Mated To The Barbarian King Who Is My Ex-husband's Father.

​"Do you know the man that Samantha is in love with?" Arianna asked.

​Both of her handmaidens shook their heads, but Arianna wasn’t convinced they were telling the truth. Turning to face them fully, her brow furrowed into a frown. "Why do I feel like the both of you are lying to me?"

​"L-lie?" Maria stuttered, quickly glancing over at Eira.

​Eira simply shrugged, indicating that she wouldn’t say anything either. "We have no idea, my lady."

​Arianna arched a brow at them, her eyes darting from one maid to the other. Both girls deliberately avoided her gaze. It was completely obvious that they knew exactly who it was and the only reason they were hiding it so desperately was because the man in question was the king.

​She was still reeling from the shock that Samantha had actually fallen in love with her own cousin. Perhaps that was the real reason the royal family had been so fiercely against her marrying the king and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was a human after all.

​"Does the king know about his cousin’s feelings?" Arianna asked.

​The handmaidens looked shocked that she had been able to put the pieces together so easily, even without them uttering a name.

​"No, my lady," Eira answered quietly. "Most people in the pack don’t know about it. And even the ones who do wouldn’t dare say it aloud."

​"Why do I even care if she likes the king or not?" Arianna sighed, a sudden wave of reality hitting her. She wasn’t in love with the king and she was still planning to leave this place someday.

​"He is your husband, my lady," Maria reminded her, taking a step forward. "You should protect your marriage."

​"What stops the king from protecting it? Why does it always have to be me?"

​"He has no idea what his family is plotting, but you do, Your Highness," Eira told her earnestly.

​Arianna rubbed her forehead in sheer frustration. It had been one problem after another since the moment she arrived here. There had been absolutely no peace, but at the very least, she now knew exactly who wanted her gone.

​"If you leave, they will think you are weak," Maria said.

​"I am not weak and I am not leaving."

​"What happened today was entirely unexpected, my lady," Eira began. "No one expected the king to strip his aunt of her position and hand it over to you. It was shocking... it shows that he cherishes you far more than her."

​"Will you still leave, knowing that he might love you?" Maria asked, hoping for a positive response.

​Arianna hadn’t allowed herself to think about that. If the king truly had fallen in love with her, it was only going to make things incredibly difficult. "I did something reckless this morning. I told him I love him."

​The girls stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. Arianna knew exactly what was running through their minds.

​"I didn’t mean it, but I can’t take back my words now," Arianna said, walking over to her wooden chest. She lifted the lid and pulled out the books she had promised him.

​There were two volumes: one was a classic work of modern erotica, and the other was an illustrated guide on sex positions and techniques. She wondered how on earth he was going to make sense of them, given his lack of literacy.

​"Does the king have an interpreter? Someone who can read and write for him?" Arianna asked, carrying the books over to the table and setting them down.

​"Yes... even Ragnar can read and write," Eira answered.

​"I guess he will have to find a reader then..." Arianna’s voice trailed off as the memory of her earlier conversation with the king flashed through her mind. Her eyes widened in sudden horror as she realized what she had actually agreed to. She had promised to read and explain them to him.

​She slumped heavily into the chair beside her, her head throwing backward against the frame.

​Burying her face in both of her hands, she groaned, "What have I done now?"

​"Is there a problem, my lady?" Maria asked, rushing to her side.

​"Get me some water to drink."

​Eira hurried over to where the jug sat, poured water into a cup, and brought it over. "Here it is, my lady."

​"Thank you," Arianna murmured, taking a quick sip before handing it back. When the king had brought up the books, she hadn’t been paying proper attention because Samantha had completely consumed her mind. If she had only listened carefully, she would have told him to find someone else to read to him.

​"Your Highness, someone is here to see you," a guard’s voice called out from beyond the tent flap.

​"I guess I am stuck now," Arianna muttered, running her hands through her hair before standing up. There was no time to cry over her mistake since she had already agreed to it. "Let’s go."

​Outside, a small group of women stood waiting to see her, alongside Astrid. Arianna hadn’t expected to see them and she could easily tell by their appearance that they weren’t from the king’s pack.

​"Greetings, Queen Arianna," they chorused, dropping to their knees.

​"You shouldn’t kneel. Please, stand on your feet and speak to me," Arianna said quickly. Even though she had been a princess all her life, she had never grown used to people falling at her feet.

​"We are deeply grateful for what you did for Astrid, and we came to show our appreciation," one of the women spoke up.

​Astrid was in tears, though she didn’t have her baby with her this time. "The news just reached me that you ordered for me to be registered."

​"Yes. Give the guards the necessary information, and by tomorrow, you can continue selling at the market just like the other women."

​"Thank you, my lady," Astrid said, bowing gratefully.

​"You are very welcome," Arianna replied, offering her a warm smile.

​She turned to head back inside, but stopped when she caught sight of Aunt Freya watching them from afar. The older woman clearly wasn’t going to give up easily. She would undoubtedly look for a way to get back at her and Arianna knew she had better prepare for whatever was coming next.

​"You may leave," Arianna told the women. She watched them depart before stepping back into the safety of her tent. "I need to take my bath and rest."

​Turning to Maria, she instructed, "Go to my old tent and make sure none of my things were left behind." Then she turned to Eira. "You shall prepare my bath."

​The maids bowed and hurried off to complete their tasks.

​Before heading into the inner chamber, Arianna took a moment to arrange the books on the table. She carefully placed the less explicit erotica novels on top, hiding the illustrated guide on sex styles and positions underneath it.

She could only hope that if the king chose a book for her to read tonight, he wouldn’t pick the one on the bottom.

******

Samantha entered the king’s tent under the guise of delivering an urgent scroll to the queen. Because she held the physical evidence right there in her hand, the guards permitted her entry without a second thought.

​Moving quickly, she set the scroll down on the table, snatched up the very first book her fingers brushed against and shoved it beneath her clothing.

​But just as Samantha spun around to make her escape, she came face-to-face with the king, nearly colliding right into his chest. Her heart skipped a violent beat as the cold realization of the dangerous mess she had just gotten herself into washed over her.

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