CHAPTER FOURTEEN;Tamed by love

As night began to fall, the new, suspicious maid, Nina, found herself with the other maids. Lady Charlotte had dismissed them for the day, stating the lack of work to be done. As they gathered together, Nina saw an opportunity to gather information. She had been sent to spy, after all.

The conversation turned to Aria, who was nowhere to be found. "She's probably in the lord's room," one of the maids whispered. Nina's ears perked up at the mention of Aria's name. She leaned in closer, her voice barely audible.

"So, that's the one I'm supposed to watch out for," Nina thought to herself. Her mission was to monitor Aria's movements, and now she had a lead. She would have to keep a close eye on the young maid, especially if she was frequenting the lord's chambers.

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Queen Kira, King Maric's wife, stormed out of her cell, her released had been ordered by the king,her eyes blazing with indignation. She pointed a trembling finger at the guards, her voice venomous.

"How dare you!" she spat. "How dare you hold me captive and drag me to this place?"

The guards shifted uncomfortably, their eyes darting to the floor. "Sorry, Your Highness," one of them stammered. "We were only following orders from the king."

Queen Kira's anger seemed to dissipate slightly at this, and she took a deep breath before walking away.

Meanwhile, King Maric was seen issuing orders to his guards. "Prepare the carriage," he instructed. "I have a meeting with King Ryker at the old windmill on the outskirts of the Darkwood Forest."

The guards nodded and scrambled to obey, aware that the meeting was a good one. The windmill, situated far from the everian Kingdom, was a neutral location chosen by King Ryker himself. King Maric's expression was grim, his mind already focused on the negotiations ahead.

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Lady Charlotte was frantically searching for Aria, asking everyone she met if they had seen her. She couldn't explain why she was so worried, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Aria was her favorite maid, and she had grown deeply attached to her.

As she rushed through the castle, Lady Charlotte's mind was filled with worst-case scenarios. Had Aria made a mistake and been locked up by lordNigel She ran to the throne room, but the king was nowhere to be found. She dashed to his chambers, but he wasn't there either.

Breathless and confused, Lady Charlotte stood in the empty chamber, her eyes scanning the room as if hoping to find some clue. What was happening?, where was Aria?

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Aria's POV

I stood there, utterly bewildered. This morning he was about kissing me,and now it's almost evening and here he was acting strange and interrogating me. I couldn't make sense of it.

Lady Charlotte's words echoed in my mind - the dungeon, the leopard. Fear crept up my spine as I worried he might throw me in there. At least being outside, even under the scorching sun, was better than that.

I glanced at lord nigel, who seemed to be staring back at me. I quickly looked away, but couldn't resist sneaking another peek through the corner of my eye. That's when I saw him smile - a radiant, heavenly smile that left me breathless.

I met his gaze, my heart skipping a beat as he spoke in a soft, gentle tone.

"Remember when we first started talking? I asked you the reason why you were here. Can you tell me the reason now? Can you tell me why you're here?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

I felt a flutter in my chest as I hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. But there was something about his kind tone that put me at ease, and I found myself wanting to open up to him.

Lord Nigel's POV

I gazed at her as I asked my question. Her face told me she wanted to open up, to share her secrets. She was beautiful, and her nervousness only added to her charm.

I set aside my concerns and focused on her. I wasn't sure what I was doing, but I knew I was enjoying it.

Aria's voice trembled as she finally opened up. "I never knew my father," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "He abandoned my mother when I was just a baby. We struggled to make ends meet, and our house... it's been falling apart for years,because it is old and there is nothing we can do."

She took a deep breath, composing herself. "I came to the palace to work as a maid, but it's not because I wanted to. It's because I wanted to help my mother. I wanted to give her a better life."

Aria's voice cracked, and she broke down in tears. "I feel like everything is my fault," she sobbed. "If I hadn't been born, my mother wouldn't be suffering like this. She'd be happy, or at least, she wouldn't be struggling to make ends meet."

As Aria spoke, her silent tears struck a chord within Lord Nigel. His heart, once as hard as stone, began to soften. He gazed at her, and memories of his own painful past flooded his mind.

He recalled the day he cried when he discovered the truth about his family. They had been killed, because of his extraordinary powers. The weight of their murder still lingered, and the guilt remained. If only he hadn't possessed those powers, perhaps his family would have been alive.

Lord Nigel's eyes never left Aria's face as he listened to her story, his expression a mask of calmness. Yet, deep within, his heart ached with a familiar sorrow.

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Lady Charlotte was frantically searching for Aria. As she turned a corner, she collided with the missing maid. "Aria, where were you?" Lady Charlotte asked, her voice laced with worry.

Aria shook her head, "I was just taking a stroll."

Lady Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "A stroll? I searched the entire palace and couldn't find you anywhere."

She narrowed her eyes. "Aria, tell me the truth. Where were you?"

Aria scratched her head as she finally spoke up.

"I was in Lord Nigel's private chamber," Aria admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lady Charlotte's eyes widened in shock, her expression a mixture of surprise and concern.

"What were you doing in Lord Nigel's chambers?" Lady Charlotte asked, her tone firm but controlled.

Aria looked at lady charlotte showing innocence written on her face. "I was just taking a stroll, and I don't know how I ended up there. I swear, I didn't mean to," Aria pleaded.

Lady Charlotte eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What happened next?"

Aria took a deep breath before continuing. "Unexpectedly, Lord Nigel entered, and somehow, he managed to figure out that I was hiding. I don't know how he did it, but he found me."

Lady Charlotte looked up at Aria with a mixture of concern and surprise. "Arya, that place is off-limits! You're not supposed to go there. Why are you so fearless? Why are you being so clumsy?"

Lady Charlotte eyes sparkled with worry. "Arya, please be careful! I'm really surprised you're still here after going into Lord Nigel's private chambers."

Aria smiled reassuringly at lady charlotte. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Unknown to them, Nina stood hidden, listening in on their conversation, her eyes narrowing with interest.