Chapter 30: An ugly thing

"Go to your quarters and shut yourself in. Don't come out no matter what." The witch whispered, leaning close to her.

Eve did not understand a word that the woman said. At first, she had hidden her treachery. Then she had saved her from drunk vampires, only to sacrifice the only other person she knew. And now she was warning her against the king? If she wanted to expose her, then she didn't have to do any of this, right? Then why? She wondered, staring at the woman in confusion.

"And why would she do that?" The question came from above her head, the deep voice from her memories reaching out to her.

Eve looked up, only to see the shadow of a wide-set muscular frame leaning against the handrail of the slightly curved staircase. His long dark hair was loosely tied back, a few dozen strays escaping its clutches only to fall softly against the contours of his face hidden by the shadows.

She didn't need to see it to know who he was. Even if she did not remember it, his black velvet robe that hung loosely against his frame was enough of an identification. The embroidered royal crest on the thick material shone brightly, outlined with gemstones that reflected the light of the far away lamp.

"My king!" The matron exclaimed, falling quickly to her knees in respect.

The king waved at the older woman dismissively, pushing himself off of the railing, landing right beside the startled human. Eve staggered back, her eyes wide in shock at the man's feat. She looked up once again and back towards the sculpted face of the king, her mouth slightly parted nervously as she calculated the distance between the places.

But the more she looked, the more she wanted to keep looking. Every detail of his face was picture perfect- from the brightly gleaming gold of his eyes to the chiseled bones that sharply stretched against his face. The soft curves of his lips were wet, holding her attention for the longest of times. She didn't know that she was staring until he started talking.

The man frowned. "Who brought this woman to my palace?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at Eve.

Eve looked away in embarrassment. It was unlike her to get caught in moments like that. She was usually not someone to be bothered by good looks. She reminded herself how she had been determined to drive a knife through his heart only a while ago, trying to straighten out her priorities.

The matron straightened, glancing at her nervously. "It is the Regent, my King." She replied, lowering her eyes curtly.

The man huffed. "Tch," He said, wrinkling his nose at Eve. "Such an ugly thing."

Eve's eyes widened at the comment. It had come out of nowhere, striking her out of the blue. She couldn't help but get annoyed at his snarky words. Not that she had any confidence in her scrawny figure, but he didn't have to be so blunt as well.

She narrowed her eyes, raising a finger towards the man. "You-"

"My king!" The matron exclaimed, interrupting her as if guessing full well what was about to go down. She took a step forward towards the man with a polite smile. It was more than obvious that the witch was trying to divert his attention. "We have the woman prepared. Please follow me." She said, waving towards her right.

The king frowned, unaffected by the woman's words. His eyes were trained on Eve intently.

"I want her." He said, nodding towards a stunned Eve.

"But my King!" The matron exclaimed, her eyes wide in desperation as she quickly moved to step in front of the girl. "She is the Regent's slave!"

The corner of his lips turned up to a smirk. The man cocked his head to the side, the gold in his eyes brightening for a second as he took a step towards the witch. "My uncle won't mind me borrowing his slave to wait on me, would he?" He asked, his voice dropping dangerously.

Eve watched as the matron hesitate at the threat in his voice. She sensed the tension of the internal court politics straining against the woman. So that was how it was, she thought, remembering the breathtakingly gorgeous smile of the Regent.

Her heart skipped a beat as the image flashed in her mind. Who would think that that gorgeous man was his uncle? Other than their good looks, there was nothing common between the two of them. And from the looks of it, the nephew didn't seem to like the regency of his uncle too much, she thought to herself.

What worried her, though, was the way that he was demanding for her. She doubted that he remembered the five-year-old that saved him, nor her mother who was tortured because of him. He didn't look like he was about to take the statement back.

But why was he so interested in her when his meal was already prepared for him? She didn't want to be left alone with that monster with nothing for self-defense. Her best bet now was the matron, so she turned towards the older woman with much hope, only to be ignored.

"Don't worry," The king said, waving his hand languidly at an anxious matron. "I have no interest in her."

Emilya and the older witch shared a look of worry, looking much doubtful of the man's words.

"What?" He asked, the corner of his lips raising up to a smirk. "You don't want to obey your king?"

The matron sighed, keeping her head low at the king's taunt. Without answering the man, she slowly walked towards a nervous Eve. With a stern gaze, the matron grabbed her hand, pulling her close.

"If you try to pull off something like before," The witch whispered, leaning towards her ears, her warm breath fanning against her lobes, "I will not hesitate to burn you alive."

Eve's eyes widened at the threat. Her jaw slackened as she stared at the older woman bow before her king and walk away. Emilya followed close behind. And there went her last resort she thought, licking her lips nervously.

"Hurry, woman!" The man's voice rang from ahead, startling her out of her thoughts.

Eve turned towards the direction, at the annoyed king waiting for her a good meter away from her on the other side of the stairs. She gulped nervously, calling out to all gods pagan and christian before briskly walking towards him.