A Servant Lost (Alys Book #1)

Chapter 17

"I thought you went back to your room," she remarked, coming up to Alys. Alys stood from the bench she was sitting on and rubbed her hands on her lap to remove wrinkles from the brown dress.

"I decided to enjoy the outdoors for a while longer," she replied simply. Jocelynn smiled a small, fake smile, as if she were speaking to a servant, "Isn't that nice."

Alys just nodded, reaching a hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Did you enjoy the dinner? Dastrehan had it made because it is my favorite."

"It was good," Alys answered simply. She was extremely uncomfortable. She just wanted Jocelynn to leave her alone. This was the first time she had been around her without Dastrehan present since the princess had pushed her down the stairs.

"Yes," Jocelynn agreed, turning around to admire the garden, "He is very generous."

Alys made no comment. She knew that. She did not need this princess to inform her.

"We should get going," Princess Yasmine said to her sister, completely ignoring that Alys even existed. She wore a lavender dress, made similar to Jocelynn's. Her light brown hair was pulled up into the same style as her sister's. Two braids were wound around the head in opposite directions until they were formed into a bun at the back. It was a style a lot of important women in Marniac wore, or so Alys had been informed by a servant sometime before.

Jocelynn looked to her sister to acknowledge her, then back to Alys, "Good bye then," she said with an elegant manner that Alys knew was meant to mock her.

"Have safe travels home," Alys said, forcing herself to make it sound mostly genuine.

Jocelynn turned back and gave Alys a strange look.

"What?"

Alys returned Jocelynn's gaze, "To Marniac."

Jocelynn looked confused for a moment, but then her pretty face broke into a slow smile, "Oh, I'm not going anywhere," Jocelynn sweetly corrected, "I'm staying right here in Tarkam."

Alys felt her stomach drop.
Of course Jocelynn would remain in Tarkam. If she was going to marry the king, there would be no reason to return to her home country. It would be a waste of time travelling.

Alys swallowed the disappointment and replied with a simple "Oh."

Jocelynn, clearly forgetting that she had been about to leave, took a step towards Alys, "Actually, Dastrehan is announcing our engagement tomorrow."

"Congratulations," Alys was starting to feel numb and tired.

"In fact," Jocelynn leaned closer to Alys, her voice low, "I've convinced him to name our first born as heir to the kingdom."

Alys felt her spine tingle. Jocelynn knew exactly how to get under her skin. She looked at the princess evenly.

"I don't believe that."

Jocelynn laughed, loud and obnoxiously. Her sister joined in behind her, though Alys did not care to notice.

"You can believe what you want," Jocelynn said, still laughing, "But I made him see things my way. And now, there won't be a blunder in the royal line."

"A blunder?" Alys repeated, her voice taking on an edge of anger. Her hands fell too her sides and she tried not to let her fingers clench too much. Who did this woman think she was? Dastrehan and Alys had made a deal that was between them only, not with some spoiled princess from another kingdom.

"Well," Princess Jocelynn walked slowly around Alys, acting as if she were choosing her words carefully, "Why would the king want to have a descendant to follow him that would bring so much dishonour to the blood line? A child out of wedlock? That's not very kingly."