Chapter 41 - Rigid Refugee

Micheal had heeded his father's call and was waiting for him in his chamber. He must have invited him over here for a good reason.

"How are you coping with your new guest?" the Alpha King walked in behind him.

"We are good. There is no problem except for the bed she requested for. We will be lucky if we do not expend every materials we have, to suit her kind of bed" Michael turned to face his father. He smiled at his own joke.

"We should indulge her. She is a princess. I thought you just need to be careful with her. Her attackers seemed to me that there was something more between them than just bandits attacking a noble" the Alpha King mist have called him to discuss this with him.

"She told me it was not just any bandits but her father's enemies" Michael professed.

"She doesn't look like someone who escaped from death snare but someone afraid of getting into one" the Alpha King let out.

Michael smiled. His father was fond of thinking critically. He couldn't understand how on earth someone afraid of falling into a trap would be different from someone that escaped from one.

"Is there a difference between the two?" he asked eagerly.

"A lot of differences, my son" the Alpha King moaned. "A trauma that occurs before a situation is lighter than the one that will come after it happened and for a young lady like her. It is either she is too confident or she is lying" he explained.

Whether she was lying or she was very bold. Michael didn't feel like that should bother them. All they should worry about was receiving and taking care of her for the seven days she would spend with them.

"I understand Father but that doesn't mean I should watch out for her. We had nothing to do with her fight. She should worry about who attack her or she would attack" Michael tried refuting his father's suggestion.

"There is a reason she was here. That is what we should know. And if this reason is against or threatening us. We should find that out before it affects us" the Alpha King patted Michael on the shoulder.

"Anyway, I will keep an eye. She told me you are sending words to her father. Is that already sent?" Michael asked anxiously.

That should be quick to ensure her early return. Though he was not bothered about her and what would happen to her. He just didn't like the way his father want him to carry out a monitoring task.

"And be subtle with it. We should avoid anything that could deprived us of our alliance" the Alpha King added as a warning.

Michael sighed. He was going to be working as a spy now. That was obviously what his father was insinuating.

He couldn't do that. Martha was not a threat, she posed none. He just couldn't understand what was getting his father spooked.

And even if they were going to need any information from Martha, he thought they should ask directly. She was having enough stress already.

"I will make sure I work on that, Father" he bowed slightly and walked outwards. He wouldn't say anything more. What he would do would remain inside him.

"And, Michael" he called him back immediately. "There is something to be careful about. And that has to do with you" he paused waiting for him to come back to him.

"It isn't appropriate to share a chamber with you but my judgment to deny her that was crippled. Do not be seduced!" he warned with one of his fingers pointed at Michael.

Michael beamed a smile. His father was getting into excess details. He understood what he meant. But that didn't seem like it would have any consequence on their alliance.

"I will be careful" he moaned.

"I don't know what to expect but my instincts keep telling me our alliance is being threatened and is currently at stake" the Alpha King must have spent hours thinking about this. He was greatly disturbed.

"Father, nothing is going to happen. You just have to rest your mind. Martha has a problem and she sought refuge with us" he said to calm his father. He knew if he had not thought beyond that. His mind wouldn't be in this turmoil.

"Of course, I think I have to relax and take burden off my heart for some while" he concluded.

Michael bowed again and walked out.

******************

"Michael! Michael!!" Julia called softly as she came into Michael's chamber. She was sure someone was in there.

Michael would have come out to meet her but the person around seemed not to care about whoever had made it in.

There had been a change in the chamber. Curtains were used in demarcating an area where it seemed a bed had been placed.

She walked closer to it. She tried observing what was behind the curtains but she couldn't see anything.

She remembered about a guest who was said to have requested staying in Michael's chamber. She was about opening the curtains when she was alerted by the sounds of curtains opening behind her.

"Michael!" she believed that should be Michael but she was surprised when she turned around to find a frowned gorgeous young lady.

She stared at her with anger.

"I'm sorry, My Lady" Julia quickly apologized. She knew she was angered by what she caught her doing.

"What are you doing in here?" Martha challenged.

"I am...I am the prince maid servant" she stuttered, caved her head in and was staring at the floor. She couldn't stare her in the face. That would anger her more.

"He has no maid servant unless you are what I think you are which is a thief" she accused her.

"I was her maid" she corrected.

"You were his maid. That means your business is concluded and your presence here is unwanted" she pointed to the door. She was obviously telling her to move out.

"Is the prince around?" she asked with fear.

"You were shouting his name up and down. Have you no respect for him?!" Martha yelled.

"I'm sorry, My Lady" she apologized without looking up.

"Even if he is putting his wick in you. That doesn't change the fact of who you are. You are a maid and that is the best you can be. Now, get out" she rushed beside her and pushed her outwards.

Julia moved out hurriedly. She was feeling very bad. She jumped ou of the room and met Michael coming in.

Michael pulled her hand to drag her in without saying a word. She declined and snatched her hand from him.

"Will you come in now?!" he whispered to scold her.

"I can't. She doesn't want me in there" Julia breathed heavily.

"Oh!" Michael looked up and held his head. "You mean Martha?" he asked with his face full of smiles.

"I don't know her name" Julia whimpered.

"She is Martha. The one and only princess of the Kingdom of Harvey. She was attacked on a journey and she sought refuge in our kingdom" Michael explained.

"In your chamber" Julia added to make his explanations complete.

"Yes. In my chamber" he acknowledged quickly. "And she is the nicest person I know" he praised her.

Michael was surely blabbing. The Martha that came upon her just now was a long distance away from being a nice lady.

"I have to go" she blurted out

"Didn't you come here to see me?" Michael asked in surprise.

"Yes, but you are not alone. You are with guest and she was in your bedchamber" she professed.

"I understand where you are going. Martha is my friend. We are not engaged and we have no interest in each other" he buttressed with a lot of hands movement.

"I am not going anywhere. The only place I will be going now is James' chamber. James will be expecting me by now" she didn't listen to his words.

"But James obviously know you are here. He wants you to come here" Michael affirmed. It seemed he wanted Julia to stay longer.

"Yes. But not to spend beyond enough time to pass a message. And the time is already over" she pointed to his door. She couldn't go back into his chamber to encounter angry Martha once again

"I am done here" she grumbled and looked away from him.

"And what is the message?" he asked finally, he had given in.

"He came with a box, a strange box. He was hiding it but I happened to catch a glimpse of it. It seemed like another instrument of sorcery" she let out.

"We should wait until we know what he is going to do with that" Michael moaned in dissatisfaction.

Julia had something else to think about right now beyond James and his plans. Martha seemed to be a problem to her. She felt she was an enemy, a dangerous one at that.