From the moment I woke up, I already knew today was going to suck.

My head hurt, the sun was too bright and hot, and I was pretty sure I was still very much hungover from drinking with Ash last night.

Now I was watching Kaial get measurements done for a new outfit for an event he was throwing, where everyone important and powerful was going to show up.

Kaial had called for me, but so far, all I have done is stand here and watch him get changed three times, and get his outfit tweaked a thousand times.

Did I really need to be here for this?

He hadn't even looked at me once since I entered the room.

"Your majesty, I have finished with the adjustments, made to your liking." The tailor announced as Keial looked at himself in the mirror.

"Yes." He hummed, as I watched silently.

"Fantastic .work, Lou, this will do."

'Lou' the tailor bowed his head and then I walked over and helped to take off the completed outfit.

I still felt weird around Keial for some reason, ever since I saw him with that beautiful woman with raven hair, I was struggling to hide it whenever I was around him too.

"I made arrangements ahead for you." Keial suddenly says as I notice him looking at me in the mirror as he stands bare-chested.

"Anything you don't like, that's what Lou is for, use him to your heart's content."

I looked at Lou as he smiled and bowed his head at me, as he stood silently admiring Keial, and his 'work' as I peeled it off his body and folded the clothes.

"Sir?" I asked, confused, what did he mean by that?

He snorts then steps down from the podium he stood on, then walks over to where his robe was, only wearing a loincloth.

"You're attending with me, of course, or did you forget you're my lover now?" He sighed, as my mouth formed in an 'O' shape.

He... wanted me to come to these things with him too?

I had half assumed, but never did I think he would take it this far, where not only the weather and power will be but also pack leaders, princesses, and kings from other nations will be...

"Is that... allowed?" I mumbled, as his golden eyes met mine, his robe tied yet his bare muscled chest showing.

"It is if I say it is."

With that, he didn't say anything else about it as he waved Lou to leave, and with a polite nod and bow, Lou, the tailor left the room, leaving me and Keial alone in the room.

It was silent for a while, and even though I was used to this by now, being here for two weeks, I felt like Keial was more quiet than usual around me.

Or so I thought, as Keial suddenly looked at me, looking somewhat annoyed behind that stoic face of his.

"Where were you last night?" He asks, making me blink.

"Huh?" I stutter, why was he asking?

Keial then walked over to me until he stood in front of me, his hand moving to touch the collar of my shirt, his knuckles grazing my skin, making me swallow hard as I tried to focus on his face, not his hands.

"I came by your room, you weren't there." His hard eyes look down at me, his mouth in a straight line.

"Where were you?"

Somehow, I felt like Keial was angry, but with him, I could never tell.

He still made me nervous though, I knew what he could do, and just how deadly and dangerous this beautiful man was in front of me.

"I... was drinking with a friend." I rubbed the back of my head, avoiding his gaze by looking away.

"I didn't think you'd come by... you uh seemed... busy." I mumbled. 

"The last time I saw you... anyways...."

There was a slight pause of silence, and then Keial's hand grabbed my shirt and roughly pulled me forward until my face was inches below his, as his harsh, cold eyes stared down at me.

"I can't tell if you're arrogant, or just foolish." He said coldly as I felt a chill go down my spine.

What was this... this tension?

It felt like the room grew darker and colder, I couldn't move out of fear of making whatever shifted with Keial, worse.

For the first time since we started this mutual agreement, I... I felt scared of him.

"While we both have an understanding, I don't want you staying out late with anyone I don't approve of." He said harshly, then he let go of me roughly, pushing me back slightly.

"That includes the farmer's boy." He walked away and grabbed what looked like a smoke pipe from one of the drawers under his desk.

"Drinking into the morning in a tavern filled with strangers into the early hours of the morning, did you think I wouldn't know?"

"If I can find out such things, so can my enemies." He spoke coldly, as he sat behind his desk, and then lit the smoking pipe.

What the hell was he talking about?

Enemies?

Did he also have people follow me?

"And what about you?"

"It's fine for you to be seen with women, but I can't drink with a friend in town?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, making me pale.

My eyes widen as his bright golden eyes glare up at me, making me flinch and shift nervously under his intimidating gaze.

I needed to learn to shut my mouth and to think before speaking.

If looks could kill, Keial would've killed me by now.

"Me?" His voice makes me shiver.

"Since when do I need to explain myself to YOU?" His nasty tone made my heart clench as he sat back in his seat, his cold eyes never moving from mine.

"You seem to forget I don't answer to anyone, you have a job to do, and I expect nothing but perfection whilst you're portraying as my lover, and leaving without my permission to a place where anything or anyone could've gotten to you..." He sighed heavily, looking distressed as he closed his eyes.

He then looked back at me, making me flinch as his cold eyes softened slightly, making him seem less angry than before.

"I want you in your room by 11 every night from now on, and if you wish to venture out with the farmer's boy, I want to be informed beforehand."

"I don't have time to focus on whether you're protected or not, is that understood?" He asked, making me nod my head as my heartbeat in my chest.

I hear him mutter something under his breath before standing up, his chair scraping against the wood floor, then he walks around his desk and comes to stand in front of me, his eyes no longer looking down at me harshly with a glare.

"I have work to do, but I shall see you tonight in your room." His hand raised and touched my cheek, making my heart skip a beat as his eyes softly looked down at mine.

"No more late temper tantrums at the tavern, is that clear, Felix?" His eyes swirled with amusement, as I blushed and looked away from his face shyly.

Keial moved his palm away from my cheek, then took a step back. "You can leave now."

I turned around and went to leave, my heartbeat beating almost out of my chest as I felt my hot face burning from his touch, still, a bunch of mixed emotions still running through me from witnessing his mood shift so abruptly.

"Oh, and Felix." He calls out, as I stop and turn around to see him putting the smoke pipe in his mouth, sitting back behind his desk, his eyes on mine.

"I didn't sleep with her." He said, picking up a piece of paper on his desk and focusing on that.

"Whilst you're my lover, my bed is only open for you... that's all, you can leave now."

I nodded my head nervously and then opened, left, and closed the door behind me, feeling lightheaded and completely speechless as I stood outside his bedroom for a moment longer.

Keial...

Was he... worried about me?

Surely there is no way, this was Keial, and if Ash and hundreds of others were wrong about him, and his loose morals, it's just impossible for him to truly mean what he just said.

He knew where I was, and who I was with last night, even though I thought he wouldn't care that much to have people follow me, but oh boy was I wrong.

It seems like nothing gets past him, even if I was only there until midnight, and with Ash of all people.

Even so... even as pissed off as he was, I felt like he was worried for me, even if I was looking too much into this.

I didn't understand him at all... but... it made me happy for some reason... maybe it was the fact he said he didn't sleep with that beautiful woman, or maybe not...

I shouldn't feel this way, as harsh as he was just now, he's right.

Tonight he'll come to my room, and I knew it wasn't just to check to see if I was there.

We'd most likely do... that again.

I had to do this right, so much was at stake, and my thoughts and feelings about him didn't matter.

Keial and I had to give the illusion we were together, happy, and in love, I had to impress him, and with this event coming up, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to fulfill my job and earn that chance to clear my name.