9 No Mistress

(From Blue's Perspective)

The meal appeared to be Royalty-style. I never had such good food in my life. A plump woman with unruly brown hair walked into my room and handed me a piece of paper. The paper was a little stiff and yellowish, but not in a bad way.

It had strange names that were supposed to be foods written on it. I found the one thing I could understand and told the woman to get it for me.

She brought me a steak, which I had requested, but it was enormous. I was not sure if I would be able to finish the whole thing. Along with the steak, mashed potatoes and boiled peas were served. The mashed potatoes were creamy, just like I remembered having at an aunt's house. It was the first and last time I had that experience. Because at home... Perhaps a stray cat ate more than I did.

"Would you like some wine, my Lady?" she asked.

I choked hearing 'my lady'. The woman quickly brought me a glass of water.

"I don't drink," I replied, which turned out to be nothing more than a whisper.

She did not ask me anything else, rather she started organizing already organized things. It was only when I was almost done with my food, that she started talking again.

"Permit me to ask you a question, my lady?"

"Sure."

"Are you king Demetrius's bride? I mean, our to be Queen?" she asked, hesitantly.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Please accept my sincere apologies, my lady. I'm sorry if I offended you..."

"What is your name?" I asked again.

"Eleanor, my lady. Please, my lady, I don't have anywhere else to go," she pleaded.

"I'm not going to take you away from your work, Eleanor. I just wanted to get to know you "I said, and she sighed in relief, albeit with a puzzled expression on her face. "As for me being your Queen, you should ask your king."

"King Demetrius directed that we look after you and not allow you to work. We're supposed to take care of everything for you. Please accept my apologies if this offends you; however, our king has never done anything like this before," she explained.

"Like what?"

"He's never brought another woman with him before. He had mistresses, but not anyone like you. Mistresses have been just for pleasure, but the way he looks at you, it's more than that, deeper than anything else. He cares for you, my lady."

I did not hear what she was saying. It was killing me to think about him having mistresses.  I did not know why I was feeling like that, but all I wanted was to leave this place than see him with another woman.

"He has mistresses?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"He had," she said.

"What do you mean he had? Doesn't he have now?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not aware of it, my lady. This week, his majesty hasn't slept with any mistresses. It's probably because of you. I don't know, but something tells me that he doesn't want to have any mistress anymore. He wants you, my lady."

"Did he have one mistress or too many?"

"They were more like whores, my lady. They were paid for giving pleasure to the king."

"You mean, there was more than one?"

"Yes, my lady," she replied. "But why are you asking me this, my lady?"

"I just wanted to know."

"My lady, there are guards outside this door if you require anything. You can tell them what you need," she said before taking the plates away.

I sighed and retreated to my bed. Everything seemed odd. But I was no longer interested in strange things. I was feeling a surge of rage inside of me.

He had brought me here, saying he wanted to marry me, but then he had mistresses. But what if Eleanor was correct? What if he truly did not sleep with anyone this week? What if he truly gave up his mistresses?

I sighed and slid out of bed. My body was no longer aching. I made my way to the bathroom.

It was huge. Everything seemed to ooze opulence. The look was completed by the bathtub in the center, which was surrounded by two unnamed trees and artwork of a leaf.

I was wondering if I could use it. Actually, I was not sure if I was supposed to use everything in this room. Demetrius had not told me that yet. What if he got mad? What if he would punish me?

The sound of the door opening caused me to turn my head in that direction. I stood there, trying to figure out who it was. Since I was in the restroom, I had no idea. 

"Blue?"

I was relieved. It was him.  But why did I feel relieved? I did not even know him. It was as if he possessed the ability to cleanse my mind of all worries and fears.

"Hey," he said as he entered the bathroom.

He appeared tense, but his face relaxed when he saw me standing there, hugging myself with both hands. Was that a look of concern in his eyes? Was he worried about me? But why?

"Hello," I said slowly, feeling a little shy for some reason.

"Are you planning on taking a bath?" he asked. 

"I was planning to. Well... um... can I..."

"Yes, Blue, you can ask me a question," he said, carefully pronouncing each syllable as if to ensure that I understood him. His voice was not cold but amused.

"Can I use the bathtub?"

"Of course, you can use it. It's yours. Everything in this room is yours. Everything outside this room will be yours too after two days," he said.

"Ok," I said. I opened my mouth to say something more to him, but then closed it again thinking if it would be appropriate.

"Blue, don't hesitate in saying or asking me something," he said calmly.

"Can you read minds?" I blurted out quickly before I would lose the courage again.

He burst out laughing. His laughter reached my ears, numbing them to everything else but his laughter.

"What makes you think that?"

"The way you finish sentences for me... the way you talk... it seems like you know what I'm thinking," I muttered.

"It's not like that. It's just... I know you too well," he said, causing my heart to pause for a second as I processed his words.

"Oh ok. I have another question."

"Should I be worried?" he asked playfully.

"Will you tell me the truth if I ask you?"

"I will."

"Well, it's not just one question."

"I have time," he said as if he was waiting for my questions.

I inhaled deeply. If he wanted me to be his wife, I needed to know a few things.  I could not be someone to be kept in the dark and then be used. I had been used enough.

"Are you truly going to marry me?"

"Yes. Do you have doubts?"

"No. I mean, it's so sudden and unexpected that I cannot help but be a bit... uncertain," I muttered.

"You're still thinking that why would I want to marry you, right?"

I nodded, the thought of him reading my mind still lingering in my head. But he had already told me that he could not read my mind, he just knew me better. But how? Was I right about thinking that he had been keeping an eye on me? For how long?

"It's because I want to. I've wanted to for a long time as I told you before."

'You've known me for long?"

"Yes, enough for making me want to make you my Queen."

"For how long?"

"I'll tell you about this one later. You won't have to ask me that again. I'll tell you myself. I want you to know about it as well, but not now. The perfect time is yet to come."

"Ok," I said. "Do you... do you have mistresses?"

He did not say anything and I regretted questioning. I should not have asked him this. I knew that he would be angry, but I still asked him. How foolish I was! Did I not learn enough, while growing up with my family?

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Don't be. I'm just a bit surprised that you've asked me this so soon," he said. "But I'm not angry and don't ever be sorry for asking something to me. I'm your to-be husband, not your god. And no, I don't have any mistress. I had before, but not anymore. I won't have anyone as well. I don't want my wife to feel useless," he said.

Hearing this from him gave me a sense of relief. Perhaps he was truly not as cold as he looked. He had a heart probably, even though he did not seem to be the kind of person who cared.

"Anything else you want to ask?"

I shook my head. "I just want to take a bath."

"Alright. I'll see you in the morning then," he said. "Goodnight, Blue."

"Goodnight," I said, "Demetrius."