14. Thorns sting

Seeing both of them together, the moon and stars were also happy, but now seeing Jane Dover sad, there was sadness on their faces. Jane Dover bowed her wet eyelids and held both palms tightly because she could not be ineffective in front of him.

"You were bringing me here from Janseng, I had made a mistake that I had tied myself to the beauty of nature and fell asleep in its lap without asking you. At that time, I did not know you completely or I do not know you now. But that time and this time, every time I have made a mistake. In fact, that mistake was smaller than this one. I am ready for every brutal punishment you will give to me." After saying this, she closed her aching eyes tightly and remembered that hell moment when she was in Vrinda Simard's arms.

Darius Simard sighed and came to her without speaking any word. He could see that she was quivering in fear of the punishment still asking for it courageously. He placed his palms on her weak shoulders and she shuddered negligibly. She clenched her fists in panic. What harsh he was going to do with her was the most dreadful matter for her right now which was causing her breathing down.

"What crime do you want to be punished for?"

Jane Dover did not expect this question from him yet she opened her red and weepy eyes.

"Whatever the Prince of Winsonland had done with you, beat you up and put you in the dungeon, he has already got punishment for that."

Darius Simard turned her back and looked straight into her eyes.

"Look at me and say what is in my heart."

Jane Dover's stress melted away and a new phase of chaos had started.

"Before asking me for punishment, it seems that you didn't listen to my heart."

Jane Dover recalled that moment when her head was on his heart and she was hearing his jumping heartbeats. At that time, his heart seemed adequate and peaceful because she was near him.

Darius Simard held her pretty face in his warm palms and looked at her affectionately.

"I can kill anyone for you, but can't beat you." His heavy and bass voice made her stunned and she blinked her big and beautiful eyes.

"Don't you know how I feel for you?"

Soon, Jane Dover's eyes filled with tears and she finally opened her trembling lips then said, "Forgive me. In my desperation to talk to you, I made a mistake. I could not recognize him. Forgive me, please."

She started sobbing and he could not handle her broken state of mind, he worryingly pressed her head on his chest and embrace her in sense of security. He placed his chin on her head and kept rubbing her hair gently as if he wanted to console her with his actions.

"Please..."

"Hey, don't cry."

It seemed that she was out of her mind and passing by trauma because of her brutal past.

Her crying did not subside, but when his heart began to ache due to her urges, he raised her head from his chest and then the lines on his face changed suddenly as she had fallen into unconsciousness.

"Jane..." He held her weak and 'ready to stumble' body and carried her in his robust arms.

It was a dark night, but the candles in the room were still lit. He was sleeping on his bed beside her with his tormented mind. There was neither sleep in his eyes nor peace in his heart. His face was cold as an iceberg and his dark gaze was on her pale and miserable face for a long time. Whatever ensued in the evening, even if she accidentally accepted Vrinda Simard's arms, Darius Simard recognised her naiveness. It was not that seeing her in his arms did not hurt his heart, but he could not even dream of punishing Jane Dover. He sighed deeply and touched her soft cheek gently.

"You don't know what you are to me! If my hand will be raised on you, it will be to love you, not to beat or torment you. And I mean it!" His deep and low voice was rational and it seemed that he was promising himself. One corner of the heart was filled with unhappiness and the other corner was filled with rage. And in this chaos, when the morning fell, he did not even know.

When Jane Dover woke up from a long and comforting sleep, she did not find him beside her like every morning. But the scent of his body had not yet gone from the bed as if he had left the bed a while ago. She placed her white palm on the bed and felt the warmth of his body. She recalled the last stressful night when lots of turmoil broke over her suddenly and she became weak. She did not know what had happened to her after he embraced her in his sober arms but she thought it was like a bad dream. She sighed deeply and sat on the bed weakly.

"Your Highness, you woke up! Good morning." Sinja was standing in front of her with her cute smile and it made Jane Dover relaxed.

"Good morning." Her voice was low but hoarse.

"You slept in this gown you wore in the evening for the function last night?" Her question made Jane Dover lower her head and look at her outfit. She remembered that she was walking in the garden and collided with Vrinda Simard which cause trouble and she ran to the bedroom when Darius Simard caught her with him. She could not change her gown because the king had called her and when she returned after talking to him, Darius Simard was in the bedroom.

Jan Dover sighed and nodded sadly.

"You must be tired that's why you must not have been able to wear a nightgown. But you should have called me. I would help you." Seeing Sinja considerate, Jane Dover smiled slightly and looked at her.

"If I need you in the middle of the night, will you leave your sleep and come?"

"I have been appointed here to serve you. I don't have the right to think about my own interests more than you." It was the clear answer from Sinja and Jane Dover impressed with that cute lady. She nodded with a calm smile and stood up from the bed when Sinja put her silky sleepers on her feet and then looked at her with a bright smile.

"Today I have asked the girls to add milk to the bathtub. Your skin is too delicate for warm water, so take a bath with milk."

After hearing this, Jane Dover became relieved and smiled at Sinja brightly.

"You take great care of me, Sinja."

Sinja smiled brightly as she was enjoying taking care of the princess of Janseng.

"This is my duty, Your Highness. Please come this way."

Day passed in the company of Sinja and talking to the womenservants, but as the night fell, Jane Dover started missing her husband who was kissing her lips angrily last night because the conversation she had started last night did not reach an end and yet she did not know whether he had forgiven her or he was still upset.

When she first found out that Darius Simard was a womaniser, and had built a palace for the women of his choice in Winsonland where he slept with them, Jane Dover's heart was rocked by a stone. So she could understand how much distress he must have felt when he saw his wife was melt in his elder brother's arms. Her throat was parched thinking that how would she face her husband every time after her stupidity? She felt suffocated in the bedroom and so she went to the garden again to walk in the cold breeze but she did not know that in this garden in the evening, besides her, another person also used to come for a walk.

Earlier that person used to come to share his loneliness with the winds, but since he saw Jane Dover, the reason for his coming here had changed. He started liking to see this gorgeous woman discreetly.

Jane Dover raised her head and looked at the cloudy sky. It seemed that it would rain after a while because the wind was cool and soothing. She felt somewhat calm and relieved as the atmosphere was pleasing. She was assuming that her husband would stand here with her and she was in his arms. Whether it rained or snowed, she would not be far from his arms. She could define to him that her heart has now started beating after seeing him. She could explain to him how frantic she was for him!

Jane Dover glanced at the colourful flowers and she found a ravishing pink rose. Seeing which her rosy cheeks blossomed and her big eyes lit up. Vrinda Simard was watching her from behind those plants without blinking his eyes as if he was thirsty and water was in front of him. Jane Dover caressed the flower with her long fingers gently and kept looking at it with a mild gaze. The flower was as pink and lush as Darius Simard's soft lips. Thinking that perhaps this rose could remove the distance between her and Darius Simard, she held the branch to separate it from the branch, and then a thorn pricked her delicate finger.

"Ahh..."

Pulling back her palm, when she saw the bloody tip of the finger, she became panicked and only then did she hear a familiar heavy and magnetic voice.

"These thorns sting."