Chapter 25

SABINA

Aboloft had changed a lot, but some things remained the same. He still did things for me, just like he used to, even after all these years apart.

His actions always caught me off guard, and they still did.

“You went to Wilsden for me?” I asked, my eyes searching his for answers. Why would he do that? Why would he go to a place that almost killed me, and for my sake?

“Exactly, my sweet. I went to Wilsden for you,” Aboloft said.

I wished he would just tell me what I wanted to know. “Why, Aboloft? Why did you go there for me? That place is awful. There’s nothing there for me,” I said.

“But there are things there for me. Things I can’t ignore, no matter how much I want to,” he replied.

He took my hands and led me to the bed, making me sit down.

“Like what? And what do they have to do with me?” I asked.

“You’ll find out soon, Bluebell. I can’t tell you everything right now. You’ll have to wait. Be patient,” Aboloft said, sitting down next to me.

“No! Don’t keep secrets from me, especially when they involve me. Tell me why you went to that terrible town for me!” I demanded, glaring at him.

“Relax, Bina. It’s not a big deal. Now, tell me what you and Bancroft talked about,” he said.

“No. I won’t tell you what happened between King Bancroft and me until you tell me why you went to that town,” I said.

Aboloft raised an eyebrow. “Are you giving me an ultimatum, Bina?”

His words sent chills down my spine, and I suddenly felt the need to wrap myself in a blanket.

His hard eyes and cold, calculated voice were enough to make me want to hide.

But instead of hiding, I held his gaze and said, “Yes, it’s an ultimatum.”

I screamed when Aboloft suddenly pushed me, making me fall back onto the bed.

He was on top of me before I could react. He held my wrists above my head and looked down at me.

“You don’t get to give me ultimatums, Bluebell,” Aboloft said, his voice threatening.

“I can do whatever I want. You don’t get to tell me what to do,” I shot back.

I gasped when Aboloft’s other hand closed around my neck, his grip firm.

“No one, especially not me, gave you that right. You can’t do whatever you want, but I can tell you what to do.

“Get that idea out of your head, my beautiful goddess, or I’ll have to teach you the hard way.”

“You don’t have that power because I never gave it to you,” I said, trying to break free from his grip.

“You don’t need to give me that power, my sweet. This kingdom gives me that power—not just over you, but over everyone here,” Aboloft said.

His hand tightened around my neck, and fear crawled over my skin.

“Get your hands off me, you bastard!” I hissed.

I regretted my words as soon as Aboloft cut off my air. He tightened his grip, making it impossible for me to breathe.

At first, I only felt the pain of his hand crushing my neck, but then my body started to fight back—struggling against his hold, desperate for air.

“Beg for my forgiveness, and I’ll let you breathe,” Aboloft said.

He won too easily. My mind fought for a few seconds before I gave in to my body’s needs. I did what he wanted. I apologized.

“Forgive—my sharp—tongue, I won’t—speak to you—like that—again,” I managed to say.

Aboloft glared at me after he let go of my neck. I took in deep breaths, grateful for the air.

He always knew how to get what he wanted, whether through words or actions. It was something I envied about him eight years ago, and I still did.

“Get off me. I need some time alone,” I said. I needed to think, to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t talk to Aboloft like that.

He was the king. I was just a slave. I should be grateful that he gave me food and clothes, things I could only dream of.

“You really need to be punished. Do you understand that, Bina?” His words cut deep, stirring up fear and memories I was trying to forget.

“No, I don’t. You need to be kind to me,” I said.

Yes, I needed some time alone to go back to the old Sabina, the Sabina who didn’t argue with kings, the Sabina who was quiet and didn’t fight for her rights.

But damn King Bancroft, I couldn’t go back to being that person. She was gone, maybe hidden. And I couldn’t let her come back, I wouldn’t.

“Kind?! After what you did, you expect me to be kind to you?” Aboloft looked at me like I was possessed.

“I told you before, I had no choice! I had to do what I thought was best for you, and leaving you was the only option,” I defended myself.

“Well, I didn’t think it was the best option,” he said.

“You weren’t the one who had to make that decision. You weren’t the one who had to deal with the townspeople.

“You weren’t called names for having friends you shouldn’t have had. I was! So no, there was no other option,” I said.

“You could’ve come to me, Bina. I would’ve given you a place here in the castle. If you’d just been honest with me, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” Aboloft said.

“That’s ridiculous! No self-respecting woman would live with a man she’s not married to,” I shot back.

“Well, then we could’ve gotten married! But you leaving me, Bina, that was never an option.” His voice was louder now, the hurt clear in his tone.

I’d known I’d hurt Aboloft when I left, but I’d never truly understood the depth of his pain until now.

His voice, even as he glared at me, told me how much I’d hurt him.

“I’m sorry, Aboloft. But marriage wasn’t an option for us. It still isn’t.

“You need to find a suitable queen for yourself and for Quopia. If you don’t, Quopia will never let you live in peace,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

As a child, I’d secretly dreamed of marrying Aboloft and living happily ever after. But time and Wilsden had shown me how naive I’d been. How my dreams were nothing more than illusions.

“You’re wrong, Bluebell. And I’ll make sure you realize that soon enough.

“You seem to have forgotten a few things since you left me, but don’t worry, I’ll be more than happy to remind you,” Aboloft said.

His words stirred something in me that I didn’t like. Fear began to creep into my heart, spreading like a poison, consuming me.

This was the Aboloft who had punished me in the dungeons. The monster that had emerged after I’d left him.

“My beliefs are based on truth, not lies. I know what people think because I’ve been the target of their twisted thoughts and cruel actions. So, I’m not wrong, Aboloft.

“But you are, because you’ve never seen the world for what it really is. You’ve been sheltered. Protected from pain and hardship.

“But the world is a cruel place, and it won’t let you live unless you play by its rules,” I said.

“I’ll change you, my beautiful goddess. I promise you, sooner rather than later, you’ll see that I was right—that you were always meant to be mine.”

He said the last word with such force that it surprised me when he kissed me as if I were the most delicate thing in the world.

Aboloft’s lips brushed against mine, leaving me confused. One moment he was harsh, the next he was gentle. Aboloft was a puzzle. A puzzle I’d created.

“You have responsibilities to focus on. There are people who need you. Focus on them. Don’t waste your time on me, because it won’t get you anywhere,” I said.

“You are my first and foremost responsibility, my beautiful goddess: always have been, always will be.

“I can’t fulfill my duties to my people if I can’t fulfill my duties to you,” Aboloft said, his hand cupping my cheek.

“You don’t have any duties towards me. Your people need you, Aboloft. And you still haven’t told me why you went to Wilsden for me. What did I do?” I asked, returning to the questions that had been plaguing me.

“You want answers? Then you need to give me some of mine. Where were you with Bancroft before I came back?” Aboloft asked.

“I had the misfortune of seeing your harem,” I replied.

“I see. And who took you there? Give me the servant’s name,” he demanded.

“Why?”

“So I can punish them. You were never supposed to see that harem. Whoever disobeyed my orders will be punished,” he said.

“What? You’re saying you wanted to keep your harem a secret from me? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? That your dirty secrets would stay hidden forever?!” I shouted.

“You are my concern, not the harem. I knew you wouldn’t react well to it, so I ordered the servants to keep you away,” he said.

“You’re lying! The only reason you wanted to keep your precious harem hidden was so you could sleep with different women while I was in ~your~ bed!

“You disgust me! You’re a beast, get off me!” I struggled against him, but it was no use. I was panting heavily.

“Enough of your nonsense. You clearly need to be punished.”

Aboloft leaned in closer, his face so close I could see the patterns in his eyes. “And this time, the punishment will be so severe that you’ll never make the same mistake again.”

He pulled me out of bed and, still holding my wrists, dragged me out of the room.

Despite my screams and struggles, Aboloft pulled me through corridor after corridor, down stair after stair, until we reached a familiar staircase that made my blood run cold.

“Aboloft, no, please listen to me. I’m sorry, but don’t take me back down there.

“Please Aboloft, I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t take me back down there,” I pleaded as we stood at the top of the staircase leading down to the dungeons.

The darkness in the dungeons was thick and absolute. No natural light could penetrate it. It was terrifying.

Aboloft chuckled. “I like it when you beg for mercy, my sweet. And you’ve begged enough for me to consider your request.”

I let out a sigh of relief, but I knew things could still go wrong. Aboloft was unpredictable. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

“But you still need to be punished. I won’t tolerate such insolence from you, Bina.” With that, Aboloft dragged me back up the stairs.

I had a sinking feeling that Aboloft was going to lead me all the way back to his private quarters. But instead, he took a sharp turn and began to stride down a path I had just walked on moments ago.

My heart pounded in my chest as we got closer and closer to his harem. Why on earth was he taking me there?

Was he planning to kiss other women right in front of me? Or maybe he wanted to flaunt his power by indulging in them, just to hurt me? Whatever his intentions were, I didn’t want to see it. But it seemed like Aboloft wasn’t giving me a choice.

“Aboloft, where are we going?” I asked, praying that he’d hear me.

“We’re going to the place where I’m going to punish you, Bluebell,” he replied, as if I didn’t already know.

“Aboloft, I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t disrespect you like that again. Can’t you let it slide just this once?” I begged.

“I can’t let it slide. If I do, you’ll just make the same mistake again. I can’t let that happen.”

“So no, Bina, you’re going to be punished, right now,” Aboloft declared, stopping in front of the single door that led to his harem.

Without uttering a word, Aboloft swung the door open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall. The loud echo startled everyone. He then pushed aside the curtains and stepped inside.

The moment the women saw the king, they immediately assumed submissive positions. They all knelt down, their heads bowed so low it looked like they were trying to kiss the floor.

Aboloft pulled me along to the far end of the harem, stopping just before the private quarters began. A woman was kneeling in front of him, her breasts exposed.

“Leave!” Aboloft ordered.

The woman immediately stood up and scurried away, leaving her bed vacant. Aboloft tossed me onto the bed, his gaze warning me to stay put.

Even if he hadn’t given me that look, I wouldn’t have moved. I was too busy massaging my wrists, trying to soothe the pain.

“Everyone, gather around!” Aboloft’s voice echoed throughout the harem, reaching every corner.

At his command, every single person in the harem congregated around us. I could see the confusion in their eyes.

They were as bewildered as I was scared. Once Aboloft was satisfied that everyone was present, he turned to face me.

“This is how I’m going to punish you, my beautiful goddess…

“Right here in my harem, in front of everyone.”