The King's Mistress

Chapter 96: Wondering

"I’m alright, my darling. I’m alright," Roxine reassured her.

The queen looked over to Sierra and continued, "Sierra here made quick work of the thugs. Though she did take her sweet time with the last one so I stepped in."

Sierra smiled awkwardly as she placed her hand behind her head, "My apologies. I got a little carried away."

Looking at the disarray around them, Lady Diane was shocked. She was surprised to hear that Sierra single-handedly took out more than ten men. Not to mention, in such a short period of time too.

"You truly are something special, Sierra," Lady Diane praised.

She walked over and bowed deeply to her, "Thank you for protecting Roxine. I am in your debt." ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"I’m just doing my duty, Lady Diane. There’s no need for thanks."

"Nonsense, your skills are exceptional. I don’t think there are many out there who can compare, men and women alike. Should you ever need anything, please feel free to let me know. I will fulfill it to the best of my abilities as thanks." Lady Diane offered.

Roxine held onto Lady Diane’s arm, "Now now, my darling. Is there truly something you can offer that I can’t?"

"Haha, you’re right, my kitten. I keep forgetting you’re still Queen," Diane chuckled.

Sierra picked up on that immediately. Before she could ask what it meant, Sierra realized they had something more pressing to take care of. The run-in with the thugs had severely delayed their time.

It was getting really late in the night and should they not return to the castle, it would soon be first light. Should the sunrise, it would be even more difficult for them to conceal themselves.

"We better get going, Your Highness, less we get in trouble," Sierra reminded.

"Yes, you’re right," Roxine sighed as she looked up at the sky, then back at Diane, "We’ll meet again soon enough, my darling."

With that, they parted ways once more. This time, Sierra drove the carriage. It was relatively simple to master since she already had experience of horseback riding. Lady Diane sent some of her people to escort them as far as they could go.

When it was back to the two of them, Roxine opened the window at the front of the carriage so that she could speak to Sierra.

"Sierra, I think I owe you the truth."

"You owe me nothing, Queen Roxine. You don’t have to tell me anything you do not wish to."

Roxine shook her head, "After everything you’ve done for me, I think you deserve to know."

The Queen began to explain her arrangement with Alistair. They had been close friends since childhood. Hence when their parents were looking for potential marriage partners for them, they decided to forge an alliance with one another.

"Hang on," Sierra stopped the carriage as she turned back to look at Roxine as she asked, "Are you telling me Alistair prefers..."

"What? Oh, no!" Roxine quickly explained to avoid any further confusion.

Back then, there were many princesses and noblewomen throwing themselves on Alistair which he hated. He had always believed in finding and marrying a woman who loved him the same way he loved her. However, with the pressure from the court and from his parents, he did not have any other choice.

Hence, Roxine and he came to an agreement. They would agree to a marriage alliance that would benefit both of their countries. Alistair was well aware of Roxine’s preferences. He let her do as she pleased and even made sure to dispel any rumors that might arise.

"He’s really caring once you get to know him," she explained, noting that the rumors beyond the castle walls had always painted him to be a cruel and unloving man.

"So this... concubine choosing ceremony..."

"It wasn’t his idea, believe it or not," Roxine chuckled.

"What?"

The Queen continued to explain the situation. Because of his status and fearsome reputation, it had been difficult for Alistair to find someone.

"You should have seen him when the Princess of Aeriem visited last year. He refused to speak to her at all. The silence was so awkward you could hear a pin drop." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

In Drakin’s history, it was common for the King to take multiple consorts. As such, Roxine did her best to convince Alistair to take another. However, nothing seemed to rouse his interest.

The concubine choosing was Roxine’s last-ditch effort to help him. She was running out of ideas. She didn’t want him to end up alone.

"Would you have given up on him then? If he didn’t find anyone he liked," Sierra wondered.

Roxine chuckled, "Of course not. I knew he would find someone eventually."

She nudged Sierra on her arm, "And from the looks of it, I was right. You came along."

Sierra blushed as she grinned. She could not stop herself from smiling as she remembered all the moments she and Alistair had shared since they first met. Fate had brought them together. Each time she worried about their future, she treated the moments they had.

It was as if the Universe wanted them to be together.

Though the circumstances leading to it were not the best, and the outcome was beyond her wildest imagination, Sierra would not change any of it.

Roxine continued to explain that she and Lady Diane had known one another for a long time too. It was not until Roxine was to marry Alistair that Lady Diane made her feelings known. But at that point, it was too late for them to do anything.

At first, nothing happened beyond that. However, as they exchanged letters and came into each others’ company, their feelings for one another grew. Despite being far apart from one another, they held each other close to their hearts.

"Does this have something to do with Lady Diane mentioning you won’t be queen for long?" Sierra blurted.

The stunned look on Roxine’s face seemed to have some of the answers. But there were still many questions to be asked.