, she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Dream of me." He once again kissed the back of her hand.
"Not happening again." She muttered when he was gone. That was what she thought. But when she woke up feeling as though she had been embraced all night and kissed on the lips, she wasn't sure whether it was a dream. Did he sneak back into her room and hug her all night? That would be far-fetched considering he disliked her so much.
She was still in deep thought when a maid came in to dress her up for breakfast with the king. Her name was Gwen, and she was either inexperienced or deliberately trying to kill her with the corset. She could barely breathe by the time she got to the table.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." She greeted although she was reluctant to speak to him.
"It's a beautiful morning indeed." He looked at her and their eyes met, his filled with what she interpreted as mischief. She considered taking the farthest seat from him but that would mean having to look at his face, so she glanced at a seat to his left.
"Sit here." He signalled for the seat next to his.
"I'll sit here." She moved to pull her chair, only to be interrupted by his deep voice.
"Would you prefer it if I carried you here?"
That would be scandalous. She quietly occupied the seat next to him, earning a satisfied chuckle. He must enjoy making her squirm.
A woman joined them at the table right before breakfast was served. It was a different woman from the one in his room the night before, and her presence made Delaney uncomfortable. She glanced at Darius but his expression was unreadable.
"Bernadette?" He called out the woman's name in displeasure when she sat down without saying a word to Delaney.
"That's enough!" She snapped, standing in anger. "Isn't it enough that you brought an Ivrasean princess here to dishonor me? Do you expect me to bow down to her now?"
Delaney raised an eyebrow in amusement. What sort of scandal did she land herself into?
To her outburst, Darius was displeased. "That's not the way to speak about your future queen."
Bernadette shot a look at Delaney in shock, which was understandable. She was taller and more beautiful than Delaney, and had the voluptuous figure that most men pined for. It must be shocking to her that Darius was berating her for a woman who couldn't hold a candle to her.
"My future queen? Da…" His spearing glare made her change her form of address. "Your Majesty, I'm your future queen, not her!"
"Felix!" Darius roared, and Felix appeared in a flash, dragging Bernadette away.
The maids proceeded to serve breakfast as though what had just happened was ordinary.
"Do you have anything to ask me?" He questioned.
She shook her head. "If this is about your beloved concubine who you just threw out, she is none of my concern, Your Majesty."
"Isn't she feisty?" He smirked, making her want to claw that expression off his face.
She had already met two of his concubines and it had not even been a day since she set foot in Itrusia. You would expect the son of a goddess to be a saint.
He studied the side of her face. Although she had not expressed any desire to know about Bernadette, he issued a warning. "You should be more careful, especially around her. I wouldn't put it past her to try something."
Then why didn't he warn her? She wondered inwardly. It wasn't hard to figure it out. He cared no more about her than he did for Bernadette. In his eyes, they were just a pair of cats waiting to claw at each other for him.
Only, she didn't care about him either. She would be overjoyed if she woke up and found that this was all a nightmare. However, there was no such luck.
When breakfast was over—the most painful meal of her life—Darius had to head out. He assigned a cheerful maid to show her around the castle.
____
"Your Highness, would you like to see the library? His Majesty forbids anyone from going in but he didn't say anything against you being there." Asked Jessica, the new maid.
"I'll stick to places that are not forbidden." She decided not to step on his toes.
Jessica was taken aback, having expected Delaney to take advantage of the unstated rule to get into the king's personal space.
"I'll show you the concubines' quarters. I think you shouldn't come here on your own. Lady Bernadette is not quite friendly." The last words were a whisper.
Delaney took the chance to ask, "Does she dislike me so much?"
As expected, her question got the maid talking. "She doesn't just dislike you. She must hate you very much. After all, you just took her place."
Delaney frowned, but the maid continued since she couldn't see her expression.
"She was brought up to be the queen and when her parents offered her to His Majesty as a concubine, he didn't have any qualms about it. She has been following His Majesty around for years and when she got close enough to him, you appeared."
Delaney held back a scoff. "Years? She is so patient." She didn't wait for Jessica to figure out what she had just said before she continued down the path to the concubines' wing. Then she saw the man she least wanted to see. The fox.