Chapter 29: Mark her face
"Has he gone mad?" Mia exclaimed irritably, her gaze fixed in a sharp glare at Quinn.
"Is that his new lover?"
"He can’t seem to get enough of them. I wonder how his wife feels."
"She’s quite beautiful, though."
Murmurs rippled through the arena as onlookers turned their scrutiny toward Belle. She sat frozen, as though paralyzed, unable to muster words or actions. The suddenness of Quinn’s declaration left her reeling, and now the weight of countless stares pinned her in place like a rare, prized artifact.
"I... I am not his woman," she stammered, her voice trembling and barely audible. Even Mia and Aurora, seated right beside her, failed to catch her words over the crowd’s noise.
"Why does it even matter? We are here for the fight, not your woman!" A frustrated woman from the audience shouted. Her outburst quickly garnered roaring approval from others.
Belle exhaled shakily, clutching Mia’s arm for support as relief washed over her. The momentary reprieve allowed her racing heart to settle, though she remained mortified. How much longer could she endure Quinn’s torment, both in public and private? These past two days, she has done everything to avoid him after their ill-fated meeting on his balcony, an encounter blurred by too much wine and unspoken tension.
Surely, this was punishment for disobeying his summons to the passageway. She should have known better than to think he will let her defiance go unanswered. How was she ever going to sneak out of the King’s chambers without drawing attention? It was an impossible task.