Wrath

Chapter 4

"You should go out more in the sun; you're awfully pale," the king said with concern mixed with a hint of distaste.
"I haven't been out since Daniel went missing," Amara sourly replied, not in the mood to talk to the king after his men stormed into her room and roughly woke her up.
If only she hadn't been accustomed to such harsh treatment, she would have suffered a heart attack. As if this wasn't enough, she was given a deadline: they would return in 30 minutes, and if by then she wasn't ready, they would still take her, regardless of her condition.
This day had taken a turn for the worst when the scowling maid, Maria, came back to tend to her in the morning.
The king's taunting voice pulled her back to earth.
"Why? Has someone chained you to your bed?" Even though he was making a sarcastic joke, the monarch noticed the woman's expression and knew that she was sad.
"It wasn't exactly a very peaceful place, the garden back at my house," Amara remarked blatantly without much consideration.
"Why aren't there enough flowers or greenery?" the king asked curious
"Daniel's house was out in the middle of nowhere, and I felt a little uneasy because the garden was so close to the forest's treeline." amara answered
"That awful man choosing such a location for his family is not surprising." the king remarked with distaste
The monarch looked at Amara and said, "You're not what I had expected." The fact that Amara was having breakfast with this monster and that he was suddenly so chit-chatty made her uncomfortable.
However, she found herself intrigued by his remarks.
What other person was he expecting, if not her? A ghost? Amara deliberately avoided making eye contact with the rude king, who was staring at her with the intensity of a predator sizing up his prey, with a confused expression on her face.

The king listened for her reply, but all he heard was her softly chewing on the pancake smeared with honey. His gaze slipped from her eyes to her lips, and he immediately regretted his actions.
The monarch writhed in his seat at the completely oblivious woman's beautiful red lips, which were swollen by Amara's continuous, worried biting. The monarch swallowed hard as he watched her lips move, licking his own lips, while Amara chewed on her pancake without realizing the effect she had on the king.
He immediately got up and decided to leave as soon as possible, disgusted with his own observations and behavior.

"You should go out to the garden and get some sun," he said, clearing his throat before adding,
"I've heard it's healthy for the baby," after taking one more look at the woman's pale face.

As Amara glanced up at the king, a sliver of hope appeared in her forest-colored eyes, but that hope vanished as soon as the king spoke once more.
"You weren't shot yesterday because you were lucky, but if you decide to play a trick again, you won't be so lucky, got it? My guards have surrounded the perimeters and they will keep a close eye on you." The king declared.

Amara took a large bite of her pancake and could only nod, but the king arched an eyebrow in question.
Amara observed how he stood above her, and she answered,
"Yes, sir," without minding that her mouth was full.

The king mumbled a curse and suddenly remembered why he was running away from her in the first place.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the king ran out of things to say and simply nodded, completely flustered by the woman's mouthful of pancakes and honey-drizzled lips.

When the king turned to flee from her, Amara's voice stopped him.
"May I ask you a question?" Amara was afraid of another outburst because she had injured her shoulders the previous time she asked him a question.
The monarch turned to face her and gave her a simple nod, doing his best to maintain his focus on her emerald eyes.

"What's your name?" Amara asked in an attempt to ease the uneasiness.

When he heard her question, his demeanor went frigid.
Walking away from her, the monarch remarked coldly, "It's your highness for peasants like you."

Amara was uncomfortable with his tone because, although she understood he had reasons to keep her captive, she wasn't here to make friends with the cruel king either.

After all, it was safer to be here than to be outside all alone.
If the monarch had intended to hurt Amara, she sensed that he would have done it by now.

The pregnant woman sat alone at the table, gazing longingly at the food. If she hadn't been under such stress, she would have been ecstatic to think of having so much food, but her joy was fleeting as the forever grumpy Maria visited Amara. This woman could never bring good news with her, Amara thought.

Maria frowned and remarked, "His Majesty has ordered me to take you to the garden."

Amara felt like rolling her eyes at her tone. It seemed as though she had been doing this for so long that she had forgotten how to form personal bonds with people. Though Amara couldn't hold that against her, working for someone as ruthless as his highness would have turned anyone into a stone.

Amara got up and followed Maria as she moved toward a hallway. She knew that if she didn't follow, the woman would make her life unpleasant.
Amara scowled as Maria strolled down a dimly lit hallway, thinking that the woman might be deceiving her once more and tricking her into the dungeon. Amara took a deep breath at the thought.

"Where are we going?" Ready to escape the scene, Amara asked

Abruptly, the woman ahead of her stopped in her tracks and turned to face her again. She stared blankly at Amara for a few moments before letting out a heavy sigh, as though she were fatigued by her presence.
Maria walked to the end of the hallway, turned around, and opened a heavy door.

Amara closed her eyes as the sun blinded her, reflexively shielding her face with her palms.
Her eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the bright sun as she gazed around in awe.

Beautiful flowers adorned the inner castle walls, with a massive fountain at the center of the vast garden. Quiet birdsong filled the air as butterflies soared overhead.
Amara sighed and said, "I would be lying if this place did not bring me peace."
She enjoyed going to the garden at Daniel's house before he vanished, and there was something about being close to nature that always helped Amara feel at ease.

She took a step forward, looking back to see Maria standing away from her in a corner of the massive garden. But she knew if she tried to flee, Maria would surely find her.
Even though the woman staring at her with a frown was rather elderly, Amara knew better than to underestimate her.
Amara went ahead and sat next to the fountain, submerging her hand in the water and exhaling.
She felt at ease after a long period of her chaotic daily existence, in which she had to fight daily just to survive.

Her husband had gone missing and would remain missing, and now she was enjoying the peaceful surroundings of a new country, all while being abducted by the king. She sniffled and kept her palm on her stomach, a knot forming in her throat as tears filled her eyes. No one was around to help her; she was completely alone.

Amara's in-laws were a nightmare, constantly criticizing and disliking her in any circumstance they could find, and they put all the blame for their son's shortcomings on her. When Amara and Daniel first got married, they were thrilled with her because they had what they wanted-a submissive, gullible woman to serve as their puppet.
However, Amara was able to see through their bluff and realized that this was her own fault.

She believed in people she shouldn't have, and now she suffers for their sins.

A touch on her shoulder startled her, causing her to lose her footing and fall, just as muscular arms encircled her waist to maintain her balance. With a pale face, she turned to look back. It was not the king, but this man was worse than him. She wanted to turn around and beg God for mercy.

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