Page 33 of Enchanted Kingdom
My eyebrows couldn’t possibly get any higher on my head if they tried. “Oh, how unfortunate.”
Owen grinned. “Yes. Quite. I’ll be your day guard from here on out, and Officer Grant your night guard.”
I cocked my head, thinking that through. “Thank you for the information.”
With a nod and a wave toward Silvia, he was out the door and back to his post.
Silvia smiled at me. “Out with the old and in with the new?”
I snorted. “Well at least he smiles and told me his name.”
Silvia laughed. “Shall we get you a bath and ready for the evening meal, miss?”
I nodded. “For once I am relieved I don’t have to wear the same color every night. I’m afraid yellow just isn’t my color.”
“I’ll make it worth your while, promise!”
She sounded so confident, who was I to ruin her fun? “You enjoy this entirely too much,” I told her.
She laughed. “Yes, I do. I used to work with the Queen’s attendant team, but she passed away close to ten years ago, so it’s been a while for some of us. Plus I had four sons, so I never really get to use my skills on them.”
Talk about a guilt trip. I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Do your worst.”
As she rubbed her hands together, I feared for what I just signed up for.
* * *
My gownfor the evening meal ended up being a pale yellow, far less bright than the day gown I wore earlier in the day. It was also lacy and though it looked strapless, it actually had sheer material covering my shoulders. Silvia did my hair in an intricate braid that was nothing short of a piece of art.
“Not bad,” I told her. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for getting some sleep last night,” she jested. “Your eyes don’t look nearly as dark and heavy.”
I snorted. “You’re welcome.”
The knock on the door signaled my time to leave.
“Mr. Raikes,” I greeted while I stepped out the door.
“Ms. Demir,” he responded back.
We walked two hallways in silence until I finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Please tell me Wallace isn’t dead.”
He laughed. He actually laughed. “No, good gods, he’s not dead, woman. He just broke his arm. Quite conveniently.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness.”
“You want to visit your mother, do you not?” he whispered.
I nodded. I did want to visit my mother, though I wasn’t sure it was worth breaking arms over. Then again, if Wallace was a spy for the king, maybe it was a good thing he was out of commission.
“Then that was step one in making it happen. Just be patient,” he added.
“Were you going to be my guard today regardless of our run-in last night?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, you just made me rearrange a few things. It’s fine.”
I gave him a scolding look. “You have only your own snoring to blame.”
