The King's Mistress

Chapter 81: Without You

Sierra unceremoniously punched Alistair on his arm as she turned to face the other direction. The heat in her cheeks continued to rise as she could no longer keep the smile on her face hidden. Alistair had a way with her words that always made her heart flutter and her heart pound.

Though she did not agree with his statement, deep down in her heart, one thing was for certain. It would be nice to have someone by her side when the night was cold. That was given, was it not?

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she mumbled in response.

"That was a really strong punch you have there, sweetling. I look forward to see just how strong you truly are when I get the chance." He continued to tease her.

No one had ever dared to be so candid with him. The only other person who did was Roxine. But they were close friends. Alistair did not like being apart from Sierra. The more time they spent together, the more he yearned for her company. There was just something about her that drew him back time after time. He found himself unable to stray away from her.

"Wait." Sierra said abruptly, drawing him out of his thoughts, "How are you here? The party... you left it for me?"

"I left it cause it was boring..."

He could see the instant disappointment she had in her eyes. He loved seeing how her expression changed in a matter of seconds.

"Without you."

She looked over to him, knowing full well he had tricked her yet again.

"You can’t just do that," Sierra protested as she traced her finger against the fabric of his royal garments.

How he wished she was tracing his bare skin instead. Alistair shook those thoughts out of his mind.

"I can do whatever I want. I’m the King."

"And yet you’re bound by the rules like everyone else. I guess even a King has to be obedient too," She continued.

Alistair grabbed hold of Sierra’s hand. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.

"Perhaps for you, I might be willing to make a few changes," he whispered.

Sierra chuckled. Having seen how King Frederick ruled over Cair for years, she knew it wasn’t that easy. The ministers who helped run the kingdom always had an opinion. The more a king relied on his ministers, the bigger effect their opinions had.

"With all due respect, I’ll believe it when I see it." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Alistair was amused. No one had ever dared to speak to him in such a manner. Even Roxine knew better than to question Alistair when he made a statement. But perhaps with time, Sierra would realise that Alistair would do whatever it took. For her, he was willing to move mountains if need be.

Later that night, Sierra and Alistair returned to Vargos Castle late in the night. They rode on Midnight together. Midnight only listened to Sierra’s commands hence she rode in the front. Alistair had his arms wrapped around her waist the entire journey as they rode through the forest.

By the time they arrived near Celestial Lodge, they both knew they could not be seen together. Not like this, not while the concubine selection was still ongoing. Alistair released Sierra’s waist and hopped off Midnight’s back. Sierra got off as well. Before she could say anything, Alistair planted a kiss on Sierra’s lips.

"It’s been fun getting to know you a little better, sweetling. I hope we’ll have many more adventures together in the future," he said to her in a whisper as he gave her a wink.

Not waiting for her to reply, he left the forest and made his way back to the King’s Quarters. Sierra was left to stand there alone, stunned by his parting words and actions. She brushed her fingers over her lips, remembering how it felt to have his lips on hers.

She already missed him.

~

"This... this is too much..." Myra was gasping for air as she pulled the reins on her horse.

It has been a couple of days since the completion of the culinary tests. A messenger was sent to inform the princesses that their next test would be on their riding skills. To allow everyone to start on equal footing, a series of training was provided for princesses who had no prior riding experiences. freewebnσvel.cѳm

The test would also be tailored to each Princess based on how they fared in an aptitude test that they would be given in two days’ time. This was to ensure fairness, as some princesses had voiced out that the previous tests were unfair to some.

"You’re doing great, Myra," Sierra cheered her on as she came up next to her on Midnight.

As part of their recent new routine, Myra and Sierra rode through the forest for a few hours after first light, before breakfast. Today, they left just an hour before dawn to reach a clearing in the forest to watch the sunrise and have breakfast.

"Sierra, were you born on a horse?" Myra mused as she dismounted from her horse and retrieved their breakfast.

Their maids have prepared sandwiches, sliced fruits, and canisters of hot tea. They were all packed neatly and tightly in their saddle bags.

"I don’t know about that," Sierra mused as she dismounted."But when you spent many hours on horseback on the road, you get used to it eventually."

"On the road?" Myra asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Realizing she has said too much, Sierra quickly changed the topic, "The view sure is pretty here, isn’t it?"

Myra decided not to pry any further for the time being and agreed with Sierra on the view. She had hardly been outside of her own kingdom before coming to Cair. Seeing such beauty of vast lands of forest cover was something she wasn’t used to either.

"To think there are kingdoms out there I’ve never seen and might never will always makes me feel a little sad," Myra sighed as she looked far out into the distance, feeling the wind in her hair.

Sierra could see the longing in her friend’s eyes. Most princesses, if not all, were usually trapped in the castle for the majority of their lives. Kept away from general society since they were children till a marrying age. Then, when they were introduced into society, it would only be a matter of time before they were married off.

Some would go in to marry a King or a Prince and live out the rest of their lives in a different land. Others end up marrying a Lord or a Duke. That was how it had always been. But should it be that way?

"Have you ever thought of running away?" Sierra asked as they sat down on the picnic blanket with their breakfast spread laid out.