The Kings Mistress Chapter 52

[ … words ]

Myra tried so hard to stifle her laughter. She did not need to see Cassandra’s face to know that she was angry with the way Sierra spoke to her. After she stormed off to join the rest of the princesses who had already made their way down, Myra wanted to help Sierra.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be with you soon enough. Now go! Before they leave without you.”

Sierra returned back to her room and got to work at once. She got out of her soiled clothes and went into the bathroom to clean herself up. Ida returned shortly after to help her as best she could.

Lucky for them, the paint water did not stain her skin or hair. Sierra readjusted her hair and put on the straw hat. With Ida’s assistance, she got into the dress she had originally intended to wear. As Ida helped to zip up her dress, Sierra admired herself in the mirror.

This was not a usual color she enjoyed wearing, so it was all new for her. Once Ida was done, she took a step back as Sierra turned from side to side.

“You look stunning, princess,” Ida gasped as she looked at Sierra from top to bottom.

As per usual, Sierra kept her swords in the hidden deep pockets of her dress before putting on her shoes. Before she even took a step down the staircase that led out of her room, Sierra could sense the presence of two people outside her door.

“Ida, there’s two people outside the door,” she whispered to her maid as she came back up slowly.

Putting the clues together, Sierra was certain it had to be Cassandra’s doing. It was likely that she sent her servants to guard Sierra’s door. If she came out in her dress, they might take the opportunity to ruin it as they did before.

Alternatively, it could be a ploy to keep her trapped in her room.

“What should we do then, Your Highness?” Ida asked after hearing her princess’ deduction.

“We’ll just have to find another exit,” Sierra explained as she glanced over to the window.

“What?! How are you going to climb and get down in this dress? It’s too dangerous, Your Highness!”

“I’ll be fine. It’s not like I had not done it before.”

Sierra was right. This was most certainly not the first time she had to climb out of a window to get on the roof to get out of a confined space. It was also not the first time she had to do so in a dress.

Back in Cair, Sierra often accompanied her father to private functions held by the nobility and royalty. Sometimes, when she was certain no one would miss her, she would sneak out and climb up to the roof to admire the night sky.

She always made sure not to stay too long, so that she won’t raise any suspicion. Not many nobles and royals took an interest in her anyway. No one saw her as a threat or a potential ally.

She was just the general’s adopted daughter.

Now, she was something a little different.

Sierra climbed out of the window with ease. Ida ran up to her, worried for her safety. Before she left, she instructed Ida to leave the room as if nothing had happened. They would meet at the Royal Gardens.

With that, the princess and the maid went on their separate ways. Sierra carefully made her way off the roof down to the ground level. She dusted off her dress as she landed. She winced in pain, cursing herself for not wearing more sensible shoes.

She carefully dusted off her clothes, just as a group of patrolling guards came her way. They were clearly stunned to see her there since all the other princesses had already left. She pretended as if nothing out of the ordinary happened and walked off.

She walked towards the horse stables. Walking there in her heels was not an option. Midnight would carry her to where she needed to go. While it was not the fastest option, it’s the one she decided to go with.

“Midnight, how have you been?” she whispered to her horse who snorted at her.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized as she pats her horse on her face, “I promise to come by more often. Shall we go for a ride?”

There was no stable master around to help but Sierra did not need it. She swiftly saddled her horse and got onto her back. Pulling the reins in her hands, she nudged Midnight forward and they were off.

It had been a while since she had last ridden on her horse. Sierra almost forgot how exhilarating it made her feel. She remembered the first time her father taught her how to ride a horse.

She had fallen off more times than she could count. But each time she got back up on her feet and her father would help her up onto the back of her horse. With hard work and perseverance, she mastered horseback riding.

Sierra climbed up onto the saddle and rode off in the direction of the main castle. She did not know her way around the castle well, but after asking a few guards and passing servants, she eventually found her sense of direction.

Spotting a group of princesses and the queen was easy enough on horseback. Not wanting to cause a commotion, Sierra got off Midnight a short distance away while covered by bushes. She stroked the mane of her horse while whispering to her.

“Return to the stables, Midnight. You know where to go.”

With two gentle taps on the side of her neck, the mare flickered her ears and struck her hoove twice on the ground. She turned around and went off on her way. Midnight was a smart mare. She could always find her own way back to the stables if needed.

“I hope she gets back to the right stable,” Sierra chuckled to herself.