A dazzingly beauty

Seeing my love look uncomfortable, I had to find a way of sending her out of the room without raising suspicion. The traders from the Northern Kingdom had not yet realized that Elder James was not in a meeting with them.

I have to commend Mary for a job well done. Her idea of a costume party as a theme for the annual ball made it easy for me to take the place of Elder James. He must be confused about waking up in a dungeon instead of a well-made bed.

Traitors with no regard for the well-being of the people must not be allowed to live.

Had I not intercepted their meeting, he would have sold information about our military formation to our enemies for his gain.

I could see the hatred on her face but decided to ignore it.

I needed to wrap this deal up nicely without any loose ends so the culprits would have no hiding place when I unleashed my wrath on them.

It’s a pity that I will have to push for Elder James to be hanged on a scaffold to set an example to all those who might want to toe the same path in the future. We have lost too much to the hands of our enemies and cannot afford to have a repeat of what happened in the past.

I can feel the gaze of the men on Jess and wish I could gauge their eyes from their sockets for such imputed behavior, but we have time.

Only a few things could capture my attention, and when they do, I seize them for myself.

Jess was such a pretty diamond that caught my attention and ignited my curiosity without even knowing it. The first time I saw her in that local diner that Walker Lane forced me to, I could barely take my eyes off her.

In a sea of darkness created by many guests who wore dark clothes and many girls who wore red, in an attempt to catch my attention, I noticed a girl in a light-colored dress that stood out to me. Maybe it was the uniform, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

My eyes fixed on her, unmoving and consuming all of my attention to the point where the rest of the crowd seemed to have disappeared into the background.

My heart raced as I took notice of the girl who just walked into the room.

She must have lost her way and taken the wrong corridor. I could see the wheels of lust turning in the heads of the men.

Seeing her up close, I could see her refined features and her expressive eyes looked around the room. Her lips were painted, not with red but subtle, and her brown-gold hair cascaded down her back.

The blue velvet gown cascaded elegantly to the floor, its intricately beaded bodice glittering under the soft candlelight. Delicate chiffon flowed from the fitted waste, the fabric billowing with each graceful step.

The color accentuated her porcelain complexion, creating an air of regal sophistication. The intricate lace detailing along the neckline added a touch of romance, while the plunging back revealed just a tantalizing glimpse of bare skin.

There might have been plenty of beautiful girls, but there was something different about this one that had a hint of innocence more than the others.

My throat dried from lack of saliva as I took in her appearance, and my eyes were tearing up in want, not for sadness, for I had already experienced enough of it that could last me a lifetime.

No, what I desperately needed was to feel her soft, slippery touch, her dull, lifeless gaze, and the fuzzy feeling of knowing that she gave her life to teach me the inner workings of her body. I could not help it when I heard one of the men comment on her beauty.

I was not stupid. I knew what was running through the hearts of the men. They wanted to devour her and pounce on her like a piece of meat. My fist clenched at the thought of someone touching what belonged to me.

I was not going to allow that.

Gentlemen, let me introduce my soon-to-be bride, Jess Smith. I announced.

Their jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through their veins, leaving them momentarily stunned.

The envy dangling in their eyes was unmistakable, but they could do nothing about it.

I could see her eyes widen in shock when I claimed her as mine.

She will get used to it because she is going nowhere.

I signaled for the men to continue, but they seemed reluctant to have Jess there. Well, I couldn’t care less about what they feel right now. I just wanted to get this meeting over with and go somewhere quiet to enjoy the beauty of my love.

I was furious to know what James had in mind for this kingdom. How could he want to sabotage the kingdom for his gains? We have not fully recovered from the war, but the kingdom has made significant strides in the last few years.

To think that Elder James wanted to jeopardize the safety of his subjects for selfish gains infuriated me.

I have been on war fronts and have seen how devastating the effects of war are. I was determined not to lead this kingdom into another war that would claim the lives of thousands of innocents and send them backward economically.

The royal family had built a factory to mine the gold in one part of the villages.

They had built two mining factories in two different locations, but no matter what they did, the operations were not successful.

The king then decided to send it to one of the neighboring kingdoms to refine, not knowing that Elder James and his cohorts were sabotaging the projects for their gain.