Chapter 275 - I Thought You Would Take The Hint

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The king was moved from his reverie when he heard someone's footsteps approaching. Nicholas stopped massaging his temples and looked up toward the sounds.

The young king was a little surprised when he saw Karenina was standing in front of him with tears in her eyes.

"How could Your Majesty do something so horrible to me? After you slept with me and took my honor, Your Majesty just left me..." Karenina began to sob. "And when you came back, you didn't even bother to check up on me..."

Nicholas straightened his back. He was silent and stared at Karenina intently. In his mind, he wondered if he had really done that lecherous thing to Karenina when he had no love for her at all?

Karenina sobbed harder. "During the five years that we were engaged, I received a lot of ridicule from people because Your Majesty has not married me after so long. I always tell them that Your Majesty is very busy."

Nicholas knew what she wanted to say. It was that thing again!

Karenina continued sobbing despondently and slowly walked toward Nicholas. She said, "I accept all the ridicule without complaining because I don't want to add to the burden on Your Majesty's mind."

She added in between her sobs, "However, this time, I can't endure the ridicule anymore. If Your Majesty doesn't marry me, then they will call me a dirty woman. A used good."

Nicholas was still silent. 

Karenina returned to acting as if she were the victim. She sat gracefully on the chair in front of the king. Her every movement looked heavy and painful. She reached over and cupped one of the king's hands between her hands.

"Your Majesty, I beg you ... please... save me from their humiliation," said Karenina, sobbing while bringing the king's hand to her cheek.

Nicholas felt his hand wet from her tears. In silence, he watched the woman very closely, listened to every word of the woman who was currently begging Nicholas to marry her. For some reason, he felt that Karenina's current actions were unnatural.

If Nicholas had really raped her, she should either be afraid of him or angry and hate him. However, she didn't do either.

Nicholas removed his hand from Karenina's. "Stop begging like this. You're humiliating yourself by doing this and also..." Nicholas paused his sentence then looked at Karenina with dipped brows. That gaze made Karenina stop sobbing.

Karenina froze. The stare the king gave her at this moment made her breath bated for a few seconds.

Nicholas continued his delayed sentence. "Your current attitude doesn't match the attitude of a woman who has just been raped. What you said I've done, doesn't that hurt you at all?"

He uttered his words carefully, and without a judgemental tone since he knew this was a really sensitive matter. "I thought all women who go through such horrific experiences would need some time to recover from the trauma. However... you don't seem traumatized being around me."

He looked at Karenina deeply. "Now, tell me the truth... did you make up the stories to force me to marry you? Because I cannot be forced to marry someone I don't love."

He wanted to say that, in his eyes right now, Karenina had no self-respect for blackmailing a man to marry her. However, Nicholas held back and didn't say the words. He was not heartless.

For a moment, Karenina's eyes widened. She was surprised and at the same time, felt devastated to hear the last sentence that was uttered by the king.

Nicholas' eyes narrowed down in a glare at Karenina, which made her bones tremble. That gaze looked like a sword that wanted to stab her heart and slash it into small pieces.

Amid the fear and the tension she felt, Karenina wondered whether the king remembered what happened that night or not?

She broke out into a cold sweat at the thought that the king remembered everything, which was why the king was currently staring at her so intently.

Nicholas's eyes glinted very sharply at Karenina's teary eyes as if he wanted to bore through her skull and discover what was in her mind. He wanted to find out for himself what really happened that night as he couldn't believe that he had done such a heinous crime to a woman.

If he was innocent.... did that mean Karenina was lying?

Was there a woman who would embarrass herself and drop her self-esteem to such a low place?

Then, which one was correct?

Nicholas was still trying to find the truth in Karenina's eyes. And that made Karenina feel tense and break out in a cold sweat.

Inwardly, she panicked at the thought that the king remembered what happened that night. She immediately wracked her brain to find a way so that the king wouldn't accuse her of lying.

If that were to happen, she would lose the king forever.

"Your Majesty…." Karenina said in a trembling voice, then a moment later, she started crying loudly again. "I know you only wanted me to cover for you by asking me to be your fiancee. I bear with your cold treatment and the ridicule from others. I did it because I love you."

She looked at Nicholas daringly, forcing her mind to settle with her own truth that they did in fact sleep together and the king was now trying to get away from his responsibility. She kept convincing herself that it was the truth.

"I am sorry you are dragged into this mess," Nicholas replied, "I only agreed to our betrothal because my mother was dying and I didn't want to see her die with regret."

Karenina bit her lip. She was silent, waiting for Nicholas to finish his words.

The king let out a long sigh and continued. "However, I didn't expect that the charade will last this long. I thought you would value yourself and ask to break off our engagement.. I thought you would take the hint."