Danika was in the king’s chambers translating and writing when she heard the angry voice of the mistress outside.
“I said let me in right now!” she barked at the guards.
“The king said we shouldn’t let anybody in, Mistress,” one of them said apologetically.
“But the king is not in there,” the mistress hissed.
“He’s in the royal court. But his slave is inside, and the king gave orders not to let anybody in.”
Silence. Only silence met the guard’s words. Danika heard nothing else.
Vetta, however, was stunned that the king was not inside his bedroom, but Danika was. And he’d ordered no one else in? Why? Could it be that she was under some kind of punishment? Had he finally punished her for all the wrongs she had done? Vetta’s heart swelled with excitement. She needed to know what was happening.
She kept her voice fierce as she yelled to the guard, “Let me in this instant!”
“But Mistress-”
“Now!” she yelled. The guard quickly worked the locks and opened the door for her. She strode past him into the king’s chambers and stopped short at the sight in front of her.
Danika was seated at a desk beside the king’s desk with the king’s scrolls and parchments spread out in front of her.
She wasn’t getting punished. She was working. She was working alone in the king’s chambers.
Vetta’s blood ran cold. Anger replaced excitement. “What do you think you’re going?” she hissed.
Danika bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment. “The king ordered me to work for him while he attends to matters of the court.”
“He-he left you all alone here in his chambers? Why?”
“I don’t know, Mistress. I’m not entitled to know why the king does the things he does. He only said that I shouldn’t leave because I’ll be spending the night in his bed,” she explained calmly.
Vetta bit her lip to keep from spewing the curses that filled her mouth. She had been spending the night in this bedroom lately. The same bed that had been there for quite some time, and she, Vetta, had never slept on it before. No one slept with the king in his bed. Not until he had Danika on it.
He’d warned her to stop punishing Danika unnecessarily, or she would have slapped the devil out of Cone’s daughter just for sitting at a desk beside the king’s. She fisted her hands. She longed to put her hands on Danika, see her hurt, and hear her scream.
Calm down, Vetta. Stay Calm. It’s only a matter of time.
She calmed herself inwardly with those words. Indeed, it would only last for a little while, and then she’d set her plans in motion. Slow and steady always wins the race. Also, a little bit of patience.
“Alright then. Tell the king I’ll see him in the morning.” Vetta turned and marched out of the bedroom.
Danika watched her in puzzlement. She’d expected the mistress to behave badly again—to beat her up or pull her hair like she always did. She wondered why the mistress didn’t do anything like that. Did the king grant her reward?
She didn’t know. She wished that would be the case as she picked up the inked feather and continued writing.
Away from the king’s chambers, Vetta walked far from the palace. She might not know much about reading and writing, but she knew how to send signals and how to interpret them. She tore out a piece of her clothing and wrapped it up as she entered the woods, then whistled to a messenger bird.
The bird came and perched on Vetta’s arm. She tied the piece of clothing to the leg of the bird and sent it toward the former slave trainer’s house.
She smiled as she watched the bird fly away.
It was well past midnight when the king walked into his chambers. Heavy burdens weighed on his shoulders, his face hard as a rock. The lightness that surrounded him as he left his chambers had long departed from him—especially after he heard the news from the messenger.
The king always knew that this day would come. He’d always done his best not to think about it. But finally, it was here. A day when he’d have to do the greatest duty required of him.
He had to take a wife. He had to have an heir. He had to form an allegiance with another great kingdom.
King Valendy had always been a righteous king, and he’d always supported Lucien’s kingdom well. King Lucien knew he had the support of that king.
King Valendy had sent his messenger to tell him that would be of help to Lucien. The day before, Lucien had taken an arrow in the chest and was sick, so he hadn’t been able to attend the court meeting with other kings in the kingdom of Ijipt. Valendy suspected that King Moreh might be after Lucien’s throne, thinking about attacking Salem and taking over everything. It was just suspicions, but they weren’t without merit.
A kingdom without a queen, an heir, or allegiance was bound to be a target for many greedy kings.
And if anything happened to Lucien, they would take the kingdom over.
He’d been sick yesterday, and his kingdom had been vulnerable to attacks. If anything had happened to him, Lucien’s people would suffer again. His people have suffered enough. They would never have to suffer again; that would not happen. Not even over his dead body. He would always put his people above himself. That was the duty of every great king. That was the duty he would perform over and over again with no regret.
King Valendy had offered his daughter, Princess Kamara. He had offered his allegiance to Lucien’s kingdom. If he married Princess Kamara, Lucien would be accepting the allegiance of a powerful kingdom that’d back him up against all the fights he knew would come. The fight for more freedom for the lowborn and more laws against the maltreatment of slaves. The fight for the greater cause.
He’d sent the messenger back with a message of his own. Yes, he agreed to marry Princess Kamara. And yes, he accepted Valendy’s offer for the alliance of the two kingdoms.
Now, Lucien leaned against the wall and stared at the woman who had fallen asleep with her head resting on the desk. He watched the smooth rise and fall of her chest. His shoulders were heavy with the burden of duty. His heart was heavier knowing that he was about to take a queen when there was no hope of an heir coming from him.
His demons had resurfaced over the course of the evening. And now they haunted him.
.