Melina had already started her day, her mind still reeling from the things Kilgharrah had told her as she pruned the garden flowers with utmost care.
It was as if just yesterday she was a child and suddenly now, she had grown into an adult, understanding things she never imagined she could understand.
Abruptly, Ms Carlos walked into the garden, garnering all the maidservant's attention. Looking at Melina, she ordered, "To the King's Quarters." Her words were vague like she thought Melina was aware that the king had ordered her to serve only him from now on.
"Pardon?" Melina stood from where she had been squatting to prune the flowers, "I-I didn't get you, Ms Carlos." She said politely with her head low.
What was her business with the King's quarters?
Carlos narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Are you not aware that the King has placed you as his maidservant? He is done with his training and needs to be attended to! So go now," she yelled and the other maids closely gasped in horror at this new found information concerning the redhead.
When had the king made her his maidservant? And why her?
Among the stunned maidens were Cinna and Nikita. The two of them stared at Ms Carlos and Melina in awe. While one didn't seem to mind it, the other one did.
And the most stunned of them all was Melina. She stood stiffly looking at Ms Carlos, wondering when such a change had been made.
"Do not delay! The king is waiting." Carlos said angrily, about to hit the redhead, when she immediately dodged it subtly by feigning a bow and hastily leaving the garden.
She quickly got the things she needed before she marched over like a merchant to the king's quarters. On her way there, she noticed that the men training had also retired and were now heading to their rooms. Among them was Tynan, the guard she had met a few days ago. Her heart abruptly skipped a beat and she felt that weird tingle in her chest that kept drawing her to him.
The moment Tynan noticed someone looking his way, he turned around but before their gaze could lock, Melina had quickly shifted hers and began walking away as if nothing had happened, leaving Tynan to stare as she left.
She didn't understand why Kilgharrah would ever feel it right to say she liked the king. It wasn't like she didn't hold deep respect for him, but wasn't liking a king she had zero chances with a bit too much?
Entering the King's quarters, she reached the inner chamber where she knocked and immediately, she heard a reply, "Come in," and a sweat pulled from her head.
She slowly opened the door as if not wanting to break it while her heart kept beating in her chest. She had never done this before. How was she going to know how to act in front of a king and not just any king but the one Kilgharrah had asked her to save?
If it had been when she hadn't had an encounter with that dragon, it wouldn't have been this awkward, but now everything just seemed to be wrong.
"Were you perhaps waiting for me to drag you in?" She gasped and stumbled when the door suddenly opened by itself, a loud masculine voice asked her as he held the doorknob.
"No. I apologise, Your Highness," she bowed deeply, feeling embarrassed. Her hand on the tray she held clenched tightly, trying to hide her awkwardness.
Leon, seeing her reaction, kept silent and only opened the door wider for her to come in. He had patiently waited for her arrival since the guard had sent for her, but she had delayed, and he wondered why.
"You are late." He said with half-dead eyes, not wanting to show any expression of excitement because even he could not deny his mood had lit up the moment he saw her.
"I'm sorry, it took a while to get my things," she lied, raising the tray of soaps and stone she had gathered for whatever job she was summoned here to do.
Without waiting for his approval, she walked inside the room hastily, not wanting to be put on the spot again, an action that made Leon's mouth click in distaste.
If she only knew how rude what she had done was in the public's eyes and its consequences, she would think twice before daring it. Walking past a king without regard was a great disrespect especially when he was still talking.
However, Leon wasn't bothered. He could ignore it. Going back to his luxurious couch, he sat down comfortably waiting for what she would do. He already told himself that he would not force her or try to be coercive in any of his persuasion to her.
He was going to give her time and just like it is said, a person's worries and problems begin to evaporate around the right people. Leon somehow felt calmer seeing her, it was like a tranquil night at a river bank.
Melina was nervous the entire time as she was not one bit comfortable around this King, especially after what Kilgharrah had said to her.
As she tried to take his outer garments, she noticed how he looked at her from the corner of his eyes and her heart skipped a bit, flustered by his action.
"Y-your Highness, please could you raise y-your shoulders up?" She asked politely when it was time to take off the robe he wore and Leon did as she asked, giving her a chance to pull it off immediately.
He was now left with only his inner garments and Melina swallowed before she continued, not wanting to embarrass herself. "Your Highness, p-please could you...?" Her voice trailed as she pointed at his tunic for him to remove it.
Leon usually didn't really care. After all, he had grown up being bathed by maidservants and dressed up by his royal valet. Taking his garment off in front of a maid he held something for shouldn't really matter, right?
But somehow, it did. As he removed his tunic, he suddenly became self-conscious of his body, staring at Melina from time to time to gauge her expression and he noticed she too was shying away from this moment.
When he had removed his clothes, exposing his body from his chest down to his waist, his hip bone showing clearly by his side, he said, "You can take it from here." A sigh of relief flew from Melina's mouth as she finally tensed down, the air in the room coming back to normal.
"Okay," She bowed and rushed to the bathroom to fill the bathtub with water, making sure it didn't heat too much nor was it cold. When she had measured the temperature of the water, she poured in some jasmine oil to make its scent pleasant. The only thing was it wasn't the jasmine scent that captivated Leon. It was hers.
And so, ever so magnificently, Leon entered the bathtub, dropping his head to rest on the front edge while his hair drenched inside the water. Melina collected one of the soaps that held a similar jasmine scent. Rubbing it on the wet sponge, she squeezed off the foamy water before slowly scrubbing it on Leon's body like she was taught.
This experience was a bittersweet moment for Leon as he closed his eyes, relishing how some part of her hand touched his body so lightly, it made him inhale.
The way it touched was not the problem. It was the way she continued placing her heart on his chest, targeting areas that were his weaknesses. When he opened his eyes to see her expression, his eyebrows raised in curiosity.
He could tell this young lady was thinking so many things in her head and as he guessed, he was right. Melina had her mind reeling from embarrassing thoughts, while she still heard Kilgharrah's voice in her head.
She could see his well sculpted body that barely held any ting of flaw. His toned chest and torso made her blush uncomfortably and she couldn't tell if this was normal.
Was she really falling for the king? Her eyes widened at that. If she was, then she was going to be in big trouble and she would only end up being used like a prostitute.
She was aware Leon was betrothed and could never get married to a wench as low as her. That was the rule every royal family had. So if the king was going to ever have anything for her, then she would only be his concubine who he could discard and toss about however he wanted.
Her mind instantly came back to reality when she suddenly hit something strong in between his legs and she raised her head to look at it. It was a bulge that had formed just below his torso and her eyes widened as she stared at it.
What was that? By the time she looked at Leon, he already had his eyes closed back the way they were. Melina was aware this was his private area and it wouldn't be exactly appropriate to check his groin but her growing curiosity to know what had gotten in there beat her sense of reasoning and innocently, without warning, she rounded her hand on his bulge, slightly putting pressure to know what had gotten in there when a startled Leon bust out of his dream world in shock.
Confused and scared, Melina instinctively took her hand away from there, wondering if she had done something wrong.
"Y-your Highness?" She called with fear.
"What are you doing?" Leon asked bewildered.
"I-I thought som-something was stuck in your pants. I wanted to take it off," she explained with confidence thinking it was a wise idea she had pulled off when she took note of how the bulge appeared to be rising and falling as Leon sat up and out of embarrassment, Leon turned red not knowing how to explain this.