"Lady Madeline! Lady Madeline!" a maid knocked on the door which was closed from inside, "Please open the door so that we can get you ready," the maid tried to get the door open but the lady inside was not having it.

Madeline stared at the door whilst she sat on the bed, unwilling to move and open the door which she had locked since the time of the morning she had woken up. She was supposed to join King Calhoun for breakfast and instead of letting the maids in to get her ready, Madeline sat there with her nightclothes, delaying the dreaded time to spend with him.

The door continued to knock, "Lady Madeline, we request you to please open it. The King expects you in the next ten minutes. He's going to very angry on us…"

She stared hard at the door before finally getting down from the bed and walking towards the door to open. Madeline was not an insensitive woman to not know what repercussion people would face because of her. She felt like her feet and hands were bound where she was unable to do anything right now.

Madeline said, "I have taken my bath," she didn't want the maids touching her like last night where it had been nothing but uncomfortable, "What's that?" she asked looking at the two maids who carried boxes in their hands.

"Your clothes and jewels to wear now, milady," answered the one in the front who went by the name Nicola. The maid looked her in the eye without batting an eyelash, "The King said he ordered the dresses from the far East and hopes you will like it," seeing the girl's tantrum since yesterday, the head maid had to bite her tongue from asking the girl to stop acting like a child. She was behaving as if hell had fallen down in here when in truth she should be feeling fortunate.

And Madeline could see the way the maid looked at her, as if she wanted to tell her something but instead, Nicola chose to bow her head. A smile coming up on her face that confused Madeline,

"Let us get you ready," said the maid and the other two maids started to unpack the box they had brought along with them. Pulling out the materials one after another and the other one opening the small box that carried neckpieces. Madeline was still getting ready when the door flew open without a knock that had everyone turn around to see Calhoun arrive at the door.

"What's taking so long to get her ready?"

The maids froze in their places and the corset was only being tied with the laces that slipped from their hands at the sight of the King who had come here. Madeline gulped seeing him, his body carrying a shadow on one side as his shoes clicked the floor.

Calhoun gave a look at the head maid who quickly gave him a bow, "We were getting her ready, milord."

"Did you think I was going to have my breakfast once the sun would set down?" he asked with an underlying tone of sarcasm in it. The maids didn't answer and stood quietly. Not daring to look up or move an inch.

Madeline then spoke, "I woke up late."

Calhoun's dark liquid red eyes shifted from the maids to look at the woman who he had been looking forward to seeing since she had left his room last night. Her blonde hair was left open to cascade down her shoulders like rays of the sun. Her eyes looked brown and not dilated which meant she had been awake for some time now.

"Must have been good sleep," he tilted his head to the side, his eyes staring down at her, "Leave us." Madeline's eyes widened at the King's demands. She looked at the maids alarmed as they started to leave the room. "Wait," he stopped them to say, "Close the doors behind you."

Madeline could feel her legs slightly shaking beneath the petticoat that she wore. She was barely clothed with just the petticoat, shift, stockings and the corset that was left half-finished. With the maids in front of her, she had felt covered but now that they were gone, she felt as if she were naked in front of him.

"I am capable of dressing myself," spoke Madeline, her words coming out to be nervous when Calhoun took a step forward.

"Nobody said you aren't," his eyes drank in her appearance, the way her bare feet were placed next to each other and were clenching the ground. The skin on her neck raising goosebumps all around even though the room wasn't cold. He took his steps forward and Madeline's lower back hit the bedpost.

Contrary to her appearance, Calhoun was dressed from head to toe and his hair combed back to not hinder his devil-like gaze and smile that she had come to know in a short span of time. But right now, he wasn't smiling at her. His eyes continued to look at her closely that made her uncomfortable and he enjoyed her response. Like a feral animal playing with its prey by its paws that would draw out its claws at any time.

"Don't lie to me, Madeline. I will not tolerate any lies or secrets," he said to her, his body moving closer to her and she had to hold her breath to see him reach out for the dress that was on the bed, leaning back he said, "Let's get some discipline." He then stated, "I am sure you will learn to wake up early and not waste my time next time."

He was joking, wasn't he? Thought Madeline to herself, her throat turning dry.

"You cannot do that," she said, and even though she wanted to move she couldn't. Not with her scarce clothing on her body. Right now his eyes were looking at her brown eyes and she didn't want it wandering anywhere she didn't want him to look at.

"I cannot think of any good reason why I can't. Step away from the bedpost, unless you want me to dress you with the bedpost. You brought this upon yourself," Madeline could feel her head slightly spinning because of the sudden predicament she had put herself in.

"I am not ready for this," Madeline had brought her hand in front of her chest.

With the lack of smile on his lips, Madeline felt dread mix in her blood, "Turn around," he wasn't budging and he wasn't going to let her go.

Madeline turned around, closing her eyes in concentration. It was a small white lie, "You are only trying to find reasons to get close to me."

Calhoun had stepped behind her. Without prior notice, he pulled the laces of the corset in enough force for her to fall back and crash against his chest. He whispered, "What can I do when you're giving me reasons to get close to you."

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