Duchess Of Sebria ✔️

My Wish Is You

32

Kolton let out a shaky breath before forcing his legs to traverse Arlet's territory. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his pants before the announcer made his presence known. All of the chambermaids lowered their heads and scooted out as he entered the bedroom. He raised his heavy eyelashes and rummaged in the room to find her sitting on a stool in front of the mirror as she detangled her soft blond manes.

His eyes sized up her back, she was wearing a beige three-piece silk nightgown that was draped around her, veiling her creamy skin. He gulped and walked in her direction. Arlet's brush paused for a moment when she heard his footsteps growing louder. She tilted her head over her shoulder and sighed when he reached a few steps away.

"So, he finally sent you," She taunted while pulling her dead hair out of the hairbrush. "Didn't even wait for a day," Batting her eyebrows, she put the brush on the dressing and spun to face him.

Kolton was watching her with a stoic face. She stood up and sauntered to him. She halted under his scrutiny and sighed with a strained look. "Are you really going to fuck me this time?" Tears brimmed in her eyes as she questioned him.

"We have no other choice," He replied while staring impassively at her, though the whirlwind of desires were blatantly swirling in those pairs of light browns.

She scoffed under her breath and closed her eyes. "We," A tear slipped from her eye when she remembered the moment she agreed to send the marriage proposal. She thought she could make the king fall for her. Now only she could laugh at her naivety, how could she make a dead fall for her? Loving a dead heart meant embracing your own destruction, and that's where she was, close at hand to her destruction.

"I once had a choice and I made a witless decision, and from then on, luck seemed to be upset with me," She opened her eyes and let her tears soak her face. A woeful smile accompanied her sadness.

She hid her face in the crook of her chest and wept. Seeing her break, Kolton was a step ahead before he realised it himself. Arlet snivelled and willingly let him push her close to his body. He secured his arms around her and grazed her back while she burst out louder.

"He..he is so cruel to me, what wrong h..have I done to him?" She lamented as he closed his eyes and relished her closeness. He was grateful that the king chose him over someone else. It would have broken him.

"If he never p...perceived me capable of his worth, why hasn't he refused to marry me. Why am I his 'avowed' concubine? Why am I left to be humiliated by his men's hands?" Arlet groused against his chest.

Suddenly a voice in her head began laughing at her while reminding her of those conversations of her father pressing Lord Bancroft on the subject of their marriage. And in fact, it was Lord Bancroft who promised them the alliance, Zebian never cleared his interest in her or maybe he did, just she was ignoring the signs. She should have understood his distant behaviour, she shouldn't have blamed it on his hard-to-open-up nature.

Her torrent of thoughts broke when he pulled her head away from his chest. She glanced up with sorrow-filled eyes and instantly regretted her words when she saw a tinge of hurt in his gaze. He softly cupped her cheeks and grazed his thumbpads on her skin.

He let out a heavy sigh while looking deeply in her greenish orbs. "You are too treasured to be used by his men. I would have never even laid my fingers on you if your safety wasn't concerned but I'm ashamed yet helpless before you. I can bear the penalty on me but I can't see you coming under his wrath, you are too delicate," There was an undeniable truth in his eyes, silently appealing to her to believe him.

His intense gaze was squeezing her stomach, she lowered her gaze to his right arm. "How is your wound?" She lifted her eyes as she asked to change the topic. He blinked and sighed before nodding his head.