Page 129 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

Emeriel whimpered, clinging to the grand king's back as if her life depended on it. He still hadn't uttered a word.

The murmurs swelled into angry roars. The high lords, their faces contorted in shock, anger and disgust, muttered amongst themselves, shaking their heads.

"But how could you deceive an entire elite council of Urekai?" a voice demanded, probably another high lord, though Emeriel couldn’t see who it was from where she hid.

"Say something, Your Grace," another high lord's voice, this one demanding, echoed through the courtyard.

Why can't I ever catch a break?All Emeriel had wanted was a few moments of respite after a brutal heat and an even more brutal recovery. She had planned to sneak back into the fortress unnoticed, blend in as she always did, and collapse into sleep before the next round of duties began. Was that so wrong? Was that too much to ask?

Why, of all days, did it have to happen today?When she could barely muster the strength to speak, let alone plead, apologize, or explain.

All her energy had been drained from her, and now she felt like a hollow shell, with nothing left to give.

Overwhelmed, she buried her face against the grand king’s back, soaking his robes with her tears. She waited for the inevitable. Waited for him to pull away. To hand her over to the vultures that encircled them, eager for her blood.

An unexpected emotion crawled up inside Grand Lord Vladya as he watched the girl's fingers tighten around Daemonikai's robes. Pity.

Was she even aware of how desperately she clutched him, as if he were her only lifeline? Did she realize that she was hiding behind a tornado to shield herself from the storm?

The very person she should fear the most was the one she held onto for protection.

Daemonikai had not said a word. To everyone else, his face was expressionless, impassive. But Vladya had known the male for centuries, he saw the fury simmering just beneath the surface.

Daemonikai waspissedas hell at Emeriel.

"Do you not have a mouth, you deceitful human? Start talking!" Zaiper's voice boomed, his anger barely contained.

"He should come out and face us first. We need to see his face," Jakal added coldly. "Human, leave our king's back and go stand at the center."

Emeriel made a soft, helpless sound, but finally, relinquished her grip on Daemonikai and stepped into the open, her body quivering like a leaf in the wind.

Daemonikai remained motionless, merely watching.

"Those truly are breasts," Zaiper said, awed and incredulous. "I should have seen this before... it was all right there. The missing piece of the puzzle."

Once that one piece falls into place, the other connections become glaringly obvious. Vladya saw Zaiper’s mind turn, like the inner workings of a clock. Saw the exact moment the cogs clicked into place.

Zaiper went pale. His jaw slackened, eyes as round as a full moon.

He knows Emeriel is Daemonikai’s Soulbond.

"You... you..." Zaiper took a step back, his breath out of control, composure crumbled to dust.

"Is everything alright, your Majesty, Zaiper?" Concern was etched on Gaff's face.

"All is as you can see, Gaff. We have a female who dared to live amongst us here in Ravenshadow under the guise and deceit, for months andmonthson end," Zaiper rallied, trying to mask how shaken he was.

How much he despised knowing Daemonikai’sSoulbondstood within reach, yet he couldn't pick her up and snap her spine in two.

But he had plenty of reasons to execute Emeriel, and the thought clearly excited him. He was trying hard to curb it, but Vladya could see through it all. That glint in his eyes was one ofanticipation. The crime of identity deception is so severe eventhe grand king might not be able to save Emeriel, and Zaiper knew that.

Vladya glanced at his old friend's inscrutable face. In moments like these, he wished he could peer into Daemonikai's mind and know what was going on in there. Was he contemplating intervention, or would he simply walk away, leaving Emeriel to her fate?

And hecouldleave.

Their kingdom held together because of the grand rulers' inflexibility of law enforcement. Daemonikai himself did not tolerate lawlessness. In a land where every male harbored a beast inside, one that could turn feral at the slightest misstep, strict laws were not just necessary they were essential.

Vladya sighed, his gaze drifting back to the girl who now stood in the spotlight, surrounded by angry Urekai like tiny prey among ravenous predators. He wished there was something he could do for her. The girl might truly meet her end on this day if her furious male did not interfere.

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