章 16: Worried Father
Martha and Seren reached the palace through the horse carriage brought by the king's men who had been asked to keep an eye on her. Just like Martha, they were also late to reach the place of the incident due to Seren's successful escape.
The carriage dropped them by the river, close to the palace wall where the secret passage connected the tower and the outside world. Martha and Seren did not even look to appreciate the scenery as they entered the dark passage. After all, the once-blossoming flowers had already wilted.
The sun was about to set, and the darkness had started to fill the royal palace as many fire torches were lit to brighten up the grounds again.
Barely half an hour after the two returned from their excursion, another person entered its grounds. The guest was a man who was older than the king. He was tall with a robust build and wore a dark blue knight's uniform with a golden crest, signifying that he was no common knight. A sword hung on the left side of his waist, and as he walked, his left hand rested on the sword's handle.
His short black hair had turned grey with age, and he had a few cuts and old wounds on his wrinkled face, signs of his legacy as a respected knight. His well-trimmed beard added charm to his long and robust-looking face. The calm but cold look in his gunmetal blue eyes was constant intimidation for others to obey his order.
He was Sir Berolt, the commander of the Kingdom of Abetha's royal knights.
The guards present outside of the Third Princess's tower bowed to the knight and allowed him to go to the garden's gate, where he rang thrice the metal bell hanging on the side.
Hearing the metal bell sound, Martha stepped out of the tower and came to the knight.
"Sir Berolt." Martha bowed in respect.
"His Majesty has asked for you," the old knight informed her in his cold and rough voice.
"I'll be there shortly." Martha returned to the tower to inform Seren of the King's order.
On the other hand, Sir Berolt left without waiting for Martha. He was only here to pass the King's order. Through him, the King communicated with Martha as he also handled the responsibility of protecting this place via his trusted men.
Sir Berolt had been loyal to King Armen since he took over the throne and was always by the King's side, the responsibility of his security.
"His Majesty King Armen has asked for me. I'll return soon," Martha informed Seren, who was busy thinking over something.
Hearing the King's name, Seren returned to her senses and looked at Martha. "The King must have learned what happened today."
Martha nodded.
"Will he punish you?" Seren asked. Worry and guilt were painted in her eyes, aware it was her fault that Martha had to face trouble.
"Don't worry," Marth comforted her and turned to leave.
"Martha!" Seren called. "What if….the King asks you to leave, and you can no longer be my nanny?" The fear of losing someone was evident in her eyes.
What she had caused today in the market was something serious. The King was obviously unhappy, and he might blame Martha for she had agreed to lead her outside; worse, she wasn't there to protect her when Seren needed her the most.
"It won't happen. Even if my lady finds me annoying, I won't leave her side ever," Martha assured and left before Seren could stop her.
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Martha reached the royal court, which was brightened by the fire from the torches. When she entered the court, the tall and robust figure of King Armen stood facing the throne, close to the last step of the stairs that led to the elevated throne.
Martha looked at the King, who had his back facing her. she could only see the view of the royal blue-colored floor-length cloak fixed at his neck and flowing downwards. His finely crafted gold crown with rare gems fixed on them was kept on the throne, and his deep brown shoulder-length hair, parted in the middle, was left out in the open.
She bowed to him. "Your Majesty has asked for this servant?" Martha said, politely informing her arrival to the King, who looked lost in his thoughts.
King Armen didn't reply immediately and turned to look at her, taking his time to observe her. The cold and confident-looking King looked calm, but his eyes told her that something troubled him deeply. His sapphire eyes darted at Martha; it was obvious he was not pleased with what happened in the marketplace.
Though he wore royal clothes and expensive jewelry, he did not look like an imposing man at the moment; he looked like a worried father who was upset with an irresponsible servant.
"Was my order not clear?" the King finally asked, his voice cold and commanding.
Martha lowered her head. "Apology for not being able to stop what happened today."
"If you had followed my order to not take her out of the palace for some time, this wouldn't have happened. I have always allowed you to secretly take her out so that she can get to know the outside world, for I know it's wrong to keep her in confinement always. But there is no other way to protect her."
Martha looked at the King as she raised her lowered head. As a servant, she should normally have kept her head always lowered in front of her king, but this issue was something different. Regarding Seren, she looked confident and protective, not the least bit scared of the King.
"Does Your Majesty think what happened today in the palace was easy for her to handle? Her own family plotted against her and called her a witch when she never did anything wrong. Is it wrong for her to wish to go out when she feels lonely and seeks happiness by going out? What else could she have done?" Martha asked.
"I never said not to take her out. Couldn't you have stopped or delayed her for a few days till the people from other kingdoms returned to their homes?" the King countered coldly.
"Your Majesty, I wanted to, but I couldn't. I couldn't see her hurt and helpless. I know it's to protect her, but how long does Your Majesty think it's possible? Till how long can we two be by her side to protect her? When we are gone, what will happen to her, who is unfamiliar and vulnerable to the outside world? At least, today's incident in the market taught her what kind of people she should stay away from and which places she should not enter."
"Her older brother, Cian, will look after her," King Armen answered.
"Is Your Majesty forgetting why Crown Prince Cian was sent to look after the northern part of the kingdom for the past few years?"
His eyes dimmed. "He wanted his sister to be out of that tower, and I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't tell him the reason either."
"Or is Your Majesty concerned about something else?" Martha said, which made King Armen turn silent for a while. Her next question made him close his eyes.
"Why hasn't Your Majesty seen his own daughter's face ever?"
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