Chapter 58: Disgust
Gwen
Marrita, my sister, chose to visit, and I wasn’t the slightest bit displeased. I made sure the servants laid out a generous spread of food in front of her, more than enough for three people, and we both quickly devoured it with little regard for manners.
Neither of us paid attention to the leftovers as we moved toward the tall balcony, the cool evening breeze brushing lightly against our skin. We sat side by side, each with a glass of wine in hand, the city stretching far below us, before finally settling into conversation.
I had already ensured that the guards and servants had been dismissed. No one lingered nearby, and no curious ears remained. We were utterly alone.
"All is going as planned in the kingdom?" I asked her with a soft smile on my face, though my eyes searched hers carefully. "...The animals are still dying, and the crops?" I added, my tone lowering slightly, especially since our plans depended on ensuring that the people grew desperate enough to accept the salvation only we could offer.
"...Dying faster than they can grow," Marrita responded, a sly smile forming on her lips. "It’s a delicate thing, poisoning the soil and parts of the water just enough so that mostly the plants are affected without drawing suspicion."
Her satisfaction was unmistakable, and for a moment, I found myself mirroring it.
"It is satisfying to watch the coven’s plan blossom ever so slowly. Entertaining too, knowing that I was in charge of this part and that I was able to follow through with my mission," Marrita continued, her smile lingering before it slowly shifted into a faint frown.
"...The only downside is that I also have to starve!" she added with a dramatic sigh, though the frustration in her eyes was very real.
"It would be strange if the people around me were growing weaker, becoming little more than skin and bone, while I, the healer, suddenly gained fullness in my flesh," she said, shaking her head lightly.
"But the good news is that the church is far too busy to pay any attention to me. By now, I would have been caught and labeled an agent of darkness, sentenced to be burned at sunrise," she added with a light chuckle, though there was a cruel glint in her eyes that betrayed her amusement.
"I can’t wait to burn every single one of them to the ground, just as they burned our sisters," Marrita said, her voice tightening as emotion crept in. A faint sob lingered at the edge of her words before she quickly straightened, lifting her head to keep the tears from falling.
She turned to look at me, searching, steadying herself.
Slowly, I sighed, unable to stop the bitterness that I knew had crossed my face. My own role in this grand plan was far from pleasant. I had been given the mission of becoming the king’s mistress.
It meant comfort, luxury, and access to anything I desired—but it came at a cost.
"It’s hard, Marrita. Very hard," I admitted quietly, staring into my wine for a moment before continuing. "The man is more than twice my age, and he smells like a skunk, yet I have to share his bed and endure his presence night after night."
Her expression shifted slightly, more serious now.
"Are you to bear a spawn through him?" she asked, and I gave a small nod in response.
"It would serve us well. When he dies, I would be the only one with an heir," I replied, taking a longer sip of my wine, letting the taste linger as if it could wash away the bitterness coiling deep inside me.
"I am disgusted, but what choice do I have?" I continued, my voice quieter but firm. "It would be a greater honor if my child is born with magic in its veins. Regardless, the ruler of this kingdom will be one of us."
Marrita watched me carefully, saying nothing as I went on.
"Moreover, once he reaches the point of hopelessness against the Kingdom of Mountel, I am to present him with a solution," I added. "We will offer him the use of werewolf blood to strengthen his men. It solves two problems at once."
She let out a soft hum at that, clearly impressed.
"But I heard that one or two of us have also been sent on missions to other kingdoms by the coven leader," Marrita said after a moment. "Does that mean we are taking over all of them, or simply placing our eggs in different baskets?"
To be honest, I had no answer.
I slowly shook my head, my gaze drifting toward the horizon.
"Only the coven leader and the council know for certain. All we can do is follow her orders with loyalty in our hearts and—"
"...Hope in our minds," Marrita finished for me, her voice softer now.
I turned my gaze back to the setting sun, watching as it dipped lower, staining the sky in deep shades of orange and red. A faint shiver ran down my spine as the light faded, a quiet dread settling in.
I knew what the coming night would bring. The king would return, as he always did.
Using the charm potion had been unnecessary, I realized now. A waste of my magic. He was already ensnared by my appearance, captivated enough to ignore even his new wife.
Still, my thoughts drifted uneasily until Marrita spoke again, pulling me back.
"Beware of the queen," she said, her tone serious, her earlier humor gone. "A woman scorned is not easily appeased."
I simply shrugged, though there was a cold certainty behind my response.
"...She’s dead. She just doesn’t know it yet."
The words had barely left my lips when the door to my chamber was suddenly thrown open with force, the loud bang echoing sharply through the room.
Both Marrita and I instinctively rose to our feet.
Unlike her, who was adept in the use of her core and spells, I found my hands slipping toward my pockets where my potions were hidden. For a brief moment, I prepared myself for anything—until I saw who had entered.
The king.
Marrita reacted instantly, lowering her head like a servant, her posture shifting seamlessly. Her clothing matched the role well enough, and without a word, she moved past him and out of the room, closing the door behind her without so much as a glance in my direction.
"Gwen!" he gasped, his voice filled with eager delight, his eyes already roaming over me as he began to remove his outer garments.
I forced a smile onto my face, suppressing the wave of revulsion that rose within me.
Stepping closer to him, I began to loosen my own attire, my movements practiced, controlled. Inside, I felt nothing but resistance, but outwardly, I played my part perfectly.
All I could think of in that moment was how quickly it might end.
’I’ll be the one to end it, I swear it.’
