Page 37 of Fae King's Secret Baby

Food I’d order but couldn’t eat.

All the same, I was in heaven, loving my new life and all its luxuries… at least for a time.

I shouldn’t have fallen into that trap of comfort, the sense that I had a happy ending after years of strife and hardship. Of course it was all too good to be true.

The cracks began to surface at the end of my “vacation” time when Jergin called to demand when I was coming back.

“I’m not sure that I am,” I answered slowly. “I might need a little more time.”

“More time?” he barked. “You’ve been gone two months! You just started with the company!”

Shame washed through me as I sank down in front of the vanity in my massive walk-in closet, my body still wrapped in a silk kimono following the long shower I’d had. Nyx was in his daily meeting with the Council of Ministers, and I had the entireday to myself. The thought of going into Maximo’s was tempting, but I had vowed to work on my jewelry.

I was insurmountably tired again and feeling a little sick to my stomach.

“You’re right,” I agreed with the irritated manager. “And if you need to replace me, I fully understand.”

“I don’t need your permission, Maren,” he growled. “I need you to do what you committed to do. Think about how this reflects on Tristiana.”

More guilt flooded me with that. I had plans to see my best friend later on that night for rehearsals at the castle, and I hoped Jergin wouldn’t get to her first.

“You don’t need to take it out on her, Jergin.”

“Don’t tell me how to run my business, chickie!” he barked back. “Call me when you know what you’re doing!”

He disconnected the call, and I gritted my teeth, rising from the mirrored dresser to find an outfit for the day. I didn’t want to drag Nyx into my conflict at Maximo’s. It wasn’t his fight, after all, but Jergin was absolutely insufferable at times. I decided to keep quiet about it—for now. Tristana could handle herself, and if I enlisted the king, it would only look like I was pulling rank—rank I didn’t know I had any right to pull.

I was still in awe of the plethora of beautiful garments that Nyx had bought for me, but if I were being honest, they didn’t fill a fraction of the oversized walk-in closet. There were more clothes there than I’d ever seen in my life, and yet they were lost among the many racks and drawers. Nyx had promised more shopping sprees, despite my vehement protests.

“I can’t have you living in here with empty shelves,” he insisted. “We’ll go once a week, so you’re not exhausted and bored with it.”

It was useless arguing with him, and I had to admit that I was flattered by the attention, but it also made me wonder what he wanted in the long run.

He did dodge that question about marriage well,I mused, selecting a long, gray dress with a scooped neck. It had long sleeves and a flared skirt, but it accented every curve of my body up top. I recalled how Nyx’s eyes had shone when I modeled it for him.

Why is it fitting a bit tighter than when I first tried it on? Am I gaining weight?

I still managed to squeeze into it, and a quick glance in the mirror told me I looked good, but it was definitely smaller than I remembered—and pressing on my uncomfortable stomach.

A hazy rose tinged my cheeks as I thought of the question I had asked him a while ago. Why had I asked him about marriage? I didn’t want to know about the princess or duchess he was likely to be married to one day. I was just digging the knife of self-pity deeper into myself when I should have been relishing in the beauty of the life I’d found here, even if it was temporary.

I needed to remember that the king could never truly be enamored with someone like me, connection or not, and I could never be so foolish as to fall for him.

Next, I picked up a silver-handled brush that had already been in the suite when I moved in and ran it through my tresses until my hair shone a luxuriant russet.

I had an appointment with the castle’s stylist the following day. I had purposely put it off until after our rehearsal date because Tristiana had been questioning me too much about what I was doing when she saw me. It was already difficult enough to explain the expensive clothes and why I spent so much time at the castle. I still hadn’t told her that I’d moved in.

Sighing, I set the brush down and made my way out of the massive dressing room and through the main bedroom toward the door. I gasped, forgetting about the guard that Nyx had stationed outside my suite.

“Jeez,” I muttered, taking a step back at his proximity. He said nothing, his head fixed straight. “All right then.”

Clamping my lips, I headed toward the elegant staircase almost directly in front of me, leading both up and down. I wished it were later in the day and I could just retreat to the confines of Nyx’s arms already, yesterday’s shopping trip spoiling me with the idea of having him around always.

My stomach rumbled slightly as I headed down, followed by a pang of nausea, voices chirping below me.

“… all of those bags they brought in?” one of the maids demanded as I descended. “I can’t even imagine how much the king spent on her.”

“What makes her so special, anyway? I could take my clothes off for money, too,” her companion snickered. “I can shake my ass, too. Will he buy me a thousand-dollar coat?”

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