THE KING’S WOMENV
etta knocked on Princess Kamara’s bedroom door. She waited impatiently for the door to open. She knocked again and again and again. Finally, she heard footsteps, and the door opened. The princess stood behind the door, and from the look of it, she’d been sleeping.
“What are you doing in my bedroom?” Kamara asked, surprised to see the mistress standing behind her door.
“I need you to come and see something,” Vetta stated to her. The mistress looked a little smug, too.
Kamara crossed her arms. “Why would I want to go anywhere with you in the middle of the night? For all I know, you might be an evil woman and you want to harm me.”
“Why would I want to do that!?” Vetta hissed. She didn’t like the insult—being addressed as an evil woman.
“I do not know. You tell me.”
“Listen, I only want to show you something. I wanna be of help. You can either agree to go with me or you don’t. Either way, I won’t stand around wasting my time and getting insulted.” Vetta turned and marched out of the door. She walked slowly, watching behind her through the corner of her eye. She really hoped that the princess would get curious and follow her. She walked a few more steps before she heard faint, elegant footsteps behind her. She turned smugly; her eyebrows raised as she looked at the princess.
Princess Kamara already had her robes on to cover her nightie. “This better be worth my time, Mistress Vetta. I dislike wasting it.”
Vetta smiled wickedly. “Oh, it’s so going to be worth your time. Tell me, Princess, do you like to be disrespected?”
“You must be dumb to ask, Mistress. No princess likes to be disrespected.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Vetta smiled wickedly, still leading the way.
Kamara cocked her head in thought, wondering what the woman was up to. They walked in silence through the hallways until they arrived at the king’s chamber.
“What are we doing here?” Kamara asked, confused.
“Follow me.” Vetta said simply. She really wished that the king would send Danika away. Kamara really needed to see that.
She walked towards the window and quietly drew the curtain open. She looked inside and her heart tightened with rage and satisfaction. It was even worse this time around. The king still laid on the floor—on the floor—with Danika wrapped tightly in his arms and the blanket spread over them.
They were sleeping like two lovers that found each other and never wanted to let go ever again. Stupid and pathetic!
“What are you doing, Mistress Vetta!?” Kamara kept her voice very down as she hissed. It was a punishable crime to spy on the king.
Vetta masked her rage and plastered a smile on her face. “Come and see, Princess.”
“I am not moving an inch,” Kamara declared.
“Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.”
Kamara took a deep breath and walked closer towards her. Vetta stepped aside and crossed her arms. The princess looked through the window. Vetta waited smugly with her arms crossed as she waited for the princess to come to terms with the sight before her. She watched Kamara’s face closely.
Shock slackened her jaw and left her mouth wide open. And then her face closed up.
Kamara remained by the window, just staring inside as time passed. She couldn’t stop staring at King Lucien and Danika curled up on the floor, their bodies tightly pressed together. The king did not like to be touched. That was the main reason it shocked the devil out of her to find him in that position with Danika.
“Oh,” was all she said.
Vetta knew they couldn’t stay for long. “We have to leave before we get into trouble.”
Kamara nodded and pulled back from the window. She followed the mistress, and they walked away from the king’s chambers.
“So, tell me, Princess, was it worth your time or not?” Vetta drawled smugly.
Finally, it made sense to Kamara. The reason the king was so hesitant to take her to his bed. The reason he couldn’t summon her, not once in all the time she had been here. Finally, she understood what that look on Danika’s face whenever she was staring at the king. Of course, it was love. How could she have missed that?
Danika was very much in love with the king. So in love, she wore it on her face. And the king? He must love her too, to be in that position with her. It all made sense finally.
“Are you not going to say anything?” Vetta huffed in frustration when the princess remained silent on their way back.
“What do you want me to say?” she asked calmly.
What!? That was not what Vetta expected. She expected the princess to be raving mad and angry right now. To barge into the king’s chambers and demand for an explanation and an apology from the king for disrespecting her like that. To have Danika whipped for such insolence.
Her taking it so coolly wasn’t what Vetta wanted at all.
Vetta turned to her when they were far from the room. “It’s courting week. You’re in your bedroom while the king summons his slave to sate his hunger every night. He prefers his slave to you, and this is your week. Tell me, you do not feel disrespected?”
“I feel very disrespected,” she conceded softly.
That’s something. Vetta nodded in satisfaction. “It’s terrible for him to treat you this way. And Danika pretends to be your friend, but she goes behind you back and sleeps with the king during your courting week.” Kamara said nothing to that. Instead, she resumed walking. Vetta followed closely behind her. “So, what are you going to do about this?” Vetta urged her.
“I do not know. What am I going to do about that?” She kept walking.
“There are so many things you can do about that. The king disrespected you in such a bold way, you can go to him, stand your ground and demand from him. He will do your wish because he did wrong.”
“And what do I demand from him?”
“To make Danika a Mine Slave instead of the king’s slave. You can also have her whipped for such insolence.”
Kamara turned to her. “And why would I want to do that?”