章 6: The Wife’s Duty

The Homecoming Party for the kingdom's hero continued. The royal family and the nobles of Kingdom Averion celebrated the victory of the 5th Battalion headed by Alaric Stormholt.

Alaric wasn't used to this kind of occasion wherein he should mingle with those nobles. He chose a spot where he could drink his beer alone.

'I thought I would no longer get affected by her presence. But after seeing her in the royal courtyard earlier, all the pains of her betrayal came back to me.'

Alaric downed his beer, trying his best to forget the unwanted memories of the past.

'I'm General now. I must show her that I'm no longer the powerless commoner knight. This might be a slap on her face, seeing my achievement so far.' He smiled bitterly, gripping his tankard tightly.

Alaric glanced around, a sense of emptiness filling his heart when he didn't see Eve. He wanted to show off his achievement to her. But to his disappointment, the third princess couldn't join them in this gathering.

Sulking in his spot, Alaric continued drowning himself with the alcohol. It did not take long before Thalia approached him, sitting next to him.

"Why are you hiding here, my hero? You are the star of the night. This gathering is for you." Thalia gently rubbed his thigh, deliberately initiating an intimate contact with him.

After seeing Alaric's wife, Thalia gained more confidence that she would be able to steal him away from her.

"I prefer to stay out of the limelight. I was born to be on a battlefield, not at these kinds of gatherings." Alaric replied as he casually removed Thalia's palm from his thigh.

Princess Thalia was taken aback when she noticed that Alaric was not in the mood. He was unusually cold tonight. And he seemed like he was distancing himself from her.

"Alaric, are you upset with me?" She asked him, pouting her lips.

"No. Why would I be upset with you, Princess Thalia?"

Thalia leaned closer to Alaric, her breast already touching his muscular biceps as she whispered, "Because I mentioned to King Solomon and Queen Amara that I wanted to marry you without informing you first. Did you get mad at me because of that?"

Alaric fell silent, not responding to her.

"I can see that you are not close to your wife. And there is no romantic feeling involved. The Queen already gave her permission. Alaric, divorce your ugly wife and marry me!" Thalia pressed her palm on Alaric's chest while resting her head on his broad shoulder.

"I can give you everything. I'm also a princess. If you marry me, you can become the future ruler of our Kingdom Eldara," she added, convincing him to agree.

However, Alaric maintained his stoic expression. He never dreamed of becoming a king.

Thalia's finger started to draw circles on his chest, tempting him. She wouldn't stop until Alaric agreed to her proposition. She was so in love with him.

"I can also satisfy your needs…" Thalia's hand moved from his chest down to his abdomen, her fingers tracing his chiseled abs.

When her hand was about to reach further down, Alaric suddenly stood up, moving away from her touch.

"Princess Thalia, may you excuse me for a moment. I have to go to the lavatory." Alaric suddenly felt some discomfort, his body heating up.

Thalia smiled and nodded. "Alright. I'll wait for you here."

She watched his retreating figure with eyes sparkling with anticipation.

'It looks like the drug has started to kick in.' Thalia thought to herself as she looked down at Alaric's tankard. She asked a servant to spike his drink.

She had been trying to flirt with Alaric but he didn't reciprocate so Queen Amara suggested to drug him and have the two spend the night together. If they ended up sleeping, she could demand Alaric to marry her and divorce Eve.

However, Thalia's plan didn't work out as she had expected. Intoxicated by the drug, Alaric slipped out in the middle of the party and headed to Eve's chamber.

Eve was lying on her bed when she heard heavy footsteps approaching her.

'Is that Alaric? Did the gathering already end?' Eve mused to herself as she sat up in bed.

She turned around, surprised to see Alaric taking off his clothes.

'Wait… why is he stripping in front of me?' She wanted to look away but she couldn't.

Her gaze subconsciously fell on Alaric's upper body. Her cheeks instantly turned red as her eyes lingered on his excellent physique– he had broad shoulders, muscular biceps, and chiseled abs.

She swallowed hard with admiration in her eyes. Alaric's body was like a perfect sculpture of a man of steel. Yet, scars from both old and new wounds were visible on the different parts of his body, an indication of the dangerous battles he had gone through as the kingdom's heroic knight.

For some unknown reason, Eve had the urge to touch and trace those scars.

"Are you done appraising me?" He hissed with a tone of sarcasm. "Take off your clothes now. It's time for you to fulfill your duty as my wife," he demanded sternly.

Eve just stared at him, blinking innocently. Her silence annoyed him further.

"Have you forgotten? We haven't consummated our marriage yet. Or perhaps, do you want us to get a divorce?"

Eve shook her head frantically when she heard the word divorce.

'I'll do anything. I'll obey you. Just don't divorce me.'

She couldn't voice out what she wanted to say but her eyes were already begging him. Then she started to undress, her hands trembling in both fear and nervousness.

Alaric frowned as he couldn't understand why Eve didn't utter a single word. She was only moving her head while responding to him.

'Is she mute or something?'

But Alaric didn't have time to figure that out. His body felt so hot, his heartbeat racing and a strong desire was awakened inside him. He needed to find a release.

'Damn. I don't know why am I feeling like this?' he groaned inwardly.

For some unknown reason, he found himself strangely aroused. All he wanted to do right now was pin Eve on the bed and penetrate her until he found his release.

His arousal mixed with his hostility and pent-up frustrations toward Eve clouded his rational mind. And without further ado, he climbed onto the bed, pushing her down harshly.