Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 71

Chapter 71: The Mad King Yields
Phoebe’s Perspective

“What did you talk about with Tricia?” Perry’s voice sliced through the fog of my half-sleep as I felt his arms lift me from the sofa.

I must have nodded off again, lost in the quiet warmth of the room. His steady hold carried me toward the bed, but before he could lay me down, my senses sharpened, pulling me back from the brink of sleep.

Without wasting a second after my eyes fluttered open, Perry plunged right into the question that had clearly been gnawing at him ever since he found out about Tricia’s visit.

That sly old man had dashed out of the palace immediately after our conversation, claiming he needed a week off for family matters. What a cowardly move.

I could feel Perry’s frustration simmering just beneath his calm exterior. He didn’t exactly despise Tricia—the elder was actually one of the few council members he tolerated—but the man had absolutely no respect for boundaries. Give him an inch, and he’d take a mile. I knew Perry was already plotting some form of retribution for the guard who had allowed Tricia to slip past security and reach me.

“What?” I mumbled, still groggy and struggling to process his question through the lingering haze of interrupted rest. My hands instinctively rubbed at my eyes, trying to clear the fog.

“What did you and Tricia discuss?” His tone sharpened with impatience, though I caught a subtle effort to restrain himself. We’d been making progress in our relationship lately, and he clearly didn’t want to shatter that fragile peace over some meddlesome elder.

“Oh…” I pushed my tangled hair away from my face, the last remnants of sleep fading as reality settled in. “He told me about what happened between you and the previous king.”

My voice came out small and rough from sleep, but the drowsiness was gone now, replaced by a knot of worry twisting in my stomach as I waited to see how he’d respond.

“And?” Perry stepped closer, his familiar scent flooding my senses and making my heart beat faster despite everything.

“Nothing much… he just told me to stay with you,” I whispered, my voice dropping even lower. “He said to keep you in a good mood.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie. That was essentially what Elder Tricia had asked me to do, even if I was only paraphrasing his actual words.

Perry cupped my face gently but firmly, his touch steady and serious. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not.” Then I remembered Tricia’s final request—the one that had made Perry’s eyes darken with seriousness. “Please, don’t punish the warrior who let him in.”

Tricia had specifically asked me to make that plea. He knew Perry would be furious—not with me, never with me—but definitely with the guard who had allowed the unauthorized visitor.

“You have no right to demand that from me.”

I shook my head quickly, sensing the dangerous edge creeping into his voice. “This is my plea. I don’t want you to kill or punish the warrior, please. I enjoyed talking with Elder Tricia. He knows so many stories about the flowers in the garden.”

That part was absolutely true. Once Tricia noticed my anxiety over the heavier topics, he smoothly shifted our conversation to lighter things—the palace gardens, the different kinds of flowers, their meanings, and how to care for them.

But his final words echoed in my mind: *“If you don’t trust me, try with the warrior. I believe you can convince him to cancel the punishment. He won’t punish the warrior if you ask him gently. He has been longing for gentleness, my lady. Please, be gentle with him.”*

“Please, I don’t want someone else to die because of me. The warrior didn’t have a choice. He tried to stop Elder Tricia, but the elder outranks him.”

Perry’s eyes narrowed sharply, and I held my breath, waiting for the storm to break. Instead, he sighed deeply, the tension draining from his shoulders.

“Fine.”

I nestled against him, feeling the steady rhythm of his breathing gradually deepen and slow. Within minutes, I could tell by the subtle rise and fall of his chest that he had drifted off.

Strangely, his peaceful sleep brought a calm over me too.

I closed my eyes, but sleep refused to return now that I’d been disturbed from my earlier nap. Instead, I spent the next hour quietly studying his sleeping face in the dim light. He looked so different like this—approachable, almost vulnerable. The permanent scowl that usually marked his features had vanished completely.

A dangerous thought crept into my mind: what if I could convince him to stop the war? What if I could somehow guide him toward becoming a better person?

Elder Tricia believed I had that power, and Perry’s decision to spare the warrior seemed to prove his point—that Perry would bend to my requests.

Of course, I knew ending a war was infinitely more complicated than saving one guard’s life. But I had accomplished this small thing.

Maybe there was hope that I could influence him on bigger matters too. It might take time, but wouldn’t it be worth trying?

My head began to throb, dizziness creeping in as these swirling thoughts overwhelmed me. I forced myself to break free from the mental spiral and focus on sleep instead.

Tomorrow, he was taking me somewhere—our first trip together. The thought made me nervous, but perhaps it was a good sign.

When morning finally came, I woke at my usual early hour, only to be immediately struck by intense dizziness and a powerful wave of nausea.

Without thinking, I stumbled toward the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before my stomach emptied itself.