CHAPTER 92: THE ONE I’LL EAT

Ariana stared at the chicken in surprise—it looked like it recognized her. Then, her smile widened as she stuck out her tongue mockingly at it, watching as the chicken tilted its head.

She brought her hand to her neck, slicing the air to signify kill, then slowly moved her hand to her mouth, curling it into a light fist as if she were eating something. She moved her lips as though explaining to the chicken that she would eat it. She gave it a sharp glare before muttering to herself inwardly,

’I especially want to eat you.’

She turned to Leah and signed, "Lady Leah," then pointed at the chicken. Turning back, she signed again,

"Don’t add that one. Keep it well. I want to be the one eating it..and it’ll be for a special occasion."

Leah nodded, not finding anything unusual in her request, but asked just to be sure,

"Queen Ariana, do you mean we should not cook it now, but keep it somewhere safe until you’re ready, since it’s for you?"

Ariana nodded with a smile. Her grin widened as her gaze returned to the chicken, which flapped its wings as if it had understood what Ariana had just told Leah.

"BUUC... BAA... BUUC!" it clucked loudly, almost sounding annoyed.

Leah’s eyes widened. These chickens were well-trained, so it was strange that this one in particular was acting so unusually.

"It seems like he’ll be needing some more training," she muttered calmly to herself, not expecting this odd behavior—if only she knew the history the queen had with this particular chicken.

Ariana’s eyes squinted. If she wasn’t mistaken, this chicken was glaring at her. A hard glare, at that. She turned to Leah and signed,

"Let’s go. I had a wonderful time here—especially with the chickens."

Leah nodded with a smile, happy that the queen truly enjoyed her time here. Her Highness seemed happier today than on other days when His Highness left. She always wished for his return so the queen’s light would come back. And now, she was glad it was here.

They both walked out of the place, heading toward the outside of the farm. Just as they reached it, Leah asked,

"Queen Ariana, is there anything else you would like?"

Ariana nodded.

"I’ll be leaving tomorrow, so make sure the carriages are ready. I’ll be leaving with you."

Leah nodded curiously—she hadn’t expected that.

"Is there somewhere you’ll be going tomorrow morning, my Queen?" she asked.

Ariana nodded.

"Yes. I’ll be going to Jack’s school."

Leah’s lips parted in surprise. She hadn’t expected that. Ariana had planned to go when she had the time, and she figured tomorrow wouldn’t be a bad idea—especially since she’d still be at the palace. Not to mention, she didn’t like the sad look on the boy’s face when he had told her how he mentioned meeting the queen to his teacher, and the woman had doubted him.

Leah nodded as she spoke.

"I will make sure to have it prepared for you, my Queen."

Ariana nodded calmly as they walked to the castle in silence.

***

Nighttime came, Ariana sat in the tub, gently scrubbing her body with a sponge. The water seemed to calm her mind.

Zavren came to her mind. Ohh, she had really missed him. And why did she, for some reason, feel different whenever she woke up and he wasn’t by her side?

My husband... come home. I miss you so much, she said to herself as she calmly dipped her body into the water. Her hands moved to her stomach, caressing it ever so softly. The bump had finally shown, and still, she wondered why the baby had rejected that woman.

"Getting very picky already..hmm, my baby,"

she said to herself, a smile curling on her lips. She didn’t even know how to feel—every time she thought about her little one, a sweet warmth fluttered gently across her stomach.

She realized the water was getting cold. Maybe she would read something and then go to bed. She didn’t want to stress herself, how she cared for herself would reflect on the child. So, she would have to sleep early tonight.

Elsewhere...

Tents rested across the area. Serious business had been going on all day, and it was finally time for everyone to rest—because tomorrow might even be worse than today’s matters.

Many royal soldiers sat around a bonfire, large enough to keep them warm. Stones were placed in a ring around it, and a stool sat at the center, where the king rested, his expression neutral. It had been that way since they all sat—no one dared call him. They were glad and scared at the same time. At least he had come to sit with them. Even though his aura was overwhelming, he was not in his tent like usual.

Raven appeared to be telling the soldiers a story that sounded too good to be true. Each of them held meat and steak, roasted by the fire, as they listened while eating. The place was calm, though Zavren didn’t seem interested. His face gave nothing away, and no one dared distract him from his thoughts.

The only one bold enough to act loosely around His Majesty was Raven, who seemed to forget himself as his once-whispered storytelling grew louder.

The bonfire crackled, and the scratching of wood created a surprisingly soothing feeling. Crickets chirped calmly through the nearby bushes.

"I walked with my sword, and then I moved into the village. With one sword in my hand, I needed to kill the tiger. I had to save the man—he seemed to be suffering... and before I knew it, rain began to fall. I raised my other sword and.."

His words were interrupted as one of the soldiers whispered,

"Didn’t you say you had only one sword? So where did the other sword come from?"

They all turned to him, curious. Raven paused.

"The other sword—I had it tucked with me... So, where was I? Right... I took the sword and walked as I struck the tiger by its neck. It fell to the floor, and the villagers all hailed me for saving the man. I looked around, and a lady smiled and said, ’Look, he’s our hero!’"

Raven raised both hands to mimic the moment, trying to imitate the lady’s voice. He gently shot out his butt, curving it slightly to show how the woman looked.

"But then I said..." he cleared his throat and deepened his voice, "Say no more, woman. I am no hero—we all are!"

"And then they all raised their sticks with fire, because it was nighttime, and hailed me more!"

Another soldier whispered—no one dared speak loudly, except the fool telling the story.

"But why were they holding fire in the rain? Wouldn’t the rain put it out?"

Raven’s face dropped into a frown.

"And I thought it was daytime, how is it now nighttime?" another added.

Raven frowned even more deeply, clearly irritated.

"Look, it was daytime... then nighttime. The fire was water-resistant. And heyyy—this is my story, so—"

His words were cut short by Zavren’s cold voice slicing through the atmosphere.

"Shut up."

Silence fell instantly. Raven clamped his mouth shut and remained where he stood. No one dared breathe—the atmosphere had turned suffocating.

"To your tents," Zavren said, his voice still cold.

"All of you."

They all nodded immediately. Everyone stood up quickly—no one wanted to be used as a scapegoat.

Raven scratched the back of his neck. Everyone had left. Only he remained. He didn’t know how to say it, but he managed to speak.

"Your Majesty... can I stay in your tent tonight? You don’t have to worry. I’ll be very quiet, and I’ll stay on the floor," he said pleadingly. He had mustered all his courage to say those words.

He couldn’t go back to his tent. His tentmate wouldn’t let him sleep—especially with that snore, louder than a lion’s growl. Sometimes he wondered if the guy was singing in his dream and his voice just got mixed into the real world. Honestly, how could a snore disturb him so badly? It was just... unusually loud. He simply couldn’t stay there tonight.

Zavren’s gaze finally shifted to him, his eyes resting on Raven with bored indifference.

"Get out."

Raven immediately bowed. He had tried his best, and he didn’t want to add any fuel to the fire, knowing he was the reason everyone was sent inside. He turned—only to freeze when he heard,

"Get your mat."

Raven’s eyes widened.

Did he hear that right? Or was his mind playing some stupid trick on him?

Fearing Zavren would change his mind, he moved quickly, rushing to his tent to grab his mat.

Zavren sat calmly, his expression neutral as he stared into the thin air. His hand moved through his hair, sweeping it back. He finally stood. His grey eyes flashed with something unspoken.

He moved to take a step when his body froze.

He heard something—a voice.

The sweetest voice he had ever known. Soft. Low. Sweet.

Like honey dripping slowly in the dark, wrapping around his heart.

"My... husband..."

His eyes widened.

And for the first time in a long while—his heart skipped a beat.

"I miss... you."