The King's Mistress

Chapter 63: Borrowed Time

Sierra could not speak. She was stunned silent, still trying to process what was happening. The quick change of her facial expressions made Alistair chuckle a little.

He could smell the sweet floral fragrance on her hair and body.

If he had the chance, he would love to bury himself in her scent.

Remembering they were in a very public space, where they could be observed by anyone and everyone, Alistair took a step back as he regained his composure. He held out his hand to Sierra.

"Anyways, shall we get going, Princess Sierra? I believe we’re on borrowed time, yes? We wouldn’t want to find out what happens if you don’t return to the castle in time, now do we?"

Latching on to his last sentence, Sierra did not respond. She simply nodded and quickly turned towards the side gate that led out of the castle. For just a split second, Alistair got to see her blush. It was more than enough for him to know she was clearly affected by his words. freёwebnovel.com

That alone had already made his day.

Sierra’s request to leave the castle for a short trip had gone through Queen Roxine. As soon as she saw it, she knew it was the perfect opportunity for the princess and king to spend some time together. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Surely Sierra must have had some strong words to say to Alistair after Myra had a special dinner with him. Even though they were friends, it was clear to the Queen that Sierra had feelings for Alistair.

She was certain that the princess was not about to let that matter go. On the other hand, she also knew Alistair had the desire to see Sierra. However, there was no opportunity to do so. Until now.

"My Queen, a penny for your thoughts?" Miss Marionne asked as she poured her a fresh cup of tea.

They were enjoying some quiet time in the comforts of the Queen’s quarters which faced the Royal Gardens. The flowers were still in full bloom and the view from the large glass windows was truly a sight to behold.

"I’m just wondering how Sierra’s trip into the city is going," she replied with a smile.

"Well, I’m sure with the right company, they are having a wonderful time," Miss Marionne chimed in.

Roxine nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

"They’ll likely only grow closer from here."

The ambiguity of their conversation left a lot to the imagination. It was no surprise that this conversation between the Queen and her maid was picked up by one of the informants Princess Cassandra had planted.

As soon as it reached her, Cassandra sent someone to follow Sierra. She wanted to know who this mysterious person was and what was the nature of their relationship. If it was something noteworthy, she was going to turn this into ammunition to use against Sierra.

"Step out of line, Sierra, and I will have you in my grasp," she grinned as she muttered to herself.

Sierra, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. This was the first time, in many months, she had ever walked through a market. The last time she did so was during a festival in Cair.

Ida and Sierra looked over all the wonderful goods each stall sold. As they marveled at the simplest of things, Alistair could not understand the value in most of them.

"Aren’t you supposed to be looking for inspiration for the cooking test?" He reminded her.

Sierra turned around, with an item in her hands, "Yes. But who says the inspiration had to come from food only?"

With that, she turned back and continued looking at the wares the stallholder sold. Ida didn’t say anything at first. But when she remembered that the guard who was following them was in fact the King, she hesitated. She tugged on Sierra’s sleeve and reminded her about it.

"So what? He doesn’t have any jurisdiction here, while he’s in disguise. He wouldn’t dare to reveal his identity, isn’t that right?" She glanced over at him with a grin.

"Perhaps," he replied, "But perhaps the princess would like to mind her words. As upon returning to the castle, things might be different."

Sierra had almost forgotten about that. She looked out into the distance at the bustling market as she tightened the grip on the item in her hand. For a flicker of a moment, the thought of escaping returned to her mindscape.

If she created a diversion and escaped now, she would never be found. Even if Alistair used everything at his disposal, he would never find a trace of her. But the Kingdom of Cair would suffer and so will her father.

The changing tides of thoughts and emotions were on display through her eyes. Alistair felt a little guilty. Perhaps he should not have made such a threat. But before he could do anything to make up for it, a commotion caught all of their attention.

Just a short distance away, a young child, no older than ten, was being chased by one of the stall holders. Many stalls were thrashed in the process as a few more children joined in running away.

"What’s going on?" Sierra pondered out loud.

All of the children who were running were dressed shabbily, with only a thin fabric for clothes and all covered in dirt and dust. Their faces were covered in dirt too. Everyone seemed to despise them.

Sierra clenched her fist at the sight of it. Seeing this play out before her triggered a memory from her past. One she had hoped to never remember. As she heard the stall owners cursing and swearing at the children, she gritted her teeth.

She knew she could not make a scene, especially not in front of King Alistair. But she could not do nothing either. Sierra signaled to Ida for help. She walked up to one of the stalls that were selling freshly baked bread and bought three baskets full of it.

"Your Highness, what are we going to do with all of these?" Ida asked as she struggled to carry one of them.