The King's Mistress

Chapter 122: A Lovely Reunion

"I asked if you had any thoughts about Princess Sierra’s dress today. It seems to be a work from The Magnolian Seamstresses on Main Street-"

"No, it’s from the Rosette Seamstresses on Clover Row," he replied without thinking.

As soon as those words left his lips, Alistair sighed in defeat as he sank into his chair. He rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger. He had fallen straight into Roxine’s trap.

He should have seen it from a mile away but he was so caught up in how beautiful Sierra looked, that he didn’t see it. He was the one who got her the dress, of course, he knew exactly where it came from.

"Rosette Seamstresses? Oh yes, I guess you’re right," Roxine remarked.

Sierra, too embarrassed to stay on any longer, quickly excused herself. She searched for another passing waiter and downed her second glass of wine. Her cheeks were burning red from embarrassment.

"Sierra! There you are!" Myra’s voice drew her out of her thoughts.

She looked up to see her friend waving at her from a distance, beckoning her to go over. Sierra went at once, over the moon to see the beautiful outfits everyone was wearing.

This was one of the last official social gatherings before the announcement of the results. All the princesses were eager to put their best foot forward as they impressed the nobles and the royals.

"Sierra, your dress looks amazing!" Myra exclaimed with delight.

Sierra smiled as she spun where she stood. Taita complimented her dress too. From a distance, Princess Agnes was looking over with seething anger. She wanted to kick Sierra off her high horse.

Perhaps, the perfect opportunity was just on the horizon.

Just then, a bell sounded throughout the hall. It caught everyone’s attention immediately as they turned to see Queen Roxine on her feet. Everyone gathered closer to the front of the hall, wondering what was going on.

"To show our appreciation for our princesses, we’ve invited the family members of each princess to join us on this joyous occasion. For those whose family members are unable to attend, a representative has been sent in place of them,"

Roxine finished off her announcement while looking at Sierra, giving her a smile and a gentle nod. Putting two and two together, Sierra’s jaw drop as she turned to face the doors of the hall.

As its being pushed open, royals from various kingdoms entered the hall. The princesses rushed forward to reunite with their families. For all of them, it was the first time they had seen their family, or someone from their home kingdom, since they came to Drakin.

Sierra didn’t move from where she stood at first. She craned her neck nervously as her palms began to sweat. Soon, she saw him. Sierra rushed forward at once as soon as she saw his face.

She had tears welling up in her eyes as she stopped just a short distance before him.

All around them, some of the princesses were already in tears, hugging their loved ones. As much as Sierra wished to do the same, she knew she could not. She held her hands together tightly as she curtsied before General Leon.

As soon as she got up, she placed her hand over her heart before extending her hand towards him. This was a Bancroft family greeting, and also a greeting they used in the army. General Leon reciprocated before readying himself to get down on one knee to greet Sierra as the princess.

Before he could do so, Sierra caught hold of his arm. She held onto him tightly.

"Spare the formalities, General Leon. It’s wonderful to have you here," Sierra said, her voice full of emotion.

"I’m so glad to see that you’re well, Princess." He glanced from side to side before mouthing the words ’my princess’ to Sierra.

Sierra could not help but chuckle a little. Her adoptive father had always treated her well despite being strict. In his softer moments, he often addresses her as his little princess. But that was when she was still a child.

Sierra glanced over her shoulder.

She extended her hand towards Ida, beckoning her to come closer, "Ida, come forward. This is General Leon Bancroft."

Ida knew immediately who he was. She bowed respectfully to the general.

"You must be the maid who’s treated our Princess with kindness and respect. Thank you for your service, Miss Ida. I hope that you will continue to serve her well."

"Her Highness had mentioned me to you before?" Ida asked, flustered and surprised, "I will most certainly take great care of her and serve her well, sir!"

Sierra glanced over to Queen Roxine, who could not help but smile when their eyes met. The Queen had done so much for her. Glancing over to Alistair, the look on his face made her smile. He looked so happy for her.

It was clear that he realized who the general was to her.

"Oh look, Princess Sierra’s family didn’t make it so they sent a general in their place, how pathetic."

Princess Agnes could not resist the opportunity to insult her. It was the perfect opportunity. Sierra gritted her teeth. She shot Agnes a glare and was about to take a step towards her to put her in her place when General Leon stopped her.

He simply shook his head. Immediately, Sierra stopped and lowered her head. Ida was a little stunned. She had never seen Sierra so ’obedient’ before. Little did Ida know, General Leon was surprised too. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

He didn’t expect his daughter to have the guts to confront a princess, especially in front of a crowd. The Sierra he used to know followed orders and never stood out of line. She always respected the authority above her.

"Looks like our princess is all grown up, she’s changed too," General Leon remarked.

Just then, the general began coughing. Sierra, stunned by what was happening, quickly got him a glass of water.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, filled with worry.

She had noticed her father’s complexion was not as warm as it used to be. Perhaps it was due to the time they had been apart, she also noticed his hair was thinning and turning grey.

Had he always looked this old?