Serena paced back and forth in the room, her bare feet brushing softly against the warm rug. After several minutes, she finally settled on the couch near the window, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared into the night sky. Her heart beat faster than usual, an anxious rhythm she could not calm.
The King was back.
Alexander had returned earlier than expected from his journey, and she hadn't been prepared for it. They hadn't properly spoken since her arrival in the palace, and as ridiculous as it sounded, she still wasn't comfortable in his presence. He was the King — powerful, mysterious, feared and she was… Serena. A former slave. An unwanted girl who had somehow ended up in his care.
When she peeked out earlier from the balcony, she had seen him step out of the royal carriage, his presence commanding even from afar. But what made her stomach twist with unease was the woman who stepped down right after him.
Beautiful. Radiant. Dressed in one of the most exquisite gowns Serena had ever seen — bright red and adorned with jewels. Her posture alone screamed nobility.
But who was she?
Why was she with the King?
Why would he bring a woman back to the palace with him?
Was she perhaps his bride…?
The thought alone made Serena's chest tighten painfully. If he was getting married, then what purpose did Serena serve here? A concubine? A plaything? Just like Lord Marcus had mocked earlier?
She pressed a hand over her chest, trying to calm the storm inside her. Why was she allowing herself to think about the King's affairs? Why should she care? At the end of the day, she was only the servant the King saved out of mercy. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Her mind was spinning, trapped between fear and confusion, so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open.
Alexander stepped in.
Serena didn't notice. But Sarah, who had been tidying the shelves, immediately bowed so low her forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Your Highness," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Alexander's eyes drifted past the trembling maid and landed on the woman sitting by the window. Serena's long ginger hair draped across her shoulders like molten gold, glowing faintly in the moonlight. Dressed in a simple white nightgown, she looked soft… vulnerable… lost in her thoughts.
She didn't even realize he was there.
"Get lost," Alexander said lazily.
Sarah fled the room instantly.
"What are you thinking about?" his voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Serena gasped, turning around sharply. Her eyes widened when she found the King only a few feet away, watching her intently. She stood up so quickly she nearly tripped.
"Y–Your Highness… I—I didn't know you were there," she stammered, bowing so deeply her hair spilled forward.
Alexander walked toward her with slow, deliberate steps. When he reached her, he lifted her chin with a single finger, forcing her to look at him.
Serena flinched at the touch. His fingers were cold yet strangely gentle. His midnight eyes locked onto hers, so intense she forgot how to breathe.
She had forgotten how handsome he was. How impossibly sculpted. As if carved by the devil himself dark, powerful, dangerously enticing and beautiful.
"Ogling, aren't you?" Alexander said, his voice dripping with amusement as he pulled his hand away and removed his coat with casual ease.
Serena's face burned. She quickly straightened her posture and shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. Forgive me for staring," she whispered. "Sarah prepared you a warm bath."
Alexander walked to the sofa and sat down, leaning back with a tired sigh. He closed his eyes — something he seemed to do only when he wanted to relax.
"You're distracted," he said, not opening his eyes. "Are you bothered by something?"
The question shocked her more than anything else tonight.
"N–No, Your Majesty," she replied quickly. "Just… relieved you returned safe and sound."
"Hm."
His voice was neutral, unreadable.
Serena nervously twisted her fingers together as she contemplated the question burning in her mind. After several seconds of internal battle, she finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Your Highness…" she called softly.
"Hm?"
"May I ask you a question?" Her voice trembled. His aura tonight felt different, calm, almost eerily calm and that scared her.
"Go ahead."
"I am grateful that you appointed a governor to me, but… I must ask… why is he human?"
She didn't know what answer she hoped for. Perhaps clarity. Perhaps reassurance that she meant something. Anything.
"Do you not want a human like yourself?" he replied.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I do. Thank you."
Alexander opened his eyes slowly, studying her as though she were an object of curiosity. A pet, his pet. And tonight, he wanted entertainment. Something to feed his boredom. Something to test the innocence of the little creature trembling before him.
He stood.
"Take off your clothes and join me in the tub."
Serena froze.
"H—Huh?"
Her hands instinctively rose to cover her chest even though she was fully clothed. The princess had mentioned the King had never been with a woman. So why? Why would he ask that now?
Alexander took a step forward. She took one back.
"What?" he asked in a low teasing voice. "Do you want me to help you?"
Her heart pounded so hard she felt dizzy.
"Your Majesty, we shouldn't do this," she whispered desperately. "You… you have a woman. And this doesn't feel right. I don't want to be a concubine."
She didn't even think before the words rushed out.
In an instant, she was pushed against the wall.
The impact startled a gasp out of her. The King towered over her, pinning both her wrists above her head with one strong hand. His body pressed dangerously close, his presence suffocating.
He sighed softly, the sound brushing her ear.
His free hand brushed against her cheek, sliding down slowly to her lips. His thumb traced the soft curve of her mouth, and Serena felt heat explode through her entire body.
She had never been touched like this. Never felt anything like it.
He lifted her jaw, forcing her to meet his burning golden eyes. Their faces were so close their noses almost touched.
Serena felt her knees weaken.
"Y–Your Majesty, I—"
"Shh."
His breath fanned her lips.
"Serena," he murmured, voice low and dangerous. "You don't get to decide what you become. Your life is in my hands. As long as you bear my mark… you belong to me."
Her heart stopped.
"What does that mean?" she whispered, trembling.
Alexander chuckled darkly.
"It means I own you," he said. "Only I have the right to touch you. To use you however I want. To decide what you will do… and what you will be. So if I want you to be my concubine, then you will be."
His golden eyes glowed with cold cruelty.
A tear slipped down her cheek.
He wiped it with his thumb.
"Don't cry yet," he murmured. "This is just the beginning."
Then he released her and walked toward the bathroom.
Serena collapsed to the floor the moment he turned away, her legs unable to hold her. Her entire body trembled violently. Her heart pounded like a trapped bird trying to escape.
Tears fell freely as she clutched the necklace around her neck, gripping it as if it were the only thing keeping her from breaking completely.
And for the first time since she entered the palace, she feared the king but despite the fear, there was something else, a new emotion she didn't understand and she only felt it with the king.