Chapter 12: An Unconscious Bride (I)

Far away from the scene of the trolls' attack, in a very large area of land, a tall gigantic building stood, towering over every other building in the entire kingdom. The building was intricately designed and embedded with gold and precious stones, that gave off a breathtakingly ethereally beautiful view, triggering passersby to gaze in awe for the umpteenth time. This building was none other than the royal castle of Darkshire.

The area was calm and serene. The servants diligently worked on their assigned duties and everything seemed to be in the perfect state.

However, in a moment, two carriages hastily drove into the castle ground. On entering the castle, the servants who were busy with their work instantly got tense. Realizing those carriages belonged only to the royal family, it dawned on them that the king of Darkshire had arrived. They instantly scrambled away, hoping to avoid the king.

Meanwhile, in one of the carriages that arrived at the castle, a certain pair of gray eyes gazed at the body that was lying on the carriage seat. Those eyes held an emotionless look, yet screamed danger.

After Genevieve had fainted in his arms, he took the carriage which had a door, swiftly ordering it to be driven to the castle at the speed of light, knowing something bad could happen to her if they failed to revive her on time.

But then why did he care?

In times past, Maximilian had never been bothered by anyone's demise, rather he loved to give pain to others. But for some unknown reason, he couldn't tell why he had an unsettling feeling about her unconsciousness.

But then she had been desperate to get away from him. So why shouldn't he just let her die and fulfill her life-long expectations?

His eyes intensely narrowed at her calm features. "I should probably let you die, Genevieve."

Maximilian continued to stare at the sleeping princess. She was so frail. For a moment, his hand intentionally brushed off the hair that fell over her face.

"Little troublemaker." He remarked with twitched lips.

Gently, the king carried the girl out of the carriage, placing her on his shoulder. He then sent off his injured men to get treated.

With the girl on his shoulder, he walked right through the castle's entrance. Each step sounded like a ticking bomb on the verge of blowing up.

As Maximilian walked through the corridors, all eyes were fixed on the female whom he was holding. Something which the king had never done. However, when he crossed the path of the servants, they quickly scrambled away, avoiding him like an incoming disaster, though he knew he was.

Finally, he reached a specific room on the east wing of the castle which he had ordered to be specially prepared, awaiting her arrival. He carefully placed Genevieve on the bed.

Maximilian relied on the wall next to Genevieve's bed, closely watching her. His eyes were no less than a predator, observing its prey.

In the next moment, Maximilian heard footsteps approaching the room. However, his predatory gaze didn't waver from Genevieve's unconscious form, as if he was silently daring her to wake up.

As the footsteps grew louder, his expression remained the same, knowing who was coming.

The door opened to reveal his right-hand man, with a stoic expression, rather than his usual demeanor. "Your Majesty, I—..." Alexander started, but his voice trailed off when he noticed the girl on the bed.

Nevertheless, he bowed to the king. "Welcome back, Your Majesty."

"Took you a while to get here, Alex." Replied Maximilian, his eyes turning to glance at him.

"I have sent for the royal physician. He will be here any time from now." Responded his right-hand man.

Sighting the king carrying a female on his shoulder, which was a sight to behold, he quickly sent for the physician. Knowing the girl was unconscious.

"How was your journey, Your Majesty?"

"Quite eventful," Maximilian responded, his voice holding a certain mirth. "But I have returned with something of interest, as you can see." He gestured once again towards the girl on the bed.

Alexander's expression remained stoic, but a flicker of curiosity appeared in his eyes. "Indeed, Your Majesty. I was not expecting to find you carrying her on your shoulder. Nobody was.."

Maximilian's lips twitched in what might have been a smirk. "Well, life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

It certainly was going to spark a curiosity in the minds of the people living in the castle…..to that, Maximilian didn't care.

Maximilian's smirk only deepened, his eyes gleaming with an enigmatic light. It seemed as if the king relished the idea of being unpredictable.

Alexander, knowing his place, made no further inquiries. He nodded in understanding, "Your Majesty, the people will no doubt be curious about your unexpected guest." The implication was clear: Maximilian's actions would have all eyes on Genevieve.

However, the king brushed off this concern with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Let them wonder," he said, a dangerous tone in his voice.

A small smile crept its way up to Alexander's face. Being Maximilian's right-hand man for over a decade. Alexander knew he cared about nothing.

But most of all, the king of Darkshire was someone who was never interested in love. The idea of marriage sickened him, and he saw it as a waste of time. However, when the king had suddenly announced to him and his personal assistant about his marriage to a certain princess of Alexandria, they both were left stunned.

He knew the court ministers would also be curious about the king's sudden departure for three days, who had never left the kingdom his entire life.

His eyes slowly moved to look at Genevieve. "Your bride is unconscious, Lian? What happened?"

A hard glint appeared in Maximilian's eyes as he responded. "Trolls...those damn brutes attacked our carriage. Who knew those nasty beasts would be attracted to us?""

Trolls were creatures that rarely appeared in Darkshire because they were constantly hunted and went into hiding. But to see the trolls willingly come out, even to attack the king's carriages, made him wonder.

Alexander's eyes momentarily held surprise when he heard the king continue. "But this time they came for her, not me."

Realization dawned on Alexander, hearing the king's words.

"Your bride….. she is–"

"I know, Alex. I sensed that the moment I first saw her. Such a small world, is it not?" replied Maximilian.

Her presence here is going to be dramatic. What do you intend to do with her?"

"Let me see….." Maximilian drawled at Alexander's question, mirth sizzling in his nerves. "Shackle her and keep her next to me from the prying eyes of the world. Of course, make her my personal amusement. Did anyone come looking for me?"

Alexander nodded. "Minister William. He was quite insistent on knowing your whereabouts"

"As expected, these nosy court ministers can't stay an hour without meddling in my personal affair." Maximilian's brow furrowed hearing these words. Nevertheless, the imagery of their reaction, once they found out about his marriage danced in his head.