’This must be a trap,’ she thought to herself.
To play it safe, she made a note to distance herself from Steven as much as possible. She knew full well all of her actions were watched by others, she had to be careful. All of them were waiting for her to ss up.
There was no way she was going to give them what they were looking for.
Later that evening, Sierra brought out dish after dish. She had spent the second half of the day preparing all the dishes with Ida by her side.
"Go get changed, Your Grace! Leave the rest to ," Ida rushed her off as she took the last two dishes out of her hands.
"Are you sure you can manage?" Sierra asked as she removed the apron she was wearing.
Ida reassured her she could manage and forced her on her way.
Sierra had received a ssenger who inford her that Alistair would be coming to see her that evening. Hence, she prepared different foods for them to have together, in the dining room she had just decorated.
After a quick bath and a change of clothes, Sierra made her way down the stairs. She bead with pride when she saw the setup on the table. Ida even brought out the wine glasses and a good bottle of wine.
"Everything is all set, Your Grace," Ida said as she pulled out a chair for Sierra.
"Ida, I would still prefer you to refer to by na instead of my title when we’re in private."
Ida nodded in acknowledgnt, "Of course, Sierra. But I have to admit, it’s going to be a difficult change."
"Fret not, I’m not about to penalize my only maid for sothing like that," Sierra mused, "I can take care of things here. Retire for the day, Ida. You’ve worked tirelessly today."
"But..."
She shook her head, "No ’buts’ Ida. Go now."
"Alright then, have a good evening, Sierra."
After Ida took her leave, Sierra opened the bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. Her heart was pounding in her chest, eagerly waiting to see Alistair. She wondered if he would stay with her that night.
Opal, her snake, slithered off her wrist and moved towards the ground.
"Where are you going, Opal?" She asked.
The pearlescent snake looked over to Sierra and replied telepathically, ’I’m going to go and give the two of you so privacy.’
Sierra smiled. Even her pet was considerate. Her mind drifted to her two horses, Midnight and Macadamia. It had been a while since she had ridden on either of them.
"Perhaps we could go for a ride after dinner," she mused.
Her mind was filled with what could happen later that evening. She was eager to listen to Alistair’s stories, to show him around the Vinedra Estate. She had hoped he liked what she had done to the place.
But after the first half an hour, she began to grow a little worried.
"Maybe he’s caught up with work," she whispered to herself as she rested her chin on her palm, with her elbow on the table.
But as the half-hour turned into an hour, Sierra was beginning to be worried. Then another went by. The food had already gone cold and she had finished her second glass of wine.
"Where is he..." she sighed to herself.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sierra perked up instantly. She ran up to the door and opened it. But the smile quickly fell from her face when she realized it was Steven.
"Oh, it’s you," it was impossible to hide the disappointnt in her voice.
"Your Grace, my apologies, I didn’t an to intrude. I just wanted to inform you that I’ve patrolled the estate for the night. I’ll be turning in now."
"Oh that’s great, was everything alright?"
"Yes, all is well," he glanced over her shoulder, then back at her, "I’m sorry, I must have intruded on your dinner with His Majesty-"
"Oh no no, he’s... he’s not here," she said without much thought.
"Oh, I see. Would you like to accompany you, Your Grace?"
"What?" His suggestion threw her off.
Realizing he was confusing her, Steven quickly apologized as he explained his suggestion, "I saw that Miss Ida had retired for the evening earlier. So I thought you could use so company... while you wait for His Majesty?"
He took a step closer to the door. Sierra did not move from her spot. She was looking straight at him.
"No need, Steven. You can retire for the night. Good night," she said with a sigh as she closed the door on him, not even waiting for a reply.
She walked back to the table, sulking as she plopped back down on her seat. The two glasses of wine were going to her mind. Her eyelids grew a little heavy and soon enough, Sierra drifted off to sleep.
The compiled fatigue over the last few days, fussing over the decor of the estate and all the details in between catching up to her. But just as she was about to fall into a deep sleep, a persistent knock woke her up.
"Coming..." she mumbled to herself as she rose to her feet.
The knocking continued persistently, followed by garbled words coming from the other side. Sierra could not make out what they were as her mind was still foggy. She assud that perhaps it was Steven again. After all, who else could it be?
She opened the door and was about to ask him to leave once more when a familiar scent that accompanied the night breeze caught her attention. Before she could say anything, a shadow lood over her as a pair of arms embraced her.
"I’m so sorry for being so late, my sweetling. There was this thing... and then there was..."
Alistair spoke so quickly, filled with apology and sincerity in his voice that nothing else mattered to Sierra. She lted in his arms, leaning on his chest as he continued to explain why he was so late.
He had everything planned at first. He was going to make it to her estate on ti but just then, one thing ca up after another. The evening court session went on longer than it should have and eventually, he realized hours had passed.
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