Chapter 296 - Young Queen's Fragile Heart
It felt like her face was hotter than the water as she remembered each and every move Drayce made as he pleasured her, and she did the same. Though it was causing her face to flush in embarrassment, what they did the previous night sure felt good. She felt that if they were truly to repeat that…she would no longer find being intimate with him scary.
Seren took her sweet time cleaning herself while remembering specific moments from the previous night. Soon, she stepped out of the bath and wore a bathrobe without calling for her servants.
When Seren stepped out of the side chamber, she found that her ladies-in-waiting and servants were waiting for her. Lady Xena and other ladies-in-waiting paid their respects to her.
"Only Marie will stay with me in the wardrobe room, and others can wait here for a while," Seren instructed in a firm voice. The Queen, who never spoke much and sounded soft-spoken most of the time now had an authoritative tone in her voice.
Though some were confused, the clever ones had an idea why their queen was sending them out; however, no one dared question her order.
Lady Xena bowed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, we have prepared the dress you need to wear for the morning court. If you do not like it, please let us know."
While Seren brought Marie to get dressed, everyone remained in her main bedchamber.
Marie had a guess why Seren must have sent others away. "Your Majesty, let me dry your hair first."
Seren sat on the wooden stool in front of the mirror while Marie started drying her hair. Later, Marie brought out a luxurious deep blue dress that looked more formal than the ones she usually wore on a daily basis. She held it in front of Seren. "Your Majesty, is this fine for you to wear? We decided to match it with pale blue jewelry that will go well with your crown."
The dress had long ruffled sleeves and a high neckline, leaning more on the conservative style. She thought it was a befitting choice as it was exactly the type of clothes that could hide the marks on her neck. Seren nodded and stood up so her servant could help her wear her clothes.
As she removed the bathrobe, Marie's eyes could not help but see the bruises on her skin. 'No wonder Her Majesty…'
She was sure this was the reason their queen asked the others to leave. It was equally comforting for Marie that Seren didn't feel hesitant in her presence, trusting her even after knowing she was not any ordinary human.
"Your Majesty, are you fine?" Marie asked. "Do you want me to request some healing ointment from the royal physicians?"
Seren shook her head and answered Marie's unspoken questions, "They don't hurt at all."
Marie no longer spoke as she helped Seren wear her clothes. Once the Queen's body was all covered up, Marie called for the other ladies to come inside. As Seren was yet to start officially handling palace affairs, getting Seren ready was one of Lady Xena and other ladies-in-waiting's biggest responsibilities.? On her first appearance in the royal court, their queen needed to perfectly present herself as the Queen of Megaris.
After doing her hair and putting the crown on her head, Seren was ready. Just as she stepped back into her bedchamber, they heard a knock on her door.
A servant informed after paying respect to her, "Queen Seren, His Majesty King Drayce has asked for your presence to join him for a morning meal in his residence."
Her ladies-in-waiting led her way towards the connecting passage between the King's and Queen's residences, and as usual, Slayer was waiting for her on the other side of the passage. He then took her towards the dining room.
When the door opened, Seren found an unexpected yet familiar figure standing by the window with his back facing her. Her veil-covered lips curved into a pleasant smile as she hurried towards him. It happened that he was turning around upon hearing her approach.
"Brother Cian!" she said as she stood in front of him.
Cian gave her a brief hug. "King Drayce has invited me here to dine."
Seren didn't expect this surprise, but she was happy. "I am happy to see you here."
"I believe King Drayce knows how to make my sister happy," Cian commented and Seren only blushed.
Cian wanted to pat her head, but since she's wearing a crown, he opted to affectionately pat her face instead. "You seem to be looking more and more beautiful."
"Thank you, Brother Cian." The smile on her face widened. "What are you looking at?"
Cian looked at vast land covered with pine trees and faraway mountain ranges. "Though I don't like the cold, I have to admit that the winter in Megaris is exceptionally beautiful."
Seren nodded in an agreement. "Yes, it is."
Just then a sweet voice interrupted them, "Seren!" A little girl came running towards Seren and hugged her legs.
Seren looked down at the little girl and patted her head. "Rayjin."
Looking up at her, Rayjin offered her a wide smile. Seren saw three other men entering the dining room: Prince Arlan, Prince Lenard, and Duke Wimark. From a distance, all three bowed to Seren, "Good morning, Your Majesty."
Seren accepted the greeting with a light nod, and just then, another person entered the dining room. Seren looked at the tall handsome man wearing his symbolic black clothes with gold embroidery on it. Though she had seen him before like this, she could not take her eyes off of him. The more she was getting to know him, the more she was feeling attracted to him.
In the presence of others, this young queen boldly stared at her husband as if she was in a daze.
Cian noticed his sister and could only smile mildly. 'No wonder they say young girls have fragile hearts which they could not get hold of.'
While Cian was trying to keep his face neutral, the three representatives from Griven sensed the newcomer's entrance and immediately avoided looking at Seren to prevent misunderstandings. They all looked at Drayce who looked delighted inside but had the same cold expression on his face. It caused the room to be unusually silent.
Only the ignorant Rayjin who did not understand the mood between the young couple was confused by the situation. "Seren?"
Rayjin's call pulled her out of her daze, interrupting her from staring at her dear husband.. When she realized what she had just done, Seren could not help but feel a furious blush crawl on her face.
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