When Ely heard about that punishment, she quickly stood up from her seat, blushing, "How can I possibly do such a thing to a King like you? I am a bit weak… You might not enjoy it."
But King Maro grabbed her hand, took a small bottle from the pocket of his night robe. "Use this. It's jojoba oil," and he gave it to her.
"But-"
He started taking off his robe, "We'll use your bed," he left only his silk shorts and placed his robe on the chair.
Ely gulped upon seeing King Maro's toned body, especially his defined six-packed abs.
He then laid on his stomach, "I'm ready."
She slowly approached the bed, extended her arms to reach him, then dropped some oil on the King's back. It had been a long time since she last did a massage, and she did it to Adam.
As she touched his skin with her warm hand, spreading the oil evenly throughout his back, she recalled the time she massaged her husband when they were not yet married. She remembered that she was sitting behind him as she did it, but now it would be awkward if she did the same, because even though the King had become her fiance, they didn't share an intimate relationship.
"Ely. Why are you too far? Come closer," he ordered her, "We're going to be my wife soon. Don't be shy."
But she withdrew her hand and gave a sad expression, "Sorry… I… can't do it."
The King sat properly and gazed at Ely. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was about to cry, "Are you perhaps… thinking about your dead husband?"
"He's not de- Uhh… Yes…" Ely's tears didn't fall, instead, they stayed lingering on the surface of her eyes.
The King reached out to her face and looked up to her, "Ely. I know I can't replace your late husband, but I promise to give you everything and be a good partner to you," he touched her face and looked at her in a serious expression, "I won't force you to love me back. All I ask is that… do not ever leave me."
That was when Ely's tears fell. Guilt was eating her up. She felt that it would be unfair to King Maro if she got his hopes up. She viewed him as a lonely man, whose priority was being a ruler looking after his nation, to the point that he forgot to prioritize himself. She pitied him for meeting her, for he didn't know that she would only pass by his life but would soon leave him.
'If I hadn't mentioned that I'm some sort of a Queen and remained a prisoner, would everything be this complicated?' she thought. Ely blamed herself for making them think that she's some kind of a royalty, just to spare her life.
Now, she's determined to bring back everything to normal by going back to her world, as dictated by the Priestess of the Temple of Destiny.
King Maro stood up and stroked Ely's head, "I'll ask for your massage another time," he kissed her forehead, "Sleep well."
…
Four days had passed by quickly. The King had been bringing Ely in every assembly meeting he had, which made all Ministers and Clan Leaders confirm about the King's attraction to her. They had seen how the King stole glances at her, and they also witnessed her falling asleep on his shoulder. They started thinking about how inseparable they were.
One afternoon, the audition for the royal wedding performance had started. They gathered at the spacious music hall.
King Maro wore a red velvet robe, which matched Ely's red off-the-shoulder velvet gown, and they stepped on the marbled floor. Everyone was mesmerized by their matching beauty that they thought that nobody could ever match it.
The two sat in front of the stage, on a cushioned bench adorned with red and white gems.
The groups of performers were called on the stage one by one. There were those who performed as a choir, while some sang solo. Dancers were also present; some danced traditional dances, while some showed breathtaking performances like in a circus, jumping very high, or even breathing fire. Everyone was doing their best to be selected.
King Maro saw how Ely was enjoying it. A smile escaped from his lips, and when she noticed the King looking at her, she pursed her lips, trying not to show her excitement too much. She was embarrassed because he caught her opening her mouth in amazement at the great performances.
Then finally, it was time for the Akali's Tavern band.
Ely beamed a smile as she saw her hardworking bandmates. She cheered for them at the back of her mind. She noticed that as Rainier was setting up his congo drums, he was looking around. She figured he might be looking for her as Bethy. Nerion started, "Good day, I hope you'd enjoy our performance…" The four of them bowed to them, then Rainier started the first beats.
Ely listened to them, and as she did, she observed their movements. Karla was doing well as usual, drawing the audience's attention to her, but the other three seemed to be not in good shape. Nerion kept on messing with the lute's chords, while Vienna was plucking the wrong string of her harp. Rainier, who should be lively as he hit the congo drums, looked down in spirits.
In short, their performance was a big mess.
King Maro saw how Ely's eyebrows furrowed as she watched their performance. He asked, "You seemed to be nervous, even though you're here off the stage."
She shook her head, "Well… Everyone's really good…"
"Don't tell me, you plan on selecting them, even though the other groups did better?"
"I have my own dignity as the Queen of Ballad," Ely sighed, "I wanted to select them, but how can I, if they performed poorly?"
The King, upon noticing that there was no one else who'd perform on stage, told Ely, "Why don't you show them how a Queen performs?"
She widened her eyes, "King Maro, what-"
"I am changing my punishment," he smirked, as if teasing her, "Instead of massaging me, I want you to stand there in front and sing."