Delicate Flower

Chapter Eleven ♡

Chapter Eleven

King Maximus looked nothing like she had pictured him in her mind, was the first thing Juliette thought as he stood in full view now, his shadow obscuring the lights coming from the lamps.

The king approached them slowly, his face completely blank. Xander immediately shoved her behind him in a defensive stance, hiding her from his view, but only after she was able to see his features up close.

Now that she had gotten to get a close glance at him, she could that he wasn't as tall as she imagined him to be. Has he gotten shorter? When she met him at his royal office he seemed to be very daunting and built but maybe it was only the effect of her fear of him. She wasn't staring at him, after all.

His eyes had a light brown color, and his complexion was similar to Xander's only a shade or two lighter. His lips were pretty thin or maybe it was because he pursued them, and his nose was slightly big and had a large bump in the middle of its bridge. He didn't look as intimidating and scary as she thought he would be, even with the charcoal drawn around his eyes.

Juliette could feel tension in the air as Xander's shoulders tensed and the King stood rigid and leaned against the fountain. Silence filled the atmosphere again as Xander took a step towards the King, making sure he still obscured Juliette's view. Juliette immediately curtsied and looked at her ground to avoid more trouble.

Panic attacked her lungs as she fidgeted with her dress and wrapped her arms around herself, feeling suddenly cold. Was the King going to doom them all? Will Xander manage to save them?

She was still flustered from what had just happened with Xander and wondered what would happen now that the King caught her in a place she shouldn't be. She felt like a little sheep around a pack of wolves and she didn't know how to act. Xander's huge height was blocking everything and she didn't know what was happening. It was almost like the king and Xander were communicating silently.

She decided to move slightly to the left stealthily, attempting to see why the two were so silent. The King's eyes seemed to widen as he nodded at Xander while the latter had still his muscled tensed. She couldn't see his face, but understood now that Xander was trying to save them from the King's wrath.

"Your majesty," Xander spoke his voice steady and confident. "I am assuming la grande fête is going as planned. Surely, your personal guard is not needed?" She could see that the King stood transfixed and his shoulders were too stiff. She quickly hid back to her former place and waited for his reply.

"It is splendid." His answer was short and hurried and his voice sounded slightly strained. The tension increased even further and she could just picture the King pausing as he added, "You seem to be enjoying your time as well."

"I am, indeed." Juliette got confused at Xander's tone with the King. He didn't seem the least afraid of him and spoke to him in an almost demanding tone. Did he not know that he could end him the way he ended Remond? Maybe he was really close friends with him, but they were acting formal since she was a stranger.

Did King Maximus see her? He probably didn't as Xander immediately shielded her from view. If he did, though, would he recognize her and remember her? Did he already assumed that she was the one Xander was hiding?

A shuffle of clothes was heard and she imagined that King Maximus was making way towards them. She immediately looked back to her feet as she waited for him to get a glance at her.