Page 15 of The Horned King

With a calming breath and a bite of the delicious spread before me, I choose to say nothing at all. Every comment floating through my brain would surely have me killed right on the spot. I don't think the king would take very kindly to me telling him what a fucking asshole he is.

"And you're providing me with more suitable clothing, then?" I finally ask before taking a drink of the sweet drink that's begun to loosen the tension in my limbs and calm my racing thoughts.

"Yes." He watches me closely. "Raya's team has been procuring them since you arrived this afternoon."

"That's," I clear my throat, "very thoughtful, Your Maj- Kairon."

For a moment, he seems almost disappointed. I wonder if every person in Oksangui is constantly searching for a reason to fight or if it's just this one infuriating man who wants to push me until I snap at him. Between the alcohol and the back and forth between insulting and overly friendly, it's the only explanation.

And I only have precious seconds before I do lose my mind and scream at him, so with all the grace I can muster, I stand. "If you'll excuse me, I've spent a lot of time traveling and need some rest before I take my tour in the morning."

"Of course. Have a lovely night, Elva." With a slight bow, I spin and walk toward the exit as quickly as I can without looking like I'm running from him. Before I reach the door, however, his words stop me. "As a word of warning, might I suggest you not leave your room until Raya delivers your new clothing? It'd be a shame for me to dismember every member of my staff for seeing what doesn't belong to them."

He didn't.

Of course, he did.

Five

Elva

A knock jars me awake in the morning, followed shortly by another, and then someone speaks my name barely above a whisper. I blink, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and roll out of bed.

"Elva, it's Raya. I have your requested items; please, may I come in?" My requested items?

At that moment, I realize that the only clothing I have is the dress I wore last night. It's still on the floor where I threw it in a fit of rage last night, and it's far too wrinkled to be worn again. I'll look like I slept in it.

Barely keeping in a frustrated shriek, I answer my early morning visitor, "Just give me a moment, please."

Storming into the bathroom, I grab the flimsy bathrobe and drape it around myself. It's almost completely sheer, and while incredibly comfortable, accidentally giving Raya a peek at my most private areas certainly would not be.

When I finally make it to the door and swing it open, she greets me with a nervous smile. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, of course," I pant, hiding behind the massive door. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Her nervous expression turns knowing and sympathetic as she gives my barely covered shoulder a pointed look. "I brought you clothes."

"Thank the gods," I mutter, grabbing the article on top of the pile atop her gloved hands. It feels almost the exact same as the robe I'm wearing—that is to say, barely there at all. The only difference is the strange cuts, like pieces of it have been removed. The only mercy is that it seems to have multiple layers of flowy material instead of just one. "Ummm, what is it?"

"It's a dress. Like you requested?" She says it like a question. "It's the fashion in Oksangui right now, and trust me, once the sun reaches the highest point in the sky, you'll be grateful for the lightweight fabric. There's also some underthings in your closet."

The more she speaks, the more I feel something crawling under my skin like it wants to escape. But she's not the one behind this madness, not the one my ire is for.

So I bite it back with a smile. "Thank you. Give me just a moment to dress, and I'll be right out."

"Oh, I'm happy to help you step into it." Her eyes dart around her, presumably looking for someone to get her in trouble should she not fulfill her duties.

"Of course." I nod, opening the door completely and covering my front with the new dress. When she enters, I close it behind her and speak quietly, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather dress myself, but you can stay here and keep me company while I do?"

With a brightness I haven't yet seen from her, she sighs in relief, "That'd be great. You go behind the privacy screen just there, and I'll hang the rest of these items in the closet."

Perfect. While I'm under no pretenses that Raya and I will be friends, we can at least be civil.

She raises her voice to reach me from where she works, "So I'm assuming you didn't actually ask for these things, then. This is His Royal Majesty's doing?"

I laugh, though it sounds closer to a snort, surprise making the noise choked and sharp. "Yes, well, I guess he wants me to acclimate to your culture while I'm here." She mutters something I don't catch, so I ask her to repeat it.

"Nothing," she assures me. "Just the king is very peculiar sometimes. He didn't even want you here, yet he's ordered and paid for clothing to ensure you fit in."

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