Chapter 9 #3
My two blonde queens leaned down and kissed my cheeks in perfect unison like they’d rehearsed it before they climbed out of bed. I sat up to keep them in my sight, and I let the beauty of their still-sleepy selves wake me up even more.
Tanell started by picking out her clothing for the day, while Serra started with undoing her two-strand braid and brushing her hair.
I indulged in a long, lingering look at the two of them before I looked over at Yori.
She was still sound asleep in the bed beside me, and two of her limbs were hanging off the side of the mattress.
It wasn’t for a lack of room. Yori simply seemed to spread out like that every time she slept.
I wondered if it was because she’d never grown up with much room.
Peasants in Nalatria were lucky to have a mattress at all, let alone one that was wider than two feet.
My heart clenched for a split second for all the hardships Yori had grown up in, and I leaned over to kiss her cheek.
Yori grumbled a little and pulled the pillow on top of her head as if she could hide from the day under there.
“Yoriii…” I coaxed. “It’s time to get up.”
“No.” Yori pouted.
I couldn’t see her face, but the sound of her pout was loud enough to hear through the pillow even as she pulled it down around her head.
“Alright,” I chuckled. “Five more minutes, but then you have to get up.”
A short string of muttered curse words escaped from under the pillow, and I laughed as I climbed out of bed.
I walked over to my trunk and selected clothes for the day. My outfit inspiration was “kingly but casual,” and I was pretty sure I nailed it.
I selected a dark gray linen shirt that was effectively a Henley-style but with lacing instead of buttons.
I was stuck between two pairs of pants, but Tanell suggested the black leather ones over the brown ones that had a pattern that made me think of tweed.
I tugged on my leather boots, raked my fingers through my hair, and had a quick shave to finish the look.
It had only taken me about ten minutes to prepare for the day, and half of that had been shaving.
I was still getting used to being shaved by a servant instead of doing it for myself, but it was another nice luxury of my new status in life.
It was like going to the barber every day, and I was learning to use the quiet minutes to mentally prepare for my days.
Yori was still lying in bed, but her dark eyes were open, and she gave me a lazy little smile.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Morning,” she mumbled back.
“Adelyn has our breakfast ready,” Tanell said as she came back into the private section of the tent. “If you need some motivation to get dressed.”
“Can’t I eat in this?” Yori asked and gestured at herself.
She’d slept in an oversized, white, linen shirt that barely made it halfway to her knees.
“No,” Serra said in a firm voice, and then she softened her tone as she explained. “You’re a queen now, Yori. You represent not only yourself, but Ken, and the whole of Nalatria now with your actions.”
“Besides,” Tanell added with a smile. “The servants have tied back the tent flaps already. So unless you want to give everyone a free show…”
“Which we don’t,” I said before I could think, and there was a blatant note of possessiveness in my tone. “Only we get to look at those legs of yours like that.”
Yori’s smile spread into a wide grin, and she shifted her legs on the bed in a most alluring way. It would have been obvious, even to a blind man, that she was flirting with me.
“No!” I laughed and wagged a finger at her. “We don’t have time for that.”
“Boo.” Yori frowned.
“But we have time for breakfast,” Serra said in a compromising tone.
“Mmm, good point,” Yori said. “Alright. I’m getting up.”
She was good on her word and climbed out of bed without further delay.
I took the opportunity to have a look at Serra and Tanell’s outfit choices for the day.
They both looked every bit the queen, but their ensembles were very different from each other.
Tanell had selected a pair of finely-tailored leather pants that showed off her shapely legs without being indecent.
She wore a beautifully ruffled linen blouse in a bright shade of pink, and her hair was twisted up in an elaborate bun at the back of her head.
She wasn’t wearing any jewelry other than a few small pins with tiny diamonds in her hair.
Serra wore a gown instead of pants, but it was a fairly simple dress, all things considered.
It was made of soft cotton that had been dyed a lovely shade of cornflower blue.
The neckline was scooped to show just the hint of cleavage below her collarbones, and it cinched tightly around her waist thanks to a series of ties on either side of her ribcage.
The skirt was full and swooshy in a way that made me think of Disney princesses, but the hem hung just an inch or two above the ground to keep it from getting dirty in muddy fields.
Her silver hair had been wound in two braids and looped around her head into a crown shape. The nod to her social status wasn’t lost on me, and I kissed her cheek affectionately.
“You look beautiful,” I said.
“Thank you.” Serra blushed and smoothed out her perfect skirts. “I’m a little nervous.”
“Don’t be,” I said. “You’ll be great.”