Right to the Night

Chapter Twenty-Four

 Elisabete stood away from Loki as he smiled at her. He furrowed his brow as he held his hand out to her, beckoning her to come to him. He then stretched his hand out even farther as he cocked his head to the side, glaring at her. She looked down at his hand and then back up at him, taking a step back. He sighed in defeat putting his hand down and pacing towards her. Her eyes widened as she flinched as he raised his hand towards her face, remembering how he had slapped her before. Yet, all he did was lay his hand against her cheek, caressing the skin. She looked up at him and furrowed his brow seeing the wide smile on his face.

"Let us go back to my chambers. There, you can stay for the night. Tomorrow, I will bring your family here and have their own quarters set up, as well as your own. You're going to love it here." Loki told her.

Elisabete nodded her head and Loki huffed as he pulled back from her.

"Do not be frightened by any of this. I mean well, Elisabete." Loki spoke.

She said nothing and Loki took her silence as her acceptance. He took her hand in his and led her down the hall back to his chambers. She sat herself down on the edge of his bed and smiled softly as he laid a kiss to her cheek.

"What do you wish to do?" Loki asked.

"What can I do?" Elisabete retorted.

"Anything you want. This palace has everything you could ever imagine." Loki told her.

Elisabete smiled brightly and Loki chuckled with merriment as he walked over to his writing desk. She followed after him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

"I think I'm going to enjoy being the king's mistress." Elisabete commented with a giggle as he pinched her rear.

Loki laughed along with her and laid a kiss to her lips.

"And I know you're going to love it here in the palace. It's so much better than the filthy towns and cities surrounding the place." Loki commented.

Elisabete furrowed her brow as she pulled back from his grasp, causing Loki to scoff as he cocked his head to the side. When he took a step towards her, she shook her head and walked onto the balcony with him following after her. As she laid her hand on the stone railing, gripping it tightly, she felt his arms snake around her as he rested his chin on her shoulder, kissing her neck softly.

"What have I said this time?" Loki asked.

"That filthy town is where I once lived for most of my life. It is my home." Elisabete stated.

"Was your home, Elisabete, but now this is your home. You get to have all the vanities and luxuries right at your fingertips. You won't ever have to work hard anymore." Loki spoke to her.

"But I always worked hard to get what I wanted. Those people don't stand a chance, Loki. They have no means of climbing up the social ladder. They barely have an education to help themselves get ahead. I still can barely write." Elisabete explained to him.

"Your letter had no spelling errors." Loki scoffed.

"That's not the point. I had the willpower to get myself ahead because I didn't want to get stuck in that lifestyle like the rest of them. Because they have no education and they have no say in what goes on in the politics of the realm or what happens here in the palace, they have no hope left. They are apathetic towards everything they do because they know that no matter what happens or what they do, they'll never be able to get ahead. They have no means of achieving their goals because they are looked down upon as stupid, worthless, and...filthy." Elisabete spoke passionately to Loki as she turned around in his arms to face him.