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The very next morning, Nicholas had been apprehended by the search team ordered by the King. Maya found it out from her handmaids as Dexter had refused to speak with her since the night before. Although she was sad that they weren't on talking terms, she was also angry at the fact that Dexter had been taking all of these decisions without her behind her back. Thanks to her request, he was yet to do anything to him.
After hours of deliberating if she should go see him or not, Maya finally mustered enough courage to. Having her handmaids dress her in a deep blue dress that screamed regality, she wore her hair down, adorning with jewels. She didn't want to drag this out for so long.
She went straight to his study, her handmaids and guards not too far behind. The guards at the entrance watched her warily, inclining their heads slightly as she neared them. "I want to see the king." She stated calmly. They nodded promptly and opened the door for her.
She walked in. Dexter was busy talking with his personal aide when she arrived. He paused when he saw her, his tensed posture revealing he was still angry. She let out a sigh, pursing her lips.
"Why are you here?" He asked coldly, his eyes narrowing.
" I want to see you. Can we talk?"
He stared at her for a long time and Maya began to think he would refuse. Then he waved his hand at his aide. "You're dismissed. I'll call on you later." The latter bowed and immediately exited the office, leaving the two alone.
She went ahead to sit down, keeping her gaze on him. " I would like to see the Knight." She announced.
"That would not be possible."
"But I need to. I need to know why he bothered to look for me anyway... At least before you do something."
" Well, I refuse to give you the permission." He stated calmly.
" If you don't give me permission to, I would have to do it behind your back." Maya warned, with a haughty raise of her chin. Then she softened. " I'll make sure to go with guards so you don't have to worry about me being alone. I just want to ask some questions. That's all."
Dexter glared at her and from the expression she wore, knew she was serious about this. Letting out a sigh of surrender, he closed his eyes.
"Fine. You have my permission. But you are not allowed to spend more time than necessary." He warned.
"I won't." She replied, sounding relieved. "Thank you." She stood to her feet. We'll talk later." She said as she walked out of the room. At the king's request, the guards accompanied her to the dungeon.
The murky, stale smell of the underground rooms upset her and she wrinkled her nose. Waiting till her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she stepped in. They led her to the dungeon where Nicholas was kept. He was sitting on the raised pavement, his gaze on the ground. Noticing he wasn't alone any longer, he looked up to see the intruders.
His eyes widened in relief and he immediately rushed to the bars, gripping them tightly. " Your highness!" He greeted warmly, his voice already hoarse.
Maya swept a look at him. He appeared even worse than before. A shadow of his gallant herself. She swallowed, ignoring the guilt that threatened to engulf her. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I didn't realize how serious the situation was before." Maya said. "I hope you're fine." She asked gently.
He groaned, a rueful smile splitting his lips. "I could be better."
"What is it you wanted to tell me?" She asked, going straight to the point.
"Could we be alone?" Nicholas asked, glancing at the guards behind Maya. They stepped forward protectively but Maya raised a hand to stop them.
" If that's what you wish." She replied. She motioned to the guards to step back.They took several steps backwards till they were out of earshot. Nicholas turned his gaze on her.
" Your highness! You're in grave danger!" He stated vehemently. "The king isn't who you think he is!"
Maya almost groaned. "Why would you say that?" She sighed, closing her eyes. " I just want to know why you came to this conclusion."
"It's so obvious, your highness. Look at all the atrocities he has committed. So many people have died by his hands. He's a real monster and I'm sure even you won't be spared from his wrath."
Maya took all the words he said with a grain of salt, chucking it to the back of her mind. "Surely, you didn't come here to tell me tales of woe, did you? There has something you wanted to say to me"
Nicholas eyes darted around nervously before he looked up at her. " Erm... The people are looking up to you. You're out only saving grace to get us away from the Tyrant's rule! Won't you help us."
Maya bit back a scoff, finding the whole thing absurd." And how am I supposed to do that?"
" If the king is truly lenient to you as you have said, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard if you...." He trailed off, unable to articulate the words.
An alarm went off in Maya's head as she started to understand what he meant. She cocked her head to the side. " It wouldn't be so hard if I what?" She prodded him, peering down at him. He's here for revenge, her mind whispered to her. And she could guess an inkling why. It definitely wasn't because of her.
Nicholas let out a groan, dropping his head. " It wouldn't be so hard if you got rid of him, your highness." He finally said, his hoarse voice filled with hate and loathing.
Maya just stared at him, completely shocked. Kill Dexter? She hadn't even thought of that. " I'm sorry but I can't do that." The words flew out her mouth before she had the chance to stop it. Nicholas snapped his head to look at her, stunned. He hadn't been expecting that.
" I'll do something about the state of Gegoria. But that will be all the help I'll be able to offer. Would that be all?" When no words came out of his mouth, Maya started to leave.
" What about your family!" Nicholas suddenly screamed, shaking the steel bars. It seemed to be his last ditch effort to persuade her. " Won't you get revenge on the man who kill them and kidnapped you!?"
She stopped short, her blood boiling. Turning back to look at him, eyes narrowed, she bit out quietly."Please refrain from talking about them." Nicholas blanched at the order, his hands loosening their grip on the steel bars. "The guards will bring in your food, you might be here for a while. Excuse me." She mumbled, walking out of the dungeon.
.
.
.
Dexter was waiting for her in her chambers when she arrived. Although he had no expression on, his cold eyes said a different story. She quietly regarded him as she walked into her room.
"What did you talk about?" He asked warily, his arms folded. Maya stared at him and sighed, going to sit down next to him.
"Before I answer that, can I ask you a question first?" She said instead.
He watched her for the longest time, looking conflicted and just when Maya began to think he wouldn't answer, nodded his head. "Go ahead."
" After you took me away, what did you do afterwards?" She asked.
Dexter's jaw clenched, a shadow crossing his eyes. But he forced out his reply regardless. Maya listened attentively. He told her about the decree he made and some orders he had put in a place.
" You weren't supposed to do that." She groaned, grabbing her forehead. " I honestly don't care what happened to them. I only wanted my family dead and not the workers. They would not have done those things to me if my family didn't let them. Now, they all think you're a monster."
" I'm sorry." He muttered. Once again, there was that suprising apologetic tone. She had expected him to get angry at her. She smiled dryly.
" It's okay. I'm not angry. Just worried." She said.
" So, what did you two talk about?"
Maya shrugged, standing up to her feet. She went to seat in front of her vanity, pulling off the accessories on her head. " Well, Gegoria is in shambles, he thinks you're a monster that's going to torture me one of these days and wants me to get rid of you first." She announced.
He stood up on his feet, helping her with the rest of the jewels, leaving her hair in a tangled mess afterwards." Why would I want to do that you?" He asked, eyes narrowed. There was an undercurrent of anger in his voice.
Maya stared at herself in the mirror. " Well, that's what he thinks." She mumbled.
"Can I kill him now?" He asked.
" You just can't kill people without a cause Dexter so, No." She picked up a brush from the table and began combing her hair out. "Well, I told him it won't be possible. I will find a way to help Gegoria but I won't be doing anything he suggested." Her eyes darkened as she remembered how angry he had been.
"What if he becomes a threat?"
" Then you do whatever you want then," she replied, staring at him through the mirror. " For now he's just a fugitive and you're being unreasonable." She said, glancing up at him. " Let him go for now, but do keep an eye on him, is that okay?" She asked.
Dexter placed his arms around her neck, gazing down at her. She had a small smile on her face. Well, she wasn't asking him to let him go completely. That should be enough for him. He let out a sigh.
" Okay. As you wish."
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