King Arias just finished drying himself and he dressed up himself in loose casual clothes. Even now, it was still raining heavily and the young King slowly walked towards the window.
Just when what happened a while ago crossed his mind, he heard the sound of knocking on the door and the Head Servant walked inside with a tray that held a bowl. Seeing this, a small smile crept across the King's face. He quickly walked towards the Head Servant and took the tray from her. Then he placed it on the desk behind him.
"You should have let others do this, Mrs. Sullin. Is your leg fine now?"
Hearing the King, the Head Servant who was in her 60s flashed a smile, and wrinkles were formed on her forehead. It seemed like the servants were wrong. The Head Servant knew how to smile after all.
"It's fine, Your Majesty. At my age, it's normal to have this kind of pain. Please don't let yourself be bothered." Mrs. Sullin looked at the bowl and added, "Please drink that, Your Majesty. It will keep you warm. If you happen to get a cold, it will be bad."
Without saying anything, the young King lifted the bowl and finished the warm drink. Then his attention was back to the Head Servant. "I know you want to do this kind of thing yourself but I'm still worried about you. You can let others do and it will be good enough if you guide them."
He pointed his chin at the cane which Mrs. Sullin used to support herself in walking and said, "You barely walked with this but you carry that tray here."
Arias always had a close bond with the Head Servant. When he first came to the palace after his mother's death a decade ago, Mrs. Sullin was the one who took care of him personally. She looked after him with the same amount of love that his late mother used to give him and in no time, she became a mother figure to him.
She was one of the few people whom King Arias truly cared about.
"Alright then," Mrs. Sullin responded with a nod. "I will let others carry and I will only lead them here. If I don't come, how will I know how you're doing?"
The young King noticed the concern in the tone of Mrs. Sullin and he also knew why.
"I make you worried again," he muttered. "I don't know where my mind went. I was only snapped out when Elaine came."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Your Majesty," the Head Servant said in a calm and assuring voice. "No matter what, you try your best at the least. I don't think the late King and Crown Prince will be happy if they see you like this."
"I know," Arias Astaze muttered and narrowed his eyes. He stood that way for a while and then looked at Mrs. Sullin once again. "Thank you, Mrs. Sullin. Your advice always helps me a lot."
The Head Servant gently nodded with a comforting smile and looked at the empty bowl. "I think I should still be allowed to take what I brought."
Hearing this, the King let out a sigh. "This should really be the last time." He stated while handing the tray to the Head Servant.
Mrs. Sullin only laughed and left the King's chamber with the tray in her hand. Once the door was shut, Elaine who was outside quickly spoke to her.
"How is His Majesty, Mrs. Sullin? Is he alright?"
"He will be fine," the Head Servant replied and when she observed Elaine, she sighed. "You should get changed too, Elaine. You're all soaked! What if -"
Almost panicked, Elaine Vernimiere covered the mouth of the Head Servant with her hand without even thinking clearly. "You talk so loud. The King will hear."
Mrs. Sullin let out another sigh. Was that the only thing she cared about? Didn't she know that it will only become more complicated if she, the Captain of the Royal Guards get sick?!
Before Elaine even managed to put down her hand, the door was suddenly opened!
At the sight of King Arias, she quickly withdrew her hand from the Head Servant and slightly bowed. "Your Majesty."
Mrs. Sullin only flashed an awkward smile. As she practically raised Arias, she was aware of how close the two used to be. Though the guards and many others knew that the King and the Captain were childhood friends, they had no idea of how close they once were but Mrs. Sullin was one of the very few people who knew about it.
As she figured out that it would be for the best, she left the two without uttering any word, only to the frustration of Elaine Vernimiere. However, the Captain was in no situation to think about that; not while the King was standing before her with an obviously disappointed face!
"You always told me to take good care of myself but you never do the same," Arias Astaze finally pointed out, breaking the tormenting silence that took place for several seconds. "This is not fair."
"I was only worried -"
"Do you think I don't worry about you?" King Arias interjected, making Elaine look up to meet his gaze. "I always do everything not to make you worry and though I admit that things went out of hand at times like it did today... I still try, Elaine. You should try too."
"Your Majesty -"
"Please... don't act like no one care because I care. I always care and you know that."
The King's words were followed by complete silence. Nevertheless, Arias didn't turn away from Elaine, not even once.
Little did he know it was only making Elaine uneasy. The Captain didn't know what to say.
Should she just apologize? Will that work?
Just like that, almost a minute passed and Arias Astaze let out a breath. "You should go and dry up yourself. I don't want you to be sick." He didn't even wait for Elaine to respond as he turned around and entered his chamber right away.
* * *
Eslore
King Ricard Casteveron was sitting on a chair behind a desk in his chamber, hearing out Nicolin who told him about some news they received from Araven.
"His Highness arrived on time and I hear that he want his activities to be done quietly. So, he spends most of his time in the palace apart from the tour. If he follows the plan, he will return after two weeks."
Two weeks. King Ricard can't help but wonder why his son was willing to spend such a long time in a foreign kingdom. Was he that bored of Eslore?
"Why do you think Helias plan to stay there for such a long time while just a week would be more than enough?" he asked Nicolin who was standing before the desk.
"I'm not sure, Your Majesty," Nicolin responded and added, "But you know His Highness always tries to spend most of his time outside the palace. He spends a lot of time in the camp and also exploring some forests."
"Yet he stuck in the palace while he is outside Eslore," Ricard Casteveron uttered in an obviously displeased voice. "Must he always make it so obvious that he hates seeing my face?"
Nicolin kept his mouth shut and only lowered his gaze like he often did. Then King Ricard shifted his attention to him.
What happened the other night crossed the King's mind when he looked at his right-hand man.
His daughter and Nicolin... was there something he wasn't aware of?
He also knew very well that it wasn't like Nicolin to give in to the Princess's request while he clearly told him to escort her back right away.....