Chapter 133
CAMILLA’S PO.V
I woke up to an empty bed and no Ryker. I assumed he had gone to speak to Riley so I just ignored it and went along with my day. It wasn’t until when night fell and I didn’t see him that I realized that perhaps there was more to it than I could have imagined. I didn’t want to bother Christine or Riley so I went looking for him. I checked his office first and saw his notes but not him. By that time, I was already worrying but I managed to shove it down long enough to approach one of the guards.
“Have you see the prince?” I asked and they looked at each other awkwardly. “I asked you a question and I expect an answer.”
“He was in the kitchen at first but then he left with one of the maids,” I didn’t miss the insinuation in his voice but I ignored it. The Ryker I knew would never do anything like that with anyone.
I walked past them and checked the kitchen but there was no sign that he had been there. The maids were running around trying to clear up the dishes that we used for dinner. Once they saw me, they froze and bowed simultaneously but I couldn’t be bothered to give them a proper response. I just waved them off.
“Did any of you happen to see the prince today?” I asked and just like with the guards, they glanced at each other awkwardly and would not meet my eyes. “I am five seconds away from losing my patience so will someone stop staring so dumbly and give me an answer.”
“I can take you to him,” a maid stepped out. Everyone stared at her with wide eyes almost as if she was making a mistake but she ignored them. “I saw him a few minutes ago when I took dinner to him.”
Llet out a sigh of relief. “Finally, lead the way.”
She led me down the halls towards the servants quarters. I had never really been there and I was shocked to see how simple and organized it was. There were whispers as we walked past and I heard the word ‘prince’ thrown around a few times. It felt like the palace was ablaze with a secret and I had no idea what it was. The maid stopped in front of a door and bowed.
“You should find him here,” before I could thank him, she gathered her skirts and practically ran off.
Her behavior was strange but I paid no heed to it. Instead, I pushed open the door only to find Ryker lying shirtless on the bed. He looked to be fast asleep and there was a tray of food next to him. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why he passed out in the servant’s quarters instead of coming back to the room to be with me. I gently shut the door and rushed up to his side to wake him up but he wasn’t rousing at all. I shook his shoulders harder than I normally would but there was still no response.
“Since when do you sleep like the dead?” I grunted as I tried to shake him awake again.
I was contemplating splashing some water in his face when I heard some noise from one of the doors in the room. I instantly grabbed the knife on the tray and poised it as a weapon when the door opened and Alara walked out. Her red hair was wet and hung down her shoulders with water droplets falling to the ground in a precise manner. She was wearing a simple white nightdress that left almost nothing to the imagination.
“Are you awake your-” she trailed off when she saw me and I stood there with my brows raised. She immediately cast her eyes to the ground and made to cover herself. “I didn’t know it was you, your majesty. I was just,” she glanced at Ryker with guilt. “I apologize.”
I looked from her to Ryker and dropped the knife back on the tray in favor of picking up the glass. “If this is your way of trying to make me believe that you are having an affair with my mate then you are sorely mistaken.”
I splashed the water on him and he jerked up instantly. He spluttered as he tried to get the droplets out of his face. He saw me first and he let out a sigh of relief but then he took in the room and his panic returned. He shot to a standing position and met Alara’s gaze.
“What the fuck is happening here?” he asked as he ran his hands through his soaking wet hair. “Why am I half naked? Why is she half naked? What the fuck is going on?”
“Relax,” I told him before turning to Alara. “I don’t know what game you’re playing here but I am done. I want you out of the palace before noon tomorrow or you will pay with your life, am I clear?”
Her
eyes again.”
widened and she fell to her knees. “Your majesty, please, it was just one time and it was never going to happen
“I don’t care for your half assed explanations, Alara. I am done dealing with you. If you are still here by noon then you will answer for your treason,” I turned to Ryker and found his shirt lying on a nearby chair. I grabbed it and threw it onto his chest. “Put this on please so we can get out of here.”
He didn’t protest, he did exactly as I had asked and within a few seconds, we were out of there. The halls were still ablaze with maids who were watching the scene with wide and hungry eyes. I ignored them and kept my head high but Ryker looked confused. He looked more disorganized than I had ever seen him in my life.
As soon as we got to the room, he started speaking. “Camilla, I have no idea how I got there and I know how it looks but I didn’t-”
“I know you didn’t so you can stop explaining but what I don’t know is how you actually got there because this does not look good and the last thing we need right now is a scandal so you better come up with a good story.”
“I was with Riley, she told me that she wanted to travel. After I left her, I went to my office and took a detour to the kitchen but I don’t remember getting there or anything else after that,” I knew he was being honest but I also knew that honesty was going to get us nowhere.
“That’s not a good enough story,” I told him and he frowned. “When I went looking for you, it was almost as if everyone already knew where you were. She couldn’t have dragged you there, you are much bigger than her and she doesn’t have the strength to do that. People are going to say that you walked in there by yourself. It doesn’t align with your story.”
“My story is the truth.”
“No one would care about that!” I yelled and he fell silent. I ran my hands through my hair and let out an exasperated breath. “I know you are saying the truth and so do you but do you think anyone else will care? I can vouch for you all I want but all people will see is a woman afraid to confront the fact that her mate was cheating.”
He seemed to realize what I was saying because he bowed his head in defeat. “I’m sorry, fuck, I don’t know how this happened but I am sorry that I put you in this position.”
“It’s fine,” I assured him with a warm smile. “We can get to the bottom of this. Alara is leaving tomorrow so it means we have one less thing to worry about. The people will talk but talk can always be dispelled. I just want to go to bed and think about it
tomorrow.”
“I truly am sorry,” he repeated again and I gave him a small smile in return.
Neither of us were able to sleep and for the first time in a long time, we slept on opposite ends of the bed. Despite the fact that he took a shower and changed his clothes, I couldn’t bring myself to lie next to him. It wasn’t that I was upset, it just didn’t feel right.
By the next morning, I was exhausted but I knew there was a lot to do. I had barely gotten out of my room when Christine rushed up to me. She looked like she had rolled out of bed without bothering to care for her hair which was very unlike her.
“There is a rumor ablaze,” she began and I nodded. She gasped when she realized that I already knew. “What is going on, Camilla?”
“We cannot talk about this here. The walls have cars and I don’t want it to carry.”
She nodded in understanding and managed to keep her curiosity at bay while we walked towards my office. Ryker had left earlier in the morning and I assumed that he was in his. As soon the door to my office closed shut. She turned to me.
“They are saying that he walked into the room of his own accord. It does not look good. The people think the monarchy is falling”
“Everything is fine, I can handle it.”
“This is more than just saying you can handle it. It would have been better if it was just an unfounded rumor but there are multiple eye witnesses.”
“It is Alara, she did this. I don’t know how and I don’t know why, I explained everything to her and she listened carefully. By the time I was done, her eyes were wide. “Don’t worry about it though, I already asked her to leave. I can fix it.”
“I really hope so because the elders have called for a meeting with you and Ryker. I think they mean to discuss it.”
