Ethan's POV
I raised a brow at him, not scolding him. I'm very sure my wife will be listening too.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard you've been torturing her and even had the guards drag her from the ship. Why won't she be sick?"
Father frowned. "Why is that happening?"
"He misunderstood her," Thomas chuckled.
Mother rolled her eyes and sighed. I noticed Elena watching us with interest. She would be the happiest if I hated her.
"Misunderstood?" Father asked.
Thomas glanced at Mother and sighed. "He thought Allison was the one who showed Mom that jotter."
I looked at him in confusion. Is she not the one? Because I'm very sure that's what I knew…
Father looked at me and sighed. "Even though she's just a maid, she has her own life. She was set up by her fellow maids. I didn't say you should apologise to her or start feeling guilty, but stop maltreating her."
"Maltreating?" I heard Elena whisper excitedly. She nodded and excused herself. My eyes narrowed dangerously at her.
"How are your preparations for next week, son? You'll be crowned," Mother said.
I sighed. I'm not ready for this king title. She's just concerned about my marriage, still wants me to marry that illiterate despite everything that's happened.
Father calmly rose from his throne and headed toward his study. He's a king but loves reading a lot. "Follow me, Ethan." I already knew that was coming.
I sighed and followed him. He raised a hand to stop the guards from following.
Inside the study, he sat in his big chair and gestured for me to sit opposite him. I sat down, wondering what he was up to. He opened a drawer and placed a folded paper in front of me. I frowned and unfolded it.
"Jones family?"
He nodded. "You're going there tomorrow to help them. You know how cunning those foreigners can be, they'll try to take advantage of their king's absence."
"Where's King Charles?"
Father sighed and shook his head. "I haven't heard from him. What I know is, your friend should start preparing in advance."
"Bullshit!" I groaned. "We need to know what happened to him. We can't just assume he's dead."
"Do you know how long he's been gone? None of his bodyguards came back. Charles has been missing for a month now."
I sighed. I should be there for Elijah. He won't be able to handle the foreigners on his own. A golden sword was discovered in their cave, and they insist on buying it. That sword holds a great deal of significance for the Jones family.
"Who's ruling them now? Those weird foreigners"
"His name is Duncan. And that kingdom is new, made up of people we don't know. But Duncan's mother used to be a maid in the Jones palace."
"You mean Duncan is from Jones Kingdom?"
Father chuckled and nodded. "He's half Wales, half Jones."
"Bastard," I murmured. I knew him too well. He's always wanted to be a king, always jealous of Elijah and me since childhood.
I wonder how he gathered people from different cities into a desert to start his own kingdom. "How many are they?"
"Maybe one thousand."
"What the fvck?" I frowned. "Where the hell did he get that many people?"
"So, he thinks he's a ruler now? Powerful enough to steal from other kingdoms?"
"You and I both know he's doing this for power."
"Hmmm." That won't happen in my regime. I suddenly want Elijah to become king, he wouldn't let Duncan touch their kingdom's treasure. Even I won't let him off. If he comes near my kingdom, I'll turn him back into a slave and rule over his people.
Nobody would care about him if he just stayed in his so-called kingdom, but he's going too far by demanding the Jones' treasure.
Father is right he wants power. He'll attack if they refuse, and he might win since the king isn't around. Elijah is just a crown prince.
"I'll go there," I said and stood.
"Ethan," Father called. I looked at him and raised a brow.
"No killing."
I rolled my eyes but still replied, "Okay."
I took the book with me as I left his study, only to come face-to-face with Allison. Her eyes widened, and she quickly ran away in embarrassment. I couldn't help but chuckle.
Why is she shy? Maybe because of what happened last night. And that's not even our first time making love, I'm the first man in her life. I remembered our first night in her room before everything went wrong.
I pulled out my phone and dialled Elijah's number.
"Uhmm… hello, Ethan."
I frowned at the voice. I didn't need to guess who it was ... probably the illiterate princess.
Seeing that I ignored her, she grunted and ran to stand in front of me. "Ethan!" she said, looking upset.
"What's with you?"
"I… I'm your soon-to-be queen, and you're treating me like this?" she pouted.
"Who's feeding you that empty hope?"
She blinked several times, confused. "Empty hope? How? You'll be crowned the same day as our wedding."
"Whose wedding?" I looked at her, irritated. "I know, but not with you."
"Wait, with who?"
I checked my phone screen. Why wasn't he picking up? I dialled again.
"Tell me, Ethan! Do you have another woman outside?!"
"Watch your tongue," I said coldly. She shivered and quickly bowed. She must've realised she was talking to a crown prince, not an ordinary one.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm just curious… Do you have another woman apart from me?"
"Well, yes," I said plainly.
She looked at me in horror.
"You don't have to hurt me like that. I know you don't like me. My father didn't like my mother when they first married either, but later they fell for each other."
"That's your family's business," I said. "I don't care about marrying for power. I'll marry who I love, and nobody's changing that."
"I'll be your queen whether you like it or not. We'll do the ritual on our wedding night."
Hearing her speak so confidently, I smirked. She really thinks having my parents behind her is enough.
I dialled Elijah's number again, but still not available.
I looked out the window, lost in thought. "What's happening in Jones Kingdom right now?"