Chapter 446: Chapter 446

Simon closed his eyes, lying on his comfortable bed. This was a much-needed time alone that he had earned. However, it was only peaceful on the outlook, Simon was in an inner war with himself.

The weight of his earlier conversation was pressing down on him like an iron shroud. His father’s voice still echoed in his mind...stern, unyielding, dismissing his desires as if they were mere whims. Prince Simon would have really wished that there was an easier way around this, but without his father’s help, the right to the throne might fall through.

Just at this thought, he shook his head, ’It’ll be more challenging but not impossible! I am not one to shy away from such!’

"You just have not met her yet...."

His own whisper played back in his head, filled with conviction, yet now laced with an unsettling edge. He had met her. Those piercing blue eyes, bold and defiant, had branded themselves onto his soul. Prince Simon was lost!

He had no idea yet, but there was a doubt that he would have cared, even if he knew. He could still see the way she had looked at him ... not with reverence, nor with fear, but as though she were his equal. It was maddening. It was intoxicating. Partly why he was so sure of his thoughts:

’She will be my QUEEN!’

The words had burned inside him then, and they burned still. But as they settled, so too did the unspoken truth ... the one thought that had sent a chill down his spine even as he dared to entertain it.

’... even if I have to get rid of you, Father!

When had this thought slipped in?

Simon inhaled sharply, shifting in his position on the bed to his side, as if the discomfort of the idea could be physically shaken off. Treason. The thought alone was poison. Prince Syla was not the king and will never be in his life, but his words were the law; therefore, that was precisely Treason!

One thing that made this absurd was that Simon was his father’s son, raised to honor the crown and respect the bloodline that had ruled for generations. But what was honor if it meant losing her?

Prince Simon had little notion of how close this was to all other royal families and families where there was considerable power at play.

He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening as reluctance warred with the burning obsession in his chest. The struggle lasted only a moment.

Then, his expression hardened.

A decision had been made.

With a slow exhale, he straightened, the last remnants of hesitation melting away as he turned toward the heavy wooden door.

"Send for the head of the guards!" he commanded a nearby guard, his voice calm, measured. Prince Simon was seated in a majestic chair by the time the head guard returned.

He would not lose her. No matter the cost. The fact that the woman in question belonged to another and had his child growing in her seemed to be beside the point for him at this time. It was not that this notion had ever deterred him in any way though

"Did you send another meal to her?"

For a moment the head guard was stunned. He was always sent for when there was war brewing or some urgent issue, but inquiry about whether a female had taken her nutrition was mere insults to him. But how could he say this? .... even though his lip curled down subtly, indicating his dissatisfaction

Not that Simon missed it. Already in a foul mood, Prince Simon raised a single brow in askance, the motion subtle yet weighted with an authority that could not be ignored. And yet, it was not merely the gesture .... it was a slight shift in the air, as if Prince Simon had used an invisible force that pressed down on him, growing by the second!

The head guard stiffened, a tremor betraying his body before he could will it away. He had nearly forgotten. Nearly dared to meet that gaze as an equal. He was but a guard who stood in front of his owner, his Prince! A royal! It was only at that time and in front of that power display that he remembered.

He swallowed hard, lowering his eyes in submission. How foolish he had been to forget whom he stood before.

"Do I need to tell you what our meals can do?"

"Y-yes.... My Prince, pardon me for leaving such an important task to my underlings...."

The man fell flat on his face, in obeisance.

"The nutrition of our future Queen is priority, and I will get to it asap!"

The act of the guard nearly licking the floor seemed to do the trick as Prince Simon nodded and the pressure emanating from his body receded.

There were a lot of unspoken words at this time. As the head of the guards, how could he not know and understand what his future king wanted to do? It was widely known that any being, especially humans, who consumed any food in their land, would never be able to leave their land till they died. It was also widely known that they would never be able to eat their own type of meal, even if they miraculously left the Fae-land.

They all knew that the future queen seemed to belong to another male, but who in their right mind could claim the female that their future king wanted?

None! Not a single person could do that! As the protector of the palace and its innards, it was his duty to understand all these without the words being exchanged. His future king had spoken, and he had no other option but to obey! The mission was simple.... The woman had to stay, no matter the means!

It was too much of a sudden to give Shelby any reaction time, not that she could though. One moment, she was enjoying that quiet time and the company of this new Fae, then in the next moment, these others appeared out of nowhere!

The Faes holding her down looked slightly smaller than her, but the strength in their arms and their bulging muscles told Shel by that they were not to be trifled with! They were carefully selected and groomed royal guards for a reason!

She struggled against the iron grip of the two guards holding her down, her breath ragged, her arms aching from the force of their restraint. The cold ground, stones, mixed with moss beneath her knees bit into her skin, but that was the least of her worries.

A third guard approached, a bowl of thick, steaming soup in his hands. To any onlooker, it was a simple act ... feeding a prisoner, ensuring she ate. But she and the Fae standing off to the side knew better. He had actually mentioned something on this when he offered his water to her.

The petrified Fae clenched his fists. These were his colleagues, but they thought him a fool and did not relate much to him. He had barely known this beautiful female...mere moments, really ... but something in her defiant gaze, in the way she held herself even now, made him step forward before he could think better of it. His voice failed him, but his body moved.

And for his bravery, he was swatted aside like an insect. The force of the blow sent him crashing to the ground, pain blooming across his ribs as he gasped for air.

On a normal day, maybe, this wouldn’t have hurt that much, but these dungeons had a way of making sure that any Fae prisoner felt such and their power was repressed. He turned his head, wincing, and saw the female’s wide eyes locked onto him .... shock, fear, and something else flickering in their depths.

But he had no regrets. If he had to crawl to stop them, he would. For some reason, he felt that he owed the world to make sure that this female was okay!

He groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows, forgetting that he had wings. He spat out dust mud mixed with some greenish substance.

"Ain’t right, nah it ain’t..." he muttered, shaking his head to clear the stars still dancing in his vision. His ribs screamed in protest, but he wasn’t done.

He staggered to his feet with a grunt, swaying for only a moment before planting his boots firmly.

"Ya think I’ll stay down? Pah! Ya ain’t rid o’ me that easy." He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and squared his shoulders, ready to throw himself at them again.

The female was still on her knees, still held tight, but the air around her ... hell, it was changin’. The dead torchlight somewhere on the walls in the back flickered to live, slightly illuminating the place, but there wasn’t any source or igniter to do that. Shadows stretched wrong, curling like they were alive. And her eyes... Heavens help him, her eyes weren’t just eyes no more.

He stopped dead, swallowing hard. In all of his life, as a guard who undertook many unmentionables, this was the first time that he was truly stunned in a way that his mind stopped working, temporarily.

"...Well, I’ll be damned." That was the most complete normal statement he had ever made. He had been shocked to use the correct speech!

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