Chapter 39: The Luna’s Office

*This has to be a mistake…*
“But, Lynn—“
Lynn smirked at her and bowed out of the room, closing the door behind her. She huffed at his hasty escape and turned to look around the room. She had once been the wife of a prince, and her office had not been this luxurious. It had been plainer than the office Adolph worked in.
Maybe this was a part of the king’s office?
Either way, she should leave and find somewhere else to work. She started to retreat, but her curiosity held her in place. Every gleam of gold trimming the windows and the desks twinkled and beckoned her to explore. The lush rug on the floor looked too expensive to walk across, yet she wanted to sink her feet into its fibers.
In her past life, she had never been interested in the luxuries of life. Everything luxurious had a place and a reason for it in her life and helped her inhabit the position of luna.
Now, she had no need for it, yet she was intrigued all the same.
She crossed the room and felt how thick the rug was beneath her feet. As she rounded the desk, she drew her fingers across the top of the desk.
A small picture frame lay face down on the desk. She frowned at it and picked it up. It was a portrait and she scrunched her nose seeing it before narrowing her eyes at the portrait. At first, she thought it was Basil, but there was something about it that wasn’t right.
The young man was on a horse, painted in the middle of a lush forest with a warm smile. The cloak on his shoulders was blood red and he looked more in control of the horse he was one than she had ever seen Basil over anything.
This wasn’t Basil. It was *Adolph* in his youth.
“By the goddess,” she gasped. She wasn’t sure if she could say that he was more handsome in the portrait than he was now. In place of his mature charm, there was a youthful recklessness and mischief. His eyes were alight with wonder and his expression was much softer than it was now.
It reminded her a bit of when he would smile at her, but this was an Adolph that she would never meet, a young man who had no children or a wife.
She guessed it was painted before he’d gone off to fight the war. She wondered what Adolf had been like in his youth.
A knock sounded on her door, pulling her from her thoughts. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been looking at the portrait, but she opened a drawer and placed it inside with as little noise as possible before telling the person to enter.
A maid came in with her head bowed low and a covered silver serving tray in hand. She curtsied.
“Good Morning, Miss. I've brought you breakfast.”
Laurel frowned at her. She didn’t remember her from her past life. “Could I have your name?”
“My name is Lily,” she said and approached the desk to set the tray down. “I was recently appointed as the head maid by His Majesty.”

*******
She was Chasel’s cousin. She had been working as a nurse in several packs in the area but was called back to the Imperial City by Chasel because she didn't have a mate yet. She had attended the celebration and found her mate: Lynn.
Laurel smiled, glad that the gathering had worked out so well.
“Since Lynn works in the castle, I applied as well,” she said and smiled at her. “I hope you will treat me kindly while I learn my new position.”
She invited Lily to sit with her for a moment to learn more about her. Lily was nothing like Tina, so Laurel felt a bit of relief. Maybe Sarah would consider coming back to work in the palace with Lily in charge. Lily left a while later to allow Laurel to eat breakfast.
It was better than most of the meals she had ever been brought as Laura and she hummed a bit while she ate. When she was done, she set the tray aside and began to work starting with the stack of letters that had come in from the hospital, the orphanage, and the school. Most of the letters spoke about what else they needed and Laurel made a list of things to do including recruiting caretakers, teachers, and doctors.
Maybe she could hire back some of the ones who quit and solve at least part of her problem.
She glanced at the tray and winced, thinking of the orchard. She sighed. How could she forget the orchard? She had completely forgotten to discuss it with Basil, but considering they had just had a big argument, Laurel decided to postpone the matter for now.
Instead, it would be better to find out who was in charge of transporting food to the border. Lily came in to take the tray at some point, but Laurel had been so absorbed in her work that she barely noticed her bringing a snack with tea in the middle of the morning.
At noon, there was another knock at the door. Laurel thought it was Lily bringing her lunch.
“Come in,” she called without looking up from her paperwork, murmuring to herself. “Thank you for the snack, Lily. It was great. Could you set lunch over there?”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying your new office.” She flinched and stood, her face burning with embarrassment at seeing Adolph in the doorway holding a bouquet of roses.
“Your Majesty!”
He smiled and offered her the bouquet, “Here. For your office. How do you like it so far?”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She said taking the bouquet of roses and turning away from him. They were beautiful, but they weren’t enough to make her forget what he’d done.
“The office is much too nice for me…And… the flowers are a bit inappropriate for an employee.”
“I put your office next to mine,” he chuckled. “And there’s nothing inappropriate about flowers for my mate. I don't think anyone will dare to try and throw all your stuff out again.”
Laurel winced at the thought. Maybe them being mates was simple in his mind, but it wasn’t for her. She didn’t want anyone else thinking she was his mistress or speculating about their relationship. Aside from that, she didn’t want to forgive him easily. They had arguments before, but this was different. If she grew closer to anyone else, would he hurt them at the least provocation? She didn’t want their relationship to be just a different type of cage. She put the roses in the vase and stood there looking at Adolph, who looked very gentlemanly again.
“I know… yesterday still bothers you,” Adolph searched her eyes. “As an apology, I'd like to take you to lunch if you’re agreeable.”
Laurel hesitated but nodded. She was hungry, and if she was going to be working next door to Adolph, it was best to at least be cordial with him. Adolph grinned and offered his arm to escort her. She thought they were going to the dining room for lunch, but Adolph led her past the dining room and out of the gates and into the gardens in the gazebo where a tea table was set up.
A few maids were there along with serving ware. Adolph ushered her into a chair and pushed her up to the table before taking the seat across from him. The maids moved quickly and quietly to serve their meals and pour their wine.
It felt a bit overwhelming, but Adolph smiled at her.
“Please enjoy, and let me know if anything isn’t to your liking.”
The scent of the garden was soothing and lightly laced with the scent of the orchard. She wondered if any of the food had come from the orchard. The food was as delicious as she expected from the castle’s kitchens. She looked across the garden, relaxing in the warm air, surrounded by the beauty of the garden.
When she turned to look at Adolph over the last course of their meal, she found him smiling at her.
“I apologize for offending you yesterday,” Adolph said, meeting her gaze. His eyes were just as open and honest as they had been when they met. “Sometimes, I can't control my temper. I was furious when I returned to the castle without seeing you...”
He shook his head, “Seeing you with another man… It was too much. You are my mate, and it took everything in me to keep my promise and not murder him there.”
Laurel swallowed her nervousness at his mention of murder and lowered her gaze.
“I accept your apology. But I'm not your property, Your Majesty.”
“I'm still trying... to make you my property.”
Laurel frowned wanting to growl at him in indignation, but she held it in.
Adolph paused for a moment before continuing, “In addition to your current duties, I have more duties to assign you.”
She frowned as her stomach churned. She had a feeling she wouldn’t like what he had to say.
“Basil’s wife is ill-suited to the position of luna. She is willful and rude.” She agreed, of course, but she held her breath as he went on. “The kingdom desperately needs a good luna, and the castle needs a mistress to take care of everything... Even if I hire a new head maid, she will need time to familiarize herself with her job. So, Laurel, I'd like to leave the luna job to you for now.”