Chapter 51 - Heading Home

Michael bumped into his chamber. Julia had done nothing than raising his anger to a higher level. It was becoming too much of her. He had been condoning her because he loved her. It was time to review that.

Michael tried to smile as he saw Martha standing in front of him. She must have been standing there like that since he had come in. His anger had clouded his sight and he couldn't see her until now.

Despite how much he tried. He couldn't get the smile.

Martha kept staring at him. She was obviously going to ask him a question and he already knew what the question was going to be. The cause of his bitterness.

"You had an argument, a bitter one?" Martha answered herself with her question.

"That's very obvious" he wanted her to know he wasn't surprised to hear that from her as she was making it seem.

"But I still don't know who could have make you so angry like that, the Queen Mother?" she smirked.

"Of course not" Michael retorted.

"Then it is somebody you care about so much. Because what I see on your face is not only anger but coupled with disappointment. Someone let you down" she sighed. "Is it that maid?" she whispered.

Michael raised his eyebrows. Now that was surprising. She knew who made him angry without being told.

"We just had a quarrel" he said quickly.

"And that's surely about me" she chuckled.

Michael wouldn't want to reply to that but his face had already betrayed him. The answer to that was clearly written on his face, clear enough for a foolish person to understand.

"I'm not surprised. It is normal with women" she chuckled again. "When someone as beautiful as me comes between you. She would feel her position is threatened" Martha explained casually. She obviously didn't have any negative feelings.

"I knew that too. She doesn't want to admit it. That is the problem" Michael breathed in deep.

"Admit? You want her to just run her mouth that you are replacing her with someone she has no chance against. That will only make her look worse" she seemed to be taking Julia's side.

"There is nothing wrong in admitting to what you think" he professed.

"She will get used to it, anyway" she moaned. "And I will be leaving soon. You can just tell her that to make her comfortable" she added.

"You seem to be more understanding than her" he praised her.

"What do you expect?" she sighed. "I guess the king will not be sleeping until he set his eyes on you" she was talking about the vial she gave to him now.

"No, he will sleep sound without even thinking about my existence" Michael insinuated.

"Doubting what I gave you?" Martha seemed confused.

"No. I did not use it and that is because I misplaced it. I don't know how it got lost" he said slowly.

"And you want me to believe that? You didn't want to use it as far as I remembered. Just tell me the truth. You discarded it" she was right to think that way.

"I didn't. I didn't expect you to believe though. But I will happy if I can get another" he pleaded.

"Another?! you think it is that cheap?" Martha raised her voice out of anger.

"I will pay you, if that is what you want" Michael resounded his plea.

"Okay" Martha rubbed her face with both her hands and she was laughing as she took them off. "I am sorry for that. I didn't mean to yell at you" she apologized.

"I understand" Michael replied calmly. "Am I getting another shot?" he leaned towards her in expectation of a positive answer.

"Yes, of course" she smiled.

"Thanks" Michael stretched out his hands to her.

"It is going to take some time" she grabbed his hand and folded it and pushed it back to him.

"Are you just conjuring it?" he smiled stretching his hand toward her again. "Just give it to me. Now" he requested.

"I have to do some things before giving it to you. I can't just go in there and get it" she said awkwardly.

Michael noticed she was hiding something but he would let her be. He didn't want to pressure her. All he wanted was the potion and its efficacy.

"I will wait patiently, Martha the Physician" he joked and walked away from her.

He had felt a little bit better as his mood had become lighter. Julia soaked him in anger and Martha had crinkled that out of him.

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

James rode back towards Darnley Kingdom. It had been three days since he was out of the kingdom. That should have been enough for Quentin to do all he wanted to do.

He didn't have to wait for his instruction as there was no way they could contact. The King should be fatally sick by now if not dead as he was promised.

"Hyah!!!" he pulled the ropes on his horse and urged it to gallop faster.

He rode like light through the path. He was very fast with the eagerness to meet his father right now.

Not long after, the horse stopped abruptly. It raised up its fore limbs standing high enough to throw James to the ground.

James held tight. He forced it to be calm. After a lot of struggle, he managed to get it back to calmness but the horse still refused to move forward. It just kept turning back whenever he urged it forward.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" he yelled at it.

It seemed the horse had seen something that stopped it from continuing its journey.

James got down from its back to examine the ground. He couldn't see anything that could have stopped it.

"What?" he held its mouth and looked into its eyes. There was nothing bizarre or unusual.

"We will continue right now whether you like it or not" he said harshly and made to get back on the horse's back.

"What do you think you are doing, have I told you to come back?" a voice broke out from behind him.

James turned back. He couldn't see anyone but he was sure it was not any other than Quentin. He was the one that used to communicate with him from invisibility.

"Should I wait till you ask me to come back, Quentin?" he asked turning around not knowing where to face exactly.

"Yes. You will come back when I ask you to do so!" Quentin's voice said sharply.

"And how am I supposed to get message from you?" James complained, he couldn't agree with that.

"The same way you are getting this message right now, James" Quentin's voice replayed.

"Maybe you should show me your face or don't you think I have passed the stage of seeing you as a mystery" he grumbled.

"I can't, because I am sleeping in your palace right now but you have to go back to where you are coming from" he instructed.

"Go back to where I am coming from?" James rephrased.

"You don't like the way that sounds?" he asked back.

"Why do I feel like this is a ploy to get me out of the palace?" James was accusing him indirectly.

"Yes of course. It is a ploy. Just get your head right and go back" he screamed angrily.

"Are you working for Michael,that's why you are in his chambers right?" James felt he must have made mistake to trust Quentin.

But it was still confusing. Michael didn't seem to be someone that would work with Quentin.

"What are you talking about?" Quentin fumed. "Do you know the pains I am going through being in this body just because you want to kill your father and become the king and the next thing is for you to doubt me" it seemed he couldnt control his anger anymore.

"I'm sorry about that" James apologized. "But I think there is no reason why I should be out of the palace by now" he growled.

"Just wait for two days and your father will be on the verge of death when you are back. No one will suspect you" Quentin assured him.

"You said this won't take this long but now we are not sure if you are going to get it right" James was still not pleased. All Quentin's claims had appeared to be nothing but boasts.

"Yes. I have to do this without you around. Just go back" Quentin's voice persuaded him.

"I will go back. All I care for is a good job from you" James said reluctantly. He went back to mount the horse.

He didn't like the way he wasn't present at the palace to know how everything was going on. He also couldn't come up with the reason why Quentin wanted him away.

"I'm going" he turned the horse around. He would give him the two days he asked for. After that no one could stop him from coming to his homeland.