Seeing Marcus's rudeness, Alkaris closed his eyes for a moment and waited for his anger to pass. Why was his son so averse to marriage and what was it that made him blow his lid off? Alrakis got up and excused himself to go after his son.
Morava's temper was rising like a volcano. She fisted her hands till her knuckles were white and was shaking with rage. "Father, I think—"
"I think he is right," Biham added immediately. "We arrived yesterday and you have to give him time. You can't push King Marcus to marry you in one day."
"But father, he insulted me and you."
Bihan dropped his voice and said, "Morava, I told you to keep your temper in check before coming to Draka. King Marcus is a man who every other king wants to have a connection with. If you thought that becoming his wife was going to be an easy task, then remember that he has remained single for many years and he has grown used to it." Biham made her understand the crucial problem. "You have to be calm, in control and show that you are concerned about him. You have to peel through his layers and get to see the real him, slowly. Numerous would-be suitors must have encountered him figuratively and literally and he must have rejected them all. You are the only one his father likes, which is progress. So, you better make it worth your while." He touched her arm. "Now take a deep breath."
Morava had a temper but not at the cost that would jeopardize her marriage with the King of Draka. So, closed her eyes and focused on breathing.
Biham continued, "I will be leaving today. Make sure you behave and check your anger. This is why I have left those three girls with you. If you feel angry, you can take out your anger on them, okay?" When Morava nodded with clenched teeth, he added, "Now breathe through your anger. You have to make this alliance possible! The future of my kingdom depends on it. If we get Draka's alliance, we will become just as powerful!"
"Yes, father," she replied.
Biham left Draka soon after leaving Morava behind, warning her to stay as cool as possible.
Alrakis took Morava on the palace tour. The three girls who had accompanied Morava in her entourage, Giada, Orna and Ivy also went with them. Their parents were nobles in the court of Pegasii. These three were her friends and remained close to Morava, they bore all her sarcasm, insults and anger. There were many times Morava had slapped them, beaten them, but they stuck with her because many other benefits came that were attached to royalty.
Giada and Orna were sisters, while Ivy was the daughter of another courtier. Giada and Orna had straight sandy brown hair, and they had kind of similar features with a square face and hazel eyes. They had a sharp tongue. Ivy had a thick mass of curly auburn hair. With black eyes, she was more beautiful and had a calmer demeanor, and one of the reasons why Morava was less rude with her.
When Morava announced that they would be going with her to the Draka Kingdom, they were ecstatic. They wanted to see the mighty king Marcus. And when they saw him all they could think of was that he was a male personification of seduction and was barely aware of it.
Soon, Morava was hanging on the arm of Alpha Alrakis and sauntering through the halls of Draka Palace with Giada, Orna and Ivy following behind. As they passed the servants and guards, everyone bowed to them. Morava was quite used to all this but she was stunned by the sheer number of men and women that worked inside the palace. She couldn't help but see the luxurious setup inside every hall and also the fine architecture of the building. As she walked, she could see her reflection in the polished black granite floors. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
The guards wore a black uniform with the golden crest embroidered on the chest of their shirt. The servants wore crimson uniforms—something she was going to change. Her favorite color was green and she was going to make the servants wear green. From the corner of her eye, she saw a young female servant with a uniform whose neckline was slightly low so that it showed some of her breasts. Morava's expressions turned dark. She committed the servant's face to her memory to punish her later and she also made a decision that she wasn't going to allow servants to wear such revealing dresses once she became queen.
Alrakis guided them to the well-manicured garden of the palace once he had given them a brief tour of the insides.
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The moment Rigel brought Lara to the servant quarter, he spoke in hushed tones, "Stay as discreet as possible. Don't attract attention. I am leaving one of my soldiers, Glenn, with you." He pointed at a young soldier whose light brown hair stood up like a porcupine's spikes. When she looked at him, Glenn raked his fingers in his hair nervously as if willing them to settle down. "Do not talk about your mission to anyone, okay?"
Lara nodded vehemently, bug eyed.
"As soon as you have settled, go to the king."
"I will, Your Highness," she said and dipped her head out of courtesy.
Rigel shook his head stiffly and remarked, "So young…" He felt like the girl needed all the protection in the world. She looked so delicate to him the moment he saw her that he hated Menkar for using her for this job. He almost pitied Lara. He added, "If— if you feel you are in any kind of jeopardy, don't hesitate to reach me, okay?"
Lara's lips curled up. Prince Rigel was a sweet man. So different from King Marcus. He gave her the space she needed and wasn't overbearing as Marcus. Little did she know that Marcus would never rest until she was with him and that he was suffering from something close to a panic attack.
Prince Rigel spun and marched out in a hurry leaving Lara with Glenn, muttering something under his breath about young women, kings and arcanas.
An awkward moment passed. Lara ran her teeth over her lips and addressed Glenn, "I would like to take a bath."
Glenn was staring at the most petite girl he had ever seen and had been ordered to protect. Now standing here, he wondered if he should go with her and stand guard while she took a bath in the common bathrooms. "The bathrooms are at the east end. Walk down the corridor and you will find them."
She bunched the sides of her gown and waited.
"Oh!' Glenn realized that she was waiting for him to leave. "I— I will be standing outside my room, which is adjacent." He lumbered his way out.
Before leaving, he turned his head over his shoulder and said, "You may have to wait a little long to take a bath, because the bathrooms are common for the servants and they must all be occupied at this point of time."
And Lara didn't have time.