Page 32 of The Slave in A Princess Disguise

Emeriel bowed. "You sent for me, madam?"

"Indeed. You will be assisting with dinner service. We are running short of Urekai servants due to the Lantern Festival preparations."

"Yes, madam," Emeriel replied, "Where will I be assigned?"

"The Southern Wing," Madam Livia answered without hesitation. "The Grand King's royal residence."

Emeriel's heart skipped a beat, a sliver of unease creeping up her spine. Surely, the head maid did not mean...

"You mean his territory, right? I will be serving the soldiers stationed around Frostfall?" Emeriel asked, just to clarify. Please, say yes.

Madam Livia paused, her gaze piercing Emeriel's. "In case you haven't noticed, this is a private kitchen. Exclusively for the rulers. Only Urekai are permitted here. You and I are present because I willed it so."

Emeriel noticed. She swallowed tightly. "I will be serving in the r-royal residence? You mean, the g-grand king?" Please, say no.

"Unless another ruler has taken up residence in the Southern Wing, yes," Madam Livia replied dryly. "Now stop dawdling and get to work."

Emeriel stood rooted to the spot. "But, but, I cannot! You know what Lord Vladya—"

"Lord Vladya is not here now, and Lord Vladya is not the head of maids. I am," Madam Livia interrupted, her tone brooking no argument. "Besides, you are wearing scent suppressants. It should not be a problem."

Emeriel shuffled from one foot to another, her heart pounding.Holy Doly! She wants me to serve the grand king.

The older woman's face softened. "It is time you met the male whose life you saved, Emeriel, do you not think?"

I met him this morning. We walked together. He scented me, and I yearned for his touch...

She could have said all that. She knew that if she did, Madam Livia might withdraw her help.

And she was indeed trying to ‘help’, however unconventional.

But Emeriel did not.

"As you wish, Madam Livia."

Moments later, as Emeriel joined in the line of Urekai maids, a mix of excitement and fear pulsed through her.

She was going to see her Beloved again. Tonight.

Chapter ten

THE BOY WITHOUT A SCENT

Thegrandking'ssummonto feed had filled Mistress Sinai with unparalleled joy. For a fleeting moment, she had been the happiest female in Urai.

Now, the echo of that elation faded as she exited the royal residence, replaced by a bitter frustration. Her Daemon remained as distant and impersonal during bloodfeeding as he had been when his bondmate lived.

Yes, there was the natural arousal, the permission to grind against his leg for her own release, but it was cold. A mechanical act devoid of any true intimacy. He remained aloof, his pheromones held tightly in check, his arousal a flame that he refused to quench with her.

He did not allow her touch. He simply fed, then dismissed her.

Fuming and stomping down the corridor, Sinai muttered curses under her breath. A procession of royal Urekai maids emerged, each bearing platters loaded with delicacies.

Her eyes were instantly drawn to the odd figure at their center, sticking out like a drop of blood on pristine snow. Emeriel.

Sinai stopped dead in her tracks.

The sluttyhuman prince!What in the abyss is he doing sneaking around her Daemon again?

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