Auren's POV:
I woke up in a nest of gold and silk.
Not metaphorically.
Kael's bed was so large it had stairs. The curtains were embroidered with the crest of Solvane. A phoenix curled around a crown. And I was currently half-buried in velvet sheets, absolutely ruined from the day before, and still sore in places I was trying very hard not to think about.
Kael wasn't beside me.
Which, surprisingly, made my stomach lurch a little.
[System Notification: Good morning, newly crowned Consort! Would you like to review today's diplomatic disaster schedule?]
"What."
[System: The nobles want to rip each other apart. And possibly you. But mostly each other.]
[Mission Update: Objective - Keep the peace in the court for 3 days. Progress: 0%]
I groaned, rolling over. "Can I opt out of being a walking scandal?"
[System: Your thighs already opted in.]
"I WILL DELETE YOU."
[System: Rude, but deserved.]
Kael returned shortly after. His armor was mostly off, leaving only the dark tunic that clung to his chest. He looked like a god carved from war and shadow.
He set down a tray of food and walked over to me with quiet purpose. I opened my mouth to greet him.
And promptly shrieked as he lifted me bridal-style out of the bed.
"KAEL!"
"Your legs can't handle your weight. I remember why."
My soul left my body.
He sat down in an armchair, placing me on his lap like I weighed nothing. I flushed bright red.
"You look better like this," he murmured. "On me."
I was going to explode.
[System Notification: Host's vitals dangerously elevated. Cause: terminal horniness.]
"Stop reading me like a book!"
[System: You're a bestseller.]
Kael fed me grapes one by one while I tried to sink into the fabric and disappear.
Then, someone knocked.
Kael's aura darkened.
"What?" he barked.
"Forgive the intrusion," came a nervous voice. "But the Queen has summoned the Consort for tea."
Kael's arm locked around me.
"He's not available."
There was a pause. "Sir, it's not optional."
Kael growled.
[System Notification: Side Mission Alert!]Objective: Survive tea with the Queen. Without Kael setting the palace on fire.
I stared at the system.
"This is your fault."
[System: And yet... here we are.]
A Sip of Poison
The palace was even grander than I imagined. An endless expanse of polished marble, banners fluttering like whispers, and a throne room so vast it felt like it swallowed worlds whole.
Gold, everywhere. The kind of gold that screamed: "Kneel, peasant."
And there I was, not kneeling. But trembling for some reason.
Kael's arm remained securely looped around my waist as we stood at the base of the Queen's throne. Not possessively–
...Okay, very possessively.
I barely had time to process my jelly-legged condition before a noble-looking woman with serpentine eyes smiled from the throne, lips curled like she'd just watched two idiots fall in love and was already plotting their doom.
"Well, well," she purred, examining Kael, then me. "You brought back a prize, Commander."
Prize?
I internally screamed.
System Notification:
"The wine she's about to offer is laced with a mild paralytic. Say you're allergic to grapes and look pitiful. Thank me later."
—With sass, love, and safety: Your System
I blinked. What?!
But the Queen was already motioning toward a servant who stepped forward with a tray of two goblets. One dark as rubies.
I smiled awkwardly. "I uh..I don't drink grapes. They give me... hives. Big ones. Horrible. It's tragic, really."
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Allergic?"
"Yes. Deadly. Ask Kael."
I elbowed him.
Kael's face didn't twitch as he replied, "Tragically so. A mere drop and he swells in all the wrong places."
...Did he just say that with a straight face?
"Indeed," the Queen chuckled. "Then perhaps you'll enjoy our rose tea instead." She signaled the servant to bring another cup. "Now, tell me, what are you to my Commander?"
Kael's grip subtly tightened. "Mine."
The Queen's brow lifted.
"M-My what now–" I sputtered, trying to blink the redness out of my face. "He means prisoner. P-Prisoner turned... uhm... diplomatic guest?"
"I said what I meant," Kael said, voice like velvet with a blade hidden inside. "He stays with me."
OH MY GOD—IS THIS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW???
System Notification:
"THIS IS SO SPICY I'M MALFUNCTIONING—DO YOU SEE THE WAY HE JUST DECLARED OWNERSHIP? SIR. PLEASE. THERE ARE CHILDREN—wait, you are not safe for work anymore."
—System 707: Currently screaming.
The Queen leaned back, gaze amused. "I see. Well, do make sure your... guest is handled appropriately. After all, he's... delicate."
Her eyes lingered on me. Not just mine. All of me. I suddenly wished I wore five more layers of clothes.
Kael's hand slid around to my hip.
Okay, but why is that hot– NO, BRAIN, FOCUS.
"I trust," the Queen added slowly, "that you'll keep your new pet out of political matters."
"I will," Kael said. "Unless anyone touches him. Then I'll be forced to rearrange the court's seating chart. Permanently."
Holy. Shit.
The meeting ended shortly after, though it felt like hours of walking a tightrope over lava.
By the time Kael and I stepped into the lavish carriage, I was still in post-blush survival mode, limbs slack and my thoughts scrambled.
He pulled me into his lap.
"I'm not your pet," I mumbled, face buried into his collar.
"No," he murmured, lips brushing my ear. "You're something I don't plan on letting go."
System Notification:
"Is this what they call being 'barked for'? Is this the leash metaphor? Because your thigh is currently his throne, and I am Concerned™."
—System 707, shaking and crying.
I whimpered into Kael's chest, hating how much I liked it.