"Y-you are not serious right?" Elena questioned, her eyes wide like saucers, and beads of sweat instantly formed on her chest and forehead.
Irene raised a brow, confused by Elena's sudden outburst. However, her confusion only lasted for a few seconds and was replaced with a wide grin. She scurried towards Elena, gently grabbed her hand, and said softly. "I understand you are still shy my Queen, but you're the King's fiance. Sooner or later, you'll perform the necessary wedding rituals that will finally bind the marriage between you too."
Hearing this, Elena's already pale face turned even whiter.
Irene had no idea about the contract between the King and Elena. She only thought the King found a lost Princess, fell in love immediately, and decided to marry her. This scenario painted by Irene was magical to her as she was looking forward to Elena changing the cruel heart of the King.
Elena swallowed hard, forcing a shaky smile as she gently pulled her hand away from Irene's grasp. "Irene, you don't understand… this is…I can't share a room with the King. I-i don't want to." She whispered, her voice barely holding together.
Elena wasn't even scared of the bed task between couples on their wedding night. She was certain it wouldn't be necessary between herself and the King because the marriage was based on a contract. What she was most afraid of was sharing the same bed with a man. A stranger! For the whole night!
Worse, for as long as possible!
Elena had been trapped in a dungeon for six years, but to her, it felt like she'd been there since she was born. She could not even remember what it felt like to interact with people—she never really had friends anyway. The last person who spent more than an hour with her was her cousin Malik when he had tried to assault her six years ago. Well, he never saw the light of the next day.
Besides, How Elena even did that or what she did still remained a mystery to her.
Elena did not want to spend a night with a stranger. She would rather the earth open up and swallow her than spend a night with King Killian. Very handsome King Killian to be precise.
So many things could go wrong. For one, what if he kills her on the spot because of her bad sleeping habits? Or worse, what if she can't sleep at all? His Aura was just too strong and suffocating. She might actually die from holding her breath due to the forced proximity.
"I'm sorry Irene, but I don't feel like sleeping. I've already gotten enough rest earlier." Elena said softly while maintaining a weak smile.
"Well, the King doesn't take no for an answer. So you're coming with me, my Queen." Irene declared. She bowed quickly before grabbing Elena's hand and leading her out of the room.
Elena wanted to protest and yell, but her mouth remained shut. What was she even going to say? She had just heard that the King did not take no for an answer and she did not want to annoy the King, her husband, so soon. She'd better just obey. After all, it was just sharing a bed. What could possibly go wrong?
At this moment, the thought of running away crossed Elena's mind but it was dismissed immediately as she knew it was impossible. The Death God was going to find her and when he does, she may not leave to tell the tale of what might happen next.
"Sharing the same bed with my husband should not be so hard right?" Elena thought inwardly, trying to calm herself, but the knot in her stomach only tightened further.
Unfortunately for Elena, the long halls in the palace suddenly grew short and within a blink of an eye, Elena was standing in front of a large white oak door. The entrance to the King's bedroom.
"King Killian is still in his study with Beta Garrett, he'll join you soon," Irene said firmly and Elena sighed in relief. "In the meantime, I suggest you make yourself comfortable here." With this, Irene pushed the door open, revealing an insanely gorgeous room…one that made Elena's jaw drop.
King Killian's room was large and elegant, screaming power and wealth—an ancient, rare type of wealth. The strange structure and painting in the room defined just who King Killian was. With red, black, and a tiny touch of white as the prominent color in the room, it became clear that King Killian might actually be the Grim Reaper.
Cause, who makes their bedroom look like a dark shrine to death, where every detail exudes an unsettling blend of dominance and dread as if the room itself were a silent witness to countless souls lost to the king's power?
The walls were black with red decorations and patterns that matched the headboard of the king-sized bed. The curtains were made of thick, expensive silk, hanging from tall ceiling windows. A fancy black chandelier with red lights hung from the ceiling, giving the room a warm, fiery glow.
"I-is that a real human skull?" Elena asked as she pointed at the skull perfectly kept in a transparent glass case at the other end of the room, its hollow eye sockets staring back at her with an eerie emptiness that sent a chill down her spine.
Irene shuddered as she studied the room as well. Although she'd been in the room twice, she still could not get used to the interior. She stared at the skull but averted her gaze immediately as she shuddered again. "I don't know if this is true, but the previous head servant said that the skull is real and it belonged to the witch who had placed a curse on the King."
Hearing this, Elena instantly swept her gaze from the skull to Irene who now had her hand over her mouth as she regretted blabbing too much.
"T-the King is cursed?" Elena managed to ask, her throat running dry. She wrapped her small hand under her chest as if trying to protect herself from the curse.
Could her life get any worse?
"N-no. It's only a rumor, my Queen. The King is not cursed. I'm sorry for spewing such nonsense. Please forgive me." The words rushed out of Irene's mouth as she bowed with each sentence.
"The King cannot be cursed." She added.
***
Elena decided to forget about the curse thing and pretend like she'd never heard it. She was also going to ignore the skull, which became very easy after Irene pulled down the curtains that were meant to cover it.
She was still taking in her surroundings, admiring and criticizing the room at the same time. While she was impressed at how technology had advanced over the years, she couldn't help but despise some of the eerie, creepy ancient things in the room.
How was she going to get used to any of this?
If Elena didn't know better, she would have thought King Killian was born a very long time ago, in an ancient era. This was because he had so many rare and expensive Antiques and Artifacts from the ancient civilization.
"My Queen, please take off your dress, it's time for me to bathe you," Irene suddenly said, causing a flush to rise on Elena's cheeks as she froze in shock.
Elena moved back as she protectively wrapped her hands around her body. Her heart began racing the moment she noticed the look on Irene's face. She was serious. Her words did not even sound like an invitation. It sounded more like an order?
Irene noticed the shock and discomfort on Elena's face, so she quickly explained. "My Queen, the King specifically asked me to take care of you like you're six years old, and I'm going to gladly obey his order," Irene stated calmly. She walked towards Elena and was about to take off the delicate fabric of her gown when Elena stepped back, her eyes flashing with both confusion and surprise. "I don't need this kind of care," Elena said, her voice shaking but firm.
Irene quietly stepped back and bowed respectfully before looking up at the Queen again. She smiled. "I will call for the King now."
"W-what? Why should you call him?" Elena questioned as she sensed something ominous in Irene's calm demeanor.
"The King asked me to call for him if you refuse my help. He is going to personally bathe you now."
"What?!!!"