Chapter 12: Rumor Has It

Roxine smirked as she walked over to the sofa and took a seat. Miss Marionne poured the Queen a glass of wine, from the bottle on the table in front of them.

"I just wanted to check in and see if my King had fun at the ball tonight. He left early so I was naturally a little worried," she asked nonchalantly, waiting to hear his response.

Alistair walked over and sat down on the leather chair next to the sofa. He looked amused, surprised by Roxine's statement.

"Has my Queen mistaken someone else for me? I've been here all-"

Roxine turned to him. Through her gaze, he knew she was not joking around when she asked. Though he put on a uniform and covered his face behind one of the masks at the ball instead of the one he usually wore, she knew with one look it was him.

When she approached Sierra at the table as she entered the ballroom, she was actually speaking to Alistair. She was tempted to call him out then and there.

Alistair chuckled as he held up both of his hands as if surrendering.

"You caught me," he admitted defeat.

Roxine smirked, she knew she was right. She observed Alistair's interaction with Sierra the entire night. Even she could tell he had taken a liking to this mysterious princess neither of them had heard anything of before.

"So who's the lovely princess who caught our King's eye?" she asked boldly as she took a sip from her wine glass.

Alistair gasped, pretending to be shocked, "Were you spying on me?"

"You weren't exactly sneaking around, Alistair. It was for everyone to see."

To hear her candid response brought a smile to the King's face. It had been a while since he heard her address him directly by his name.

He got up from his seat and sat right next to Roxine. They were so close, they could smell the wine that lingered on each other's breath.

"Is my queen... there I say... jealous?" he teased.

His marriage with Roxine was one out of convenience. He wanted to bring stability to his Kingdom while Roxine's father wanted her to strengthen the ties between both of their families.

That was how two childhood friends ended up married and now, the King and Queen of one of the largest Kingdoms anyone had ever seen.

They were never in love romantically, but they played their roles in public to perfection.

In the confines of Alistair's personal quarters, with only the two of them and Marionne around, Roxine felt as if she could put down her guard. She could be herself, even if it was for just a moment.

"Jealous? Nonsense," she spat back as she placed the wine glass down and folded her arms.

Gathering the princesses from the neighboring kingdoms for them to be Alistair's concubines was Roxine's suggestion. While she did not love him romantically, he was still her closest friend.

She wanted him to be happy.

She hoped that with this arrangement, Alistair might find someone he fancied. Someone he loved. From the looks of it, the plan was working.

Sierra caught his eye.

"It's nice to see that someone caught your eye," Roxine teased, " For a moment I was worried that the rumors about our King were in fact true."

"Rumors? And what would that be?" he played along with her teasing.

"The rumors that the King might not be interested in the opposite gender."

Alistair closed the distance between him and Roxine. He held onto the base of her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. They were so close to one another, Roxine could smell the champagne that lingered on his breath.

"Perhaps, my Queen would aid me with dispelling those rumors?" he whispered into her ear seductively.

Roxine pushed him away at once. She furrowed her eyebrows in anger, annoyed that Alistair would even dare to suggest something like that.

He of all people knew her secret. She did not like men. She preferred the fairer gender. Realizing he had offended her, Alistar put up both of his hands.

"My bad, I took that too far," he admitted.

Roxine regained her composure.

"Well, I'm glad that you realize that," she replied as she straightened her dress, "It's getting late. If you'll excuse me..."

Before she could finish her words, Alistair held onto her wrist and pulled her back down. Though they were only husband and wife in name, they were still close friends.

Ever since his Kingly duties took up most of his time, Alistair barely had the chance to spend quality time with Roxine. Since she had come all this way to his quarters, he was not about to let the opportunity slip by.

"Stay for the night, Roxine. It would just be like old times, we can talk till the sun comes up," he suggested.

Roxine bit her lip. For the first time in a while, Alistair seemed to be in a better mood. Ever since he became king, she noticed he smiled less and less.

He was no longer the warm friend she used to have. He became cold and distant. Yet now, he seemed more like his old self. Perhaps Sierra was impacting him more than either of them had realized.

"Alright. This could help dispel those rumors as well," she relented.

***

Sierra woke up the next day feeling refreshed. After getting dressed and refreshed, she was ready to face the day she had ahead of her. Ida, her maid, brought her some breakfast to help her start her day.

"Your Highness, your presence has been requested in the Magnolia Hall in an hour's time," Ida informed her.

According to the information, Ida had gathered, all of the princesses have been asked to gather in the hall. It seemed like an announcement of what was to happen would be made.

Not wanting to be late, Sierra finished her breakfast swiftly and got ready. She decided to attend in her casual clothes while still looking presentable.

Your Highness, are you sure you should turn up in..." Ida bit her lip uncertain if she should continue speaking.

She did not want to criticize what Sierra was wearing, but she didn't want the princess to be ridiculed later either. Or worse, she could be punished for what she wore.

From the look on the maid's face, Sierra understood what she had done wrong. Wearing pants was unladylike, especially amongst the royals and nobility. She was all too familiar with the jests and jabs they would make.

After all, her casual outfit was what she usually wore when she accompanied her father to court or functions. He never had an issue with what she wore and neither that she. However, Sierra was now in Drakin.

To leave a good first impression, she had to respect their customs.

"I'll change," Sierra declared with a smile as she placed a hand on Ida's shoulder, "Thank you for reminding me, Ida. I appreciate it."