Chapter 6
“I offer my respects, Your Majesty.”
Elfreda’s voice was stiff with formality as she finished her salutation. Ejnar finally let go of her, leaving her expression clouded with confusion. Although he hadn’t dropped her with any force, the sudden loss of support left her swaying unsteadily, her balance nearly failing her.
Ejnar let out a sharp click of his tongue. He reached out once more, gripping her to ensure she remained upright on the solid ground.
“You’re as flimsy as a scrap of paper,” he remarked, “yet you still try to wander off.”
The comparison was no hyperbole.
When he had pulled her from the water, she had felt as weightless as a hollow doll. Today, she seemed even more ethereal, as if she were fading away. Word had reached him that she was neglecting her meals, consumed entirely by the rigors of her royal education.
His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. Her face was visibly more gaunt than during their first encounter.
“Where were you headed?”
After a small, nervous swallow, Elfreda found her voice.
“I was making my way toward Tem’s Palace.”
“In your condition?”
A mocking sound escaped him immediately.
“You’d likely shrivel up and blow away like a dead leaf before you arrived.”
“….”
“Cease this obstinacy. Return to where you belong.”
She understood he meant the chambers she had just departed. Yet, the phrase struck a painful chord, sounding too much like an order to return to Makaeri. The thought sent a sharp ache through her chest, and despite her efforts, her eyes began to shimmer with unshed tears.
Her visible distress made Ejnar feel strangely out of place.
“You are a princess of high standing,” he said, his tone shifting. “Must I utilize more delicate language to suit your rank?”
He had misread the situation, but Elfreda simply shook her head quickly to dismiss the notion. He wasn’t finished provocation her, however.
“Do you require me to lift you up and carry you again?”
“No, certainly not.”
She answered in a rush, her gaze fixed anywhere but on him.
“I am capable of walking. I only worried that I was becoming a burden…”
“You are mistaken about the nature of the problem,” he countered with a cynical curve of his lips.
“Attempting that walk in your state is what creates the burden. It would only force someone else to haul you back.”
“…Oh.”
His remark brought Ilene’s earlier explanation back to her.
The King personally delivered the Princess here.
She had struggled to comprehend if he had truly carried her himself or merely overseen her rescue. But Ilene had been specific—he had physically moved her. The distance from the gardens was far too great for a casual stroll, though other buildings were closer.
It still defied logic. Why would the sovereign take it upon himself to handle her?
Confusion began to swirl in Elfreda’s mind. While saving the life of his enemy’s kin might serve a political purpose, his refusal to delegate the physical labor was baffling.
“I must thank you for your help the other day.”
Regardless of her confusion, gratitude was the proper response.
As she spoke, Ejnar’s stare grew more heavy and concentrated. Elfreda felt as though she were being submerged in a rising tide, but she kept her composure and pressed on.
“I deeply regret being such an inconvenience in so many ways.”
Her heart turned cold as she recalled the previous night—her wedding night. She was now bound to the man whose family had been slaughtered by her own grandfather.
“Well,” Ejnar said, his voice dropping into a flat, unreadable drone. “It seems you were merely trying to avoid someone you find repulsive.”
“…Beg your pardon?”
“If you have a motive for your actions, then that is that.”
Elfreda was stunned by his interpretation and tried to protest.
“That isn’t the case at all…”
But as she looked up, she was trapped by his dark green eyes. They were deep and searching, silently challenging her denial. She swallowed hard. While her actions weren’t born of malice, she couldn’t deny that the situation was uncomfortable.
The truth was that she had been avoiding him for his sake, not her own. She feared that her presence would irritate him, and she was desperate to avoid fueling his resentment any further.
“…I simply didn’t wish to force myself upon Your Majesty’s sight,” she confessed softly, trying to explain her reasoning.
“I was terrified of provoking your temper.”
It was humiliating to admit her fear so plainly, but it was a better alternative than letting him believe she held him in contempt.
She dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.
The complexity of their bond was tragic; while others might dream of romance, she was relegated to navigating the narrow path of avoiding his wrath.
“That is the only reason. How could I ever…”
She cut herself off, a hollow, self-deprecating laugh escaping her lips.
“The idea of me hating Your Majesty is absurd. I wouldn’t have the gall.”
At the very least, she didn’t want him to view her as an arrogant or ungrateful woman. If she had one desire, it was to avoid that label. She feared that simply by existing in his space, she appeared brazen.
Ejnar’s gaze remained sharp and heavy.
Because she refused to look up from her own feet, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She chose not to try. She assumed his expression was anything but warm, and she decided that remaining ignorant was the safer path.
The silence between them stretched out, thick and heavy.
Elfreda worried she had said something to cause further offense. But she realized it likely didn’t matter; her very existence was an affront to him.
“Go back inside.”
The command lacked the venom she expected. Startled, Elfreda looked up. His expression was unreadable, yet the hostility she anticipated was missing.
There was a slight flicker in his eyes.
A sudden realization hit her—she had stayed in his presence for far too long. She bowed her head sharply and hurried past him. Once his face was no longer in view, she felt the frantic pounding of her heart against her ribs.
Even with the distance growing between them, the memory of him holding her wouldn’t fade.
“Ah…”
The tears she had fought so hard to suppress finally broke free, streaming down her cheeks.
Everything felt terribly wrong, and a sense of impending doom settled over her. Her vision blurred with salt and water, but she kept moving, not even stopping to dry her face. She stumbled blindly, her legs barely obeying her.
Her trembling mouth was the least of her concerns. Her only instinct was to escape his line of sight as quickly as possible.
“That isn’t the way…”
Before the warning could reach her, the world went black. It was as if a candle had been snuffed out by a sudden gust.
Elfreda slumped to the ground.
A piercing ache in her skull heralded Elfreda’s return to consciousness. She felt significantly worse than she had during her previous waking moment.
A low moan escaped her.
“Are you alright, Princess?”
Ilene was hovering over her, her face etched with anxiety. Elfreda’s voice was thick with regret as she spoke.
“I should have listened to your warning.”
The maid had been right. She should never have stepped foot outside. Had she stayed put, she wouldn’t be in this state. Perhaps she would have recovered her strength and been able to face the King with a more composed heart, free from the weight of the animosity she felt in this palace.
Her own recklessness felt shameful.
“His Majesty has issued a strict decree,” Ilene informed her. “You are forbidden from leaving this room until you have fully regained your health.”
“How did I return here?”
“The King brought you back himself. Again.”
Once more.
…He had done it personally.
It had happened exactly as he warned it would. Elfreda let out a small, weary sigh.
“Oh… just as he said.”
