The King's Mistress

Chapter 34: A Royal White Lie

Ida and Sierra looked at each other. They were surprised by the King’s words. Was he really going to let Ida go? Alistair was growing impatient.

"I don’t have all day, Ida. And you’re not going to like it when I change my mind," he warned sternly.

Still, Ida was hesitant. Sierra placed her hand on Ida’s shoulder and gave her a nod.

"Don’t worry, I’ll be alright."

Only with her assurance did Ida get up on her feet. She curtsied to the King before leaving the cell. At the gates of the cell, Ida stopped. She turned back to look at Sierra one last time before leaving.

Now, only Sierra and Alistair were left in the cell.

"Kneeling isn’t a good look for you, sweetling, get up," he said as held out his hand. freewebnoveℓ.com

Sierra did not take the King’s hand. She got up on her feet on her own and dusted off her clothes. There was something about Alistair she could not quite explain. Whenever they were alone, it was like he was a completely different person.

Perhaps he was this way to keep up appearances. As the King, he had a role to play. But this brought a question to her mind. Which was the real Alistair? The one she meets when they were alone, or the other?

Alistair realized Sierra wasn’t paying attention to him. She seemed to be deep in thought. He waved his hand in her face but got no reaction. So, he decided to do something that was sure to get a reaction.

He cupped her chin and tilted her face upwards. He kissed her straight on the lips. He was right. His actions caught Sierra completely off guard. When she drew herself out of her thoughts, she pushed Alistair away and shook her head.

She could still feel the residual heat of his lips on her own. Everything happened so quickly she could barely process it.

Alistair was a little disappointed that it had to end so swiftly, but he was happy to have her attention. In fact, he had her undivided attention as she was glaring right at him.

"Your Majesty, I would greatly appreciate it if you don’t ever do that again. It was.. it was uncalled for," she could barely find the right words to speak.

The scene of what happened was still replaying in her mind. It reminded her of what happened on the first night they met. That kiss left a deep impression on her mind.

Alistair grinned, "My humble apologies, Princess. You were distracted and I could not think of a better way to get your attention."

He cleared his throat and brought them back on topic. He had no intention of keeping Sierra here in the dungeons for very long. Alistair knew of the rumors that surrounded him and the way he treated his subjects, and how he ruled with an iron fist.

While he was a strict ruler, he would never behead someone just because they made a small mistake. Not only would that be a waste of resources, but it would also strike unnecessary fear in his subjects.

"Seeing as you’ve been punished, I think you’re free to go," he said with disappointment in his tone of voice.

Sierra sensed it but she did not comment upon it. At first, she thought she had misheard Alistair. She looked up at him with a look of confusion.

"I’m free to go? Just like that?"

She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. Sierra was used to speaking her mind. It was a habit her father had always warned would be her demise.

"Think carefully before you speak, Sierra," he would say to her, "Speaking your mind in front of others might just be the death of you."

Just as Sierra began to worry if she had offended the King yet again, she was surprised to hear laughter. Alistair was laughing. Sierra did not know how to respond.

For Alistair, Sierra’s reply nearly broke him. Her candid response, straightforward attitude, never ceased to amuse him. She reminded him of Roxine when they were younger when they did not have the royal titles to way them down.

He missed being able to speak with someone who was like his equal and not someone beneath him. Everyone, no matter their rank or title was always tiptoeing around him.

"You truly are peculiar, sweetling, are you sure you’re even a princess? You sure don’t act like any princess I know."

A shiver ran down Sierra’s spine as her expression momentarily turned into one of her horrors. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she wondered if Alistair might have realized she was not a princess.

"Who says I’m not? Of course, I am!" she exclaimed as she folded her arms.

She did not like lying but she had no other choice. This was a lie she had to keep up with, no matter the consequences. For the sake of her father, for the sake of Cair.

Alistair was not expecting such a feisty response. He circled Sierra for a moment, like a tiger circling its prey. Sierra felt extremely uncomfortable as she folded her arms while looking at Alistair.

She could not read his mind, although she wished she could.

"You definitely look like one, I’ll give you that. But your mannerisms... the way you draw your bow...you were so well trained. It was as if you were born to hold a weapon in your hands," Alistair commented, "Sometimes, you remind me more of a knight than a princess."

Sierra’s eyes widened for a moment. Alistair noticed it, although he could not make sense of it. It almost looked as if he had guessed it spot on.

But Sierra denied it, "You might be a King, but I would like to remind you to watch your tongue. I am a princess, not some knight!"

She knew she had to come up with something. A convincing cover to explain her skills.

"Unlike other princesses, I preferred spending my time in nature. My father enjoyed hunting very much so I picked up archery at a young age. Along with some sword fighting skills, nothing fancy."

She glanced over to Alistair, steeling her gaze at him to give more credibility to her words. If she chose to look away instead, it would look like she was lying.

"King Frederick likes hunting? He definitely doesn’t come across as a hunting fanatic, at least based on what I’ve heard," Alistair commented.

Sierra bit her lip. She knew it was not a convincing lie. Everyone in Cair knew King Frederick was a weak and feeble king. He hid behind the people who fought for his Kingdom, like General Leon.

Even during the annual hunt of the elusive Snow Deer, it was always General Leon who speer headed the hunt. King Frederick was only there to watch and make merry with the other ministers. He would only appear when it was time for the ceremony.

She sighed, as she spun another lie, "You’re right, it was my mother who took me hunting."

Sierra sat down on the only bench in the cell with a frown on her face. She did not look up at Alistair, firmly keeping her eyes on the ground as she continued to weave a convincing tale.