Esme retired to her chambers. She tenderly applied a soothing balm on the inflamed rashes on her arm. Meanwhile, Vivienne was reporting to Esme how the king's advisor had ignored her in the gazebo. It hurt her feelings that she couldn't help but cry about it to Esme.
"He ignored me! All I asked was if he wanted some breakfast and he looked at me with cold eyes, why would he do that? I was only trying to be nice, but got rejected so heartlessly!" Vivienne's tears practically gushed out like a river, and Esme couldn't help but sigh, already aware of the delicate nature of her maid's emotions.
"I'm certain it was just a misunderstanding" Esme soothed. "He probably didn't intend to cause you any deliberate stress." But even as Esme comforted her maid, her own thoughts were elsewhere. No matter how hard she tried, the conversation she had with the king refused to flee her mind. She hadn't bothered herself about the demon wolves until now, not after knowing that the demon wolf her father slaughtered all those years ago had a son.
She hadn't witnessed it, but many people spoke of the battle where her father had fought valiantly, sacrificing his life to bring down the leader of the demon wolf. The warriors said that even as death loomed, her father ensured that the monster fell alongside him. That's why, in the eyes of many, her father's selfless act had made him a hero, his courage and sacrifice in saving many lives from the demon wolf's terror was still remembered till today. But now, the revelation that the demon actually had a wife and a son had left her paranoid.
What kind of person would voluntarily bind themselves to such an evil being?
"Oh! Milady, your poison worked?" Esme was snapped back to the present when she heard Vivienne speak. Her maid's eyes widened in concern as she took in the rashes on Esme's arm, and her face immediately contorted into worry. "Your arm is…. Milady, why did you drink it in the first place? Lord Finnian and I feared this might happen. Does it itch terribly?" she childed, her brows furrowed in concern as she helped Esme apply the balm on the right spot.
"The dose was a minute." Esme clarified, a hint of excitement dancing in her voice. "It itches but it's something I can handle. My body is slowly starting to adapt to these things, so you shouldn't worry. But I have to admit that I was a bit surprised by the potency of the poison's reaction to my body. It was just a drop, but look!" a triumphant smile played on her lips as she showed the inflamed rashes to Vivienne, whose concern for her only deepened.
She wondered if she had made a big mistake by introducing her lady to the world of poison-making. What other dangerous concoction might her lady create and consume?
Vivienne's eyes probed gently as she asked, "Milady, you seemed quite agitated in the garden today. Is everything well?" Esme simply nodded to her inquiries with a reassuring smile. If she told Vivienne about what the king disclosed to her in the garden, she feared the news might send her delicate heart into a frenzy.
In the evening, Esme donned a black outfit and was prepared to leave the mansion. She adjusted her cloak with a subtle flutter and descended the stairs, but halted halfway upon sighting Dahmer with the king. Every time she met his gaze, she struggled to conceal her anxiety around him. Aware that wolves can easily detect one's hesitation or fears, Esme had to put on a convincing smile for the king.
"Are you ready?" King Lennox asked when she came to stand by his side, and she nodded. They were about heading out when Esme stopped in her gait at the sudden mention of her name.
"Milady! Don't forget to take this with you!" Vivienne hurried downstairs and pressed a well-stocked bag into Esme's hand. "You never know when you might need more sustenance or guidance. I've included a few necessities, and your compass too, just in case." Vivienne's brown eyes shone with concern as she added, "be safe on your trip, Milady. May the road rise up to meet you."
Vivienne and Finnian bid her farewell by waving their hands, and Esme's heart swelled with affection to the point she couldn't resist waving back at them, and that was when a sudden realization struck her like a gentle breeze. Very soon, she's going to leave this mansion with the king, and it would be Vivienne and Finnian standing at the threshold, waving their goodbyes with tears in their eyes.
The thought of leaving them behind filled her with a deep sense of longing, and she knew she could never envision her life without the two of them in it. When the time is right, she'll broach the topic to the king and persuade him to allow Finnian and Vivienne accompany them to the palace once they leave.
Seated in the carriage, Esme's gaze darted towards Dahmer who walked past the carriage she was in to the one at front. His intimidating gaze remained steadfastly averted, and Esme struggled to suppress the flutter of anxiety that threatened to resurface. She couldn't remember the last time she ventured past the walls of the main pack, and she was half-thrilled and nervous about what awaited them out there.
"Your Majesty, I…" Esme began, only to be interrupted by the king's soft words.
"In a short while, we'll be married. You can dispense the formalities since we're alone" his gaze drifted toward her, warm and inviting. "I have a name, after all." he prompted.
Esme immediately shook her head at his offer, stupefied at the thought of referring to the king with such familiarity. It was a prospect that left her breathless, and she couldn't fathom herself uttering his name with such careless ease. The very thought sent shivers down her spine.
Esme's voice was tinged with apology as she said, "I'm more comfortable with the way things are, Your Majesty, for now." The carriage lurched forward, and Esme snuck a glance at the king to find his gaze still fixed on her.
"I won't press the matter," he replied, his voice low and gentle. "But I must confess, I long to hear my name spoken by your lips, when you're ready, of course." His words sent flutters through her chest, her eyes tracking the movement of his hand as it tenderly brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. When she raised her gaze to his, she was startled to find his face mere inches from hers, their breaths mingling in the sudden silence.
He smiled charmingly and leaned back into his seat, looking out the window. Esme's hand instinctively rose to cool her flushed cheeks, her head bowing low in embarrassment at her own visible discomfort.
She decided to distract herself by looking out the window, and she was stunned to see that they had left the pack now. Her eyes drank the amazing view of the rolling hills and majestic mountains, and the setting sun she could see from her side of the window. As twilight gave way to night time, Esme's curiosity about the black river began to stir. She had heard about it from others who had encountered it, but she had never seen the black river herself.
"Your Majesty," Esme glanced at Lennox, and he turned his head away from the window to regard her. "You've had the chance to see the black river before, what's it like?"
"Black, mostly," he replied with dry wit, a hint of smile on his lips. "It's breathtaking during the day, but the current can be quite treacherous at night. We won't be taking that route, we'll take a shortcut instead. Perhaps not today, but I'll show you the place tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, we'll be spending a whole day here and returning the day after tomorrow." The king's eyes narrowed in self-rebuke. "I thought I'd mention it in the garden… apparently not." He chuckled wryly at his own oversight.
Esme breathed a silent thank you to Vivienne for packing extra provisions, which spared her the hassle of acquiring new items. As the journey continued down the hill, Esme's eyelids grew heavier by the minute until she surrendered to sleep.
When she awoke, the carriage had come to a halt.
Gazing out the window, Esme spotted the king engaged in conversation with a group of rugged warriors in the town square. The street was eerily quiet, with only a handful of pedestrians lingering in the fading light of the day. She couldn't help but wonder why the people were still awake, despite the late hour, but her own exhaustion kept her from mustering the energy to engage with anyone. Instead, she remained nestled in the carriage, in the warmth of her thick cloak.
She rummaged through her bag, producing the compass Vivienne had thoughtfully packed. She opened it, her eyes scanning the needle as it settled on a northeast bearing. She wondered how many more travels lay ahead before they finally made it to their destination. With a quiet sigh, she closed the compass and stepped down from the carriage.
Everyone else was still discussing with the warriors, and as Esme moved to join them, someone in an equally dark outfit breezed past her with an aura so intense, it stopped her in her tracks.
"Huh?" Her pupils dilated. She swiftly spun around to see who it was that possessed such a disturbing aura, but found no one at sight.
Meanwhile, as the king and Dahmer listened to the warriors recount their knowledge of the fortress incident, the demon they had been hunting had slipped right past them, unnoticed.