Prince Regent Devon and Me

Chapter 5

VALERIE POV

The crowd’s roar snapped into silence so quickly it rang in my ears.

No command had been given.

Still,no one moved.

Until a royal physician finally stepped in, the clanging of rings attached to his robe echoed around the arena. He knelt down beside Devon who still hadn't moved.

“Die you Blackfyre scum!” A voice tore from the stands, ripping through the wind. Guards closed in quickly to apprehend him and the crowd roared loudly.

Chaos erupted in the process, some of the commoners broke free from the fence and charged towards Devon as they escorted his body out.

“My queen, we need to leave.” Elise whispered to my ear, my head snapped in many directions as the violent roars grew louder.

A hand grabs my wrist firmly.

“We must leave, at once!” My father commanded as the guards guided us out.

The mobs threw whatever they could at us, screaming one word at the top of their lungs.

‘Cowards’

The guards safely escorted us from the arena, the image of Devon lying helplessly on the arena still stuck to my head. For some reason I couldn't explain, I still cared.

No… No I'm not going to check up on that lying, cheating, arrogant prince.

A lie I remember telling myself as my feet dragged me towards his tent, and now I'm standing in front of two imperial guards.

Their expressions stiff as they scanned us, my lips parted to speak but the shattered sound of a flower vase against the wall interrupted me.

“Get out!” A deep voice ordered angrily from inside.

My eyes drifted back to the guards. “Queen Valerie.” I forced the words from my lips, they cleared a part for me, Elise trailing behind my footsteps.

Maids rush out of his chambers, with frightened faces and terrified eyes.

I turn to Elise.

“Stay here.” I whispered.

She pulled back my arm.

“Are you sure my queen?” She whispered back in a shaky breath.

I nod, half for replying to her question and half for convincing myself that I'm not being foolish, as my feet stepped into the room.

Cold bit into my skin, the scent of incense and lavender lingering in the air. He sat with his back to me, bare, the line of it clean and deliberate—something in the quiet strength of it holding my gaze longer than it should have.

The way his hair rested majestically on his shoulders.

“Who's there?” He asked.

I didn't answer, just kept coming forward. A bowl of water and a wet towel sat closely beneath the bed. I dipped the towel into the water. Its warmth sent waves all over my body.

Gently squeezing the water out, I leaned closer towards him. He turned sharply, tightly clutching his hands around my wrists, his lips parted to rain down hell but stopped midway the moment he realized who was behind.

The water dripped down, falling on our hands tightly held together.

Then he released his grip, my hands gently wiped out the dried blood on the side of his face, his wound was already healed, gone, like it never happened.

Silence stretched between us, his gaze fixed on me. My eyes darted across the dark themed room, anywhere but those eyes of his.

I traced the towel down to his chest—smooth, steady, the warmth of him catching me off guard for a moment too long.

The steady rise and fall of his breathing, he held my fingers. Forcing me to look back at him.

“This is your fault.” He finally said.

“You distracted me in the tourney.” He added.

I raised the side of my brows.

“I didn't think you cared.” I replied with sarcasm in my tone.

His eyes softened, the coldness disappeared. He leaned closer to me, our noses barely a few inches away from each other.

“You're mine Valerie vealmar.” His voice softer, slightly above a whisper “until I determine otherwise.”

Something in those words made my heart fluster, the butterflies in my belly went wild.

“And do you want to determine otherwise?” I asked, my hands tracing down to his ribs.

The space between us thinned, inch by inch, until it felt like something that could break. I could feel his breath before I touched him—warm, steady, too close.

I didn’t pull back.

Neither did he. And then—his lips found mine.

His hand slid to the back of my neck, fingers curling just enough to keep me from pulling away.

Suddenly, the doors swung open, we jerked back to our positions.

“ Crown Prince Regent.” A man stepped in, bowing down. His voice was like an ice crack, a moustache stitched below his nose. Devon returned to his original expression. The coldness in his eyes resurfaced.

The moustache man looked around the room, his face twisted as though he'd perceived something unpleasant.

“There are important matters to discuss.” Then his glare met me, sharp and barely controlled.

That was definitely my cue to leave, I slowly stood up, my steps dragging longer than it should have. Because deep down inside I waited for his voice to call me back, when I stopped at the door I glanced back.

Our eyes met, until the doors closed off.

The taste of dissatisfaction settled above my upper lip.

“So, my queen. How did it go?” Elise asked me as we walked off. And at that moment, I didn't know what to reply. A smile tugged at my lips as I touched my lips.

“My Queen.” A knight called out.

“The Eldridge council summons you.”

I was led alone by the knight, under the cover of the moon. My footsteps echoed deep in my ear, I've never been summoned by the council… by my father.

The wind carried the taste of dust and a smell I couldn't understand. He paused at the door, and signaled for me to enter alone.

The door creaked open, and I stepped into the courtroom. The room went silent the moment I stepped in, the whole attention turned towards me.

The Eldridge elders sat across the table and at the head of the table, my grandmother sat there. Her fingers moved impatiently on the table.

“Welcome dear child.” She spoke first in a hard voice and stern expression, the kind she wore when I first saw her at my mother's funeral.

My blood hammered, this wasn't just a normal meeting…and my father was nowhere to be found.

I stared at the candle light in the middle of the table, its flames burning as bright as it could.

A sweat prickled down from my head and I could only wish it was because of the heat of the candle light and not for what was coming.

“It is time to fulfill your services to Eldridge.” My grandmother continued.

“For years we've endured the cruelty of the Blackridge empire, hiding behind like cowards while those demon bloods trample on our heads… no more.” Her voice dripped with malice.

“What are you talking about mother?” She glanced up at me.

“Your duty, Valerie Vealmar, to Eldridge is to infiltrate the Prince Regent Devon’s heart and when the time is right… kill him, his death will bring the beginning of their eradication.”

My stomach dropped in dread the moment those words left her lips.

“This is the birth of a new era, do this and you'll sit at the head.” Her voice, a resounding echo in my head.

And in that moment I had an answer to Elise's question on how my time with Devon went. I enjoyed it very much, maybe too much. And this was my punishment.