The King's Mistress

Chapter 108: What Are Friends For?

Roxine looked over to Diane, who had the same blank look as she did. Hours ago, Diane would not even have dared to assume Roxine would say yes. Neither of them had planned this far ahead. freёweɓnovel.com

"I don’t know how you planned on leaving for good underneath my nose while making it look convincing to everyone else. So I decided it would be best to eliminate that expectation. Now that we’re all in on it, it would be much easier to execute." he reasoned.

All of them pondered over the question. Diane and Roxine each gave an idea but were quickly shot down by Alistair. They were either too risky or left too many questions.

"If you faked your death, that would allow you to leave with no strings attached," Sierra suggested.

"Fake my death? How would we be able to achieve that? What if..."

"Sierra might be on to something. If you faked your death, you can live under a new identity and come live with me," Diane reasoned.

"Or, you can surrender all your lands and titles to me," Alistair proposed an alternative course of action, "And I can let you both live in a secluded countryside for the rest of your lives in peace. No one will ever cause you any trouble and you never need to worry about being exposed,"

"Have you gone mad, Alistair? For Diane to give up everything..." Roxine turned to look at the woman, the love of her life.

She had expected to see her eyebrows furrowed, a look of hesitation perhaps. But there was none of that, only a look of determination.

"You.. you’re considering it?" Roxine was stunned.

Diane held on to her hand, "I would give it all up in a heartbeat if it brings us a life of happiness. Think about it, Roxine, we could have our own little farmhouse in the woods."

Alistair grinned. He had wanted to use this opportunity to test Diane’s resolve to be with Roxine. It was clear to him from what he had witnessed that their love was true.

"I was merely teasing, I just wanted to see how you would react," he confessed before turning to support Sierra’s suggestion, "Sierra is right. Faking your death would give you the cleanest break and ensure there are no loose ends. As for when..."

"That would take some time to plan and execute. The concubine choosing isn’t complete yet either. I intend on seeing that through before I leave," Roxine explained.

She glanced over to Sierra and placed her hand on hers, "Although from the looks of it, I think it’s pretty much set in stone as to who the King of Drakin is going to choose, isn’t it?"

Sierra glanced at Alistair then back down at the table. She did not know what to say at that moment.

"I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone," Sierra brushed it off, "After all, if my identity is revealed, I wouldn’t be allowed to be in the running in the first place."

"You don’t have to fret over any of that, Sierra," Alistair said as he placed his hand on hers, "I’ll take care of that."

Though she had no idea what plan he had, she felt reassured by his statement. Sierra had to remind herself it was common for Kings to take more than one concubine at any given point in time. Furthermore, if Roxine was going to leave, that meant the Queen’s seat would be vacant too.

What began as a simple concubine choosing would become a Queen anointment ceremony. If the competition wasn’t fierce before, it would definitely get heated then.

"Lady Diane, since you’re already in Drakin. I have a suggestion," Alistair proposed.

"Speak your mind, Your Majesty."

"Make it an official visit to Drakin. Queen Roxine will host you for the duration of your stay. I’m sure you understand what I am trying to say?"

An official visit to Drakin meant Lady Diane would be a guest in the castle. It was already widely known to all that they were close friends, hence it would not be out of the ordinary for them to spend time in each other’s company. Especially if Roxine was to host her.

"I can arrange for you to live in my Quarters too since you would be my personal guest," Roxine exclaimed excitedly.

Alistair smiled as he watched them chatting about it excitedly. Sierra could not help but smile too. All this time, she had assumed it would react negatively to the news. But it seemed like she was wrong about him. There was still so much more she did not know about him.

~

As expected, Lady Diane made her official visit to Vargos Castle a few days later. Queen Roxine was waiting for her arrival anxiously at the castle entrance. King Alistair was right next to her.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Nervous?"

She almost leaped out of her skin when she realized how close he was. He hit it right on the nail. She was so nervous her palms were sweating through her gloves.

"Thank you, Alistair," she whispered to him while glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"What for?"

"For...for coming up with this idea," she didn’t know what else to say, her mind drew blank.

Alistair placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping it would help her calm down a little as he noticed how nervous she looked.

"What are friends for?" he whispered to her before giving her a wink.

At that moment, Roxine felt a little sad in her heart. Alistair was her closest friend since their youth. They practically grew up together. They had spent so much time together, that now knowing their time was coming to an end made her feel a little sad.

Once everything is set in motion, she would never be able to return to Vargos castle. They might never be able to meet ever again for the rest of their lives.