A knock on her bedroom door caught Beth's attention while she was getting dressed to begin a new day at Marquess Wolfram's estate. She hadn't anticipated a visitor so early, but the voice of the head butler from the other side of the door quickly gave a short explanation.
He said the master's bedroom needed tidying up, and they required her assistance immediately. Without hesitation, Beth gathered some things and hurried down the hallway.
Beth took a deep breath bringing an empty woven basket as she made her way through the corridors. She knocked on the door three times when she arrived at her destination.
"Door's open," a voice gave her permission, and Beth pushed the door open to find the room had no light; the candles were unlit.
A person, however, was standing by the window. Dressed in a bathrobe, his disheveled appearance contrasted his usual aura of authority.
Hurriedly, Beth kept her eyes lowered. Her heart sprinted in the mere presence of the man. She had an uncle who worked for the Marquess as a sailor on a trading ship and had stories of how terrifying the Marquess was.
Her uncle would laugh and tease her, saying that all masters were equally intimidating. He would remind her that the key was not to make her upcoming boss mad.
Beth pushed away the swirling thoughts in her mind. She focused on the task she had been summoned to perform. And the moment her eyes laid on the wig she recognized sitting on the bedside table, she accidentally let the woven basket slip from her hands and dropped it to the floor.
'We've been found out!' The plan had failed miserably, and the Marquess had known her master's identity.
The Marquess looked over his shoulder and met her eyes. She composed her senses and immediately apologized, her voice shaking, "I, I'm so sorry, M, Marquess." Her trembling hands picked up the basket.
Her eyes moved to the bed, where the curtains were drawn like a veil. A shiver of fear ran down Beth's back as her thoughts wandered into the darkest possibilities.
Did Lord Mikael make it out alive? How was he? Beth silently prayed that her master was still breathing after whatever happened last night.
The suffocating anxiety gnawed at her heart. How had the Marquess reacted? She imagined the nightmarish scenario of how she would have to break the news to the absent Count and Lady Mikayla.
Fear threatened to crush her resolve. She wasn't even sure if she would get a chance to escape the Marquess' place in one piece.
Trapped in her apprehension, she jumped when a voice reverberated in the room. "Clean up the room," the Marquess said, commanding.
Beth raised her chin and unknowingly matched the Marquess' gaze. She was actually expecting to be interrogated. "H, Huh?"
"Are you deaf?" he asked, irritated.
"N, No, my lord! I shall begin cleaning!" Beth answered and moved swiftly.
Bending down, she began to gather the fallen pillows. Despite the odd stains that marked them, she paid them no mind, focusing on restoring order to the room.
While she carried on with her cleaning duties, Beth made her way over to the master's bed. Her fingers brushed against the curtain fabric, and with a careful motion, she drew them aside. Her eyes rested on Mikael, and she recognized the aftermath of the previous night.
Beth blushed deeply, her cheeks turning a bright red as she drew the curtains back. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight that greeted her. Lord Mikael was lying there with proof of the passionate night he had shared with the Marquess.
Just like an artist, the Marquess painted marks over Lord Mikael's naked body like it was his canvas. Like spots on a map, the love bites traced the path of his passionate trip across Lord Mikael's skin.
Beth's mind had drifted off, and the sound of the door closing went almost unnoticed. She only realized the Marquess had gone after she refocused on her surroundings.
...
Mikael woke up, squinting at the light pouring in through the open curtains; the warm touch of the morning caressed his skin. As he lay there, he noticed the sun was already high, showing it was already noon.
Rubbing his eyes to shake off the last bits of sleepiness, the sunlit room started coming into focus. As his sight got clearer bit by bit, he saw something moving near the window.
A person was standing there, gently pulling the curtains as if trying to control the sunlight coming in. The silhouette was familiar, and he recognized the person as his eyes adjusted further.
It was Beth.
"W, Water," he called to her, his voice coming out a hoarse whisper. His throat felt more arid than in the dry season.
Beth was quick to respond and fulfill his request. The clinks of glass accompanied her as she arrived at his side. She extended the glass out to him with a steady hand.
Accepting it, the liquid inside sparkled as he brought the rim of the glass close to his lips and drank from it.
He placed the empty glass on the bedside table with a soft thud and then found himself looking back, probably realizing he was the only one in the bed. Nicolaus was nowhere to be seen.
"The Marquess had left this dawn," Beth's gentle response cut through the silence as if she sensed his unspoken question, explaining the vacancy beside him.
"Regardless, my lord, are you okay?" Her voice showed concern as she continued, "You have a bruise on your neck. Should I ask the head butler to send a doctor?" Beth asked in worry.
Mikael's fingers sort of moved on their own, brushing against the mark on his neck. His touch then ended up on the spot where Nicolaus had bitten him, and the sting from that bite was still there, making him remember the bond.
Beth's attention moved to Mikael's nape, where his fingers were. She only then noticed the bite mark there. Her eyes widened, and her concern became even more visible as her brows knitted together.
"Goodness, my lord," she began. "D, Did the Marquess make that mark?"
Mikael's cheeks tinged with a hint of pink as he nodded in response to Beth's inquiry.
Beth's unease was becoming pretty obvious. "I, Is it going to be alright?" Her words held more than what was on the surface.
Glancing at her, Mikael got the hidden message in her question. He comprehended her intention without needing her actually to voice it, feeling her understanding of his situation, and realized she wasn't the naive girl he had assumed.
Male alphas bonding was already uncommon. But if two heir alphas bonded, that would cause even bigger news throughout the whole kingdom.
Mikael took a slow breath. He had been bound with the responsibility of taking over his father's title. But now, he wasn't so sure. "I'm not sure, Beth," he confessed. "This is way off from what I had in mind."