Two days later, it was the day of the hunt and Tessa was in no good mood. She had tried everything to stay out of sight but Veronica kept on coming to look for her at every interval.
She was taught how to walk like a royal, eat like one, and dress like one but she failed all the tests. She found it absurd as she hadn't taken a test on how to eat before, why should there be a method for that?
The last two days were exhausting for her and she couldn't wait to escape. It was as if they knew she had the intention to escape, the security on her was tight.
Thankfully, since that day, Elias didn't come looking for her and she was happy she wouldn't have to sleep with him again. That man was too dangerous for her sanity, and she knew she needed to stay far away from him.
The more she wasted time, the more difficult it would become to escape. For how long can she evade being laid? Veronica seemed eager to get her grandchild and the ministers wanted her gone soon, so it wouldn't be long before they started pressuring them for a child.
"My lady, you can't wear that." The maid said, picking up a new set of outfits for Tessa.
"I wouldn't be hunting anything, I don't need to wear this." Refusing, Tessa said and picked up the dress she initially chose.
You can force a horse to the stream, but you can't force it to drink water. Since it has come to that, she would just sit and watch them hunt.
"But, there could be an emergency, and wearing that will only hinder you." The maid said, persuading her.
"Stop being so dramatic. Now let's go before your king's mother comes looking for us." Rolling her eyes, she replied and started leading her way out of her room.
Getting to where everyone else was awaiting their arrival, Tessa walked up to her carriage without greeting the rest of the consorts, causing them to frown. She might be the king's mate but they were her superiors, and they deserved to be respected. What was with her pompous attitude when she was just a common thief who got lucky?
"Such impudence!" Dropping her hands on her chest dramatically, one of the consorts said and scoffed, staring at Tessa's carriage.
"The rumors of her nonchalant attitude were not false after all, let's see how long she lasts." Another consort, dressed in a black and white hunting attire remarked, smiling eerily.
"Let's hope she can conceive," a young consort disclosed and it had everyone turning to look at her.
"Hope?" The first consort from earlier said, and raised her brow curiously at the younger consort, wondering what she meant by hope.
It is only natural she conceived once she gets intimate with the king, unlike them who had never been touched since they became consorts. Not once had the king come looking for any of his consorts and it was a disgrace to them. They were like old tools that couldn't get the attention of the mechanic, they were hopeless compared to Tessa.
"What?" Shrugging, she uttered, playing dumb like she didn't just disclose information.
"Here she goes again, acting clueless after steering the masses." One of the consorts who was already used to the young consort's attitude commented and walked over to her carriage
"You will regret saying that," annoyed, the young consort yelled after the consort who just walked into her carriage and stomped away.
"Why can't we just use a car? Who uses a carriage in this age?" All along the way, Tessa kept on whining and complaining, making sure to express her dissatisfaction as they journeyed.
It was not like she couldn't cope with the carriage, she was just finding it hard to accept being forced into what she didn't want. Even before the misfortune that came upon her family, her father and mother always satisfied her with whatever she wanted. She was not deprived of anything and was treated like a princess.
"Where we are headed can't accommodate cars, so we opt for modern carriages." Her maid responded, smiling at her to brighten up her mood. Tessa felt bad for her but what she needed was freedom, not smiles or a game hunt.
Frustratedly, she groaned and looked outside the carriage, hoping to see anything that might interest her but couldn't find.
The path to their destination was a lonely and rough one, it was the worst journey ever.
"Are we not there yet?" Some minutes later, Tessa asked, her hands resting on her jaw.
"Not yet, My lady." Her maid responded and Tessa sighed.
"At this rate, I might die from anticipation." She said and fell back into the carriage.
"Tell me, is there a prize for the winner?" Deciding to distract herself with a discussion, she leaned closer to her maid and asked.
"Usually, the king would award the winner with a night in his bed but…" the maid started and halted, staring down at her fingers as if contemplating her words.
"It is fine, I am his mate anyway." Assuring her, Tessa urged, and it made the maid feel better.
"Since the death of our king's wife, he is rarely seen outside and completely isolated himself from the world. So Veronica would grant any of the consorts a special wish, instead of the king." The maid continued and Tessa nodded her head in response.
No wonder they looked fresh, they were yet to be touched by any man. Poor women, they must long for the feel of a man.
"They should have just escaped, why stay in the palace as lonely consorts?" Not understanding their sense of commitment, Tessa argued and shook her head.
It would have been easy for them to escape seeing how unbothered he was about them, why subject themselves to such a lifestyle? Could it be because of the wealth that came with being a consort?
"We are here my lady," breaking her thoughts, her maid announced and helped her out of the carriage.
"I thought we were hunting?"