Chapter 4

When it came to spending the night with the King, I had already prepared myself for what might happen, yet I was still nervous. So, I lit a candle, hoping it would calm my nerves.

To my surprise, Alexander did nothing at all; he simply slept by my side. He slept deeply and peacefully.

I let out a sigh of relief. A matter like this was best delayed for as long as possible.

When I woke up early the next morning, Alexander was already fully dressed, and I quickly rose to help him put on his crown.

"I slept well last night. I will return to your bedchambers tonight," Alexander said to me.

I nodded, smoothing out the folds of his robes. "Shall I have dinner prepared, Your Majesty?"

"There is no need." Alexander waved his hand. "I have important matters to attend to in the evening, so I'll only come over to sleep."

For fifteen consecutive nights, Alexander slept in my bedchambers. Wild rumors about me began spreading throughout the court, claiming that the tyrannical King had changed his ways. They said he had taken a new beauty, whom he hadn't beaten to death, but instead doted on endlessly, favoring her night after night.

To all this, I simply wished to clarify: we really were just sleeping, and nothing more. Yet in the eyes of outsiders, I remained deeply favored. Because of my presence, Alexander had hardly scolded or beaten anyone recently.

And thanks to his favor, I could stroll freely through the castle grounds. What I never expected, however, was running into Arthur. My maid had returned to the castle quarters to fetch my cloak, so for a moment, it was just the two of us, staring at each other.

I turned on my heel, intending to walk away. However, Arthur stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Claire, why are you here? How could you hide this from me? Didn't we agree that you'd wait for me to marry you?"

I shook off his grip and finally got a clear look at his face. He looked considerably gaunt and worn down recently.

"Your Lordship, where are your manners?" I glared at him with disgust. "I am now a Baroness who serves His Majesty. If you keep tugging at me like this, you might not care about your reputation, but I do!"

"You were supposed to be my wife!" Arthur grew emotional.

I thought the man was out of his mind. "Lord Stevenson, please conduct yourself with respect!"

Arthur's face turned pale. "I went to propose to you that day, only for your father to tell me you had entered the castle! Claire, why didn't you tell me? All I did was teach you a small lesson that day. Did you really have to punish me like this?"

"And what kind of lesson did you teach Lady Fletcher, Lord Stevenson?"

Alexander's voice suddenly rang out. I turned around and saw him approaching, accompanied by another nobleman and two attendants.

I quickly created a distance between myself and Arthur. "Your Majesty."

Arthur bowed his head as well. "Your Majesty."

Then, he nodded toward the nobleman behind Alexander. "Good day, Lord Commander Reed."

"Good day, Lord Stevenson." The Lord Commander, Cedric Reed, nodded back to Arthur.

So he was Cedric Reed. I couldn't help but look up and steal a glance at him—the legendary war hero who had subdued the northern frontiers at the age of seventeen. He was the god of war of our kingdom, yet why did he look so fair and refined?

"I heard Lord Stevenson speak of teaching Lady Fletcher a lesson?" Alexander spoke in a casual, indifferent tone. "You sure have the guts to command my woman!"

Although Alexander's tone remained calm, Arthur was terrified enough to drop to his knees. "No, Your Majesty. I was merely joking with Her Highness. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

Alexander looked at me, then looked at Arthur, and suddenly chuckled.

"Lady Fletcher has served me for some time now. It is time to raise her status, lest someone decide to casually ‘teach' her a lesson again." Alexander turned his gaze and spoke to the young attendant beside him. "From now on, Lady Claire Fletcher shall be bestowed with the title of a Duchess."