Chapter 1
Queen Isabella West-Jameson
“Good morning my wife.” My husband whispered as he roughly kissed my lips.
I squeezed my eyes shut to hide the tears welling up in them as I tasted someone else on his lips. One of his many mistresses no doubt. My husband thought I was oblivious to his late-night rendezvous with the maids, but I always knew when he left our bed to be with another.
I kissed him back slowly to assure him that I had no idea of his adultery. He smiled against my lips and pulled me closer, his hand reaching around me to grab my bum. I grimaced internally as I allowed him to have his way with me, hating myself the entire time.
We weren’t married based on love, but I had always hoped that one day we could come to love each other. I had married him, a neighboring king so that my people could prosper under our combined rule, and so the Kingdom of Ferim was formed. The first years were hard, he was rude and rough with me, using me like a toy. By our third year of marriage, I came across the knowledge of his mistresses. It was then that I realized he would never love me for anything except my body, and even that didn’t satisfy him.
My husband pulled away from me, satisfied from his morning activity and caressed my cheek before standing up and stretching, his naked body in full view. I looked over him to satisfy his ego. In all honesty, he was an average build but even I could admit that he wasn’t terrible in bed. That was definitely one perk of our marriage. Even if he had mistresses, he still enjoyed me whenever he wanted.
“What are your plans today, Darius?” I asked softly, sitting up without covering my body.
His body did little to hide his attraction to me, and my heart ached briefly. Why couldn’t I be enough? I shook the melancholy thought away and ignored his lower extremities that Darius grabbed while staring at me.
“Mmm.” He groaned before responding. “Just dealing with a couple of feuding lords of the southern territory.”
I perked up with interest at that statement. The southern and eastern territories were part of my kingdom, and if Darius and I ever separated I would be able to regain them as my kingdom once more. That is only if I remain faithful, per our marriage contract. I shook my head and laughed softly. As if I would be unfaithful. Unfortunately, the law states that there is no real punishment for men taking mistresses, only women who became unfaithful, but that was unheard of. Both the lower class and the upper class, aside from the royalty, can even have several wives! If the law was different, I would’ve made 'Mistresses' a clause for ending our marriage contract, but alas that is not the way the world works.
“May I join you for that?” I asked, noticing the hesitance in his eyes.
When we were first married, Darius had treated me as a trophy wife. I quickly put him in his place, reminding him that we were still equals and I still had a say in what happened to our lands as I was a Queen before him and still a Queen now.
“Well...” Darius started.
I huffed silently, realizing that this would take some persuasion, and Darius only works to one type of persuasion; seduction. I bit my lip and stretched my body as I stood, showing off my nakedness, before walking towards him.
“Darius...” I murmured as I kissed his jaw and pushed myself against him. “Please?”
His breath hitched in his throat and his arms shot out to pull me harder against him. I pushed back slightly but kept my lower half against him, allowing him to feel everything. I ran my hand down his chest as I looked at him from half-lidded eyes. I could see the struggle in his eyes as he tried to hold on to his self-control and ability to say no. I rubbed my chest against him and saw his self-control break as he reached out to pull my lips to his and used his other hand to lift me up. Wrapping my legs around him, I smiled in triumph as he agreed between kisses. He pulled me into the bathroom and into the shower for a bit of fun before we finally got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
I sat to the right of him and we watched as our servants came to set the food before us. I didn't miss how one of the girls ran her hand up Darius's arm as she poured his water. I also didn't miss how Darius's eyes widened and he swatted her hand away with a glare before glancing at me to see if I had noticed. I acted indifferently but inside, I was both laughing and crying at what had transpired. Once breakfast was finished, he ushered me towards the throne room where the lords were waiting for us. They stopped glaring at each other upon our entrance and turned to bow deeply, a smile on their faces when they caught my eye. I watched in amusement as their calm smiles were wiped off their faces when they looked upon my husband, annoyance barely hidden as they avoided looking directly at him.
My people still don't really like my husband, and I don't blame them... he is a bit of an arsehole King, but they understand how important it was for me to marry him. When we married, more trade routes opened up and the Kingdom's wealth increased for everyone, not just the upper class. I sat in my throne and adjusted the crown upon my head as Darius took his seat and motioned for the men to explain their problem. The taller Lord stepped forward and bowed before turning and facing me, more than the King, and started telling his tale.
"My Queen, my King, my land has been within our family's possession for centuries, being passed down through the ages. Our boundaries have been known and protected, but recently Lord Reginald Smith has started trespassing on my land and trying to build a wall!" He growled.
Before the King or I could make a sound, the second lord, a pudgier man now known as Lord Reginald, marched forward and started shouting.
"It is my land! My great grandfather bought off one section of Lord Kane West's land and I have decided to finally make use of it by building a wall to separate the grounds so my dogs and children can roam free!"
I sighed as the Lords began hissing rude words at each other. Darius had a frown on his face as he listened to their problems, trying to figure out a solution. Standing up, I raised my hand and silenced them.
"Lord Reginald, do you have proof of this transaction?" I questioned, sitting back down and crossing my ankles beneath my gown.
Lord Reginald nodded and brought forth a piece of paper. I motioned for him to bring it to me. I held it in my hands and skimmed over the words. Frowning, I passed it over to one of the court advisors. While he read it, I motioned for Lord Kane to step forward.
"Lord Kane, do you have the title to your lands and any record of purchases for the past few decades?" I asked.
Lord Kane nodded with a grin and motioned to one of his servants, who brought out a bag of papers. He reached inside and selected a few papers, which he handed to me. I read over them and my eyebrows furrowed even more. Passing these papers over to the same advisor, I faced both Lords.
"Lord Reginald, this says the name of the man who sold your grandfather part of their land was named Lord Alexander, but no last name, correct?" I asked and received a nod in response. "Lord Kane, I do believe that your grandfather's name was indeed Alexander, correct?"
Lord Kane hesitantly nodded and I could see the worry in his eyes that he was wrong.
I sighed and looked down at the map of the lands that my advisor had just handed me. I frowned and showed it to them.
"Lords, what is the name of the man who lives in this territory, here?" I asked, pointing to the land to the north of both men's territories.
"That would be Lord Micah Tove, my lady." Lord Kane announced.
"Do you know the name of his grandfather?"
I watched as they struggled to come up with an answer before recognition lit up their features.
"His name was also Lord Alexander..." Lord Reginald gasped, shock in his features.
"Lord Kane, since you have no record of your land being sold, I believe that the land that truly was sold to Lord Reginald is that of Lord Micah's." Darius announced, finally understanding where I was going with my questions.
I nodded and watched as Lord Reginald's face contorted with guilt and he turned towards Lord Kane.
"Lord Kane, I express my deepest regrets for not realizing this mistake... I will withdraw my plans on your land and tear down the wall immediately!" He announced.
Lord Kane chuckled and shook Lord Reginald's outstretched hand as he spoke. "Anyone could have made this mistake with details as bad as that. I hope we can move past this and talk more often!"
I smiled at the two men and watched Darius dismiss them and end court. He stood up and kissed my hand, rubbing where he kissed with his thumb.
"My love, I must speak to my generals to see if there are any recent developments that I must worry about..." Darius started with a quick kiss to my forehead. "I will see you later."
I watched as he left and felt my heartbreak. He used that excuse when he wanted to meet up with one of his mistresses but didn't want me to know. His generals were loyal and would lie for him. Well, most of them would. Those belonging to my previous kingdom have been and will always be loyal to me first... They are the reason I knew about Darius's transgressions. I couldn't stop the lone tear from falling down my face as I slouched in my throne, not caring about my appearance at that moment. I saw my guards shifting uncomfortably, and I asked them to wait outside while I came to my senses.
Barely five minutes past before a servant door was thrown open and I watched as a young woman came rushing in, a feather duster in her hands. She skidded to a stop when she noticed I was still in the room, and she dropped into a low curtsy before me.
"Your highness, I am so sorry, I did not realize that you were still here! I will leave immediately and return once you've le-" She rambled, still maintaining her low curtsy.
"Rise, my dear." I murmured, cutting her off with a smile at her adorable behavior.
She hesitantly stood and raised her head to meet mine. The moment her eyes met mine, something within me changed and I took a sharp intake of breath as I took in her beauty. Her emerald green eyes were wide as she looked at me, awe evident in her gaze. Her chestnut brown hair framed her face and was fixed up in a tight bun, that I wanted to pull down and dig my hands into. I swallowed deeply and tried to push the thoughts away, shocked at the images my brain was concocting.
"What is your name, darlin'?" I asked, stepping down from my throne and walking towards her.
She seemed to snap out of her daze and her head fell down again as she murmured an answer that I was unable to hear. Frowning, I placed my fingers under her chin and gently raised her head so that I could look into her eyes once more.
"I did not hear you..." I said, biting my lip as I moved my eyes over her gorgeous face, noticing the freckles on her nose and the dimples in her cheeks.
"A-Ariela, y-your h-highness." She stuttered quietly.
I smiled and stroked the hair out of her face.
"Which kingdom did you originally reside in, Ariela?" I questioned, loving the way her name slid off my tongue.
I noticed her shiver briefly before answering proudly, "Your Kingdom, my queen. The Kingdom of Adera."
I smiled happily and my eyes caught on her lips, those wet, pink lips that I just wanted to suck on and-wait what? I blinked several times and physically shook my head to clear it of the unpure thoughts. Returning my gaze to Ariela, I simply looked at her for a moment before stepping away.
"Well Ariela, I shall be returning to my quarters now, I hope to see you again," I announced, watching her head bob up and down in agreement. I began walking to the door but paused after I opened it. "Oh, and Ariela?"
"Yes, my lady?" She replied, biting her lip.
"When it's just you and me, call me Isabella." I responded with a wink, giggling at her shocked expression as I left the room.
My guards seemed shocked at my change in emotions but I ignored them and continued to my room, sighing in happiness as I threw myself onto the bed. I let my mind drift to thoughts of Ariela and couldn't help the giddy laugh that left my lips. My life just got a whole lot more interesting, because now that I've met that alluring girl, I don't plan to let her go.
