"From now on, I will be your personal maid. Please let me know what you need." Mara said while bowing her head towards Ava. "I can also answer any question that you have about this kingdom."
"Thank you," Ava said. "Queen Luna and King Lycan are mates, right?" Ava asked.
"Yes."
Ava plumped down on the bed. A squeaking sound interrupted the silence in the room. She stared at the ceiling as she thought about the meeting that she just had with the King and Queen. She had read about mates before. The attraction between the two isn’t there. For some reason, she could only feel the emotions coming from the Queen but not from the King. Was it because of Ulva? Did she use magick to create a shield around the King?
She felt Mara approach her.
"Here is the tea that you want," Mara said.
Ava jolted up. She stared at the tea from Mara’s hand. It was a code. Underneath the teacup should be a message.
"Thank you."
"Is there anything else?" Mara asked.
"No. I want to rest."
"Then I will be outside. Please call me if you need anything."
"Alright."
Ava waited for Mara to leave before she finished the tea and opened the small paper that was glued under the teacup.
Without hesitation, she ate the paper after reading its contents. The paper that was made of magick immediately melted on her tongue, its sweet and delicate flavor was especially impressive.
Ava smiled. Experience beat talent. This was the case between Baba and her. Baba was older and more experienced and while Ava might be considered talented in magick, her talent is not even comparable to the experience that Baba already gathered all these years.
She put the teacup on the bedside table and lay on the bed.
This time, she closed her eyes and thought about Matthew.
Baba already warned her not to use her magick nonchalantly in this place. The place was surrounded by witches that might be watching her every move.
"Miss Woods, Prince Kieran is here to see you," Mara said outside of the door. "Shall I take him towards the drawing room?"
Mara was talking about the drawing room that was connected to her room. Ulva informed her earlier that many people might want to meet her because of her connection to Matthew. So, they chose a room with its own drawing room and even its own kitchen just in case Ava would ask her personal maids to cook something that she liked that isn’t very popular inside this Kingdom.
These people are very accommodating, to say the least.
But Ava would be a fool is let her guard down.
"Yes, please," Ava said. She got up and looked at herself in the mirror from her dresser before she went into the drawing room.
To be honest, she didn’t expect that the room would have a hotel vibe. She expected something red and gold and wood. Something out of the Royalty movies that she had seen in the past. She expected canopies and candles. Kinda like the vibe that Josef’s house gave her.
But this? This is different.
The room that she was in actually looked like a suite room from a hotel in Las Vegas. It was large and airy, sophisticated and expensive. In short, something that she wouldn’t be able to afford if she wanted to have a luxurious vacation.
"Miss Woods," Kieran was standing by a large painting that was inside the drawing room. He gave her a curt nod before she looked at the painting again. "This is such a sad painting. Why would they put it in a drawing room?"
The painting that he was talking about looked like the circles of hell in Dante’s inferno. It was large, a highlight piece that covered almost the whole wall.
However, Ava had no time to think about the meaning of such gestures. Baba already warned her in advance that the Queen loved to scheme. This must be some sort of a secret gesture to warn her or something. Either way, Ava realized that she didn’t want to waste her time thinking about the meaning behind her actions.
She looked at the strong with Erenes that was standing not far away from Kieran.
"You have become more powerful," Erenes uttered.
"I am taking that as a compliment," Ava said. She looked at Mara and said, "Serve us some tea and pastries."
Mara nodded. Then she left the three of them alone.
"Even the way you handle yourself changed." Erenes continued.
Ava blinked at them.
"May I know why you are here?" Ava asked.
"It seems that we accidentally disturbed you?" Kieran said. The previous Kieran that she had met before was nowhere to be seen. This Kieran looked formal and stiff. She didn’t like it.
"Did something happen to you?" Ava asked.
"My mother passed away not too long ago."
"Oh..." So the reason why the light on the man’s eyes disappeared was because of his mother’s death. "My condolences."
Kieran just stared at her in response. He took a seat across from Ava.
"So... may I know why are you here?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you are the same woman that I met all those months ago," Kieran said. "The woman that I met was smart enough not to come into this hell hole."
Amusement flashed in Ava’s eyes. This man wasn’t a friend. In fact, he wasn’t really anything to her. Why was he acting as if he knew her?
"And?" she asked as she lifted an eyebrow. Funny how people would just assume that she won’t grow. That she wouldn’t change. Was it because she was considered an ’uneducated witch’?
"I am here to warn you. The other witches aren’t so happy that you are here. They might try to do something... tonight."
Ava pursed her lips. "And why would you warn me?" This isn’t really the first time that he ’warned’ her.
"Because I want your help."
"My help?" Ava asked.
"Help me... leave this place. Alive."
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