The Imperial Kings Book 3: Imprisoned By The King

LORELLE

Everything inside me was telling me that something bad was about to happen. I was sure everybody else was feeling the same way because that’s how you were bound to feel when King Eldon was present.

My heart stopped when I heard him dismount. What was he here for? Nobody had done anything to warrant his wrath at this time, so why?

Mayhap he is looking for you because he caught you in the woods last night.

No, no, that was not possible. I just came across a nobleman because King Eldon would’ve had me killed in the worst way had he really been the one to catch me.

I never witnessed his cruelty upon others, but I’d heard enough rumors to know that he was a cruel man.

“My dear people,” began King Eldon. “I have come here because I seek something, and I am sure you will be able to aid me in my endeavors.”

The crowd did not say anything, which prompted him to continue.

No one would dare to utter a sound in his presence because one could never be sure what would offend him and lead to the culprit’s death.

“Last night, I was in the woods with my guards, and I came upon a young maiden.”

My soul shuddered upon hearing his words. No, no, this was not possible.

He could not be the one who found me in the woods. Oh God, what was happening here?

“I commanded the maiden to remove her hood so I could see her face, but she refused my command.”

I could feel the people around me tensing up, knowing what was to come.

Whoever Lord Eldon was looking for was surely going to die by his hands.

“Therefore, I was not able to see the maiden’s face because soon after refusing my command, she ran away. However, I was able to hear her voice.

So I command all the maidens of this village to rise and when I come to you, you are to speak to me so I can hear your voice and find out if you are the one I am searching for,” he finished and immediately, all the maidens present rose to a standing position, including myself.

Stay calm. He will not be able to tell anything just by listening to your voice.

That should’ve been enough to put me at peace, but I knew better than to disregard the ability of the king.

If King Eldon found out that it was me in the woods, then everybody would know that I had been lurking outside at such a late hour and it would bring shame upon my family name.

But before I could dwell further over this, I heard the first maiden speak. She was the daughter of the butcher and looked like she would fall as she stood trembling in front of the king.

“Good day to you, my lord,” she said.

“Enough. Speak no further. You are not the one I seek,” he commanded sharply before moving on to the next one.

With every maiden he passed, my heart became a little heavier.

I was glad that I was standing quite far from where he was and that there were a lot of maidens in the village; King Eldon would be spending quite a long time before he came to me.

And I could change my voice in order to fool him. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but I had to try.

“My lord, my name is—”

He held up a hand to stop her from speaking any further.

“Do not tell me your name. I do not wish to know it since you are not the one I seek.”

Did he really know who it was he sought?

I barely said a coherent sentence to him before fleeing, so how would he know it was me?

Lord Eldon went from maiden to maiden, commanding them to speak only to stop them when he had heard enough.

I had a feeling that Lord Eldon would not be able to find his maiden, and by some miracle he did succeed in finding her—namely me—then what would he do to her?

Nothing good because Lord Eldon is incapable of showing kindness.

If the rumors were true, then my death was currently striding over to every maiden in search of me.

And when he would find me, there would be nothing I could do.

I just hoped he decided to give me a swift, painless death.

“I am being disappointed by every maiden here. So let me tell you something. If I do not succeed in finding the maiden I seek, then all of you shall be executed. The maidens will suffer at the hands of my soldiers and the men will watch,” King Eldon stated, eliciting gasps of fear and surprise from everyone present.

Knowing Lord Eldon always followed through with his promise, I realized with a sinking heart that I could not change my voice in order to fool him.

I did not wish for him to torture and punish the maidens because of me.

My heart trembled when he approached Golda, who looked like she was going to faint.

Her cheeks, which were rosy a moment ago, had now lost all their color, making her look ghastly.

I could see her trembling as I tried to glance at her from the corner of my eyes.

Lord Eldon terrified all of us and that was the only reason he had been ruling for so long, because no one was bold and courageous enough to challenge him.

“Go-good d-day, m-my l-lo-lord…”

And just like with all the other maidens, he held up his hand to stop her from speaking any further.

“You are too terrified to speak properly. Is that how you speak in front of your king?” he asked her, anger and threat lacing his words.

Would he hit her, or would he tell his soldier to do it?

“Forgive me, my lord.”

I could feel how difficult it was for her to speak to him without stammering, and I felt terrible that it was all because of me.

If I had any sense, I would not have been wandering in the woods at that time of the night.

How could I be so daft as to venture into the woods after dusk?

“Silence! I do not wish to hear you speak any further. I am glad that you are not the woman I seek because I will not tolerate you stammering in front of me,” he stated before moving away from her.

I wondered who he would go to next but was shocked to see his feet stop in front of me.

Oh lord no! What do I do? Please, somebody help me.

I knew praying and crying were useless now, but I couldn’t help myself.

It was my turn to speak now, and I just hoped Lord Eldon did not recognize me.

With a deep breath, I began speaking.

“Good morning, my lord.”

I was hoping he would stop me, but he didn’t, which meant I had no choice but to continue.

“My name is Lorelle, and I welcome you to our village.”

My breath caught in my body when he cupped the side of my face and tilted my head up so he could look me in the eyes.

I couldn’t help but feel as if I was falling, falling deep into an abyss, one I would never be able to get out from.

“So, your name is Lorelle. Why must you hide your face from me, Lorelle?”

He knew. He had recognized me, and I knew I was going to die now.

He would torture me and have me executed all because I refused to follow a simple command.

I had no one to blame but myself for the fate that awaited me.

“My lord…” I did not have the courage to speak anymore.

“You are going to come with me.” His voice had gone soft, so that only I could hear.

“And I will show you what happens when you refuse to obey my command.

“Last night was the first and the last command you will ever refuse to obey, my lovely Lorelle.”

***

My eyes opened to see Lord Eldon running his hands over my bare body.

I did not understand his fascination with my body, because every time he returned from one of his journeys, he would spend plenty of time just touching me in every place.

“The sun has risen a long time ago, and considering your deep and peaceful sleep, I can only conclude that I succeeded in draining you of your energy.

Perhaps we should spend the entirety of the day in our chambers; my hunger for you never abates, and I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse,” he said as a way of greeting.

“I wish you a very pleasant morning, my lord,” I said softly, without meeting his gaze.

I prayed to whoever was listening to have mercy on me today and keep Lord Eldon busy so he would not torture me.

He was already thinking about marking me yet again, and I did not wish to go through that excruciating pain again.

“You are precious, my love; are you aware of that?”

Precious? Why did he refer to me as precious?

“You flatter me, my lord. I am merely a woman who belongs to you.

My worth is determined by how much you value me,” I responded, though the words I uttered left a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was only to please him that I spoke those words, even though I knew my worth and it did not change based on how much he valued me.

He smiled before kissing me.

“You are my queen. Your value is greater than any other woman’s.

The jewels you wear are not enough to signify your worth, but you must know that your value surpasses that of any other woman.

“That is why I was attracted to you since the moment I saw you in the woods.

I knew there was something about you, even then; that is why I did not have you executed for disobeying my command.”

By now I was not certain if his words were a curse or a blessing.

Ever since I entered this palace, my life had been an everlasting nightmare.

He claimed to love me, yet his love made me feel like I was dying.

I did not know how much more I could endure.

I never knew love could be so passionate.

Never knew that it could burn me.

Never knew it could kill me.

“You honor me, my lord. I am grateful for your gracious words.”

No matter what happened, I would make sure not to ignite his ire, because I would be the only one to bear the brunt of his wrath and all the servants would turn blind and deaf to whatever transpires here in our chambers.

“What would you like to do today, my queen?” he enquired, as he stroked my hair.

“Whatever pleases you, my lord.”

It surprised me how I managed to utter such words even though they felt bitter.

Did he realize how false my words were?

If so, he never gave any indication that he knew about how I really felt.

“I believe I would like to see what pleases you.”

His words washed over me, leaving me in discomfort.

How could I show him what pleased me?

That was the one thing I never expected him to ask.

“Being with you pleases me, my lord.

Nothing else brings me greater pleasure than being with you.”

The lie terrified me, but there was nothing else I wanted to say.

I had to do everything I could to make sure Lord Eldon was pleased with me, so that I could spend one day without feeling the burn of his love.

“As much as it pleases me to hear you say those words, I truly wish to know what brings you pleasure apart from being with me,” he repeated, making me want to run far away to another kingdom.

“Something tells me you wish to do something today, my lord,” I said, hoping I was not wrong.

His smile was wider than ever, and I couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty of this man.

How could he be so beautiful and yet terrify my soul until I wanted to hide in some remote part of the world?

“Knowing that you sense what is on my mind fills me with happiness and pride.

Our connection is stronger than ever, yet I wish to make it stronger,” he stated.

“Whatever do you mean, my lord?” I dared to ask.

“Lorelle, my love, I want nothing to separate us.

And I wish to eliminate any distance that is between us.

I wish for us to unite and rule Erizia together and eliminate our enemies so that no one dares to threaten us or our kingdom.

“Do you wish the same, my queen?”

There was only one correct answer, and I wasted no time in giving it to him.

“I wish all that you wish for, my lord.

Nothing more, nothing less.”

“I am pleased to hear it, my love.”

He kissed me deeply as if he were kissing my soul and wanted me to feel the lingering effects of the kiss.

“How do you plan to achieve your wish, my lord?” I questioned, wanting to know what was on his mind.

Though I wished to run from him, I knew I had to be careful when he was with me, especially when it came to my words.

Anything could upset him, and then I would be punished.

“There is a sorcerer here, in Erizia.

I have been wanting to strengthen our bond for quite a long time, and one of the royal guards informed me that this sorcerer is the solution.”

My heart turned heavy after hearing his words.

What was he talking about?

I was already his wife, his queen, how much stronger could our bond be?

And why did he wish to strengthen this bond after seven years?

However, I could not dare to ask these questions.

“How will a sorcerer accomplish this task, my lord?

As I believe this is going to require a lot of effort.”

“Yes, you are right, my queen.

This task is unlike anything the sorcerer has ever performed.

But he gives me his word that he can accomplish it.”

He cupped my face.

“This sorcerer will bind our souls together so that we would truly be one.”

“Bind our souls together? No, no, I did not wish for my soul to be bound to Lord Eldon. I was his prisoner for life.

How could I be his prisoner in the afterlife?

No, oh lord, have mercy.

“Why, my lord? Why do you wish to bind our souls when I am already yours?”

Was he going to torture me for daring to ask this question?

“Because once our souls are bound to each other…you can never escape from me.”