The Consort

Chapter 13: Meeting

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I smooth down the front of my dress for the 100th time. This entire morning has been surreal. I had a whole bathroom to myself to get ready, a luxury I've never had before, and don't have to rush across the castle and up six flights of stairs to get to work.

Anxiety woke me up early, so I've taken the extra time to style my hair into a braid. It took a while to do, and my arms were quite sore by the time I finished, but I think it's worth it. It's pretty simple but makes me feel a bit done up.

I pop my head out the bathroom door and peek at the position of the sun. It's just starting to rise, and I estimate that it's pretty close to eight. Sighing, I take one last look at myself, pinching my cheeks to draw some color to them and pushing back the tiny hairs that aren't long enough to stay in my braid.

The hallway is empty as I enter it, making me wonder if the Beasts even bother guarding this area. It appears to be only me residing here so I wouldn't be surprised if they don't. The walk to the King's office is short, so much so that I reach it within one breath.

His bedroom door taunts me as I walk past, and I wonder for a second what he would do if I entered his office through his bedroom. Lately I've been finding myself wanting to push the limits with Heloix. It's not a feeling I've ever had around a Beast before, and I worry that I'll go too far and get myself punished if I start acting on it.

King Heloix has been relatively nice to me, with the exception of him threatening John, and it makes me want to act out. I don't know why, and despite being aware that it's a foolish response that could get me killed, I feel it nonetheless.

Ignoring my wayward thoughts, I walk past his door until I find the second entrance that leads directly to his office. I raise my fist, hesitating for a second, before knocking it against the wood.

My knock is met with silence, and I wait for a minute before hearing a muffled "come in".

Setting my shoulder against the door, I grab the knob, turn it, and shove at the wood as hard as I can. It opens just wide enough for me to slip inside, and I quickly do so.

Heloix sits behind his desk, clearly holding back a laugh as he watches me struggle to enter.

"The door is heavy." I huff, embarrassed by his laughing.

"I'll have the hinges moved to this door."

"What about Gwen?" I ask, knowing that she is only allowed to enter only through the bedroom door.

Heloix shrugs. "What about her?"

I hold back a smirk at his response, secretly enjoying the mental image of her struggling with it. She'll be pissed if it gets moved the office door that she's not allowed to use.

The King gestures for me to sit in the leather chair across from his desk and I obediently obey, sinking deep into the large cushions. This furniture was made for the large stature of Beasts, and I no doubt look silly in it.

Heloix doesn't seem to notice though, or pretends not to, as he slides a stack of papers over to me.

"Axis isn't going to be joining us today as his mate is having her baby, so I'll just have you look over these numbers he put together and we can discuss."

I nod, grabbing the papers off the table. The stack is quite large, and I quickly flip through it in shock. Heloix watches me for a second before focusing once again on the work that lies in front of him.

Turning back to the first page, I start reading, breaking out in a cold sweat as I realize that I can't make out most of what's on here. Slaves aren't given a formal education and although John's mother did teach me the basics of reading and math when I was younger, it never quite reached the level of what's on here.