Marriage Alliance With The Lycan Monarch-Chapter 48: A Special Cheat

I watched the birds chirping at the window. They flock around using their beak to tap on the glass. They were so colorful, beautiful, and the sounds they made were soothing, but I couldn’t appreciate them.

A soft rustle pulled my attention to Drevon at the far end, where a table and chair were, with a stack of papers on the desk. It’s been like this for a while now. Drevon didn’t leave me alone; he brought his work to his chambers and didn’t attend court.

I thought by now I would be dying for him to leave me alone, but strangely, that feeling wasn’t there. Even though I aimed for solace more than ever, having Drevon close by was a special kind of cheat. I could easily fall asleep knowing he was here.

I observed as he wet his thumb with his tongue and pulled open more papers, his quill making soft scraping noises as if he deliberately made it less not to disturb me.

Too late for that, I’m distracted now.

His fingers occasionally threaded through his hair, only for the perfect strands to fall back to frame his eyes. But then he paused and veered his eyes to me, but I quickly looked to the window, pretending as if I wasn’t just ogling.

Silence followed, but unlike the rest of the day, it became awkward. The urge to communicate was overwhelming, mostly from him, though. I had no intention of speaking to anyone.

I was all alone now. If I weren’t in Drevon’s chamber, who knew what grotesque fate would have awaited me? Maybe the Lycans will come to finish their job. I wish they would so that I can end this miserable existence.

I know I’m not thinking straight, I’m overwhelmed. Just breathing felt like I didn’t deserve it and it hurts too.

I’m barely able to stand too long on my own without fainting. My body ached, my head, and my chest too. Everything was just...aching.

I thought living under Father’s roof was worse.

"Eloise?"

I didn’t reply, just sitting on the bed with my knees to my chest, eyeing the window, hoping the view would give me something, anything to not remind myself where I was. But just existing was a torturous reminder.

I flinched when I felt a hand brush my cheek, and I snapped my aggravated gaze at Drevon.

Wasn’t he at the table just now?

"You haven’t had anything to eat yet."

I leveled my gaze to the golden tray on the bed, filled with all my favorite treats, and a healthy meal beside it, but I had no appetite.

"You should at least eat something, it’s the only way you can regain your strength."

"What strength," I huffed scornfully. "All I could do was just stand there like a fool, and even when I found the courage to run, it didn’t matter."

"Eloise—"

"If the Lycan didn’t get me first, my body would have. I was born weak."

I didn’t care anymore if he knew he was given a broken bride.

"I wasn’t sick that day because of the cold; I was sick because I have a lingering ailment. I’m always sick, I’m—"

"How many times do you need to say that?" He cut in.

"Many times until you get it in your head," I gritted out. "Eat at my weakness as much as you want; the mercy you can give me is to allow me to starve to death."

"I never meant to eat at your weakness, I have no reason to."

"It does not matter," I said, looking away.

"Because there isn’t one to eat at."

I blinked, dragging my gaze back to him. He gave me a soft smile that made his crimson eyes brighter.

"All I see is strength," he proclaimed.

I hated how genuine his words were, and it got my heart racing. That organ was getting on my nerves.

"You don’t understand humans or a human like me who was born to be dragged in the dirt, and no matter how I try to clean myself of it, the stain won’t come off."

He narrowed his eyes, taking in my words, but had a reply of his own. "No one is ever clean. There’s always dirt, even the ones we try to cover up."

I scoffed.

"And the point of my letting you starve to death will not happen. Not on my watch."

"It’ll be my choice to starve myself if I want, and you’ll not have a say in it."

"Then I’ll spoon-feed you like a child if I have to. Morning, afternoon, and evening."

I was about to make a comeback, but he uttered. "You’ll not die, not today, not tomorrow, or the coming days, weeks, months, or years."

I tried to ignore the warmth shrouding my chest. He really has a way with words.

I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him lightly, just enough to have some breathing space. "I’m afraid that cannot be avoided, given what your people did to me and my handmaids, not even their kind was spared because of how much they object to this marriage."

"It’s a hurtful thing, you know."

"What?" I asked.

A look took over his eyes, and the urge to embrace him and shoo it away was far too tempting.

"They object, bark, and bicker about it. An unfortunate response."

"And yet you married me. Here I am...in your domain."

He took my hand from his chest and placed it on his cheek, and leaned against it. "I never meant to put you in danger, Eloise," he said in a far too serious tone. "And I promise you those involved will get what they deserve. All of them."

Yes, they will.

Talia didn’t deserve what happened to her, and each time I thought about her, something inside me broke. I felt like the walls were closing in on me.

But something else brewed from the depths and consumed me to the point of wrath.

Revenge.

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