Free Web NovelChapter 258: The Morning Visitors
Chapter 257: The Morning Visitors
Lyria’s POV
Duke Valenridge was not the only one who had come to see me.
I learned this in the morning, when the grey light of dawn began to creep through the curtains and the fire in the hearth had burned down to glowing embers. My body was still weak, still heavy with exhaustion, but the fog in my mind had cleared somewhat. I could think without feeling too tired.
Kathryn was present, and she had given me some bitter herbs to drink, saying they would help me recover further. I did not like the taste at all, but I took them because I hoped to recover.
I also realised that, apart from the maids and physician, I now had guards.
The male voice I had heard the previous night belonged to one of them. I wondered what the Queen’s aim was.
The first was bald. Entirely hairless, from the crown of his head to his jaw, and he was huge—broad-shouldered and thick-chested.
He looked as though he could break a door down with his bare hands. He had a tooth missing from the top left corner of his mouth, and when he smiled, the gap was noticeable.
He requested that I call him Bald.
"Everyone does, Your Highness," he said. "My given name is Brayden, but no one uses it. Bald suits me better."
I shook my head at the absurdity of it.
"I w-will not call y-you that," I said.
He blinked in surprise.
"Your Highness?"
"I w-will not use something that could b-be considered a defect or a weakness as a name," I said. "N-no matter how amusing one may find it."
I paused.
"We may use it as an inside j-joke, if you so wish. B-but in the presence of others, you shall b-be called Brayden, lest people find out and begin to d-disrespect you. I will not b-be the cause of that. Neither should y-you."
Brayden stared at me for a moment.
Then he chuckled.
His brown eyes twinkled, and the gap in his teeth was visible as he smiled.
"Very well, Your Highness," he said. "Brayden it shall be."
He bowed.
The second guard was leaner than Brayden, with a long face and a mouth that rarely smiled. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye, the black fabric stark against his pale skin. His hair was a light blond, almost white, and it fell across his forehead in a careless sweep.
He had a faint smile upon his face when I refused to call Brayden by his nickname.
"I am Phineas, Your Highness," he said, bowing. "And I do not possess a nickname such as Brayden’s."
Brayden chuckled at that.
They were surprisingly at ease with me—not stiff and formal like the guards who had served the Queen, but not overly familiar either. There was a warmth to them, a sense that they were here because they wished to be, not merely because they had been ordered.
They returned to their positions outside the door after that.
And they were in charge of my visitors for the morning.
There were a great many.
Duke Thorncrest was the first to visit.
He did not come into the chamber, but he spoke to me from the doorway, his voice warm and familiar.
"I am glad you are well, Your Highness. Perhaps, when you have fully recovered, we may continue our game, and you can make good on your promise to dance with me," he said.
I smiled at his words, and Pippa beamed when she noticed.
Elara smiled as well, though she hid it better than Pippa.
Before the Duke left, he handed Phineas a basket, which Pippa immediately took from him.
When the other maids tried to see what was inside, Pippa informed them in a firm voice that no one was to inspect it except me. Then she handed me the basket.
The basket contained pillows, a book, a beautiful cup, and several small jars of ointments, tonics, and herbal mixtures.
The pillows were soft, embroidered with pale blue thread. The book was slim, bound in leather, its pages clean and crisp. The cup was porcelain, painted with delicate flowers, and the jars were filled with remedies that smelled faintly of herbs and honey.
"These are quite exquisite," Kathryn said, her eyes widening. "They shall help Your Highness recover more quickly."
I nodded.
I would have to thank him later.
Baron Redwick had come as well.
He did not enter either. Instead, he had passed a letter through Brayden.
When it was handed to me, I simply set it aside, choosing to read it later.
The Baron and I had argued the last time we spoke with one another, after all.
Earl Hawthorne had come with food.
Most of it was soup—warm and fragrant. He had sent it because it would be easier for me to consume while I was still recovering.
"I promise to train you when you are well again, Your Highness. Therefore, you must endeavour not to fall ill so easily," he told me.
"I l-look forward to t-that," I replied.
Lucian had come as well.
Like the others, he also refused to enter my chambers.
"I am glad that you are well, Lyria. You gave me quite a fright when I heard you were ill," he told me.
"I a-apologise."
He chuckled softly.
"There is no need for that. As I said, I am merely glad you are awake. Perhaps, when you are feeling up to it, I can teach you to dance again."
I nodded, though he could not see it.
"I w-would like that," I said.
Other suitors came as well.
Some brought gifts—flowers, books, small trinkets wrapped in ribbon.
Pippa examined each one with a critical eye, and more often than not, she declared them unworthy.
"These gentlemen did not care about Her Highness before," she said sharply. "Now they wish to purchase her favour with cheap presents. It is insulting."
"It is very insulting. And now I find myself wondering why they feel compelled to do this," Debbie said, her brows furrowed.
"As I said, to purchase her favour," Pippa replied.
"I quite disagree," Bridget said. "There must be something more to it than that."
Before we had the opportunity to solve the mystery of why the other suitors had begun visiting me with gifts, one unexpected suitor arrived.
Marquess Hale.
And that was when the problem of the morning began, though I sincerely hoped it would end with him as well.
"Who are you to deny me entry?" he demanded. "I am a Marquess. I have every right to see the Princess."
