“How do you feel about the upcoming presentation ceremony?” Styles asked Ivory. She rocked her baby, contemplating her answer. While she wasn't comfortable with letting too many strangers in her personal space, it was a political obligation to present the heir to the people.She couldn't let her discomfort change that. “I'm fine with it. It is after all an obligation. Our daughter needs to be presented and she will be,” Ivory answered.“Are you comfortable with it?” He asked her. “Yes,” she lied. She didn't doubt that he would try to bend the rules for her sake and she didn't want it to affect the way people saw him. “Are you sure?” “Yes, my love. I am very comfortable with it,” she smiled. “The ceremony is in one week and a lot of dignitaries will be there to present there to pay homage as well as acknowledge the heir. It will be quite a crowd, are you okay with it?” He asked. “Yes.” “If you say so.” “Don't worry, no one will be allowed to come close to the baby. Everything
Daniel sat beside her with a displeased expression. “I don't understand why this is upsetting you,” Eisha exclaimed. “It is not upsetting me. I am worried. You said it yourself that there is no way he could have gotten an invitation to the palace yet you are ready to go with him because he promised you a dress?” Daniel said in disbelief.“Don't say it that way. I just said I didn't think he had the connections to get him an invite. I agreed to go solely because he is my friend and I want to see the palace,” Eisha argued. “I can take you to see the palace anytime you want, just not during the ceremony,” Daniel retorted.“Exactly my point! I want to go to the ceremony and I don't care if you permit me or not.” “You are so stubborn. What do you even know about this man ?” Daniel groaned. “What do you know about Mona?” Eisha fired and his jaw sagged. “Look, I didn't mean it that way. Roy is a friend of mine, alright? I've known him for a very long time.” “Then don't let me stop you,
Accompanying Roy to the ceremony was supposed to be a dream but Eisha felt extremely uneasy. At first, she thought it was because of the guards at the entrance checking the invitations. She was afraid of being embarrassed if Roy's invitation was fake. But they simply checked his name and let them in without questions. So why wasn't the feeling going away? Why did it feel like she was an accomplice to something terrible?Earlier in the day, he showed a special gem bracelet he'd gotten as a gift for the Empress. When she saw the strange markings on it, she could feel a strange chill run down her spine. She asked him about it and he told her it was an artifact of a great shaman of protection.It was supposed to ward off evil spirits. It seemed like a very sincere gift but she had her doubts. She asked him if someone asked him to deliver it to the Empress but he denied it.So how did he lay his hands on such an item? If he bought it, she was pretty sure it was expensive because it wa
Ivory stared at nothing, rubbing the red gem in the bracelet absentmindedly. She wasn't thinking about anything in particular but it just felt like she was carrying a burden. Something was just off about everything and she couldn't place a finger on it. She was so lost in thoughts that she didn't even notice her baby wailing until Styles came in and picked the little girl up. "Honey, what are you thinking about? The baby has been crying for almost five minutes," he asked, but didn't get any response from her.He stopped rocking the baby, surprised by the lack of response. How lost in thoughts could she be?Styles walked to her and tapped her gently. Ivory jerked back to reality, surprised to see her husband rocking the baby. She got off quickly and took her from him, whispering sweet nothings to calm the child. “I have been calling you for over five minutes but you didn't respond. Are you okay?” He asked her. “I'm fine. I was thinking about a couple of things,” she answered.“May
“I don't understand what you mean, your highness. These are fresh claw marks and we need to inform the Emperor immediately. They look like they're from an extremely dangerous wold animal,” the doctor said. “Please respect my wish. I will tell the Emperor when I feel the need. For now, see how you can clean it up, okay?” Ivory instructed.“Okay, your majesty.” The doctor felt that her request was weird but he couldn't go against her wish. Besides, she said she would inform his majesty so there was nothing to worry about. Ivory on the other hand felt strange. She didn't understand why she was reluctant to inform Styles about the claw marks. It was obviously a serious matter that had to be treated immediately, yet she didn't want to involve him.He had to deal with a lot lately. It was only ideal that she let him have some peace. He deserved it. She was confident she could handle this on her own. She just had to figure out what the problem was.As soon as the doctor finished with th
It felt like a dream. It had to be a dream. There was simply no way Ragi was confessing his love to her. No way the man she'd been chasing for years finally wanted her. Darell pinched herself once again but he was still there, staring at her like she meant the world to him. “If I wake up tomorrow to discover that this was a dream, I'll be so pained,” she blurted. “We'll see about that,” he raised her chin gently and kissed her. A swarm of butterflies settled in her stomach, sending her insides to a frenzy. She could feel his lips morph against her. Was that possible in a dream?Slowly, she began kissing him back until the migraine protested and forced her away from him. “Are you okay?” Ragi asked as she curled on the bed, cursing. “My head is splitting,” she gritted out. “I'll be back.” He hurried into the bathroom to get a bowl of water. He grabbed a small towel hanging freely on the bathroom door and returned to her. He soaked the cloth in and pressed it against her fore
“Daniel, I need to talk to you about something,” Eisha said. Mona took her head off his shoulder, ready to give them space but Eisha stopped her. “You don't have to leave, Mona.” Daniel was pleasantly surprised. Eisha was starting to accept Mona.“I think Roy is up to something and today at the market, he threatened me,” she said. His expression changed immediately. “Roy threatened you? How dare he?”“Calm down, Daniel. That man is not bluffing, I know it. I noticed a lot of strange things about him but I decided to turn a blind eye to it all because he was my friend until the ceremony,” she continued.“What happened at the ceremony? Did he try to hurt you?” Daniel asked. One could tell he was fuming with anger. “Not that. Aside from the fact that I think he got the invitation illegally, he also presented a bracelet to the Empress under the guise of representing the Emperor's friend,” Eisha told him. “You mean that was fake?” Daniel exclaimed in surprise.“I am positive it was fa
Ivory sat in her chelanvers, staring at the clock. She was afraid to sleep. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time.A part of her was still trying to convince her that it was all in her head. That she probably for the scratches from thrashing. But the injuries were too deep to have been her nails and the doctor confirmed it too.Styles walked into the room and this time, she was well aware of his presence. “My love,” she smiled. “Why are you still awake? It's pretty late,” he asked then glanced at the baby's cot, “was she giving you trouble?”“A little but I'm glad she's asleep now. I didn't expect you to come in so soon,” she said. Of a truth, she didn't expect him to come to her chambers at all. She was afraid he would easily notice the marks. Although she was fully clothed, she could feel the lust as his eyes roamed her body. “You're a bit overdressed, don't you think?” He spoke up and she bit her lip. “I was catching a cold,” she lied. “Are you feverish?” H