"I sent him away," the guard answered with a smile that made Elizabeth's stomach turn. "I told him I would watch you myself."
He slowly pulled out a key, unlocked the cell door, and the iron hinges creaked as it swung open.
"Come here!" he ordered.
Elizabeth stood up slowly, her heart starting to pound. "Why? Where are you taking me?"
"Outside the cell," the guard answered, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hallway. "I have been watching you for months, you know. I have been watching you work in the palace. You are very sexy."
What was going on?
Where was he taking her?
What was he trying to do with her?
Elizabeth tried to pull her arm free but the guard's grip was far too strong. "Let me go."
"Shut up, whore!" he suddenly snapped and pushed her against the wall, pressing his body against hers. "You fucked the Prince, did you not? I heard your stepmother telling you that a few minutes ago. So if you can spread your legs for the Prince, you can do it for me too."
Terror flooded through Elizabeth's body and she shrieked in fear. "Get away from me!"
"I do not think you are in a position to give orders," the guard said as he grabbed her hair and forced her down to her knees. "You are going to suck my cock like a good girl, and if you do a good job, maybe I will let you go."
He started unlacing his trousers with one hand while the other kept a tight grip on her hair. Elizabeth's mind was racing because she was trapped down here, and no one knew where she was.
She had to save herself.
The guard quickly pulled his cock out and grabbed it with his free hand. "Open your mouth," he commanded.
Before he could see it coming, Elizabeth punched him as hard as she could right in his cock and he screamed and doubled over in agony. His hands flew to his crotch and he fell to his knees.
Elizabeth did not wait.
She jumped to her feet and kicked him hard in the face. He fell backward and hit his head on the stone floor with a sickening crack.
She ran.
She flew up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her, taking them two at a time. Her lungs burned and her legs screamed but she did not stop. She could hear the guard groaning behind her but she did not look back.
Elizabeth burst out of the stairwell and into the main hallway. She had no idea how long she had been down in that cell. She had no idea if the coronation was over or still happening.
But she had to find out.
She ran through the palace corridors toward the great hall. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might explode. The doors to the great hall were still closed when she got there but she could hear voices inside.
Someone was giving a speech.
And that meant the ceremony was still happening. Elizabeth quickly grabbed the door handles and pulled them open.
The great hall was packed with people.
Hundreds and hundreds of them standing in rows facing the front. Damian stood on the raised platform in his full coronation robes with the crown on his head.
He was giving a speech.
"As your King, I promise to serve this kingdom with honor and wisdom," Damian was saying. "I promise to care for the people and protect them and-"
He stopped mid-sentence because he saw her.
Elizabeth stood at the back of the hall, breathing hard and probably looking like an absolute mess, but she was there.
She had made it.
Damian's face broke into the biggest smile Elizabeth had ever seen.
Everyone in the hall turned to look at her. Hundreds of faces staring at her in confusion and shock. Elizabeth saw her stepmother standing near the front with the other palace staff, and the woman's face went completely pale.
"Elizabeth," Damian said, and his voice carried across the entire hall. "You are here."
"I am here," Elizabeth said, and tears were streaming down her face but she was smiling. "I am so sorry I am late. I was locked in the dungeon and I could not get out but I am here now. I am here."
The entire hall erupted in whispers and gasps.
"Someone locked you in the dungeon?" Damian's voice went cold and dangerous. "Who?"
Elizabeth's eyes went to her stepmother, and Damian followed her gaze.
"Guards," Damian commanded. "Arrest that woman immediately."
Four guards moved toward Elizabeth's stepmother and she started backing away.
"Your Majesty, I have no idea what she is talking about," her stepmother said quickly. "I would never-"
"You had me arrested for stealing," Elizabeth said loudly so everyone could hear. "You told the guards I was a thief so they would lock me in the dungeon. You did it on purpose so I would not be here when the King announced his Queen."
"That is a lie!" her stepmother shouted. "She is lying! I am the head maid of this palace! I would never-"
"Take her away," Damian growled coldly. "Lock her in the dungeon where she belongs. She will be punished tomorrow!"
The guards dragged Elizabeth's stepmother toward the doors even though she was screaming the entire time. "This is not fair! You cannot do this to me! I am the head maid! I have served this palace for years!"
But no one listened.
The guards dragged her out of the hall and the doors slammed shut behind them.
Then there was silence.
Damian walked down from the platform and crossed the hall to where Elizabeth was standing. Everyone watched as he took her hands in his.
"Are you hurt?" he asked quietly.
"No," Elizabeth said. "I am fine. I am just happy I made it in time."
"You made it just in time," Damian said, and he was smiling again. "I was about to announce my Queen when you walked through those doors."
He turned to face the crowd and raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"This is Elizabeth," Damian announced. "She is brave and kind and strong. She fought her way out of a dungeon to be here tonight. She is the woman I love, and she is the woman I choose to be my Queen."
The entire hall erupted in applause and cheers. People were clapping and shouting and celebrating, and Elizabeth could not stop crying.
Damian pulled her into his arms and kissed her in front of everyone. When they finally pulled apart, he placed a crown on her head.
"My Queen," he whispered.
"My King," Elizabeth whispered back.
The rest of the ceremony was a blur of congratulations and celebrations. The council officially recognized Elizabeth as Queen and people lined up to bow to her and welcome her.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the ceremony ended and the guests started to leave. Damian grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her out of the great hall.
"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked.
"My chambers," Damian said, and his voice had gone rough. "It is our chambers now."
He pulled her through the corridors and up the stairs until they reached the royal chambers. He opened the door and pulled her inside, locking it behind them.
Then he turned to look at her.
"Do you know what I have been thinking about all night?" Damian asked, walking toward her slowly.
"What?" Elizabeth whispered.
"I have been thinking about how badly I want to fuck the new Queen," Damian said, and his eyes were dark with desire. "I have been thinking about stripping that dress off you and laying you down on my bed and making you scream my name until everyone in this palace knows exactly who you belong to."
Elizabeth's breath stopped.
She could feel the heat settling between her legs already.
"I want to fuck you like my life depends on it, Elizabeth..." Damian continued, backing her toward the bed. "I want to fuck you so hard you forget everything except how good I make you feel. I want to make you cum so many times you cannot walk tomorrow."
Elizabeth's back hit the edge of the bed and she sat down. Damian stood over her and started unlacing his robes.
"This is our first night as King and Queen," he said. "And I am going to make sure you never forget it."
She was finally Queen.
And tonight was only the beginning.
Damian's robes slowly fell to the floor. He knelt before her and pushed her thighs apart. He looked up at her once, his dark eyes steady on hers. Then he lowered his head.
His mouth closed over her pussy and Elizabeth moaned out loud.
He licked her slowly with long, deep strokes of his tongue, top to bottom, over and over until her thighs were shaking. She grabbed his hair with both hands and held on. He took his time and tasted every part of her like he had all the time in the world and nothing else worth doing.
"Damian, please."
He sucked her clit softly and she cried out. His hands held her hips flat against the bed so she could not move, could not squirm away, and could only take what he gave her. He slid his tongue inside her and she gasped. He licked back up to her clit and worked it in slow, tight circles until she was grinding against his face and begging him not to stop.
The orgasm hit her like a wave.
She came with her back off the bed, her legs shaking and his name tearing out of her throat. He kissed her inner thigh and looked up at her with dark, hungry eyes.
"We have all night, Elizabeth." His eyes moved up her body slowly. "And I plan to ruin you."
For the first time in her life, Elizabeth did not want to be anywhere else. She had waited her whole life for tonight.
And she was not going to waste a second of it.