He looks at me, surprised. “You are their queen, little one. You don’t need to apologize.”
“It is the right thing to do.” Kaden sighs deeply as he stands up and starts pacing around the room, muttering some unknown words that sound like swearing to me, if I am honest.
“ Meara!” He finally stops in front of the bed.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully now. You are inexperienced at magic. You don’t know how to use it properly; you don’t know how to control it yet; you actually could have used a part of your magic reserve to heal yourself. Lucky, your heart created a forcefield to protect your heart.” He pauses for a moment.
“from freezing over. The amount of magic you released at once could have killed you in the prose.” He pauses again.
“Or I could have killed you in the prose if you hadn’t.” He turns away from me, so only his back is visible to me with his hands folded behind his back. He sighs heavily.
“I have decided that it would be better for you to leave this place and go back to your own world. It will be safer for you.” My entire body shudders at the thought of leaving now.
"But... I haven’t found my parents yet, and I wanted to see the kingdom before I left. I promised Merilla that I would.” Merilla wags her tail, happy to hear that I still want to explore the kingdom with her.
“Very well, just remember that you are staying at your own risk!” He says it harshly.
“From here on out, I won’t bother you anymore. Deon and the rest of the men are at your disposal if you need them to help you with your search.”
“Thank you, Kaden.” I say it tenderly.
“ Just promise me that you would take them everywhere with you if you decided to explore through the kingdom.” I nod, giving him a friendly smile. He stared at me blankly for a moment as his lips parted a bit. He clenched his jaw. He was just about to say something again, but instead he went out through the door, leaving me somewhat disappointed. What did he want to say?
The next morning, I was a little disappointed to see the chair next to the bed was empty. Kaden didn’t return after he left last night. I am probably insane, because the entire time I wanted him to leave me alone and give me space, but now that he is gone, I feel the opposite. I wanted to see those dark, mesmerizing eyes with splashes of red in them. But remembering that those same eyes can change into darkness, I push the feeling aside and vert my tension to Merilla, who is still lying on the bed with me. She stretched out comfortably when one of the healers popped in.
“ Oh, you are up! That is good.” She smiles.
“ Stay here. His majesty ordered that your breakfast should be served here, and I also have quite a few potions for you to take.” She disappears and only moments later she reappears with a tray full of plates. I sit up straight in bed and thank her when she places the tray on my lap.
“Excuse me.” I stop her before she leaves. “May I ask you something?”
“Of course.” She says it politely, but it feels like she would rather escape me as soon as possible. “Her humility can ask me anything.”
“Do you by any chance know where Kade is? Sorry…I meant to say the king. Do you know where the king is right now?” She looked at me silently for a few moments.
“His majesty is out patrolling through the kingdom.” I sigh in relief.
“Thank you.” She disappears once more, resuming what I think are her duties as a healer, which must be the same as those of a nurse back in the human world. I feel somewhat relieved that Kaden isn’t here right now. Being around him gives me mixed feelings, and I don’t know what to make of them. It is like I hate him and like him at the same time. I just need a little space from him to think clearly, and today is the perfect day to get lost in all the books in the library.
Once more, I noticed a new set of clothes placed neatly across the sofa. It is a pale, dusty blue dress. I love blue, and this dusty blue color is stunning. Blue has always gone well with the color of my eyes, seeing that my eyes were icy blue. But once more, I notice that it was a corset dress, which means that I had to ring for my ladies maids to help me lace up the corset. I sigh heavily. Couldn’t they just have normal clothes, like T-shirts and jeans? Why did they have to overdress so much?
Going to the restroom in one of these dresses is a battle on its own, especially in a corset. You can’t function correctly if you are as stiff as a wooden pole. How the women managed to do anything back in the day baffle’s me, not to mention the breathing. They must have learned not to breathe while wearing a corset. It is no wonder they had maids helping them get dressed. I, for one, prefer dressing myself. Thank you!
After finishing the breakfast the healer had brought for me, I reluctantly tried to put on the dress by myself. After three failed attempts at trying to lace up the corset myself, I walk over to the ropes dangling next to the door. I look at the ropes baffled, unable to remember which one it was that Merilla yanked on the other morning to call upon my lady helpers.
“ Merilla!” I call it out in the mind-link we share. She doesn’t answer. “Merilla, can you here with me?” I called out again, but got no response from her.
“For heaven’s sake, Merilla! Where are you when I need you?” I call out frustrated. She probably wondered off with Luka after Kaden was on his patrol through the kingdom.
Desperate, I start pulling the ropes one after the other.
NOCK, NOCK!
Someone knocks on the door. “ Enter!” I say it hesitantly.
Through the door comes In Mike. That is if I remembered his name correctly.
“ Your highness called?”
“ Sorry, I didn’t know which rope to pull to call for my ladies maids.” Is say bashfully. Mike gives me a caring smile. He is not one for many words. I know this because I have noticed it in the past few days. Even at breakfast yesterday morning before the incident, he was strangely quiet.
“ If her Highness would like, I could call them for you.”
“ Would you really? I don’t want to disturb you from you’re your duties.”
“ It is no hassle your Highness.” He says caringly.
He was just about to leave. “ Mike!”
“ Yes, your Highness.” He peered with his head back through the door.
“ I haven’t had a chance to thank you guys.” He looks at me confused.
“ Thank us? Thank us for what your Highness?”
“ For trying to save my life yesterday. You guys stood up against your own king to save my life.” He looks at me shocked for a moment.
“ Her Highness didn’t need to thank us. It is our job to protect her Highness, even from his Majesty. We took a vow and promised his majesty to put your life above his own at all times.” I am speechless. Why would Kaden have them put my life above his. I am nothing. I am not even going to be here that long.
Mike disappears out the door and not long after, my two ladies maids arrived. They help lace me up and put my hair up in an updo style. I must admit, if they were back in the human world, women would pay good money to have their hair done like this for weddings or functions. After they were done with my hair and helping me with my dress, I thanked them both and they immediately started tidying up the room.
Discreetly, I slip out the door, leaving them to there duties. I feel somewhat bad leaving everything to them. I am not use to people cleaning up after me. It was always just me and mom on the farm and we both cleaned up after ourselves. We didn’t have enough money to afford help around the farm. Even with the farm and crops, we would harvest and look after the animals on the farm ourselves . Mom ran the entire farm by herself until i would come home at night and help her. She was a strong independent women. I looked up to her, she was my role model.
‘ KLICK, KLICK ! '
The sound of footsteps follows behind me. I turn around only to find out that the footsteps are coming from Mike and Seth. They are both following me for some reason.
“ What are you guys doing?”
“ We are to stay by her highness side at all times.” Mike says promptly.
“ Wonderful!” I say a bit too loudly. Here I thought that I was going to have a little time by myself to think while reading a book, and now I am being watched like a hawk. I am somewhat disappointed.