Chapter 9: +Chapter 9+

The maid returned in a short time just as she promised and Mari ended up not eating much because she wasn’t used to so much food, a furrow on her brow at the thought of wasting food.

The maid didn’t bat an eyelid at the mostly full tray, used to the ladies that visited the palace eating little or nothing at all. She didn’t judge either way, she just did her job.

She went straight to the wardrobe where she had already placed the dress, it was a soft gold dress that skirted below the knees, the thin sleeve-straps the only revealing thing about the outfit but it still managed to look incredibly sensual.

Mari let herself be helped into the dress, her pulse spiking from excitement, she usually wore baggy shirts and loose jeans because they were affordable and easy to move around in but she dreamed of wearing an elegant dress someday.

The maid gestured for her to sit in front of the vanity table and went to work on her hair, “Your hair is very pretty, Miss Mari,” She complimented.

Mari smiled and said all the right things although she knew that the maid was just being nice because there was nothing special about her dark brown hair; maybe if she had been a blonde it would have worked in her favor.

Her hair was just dried and brushed until it shone, the straight silky strands draping over her bare shoulders. Comfortable low-heeled strappy sandals completed the look and when Mari stared at herself in the floor-length mirror, she couldn’t recognize herself.

The maid offered to do her make-up but Mari felt like that was doing too much, she was about to be questioned for a possible crime, not go out on a date. She settled for some lip gloss and as she started for the door behind the maid all her nerves that the pampering she had gotten kept at bay returned in full force.

She tried to reassure herself once more, that if they truly believed she was a witch, she wouldn’t be given such stellar treatment. She just had to say what she knew and she would be on her way back to her old life, hopefully with the dress she currently had on.

The maid led the way to a different hallway, walking with purpose. She stopped in front of a door, knocked politely, and immediately slipped away, leaving a panicked Mari behind.

“Come in,” King Lucien’s powerful voice came from within and Mari had no other option but to obey.

She gingerly turned the knob and pushed it open, stepping in with her heart in her throat. She looked up long enough to catch a glimpse of King Lucien behind a massive desk and King Kade sitting on the other side, both staring at her with interest in their eyes.

Mari bit her lower lip nervously, tasting the fruity notes of her lip gloss as she fixed her eyes on the dark marble floor in front of her. She nervously stood in the doorway, wanting nothing more that to turn around and dash down the hallway, away from the two intimidating men who managed to stare her down although they were both seated.

Lucien leaned back in his seat, his ice-blue eyes sharp as he took in the witch - *‘a shame that she was an enemy of the Kingdom, he would have loved to flip up her skirt and see what she looked like bent over his desk’.*

“Take a seat, Mari,” He invited, never taking his eyes off her.

Kade on the other hand took one look at the witch and turned away, fixing his black eyes on a glass figurine sitting on Lucien’s desk. He found himself wondering why he was going this far, why he didn’t listen to Lucien and return to Wolfden until everything had been sorted out regarding the witch.

Mari pushed herself to take a step forward, she took the seat offered to her and immediately lost the creamy floral scent that had covered her like a cloud ever since she got out of the bath because she was immediately assaulted by the scent of both Kings. The now familiar white roses and peppermint of King Lucien and another much dark dangerous scent of rich smoky leather and dark chocolate.

Kade forced himself not to lean in the witch’s direction because, underneath the artificial creamy floral scent that billowed around her, there was a clearer, alluring scent, one of moonflowers and sugar. He also was very curious to see how Lucien intended to handle this.

“You say the fire was started by a birthday candle, right?” Lucien went right to business, actually sounding like he believed it.

Mari gulped, she didn’t believe it fully because she knew that she had blown out the candle completely but she didn’t want to think of the other alternative. “I believe so,” She answered, her voice trembling.

“I’ll get a detailed report from the firefighters soon and document it so you don’t need to worry about that.” King Lucien said, glancing down at the papers in front of him.

They were papers regarding an issue that was so far removed from their current discussion but the nervous witch didn’t need to know that.

“Before the incident this morning, have there been other instances of things catching on fire without reason?” He asked, he sounded very detached and clinical like a weathered detective in the line of work.

Mari pressed her hands together to keep them from trembling, telling herself that this was very much procedure and that she had nothing to fear as long as she told the truth. “No, not at all.”

Lucien nodded and hummed, scribbling something on a sheet of paper with a pen. He had already made arrangements for research to be done about the witch’s background and the reports from the firefighters had come in a long time ago but she didn’t need to know that.

“Your parents must be very worrie-”

“They’re dead,” Mari cut him off, her voice guarded.