Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

Chapter 183 Cheap shots

Beth was escorted out of the cell a while later and left Doris alone once again with her thoughts. If Martin believed she was happy here, he would be more willing to prove to her that this place was perfect for them. He would let her roam free. She hoped.

And then the rest she could deal with as she went. If she was allowed out of her room, she could slip out and find a weapon to defend herself.

If only it was that easy.

Doris dozed off for a few hours when her exhaustion caught up with her. She woke at the first sign of knocking and it knocked any sort of sleep away from her. She quickly pushed the sheets away from her and got up just as Prince Martin opened the door.

“Sorry, am I disturbing you?" He took a step back towards the door. He wore a light green suit with slicked back hair. He smelled clean, as if he'd just come from a lavender bath.

“No, no. It's fine.” Dorris cleared her throat. “Come in.”

Prince Martin looked at her strangely before he stepped in and closed the door behind him. “How are you doing today? I hope you enjoyed your morning.”

"Oh yes I did very much, I was just admiring the lovely painting on the wall. Did you have someone come in to hand paint all of this?” Doris traced the flowers with her fingertips.

“I did.” Prince Martin said. He brightened a little and stepped closer to admire the art with her. “I wanted it to be like the garden back at the palace. I always saw you out there after your shifts.”

“Is there a garden here? It's been a long time since I got to enjoy one.” Doris said almost sadly. She sighed and raked her fingers through her hair that she was certain looked like a mess. She hadn't thought once about her appearance since she arrived.

"Of course there is. Do you think I would have forgotten your garden?” Prince Martin glanced at the door and then back at Doris. “Would you like to see it?"

Doris tried not to look overly excited. She smiled warmly and nodded. “That would be lovely! You should have told me, I didn't realize you had one here!”

Doris slipped on shoes by the door before she joined him. He wrapped a cloak around her shoulders gently and she had to force herself not to step away from him when he lingered close. Instead, she held his arm as he opened the door. She didn’t miss the smile on his face when she touched him.

One of his guards stepped up instantly when he saw them. “Is this a good idea, your majesty? I thought she was to remain inside her room.”

"She wanted to see other areas of her house. I don't think it's fair to deprive her of that, we will be back soon.” Prince Martin said as he passed. The guards fell into step behind them.

"How many rooms are here? It looks quite big on the outside from my window.” Doris said lightly. “It's a mini castle. The royal court abandoned it years ago but I had it fixed up recently to be livable. It still needs work, but it's almost there.” Prince Martin said with a smile. He led her down a hall that looked endless before they turned down the main staircase. She tried to memorize all of it like a map in her mind. “It has about eight bedrooms and several offices. All of them are yours to decorate as you wish.”

"Wow." Doris said. “Is this one of the only castles that were abandoned by the royal court?”

“There are more, but not many.” Prince Martin said. Doris swallowed the heavy feeling in her chest. That was good. If there weren't many others, William had a chance to find where she was and she could find her way back to him. Hopefully he knew where they were.

“Through here is the kitchen.” He led her through a large, bright kitchen that had several cooks at the stoves. It smelled heavenly, but the thought of eating made her sick. Her appetite felt strange, as if she was hungry but she didn't want to eat a single thing. “And back through here is the quickest way to get to the garden.”

Prince Martin led her through the back entrance and immediately they stepped out to an enclosed pathway that led to the garden. Doris looked around for an exit, but the only one she saw was back the way they came. Unless there was one along the back walls

Her shoes crunched on the rocks as she entered the greenhouse. It was stunning. She couldnt deny how much the sight took her breath away. Flowers bloomed even in the winter and it made her wonder if he had some sort of magic to have something like that happen. It looked almost identical to the one she used to walk through back at the palace.

She tried not to think about how uneasy he made her feel when he admitted to watching her. He watched her, he listened to her private conversations. Doris had no idea he had become so obsessed with her... for how long was he like that? Since they first met?

Prince Martin led her through the rows until they reached a stone bench that looked awfully familiar to the one back at the palace.

"What do you think?” He asked with a smile on his face. Doris causally removed her arm away from his own as she looked around.

“It's beautiful. I... I can't believe you did all of this for me.”

"Of course I did. What's the point of wealth if you can’t spend it on those you care for?” Prince Martin inched closer to her. She could feel him watching her even when she turned her face away to admire the view.

"Well, I love it.” Doris finally said. When she turned back to him, it looked as if he deflated in relief. “I knew you would warm up to this place. I heard Beth comment on how much you adored your room.”

"Oh, yes. I think I just needed time to take it all in.” Doris brushed her hair back. “I've never had anyone do something like this for me. It was overwhelming.”

"See, I knew it would be.” Prince Martin stood and started to pace in front of her. “I knew that it would be too much. I originally planned to tell you at the palace when you were ready, but then this war started and you were taken from me. I didn't have a choice.”

“I understand.” Doris said gently. She had to treat him like a wild animal and go along with whatever he said. “I think... everything just happened so fast. I didn't know how to take all of this in.”

Prince Martin fell to his knee in front of her. “You understand?” His voice was filled with so much hope, she couldn't wait to step all over it.

“I do. I just, I've been kidnapped and thrown in a cell more times than I can count and...” Doris sighed and turned her face away from him. “I don't like the feeling of being trapped. It makes me feel as if I'm going to suffocate. I just feel... helpless.”

Prince Martin gripped her hand. “I never want you to feel that way here. It's your home.”

"As you say, but I can't even leave my room to see the rest of it.” Doris whimpered. She saw something in his face break a little.

“You're right. I don’t know how I could be so... so foolish. I expected you to love this place instantly, but how can you if you're stuck in one of the rooms?”

Doris stayed silent. She wanted him to come to the conclusion on his own.

"How about this. Your door won't be locked any longer, you can roam the house as you wish.” Doris sniffled. “Really? Alone?”

“No, I can't do that yet my darling. There is still a war going on and I don't want to risk anything happening to you. My guards will escort you if I'm not around.”

Doris swallowed the feeling of defeat. “What about my friend? I don't want her locked up-*

“I'm afraid she will have to stay where she is for now.” Prince Martin said gently. He squeezed her knee and she wanted to flinch away from him. “I can't risk anything with her. She might try to run off in the middle of the night and my main concern is with you.” .

Doris exhaled slowly. It would be fine. She got him to allow her door to be unlocked, she could figure out the rest.

Doris smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Martin.”