PRICE OF ROYALTY

16. Dress over

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, my reflection on the mirror, pure proof of just how preposterous I looked.

“I couldn’t agree more,” he was really enjoying this at the expense of my discomfort.

I cast one more glance at myself in the full-length mirror, unable to hide my utter annoyance at Theo’s choice of my attire. Dressed in a dirty cream light shirt and a pair of ugly looking old cotton pants with tattered edges, I had never felt so bizarre before.  To sum up, the entire look was a pair of woolen boots, made of the most inexpensive material

“I look like a man,” I pointed out rather sharply.

“Well, we had to make do with what we could get, and well, my old clothes seemed a perfect choice,” he shrugged.

“These belong to you? No wonder they smell like twaddle. Did the gods send you to punish me for something I did?”

“Hurry up Princess. We do not have an entire day on our hands and soon the sun will be too hot to go out riding,” he said.

“What about my hair? Anyone could surely recognize me by it,” I made a gesture to my head with my right index finger.

“Tie this over your head and then we’ll sneak out through one of the vaults in the king’s chamber,” he handed me a piece of white inexpensive fabric about a vertical full body length.

Releasing a deep breath, I tried to tie it around my hair but that did not seem to work out as accurately as it was supposed to. Those women made it look way too easy.

“Here, let me do it for you. I cannot have you waste more of my time when I have a lot of other important things to do,”

I had no time to give him a cut reply before he snatched the cloth off my hands. Gathering my massive hair, he made a quick, messy bun of it using a cotton hair band and then expertly tied the cloth over my head with no single hair out of place.

“I’m curious, how did you learn how to tie a headscarf around a woman’s head so…expertly?” My eyebrows raised in curiosity.

“Can we just go? And please make your walk…less royal and more common,” He straightened but I did not miss the brief darkening in his gaze upon my question.

“Of course,” I muttered under my breath. Rude as ever. How could I expect any less from him?

Following him out, while making sure to keep my eyes flirting away from the servants, we walked towards the King’s chambers. It was almost uncommon how none of the servants bothered to look at me and instead, all they acknowledged was Theo; not the peasant-looking woman dressed almost like a man lagging slightly behind him.

“I’m here to see the King,” Theo informed the page stationed just outside King Leon’s chambers.

The Page walked in, his armor clanking lightly and barely a minute later, he was out nodding once at Theo who nodded back

“The moment we were inside Leon’s chambers, I could not let my curious side just slide down like that.

“Did you see that? None of the servants or guards paid any attention to me,” I pointed out.

“What? Does not anybody giving you attention bother you, princess?” Theo spoke. How was I going to survive a whole ride with just him by my side?

“How lovely it is to see my two favorite people getting along,” We both looked at King Leon, walking towards us.

“Your Majesty,” I curtseyed respectfully.

“Brother,” Theo acknowledged his presence too.

“Enough you two with the formality,” He advanced towards me, clasping my hands as he looked into my eyes so intently,” I know I can’t be there with you and truly, I hate it. I’m curious though. You read, you ride horses, what can you not do Elizabeth?” A smile touched the edge of his lips.

“We’ll soon find out,”

“If you two are done….flirting, can we get going before anyone starts snooping around about the whereabouts of the queen?” Of course, Theo was still in the chambers.

“Oh brother,” he turned to Theo,” Please for my sake, can you see to it that no harm befalls her?”

“Are you forgetting I’m the best swordsman in this kingdom?” Was that a grin dancing on Theo’s face? I could not help but admire how striking it was. He really needed to smile more often. Wait, what was I thinking? This was Theo, the most conceited and infuriating man I had ever come across.

“Best swordsman in the kingdom? You know that’s what not people say,” Leon countered with an easy smile.

“Maybe we should settle that in another match. What do you say if I challenge you to another swordfight before the week comes to an end brother?”

Looking at the two brothers talking so enthusiastically, made me miss Mayra. Unlike us, the two brothers did not have to hide their brotherly affection for each from the public. Theo’s skin may be thickened with arrogance but around his brother, he was quiet a different kettle of fish.

“Now, we must take leave brother,”

“Do you not worry? I’ll keep any suspicions of your disappearance away from the prying eyes,” he promised.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall never forget this favor,”