Chapter 3 Trapped into his name

​Mia stared after her as Clara grabbed the tray and ran from the room.

​Three weeks ago, Khelani had tried to run away. From what? And where had they brought her back from?

​When the sun came up, Mia couldn't stand staring at the ceiling anymore. She put on a plain green wool dress and left the room without calling for Clara. She kept her head down until she reached the front doors.

​The two guards at the entrance straightened up. "Your Majesty."

​"I'm going out."

​The taller guard looked uneasy. "The King said you were to stay inside after yesterday."

​Mia stopped. "Yesterday? What did he tell you?"

​"Just that you aren't allowed to leave without security," he said, avoiding her eyes.

​Mia looked from one guard to the other. "And if I walk out anyway?"

​Neither man answered.

​"I'll be back," she said. When the tall guard made a move to step into her path, Mia turned on him. "Are you going to lay hands on the Queen? If the King has an issue, he can tell me himself."

​She pushed the door open and walked out. The guards didn't follow.

​She walked down the stone steps and headed toward the city center, following the roads until she hit the market. People moved around her in every direction. Stall owners shouted out prices, cars rolled past down the street, and kids ran through the crowd. Nobody bowed. Nobody watched her every move.

​Further down the street, she found a large glass shopping center. She stepped inside, the cool air hitting her face right away. Mia paused in front of a window display and held a dark blue dress against herself.

​A clerk walked over. "Would you like to try that on, Your..."

​Mia held up a hand. "Please, don't. Just call me Mia." The woman looked confused but nodded.

​For the next hour, Mia wandered through the stores, picking out clothes and shoes. It felt refreshingly normal. She even laughed out loud at a ridiculous hat in one window.

​Then a voice came from behind her.

​"You missed your check-up with the doctor this morning."

​Mia turned around slowly. William was standing a few feet away in a dark gray coat, his hands shoved into his pockets.

​"How did you find me?"

​"You walked right out the front doors," he said, taking a step toward her. "Half the street saw you walk toward the market."

​Mia frowned. "So you sent men to follow me?"

​"No. I didn't have to."

​She glanced around at the shoppers nearby. "You came all the way out here just because I missed an appointment?"

​"I wouldn't have to look for you if you didn't wander off without security."

​"I wanted to buy some clothes."

​"You could have asked someone to bring them to you."

​"I don't need permission to go shopping."

​William's expression went hard. "You are the Queen."

​"And I'm still a human being." Mia crossed her arms. "I'm not ready to go back yet."

​A few shoppers nearby paused to look. William closed the distance between them, dropping his voice low. "We're going back to the palace. Now."

​Mia glared at him. "You don't own me."

​"You walked out of the castle alone," William said. "No driver, no guards, What if something happened to you?"

​"I can take care of myself."

​William stared at her. "You were never like this."

​Mia's throat went dry. "People change."

​"Not overnight. You've been completely different since you woke up," William said.

​Mia swallowed hard. "I took a hard fall."

​"A fall doesn't change your entire personality."

​She looked away, staring past his shoulder. "Then maybe I just stopped caring what you think."

​William searched her face, his cold demeanor breaking for a second into plain confusion before he masked it again.

​"Come on." He turned toward the exit. When Mia didn't move, he looked back over his shoulder. "Now."

​She followed him outside to a black sports car waiting at the curb. William opened the rear door.

​She climbed into the back seat, and William stepped in after her, shutting the door. The driver started the engine and pulled out into traffic.

​For a long time, nobody said a word. Mia crossed her arms and stared out the dark window. William sat right next to her, looking straight ahead.

​Finally, Mia broke the silence.

​"So is this a kidnapping, or do I get an explanation?"

​William didn't look at her. "You weren't kidnapped. You were retrieved."

​"Retrieved?" Mia let out a short laugh. "I'm an adult."

​William turned toward her. "Your safety is my responsibility."

​Mia went quiet. She expected another lecture, but his tone was different now. He sounded genuinely bothered by the idea of something happening to her.

​When the car stopped at the palace, William got out first and held out a hand. Mia looked at his hand, then up at his face. "My legs work fine."

​She walked right past him onto the pavement. William dropped his hand without saying anything.

​"Follow me to my study," he said.

​He led her down a quiet hallway and opened a set of heavy doors. Bookshelves covered the walls from floor to ceiling, and a large dark desk sat in front of the windows overlooking the gardens. William shut the door behind them.

​"Explain," he said. "Because I don't think you realize what you just did. You're the Queen."

​Mia crossed her arms. "I wanted a few hours where nobody was watching me. I didn't want anyone telling me where to sit, what to wear, or how to act."

​"Then you should have asked me."

​"Would you have said yes?"

​William said nothing. Mia gave him a faint smile. "Exactly."

​He walked over to his desk. "You're making this hard."

​"You're the one treating me like a prisoner."

​William stopped and looked at her. "Maybe you should ask yourself why everyone is worried about you. You claim you don't remember anything, but you act like you know exactly what you're doing."

​Mia looked away, staring at the floor. "I just wanted some air."

​William watched her for a moment, then picked up a pen from the desk. "The bags will be taken to your room. Lunch is in twenty minutes. Don't be late."

​He turned toward the window. Mia stared at his back, stunned that he was dropping the argument just like that. She turned and reached for the door handle.

​"Khelani."

​Mia stopped. William didn't turn around.

​"You didn't ask for an allowance today. You used your own card."

​Mia slowly looked back at him.

​"You haven't touched that account in two years," William said.

​Mia felt a cold knot form in her stomach. Two years. She stayed silent. William picked up his phone, making it clear they were done speaking.

​Mia opened the door and stepped into the hall, leaning back against the wall once it shut. What kind of life had Khelani actually been living here?

​She forced herself to move and headed back to her bedroom. The second she stepped inside, her stomach turned. Mia covered her mouth and rushed to the bed, sitting down as another wave of nausea hit her.

​Maybe it was the stress. Maybe the food at the market was bad. She reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, but the room tilted violently. Mia grabbed the edge of the mattress and held on until the spinning stopped.

​"What is wrong with me?" she muttered.

​When the dizziness didn't pass, she reached for the bell on the wall and pulled it.

​Clara rushed inside a moment later. "Your Majesty? Are you alright?"

​"Get the doctor," Mia gasped out before sinking back onto the bed.

​A few minutes later, the physician walked in carrying a leather bag.

​"Your Majesty."

​"I feel terrible," Mia said, pressing a palm to her head. "I'm sick to my stomach, dizzy, and I can barely keep my eyes open."

​The doctor checked her pulse and asked a few quiet questions. Then he went completely still.

​Mia noticed. "What? Is it bad?"

​He looked at her, his expression serious. "Your Majesty..."

​"What is it?"

​"You aren't sick."

​Mia frowned. "Then why can't I stand up?"

​The doctor hesitated. "You are ten weeks pregnant."

​Mia froze, the air leaving her lungs all at once.

​"What?"

​"Ten weeks."

​Mia looked down at her hands, her fingers trembling against the bedsheets. Pregnant. She had never even been with a man before, and now she was carrying a child.

​And there was only one person who could be the father.

​Mia stared at her stomach, her chest tight. The child belonged to the King.