Chapter 186 Sabrinaâs POV:
The salve had a minty feeling to it, cooling down my skin. I stared off into the distance at an expensive oil painting handing on the wall. And I wondered what made the king choose that painting. Was it a gift? Did he buy it? Or did lady Nifra choose 1 sat on his bed, my gown off my shoulders and bunched at my hips, one of his shirts pressed to my naked chest, he rubbed a cooling salve into my back, his fingers firm and gentle.
âDoes it hurt?â He asked, his voice deep behind me.
âNo,â I replied. âLady Nifra healed meâ
The cuts were gone and the blood had be washed off. But there were still some welts on my back.
âThe people that did this, Iâm going to kill them.â
1 turned to the king. Thereâs no way he just said that. âWhat?â
âI will kill them. For hurting you.â He said.
Oh my. Lady Nifra wasnât joking when she said he would do that I laughed uncasily and pressed the shirt tighter in my chest. âYour majesty, thatâs unnecessary.
âItâs not.â He replied simply. âlook at what they did to you.â
My mind drifted back to the incident at the gardens.
***Flashback***
Lady Nifra had helped me down the tree trunk after she announced to those women that I was the kingâs beloved. The harem girls expressed varying degrees of shock and disbelief. And I wasnât going to lie, I felt a bit embarrassed that she just outed me that way.
And I also felt excited.
âLady Nifraâ one of the women stepped forward. âYou need to understand why we had to punish her. She used a....a freaky trick on Blair over here.â
âAnd she used them on the guards too!â The other said.
âThatâs a lie!â One of the girls stepped forward. âWell, lady Nifra it isnât exactly a lie â
âYes?â Lady Nifra prompted.
âSabrina only used that because Blair was being mean to all of us! She tortured us and didnât allow us to leave. We couldnât even speak out.â
Lady Nifra was shocked. âYou two! How could you?!â
âLady Nifra it wasnât out fault!â
âAnd besides, this whole thing about her being the kingâs beloved. Are you sure? She is a slave â
Lady Nifra laughed. âAm I sure?â
1/4 Chapter 186 âSheâs a slave. She used to serve us. And also, a few weeks ago when dhe returned with Lord Calden, the meget so kee quarters. How is she the Kingâs beloved I stood there, blinking at the sheer audacity, and yet also appalled, to ness does fly fat is the part of our word Ponds thing knew everything.
âWell,â Lady nigra said. She took my hand and held me. âIf you really want to know if sheâs the Kingâ beloved or not, wh not give it a few hours? Since my warnings mean nothing to you, Iâm sare youâll appreciate a vial foglay âLady Nifra-
She ignored them and turned to me. âCome now Sabrina. We need to get you patched op I followed her out, a strange sense of pride brewing inside me.
Once we were out of earshot, she turned to me. You used your powers**
I nodded.
âHow were you able to?â
I explained how I felt in that moment. Cornered, angry, wishing I could strangle the life out of my assailants. She listened without interrupting me, nodding gently.
âThat is wonderfulâ She said once I was done. âI was so worried your powers were being blocked, but now itâs dear fatâs not the case.â
âWhat does this mean?â
âIt means that will a little bit of help, you will be able to master your powers.â
My eyes lit up and I smiled. âThen Iâll be able to use it at will?â
She nodded and smiled back. âYes. You will.â
âOh that sounds brilliant! When do we start?â
She laughed softly. âLetâs clean your wounds first.â
âOh right.â
We walked to the closest room, where she had me lay down as she worked a healing spell on my back.
âWhy did Blair always want to control the harem?â I asked when she was done.
âWell, if Iâd say itâs because she thought sheâd be the kingâs bride. But that is very clearly impossible.â
As much as I do not like Blair, not even a little bit, I cannot help but admit that she will make a good Luna. It she worked on herself and stopped seeing people as below her, that is. She had a magnetic aura about her, that was really quite good. Plus how ruthless she was in getting what she wanted.
âWhy is it impossible?â I asked.
Lady Nifra rolled her eyes. It was so sudden and so unlike her that I burst out laughing.
âYouâre asking me why itâs impossible? I should be asking you, Sabrina.â She said.
My cheeks turned red and I turned away.
2/4 04:52 Mon, 24 Mar AA.
Chapter 186 âI must ask, is this what you truly want?â
I turned back to her and shrugged. âI donât know what I want right now. But I trust my heart to figure it out.â
98%1 She stared at me for a moment. Then she sighed. âBe careful, Sabrina. And donât force yourself into any situations that make you uncomfortable. Not for any reason at all.â
âWhat are you hinting at?â
âAt this point, I am fully convinced that the king would let you go if you ask for it.â
âWhat? Thatâs crazy. He wouldnât-
âYou have no idea how much you have him wrapped around your finger, do you?â
I refused to think about that. âWhy are you even saying this? Arenât you loyal to the king? You want me to leave?â
Lady Nifra turned away.
She avoided my eyes.
âYou may not believe this, but I care about you.â
My brain short circuited. âYou do?â
Thatâs actually.... unbelievable. I mean sheâs never been mean to me, she just isnât exactly the picture of warmth.
âI didnât like you at first. You were always trying to kill yourself and stiring up a lot of troubleâ
I laughed as those memories came back. âYeah, I remember.â
âBut, I have learned that you are different from what I first perceived â She turned and met my eyes. âAnd I have started to care for you, without realizing. Youâve grown on me, Sabrina.â
âLike a fungus?â
She laughed. âLike a fungus.â
I went silent, she went silent too. It wasnât uncomfortable, if anything I liked it.
âYou remind me of my daughter, just a little.â She said.
I blinked in shock. âOh, I do? What was she like?â
Her eyes went out of focus. Then she blinked and got to her feet. âWe should get back to the king now.â
There. That conversation is over. Sheâs put up an ice wall now, reminding me that she is Lady Nifra.
âHe has heard about the incident and he is furious.â
Oh. Great.
***End of flashback*
âYour majesty, I donât want you to kill them. To kill two people because of me is crazyâ
âWhy not?â He asked.
âWhy not?! Theyâre people.â
Chapter 186 âPeople who hurt you, Sabrina. No one gets to do thatâ
âIf you kill them, you will make me lose sleep and feel like a shitty person?
He frowned. âFine. What do you want?â
I thought about it. Was that sarcastic? It didnât sound sarcastic, right?
Then I remembered what lady Nifra said about me having him around my finger.
Time to test it out? Right?
I came up with the craziest request I could muster at this moment. âI would like to be in full control of the haremâ
I waited, my breath tight in my chest for him to refuse it. Or laugh it off. Or something, âDone.â He said. âAnything else?â