After lunch, everyone had gone their ways and only returned once again for dinner and that as well ended shortly afterwards with everyone heading to their Chambers to rest.
A slim tall figure smoothly passed the dimly lit hallways heading to his room. Few guards stood at the end of each dark corridor but he was too lost in his thoughts to give them a thought.
He wanted to be in his room before Prince Dino got the chance to follow him, all to pester him about his whereabouts during the festival.
On arriving at the doors to his chambers, he quickly pushed it open and walked in but before he could close it, someone's foot stopped his movement.
Dino had used his foot to hold the door so that it would prevent it from closing. Nik stared at the shoe before letting his eyes move up to find Dino's raised brow.
With a small push by Dino, the door was pushed open and Niklaus took little steps back. Unceremoniously, Dino walked into the room as though it were his right to be in there.
He scanned the room with his eyes while Niklaus cursed inside his head in all manner of forms, looking for a solution to his impending situation. How did Dino follow him without him noticing?
Unknown to him, Dino had followed behind him, each time stopping as though he were a guard who couldn't be less bothered about the red haired's hurriedness.
Dino made a mental note that the room still looked the same which meant no lady entered here earlier to warm his brother's bed but the boy had been acting strange.
He stared a little longer at the fireplace and walked over to it to put more sticks as it appeared the ones in there were already exhausting.
Picking a lit wood, he went around the room carefully lighting the candles on the candle stands while giving Niklaus the look that said explain yourself.
" Maureen had sent me a letter", Niklaus announced impulsively as he was tired of overthinking and couldn't really find a good enough lie that this smart pants would believe.
Dino, who was about to light the last candle stand immediately freezed but quickly regained himself.
He stared towards Niklaus for more explanation and Niklaus sighed while walking over to where Dino currently stood.
" She only asked what baby Amelia had birthed and I told her the lie you made sure everyone believed though she did doubt my words", Niklaus said calmly before taking the wood which was already burning out away from Dino who appeared lost in thoughts.
After thinking things through, all Dino could ask was " Why did you go alone? Why did you not take me along?", he stated softly, though knowing what the answer would be.
She didn't want to see him, she must have wrote in her letter and he really didn't know what to do about her stubbornness.
Maureen Carmichael, she was the fifth child and amongst all his favorite sister who married the wrong man from another kingdom.
" Here.... you need this", Niklaus suddenly spoke up drawing Dino away from his thoughts. His grey eyes followed Niklaus only to find a cigarette in his hand.
He accepted it, staring at it for a moment before walking towards the fireplace to lite it.
He placed it in his mouth then after a while, removed it, releasing some smoke in the process.
" How is she?", Dino asked choosing to sit on the floor instead and Smoke while Niklaus went to open the windows to have the smokes go out and fresh air come in.
He stared at Dino contemplating if to tell the truth but Maureen was far from alright. " She will be fine", he said after a while only to hear the Prince sigh and continue his cigar.
Prince Dino believed he was to blame for Maureen's condition, he could have fought for her and helped her but instead he let his father do as he pleased.... only he was to blame.
Princess Maureen deserved better than the man she married but she didn't want him involved and he was ONLY respecting her wishes.
He finally stood up and dusted himself, the Cigar already turned to small ashes on the floor. He stepped on it and turned to stare at Niklaus as though he had not looked exactly like a grieving soul a moment before.
And he had always been like that, he rarely showed his hurt, being the only son of the King, he had gone through so much to the extent he only knew how to put up a tough front.
But people like Maureen and Niklaus always brought out the softness in him, they were after all, people who he truly cared about.
" Close the windows, the wind is disturbing the candles.... and you should get some rest", Dino spoke with a nonchalant voice as he elegantly walked out of the room and closed the door behind him heading straight to his own room.
****** Sam and Lynette's Chambers******
Sam stood next to the wardrobe as she took off her hand gloves in a subconscious manner. Her body was presently in the room but her thoughts were completely elsewhere.
She felt she was overthinking things a little but every theory she had, only led her to believe she was not wrong. The King had indeed been overly friendly with her.
She turned to face Lynnette who was already lying on the bed clothed in her night gown. She was reading the same book from earlier this morning. ' The Logic Of Marriage'.
She turned away from her wondering if to ask her directly if she had suspected something as well or perhaps ask candidly about the situation.
Not knowing what to do, she opened the wardrobe and kept the gloves inside, bringing out the gown she would wear to sleep in the process.
She let her hair free letting it remain on her shoulders before turning to face Lynne once again.
" Lynnette", Sam turned towards Lynne finally deciding to ask her. Lynne on the other hand turned to stare at Sam with an unusual smile on her cheeks.
She had been reading the book Sam wrote but at the same time remembering all that had transpired between her and Walter today at the festival of shots.
Sam who was already occupied with her own problems thought the smile to be normal and did not bother to enquire. She straightened her gown and made to speak, closing the wardrobe as well.
" I feel... I feel the King has an interest in me", Sam said letting the words out before she decided to redraw them. Lynnette stared at her with the same unusual smile on her face but it soon replaced itself with a shocked expression as she immediately sat up.
Seeing that Lynnette was already paying attention, Sam went ahead with her theories. " He was being very unusually friendly with me and a little too much and I am sure I'm not overthinking things because he also stared at me weirdly too", she said hurriedly before stopping and waiting to hear what Lynne had to say.
" Wait.... I beg your pardon... His majesty cannot have an interest in you.. that is just not possible", Lynne replied as she got up from the bed and started heading towards Sam.
" I feel so too Lynne, believe me and I would give anything in the world to make sure that my theories right now are wrong but they aren't...or you think about it, why would he pay so much attention to me at the dining table today?", Sam asked, her brown eyes probing Lynne for answers.
Lynne stopped walking as she stood in front of Sam staring directly at her eyes before turning away from them to think about the events of today.
" I am not overthinking things, the King had behaved very odd and especially with me", Sam said once again causing Lynne to stare at her with confused eyes.
" I'm....I'm sure there must be an explanation for this... besides all he did was ask for your honest thoughts on the festivity", Lynne said softly trying to see through another route but Sam had thought that through as well.
" Well then i wish that was the case but it is not Lynne.. if it were to be, then, he wouldn't continuously indulge me in every conversation he was about to make", she stated in regards to the fact that the King had not stopped there and had continued.
" Wait let me think this through", Lynne stated heading towards the bed before sitting on it. She looked up at Sam's inquisitive brown eyes that stared back at her intently.
" Perhaps he only payed you so much attention because of his son, he does have a son, Dino by name, perhaps he wants the both of you.... married", Lynne said and afterwards she became confident that she was right.
Samaira stared at her but she was also thinking it through, she had indeed not thought about this and had totally ruled out the Prince from her theories but now it could be true.
" Silly us to think that a forty five year old man would be interested in a twenty one year old lady for other reasons", Lynnette said slapping her forehead with a little smile on her face.
" You seriously believe it was all about the Prince?", Sam asked as she started changing her gown prompting Lynnette to turn away.
" I do, I don't think His majesty would think of you in such away, he already has six formidable looking wives, if anything am not sure any other lady interests him anymore", Lynnette said confidently then turned around on hearing footsteps approach her.
Sam had finally changed into her night gown and she still looked pretty. She had kept the previous gown inside the wardrobe, freed her blonde hair from his ponytail and was now heading towards the bed.
She got into the bed tiredly, finally accepting that she had probably overthought everything.
" I would never marry... not even if the King himself asks me to do it... it is not part of my plans", Sam stated as she rested her head on the pillow with her body facing sideways.
Lynnette soon joined her and soon enough their bodies were both facing each other.
" Well I would do anything to get out of the marriage I am already in.... I'm soon to be engaged Sam, to a man who has already lost two of his wives", Lynne said opening up about something she had not really shared with anyone yet.
" What?", Sam asked looking shocked and hoping she had heard wrong while Lynne only smiled at her expresssion.
" My papa wants me to marry the Duke of the East's elder brother, Sir Neon, who apparently had renounced his position to be Duke for certain reasons best known to him" Lynnette exclaimed with a tired voice while Sam repeated the name Lynne had mentioned, she knew of this man, he was quite a rumor back then.
" I do not care about his position, what I care about is how my Papa can blatantly give me up to a man who had lost two wives and cannot even give any explanations on how, I do not plan to be Lynnette Rollins, the third wife who died", Lynne exclaimed again almost shouting.
" At least you get a papa who loves you, I believe mine only is my papa by name, otherwise ruining my life is his other duty", she said before turning to stare up at the ceiling away from Sam.
" Everyone has their problems Lynette, trust me... Your Papa might be yours but my grandmama is mine.
"Believe me, all through my life I have never heard anything good come out from that mouth of hers, if she isn't talking about marriage then she's probably pestering my mama for her inability to produce a male child", Sam stated turning to face the ceiling as well.
" I just wish I could fulfill all my dreams in one day so that the future that I dream of will finally be here.... but the struggle is a part of the process and I am willing to live with it as far I know where I am headed is bright", Sam said ending their conversation on those words.
Meanwhile Lynnette wondered inside her head like she had always done every moment she stopped to think about her life....
If she would be able to marry Sir Neon... though she did know one thing, she would run away if things got too unbearable and that was for sure.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hey guys.., it is I, SimplyTaurus-Trio, the author of this book and I just want to thank you for for giving this book a read and also know how you find this book so far, intriguing, boring, or smooth and amazing. Let me know at the comment section below.
Also I just want to let you know that this book is going to be hitting ten chapters by tomorrow that means my updating sequence would change. Numbers of chapters and time, so by tomorrow expect a change in sequence but not in story plot.
Thank you once more for giving T7Q a read.., I Pray to God that I don't let you down.