Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord-Chapter 16: Visit with the king (2)

"I am not getting involved in anything that concerns that man. Not only would it make you appear foolish to ask for your wife to remain with you, but it would make me look foolish to grant it. You have one chance so think of something better," said Darius.

Darius had never met a fool who would waste this over a woman. Who was the woman in question?

"She cannot just walk away from me-"

"Who is this woman that has captured Lord Blackthorn’s attention and has you begging for her to stay?" Darius asked, his curiosity slowly turning to something more. Who had he overlooked?

"She is a pureblood like you. Selene now holds my last name," Gabriel replied.

"Selene," Darius rubbed his lips with his thumb, wiping away the blood from his last meal. "I do recall a Selene. The fact she is a pureblood makes it a hard request. I’m sure you can find another woman. A human noblewoman or someone of your kind. I heard you made quite the ruckus by bringing home a human."

"I want them both, my king. It is hard to let one of them go."

Darius understood the predicament since his eyes often found beauty in many women. "I understand but I am advising you to pick something else. I could find a place for you in the palace or reward you with riches. As I remember, Selene doesn’t hold the power to provide the help you need."

"I want her away from Lord Blackthorn and you have the power to do it," Gabriel said, refusing to back down. He knew what he came for and wasn’t going to leave without it.

Darius looked away from Gabriel. It wasn’t as it seemed.

Xavier was one of the men Darius failed to tame. A thorn at his side that was hard to remove.

"It is final that I will not force her to return to your side. A woman who will up and leave when a little competition comes around is not someone you need. I will act like we did not speak about what you want and see you another day. Think of something worth my time," Darius said as he stood up.

He had better things to do than to speak to a mixed-blood. Gabriel was lucky there was so much attention on him with the people hailing him as a hero.

Gabriel closed his hand into a ball, trying to calm himself. He was counting on the king to make Xavier listen. "You are the king and he is your servant. If you could-" Gabriel moved to the right to escape being struck by a glass thrown at him.

"I allow you to enter this room because of your victory but do not forget what you are and where you stand. If I hear anything more about Lord Blackthorn from you, I will take back my offer to give you something. Leave now," Darius said, his anger reaching its boiling point.

If not for wanting to parade Gabriel around the town to keep the people in a good mood, Darius might have snapped Gabriel’s neck. He gave Gabriel the freedom to speak and all of a sudden, Gabriel thought he could command the king.

Gabriel bowed his head, showing defeat. "Forgive me. I crossed a line with you today."

Darius sat back down. "Perhaps I was being too harsh on a man whose wife left him. Xavier is a loner. He will soon grow tired of her company and send her away. It would be wise to ask for a position in the palace and when he abandons her, you make her life miserable to willingly return to you. I am not getting involved to have a pureblood settle for you."

"Thank you for the advice. Then, I ask that you raise my rank in the army so my pay will be well and a new home to please my next wife," Gabriel said, deciding to follow the king’s advice. freeweɓnøvel.com

"I shall make note of it and reward you. Now," Darius looked to the door. He had enough of his guest.

"Thank you for your time," Gabriel said, bowing slightly before he turned to leave.

When Gabriel opened the doors, he felt like he had been caught in a trap. "You," he narrowed his eyes on Lord Blackthorn, the current source of his problems. "Are you following me?"

"Don’t insult me. You are not worth sending a dog to hunt down. Will you get out of the way or must I move you?" Xavier asked, his eyes filled with mischief.

Gabriel clenched his jaw, his hands balled into tight fists to the point his knuckles started to turn white. His hand would soon hurt from how many times he restrained himself from punching someone.

Gabriel never did anything to Xavier yet the lord was set on coming after him and his marriage. "It’s impossible for you to have made it here so fast if you were not following me."

"Perhaps I flew," said Xavier.

Gabriel wasn’t going to entertain any of Xavier’s jokes. "I want my wife back home by nightfall. You shouldn’t play with her feelings, acting like you care for her. Send her back to me now."

Xavier laughed at the request. "You are a silly man. I can’t wrap my mind around what she saw in you."

"Xavier," Darius said, surprised to see him. "Did the two of you plan this? Come inside. I am done with Mr. Valor. Step aside," he ordered Gabriel.

Gabriel got out of the way since it was the king’s request but he wished there was something he could do to wipe the smile off Xavier’s face. Seeing Xavier be so cocky, Gabriel had to take the king’s advice to rise in the palace first.

"Go," Darius sent away the woman in the room.

On her way out, she closed the door.

"This is an unexpected visit. First, the husband and now the new man are said to be courting his wife. I didn’t take you for the kind to steal a wife so I am a little surprised by you. It makes me want to see this woman. To have her," Darius said, testing the water with Xavier.

Xavier dragged his finger on the top of the long table in the room as he drew closer to Darius. "Go near her and I will have the palace looking for a new king. Think of your children having to see their father gutted and hanging by the palace gates."

"I don’t plan to fight with you which is why I turned down his request that his wife be returned to him by a royal decree. You should thank me," Darius said, purposely leaving out the advice he offered Gabriel.

Xavier’s shoulders shook from laughter. "You are as foolish as I claim you to be. You owe me for the last time I helped your family."

"I thought you were being kind," Darius said, hearing of this debt for the first time. "What do you want? Is it that woman?"

The more Darius saw the two men wanting to have her, the more he wanted to take Selene for himself.

"She will send a notice for a divorce. Speed it up quickly so it won’t take more than a few days. That is little compared to what I did for you," said Xavier.

Darius became more interested in the love triangle. "A divorce? Isn’t that a little too messy for you? You can have any woman from the other four families. The Selene I am thinking about-"

"Is not someone you should be thinking about," Xavier finished for Darius.