One Night With The Devil

5. Condition

Yuna stilled in her place when she heard the King's majestic yet formidable voice. She licked her lips, which had gone dry suddenly, not realizing the King was watching her every move like a predator.

Taking a deep breath, she continued walking until she was close to the steps that led to the throne. She did not dare linger her gaze towards the man who had the authority to end her family in a blink.

Bowing deeply at him, she stayed still. "Your subject, Yuna Sinclair, greets you, Your Majesty."

She did not hear a word of acknowledgment from him. She remained frozen, her heart palpitating louder than the drums beating during the festivities.

Yuna had no idea how long she had remained bowing before the King before he finally allowed her to relax.

"You must be here for your family." The King spoke, his voice filled with an emotion Yuna could not decipher.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I seek your help to provide justice for them."

"Ohh, why would I do so?" The King was amused and Yuna did not miss the change in his tone.

"Because they are innocent, Your Majesty." Yuna defended, her love for their family overtaking her apprehension for the King of Sakaris.

"And how did you deduce that, Lady Yuna? Do you have evidence to support your claims?"

Yuna felt her heart skipping a beat when she heard her name rolling off his tongue. Although it sounded charismatic, something seemed strange. But she could not point out what and her frown vanished as quickly as it had settled in her forehead. The fleeting and incomprehensible emotions made her lost for a moment.

"Your Majesty," She raised her head for the first time since she had entered the throne room and was taken aback to see the intimidating man staring at her.

His black, glossy hair fell over his forehead, covering his forehead and a part of his eyes, giving him a mysterious yet alluring aura. The throne room was faintly lit. But that did not stop her from noticing the man's ethereal and devilish features.

Undoubtedly, he was one of the most attractive men she had ever met and something about him made her admire and respect him. The power radiating off him was impossible to ignore. It was daunting as well as enthralling at the same time.

Yuna noticed the King's lips arching up on one side and immediately realized that she lost her composure. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and recalled the reason she was here, berating herself for getting lost in the devilish man.

"Your Majesty, my parents and brothers have served the throne and this kingdom for a long time. It is impossible for them ever to betray you. They are loyal to the throne. They have been plotted against and pushed into this plight by someone."

Yuna gained courage when she thought of her family waiting for her. She did not falter and faced the formidable man bravely. "Please provide justice for us. They have been falsely accused."

"Lady Yuna, although I agree that the Sinclair family have been loyal towards the throne for years, that does not mean they are innocent. What if they had been putting up a facade all these years?" The King shifted on the throne and moved towards his left, placing his cheek on his left hand as he observed the lady before him.

"But what will they get out of committing treason, Your Majesty?" Yuna remained indignant, unwilling to give up her fight for justice.

"What will they not get, Lady Yuna?"

Yuna remained silent, confused by his words, and waited for him to clarify. But the man did not intend to do so, compelling her to voice her questions.

"I do not understand, Your Majesty. What will they gain out if they rebel against you?"

"I am not sure if you are actually innocent at heart or if it is all your pretense." The King scoffed and stood up and pushed his cape behind him, the clothing fluttering behind him, allowing the light from the torches to fall on the golden embroidery.

From where she was, Yuna could not make out the color of the cape. 'Is it dark red or back?' She wondered. But she came out of her thoughts when he noticed the King climbing down the steps.

"Would the Sinclair family not become the royal family once they defeat their King?" He questioned, ignoring Yuna's perplexing gaze on him.

"But my family has no intention of doing so, Your Majesty." Yuna objected right away. "Moreover, I do not think we will be able to defeat you, Your Majesty, considering how powerful you are. Why will we even take the risk of offending you? Would we not be incurring our doom ourselves?"

"Such a glib tongue you have, Lady Yuna. Although I am impressed, your arguments do not make your family innocent. They will still be guilty and in prison until they are proven innocent."

Yuna's eyes glimmered with hope and she looked at him in anticipation. "Your Majesty, from your words, shall I assume that there is still hope for my family?"

"You sure are smart, Lady Yuna. Perhaps, you could join my Court. You would be a valuable addition." The King suggested, deviating from the topic. By then, he had already reached her and towered over her while he maintained a distance between them.

Yet, from where she was, she could see his eyes clearly past the hair that covered them and was astonished to find them flickering between red, black and dark purple. It was enchanting and Yuna felt herself getting sucked in them.

"Lady Yuna, I presume you are here to plead for help." The King reminded her when she did not speak for some time, and Yuna immediately snapped out of her trance.

'What is happening to me?' She wondered and averted her gaze away from the domineering man who had to ability to send her mind into chaos without doing anything. He was an enigma and Yuna had an inkling that she would never be able to solve him.

"Your Majesty, you are yet to punish my family for you too believe them to be innocent." Yuna had not missed the underlying meaning in his words before she went into a stupor. "Otherwise, by now, my family would not have stayed alive for another moment."

The King raised a brow at her. 'What an interesting lady!' He thought.

"If you could help me find evidence to prove their innocence...." She bit her lip, not knowing how else to proceed with the situation. It was the only way for her.

Silence fell over them, with the King watching her with his eyes narrowed while Yuna maintained her gaze, suppressing her trepidation as much as she could. This continued for quite some time and when Yuna could no longer tolerate the intensity in the powerful man's eyes, she averted her gaze away from him. In her panic, she missed the barely noticeable curve on his lips.

"Your words have managed to convince me to help you, Lady Yuna." The King clasped his hands behind him and bent forward until he was eye to eye with the lady who had managed to intrigue him.

Yuna's expression changed with his words and her eyes twinkled with joy and gratitude, only to become confused when she heard his next words.

"But I have a condition, Lady Yuna. I will only help you if you fulfill this condition of mine."