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...15...
SHE WAS JEALOUS AND HE WAS HAPPY😸
She watched the pretty swallows fly around from the balcony of the bedroom. They were colourful, beautiful and melodious. They were her only entertainment for now. She had tried to guess what time it was and had failed once again. She stared at the sky, disappointed in herself. She didn't blame the beast for chasing others ladies when she could not even tell the time. Oh, she felt rather dumb. She had never bothered to learn how to tell the time before, overlooking it completely, thinking it quite inferior to other skills that she had learnt or honed perfectly.
She finally went out of the bedroom to sought for Xiera who only barely glanced at the hour glass and told her that it was the noon hour. She wondered where the Emperor was having not seen him all morning as she went back into the bedroom and to the balcony once more. She was sure that he was probably somewhere, with those seven ladies, the empress candidates, enjoying their company. She wondered which of them he was with. It was most probably that Hera-Mera or Nicolette or Genevieve or Melanie. Well, she wasn't even sure that she wanted to know which. It was better if her curiosity was kept hanging.
She turned away from the excellent view which the balcony offered her and went into the bedroom. She sat on the bed for a minute or two pondering before she gently lay on it. She would resume her normal routine; the very one she had been following since she had awakened in his kingdom -except planning and executing escape- she decided after ample time. That routine was solely to ignore him like when she had first discovered that she could not leave his kingdom, the Linamine fortress. She went to the wardrobe and skimmed through it with her newly painted fingers, something that Hyeera had about forced her to do. Why? That was because she didn't very much like the idea of being pretty, for the beast. He was using her and damn her if she was going to keep encouraging him by looking absolutely good.
She was planning to play the hag today. She veered from her wardrobe and into his. She selected one of his cozy white shirt, planning to wear it when another thought crept into her ever busy mind like a light bulb. She stopped short and debated on her attempted action. Those ladies, they might taunt her or look down on her, turning up their noses at her in distasteful superiority. She was having none of that from those bitches. She closed his wardrobe and went back to hers. She looked through it and settled on a black jumpsuit that looked good enough to go riding for she was planning to in order to burn up some of her pent up frustration. She quickly changed into it and did her makeup herself, lightly of course, as always. She finished the look with a diamond necklace and let her oxblood hair down. She walked gracefully out of the bedroom and found Xiera eating caramel bars. She instantly longed for some.
'My lady,' Xiera greeted her.
'What are you eating?' she asked the lady though she knew what it was.
'I am having caramel bars my lady,' she responded with a smile. 'A warrior deserves some sugar at times, for strength.'
'Let me have some please,' she requested. Xiera smiled at her before shoving the remainder of it into the pocket of her clothes.
'I'm sorry but I dare not do so my lady,' she told her mistress.
'And why is that?' she asked her puzzled or was the warrior just being stingy to her?
'It was not tasted my lady. The Great Emperor would have my head for such a grave act especially if something were to happen to you,' she said to her.
'Tasted, by whom?'
'The royal taster tastes your every meal My Lady. She is Hyeera.'
'She does what?' she asked in disbelief which quickly morphed into surprise. She was completely taken aback by the revelation.
'She tastes your food my lady,' she clarified once again.
'This has been going on for how long?' she asked Xiera.
'That would be since you came to the royal manor My Lady,' she explained. 'Before that, the emperor tasted your meals himself until Hyeera resumed that duty. He trusts Hyeera so much My Lady.'
'He did so?!' she asked her, standing there, completely bedazzled. The revelation was a bit shocking although it revealed so much to her. She meant quite a lot to the emperor for him to do that.
'Yes my lady. I have seen him do so with my own two eyes on many occasions.'
'And why will he do so, taste my food, if I may ask?' she said to her with raised brows. She had no idea that such a thing was happening behind her back.
'It is purely because he wants no harm to come to you My Lady. He deeply cares for you. I assure you of that My Lady.'
'Where is he?'
'I think he is in the throne room. The second stage of the Empress festival will commence in the nosh hour.
'Well, he did not tell me that.' Xiera didn't reply. She waited dutifully for her Lady's instruction.
'Let us go there. I think I want to forfeit riding for today and see him instead.' She added the second sentence in a whisper that Xiera couldn't hear.
'Yes My Lady. I shall lead the way,' she said to her with a bow.
'He is one lucky son of a gun,' she muttered inaudibly, following Xiera out of the emperor's quarters. They left the house entirely and turned around the main manor to the stables. There, Xiera picked a horse for her and her lady. She instantly liked her horse. It was a chestnut furred horse called Curry while Xiera's was a blue and black horse called Starlian. Xiera assisted her in mounting her horse. She rode behind Xiera, both going at medium pace to the throne room.
They soon arrived at the throne room. It was just as she had remembered it from earlier. They dismounted with Xiera handling their horses over to stables boys who took them away for grooming and perhaps a drink. Xiera went up and had a word or two with one of the guards situated there and turned to her.
'My lady, the great emperor is in the throne room. He is not alone. He is in the company of the seven empress candidates. I think he is giving them a tour of the throne room,' she explained to her mistress. 'Shall we go to him?' she asked. Rose loved her personal aide. The lady knew when something could and could not upset her, unlike that unfortunate beast. She was beginning to get angry at him once more. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.
'We shall go to him despite that. Lead the way,' she said after she had gathered herself properly. Xiera led her into the throne room. She saw them instantly. He was talking, facing the entrance so their gazes met, even from that distance. She glared boldly at him. He raised a questioning brow at her, momentarily distracted from what he was saying.
She walked up to him, still holding his gaze. The ladies with him had already noticed his distraction, turning towards it, her. She did not mind their eyes, focused only on him, the beast, the one who tasted her food because he cared and yet pretended as if she meant nothing to him. How cunny yet silly of him! But mayhap, he didn't want anyone to know that she was his weakness. That was actually a fairly reasonable reason to act just the way that he did.
'Mine,' he said to her in a questioning way. She sneered.
'You promised me a tour first, didn't you?' she reminded him. 'Yet here you are doing so without me,' she threw at him in a sarcastic tone.
'Sweet Rose,' he began gently before he was rudely cut off by her.
'Do not Sweet Rose me!' she snapped as she studied the throne room. It was decorated in preparation of the occasion Xiera had told her about earlier. He watched her. 'What is this I see? Anyways, I'm not shocked that its décor is as stupid as its owner.' One of the ladies gasped, it was Helen. Her audacious words brought about murmurs between the seven surprised women. But, she didn't give a damn about if she was being disrespectful to him. He deserved it, the unfortunate beast who was playing with her heart.
'How dare you?!' Hera-Mera snapped at her with angry eyes.
'Leave her be Mera,' he told the agitated woman. Hera-Mera backed down obediently. Rose sneered once more, hating the affectionate way he called her name, Mera.
'Mine,' he began once more, going closer to her this time.
'Do not Mine me either for I am not yours and you know!' she was glad to enlighten him. She sashayed away from him, towards the throne.
'Wait here,' he told the ladies.
'Yes My Sovereign Liege,' they all answered with a bow. He then followed behind her at a safe distance, wondering just what she was up to now. Two guards, positioned at the beginning of the seven stepped stairs that led up into the throne, stopped her with spears that came together swiftly. She humped and turned away, bumping into a mountain the moment she did so. She looked up at him. He steadied her body with his arms around her waist and then let go.
'Allow her,' he said to the guards who received his orders with a bow and did as they were ordered. She stated askance at him. He smiled lightly with only the corners of his lips lifting up for a nanosecond. 'What do you intend to do Rose?' he asked her, watching her patiently.
'I want to touch,' she said to him without malice, extremely glad to have his attention even if only momentarily.
'Then do so,' he prompted her. She reached out and touched one of the the sculptures that lined the sides of the stairs. She climbed the stairs to the main throne. She stared at it for quite a while. Then, she proceeded to touch, running her fingers over it slowly, appreciatively. 'Is this pure gold?' she inquired.
'Yes, it is a hundred percent pure gold,' he answered her.
'Wow! That is just wow!' she said with a smile that made her pretty face beguiling.
'Is it?' he asked in a murmur, taken with admiring her beauty. She straightened, her gaze moving quickly to the giant ruby at the top of the throne's back rest. She leaned in closer, beginning to reach out to it. Suddenly, she halted, her hands still just few inches from it. Some sort of current like sensations passed through her in that instant. The force weakened her entire body especially her feet for a moment, causing her to lose balance. He caught her as she lightly staggered backwards.
'Phew!' she muttered softly in calm relief. He held unto her tightly.
'Are you alright?' he asked her. She nodded as she freed herself from his grip. He let her do so.
'What is that?' she asked, occupied with staring at the ruby.
'What is what?' he questioned with a smirk that proved that he knew very well of the ongoings.
'That gem, what is it?'
'Ah that,' he began. 'It is a secret sweet Rose,' he whispered leaning towards her ears, 'one I am not supposed to reveal to you.'
'Oh stop!' she snapped. 'Then why pique my curiosity you impossible man?' she demanded.
'It's fascinating,' he said. She eyed him distastefully.
'Is it really?' she asked, thinking that he was replying her question. But he ignored her and continued with what he had been saying.
'It is a fascinating stone, this ruby. It is a sacred relic of Linamine.'
'Is that the reason why I can't seem to be able to touch it?' she inquired of him. He hesitated, something that once again nearly angered her.
'Yes.'
'Is there no way I can do so?' she inquired with hopeful eyes.
'I am afraid that it is a no because only those of Linamine's royal blood can do it.' She lowered her head in disappointment, downcast. He smiled behind her before taking her palm in his and placing it over the gem. The gem came to life, glowing.
'Look! Look!' she said excitedly with a lovely smile, completely overjoyed by the ongoings.
'Are you that happy?' he murmured inaudibly.
'It's smooth and pretty,' she observed, stroking the gem with his fingers covering hers. 'It vibrates lightly as if it sings,' she pointed out.
'It does, it sings sweet Rose, but you can not hear it,' he said. His fingers began to caress hers gently. She stared at their hands, together and felt peculiar. She felt as if they shared some sort of bond. She quickly retrieved her hands to herself and turned away. He made room for her to descend the seven stairs. He watched her do so before he followed suit. She turned to him then.
'Is there anything else of interest apart from you and your throne?' she asked him sarcastically.
'You,' he told her after a while. The atmosphere changed in an instant, the wind stilling at the word he had just uttered. Her heart rate quickened at the unexpected compliment.
'I am neither a statue nor am I a monument,' she somehow found the voice to retort. He said nothing to her, watching her unconsciously fidget with her hands.
'Xiera,' he called. The warrior walked the short distance to them swiftly.
'My Sovereign Liege,' Xiera answered with a bow.
'Tell Hyeera to see to it that your Lady is properly dandied for the occasion which shall commence in about two hours time.'
'Your wish is a command My Sovereign Liege.'
'Go get dressed,' he practically urged her away. She sneered inwardly. There was no way she was coming to another of such gathering, not when she felt like how she felt for him. It might give her a heart attack, his outrageous gestures. Therefore, she would rather not come. She lifted her head stubbornly at him and he just knew that she was going to refuse to do so, disobey him. 'Don't you dare!' he said in a warning tone.
'I will not promise to get dressed because I will not. Besides, you did not keep any of your promises too. Did you?' when he said nothing, she continued. 'See, I am not to blame and you know that.'
'Really?' he asked her. She refrained from speaking. 'I could bring you there myself,' he threatened. She diddered at his threat that held so many cruel possibilities. But, in the end, she refused to back down.
'I would rather you do not do so,' she retorted. He stared at her.
'Then off you go,' he urged. She frowned, her face drooping, looking absolutely forlorn.
'But I really don't want to go,' she said in a soft pleading voice.
'Why, what is your reason?' he asked her although he knew.
'I just don't want to.'
'Do whatever pleases you then,' he finally gave in. 'But should you need me, I shall be playing host at the Royal Pavilion where the occasion is to take place,' he informed her.
'I don't and won't need you,' she said and spun on her heels, sashaying away. He watched her leave, an attempted smile on his face. She was jealous and he was happy. He shook his head and went back to the seven ladies who have been patiently waiting for him and to his duty as their tour guide.
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...OmaPhinaPhire🔥
GLOSSARY:
* THE NOON HOUR: THE HOUR BETWEEN TWELVE AND ONE O'CLOCK.
* THE NOSH HOUR: THE HOUR BETWEEN THREE AND FOUR O'CLOCK.