"Well you seem rather happy today" said Mero as he walked into Liam's office and he saw Liam working with a smile on his face, which had been a very rare sight these days.
"Good Morrow to you too Mero" said Liam as he smiled and he looked at Mero who sat across him at his desk.
"Good Morrow Liam" said Mero.
"Might I ask what makes you so happy this morning?" asked Mero as he wondered if there was any good news that he was yet to hear of.
"Can I not be happy every morning?" asked Liam as he smiled.
"No, you can, but your gladness this morning is something unusual" said Mero.
"You know me well Mero" said Liam as he smiled.
"Hmm" said Mero.
"Well you are right" said Liam as he smiled.
"Care to share what delights you so much?" asked Mero.
"Well many things delight me Mero" said Liam as he smiled.
"For one, my hand has finally healed, and the Physician will stop by the Castle by Noon to check my wounds" said Liam as he smiled, he could not wait to get his left hand removed from this bandage, he had, had it on for too long a time now.
"And the other?" asked Mero as he could tell that there was something else making him so happy, Liam was not one to just get excited on menial things.
"Well the other is that, I am happy that Wura actually cares for me" said Liam as he smiled, he knew that he must have sounded childish at this point in time, but that was the truth, he was happy that he actually had a place in Wura's heart.
"Did you not already know that?" asked Mero.
"Well to some extent I did, but now I know that she truly cares for me" said Liam as he smiled.
"Last night, she asked me if I had another woman" said Liam as he smiled and Mero narrowed his eyes at Liam, that was not something to be happy about.
"She did?" asked Mero in a bit of surprise.
"Yes she did, I was just as surprised as you were" said Liam.
"I never thought that she could be so bold as to come out and ask me in such an honest manner" said Liam as he smiled.
"And what was your reply?" asked Mero as he was curious.
"Well of course my reply was no, I am not that sort of man to have many women" said Liam as he shook his head.
"I only have one woman in my life, and that happens to be her, she is my wife after all" said Liam as he smiled.
"And how did she react?" asked Mero.
"Well she looked surprised, maybe that was because I answered her question with swiftness and sincerity" said Liam as he smiled.
"But I left the room before she could say anything more, it was late at the time" said Liam.
"And that is what makes you so happy?" asked Mero.
"Well I never thought that Wura would be the type of feel jealous, or at least not at this point in time, she has always drawn a clear line between she and I in this relationship that we have" said Liam.
"So for her to take the initiative to ask if I have another woman in my life, it meant that she felt jealous, even a little bit" said Liam as he smiled, it made him feel better that he was not the only one who felt jealous of her, even though they were not close like that.
"Well every woman, like it or not, have some form of jealous, especially when it comes to something, or someone that belongs to them" said Mero.
"You mean so?" asked Liam.
"Well she is your wife after all, it makes sense for her to think that maybe you have another in your heart, and hence why you have many not on any endeavours to woo her" said Mero.
"But she has always clearly stated that she is fine with the way things are between us right now" said Liam.
"And you really think that she is?" asked Mero.
"Well I am not sure, I never wanted to force her into anything that she does not want to do, and well she has never showed any signs of interest in me" said Liam as he did not even know why he cared so much, it was not like he needed Wura to like him, he did not know why it delighted him that Wura felt jealous.
"You both are man and wife, at some point, some feelings have to have developed, whether you noticed them or not, living with the same person, eating with them, seeing them every day, you tend to develop a certain liking to the person, consciously or unconsciously" said Mero.
"But sometimes, those feelings do not develop, and you end up trapped in a cage of commitment" said Mero as his words held a deeper meaning.
"Mero, I know that you speak out of experience, and I am sorry if my words have triggered any unpleasant memories" said Liam as he apologized.
"That is alright Liam, I would not speak if I did not want to speak" said Mero as Liam smiled.
"How is your Father?" asked Liam as he smiled.
"I do not know, and quite frankly I do not care, he does not look for me, and neither do I look for him" said Mero simply as he did not sound cold nor friendly.
"I see" said Liam.
"Well Liam, I bid you good luck with your marital matters, as you know, I am a free man" said Mero as Liam laughed.
"How about you join me in being a married man?" asked Liam as he smiled.
"Not a chance Liam, not a chance" said Mero as he shook his head.
"Well suite yourself Mero" said Liam as he laughed.
"Now to more important matters, what did you want to speak to me about?" asked Liam as his tone went serious.
"Well I have carried out a report, and all seems to be well" said Mero.
"Alright Mero, so that means that the Kingdom is finally at rest?" asked Liam as he smiled.
"For now it would seem so" said Mero.
"Well then, that is good, if any problems arise, we will be ready" said Liam as he smiled.
"Yes my King" said Mero as he nodded his head.
…
Wura had spent all day thinking, at this point, she was tired of thinking, she kept on contemplating that maybe Nora was right, maybe she did have feelings for Liam, but that was impossible, she was not in love with him, or at least she thought so, this was just a commitment to her, and nothing more.
"My Queen… My Queen" called Nora as she walked into Wura's room, snapping Wura out of her many thoughts.
"Ahh, yes what is it Nora?" asked Wura as she turned to look at Nora.
"My Queen, it is dinner time, will you be joining his Majesty and Royal Duke Nigel for dinner?" asked Nora.
"Ah…" said Wura as she took a pause, on one hand, after what she had asked Liam last night, she did not want to face Liam, she could not bring herself to, but on the other hand, Uncle Nigel would be there, she was sure that maybe she could distract herself by speaking with him.
"I will join them for dinner" said Wura.
"Alright my Queen" said Nora as she smiled and she nodded her head.
"My Queen, would you like me to assist you?" asked Nora as she smiled.
"Ahh, yes Nora, would you please give these records to Lady Marli for me?" asked Wura.
"Of course my Queen, I will" said Nora as she smiled and she nodded her head.
"Alright thank you Nora" said Wura as she smiled and she handed Nora the records.
"You are welcome my Queen" said Nora as she smiled, she was happy to help Wura in any way that she could.
"I will see you after dinner Nora" said Wura as she smiled and she stood up.
"Alright my Queen, see you, and enjoy dinner" said Nora as she smiled.
"Thank you Nora, and enjoy dinner as well" said Wura as she smiled and she walked out of the room.
…
Wura held her breath as she walked into the dining room, and she released her breath when she only saw Nigel already sitting, it made her feel relieved, there was no sight of Liam at all.
"Good Evening Uncle Nigel" said Wura as she smiled and she sat down at her usual spot.
"Good Evening Wura" said Nigel as he smiled and he looked at Wura.
"How was your day Uncle?" asked Wura as she smiled and she looked at Nigel, she had not realized just how much of routine it was for her to come and have dinner with Nigel it made her happy.
"Oh it was good Wura, but rather boring, since I ate breakfast all on my own" said Nigel as he smiled and suddenly Wura felt guilty.
"Ahh… I am sorry for that Uncle" said Wura.
"There is no need to be sorry at all my dear, we all have had such youthful exuberance before" said Nigel as he smiled and he winked as Wura suddenly felt uncomfortable, she knew what Nigel was thinking, but that was far from what actually happened.
"Haha, Uncle, it is not like that at all" said Wura as she laughed sheepishly, Nigel was too much right now.
"Oh you do not have to hide with me my dear, we have all been there, when your stamina is not easily depleted" said Nigel as he laughed and Wura felt like covering her ears, she did not know what to do to escape from this torture.
…
"My King, please forgive me, I was unable to come at noon" said the Physician with an apologetic smile.
"That is alright, I understand" said Liam as he smiled, he had also been busy the entire day, so it was much more convenient for him for the Physician to come and check him at this time.
"Shall I check your wounds to see how they have healed?" asked the Physician as he smiled.
"Of course, go ahead" said Liam as he smiled and the Physician began to unwrap the bandages on Liam's left hand.
"Have you been feeling any pain or discomfort lately?" asked the Physician.
"No, I have not felt any pain or discomfort of any sort, and the wound on the right side of my abdomen has healed well, there is no scaring thanks to the ointment you gave me" said Liam.
"I am glad about that your Majesty" said the Physician as he smiled and he unwrapped all the bandages.
"Your Majesty, would you please squeeze your left hand for me?" asked the Physician as Liam did as he was told and he squeezed his left hand.
"Alright, and release it" said the Physician as Liam did so.
"Did you feel any pain while doing that your Majesty?" asked the Physician as he looked at Liam.
"No, not at all, my hand feels fine" said Liam as he smiled.
"That is good your Majesty, it means that no nerves were damaged in your hand" said the Physician as he smiled.
"Your hand has healed quite nicely" said the Physician as he smiled.
"I am thankful for that" said Liam as he smiled.
"Well your Majesty, all Is all, so I will be taking my leave now" said the Physician as he smiled.
"Alright then, let me escort you" said Liam as he smiled.
"I hope it is no bother to you, your Majesty?" asked the Physician.
"No not at all, I was on my way out before you arrived" said Liam as he smiled.
"Alright then your Majesty" said the Physician as he smiled and Liam stood up.
…
"Oh Uncle, I do not think that this is the most appropriate topic right now" said Wura as she smiled sheepishly, she had never asked her Father about the things that transpired between a man and a woman, so hearing Nigel speak about it oh so subtly made her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"I believe you are right my dear" said Nigel as he smiled and he took a sip of his wine.
"Good Evening Uncle, Good Evening Wura" said Liam as he walked into the dining room.
"Oh sweet relief" said Wura as she sighed to herself, finally someone had come to save her.
"Good Evening Liam" said Nigel as he smiled.
"Good Evening your Majesty" said Wura as she smiled at Liam and she avoided his gaze.
"I was just speaking to Wura here about some things" said Nigel as he smiled.
"Things like what Uncle?" asked Liam in curiosity.
"Well like when I will be getting a little great niece of nephew" said Nigel as he laughed and Liam laughed as Wura shook her head, this was just too much for her.
"Ahh well Uncle, we are not ready for children right now, but in the future, we will be" said Liam as he replied as he looked at Wura and Wura looked at him.
"Alright then, if you say so, I will wait to carry your child, but I have nothing against carrying him or her earlier" said Nigel as he laughed and Liam laughed.
"Well I think we should eat now" said Liam as he smiled.
"Of course" said Wura almost immediately as she changed the topic and Liam smiled.
"Your Majesty… your hand, it is healed?" asked Wura as she noticed Liam's hand as he reached out for his fork.
"Well yes, the Physician came over to take a look at it, and he said that it has healed now" said Liam as he smiled.
"Ahh, I see" said Wura as she smiled, his hand looked as good as new, she was glad that it was not injured severely.
"Yes" said Liam as he smiled and Nigel smiled at the young couple in front of him, he wished them great happiness.
…
Two days later.
"My Queen" called Nora as she walked into Wura's room as Wura was busy reading.
"Yes Nora?" asked Wura as she looked up.
"My Queen, his Majesty has asked you to join him at the stables" said Nora as she smiled.
"He has?" asked Wura in surprise.
"Yes he has my Queen" said Nora as she nodded her head.
"And why is that?" asked Wura.
"Well I do not know my Queen, he did not say, he only asked me to tell you to please join him in the stables" said Nora.
"When?" asked Wura.
"I believe right now my Queen" said Nora.
"Hmm" said Wura as she seemed to be thinking, she wondered why Liam wanted to see her in the stables, she had seen him at breakfast this morning, and everything seemed rather fine.
"Alright then, I will go" said Wura.
"Alright my Queen" said Nora as she nodded her head.