The King's Lover-Chapter 408: Expected Duty

Caira held the cup of wine a little too tightly. Her newlywed husband had abandoned her from the moment he could mingle through the crowd, leaving her to her own devices when she barely knew the people here.

Yes, she may have been introduced to a few lords and ladies, but wasn’t he supposed to keep her by his side all through today, or was she wrong? Wasn’t that what happened after weddings?

Her brother’s wedding had gone on in this manner, or perhaps Velmount’s tradition was different, but no one seemed to think anything was wrong. After all, they already had their dance. Perhaps, she was the one demanding too much.

Even as all this clouded her mind, Caira couldn’t help but think about what would happen tonight. Most of her life had been consumed with information on how to be the perfect wife to the future king of Velmount, so she was not in the dark.

She knew exactly what was expected of her. It was the only way to ensure an heir, and Caira didn’t hate the idea of it. She was just nervous, as her maids and teachers had mentioned that there could be mild pain—but only a little—and she had nothing to worry about.

"Congratulations, Princess," Rylen said as he appeared in her line of view.

Caira was so startled she nearly poured her drink on him. "Prince Rylen."

She forced out a smile as she tried to compose herself, but she couldn’t stop her cheeks from flooding with color. She gripped her drink tightly, not missing that Rylen was staring at her oddly, though his eyes held only concern, not judgment.

"Are you tired already?" he asked. "Pardon us, this might take a while."

His smile was polite, and this was the first time he had approached her all day. Even when the lords and ladies came up to them to give their congratulations, Rylen didn’t step forward.

Caira wasn’t unaware of the strained relationship between Rylen and Caius, and she knew she was the major cause. Still, she knew better than to address it—just as she knew better than to mention Rose, who, according to word she had heard, was brought into the castle by the prince from a backwater town.

Caira had heard different accounts of this. According to the Queen, she was a witch who had put a hex on her son, but Caira had no reason to worry, as she would soon be rid of her. However, the account she heard from her maid Mara was completely different.

It wasn’t that Caira wanted to get into gossip, but this was one she could not avoid, especially when it involved her future husband. Unfortunately, it would be classless for her to directly speak to the servants about it, so she had asked her maid to do so.

Mara had spoken to a maid called Lily, who was also one of the maids who took care of Caira, and she was informed about how Rose had been taken from her hometown just a few days before her own wedding. It was easy to hate her without any information but this part changed everything and Caira could almost see the similarities in both their situations.

"Princess Caira," Rylen called.

She pushed the thoughts away from her head. "I am sorry, Prince Rylen. I think I might sit down. I am starting to feel the exhaustion."

Rylen retreated with a polite smile, and she felt bad for pushing him away when all he did was help, but right now it felt as though her head would explode—especially when she recalled how the crown prince had acted during the wedding. Princess Caira drank another cup of the sweetened wine before she returned to her seat.

She had no recollection of the rest of the party. At some point, the crown prince returned to her side with that fake smile on his face, but he was soon gone again, and she was left by herself, faking conversations as best as she could.

When it was finally time for the groom and bride to retire, Caira couldn’t be happier. Mara and another group of maids were quick to lead her to her bedroom first.

She could hear whispers and giggles from the ladies as she was ushered out, and just as she was about to go out the door, Caira caught eyes with Rylen. He had a cup to his lips, so she could only see his blue eyes from the rim of the cup, and they were looking at her with an intensity Caius lacked.

"Princess, we have to get you ready on time," Mara was saying.

Caira snapped out of it and turned her gaze away and out the door. She was led through the corridor, and she could hear the sounds of the party fading away.

The walk didn’t take long, and there was barely any conversation—only the sound of footsteps. Soon enough, they arrived at the crown prince’s wing and went up the stairs to the floor of her room.

Caira tried not to look at Rose’s room as she made her way past it, but it was hard not to when she could see candlelight peeking from under the door.

Was she awake?

Caira didn’t get much chance to process this thought before she was bundled into her room, stripped completely naked. The women worked quickly as they tried to get her ready.

She was first washed, every inch scrubbed, then soaked in perfume-scented water. After she was wiped down, lotion and scented oil were applied to her skin. Her hair was dried and brushed, until not a single drop of water remained.

Mara then brought out a white lace nightdress and helped her into it. The nightdress stopped just about her knees and left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Mara stared at her up and down and nodded in approval, while Caira looked at her with horror.

"Is that all I am going to wear?"

"It depends. If we are taking you to the prince, you would have to add the robe, but I don’t think that is the case. As I understand it, he is to come to you. You shall lie in bed and wait for him."

The only reason Caira didn’t overreact was because of how calmly her maid spoke, but Caira’s insides were all jumbled together. She could not seem to adequately prepare herself.

Mara immediately sensed her nervousness and asked the rest of the maids to leave. As soon as it was just them, Caira collapsed into the chair. For the first time since she woke up, she could finally stop putting on an act.

"Are you scared, my lady?" Mara asked. She often referred to Caira in this manner when they were alone.

Caira lifted her head to look at her maid. What she felt could not be explained by fear alone. No—there was also anxiety, nervousness, and the horrifying realization that her wedding was for show, and even what was about to happen would be nothing like she imagined, only a duty expected of them both.

But Caira could handle this. It was part of her training. She understood that this was an arranged marriage, and no matter what happened, her role was simply to help the crown prince.

She knew this and had been excited, but all she had been met with was indifference—and something that looked very close to dislike—and no matter what she did, it wouldn’t change.

"I am fine, Mara. I know what I have to do."

She stood up from the chair by the dresser and walked toward the bed. She lay on top of the covers as she waited. Mara walked toward her and gave her a long look, then adjusted her hair. Caira smiled at her maid while Mara gave her a proud look.

"With this," she said as she pulled away, "you’ll officially be a woman." She giggled and made her way to the door.

Caira didn’t understand that statement. After all, hadn’t they said she became a woman after she saw her first period? However, she didn’t think too deeply about what Mara said, knowing the maid was only trying to help in her own way.

What she worried about was how long she would have to wait in this awkward position and how long the act would take. How much pain would she be in, and how long before she would take it in?

Caira’s head spun in all directions, never settling anywhere. Eventually, she started to notice she was waiting longer than she had expected. Even if the crown prince had only left the party after she had lain in bed, he should have arrived by now. At this point, she risked falling asleep.

Caira forced herself into a sitting position. She had ruined Mara’s placement of her hair, but she had to know what was going on. She walked toward the door just as it flew open, and Caira’s heart leapt to her mouth. She half expected to see the crown prince, but it was just her maid Mara. Before she could relax, Caira saw her expression.

"What’s wrong, Mara?"

The maid shut the door first before she started speaking. "It’s locked," her voice shook a little, showing her distress.

Caira was confused and wondered what that had to do with anything. "What is locked?" she asked.

"His bedroom. It was taking too long..." She paused, looking on the verge of tears. "I spoke to his servants, and they said His Highness chased them out as soon as they arrived in his bedroom, and no one has been able to get in since. We have knocked numerous times, and still no response."

Caira felt all the blood rush down her face until she was lightheaded. She staggered and her maid had to hold her up.

"Princess!"

"Maybe he fell asleep," Caira mumbled, but even as she said it, she didn’t believe it.

"I thought so too, but how... What are we going to do, Princess?"

"Nothing," she stated as she regained herself and pulled away from the maid. "Don’t do anything to draw unnecessary attention. I will wait and..." She paused as she looked around. "He might come by."

Mara nodded, seemingly satisfied with Caira’s words. "If he does, don’t hesitate to summon me. I’d like to help you clean up."

Caira simply nodded. She didn’t have the heart to tell her maid there would be no aftermath. The crown prince would not come to her.