Free Web NovelChapter 28: The King’s Cares.
The question made Arianna deeply regret her decision to spend the night in a separate tent.
She hadn’t known that there were monsters lurking in the dark who wanted her dead. Still, she chose not to reply to Samantha. There was no way she could find the energy to argue given how utterly exhausted she felt.
"It’s none of your business," Aunt Freya snapped, cutting her daughter off before things escalated.
"I just think the princess doesn’t fully understand what it means to be the wife of the King," Samantha added sharply. But the moment she noticed Kane’s expression shifting into something dangerous, she quickly tried to backpedal. "I didn’t mean any disrespect, of course. Hopefully, the culprit will be caught soon."
Arianna wondered if the girl meant a single word of it. She hadn’t even met Samantha until a few minutes ago, but in that short time, she could already tell that Samantha was deeply bitter.
It seemed the daughter wasn’t much different from her mother.
"He will be found," Kane said, standing up from the edge of the bed. He turned to his family, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You should all return to your tents now and let the investigation proceed."
"Get well soon, dear," Aunt Freya said gently, her face twisted into an expression that looked like mourning.
Arianna simply nodded without saying a word. She vividly recalled how cruel this woman had been to her just that morning, so why was she acting like a saint now? Was she only pretending to be a good person because the King was watching?
Once they had all filed out of the room, Kane urged her to get some rest. But terror still gripped her; she was terrified that whatever had happened earlier would happen the moment she closed her eyes.
"I am not going anywhere," Kane told her softly, sensing her panic. "I will sit right here and watch over you. Do not be afraid, Arianna. No one can enter this tent to harm you."
Arianna believed his words, so she lay back on the bed and tried to sleep. It wasn’t easy for her; the horrifying images of the attack kept flashing through her mind.
"Are you alright?" the King asked, moving toward her with worried eyes. He hated seeing her like this. They had only met a two days ago, but he was already used to seeing her smile. "Do you need anything?"
"No," she murmured, shaking her head. Tears welled up in her eyes all over again as she recalled the terror of the attack. It still felt like a nightmare rather than reality.
"He held me by the neck... and I couldn’t even scream for help," Arianna sobbed, gently rubbing her throat where the pain still throbbed. What had happened to her was so terrible that she wouldn’t wish it upon her worst enemy. "I thought I was going to die..."
Kane rushed to her side, unable to bear seeing her break down in his presence. He sat on the bed beside her, pulling her into a tight, protective embrace. "I am so sorry this happened to you under my watch... I am so sorry."
Arianna tried to control her tears, not wanting to sound like a crybaby. This was not the time to shatter completely and show her enemies that they had succeeded. "It’s not your fault, Your Highness."
"It is," he insisted, breaking the hug slightly to look at her. She had arrived here with beautiful, glowing, flawless skin, and now look at what his world had done to her. "I have been selfish. I should have sent you back to your father the moment you came."
"You think I would be safe over there?" Arianna let out a bitter chuckle. She wished she could tell him that things were actually much worse back home. "I want to stay."
"Are you sure?" His piercing blue eyes searched her face, almost wishing she would say no so that he could send her away to safety.
"Yes, Your Highness. I am beginning to like it here."
Kane was genuinely surprised. Was she sure, or had the trauma of the attack messed with her head? Life in the West was far more advanced and comfortable than the life they lived here.
He knew all too well that she was accustomed to luxury, so why choose to remain with a barbarian like him? Or was she running away from something over there?
She had said it was not safe in the West. He wondered what she truly meant by that, but looking at her fragile state, he chose not to press her for answers just yet.
"If it pleases you to stay with this monster, then your wish is what I will grant," he finally said, standing up from the edge of the bed. "I promise you this will never happen again. I will have the culprit groveling at your feet, begging for mercy on his knees before the sun sets."
It was the effort that mattered to her. No one would have ever bothered to make such a promise back home. Her father was always too busy trying to forge political alliances, and her mother—even though she cared—was still consumed by mourning her brother years after his death. Arianna had always been neglected.
"I will get you some food," Kane broke the silence, turning to leave.
"I am not hungry," Arianna muttered quickly, hoping he wouldn’t trouble himself.
"But you need to eat. It will soon be time for you to take your medicine," he insisted. He wasn’t about to listen to her protests; otherwise, he knew she wouldn’t take a single thing.
"I will eat later."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she answered, lowering her gaze.
Her heart beat a little faster because she had just lied straight to his face. The truth was, she absolutely detested taking medication.
Back in the West, she would do anything to avoid taking it whenever she fell ill, and since neither of her parents ever bothered to check on her, she always got away with it.
She thought she had successfully fooled him, but Kane shook his head as he realized exactly what was going on.
His eyes squinted as he looked down at her. The way she intentionally avoided his gaze was incredibly obvious. Beneath the blanket, her hands shifted nervously.
"You are planning to skip your medication, aren’t you?" he chuckled, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. She looked exactly like a child who had just been caught cheating.
Arianna took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. It was time to face reality; he had read her like an open book. "Alright, Your Highness... I will tell you the truth."
"I am all ears, Princess," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for her confession.
"I don’t like medication. Back home, I used to just throw it away. Since my parents never supervised me, I always got away with it."
"I see..." He nodded slowly, his expression softening with amusement. "Well, here, you are going to be strictly supervised by me. I am going to personally ensure you take every drop so you can get well soon, little one."
Before she could even attempt to protest, he turned and left the tent to fetch her food. Arianna gently slapped her forehead with her palm. He wasn’t going to compromise at all. It was completely useless trying to convince him otherwise.
A few minutes later, Kane returned, followed closely by Maria who was carrying a heavy tray. Arianna was far more surprised to see her maid than she was by the food.
"Maria, you came!"
"Yes, my lady," Maria smiled warmly, walking over to her side and placing the tray gently onto the bed. "I brought you..." She hesitated, unsure of what to call the meal given that it was either the dead of night or the early hours of the morning. No one was quite sure of the time.
To her surprise, the King chimed in. "An early breakfast."
"Yes, Your Highness," Maria bowed quickly, still startled that the fearsome King had spoken directly to her.
"I will leave you ladies to it, then," Kane said, his sharp eyes flicking to the tray and then back to Arianna. "Make sure she eats and takes her medication, Maria, or you will be the one facing punishment."
"She will, Your Highness," Maria promised, lowering her head respectfully.
"What?" Arianna gasped. She hadn’t realized there were conditions attached to this. The King certainly knew how to get exactly what he wanted—he was using Maria because he knew Arianna cared too much about her maid to let her get into trouble. "Fine, I will do as you say. But where are you going, Your Highness?"
"I won’t rest until I find the one who did this to you," Kane said, lingering to take one last look at her before turning to leave. He clearly didn’t want to go, but duty called and he had to answer. "You will be safe here in my tent."
Arianna nodded, secretly wishing he didn’t have to leave, but understanding that he must.
"I never thought the King would care this much for you, my lady," Maria whispered the moment Kane stepped outside.
"He seems like a completely different person today. I don’t know... it’s becoming harder and harder to tell what type of man he truly is."
"Maybe the rumors exaggerated his cruelty, my lady. Or perhaps he has actually fallen for you."
"Oh, Maria," Arianna tried to laugh, but a sharp stab of pain in her neck instantly reminded her of the agony she had just survived. She winced, rubbing her temples gently.
"You went through so much, my lady. Who could have possibly wanted to see you dead?" Maria asked, her eyes already tearing up with emotion.
"I don’t know, Maria," Arianna muttered, staring blankly at the food tray. "But someone in this tribe is deeply unhappy that I am here."
"Do you think it’s Aunt Freya?"
"Maybe. She clearly doesn’t like me, even though she pretends to be a saint in front of the King."
"What about her daughter, Samantha?" Maria asked.
Arianna shook her head slowly, trying to recall any strange interactions with the girl. "I didn’t even meet her until this afternoon, but she seemed incredibly angry at me just for spending the night outside this tent."
"Then who else could it be?"
"Ethan and Selena," Arianna added, her voice dropping to a grim whisper. "They have tried to kill me before... why wouldn’t they try to do it again?"
