Madam Cardboard slowly removes her legs from the warm bowl and wipes it with a towel. "He does not feel pain and unlike other wolves, he has very fast healing."
Did she really take the King's words as punishment?
What sort of King would punish a lady by locking her up in a very warm and conducive room after she had been sitting on ice for hours?
She patted her feets. "Time to go to bed and rest. You heard the King."
"King my foot! I hope his blind eyes make him hit his head."
Escorting the angry, fuming lady to her room, she informs. "His highness is not blind."
Zoe quickly turns to stare at her. "I know right. How can someone be blind but he acts like he perfectly sees everything? He must be pretending right?"
Not minding her choice of words, she stoically responded. "The ones who are blind, are the ones who cannot see with their inner eyes Zoe." It was the first time the Madam had called her by her name. "The King has divine inner eyes, we cannot consider such a great being, blind."
"Vision impaired then." She mocks.
Slowly pushing her into her room, she holds the door knob and says. "Perhaps you might want to add something to your list of questions." Zoe, who was removing the duvet stares at her attentively. "One day. Some day. Ask the King to draw you." Before closing the doors and not giving her a chance to respond.
Quickly, she rushes to the huge bed. Happy that the windows were closed and the fireplace was lit. It must have been Lady Luminita because Zoe clearly remembers she had kept the windows open before being dragged into the hall this morning. Cuddling her pillow, she began to curse the man in her mind. She would have wished him death but it seems too much. Not to say if anything were to happen to the man and he was not able to go to court, it would affect her the most. Afterall, the officials were strongly against her, a defiled Greek Priestess staying within the palace. Only Maximus had insisted on not sending her back to her family and she wonders why. He wasn't that nice and he didn't even thank her for saving him.
Zoe thought perhaps in his mind, a tiny place in his heart felt grateful and didn't want to return her to Greece. If she dared to step foot in there, after what the citizens had said, no doubt her Aunt would have her killed. So her only better option was to endure living with the demon himself.
She could clearly remember a month ago, when the man had helped her in Greece. She recognized him as the wolf she had helped the night before because she had seen those eyes. Those pure white eyes, she could recognize anywhere. Like a gentleman, Maximus had extended his hand out and she had taken it. They spoke no words, even though she was expecting a 'Thank you' from him. He had just brought her to New York, abandoned her for a week, before she was brought to the main hall and witnessed one of the Thursdays. Zoe being the compassionate human could not stand what her eyes were seeing and had hurriedly switched off the lights.
That had made Maximus furious and for the first time since he had brought her in, spoke to her in a thunderous voice. She still shivered whenever she recalled that moment. "How dare you turn the lights off? Who brought in this good for nothing?"
Madam Cardboard replied on her behalf as Zoe had been too shocked by his words to even get a word out. In the presence of everyone, she had been ridiculed so much. Madam Cardboard after turning the lights on explained to him.
"Your Highness, you brought her to OO1 a week ago and asked that she attend this Thursday. "
"Ahh..." he said out of realization before comfortably taking his seat and resting his leg atop a human that was on all four. Zoes petrified expression must have given her away as he looked pleased with a smirk. She had then turned to give him a look that showed she found his actions incredulous. With an expression that carried anger and disgust, he gazed directly into her eyes and pronounced. "Petraşcu, who would have thought you would end up seeking refuge under my shelter?"
"I am not seeking refuge. You brought me here out of your free will. Understand that first." She had spoken because she could not put up with his mocking expression and back then Zoe had felt that she still had her family's power.
There had been low gasps from the corners of the room, that combined, later came out as loud. Madam Cardboard had walked up to her and chastised. "You shall not speak to the king like that."
"King?" She had repeated before giving the man a scornful expression. "More like a sadistic tyrant."
Maximus had swiftly got on his feet and in a flash was already standing in front of her. The room was dead silent by now.
"You speak well and the truth at that. Too bad that tongue just landed you in the dungeon."
"You will not dare to lay a finger on me." She proclaimed and it amused him. She knew because he didn't hide it. His coat that was woven out of gold thread moved stiffly when he laughed.
Yes. Maximus the tyrant had laughed at her. "Throw her in the dungeon. No food for the whole day and definitely no water too."
Before the guards could make a move, she had repeated. "You won't dare to do it. Don't you know who I am?"
He looked surprised. "Oh...who are you?"
"I am Zoe Elizabeth. The soon to be Priestess of Athens." The room was dead silent when she said this. No surprised look. No gasps. Just pure pin drop silence.
Zoe had said this because she couldn't accept that she would be thrown out of the family like that. She still hopes that they will come to collect her. Afterall, she was yet to know a man and had only made a mistake of going into the forbidden land. One she now greatly regrets as she stares at the man.