CHAPTER 489: THE REAL WIFE

Kaiden was to spend his wedding night with Eleanor in the palace. The former king had already moved from the Silver Crescent Palace for Kaiden, relocating to the Mountain Cliff Palace with his queen and wives.

The castle felt empty that night—because it was. Ariel’s chambers had already been arranged at the Queen’s Palace, located at the rear of the main palace.

She had refused to move, at least not tonight.

Ariel stayed curled up on her bed. No matter how hard she tried not to think about it, her mind kept straying to Kaiden.

Time ticked slowly. Ariel eventually lost track of it. Her eyes were heavy but sleep wouldn’t come.

Long past midnight, the door creaked open. Her eyes fluttered open, sensing the intrusion. Someone was here. She didn’t panic—she had already felt his presence long before he entered.

Footsteps drew closer. She felt the bed dip behind her, and his scent wrapped around her like a second skin.

"I’m sorry," Kaiden whispered. He cosied up behind her, holding her tightly. He knew she was awake. Ariel didn’t respond at first, and that only deepened his guilt.

"You shouldn’t be here. It’s your wedding night, Kaiden," Ariel said, her voice quiet but firm. Kaiden felt a sharp pang in his chest. Was she pushing him away because she couldn’t bear to look at him?

He had tried to stay beside Eleanor after consummating their marriage, but he couldn’t. Her dark hair reminded him of Ariel. Even when Eleanor moaned his name, only one woman filled his mind.

As soon as Eleanor had fallen asleep, he took a bath, then rode through the night to where he felt at home.

They didn’t look alike, yet every thought in his head was of Ariel. The image of her cold, distant face during the wedding haunted him. She had every right to be mad. He wasn’t going to argue that.

After all, he was the one who rode a horse through the dead of night, just to hold her—hoping it would ease his guilt, even just a little.

"I know," Kaiden murmured.

A thin smile curled at Ariel’s lips, but her eyes remained lifeless.

"Then why are you here?"

Kaiden nervously swallowed the bitter lump in his throat. "Even cheating husbands go back to their wives in the end. I’m sorry things had to turn out this way," he said again.

Ariel’s eyes stung. A sharp breath left her lips. "I didn’t like the image of you two together. After everything I’ve said, I’m still a hypocrite deep down," she admitted.

Those words gave Kaiden a strange sense of comfort. "Being selfish is only human," he whispered.

Eventually, Ariel fell asleep in his arms. It gave her a small sense of comfort amidst the storm swirling inside her.

****"

The next day, Kaiden and Ariel officially moved into the Silver Crescent Palace. He began his duties as king.

It was a bitter slap to Eleanor to know he had gone to Ariel’s bed the same night after consummating their marriage. Still, she welcomed them with a soft smile and addressed Ariel as the "first wife."

Officially, Ariel’s chambers were located in the Stellar Palace, which was a rare palace behind the Silver Crescent Palace. Kaiden didn’t feel comfortable with her staying in the Queen’s Palace.

He knew the politics of the harem and tried to shield her from it. Though she officially had chambers in the Stellar Palace, Kaiden made sure Ariel also had a room in the Silver Crescent Palace.

That alone made it obvious the king favoured his first wife over his queen. Rumours spread quickly. Ariel received harsh backlash from nobles who believed she wasn’t worthy of Kaiden’s affection. She was a village girl, after all.

The noble wives who surrounded the queen whispered that Kaiden was bewitched.

Ariel had no influence in court. The other noblewomen didn’t associate with her. In truth, they were threatened by her beauty. Behind her back, they called her names, saying she was only good for warming the king’s bed.

Some days, it got so bad that Ariel cried herself to sleep in Kaiden’s arms.

But amidst the rumours, Ariel held on. This wasn’t just about love. She had nowhere else to go. Leaving Kaiden was the same as accepting death.

Kaiden had married Eleanor for her sake.

Before they knew it, months had passed. Kaiden proved himself a wise ruler. Under his reign, Draconia prospered. He introduced reforms that improved the nation. With his sharp mind, he was able to control the court and even suppress Eleanor’s growing influence.

Although Kaiden disliked Eleanor’s presence and barely saw her outside formal events and court sessions, he couldn’t avoid her chambers. Under pressure from nobles, he was forced to spend their compulsory nights together once a week.

Most of those nights, Kaiden didn’t even touch her—he couldn’t bring himself to.

Ariel heard the rumours from the queen’s handmaids. She knew Kaiden did it for her, but his actions were only making things worse.

One night, she knelt before him with tears in her eyes, begging him to fulfil his duties to Eleanor. Kaiden’s heart ached at her request. She was always the one begging. Didn’t she understand how difficult it was for him just to lie beside Eleanor?

Kaiden refused at first.

In return, Ariel refused to let him into her chambers until he fulfilled his duties as Eleanor’s husband. The whispers were tearing her apart. Each one made her feel like the other woman.

It took Ariel two weeks before Kaiden finally agreed to her request. That night, he drank himself into a stupor before he could touch Eleanor.

But even that night only worsened things. As they made love, Kaiden whispered Ariel’s name—not once, not twice but several times

The same thing happened during their following compulsory nights.

Eleanor nearly lost her mind when her spies in the king’s quarters told her the truth: Ariel had begged Kaiden to spend those nights with her.

It became clear as day, so long as Ariel was in Kaiden’s life, he would never truly see anyone else.

And so things continued this way until the former king died.