Chapter 7

I slept better after my talk with Nicolais, like I could better come to terms with what was happening, like my mind could relax better. My dream had still been about stars, and the silhouette had still been there, but not in the same cocky way, more like it had admitted defeat somehow, and instead let me wander around with the stars, making them shine brighter.

Lily showed up early. She was clearly happy, smiling from ear to ear. Obviously, she had heard about my decision to leave my room. “Good morning, Miss Luna,” she smiled at me, and I took the small victory in her calling me by my first name. “I’ll get the tub filled up for you.”

She disappeared into the bathroom, and soon I was greeted with the sound of water filling up the tub.

The bed was so comfortable, so soft, that the last thing I wanted was to get up from the comfy, cozy heat. With a low groan, I sat up and stretched my arms above my head. After spending the last few nights on the windowsill, I could feel how my body appreciated the fact that I was lying in bed now.

The flow of water stopped, and Lily emerged from the bathroom again. “It’s ready for you, Miss,” she said, her smile still blooming on her lips.

“Alrighty then,” I answered, saluting her, before I swung my legs from the bed, enjoying my feet getting swallowed up by the soft rug underneath them.

I walked into the bathroom where the big tub was, the water filled up with soap and bubbles coating the top. I shrugged out of my clothes, leaving them right there on the floor, before I sank into the warm water. A satisfied sound left my lips as I leaned my head back, closing my eyes and enjoying the weightlessness in the water.

Lily walked around in my room, most definitely making the bed and pulling the curtains back. Her job. We had talked during the last few days. She told me about how she and her family got to working for the King of Summer, and how they had done it for hundreds of years. She had tried to comfort me, telling me that she took pride in her work and convincing me that it was exactly what she wanted to do with her life.

Faintly, I could hear her opening the closet, and shortly after, she appeared in the bathroom carrying a robe, which looked like the one I had worn last night. She placed it on the sink along with some fresh underwear before she smiled at me and left me alone again.

I grabbed onto the sponge, which was placed on a small shelf next to the tub. I let it run all over my body, feeling the night being erased from my skin, as I at the same time felt like my skin started almost buzzing. It felt heavenly.

The towel was soft against my skin, just like last night. After drying up, I put on the underwear Lily had left out, the panties looking much like the ones I was used to, except for the delicate lace pattern that moved down my curves. She had laid out something that looked like a bra, but still didn’t quite look like something I knew how to use. I put it on, and definitely felt some support there, but it was mostly for show. The white lace hugged my breasts in a way I had never tried before, making them look even bigger than they actually were. I closed the robe around me before I moved back into the bedroom.

Lily had set a cup on my desk, one where steam was rising from within. She gestured for me to sit down on the chair, giving me the same soft smile. With a smile, I complied easily. She pulled the hair clip from my hair and found a hairbrush immediately, starting to comb through my hair. I sipped the tea as she did.

“How long have you been working here?” I asked, wanting to fill the room with chatter instead of silence.

“Just about fifty years, Miss,” she answered with a smile. She looked at my hair, letting her fingers slide through the dry strands, like she was contemplating what to do with it. “I have so been looking forward to your arrival,” the smile grew larger, “and once you have the small princes and princesses, everything will become very well.”

I almost suffocated on my tea. Children. I was supposed to give Nicolais his heirs, I was supposed to be intimate with him, I was supposed to be his queen.

“One thing at a time,” I said, looking down as I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. The thought of being intimate with him didn’t repulse me. Nicolais was a handsome man, and he clearly had a lot of experience. “I just need some time to get to know him first.”

“Of course, Miss,” Lily answered with a smile, while she started braiding small bits of my hair, making sure it was neatly removed from my face—it looked beautiful. “The dress,” she said, as if that should make it clear what was happening next.

I turned around in the chair, seeing her standing there with a beautiful blue dress in her hands. A sky blue color that would shine in the sunlight. It looked like something a princess would wear. Quickly, I shrugged off the robe before Lily helped me get the tulle and fabric over my head, zipping the dress up in the back.

“Beautiful,” she said, taking a step away from me, clearly looking over her work.

Honestly, I felt beautiful.

I didn’t look like me; I didn’t look like the person I had been a week ago. I looked like a fairy tale princess. My hair flowed around my face, the small braids made with precision, making sure not a hair was out of place. The dress hugged my frame, only enhancing my breasts, my neck, and my shoulders. It cinched at my waist, before it flowed out in a big skirt. A smile automatically bloomed on my lips. Here I could start over, I could be another, I could be better, I could be perfect.

I moved towards the dining hall, down the big hallways, and down the stairs. The smell already permeated the air. The smell of baked goods, of food, of salt and fat. I could already feel myself salivating.

The bouquet of flowers had changed. They were no longer a collection of different flowers, but now only held one kind of flower: lilies. Lilies in every color bloomed, all looking fresh and so utterly beautiful.

He had probably done it for me. Lily had probably told him about our conversation, and that was why he had changed the flowers for me. I couldn’t help but reach out, letting my fingers trail over the soft petals, as I smiled at the flowers.

Pull yourself together.

With soft steps in the white flats Lily had found for me, I moved towards the grand doors leading into the dining hall. And just like a few days before, the doors opened up when I neared. I could hear voices floating towards me, one of them clearly belonging to Nicolais, but also one I hadn’t heard before.

His eyes found mine instantly; the fire was just as breathtaking as the night before. They lit up, like he hadn’t really dared to hope I would show up for breakfast. His hair was up today; it was rolled and placed into a bun at the back of his head, clearly so that he could better handle it. Even though I normally hated it when men did that, it simply seemed to suit him better. He was wearing a blue tunic, which was closed tightly around his throat. It had golden embroidery on the edges, which gave him the whole royalty vibe.

“Good morning, Luna.” He stood from his seat, giving me a small nod. He reached out his hand, and that was when I noticed him, the other man, the owner of the other voice. “This is my adviser, Siccala,” he introduced him.

The man stood from his seat, a careful smile touching his lips. He had long, white hair, which was straight and fell around his face. His eyes were so incredibly blue, but not sky blue like my own, no, these were icy blue, almost cold. The only thing that made him look like he actually belonged here was the color of his skin, the amazing kind of tan that seemed to cover every inch of him. He was wearing the same kind of clothes that Nicolais was, but his tunic was white, and instead of golden embroidery, his was silver.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Miss Jones,” he said, bowing before me.

As if I had just been pulled out of my head with his words, my body simply started moving. I walked with fast-paced steps towards him, reaching my hand out. “Nonsense, the honor is mine. Just call me Luna.”

Obviously confused, he took my hand, like he had never given a handshake before. “Very well,” he said, a tight smile on his face, “Luna.”

I smiled, letting my arms fall down my body, feeling incredibly awkward. I clicked my tongue, letting my eyes trail over the table in front of me. This was where the smell emanated from. Every kind of breakfast-approved food item was in front of me; eggs in different variations, sausages, bacon, pancakes, waffles, cakes, fruits, yoghurts, rolls, loaves of bread, and a spread of cold cuts of meats, cheeses, and jams.

“Wow,” I said, smiling as I met Nicolais’ gaze, “this looks amazing.”

He started moving instantly. His long legs ate up the distance to the chair across from his own before he pulled it out. “I’m pleased to hear that. Since I didn’t know your preferences, I simply made sure there would be a little bit of everything.”

With a starting heat flushing through my cheeks, I moved towards him. He waited patiently, smiling softly at me. I sat down on the thronelike chair, which he then pushed into the table.

What a gentleman.

“It’s truly great, thank you so much,” I answered, looking over my shoulder where he was standing, still smiling down at me.

After a beat, he moved back to his own chair. Siccala sat down as well on my left side, but on the right side of Nicolais.

His right hand.

I smothered a giggle, not wanting to be impolite. Instead, I started putting things on my plate, reaching for the different foods in front of me. I tried to do it carefully, tried to behave womanly, if that even existed.

“Did you sleep well?” Nicolais asked, his eyes shining with sincerity. Perhaps Lily had also told him about my sleep patterns, letting him know I hadn’t touched the bed, that I had been sitting on that windowsill trying to plot my escape.

“Yes,” I answered, putting a bowl with something that looked like watermelon back on the table, “the bed is very comfortable and soft, and not nearly as warm as I had feared it would be.” I grabbed my fork, stabbing one of the pieces of fruit on my plate. The taste was intense, sweet, but with a bitter aftertaste, which made my mouth explode with sensations—much like Remy the first time he tried good food in Ratatouille. “Is it always this warm?”

“You are now in the Kingdom of Summer,” Siccala said, sounding too goddamn smug for his own good, “and the eternal Summer rewards us with good weather for everything, good cultivation opportunities, good training opportunities, and beautiful landscapes,” he stated, talking proudly of the kingdom.

He sounded snobbish, like it was the most inhumane crime in the entire world, that I didn’t know that. But when you looked at him and then looked at Nicolais, it was clear to see that he wasn’t from here, that this wasn’t his country—or Kingdom—of origin.

I nodded as an answer before I chose to focus on eating my food.

What a jackass.

My eyes flittered over the elegant room. There wasn’t any tapestry in here, but the walls were covered in a dark wood, which made it seem more serious, but still made it possible to create a cozy vibe. The big windows were a thing throughout the entirety of the palace, probably so that you could enjoy the warmth, the natural light, but also the beauty from the outside.

“It’s so pretty here,” I said, deciding to break the silence. “I love all of the colors and the light,” I said, looking at Nicolais, who smiled back at me. “And especially the flowers.”

I tried to hint at them, tried to figure out whether or not it was for my benefit or if it was just a coincidence. If he had made a conscious decision for me, if he chose to act on what I liked and disliked.

His smile turned crooked, it turned delicious, flirtatious, and it made something tingle inside of me. “I’m pleased you like them,” he mused, a glint in his eyes telling me everything I needed to know. It was for my benefit. The fairytale-like man in front of me, the King of Summer, had done something for me. “Perhaps you would want, after breakfast, that is, to be given a tour of the palace?”

I was supposed to live here, so maybe it would be a good idea to figure out where everything was and where to go if I wanted to do something. Perhaps I should start a hobby or something?

“I would love that,” I answered, while I channeled every last morsel of hope into my smile.

Perhaps this would be my adventure.