The King's Mistress

Chapter 156: Time To Go!

Back in Drakin, Alistair was still up late into the night. With large piles of paperwork stacked in front of him, he could not help but let out a sigh. Being a monarch was tough work.

It wasn’t all just fun and games.

A knock on the door caught his attention. As the door pushed open, the fragrance of roses and lilacs overwhelmed his senses. The signature perfume Roxine always wore.

"Roxine, you’re up late," Alistair called out as he heard the door creak open, followed by the sound of footsteps.

"Nothing escapes His Majesty, it would seem," Roxine mused as she entered the room with a tray in hand, "I thought you might like a cup of tea."

She placed the tray down on the table and poured him a fresh cup of tea. He received it with thanks as he took a sip.

"Looks like someone’s up late. I’m assuming your day is filled tomorrow... and the next three days?" Roxine asked suggestively as if she was insinuating something.

"Would my Queen like to assist me with my Royal duties? I could use a break."

"Only if you tell me the truth. I’m wondering if this might have something to do with the knightess who stole the King’s heart?" She teased.

Alistair glanced over to Roxine.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Rumor has it, Sierra left for a trip yesterday night. Did you hear anything about that?"

He shook his head, looking back down at his paperwork, "Oh is that so? Perhaps she wanted to get her last bit of freedom before she gets tied down to me."

He could not hide the smile that formed on his face as he finished his sentence. Roxine leaned in close with a grin of her own.

"Come on Alistair! You can tell me!" She chimed and pleaded.

She massaged his shoulders, hoping he would give her a bit more information. She knew he must have known something.

"I’ll only tell you if you agree to finish all of this for me." He struck his terms.

Roxine took a step back, pretending to be deep in thought for a few moments before agreeing to the deal begrudgingly.

"All right, fine." She sighed as they shook on it.

It was something they always did when they struck up a deal with one another. Alistair got up from his seat and stretched his back. freeweɓnovel.cøm

"I got Vy’s help to get her to go to a resort to relax a little and-"

"And you’re going there to join her for a couple of days?"

Roxine did not even wait for his reply. She took the cup of tea from his hands and placed it to the side. She got him out of his seat and was almost pushing him towards the door.

"What are you doing?" Alistair asked in confusion as he turned around to face her.

"Well go get a move on then! What are you still doing here?" She asked as she continued to guide him towards the door, "The sun’s almost up by now."

Looking out the window, Alistair realized she was right. He had stayed up so late it was almost the dawn of a new day. He had spent the entire night reviewing the paperwork in front of him.

When she noticed him looking back at it, Roxine blocked his view. She had her hands on her hips as she shook her head, telling him not to worry about any of it.

"There’s nothing you can do that I can’t. We did have the same tutor for kingdom affairs management after all," she reminded him.

"That is true," he mused, "If I did not recall inaccurately, you always scored better than I did."

"That I did," Roxine grinned, "Now go!"

Alistair returned to his room. He had begun to feel the fatigue from his sleepless night. After informing his shadow guards not to follow him for the next three days, he went on his way.

There was still a little more time before the sun rose, but the sky was already lightening up. Heading to the same spot Sierra had been at just a day ago, Alistair rang the same bell.

What happened beyond that was foggy for Alistair. He did not notice the cat that drove the carriage that appeared through the mist right in front of him. He got in, took a seat and fell asleep.

When he flickered his eyes open once more, Alistair was confused. The room was foreign to him. The smell of bamboo and wood was surprisingly calming, but everything else looked odd.

"Where... where am I?" He muttered to himself as he brought his hand to his head, wondering if everything was just a dream.

A set of clothing, unfamiliar to him, was placed at the side of the bed he was sleeping in. He realized he was sleeping on a thinner mattress stuffed with cotton that was not on a bed frame but close to the ground.

Alistair sat up, taking in all of his surroundings. When he saw the scenery outside the window, he was stunned. He got up to his feet and walked over, quickly noticing the hot spring pool overflowing with water.

Without hesitation, he removed all of his clothes and got into the water. He let out a relaxed sigh as he leaned his head against the rim of the hot spring pool. The heated water helped relax his muscles.

"Just what I need."

As he hummed a tune to himself, he turned back to look into the room. He quickly took note of the belongings scattered in a corner of the room. It was clear that this was Sierra’s room, as the items belonged to her. Not to mention, the set of clothing that hung on a stand was hers.

He had seen her wear it before.

Looking over to the set of clothing that was laid next to his bed, he wondered if she was wearing something similar. Before he could let his mind wander any further, he could hear voices coming from beyond the door of the room.