Princess of the Damned (27 page)

“…
A talk? What does a future queen have to talk to a lowly priestess like me about?”

“
If you do not welcome me, then you should have denied meeting me,” Nala turned around. “I know where I am not wanted.”

“
Have you really come just to talk?”

Nala turned around again. “Yes, just to talk.”

“
I apologize for my rudeness,” the priestess said. “Please come and have a seat. There is still plenty of time before sundown and I am desperate for company.”

“
You sound frightened,” Nala noticed the girl’s voice.

“
It is my duty,” the priestess forced a smile. “I have been serving as priestess in this temple since I was a child and I knew this day would come. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier.”

“
Sayan is a very gentle person despite the rumors about him. You mustn’t be frightened of him.”

The priestess stared at her. “Are you not jealous, my lady?”

“
Jealous?” Nala flinched at a sharp stab on her chest. Her own voice echoed in her head.
You are mine, Trent! If any woman dares to lay a finger on you, I will tear her to pieces and send her back to you in a box! Every strand of hair on your head and every drop of blood that flows through your veins are mine!

“…
My lady?”

Nala snapped out of her illusion and stared into the girl’s clear blue eyes. “I’m sorry, I have a terrible headache. I think I will leave earlier than expected.”

“
Please stay with me a little longer,” the priestess pleaded. “I am awfully lonely. Are you alright? Do you need to summon a physician?”

Nala shook her head. Physicians cannot cure mental illness. “It is not that I am completely immune to a thing called jealousy. The truth is that I can be a very jealous person, but Sayan is someone very important to me, and I want to know that he is well taken care of once I leave.”

“
My lady, you are the future queen of this kingdom. Where are you planning to go?”

“
I want to go home to where I belong.”

“
Does His Majesty not treat you well?”

“
He treats me very well.”

“
Does His Majesty not love you?”

She didn’t know how to answer that one. “He loves me like family.”

“
What more can a woman ask for, my lady? Why do you want to leave?”

“
It is because I simply do not belong here.”

“
It is unfortunate that you think so. I am sure His Majesty will be very sad.”

“
He would be even more disappointed if he found out the truth about me. He would be disgusted with me if he found out what I have done in the past. I would rather leave him a good impression of me before I go.”

“
I am sure you don’t want to talk about it with a stranger like me.”

“
I am very sharp at distinguishing people, Miya. I think His Majesty will like you very much. If you come to like His Majesty too, would you consider staying by his side?”

“…
My lady!”

“
That is, if you like him. I won’t force you into anything.” Nala smiled. “Kings are allowed to take priestesses as wives, so I don’t think there will be anyone objecting it. I think it is more favorable than the alternative.”

The priestess blushed. “Am I allowed to think that way, my lady?”

Nala looked outside of the small window at the top of the chamber. “It is almost sundown. I should be leaving now. I think it would be easier for you to think of yourself as a bride than a priestess with a duty to her goddess.”

The priestess blushed even brighter. “Thank you for your advice, my lady.”

Nala quietly exited the chamber and walked down the hallway she had previously entered.

A cloud of thoughts shrouded her mind.

“
Nala…?”

She turned around when she heard Sayan’s voice. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. He only had a white sheet skirted around his waist and his hair was dripping wet.

“
I thought I smelled your scent in the hallway. What are you doing here?”

“
I…I…” Why was she stuttering at such a simple question?

Sayan’s eyes followed the direction she was coming from. “Have you met the Priestess?” he asked.

She nodded. “I came, because I was a little curious.”

He walked toward her and she unconsciously stepped backward. He finally trapped her against the wall. “It is because you’ve finally noticed that I have been missing the past three days? You came, because you missed me?”

“
I was simply curious.”

“
You could have lied a little to flatter me, Nala.” He bent down for a kiss, but she slanted her head to the side. “Or is it because you are jealous?”

She jerked her head back in shock and he stole a kiss as if he had expected her reaction. She gave in to the tenderness of the kiss. When he broke the kiss and aimed for her neck, she pushed him back.

“
I have to leave before sundown,” she said and slipped under his arm. “Treat the priestess gently.”

“
Wait a minute.” He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back to the spot she had just left. “What?”

“
You have a very intimidating aura, so you should try and lower your voice when you speak to her.”

“
How did this conversation turn wrong so fast, all of a sudden?” He gave her an incredulous stare. “I have no intention of traumatizing a virgin priestess and then discard her for the rest of her life. I am not that cruel of a man.”

She shyly looked up. “If you like her, you could marry her. Actually, I am very sure you will like her.”

Her words shocked him and it was displayed all over his face.

Sayan took a step back from her and then strode away. The pace of his steps told her that he was angry. He turned back and then strode toward her. He grabbed her wrist and led her into the chamber he had just left from. He shoved her onto the soft cushions by the poolside and then locked the door.

“
Sayan, don’t be angry with me…”

“
If you like the girl so much, why don’t you take her place for her instead?”

He crushed her lips with a kiss and then pinned her down on the cushions. The cold droplet of water from his hair dripped onto her cheeks. His lips travelled down her slender neck. She flinched when he bit the flesh at the base of her neck. He closed his mouth other hers when she murmured a protest. His hands travelled up the length of her leg, under her skirt, and pulled her hips toward him.

She protested again when he positioned himself. The expression on his face wounded her. She suddenly felt guilty for provoking him like that. He probably read through her intentions. If it were her, she would have been hurt too.

She latched onto him as he plunged into her with a decisive thrust. He was so much rougher than the first time they were together. He didn’t caress her or give her enough time to prepare herself. There was some pain at first, but that quickly made way for waves upon waves of pleasure. So much so that she was drowning in her own breath.

She didn’t know when she had become so sentimental of his feelings. Her feelings often correlated to the expression on his face. When he frowned, she became deeply saddened. When he smiled, she became filled with joy. This expression on his face right now made her heart ache.

If this kept up, she would not be able to leave him, but had this boy become so important to her that she would give up the thought of going home? What if he knew what kind of conniving person she really was? What if he knew that she deceived her own brother into marrying her? Would he still look at her with those same eyes?

She could not stand it if Sayan looked at her with the same eyes as Trent looked at her. His gaze was so cold and detached that it froze her heart on contact. She didn’t want to be hated again. She had not been successful in apologizing to Trent. She couldn’t have Sayan hating her too.

She could not think right now. She was so out of breath. Her eyes flew open when she heard him say something in very soft whisper. If her hearing were not so impeccable, she probably would not have caught it. His love confession was like the phantom wind in the dark of the night. She was not sure if he had said it at all.

He wouldn’t have said that if he knew what she had done.

If there was a lovelier
woman in the entire world, he would contest it. Her scent alone was maddening…a faint scent of ripe peaches and some kind of exotic flower. Her sensual expressions could even make the most beautiful women blush. And she was all
his
.

These things had never entered his mind before. He didn’t see any of this until recently. He knew that she was beautiful, but now he knew what those men were thinking when they saw her dance. They were imagining her like she is now, moaning pleasurably under him. The thought angered him. He wanted to lock her up so no one could ever see her again. This beautiful expression was for him alone.

Her pale green eyes stared up at him in shock and he realized he had said something unconsciously. He stopped himself when all of the thoughts in his head jumbled together. He knew he wanted her to stay with him no matter the cost, but since when did he fall in love with her? How long had he been in love with her?

He just wanted to claim those full and pretty lips for himself right now. Her soft lips were welcoming, even though he knew she was still as confused as he was. He kissed her gently as his hands found ways to remove the gold pieces from her gown. They clanged onto the ground, dragging the thin fabric of the gown with them. He lowered his head to her beautiful breasts and sucked on her flesh until she melted like candle wax in his hands.

“
Sayan…?” His name was dripping with sweetness from her lips. Her pale green eyes stared out of the window “The sun was going down…”

“
You will just have to be my goddess for tonight then,” he said teasingly. “I’ve said it before. I will not be gullible to you anymore. Don’t think that I do not know what you are thinking.”

“
Are you still angry with me?”

He kissed the palm of her hand. He was short-tempered, but he was never the kind of man who could hold on to it for long. “Forgive me, I was rough.”

She softly gasped as he shifted his body, fully aware that they were still connected.

“
I have always known you were a physical person, but you mustn’t worry. I am not as delicate as I may look.”

“
Is that so?” He smiled mischievously and gave her another sweet thrust.

She flinched at the sudden movement and closed her eyes shut. Her dark eyelashes pressed tightly against her flawless complexion. Her lashes trembled as they fluttered open again.

“
Will you be attending the celebration tonight?” she asked very softly.

“
I think… Nala, the servants will be scrambling to look for us and they will not find us until sunrise.”

“
The priestess…”

“
Why did I get angry again in the first place? Did you forget already?” he asked. She didn’t continue with the rest of the sentence. He pressed a kiss on her temple. “Our wedding will be held in ten days. I know I cannot give you the freedom of a simpler life. It is too late for me to be anything, but a king. Any step backward could mean our lives and the lives of the people under my command. What I can promise you is that I will not fail as a husband. Don’t try to run from me anymore, Nala.”

She did not reply in words. Instead, she pulled him down toward her and answered him with her soft, soft lips.

Sayan had been feeling
guilty that he did not have enough time for Nala. There were piles of work that needed so much of his attention, that he only get to see her very briefly before he fell asleep from exhaustion. She had not complained to him, but it was only a matter of time before she grew tired of it. There was still so much to be done.

He gritted on the horse’s reign when he reached the royal granary. He purposely dressed in commoner’s clothing to avoid attracting unwanted attentions. The citizens were crowding for their turn in line. He was not able to buy as much grain as he would like from neighboring countries, but it was better than nothing at all. At least now, his people would be able to endure another war, if it should come to that.

A small child fell out from the crowd. Sayan jumped off his horse and helped the child back on his feet again. He looked quite exhausted, but there was so much spirit in his young eyes that reminded him of his childhood. He did not have a rosy childhood, but it was childhood nonetheless.

He picked the child up onto his neck and quickly slipped into the crowd. It was a lot harder than it looked. There was a lot of pushing, pulling, tugging, and bumping before he made it to the front of the line.

He bent over so that the boy could open the rag bag to receive his ration of grains.

“
Your Majesty…!” The guard captain nearly jumped when he recognized him.