Chapter 2 Far From The King

EVALINA

“You will be staying here from now on, Evelina. The queen’s room is that door,” she said, pointing to a golden door at the end of the hallway. It was guarded by a large red dragon, its eyes blazing as if it were ready to strike anyone at any moment.

“And the door to its left is the king’s chamber. You are not allowed to go near it,” she warned.

I nodded.

“Not allowed to go near it, Evelina. I warned the previous maid, but she thought I was joking. You don’t have to see the king or touch him to be labelled a seductress. Simply going closer to his door is an act of seduction. And you see that dragon there? It is a jealous one. No lady is allowed to approach the king without Queen Valeria’s knowledge,” she warned again.

I nodded instantly, my heart pounding. Why would I ever go near the king after being warned like this? Who would even dare?

“Drop your things and get to work,” she said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

My eyes blinked in confusion.

“What should I be doing, Ma’am?” I asked quickly, my fear obvious.

She let out a small smile and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Evelina, don’t be scared. Queen Valeria is the sweetest Stormbone to work under. You just have to stick to her orders. Whenever she needs you, she will call for you. You don’t have to do anything else,” she said sweetly.

Everything inside me seemed to relax at her words. I just had to obey the rules and listen to the queen. If I did, no harm would come to me. And her greatest order was to stay far from the Dragon King. I promise I would.

The rest of the day dragged on as I waited patiently in my room for the queen to call me. I didn’t even know how I would know when she called. I hadn’t asked.

What if she had already called? How was I supposed to know?

Oh my goodness… I didn’t know which was better now—working under the queen or being roommates with that vicious demon.

A thick roar from the dragon pulled me out of my thoughts. It thundered across the hallway.

My heart dropped as a chill ran through me. Did that mean I was being called? Was that how a summons worked?

Instantly I put on my sandals, packed up my hair, and without another thought stormed out of the room.

“Relax, Vhalek. Azura was only courting you,” a deep male voice said.

My eyes fixed on the scene in front of the queen’s door. A huge and mighty black dragon—bigger than the red one—stood there. It looked as though the black dragon was trying to attack the red one, and the man standing between them was trying to calm it down.

Who could that be? He was dressed in a black robe, his black hair falling to his neck, slightly damp as if he had just come out of a shower.

Who could that be? I took a few steps closer and stopped, staring at the scene. Did some dragons hate each other? Because this black one seemed to hate the queen’s dragon. But wasn’t the queen’s dragon supposed to be bonded to the king’s dragon?

Instantly, it hit me like lightning. Wait… was that the king’s dragon? Then that meant the man standing between them was the king?

The chief maid’s warning flashed through my mind like a loop.

Don’t go near the king. Don’t even see him.

Instantly I turned my back, my trembling legs moving as fast as they could. But before I could reach the door, that same deep voice stopped me.

“Who are you?”

My steps halted. I shut my eyes briefly before taking a deep breath.

"Just act calm and be honest, Evelina," I told myself as I turned.

My breath hitched as both dragons’ eyes stayed fixed on me—and the man’s as well—while he remained standing between them.

“I’m a new maid… a maid chosen to serve the queen. I was told to stay in my room and that when she needs me, I will be summoned. I’m sorry, sir. Hearing the sound of the dragons, I thought I was being summoned,” I explained quickly, my voice trembling no matter how hard I tried to keep it steady.

“Why are you standing so far? Come closer,” the man said softly.

Instantly the red dragon roared, ready to act.

My entire body froze.

“Relax, Azura. I called her. She won’t hurt me,” he said softly, touching the red dragon’s side.

“I’m Darius, your king. Come,” he commanded. This time his voice dripped with a strange calmness, yet it was cold.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding so loudly I could hear it.

The closer I came, the clearer his face became. So this was what the Dragon King looked like. In my nineteen years of existence, I had never seen him. Everyone said he was like a god—so handsome and well-built. They weren’t exaggerating. He was indeed handsome.

My eyes darted to the red dragon. Its reaction was the most deadly I had ever seen.

“Have we met before?” he asked softly.

My heart raced as I shook my head, keeping it lowered. I could feel his gaze locked on me as a thick silence settled between us.

“Okay. You can stand here and wait for Valeria. She’s having her bath and will definitely need you very soon,” he said calmly.

I swallowed hard and nodded instantly, my heart still pounding.

“Let’s go, Vhalek,” he said, patting his dragon.

My eyes shifted to the black dragon. Its pale orange eyes stared at me briefly before it followed the king out.

Why did that dragon look like the one I saw in my dream?

The sharp growl of the red dragon instantly brought me back to reality. I quickly shifted my gaze to it.

“I’m sorry if I have wronged you, but I promise I won’t dare go near your mate,” I said instantly.

It stared at me for a moment, then shifted back to its position guarding the door.

I swallowed hard as a strange relief spread through me. Thank goodness it actually believed me.

Suddenly the door clicked open, and a female elf stepped out.

“You are the new maid, Evelina, right?” she asked.

I nodded.

“The queen calls.”

I nodded instantly, my head bowed as I headed inside. The elf shut the door behind me at once. Allowing me to face the most beautiful view I had ever seen in my life. The room was enormous, bathed in gold. Being royalty truly was a blessing.

“What are you thinking about, Evelina?” the queen’s voice cut through my thoughts.

My eyes instantly snapped toward her.