Meredith opened her mouth but it remained soundless with shock. Surprise drained the blood from her face and with a shaky hand she touched the nape of her neck.
How could she forget about what had happened last night?
A delicious shudder shot through her as she remembered his touch on her skin, and the way he had felt inside of her.
He was the temptation her soul thirst for; filling all of her broken emptiness,and making her whole again. He was her dark side, someone she couldn't resist.
And then a deep sorrow wound its way through her heart, leaving her breathless, as she remembered with sharp clarity all that she had lost - she couldn't be with him.
Panic and despair swept over her and she began to sweat as she tried not to hyperventilate, and to think of answers.
What would happen if Marcus finds out that Atlas had spent the night with her? Even though there were no romantic feelings between them, he would definitely be angry.
No man would be happy to see his betrothed with another man.
Were they going to kill him? Were they going to hurt him? What if they sent him back home?
The thought of something bad happening to Atlas because of her made her heart gallop in her chest.
Meredith closed her eyes and focused solely on the breaths coming in and out of her lungs, forcing down the panic and hyperventilation.
Maria recognized her struggle and rushed,
"Don't worry princess…I never would tell anybody!"
Maria promised and held Meredith's hand.
Meredith opened her eyes and released the breath she was holding,
"Really?" She asked, her brows arched in question.
Even though Maria was like a new best friend to Meredith, she didn't know if she could trust her yet.
It's not like Meredith was planning on trusting anyone in the city of Arkaans since she still didn't know the person who wanted her dead, but she was giving some people the benefit of doubt.
"Yes. As your maid I'm under your command. Anything I see or hear, while I'm working for you, cannot be disclosed to any third party without your permission. This is one of the rules of the city of Arkaans. Breach of this rule can result in my death."
Maria explained to Meredith.
"Oh…I see." Silence enveloped for a second before Meredith spoke again.
"So what if you're kidnapped or threatened at gunpoint to disclose any information about me, what would you do?"
Meredith questioned because she had read books where the main characters were betrayed by their close servants and maids. After all, the one closer to you is the one who could hurt you most.
Maria stiffened for a second and avoided Meredith's gaze.
"Well…if it's the case where I'm held at gunpoint or my life is in danger then-I-I would have to…."
Maria fidgeted uncomfortable before she forced out a sad smile, "Kill myself before the enemy gets any information out of me."
Meredith's eyes widened in shock at her words. She really wasn't expecting that answer.
"Every royal guard and servant is under the bound of duty. They know when the need arises they have to sacrifice their life for their master and it's an honor doing that."
Maria shrugged and continued when she saw the disbelief in Meredith's eyes.
Meredith nodded in response because she really didn't know what else to say.
Was she glad that her secret was safe? Yes. But could she ever live with the fact that an innocent person died because she wanted to protect her and keep her secrets safe? Definitely not.
It seems being a queen came with a lot of responsibilities and she had to work harder not to let her people down, especially now that she knew they were ready to sacrifice their lives for her.
"So if it's okay with you, princess, may I ask who that hot guy is?" Maria swooned as her eyes sparkled with excitement.
A faint blush covered Meredith's cheeks and she pulled away from Maria.
"No." Meredith snuck out her tongue at Maria and ran towards her room, locking the door behind her.
She leaned against the door for a minute and calmed down her raging heart.
God, that was close. She had to be extra careful now onwards since she planned on sinning in secret.
Her lips curved into a naughty smile. For whatever reason the thought of sneaking around with Atlas excited her more.
The danger and thrill of getting caught..hmm this would be interesting except the getting caught part of course! She thought with a sigh.
Meredith walked towards the mirror hanging in the corner of her room.
A flush of shameful red spread over her cheeks when she saw the love bites Atlas had left on her skin.
Meredith pulled her top up and saw that he had branded every inch of her skin as his.
Meredith's stomach churned in a pit, fluttering with
butterflies.
"Stupid man." She seethed and grabbed her hair in frustration. Now every inch of her body was imprinted with his marks, how was she supposed to meet Marcus looking like this?
Meredith could imagine the smirk and mischievous glint in Atlas's eyes right now.
The red marks stood out against her white skin. It was big and raging red. He had made sure to bite
her in place which would be visible to everyone.
"Princess, do you still want my help to hide your hickies?" Maria asked behind the door, the mischievousness in her voice didn't go unnoticed by Meredith.
Meredith groaned and went to open the door. She leaned against the door and crossed her arms across her chest.
"How do you plan on hiding all of this?" Meredith asked, arching her brows in curiosity.
She has never had hickies so she didn't know what to do.
"Magic." Maria replied, pulling a portion from her pocket.
Meredith looked at the purple liquid in Maria's hand and her wide eyes looked at her in alarm.
"What's that?" Meredith swallowed, so Maria had had that with her all of the time? God she could easily kill her by putting whatever she wanted in her food.
A/N: Please add my new book to your library. The sweetest Temptation. Thank you!
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