"I left the money for you on the table. I'm leaving now. Fare thee well." Gilbert placed a kiss on his lover's forehead before turning to leave the brothel.
The young boy could tell something was troubling Gilbert's mind and why Gilbert hasn't paid for his freedom yet. He had the money but his reason for waiting was the problem. The boy wondered if Gilbert really loved him the way he made him feel. He's never said it but his actions were somewhat enough.
(Amal 's POV)
"Haven't you heard? The maids have been gossiping ever since. The king is marrying me" Viressis trespassed into Amal's garden to rub the dreadful news in her face.
She ignored the whole time. She just kept watering her flowers and rearranging the flower pots.
Viressis hated being ignored. She grabbed a sickle and swung it around cutting all the flowers Amal had planted.
"You crazy woman!" Amal was fed up. She walked up to her and slapped her. Since she was a royalty, Viressis wouldn't dare to use the sickle to attack her and she was right. Viressis placed the sickle on the ground before she grabbed Amal's hair. The two women burst into a big fight afterwards, rubbing dirt in their eyes and Pulling hard on their hair and clothes until they successfully reaped it.
"What's going on?" Wilbur showed up after reports from the Maids that the two Queens were battling.
Viressis ran to Wilbur crying "All I wanted was to view the flowers but she was threatening me with that sickle."
'I can't waste energy on trying to make this man believe me because he won't.'
Wilbur folded an arm over Viressis' small frame and pulled her to his side. He comprehended what Amal was stating in her mind, thus, he wasn't going to punish her for fighting with Viressis.
Viressis was a troublesome woman, and it was highly possible that the fight was caused by her.
"Go clean yourself up. You look like a pauper" he said as he turned with Viressis following by his side. She stuck her tongue out mockingly before swiftly changing to the sad face from before.
The maids accompanied Amal to the hot bathroom while Wilbur helped Viressis in his own. They'd discussed randomly whilst they both showered together and exchanged a kiss from time to time.
"Nothing the king does ever surprises me" Amal was having lunch with Gilbert in her garden. Her favorite flowers were ruined and the flower beds had footprints on them.
"Looks like we'll have to go to the town today. I heard that there's a famous gardener at Xcair Flora."
"The Lord wouldn't let me."
"I asked him permission to go with an unknown someone, and that person happened to be you."
She was scared. It was against her rules to step out of the castle but Gilbert was sure nothing bad would happen. She ended up concurring and the two of them rode on a horse to Xcair. It was all to fix the damage Viressis caused.
She lowered her head so it would be perfectly secured by the cape of her hood and nobody would see her, particularly the individuals that had been to the château.
Gilbert helped her get down from the white horse and took it to the stables. She waited patiently for him to return but she'd already been spotted.
A boy attacked, pushing her to the ground as he hovered over her "YOU'RE BACK AGAIN TO STEAL RIGHT?" Amal didn't have the slightest idea of how to respond. He had scissors in his grasp and a stone in the his other hand.
He uncovered her face and his heart skirted a beat "Who or what are you?" The little tears at her ducts and the delicate look of her face warmed him.
Gilbert unsheathed his sword and placed it beside his neck. The boy dropped the tools and raised his hand in surrender as he gradually stood up but he couldn't stop looking at her.
"You're beautiful..."
Gilbert pulled him back by his arm and was prepared to execute him right on the spot but Amal begged him to not. He simply misunderstood her intentions, something that almost cost her her life.
Gilbert had to obey. It was against his morals to have a Royalty tell him and order twice. He stood by as he waited for the boy to speak.
"I'm sorry Sir Gilbert" He went on his knees to beg. I didn't know she was with you. I didn't even know she was a woman, I thought it was one of those looters that take my grandpa's grapefruits. I ask for your leniency" He went on his knees to ask with his temple on the rough ground.
He turned to the other side "I'm so sorry!" Amal wanted to wave it off because she didn't think it was his fault.
"Address her as Queen!"
"Huh? She's the Queen?" Amal nodded and the boy immediately kissed her shoes. Now he fully understood the weight of what he did. It was an offence that could get him eaten alive by the demon that was rumoured to live with Ma Lari, the country's witch.
"Please. I beg for your forgiveness" he cried.
"I forgive you" she said delicately as she signaled for him to stand up. She also scoured his brow to dispose of the earth on it.
'This woman...is the Queen...' He held her hand and smiled "don't worry my Queen" he was ready to take it as punishment to rub dirt on his forehead and if possible, bovine droppings on his head too.
"It's okay. I'm certain Sir Gilbert excuses you as well. Right?" He nodded but at the same time gave the Teen a savage glare which made him tremble inside.
"What's going on here?" An old man leaning on a walking cane walked towards us.
"Grandpa!!!" The young boy ran to meet his grandfather and assisted him with walking. With each movement there was the creak of old bones. His eyes were so heavily lidded and he had a map of wrinkles around his face but it told a story of a possibly good life.
"Grandpa...the new Queen is here"
"Oh dear" he tried his best to bow with the back ache he's been suffering from for over two decades. It'd stopped him from working on his farm, and the only thing he could do next was to call his grandson but only one, the youngest amongst them came.
"It's fine. I appreciate your acknowledgement" Amal tried to conceal the plead in her tone for the man to stop with a straight face and it worked.
"We came to see your garden."
"I haven't been there for a while. I don't know what My grandson has done to the place over the years. Follow me" The walked as a group to the garden and Amal was amazed "This Is like a wonderland in the fairy tales my mother used to read to me."
The garden had been passed from generations to generations, the place of multitude of food. Just the rich could manage the cost of them. Nutritious, sweet, lushy, the garden had it all.
It looked to big for one person to handle. His grandson must've put a lot of work into It.
"Do you like it?" I got a jump scare from his whisper "Are you okay? Sorry if I startled you..."
"No I'm fine and yes, it is a beautiful place."
"What is your name?" The boy spoke casually to her. She actually liked it.
"You can call me Amal when Gilbert isn't anywhere near" she winked and The kid could feel his cheeks heat up.
"I'm Veer. It's nice to meet you in person my Queen" They both smiled at each other and Gilbert walked in the middle to separate them "I believe it's time to go my Queen. The king might be suspicious." Amal nodded before looking at Veer once again "This is goodbye" She waved but Veer held her hand and with instincts Gilbert put his own hand around the hilt of his sword.