Instead of being pleased that his beloved had kissed him, the King instead got annoyed. He knew that Ely did that to make him stop listening to her bandmate, "Ely," he whispered to her. "I know why you did that."
"I… I'm sorry," Ely lowered her head, "I just… I just want to-"
"Long Live the Mighty King of the Leon Clan!" Minister Holder suddenly shouted, and the guests yelled it as well.
"Long Live, the Queen of Ballad!" General Lum added, and they chanted it, too.
"Ely, they are all thinking that we should get married," King Maro said, "In that case, I should tell them to arrange our wedding as soon as possible-"
"No, we can't…" Ely said in a soft voice. "I can't marry you."
"Ely," he said in a cold tone. He caressed her cheek, "You are not allowed to say no. Since you have decided to see me as the King of this nation, then you need to follow everything I say."
Ely trembled in fear as if she was one of the King's prisoners who did something unforgivable and she became afraid of his mere existence. Gone was the patient King whom she knew, and she wondered if they would still go back to how they used to be.
But as the King pulled his hand away from her and shifted to holding her left wrist tightly, Ely thought that this was how things should normally be. The nation's ruthless King should not show his weaknesses to anyone, and she should not be an exception to it. She must accept this outcome for now and just think about the solution when the time comes. But when would it be?
"Minister Holter. We shall go back to my palace in a week," he told his right-hand man. "But prepare for the royal performers to travel earlier than us. I want them to welcome us with a celebration. After all, my Queen has returned to me… and I will marry her soon." King Maro kissed the back of Ely's hand.
"Yes, my King. As you wish. I shall prepare everything." Then the Minister excused himself.
The nobles' event had finally ended, and all the guests had gone home.
"My Queen, would you like a bath?" the maidservant asked her.
"Hmm… Yes, I would love to." It was such a long day and Ely wanted to relax a bit.
They let her wear a white cotton robe and led her to a spa-like room.
"Please enjoy and relax…" and the maidservant closed the door.
Ely then removed her robe, and dipped her foot into the waters, testing its warmth. She then decided to submerge her body into it.
In her world, it was only once a month when she could go to the spa because of her busy schedule. As she felt the stress within her dissipate, she muttered, "Ahh… It's so nice…"
But she was startled when a man's voice suddenly spoke, "It's nice, isn't it."
Ely quickly looked around but saw no one.
"I am behind the curtains."
She was about to touch the curtain, but the King chuckled, "Do you plan to peek inside and see my naked body?"
Ely turned as red as a tomato, "No, Your Highness, I'm sorry! I should get out of here-"
"Ely. I told them to take you here, in case you wanted to bathe. Do not worry, I purposely had them put a thick curtain in between."
"Your Highness…" Ely sighed, "Are you still thinking that I would escape? That's why you wanted to have me bathe together with you?"
"Yes. I do not trust you anymore."
"Well, that's understandable..."
"Why, Ely?" The King sounded more sad than angry, "Why do you need to escape? You know that I will allow you outside the palace if only you asked properly."
"The reason… is something that you will never understand," she responded as she remembered the pain of her husband's death and the happiness she felt when the old woman's whisper told her that she would find her husband in the Temple of Destiny.
"Promise me… that you will never leave me."
But even though she heard the King's plea, she told him with conviction, "I cannot promise anything."
The King did not say anything. Instead, Ely heard the sounds of his subtle cries. And when she did, she did not hesitate to shove the curtain and see him.
As soon as she pulled the curtain to the side, she saw the King's firm back.
King Maro was surprised that Ely opened the curtains, and he was startled. He turned around, and the two of them saw each other's naked chests.
"Ely… Why-"
"Waaa! I'm sorry! I just-" she hugged herself, and turned her back against him, "I was just worried that I offended you or something because you weren't replying to me-"
The King quickly moved towards her and embraced her from behind. He positioned himself that Ely would be in the middle of his legs, placed his arms around her waist, and his chin rested on her shoulder.
"Uhm… King Maro…" Ely turned beet red, feeling the heat of the room increase for some reason. He could feel the King's breath on her neck. "I… We're not… This is…"
"Ely, do not move... I just missed you so much. You have no idea how much I have been wanting to hold you like this…" he whispered to her, "And hearing you say that you might leave me, it made my heart ache so much... Please do not leave, Ely. I won't be able to take it anymore if you do."
Ely felt the King tighten his embrace, and even though the moment was too embarrassing, she couldn't move away from him. Somehow, she felt that it was her fault that he became attached to her.
If only she drew the line between them from the start, things wouldn't be too complicated for them.
But it's too late, and she couldn't turn back time. Now, she had to think of a way to escape the King and return to her husband's side.