It has been 8 months since the slaves arrived at Bethillore, and a little over 5 weeks since Kharis became Leonidas' woman. The wearh had his own way of reassuring her that she would do fine taking on the duties as the lady of the house, and just as he said, no one except those in the manor knows her intricate role in his life.
Ambrosia, on the other hand, was not too happy giving up a huge portion of her duty to a human, but she was now under Kharis' command, so there was nothing she could do except...
"Madam Ambrosia, I still don't understand why they're so many ledgers that need to be balanced."
"Unfortunately, My Lady, Lord Leonidas is in charge of Bethillore, not just his manor but the entire city, and because of his position, he rarely has the time to accommodate listening to disputes, so every dispute that needs to be addressed is written in here. Allocations are also piling up since we need to do it every two weeks. I stopped immediately you were declared Lord Leonidas' woman."
"And you didn't think to tell me all this before you piled up other duties I needed to attend to?"
"Forgive me, My Lady. Every now and then I forget that the lady of this manor is human and thus cannot do things with the same speed and accuracy as us wearhs. But then again, it is difficult to say you are a woman of the lord of this manor, talk more of the lady of this house as you are still...untouched."
With that, she bows her head, leaving the study with Kharis sitting there.
Shutting her eyes, the woman suppresses the urge to scream out in anger. She never intended to take her role from her! She never even wanted her role!
Why does she have to endure these snide comments from her? It is unfair!
A knock on the door snaps her out of her almost-tantrum moment.
"Enter"
Relief washes over the young woman's face as she watches her friends come inside.
"Stress is written all over your face Kharis," Greta says with a strained smile.
"I'll be alright now that you all are here," the woman replies.
Leonidas kept his promise in promoting Esme, Greta, and Gisella, into Misses. Now, they can call Kharis by her name, and have no night duties or morning labor to attend to.
Kharis was happy that her friends were getting along. The first few encounters were a bit awkward and led to a few mishaps.
"Can't you just be nice to her?" Kharis says, clearly upset with how their first meeting turned out.
"Kharis! I deeply apologize but how have you managed to be friends with that wearh?! Have you seen her smile?!"
"Of course, I've seen her smile, Gigi! I am not managing and she's a friend. Besides, I was the one who told her to keep smiling."
"Well, that was a terrible idea."
"Gigi, I think you're being a bit harsh," Greta says, before turning to Kharis.
"You should have been a bit more specific about her face."
"How deeper do you want me to get? I said her smile is not something you are used to!"
"Well that could mean a lot of things"
"Exactly Greta! I think I almost lost my baby because of her."
Kharis takes a step back from them, clearly upset.
"I can't believe after all we've been through, you still believe that the way we look matters more than the way we behave towards others"
Gigi sighs, extending her hand to touch her friend, "Oh come on Kharis -"
"No," she says, taking another step back.
"If you do not want to get along with her, that is fine, but keep those nasty opinions to yourself. Swallow them, I mean it."
With that, Kharis leaves her two friends, heading out to find Esme.
Fortunately, the wearh was not hiding, but she definitely knew how to cover up her pain because Kharis was convinced when Esme had told her she was alright.
The young woman still apologized on behalf of her friends who came back a few minutes later to also apologize.
All three of them took things slow, and though they're not close to each other like how they're close to Kharis, they make the relationship work.
"I swear this woman will never warm up to you," Gisella says with a defeated look, her hand caressing her growing bump.
"Those sentiments hold true to anyone who is above her," Esme shrugs.
"Then what about Lord Leonidas?" Greta asks
"Well, he is different. He has aided her and thus gained her respect. Everyone else, she simply tolerates."
Kharis lets out a sigh, "I just want to be exonerated because it is clear I committed the most grievous offense becoming Lord Leonidas' woman. She said I am not even considered that since he has not taken me."
"Oh, God! That is none of her concern!" Gisella exclaims.
"Precisely. Lord Leonidas has made it clear to everyone that my status is here to stay, she just can't accept it because her role in this manor has diminished."
"But they still refer to her as Madam Ambrosia! She should be overjoyed you're relieving her from a lot of duties," Greta attempts to reason.
"Speaking of Lord Leonidas, have you spoken to him about these snide comments she's been making?" Esme asks
"Why would I do that just to be labeled as some poor helpless girl who cannot shrug off a few words? There's no need. I'll be fine."
Gisella reaches out to hold her friend's hand, "Just don't shoulder too much. We're here to help, though I despise reading."
The ladies chuckle at her remark. Greta turns to Kharis asking, "Where is he? I have not heard or seen him throughout this afternoon and evening."
"He may be back a bit late. King Oleander has summoned him to the royal castle."
At the mention of the king's name, everyone stills.
"I know, I hope it's not anything unpleasant."
***
Leonidas sits with King Oleander at the dining table in his castle. A human meal was prepared for Leonidas, while a human is sitting by Oleander.
"I am so glad you honored my invitation, Leonidas. It has been a while."
The supreme commander nods, noticing that none of his advisors are present.
"Ah yes, I had them dismissed for the night. I just wanted the both of us to have a private conversation and you can be on your merry way."
The tone of the king's voice is not welcoming, but then again, it never is.
"I am surprised you asked for a human meal."
"That is what I want."
"Of course."
The king pauses before he continues, "I heard the generals assembled at your manor for a meeting, weeks ago, but left greatly disappointed."
"They came to discuss matters concerning the letter you received, I see no reason why they would be disappointed."
"Well, considering the fact you never used my gifts, I think they had ulterior motives."
"Then that is quite unfortunate."
"I would love to see the human that tempted you so"
"Tempted? She is of no importance here, unfortunately, and as you know, my schedule barely permits this meeting."
"Of course, then before you leave, how about you have more?"
Leonidas watches Oleander snap his finger.
At once a human walks in. Her olive skin and deep brown hair compliment her high cheekbones. She is dressed like a belly dancer, a green veil matching the green outfit.
Her slow but sensual steps toward Leonidas make him realize exactly what is going on. She takes a seat beside him, making sure to expose her busts to his view.
The supreme commander looks at her, before shifting his gaze back to Oleander, the disinterest on his face, evident.
"I had her dressed up just for you to feed on."
Leonidas shifts his body to the opposite side when he senses her about to lean against him. The lady holds herself, as she did not expect him to back away from her.
"Thank you King Oleander but I am not interested in having a blood meal."
"You're not interested in having a blood meal, or you're not interested in having HER as your blood meal?"
Leonidas looks at the king dead in the eyes as he says, "At this moment, at this time, I am not interested in having a blood meal."
The staring contest between both men ends when Oleander smiles, standing up from his seat, and his guest does the same.
"Thank you for your invitation, Your Majesty."
"Of course, but I do have one last piece of information for you."
The supreme commander stands, waiting for the message.
"It seems the humans got word that the elves plan to visit, so they decided to come first."
Leonidas masks his sentiments as he asks, "Aren't they our enemy?"
"Well of course, but they have been enemies with those pointy-eared creatures much longer than we have, which means they probably want to make peace with us."
"And you finally want peace with them?"
"Of course not!" he says, bursting out in laughter.
"I can make them think that just to show those elves who is the true power among all three nations. Of course, you will see to it that they don't try to ambush us, or play any one of those dumb tricks."
"Yes...and making them feel at peace? How do you plan to establish that?"
If Oleander's smile could get any creepier than it was at the moment, one would be scarred for life.
"By giving them what they want the most."
THANK YOU FOR READING! PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT!
SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY! ❤