Betrothed To The King

Chapter12

I felt sick watching my friends being whipped like slaves. I was certain they had come all this way just to see me.

“Hey! Stop whipping them! Can’t you see they are women?” I yelled, running toward them.

“My Queen, please leave this place immediately. This does not concern you,” the head guard said authoritatively. His tone nearly frightened me, but I had to be bold if I wanted to save my friends from that torture.

“If you whip them again, you will have to whip me too!” I shouted.

Everyone froze in shock.

Rosamund and Seren stared at me as if asking what I was doing, but I ignored their looks and stood my ground, already prepared to suffer alongside them.

“What are you doing here, Pearl?” the King’s cold voice came from behind me.

I cringed in fear and slowly turned to see him approaching with one of his guards.

His face showed no emotion, but I could feel the danger hidden behind his expression.

My voice suddenly disappeared. His presence alone was enough to suffocate me. I didn’t know whether admitting that Seren and Rosamund were my friends would help or make things worse, but I had no time to hesitate.

“Please tell them to stop flogging these women,” I pleaded, tears slipping from my eyes despite my effort to stay strong. “They are too fragile to be punished this way, no matter what they did.”

“Leave this place, Pearl,” the King said coldly.

I fell to my knees.

“My King, please don’t do this. Have mercy on them,” I begged, my tears flowing uncontrollably. “They came all this way just to see me. Please, my King, it would be cruel if my friends left here in such terrible condition.”

I could see the pain in Seren and Rosamund’s eyes. They were already bloodshot and swollen.

“They will still be punished,” the King said darkly. “And this time, I will flay their skin myself. Now leave this place, or they will lose their lives!”

Everyone flinched at the rage in his voice.

I ran back inside, sobbing. I didn’t want my only friends to die. King Archer would not hesitate to kill them if I disobeyed him.

I threw myself onto my bed and pulled the duvet over my head so no one would see me crying like a child. My chest ached with guilt. I had dragged them into this nightmare.

Who knew how many lashes they would receive?

Their skin would be torn apart.

“My Queen, are you okay?” Sage asked worriedly as she hurried into my room. She must have followed me all the way back.

“Sage, leave my room now,” I said coldly.

The room fell silent.

She didn’t argue or try to calm me. She simply bowed and left.

That was what I wanted. All I needed was to be alone with my new reality.

I preferred the peaceful commoner life I once had, where I breathed freely and lived without fear. Now, the King was slowly stripping away every piece of my joy.

My friends never had to sneak around to see me before. But now they did, and that single act had brought them nothing but suffering.

Why did my parents do this to me?

What hurt most was that they never told me the truth all these years. At least I would have prepared myself or found a way to escape.

I should miss them, but I didn’t.

Instead, my heart was filled with hatred. They sold me to the King to settle their debts.

And after doing that, they were still killed.

They handed me over as if I were worthless, as if I were nothing but a burden.

I hated them.

After what felt like hours, I finally woke up. The thought of my friends hit me like a blow to the head.

I looked outside and realized it was already dark.

Were they still being punished, or had they been sent away in pain?

The thought made my throat tighten.

I ran out of my room, racing down the hallway, bumping into guards who tried to stop me.

I didn’t know where the sudden strength came from. All I wanted was to see my friends and somehow make it up to them.

I couldn’t imagine them leaving the castle this late, injured and vulnerable, walking through bushes and forests where anything could happen.

What if they were still being punished?

What if Archer had gone even further?

“My Queen, stop running! You might fall!”

“My Queen, where are you going?”

The guards shouted, but I didn’t stop. I ran until two large guards grabbed me and held me firmly in place.

“My Queen, it is dangerous to be outside at this hour. You are not permitted to leave,” one of them said expressionlessly.

“What do you mean by that?” I snapped. “What time is it, and why are you stopping me?”

“It is past midnight,” the guard replied calmly. “It is an order from the King.”

Past midnight?

How long had I been asleep?

I had never slept this heavily before. This pregnancy was changing me more than I realized.

“Where are the women who were punished today?” I asked, bracing myself.

“They were released in the afternoon,” the guard replied. “The King was in a good mood. On a normal day, he would have turned them into maids or slaves.”

The way he said it so casually made my stomach churn.

I felt guilty and heartbroken, but also relieved that my friends had escaped something worse.

I only hoped they made it home safely.

“My Queen, please return to your room before the King sees you,” the quiet guard finally spoke. “We will escort you back.”

My stomach growled softly, reminding me that I had eaten only once all day.

I felt embarrassed but relieved that the sound was faint.

I didn’t dare tell them I was hungry.

They followed me back to my room and waited until I closed the door behind me.

As I turned, I heard the clink of glass.

Sage was already inside, setting the table with several dishes prepared just for me.

My appetite had grown uncontrollably lately, and it frightened me, even though I was eating well.

“You literally saved my life, Sage,” I said, salivating at the sight of the food.

She smiled and poured water into a glass.

“I knew you would wake up hungry, so I prepared everything early,” she said gently.

“Thank you,” I murmured, picking up my spoon.

“My Queen…” she hesitated, her expression suddenly troubled.

“The King is angry with you,” she said quietly. “He has ordered you to see him in his chamber first thing tomorrow morning.”

My heart nearly stopped.

“W-what did I do?” I whispered.

“This is the second time you have missed dining with him and the other Queens,” she explained. “It is considered deeply disrespectful. All Queens must attend whenever the King eats in the dining hall.”

Fear settled heavily in my chest.

“I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” I whispered as tears filled my eyes.

“I won’t say for certain,” she replied softly, “but he was so angry he nearly punished me as well.”

My tears fell freely.

Who knew what the King had planned for me this time?