Khendal's Pov
For a second, I thought I was running mad until she said it again.
"I won't be going with you." She declared, staring right at me, unblinking.
The air in the room suddenly became thin. Her mother smirked opposite me in triumph.
What in the world was going on?
The girl in black held my gaze for a long time before she finally opened those lips to speak.
"I won't be going with you today. It's not just fair to me."
I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding.
This woman!
"I mean, I've lived my entire life here. To tell me to leave immediately you find out I'm your wife is just cruel."
Kael turned to me with an expression on his face. I understood what that expression meant.
I was extremely lenient with these women, yet they had the guts to demand for more. Cruel? I resisted the urge to spit out.
"When will you be leaving then?" I questioned, feeling my patience with the women gradually fade away. They were wearing me out.
"In about three weeks. As a matter of fact, it'll take a month for me to be mentally prepared to leave."
"What?!" I banged my fists on the table before I could caution myself.
"Show restraint, your Majesty. I fear you could break the table. You see, this table is quite old and rickety. One solid punch from your fists, and it'll crumble to the ground." She spoke gently, chuckling to herself. For what reason, I did not know.
She sipped on the drink in her front. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"A problem with that?" I voiced out, my voice was shaky. I was angry. I knew I had to calm down, but I could feel myself becoming hot. That wasn't a good sign.
Taking in a deep breath, I answered her. "What do you mean by that, my Queen?"
"I meant what I said, Khendal." She replied casually, again.
"You can not possibly be serious!" Kael slapped his fists against the table as well.
"You Draconian men really need to show some restraint." She chuckled again.
A little girl of about fifteen years of age prodded down the stairs and into the commotion.
She walked towards Avery, and they stared at each other in silence. They were siblings. I could see the resemblance in them or, rather, the resemblance they had to their mother.
She turned to me with a scowl on her face.
"I'm going to play ball with Damien outside. My hard work paid off. He invited me to play with him." She informed and headed straight to the door.
"Myra," her mother called.
"Apologize to him. He's older than you, and he's your brother-in-law. "
She gave a bratty groan before turning to me with an apologetic smile. It wasn't so apologetic. Teenagers. The most chaotic people on earth after women.
Paying no heed to the girl who was hellbent on disrespecting me, I turned back to Avery, who appeared to be smiling.
"Avery, you can not stay here for a month."
"Why not? I am your wife, aren't I?"
"Indeed you are, but some things are just not proper. If you had requested for three days, I would have granted your request, but a month? That's absurd, even for you."
She raised a brow delicately. "Your words prove to me that you have no value for your wife. You do not value her emotional or mental state of mind. If you did, you wouldn't speak like this."
I rolled my eyes subtly. Of course, I really didn't care about her. She was just another one of the girls the goddess sent as a reminder of my curse. She wouldn't do anything after all, but not taking her with me could cause issues for me.
"I understand that my Queen wants to spend time to say goodbye to her family, but the duration gets reduced. I shall give you three days to spend with your family. That and nothing more."
She had a quizzical expression.
"You really do not care about me." She drawled.
She was trying to achieve something. I realized that. She wanted to achieve something, and she was succeeding.
A smile swept across my face.
"Oh, my Queen." I took her hands and held it firm. She squirmed, trying to get them out of mine, but my grip was strong.
"I am a king in my kingdom, and it is risky for a king to leave his throne and kingdom for too long."
Kael nodded slowly behind me.
"Well then, if you can not leave your kingdom for too long and you can not stay with me for a month, then you can leave me here. After a month is passed, I will begin the journey to your kingdom."
She looked at me earnestly, not trying to resist anymore.
'Nice try, woman, but you aren't speaking to a man who is ruled by his childbringer.'
Her eyes had become big, and she tried to act cute. The same way a three year old child would act to receive a packet of cinnamon baked candy from his parents.
I would admit it, she was charming but it wasn't effective on me.
"Tell me, my Queen." She gulped. I had been noticing a twitch whenever I called her that. She probably wasn't comfortable with that title.
"What would my people say of me if I came here to get married and returned alone."
"What can they say? You are the king, after all."
She gave a foolish answer, but I wouldn't fault her for it. A theocratic system was by far different from a monarchical system.
"I understand why you would think that, My Queen, but even as a king, I am limited."
Her mother rolled her eyes beside her.
"I have aristocrats in various positions of power. Some of whovare the reason wars with other countries are prevented. Their opinions matter a lot."
"But, surely if you were to explain to them, they would understand, would they not?"
"Hmm..."
I took a thinking stance, with my index finger resting on my upper lip.
"I could do that, but as you have said, I am a king. Having to beg my subjects would portray weakness.."
She opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted her.
"Besides, what's to stop you from running away if I were to leave you alone. You did try to leave me on the altar. As a matter of fact, you left me on the altar."
She had nothing to say to refute my words.
Her face darkened, and I smiled softly, like the king I was.
I was back in control.