The next two weeks were fairly uneventful. I'd wake up to find Dominic gone. I spent my mornings sword fighting with Ariadne and Maria. We had come to form a friendship.
Maria was a walking mystery. From what little she had shared, I knew that she became a spy at the age of 16, which was 8 years ago. We didn't know anything about her family or why she did what she did. Another fact I discovered was that she was excellent at sword fighting. We sparred quite often.
Ariadne on the other hand was quite open and warm. At 19, she was almost as old as me. She was very mischievous and we often joked around. She lived just outside the palace with her mother while Leo stayed on palace grounds. Their father had been killed in battle. Leo had followed their father's footsteps and joined the army. They were from a kingdom called Dalia.
The former kingdom was now a part of Isolde's territory. Apparently, it was the first kingdom Dominic had conquered. He had been only 14 at the time which I'd found to be very impressive. Dalia was currently a major food source for the nation.
Both, Ariadne and Maria taught me a great deal about the way things worked in the capital. I had also been taking horse riding lessons from them. Ariadne was really great at handling horses and they in turn loved her. There was just one horse out of all, that didn't do so.
Eurus.
The beast was wild. Every time someone neared his stall, he went mad. He barely let anyone feed or clean him. Even then, Dominic was always around. I was determined to tame him and made it a point to visit him once a day. Since the last two days, he had stopped trying to trample me every time I neared him. I saw it as progress.
I spent my afternoons in the library. Reading various books on the palace's constructions, I'd found many discrepancies in the dimensions. In all the recent reports, the dimensions of certain rooms were relatively smaller. I had been noting all of them down. There were too many of them, all across the palace grounds so I knew they weren't mistakes. I aimed to get to the bottom of it.
At evenings, I helped Dominic go through his scrolls. It seemed as though he enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed his. I'd noted that he wasn't very warm to anyone but me, sometimes Leo and Ariadne. He was confusing me the most.
My feelings for him grew everyday. I was pretty sure that he knew about it and yet, there was zero change in his behaviour. He had been teasing and caring as ever. I didn't know what he felt for me, if it was as intense as what I felt for him. It was uncharted territory and that was scary. Although he did steal a few kisses occasionally.
One can not steal what is given freely.
That wasn't what confused me though. Since the last 4 days he hadn't been spending time with me at all. I didn't see him except at night and even then, he was always buried in piles of work. In a strange way, I missed him. I wanted him to know that I missed our banter and his hugs. But he was busy and I didn't have the courage to disturb him.
Another week passed and it became worse. We barely saw each other. He didn't even come to sleep at night and I wondered if he slept at all. I was tempted to ask him what was keeping him so busy.
The only positive highlight was the Eurus had warmed up to me. He let me feed and pet him. Once, I'd even manage to sit astride. I was confident that I could ride him but the stable boy, Shar, didn't want to risk it.
It was one such night that I heard a loud banging on the door. For the first few moments, I felt as though I'd been dreaming. The noise became louder and I had no choice but to wake up. Getting out of the bed, I cracked the door open slightly to check who it was.
"Lord Torus demands your presence, my Queen." a maid said.
"Lord Torus?" I asked groggily. "Does Dominic know?"
"The King and the General are waiting as well." She said softly. " shall I take you to the meeting room ?"
"Give me a minute." I muttered and shut the door.
I washed my face and changed into a proper pair of shirt and pants. I'd become used to wearing a loose shirt and equally loose pants while sleeping. They were hardly good enough for company.
While I was new to being a 'Queen', it was obvious a minister could not demand my presence. I was comforted by the fact that Dominic and Leo were present. I followed the maid to the meeting room.
Dominic was leaning against a window. Leo and another man sat across the table. The man, I assumed it was Torus, he had long black hair that was braided down his shoulders. Besides Leo, he looked really petite. His entire appearance was unusual. He wore large earrings and had dark make up around his eyes.
"You may leave." He said to the maid and smiled at me. I didn't return it. There was a strange glint in his eyes and I did not like it.
"What is going on?" I asked Dominic. He didn't look at me so I turned to Leo.
"Sit." He gestured towards an empty chair. Once seated, I noticed a glass on the table. Leo pushed it towards me.
"Drink, your highness." Torus said, the last two words sounding like a taunt.
"What is it?" I frowned, picking it up.
"Drink." Dominic's voice was harsh and I cringed.
Knowing that he wouldn't poison me, I gulped it down. It tasted like nothing. The next moment, my head started hurting.
"What is your name ?" Leo asked.
"Seraphina." I frowned at him.
"How old are you?" He questioned.
"18." I muttered, "you know this."
He looked at me sadly but didn't answer.
"Name your parents." He went on.
"Henry." I blurted out without thinking twice. It was as though I had no control over my speech.
"Your birth parents." Leo spoke gently.
"Anjen and Damien." I answered. All the questioning was making me nervous.
"Have you met the prince of Ralia?" Leo asked. Torus was still smiling.
"Yes."
"Where ?" Leo's eyes narrowed.
"In Beate, where he attacked us."
"And that is the only time ?"
"Yes." I clenched my teeth. I did not want to answer him anymore.
"Where were you born?" Torus's smile widened.
"Beate." I grit out.
"It is the nectar of truth, you can not lie to us. Not even if you want to." Torus explained, "why did you marry the king?"
"He married me." I corrected.
"Torus." Leo warned.
"Are you a spy?" Torus questioned and I stiffened. Realisation dawned upon me and the truth hurt. Dominic didn't trust me. Even after everything, he didn't trust me.
"No." I glared at him, willing the tears away. I wasn't going to give Torus the satisfaction of watching me breakdown.
"Are you working for Nish?" He went on. His expression clearly showed how much he was enjoying the interrogation.
"He killed my parents. So no." I answered despite not wanting to.
"You got what you wanted. This is enough." Leo got up.
"Do you love the king ?" Torus questioned.
"Yes." I whispered. It was an admission that shocked me to the core.
"Get out, Torus." Dominic said in a deceptively soft voice.
"How could you?" I asked him once Torus left.
"I'm sorry." He walked to me and I backed away. "What are you doing ?"
"You stood there and let him question me." I accused, "how could you ?"
"Sera-"
"I thought my life could change." Tears rolled down my cheeks, "I was wrong."
"He is the King, Seraphina." Leo's face was full of anguish, "he has responsibilities."
"Yes, General." I snapped and turned to Dominic, "May I be excused, your Majesty ?"
Without waiting for a reply, I rushed out of the room. I needed to talk to someone and there was just one person who could keep secrets. I knew I could rely on Maria. Making my way to the stables, I decided to ride Eurus.
That'll show him.
"My lady!" Shar yelled, "where are you going at this time of the night?"
I sighed at the boy. He was barely 15.
"I'm going to Maria's house." I answered, still feeling the effects of the nectar. "Promise me you won't tell anyone."
"I promise. Please be safe." He looked at me wide eyed.
"I'll try."
Eurus seemed to be in a co-operative mood. As soon as I mounted him, he took off into the night. I'd never been to Maria's house but I had a rough estimate as to where it was.
There were a few guards that tried to stop me but none attacked. They recognised Eurus if not me. They knew how dear he was to Dominic. A few even tried following but to no avail. The city was silent and cold, I'd expected that.
Soon, I reached the area that Maria had described. Eurus slowed down and I looked around for her house. She was just going inside the house when I noticed her. She frowned when she saw my water works and led me inside. Upon her advice, I tied Eurus into the back portion of her house. Then I told her everything that had happened.
It was the first time I saw genuine anger in her eyes. She was absolutely livid. Maria wasn't someone who yelled and shouted during moments of anger. She was a woman who exacted revenge with calm, cool precision. I was surprised to see her so expressive.
"How could he? How could Leo do something like that?"
I had no answer to that. On top of all that, I'd just admitted out loud that I loved Dominic. Even thinking about it was humiliating.
"Are you dizzy?" Maria lay a hand on my shoulder.
"A little bit." I admitted.
"Side effect of the nectar. You need to sleep it out." She took my hand and led me to a room upstairs, "rest tonight. We will deal with everything tomorrow."
"Thank you." I hugged her.
"You can count on me, Seraphina." She rubbed my back, "Always."
I nodded my reply. She gave me one last look of concern before shutting the door behind her. That was when I completely broke down. Curling into a corner, I let go. It didn't matter if she heard me, it didn't matter if the entire world did. I was tired of holding everything in.
Sadness flowed through me, thick and strong. It felt as though every moment I'd spent with him had been a lie. I'd never experienced such kind of a betrayal and it stung. The man I'd fallen in love with didn't trust me enough.
Cold wind blew in through the window and I shuddered. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. The window had been shut when I'd come into the room.
"Pathetic."
My head jerked open at the voice.
"Kaili." For a brief moment, I wondered if she was simply a figment of my imagination, perhaps another side effect of the nectar. Although the way the dagger gleamed in her hand , I knew that she was very real.