Beloved

Chp. 13

Khael

By the time I returned to the room, Lilith had changed to a different dress of hers. The wide neckline revealed her collarbones and the maids had braided her hair to frame her head like a crown. It revealed much more of her neck.

The colors contrasted very well from her skin. And the small bell cuffs were detailed with fine silver embroidary. It seemed a bit tight around her chest, making it hard for me to take my eyes off her.

When the maids noticed my presence they held their hands below and bowed their heads. From my gestures, they left us alone.

She could not face me. Her body was still turned away, facing the dresser. Her cheeks were flushed, slightly red in color. It was hard not to be tempted to bite into her fruits. She was aware of my long stares and her hands started to fidget again.

"D-Does it not suit me?..I've n-never worn anything like this before."

Her voice trembled like the leaves. At this rate, I would rip that dress off her before the ceremony.

I didn't hesitate to touch her and have her face me. She was helpless in my hold as I planted a small kiss on top her forehead. Nothing more was allowed.

"No, it suits you very well. Perfectly with you."

The sun was setting and our people were already gathering outside. The fires were lit and the grand feast was ready.

"They're waiting for us. We should head out soon."

"Y-Yes."

Lilith

The children ran around while the dancers capered away to the music. The jewels around both their necks and ankles chimed with every movement.

Khael's men were by the long wooden table waiting for us. They were talking amongst themselves while a few were wrapped around their lover's arms.

All the conversations and laughter stopped at our arrival. When one of his men made an announcement, all their eyes landed on us. My heart pounded loudly and both my legs and hands shook.

I was afriad they would see me shaking I had to peer down to see if it was visible. There was a long table by the low creak full of various dishes. The food piled endlessly down the table in large portions. It was a whole grand feast for our arrival.

"A very festive evening to you all. I thank you all for this warm welcoming for our men. First, I'd like to introduce my wife, Lilith Pensington. I expect you to give her the respect and kindness she deserves...Let us enjoy this night and celebrate our victory for not only Draylum but also for the kingdom of Roem."

The people cheered and both the music and dancers continued on through the night. The tables rumbled from their laughter. I felt incredibly small between these men.

They had huge appetites. Their plates were filled, overflowing with fish, chicken, vegetables, and various sauces that tailed along with them. And of course their goblets were filled with wine.

"What are you doing just staring. Aren't you going to eat? Here, try this."

Khael passed a large chicken leg on my plate that was already filled to the brim. He waited for me to have a bite. I slowly picked up my fork and knife to cut a piece off. It was tender and the sauce that covered the outside was quite flavorful.

"I-It's delicious."

His face lightened at my response and he urged me to eat more. He shared some of his favorite dishes with more potatoes.

"K-Khael..this is t-too much. It's impossible for m-me to finish this."

"Don't be ridiculous. You haven't even finished half of it. A sparrow would eat more than you. Is the food not your taste?"

My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"N-No that's not it. I j-just never had so much food before."

I looked down at his and then mine. There was quite a difference. I never ate a lot or had the appetite at home. In fact, the quality of the food here surpassed what I had at home.

"I've n-never seen women that could eat this much..."

I was startled at his burst of laughter.

"Is that so? Well a woman I knew ate this much."

A woman he met? I wondered if that was the kind of women he liked. Of course a woman needed to be healthy to bear a child.

I peered down and frowned at my plate. Maybe he was right. I needed to eat more, at least a little bit.

After a while, I had managed to eat most of what was on my plate. The only things left were the tiny dessert treats I saved. They were my favorite part of the feast today. The soft custard and light cream on top eased my tastebuds.

I noticed that it was getting late when the children were called by their parents and the only lights still lit were by the tables.

Women surrounded the tables next to the men and the night continued on with endless stories. Men boasted of legendary victories and the beasts they met on the mountains. Some were quite silly while others left me in awe.

I was a bit surprised at how some of the women here were so straightforward with their expressions.

One of them caught my eye when she wrapped her arms around Khael's men and sat on his lap. Her hands crept onto his chest while he was talking to his friend. She begged for his attention and in the end they excused themselves from the table.

There was another couple but they didn't seem to care if they had an audience. They kissed and touched so passionately I couldn't bear to look at them.

This was all so shocking to me. I wondered if the women Khael met were like this. I peered up at him but he was still busy talking to one of his men, finishing the wine in his goblet.

Am I not doing enough for him?

Surely I wasn't expressing as much as the women here. My chest felt heavy at the thought that Khael could possibly be disappointed in me.

My thoughts were disrupted when I felt his hands rubbing the back of my neck. His attention was now on me. My heart beated rapidly but everyone else seemed to be immersed in their conversations. With his gaze still on the crowd, he leaned closer to my ear.

"This isn't quite entertaining is it. Let's head back for our own fun."

He gave a small boyish smirk. My cheeks immediately flushed from his words and I peered down at the table.

*

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