"Something poking you?" the next words of Leon made her freeze in position.
"N-no." came her curt reply. She had been shifting uncomfortably in the carriage and Leon had noticed it.
The sun was still hot and shining brightly against the carriage. Since Melina was seated at the end of the carriage seat opposite Leon's, the sun was still touching her already red skin and Leon did not like it.
"Come sit here," he tapped on the space beside him as he stared at her.
"What?" the girl asked in fear.
Since she was seated on the seat opposite him, she could see him properly and gauge all his expressions. Right now as she looked at him, his expression held seriousness and it made her wonder what he was planning to do.
"I-I am fine here-" she tried to dissuade but he interrupted.
"I wasn't asking where you are fine sitting. It is an order." Melina could feel her body grow cold at the thought of sitting beside the King especially when she didn't know what he was up to.
Reluctantly, she slowly stood from where she sat and moved to the opposite seat but instead of sitting where the King asked her, she sat on the edge of the seat again where the sun was hitting her.
The action made Leon lose his patience and without warning, he yanked her by her waist to sit close to him.
Because she didn't expect it, she was about to let out a scream when Leon covered her mouth to muffle it. She felt his strong muscular hand cover her small mouth and attempted to remove it, flashbacks of what happened between her and Julian crossed her mind, making her panic even more.
"Stay calm. I have no intention to hurt you." Leon told her with his hand still on her waist pulling her closer and the other hand on her mouth to shut her up.
His words made her freeze and look at him with wide eyes. He had no intention to hurt her and was holding her like this?!
"Please." her voice was pleading and came out incoherent because he was muffling it but even at that, Leon could tell that had been what she said and it made his eyes soften.
Not wanting to keep her in the dark anymore as he knew she was still undergoing trauma from what happened that night with Sir Julian, he said, "You got sunburned and I know you're still unwell so I asked the guard to bring you here."
As he explained those words, he freed her from his hold and brought his hands back to his sides before looking out the window so she could get comfortable with her position.
He didn't want to start peering his eyes on her so she wouldn't feel suffocated and Lo and behold, his plan worked.
With him no longer glancing at her and after his little explanation, Melina could feel her body relax as she slowly eased her tense muscles beside him, where the sun couldn't touch her.
She could tell he wasn't lying because now that she sat beside him, she noticed how her skin didn't feel like it was peeling anymore. She had taken shade away from the burning sun, cooling her body in the process.
The carriage kept moving and continuously galloped as they rode with silence.
Since it was her first time entering a carriage, she found it intriguing to watch through the window how the trees and surroundings were.
It gave her a feeling that she was being carried on a moving couch instead of walking on the hot ground through the village.
However, she didn't realize that the experience she was having at the moment was so much better because she was in a royal carriage.
The royal carriage was made specifically for the King and had a lot of space for him to move or rest properly with a cosy mattress that was very delicate.
It gave her the feeling of luxury she had never once experienced before and that only made her eager to explore as she kept taking in the appearance of the well-decorated carriage.
From the corner of his eyes, Leon saw how she had calmed down and was glancing everywhere, gauging the lavishness of the carriage.
He breathed out a sigh of relief before he said, "How do you feel now?" his voice was so serene that Melina did not feel the urge to jump and fret for her life.
Remembering what Cinna had told her, she guessed what he was talking about and quickly replied with a bow, "I am better now Your Highness."
"Hmmm." she only heard him hum a response and felt like she hadn't said enough.
Now that she had put two and two together, what the female physician said about her still being a virgin made sense.
Cinna had said the King saved her which meant that Sir Julian didn't get to have what he wanted.
A wave of relief flushed her with that thought as she had earlier been frightened that her little dignity had been taken away from her.
But then she also remembered that Cinna claimed he had beaten Julian up and carried her like a baby to the infirmary. So wasn't she supposed to thank him for helping her as well?
"Y-your Highness..." she started and Leon turned to look at her, wondering what she had in mind to say.
"Hmm?"
She didn't look and him but said, "I wanted to thank you for helping me that day Sir Julian..." Her words trailed off as she didn't know how to voice out the last part.
"It's fine. He wouldn't trouble you again." he managed to speak and saw her turn to look at him surprised.
He didn't reply to her curiosity but Melina could tell that he had something brewing in his mind and she couldn't help but wonder.
Why did he even care enough to protect her? She had heard that all elites were the same- unfeeling and heartless but she wasn't sure how to term this man before her.
The first time she encountered him, he had been frightening her. The next, he had been kind enough to treat her wounds. Another, he had planned to pluck out her eyes and humiliate her. Then the other, he had saved her and even beat up the person. Now, he was protecting her. It all didn't add up and it was giving her a headache.
Throughout the rest of the journey, Melina was quiet and didn't dare ask any more questions again.
She stole subtle glimpses at his face which she couldn't deny was handsome.
She had heard her fellow maids saying all sorts of things as he walked out of the carriage this morning and though, she didn't care much about attractive men, she couldn't deny that this King was very attractive.
Leon noticed what she was doing but only smiled to himself and didn't comment on it. Her scent had invaded his senses again and he only decided to drown in it.
He didn't know why it was only recently that he had begun to notice her scent so much but it was intoxicating and he didn't mind it.
He too, veered around and watched her pretty face that was smeared with different emotions as if she was thinking.
Looking at her face up close now, made him wonder how her parents had looked to have birthed such a beauty.
"Who were your parents?" he suddenly asked, drawing her attention.
She furrowed her brows in confusion, "My parents?" she asked again to hear him hum.
"I don't know them," she confessed. This was the third person asking her this question.
"You don't?" Leon asked with furrowed brows.
That was impossible. Every child who was brought to the palace was old enough to at least remember their parents unless they were abandoned.
"Your surname," he asked again and heard her say,
"I don't have one."
Silence.
It was obvious from the silence in the carriage that Leon didn't believe her and was waiting for her to give him the answer he needed.
With a deep sigh, "Melina Clinton." she said before explaining,
"Melina Clinton is what I have as my name on the parchment but my trainer had told me that it was her surname and not mine. She had simply put it there for formality's sake,"
"Who was your trainer?"
"Aunt Paloma," she replied.
Leon blinked for a while trying to understand something. He knew Aunt Paloma very well and that was because she was his mother's favourite maid then but what he didn't know was why Paloma would register a servant's surname with hers.
Someone of higher authority ought to have given her such an order or the woman was trying to hide something.
"I see. So you have no memory of when you were brought to the palace?" he asked to be sure again.
She shook her head and he only nodded, not wanting to talk more about the issue.
They finally reached the palace after the long journey and the king's carriage was the first to enter the tall gates.
The roadway was a long path and Melina noticed the exquisite flowers again which didn't fail to mesmerize her. The thrill of seeing it while sitting and without working or walking along the path only made it more enchanting.
Leon noticed her excitement which made him smile at her. He wouldn't mind taking her along with him in a carriage once in a while so he could see this priceless reaction.
He was certain she had never seen a carriage before, talkless of entering one until today and he was glad he had brought her in.
The carriage stopped along with all the other carriages in a garage at the end of the palace.
The coachman opened the door for the king to step out and some of the servants who had walked back to the castle now began to steal glances at him.
Though Leon had always looked magnificent, today he had looked so gorgeous that they couldn't help but want to see his face up close.
After all, it wasn't every day that they got the opportunity to see him.
Queen Sonia and her daughters stepped down from their carriages as well and were now walking into the heart of the palace.
Melina had been thinking of how to get down from the carriage considering it was a bit high when Leon stretched his hands towards her for her to pick it up.
"Grab my hand," he told her.
The queen noticed him talking to someone inside the carriage and narrowed her eyes. "Didn't Leon get into the carriage alone?" she asked her daughters who shrugged like they had no idea what was happening. They hadn't seen him with any other person so it was surprising.
Then suddenly, a small delicate hand was placed on his and their jaws dropped when they saw a lady step down from it... A maid to be specific.
Melina's hair which had been neatly packed had now gotten loose and her full straight hair cascaded down as Leon helped her out of the carriage.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she whispered looking at his face and then a small smile crept on her pink lips that had Leon freeze.
It was the first time she had ever smiled at him since he had met her.
His face lit up at the innocent action and his lips too widened at her, revealing a sincere smile.
This time, not only Queen Sonia but every other person who saw the interaction had their eyes balling out.
Melina unconsciously paid no heed to them and walked away from there and followed along the lines the servants were passing.
Alice looked at the girl, squinting her eyes like she was trying to remember something. Hadn't it been the same girl she saw that day with a bleeding head?
How did she get into her brother's carriage? She had never heard rumours about her brother liking any maid except the one he had taken to the palace infirmary which she presumed had just been an act of kindness knowing how her brother was.
She looked to her mother who held a stupefied expression. She knew it had been the same maid that had aided her earlier.
She wasn't the only one and all the elites who had been behind as well as the servants who were around the vicinity caught the interaction.
Though they said nothing and kept their lips sealed, it didn't mean that what they just saw sat well with them.
Melina found her way to the kitchen away from the palace garage.
When she got there, she caught sight of how everyone stopped whispering and looked at her with surprise and annoyance.
She ignored them, thinking it was because they had heard about her and Sir Julian's issue.
Now knowing that the elite had not deflowered her, she saw no reason to be ashamed of herself especially when it wasn't her fault. She held her head up high and looked around at the many dishes that had been prepared.
With King Albert's servants now present, the number of workers had grown larger, relieving her work in the castle today.
The only thing Carlos had asked her to do was serve the guests using the cart and she was glad to do that albeit she would need to avoid drawing attention to herself to prevent this like the last time.
There were a lot of dishes and drinks that were prepared and Melina only needed to find the cart to place them inside before heading to the room where the coronation party was being held.
But the only problem was she couldn't find the carts.
"Excuse me, might you know where Ms Carlos had kept the carts? I cannot find them," she spoke out to a maid but the maid blatantly ignored her.
Median stared at the girl waiting for answers but got none. Perhaps the girl was deaf? Because it was as though she didn't even say a word.
Not thinking about it, she only searched around the kitchen before entering the store room where she managed to find one.
Relief showed on her face and she immediately picked it up but it was broken.
How come? Though she didn't like the woman, she knew how diligent Ms Carlos was when it came to making sure things like this didn't happen especially on a special occasion like this one today.
Knowing the maids wouldn't give her an answer, she proceeded to search for Ms Carlos.
She left the room and entered the building for the servants in an attempt to locate the woman when from nowhere, a firm hand covered her mouth and dragged her into a corner.
Panic infested her system at the sudden attack and she began to kick and slap so she could free herself until she heard the person speak,
"Shhh. It is me, Tynan." the young lad pinned her on the wall and removed his hands from her mouth before looking around to make sure no one saw them.
"Tynan?" she called, taken aback by his presence. He was the last person she had expected to corner her like this.
However, she couldn't deny the obvious butterflies that came into her system seeing them intimate like this and gaping at each other.
Why did Tynan bring her here?