Chapter 23 âI wanted to.â Abbyâs simple admission made the King smile and he couldnât help but tousle her hair.
But before the King could say something, Abby beat him to it with a confused expression on her face.
âWhere are Alyssa and Reyna?â Abby waited all evening, but the two were nowhere to be seen.
At the mention of their names, Micahâs almost smiling face fell so fast, Abby regretted saying something and ruining the moment.
But then she saw his face harden and realized something was really wrong.
âWhat happened?â Abby couldnât help asking when Micah didnât say anything for a really long.
moment.
Under her probing gaze, the King let her know that they were sent away. âI sent them to the laundry.
room.
Laundry room?
It was a hard place to work at. Especially for maids like them.
âWhy?â Abby asked immediately but all she got was a narrowed look from the King.
Abby realized she didnât need to ask anymore. They were sent away because of the incident in the morning.
She immediately felt bad as she could tell they were being punished for something that they did unintentionally. She didnât hesitate to ask them to be released, saying she wanted them back.
âBut,â Micah started, but Abby cut him off saying they were just caught off guard and the King couldnât refuse her when she asserted her stance on this matter.
âAlright,â he agreed to her request so fast Abby couldnât believe it.
However, her happiness was shortâlived as the King had something important to say to her.
âA mating ceremony?â Abby couldnât help but stiffen.
His meeting with the Elders in the morning was actually about this, where they emphasized how the people were all very eager to see their future queen.
Micah felt bad for her. He knew she needed time, but his hands were tied in this matter when they wouldnât listen to him no matter what. And so here Micah was, informing Abby the one thing he thought about all day, knowing fully well she wasnât ready yet.
âYes, where you would be introduced to the people,â Micah told her softly.
Hearing this, Abby was even more dumbfounded... introduced... to... people...â
18-09 Wed, 6 Mar 8 D.
Chapter 23 Micah could hear the fear in her voice when every word she said came out as a question.
63%
âAs their future queen,â Micah continued even though he could tell how frightened she was about this whole fiasco.
She wasnât ready at all. She didnât know what to do. âFuture queen?â she repeated robotically, And when she asked when the ceremony would be held, the Kingâs reply was actually vague. âAs soon as possible.â
On the other hand, Abby realized it was no use knowing when it would be held, no matter when, she wouldnât be ready.
However, before Abby could let any intrusive thoughts enter her mind, Micah changed the subject.
âThe royal seamstress will take your measurements in two daysâ time,â he said, wanting to divert her attention. âYou need more clothes and also a dress for the ceremony.â
Meanwhile, Abby welcomed the topic change as she didnât want to think about the mating ceremony right now. She would think about it later, when she was much calmer and stopped feeling the urge to run to the mountains just at the thought of meeting his subjects as his mate. His future queen no less.
And she really needed more clothes. Her old clothes were all passed down from her sister, Hanna. Or to be more precise, the clothes she didnât want and threw to her as some charity. Meaning, they didnât suit her at all.
âOkay,â she said, not making any comments on the arrangements.
On the other hand, even though Micah was unhappy about her previous clothes, he could pretty much guess whose handiwork it was and he couldnât let his future queen suffer any grievances.
As such, it was decided that Abby would meet the seamstress the next day.
The next day, Abby woke up to the happy chit chattering of two women and when she opened her eyes, she saw both Alysaa and Reyna beaming at her with lights in their eyes.
âGood morning, Lady Abby,â they both chirped.
âThank you for forgiving us,â Reyna immediately said, as she avoided mentioning the cause of their punishment.
âYes, we are really happy you spoke up for us,â Alyssa followed her cue.
Abby couldnât feel any resentment whatsoever from them and felt happy for being right about them. These two girls were really nice with no ill intentions toward herself.
On the other hand, forget about resentment, they didnât even feel unfair for being punished for their unintentional actions. When they realized that they made her feel uncomfortable in a place she was new to, they felt shameful in fact. They crossed a line as servants. Their master got hurt. because of them And they couldnât believe that Abby actually forgiven them when the guards came to the laundry 2/4 09 Wed, 6 Mar D Chapter 23 room to fetch themselves back.
They couldnât be more grateful when they learned Abby wanted them back as her personal maids.
The future queen was really kind and they were more than happy to serve her.
âMy lady, you have a long day ahead.â Reyna spoke mysteriously as she ushered Abby into the washroom with Alyssa. only they didnât follow her into the room.
They would take one step at a time, they decided to wait for Abby to become comfortable with them first.
An hour later, after eating her breakfast Alyssa and Reyna prepared for her. Abby found herself waiting to meet the royal seamstress.
After a soft knock. Ella, the seamstress, walked into the Kingâs room.
âGood morning, my lady.â Ella greeted her politely. Her expression was perfectly schooled and Abby nodded in response.
Ella asked her own assistant to set the tools and things she needed before sending the person away.
Now it was only Abby, her two maids and Ella in the room and Abby didnât feel that tense.
Abby realized the seamstress was already aware of her scars, apparently Micah had informed her about it.
Yes, Micah told Ella everything and also the things she needed to pay attention to while she worked on her dresses.
âMy lady, do you have any particular requests for your dresses?â Ella asked, still sounding polite.
She meant the style and such and when Abby said she didnât mind her opinions, Ella told her what. dresses she planned to make for her.
âThen, please step out of your dress when you are ready. Iâm ready to take your measurements.â Ella informed Abby after they finalized the styles and colors Abby wanted her dresses in.
Even though she could tell that the seamstress was warned of her situation, Abby couldnât help. feeling self conscious to open her dress.
She only came around after Alyssa and Reyna kept giving her reassuring glances and finally opened her dress.
And Ella finished measuring her in no time. Even though she didnât do anything that warranted Abbyâs now frowning face as she watched her leave with her things and maids, she felt something was amiss. Only she couldnât point out what it was, Ella was too polite and worked mechanically, there was not even some small talk save for the greeting she offered Abby the moment she entered her room.
On the other hand, Ella stepped out of the Kingâs bedroom to leave for her own tower with no expression whatsoever on her face.
18:09 Wed, 6 Mar D Chapter 23 63%
However, the disapproved look in her eyes was something her close servants couldnât mistake. But it was only momentary as her eyes turned blank in the next second.
When the King summoned herself to talk about the dresses Abby would need for the ceremony, Ella didnât expect him to list so many things she needed to take care of. Things she clearly deemed the future queen of this kingdom shouldnât be associated with.
And when she saw the scars with her own eyes, Ellaâs dissatisfaction with Abby only grew, but she wasnât stupid enough to voice those things or display her feelings.
Back in the room, after Abby wore her dress back, this time with the help of Alyssa and Reyna, she was pulled out of her room by her enthusiastic maids who wanted to give her a personal tour.
And a few minutes later, Abby found herself walking through the back garden of the palace, as her maids took it upon themselves to give her a brief tour around the palace.
It was a beautiful garden filled with yellow flowers and Abby immediately fell in love with the place.
One place at a time, they showed her the important places until they ended up at the training ground and Abby couldnât help but feel awed by the number of warriors going through training there.
Some were fighting in human form and the others circled each other in their beast form. Even young warriors were so invested in training, Abby couldnât help but admire their tenacity.
And when the warriors saw Abby, they greeted her politely. But when they saw how timid she was they couldnât help wondering if she could become a good queen for them.
Moreover, Abby was wearing a plain dress without any accessories, looking oh so simple, they couldnât imagine herself as the Queen. If not for the news about herself being Micahâs mate hadnât been spread already, they wouldnât even associate her with the King.
Meanwhile, feeling their curious gazes on her, Abby felt even more self conscious. âDo you know where the King is?â She finally asked Alyssa when she couldnât take it anymore.
âSince itâs afternoon, he should be in a meeting with the elders.â It was Reyna who answered her.
æ²