Chapter 20
Gentle knocks followed by the sound of the door slowly opening seized the king’s attention, disturbing her longed solitary moment for herself and indubitably putting her in a sour temper yet again. Nicole sighed, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose in slight irritation as she closed the hardback in her hand, clearly disliking the unwelcomed interruption.
“I do believed I have explicitly told everyone that I am not to be disturbed whenever I am reading, have I not made myself completely clear?” The king stated, vexation evident in her voice.
Her dismal mood has not been fully dispelled, even after spending the rest of her afternoon with her most favoured french lady, the king is somehow still embittered by her previous discourse with her mother.
“I beg your pardon your Majesty, but I thought I was an exception to the rule?”
Eyes opening, Nicole was greeted by the sight of the youngest Earp appealingly walking towards her, domistically carrying a dish tray whilst wearing her most radiant smile that can surely illuminate even the darkest corners of the castle, and it immediately drew a smile out of the king’s taut lips.
“Lady Waverly.” She greeted cordially as she relished the younger lady’s invigorating presence in her rather dull cabinet.
She was addressed back with a genial “Your Majesty.” before the youngest Earp, ever so gently, placed the dish tray on the small empty table just behind the king’s worktable, faintly eyeing the hardbound books and parchments splayed atop it. “Though I suppose being a king comes with tremendous responsibilities, howbeit forgoing supper to bury yourself with epistles and treatises is never beneficial to your ruling nor your health. You should eat.” She proposed, voice wrapped with concern. “You are still recuperating from your previous indisposition, are you not?”
“Yes, but my lady, I am afraid I do not have my usual appetite this evening.” Nicole stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to Lady Waverly, her book laid forgotten atop her worktable. “Surely, I will survive for another day if I were to deny myself of my needed sustenance just once.”
The English monarch immediately found herself retiring to her cabinet before supper even starts. Opting to skip her meal to avoid being in the same room as the queen mother, the king proceeded to recommence her royal duties. Without her most trusted knight to confined about her taxing day in, Nicole was left to her own devices, leaving her with no other recourse but to wait for Xavier’s return from his errand whilst diligently executing her tasks.
“Yes, you would.” The french lady replied as she nonchalantly handed the noble king a bowl of vegetable soup. “But it will give me immense relief if you were to fill yourself before getting lost in your books.” Lady Waverly smiled diffidently as she added, “And I will highly appreciate it if you tell me after if the soup is to your liking. I might have made it differently than the way I used to, given how your spices slightly differs to ours.”
That kindled Nicole’s interest. Given the ginger tea that she dreaded before as her sample, the red-head king learned that the youngest french lady is somehow efficient around the kitchen - having been able to make her drink something she despised was such a miracle in itself.
“You made this?” It wasn’t really a querry but rather a pleased comment. Nicole followed it with an inquisitory tease “And the lamb?”
“Oh no, your Majesty.” Lady Waverly’s face contorted in absolute offence. “I’m quite sure you know how well I feel about animals being slaughtered, I would not dare touch a part of it.”
Nicole bit back a laugh. “Of course, my Lady. I would never doubt that even for a single moment.” She took the bowl and placed it down her worktable after tidying up her hardbounds and parchments aside, and sat. “And since I could never say no to you, I would gladly try this chowder for your heartsease. Am I to assume that this is how our married life is likely going to be?”
The king, upon realizing what slipped off her decorous lips, stopped midway of ladling her broth. She looked up at the gawping Earp and promptly tried to rectify it by hastily blundering out a “Not that I am going to be married to you.” But feeling that her wording is somehow strewn to be misleading, she ammended, “Not that I don’t want to get married to you. I do. I mean, if the opportunity presented itself, of course. That is, if you would want that too or not, I would never enforce you to do something you clearly feel appalled to do.” Seeing how she is more likely making a fool of herself with her rambling, with her voice imbued with embarassment she muttered under her breath, “I should really stop babbling about.”
“Oh no, don’t stop. Please continue. It is such a delighful sight to see the both of you getting flustered merely by talking about marriage.”
King Nicole and Lady Waverly’s heads turned towards the door where Lady Wynonna just walked in, looking rather exhausted but equally satisfied of her day’s journey.
“Please do go on.” The older Earp sat herself in front of the king, on the other side of her worktable, eyeing both her sister and her royal friend. “You don’t have to stop on my account. I am far more interested to see how this conversation is going to proceed. Am I to assume a proposal letter would be on it’s merry way to our parents’ home?”
“Oh hush you, Wynonna.” Lady Waverly waved her sister off, reprimanding her from further pestering the king with her oblique insinuations. “It was all but a misunderstanding. His Majesty was just… he was just merely addressing the domesticity I brought to his table, nothing more, nothing less.”
Having caught the rosy tint on her sister’s cheeks, Lady Wynonna could not help but tease them even more. “Is that so, my dear little sister?” She then looked at the king, but her gaze now lidded with sincere interest. “And what say you, King Nicolas? Are we not to expect any marriage proposal coming from you any time soon?”
“Wynonna!!” The younger Earp chastised but not an ounce of deprecation in her voice, it was merely to stop her sister from uttering more meaningless inquiries that could potentially displease the king.
Nicole, on the other hand, glared at the older Earp, clearly not liking how she’s been pushed in a tight corner without much of a warning. She was about to open her mouth to express her disapproval but Lady Wynonna already relented, muttering an airy “All right. All right.” as she tossed her hands up in the air in submission but still continued with her innuendoes as she stated, “Obviously, marriage is a sensitive topic for the both of you.” to which only earned her reverberating groans.
“Why exactly are you here Wynonna?” Nicole inquired, disregarding the older Earp’s badgering.
“To bless you of my consummate elegance, of course. And to tell you both of my riveting day in exchange of your arid ones. Did you even do anything stimulating while I was gone?”
Lady Waverly shook her head at her older sister’s usual theatrics. “Come on now, Wynonna. I think we’ve bothered his Majesty enough already. Let’s leave him with his meal in peace and we can talk all about your interesting travel tomorrow.”
Nicole shook her head as she watched the siblings take their leave with the younger Earp pulling her reluctant sister along with her out the door, a pleased smile drawn upon her face. She was about to begin her dinner when Lady Wynonna came barging in again.
“We’re not quite done about this.” The french lady claimed. Pulling what seemed to be a rolled parchment from the pocket of her robe, she placed it in front of her royal friend. “Hopefully, this will change your mind.” She said before walking out the door again.
The red-haired king picked up the parchment and unrolled it. She stared at it for a moment longer before bursting into a fit of laughter. Lady Wynonna sure do know how to present a gift. In front of her, carefully drawn onto the piece of paper, was a potrait of her proudly sitting on her throne with Lady Waverly seated next to her with a handwritten assertion, saying, “To the King and his rightful Queen.”