The Enemy’s Beloved 🖤

CHAPTER 2- A Prisoner, Not a Captive

Author's pov :

The silence in the throne room lasted for several seconds after the guards left.

Caspian Bloodstone remained standing where he was, his eyes fixed on Princess Elara.

She was still looking at him.

There was fear in her eyes.

But there was something else too.

Defiance.

He had seen that look before.

Usually, people who stood before him were quick to lower their heads. They knew what kind of man he was.

They knew what happened to those who challenged the King of Valthera.

Elara knew it too.

Yet she was still standing there.

Caspian almost admired her for it.

Almost.

A knock came from the door.

His expression immediately hardened.

"Enter."

The door opened, and a guard stepped inside.

He bowed.

"Your Majesty."

Caspian glanced at him.

"What is it?"

"The King has summoned you."

Caspian's jaw tightened.

His father.

Of course.

He had barely returned, and already there was another matter waiting for him.

He turned toward the guard.

"I'll be there."

The guard nodded, but then his eyes moved toward Elara.

He hesitated.

"Your Majesty... what should we do with the princess?"

Caspian's expression changed.

"What do you mean?"

The guard swallowed.

"Should I take her to the dungeon?"

Something inside Caspian snapped.

"No."

His voice was quiet.

Too quiet.

The guard immediately straightened.

Caspian looked at him coldly.

"She is not going to the dungeon."

"But, Your Majesty, she is a prisoner."

"I know."

His eyes moved briefly toward Elara.

Then back to the guard.

"Take her to one of the royal guest chambers."

The guard looked confused.

"Your Majesty?"

"A room."

Caspian's voice hardened.

"I said take her to a room."

The guard bowed immediately.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Caspian turned toward Elara.

For a moment, their eyes met.

He didn't know why he felt the need to make sure she understood.

"You will stay there until I decide what happens next."

Elara didn't answer.

She simply watched him.

The guard stepped toward her.

"Princess."

She hesitated before following him.

Caspian watched her leave.

The doors closed.

His eyes remained fixed on them for a few seconds longer.

He didn't understand himself.

She was an enemy princess.

A prisoner.

A daughter of the kingdom that had stood against Valthera for years.

She should have been nothing more than a bargaining piece.

So why had the thought of sending her to the dungeon made his blood boil?

Caspian clenched his jaw.

He had no time for such thoughts.

His father was waiting.

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Elara's pov :

I followed the guard through the long corridors of the palace.

Every step felt strange.

This wasn't how I had imagined being taken prisoner.

I had expected chains.

A dark cell.

Cold stone walls.

Perhaps guards standing outside my door day and night.

But instead, I was being taken to a room that looked like something from a royal palace.

Because it was one.

I glanced at the guard walking beside me.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To your chamber, Princess."

"My chamber?"

He nodded.

"His Majesty's orders."

His Majesty.

King Caspian Bloodstone.

I didn't know what to think of him.

He was nothing like the stories I had heard.

Or perhaps he was exactly like them, and I simply hadn't seen the worst of him yet.

He was cold.

His eyes were intimidating.

His presence alone was enough to make the entire room feel smaller.

And yet...

He had ordered the guards to untie me.

He had noticed the marks on my wrists.

And then he had refused to let them take me to the dungeon.

Why?

I couldn't understand it.

He was the enemy.

He had every reason to hate me.

I was Princess Elara Valen of Roselith.

And he was King Caspian Bloodstone of Valthera.

Our kingdoms had been enemies for years.

So why had he protected me?

The guard opened a large wooden door.

"This is your room."

I stepped inside.

I stopped.

It was beautiful.

A large bed stood against the far wall, covered with soft white sheets. Tall windows overlooked the gardens, and warm candlelight filled the room.

There was even a small fireplace burning quietly in the corner.

I turned toward the guard.

"Am I really a prisoner?"

He looked uncomfortable.

"Yes, Princess."

I looked back at the room.

It didn't feel like a prison.

But the two guards standing outside the door reminded me that it was.

I walked toward the window.

The view of Valthera stretched beneath the evening sky.

Beautiful.

Peaceful.

Almost impossible to believe that this kingdom had been fighting mine for so long.

I touched the glass.

Then my thoughts returned to Caspian.

I don't want anyone hurting you.

His words echoed in my mind.

I frowned.

Why would the enemy king say something like that?

I shook my head.

I shouldn't trust him.

No matter how kind his words sounded, I couldn't forget where I was.

I was a prisoner in the kingdom of my enemy.

And whatever Caspian Bloodstone wanted...

I had a feeling I wouldn't like the answer.

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Caspian 's pov :

The doors to my father's private chamber opened.

I stepped inside.

My father was standing near the fireplace, his hands clasped behind his back.

King Alaric Bloodstone.

My father.

The most feared man in Valthera before I ever wore the crown.

He was a man who rarely showed emotion.

Cold.

Merciless.

Unforgiving.

People feared my name because I had earned it.

But my father's reputation had been built long before mine.

Beside the fireplace stood my mother, Queen Seraphine Bloodstone.

Unlike my father, she carried herself with a calm elegance that often made people underestimate her.

They were wrong to do so.

My mother noticed everything.

She looked at me as I entered.

"Caspian."

"Father."

My father turned.

His sharp gaze immediately settled on me.

"You captured the Princess of Roselith."

It wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Why?"

I frowned.

"Because she was found crossing our northern border."

My father's expression didn't change.

"Princess Elara Valen crossed our border?"

"She was with a group of people from Roselith."

"That doesn't answer my question."

I remained silent for a moment.

"We don't know why they crossed."

My father walked slowly toward the table.

"You captured an enemy princess without knowing why she was inside our territory?"

"We captured everyone with her."

"And yet you ordered the princess to be taken to a royal chamber instead of the dungeon."

My jaw tightened.

So that was why he had called me here.

"I gave the order."

"I know."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"Why?"

I met his eyes.

"Because we don't know why she crossed the border."

My father stared at me.

Then he gave a humorless smile.

"She is a prisoner, Caspian."

"I know."

"Then she belongs in the dungeon until we know what she was doing here."

"No."

The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

My father's eyes narrowed.

My mother remained silent, but I could feel her watching me.

"You disagree with me?"

"I said we should question her first."

My father stepped closer.

"And why is that?"

"Because if she crossed the border for a reason, the reason may be more important than the princess herself."

He studied me.

I could tell he wasn't convinced.

"The borders between Valthera and Roselith exist for a reason."

"I know."

"No one crosses them without consequences."

"I know that too."

My father stopped directly in front of me.

"Then you also know what this could mean."

I said nothing.

"An attack."

My eyes hardened.

"Perhaps."

"A spy."

"Perhaps."

"Or a provocation."

I looked at him.

"Which is exactly why we need answers."

My father stared at me for a long moment.

Then he nodded slightly.

"Good."

He walked back toward the fireplace.

"Find out why they crossed."

"I will."

"And the princess?"

I didn't answer immediately.

My father's gaze returned to me.

"Eventually, the King of Roselith will come asking for his daughter."

I remained silent.

Of course he would.

No king would simply leave his daughter in enemy territory.

My father continued,

"When he does, we will decide what she is worth."

My fingers curled slowly into fists.

What she is worth.

The words irritated me more than they should have.

Elara wasn't a piece on a chessboard.

At least, that was what I wanted to believe.

But I couldn't say that aloud.

Not to my father.

Not yet.

My mother finally spoke.

"Perhaps the princess knows more than we think."

I looked at her.

"That's what we're going to find out."

She studied my face.

There was something almost knowing in her eyes.

I didn't like it.

My father turned toward me again.

"Until then, she remains under guard."

"Of course."

"And she does not leave the palace."

"I understand."

I nodded once.

Then I turned toward the door.

My hand reached for the handle.

But before I left, my mother's voice stopped me.

"Caspian."

I looked back.

She was still standing beside the fireplace.

Her eyes were calm.

"Be careful."

I frowned.

"Of what?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Then she gave me a faint smile.

"Sometimes the things we think we can control are the very things that change us."

I stared at her.

I didn't understand what she meant.

Or perhaps I simply didn't want to.

I left the room without another word.

But as I walked through the corridor, one thought followed me.

Elara.

I hated that her name had already begun to feel too familiar.

She was my enemy.

A prisoner of Valthera.

And yet...

I had already broken one rule for her.

I had refused to put her in the dungeon.

I didn't know why.

I only knew one thing.

I wasn't ready to find out what would happen if someone else tried to hurt her.

To be continued… 🖤