The King's Mistress

Chapter 62: Are You Ready?

"Not entirely, but something tells me it must be of grave importance. It is also very likely that the King had no idea about any of this. We can use this to our advantage," Cassandra said as she took a sip of her tea.

All they had to do was to spin a convincing lie and pin it on Sierra. Perhaps they were conspiring against the King to bring him down? All they needed to do was to make it seem as realistic as possible. ƒreewebɳovel.com

If they could convince King Alistair of their supposed treachery, not only would that mean less competition for them; but the seat as Queen of Drakin would also be for the taking.

"We should report this to the King at once. This would most certainly draw suspicion to Sierra. It might even get her removed from the candidacy," Agnes suggested with a wide smile.

But Cassandra was already a few steps ahead of her, as the gears in her mind moved and turned.

"No, we will remain as we were," she replied flatly.

"What? We’re just going to let this opportunity slip by?" Agnes asked in disbelief.

Cassandra chuckled as she shook her head, "No, we’re simply waiting for this to become the perfect opportunity for us to strike. It’s one thing to accuse someone based on rumors. If we have iron-clad proof, the King would never be able to save either of them. He would have played into our hands."

Days later, the next test in the series of trials was about to begin. This time, it was a test of the princess’ culinary skills. In the week leading up to it, all of the princesses were busy testing out recipes, perfecting them, and polishing their skills.

The competition was on and everyone wanted to impress the King and Queen with their culinary skills. Everyone brought their A-game, including Sierra. In order to familiarize herself with the local cuisine, Sierra made a special request to the Queen for permission to visit a market outside of the castle walls.

She wanted to see what the regular folk ate and drank.

"What makes you think we’re cooking for paupers and street urchins? I am quite certain we will be asked to present our dishes to the elite of the elite!" One of the princesses commented, snubbing Sierra.

"Can you imagine if it was the King who would be tasting our dishes? I hope he falls in love with my cooking!"

"Isn’t there a saying? The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach! I’m sure the test would be to cook something for him."

"Your Highness! A letter!" Ida ran up to Sierra with the letter in her hand.

Sierra quickly opened it up. From the wax seal, she knew it was the letter she had been waiting for. After a quick read, a smile formed on her face. Her request had been approved. However, there were two requirements for the fulfillment of her request.

First, Sierra must return before the sun sets.

"That’s easy enough," she muttered to herself as she continued reading.

Secondly, she had to be escorted by a guard who would meet her at the side castle gate entrance when she was ready to embark on her journey. Though she found the second request a little odd, Sierra saw no harm in it.

Perhaps the Queen was simply worried for her safety.

Or she was worried Sierra might take the opportunity to run away. She could not deny that it had indeed crossed her mind before. But Sierra was a woman of her word. She would uphold her promise to the Queen, no matter the circumstances.

Lastly, and perhaps the most unsettling; perhaps the Queen wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of her.

"I’m not a fly. I don’t get riled up that easily and I most certainly can handle myself," Sierra said to herself as she got ready.

For this journey, Ida would be tagging alongside too. Sierra put on her casual clothes, strapped her swords to her belt, and put on a simple grey cloak. When she was ready, she made her way to the side gate as per instructed by the Queen.

"Good Afternoon, Princess Sierra," the assigned guard greeted her.

Sierra instantly recognized that voice. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you ready for our date?"

"Did I hear you correctly, guard? How dare you speak so boldly to-"

Sierra quickly held Ida back. She whispered into her ear.

"WHAT?!" Ida gasped in shock.

She quickly covered her mouth as she got down onto her knees.

"Please accept my sincerest apologies, King Alistair, I didn’t recognize you..." sweat trickled down her forehead as she kept her eyes glued to the ground.

Standing before them, disguised in guard uniform, was none other than King Alistair himself. Sierra never forgot the look in his eyes since the day they met. Not to mention, the night at the ball where she saw his ’guard alter ego’ tipped her off too.

"Is your name, Silas, kind sir? I believe we have met before," Sierra teased as she gave him a side-eye.

Alistair played along. He lifted Sierra’s hand to his lips and gave her a gentle kiss, causing her to blush.

"Ah, so the princess remembers me. I am truly honored."

His response caused her to burst out in laughter. She wasn’t sure if he would play along, but he seemed to be selling the whole package.

"Is this all a sad excuse to get me out, alone?" She asked, attempting to push the envelope as far as she could.

Alistair circled her as if she was prey. His eyes never left hers as he did so.

"Shouldn’t I be asking you that? You’re the one who wanted to leave the castle. I wouldn’t have to do this if it weren’t for that."

Sierra shook her head. In her haste, she had given him the upper hand in this conversation. She had to find a way to gain an advantage. She folded her arms as she plotted what to say next.

"Indeed it was I who wanted to go. But I did not ask for you, specifically, to follow."

The smug smile on her face made Alistair smile too. He took a step forward, instantly closing the distance between them. They were barely inches apart, still gazing into each other’s eyes.

"I saw it as an open invitation. So I took the chance," he whispered to her as he reached over to twirl a lock of her hair in his hand.