Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Sold as the Alpha King’s Breeder Chapter 819

Chapter 30 : No One Else but Me

The trio of maids tittered around me like little songbirds. They were used to my presence now, especially since we spent nearly four days at Aeris’s castle now. One of them was undoing the laces on my dress while the others tidied up my room. A lunch tray sat on the edge of my bed as I kept my hands on the desk by the windows, guarding the stolen treasures that I’d hidden in the drawer before the maids came in.

I played the role of docile, submissive, high-bred female as the maids continued their work. They gossiped as if I wasn’t standing there listening to their every word.

Someone within Aeris’s court was getting married soon, but there were rumors of a mistress causing issues for the betrothed couple. One of the kitchen maids had just found out she was pregnant, and was mum about who the father was. Two scullery maids had scrapped so badly one of them needed stitches and the other had a broken wrist. A warrior had been caught trying to steal from Aeris, and was currently in the dungeon, facing death.

So on, and so forth… nothing useful for my current situation, and nothing about the mystery behind Jared’s whereabouts the past day.

They left the room as quickly as they’d come after dressing me in what they called a “day dress,” which was really just a long skirt and tapered blouse. I let out the breath I’d been holding as I padded to the door, listening to their footsteps and chatter retreating down the hallway as I turned the lock.

I was starting to feel like a prisoner in this room. But, I was following Archer’s instructions. Lock the door. Stay inside. Wait.

Wait for what, exactly?

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment as I turned back to the desk. Gray afternoon light filtered through the windows. It was raining now, little specks of water speckling the glass. I walked to the windows and cracked open one of the panes, letting the sweet scent of a wet early spring day cut through the snug room against the smell of the wood burning in the hearth.

I’d snuck both the map and the Cryptex back to the room. It had been far too easy, and I knew without a doubt that Aeris wouldn’t know anything was missing. How could he? That place had been a mess. Just being in his vault had given me a terrible headache and had me choking on dust within minutes.

But I had a newfound curiosity about Aeris. Sure, he wanted to keep me here and use me as a breeder. He also had a treasure trove beneath his castle, artifacts and scrolls and books I’d never seen or heard of before. How had he acquired them? He obviously didn’t know what he had.

I pursed my lips as I caught my reflection in the full-length mirror across the room.

The little demon who my mother told me was permanently fixed on my shoulder said, ‘Would being his breeder really be all that bad if you had access to every shred of knowledge about the Dark Realm you desire?’

“What is wrong with you?” I told myself, shaking the thought from my mind.

I opened the desk drawer and gingerly pulled out the Cryptex, setting it on the desk before the powers within could penetrate my skin. I carefully lifted the map and laid it out flat over the desk, peering down at it.

It was a map of Egoren of course, but a very primitive version. Large chunks of the land were missing, likely unexplored during the time when the map was created. What was interesting about it was the script on the map, however.

The modern written language of the Dark Realm was the same as the Realm of Light. A few things were spelled differently or had different meanings, of course.

But the script on the map wasn’t any language I’d ever seen written before.

I took the scroll from the drawer and spent the next several hours matching up the symbols on the map to the symbols on the scroll, the lunch on the edge of my bed all but forgotten.

by the time I’d confirmed my suspicions about the scroll. It was in code, a mix of two ancient written languages. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes, blinking back fatigue and

aching hands. Everything would be fine once we were

door. I turned around, staring at the door for a moment

he said, pounding on the door

tone as I hustled to the door, unlocking it and throwing it open. Jared had a hand resting on the doorframe, panting as he looked down at me. My body tensed with sudden desire as his

split lip and the bruising

me across the hallway

gaped at them. Archer had a black eye, and Brandt’s nose was definitely broken, among a

my gaze on Jared. “Is anyone going to tell

dinner with Aeris tonight,” Jared said, wiping a

“…Why?”

seen like this, not right now.” Jared shifted his weight like he was uncomfortable, his eyes

this?” I choked,

Brandt said with

casually that it gave me a start as I glared at

hell

business,” Jared said firmly as he

looks like you’ve been taking care of business all

the breeder auction is here, Eliza,” Brandt said, wincing a bit as I went rigid, the blood

said through gritted

happened to you,” Jared cut in, taking a step toward

up at him as I chewed the inside of my cheek, then shook my head. Fear ripped through me, making every downy hair on my body stand on end. The

asked, unable to stop my voice from

his nose, nostrils flaring as

you all

“how you ended up at the breeder auction. The man says he

bit out, hugging myself. “He has the captain’s logs, but

but Archer and Jared kept their gazes on me, unflinching. I knew I wasn’t getting out of this, not now. How much

my cousin

day in my realm

up and came here?” Archer asked dubiously,

the capital,” I admitted, meeting Jared’s

he maintained his composure, his arms crossed over his

told by my family in my realm that the trip was too risky for a single woman without escorts, so I was told no. They made me promise. I went anyway. I boarded a trading vessel that was docked in

did your ship get boarded?” Jared asked flatly, not a single shred of emotion