All Chapters of My Dear Master, We're Mates! (M×M): Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

ISABELLAI hate Regal. I hate Kol. I hate the guards. I hate the walls. I hate myself most of all, because no matter how many times I curse them in my head, my body still obeys.When the guards shoved me back into my chambers tonight, after the fountain and after Regal’s breakfast show, I swore I wouldn’t sleep. Sleep feels too much like surrender. Instead, I’ve been pacing, tearing at my hair, scrubbing my skin raw in the bathroom until my arms sting.But nothing works. Not the soap, not the cold water, not the blood-red marks on my skin. The filth isn’t outside, it’s in me.Kol’s voice plays on repeat in my head, that command he pressed into me. Obey Regal. Do as he wills. My body had folded like paper, my face had smiled when I wanted to spit.I slam my fist into the wall and the sound echoes through the chamber.“Damn you, Kol,” I whisper. “You fucking demon. Damn you.”But beneath the fury, beneath the words, there’s still that heat and attraction, the way his eyes burned even

ISABELLA“Fucking follow me.” He whispers into my ears, dragging me by my waist. “You'll pay for that later.” The smile on my lips doesn’t falter, but my stomach turns to ice. Seconds stretch into minutes as Regal parades me across the room, introducing me to nobles, merchants, leaders, every man and woman who matters in this empire. He calls me “my wife” again and again, the words heavy like chains, and I just keep smiling. Not because I want to, but because Kol’s control makes me. My lips curl when Regal demands, my head bows when he insists, my body turns perfectly with his hand guiding me.For one moment, I can breathe. Regal steps away to speak with an ally, and I’m left standing alone, the crowd buzzing around me. Compliments hum in my ears, but I don’t hear them. My eyes flick across the hall.Kol is there, watching from the edge with a stone face. Our eyes meet for a heartbeat, just one, then he looks away, jaw tight like he feels guilty for what he did earlier. I hate him

ISABELLAThe car comes to a sharp halt. I don’t come down right away because my legs feel weak, heart tightening in my chest as I inhale deep breaths. Regal’s hand is still on me, heavy against my waist like weight. He doesn’t loosen his grip, not even when the driver comes around to open the door.“Out,” he whispers, voice soft but cutting like a blade. I step down slowly. My heels touch the driveway, but my knees almost give in. I’m not drunk, I’m just tired. Tired of smiling, tired of nodding, tired of being spun around like glassware that belongs to him.The house lights are too bright. Too many windows glowing against the dark, and it feels like eyes are watching me.Regal leans close, his mouth brushing my ear. “Tonight.”Just that one word but it hits me like a slap.He lets go, finally. His hand slides off my waist, and the air rushes into the space he leaves behind. For a second I almost feel relief, until I realize he’s only leaving me with the maids.They don’t even ask

ISABELLA The way Kol killed that man plays over and over in my head. I have killed too, I know what it feels like to take a life, but the way he did it like it was nothing, I can't understand it. By noon I cannot sit still anymore. My room feels small around me, the air pressing against my chest like heavy weight. I need space, a walk, or sometime in the library. Immediately I step out of my room, the guards are waiting. Quickly, they surround me before I can take a single step. “Back inside,” one of them says, his voice sharp like I'm a mere commoner or prisoner trying to escape. I don't lower my head. “I'm just going to the library,” I say calmly, “do you think I would stoop so low to climb out the library window?” The second guard snickers. He leans closer, his smile ugly. “That’s none of our business, princess. Your place is in that room until Lord Regal says otherwise. If you think dressing pretty makes you free, then you’ve mistaken your worth.”The words cut, but I don’t l

ISABELLA The way Kol killed that man plays over and over in my head. I have killed too, I know what it feels like to take a life, but the way he did it like it was nothing, I can't understand it. By noon I cannot sit still anymore. My room feels small around me, the air pressing against my chest like heavy weight. I need space, a walk, or sometime in the library. Immediately I step out of my room, the guards are waiting. Quickly, they surround me before I can take a single step. “Back inside,” one of them says, his voice sharp like I'm a mere commoner or prisoner trying to escape. I don't lower my head. “I'm just going to the library,” I say calmly, “do you think I would stoop so low to climb out the library window?” The second guard snickers. He leans closer, his smile ugly. “That’s none of our business, princess. Your place is in that room until Lord Regal says otherwise. If you think dressing pretty makes you free, then you’ve mistaken your worth.”The words cut, but I don’t l