LOGINCHAPTER FORTY TWO His hand stays warm on my hip as he studies me, that slow, dangerous smile still tugging at his lips. The room feels almost too quiet after the storm we just created on the bed. “So,” he murmurs, “you went to Frederick… to help you leave the palace.” I nod softly. Instead of getting angry, his expression deepens with something chill, almost amused. “You should have come to me,” he says, brushing his fingers along my cheek. “If you want to go out, I’ll allow it. But you won’t go anywhere without my protection.” His thumb strokes my lower lip. “You’ll go with securities. Always.” My heart beats. I open my mouth, but he lifts my chin gently, stopping me. “And in five days,” he continues, voice dropping into that commanding tone that makes my knees weak even lying down, “I will announce to the court that we’re getting married. And that you’re to be ranked as Lady Countess.” My heart nearly jumps out of my chest. “That title,” he adds, b
CHAPTER FORTY ONE "I—I thought you were Nina,” I whisper. Adrian doesn’t answer. His eyes travel down my body, slow and deliberate, lingering on the red lace nightdress clinging to every curve I should definitely not be showing him. Heat coils low in my belly under that stare. His gaze drags back up to my face, sharp, burning, impossible to hold. Then he speaks, low and controlled: “Why were you coming out of Frederick’s chambers that night?” Of all the things to ask, this is what’s eating him. I lift my chin, almost daring him. “And what if I don’t want to tell you?” My voice comes out soft… and accidentally seductive. His reaction is instant. He steps in, grabs my throat lightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to command stillness and kisses me. Hard. Deep. Like he’s been starving for it for days. When he pulls back, his lips hover over mine. “Will you answer now?” My breath shudders. “No.” That one word sets something off in him. His
CHAPTER FORTY Josephine reaches for me again, ready to shove me a second time, when a voice cracks through the field like thunder. “HOW DARE YOU TOUCH THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD!” The whole archery ground stops. Bows drop. Chatter dies instantly. Even Josephine’s arm freezes mid-air. Adrian and Katerina stand at the entrance, but it’s Adrian’s fury that fills the space. He looks like he walked straight out of a storm—jaw tight, eyes blazing, shoulders tense with barely controlled anger. Josephine falls to her knees so fast the dust lifts. The other noble ladies follow, heads lowered, shaking. But Adrian is far from done. He steps closer, towering over Josephine. His chest rises and falls heavily, he’s shaking with rage. “You dare bully and endanger a pregnant woman?” he growls. “You dare touch a Royal heir?” Josephine collapses deeper, nearly sobbing. “M-my king, I swear—” “What level of cruelty,” he snaps, “makes you torment a woman carrying
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE And then, we turn at the same time on hearing Katerina’s voice slicing through the room. “There you are,” she says sharply. “My husband, I’ve been looking for you. And what exactly are you doing with her?” Her eyes land on me, full of displeasure she thinks she’s hiding but I see it. She hates that he’s talking to me. She hates that I’m here at all. Adrian straightens, suddenly taller, colder. He doesn’t even answer the question she asked. “This is *my* resting house,” he says evenly. “Why would the queen be looking for me here?” I bow politely to both of them, even though the tension between us hangs thick in the air. “Your Majesties,” I say softly. “I’ll excuse myself.” Before I even turn, she’s already sliding closer to him, pressing her body against his like she wants to stake her claim. I let out a low scoff as I walk away. *He’s your husband,* I think. *Shouldn’t you two be doing more than clinging like scared teenagers?*
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT For a split second, an image flashes through my mind, him fucking me with this angry face of his, and rough, eyes locked on mine and I snap myself out of crazy thought. God, what is wrong with me? Why is a furious king the hottest thing I’ve ever seen? He doesn’t flinch. “Repeat what you said,” he growls. Fine. I lift my chin. “Why am I the only one suffering?” My voice cracks, but I don’t hide it. “We were both there that night. We both made that mistake. Yet I’m the only one being dragged through hell.” His expression tightens, but I don’t stop. “You never once asked what kind of life I wanted,” I continue, pain slipping into every word. “You don’t care. Do you even understand what it means to be labeled a concubine? For life?” I laugh, but it comes out broken. “I was drunk, Adrian. Out of my mind. And yet I’m the one being hated, judged, ripped apart. And now my family—” My voice shakes. “My family is being hunted
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN I push past Nina’s worried protests and step out into the hallway, following the growing noise drifting in from the front grounds. A security guard hurries by, and I stop him. “What’s going on out there?” He gives a small, respectful bow. “The shouting is coming from beyond the main gates, my lady. A group of farmers is protesting the tax increases.” Then he heads off again, already speaking into his radio. I stand still, my brain clicking immediately to the argument I overheard between Adrian and former Queen Ravenna, that cold, clipped conversation about rising taxes and “public unrest.” So this is what that was about. I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. The mighty King Adrian Drakonis, the same man that can bully me into silence any day of the week, suddenly can’t find the strength to deal with his own people’s problems? How… impressive. Honestly, I have enough problems







