The Kings Mistress Chapter 178

[ … words ]

“I’ll simply wait for him to finish then,” Sierra said with determination as she tried to move forward again.

Still, he blocked her path.

“Allow me to call you a carriage,” he said swiftly, thinking on his feet.

“No need,” Sierra replied swiftly, “I’ll simply take Macadamia.”

The guard was just about to say something but she shot a glare at him. Even Opal slithered from her wrist to her neck, baring her fangs as she hissed at Steven. The guard gulped as he took a few steps back and lowered his head. He didn’t say another word as Sierra made her way over to the stables.

She didn’t ask for help. She didn’t need it anyway.

She placed the saddle on Macadamia’s back and rode out of Vinedra Estate, towards the main castle building where the Throne Room was.

Steven watched as she rode off into the distance. His expression was unreadable. He looked up in the sky, quickly spotting a distinct bird flying towards him. He held up his hand and the silverwing perched on his hand.

It was Bunty, she had made her long trip back from Cair.

“Let’s see what secrets you have,” he said with a smirk.

Bunty refused to give him the letter she held at first. But Steven did not give up. Eventually, he wrangled it out of the grasp of the bird. He opened the envelope and read the contents carefully.

It was not a letter by General Leon. It was written by a member of the Bancroft Family, writing on behalf of Leon to inform Sierra of a pressing matter.

There’s been a change of monarch in Cair.

Sierra was no longer safe, not even in Drakin.

Upon reading the contents of the letter, he quickly placed it back in the envelope as he heard approaching footsteps against the grass-covered grounds. He kept it in his pocket and sent Bunty flying into the sky.

“Steven, what are you doing here?” Ida asked, in her hands was a woven basket filled to the brim with fresh produce.

“Miss Ida,” he greeted her with a bow, “I was just patrolling the gardens.”

She gave him a curious look, “Didn’t I ask you to serve Paramount Sierra in my absence? Is she not awake yet?”

Steven quickly informed Ida what had transpired. But he did not mention anything about the letter Bunty had delivered.

“She’s gone to see the King?” Ida gasped in surprise.

“Yes…” he replied anxiously, wanting to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. An idea went off in his mind.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ida, but her Grace has asked me to deliver a letter. I’ll be off now,” Steven bowed politely and took off, not even waiting for Ida to reply.

Ida looked as the guard sped off into the distance, “Deliver a letter?”

She did not know who it could be. The longer she thought about it, the more confused she was. If Sierra was going to see the King, it was unlikely it was a letter for him. That was her first guess.

“Maybe it’s for the Queen?” She reasoned, before heading back into the house to put away the things she had purchased.

~

Sierra dismounted from Macadamia at the side entrance of the main castle building. She placed him in the nearby stables before entering the castle building. As she made her way through the long corridors, she was greeted by the castle staff.

When she finally got to the throne room, the royal guards placed their hands over their chest plates and bowed slightly.

“Paramount Sierra,” the royal guard she turned to greeted her, “Is there something we can help you with?”

“Yes, there is. Is King Alistair having his morning court session with the ministers?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Good,” Sierra took two steps forward towards the door but the royal guards barred her from entering.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but we cannot allow you to enter.”

“Not when a court session is still ongoing,” the other guard added.

She clenched her jaw as she took a step back.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for the both of you,” she said carefully as she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she continued, “But I need to see his Majesty. One way or another.”

They knew exactly what sort of threat she was making. But they did not back down either. The two royal guards were soon joined by a few more, all of whom stood in a line guarding the door of the throne room.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. But we cannot allow you to disturb the court session. You may speak to the King when the session is complete,” the guard who first spoke to her said to her.

She could see it in his eyes. He genuinely wanted her to back down. If she pushed any further, he would have to arrest her. None of them wanted to see that. Furthermore, the passing castle staff was already gossiping and spreading the news of what they had seen.

No doubt, half of it would not be accurate.

Sierra tightened her hand on the hilt of one of her swords. Remembering her current position and what she was just about to do, she clenched her jaw. She could not act irrationally. Her fate was now tied to Alistair’s. Anything she did, reflected on both of them.

She eased her stance and took a step back, resulting in the guards easing their stance too. She could see the apologetic look on their faces, making her feel a little guilty of her actions.

As she was about to apologize for her rash actions, impending footsteps in the distance caught her attention. She and the royal guards turned in that direction, only to see an entourage coming toward them.

At first, Sierra did not think too much of it. She took a step to the side to make way for them. But as soon as they got closer, she widened her eyes in shock.

“No…” she whispered beneath her breath, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

The entourage coming towards the throne room was dressed in gear from the Kingdom of Cair, her Kingdom.