Auren's POV:
The carriage ride had long since ended, but my legs still felt like jelly. Or perhaps Kael had permanently ruined my ability to walk with dignity.
"Are you sure I can't just be wheeled around the palace in a plush chair?" I muttered, half-limping as we passed through the towering palace gates of Solvane. A gilded empire of crystal and sunlight.
Kael's domain.
"You could." His voice was amused. "But I'd rather carry you."
"Of course you would," I huffed, cheeks warm. Kael's hand hadn't left the small of my back since we crossed into his borders. As if he'd branded me– which, after last night, wasn't too far off.
The grand hall was… magnificent. Marble veined with gold, banners of deep crimson and royal sapphire fluttering overhead. Nobles flanked both sides of our entry path, dressed in decadent silks and velvet, eyes burning with curiosity.
Aaaand barely concealed contempt. Yey.
Because clinging to the Commander's arm wasn't some highborn lady.
It was me. The "former prisoner" in scandalously wrinkled clothes, freshly bathed but still suspiciously flushed. There was a mark on my neck. Several. They were not from sparring.
A tall noble. A sharp-jawed man, sneered and tilted his head. His eyes raked down my body.
And Kael froze.
Literally mid-step.
I blinked up at him. "Kael?"
His smile was not pleasant. It was a smile of teeth. Sharp and lethal.
"Lord Vesri," Kael said silkily, still looking forward. "I wonder... did your mother not teach you it's rude to stare?"
Vesri had the audacity to smirk. "And I wonder, dear Commander, since when have you developed such… exotic tastes in bedwarmers?"
The room stilled.
And then-
CLANG.
Kael's sword unsheathed so fast it whistled through the air.
"You'll refer to him as mine. Not an object." Kael's voice was steel dipped in honey. "And if your eyes wander again, I'll remove them and send them to your father in a gilded box."
Vesri paled. "C-Commander, surely–"
"I said what I said," Kael interrupted. "And since you questioned it–"
He wrapped his arm around me tighter, pulling me flush to his side, " –allow me to clarify. This is Auren. He is no longer a prisoner of war. He is my consort. Any harm, slander, or disrespect will be treated as a threat against me directly."
My jaw dropped.
Consort?!
S-System??
[System Notification: "Congratulations! You've unlocked a new title: "Possessively Claimed!" Would you like to equip it?]
NO!
My face was on fire.
Kael leaned down, murmuring against my ear, "They need to know you're untouchable."
I wanted to argue. I really did. But then his fingers grazed my waist under my cloak, and I nearly buckled.
Nobles began murmuring like bees in a hive. Whispers, gasps, one woman even dramatically fainted.
Lord Vesri stepped back with a red face and clenched fists, bowing stiffly. "My apologies, Commander."
Kael didn't answer. He just walked forward with me in his arms as if the confrontation never happened. Like his blade hadn't just nearly gutted a man in a public throne hall.
We were ushered into Kael's private wing. An opulent space with pillars, velvet curtains, and more gold than any reasonable person needed.
I collapsed on the couch.
The door shut behind us.
"Did you mean what you said?" I asked weakly. "About me being your consort?"
Kael turned slowly, expression unreadable. "Did you want me to lie?"
My lips parted. But I didn't know what to say.
Before I could answer, a noble's voice shrieked from outside the door: "HE WHAT?!"
Another: "A prisoner turned consort? Is he under a spell?"
And then, another low whisper from a woman: "...but did you see how Kael looked at him? Like he'd burn the world."
[System Notification: Incoming Mission! Objective: Keep the peace in Kael's court for three days without causing a noble war.]
Caution: Sexual tension may interfere with diplomacy.
"System!" I whisper-yelled. "I'm literally trying to survive here!"
[System: Not my fault your lover has a murder kink with royal icing.]
[System: Oops. Did I say that aloud?]
Kael sat beside me, his hand already trailing up my thigh again, eyes heavy with something that absolutely did not look diplomatic.
I am so screwed.