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“Will you be there?” I asked.
“I will. I’ve been assigned to be your personal maid, so if you need anything at all, I will be there to serve you. Wine, food, whatever you desire, Bella,” she answered.
I chewed my lip, worrying if the ladies of the nobility would be kind to me or if the men would look at me like I wasn’t worthy, but I quickly shook it off. That wasn’t me at all. Just because this was a new place with new rules wasn’t reason enough to make me less strong and less sure of myself.
I’d pushed a man out a window and killed him, for god’s sake, in order to stop him from raping me. I think I could handle a dinner amongst the rich and royal.
There was a knock on the door and Maria tensed before she nodded and stepped away.
“It’s time I took my leave. The king will be in presently to escort you down to dinner,” she explained.
“Thank you, Maria. For your kind words today,” I offered with a smile.
“It was my duty, Miss Isabella,” she said. She left rather quickly after that. All alone with my thoughts, I walked back over to the window and looked out with a new vision of this place and the mountains surrounding it. It was indeed an isolated valley and when I searched the horizon, there didn’t appear to be any paths that led out. The sun was beginning to dip below the high cliffs of the mountains, casting a red glow over the town that made it look like an oil painting. I pressed the backs of my fingers against the window, feeling the chill of the glass against my skin.
Dressed up like a perfect princess in a castle, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I should be jailed or dead for murder, but instead I was here and about to escort royalty to dinner.
I heard the door open behind me and I didn’t turn around, listening instead to the footsteps against the hardwood floor. They sounded firm and distinctly masculine and when I breathed in, I could smell his scent. I licked my lips, remembering the taste of him on my tongue.
He’d come back for me.
Chapter Five
Isabella De Luca
“Did you miss me, baby girl?”
A shiver raced down my spine at the sound of his voice. I drew in a breath, trying to prepare myself for his presence once again after he’d made me come for him more shamefully than I ever had before in my life. I finally turned my head and gazed back at him, watching as he looked at me warmly. He seemed content and at once, I relaxed.
He was dressed in an outfit that screamed royalty. He was wearing an incredibly well-tailored black suit, complete with a scarlet tie that matched the color of my gown. On his wrists was a pair of ruby cufflinks that put the ones that his cousin had been wearing to shame. The way the gemstones caught the light was both eye-catching and so intensely beautiful.
I adored men in suits, but that wasn’t what held my attention. Instead, my eyes were drawn to the glittering crown atop his head. It was made of brilliantly polished gold, as well as massive diamonds and even more rubies laid out in intricate patterns that must be worth several millions, if not billions. It was a show of wealth like I’d never seen before.
“I should have this image of you captured in a painting,” he whispered. “Don’t move.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Quickly, he snapped a picture of me, and I smiled wistfully at him, feeling myself blush at his kind compliment.
“I did miss you, Your Majesty,” I offered quietly.
He grinned widely, raking his eyes up and down my body in clear and open appreciation.
“You look beautiful. Complete and utter perfection,” he whispered, the gravelly tone of his voice doing strange things to my insides, leaving me wet and wanting for his touch. I turned away, unable to look his way as he openly complimented me with such clear admiration. I blushed and turned my eyes to the floor.
He noticed.
He moved closer to me and used a finger to lift my chin, forcing me to look up into his eyes even though I didn’t want to.
“Don’t look away from me, baby girl. You’re such a beautiful little thing and you deserve to know it. Own it for me,” he said softly and for a moment, I looked back at him like he was a complete stranger. This morning, he had been ruthless as he used me, especially in front of his subjects, ensuring that he left me well punished, sobbing, and entirely sated. Now there was a certain sweetness in the way he spoke to me in the privacy of this room.
“Thank you,” I whispered in return and his smile widened, causing his eyes to crinkle with warmth.
“That’s my good girl,” he said quietly, and my heart jumped at his words.
“So, you’re really a king then?” I asked, touching the edge of the crown with my fingers just to prove to myself that it was real.
“I am,” he answered.
“Of just this place?”
