Interesting outfit

While everyone hide their inner flaws and presented the fake ones on the table, Elizabeth did the same to avoid her secrets to be known.

It was aristocratic meeting precisely !

The lunch was over and everyone returned back to their chambers. The time passed and the dark silhouette covered the roof of the castle as the night itself made it's own presence.

Elizabeth was reading a book while her maid Stella was walking around the room enlightened it with the lanterns in her hand. She came to stop when placing the lantern at the bedstand, she turned and told her mistress that she was informed her dinner will be served at her room at night. Elizabeth nodded before averting her eyes from the book, she closed it and put it aside.

"Did you eat ?" she asked her maid.

"Yes, my lady"

She squinted her eyes asking her self as if recalling the moment seeing her maid eat but she couldn't remember but if she had already eaten then her maid had slipped her mind and was so faster and so comfortable in spite being in unfamiliar environment.

She stood up from her chair and told her maid that she won't have her dinner instead she wanted to stroll more around the castle.

She remembered her purpose of coming to the castle, she didn't have time to waste enjoying the food or any luxuriousness at the castle before completing her mission.

She will enjoy it to the fullest only when she had already become the queen.

She remembered that she didn't get any useful information earlier from her competitors and she thought maybe at this moment she might come to notice or heard some secrets about them that could be useful in her scheme.

Well she didn't come to stay, she came to spy. Her enemies might be planning something behind her back as well.

She had to go to find more about them.

She said to her maid "I want to take a look around the garden"

"At night ?!" abruptly stella asked but after noticing the reaction from her lady's face she corrected herself. She knew her lady don't like to be asked questions when she need to do something.

"Yes, my lady. But I was informed with the other maids that his Majesty forbade his guests to wander around the castle at night and especially at the garden" she paused afraid of the words she had to say next before she continued "Umm...and it is not safe my lady".

Forbade? Not safe ??.

Elizabeth understood that her maid was only worrying about her but to her information she knew the castle was strongly guarded and there might be guards watching them as a hawk all of the time.

But like she cares what would happen to her, Elizabeth was desperate on finding her competitors secrets and stopping her was nothing.

She slipped into her black attire she prepared secretly for walking around the night before giving her maid a room for discussion she disappeared behind the door.

She walked along the corridor towards the main gate but there were guards and she had to take turns and turns walking around the corridors to find her way out but if someone spotted her wandering around the castle what would she say ??.

Looking for her way back to her chamber or just looking for her lost earring, as if someone heard her thought she heard a voice of a man calling her from behind, from where she was hiding behind the pillar.

"Excuse me, who is going there !?"

His voice was dreading and Elizabeth lost her consciousness on what to do, but as soon as she replaced her mind only one thought came to her head. Run !!.

When she was about to set her feet in motion she heard the sound of many footsteps approaching from the way she was thinking on running to, around the corner of her eyes she spotted the shadows of people in armor on the wall walking towards her.

She was cornered and Elizabeth thought this could be a dream and she had no choice instead of turning around and facing the people who call on her.

She turned and she was shocked when she spotted the familiar face coming from the dark. It was king Luther and his guards.

"Lady Richard, what are you doing here ?!. I expected you to be in your room this hour" he asked, approaching her with his cautious eyes, he inspected her from head to toes before lingering on her outfit.

"Such an interesting outfit" he commented.

Elizabeth wandered her eyes on her outfit and bit her lips when she realized what she was wearing was nothing of to be called an outfit.

What is this dress ??.

She doesn't remember packing it in her belongings, where did this cloth came from. It was particularly not a dress to be called because it was too revealing, someone had sneak it in her belongings and it must be her maid stella because she always seems mischievous and had her many ways of surprising her.

She fidgeted her nails not knowing what to do, Elizabeth placed her hands behind her back hiding them from being seen as they were shaking and sweating from fear of being suspected on trying to do something.

Then she masked her face with confidence that she always had and decided to come up with a lie.

"I was feeling uncomfortable your majesty I decided to get a fresh air"

"Are you sick ?" he asked.

"No !. uhmm..... just feeling stuffed and I think it's the thing to do with the adjusting to the new environment" Elizabeth looked down and smiled to get rid of the intensity that was rising in the air. The king didn't say anything instead he stepped closer and pulled his coat to cover her up.

His arms brushed her back and she trembled to the mutual feeling, she looked up and met his grayish beads staring at her, he said "I happen to want to have a look around the garden, mind coming with me ?!" he asked likely ordering her as it seems from his voice that he was not looking for her opinion.

She had to follow him behind because he had already strolled forward before he even got her answer.

How rude of him !

She followed him behind until they arrived at the garden which was situated down the main wing of the castle.

Luther stopped and spoke when she was behind him without his face turning to her, he asked " Where did you learn that poem ?"

"You taught me, remember?!"

"I don't recall doing that, do I ?!" he said sarcastically, smiling at himself out of making a fool for asking that question.

Elizabeth didn't see him smiling because she was behind and only she can see was his back. She clung to his coat on her shoulders and faked a cough in the sense of wanting him to turn his back and he abruptly did.

His eyes anxiously searching her but Elizabeth failed to notice when she heard some kind of noises coming off from the wall the other side of the garden.

The vividly voices of people.

She was about to open her lips when Luther placed his finger on his mouth pointing to stay silent.

He gestured for his soldiers not to interfere with their walk when he grabbed her hand and faked to stroll around more at the garden in the course of wanting to discover who were behind the wall talking at this hour.

The voices seemed to be heard clearly when they continued to approach the wall.

The woman's voice heard in the dark, she seemed to be talking to the other person begging him to understand.

"I had no choice !" she cried.

The king urged Elizabeth to walk quietly and slowly, they keep approaching and finally the the woman's silhouette was seen in the darkness, both the king and Elizabeth failed to make out clearly who was the person until when the woman hugged the man beside her and quietly sobbed in his arms.

" Elefth...!" before Elizabeth could name the word shortly the king's hand clasped her lips not to speak, he knew what he was doing, he knew the woman who was behind the darkness and he wanted to hush her down so as not be heard.

"We need to get out of here" he whispered and Elizabeth quietly nodded.

Understanding the gesture they retreated back slowly and met the king's soldiers waiting, they asked their king what was going on and stubbornly wanted to check things behind the wall as they also heard some noises behind it but the king stopped them from doing so instead he bid farewell to Elizabeth and stepped forward.

Elizabeth wanted to ask him about what they both saw earlier, it was princess eleftheria shockingly she was with a man and was acting intimately with him.

Wasn't she expected to be crowned as a queen while she was in the competition ?.

How can she be with another man while she may be happen to be married with the king ?!

But the king didn't want to talk it out with Elizabeth as she was about to speak what was in her head, he stepped back and said.

"You go back to your chamber before your maid started looking for you. I will see you tomorrow" he walked away before she could even stop him, his soldiers trailed behind him.