The Beta’s Regret

Chapter 80

I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding in my chest. I had assumed Eros hadn’t noticed my presence, but his voice broke

that illusion.

Slowly, I turned around. my eyes meeting his intense gaze.

Eros’s expression was stern, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. My mind raced, desperately searching for something to say, a plausible reason for my presence in his office, I opened my mouth to speak, but no words escaped.

I gulped when I heard the voice of King Eros. My heart began to beat so fast that it was galloping at the speed of a thousand horses,

I feared it would fall out of my mouth at this rate.

Slowly, very slowly, I turned around to see Eros looking at me.

He still had the marker in his hand and gave me a small smile before returning his attention to his file.

“Come here.” He said and went back to sit on his chair, the file in his hand.

I gulped nervously as I slowly made my way towards him. I reluctantly approached Eros’s desk, my eyes darting nervously around the room.

As I reached his side, he motioned for me to take a seat in the chair opposite him.

He pushed the chair in my direction without looking up and highlighted something with his marker.

“Are you going to speak at all?” He asked without looking at me. Isank into the plush chair and hoped that it would just swallow me whole.

“I.. I am sorry.. I muttered weakly. He flipped the page, took a pen, and scribbled something on the paper. Eros did not say anything and kept reading intently for the next five minutes that felt like an eternity to me.

There were a few files scattered along the table and a huge map of the kingdom strewn across the length of the desk

There were a few stains of teacups, showing that he had been really working hard on it, and a few pins that marked certain important spots.

“Do you not know that it is a bad habit to eavesdrop on someone” Eros asked as he pulled the cap off a pen with his mouth and threw it on the table as he took another pen to write something.

I thought of what to answer and could not come up with an answer. Luckily, I was spared from answering him when there was a knock on the door.

The servant I had met on my way to Eros’s office had returned with another round of tea.

“Yeah, come in. Eros muttered as he began pacing through the room while reading the file.

He flipped a few more pages and was done with the file as he tossed it on the table and picked another one

The file had landed on the edge of the table and it was going to fill down, so I stopped its fall. A few loose pages came out of the file, which I began pleking up

As I collected all the papers and put them in a stack, Eros’s voice reached me.

But it was not directed at me. “Eden will prepare the tea. You can leave.

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Chapter 80

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reached for the sugar. He didn’t

it did not

him, but he had been working all day and was still reading the files instead of lunging at me

that was what I secretly hoped he would do upon seeing me again. Either that, or just leave the room if he did not want

neither, and that

glad to not be around

Placing the

“Sugar?”

I put one cube of

again. I took the cue and poured the milk while reaching for a spoon

of the spoon against the ceramic cup were the only noise in the big office. I would have argued with him that I am not his maid to serve him tea/coffee, but he had found me eavesdropping on him

moment.

marked me. So technically, I was supposed to obey him because his mark meant I was under his protection. I meekly handed him the cup, which he took from me without even looking at me,

in expression, but there wasn’t any. He only placed the saucer again, but I had

spilling it all over the files he had been religiously

I let out a startled cry and hastily pulled some tissues to dab it

and the marker ink was spreading

weird

desk and I felt scired of his anger at my

mumbled, “I am sorry, I didn’t

it in front of me, My hair was askew as I tried to grab the papers, but Eros’s grip

me was firm.

gaze met his and I quickly looked down, not wanting to see the rage directed at

me away

had grabbed me and then placed me on the chair and my body had not even gotten time to react to his touch

Eros ordered, and I gulped nervously. When he saw that I was not moving, he went to the cupboard and rummaged

this. He mumbled to himself before king off the lid, I

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Thu, Oct 24

Chapter 80

aid box.

he going to

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box beside me and squatted down. Without saying a word, he took my hand in

he wiped away some of the dried bits off my hand and I saw redness spreading through

most of the tea in my hands. He wiped it off and then grabbed an ointment from the box and

and his hair fell on his face, covering it partially. He was being so tender;

was not even the least

plaything for him after last

felt a lump rise in my throat, but I quickly swallowed it. The silence was too much to bear and seeing him not yell at me made me feel as if he

shout at me and be done with it so

over the place, the ink of the marker

sorry, I muttered

and I tried not to gasp when his hands softly

of mine, and he could

done, he got up from

burned hand with another as he began salvaging

He said, while gathering

“Hmm?”