The King's Mistress

Chapter 188: Meeting The Bancrofts

Sierra and Ida carefully made their way through the town of Bardford. To their relief, it seemed like the control of the new King had not reached the town. The people seemed to be on their toes and high-strung.

The knightess and maid made their way towards the outskirts of the town. Ida gasped in awe when she saw the gates that towered before them. The vastness of the Ancestral Bancroft Estate was a sight to behold.

"Does it end?" Ida mused.

Sierra chuckled as she looked in the same direction Ida was looking, "It does, but it does look endless, doesn’t it?"

Sierra turned back and was about to inform the standing guard of her purpose when the gates opened from the inside. From behind the gates, six people on horseback arrived to greet them.

"I most certainly was not expecting such a warm welcome," she muttered to herself as she moved forward to meet the six.

As they got closer to each other, Sierra recognized them immediately. While Leon, her father, was the head of the family, the Bancroft family had six main other members too. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Lady Tessi Bancroft, eldest sister to General Leon.

Lord Badol Bancroft, Lady Tessi’s only child.

Lady Linette Bancroft, Lady Tessi’s twin sister.

Lord Finnian Bancroft, younger brother of General Leon.

Duchess Maisy Bancroft, Lord Finnian’s daughter.

Marquess Preston Bancroft, Lady Linette’s adopted son.

"Sierra, you’ve returned," Preston was the first to greet her, the only one to greet her with a smile.

"Marquess Preston, it’s been a while. I wasn’t expecting such a welcome, not after..."

"Not after you embarrassed our family name and dragged it through the mud?" Lord Badol scoffed.

"Watch your tone, Badol," Lady Tessi warned her son as she rode forward to meet Sierra.

"There’s much we need to speak of, Sierra. And we better make haste."

She could hear the urgency in Lady Tessi’s voice so she did not protest. Though she had many more questions of her own, she chose to remain silent and keep the talking for later.

It had been so long since she last stepped foot in the Bancroft Estates. She had been traveling alongside her father for so long, plus they spent most of their time in the capital.

The only time they frequented the estate was during festivities that took place once every two years. Even then, there were times they simply could not make it back. Sierra never enjoyed her time at the estate.

The judgemental looks she often got from the other members of the family was not what hurt the most. It was what they whispered about her that she could not let go of. None of them ever liked her very much.

They thought she wanted to inherit the Bancroft Family name and got close to the head of the family for that purpose. But Sierra had never wanted their wealth or power. Back then, she only wanted to fight alongside her father, to keep him safe while she repaid her debt to him.

He saved her life. She wanted to fight for him and repay him with her own life.

"You may leave your horses here. The servants will take care of them."

Sierra lowered her head, "Yes, Lady Tessi."

She handed Macadamia’s reins to the stable man who came forward, instructing him carefully as to what to do with Macadamia. The temperamental retired war horse was having none of it. He stamped his hooves hard on the ground, startling the other horses.

"Can’t even keep a horse in check," Lord Badol muttered beneath his breath, just loud enough for all to hear.

’I don’t miss him,’ Opal’s comment rang in Sierra’s mind.

Sierra chuckled.

Seeing as Macadamia would not settle down, Sierra asked Ida to follow the stablemen to help tend to Macadamia and Midnight first.

"But Sierra," Ida clutched onto her hand tightly, "Are you sure you’ll be alright? They seem..."

She couldn’t find the right words to describe them, but something did not sit right with her. Each Bancroft family member seemed to want to eat Sierra or tear her apart. She could not let that happen.

"Don’t worry, Ida. They’re harmless," she whispered reassuringly to her maid.

She leaned in and continued, "Besides, I’ve got Opal by my side too. I’ll be alright."

Sierra followed the Bancrofts into the main building of the estate. Not much seemed to have changed, old paintings of the members who came before were still hung along the corridor walls. Everything was kept in pristine condition with no exceptions.

At the end of the hallway, leading towards the Grand Hall, was where the current head of the family’s portrait was hung. She was expecting to see her father’s portrait, just as she had seen in the past.

Needless to say she was stunned to see a blank wall where it should have been. Her father’s portrait was put to the side instead. Sierra furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the blank space.

"Sierra," Lady Tessi called out to her from within the Grand Hall.

In her moment of reflection, she had fallen behind from the group. The Bancrofts had already entered the Grand Hall and were all taking their places at the table.

"My apologies," she whispered as she turned to make her own way in. freēwēbnovel.com

The Grand Hall served much like a Throne Room. It was where the leading members of the Bancroft family would gather to discuss important matters. Stained glass windows surrounded the room on every panel, each detailing an impressive feat a member of the family had achieved.

Sierra stood before them. She was about to put her hands behind her back, as she had done in the past while she was a knightess in the service of the Bancroft Family. But she stopped herself from doing so, instead placing her hands at her side.

She stood tall and proud before, with a whole different identity from the last they had met. She was no longer the meek knightess who glued her eyes to the ground as the grown adults spoke. Today, she would speak for herself.