ASTRID’S POV

It began as a small chuckle, but it quickly grew into full-blown laughter that echoed off the stone walls of the solar.

Harald’s expression shifted from confidence to confusion to anger as my laughter continued.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped when I finally got control of myself. “It’s just… did you really think that would work? Did you honestly believe I would abandon my husband for the promise of comfort and security?”

The king’s face had gone cold, his pale eyes glittering with fury. “I offered you a chance at real power, girl. Don’t be foolish enough to throw it away for sentiment.”

“Sentiment?” I stood up, facing him across the desk. “You think love is just sentiment? You think loyalty is weakness? No wonder your court is full of vipers and backstabbers – you’ve created a world where those are the only qualities that matter.”

“Sit down,” he said quietly, his voice carrying the unmistakable tone of command.

“No.” The word came out stronger than I had expected. “I won’t sit down, and I won’t listen to any more of your pathetic attempts to turn me against my husband. You want to know what I think of your generous offer? I would rather die a warlord’s wife than live as a king’s puppet.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Harald stared at me with naked hatred, all pretense of charm finally stripped away. This was the real king – cruel, vindictive, and utterly without mercy.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said softly. “A very serious mistake.”

“The only mistake I made was thinking you might have some shred of honor left,” I replied. “But I see now that the stories about you were all true. You really are as ruthless and pathetic as they say.”

I turned to leave, but his voice stopped me at the door.

“This conversation isn’t over, girl. You’ll find that defying a king has consequences.”

“So does threatening his jarls’ wives,” I said without turning around. “I wonder what Ragnar will think when he hears about your generous offer.”

I walked out of the solar with my head held high, but inside I was shaking. I had just declared war on the most powerful man in the kingdom, and I knew there would be consequences. But I also knew I had made the only choice I could live with.

Word of the confrontation spread through the court faster than wildfire.

By the time I reached the great hall, conversations were stopping mid-sentence as I passed, and I could feel eyes tracking my every movement.

Someone had already carried tales to the king’s supporters, and the whispers followed me like shadows.

I found Ragnar near the hearth, speaking with Lord Erik and two other jarls. He looked up as I approached, and I could see from his expression that he had already heard something.

“Is it true?” he asked quietly. “Did Harald try to buy you?”

“He offered me to Jarl Eriksson,” I said, not caring who else heard. “In exchange for abandoning you and becoming his ally at court.”

The great hall had gone completely silent now. Every person within earshot was listening, waiting to see how this drama would unfold.

“And what did you tell him?” Ragnar asked, though I could see in his eyes that he already knew the answer.

“I told him I would rather die a warlord’s wife than live as a king’s puppet.”

For a moment, no one moved. Then Ragnar stepped forward, closing the distance between us in two long strides. Before I could react, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me.

It wasn’t a gentle kiss or a romantic one. It was fierce and possessive and completely public, a declaration of ownership that every person in the hall could witness.

When he finally released me, I was breathless and dizzy, and the entire room was staring at us in shocked silence.

“Let no one doubt,” Ragnar said, his voice carrying clearly through the hall, “that this woman is mine, and I am hers. Any man who thinks to change that arrangement will answer to me personally.”

He turned to me and said. “Let’s go, shall we?”

I nodded with a smile as a other wave of dizziness swept through but I ignored it as Ragnar dragged me back to our chambers.