Chapter 21: D-11 (II)
I was going to get him to take his medication whether he liked it or not. There's no way he's letting my hardwork go to waste. But first, I had to get that stalk of nightshade from Gilbert.
I followed some paces behind him as he walked past the garden and towards the kitchen. In the garden, I noticed the hedges were being sheared and the flowers were being pruned.
Gilbert stopped outside of the kitchen where Mr Roman stood, directing servants who were bringing in supplies.
"Good afternoon, Mr Gilbert. What brings you to the kitchen?" Mr Roman asked as Gilbert approached.
"His Majesty requests that you make a sumptuous meal for the guests arriving this evening." Gilbert said in his usual monotonous voice he used in giving orders.
"Guests? What guests?" Mr Roman asked bemusedly. I bet he didn't know about the visiting emissaries.
"The three emissaries from the borders. His Majesty demands that they be provided adequate entertainment before he sees them tomorrow."
"But they always sent their reports to the palace directly. Why do they have to come all the way now?" Mr Roman asked.
"I'd suggest you start the task required of you at this moment. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the Dark Lord himself. I'm sure he'll be eager to answer your questions." Gilbert replied with a sinister undertone.
I stifled my laughter as I saw Mr Roman shook his head with a gulp.
Gilbert left the kitchen as Mr Roman scurried to do as he was told. I left my hiding spot behind the pillar and followed Gilbert into the castle. He went through the grand hallway and walked into the throne room. I peeked and I saw several servants running around and performing different tasks; scrubbing the floor, cleaning the windows and such.
I even spotted Mirabel who was diligently scrubbing the floor when Gilbert walked in.
"Make sure there isn't a single speck of dust on the windows." Gilbert commanded.
I watched as the poor servants returned to the window they had already cleaned because the butler was not satisfied with the job they had done.
Mirabel shot the butler a side glare and returned to her work. Ooh, so she had a feisty side to her.
"These drapes need to be changed. Get the red ones from the storage room." Two servants scurried to get the drapes from the storage room. All this hubbub for three emissaries from the borders? You'd think the Dark Lord was expecting the Royalty from the neighboring kingdom.
Gilbert inspected all their work and when he deemed it satisfactory, he left the room and went down the hallway and took a turn at the spiral staircase.
Wasn't he going to dispose the stalk? Where was he taking it to now? I followed him keeping a safe distance as I climbed the stairs after him. He went past the second floor and the third. Where was he heading to then?
He went up the fourth floor and kept climbing up to the fifth storey, the Dark Lord's lair.
There was no way I would go all the way with him. Maybe I would get the stalk back once he returned. Or was the butler taking the stalk to show it to the Dark Lord because he knew what it was?
If that was what he wanted to do, the stalk couldn't be traced back to me could it? I mean even if he found it below my window and near the infirmary, there was no way he could prove I dropped it. Either way, I had better get out of here before someone sees me.
As I tiptoed down the stairs, I bumped into someone who was on his way up.
"I'm so sorry. Please excuse me." I hurriedly apologized and tried to walk past the person.
"I didn't know visitors were allowed on the fifth floor." I heard the familiar suave voice of and my heart skipped a beat in fear.
I looked up at his golden brown eyes and quickly looked away as I noticed his piercing gaze on me.
"Uhm, my apologies your Majesty."
Unfortunately, the Mr Kellan wasn't like your normal individual who would let you off after you've apologized.
"I didn't ask for your apologies, Milady. Why are you up here?" He asked. My eyes were trained on my shoes as I tried to think of a way out of this sticky situation. What would I say?
I gave a nervous smile even though I was internally shaking.
"Well your Majesty, I heard from the butler that you were feeling quite better and you didn't need to take medication tonight. So I came to check how you were doing. But now that I've seen you're well, I'll just get going."
I said hurriedly and tried to walk past him. He held a hand to stop me.
"If you're here to check up on me, then what you see at face value might not suffice. Come with me." His tone allowed no dispute. I had no choice but to follow him.
He led the way down the hallway and pushed the large ornate door. I paused outside the door after he had gone in.
He probably didn't believe my excuse. What was he going to make me do? Or worse, what was he going to do to me?
"I said come in." I heard Mr Kellan call from inside. I took a deep breath and timidly pushed the door open. This was the first time I was in the Dark Lord's chambers during the day. All the other times had been at night.
It was less eerie and unexpectedly very organized. Every little thing was in place. I saw Gilbert organizing the papers on a desk at a far corner of the room. I bet the reason the room was this way because the butler was a perfectionist freak.
And on the nightstand drawer beside the king's bed was my nightshade stalk. That was where Gilbert had dropped it? If I could just get my hands on it...
Mr Kellan sat on the huge four poster bed in his room and crossed one leg over the other.
"Well, are you going to stand here all day or do you need an invitation?"
I willed my feet to move forward to where he was. What was I going to do to check if he was okay? Luckily for me, Gilbert was too carried away sorting the papers on the desk to pay us any attention.
I placed my palm over his smooth forehead. Was it okay for a man to have such pale, smooth skin? I noticed that he was slightly cold.
My brow furrowed in puzzlement. The temperature was warm today. Why was he so cold?
"Did you just have a cold bath, your Majesty?" I asked him, my physician instinct kicking in immediately.
"Hmm, yes. I did. Today is quite warm, don't you think?" He asked.
I nodded and then I picked up his arm to check his pulse.
"Has your heartbeat been fluctuating again?"
He shook his head. "Nope. It has been stable."
My finger found the exact spot where I was supposed to feel his pulse but I looked down in confusion... there was no beat there. Not a single one.