CHAPTER 42

The words hit me like a slap, and I felt my heart skip a beat, anger flaring up before I could stop it. How dare he? How dare he assume he knew what I was thinking, what I was feeling? But even as the anger simmered, a small part of me knew he wasn't entirely wrong. The thought made my cheeks burn with humiliation. But he was wrong if he thought it was in that kind of way.

I lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze, even though it made my skin prickle with unease. "Believe what you will, Your Majesty," I said, my voice colder than before, "but I assure you, I was merely following your summons."

His smirk widened, a dark, almost wicked gleam in his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You know, I could make this easier for you," he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper, laced with something dangerously soft. "I could give you exactly what you want… if only you would admit it."