Arriving at the palace, Rowan was the first to walk inside, and he didn’t turn to look at Freya or say a word to anyone.
"Did anything happen between you and Rowan?" Princess Lirien asked, grunting before she jumped down from her horse.
Freya held the jacket that covered her. Though it was wet, she still felt warm. When the prince helped her down from the horse, she gave him a small bow.
"Well, considering the fact that he was worried about you, it means you were the one who did something wrong," the princess continued, letting go of her horse’s reins when the stable master came to take it.
Freya pressed her lips, still feeling the air touching her core, the part where Rowan had ripped her clothing with his fingers and how he had felt inside of her earlier. Doing it outside under the moonlight was something Freya had never imagined, and it felt so good that she wanted more. The girl shook her head when she found her thoughts derailing.
"You didn’t?" the princess asked, thinking Freya was replying to her. "Then it was him? What did he do?"
Freya cleared her throat, unsure of what to say. Was she supposed to tell Lirien that they had argued because Rowan knew how to please her, but she was scared and wanted to resist him, even though she couldn’t?
"Lirien! Gerald!" the Crown Prince’s voice was heard. "Go inside and get changed. Mother and Father want to see you all for dinner."
Lirien gasped. "They’re back!" Without saying anything else to Freya, she ran inside the palace.
The younger prince stayed behind as if he had something to say. He touched his neck nervously, but after a few seconds, he joined his sister inside the palace without speaking.
Freya inhaled deeply, raising her face to look at the night sky. She remembered watching the stars with Oriana when she was a princess, and they had both talked about how everyone had someone unique out there who would make them shine. She hadn’t found the one who would make her shine, but she had definitely found the one who made her wet.
Looking at the jacket, Freya sighed as she made her way inside the palace. Upon reaching her room, she found her father on his way out.
"Pa," Freya furrowed her brows, "were you inside my room?"
Louis nodded. "Yes," his eyes fell on the jacket Freya was wearing. "Rowan told me about the spring."
Freya’s grip on the jacket tightened, her heart racing with fear. Did Rowan get angry and decide to tell her father how they had been sleeping together? The girl gulped, almost holding her breath.
"He said you fell into the water," Louis continued. "I heated up the bath for you and also brought out your dress. It’s on the bed." The man stared at his daughter for some time before saying, "You should be quick; the royal family wants us to join them for dinner." He left the passage.
Freya let out the breath she had been holding. Pushing her door open, she walked inside the room. Now, she was going to be anxious anytime Rowan wanted to talk to her father. What if he told him about everything? The girl removed the jacket and walked toward the bathroom but then stopped.
She remembered that her father had gone to her closet to pick a dress for her, the same closet where she hid the small underdress that Rowan had used to please her for the first time, wrapped with Rowan’s shirt.
Freya ran toward the closet, pushing her dresses to the side until she found what she was looking for. It was still there, folded and well hidden. The girl let out a sigh of relief before going to wash up. Done with that, she joined the others in the dining room.
"Freya," Princess Lirien waved with a small smile.
Freya bowed slightly and moved toward her chair. She noticed that Rowan was sitting close to the Crown Prince, with her father beside him, leaving the next space for her. Since she didn’t want to sit close to Rowan often, Freya took it as a blessing. She sat at the end of the table, rubbing her palms together.
As she sat down, the door to the dining room was pushed open, and the King and Queen walked inside. Everyone stood up and bowed until the duo sat down, and then the others followed.
Freya took her time to observe the Queen. She noticed the woman had a cold expression and wasn’t saying much, just sitting there with her chin tipped forward, while the King was speaking in hushed tones with the Crown Prince. It was clear which child got what trait from whom. As she observed the family, her eyes fell on Rowan. She quickly looked away before he could catch her staring, but then slowly turned back to look at him. He was focused on something in front of him and didn’t look at her.
It made Freya think about what had happened between them earlier. Maybe her words were a little too harsh, and she needed to apologize, but she couldn’t. It was better this way. If they weren’t speaking to each other, then she could resist him.
Before they started eating, the King cleared his throat. "Welcome, delegates of Avon. I hope you have enjoyed your stay in Eridor."
Before anyone could reply, Princess Lirien clapped her hands. "They have, Father! On the first night, we even—"
A loud clattering sound was heard; it was the Queen dropping her spoon harshly, her eyes glaring at the princess.
"Stand!" the woman ordered.
The princess looked around the room. "Mother, we are not alone," she whispered.
"Lirien, stand!" The Queen’s voice shook the table.
Freya shuddered at the woman’s firm voice. She wasn’t the one being spoken to, but she was already afraid.
Princess Lirien quietly pushed her chair back and stood up, looking down at her feet. Anyone could tell she felt embarrassed.
Not wanting to make it worse, Freya looked away, already feeling bad that the girl was being humiliated in front of guests.
"Go on," the Queen ordered with a calm voice.
Her husband smiled and waved his hand. "Let’s enjoy our dinner in peace." When he said this, everyone started eating except the princess, who remained standing.
Freya watched as the Queen picked at her food slowly, noticing how her eyes were on Rowan. When the woman turned to look at her, Freya blinked and concentrated on her food.
"Are you the Royal guard? Rowan, was it?" the Queen asked, picking up the napkin to dab the corner of her lips. When Rowan gave her a small bow, she continued, "What do you think of the princess?"
Freya gulped when she heard this. She slowly picked up her cup of water and drank it, her eyes darting between Rowan and the Queen.
Rowan chewed his food quietly, then swallowed before answering. "Do I need to think anything of her?"
Freya pinched herself, noticing the silent eye battle between the Queen and Rowan. Expecting the Queen to raise her voice and possibly propose another war because of Rowan’s rude reply, she instead heard the Queen laugh. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
The Queen of Eridor smiled. "You’re just like I’ve heard. That’s good. A man like you can control Lirien; all you need is to love her."
"Mo-" the princess wanted to say something, but seeing her mother’s glare, she swallowed her words.
Rowan pushed back, resting on his chair. "That’s where you’re mistaken, Your Majesty. I’m not a man who can love more than one woman. Since it’s rare for me to even have such emotions..."
"What are you saying?" the Queen asked with a deep frown.
Rowan tilted his head. "I thought I made it clear. I’m saying I already have a woman I think I love."
Freya bit her lip, tapping her foot nervously on the floor. Earlier, she had asked Rowan if he loved her, and he hadn’t answered. Maybe she wasn’t the one he loved. What if it was another woman? She tried to calm herself with those thoughts.
"Are you openly rejecting a princess?" The Queen’s face darkened. "What woman could be better than the Princess of Eridor? What does she have that Lirien doesn’t?"
Rowan chuckled. "Are you openly forcing the princess on me?" he asked. The room became tense, and no one dared to speak. "What does she have? Hmm... I’ve been asking myself the same thing. Maybe we should ask her together."
Freya decided to eat her food quickly so she could run out of the room. The tension was really overwhelming. She stuffed her face with everything on her plate.
"What?" The Queen raised her eyebrows, a deep frown forming on her forehead.
Rowan’s smile turned sweet. He leaned closer, using his hand to prop up his chin. "We should ask her, since she’s right he—"
"Freya!" Louis shouted, and everyone’s attention shifted to the choking girl, whose face was now burning red.
Freya’s body shook with coughs when she heard what Rowan was about to say. She had tried to swallow quickly, but a piece of meat had gone down the wrong way.
"Someone get a physician!" the Crown Prince shouted.
Rowan pushed his chair back and rushed to Freya, holding her from behind as he tried to stop the choking. The last words Freya heard before she passed out were,
"Choking on what you’re not supposed to." Freya fell unconscious in Rowan’s arms.
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