Yet getting upset at her for that felt self-defeating. It was strange, Malyn thought. She didn’t like this frail princess, but at the same time, she couldn’t stand seeing her act like a scarecrow. If she gained weight, Malyn felt irritated; if she lost it, she’d look weak and pathetic, which only irritated her more. Layla, with her awkward and restless expression now, looked like she was hiding something she didn’t want to share. Pressing her about it felt wrong, as if it would ruin that delicate elegance Layla still clung to, but leaving it alone made Malyn feel oddly unsettled.

Malyn frowned as she thought about it. Playing the role of a princess was truly a miserable task. Layla, the princess who had wasted away from all the poisonous plots and threats, and herself, pretending to be a princess when she was not, had both experienced hunger. What a pitiful sight they both made. She thought about making another sarcastic remark, something along the lines of “Isn’t it nice to be part of this shameful display together?” but decided to keep quiet.

***

On the days when the king summoned her, Malyn dressed meticulously. The maids fussed over her, saying she had to look far better than a woman called Alexis. They washed her face, applied white powder, drew her eyebrows with ink and dabbed shimmering oil on the bridge of her nose. Her lips were painted with a bright red colour made from pressed flower petals. Looking at her finished reflection, she thought she looked truly beautiful – so much so that even she was amazed.

Hard to believe this was the same girl who once clung to a blood-stained apron, nearly dying on the streets.

Her lips were bruised. The king was in a hurry today, for he had seen blood on the hunting grounds. He wasn’t only cruel to Malyn. Though he was usually bold and generous, he could turn vicious without warning. Today, on the hunting grounds, a servant had accidentally stepped in front of the king’s horse. Hearing what had happened to the servant, Malyn braced herself as she entered his chamber.

Before she had a chance to unbutton her clothes, the king tore at her bodice and cupped her n*ked br*ast. A delicate scent rose from Malyn’s skin; Anessa had insisted on adding perfumed oil to their bath water. The king buried his nose in her neck and inhaled deeply, sending a shiver down her spine.

“Such a lovely scent…”

He rubbed his face against her shoulder, then licked her skin before suddenly biting down hard on her shoulder.

“Aah!”

Startled by the sudden pain, Malyn gasped, her body reflexively curling inwards. This reaction ended with her arms around the king’s head, and he laughed, pressing his face against her br*ast. There was a tingling in her stomach, but it was more like fear than anything else. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. She had to keep her eyes on the golden hawk statue.

“It hurts, Your Majesty…”

“Soon, you’ll be panting like a dog with pleasure.”

The king whispered in her ear and then licked the curve of her ear, though it was he who was acting like a dog, licking her so fervently. As the warmth spread over her skin, she relaxed slightly, only for him to pull her closer and suck the skin under her ear, biting hard. Thinking he was like a dog who hadn’t learned to keep his teeth to himself, she let him move her body as he pleased. The king tossed her hair back, letting it spill over the pillow, and continued to kiss and bite her neck and shoulders, leaving red marks on her skin.

Clink.

A shiver ran down her spine. She instinctively turned to look, but the king grabbed her neck with a low laugh.

“Didn’t the head maid tell you not to look away?”

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

Before she could say, “I have committed a grave sin,” the king spoke first.

“I did that just to see you react with such surprise.”

Malyn bit her lip. Sometimes he would say she could look wherever she wanted, but his behavior was truly unpredictable.

Her hands had been pulled behind her back, and now they were bound with restraints, the kind used on prisoners. Made of leather, the rough edges already chafed painfully against her wrists. The king laughed as he lifted the hem of her skirt.

“Seeing a rabbit caught with its feet bound and hanging upside down, I wondered what it would be like to tie up a girl the same way.”

“Your Majesty…”

‘Am I a rabbit?’

Malyn wanted to ask, but she knew that if she did, she might very well end up like one—hung upside down, bleeding out like a slaughtered rabbit. Instead, she forced a smile.

“Rather than a rabbit, please love me as you love the dogs you care for, Your Majesty.”

The king’s eyes widened slightly, then softened in amusement. He let out a loud, hearty laugh, clearly pleased.

“Ha! This is why I like you.”

“Is that so?”

Malyn replied smoothly, lifting her hips to make it easier for him to pull up her skirt. The king smirked, giving her thigh a light slap, which made a sharp sound.

“That girl Alex starts crying and making a fuss over the slightest pain. But there is a certain enjoyment in that as well…”

“When I see her in that state, I lose my appetite, so I make her go without food for three days and nights. If I lose my appetite, why would I want anything entering that woman’s mouth?”

As the king cursed Alexis, he turned her to the side. Malyn held back from calling him a “crazy bastard.”

Only after he had completely exposed her lower half did the king smile with satisfaction.

“Oh! Looks good.”

It was hard to understand what looked good about a body stripped bare, skin bitten and bruised, stretched and exposed. As he kneaded her thigh and spread her knees, Malyn raised an eyebrow. It had been nearly three months since she’d last been in this position. Seeing the King’s face light up with genuine pleasure, she realised that he really intended to get things done today. Forcing a smile, Malyn murmured, “Ugh”

Rabbits, rabbits…

She remembered the rabbits she had cared for at Dion Castle. Malyn recalled how eager she’d been to touch the belly of a pregnant rabbit, gathering fresh greens to feed it, and forced a smile at the memory. At the time, she’d thought that feeling the rabbit’s soft belly was all she could wish for. But the man above her now, instead of thinking that way, imagined hanging a woman upside down, just as he might with a rabbit. Was it his high status that made him see things so differently, or was it truly… something else?