She shifted uncomfortably at her feet. “I saw the guards m-moving King Cone’s daughter’s belongings into the former room of Princess Melia…” she trailed off.
He dug the feather into the ink and withdrew it, then started scribbling down on the scroll in front of him. The silence was deafening.
Vetta was becoming more agitated as time dragged by.
Finally, he raised his head and stared at her. “I don’t hear a question there, Vetta.”
“It just baffles me, Your Majesty. Why would you let your slave move into the royal quarters—Princess Melia’s bedroom—especially the slave who was also King Cone’s daughter?”
“I didn’t move King Cone’s daughter to that bedroom. I moved Remeta.” He reached out for a new scroll and unfolded slowly. He laid it down on the table and scrutinized it thoughtfully.
“Remeta?” What does that have to do with Baski’s crazy daughter? she asked herself inwardly.
He spared her a glance. “Have you seen little Remeta lately?”
“No, Your Highness. The last time I saw her, six months ago, she screamed her head off at the first sight of me,” she answered flippantly.
He discarded the scroll and stretched out his hand to the bag before him, then took out another new one. “You must see her today, Vetta. She’s willing to get better, and it was because of Danika. She wants to stay with Danika. I’m letting her.”
“Why Danika? What’s so special about her?” Vetta asked in complete anger and bewilderment.
Silence. Thick silence. Her question hung in the air.
He got up and walked into his library. Vetta waited impatiently.
Finally, he came out with a file, walked back to his chair and lowered himself on it. When the silence dragged on, Vetta gave up that she would get an answer.
“Remeta thinks her royalty. She calls her royalty, and because of that, she feels safe with Danika,” he said at last.
Vetta didn’t understand any of this. And when did she go from being called ‘his slave’ to ‘Danika’!? She lost it. “But she’s a slave. She’s filthy! She’s become a slave; that is what she is. She’s not royalty anymore; she lost that status when she became a slave!”
The king stiffened and raised his head to give Vetta his full attention for a minute. “I was a slave for ten years. Does that mean I stopped being royalty in your eyes, Vetta?”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped in horror. Shit, why didn’t she just control her anger!?She knelt immediately and bowed her head. “I’m s-so sorry, Your Majesty. That wasn’t what I meant to imply”
He lowered his head again to his scroll. “I am busy. You’re dismissed,” he stated as he scribbled down on the new scroll.
Vetta felt so ashamed. Why couldn’t she just control her mouth for heaven’s sake!? But then, she fumed silently; he wasn’t giving her any attention! What was so important that he couldn’t leave it to attend to her? His mistress? “Yes, my king.” She bowed her head, doing her best to curb her fury, and then walked out.
Outside the door, Vetta stood there, fuming badly. Anger was all she could breathe. Danika is royalty, Danika is royalty, Danika is royalty! Why did those words have to be the only words heard all day!?
She fisted her hands angrily. No, she couldn’t take this anymore. She wouldn’t.
And she knew what to do.
“Chad.” King Lucien called after Vetta left.
The door opened and Chad entered. He bowed his head. “You summoned me, my king.”
He raised the finished scroll and folded it neatly, then reached for another scroll and unrolled it. Chad waited patiently for him. “Tell Danika I summon her,” he ordered at last.
.
Danika entered the chamber of the king with her heart in her throat. It had been that way since Chad summoned her.
He was sitting behind his desk, his brows knitted, his jaw set in its usual hard angle as he scrawled on the scroll.
She bowed her head. “You summoned me, Master.”
“Get over here.” He didn’t spare her a glance.
She strode across the enormous bedroom towards him and stopped a foot away from him. Why her heart was beating furiously in her chest, she couldn’t understand.
“Sit down.”
She lowered herself to the floor next to him.
Finally, he raised his head and stared at her. Only for a moment. He reached into the bag of scrolls and withdrew a blank scroll, and handed it to her.
Her worry dissolved, and peace settled in her heart. She already anticipated the serenity and the peace of working with him. He handed her a manuscript, a writing feather, and a small bottle of ink. She took it graciously and arranged them on the floor.
“I overslept.” He glared at her accusingly. “Now I have a lot of work to do.”
Danika didn’t know what to say, so she kept her mouth shut. He faced his desk and continued scribbling. She started reading, translating, and writing. They worked in silence. She concentrated on the manuscript and translated every single sentence with care.
Suddenly, the door opened. “My king, I---” Vetta’s voice cut off as soon as it started as she saw the king and Danika working together.
“Get out.” He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t spare her a glance.
“Y-yes, my king.” She fumed silently. She’d wanted to come and remind him about the hunting tomorrow. Only to see this!
So, he writes with her? She didn’t even know something like that happened. Why did that bitch have to know how to read and write!?
Danika never looked up at her; she was too absorbed in her work to notice, and it only made the mistress angrier. No acknowledgment from the slave whatsoever! And the king wasn’t doing anything about it!
Vetta turned and marched out angrily. It solidified her resolve to go through with the plans she had for Danika. There was no way she was letting her conscience get in the way!
If anybody deserved to experience what pain and horror felt like, it was the proud daughter of King Cone!