But she was going to do the best she could. At least that way she wouldn’t have any regrets.

As she was trying to fall asleep with her new resolution firmly in place, she heard someone open the door and walk in. When she lowered the arm she’d been using to shield her eyes, she saw a servant standing before her.

“Let me escort you to the room you will be staying in,” the servant said; the same one from earlier.

Ahel jumped up at his words. “Yes. Right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Follow me.”

Ahel’s body had already relaxed and she wanted to get into bed as soon as possible. She followed the servant slowly, dragging her feet across the floor as she went, in a much different manner than she had when she’d followed Ray. Thankfully, the bedroom wasn’t too far from the living room.

The servant stopped in front of the door and opened it for her with a soft click. “This will be your room.”

Ahel craned forward to peek inside after the servant stepped back. Her jaw fell open in surprise. What in the world…

The room itself was four times larger than her tiny room, and in fact, larger than her whole compact house. Is this really… where I’ll be staying? Don’t tell me this is an accident. As much as she didn’t want this to be an accident, she was almost certain it was. There was no way Ray would give a peasant like her a room like this.

She whipped her head towards the servant. “I think you’ve made a mistake.”

“Excuse me?” The servant tilted his head in confusion at her.

Seeing his strange reaction, she elaborated further, “This room is stunning… But are you sure this is the right one?”

“Oh!” he exclaimed loudly after listening to her explanation.

I knew it. He brought me to the wrong room. She felt bad for him. She was certain he would get punished for this. She was glad she’d caught his error in time. Overwhelming relief filled her at the thought. She was just about to ask him to take her to her room when he spoke again.

“No, ma’am. This is the correct room. His Majesty gave me orders to bring you here.”

Ahel was most certainly surprised at this, so surprised she forgot how to speak for a moment. She quickly gathered her wits about her before she asked, “His Majesty?”

“Yes. So rest assured this is your room, ma’am.” The servant bowed, then turned and walked away under Ahel’s blank stare.

It wasn’t until long after he was out of sight that she snapped back to reality. She shook her head, then carefully stepped into the room. The moment she did, there was a soft click. The door locked behind her, breaking the otherwise silent atmosphere.

The huge bed was the first thing that caught her eye. It was much larger than her bed at home. So large that there was space for her to lie down and roll over more than a few times. Even from where she was standing she could see that the sheets and blankets were made of the finest materials and were of an excellent quality.

That looks so soft. Ahel’s head was spinning, but she managed to regain control of her thoughts and shuffle towards the bed. As she lay down, she breathed a sigh of wonder and satisfaction, “Oh, wow.”

The mattress enveloped her body comfortably, the springs remaining absolutely soundless as she bounced up and down on it. The soft feeling of it beneath her body helped to ease her of her stress.

She brought the sheets up to her nose and took a deep breath, the fragrance of them like pure sunlight in her lungs. Then she rubbed her cheek against the material before pulling it up and covering herself. I wonder why he gave me such a nice room? Is it all because of my tattoo?

She’d been turning this question over and over again in her mind. But instead of facing it, she chose to close her eyes and rest. Today had been long, and she’d used her head too much already. Let’s worry about that tomorrow.

Now with her mind calm and her body wrapped snugly in the comforting sheet, sleep overtook her like a great, sudden flood.

***

“The lady in the living room is going to be staying in the Imperial Palace from now on. Escort her to the next best room after mine,” Ray ordered the servant after he’d finished speaking to Ahel.

At his order, the servant’s eyes shot open in surprise, but Ray left without waiting for his reply. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”

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He heard the belated response from behind him but didn’t turn around. Ray knew it was only a matter of time before he came looking for him, so he went straight to his bedroom.

It wasn’t long until he reached a familiar door. He didn’t pause before he entered, and was met with the all too familiar scene before him. He kept his expression neutral, passive… Detached.

He’d just readied himself to change clothes when he heard a voice coming from outside the door, “Your Majesty. Are you in there?” The voice was followed by a knock.

Before Ray could even answer, the door slammed open and a man burst in, ruffling his black hair.

“Sev.” The only person who knew Ray was here. Sever Enrique, his assistant and childhood friend.