Edith sighed and rose to her feet. Her mind is still burdened by Daphne's words. But she knew what she must do. If she couldn't return to Novara just yet, then Glenmoor was her second option, and she had a king who wanted to keep her by his side. She could take advantage of that.
Recalling his proposal of making her his pet, Edith cringed and nearly changed her mind, but having no other option, she steeled her resolve.
"I know you can hear me, your Majesty. I would like to make a deal with you," she said, staring into the empty space in front of her, almost certain that he was there, somehow.
Edith was met with silence and she clenched her fists and bit back the words that wanted to escape her tongue knowing they would be offensive and she couldn't offend the man whose home she wanted to use as a temporal residence.
"I am done with the games, I do not plan on leaving anymore, so you win. Can we talk now?" She said again.
"How docile you have become, Pet," came his voice, cool and right beside her ear.
Edith nearly jumped forward at the unexpected appearance of his presence behind her, but before she could do that, his hand was already around her waist, preventing her from stepping away.
"Now, now. No more hide and seek, so no more running either. It's what you wanted, isn't it?"
Edith drew in a couple of deep breaths, telling herself to bear with for a little longer. "I said no more games, and I meant it," she said, and he hummed, satisfied with her reply. "But…" she said, and Davion raised a brow. "I never said you could touch me either."
"You are right, you never I could touch you," he said and Edith thought he was finally going to act like a normal person and step back but he wound both arms around her and even placed his chin on her shoulder.
"What are you….?" Edith started but was hushed by him.
"Ssshh. Don't get carried away so quickly," he pressed his nose on her neck and inhaled, Edith stilled. What was he doing now? "You have a lovely scent, Pet."
"Dav…. Let go of me," she started struggling to break free, but he didn't budge.
"We had a deal before our little game. You said I've won," he said, and Edith frowned. "That makes you my pet, doesn't it?"
"I am no body's pet…"
"But you are," he interrupted her. With his right hand, he cupped her face, turning it slightly so she could look at him. "You could have added your own conditions or some rule, but you didn't, which meant you had no objections. So now, you are mine since you've lost."
Edith stared at him, wanting to scream at him, to smack him in the face, but she didn't dare to do so. In strength, he outmatched her. In size, he was already twice her size, if not more. There was no way she could win against him if she did anything to provoke him.
"I am not an animal that you can keep as a pet, your Majesty," she said, turning around and standing facing him squarely.
"I see that you prefer this position, I don't mind. In fact, I like it, " he said with a straight face, and Edith blanked out for a moment, but he continued anyway. "You may not be an animal, and I am glad that you are not. But then again, no one ever said only an animal could become pets. Even if there was, I do not intend to go with the norm."
"Could you let go of me?" Edith snapped out of her trance and looked at him, her voice as authoritative as it could be, but he smiled and shook his head.
"I am afraid I can not," he said with a smile.
"Dav… your Majesty, please give me some space," Edith said, trying as hard as she could not raise her voice.
"If you are angry, go ahead and scream it out, I wouldn't mind."
"Then I can hit you too, right?" Edith asked, and he raised a brow, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"You are quite the troublesome pet, but I like that. Being too docile is no fun at all. I prefer a feisty one, much like yourself."
"So I can I hit you?" Edith asked again, but he just smiled.
After much going back and forth with the same conversation, Davion managed to drag her back to the castle.
"The preparations are completed, your Majesty," Evans reported the moment he saw Davion and Edith. He didn't know how he should feel about the woman's presence, but there was nothing that he could about it if the king wanted to keep her close.
"You have been in the woods for much too long, and it was still damp from the rain,"he looked her up and down. "You'll need a bath and a change of clothes. They have all been prepared for you."
Edith looked down at her clothes. They were dirty, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, she needed a bath. "Thanks," was all she said.
"You are already acquainted with Evans. He will take you to your quarters and assign you a waiting maid…" he paused and then looked at Evans. "Four maids should be enough to cater to her."
Evans wanted to protest that a person like Edith didn't need a maid at all, but he swallowed back his opinion when he was met with a glare from Davion. "Of course. As you wish, your Majesty," he said instead with a bow of his head.
'Now he looks like a propper king,' Seeing him give out orders like that and silently silencing others, Edith couldn't help thinking this inwardly.
"Although it is quite late, I am expecting you for diner, pet," Davion said before he walked ahead.
Edith looked at him, staring his back with the cape that seemed to make his already overbearing presence more prominent dance behind him.
"This way, my lady," Evans voice pulled her out of her trance. She looked at him and saw him looking at her with a complicated gaze, but his expression was unreasonable.
"Yes, lead the way," she said, wanting to change out of her dirtied clothes.
Evans led her in the castle and to another wing separate from that of Davion. Edith could see him going in the opposite direction. Her eyes lingered on him for a while until he was out of sight, which made her unable to see that Evans had stopped walking, and she pumped into him.
Startled, she stepped back, "I am sorry, I didn't…." The rest of her words died out when he turned abruptly and clasped a head around her neck.