Chapter 7 - Gorgeous Gift

James was obviously startled as he saw both of Michael and Julia coming towards him walking hand in hand.

He looked around to confirm if he was still in his chambers.

"Brother!" Michael bowed slightly.

Julia quickly bowed after seeing her master head caved downward.

"Michael, my little brother" James opened his arms and hugged him tight. He turned to Julia and looked at her with his bulging eyes again.

Julia was not feeling very comfortable with the lots of jewelry she had been made to put on by Michael. Coupled with the gaze of James. She could only sighed and gasped.

"The five thousand gold coin maid" he said and started laughing.

Michael joined him in the laughter.

"I must say, the buy is a good way of spending your coin" he patted Michael on the shoulder.

"Come and have your seat. And your beautiful maid" he pointed to seats for them.

"Actually, I was planning on making this the first time you will set your eyes on her but Father is someone that has a way of ruining plans" Michael said, he laughed and James joined him.

"But I don't think you need anything from me" James said in confusion.

"I need your acceptance. Why do you think I will spend so much to secure a maid? What can make a maid worth that much?" Michael flashed his eyebrows and turned his head slightly.

"She is stunning?" James asked in doubt. He was obviously pretending not to know what Michael was talking about.

"There are thousands of elegant maids out there. You were not there at the auction and I am sure if you were, you will make sure you buy her" Michael revealed happily.

"Why would I buy a maid? I don't need a maid. You heard Father at the dinner, what I need is a bride" he said casually, still evading Michael's plan.

"I paid the five thousand gold coin not for a maid but to buy something that will make you happy" he put his hand on Julia's shoulder.

"How do you know what makes me happy?" James asked slowly. It seemed he was getting emotional.

"Even a blind man would see your affection for Molina and Julia is apparently a reflection of her" he signaled to Julia to stand.

Julia stood up and walked to his side holding her flowing dress with both hands at the waist to stride gracefully. She bowed her head slightly enough to avoid his eyes.

"Julia, is that her name?" James gasped. He seemed overwhelmed by Julia's closeness. His breath had become rapid.

"You are just like Molina" James moaned.

"And please do not mistake this" Michael paused and smile. "I am not trying to give you a bride. I saw what happened with the man that tried that. I am giving you a maid" he laughed loudly.

"You gave me a maid that cost you five thousand gold coins. I will always be grateful brother" James stood up, he lifted Michael to his feet and hugged him once again.

"Let's stop talking about the cost, you make me feel like I have done nothing. You deserved ten times of that. You are a great brother and you will soon become the King Alpha and you will make me the brother to the king. Five thousand is nothing compared to all of this" he said slowly as they broke the hug.

"Julia, you are beautiful" James complimented her but she still maintained her straight face.

"She doesn't smile?" James asked Michael.

"She will do anything you want her to do" Michael assured. "Here is your master that I told you about, Julia. I'm sure you will be as obedient as you promised" Michael said to her.

"Just tell her to smile" James requested Michael.

"You should tell her yourself" Michael smiled. "She is your maid and no longer mine" he affirmed.

"Can you just try and smile whenever you are in here?" James asked awkwardly.

Julia smiled subtly.

"She will improve by time" Michael bid them farewell and walked out.

James couldn't hide his happiness. He kept smiling and staring at Julia everytime. Julia knew she had to grow familiar instantly to discharge her duty in here.

"Are you from around here?" James asked her.

"Yes. Born and bred in this kingdom" she replied sharply.

"Have you ever met Molina?" he asked again.

"No" she answered him right away. She was becoming more awkward as the moment she spent with him went on.

James also couldn't stop looking at her. The stare became unbearable that Julia started doubting maybe he had known why Michael had brought her here.

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"I have given her out as charity" Michael said awkwardly. He was surprised by his mother's sudden interest in Julia.

She had come into his chamber to ask about her. She acted like she didn't care about her the last time he introduced Julia to her.

"As charity? When did that start,giving out maid as charity" she asked in confusion.

It seemed she didn't believe what Michael was saying.

"I think you didn't want her to be with me. She is a distraction like you said" Michael giggled. He watched as his mother's face changed into an emblem of remorse.

"I didn't tell you to give her out, or have you forgotten how much you spent" Queen Teresa raised alarm.

"Why are you like this? You kept confusing me. You advised me she would be a distraction now you chastise me for giving her away" Michael grabbed a cup, and poured wine for his mother.

Queen Teresa took the cup from him and placed it on the table gently.

"Wherever you put her, just go and bring her back" she said softly.

"I gave her to James as a gift. There is no way to get her back. It is more complicated than you think" Michael stared at his mother in amazement. He was still bothered by her sudden interest in Julia.

"Why did you want her so bad?" he asked finally.

"The truth is I like her. We seemed to have a connection" she said slowly like she wasn't sure of what she was saying.

"But I'm sorry,she is gone. She will be in good hands anyway if that will make you feel better" Michael took the wine and drank up.

"But how could you give her to James. You gave a huge amount of money to your enemy" Queen Teresa was actually against that. "What are you thinking?" she fumed.

"Yes. I gave him a distraction" he teased his mother.

"No, you shouldn't have done that" she rectified.

"Mother, there was once a story about two kingdoms at war. They fought each other for a long time. The war was one sided. Only a side was losing her soldiers,the other kingdom was winning" he poured another cup of wine. He smiled at his mother as she was waiting for him eagerly.

"The losing side prepared a lot of this" he raised the cup of wine to show his mother.

"A lot of wine and placed it at a point where their enemies would find it easily. They eventually found it and checked if it was poisoned. They discovered it wasn't poisoned not realizing the wine itself was the poison. The poison" he drank from the cup again.

"They got drunk and became very happy, they kept drinking and they become happier until the soldiers started defying their generals. Chaos arose within them. The other side that had been losing, they watched as their adversary were destroying themselves from within. They later came to finish them off when they couldn't hold an attack anymore" he concluded with another gulp of wine.

"How did that has anything to do with Julia? Is she from one of the kingdoms?" Queen Teresa inquired impatiently.

"No. Not at all. All we need from the story was just the moral. And that is, if you want to destroy your enemies, give them happiness. That's it" he pointed out.

"The fact still remains, you gave a huge amount of money to James" Queen Teresa disagreed.

"I understand your concern, Mother. I will try my best to get her back" Michael assured her.

"That will be better" she groaned in satisfaction.

Michael would not reverse anything. Julia was already gone and not until he become the king as they both wanted. She would be with James.

He didn't have to tell his mother everything. He had told her all she had to know. The rest would remain within him.

"You should have told me before doing something like this. Do you think James will let her come back to you?" she said doubtfully.

"Just put your mind at rest and everything will fall into their place" he laughed. "Do you want some wine?" he offered to pour her a cup.

"The wine is not poisoned, but the wine is the poison" Queen Teresa teased and they both laughed.

"But you are not my enemy, Mother" he scoffed.

"I will drink with you when Julia comes back here" she said and left.