Chapter 275: The King’s Gaze
Chapter 274: The King’s Gaze
Lyria’s POV
Jacinta gave me a long, appraising look, her eyes narrowing as though she were trying to see through my skin and into the thoughts beneath.
"You are rather meek today," she said slowly. "Willing to speak reasonably. That is unlike you. Do you perhaps have some hidden plan?"
I shook my head.
"I d-do not," I said. "I have n-no plan, Your H-Highness. I am s-simply trying to r-recover and f-focus on my d-duties."
Jacinta studied me for a moment longer, as though she did not quite believe me. Then she turned and walked back to the bed, settling upon it with the same grace she carried everywhere.
"Since you are now a princess and a Moon candidate," she said, "obviously you cannot do what you normally did for me in the mornings. Bringing water, attending to my needs. That would be beneath your... new station."
She paused.
"But that does not mean you do not serve me."
I was quiet.
She continued, her voice dropping to something softer. One would think we were having a normal conversation.
"Do not forget that your mother is in the palm of my hands. She is alive only because I allow it. If you displease me, I will not hesitate to close my hand."
I said nothing to that. What she said was obviously a lie. The Queen was the one who had my mother in the palm of her hand.
Jacinta leaned back against her pillows, her fingers trailing along the silk of her gown.
"I have no idea how you do it," she said, "but it must be known that you are nothing at all. You are not a princess. You are nothing. And when every competition is done, you are to hold your tongue. You are not to voice your opinions. You are not to interfere. You are to be silent while we decide who will win for the set day or night."
I bowed my head.
"I u-understand, Your H-Highness."
Jacinta’s smile widened.
"Good," she said. "Now, regarding the suitor candidates. You must not spend time with them. My mother told you this before—five minutes at most during each date. That rule must be maintained. You are to spend only a few minutes with each candidate, and if possible, make excuses not to attend at all."
I did not say anything.
Jacinta’s voice sharpened.
"Can you hear me?"
I nodded.
"Yes, Your H-Highness. I c-can hear you."
She tilted her head.
"What do you think of that?"
I kept my voice even.
"It is a-actually a n-nice idea, Your H-Highness."
Jacinta’s eyes narrowed.
"I know you are mocking me," she said. "But let me make something clear. If you grow annoyed with my words and perhaps do something to annoy me, even in the slightest, it does not matter if the royal family is looked down upon. I will deal with you myself. I will make sure you do not exist."
I bowed my head, keeping my face still.
"I k-know that, Your H-Highness," I said. "It is d-duly noted."
Jacinta scoffed.
"Get out," she said. "You smell. Next time, perhaps you should use better perfume. Your maids are doing a rather poor job of keeping you clean."
I kept my voice calm.
"The maids a-are doing a g-good job," I said. "I am s-sorry if Your H-Highness d-does not think so."
Jacinta smiled coldly.
"The maids may be doing a good job," she said, "but one cannot get rid of the stench of someone who is illegitimate, which is what you smell like."
I kept my face neutral. It was not my fault I smelled illegitimate, as she claimed. It was her father who had made it so.
"I u-understand, Your H-Highness."
Jacinta waved her hand.
"Leave."
I bowed and turned toward the door.
---
The corridor outside was quiet. My maids stood where I had left them, their expressions carefully neutral. They did not say anything as I emerged, and I did not offer any explanation.
I began walking back toward my chambers.
I wondered if Jacinta thought she had threatened me with those words.
Perhaps she did.
Perhaps she believed that reminding me of her power over my mother—which, again, she did not actually possess—would be enough to keep me in line.
I shook my head, a smile almost forming on my face.
Perhaps I was becoming so used to Jacinta that her threats no longer affected me.
I had just taken a turn when I paused.
My hair stood on end.
The King was walking directly toward me.
There were no guards with him. No attendants either, and that alone made me anxious.
My hands clenched at my sides.
I imagined punching him. I imagined driving my fist into his face, watching him stumble back in shock. I imagined going further—killing him, ending his reign of cruelty, avenging Patricia and everyone else he had hurt.
But I could not.
I forced my hands to unclench and stepped to the side, pressing myself against the wall to let him pass.
But he did not pass.
Instead, he stopped directly in front of me, blocking my path. His gaze swept over me, taking in my face, my dress, my posture.
My heartbeat quickened.
"Your M-Majesty," I said with a bow.
He did not respond immediately.
He leaned forward, close enough that I could smell him—cologne and something else, something sharp and unpleasant. He inhaled deeply, as though he were savouring something.
Then he spoke.
"Who are you?"
I knew he knew who I was. He had always known, but I answered him anyway.
"I am L-Lyria," I said. "The s-second princess."
His lips pulled up into a smile.
"Yes," he said. "The illegitimate princess."
I was quiet.
Now that he remembered, surely he would let me pass. Or he could walk away so I could continue my walk back to my chambers.
But then he spoke again.
"Look at me," he said.
"It is i-inappropriate for s-someone of my s-station to look at Your M-Majesty directly," I said instead of doing as he asked.
His voice hardened.
"I am the King," he said. "And I demand that you look at me."
Slowly, I lifted my gaze.
His eyes met mine and he stared at me as though he were drinking in my features, memorising every line of my face, every curve of my lips. His gaze moved over me slowly, deliberately, and I felt my skin crawl.
Then he smiled.
"You are getting more beautiful," he said. "Even more beautiful than your mother."
