Leon watched her walking off into the distance of the hall way of the Palace with her friends and leering at her, and confirmed her heart rate with what he heard before, with his supernatural ability to hear the heartbeats of those around him if he needed to, to tell if they told the truth or to know if they were afraid. " … she saw… everything…." Leon thought within himself as his fringe covered his eyes and went to the bath with Ruela that evening. King Leon had supernatural abilities and one of those is to hear the heartbeats of those around him.
"Looks like your mind is in another place, Leon?" Ruela asked him embracing his face tenderly as they bathed together. Ruela was one of the lovers and flings of the King. "It's nothing…" He smiled and kissed her passionately and made love to her in the bath of the palace, being a room in a natural hot spring within the palace with windows overlooking the Kingdom.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be making such a face, hm?" Ruela said to him with an understanding manner embracing his face tenderly.
Leon looked up at her as she was on top of him in the bath, sitting on his thighs. He sighed as he looked to the side, then looked up and smiled at her, "It's nothing…" he said as he kissed her passionately.
"Why did she look at me with such fear in her eyes?" Leon thought to himself thinking about Maia's expression on her face earlier. "I don't want to tell Ruela because she might get the wrong idea… am I… a terrible King that my own servants fear me like they do?" Leon thought and pondered in his heart and mind, as he made love to Ruella.
That evening, at the Kingdom's tavern bar, Maia had a couple of drinks with her friends that she served with. "What's wrong, Maia, you seem in the days?" Lilly asked her as they drank together with Tana and some of the soldiers of the Kingdom.
"I am fine…." She smiled simply, "although, I can't unsee what I just saw last night…the King's expression on his face as he was with the woman…. I… never seen anything like it I felt so awkward… I mean… I've never been with a man before but…. Oh my goodness how embarrassing!!!" Maia thought and sighed within herself. "I think I need therapy!" She thought.
Suddenly, Kusava walks into the tavern, and puts his arm around her, "Why the long face?" Kusava said with a husky cheeky tone of voice and joins her, "Looks like you been a busy girl?" He kissed her on the cheek. "Kusava!" Maia grasped as she hugged him tightly. "Where have you been??" Maia said as she grabbed his face, "Around here and there" Kusava smiled at her as they drank together.
The local band played as they had dinner and drinks together with their friends. They did not have everything, but they had each other and had fun together, getting into bar fights, food fights and leaving the tavern early hours of the morning. They were a bunch of servant friends who loved a good time.
The next day Maia served at the Palace, serving the King with her servant friends as the King sat upon the throne and the queen mother happened to join Leon on the throne. "Mother" Leon got up and bowed to his mother and kissed her hand tenderly. "My son" The queen mother smiled gently at Leon. "Please, sit with me" Leon said softly making way for his mother to sit on the throne next to his. "Have you chosen a wife yet, my son?" The queen mother asked Leon softly. "Not yet, mother, still searching…." Leon said as he grinned. "Yeah, he is searching alright." Maia thought to herself as she poured them both wine to drink, with a poker face she served and bowed to them, still thinking of the love scene she saw between the King and the woman the night before.
When Maia returned to the kitchen to take the dirty dishes from the throne room, "You're a little off, Maia, is it about last night at the tavern? We did go a little too far with the bar fight last night haha" Lily giggled. "Yeah, something like that." Maia smiled softly, still being somewhat hungover at the same time, but she didn't tell anyone about it, she kept it to herself.
As Maia took out the fresh grape wine to the King and his mother, "Thank you" Leon smiled at her softly, Maia never looked at him as she did not know how to face him after yesterday's, intense evening. She just bowed softly and handed the queen her drink. "your highness…" She bowed, handing her the wine. "Thank you, young lady" the queen mother said kindly. Maia bowed and served the other officials.
"Is she alright?" the queen mother asked. "Mother?" Leon asked. "She seems down?" the queen said to Leon. Leon glanced at her for a moment, "Yeah…" Leon said, as he was intrigued as to why Maia wasn't her usual cheery self.
As he questioned with these thoughts within himself, he heard commotion going on further near the entrance of the throne room, "Ahh! Stupid servant girl, watch where you are going!!" the official grunted in anger, "Apologies my lord, I will get you new wine and will get you new clothes…" Maia said in apologetically as she bowed, when suddenly, the official was about to slap her when the King quickly stepped in and stepped forward and grabbed his hand suddenly from harming Maia, "Sire?" he questioned. "What are you doing?" Leon glared at him, "Your servant spilled wine everywhere on me." Leon looked at the situation, "Highness, I apologise but he bumped into me while the place was crowded, and I apologise for the mess" Maia said as she looked down whilst Leon glanced at her.
"You call me a liar?? why you!" Commander Acher grunted and was about to slap her when Leon caught his hand, "Huh? Sire?" Acher said, "That's enough, Admiral! …." Leon glared as his eyes glowed a bright deep blue manifesting his powers before the prideful commander, squeezing the man's hand. "Never touch what belongs to me again" Leon warned him sternly, squeezing his hand even tighter, ""Uhgg….I…. understand, your Majesty…." Acher said and crouched back in shame and left the throne room, as Leon released the man's hand suddenly and he left.
Leon turned and looked at Maia, as his fringe covered his eyes, "Clean yourself up and leave for the day," the King commanded her. "But sire…." Maia said, when Leon turned around and looked at her sternly and glared at her, "I can replace you easily with another servant if you are not here to serve, however your heart and mind is not here, you may be here physically but your heart is in a different place. I need your whole being if you are going to serve me and my officials…go home for the day and I will summon you when I need you….. you may go…" Leon told her sternly as he walked back on the throne. Maia teared up slightly and bowed and left their presence.
Leon glanced at her when she left, as he let out a sigh and a deep breath.
"What was that all about?" his mother asked him. Leon relaxed his chin on his fingers leaning on the throne, as he looked to the side sadly. Leon never responded as he kept his gaze on the door when she left, as he swallowed a breath.
"Don't you think you were a little rough with her? She is just a servant you know" his mother said to him leaning back in her chair next to Leon's throne, as she leaned back putting her hands together.
Leon glanced at his mother for a moment, "Servants need to know their places, mother, if they are going to serve me as their King, I need their whole being to serve me wholeheartedly…" Leon said with a serious expression on his face with a cold manner.
"Hm… if you want the servants to serve you wholeheartedly, my son, always remember to treat them with dignity and respect, and they will serve you with their lives…" his mother counselled him in a wise manner. Leon looked at his mother and smiled softly as he bowed his head in respect to her, "Thank you, mother, for your wise counsel…." Leon said as he kissed his mother's hand, as he then turned and faced those before him, "bring me the first case for the morning" he commanded the chief servant at the door.
Leon sighed as he leaned back in his throne, "this is going to be a long day…." He said under his breath.
Leon Sat there for a moment thinking about what his mother told him for a moment, "Maybe I should see what my servants get up to at night, in order to understand them better, perhaps?" Leon thought to himself as the first case was brought in.
As the first case is being brought in, he overheard Lilly and a couple of other servant girls chatting away and giggling among themselves as they walked out the throne room, "Are you coming to the tavern tonight?" Lilly asked the girls, "Yeah, we will be there, since we are not working at the palace in the morning" they smiled and parted ways. When Leon heard this with his supernatural hearing, he grinned and smirked as he looked down, "hmmm… I will see how they interact with each other …" he thought to himself, as a King, he wanted to see how his servants lived, in order to understand their feelings a little more better.