+Chapter 39+

Mari half expected King Kade to say something to her when he dropped her off in her room but he just quietly walked off. A part of her was relieved, and a part of her wished he said something.

Practice had gone surprisingly well even with the loss of her budding friendship, her witch fire came easy to her after only two days of practice. It was the only thing she had now so she was grateful that even the cause of her life going awry didn’t desert her as well.

Mari didn’t run around today thanks to the rain so she wasn’t exhausted. It was still early in the afternoon so it would soon be time for lunch. She told herself she could live through lunch, she just had to sit and quietly eat, while in the presence of the two most powerful men on the continent.

*It would be so very easy.*

She knew it wouldn’t be but if she told herself that often enough, maybe she would start believing in it in time for lunch.

So it was a surprise when as she was preparing to go to the dining room for lunch, a knock on her door revealed a maid who held a covered tray.

“His Highness, King Kade said you would be having your lunch in your room today,” The maid beamed as she stepped in.

Mari could hug King Kade if she could, she almost felt like forgiving him for how he treated her during practice. “Thank you,” She said nicely to the maid, throwing a bathrobe on.

“Can I go to the library after lunch?” She asked in a haste just as the maid was about to leave.

“Of course, Miss! I’ll return to show you the way there.” The maid eagerly replied before leaving.

Mari sight and settled by the fireplace, it was put on but on low as it had stopped raining but the air was cool, especially inside the stone walls of the palace. It was easy to enjoy the meal now that she didn’t have to worry about the two beasts of prey. Strange how she was the dangerous one but she was afraid of both Kings.

After she was done eating, she sat and basked in the warmth of the fireplace, feeling satiated. If her life wasn’t so dangerous, she would have wished that every one of her days were like this. It was so decadent being waited on hand and foot and having luxurious amenities that were only a dream to her just a week ago.

The maid returned after giving her sufficient time to eat, taking the tray as she led the way out. She handed it to another passing maid and then took her to the library.

“Will you need me to take you back to your room?” She asked considerably.

Mari shook her head, she was certain she could find her way back herself, “I’ll be fine, thank you.”

“My pleasure,” The maid curtsied. “I’ll bring you some hot chocolate and a slice of cake,” She added without any input from Mari, already disappearing.

The maids were all nice to her, and she wouldn’t say it out loud but she preferred King Kade’s palace to King Lucien’s, it had a homely feel to it.

She finally focused on the library, it wasn’t extravagantly large and it seemed to have been put together lovingly. Clearly, a book lover had personally filled in the library.

She drifted through the shelves, noticing that there were reading spots scattered self-indulgently around the library, all comfortable sofas with ottomans for foot resting. It was a book reader’s paradise, the lighting warm-toned.

It was easy for Mari to pick a book, she didn’t have a lot of knowledge of fictional books so she was eager to read any. There was a vast array of fictional works which slightly surprised her. She had expected nonfiction, philosophy if you will, or whatever it was that Kings read.

She doubted that King Kade read the historical romance that she picked up though, she pictured him hunched over on one of the sofas reading it and the image made her smile. She imagined his big form dominating the delicate sofas, the book fragile in his large hands as he read a book that deftly threaded the lines between romantic and raunchy. It was quite the vision.

Her hot chocolate and cake came shortly after, she was already seated with a book in hand when the maid returned, choosing the coziest spot by the fireplace.

“If you need anything, Miss Mari, just walk out of the library and you should find a servant walking by.” The maid made sure to tell her before leaving, sounding concerned for her well-being.

Mari wished she could tell the maid not to worry but that would probably only escalate the situation, so she just smiled and waved her off before focusing on her book again.

She didn’t notice the time get away from her, by the time she pulled away from the world that the book had spun around her, it was already sunset. Her teapot of hot chocolate was almost empty and she had eaten all of the cake without even realizing it.

It wouldn’t be dinner time for hours more and if she was in luck, King Kade would allow her to have it in her room again. So she could stay in the library for as long as she wanted, reading. If she was needed, a maid could come find her.

Mari rose to her feet with a satisfied smile, heading back to the shelf where she had picked the book from. For the next story she would plunge into, she decided to be more picky, trailing her slender fingers through the spines of books as she read their titles.

She took out a book, read the blurb, and returned it, not sure of what she wanted to read next but knowing that it would hit her once she found it.

It was as she was checking through one such hard-backed novel that she felt strange hands encircle her waist, a familiar scent washing over as she felt none other than King Lucien’s cool breath at her nape.