Preparing..
I rushed to hide the dress, but Madam Mortica was already raving at the other end, banging on the door for me to let her in. Her voice was shrill and commanding, filled with impatience. My hands trembled as I shoved the bag into the hidden compartment in the wardrobe. I had to make sure it was well concealed; she must not find it.
As soon as I was sure the bag was securely hidden, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves before walking to the door. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel a bead of sweat trickle down my back.
“And what were you doing in there?” she questioned suspiciously as soon as I opened the door. Her piercing eyes bore into mine, searching for any hint of deception.
“Nothing, what are you talking about?” I replied, trying to sound casual, but my voice wavered slightly.
“Move,” she snapped, pushing me out of the way with more force than necessary. I stumbled, catching myself on the doorframe just in time. Anger flared within me. If she had pushed any harder, I would have hit my head on the edge of the door. It was infuriating that she not only spoke to me with such disrespect but now physically misbehaved as well.
“Madam Mortica, I do not appreciate this behavior. It is already bad enough that you invade my personal space, but now you want to hurt me physically as well,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady.
“Oh really, wow, I didn’t know that before,” she said sarcastically, with a disturbingly mocking smile that made my skin crawl.
“It’s funny, because I don’t remember when you ever had this so-called personal space you’re speaking of right now. If I recall correctly, His Highness Lucas specifically asked me to always take care of you and ensure that I keep my eyes on you to make sure you’re safe and not getting into trouble.”
“No, he asked you to take care of me and ensure I didn’t have any issues in the house,” I corrected, trying to maintain my composure.
“Oh, would you just shut it? How dare you interrupt me while I’m speaking? Well, come to think of it, isn’t that the same thing I just said?” she continued, her voice rising with irritation. I stared silently, knowing that arguing further would be pointless.
“Yes! He told me to take care of you, so how am I supposed to do that if I’m not constantly watching you?” she said. I remained quiet, pressing my lips together to avoid saying anything. Clearly, nothing I said would matter to her.
“Anyways, that’s not even why I’m here. His Highness Lucas told me to remind you about today. He didn’t specify, but he told me to make sure you didn’t forget today’s plans.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you, then. Bye,” I said, hoping she would take the hint and leave.
“Hold on a minute, are you trying to chase me out?” she questioned, her eyes narrowing. I rolled my eyes internally. That was exactly what I had wanted all along for her to leave as soon as possible.
“Madam Mortica, I don’t know what else you want from me. You came to relay a message, and you’ve done that. So, what else do you want?”
“What do you mean? Don’t you think I’m supposed to know what this plan is actually about? Come on, start talking now.”
“Madam Mortica, I don’t think this is something I can tell you.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“You could have asked Lucas what the plans were about. Why are you asking me?”
“How do you expect me to question my king? Can you even hear yourself right now?”
“Yes, ma’am, I can. Besides, if you can’t ask him and expect an answer, then I don’t think I’m in a position to tell you myself,” I replied firmly. She stared at me with disdain. For a moment, it looked like she was contemplating what to do to me. She even raised her hand as if to hit me but stopped midway. I watched silently, feeling a mix of defiance and fear. If she had laid a finger on me, I would have instantly lost it.
“So, you’re not going to tell me what this is about? You were sneaky this morning and again just now. Alright then,” she said, making her way toward the door. The amount of excitement I felt was unimaginable. I was getting really sick of her, so at least now she got the message.
As soon as she had completely left the room, I sighed in relief, finally able to breathe properly again. I locked the door securely before turning back to sit on my bed. Having a conversation with Madam Mortica was like a full-body workout an exhausting one at that.
I went on to continue going through the bag Lucas had given me. The first thing I took out was the dress. I had already examined it before, so I went on to see what else was inside. When I looked through the bag earlier, it seemed like there were other things in there, but I couldn’t see them because Madam Mortica, of course, had to intervene.
“Wow, a perfume!” I exclaimed as I took out a nice bottle of perfume from the bag. I opened the lid and smelled it from the nozzle. The scent was absolutely mesmerizing, with a fruity and soft aroma that gave off so much femininity. I instantly fell in love with it. I set it down beside me on the bed and looked into the bag again. A smile appeared on my face as I saw a jewelry set consisting of a necklace, a ring, a couple of bracelets, and a nice pair of earrings. I took out the jewelry display and marveled at the ethereal beauty in the simplicity of the set.
The pieces were luxurious and definitely very expensive. After all, they were made with real silver stones, which were quite rare in the Kingdom and obviously obtained with a lot of money. However, the jewelry looked simple yet classy, making the overall appearance very elegant.
I stared at them for a while longer before looking back to bring out the final items in the bag. All that was left were a couple of chocolate packets. I counted five chocolates and poured them out beside me on the bed. I took one, opened the pack, and tasted it.
The chocolate was very rich, with a natural taste that became more delicious the more I chewed. After finishing that pack, I looked around and felt extremely grateful for everything Lucas had gotten me. He was very kind, and I couldn’t thank him enough for all the nice things he had done for me since I arrived.
As I started putting everything in its proper place, it dawned on me that I had no shoes for the outing. I couldn’t say that Lucas had intentionally decided not to get me any, but with everything he had bought, it was understandable that he might have forgotten. I didn’t want to be a burden since he had already done so much for me, so I decided to dismiss it.
I looked at the wall clock and saw that it was already 9:37 a. m. I jumped up from the bed in surprise. How did time fly by so fast? Lucas had asked me to be ready by 10:00 a. m., and it was already some minutes to 10. I had to start changing as soon as possible. I took off the dress I had on and replaced it with the one Lucas had gotten me, then applied the perfume to my wrists, collarbones, and a few places on my dress. The jewelry matched the dress perfectly, and as I put it on, the overall look was stunning. I still hadn’t decided what to do with my hair, but I ignored it for the moment while I focused on other things.
I was fully dressed with all the jewelry pieces on when a knock came at the door. I wondered who it could be. Madam Mortica had never, and would probably never, knock so politely.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.” I smiled, realizing it was Lucas, and quickly rushed to open the door. He had both hands behind him, and it was clear he was holding something. I was curious about what he was hiding, but as I tried to see, he backed away, preventing me from seeing.
“What is that?”
“Why are you in such a hurry to see it? Just hold on for a moment.”
“Hmm, alright then. I’m waiting.”
“You know what? Just close your eyes, in fact.”
“What? Come on, what’s in your hands? Just tell me.”
“If you don’t close your eyes, I’m going to leave with it. Just close them for a while, Ashley, come on.”
“Oh, okay, fine. I’ll close them,” I said, shutting my eyes. I felt him hold my hand and slowly lead me toward the bed.
“Lucas, where are we going?”
“Just trust me. I’m not going to let you fall, okay?” I didn’t say a word as he continued leading me to the bed. He made me sit down, and although I couldn’t see what was going on, I could hear the sound of a box touching the ground. I was really tempted to look, but if Lucas had decided to make it a surprise, it wouldn’t make sense for me to ruin it by looking too soon.
“Keep your eyes closed.”
“Yes, yes, I haven’t opened them.”
“Good.” His hands gently touched my leg, and it took me a moment to realize he was putting a shoe on me.
“Don’t open your eyes just yet. Hold on,” he said, and I nodded obediently, even though I was feeling impatient.
“Alright, I’m done. You can open your eyes now,” he said. I did as he instructed and looked down at my legs. The shoes were absolutely gorgeous, a shimmering silver that matched the jewelry perfectly. The shine they gave off was enchanting.
“Aww, this is so beautiful!”
“You like them?”
“I absolutely love them. They’re really beautiful,” I responded, taking in the elegance of the whole look I had managed to pull off with Lucas’s help.
I walked closer to the mirror and was so pleased by what I saw. It had been such a long time since I last felt so comfortable and pretty in what I was wearing. The last time I remembered feeling this pretty was back when I was still living with my parents at our pack house. Just thinking about this brought a tear to my eye. It saddened me that this was what my life had come to. I wasn’t crying because I hated the outfit; rather, it made me very emotional comparing my current situation to how things were in the past.
“Ashley, are you crying?”
“What? No, I’m not. I got something stuck in my eye, that’s all,” I said, wiping away my tears as I remembered I had company in the room.
He noticed that it wasn’t something I wanted him to press further on, so he thankfully let it go. He walked closer to where I was standing in front of the mirror, and I shivered at the warmth his body brought as he came near. Standing together, we looked like a couple, as he had chosen an outfit to match mine, from the color details to the pattern.
I sat on the chair in front of the mirror and grabbed the hairbrush from the table.
“Do you have any style in mind?” he asked.
“No,” I replied, shaking my head while brushing my hair. I planned to experiment with different looks until I found one that worked perfectly with the dress. But I froze when I heard Lucas say, “Hand me the hairbrush.” I turned to face him with a look full of questions, but he just shrugged his shoulders in response.
“Don’t you trust me with your hair?”
“No, it’s not that, I just…”
“Give it to me.” Reluctantly, I handed him the hairbrush. As soon as he started brushing my hair, I couldn’t understand how or why the very mighty and stern King Lucas would choose to be so gentle around me.
His touch was surprisingly tender, each stroke of the brush soothing my scalp. He seemed to know exactly how to handle my hair, detangling it with ease. The room was quiet except for the soft sound of the bristles gliding through my strands. His concentration was intense, and I watched him through the mirror, amazed at this unexpected side of him.
“You’re really good at this,” I said softly, almost in disbelief.
“I used to help my sister with her hair,” he admitted quietly, a rare hint of vulnerability in his voice. “It’s been a while, though.”
His revelation made my heart ache a little. It was a reminder that even someone as powerful as Lucas had a past filled with moments of tenderness and family bonds. The thought of him being a protective brother was both endearing and heartbreaking.
He continued brushing my hair, the silence between us comfortable. I could see the concentration in his eyes, the careful way he handled each section of my hair. It was a simple act, but it felt intimate, creating a connection between us that words couldn’t.
Finally, he finished and handed the brush back to me. “There, all done. How does it feel?”
I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling the smoothness and the care he had put into it. “It feels amazing. Thank you, Lucas.”
He smiled, a rare, genuine smile that lit up his face. “You’re welcome, Ashley.”
In that moment, I realized that there was more to Lucas than the stern exterior he showed the world. There was kindness and gentleness within him, and I felt privileged to witness it.