The King's Mistress

Chapter 100: Ruined

"Sweetling, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask," Alistair got her attention once again.

"What is it?"

"Did you go out with Roxine a few nights ago? Alone?" He asked while watching her closely. He was waiting to see how she would react to his question.

His informants had told him what they saw, which was most certainly not the full picture. They did not follow them out of the castle either. But Sierra did not know any of this.

Sierra knew he was testing her, to see if she was going to tell him the truth. She made sure not to look too suspicious. But her long silence was already telling enough. freewёbnoνel.com

"Yes, she wanted to speak to me in private so I met with her," she did her best to keep her answer as ambiguous as possible.

Before Alistair could ask her anything else, she wriggled out of his grasp. It pained her to do so and she was in turmoil. She didn’t want to lie to him but she had promised Roxine to keep it a secret from Alistair.

The best course of action for her to do now was to leave.

"I need to get back to the lodge. I’ll see you tomorrow," she spoke quickly before mounting back on Macadamia and took off into the night.

She left Alistair standing there, looking back at her from afar. He didn’t say anything, nor did he blame her for lying to him. He chose to trust her to tell him the truth in due time.

"Perhaps I should ask Roxine instead."

The next day, the Celestial Lodge was in a mess. All the princesses were rushing to get themselves ready for the Art showcase that was about to begin in two hours or less. Sierra already had her hair and make-up done, now she was just waiting for the dress Alistair had promised.

As time ticked by, she wondered if the dress would turn up at all. Recalling how she had left him the night before, she cursed herself beneath her breath. She should not have left him as she did.

But when he confronted her, she did not know what else to do.

"Your Highness, are you sure the dressmaker is coming?" Ida asked.

"Yes... yes I hope so," Sierra said as she nervously fidgeted her hands at the dressing table.

Just then, a knock on the door caught their attention. Both women lit up immediately as they glanced at each other. Ida hurried down the stairs to open the door. After a short exchange, she came back up the stairs with a large package in her hands.

Sierra heaved a sigh of relief as she asked Ida to place it down on the bed. Unwrapping the box that was delivered, Ida carefully unfolded the paper to reveal the dress. As soon as she saw it, Sierra was stunned.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Even Ida was stunned.

"This... this can’t be right," Sierra muttered beneath her breath.

She took the dress out of the box. Her mind was spiraling with thoughts. This was not the color that Alistair had hinted to her the day before. The dress in the box was in shades of pastel purple, covered in sequins and butterfly motifs.

Upon closer inspection, Sierra realized the dress had been worn before too. She tightened her grip on the dress, thinking this was a cruel joke Alistair was playing on her for not telling him the truth the night before.

"This dress... it looks familiar," Ida said as she took a closer look at the dress.

She noted that the motifs were similar to another dress she had seen before. A dress she had seen another princess wore.

"Could the dresses have been switched?" Sierra wondered.

"Switched?" Ida echoed her words as her mind began to wonder about the possibility.

She gasped as she turned to Sierra and provided her with a piece of information that seemingly helped them uncover the mystery of the dress in the box. When the servant delivered the box to Ida, he looked a little suspicious and fidgety.

Sierra sat back down in front of her dressing table and let out a sigh. She was more certain now that someone had switched the dresses. It was likely to be Princess Agnes or Cassandra. Either one of them would have thought to do something like this, just for a chance to see Sierra make a fool of herself.

"I’m not wearing this dress. I can’t."

If she wore it, she was certain whoever put it in the box would accuse her of having stolen the dress for her performance. But if she did not, what was she going to wear? Sierra let out a sigh. She curled her hand into a fist as she got up to her feet.

Without any other choice, she took her old dress out of the closet. Ida knew her intentions immediately.

"Your Highness, if you wore this... How about we ask Princess Myra or Princess Taita if they had something to lend?" She suggested.

Sierra shook her head. There was only a very limited amount of time before the showcase would begin. The person who switched the dresses was well aware of that too.

Looking at the dress she had, Sierra decided to try something a little different. She rummaged through her closet and eventually found what she was looking for. Though it was an unconventional style, it would have to do.

She looked through the pieces of jewelry she had, along with her shoes and put everything together. Though it was not perfect, it was as best as she could do. With Ida’s help, she got into her outfit for the evening.

Once she was done, she admired herself in the mirror. At that moment, Sierra felt like she was true to herself. That was a more precious moment than she could have ever wished for.

With one matter settled, it was time to take care of the other. She turned to Ida and handed the other dress to her.

"Ida, I’m going to need a favor from you," Sierra said to her.

"Anything for you, princess."

"I need you to make this dress disappear," she explained.

No matter the means she needed to use, Sierra wanted the dress to be gone forever.