My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 83

Sariel's words rang in my ears, agonizing the pain in my heart. The crowd cheered for the future king and queen as I stepped back against the wall, praying to miraculously escape this place. What was I even doing there? I became a humiliated mistress, tossed away by the Duke, who was now becoming the King. Sariel spared me no glance at me as he and Elora stood on the edge of the podium, surrounded by the hand-clapping sound.

My sight became blurry. I didn't know I was crying until I felt the wetness filling the neckline of my dress. Pathetic. I felt I did it to myself. I lowered all of my defenses and let myself get stabbed right when I was the most vulnerable.

"Are you all right?" I heard someone's warm whisper.

I knew that kind voice, but the tears made my eyes too cloudy to see. I tore my eyelids, trying to regain sharpness in my sight. Only then did I realize my whole body was leaning against Patrick's arms. He must have prevented me from collapsing onto the floor. He swiftly grabbed me in his arms and moved me away from the throne hall through the nearest side door. He put me down once we were alone in the corridor.

"Can you stand by yourself?" he asked caringly, watching my feet touch the floor.

"Yes," I answered numbly.

"Don't worry…" he started hesitantly, "King Sariel will take care of you… I know this is unfair, but I am sure that-"

"I believed him." I didn't let Patrick finish, "I foolishly believed in some kind of fairy-tale ending. Idiot…"

"He didn't have a choice… for now. I'm confident that once the army is his-"

"An army…" I chuckled bitterly.

"It's not just any army," Patrick stated strongly, "It is THE royal army. An army of vampires and mix-breeds that is able to wipe out half of the world if they had to. They were loyal to King Mael for decades… or centuries. It was known that they would follow whoever King Mael appointed in his will."

"Then… what does it make me? I cannot be the queen. How can I stand by his side?" I asked, nervously wiping my tears.

"I…" Patrick paused, searching for an answer.

I forced myself to smile at him. I wasn't hoping to hear an answer from him anyway. This reality check was crueler than I imagined.

"Patrick… Can I call you Patrick?"

He nodded.

"Patrick, take me away from here," I said, my pleading gaze locked on him.

He opened his mouth, uncertain of the response he should give me.

"Please…" I felt I was seconds away from crying again.

He sighed and grabbed my hand. We started walking along the corridor towards some doors. I guess Patrick must have studied the Palace's map after he had gotten his assignment. He was leading me confidently, increasing his pace as we walked further away from the throne hall. I wanted to get the hell out of there as if there was no oxygen for me to breathe.

"Where do you think you are going?!" Leo grunted, jumping right in front of us and blocking our way.

"He made a choice, Leo. Why should I stay here?" I hissed.

"The queen is merely one of the positions the king can grant," he said, ineptly trying to explain his master.

"Then who am I going to be? A part of his harem? A concubine?" I asked while tears started flowing down my cheeks again.

"I was told to keep you in the Palace no matter what it takes." Leo didn't reply to my question but proved to be relentless in blocking our way.

Patrick let go of my hand and gave me an apologetic look. I smiled bitterly but could have expected such an outcome. I couldn't blame Patrick; at least he tried to help me. I was still too weak to fight against anyone alone, and at that moment, I felt like I had given up on everything.

Leo snapped his fingers and two male servants showed up in front of us.

"This way, Ms. Leber." One of them bowed down and pointed the way.

Having no other choice, I started walking in the pointed direction, and Patrick and Leo followed.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, already feeling like a prisoner.

"To your room, Ms. Leber," the servant answered.

"And where is that?" I inquired as we stepped outside the main building.

"In the east wing, Ms. Leber," he replied.

"Harem…" I mumbled under my breath.

An ironic chuckle left my throat. My head was spinning. I kept walking forward, thinking how I had started to hate the position Sariel put me in. I felt sick at the thought of sharing the man I loved with another woman, not to mention other women in general. I knew I had to get out of there, but I couldn't think of a place I could run to. I was torn, and I couldn't think straight. The heartache I felt was making me go insane.

We entered the east wing, and the servants led us to the corner chamber on the highest floor. Once I entered, the bitterness in my smile increased. All my clothes were already unpacked inside that chamber. The room must have been prepared for me for some time. Had Sariel known that it was going to happen? If so, why hadn't he told me before? Maybe I wouldn't be so hurt if I had known about the possibility that it might happen or some kind of his secret plan.

"Ms. Leber…" Patrick reached out his hand to pat my shoulder.

"I want to be alone," I tossed, pushing his hand away.

All of them left the room without saying a word. Patrick felt sorry for me, Leo probably tried to approach this matter indifferently, and the servants most likely mocked me like the rest of those vampires and mix-breeds from the throne room. In their eyes, I was a pig that tried to be a swan. Perhaps I deserved to be mocked.

I decided to look at my newest golden cage. It was a huge room with a large bedroom part, a separate study room with a mini-library, and a wide balcony with a view of the military training grounds and a forest. The bathroom was also king-sized, with a bathtub that could fit three people and a shower with a cabin where it was possible to practice roundhouse kicks.

From one of the windows, I could see the entrance to the main building. I pulled the chair next to that window and stared outside like a canary longing for its freedom. I was numb. I didn't know what I felt anymore, and I surely had no idea what to do next. I even wondered if it wasn't some kind of higher power's punishment for a blunt love confession. Perhaps I wasn’t allowed to fall in love this lifetime… A human daughter of a werewolf falls in love with a vampire king. Could anything sound more ridiculous?

My empty, monotonous view outside the window became crowded. It looked like Sariel's coronation ceremony had ended.

"Is he already married?" The question I asked in my head increased the suffocating feeling.

Suddenly, I heard a crack, similar to a door opening sound. I hurriedly turned my eyes to the door, but it remained closed. Then I realized that the sound was coming from the study room. Before I walked in, I saw Sariel standing in front of me. I glanced behind him and saw a bookshelf moved to the side and an open passage. He must have used it to walk into my room directly from the main building. I looked into his eyes. He stared at me silently, guilt written all over his face. I would have liked to hurt him with my indifference or toss some vicious remark at him, but I didn't have it in me.

"Should I congratulate you?" I muttered numbly.

He grabbed me, pulling me into his tight embrace. It was the first time my body didn't respond to his touch. I felt empty, like a lifeless doll. He started kissing my face, my cheeks, my neck. It was nauseating. At one moment, he stopped, pulling me slightly away to look into my eyes again.

"Lilith… I-"

I swung my hand hard and slapped him. Surprisingly, my slap was enough to make his lips bleed. I didn't even flinch. I felt something beyond anger, and yet, on the surface, I barely showed a blank stare. I felt broken.

"Listen to me!" he shouted.

I swung my hand one more time, but this time he grabbed my wrist before I could hit his face.

"Please…" he muttered, laying his head on the nape of my neck, "Don't leave me. You have to stay by my side. Wait a while and I promise I will make things right."

"Why should I believe you?" I mumbled, trying to hide the fact that his words made my foolish heart warm again.

He locked his eyes on me and took a deep breath before saying, "Because I love you."