22. When will You lay with the Princess?

Mauve closed the door and immediately realized something was different, the musky smell was completely gone. The room was darker and that was because there were curtains over the windows.

She rushed to the window and threw the curtains open, her belongings were still in the same way she had left them but the carpet had been changed and the bed laid.

She looked at the mirror by the bedside and a proper reflection looked back at her. It had been wiped clean. She swiped a finger over the table and looked at her finger, not a single speck of dust.

Mauve was dumbfounded, she was certain she was not away for up to forty-five minutes yet this room had been spotlessly cleaned in such a short time, it was unbelievable.

She sat on the bed and fatigue hit her hard, she let out a yawn. It brought tears to her eyes and she knew she had to go to sleep soon. She untied her hair and sighed in satisfaction as she released it from the tight hold. 

The feeling of her falling on her shoulders and rubbing her back was comforting. She quickly took off the dress, her nightdress was the only piece of clothing underneath, she was grateful for that, and now she could quickly go to sleep.

She tossed the dress haphazardly and climbed onto the bed, she got under the sheets and chose a sleeping position that lets her sleep fast. She chose to lie on her front with her right leg slightly bent.

She bit her lips as she remembered eating with the vampire king. She couldn't think of a more uncomfortable situation, it did not help that he rarely spoke to her. His attitude did not match his pretty face and it threw her off a lot.

It was easy to forget about everything once she started to eat, it had been very delicious. If there was one thing she knew about vampires now was that they could cook. 

When Jael had asked her if she wanted more, she had been embarrassed because she had realized how she was rushing the meal and stuffing herself but she was more embarrassed because she had wanted more.

Mauve squeezed her eyes tight as she remembered how awkward their conversations were. They were husband and wife but she was certain even his servants had proper conversations with him that she could ever. She wondered if things would get better between them.

Mauve drifted to sleep with her mouth slightly agape, her hair spread over her pillow, covering half her face and her back.

______________________________________

"When will you lay with the princess?" 

Jael heard the human ask him this question and he felt his face contort, he was finding it hard to believe she had just asked him that. "I don't see how that is any of your business."

"I know," she said and bent her head lower. "I am sorry to bring up such a topic with his grace but I am under very strict orders by the King and Queen to make sure it happens as quickly as possible." Her voice trembled a little as she spoke but her voice was not the only part that was trembling.

"Why? I already married her. What seems to be the problem?" He could sense the human growing discomfort but he did not feel any sympathy for her. It was her fault for assuming approaching him was an easy task not to mention the absurd question she had dared asked him.

"Yes, of course, there is no problem but for us humans a marriage isn't complete without copulation. Taking the Princess' virginity seals the deal, it means you can't back out of the treaty."

Jael saw red and the young woman shrank, "I am so sorry, I am only here on orders. I do not mean to undermine your authority or go against you in any way." From the sound of her voice, she was crying or very close to it.

Jael cursed and tried to calm himself down. He felt insulted by Evan Grey but taking his anger out on the messenger would make him not different from the coward King. Though he had not meant to harm her on purpose.

The fact that even though the King had given him the princess for a wife and still did not believe the treaty was real, baffled and annoyed him. "Why does it matter when?"

The young woman jerked and Jael wondered if it was because he called the human King by his name. As head darted left and right before she spoke. "That is where I come in. As soon as the deed is done, I will leave with the proof and head back home."

Jael's brows dipped. "Proof?"

"The s-sheets." the young woman stuttered. 

"What?"

"The blood-stained sheets." Her head was still bent and as the word escaped her lips, her head bent an inch lower.

Jael frowned, he could not believe it could get worse but somehow it did, and to think that humans called them the savages. He has had enough of this. Time to put an end to this pointless conversation. It was a shocker he had let it drag for this long but he had been curious.

Jael slipped back into his room and closed the door in her face. He could not bear to hear anything more the young woman had to say. He has heard enough. His head was already banging from the lack of sleep and having to deal with this was making it worse.

He threw himself in bed, the next person that would dare rouse him from his sleep will have nobody but themselves to blame. He rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He was asleep in mere minutes.

His breathing slowed down and his temperature dropped to normal. The anger had made him a bit warm. He slept on his back with hands arranged by his sides. His body was stiff as there was almost no sign of him breathing.