bChapter /bb43 /b

Valencia

I must have dozed off after having eaten to my heart’s content because it took Mary threw tries to wake me up.

“Coming,” answered the door and saw her hand already raised to knock for the fourth time.

She let out a sigh of relief, “almost thought you had passed out”

“Kind of answered band /bthen asked. “Why do you look so flustered?”

“I am here to get you ready for Seranthyne today”

“Seranthyne echoed

“The grand feast tonight to celebrate Prince Killian’s achievement and balso /bintroduce you to the rest of the royalsb./bb” /b

1 gulped nervously and eyed the huge bag she bwas /bbholding/b.

“What is in that?”

“Your dress for tonight. Of course, you can’t walk around wearing those.”

She said pointing at my pants

and shirt.

“Why not? The King bhas /balready seen me wearing it. And I couldn’t care less about the prince and princesses.”

But there was another knock, and I bsaw /ba group of four to five more girls rush in, each carrying something or the other in their hands.

Before I could argue anymore, I was pushed into the bathroom and forced into a bath following which I was brought back to the bedroom, wrapped

towels

My protests fell on deaf ears as the girls began working on different parts of me hair, nails, face etc.

I feared I would be turned into an object of amusement by the King or the other princes like Martin but thankfully, the dress Mary pulled out was ba /blong

bgown/bb. /b

It was silver in color and glittered when it caught the light. It was breathtaking, and I had never worn anything like it before.

The off shoulder dress had long flowy sleeves and the neckline wasn’t too indecent either. Though I had wished it wouldn’t expose that much of my

cleavage.

The girls around me gasped when Mary was done with the final touches and turned me around to face the mirror,

My hair was left open and in loose curls that hung around my shoulders. I put a few strands in front to hide the plunging neckline though it did little to

serve bthe /bcause.

It was better than nothing, nheless.

“You look beautiful,” Mary said in a mesmerized voice and the other girls echoed the thought.

I admired myself in the full length mirror.

The dress did hug my curves perfectly and made me look like I bwas /bgoing to attend some royal ball.

Mary and the other women then began to leave and I asked,

144

“Where are you guys going?”

Mary answered,

b“/bWe still have to be there for Sevanthyne’s preparations. But don’t worry, you will be escorted to the event soon.

Escorted?

“By who?”

and ogling at me I asked and dreaded having to go with Martin, of all people, to this feast. I hated his guts and didn’t want him breathing down my nerka

“Oh, since this is your first royal feast, you can pick up someone of your choice.”

I would rather go around and resume working on the map I had started to draw, but I doubted I would be unseen anywhere with this huge girering

silver dress on me.

Without thinking, I muttered.

*Prince Killian

Mary smiled.

“Wise choice. Given that he has been pacing outside the door nervously since we came in here.”

He was doing what?

My look of shock made the maids giggle.

-See you bat /bSeranthyne, miss Valencia. And I hope it goes well for you.”

I doubted that

But given that Killian would be around made me feel just a little better.

Maybe I could coax him into telling me one of the ways to exit this kingdom.

I nced at my reflection in the mirror, specifically at the star shaped mark Kilian had showed me the other day.

I peered into the mirror and traced my finger on the spot it should have been.

I had seen it then but I couldn’t now,

Had it been some trick of his? Why was that mark visible at some times and not all the time?

There bwas /ba knock on the door and I immediately adjusted my hair to cover my bare shoulders and said aloud.

“Who is it?”

“Your escort

Killian’s voice rang through the other side of the door. And despite not wanting bto/b, my body shuddered pleasantly bat /bthose words.

It reminded me of the time he had dly been that- my male escort and treated me like I was ba /bbqueen/b.

The city and the Bureau now felt like a different world with Kings and castles baround /bme

“Come in,” I said, and he gently pushed the door open.

13:11 bSat/bb, /bb23 /bbAug /bbIDE /b

Killian looked eternally handsome in a ck suit with silver lines running across the border of the jacket.

“I was beginning to think…” He began but froze mid sentence.

And I saw him look at me. His expression changed from light amusement to one of pure admiration.

He stood

od like that for a few seconds by the door, and drank in the sight of ine.

My body seemed to like that because my mouth refused to say something and my eyes were translized on the sight of him

His eyes slowly traveled up my body, noticing every curve of my body and how the dress fit to it snugly.

His eyelids widened a little on seeing my slightly exposed cleavage, and I saw something akin to hunger shine in those eyes

I gulped nervously and let him devour me with his gaze

Killian let out a breath, a soft exhale, and looked at me with those dreamy eyes.

“You look like I would die if I dont kiss you”

That was not what I had expected him t

to say. And the words coupled with his husky voice made me almost forget how to breathe.

I felt my body slightly tremble and my lips parted to say something. Anything.

“Take me to Seranthyne.”

I might as well have asked him to walk off a cliff bbecause /bhis face fell immediately.

But why did I feel bad about that? He had brought me here through trickery. He didn’t deserve the kiss, nor my sympathy.

In fact, I shouldn’t be standing here and wearing this dress at all.

YeLb…. /b

Somewhere my heart felt this was the ce to be. Just him and L. Staring at each other.

My gaze

dropped to his lips….and I shook my head.

Thad been too stupid and lonely to fall for his tricks.

Killian, meanwhile, took a step forward and held his hand out to take me to Seranthyne.

I slipped my hand into his and he gently brushed his thumb upon my knuckles.

My eyelids fluttered a little as he looked bup/b, his eyes still lingering on my lips.

“I would advise you to bstay /bcloser to me during Seranthyne.b” /b

“Why?” I croaked, and he tore his gaze away from my lips to bring it back to my eyes.

“Because it would be a shame for me to spill blood if anybody dared touch you.”

bChapter /bb44 /b