All Chapters of The King’s Relentless Desire : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Chapter ThirtyLiana’s POVThe chamber was dark when they came for me.I hadn’t slept.I had lain on the bed all night with the chains still against my skin, the fire burned low to embers, the scent of smoke and gold clinging to the sheets.Every creak of the hall beyond the door had made me flinch. Every whisper of wind had sounded like footsteps.When the door finally opened, I was already sitting up, my hands clenched tight in my lap.Two silent servants stepped in, carrying nothing but a lantern. They did not meet my eyes.“Come,” one said softly.My heart thudded once, hard.I rose, the chains whispering across my skin, my bare feet cold on the stone.They led me through corridors lit only by torches, deeper into the palace.We did not go toward the throne room.We went down.The air grew cooler, thicker with the scent of earth and damp stone.At last, we reached a heavy door banded with black iron.One of the servants pushed it open.Inside was no dungeon, but a room shaped like

Chapter Thirty-TwoLiana’s POVThe first thing I felt was the weight.His arm was still across my waist, heavy and warm, pinning me to the mattress as surely as the chains had. The sheets clung to my skin, damp with sweat and something else I could not name.The second thing was the ache.It sat deep in me, a dull throb where he had filled me, a tremor in my thighs, a softness in my wrists where the gold links had pressed too hard.And then the third thing — shame.It rushed in like cold water. The fire had burned all night but it had left only ashes inside me.I opened my eyes.The room was still shadowed, the fire in the hearth dying to embers. Kael’s hair spilt over the pillow, dark and wild. His lips were parted slightly, his breathing steady. Even asleep he seemed dangerous.For a moment I watched him, caught between wanting to touch him and wanting to run.I rolled carefully onto my back. The chains clinked softly.He stirred.“You are awake,” he said, voice rough with sleep.“Y

Chapter Thirty-FourLiana’s POVThe room was too quiet.After the hall’s noise, the sudden stillness felt unnatural.I stood by the window, still wearing the gown from the feast. The silk clung to my skin, the fabric heavy with the scent of wine and smoke. The candlelight caught on the curve of my shoulder, turning the faint marks there to gold.I should have undressed. I should have bathed. But I couldn’t bring myself to move.Every word, every glance from the table replayed in my mind — Lady Veyra’s smirk, Lord Teyr’s mocking tone, the way Kael’s hand had rested possessively on my thigh.And yet, despite the humiliation, a strange thrill still hummed under my skin.It was shameful to admit.But it was real.When Kael had told me to smile, I had obeyed. When he had warned me to be careful, I had felt something deeper than fear. A pull. A dangerous awareness.I had seen the way they looked at me — not as a prisoner anymore, but as a possibility.And I knew that was what Kael wanted.H

Chapter Thirty-Six Liana’s POV The morning air carried the faint chill of rain. I had not slept. The candle on my table had burned to its end, wax dripping onto the marble like pale tears. When the knock came, I already knew who it would be. “His Majesty requests your presence,” the guard said. His eyes stayed fixed on the floor. I wrapped my cloak around my shoulders, though the weight of it felt heavier than usual. Each step through the corridor seemed to echo louder than it should have. The palace was waking — servants moving silently, curtains drawn back to let in the thin light. The scent of wet stone and roses filled the air. By the time I reached the king’s door, my pulse had steadied, though my hands would not stop trembling. The guard pushed the doors open, then bowed himself out. Kael stood by the window. The light caught the dark edge of his hair, the line of his shoulders beneath a black shirt that looked as if it had been thrown on without thought. He

Chapter Thirty-EightLiana’s POVThe torches along the corridor burned low.Each flame flickered against the marble, stretching long shadows across the floor that seemed to follow me wherever I went. The palace was quieter now, emptied of its audience and its venom.Only the echo of footsteps broke the stillness — mine and the guard’s walking ahead of me.He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His silence told me enough.The King had summoned me.Again.The message had come just as I was about to sleep, carried by a servant with eyes lowered. “His Majesty requests your presence. Now.”Requests.As if I could refuse.I followed the guard down a hall I knew too well. The closer we drew to the royal wing, the heavier the air became, thick with warmth and the faint, sharp scent of incense that always clung to him.At the end of the corridor, two golden doors stood open. Candlelight spilt through, soft and inviting.He was waiting inside.Kael stood near the fire, a glass of red wine in his h