Chapter 52: Chapter 52

KAMORA

Lord Maroke was well a few days later. He asked to see Kamora immediately.

Kamora’s heart beat loudly against her chest as she stood in front of Lord Maroke’s desk. He stared at her, the indifference back on his face.

Kamora looked down, unable to look at him without remembering him sprawled out on the floor. Another part of her was scared.

She was very scared of what he’d do when he found out her real identity.

“I realized that I never asked about your background,” he started. “Where are you from?”

A sharp wave of fear surged through her, sweat prickling down her back. Had he already discovered where she was from?

Was this the moment he got rid of her?

“If it is something that is hard for you to say, you don’t have to say it,” Lord Maroke said reassuringly, and she could have sworn that his voice was softer than normal.

She looked up at him and noticed that his face was slightly pale, but that might be because he was still recovering. Knowing that he didn’t mean any harm, she thought back to the people she once considered her family.

She killed her father with her own hands, and her half-sister was probably out for her blood. She had no idea who her mother was, so she was all alone in this sad world.

“I do not know, my lord,” she answered honestly. “The people I was living with never considered me as part of their family, even though I considered them as mine. Thanks to you, I finally had the boldness to leave.”

“Do you think they are looking for you?”

Kamora thought of Gwen at the market. “Not at all, my lord.”

“Hmm. You might be wondering why I am asking all these questions. Forgive me, but I am just a curious man. I won’t tell anyone of your background, since you do not seem comfortable doing so.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Kamora replied, giving a short bow.

“I have a condition though,” he declared, and Kamora looked back at him, confused.

“A condition, my lord?”

“Yes. As you so experienced yesterday, I am not of good health. Greyson can’t be around me all the time. I need another assistant.”

Surprise flashed across Kamora’s face. “Assistant? My lord, I am honored, but what about head maid Claudia? Isn’t she perfect—”

Lord Maroke shook his head. “Claudia is already occupied trying to manage the manor. I can’t give her more work. I believe you will do the job well, won’t you?”

“My lord,” Kamora said, simply speechless. After a while, she bowed once again.

“I will do my best.”

***

Becoming Lord Maroke’s assistant was the last thing Kamora ever imagined might happen to her. She was immediately given an upgrade, from her uniform to her room.

Greyson seemed ecstatic that he now had another helper. Claudia didn’t express much. Kamora hoped she wasn’t angry with her.

Her first job was to escort Lord Maroke to a meeting site. Greyson had already gone ahead of them, so Kamora rode along with Lord Maroke in his carriage.

“We are going to make a stop somewhere,” he told her a few minutes after the ride had begun.

Kamora simply nodded.

Just as he said, a few minutes later, the carriage came to a stop in front of the shop of a human healer.

A short, sturdy man ran toward the open carriage window, gave Lord Maroke a bow, and then handed over a small wooden box. All this was done without any verbal exchange. Afterward, Lord Maroke asked for the carriage to go on.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Kamora asked, “My lord, why do you seek a human healer? Why not a Fae healer?”

“I have one of my own,” he answered. “But so far he hasn’t been of much help. He wouldn’t approve of what I have just done.”

“But you are a lord. Who dares command you?”

“I might live a quiet life, but there are many out there who seek to bring me down. I trust my doctor, but there is nothing he can do if another Fae forces him to tell me of my condition.”

“Can’t the same be done to this human?”

“Yes, but then they have to find him first. He is not a simple human as you might think.”

Kamora looked at the small, plain wooden box held firmly in his hand. She wanted to ask what it was, but doing so might make him suspicious of her.

Perhaps if an opportunity arose, she might find out what the substance was and even create a better one for him.

They arrived in front of a simple manor. There were few servants tending to the withered garden at the front of it, and a Fae woman stood by the porch supervising them.

Upon noticing Lord Maroke’s carriage, she quickly rushed out, a wide smile etched on her beautiful face. She had blinding blonde hair, wrapped high atop her head in a towering mess of spring curls.

Her eyes were wide and green, and there was a certain friendliness to her that most couldn’t see in elite Fae.

Kamora came down first, followed by Lord Maroke, who gave the woman a single nod of recognition.

“Greyson is inside talking to my husband. Let me escort you in.” She stretched her hands toward her home and walked next to Kamora, who followed behind after Lord Maroke.

“And who might you be?” she whispered curiously to Kamora.

Giving her a bow, Kamora introduced herself. “I am Kamora. I am one of Lord Maroke’s assistants.”

“Oh, so you work under Greyson?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And what Fae might you be?”

“I am a plant Fae, my lady.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. If you wouldn’t mind, may I ask for your help?” She stared at her garden and gave a solemn sigh.

“My servants have been trying to revive this place for years, all to no avail. It used to be pretty three springs ago, a bed full of wonderful flowers, yet no matter what we do, we can’t seem to make anything grow on it.”

“Do you know what might have caused it?” Kamora asked, curious.

“Not at all. It never grew since then, dying since the end of that year.”

Kamora nodded. “If my lord gives me permission, then perhaps I’ll try and see what I can do.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” the lady exclaimed, her eyes wide with ecstasy.

They entered her abode, where they were immediately led to the guest room by one of her servants, with the lady leading in front.

Kamora didn’t have time to take in the decor of the manor, but from the glimpses she took, she noticed that the manor was very simple and small, a far difference from the extravagance splayed out in the Maroke Manor.