Alastair went back to his chambers after his small yet amusing chat with Lady Eleanor. He was in no mood to entertain her more than necessary, not when he knew what exactly her intentions were. She was just like the other women he had met who were all interested in becoming the queen, not his wife. They were just power-hungry and if one day, he was not the king anymore, they would be the first ones to mock him and leave him if they ever got together with him. He was sure about it.
Alastair had to get married someday, but his wife would never be someone like Eleanor or any other ladies who fell in the same category. Like his father who only had one wife, he wanted just one woman in his love life, who would eventually become his queen, unlike some dukes in his kingdom who had mistresses on the side. Alastair would find a woman who was suitable for him and who had the courage to rule the kingdom beside him and Eleanor was not the one.
Alastair stared at the beautiful moon which was shining brighter than ever and he wondered what the reason could be. He leaned against the window with his hands on the windowsill. The cold breeze flew past him and the candles in his room flickered. The wind ruffled his already disheveled hair and he had to sweep them back, only for them to fall over his forehead again. He sighed and closed his eyes and the next moment, the beautiful green eyes flashed before him making him jerk back immediately.
The strange sensation startled him and he moved away from the window before he closed his eyes again. This time nothing happened, neither did he see those hypnotizing eyes nor did he feel any jerk. He wondered what was happening to him and why he was having these weird sensations. Somewhere questions started to arise in his mind and he had a feeling that the owner of the green eyes was the one he had been looking for for sixteen years.
The wise augur, Osiris had once told him that Alastair and the angel they were looking for had a mysterious connection and only after they found her would the mystery be revealed. Alastair had never experienced something like this before, not until he noticed the green eyes and he was suddenly very intrigued. He had to find her now to get answers to his questions and most importantly, to confirm his suspicions. He made a decision right away but had to wait until sunrise before he could send out the orders. Taking one last glance at the beautiful moon, he went back to sleep.
The next day, Alastair had just stepped out of his chambers when he encountered Eleanor outside. He smirked seeing the desperate woman. "Good morning, Lady Eleanor. What are you doing here this early in the morning?"
"Good morning, My Lord. I was waiting for you."
"And why would you do that?" Alastair started walking without sparing a second at her and Eleanor was forced to walk behind him to catch up with him. "For a second, I even assumed you have taken the job of being my knight seeing you outside this early."
Eleanor's lips twitched hearing the king's absurd words. Why would she take up the job of a knight? No way never. "I thought of accompanying you till the dining hall for breakfast."
"So, now you have become my chaperone. Interesting. But as far as I remembered, I never asked for a chaperone."
"No. No, my King. I think you are mistaken."
"Then enlighten me," Alastair said with a sweet smile on his face which had Eleanor fawning over him for a second before she regained her thoughts. She did not notice the evilness in his smile nor did she sense that the king was highly amused by her behavior. Eleanor was oblivious to the fact that Alastair was treating her like a court jester, taunting her with every opportunity he found.
"I wanted you to be the first person I saw this morning." Alastair chuckled at Eleanor's absurd words. He seriously wondered if he should offer her the job of a court jester, she was quite excellent at it and he would need some entertainment whenever the discussion became serious.
"Then, I assume you walked with your eyes closed all the way till my chambers which is in a different direction from your room."
Eleanor gaped at him on being caught and she did not know how to reply now. Thankfully, she saw Queen Daphne, Alastair's mother come down the stairs and she immediately bowed to greet her. "Good morning, my Queen."
"Good morning, Lady Eleanor. I hope you had a good sleep."
"Yes, my Queen," Eleanor answered with an elegant smile. Today, she was dressed in her best clothes. The blue, silk gown flowed like a waterfall making her look exquisite and beautiful. She was adorned with priceless jewels and it seemed as though she was out to show everyone how dainty and graceful she was.
Alastair knew the reason why she dressed up this way. She was out to please people and if he was not wrong, she wanted to impress his parents as well as him. However, his innocent mother was not that smart to see through her plan and actually felt the woman before her to be beautiful. The more she looked at her, the more she was impressed with Eleanor. She was definitely a woman who many men would fight for. But Alastair's mother did not know why, she found her to be unsuitable for her son. Her son deserved someone better and she knew he would find one eventually.
"Let's go and have breakfast. Shall we, Mother?" Alastair asked with a small smile on his face.
"Definitely."
The three people went to the dining hall and took their places. Alastair's father had some important matters to attend to in the Fall Castle. So, he had left early. It was only three people in the dining hall.
"What are your plans for the day, Lady Eleanor?" Alastair's mother started the conversation.
"I am thinking of accompanying you the whole day, my Queen. I hope I would not be disturbing you." Eleanor put up her best smile trying to gain some points from the Queen. She wanted to leave a good impression on her before Queen Daphne left for the Fall Castle.
"Not at all. I would love to have some company." Daphne answered, delighted to have someone beside her. Not that she wanted her company, she was just trying to be accommodating.
"Lady Eleanor, Alastair's father and I will be leaving tomorrow." Alastair's mother said after a lot of thinking. She was giving her a hint to leave the castle before they left as it would not look good for an unmarried girl to stay with the king. It would only bring about gossip and rise to complications. Alastair's mother did not wish to bring about those problems in her son's life and tie him to an unhappy and forced marriage.
"Yes, my Queen. I know about it." Eleanor answered with a straight face. She knew what the woman was hinting at, but she tried to feign ignorance. She was not going to leave the castle any time soon and whatever the older woman was fearing was exactly what Eleanor wanted. She wanted the gossip to start and spread far and wide, thus forcing the king to marry her. She would not let the opportunity go a waste when she had been waiting for it since the time she had seen Alastair in a soiree at Duke Stout's house. That was three years ago and it was a gathering of the aristocratic people in the land.
She had seen him and his charismatic presence and aura had captivated her instantly. She had decided then and there to marry the man and become the queen someday at all costs. She had even approached her father, Romulus Zale and her brother, Killian Zale to help her to achieve her aim.
Since then, Eleanor had been trying to attract Alastair's attention and had even got in touch with his mother, Queen Daphne to get into her good terms. Slowly but surely, her plan was working. She would not allow anybody to disrupt her plans, not even the Queen.
Daphne could see that girl was thick-skinned. So, she had to resort to other methods to make her leave. She might be naive but she was definitely not a woman of straw. Daphne wanted to save the woman some face by not mentioning it directly, but the woman had left her with no choice.
"In that case, when are you leaving the castle, Lady Eleanor?"