The King's Mistress

Chapter 40: Scars

"Your Majesty, I have a question." she caught his attention instantly.

"You can address me as Alistair when we’re in private, Princess. Or if you prefer Silas. Ask away. I’ll get back to your earlier hypothesis when I have an answer."

"Right," she shifted in her seat, "It’s regarding the Resonance. Which Patron do you think I would resonate with?"

Alistair furrowed his brows for a moment. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sierra from top to bottom.

"Stand up." He said without skipping a beat.

She did as he asked.

"Spin around." fгeewebnovёl.com

Sierra spun around, no questions asked. Unbeknownst to her, Alistair already had the answer in his mind as soon as she finished her question. He simply wanted to take a better look at her, so he got her to stand and spin.

He signaled her to sit back down and asked for her right hand. He placed out his own hand as she laid her open palm on his. Alistair traced the lines on her palm with his finger. For a princess, her skin was a little rougher than he had expected.

He was quick to notice the callouses in her palm too. As he traced his finger over the bumps, Sierra grew self-conscious about them. She shrugged her palm away from him, clutching it close to her heart for a moment as she averted her gaze.

Was she shy?

Alistair grinned as he stroked his chin for a moment, pretending to be deep in thought.

"I think Dravin the Dragon will favor you. Or perhaps, Fyra the Phoenix," he declared with confidence.

"What?" Sierra gasped in shock, "How would that be possible?"

Alistair shrugged his shoulders, "The Patrons and the Celestial Pair work in mysterious ways, far beyond what we can fathom,"

"I get that... but they said only members of the royal family had ever resonated with the Celestial Pair. I..." Sierra bit her lip as she stopped herself from continuing.

She almost let it slip that she was not in fact a royal!

"You are a princess after all," he said as he caressed her cheek, successfully regaining her full attention, "You stand a good chance. Besides, there has been recorded resonance with the Celestial Pair beyond the Royal Family in Drakin."

"But they also said some had been driven mad by the blessing they receive, what if..."

"Don’t worry about that, sweetling. You’re stronger than you know," he said as he looked straight into her eyes.

Alistair placed his hand on Sierra’s. This time she did not flinch, nor did she shrug away from his touch. They were lost in each other’s eyes. At that moment, it was as if time stood still.

"Besides, I will be there at the Resonance too. I will be there if you need me."

I will be there if you need me.

Alistair’s words rang in Sierra’s mind as she made her way back to Celestial Lodge. She could barely remember what happened after that moment. All she knew was that he suggested it was time for her to return. If she had stayed on any longer, it would become impossible for her to leave and she might be found.

The search for her seemed to have ground to a halt. Sierra did not know how many hours had past since she left the lodge. But it must have been quite a while as when she climbed back through her room window, Ida had fallen asleep at the dressing table.

Looking back out the window, the sky was lightening up. The dawn of a new day was almost upon them. Sierra let out a yawn as she crept past Ida, hoping not to wake her. But as soon as she passed her, the maid shot right up.

"Princess...Princess? You’re back!" she exclaimed as she got up from her seat.

"Thank you for waiting up for me, Ida. You didn’t have to."

"Nonsense, it’s the least I can do, Princess Sierra. Did you find anything useful? I was so worried when I heard the guards trudging along shouting something about an intruder." she said as she helped Sierra change out of her clothes. freeweɓnøvel.com

"Oh Ida, it’s alright I can-"

"Your Highness! Your back... wha-" Ida gasped in shock as she took a few steps back.

This was the first time she had helped Sierra remove her clothing to change. She was shocked to see the scars that adorned her back. Ida’s exclamation caught her by surprise. She became self-conscious of them, quickly grabbing her night blouse and putting it over her head.

"It’s nothing, Ida, don’t worry about it," she tried to reassure her.

Ida clasped onto Sierra’s hand, refusing to let the matter rest.

"Princess. please tell me. Who did this to you?" she paused for a moment before gasping, "Was it your father, the King?"

"What no," Sierra quickly shook her head.

"Then who? Who dared to strike a princess! I swear I will..."

Sierra quickly sat Ida down on the side of the bed. She quickly explained that those were scars from battling wild beasts when she lived in the forest with her mother, a tale she had spun on the spot.

In truth, those scars came from her training in the army. Some of them were battle scars too, from the times she fought off her Kingdom’s enemies. Remembering it brought a pained smile to her face. Sierra remembered the times General Leon would insist on hiring the best herbalists and healers money could buy.

He spared no expense when it came to Sierra. He truly cared for her wellbeing. However, some scars were permanent.

"That’s horrible. Did they not get the healers to lighten them. How could they!"

"They did, Ida, They did," she reassured her, "They did everything they could."

Ida furrowed her brows. It pained her to see Princess Sierra like this. In her eyes, she was like a warrior princess, strong and never yielding. She could not understand how a princess could have so much strength and individuality.

"You truly are remarkable, Princess."