The King's Mistress

Chapter 99: Like An Angel

Under the guise of taking Macadamia out for a night ride, she would head to a clearing she had found in the forest and practice her singing there. Each night, with the cool night breeze around her, she could sing into the night and allow her voice to travel far.

Little did she know, someone had been watching her closely from the shadows of the forest cover behind her. He had not expected to find her there. But when Alistair saw her taking Macadamia out for a night ride, his curiosity got the better of him.

He wanted to remain in the shadows to admire her for longer. But on the night before the art showcase, he could no longer resist it. As Sierra sang the final note of the song, she released a breath of air from her lungs and a smile formed on her face.

She was finally happy with the song that she had prepared. All she had to do now was to perform it the next day in front of everyone. She started muttering to herself, giving herself a pep talk to boost her own confidence.

"You’ll do great, sweetling. You have nothing to worry about," he said to her as he came out of hiding.

At first, Sierra simply assumed it was a voice in her head. But when she sensed someone coming up from behind her, she turned with her sword drawn and pointed at his throat.

As the moonlight shone down upon them, she finally recognized him, she quickly took a step back in shock. Forgetting she was on a ledge, Sierra almost fell backward. Lucky for her, Alistair was there to reach out and grasp her hand.

He pulled her straight into his embrace.

"Easy there, sweetling. I didn’t mean to scare you, sorry about that, " He quickly apologized, realizing his sudden appearance shocked her.

"Alistair? You... where..."

He could see that his sudden appearance confused her, but he did not mind nor did he explain himself. He carefully helped steady her on her feet and tucked the loose lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I just happened to be here when I saw Macadamia with you," he turned his attention to the stallion beside her and gently pet the horse on the side of his neck.

"How have you been, Macadamia?" He spoke to the horse, ignoring the stunned Sierra.

It took her a few moments to realize he had likely heard her singing. He glanced at her, clearly able to tell that she wanted to say something to him but did not dare to do so.

"Is there something you want to ask?" He asked as their eyes met.

Sierra pursed her lips.

"Did you..." she looked over to him, hoping she would not need to spell out her question.

"Did I....?"

"Did you hear anything?" She finally blurted it out.

"Hear anything?" Alistair furrowed his eyebrows and folded his arms.

For a few moments, he looked convincingly deep in thought. It was as if it was carefully evaluating Sierra’s question.

"What exactly was I supposed to hear?" He asked for clarification.

Sierra was about to speak but then she stopped herself from doing so. After a short moment, she continued, "... hear someone singing?"

"Oh, someone? No, I don’t think so."

She heaved a sigh of relief, "Oh, that’s good."

"But, I did hear you singing," he declared as he walked over to her.

She froze in her spot, glaring at him. Moments later, she curled her hands into fists and gently hit him on the chest.

"You said you didn’t hear someone singing then you turned around saying that you did. So which is it?" She pouted.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned on her shoulder. Tilting his head up a little, he whispered into her ear.

"Which would you prefer, sweetling?"

Sierra bit her lip as she leaned back against him.

"It doesn’t matter. What matters is if you liked it," she mumbled.

"Like it? Like what?"

She knew he was just messing with her. But she loved it either way.

"Did you like my singing?" She asked, cheeks blushing. freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Alistair chuckled as he planted a kiss on her neck. He had never been so enamored with anyone. The moment he heard Sierra singing, he was stunned. Just when he thought he could not love her more, he did.

He had seen many singers in his lifetime, but none of them could compare to her. In his mind, she was perfect. Sierra was his angel.

"I don’t like it," he said slowly in a soft whisper, "I loved it. You have the voice of an angel, sweetling."

Sierra’s heart blossomed with pride. She could not help but smile from ear to ear. The nervousness she felt previously evaporated in the blink of an eye. She was ready for the Art showcase. All she truly needed was affirmation from the man she had fallen for.

"What will you be wearing tomorrow, sweetling?" Alistair asked.

"Wear? I... I never really thought about it."

She had been so focused on perfecting her singing, that she had forgotten about her attire. Recalling the different outfits she had in her wardrobe, the only one that would be good enough for the performance tomorrow would be the gown she wore to the very first ball she attended in Drakin.

When Alistair heard that, he could already imagine her in it. It would have been lovely, but it wasn’t perfect. He turned Sierra around to face him. As their eyes met, he explained that he had a surprise in store for her.

"Tomorrow a dress will be delivered to you in secret from a dressmaker. I want you to wear it to the art showcase," he said to her.

"A dress? For me?" Sierra gasped in shock. She placed her hand on his chest, "But what if people find out?"

Alistair chuckled as he caressed her cheek, "No one will find out. You worry too much."

"Alright, if you say so. What does the dress look like?" Though she did not care for the dresses very much, a gift from him was something she would cherish.

She wanted to know what he was preparing to dress her in.

"I’m not giving the surprise away, sweetling. But its color is that of the night sky."

She looked up at the sky above them. Tonight, the dark sky was covered with twinkling stars. The crescent moon hung high above them.