ELORA
“Goodnight, sir,” I said to the royal physician who insisted on walking me into the main palace grounds. He was almost like a big brother guiding his little sister.
“Goodnight, ma’am. Do not forget your checkup tomorrow.” He bowed and walked in the opposite direction.
This night had been emotionally draining and I yearned to sleep in my bed but frankly, I knew sleep would be hard for me to come by.
The palace staff had all retired for the night so it was only the guards on night duties milling about. That was alright because I didn’t want attention. It seemed everyone in the palace knew about the family dinner and I didn’t want to constantly lie through my teeth that the dinner went splendid.
“Elora!”
I whipped my head in the direction of the voice to see Lucy running towards me. She was sporting her nightdress and a large shawl.
“Oh, my I waited ages for you.” She gripped her knees to catch her breath. When it was steady, she stood up. “Where have you been? Dinner was over quite a while ago.” She pulled me in an embrace.
I let myself savor the moment, basking in her scent. “Yes. I went sightseeing.” I was getting better at lying as the days went by.
“It’s dark!” She released me and hit my arm lightly. “You need to rest. You need to be in bed for goodness’s sake.” Her forehead wrinkled in concern.
“I’m alright, Lucy. You don’t have to be worried.”
She shrugged. “At least, tell me everything that happened during the dinner! You don’t seem excited!” She shook me slightly and dragged me into my room chatting about all she heard happened. “The kitchen staff experimented with a new dish! Did you taste it? We haven’t exactly given it a name but lobster is the main ingredient. What do you think?”
I heaved a noncommittal sound and opened the door to my room. After the chaotic preparation for the dinner, I expected the room to be left disorganized but everything had been put back in place. I found it quite uncomfortable that someone was cleaning up after me.
“Oh, yes. Your room was cleaned up,” Lucy said.
“Thank you.”
She waved a hand. “How did the dinner go?” She sat on my bed.
“It went well, I guess. I mean, it was dinner. We ate…”
“Okay, then. I hope Monica and her children didn’t cause any trouble. You know you have to watch out for them.”
“No, they didn’t. Surprisingly, Kate apologized.” Well, technically she did, even though she didn’t say it directly to me.
“Hm? That’s a first…” She gestured toward the bathroom. “You should have a bath and sleep. You look drained.”
I turned to the mirror. Indeed, color was drained out of my face. I looked paler than usual. Some hair pins had come off.
“Did you see Olivia and the twins today?” I asked, out of the blue.
“Oh, yes! In fact, Olivia helped with the new dish I talked about. She is bubblier than ever. You should see her in the kitchen.”
Yes, I wanted to see her.
“The twins must look… unkempt? With no one to cut their hair…” I imagined they looked like cave dwellers. Their hair needed constant trimming and care. Father had done that when he was alive and I took over after his death.
“That’s settled already. Kano helps them out. He is very good with the boys. They’re heading over to fish later tomorrow…”
I smiled. At least, my siblings weren’t having it badly.
“Oh, Kano. Such a sweet soul. Tell him that I owe him one.”
“He enjoys it, trust me.” Lucy smiled.
“I have an appointment with the royal physician tomorrow. After that, I’ll head over to have breakfast with them.”
“Royal physician?” Her eyes flitted to my stomach and back to my face.
“Yes. It’s just a regular check-up. It’s nothing serious.” I said waving it off.
She nodded slowly. “Alright. I’m here for you, right?”
She was indeed there for me. “I know. Thank you.”
I held onto her hand and squeezed it softly.
I took out the rest of the pins as Lucy helped me out of my dress and corset. It was good to be able to breathe properly again. I placed a hand on my chest and exhaled. She left to run a bath as I got rid of my underwear. With a robe around me, I got into the bathroom.
“It’s a little hot so be careful,” Lucy warned as I stepped into the bathing chamber.
She had added several flower petals and lit a small fragrant candle that emitted a comfortingly sweet scent. Other regular candles had been lit about the room, giving it sultry look.
“Lavender, rose and mint,” Lucy said, informing me about the flowers in the water. “Stay in for as long as you want. You need it.”
I removed the robe and slowly sank into the water, letting out and involuntary moan as the water eased the tension from my limbs. It felt like I was engulfed in a super warm hug. I rolled my neck, feeling the muscles in my shoulders relax.
“Good. Huh?” Lucy burnt more candles.
“Mmhm.” I opened my eyes, looking over at her, “Would you like to start learning how to read and write now?”
That was the least I could do to repay her.
She lit up.
“Really? Thank you!”
“It’s nothing. You’re a smart girl. You’ll learn fast.”
“Well… There are some palace staff that can’t read either. I was thinking maybe you could tutor them too?”
“I…I…it’s fine, really but we have to do that in secret. I highly doubt the king would approve.” I was still a slave and I didn’t want to ruin my chances especially since the king was cold towards me.
“In the past, it was an abomination to learn to read as slaves but now the king has abolished the slave rule… I don’t think he’ll mind…”
“I know but I’m walking on eggshells here. I will tutor you, of course, but it’s a great risk pulling others in.”
“We can discuss all that tomorrow… You need to savor this moment.”
“You’re making a splendid decision by wanting to read and write, Lucy. That’s the pathway to worlds you never thought you could reach.” I give a comforting smile. She returns it.
“Goodnight, Elora.”
“Goodnight, Lucy. Thank you.”
I sink deeper into the bath and let the water cover my hair still luxuriating in the ease it sent through my body.
When I was as clean as I pleased, I stepped out of the bath wrapping myself in a cotton towel before stepping into my room. Lucy had put out a new nightdress for me, a loose white billowing number that covered me from neck to ankles.
I still wasn’t used to the size of the bed so I curled up in the middle and covered myself with a blanket. The night was windy, and the whispering of the plants was louder than usual. I tried closing my eyes but they sprang back open as the whispering grew louder. It sounded like someone.
Kain.
The memories of my mother’s cloth brought shivers down my spine. I curled up even tighter clutching the blankets against me. The howling of the wind intensified. There was no way I was going to sleep.
I got out of bed, shut the windows, and drew the curtains, tiptoeing back to my bed but that did nothing to quell the fear in me.
What if Kain Kurt was on his way to end my life?
Maybe I had said something implicating during the dinner and this was his opportunity to kill me. I was restless, turning and tossing until I couldn’t bear it anymore. I rolled out of the bed and walked quietly to the balcony. There was no way Kain could come through the balcony.
I glanced at the corridor the king had walked through last night. It was the king’s own territory. Kain wouldn’t dare go through there.
So I tiptoed through the hallway and not surprisingly, I landed in the king’s chambers.
I looked around, my eyes widening at the sheer size of it. It had to be at least twice the size of mine.
My eyes found the king sprawled across his bed obviously in deep sleep. The sliver of light coming through the window highlighted his handsome features.
His ginger hair absorbed and reflected the light with shimmering strands like stars standing out. I could have sworn I saw a soft halo about his head but Lucy would tell me I was seeing things because I was in awe of him.
My throat went dry as my eyes moved downward giving me a full view of his bare chest shimmering also in the moonlight.
My mind went back to the day I found him sleeping in the library, with the sun bathing him in golden light. That felt like centuries ago but he looked peaceful now just as he had looked then. His jaw, which always seemed tight around me, was loose with sleep allowing me to fully appreciate the sharp sculpted ridges of bone.
Indeed, he looked like a sleeping lion with the majestic aura still about him.
Only he managed to be majestic even while unconscious.
I sank into the soft long sofa close to the fire place, hugging my knees to my chest as I hoped that whoever was sneaking into my chambers would have been disappointed and gone away.
I knew the king would be angry if he saw me in his territory but I was too terrified to go back into my room. I was too terrified of Kain Kurt to dare leave the chambers of the only person they wouldn’t dare touch.
I didn’t know I was crying until tears dropped on my hands.
I gave a shaky breath, trying to steady myself but this time, it didn’t work. The tears poured out with reckless abandon. I had to place a hand on my mouth to stifle my sobs so I don’t wake him up.
Thoughts of all the ways Kain Kurt would end me filled my mind.
Poisoning?
Stabbing?
Choking?
“Erika?” The King called out suddenly startling me.
I jumped.
“Erika?” He called out again.