Valencia

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    I kept staring at the king for a long time, unable to wrap my head around what had just happened.

    The Crone returned to care for the King along with Elder Amara while Nina marched at me again, teeth gritting and eyes shining with hatred.

    “What were you thinking when you jumped on the King like that?” She seethed.

    “I didn’t jump on him,” I rified, but she pretended to not even listen to me.

    “How dare you try to meddle with medicines and herbs when you can’t even write on a scroll without falling asleep?”

    Okay, so she was going to hold it against me forever.

    “Look, the King is breathing and well, so I did the right thing,” I replied haughtily.

    But she got even more pissed and wanted to say something in retaliation, but then Killian stepped beside me and looked from me to her.

    “Is there a problem?” He asked Nina, who immediately schooled her features into one of mild frustration and shook her head.

    “None at all”

    Then she turned around and returned to hover around the Crone and Elder Amara, trying to look important.

    I ignored her and the anger bubbling inside of me because of her and stared at the King for long. That ck hand vanished into thin air.

    I tried to take another step, but I swayed a little and Killian caught me before I would fall onto a nearby wall.

    “And you said I should rest. Good thing that I came along,” He said, still trying to prove his point.

    “Yeah, yeah. I get it. You were right”

    I said, though he could sense my frustration.

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    “What happened? Are you alright?” Killian cupped my face, and a person I had forgotten was in the room with us pped his hands loudly.

    “Oh, for the sake of the almighty King, save your public disy of affection for your bedroom. The King is battling for his life here.”

    Martin said loudly and before I knew the words had tumbled out of my mouth.

    “Yes, such a doting son who is hogging down on food and drinks right by his ailing father’s bed while squeezing the maid’s butt.”

    My words rang out through the room, and for a second everybody went eerily silent. All the heads turned to look at me, and I realized I had said it with much more anger than I meant to.

    But I didn’t care.

    These people were all hopeless, and I could not help but wonder how Killian could be so nice and selfless while surrounded by such vile and corrupt people.

    Martin threw the goblet on the floor, and it ttered against the marble, making my teeth chatter.

    “How dare you talk to me like that, you witch? Just because my little brother cant stop staring at you like a love struck puppy, it does not mean you can talk to the King in such a way.”

    His nostrils red, and I shot back.

    “Yeah, you consider yourself the King already. But maybe before you try to be one, learn to save your people first instead of running inside the castle and leaving your little brother to tackle a threat.”

    “Guards!! Arrest her!” Martin shouted and Loyd looked from him to Killian who stepped between us immediately.

    “Let us not take decisions in haste, brother. The King is doing fine so we should

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    celebrate instead of starting a fight.”

    Killian raised his hands in the air as if to put some sense into his elder brother.

    “Then tell your fucking sex ve to mind her tongue because if she cant keep her mouth shut I will ensure she gets thrown into the dungeons for disrespecting the crown’s heir.”

    Oh, so now he realized his mistake and was back to calling himself a heir instead of the King himself.

    To be honest, hearing sex ve from his mouth did not even offend me because that is what he viewed women as.

    To him, they were just objects of pleasure without a soul or life.

    No wonder he thought every woman liked to be treated that way.

    But this time it was not me but Killian who spoke to him.

    “You can take the liberty of calling me anything you wish but I suggest you be careful with the words you choose to describe Valencia. Maybe you are forgetting that she has the witch’s mark so it is only a matter of time before she awakens her magic. And when she does, you dont want to be on her wrong side.”

    He said it in a cool voice but I could hear the direct threat and tant warning in

    his words.

    Martin seemed to sense it too for he only waved his hand to dismiss us off like we were wasting his time.

    “I suggest you take the discussion outside the room as we wish the King to get adequate rest.”

    The Crone cut in, not in a demanding tone but her sharp tone was nothing short of an order disguised as a polite request.

    “I have no time to waste on trivial matters. I would rather like to spend my time working with the courtiers on the pending matters so that father can rest peacefully instead of bothering about work.”

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    He dusted his hands and gave us a smug look, but when Killian was still ring at him, Martin sneaked out of the room like a scared cat.

    We were barely out of the room when I let go of Killian’s hand, who was leading

    me out of the room.

    “How can you let that smug bastard walk with his head held high when that piece of shit can’t even fake sympathy for his ailing father?”

    Killian ced his hands on my shoulders and mumbled,

    “You are tired, so can we please go help you get some rest first?”

    But I shook my head and demanded.

    “He keeps treating everybody like his personal doormat, and you of all people, let him. You fought a fucking wild werewolf with your bare hands while I saw that coward run back straight into the pce room instead ofing to fight it like a man. And you let him talk to you like that? What is wrong with you?”

    It seemed that my frustration with Nina and everything else had finally found an outlet, and I was bursting in front of Killian with anger.

    “Let us go to our room, Valencia. We will talk there.”

    “Or are you really that afraid of losing your so called family and blinded by the need of family’s love that you dont see how theyugh at you and mock you for being weak when you are strong enough to take that twat down before he even learns what hit him?”

    A muscle in Killian’s jaw ticked. IT was the only indication my words were getting to him. So I hit him harder.

    “Maybe I have it all wrong and you are just someone who sugarcoats stuff, lives in a delusional world and believes that the world will change if you do good. You know what, Prince Killian of Elorin? This world won’t respect you if you dont show it what you’ve got, and by simply choosing to not act against your stupid brother, you aremitting as much of a crime as that lunatic and self centered-”

    “If I ever let go of my restraint, I won’t be able toe back!!!” Killian shouted, and his words left me stunned.

    “What?” I asked him in shock, but then his eyes widened as if he had said something he didn’t intend to.

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    “What does that mean?” I repeated, but he took a few deep breaths to calm himself, grabbed me by the wrist and began leading me to our room without another word.