Not caring about her shocked expression from his words, Maximilian with lazy steps, leisurely took hold of a chair at the corner.
With a large screech that vibrated the whole room, making Genevieve cringe, Maximilian dragged the chair to the side of the bed. Sitting next to Genevieve's bed with his legs elegantly crossed.
Under the guise of the dimly lit room, the king looked like one of those villains she had read about, wanting to take over the world. Actually, he was.
The king wore a black fur coat and brown loose slacks. Unlike the time when he arrived at Alexandria, he wore a golden crown on his head, giving him his kingly aura. However, the king's gray eyes stared at her.
Genevieve's mind was instantly drawn back to her thoughts.
Three days? H-how could she have been asleep for such a long time?
Genevieve's mind reeled as she tried to grasp the concept of losing three days of her life. Her mind was foggy and disoriented, and she struggled to reconcile this new information with her last memories.
"Three days..." she breathed, her eyes wide. "I...I don't understand. How could I have slept for three days?"
Maximilian gave a sarcastic smile. "The effects of your encounter with the troll were quite powerful. But don't worry Genevieve, you've only missed a few minor details since your...unplanned nap."
The mention of the troll sent a shiver down Genevieve's spine, her mind still grappling with the memory of that terrifying creature.
"The troll?" she repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. "But...that was a dream. Wasn't it?"
Maximilian's smile widened, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, Genevieve, you have so much to learn.
Maximilian leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The line between reality and dreams is not always so clear, especially in our world. That troll you encountered? It wasn't just a dream, it actually happened."
Genevieve's heart skipped a beat, her mind racing to make sense of his words. "I-it did? How, Y-your M-majesty?"
Maximilian's smile was laced with a sinister edge as he leaned back into his chair. "Our Carriages…..were attacked by trolls. Too bad, they almost got a piece of you. You were likely to turn into a brute breakfast."
It was the king who had saved her. She didn't need an angel to realize it.
Genevieve's mind was reeling with confusion. W-was that why she had dreamt about a t-troll?
"H-how did I get here?" She asked, but of course, the answer was evident.
Maximilian's gray eyes seemed to glint with an unnatural light in the dimness of the room. His expression remained calm, almost relaxed, as he spoke. "My knights and I fought off the creatures. You fainted and I had you brought here, to my palace, where you could recover safely."
Genevieve could hear the unspoken words hanging in the air, the ones he had not said aloud. The ones that implied he was her savior, her protector.
But something in the back of her mind screamed that he was anything but.
"Your M-majesty, if I f- fainted, why did you not t-take me to the palace infirmary in Alexandria?" Genevieve's voice shook.
This stupid girl thought Maximilian. Did her unconsciousness take away a part of her reasoning?
They had passed Alexandria by a day and she wanted him to go back? Seems like the princess was a masochist.
Maximilian's expression hardened, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Because you belong now to me and not to Alexandria."
Genevieve gulped in fear and quickly stopped asking questions. However, moments later her head started to ache.
With seconds that passed, her brain which couldn't process anything started to defog, and she started recalling everything that happened earlier.
She began to vividly recall how they successfully reached the entrance to Darkshire, when all of a sudden, they had been attacked by trolls.
She also recalled how a troll had crept its way to the carriage, wanting to eat her alive. It was a good thing that the king had saved her, or else she might have been dead, sooner than she expected.
"T-thank You, Your M-majesty, for saving me."
"I'm no savior, Genevieve." Reminded the king, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.
She knew it was so, but she had to be grateful for his help. When she looked through the window that had an undraped curtain from the bed, she could see the stars appearing in the sky. It was somewhere past twilight.
She couldn't believe she was finally in Darkshire, after all her struggles and conflicts for the past few weeks. Well, despite his current kindness, she was certain her life would take a chaotic turn in the next few days.
Evil people couldn't really conceal their nature.
"Plotting of a way to escape from Darkshire in that little head of yours?"
She shook her head again, "I-I was just—"
He interrupted "Let me tell you, Genevieve. Nobody has ever escaped the castle without being caught, and when they are caught, they never remain the same. Do you want to know what happens to them?"
Her eyes widened in horror at his words. "Y-you said, y-you wouldn't hurt."
"Touche. That was a carriage promise, Genevieve. Do you think it still applies till now? I'm sure all promises have a time, till they become invalid." He raised a brow.
"But of course, I won't hurt you. Unless you decide to rebel."
Genevieve was frozen. Of course, how did she think he could keep his promise when he was a villain? She didn't even think about running away, but he was conveniently pinning it on her.
Genevieve could feel the tension in the room rising like a storm on the horizon. She knew that she had to tread carefully. " I will obey and serve you," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.
Maximilian gave a humorless chuckle. "I don't need obedience, Genevieve."
"I need devotion. I need everything that you have to become mine."
His words sent a chill through her body, colder than the frost on the windows. Genevieve felt like a deer caught in the headlights of a predator.
Genevieve's attention was drawn back to reality when the king reached for a black rope near him, pulling it and she could hear faint echoes of bells ringing.
"You must be hungry, isn't it?" He tilted his head as if daring her to say no.
That same second, Genevieve's stomach growled in hunger. She froze embarrassingly and nodded at the king. "Y-yes, M-milord."
"Good." Maximilian's smirk deepened at the sight of her hunger. "Of course, I wouldn't dare let my 'beloved' go hungry, would I?
Maximilian knew he had successfully inserted terror in her mind. Yes, she was fragile, but he knew when she would pull an unexpected stunt. Though he wasn't exactly being real with his threats, the amusement he got from it stirred his nerves.
A nervous knock appeared on the door of Genevieve's room. Knowing who it was, the king ordered, "Come in."
The door was pushed open and a lady dressed in a blue maid uniform, apprehensively stepped into the room, pushing a trolley that had almost four different dishes in it.
However, when the maid saw a lady on the bed and the king next to her, she subconsciously gazed at her. For a second, Genevieve could see a wave of anger pass through the maid's face. Noticing this, Maximilian shot her a death glare.
"Looks like your eyes are more suitable for the chopping board, Peyton."
Hearing the king, the maid quickly walked towards the bed and started placing the food on the table next to Genevieve. Genevieve sighed, knowing the maid didn't like her, nobody ever did.
But what made her confused was the man who had earlier threatened her, suddenly defending her. Was the king bipolar?
When the maid placed all the food on the table, she quickly exited the room with a bow.
Maximilian slowly turned back to Genevieve, giving her a commanding look. "Eat!!" He ordered.