Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Nora's pov

I felt that a medical condition was a convenient excuse - one I could keep using whenever anyone questioned me. But what if they took me to a hospital and all the tests came back negative? Then they would know something was wrong. It was better to keep things vague and let their imaginations fill in the details.

He smiled as he rose. "She's the king's most ."

"But I'm no one," he said with a small laugh. "However, you've made my day, and I have to thank you for everything."

I didn't understand what he was thanking me for. If anyone, I knew I deserved no thanks whatsoever. He was the one I should be thanking. So I stood up, determined to do him one better. I bowed deeply to him, noting with satisfaction the look of surprise and horror on his face.

"Thank you for everything and all your help," I told him, wishing I knew where they kept the harmony formula so I could give him some - he truly deserved it.

"You shouldn't do that," he said, panic in his voice. "You're the queen. You can't bow to me, not even in thanks."

I laughed. "I'm the queen - which means I'll do what I want. And I want to thank you," I declared, my fierceness softening.

"Thank you for what you've done. I won't forget it," I told him.

He smiled. "That's not necessary," he said. "Remember, I did this without expecting anything in return. Don't try to give me anything," he added slowly.

I understood people like him, but he needed to understand people like me too. I always paid my debts - it was how I lived my life. I was definitely going to reward him somehow, even if I had to track him down to do it.

Later, I spent time in bed reflecting, trying to internalize everything he had taught me. There was so much to remember and implement. I couldn't ask him to repeat it all - there were limits to his patience, and I didn't want to force him to do anything more for me.

I couldn't sleep. Each time I tried, I found myself going over it all again. Finally, I closed my eyes and moved to take my medication. I hoped for a short break - one last break. But what started as a quick nap turned into deep sleep, and afterward, I found myself too comfortable to leave the bed. It wasn't that I couldn't wake up; I was simply too lazy to rise.

However, I forced myself to get up because I knew that I had something to do, a lot of work, and I couldn't keep on lazing about. When I needed to get them completed, I walked out of my bed and into the passageway, making up my mind that first of all, I would go around this entire palace and acclimate effectively before I decided that I was finally good to go in that aspect.

I started moving around as much as I could, slowly and trying to figure out every single thing, every step of the way. I identified the various rooms and the landmarks that I could use to get my way around the palace. But honestly speaking, though, it was just a bit too much, and it took me about an entire hour just to go around it. One hour had passed now, and I had how many more to go.

I looked around myself and noticed that I was actually feeling very drained and tired. I needed a meal or something like that because this had completely drained me of all energy whatsoever that I had left in me. The work seemed to have been specifically designed for me to lose everything. I remained on my feet because I just couldn't bring myself to have the strength anymore to do anything else.

After having that walk, I decided that I would go to the kitchen to have a meal, but all of a sudden, I looked sharply at a corner, seeing someone there that I was pretty sure was not supposed to be here. I raised an eyebrow as I took a step closer, hearing a sound and a beckoning. He was calling me, and I recognized him as the guy from last night. What was he doing here? Was he in Savannah Palace? Was he allowed to be here? Because personally, I felt that he was some kind of savage or homeless guy.

When I saw him the last time, even though he was dressed well, I didn't have any reason to think that he was a good guy or a decent person. But now that he was here, I needed to reevaluate - was he a servant? Could a servant simply call me by making sounds from his mouth? "Hey, come along," he said, his voice hushed as if he was hiding out.

I was totally against this situation. Now, if it was Jake, then I wouldn't really mind. Only that Jake would never hide in the shadows before he requested my presence. He would simply call me outright. But him, he was doing exactly the opposite, and I hated it right from the very start.

I looked at him and around myself to see if there was anybody around me. If there was, I was definitely not going to go. I might even call that guy out and tell him to explain himself and why he was speaking like this. But there was no one, no audience for me to try to impress or put up my image before, because I just couldn't let the queen be someone that anyone could call so randomly like that.

Since there was nobody else around me, I could probably afford to follow him this once and then give him a stern warning later on. From previous experience, I knew that he wasn't going to harm me. He probably had some means of doing that, but he was not that strong, and I knew that I had some powers within me also that I could use to defend myself.

I made up my mind that this time around, I wasn't going to go out of the palace if that's what he was trying to get me to do. Last time it was a bit too risky, and I also knew that it could have ended very differently from how it had actually ended. So it was best in my interest to make sure that this time around, I kept myself within the palace walls.

I walked towards him gracefully, even though he seemed to be in a hurry. "What do you want?" I asked him, my voice cold. I was glaring at him now as he whispered to me, "Hey, keep it down, keep it down." I could hardly believe my ears. Did he know what he was saying? Was he insane, commanding me like that?

I was about to turn around and leave when he started speaking and finally started saying something sensible in a way that got me hooked and left me waiting to hear the rest of the words. "The lady from last night, she wants to see you."

"What's her name?" I asked him. He told me nothing. "What's her name?" I asked in response, waiting for him to tell me. There was no way I was going if I didn't know her name at least. He seemed to know himself, but when I asked him the last time, he didn't even agree to tell me, and neither did she. She kept it a secret, cryptic, and I hated that fact.

If he wasn't going to tell me her name now, then I was not going to go. I made up my mind that it was a criterion because he seemed pretty desperate. "She would tell you when she's ready," he told me simply, as if that was explanation enough for me and I was supposed to be satisfied with that.

I could hardly believe my ears. Could he have believed that he was speaking like this to me, and he was still ignoring my questions when he wanted me to go somewhere with him? Is that how he really treated someone, or did this guy know nothing about being a gentleman at all?

I closed my eyes as I rose up to my full height, looking down at him since he was actually pretty short. I turned around and made to leave, but he called me, "Hey, hey, please!" I glanced back at him. "Come along," he said. "She has something important to tell you, and trust me, you don't want to miss it."

"Oh, I might actually want to miss it," I told him in response. He frowned. "Did you regret coming the last time, last night?" he questioned, and I frowned. "Yes, just in the same way you won't want to miss this one," he told me.

I shook my head at him. He wasn't going to get me with some kind of pesky speech like this like the last time. I was just not going to come through, and it was in his best interest to forget about it. "If you're not telling me her name, then I'll be on my way," I told him simply, without any hesitation, passing my message across and making to leave once again.

He looked a little panicked, and I knew that I had gotten him. "Honestly speaking, what is she going to do to you if you don't come with me?" I asked him, frowning. He didn't seem to want to respond to my question. Instead, he spoke, "Lola."

I raised an eyebrow. Was he joking with me, or was he trying to simply tell me any name so that I would believe it? Since I didn't know the truth either way, I stood there frowning at my skepticism. I still didn't know whether or not to believe him.

"And what if I find out that you are lying?" I asked.

"If you find out that I'm lying, you can do whatever the hell you want to do to me," he told me simply. I said that was a good enough punishment for him, though I honestly didn't think that it was enough. He should have a lot more to face as consequence, especially since I didn't know where he lived or anything concerning him at all.

"Fine, I'll come with you," I told him. "But you guys have to stop being secretive," I continued, frowning at him. "If I find out that you are trying to deceive me anyway, I'll make sure to bring your head off your neck," I threatened.

He laughed a little, a subtle sound that grated on my nerves and told me that he didn't fear me at all. I hated him now with a passion. He had absolutely zero manners when it came down to this, and that was another reason why I despised him.

"Sure, sure, why not," he responded.