The King's Mistress

Chapter 86: Think About Her

Sierra nodded as Alistair planted a kiss on her forehead. He picked up his mask and put it back on. She reached over and helped him to secure it. Once they were both dressed, Sierra carefully unlatched the bathroom door and peered into the room.

Once she was certain there was no one there, Alistair and her left the confines of the bathroom. Alistair would not leave from the main door, that was for sure. Hence, he would have to leave from where he came.

Just as Sierra was about to say her last goodbye, she could hear fast-paced footsteps coming towards her room door. With no time to waste, she quickly pushed Alistair out of the open window and set him on his way.

Just as she turned back around, the door clicked open and a series of footsteps thumped up the stairs.

"Your Highness-" Ida looked over to Sierra and noticed the look on her face.

Sierra looked a little flustered, but only for a fraction of a second.

"Yes Ida?" Sierra said as she quickly fine-tuned her voice to be as normal as possible.

Ida leaned over to the side, wondering if Sierra was hiding something. But there was nothing behind her.

"Is something the matter?" Sierra pressed, not wanting Ida to dwell on the window as she could see where she was looking.

Ida turned her attention back to Sierra and shook her head, "Oh it’s nothing. Did you manage to find out who was the intruder?"

"Yes... no, no I didn’t," she quickly replied, having almost forgotten all about it.

"Yes or no?" Ida asked in confusion.

She quickly shook her head in response, "No. Unfortunately, as I came up the stairs, there was a creak in the floorboards and that scared them away."

As Alistair got back into his room, he was humming a tune. He quickly stepped into the walk-in wardrobe to change into his royal garments. He checked himself in the mirror with an undeniable smile.

Having spent some quality time with Sierra had put him in a good mood. He had gone there, hoping to catch a glimpse of her before the riding test. It had been a while since their previous encounter and he was missing her dearly.

Even for a King, finding the appropriate excuse to meet his lover was difficult to do at times.

"Your Majesty," a messenger broke Alistair’s train of thought.

"What is it?"

"Queen Roxine is here to see you. She’s been waiting for you in the Drawing Room," the messenger explained.

Alistair quickly made his way to the Drawing Room. He did not know how long she had been waiting, but hoped that it was not too long as to raise suspicion. As soon as he entered the room and the door closed, he took a seat across from her.

"What brings my Queen to my Quarters?" He asked casually as Marionne poured him a cup of tea.

Roxine glanced over to him. She noticed the smile on his lips, the chime in his voice.

"Did something good happen earlier, my King? Would you care to share some details?" She asked, ignoring his question.

"You didn’t answer my question, Roxine. I wouldn’t be entertaining yours if you don’t entertain mine."

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his childish behavior. He had always been like this since the day they first became friends.

"Very well," she gave in, "I’m here to discuss the details of the riding test that is to be held."

"Ah yes... so about that-"

Roxine raised her hand, effectively stopping Alistair mid sentence. The look in her eyes said it all. They were not going to discuss the issue at hand until Alistair divulged his secrets.

Knowing she would not easily let it go, Alistair sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I’ll tell you. I... took a bath. A good long bath. That’s what put me in such a good mood."

The Queen narrowed her eyes as she continued to look at Alistair. She knew there was something off about him from the moment he stepped through the doors. She was not buying the tale he had spun.

Seeing the look on her face confirmed his suspicions too. Alistair gulped as he rubbed his sweaty palms on his thighs nervously, hoping she would not notice. But she did.

"A good long bath? I don’t suppose you took the bath alone, perhaps?" She pried a little further.

Alistair widened his eyes in surprise. He did not do anything to hide the shock on his face. Roxine gasped. She had simply made a wild guess, a joke even. She did not think much of it at first but seeing the look on his face said it all. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

She had hit it right on the nail.

"No..." she shook her head in disbelief, thinking perhaps Alistair had made that expression to mess with her.

When he gave her a grin and a nod, Roxine leaned back in her seat with her mouth agape. Marionne gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Is she here?" She already knew it had to be Sierra.

There was no one else Alistair would have done that with. She was just about to look over her shoulder when Alistair shook his head and replied with a resounding ’no’. Silence washed over the room as everyone took a moment to process the information.

Roxine walked over to Alistair and punched him on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" He yelped as he rubbed where she had hit him.

"Have you no common decency. Alistair?! I know you don’t care about what people think of you, but you have to take into consideration her reputation, don’t you?" She chided him, hoping to knock some senses into him.

Roxine was right. He had not thought that far ahead when he made his way there. Heck, he did not even know if anyone saw him since it was the first time he had ever done anything like this. Not to mention, in broad daylight too.

"You’re right, I didn’t even think of that," he confessed as he scratched the back of his head.

Roxine sighed as she sat back down on her seat. She rubbed her temples with her index finger and thumb.

"I know you like her more than the rest but there’s still a concubine choosing ceremony in place. We can’t just cancel it and call it a day."

"Why can’t we? We’re the King and Queen and yet we still can’t do something as simple as that," Alistair scoffed, "What a joke."

She bit her lip, understanding full well what Alistair’s statement meant. Their entire lives were seemingly controlled by others. Who they could interact with, who they could communicate with, and things they could and could not do.

Despite their social standings, neither of them seemed to be able to do what they truly wanted. Sierra seemed to have more freedom than the both of them combined.

"I’ll create more settings for the both of you to meet. That way, you two love birds and can interact a little more. But please, for both of your sakes, don’t do that again, alright?" Roxine pleaded with him as she placed her hand on his.

"You know I say all this because I’m worried about you, right?" She added as she looked over at him.

Alistair met her eyes. Out of everyone who served him in the castle, Roxine was one of the few he trusted with his life. She had been there for him through thick and thin. But even he knew he would have to let her go one day.

"I know, Roxine. I understand."