Chapter 7

The next day, a report from the king reached the harem from an official. Dozens of women gathered together in front of the official and he opened the seal, reading out the instructions for everyone to hear.

"The king is summoning a group of women to the castle. Interested women should please apply, and the most eligible will be selected to serve the king."

A gasp of excitement broke out, and they began murmuring to themselves, digesting the news. For the first time in a long while, the king was finally summoning them to be with him. It was the best news they had heard in a while. Rayena stood together with Soraya, a distance away from where the women had gathered, watching as they made more inquiries and even began putting down their names.

"Wow... They seem so happy about this," Rayena muttered, taking in the scene before her. "Will you be applying too, Soraya?" Rayena asked, turning to her.

Soraya hesitated, then gave a small nod. “I think I will. What about you?”

Rayena instantly shook her head. "I'm sitting this one out. My wounds have yet to heal and I don't think it'll be sensible to partake in that."

"You're probably right," Soraya conceded, glancing back at the excited crowd. Rayena's brow furrowed.

"I don't get why this is something to be excited about though. Won't the king just be sleeping with them?" Rayena asked slowly, folding her hands. Soraya tilted her head to the side, thinking it through.

"Well, yes. But there's also the possibility one might discover they have high compatibility with the king and end up mating with him and becoming queen. It's that chance most women are excited for."

With a chuckle, she added, "I probably won't get selected. This is just an opportunity for me to enter the main castle and meet my crush." Her eyes turned wistful as she said that. "They usually go for more beautiful and strong women, the likes of Lady Ysolde."

"Really?" Rayena asked, glancing at Ysolde, who was standing in a corner of the hall, watching as everyone fought to have their name written, her face the expression of calm. Even from across the room, she seemed untouchable, radiating the poise of someone who knew she didn’t need to fight for attention. Soraya nodded.

"Still, good luck. You never know what might happen," Rayena said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Thank you," Soraya responded and went ahead to join the crowd. Rayena watched her go before turning around and heading straight to her room.

Later that day, Lady Ysolde came to visit. Rayena was curled up on her bed, a novel opened in front of her, when a knock came on the door, and without waiting for her response, it opened and she stepped in.

"Good evening, Rayena," she greeted with a smile that felt fake. "I apologize if I interrupted anything," she said, making her way towards her.

"Oh no, it's fine. Although I have to ask, to what do I owe this visit?" Rayena asked as she straightened.

"I just wanted to know if you were applying to meet the king. A good number of us have revealed our interest, and I don't think I saw you there."

"Unfortunately, I won't be doing so. I don't think I'm the right candidate for that. Besides, I'm still healing from the wounds I sustained from the last wolf attack," Rayena explained.

Lady Ysolde's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in understanding and maybe, condescension. "That's true, you're human. I forget it takes you longer to heal. You truly won't be a good fit. Forgive me for that," she muttered.

The smile on Rayena's face faltered. She hated that she could detect the thinly veiled sarcasm in those words. She leveled Lady Ysolde's stare with one of hers when the latter continued to peer.

Finally, she wore a saccharine smile. "In that case, I will be on my way now. Have a good night," she said, striding out of her room, putting up all airs. Rayena waited till the door closed after her before letting the smile fall from her face, rolling her eyes.

With a scoff, she picked up her book and continued reading.

She didn’t like that woman. Not one bit.

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The next day, soldiers came to handpick women who had been selected to serve the king. Among them were Lady Ysolde and Soraya. They were separated from the crowd, and instructions were rattled out.

"From now till we get to the King's presence, do well not to carry the scent of another person. If you have doubts that you do, strip it all off. Do not adorn yourself with fragrances and try to appear as plainly as possible. Another assessment will be taken by the king once you get to the main palace to find one he is suitable with."

Hearing that, the women quickly distanced themselves. "We will be heading to the main palace now. Maintain a straight line. If you need anything at all to help you comply with these instructions, it will be provided for you there. We will be leaving now."

Hearing everything the official had said, Rayena could only bid Soraya goodbye, watch her leave, and return to her bedroom. With a good number of women already gone from the harem, the building was quiet. With no Soraya to keep her company, it didn’t take long for her to get bored.

She spent the time reading the books she had in her room and even requested more, but she soon got tired of staring at words on the page. Her gaze kept drifting outside the window, where a beautiful, well-manicured landscape lay before her, and she wanted to walk around it.

Though she’d made a promise to never step foot out of the harem anymore, a part of her still wanted out. Back home, she would have gone horseback riding with her father or shopping with her mother. She loved spending her time outdoors, appreciating nature and all it had to offer. Now she just felt like a canary trapped in a cage. She hated the feeling.

More hours passed, and Rayena couldn’t take the loneliness anymore. Thinking that most people would be occupied now that they had to attend to the king, a walk outside wouldn’t be so bad. Besides, it was still daylight. This time she wouldn’t go into the forest; there were still so many places to explore in this palace.

"I can just find a garden around…" she muttered aloud as she slipped down from the bed. "It doesn’t have to be far away from here."

She dressed up, wearing thicker clothes in case it got chilly. Slipping comfortable sandals onto her feet, she brushed her hair, letting it fall freely around her shoulders, and touched up her lip stain. Satisfied with the way she looked, she stepped out of the room.

It was late afternoon already, so the sun’s warmth was a welcome heat against her skin. The gentle breeze was refreshing as it carried the scent of sweet-smelling flowers. All the negative emotions Rayena had been feeling melted like snow in the heat, and she felt lighter than she had in a while.

If there’s one thing she needed to admit to herself, it was that this palace was incredibly beautiful and huge. She could spend all day exploring her surroundings and not get tired. There was always something new to discover. If the harem looked like this, she wondered how the main palace would be.

It took a while for her to realize she had strayed far away from the harem and didn’t know how to get back. She walked around in circles for a bit, unable to figure out a clear path, when she spotted a figure in the distance.

Moving closer, she saw it was a man standing alone. Her heart skipped a beat, and she paused, debating if she should go to him at all. He could be a guard, for all she knew. It wouldn’t hurt to ask for help.

"Um, excuse me?" she called out, watching as the figure turned to face her. "Do you know the way back to the harem?"

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Xenon buried his face into a bowl, throwing up the contents of his stomach, his mouth filled with bile. He was unable to help the disgust crawling up like ants in his body. Bending over and retching till there was nothing left in his stomach, he pushed the bowl away and cleaned his mouth with a swipe of his hand, his breathing ragged, his vision bloodshot.

He’d spent all day trying to pick the woman he could spend the night with to sate himself, but everyone he met made him nauseous. All it took was one whiff of their scents, and he was trying to suppress a gag, his stomach churning and nose crinkling. Not to mention his furious tiger that was prowling and prancing within him, wanting nothing more than to rip them in two.

Collapsing to the ground, he ran a hand through his hair, feeling sweat bead on his forehead. He couldn’t do this. He really couldn’t. He’d tried, but it wasn’t working.

Fresh air. I need to get some fresh air.

Rising to his feet, he removed his ceremonial robes, feeling suffocated in them, and pulled his hair into a bun away from his neck and shoulders. Now left with just a simple tunic and loose trousers, he ambled to the back gardens, the cool breeze washing over him and soothing him slightly.

With the tiger’s agitation lessening, the wolf rose within him now, restless and horny. Xenon sighed, his eyes slipping shut. He could never win.

"Um, excuse me?" A voice broke through his thoughts. Xenon turned to see who it was. A woman. One he didn’t recognize.

"Do you know the way back to the harem?"

For a moment, Xenon was stunned. How dare she ask him a question like that? But then, he looked down at his clothes and concluded she probably couldn’t recognize him as someone of importance because he wasn’t wearing his ceremonial garb and his hair was tied up haphazardly. Slowly tilting his head to the side, he studied her beauty.

With long black hair, round grey eyes, a pointed nose, and a freckle-studded face, she seemed rather striking. But then, he’d met more beautiful women.

"Uh… Did you hear me? I asked if you know the way back…"

He cut her off. "I don’t," he growled, his irritation evident. She flinched, startled.

"Oh, sorry…" she mumbled, averting her gaze as a flush stained her cheeks.

He peered at her again. The wind blew, bringing her scent to him. Human. She must be the one Mavron brought in recently. His brows furrowed. Why didn’t she apply to be part of the train he was to inspect?

"What are you even doing here?" he groaned.

"Oh… I went on a walk and was enjoying the view, got carried away, and now I can’t find my way back to the harem. I apologize for trespassing," she mumbled, rubbing her arms nervously.

He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "What’s your name?"

"My name is Princess Rayena," she answered, a corner of her lips quirking up but not quite forming a smile.

"Didn’t you hear of the King’s decree? That he summoned women? Why aren’t you part of that?"

"Oh, that one? I did. I just decided not to join because I’m still healing from the injuries I sustained."

His eyes widened softly. She must be the one he attacked when he lost control that night. A pang of guilt hit his chest, but he glared at her. "You shouldn’t have trespassed."

"I know, jeez, I’m sorry," she whined, pouting.

"Get better quickly," he growled, his voice softer. She turned to him, surprise reflected in her eyes. Then a soft smile graced her lips. "I will, thank you."

Then she looked up at the sky, a frown hitting her lips. "I still don’t know my way back, and it’s getting late."

Xenon looked back at the building he had stepped out from only moments ago. If he entered, he’d go back to the duty of trying to find a suitable female to sate himself with. He didn’t want that.

"I’ll help you," he groaned. "Let’s go." He began walking towards her.

"Really?" she asked, brightening up. "Thank you so much!"

He shrugged, falling into step with her.

"Wow, you’re really tall…" she murmured, looking up at him. "Handsome too. If that’s the right word to use." Then she rubbed her chin, peering at him. "Interesting color of eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that on anyone before."

He ignored her, walking ahead. She rushed to catch up with him. "What’s your name?" she asked, trying to match his strides.

Xenon debated if he should tell her the name he was known by, but he didn’t want to scare her. Glancing down at her, he mumbled, "Lylall. My name is Lylall." Very few people knew that name.

"Lylall." She tasted the name on her tongue, smiling afterward. "I like that." She brought out a hand for a shake. "I know I already told you my name, but you can call me Raye. Nice to meet you."

Xenon stared at her outstretched hand. "Raye," he muttered, liking the sound of it. He took her hand.