The knock came again.And again. Delice moved around the room quickly, searching for something... and hiding something."My Lady? Are you in there?"Finally the door swung open and Delice flashed the guard a warm smile."How may I help you?""My Lady." She bowed his head lightly in respect, before standing standing straight. "Princess Laura has sent me here to tell you that she has been released.""Oh." She said said flatly with a blink. "Of course, thank you. Anything else?""No, My Lady.""You may take your leave."She bowed again, then left. Delice shut the door, her hands a little shaky. She picked up the raincoat from where she had hidden it in a haste earlier, then matched to her wardrobe, tucking it away to the deepest part of it.That wasn't Laura had she had feared. What a relief, but she would still have to see her soon. She must freshen up quickly, it would be bad news for Laura to know about where she had been.In no time, she had taken her bath, changed her dress, and
The King's Summon was never a good news, especially not when the potentiality of a wrong made directly or indirectly laid in the past.Gwen had been summoned by the King, she knew the implication and her cold heart was heavy with an impending grief.Lost of herself most likely, she had every intention to give herself away to protect her family if it came to that. Too bad, her Mistress wouldn't know that she had died for her crimes. She thought she was protecting her but truly her Mistress had only just put her in harm's way.She understood her reaction though, for someone who had lost everything, she was questing for something else to protect and she had picked her. If only she knew that the 'protection' was no protection at all but a threat to her soul and the souls of her entire family. It had only been a day since her Mistress had matched into the dinning hall and drove a dgger through the King's heart and already the consequences were waiting for her. In fact, maybe it was good
The King arched an eyebrow at her. His mate bravesness was rubbing off on her maid. He should be angered but he wasn't, not because of the baseless threat she had made while she had drove a dagger through his heart in the dinning hall, he knew that his blood was still present in her veins, any attempt to hurt her, either by herself or anyone else would be furtile but he enjoyed how things were going. He found them, sought of, interesting."Oh! And the dinner?! The one before she was taken to see her family!"Gwen bit her tongue before her tongue had the chance to sabotage her further by adding 'in the dungeon that you threw them into, your Majesty.'He leaned further into his seat, repressing a smile, feeling his ego triple. Pride."That was me."She clapped. Her eyes misting with tears from how glad she was that had not been answered in the negative."You have the potential, your Majesty. We just need to sharpen it!"His frown deepened.Too far. Her gaze was fixed on the floor aga
'Grand dinners were one of the important shows of affection.' That line of the book still stuck to him.It was an embarrassing thing that he had gone to the library to pick out a book titled 'Ways of the Heart' after a very calculative search. It had been a turtore to read the book but he put himself under that turtore anyways.He had read the whole book and assimilated it all.280 pages that it was. A grand dinner was one of the unmistakable options the book had suggested, and he had prepared all that.He adjusted himself in his chair. This black suit was hell. It was very uncomfortable, he preferred his robe. He had also sent a dress to her and he a small part of him hoped that she would come in it. That had also been one of the steps to earn one's heart in the book. Sending the lady a beautiful dress. Ah, what if she thought all this was stupid? What if it made him look stupid. Like an absolute idiot.Gwen would have to get the full wrath of his anger if things turned on him
"How do you intend to spend your time moving forward?""I don't know." She picked up her knife, cutting the piece of her meat slowly. "Maybe I might find something of interest moving forward." Her fork clinked against her plate at the end. "Do you like dinners, your Majesty?"He stiffened, an action by him he was the only one to notice. Sha was asking him a question!The book said that was a good sign.It meant she wanted to know about him. Maybe this dinner wouldn't be so terrible after all.Maybe they were making a headway in their relationship.Oh, wonderful. Being kind was paying off. "Tolerable.""Is it your favorite?"His hand move to stealthily tohis fork, trying to not look so rigid and a bit occupied to give him more time to think of a response. He was usually fast, his delay right now must be because of his scent filling her lungs and fogging his senses, it must be this sudden attention that was putting him off his game.It made him a little tense, a little on edge, it
"George is a born Alpha. As little as he was, he was ready protect me, protect any survivor and that was me." She popped another piece of meat into her mouth, not really tasting or savouring it, just eating because she felt a need to keep her mouth busy asides from how she was already using her words to rip his heart apart. "He said he would be beside me all the way and he was. He protected me. We were destined to be together right from the beginning and we didn't even know back then." She said, watching him as he stared back at her icily.Yes, she was getting the reaction she wanted. The dagger she had dug into his heart had not hurt hin, she knew but this should be doing something, showing him one quarter of the pain she was going through."George is a wonderful father and the only husband that I would ever have." She paused, taking in a breath. "When he thought that I would never have a mate, because of what the witch said, he was willing to be mine and for me to be his, without
Her words stunned him. Either distracted him from the pursuit of her or justified her reason to be let go. She didn't know, there wasn't a way for her understand the workings of his selfish mind.It didn't even matter whatever his dubious mind worked out, as long as he wasn't standing her in way or going after her anymore.She bolted out of the garden.She wouldn't be fooled and bought over by a fancy dinner. Not in this life or even in the next, if that even existed.*** Be more kind.Be more kind?BE MORE KIND?!Then why hadn't it worked?!His claws snaked unber his goblet, thick brown claws clicking against the bottom of the golden cup as he raised it leisurely to his lips and sipped the red thick liquid. The taste almost the same as the one he had some minutes ago, with an almost lacking sense of life. Lacking almost all sense of life was a common feature with sealed and preserved blood. Part of him missed when he had rich drinks bustling with life. When his Father and his wit
Gwen paced around the alleyway of the castle, her eyes furrowed with worry, while her mind tumbled with many thoughts.She had heard about how the dinner had gone and she knew it hadn't gone any better. The King had not summoned her but she was waiting for her certain doom. She knew it would come and when she finally got summoned this time, that would be the end.She was so deep in thought that she didn't know when someone walked down the hallway and stood behind her, until the person called her name. "Ha! Lady Delice!" She asked, placing a hand on her chest. "You scared me.""Are you alright?"Gwen shook her head, holding Lady Delice's hand, her lips slightly trembling, her eyes welling up with tears. "No, Lady Delice," she cried, resting into Lady Delice's arms that willing went around her. "I'm doomed."Gwen was quick to tell Lady Delice about her predicament, her fears and her dread. "...all I am waiting for now is to lose my soul. I just hope my family will not suffer for thi