Page 2 of A Kingdom so Crimson

"Well, you look appalling," Jesri mocked as I sat across from him. He dug into his smoked lamb and buttered yams, stuffing his mouth with a smirk. I offered him a tight, annoyed smile before biting into my dry, cold meat and stale biscuit. At least he had the decency to get me some food.

"You smell like a pig, Eliah. Wash up and make yourself presentable for tonight. Sir Alder is coming, and I don't want ananimalat my table," Jesri spat out, quickly dabbing his face with a napkin. He stood up and strode away, clearly acting as though it was unbearable to be in my presence.

I shook my head in annoyance and reached over to finish his juicy lamb. Jesri always had the servants give me anything that was going to waste, so savoring the last bit of his meal was a rare treat.

"I saw that," Calum said, leaping onto the pergola and flopping into Jesri's chair. His ruffled, dirty blond hair clung to his forehead, and sweat soaked through his shirt. I struggled to keep my face neutral as he took a bite of an apple, leaning back and propping his feet up on the wire table. His muscles tensed beneath his damp shirt, stirring a deep, unsettling anger in me. I forced myself to look away, trying not to stare at his sculpted chest.

"Come on, El, you have to admit that was pretty entertaining," he taunted.

I continued eating my cold meat and stale biscuit, refusing to give him the satisfaction. I closed my eyes, still chewing the tough meat, and breathed in the fresh spring air, letting the wind cool my flushed face.

"Hey, don't blame me; it was Darius's idea," Calum said, his smile infuriatingly casual.

I clenched my jaw. "You accepted it and clearly enjoyed watching me fail. You know how crucial this is for me."

He pursed his lips, his dimples showing as he grinned. "At least you'll be stuck here with me a little longer," he said, sounding almost pleased.

I rolled my eyes, barely containing my fury. "As if you enjoy my company, Cal. Don't pretend. You're itching to be rid of me so you can galavant with all the ladies without a forced companion."

He furrowed his brows, about to argue.

"Tonight, we're meeting my supposed mentor. Don't screw it up, or I swear, I will slice your skin off while you sleep," I spat out, my anger barely contained. I was done with thisconversation, and honestly, I did smell like an animal. This unusually warm spring was making me desperate for a bath.

"Don't tempt me," he smirked, his expression maddeningly unbothered, knowing I would never do such a thing to him.

I rolled my eyes, struggling to keep myself from smacking his infuriatingly handsome face. I started to walk away, but Calum grabbed my arm, making me hiss in pain.

"Tyran, Cal!" I cursed, glaring at him as I clutched the makeshift bandage that had already soaked through from the wound Darius gave me.

Calum stepped back, his hands raised defensively. "I forgot, I swear."

I grunted in frustration, throwing him a rude gesture before storming off.

"Oh, come on, El! Can't you just have some fun like we used to?" he called after me.

I stopped dead in my tracks. "Fun?" I spun around to face him, my voice dripping with anger. "When have I ever been allowed to havefun, Cal?"

He chuckled with a wicked glint in his eye. "Don't let Jesri get to you like that. You can do whatever you want."

I laughed out loud. Evidently, Calum needed to learn his uncle better. Since Jesri found me at hisperfectparty as an infant, he never stopped grueling me about who I was: an orphan with no fortune or family who cared, and the only remnants of a dowry was a torn parchment with my name on it. Still, I question why Jesri kept me, except to use me as a pawn to gain access into the King's Court by status.

Jesri was a snake and never allowed me the freedom that Calum enjoyed. Even as a child, I was constantly under his control. I used to sneak off with Calum, engaging in childish mischief and enjoying myself briefly. But those moments were fleeting and were quickly overshadowed by the crushingrealization that my arrogant parents would never return. Year after year, no one came, and Jesri was always there to remind me of that harsh reality.

I lost hope and let my anger fuel within me, falling deep into the training Jesri demanded I take. He made Darius teach me how to yield a sword and a bow and to know how to strike someone with enough force to kill, all before I even turned ten.

I stopped complaining or questioning Jesri after he locked me in my room for two days without food and said it was to help me obtainsurvivalskills, knowing all too well it was because I refused the offer to help get him a lady into his bed chambers—I was only twelve.

I clenched my hands in rage and disgust, the memories surging back like a tidal wave, each sharper and more venomous than the last. Calum, with all his charm and good looks—something I'd never admit out loud—was a hollow reflection of his uncle, Jesri. Arrogant, selfish, and driven by nothing but his own desires. We might have grown up under the same roof, but he was never a brother to me, and now that I'm older, I'm not sure he was ever a true friend. He had become a stranger in familiar skin, a poised parasite who thrived on the attention and admiration of others while still somehow worming his charm through me yet keeping me in the shadows.

However, I cared for him, not because he deserved it, but because he was the only one who let me be myself, who let me be free. But as we got older, he changed and warped that fragile bond between us into something I couldn't recognize. Turning more into the very snake he calls family and wanting what Jesri wants—money, women, and status—while I longed for something he could never understand: freedom.

But Cal was willing to sell it all, even the pieces of himself, for the sake of ambition. And that, more than anything, made my blood boil.

I stomped away, not caring to argue with him any longer. He scowled, throwing his hands up, and turned away, walking back towards Darius and his men patrolling the estate.

Heading for the door inside, I sucked in a deep breath calming myself and my energy for tonight. My stomach churned, knowing I was allowing them to control me like a puppet, yet I had a knife but wasn't willing to cut the strings.

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