The Reason for Marriage - Chapter 45.1

“Eve.” He urged adamantly.

“Your Majesty, you should not regard a meager employee as someone special. As I told you before, we are but tools for the Kingdom of Amethan. I urge you to not judge the organization based on a fleeting acquaintance.”

“Eve!” He said again, his voice dangerously low.

Iveca shrank, her body stiff in the uncomfortable silence. Iveca could not stand the cumbersome atmosphere that had thickened the air and placed her teacup on the table with a start.

“Love me.”

He spoke, and Eve gasped at the unexpectedness of his words. She had never thought he’d utter them.

“What?”

“I don’t like you committing to threatening situations.”

“What do you mean?” She urged on, wanting to comprehend what he was trying to say.

“The other day, when I asked you what love was—” He spoke with a falter. His eyes then bore upon her, looking at her with solemnity and genuineness. “You said that love blooms when nothing else matters.”

She blinked back foolishly.

“I want you to love me so much, it doesn’t matter if you leave the Bureau of Investigation. I abhor the idea that you put yourself through dangerous situations most of the time. You can work anywhere else, given that you don’t have to risk your life.”

“Your Majesty,” Iveca protested half-heartedly.

“I forgot I was your King the day I treated you. Even if you don’t prefer to be by my side, I wish to be by yours… somehow. Oh, damn,” The King cursed.

The King insisted he wanted her by his side. How was she supposed to interpret his words now? She didn’t deem herself ignorant but now she couldn’t understand the expression in Daniel’s eyes. Her eyes trailed away for a second and they caught the escort guard, Anriq’s bewildered eyes. He stood straight, his demeanor picturesque, but his eyes gave away his inner disoriented thoughts—causing Iveca’s breath to ease.

She didn’t deem Anriq to be a problem, she’d forgotten her feelings toward him long ago but she couldn’t forget that he was a persistent symbol of her past.

Daniel has proclaimed that he liked her, so what? Only men were able to profess such thoughts and think nothing of the future. But…no woman in Amethan would have the same opportunity of getting away with a light romance with the King himself.

If it isn’t a light relationship, would I lie to him and the whole country for the rest of my life as a Bureau of Investigation’s officer? Iveca questioned herself.

Was the Queen’s position compatible with the Bureau of Investigation staff? The Bureau of Investigation was too vague compared to other affiliated organizations.

Iveca looked away, her eyes brimming with questions. What did he mean, when he told her to love him? His straightforward manner was out of the ordinary, totally different from when she’d seen him dealing with his other subjects.

Her heart pounded mercilessly, her stomach hollow. She had to grip her hands to stop them from shaking. She hated feeling this way but she knew her emotions and her body language translated to excitement. The realization gave her a start, she was both confused and surprised at her reaction but she did not hate it.

The King touched his forehead and spoke;

“I got comprehensive reports each day, and every time I got them, my mind traced back to you. Yes, I deemed myself arrogant, I thought I’d forget feeling this way if I saw you, at least.”

Iveca felt the blood pounding in her ears and her flight instinct kicked in, yet she was trapped and wasn’t in a position to run. She had to force herself to sit as still as a stone and listen to this unbelievable conversation while maintaining her labored breathing.

“I’ve had to endure thinking about you all this time, and it was painful. I felt restless like I was starving and you were what I needed.”

Iveca sat in stunned silence, not daring to speak in case her words betrayed her feelings.

“I cannot sleep well, I cannot stop thinking about you. I was intrigued by you the second I met you and against my best intentions, I kept enduring it. I wanted to keep tabs on every Bureau of Investigation office whenever there were notices about ambiguous business trips to the provinces.”

Iveca’s heart dropped, she could not face the King looking at her and her eyes blinked down at her clasped hands.

“This is how I define love. Your absence, even for an hour, destroys my world gradually and renders me senseless.”

The silence stretched on as the King continued.

“During my time as a King, I have faced far more suffering and adversities than most people. But the day I could not meet you, my day broke down little by little, and the moment I saw your name in that fucking report…”

“Your Majesty…” Iveca stammered.

“It felt like walls were closing down on me and my foundations were crumbling. I’ve considered burying my heart for you Iveca!” The King spoke out, the emotion in his voice piercing through her.

“Why—Why me?” She managed to choke out, despite the barbed wires that were slowly enclosing her throat.

Daniel bore his eyes into her, his smile sad and desolate.

“Your Majesty, I— I’ll get going for now. I was just caught off guard.” She spoke out dumbly. She then watched him as he slowly approved her report.

“You will need time, I know that my heart is a nuisance to you, so write another report.” He spoke out with finality.

“Pardon?”

“What kind of a man does Eve Jean like? Write it down in great detail. You came into my heart uninvited but it has now made me even more determined to claim yours.”

For the first time, Iveca found herself speechless.

“I’ll figure everything out, so just write down anything of significance.”

Iveca dropped her gaze.