9

Upon entering the Palace, two guards greet Jace and I, bowing down to his feet and kissing them and then onto mine.

"Oh?" I exclaim, confused by the awkward situation.

"It is a custom here Princess, it is a custom kept for royals. Because you are a woman, they presume that you are here because you are engaged to me and will soon be Queen."

I gasp at his casual display of words and hush back, "Why on earth would they think that? I am sure you bring women here all the time."

His glinting eyes reach mine and his expression falls. "To bring someone like this in the open is a great risk for someone like me, you're my first."

Heat rushes to the apples of my cheeks and I shy away at his remark. It may not have meant much except for the protection of his reputation, but nonetheless it was charming. No, I must not think this way. The kind gestures only began today, and the only thing he will ever be good for is orgasms - nothing else screams love.

We walk into the grandiose Palace and are welcomed by a group of men and women alike, all wearing red gowns. I reluctantly bow, and Jace clears his throat for me to get back up.

"Luna, these are my subordinates. It would be lengthy to individually introduce every single person here , so I will just introduce you to the main three that work in the office with me. This is Nathaniel," he points at a man with a size too small of a robe squelching at his stomach, and the man ushers forward to greet me.

"This is Gudder," he then points at a tall man with a long, stringy beard and an arrogant expression, to which he slightly nods his head at my presence.

"...and lastly, this is Rina," he points once again to a petite woman with a round face and eyes that smile. She bows in depth and plants a quick kiss onto my cheek.

"Now that you are all acquainted, we will get going," he continues, grasping my arm and pulling me away from the group. I almost trip at his abruptness but he stumbles forward past the main hall towards a long hallway studded with rooms on each side.

"Jace, wait!" I exclaim as he quickens the pace even further while I trip beneath my own steps. He lets my wrist go and sighs. "Luna, we need to talk about something serious."

"What? What do you mean?"

He grasps my wrist once again and pulls me into a room at the end of the hallway. There lay a massive Alaskan King sized bed with pearly pink canopy silk drapes over it and a small dressing table on both sides of the bed, painted with pastel flowers on the drawers. An oak closet resided on the other side of the room with a matching dressing table and an oval shaped mirror encrusted with gold looping designs. In another corner of the room, a grandiose curved bathtub stood out in the open, with a curtain next to it. Jace lets go of my wrist at my sudden interest in the room, and I stride towards the curtain, pulling it back to see a toilet and a sink with a toiletry cabinet.

"Finally, a proper bathroom" I grin.

"This will be your room for the night," Jace replies as if stating the obvious. I look back at his watchful expression and nod back.

"Okay."

"Now about what I said earlier..." he replies tentatively.

"Go on."

"There has been a certain situation here in the Palace, a rule of order. I may be Prince and soon to be King yes, but there is a custom here that I had no plan in following. For me to be King, I must have..."

"A Queen." I finish, eyeing him carefully.

"Yes, and if I do not fulfill this order, chaos will arise and there will be rebellion, enough to cast me away from my position altogether."

"Why are you telling me this?" I reply in a whisper.

"Because maybe..." he gazes at me with worry and my eyes widen.

"No."

"But I didn't even fini-"

"I said no." Gathering my composure, I stride towards the small window that displays all of Nightshades. It is a rather pretty palace and lively despite the 'ruler' that stands behind me.

"You have no choice but to do my bidding, for you are a prisoner nonetheless," he growls behind my back and I swivel around in anger.

"You fucking monster, this was your plan all along! You brought me here giving me false hope all because you need leverage to be fucking King!"

"I would never release someone so easily," Jace smirks with a ghastly expression.

Embarrassment rushes through my body and I bite down at my lips to keep my tears intact. Jace has and will continue to use me in all aspects and the fact that I have given him all of it with no boundaries means that I am weak - weak enough for him to manipulate me so much that what I thought we had was mutual, but it is all for nothing - a monster will always be a monster.

I breathe in and reply, "Except I could ruin your plans and tell the council, it was a risk indeed that you brought me here, like there are no subordinates just waiting for any slip ups from you."

"But you will do no such thing Princess," he replies, smirking yet again. "Your lovely kingdom depends on it."

I gasp at his threat and storm straight towards him in rage. "Leave my Kingdom out of this, leave my Father and our people ALONE."

"Or what? You're going to hurt me? I am quicker Princess," he bends down to my ear and whispers, "You do know whatever I seek, I get."

I shove at his hard body and step back, disgusted that even for a bit I was attracted to such a vile monster.

Jace straightens the creases on his vest and steps towards the door, glancing back at my shriveled composure. I keep my head down and turn away from his gaze in hopes that a plan comes to mind.

"You're weak and you always will be," he mutters, exiting the room.