I still didn’t understand why Queen Alicia was suddenly acting cold to . Regardless of the strange atmosphere around , the hunting event still started with the sound of trumpets across the field. Queen Alicia took one step forward. Of course, as a queen, she would always be at the forefront. I could understand that.
A lady-in-waiting arrived carrying a purple pillow. On it was a black bracelet that sparkled very beautifully. It seed like it was a good luck charm that Queen Alicia would give to King Theodore.
I felt a little insecure because the item I had prepared was far from beautiful. I didn’t mind if King Theodore didn’t like it because I felt that the bracelet I had made wasn’t really worth being used.
Then, the party of n who were about to join the hunting event arrived. King Theodore ca at the front, leading the other n with his black jacket and mask that had the sa color.
He got off the horse, and the palace guard held his horse. All the n behind him also got off to catch up with the king so they could receive the good luck charms from their partners.
I smiled as the man turned towards and stopped in front of Queen Alicia who also followed King Theodore to the center of the field. For a mont, the two of them looked like a perfectly matched married couple. I smiled seeing King Theodore who received Queen Alicia’s gift and everyone clapped their hands. I also clapped happily.
The man then put back the bracelet that Queen Alicia had given him onto the purple pillow. After thanking her, King Theodore said that he would bring the best hunting animals for the queen, and it made the woman smile broadly and contentedly.
After getting the good luck charm from the queen, the man turned to . I stood up nervously as he walked quickly towards . All eyes turned back to and I knew it wasn’t a pleasant gaze.
"You brought sothing for ?" he asked while looking at to see if I brought him a lucky charm or not.
I was a little insecure. Maybe so people were waiting for what kind of object I would give to the king and it made feel small. I opened the drawstring bag I was holding tightly in my hand and took out a bracelet made of woven red thread.
"Sorry, I can only make this for you, Your Majesty."
"Oh, red?"
I thought I chose the wrong color. The man was completely obsessed with black... perhaps because black could make him invisible in the dark and it was an intimidating color. I couldn’t see his expression. Was he frowning because he didn’t like the color I chose?
"Eum... I... just want to give you a little new color. Sorry if what I gave did not et your expectations."
The man held out his hand. He gave the bracelet to . Well, I was a little disappointed that my bracelet was rejected by him. Then, I could hear a faint giggle of won from behind.
"Sorry, I should have understood if you prefer black."
"What’s wrong with you? Why are you always apologizing? I like red. I’m a little bored with black. I really like it."
"Eh?"
I looked up, and the man held out his hand again with the sleeve of his jacket slightly raised to show his wrist.
"Can you help put it on?"
I was a little surprised to hear that. I looked at my bracelet again. Even in the middle part, there was a rope that almost broke due to rushing to make it. I didn’t have much ti to repair it.
However, where was Queen Alicia’s bracelet? Shouldn’t King Theodore use it first and then use my bracelet?
"Cecil." His call made co back to my reverie, and I rushed to put the bracelet I made on her wrist.
"Thank you. I promise I’ll bring you sothing."
I shook my head quickly, trying to remind him that I didn’t want him to bring any hunting animals for . I wasn’t comfortable with that, but when I said it, King Theodore just chuckled. Then, he took my hand and kissed the back of my hand while slightly lifting his mask.
I quickly pulled away after hearing several gasps from behind. King Theodore adjusted his mask and joined his hunting party after all the n received their lucky charms from their partners.
I, who was increasingly uncomfortable with the gazes that the surrounding people gave, imdiately asked permission to return to the palace to the queen. Queen Alicia just nodded and went back to talking with her royal friends. My legs felt weak because of the gazes from the corners of their eyes that seed to judge .
In my room, I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. I tried my best to calm myself down and hoped that what I felt earlier was just my imagination because I was in a bad shape.
I closed my eyes for a mont to relieve the tiredness weighing down my shoulders. I didn’t know why I felt so tired this morning. I sat alone at the window to watch the hustling and bustling square across from the vast palace garden. After they partied until early morning last night, this morning they were back to partying.
I just ca and didn’t join them. For the first ti, I felt that my existence wasn’t well received by people. And this was a foreign feeling that I had never felt.
At Birwick, people always received warmly, but the attitude of the people on the Northendell made miss the people in the castle.
I was hugging my knees when a lady-in-waiting ca to put down my cup of tea. The woman then excused herself. Even the ladies-in-waiting and maids here also couldn’t make feel comfortable.
I poured the tea that was in the teapot. Then, I heard a clinking sound like sothing had dropped under the bottom of the cup. I watched my tea carefully. Sothing shiny seed to sink under the slightly clear tea water, and I picked it up with a spoon.
In my spoon, there were very small pieces of glass, but if I accidentally swallowed it, it was enough to injure my throat. Maybe soone did it on purpose. I put the teacup back down and left it on the table.
I used the rest of my ti to learn to read the letters again. In a mont of complete silence, I looked up in surprise. After a month, I didn’t feel the gaze. Now I could feel the sensation of being stared at from a distance. I put down the book I was reading and imdiately ran to the window. I tried to look at every part of the secluded palace, but I couldn’t see him.
Besides, I could only sense his gaze for a mont, then it just disappeared the next second. I held my heart, which was beating fast again for no particular reason. Why was I like this? How could I still hope to et the mysterious man again after I had beco soone’s wife?
Even though I had betrayed my own promise, deep down, I still hoped to et him again. After I had cald down, I returned to my seat, but I couldn’t get back to concentrating. Every ti I wanted to read, there was an uneasy feeling that rushed over .
The tightness in my chest made feel sad. Since everything was so confusing, I decided to leave the room to go to the library and get so fresh air. I crossed the garden to get to the part of the palace where the library was.
Several guards who knew lowered their heads after I passed them.
In the library, I chose to sit on a section of a table and chairs with a large window. Then, I opened the window pointed towards another part of the palace where a dense forest filled with pine trees could be seen.
The sll of the forest that was so relaxing cald down again. The gentle breeze made relax a little, and I put my head on the table to rest a bit.
At that mont, I couldn’t tell the difference between dream and reality. I dread of soone who shouldn’t be there. The man sat directly across the table. Our distance was only one arm apart. We stared at each other without saying a word, and I could feel the warmth of his feet accidentally touching mine.
The man didn’t smile or frown. He had his usual flat expression. His red irises made feel at ease after feeling tired of being surrounded by many people. That gaze pulled to sink deeper into the world of dreams.
Then, I felt a soft kiss on my neck and shoulders. It was like the man often did before, but my dream just stopped there. After that, I woke up again because of the boisterousness of the returning hunting party. I got up and saw the orange evening sky.
Was I so tired that I fell asleep for hours on the table?
I touched my shoulder where I thought a mysterious man whose na I didn’t know was kissing . It felt so real and made my face blush. Did I really want to et him so badly that I dread of sothing as disrespectful as this?
A lady-in-waiting called because King Theodore had returned and I refused to join because the king had allowed not to attend the event.
Until soone interrupted.
"Cecillia, what are you doing here?"
"Your Highness?"
"It is very impolite for a king’s wife to rest in an open place like this and not welco her husband after going hunting," said Queen Alicia, and it made stand up, feeling guilty.
"Your Highness, His Majesty King Theodore has granted permission."
"Don’t talk nonsense. King Theodore did not have the right to manage the affairs of the wives. I am the queen here, and you should listen to more than the king’s words."
I looked down in sha.
"Yes, Your Highness. Sorry for my negligence."
Queen Alicia looked so angry that it scared . I took a deep breath and followed behind her. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to see the hunting animals or not, but I also didn’t want to make Queen Alicia get angrier if I forced myself to stay inside the palace.
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