AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The choice is an easy one.
“Give it a day or two and send Mina to my chambers. I’ll make sure the dragons on duty know she has permission to enter. Oh, and Vivia?”
“Yes?”
“Make sure she takes care of Rose. Her safety is the most important thing to me.”
“To you, Malix, or to this kingdom?” Vivia tilts her head to the side, assessing me.
“As far as I’m concerned, they are one and the same.” I deflect, “Is there anything else you wanted to speak about?”
She knows I’m shutting her out, but she doesn’t try to stop me. Instead, she pushes herself off the desk and nods. “That’s all I had. Enjoy your day, My King.” She walks off and I watch her until she’s no longer visible.
And soon I’m left alone to weave through the ever-tangling thoughts, hoping that we aren’t at the end of our days.
Chapter 7
Rose
The late morning sun trickles in through the gaps in the embroidered curtains. I normally don’t sleep well in unfamiliar places, but the events of the last few days and my hours-long crying sessions took everything out of me. And Malix’s bed is surprisingly comfortable. I slept in the middle of the large bed, out of spite, so no matter where Malix decided to sleep, he’d only have a small edge to perch on.
Except, Malix didn’t show up the night or any night after. I haven’t quite worked up the courage to leave my room yet, except for a quick trip to my private bathing chambers, and I was growing restless.
Which is why when I woke up, I told myself today would be the day I explored my new home. Malix had mentioned I wasn’t a prisoner here and I’ve been treating myself as exactly that, but no longer. If Malix doesn’t want to show me around, then I’m going to explore every nook and cranny of this extravagant castle. And hopefully, in the meantime, I’ll be able to figure out a little more about the brewing war.
While I was alone in our oversized chambers, I found something resembling a walk-in closet. It wasn’t exactly the same as the ones back in my world—this one was built into the stone with various trunks and boxes full of jewelry. It was all very extravagant and I almost expected a fairy godmother to pop out and dress me for a ball.
The one thing I notice immediately is that my attire is sorely out-of-fashion here. There isn’t a pair of jeans in sight. My closet consists of dresses varying in styles and colors and somehow are all magically my size. I try not to think about how they managed to guess my size as I pick out a dress with the least amount of fluff and frills.
After a struggle with the corset, I emerge from the closet and stop dead in my tracks. I’m no longer alone.
A young woman, around my age, stands in my room, looking over Malix’s pallet of cushions and blankets, which I’ve started calling a nest. I actually don’t know what it’s called, but “nest” seems to describe it well enough. She—thankfully—appears human. I don’t know what I would do if I walked out to a full-blown dragon in my room.
As if sensing me, the woman turns around. She doesn’t seem at all embarrassed that I caught her in my room. Instead, she smiles and rushes over to me, taking my hands. “Let me look at you. Oh goddess, Malix said you were human, but I couldn’t believe it. A real human in our land! It’s been so long.” She laugh like that was the funniest joke she’s heard all day. “How long have you been human?”
“Uhm…all my life?”
“Fascinating,” she murmurs. The way her eyes drift over my body, though not in a sexual way, makes me feel like a specimen under a microscope. As mythical as I saw the dragons, I never considered they may view me the same way.
“Not to be rude, but who are you?” I ask, pulling my hands away from her.
“Oh, how terribly rude of me.” Her eyes widen as if she hadn’t even thought about introducing herself. Maybe she hadn’t. “My name is Mina. Malix asked me to show you around the kingdom today. I see you are already dressed—does that mean you are ready to go? I have so many questions and I’m sure you do too. It’ll be fun to learn from each other!”
If I could find a way to bottle up Mina’s energy and sell it as energy shots, I would be bathing in money. The woman is sunshine personified and I can’t help but feel like my energy embodies the gray storm clouds hovering nearby.
“I suppose my husband is too busy to show me around himself.” I try to leave the bitterness out of my tone, but it slithers out anyway.
Mina crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her tits nearly up to her chin. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want Mr. Doomsday to be your guide.” I like her already. At least we can agree my husband is a dick. “He may be a good king, but his focus is elsewhere. It has been for months now.”
“Because of the war?” Mina looks surprised that I know about that and I answer her unasked question. “Part of the marriage deal was helping with the upcoming war. Except no one told me I would have to be married to do that or what exactly I need to do.”
The more I think about it, the more the anxiety and panic threaten to take me down. I can’t fight what I don’t know and no one seems to have any more answers than I do.
“Well, I’m sure the answer will present itself in due time.” Her voice is gentle, almost friendly in a way that is too familiar for two people who have just met. Still, I warm to Mina instantly. If Malix’s plan was to get me comfortable with someone, it’s definitely working.
I had already made up my mind to leave this room today and make the most of it. Now I have my own personal tour guide who seems as eager to get to know me as I want to get to know about this world. “You said something about exploring the kingdom?”
A dazzling smile crosses her lips, showing off her perly-white teeth. “I did. Let’s go, My Queen.”
