Chapter 113: Bitterness in Tongue

"Ah, I didn’t know it’s so exhausting to be a queen," Lauren muttered when she went to her room that night after a whole day of celebration. Her feet hurt as well as her back. Her throat also had gone dry from all the talking.

So, the first thing she grabbed the moment she stepped into the room was the bottle of wine. She didn’t bother getting herself a glass and directly drank from the bottle.

Alec stayed behind downstairs to talk with Vincent. The lord said he would be staying for the night since it would take hours for him to travel back to Acheron, and staying in the castle was more convenient than renting a room at an inn. Alec was reluctant of allowing him to stay but Lauren figured that the two men shared the same shameless conduct. Vincent didn’t even ask for permission and just told a maid to prepare a room for him.

"Didn’t you drink enough refreshment that you still feel parched?"

Lauren who was standing by the window with the bottle of wine in her hand turned to Alec. She was still in her dress but she had tossed her shoes earlier when she entered the room to free her aching feet.

"Those were fruit juices. I like wine better," she answered and was about to drink more but Alec was suddenly in front of her even when a second ago he was several feet away. He grabbed the bottle and glowered at her.

"A sip is enough. You can’t drink strong wines like water. I know you have high alcohol tolerance but shouldn’t you be more conscious of your health? A mage’s body is not as vulnerable as humans but that doesn’t mean you can’t get sick," he said like an old man preaching to a child who had little to no knowledge of the world.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What a caring husband you are, Your Majesty," she said with a playful smile on her lips.

"Don’t tease me, Lauren. I might undress you and throw you to bed." His voice was quiet and seductive.

Lauren’s smile vanished. She gulped and cleared her throat. The thought sent shivers of thrill down her spine but she knew she wasn’t in a good shape to indulge herself in worldly pleasures at the moment. She still felt sore in between her legs.

"What did you talk about with Vincent?" She asked and walked to the bed. She sat and laid her legs on the bed to massage them.

She had been out there standing and dancing for hours as the darling of the crowd to let the people who shunned her see that she became their queen. It was a little tiring but she enjoyed the people’s faces who were faking their kindness toward her.

After all, she knew the folks didn’t expect her to be the queen. Who would when all her life she was ridiculed for being a lowly concubine’s daughter?

"You should be a little nicer to him. Lord Vincent looks mischievous but I don’t think he is that bad. Even if you won’t admit it, I can see you share a bond with him," she said.

"Share a bond with him?" He arched a brow as if the idea was ridiculous for him. His eyes dropped to her reddish soles. "Does your feet hurt?"

"Yes," she nodded. "A little."

He took off his suit and sat on the bed. He brought her feet to his lap and started massaging her soles which caught Lauren by surprise. Was he being too kind to her lately? It was a warm gesture but she was worried about it.

"It’s fine." She tried to pull her feet but Alec held them and she was no match for his strength.

"Why do you want me to be nice to Vincent anyway? Do you like him?" He looked serious but the latter question made her chuckle.

"Do you mean to ask if I romantically like him?" She couldn’t help but smile at his sharp eyes threatening her. "Well, I don’t. Why? Will it bother you if I grow affection for your friend?"

His hands massaging the soles of her feet remained gentle even though his face had turned grim.

"Why would I?" He glared at her with snobbish eyes. "And stop calling him my friend. He is not."

"Fine, if you say so." She just shrugged, suppressing her smile because he was looking at her darkly.

---

The next morning, just when Alec and Lauren sat at the dining table for breakfast, Vincent’s voice echoed in the hall, startling some of the maids serving the food.

"Good morning, King Alec, Queen Lauren." The lord strutted the dining hall with a smile on his face as if he was at his castle and not at someone else’s.

"I assume you had a good sleep last night. I was afraid the guestroom wasn’t up to your standards." The subtle tease in Lauren’s tone was evident.

"You shouldn’t worry about it, Queen Lauren. I may be an elite nobleman but I have slept in worse places. But if I may suggest, the next time I visit I want to have scented candles in my room," Vincent replied as he joined the couple on the long table that seemed to be a little lonely with only the three of them.

Thalia, now the Queen Dowager, didn’t leave her room for breakfast and just asked a servant to have her meal delivered. Alec made sure to have his men guard the former queen night and day in case Thalia would plot something against them. He wasn’t afraid of the woman’s silly antics but it would spare him the trouble.

"Scented candles, huh? Aren’t you being too capricious, Lord Vincent?" Alec calmly while cutting the half-cooked meat on his plate.

"Oh," Vincent chuckled. "If you think I am, pardon me, Your Majesty. It’s just I usually sleep with scented candles back home. It helps me relieve stress. You should try it too. Perhaps it would make you less grumpy."

"You should leave after breakfast. I’m sure you don’t have a lot of time to idle."

"Are you chasing me away? How disappointing. I think I deserve to be treated better as your loyal friend."

Lauren took a sip from the glass of orange juice. She stifled her smile while enjoying how the two bickered in front of her. It’s just that aside from her, no one else had the guts to tease Alec. So, she found it interesting to see another person testing the patience of the ill-tempered Alec Everston.

"Anyway, since you have secured the throne and no one in the royal family could change that fact, I assume you are expecting an heir soon?"

Lauren choked and hurriedly grabbed the glass of water. The mention of the word ’heir’ made her anxious all of a sudden. Who wouldn’t be? Even during yesterday’s occasion, she had been hearing questions about her bearing an heir. Of course, she knew the big purpose of the King’s wife, but as someone who didn’t think of having a family of her own, the thought didn’t sit well on her. It made her nervous.

"I believe it is too early for that, Lord Vincent. Alec just ascended the throne and the state is still unstable," Lauren said.

"If the state is unstable, the more it is necessary for the King to produce an offspring."

Right. Lauren suddenly felt dumb with her answer. But how else would she answer a question she had been avoiding? Alec didn’t seem to have an answer to it either as he remained silent.

"Vincent is right," Alec suddenly spoke, affirming the lord’s word. "The King is obliged to produce an offspring especially at a critical time like this. I have no problem with that," he then looked at Lauren. "But I have to ask the Queen’s opinion. Her thoughts matter the most. After all, it is her who will carry the child for nine months. It’s a woman’s pride to bear her husband’s child but carrying a life inside the womb for nine months is not an easy thing to do."

"Indeed, you have a point, King Alec. Pardon me, Queen Lauren, if my words implied the urgency of producing an heir. Of course, the wife shall carry the child and has the right to think about it first."

"It’s alright. I wasn’t offended," Lauren assured. She was relieved that the topic came to an end. She had been sharing intimate moments with Alec recently but their contract didn’t include providing him with an heir.

Besides, she wouldn’t stay as the Queen for too long. As she promised, she would leave as soon as her business was done. That is after she would settle the scores with her stepmother and discover the mastermind of the rebels.

Thinking about the woman who would replace her as Alec’s queen, she stuffed her mouth with soup to wash away the bitterness she tasted on her tongue.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read