Page 97 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

I wanted to ring for a tray of desserts and ice cream, then eat away the misery that was gnawing at my insides. But Brebie greeted me with a wide smile. A bathtub was already positioned by the fireplace, and the maids were starting the fire and arranging oils on a stand.

“Back so soon?” Brebie perked up. “Good. We’ll have more time to get you ready for the king.”

* * *

It was hard to fake it. Hard to come up with jokes to make the king laugh. Hard to act sweet and merry when all I wanted was to hide in my room, eat a bucket of ice cream, and cry until I ran out of tears. It was even harder to deflect the queen’s urging stares, like she had put a bet on my performance and I was her last hope to win the race.

I had to remind myself what all of this was for—to survive, to earn my place among people, instead of spending the rest of my life chained like an animal.

The palace had lost its shine to me ever since the Garden of the Cursed had been added to its grounds. I no longer viewed it as a magical place filled with beauty. Instead, I saw it for what it really was—a splendid monument to its owner’s ego, filled with cruelty and pretense.

The hardest part of the dinner was to display any kind of warm feelings toward King Tiane. I searched hard for traces of the former awe I used to feel for the Sky King and couldn’t find it. Even his beauty now seemed pretentious and over the top to me.

I held his plates for him, counting the courses and waiting for it to be over. After that, I listened to the performance of two incredibly talented singers whose voices interwove into a magical serenade of love and beauty.

I was physically present in the royal dining room, but my mind was numb.

“Well,” the king huffed. “These singers aren’t nearly as good as the siren I had a while ago.”

Only now I realized he’d been fondling my breast through my poor excuse for a dress during the performance.

“You had a siren? A real one?”

“Yes,” he replied proudly. “Straight from the Olathana Ocean. Sadly, she didn’t last long.”

“What happened to her?”

He shrugged. “She was a delicate creature, almost as weak as you are, my little human. But don’t you worry.” He flicked my nose. “We’ll make you last longer.”

My stomach sank with dread at his words, despite his smile and playful tone.

Holding my breast in the cup of his hand, he bent his thumb and scraped with the thumbnail against the fabric. The delicate material tore under pressure, his nail leaving a red welt on my skin.

I jerked away from the sting of pain. “What are you doing, Your Majesty?”

“It’s not about what I’m doing, my sweet baby chick, but what Iwantto do. Come with me.” He got up from his throne, making me slide off his lap to my feet.

Worry gripped my heart.

“Where are we going?”

“To my bedroom, of course.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “That was an excellent evening, everyone!” he announced loudly to the room. “Now, if you excuse me, I wish to retire.” His eyes flashed with glee of anticipation. “Wish me an even more excellent night.”

The court cheered for their king. People smiled and clapped their hands. I plastered a smile on my face, too, just to fit in. But dread had already slithered inside me, cold and gripping.

“I’m tired, Your Majesty,” I said quietly, only for the king to hear. “May I be excused tonight? Some other night might be better.”

“Nonsense,” he huffed, leading me off the dais and to the door. “What can you possibly be tired from? From doing nothing all day? You have absolutely no use in the palace other than to make me happy.”

That was the bitter truth. My only purpose in Elaros was to do whatever the Sky King wished me to do.

Voron wasn’t in the room. Alcon stood by the door instead of him. But what could Voron do, even if he were here? He was the one who had handed me to King Tiane in the first place.

“Hate me, Sparrow.”His voice, forceful and pleading at once, echoed in my mind.

Hate was what I had to feel for him. Nothing else. No lust, no trust, and certainly no hope of him ever becoming my savior.

ChapterTwenty-Five

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