Morena didn’t waste any time. She quickly picked up her treatment tools and rushed out from her infirmary, not caring about the people who greeted her on the way. Her only thought was to reach the king’s chamber and attend to him as quickly as possible.
She had always admired and loved the king, and his late mother had saved her life, which made her feel indebted to their family.
As she walked, her heart raced with worry. She couldn’t bear the thought of the king suffering again. He was a good man, and she felt a sense of loyalty to him, not just because of his mother’s kindness to her in the past but also because of the kind of person he was.
She couldn’t help but feel emotional. The king was more than just a patient to her; he was like family. She wished she could do more to help him and take away his pain.
Moreover, she couldn’t bear to see a good man like the king suffer due to the treachery of others. Morena often wished she could leave and search for someone important in her life, but she couldn’t bear to leave the king alone.
She couldn’t trust the king with anyone; the only person she could trust was the king’s right-hand man, Jaguar. She didn’t trust the king’s favorite, Xena, or the new queen.
Finally arriving at the king’s chamber, Morena could hear his labored breathing from outside the door. As she entered, she saw the king struggling to breathe, his face turning red. Morena immediately went to work, grabbing her treatment tools and medicine. She began to chat with him, trying to distract him from his current condition.
“My lord, are you feeling better? Is there anything that troubles you?” She asked and the king silently shakes his head
“I understand that being a king can be overwhelming at times. But you are not alone, my lord. You have your loyal subjects, your friends, and your family to support you.” She uttered wanting to make the king talk, but still, the king remained quiet.
Morena kept speaking, and she noticed that the king wasn’t responding to any of her topics. He lay there on the bed, silent and struggling with his breathing.
Then, out of nowhere, Aurora’s name came to her mind. She hesitated for a moment, knowing how much the king despised her. But she was desperate for any way to get him to talk.
Finally, she took a deep breath and mentioned Aurora’s name. “My lord, I hope you don’t mind me mentioning Aurora, but I remember that she used to bring you so much joy back then. Do you remember you asked me to give her a necklace”
There was a moment of silence, and Morena feared that she had made a mistake. But then, the king’s eyes slowly opened, and he looked at Morena with a glimmer of hope.
Morena hesitated for a moment, knowing the king’s disdain for Aurora. But she gathered the courage and spoke up.
“My lord, I know you may not want to hear her name, but I wanted to tell you that Aurora was very happy when I gave her the necklace you ordered me to give her. She looked extremely beautiful when she wore it. Sometimes, I wondered if she was from a humble home because she looked like royalty.”
Morena paused, and the king’s labored breathing caught her attention. She continued, “Although, when I asked her, she said she was from a poor background.”
As soon as Morena finished speaking, the king’s eyes opened wide, and he seemed to be breathing more easily. Morena wondered at the power of love and how it could heal even the deepest wounds.
“The first day I saw Aurora, she looked like royalty,” the king said with a small smile, and Morena couldn’t help but feel relieved to see him talking.
“May I ask how she’s doing?” Malik inquired, feeling a twinge of guilt over the way he had spoken to her the previous night.
Morena nodded understandingly and replied, “She’s doing well, my lord. In fact, she was overjoyed when she received the necklace you gave her. She mentioned how much she would treasure it for the rest of her life.”
Morena couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the king’s softened expression as she spoke about Aurora. “You blush, my lord,” she teasingly remarked, noticing the pink hue on his cheeks.
“I didn’t,” the king retorted, but the smile on his face betrayed him. Morena simply nodded, not wanting to push the matter further.
As they talked more about Aurora, the king’s demeanor became less tense, his breathing steadier. It seemed that the mention of the girl had brought a certain ease to him that Morena had not seen in a long time.
However Morena rose to her feet, she gathered her belongings and prepared to take her leave.
“Thank you, Morena,” the king spoke softly, his voice now gentle and grateful.
“It is an honor to serve you, my lord. Your kindness is admirable, and it is evident in the way you have handled Aurora’s situation with patience and restraint,” Morena replied, though she knew it was not her place to offer assistance. She couldn’t help but express her gratitude towards the king.
As she began to walk towards the door, her hand reaching for the doorknob, the king’s voice interrupted her.
“Morena, do you still hold onto the hope that the girl might be alive, or have you come to accept that she’s dead, just as my late mother had said?” Alpha Malik asked, his voice laced with a hint of sadness, rekindling a painful memory that Morena had tried to bury for the past twenty-one years.
Morena felt her heart sink at the mention of the girl, but she tried to maintain her composure, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She turned to face the king and forced a smile,
“My king, I want to believe that she is still alive, but deep down, I doubt it,” she replied, her voice quivering with emotion.
“I just want you to know that if you feel like investigating whether she’s still alive or not, I will willingly help,” Alpha Malik said, looking at Morena with concern.
“Thank you, my lord,” Morena replied, feeling grateful for the king’s offer.
With that, Morena left the king chamber. As she walked down the hallway the thought of the king risking everything to help a mere servant like her touched her deeply.
But as the king suggested that the girl might still be alive, Morena’s mind raced with possibilities, but she couldn’t risk putting the king in danger by asking him to help. “I’ll have to think about it later,” she muttered to herself, trying to push the thought aside.
She turned her attention to Aurora, wondering where she might be at this time of the day. Morena felt a sense of excitement at the thought of sharing with her the news that her name could make the king speak. Without further delay, she headed towards Aurora’s usual spot, eager to catch up with her.