SMITTEN

"King Leandro must have done something to Lady Aisha after that party," Lady Marina's lips twisted into a triumphant smile as her hands flew to her back.

She had just stayed the night at an abode of one of her lady friends who lives near the Castle. And now she was planning to go back and talk to King Leandro again early this morning.

King Leandro was busy last night, and she couldn't get to talk to him with the little time that he has. But she was not planning to let him go off the hook that easily.

She has witnessed how Lady Aisha defied traditions to indulge in her personal whims. She needed to attract the King again and distract him away from that female human. 

She went to the Castle Garden and decided to wait for the King there. She has already sent word to the servants that she was there, and she would wait for him no matter how busy his schedule was.

However, as she did so, she noticed that a nearby pond was already drying up.. 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she narrowed her eyes at it.

"Was that an ominous sign?" Lady Marina's hand flew to her chest. 

The waters have always warned her or guided her to the right path. And it seemed to be telling her to quit from her motive of stopping the wedding of the two. 

Just then, he sensed the King's footsteps walking towards the Castle Garden. They were heavy and seemed to be laden with impatience. 

"Greetings, my lady. I thought you had already gone back to your abode. Please have a seat," King Leandro bowed down to her in a formal and respectful way. 

He extended his arm to the benches nearby.

It was nice of him to still act in a gentlemanly way, even if he was obviously displeased by her presence. She knew that he had a lot of tasks at hand at that time.

She turned around and walked to the nearby bench. But as she did so, she was having thoughts on what to do. 

"Will I just bid farewell now and discontinue my mission?" Lady Marina pondered as her hand flew to her lips. Her face turned into a downcast expression.

But she recalled the female human's indifference and disrespect towards her that a flash of revenge glimmered in her eyes. 

"She could not have the last laugh," she muttered to herself in a determined manner.

Then she pulled down her off-shoulder gown to reveal more of her sizable bosoms. 

As soon as she sat down, she gave the King a warm smile before she bowed in a feminine way. 

"Forgive me for my interruption. But I do hope you would find this moment relaxing somehow. You also need someone to converse with while unwinding at a comfortable place like this from time to time," she encouraged him sincerely. 

She knew how exhausting it was to be a ruler, since she was also a leader in her own area as well. And he was sovereign over the whole land of Gaea. 

She sighed as her face expressed a thoughtful expression.

"Indeed," King Leandro drew in a deep breath as he closed his eyes and felt the fresh morning air. 

As he did so, she couldn't help but gaze at his handsome, square face. 

His silver strands glistened under the morning sunshine. His aquiline nose tip pointing at the sun in a defiant way, as if his glory was equal to the sun himself. 

"I miss you," she blurted out, unconsciously leaning towards him. 

Her eyes brightened as she recalled their memories together.

There was only his servant and hers at that time in the Castle Garden. And they were a few distances away. 

King Leandro must have heard her as he opened his eyes and gazed at her.

"Forgive me, my lady. But can I ask why you stayed? Do you have anything else to say to me?" He asked in a fine manner, but he was obviously deviating from the topic. 

Still, Lady Marina wasn't unmoved. Instead, she drew near him until he could clearly see the tiny space between her pressed swollen bounty. 

"Don't you miss me, too, my King?" Lady Marina bit her lips as she gazed at his chest.

It was covered in a robe and other garments. But she knew what it looked like underneath. 

She couldn't help but recall the last time that they were in bed together, making her knees go weak. 

She reached out to touch the fur in his robes, intending to slightly open them, so she could take a peek inside. 

To her disappointment, King Leandro stepped away from her and looked away.

"I'm getting married now, my lady. It's only three days away," the King said as he gulped a lump in his throat and glanced away.

His shoulders drew up as he tucked his elbows to his side. 

"Then we still have time, right? Who knows, I might bear you a child this time? That's the only reason why you are marrying her, right? You wouldn't risk marrying an evil-blooded human if you have a choice," she continued to fight for her cause using her hypnotizing voice, though she didn't know if it would take effect on him because he was not purely human.

She could recall their Tribal Council Meeting where they discussed his desire to marry her just so he could conceive a child. He was just probably desperate to have an offspring that he would take the chance of being a half-blooded human.

She was about to fling her silky arms around the corners of his neck and give him a seducing kiss when he stepped away from her. This time it was farther than the first one. 

King Leandro turned his back to her and said, "What if she wasn't like that? Having human blood doesn't necessarily equate to wickedness."

Lady Marina's jaw dropped open at his response. He sounded as if he was even talking to himself, trying to defend his own resolution. 

"Was he desiring to marry her now because he likes her?" Lady Marina growled silently.

King Leandro was the one who was usually against having humans in Gaea. He even told stories about the history of the human race, telling them how vile their species was. And now here he was defending them. 

Lady Marina started to remind him of those stories, reminding him that in almost all generations of their kind, there was always corruption, war, and greed for power. They never have peace for a long time. 

Fortunately, the King seemed to be listening to her. She knew him already. You cannot reason with him with emotions and drama. He likes to rationalize things and act based on facts. 

As he became more open to her again, she drew near to him and touched his arm, "Besides, the Gaeans would have wanted a fellow Gaean to be the next King. It will prevent a rebellion from an uprising, and the Great Theos will be honored through the unity of the Gaean people."

King Leandro nodded his head as he crossed his arms, "You have an excellent point. Thank you for sharing with me your perspective regarding this matter."

Lady Marina pressed her lips and put a strand of her moss green hair behind her ears. She thought that she had already reasoned with him and won. 

She drew forward to offer him the opportunity to bed with her again when his feet quickly scuffled away at the speed of light. His eyes were on the entrance of the Castle Garden. 

Lady Aisha was coming towards the center of the Garden, followed by her maidservants. 

As soon as they saw them, they immediately bowed and chorused together, "Your Majesty, my lady."

Lady Aisha also did the same. 

Lady Marina wanted to use her powers against them immediately. But she didn't want to act rudely in front of the King. 

"I apologize again for what happened yesterday, my lady," She said in a demure manner to Lady Aisha. "But what are you doing here this morning, my lady?" She continued to ask, so she could know how to send them away. 

Deep inside, she was livened up with fury. 

"I would never apologize if it wasn't for the presence of the King!" Lady Marina gritted her teeth.

"Yes. Did you sleep well, my lady?" King Leandro added to her question with a concerned note in his voice. 

Lady Marina shrugged her shoulders as the King also asked her that, though not frequently.

"Yes, your Majesty. Your bed was very soft and fluffy," Lady Aisha bowed down to him with a sweet smile on her face. 

Lady Marina's eyes widened in bewilderment. Her face went pallid white. 

Did she just sleep in the King's Chamber? And they weren't even married yet! Is he that anxious to bed her?

"Was he just acting coyly with me because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings?" Lady Marina muttered under her breath.

She gazed at the King, who was staring at her with his gleaming eyes. Just before she stepped in, they seemed to be solemn and serious. 

Was this the sign that the pond was warning her about? 

"I'm here to practice a dance for the wedding ceremony. They said they would teach it to me," Lady Aisha continued to explain the purpose of her appearance in the Castle Garden. 

She yawned, but immediately closed her mouth as she realized that she was in front of the King and a member of the Tribal Council. 

Did they just have intercourse the whole night, that's why Lady Aisha was this dazed?

Her eyes darted from her to the King and back and forth. What happened after the tea party issues?

She wanted to know right away. But she couldn't bear to ask them. 

"Go on, then, my lady. Lady Marina and I are already finishing up our conversation," King Leandro prodded her with a smile on his face, something that she rarely sees. 

Then he faced her and said, "I'll think about what you said, my lady. Thank you for your genuine concern for Gaea, as always. I appreciate it." 

He said in a formal way before turning back to leave. 

*************

Giving up doesn't always mean you're weak. Sometimes you're just strong enough to let go.