"What should our next move be, your Highness?" one of the Lords asked, the room was dead silence as everyone attending the meeting waited for King Lucius to speak.
Hermione was standing a few feet away from her Master, who right now was sitting still next to his father, his elbows on top of the long mahogany table with his hands forming a triangle over his mouth. Silver eyes staring intently at the map in front of him showing the Kingdom of Aerglo and the neighbor kingdoms.
"War has been threatening Aerglo since before I was crowned, and not once had I seen any of the threats become true," the King spoke vehemently, standing up and pacing around the table. "I think they are trying to intimidate us. But I will stand my ground. My main concern is to expand the Kingdom to the north. We will benefit from the mines there and we will have another port far from Civitas to save ships and protect our people," he dragged a figure, representing Aerglo's Legion, across the map.
Whispers formed a buzz as all the Lords discussed the possibility.
"Impossible. There is a nomadic tribe, that responds to the Longbottom, here," the General of Arms, Sirius Black, shook his head. He leaned over the map, marking the territory occupied by the tribe.
"What do you suggest, then?" the King questioned, but no one responded.
"Maybe we could negotiate with them," her Master stood, walking over where his father stood, standing so tall that his whole aura screamed future King, his back so straight it looked painful. "Aerglo has more things to offer than the Kingdom of Deneb. There must be something they want the Longbottom can't give them. That could be our opportunity."
Lord Potter shifted in his place, looking up to the Prince.
King Lucius turned to face the patriarch of Nott House. "Isn't your son an incredible war negotiator?"
"Yes, he is your Highness. He has completed every single of the missions you had assigned him."
"Girl!" the King shouted, moving his hand. Hermione jumped back, startled at the sudden yell. She approached the King, bowing, never looking at him in the face. "Go tell Nott that we need his presence in this meeting immediately!"
Hermione rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Nothing had been the same since that day at the gardens. She had been assigned a room out of the servant's quarters and now she slept in an adjoined room attached to her Master's chamber. Days had flown by in a swirl of tea parties, feasts, escorting her Master as he and Lady Greengrass rode horses in the woods, walked on the beach at sundown or took a night stroll by the central gardens. And in all those occasions the Prince had limited his words at her, talking only when it was necessary.
He would not tease her anymore, it was he didn't mind her presence anymore. Hermione would perform her daily duties as he stood before her, only watching her every move but not commenting anything. Maybe it was because he was preparing to marry and wanted to avoid problems with Lady Greengrass, as she seemed to dislike the fact that her Master had a Lady-in-waiting instead of a Manservant. Maybe it was because every day more royal duties were laid upon his hands as he prepared to become King.
But if she was honest to herself, she missed her Master. Not the one that teased her or was abusive to get his way. Not the cold-stone-like one he showed to the world, but the one he was when she was the only one around. The one that would fall asleep with her singing every other night, the one that would smirk when he thought about a brilliant response to a letter, the one that was relaxed when staring at the sea.
But she, herself, had many duties to attend, many things to help her Master with. There was no time to waste in childish thoughts.
Hermione stood before the wooden door leading to her Master's closest friend's chamber. Knocking softly, she waited a few minutes, but there was no response. She chewed her lip. If she returned to the meeting salon without Lord Nott, the King would probably slap her so hard that a couple of her teeth were sure to fall.
She knocked again, one, two, three times, but no one responded. As minutes passed, Hermione thought that facing an upset Lord Nott was better than standing in front of a furious King, and without thinking it twice, she opened the door.
The air was knocked out of her chest as she took the image before her. Lord Nott's face flushed, pure lust showing, as groans came out of his throat. And on top of him a woman with ivory skin and long red hair moved, slamming her hips against his. Lady Ginevra, her friend, was shagging Lord Nott senseless. The same Ginny that would complain about how royals treated them as inferiors and would roll her eyes at anything Lady Astoria said was fucking Lord Nott.
The sounds of the moans coming out of their mouths and their bodies crashing together so vulgar, that a hot blush quickly crept up Hermione's chest, settling in her cheeks. And she couldn't help but feel the warm feeling growing between her legs as she saw how they were approaching climax. Before she could witness what happened next, she stepped back, exiting the room and closing the door.
She felt so voyeuristic after witnessing something so intimate, so forbidden, and feeling heath spread all over her body. Her heart was racing, her lungs burning as she panted, gasping for air. Hermione placed a hand over her throat. It felt so dry, as if she had eaten the sand that covered the beach outside the palace. And her feet carried her away from the door before she could even react further.
Her mind was jumping from one thought to another. Lady Daphne Greengrass, his wife, was only two doors away, and yet Lord Nott was fucking, hard, his assigned Lady-in-waiting. Didn't he have shame? What if they were caught? What if someone else had caught them instead of her? What about Ginny? She would for sure be punished, or worst. Didn't she think of that?
Stopping dead on her tracks, the blush intensified. Was her master thinking about doing those things with her? Was that the reason behind the bathtub incident almost five months ago? Another wave of heat spread across her body. Her teeth dug into her lower lip, trying not let her mind go wild, but failing. Soon enough the image of her on top of her Master clouded her brain, and she felt like she would faint at any moment.
Asking one of the servants to go announce to Lord Nott that he was required by the King, Hermione was sure she wouldn't be able to go back to his chamber to tell him herself. She stood by a window, close to the salon, trying to calm her blush with the cool breeze that entered the castle. With her mind going crazy, she remembered the kiss from two weeks ago. How she could feel his anger, and how she had responded with the same amount of anger. And worst, how she had enjoyed it, the feeling of his lips on hers.
Hermione shook her head, dissipating her thoughts, as she followed Lord Nott into the meeting salon, almost an hour later after she was sent for him. She couldn't look at him, as if he knew what her eyes had witnessed. But no one knew, and no one would ever know. She vowed silence as she kept another forbidden secret.
Her fingers moved the needle across the fabric, sewing and patching the almost invisible hole in her Master's jacket. She had been doing this for almost an hour, replacing buttons and patching fabric. Hermione was counting the seconds, she wanted to be out of there.
Because Lady Astoria's maid was sick, she had been commanded by the Queen herself to tend to her for the day. Her Master had been against it, claiming that he needed her to help him with his work, writing letters and what not. But the Queen had just rolled her eyes and told Hermione to be in Lady Astoria's chambers before she sent her to spend the day in the basement locked up.
Hermione folded one of the shirts placing it with the other garments she had fixed, looking from the corner of her eye in Lady Astoria's direction. The said Lady had been pretending to write letters, elaborating her calligraphy far from what was needed. But Hermione noticed that Lady Astoria had been staring at her all the time she had been in the small drawing room, inspecting every inch of her body.
"Why do you tend on the Prince?" finally Lady Astoria spoke, getting up from her chair by the desk and taking three steps towards Hermione.
Hermione had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at her superior. "Because that is my job, your Ladyship," her tone came more sarcastic than she intended and the Lady before her glared at her with shining green eyes.
"I know you have witnessed everything he does. I know that you are aware of what he is hiding from me," Lady Astoria stood up, leaving the letter she was writing discarded on the table.
"I know nothing you yourself don't know, my Lady. And the few other things I know are related to my Master's duties and are sure to only bore you," Hermione continued sewing a button as she spoke, not looking at his Master's bride.
"Are you his mistress?"
The accusation made Hermione look up and snort. Her Master had slept with more women that she could count, but she had not yet warmed his bed. Ignoring what Lady Astoria had said, she just continued her job.
"If I talk to you I expect an answer, I'm the future wife of your Lord the Prince and I expect to be treated as one," the Lady came closer, anger and superiority in her voice.
Lady Astoria stood arrogantly, and Hermione lifted a brow. Was that everything she had to offer? Being a future wife? Maybe that was the reason her Master found her so boring and dull. No man really wanted a woman that lacked passion for life. "You offend me with your words, I am nothing but a servant and have nothing to do with my Master."
"How dare you speak to me like that, you are nothing but an overrated whore! I see the way he seeks your company, and how you disappear into his chambers every night."
Her doll-like face flushed with anger and Hermione saw her green eyes become darker. She was sick and tired of this. There was no way in hell that she was going to tend on Lady Astoria a single second more. She would just go back to her Master.
Standing up, Hermione spoke, even more eager when she noticed that she was an inch taller than the younger Lady Greengrass. "He seeks my company in the way a Master seeks his servant for help. My room is within his chambers and is my duty to get him ready for bed. So, I beg your pardon if you don't like the way I have to attend my duties, but that is the way my Master likes things done. And if the senseless accusations you are telling were true, I would never be able to tell you, my Lady. As you may know, I'm a loyal server to my Master and vowed silence. Not a word of his personal business will ever leave my lips, so don't push me to say anything, as it will only be a waste of time for both of us, my Lady. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll return to my Master as you have offended me deeply."
Hermione grabbed the basket containing the clothing she was fixing and walked to the door without looking back at Lady Astoria. But it seemed that her Master's future wife had other plans.
Letting go of the basket and dropping all the garments, Hermione fell to the hard, wooden floor after Lady Greengrass pushed her. She couldn't help the scream that left her lips when pain filled her senses as the green-eyed beauty grabbed her hair tied with a ribbon and dragged her across the floor.
"You filthy, little whore! I will not tolerate such behavior!" Lady Greengrass yelled, pulling at her hair harder.
But they didn't live in a palace for nothing and Hermione's screams had alerted the guards in the halls. And soon enough a couple of guards kicked the door open, their swords in hand. A few feet behind them the Queen and the matriarch of House Greengrass stood, horrified at the sight of Lady Astoria dragging Hermione across the floor.
"What is going on here?"
Hermione felt relief when her Master's voice reached her ears. He pushed the guards aside and entered the room, fuming. Lady Astoria immediately released her hair, as she stared in shock at the Prince.
"Can you explain what you are doing, Astoria?" the way he pronounced her first name, with venom, even made Hermione shiver.
She tried to get up, and quickly her Master bent over to help her. His warm hands quickly found their way, one to her shoulder and one to the small of her back, helping her up.
"Do I have to remind you that we are not yet married, and that I can still break the engagement off? Because I was sure I was going to marry a Lady of a respectable House and not a town girl. I will not tolerate such behavior of my future wife."
He didn't look back at the shocked faces of the Lady Astoria and her mother as he guided Hermione to his study, far from the burning gazes of the Ladies.
It was the last day at the palace by the sea. Autumn had begun to manifest as cool air stripped trees of their leaves. It was sure to be a cold winter. Especially during the last month of the year. And even though the prospect of leaving the ocean behind and the warmth of summer not being against his skin anymore, Draco felt contempt.
The Ladies-in-waiting had asked for the afternoon off, and the Queen, being in a good mood, agreed. He was sitting at a long table with the guests that hadn't yet returned to their homes, as they enjoyed afternoon tea with the last rays of summer. He was moving his cup around, playing with the tea leaves at the bottom.
Whispers of laughter reached his ears accompanied by the sound of steps crunching over the soft grass of the gardens. Children played hide and seek, between the bushes with the last roses they will see until next spring, as the Ladies chased after them pretending not to see where they were hiding. Others picked the last flowers, adorning little girls' hair with them, while eating blackberries growing in between the maze of trees and bushes.
But Draco couldn't lift his gaze from his loyal servant.
Hermione was walking in between the girls that followed her, moving her hands and dramatizing as she told the story of an old forgotten kingdom and a brave princess. Her golden locks were dancing in the air and a flower crown adorned her head. She was barefoot, again, and Draco couldn't help but snicker and roll his eyes at this. He noticed how her eyes were shining with happiness, how she bit her lower lip, those glorious lips, when a girl asked a question about the story. How the valley of her breasts moved up and down with each breath and the soft curve of her hips under the loose skirt of her dress. And that soft golden glow over her velvety skin had.
"Don't complain about how Astoria can't tolerate her presence when you are basically undressing her with your eyes," Theo breather against his ear, and Draco pushed him away.
"Shut up, you don't know what you are talking about."
Theo lifted a brow, teasing him, as he rose the teacup to his lips. "Don't I? Because it seems that you what to take her right now."
"Theo…" Draco growled, looking briefly towards were Astoria was sitting not far from them. His best friend just smirked.
"I don't know what is stopping you. I mean, it's not like she can refuse a command, does she?" The dark-haired wizard pushed further. "Just tell her to undress and lay on your bed."
Draco put down his tea cup and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think she would let me if I did it like that."
"And since when you think about what a woman wants? I thought you only cared about them spreading their legs for you," his grin grew wider, almost turning into a creepy smile. "But, my friend, you care about her, don't you? You like her."
The Prince shrugged, returning his gaze to where Hermione stood. "You also like her. You had told me countless times what an amazing body she has and how you fancy her lips."
"Oh, no Draco. I mean that you like her, not her body, but what's beyond it. You enjoy spending time with her, watching her read your favorite books and later discussing them. You prize the quiet afternoons in which she helps you write long letters. You relish watching her practice her Latin and the way she touches you," Theo enjoyed the lost look in his friend's gray eyes as he spoke the truth. And licking his lips, he let go of the last blow, "But maybe you are right. Maybe she doesn't want to warm your bed."
Quickly turning to face him, Draco frowned. Eureka, Theo had accomplished his mission. "What do you mean?"
"Well, haven't you seen her? I'm sure she has a boy waiting for her in Civitas. Probably a town hard worker that she sees in secret."
Annoyed, Draco stood up and stormed into the palace. What the fuck was Theo playing to? Accusing him of liking a servant. A fucking servant. He was delirious. He had never cared about the whores that he fucked, and he certainly would not start now. How could he like a servant, someone that was not from his status, someone that would never be part of his world, when he was engaged to one of the most beautiful Ladies of one of the 28 powerful Houses. And the most boring…
Exasperated, he locked himself in the study for the rest of the afternoon. Planning the tactics they would need to accomplish the negotiations to expand their territory kept his brain busy, far from the preparations to leave next day. Far from his Lady-in-waiting.
And before he realized, the night had fallen. No moon and no stars illuminated the jet-black sky, and the halls seemed darker and colder as he climbed up the stairs, to his chambers. He was exhausted and regretted dismissing Hermione, or else he could have asked her for a massage.
He entered his chambers, it was so late that not even Theo was in the sitting room. Rubbing his neck, he stepped inside his bedroom and discarded the uncomfortable suit, throwing it to the floor. Hermione would pick it up tomorrow, anyway. He slithered in his nightgown and eyed the bed. But even though he was worn out, sleep didn't call for him. He stared outside the window, the ocean and the sky so black that they seemed to merge together in a black curtain that threatened to swallow the earth.
And then, he heard it. The splash of water falling, a whisper that lingered in the air coming from the adjoined room. Hermione's room.
He walked over to the wooden door, standing still. It wasn't fully closed, and temptation won the battle in his head as he leaned against the door and spied what was happening in the room.
All his blood ran down to his body, heating him up when he finally laid eyes on Hermione. She was submerged in the tin tub, pouring water over her as her other hand moved a washing cloth over her legs, cleaning her skin. Her hair dripping water, resting against the tub. A soft lullaby escaped her lips as her hands moved up and down her soft flesh. The dim light of the candles illuminated her wet body. And he followed the moves of her hands with his eyes, hypnotized; wondering how her curves would feel under his fingers if he mimicked her hands.
He was hot and hard. Never had he witnessed something so erotic… so forbidden. Lust filled his veins, his heart pounding against his ribcage, his lungs burning for air and his erection throbbing for relief. One of his hands found its way down his body, clutching his aching core. And he stroked himself as he watched the fascinating beauty bathing.
With every passing second, every stroke, his mind went wild. Imagining entering her room, running her hands up and down her warm body, running a finger over her hot core wet only for him, finally loosing himself into the apex were her legs joined, fucking her so hard she forgets her name, making her scream his name as he takes her body without mercy.
His gray irises couldn't stop focusing in her perfect form, his jaw clenched as his hand gave him the satisfaction he needed, he craved. Hermione stood up, facing the door, without knowing Draco was behind it. He saw how the droplets of water slid down her body, from her shoulder, over her breasts and nipples, down her stomach, curving the soft triangle of flesh covered in golden curves and down her legs before falling to the floor. And with that, he came, hot liquid captured in his closed fist.
Hermione was unpacking her Master's trunks, accommodating the clothes in his closet with Ginny's help. Both working in silence to have things ready for him. Lord Nott had returned to his manor and the Red head had been assigned the duty of helping the Royal family prepare for the winter.
"Why have you been acting so strange around me?" Ginny spoke, throwing down a couple of shirts in exasperation.
It was not like Hermione wanted to avoid her, but she just couldn't bear to look at her in the eyes after what she had witnessed. It was none of her business the reason Ginny had done it, and she didn't want to know. That didn't bother her. It was the fact that she had witnessed something so private, something that she had no right to see, what had her in such a mood. She sure didn't want to lose her friend over some stupid shag.
And gathering all her courage, she turned to face Ginny before speaking. "King Lucius sent me for Lord Nott and I stumbled upon something I'm sure was not supposed to see."
Ginny's brown eyes opened, realizing what Hermione had seen. Her freckled cheeks quickly turned red.
"Did you tell someone?" The red head gulped, playing with the fabric of her dress.
Hermione shook her head. "I would never. But what if Lady Daphne had opened the door? It's just, you are always complaining about how you don't like to be a Lady-in-waiting and how you can't stand the way they treat us. And then…"
Ginny glared at her, standing up. "What? Are you judging me now?" she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest, and moving her head in an arrogant way. "It's not my problem you like Draco and you haven't fucked him."
"I am in no way judging you, Ginevra. It's not my business what you do. But you could have been executed," Hermione pointed out and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Well, sorry for not being perfect like you. Maybe some of us want more than to be a stupid servant for a jerk," she spat out the words, the venom going into Hermione's chest.
"Well, maybe next time I won't cover for your indiscretions."
"I don't need your help. Mind your own fucking business," she stormed towards the door, but before she left, she turned back to see Hermione, kneeled in the floor folding shirts. "Don't act like you don't want to shag your Master, you are no saint." And she left the room, slamming the door behind her.
A/N: THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU GUYS! I HOPE EVERYTHING IS GOING AMAZING IN YOUR LIVES. 3
Just to clarify Civitas is the Capital City where the main palace and town are located.
Helloooooooo! Sorry for taking so long to update, but guys this week at uni has been CRAAAAZY. I thought I wouldn't survive (Literally spilled some acid over me during chem lab). But I did :) and had time to write this chapter for you. Don't panic if I take long to update (uni just sucks my soul, ya know), I will finish this story... because I already wrote the last chapter and can't wait for you to read it. But we still have at least 10 chapters to go before we get to that.
SOOOOO tell me what you think, if you are liking it or not. And I really hope you are reading between the lines because I have been throwing hints for the plot twists (yeah, more than one). ;).