บท 10: A Clue in the King's Journals
Madison woke up just as the sun was starting to rise. She felt sore but satisfied from the mind-blowing sex she had last night with Prince Wald. At first, she thought it was just an incredibly realistic dream. But then she felt Wald's heavy arm draped across her bare stomach and his warm breath on the back of her neck. She smiled as she remembered all the hot details - his burning kisses all over her body, the delicious stretch of him pushing inside her, the explosive release that left her a sweaty, limp mess in his arms.
She had actually gone through with sleeping with the prince - the same man she was sent to kill to get revenge for her murdered family. But instead of feeling bad or disgusted with herself, she felt unexpectedly peaceful, like a missing piece of her soul had finally clicked into place after drifting for so long.
Carefully, so she didn't wake Wald, Madison slipped out from under his arm and the tangled sheets. She quietly got dressed, knowing she needed to get ready before the other servants were up and starting their chores. She could already hear soft noises of the castle staff getting up and moving around to start their day.
As she sneakily tried to make her way back to her little room, Madison's mind was racing. What did this mean for her and Wald going forward? Was he just going to toss her aside now that he got what he wanted? The arrogant prince didn't seem like the type to catch feelings and want an actual relationship, thank the gods. But then again, his behavior last night had been unexpectedly tender and passionate at times, leaving Madison flustered and her heart pounding in a way that went beyond simple lust.
Or would the idiot think this was the start of some kind of serious romance? That could never happen once he ultimately found out the real reason why she had infiltrated the castle in the first place. Madison felt a stab of guilt over her deception, but quickly shoved it aside. She was an assassin, damn it, sent to avenge her family's brutal slaughter at the hands of Wald's depraved father, the psychopathic former king. Allowing any kind of sentimental attachment to muddy her mission would be a lethal mistake.
And then there was the issue of her assassination mission. How could she possibly go through with killing Wald now after sleeping with him? Sharing that primal, body-shaking intimacy forged an undeniable bond between them, one Madison hadn't foreseen when embarking on this mission. The cold hard facts of daylight made Madison feel disgusted with herself for being so weak and depraved, for letting herself get seduced, even for a single night of mind-blowing pleasure. She was a trained killer, not some blushing virgin swooning over a hot guy with an amazing body!
As if on cue, flashes of Wald's impressive physique, his chiseled muscles rippling under tanned skin as he moved above her, bombarded Madison's senses. She squeezed her eyes shut, digging her nails into her palms as she willed the sensual imagery away. She could still feel the ghostly imprint of his lips scorching her fevered skin, taste the earthy musk of his sweat, and hear the low rumble of his pleasure-soaked growls reverberating through her very core.
No, she couldn't allow herself to be consumed by those kinds of dangerously distracting thoughts and memories. Already they were making her lose focus, her determination wavering like a sputtering candle flame threatening to extinguish in the face of temptation. She had to push those unbidden feelings aside and stay devoted to her mission - her sacred vow to get vengeance on the Lycan bloodline for massacring her family, no matter what delicious temptations tried to steer her off course.
It was this cold, hard resolve that made Madison hurry through the shadowy halls back to her tiny personal room. Once inside, she wasted no time cleaning up and changing into a fresh maid uniform, smoothing the crisp fabric as she checked herself out in the cracked mirror. She looked like the picture of a hard-working, plain servant again - a look that would be crucial in the coming days when she accompanied Wald and his battalion to capture that backstabbing snake Prime Minister Douglas.
The thought made her frown, her brow furrowing in consternation. How was she supposed to deal with this unexpected, complicated hurdle? Spending an extended period in close quarters with Wald while pursuing Douglas would be torturous, constantly testing the limits of her self-control. She had to find a way to get secret, coded instructions from her prime minister allies about how to proceed without blowing her cover.
But first, maybe there was a way to gather more intelligence right here in the castle that could help her get the upper hand in unraveling this whole conspiracy. Some clue or insight to give her an advantage over Wald and unravel the secrets surrounding Douglas' betrayal. Madison's eyes landed on the beat-up wooden desk shoved against the wall, its scorched surface covered in stubs of melted candles, tarnished inkwells, and scraps of old parchment.
With the soft glow of a fresh candle to see by, Madison settled at the desk and began carefully sifting through the various papers and miscellaneous items scattered there. Most of it was useless junk - endless laundry inventories, boring domestic logs, used quills, and the like. But one item caught her eye - an old, leather-bound journal sticking out from under a stack of faded sketches and drawings.
Her breath caught in her throat as she gently pulled it free and turned it over in her hands. This was no ordinary journal...the ornate stamping on the cover revealed a crescent moon framing the word "Vita" in elegant, swirling calligraphic script. This was none other than the private journal of the late Lycan king himself, Wald's bloodthirsty tyrant of a father!
Madison's pulse thundered in her ears as she realized the magnitude of what she held in her hands. These worn, creased pages could contain a wealth of priceless intelligence - the former king's deepest thoughts, feelings, and personal musings laid bare. Secret hopes and fears, detailed accounts of family histories, invaluable military tactical plans and strategies...anything that might give her a strategic advantage over Wald and the means to take him down once and for all.
With trembling fingers, Madison carefully turned to the first page, the ancient vellum crackling softly as she turned the leaf to reveal the faded, looping handwriting of the Lycan king...
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