Duchess Of Sebria ✔️

Commoner In The Castle

10

Zebian woke up in his bed all alone. Despite her presence having an imperative effect on him, he couldn't submit himself to let bygones be bygones, in fact, such theories weren't a part of his beliefs.

His eyes shot open as his mind evoked images of her body and face. He drew a sigh as his heart confessed she grew up more beautiful, her long tresses were longer in contrast to years back. His stomach did a somersault.

He further went on assessing that if Rose had stayed with him, she would have been enthroned beside him. They would have been married by now with at least four children. Two boys and two girls. He would have been a sane emperor like his father with a woman of his life.

But damn for notions only resting in his mind. She ran away and that was enough to sabotage all of his aspirations.

The thought chafed his mood. The next he grunted in displaced aggression, tossed the duvet and hurled out of the bed. His body reacted sorely due to the whippings of that day. He strode outside to head toward his royal bath hall. His guards stomped their feet and squared their shoulders at his sight. He paid them no heed and continued to stride.

He reached the hall and straight went to the pond after shedding each fibre of cloth from his body. His spine-chilling scars massively outspreaded on his chest, they were still very much black and purple. He sighed loudly and let the warm water unknot his stressed muscles. As he closed his eyes before contacting his back with the contour of the pond, her face yet again invaded the cells of his brain, causing him to grimace bitterly.

The day she didn't come, he thought she was angry with him. But when there were no signs of her for two weeks, he was forced to visit her village. People of Winsford were stupefied to see him there, alone. It had never been where the royals would have come without their imperial guards. He halted near her house and found it locked. Interrogating around, he learnt the man and his daughter left the place weeks ago. The revelation destroyed him in a second. It provoked him so much that he ended up beating the man black and blue who narrated the news.

His royal guards carried him back to the palace despite his nerve-wracking temper. He didn't talk, couldn't eat and hadn't seen anyone for the next eight months. The royal palace had grown concerned about their prince's mental health. His isolation was a worrisome matter for the royalty. His mother's health deteriorated watching her son tormenting himself for the reason she wasn't aware of. Nobody told her until she had a nervous breakdown.

That day King Bancroft clued her about the root cause of his tantrum. At first, Meriall couldn't believe it. Zebian was close to her, he could have never hidden such a big thing from her.

Whereas, Zebian was dying off the pain her disappearance had brought. The guards outside his room often heard him yelling, sobbing and hurling items at night. They heard him mourning by calling someone out.

"Rose, please, come back. I can't live without you," He begged brokenly while lying on the floor lifelessly. Every night, he used to write letters to her and save them for the day when she would come back so he could tell how he felt in her absence. He knew one day she would come back. He'd chain her in his room so she'd never leave.

His mind fought all the pulls he was getting toward her by his desirous heart. No, it wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let himself go easy on her. She was the one who imposed cruelty on his brittle heart at first and now, it was her turn to have a payback with interest. He would outperform all the brutality he endured for years. He would show her what escapade had actually turned him into.

He climbed out of the pond and draped a golden silk robe. His staff dressed him up formally as he had to attend a breakfast with the migraine-triggering guests. A smirk splayed across his lips as he thought of Arlet. She must be lamenting about forming ties with him. She should be.