Cassarah
Smacking her away, I climbed out of the bed and glared at her. “Don’t I deserve a little respect here instead of getting harassed by you the second I wake up?”
Becka then proceeded to give me a flourishing curtsy and bowed her head.
“Your Majesty, your humble servant requests that she be allowed to encourage you to take a bath and wash off all the essence from your lovers as they ravaged your body before putting you to bed. Unless she would like the whole court to know, then, by all means, I’ll start dressing you. ”
“Ugg, this is the problem with having your best friend as one of your guardians,” I groaned as I headed into the bathing chamber. “Speaking of my lovers, where did everyone go?”
“I banished them from your room for the time being. You need to get ready, and I couldn’t risk them distracting you while you didn’t have any clothes on,” she replied and followed me.
Sliding into the tub filled with steaming water, I took the rag and started to scrub my body.
Muscles I’d never used before ached in a way that reminded me of what happened earlier.
Images of them both taking me at the same time with Jade watching made my body start to heat up.
Then Becka dumped a bucket of cold water over my head and started to wash my hair.
“Becka!” I shrieked in shock.
“Oops, I’m so sorry. You looked like you were getting a little hot and needed to be cooled down,” she teased. “Goodness gracious, woman, you’re like a bitch in heat, calling all the boys to her neediness. Do you think you can manage through the dinner without sneaking off with one of your men?”
Glaring at her, I snatched away the bar of soap. “When have I ever not conducted myself in a way that was inappropriate in front of others?”
Becka tapped her chin, thinking for a moment.
“Okay, fine. You make a good point, but I’m just telling you there is something in the air with you and those men of yours.
Repressing your urges for so long seems to be creating a veracious sex monster out of you.
This isn’t our kingdom, and we have no idea who we can trust besides ourselves. I worry.”
“I appreciate that you worry. It shows how much you love me. What I need now isn’t to be scolded but to have those I trust at my back, believing I’ll do the right thing.
I haven’t been living up to my role recently, but I’ve got my head on right, so please just trust me,” I implored, reaching out to take her hand and squeezing it.
“Besides, I think you’re just jealous and need to find a man or two to play with. ”
She snorted, pulling her hand free and slapping me on the shoulder. “Right, with what spare time? I’m always making sure you stay on track and out of trouble.”
Rolling my eyes, I got down to business cleaning myself while Becka finished washing my hair.
Then, it was on to scented oils and hair, followed by getting dressed.
Being that this was one of my first events as the queen of Sheca, I was dressed in the royal colors of black and gold.
It was stark against my pale skin but set off my honey-brown hair and amber eyes, making it so I stood out against the boldness.
The last and final thing was to have my crown placed on my head, ensuring that no one would mistake me for being anything but royalty.
“I swear, the worst part of being queen is going through all this. When I was just in training, I could wear whatever I liked, and it was far less complicated,” I grumbled, heading into the main space of my bedroom.
“Have to say I agree with you. Your ass in leather pants is something I’m beginning to miss,” Pax shared from where he was lounging on my bed that someone had come in and made.
“You have to admit that seeing her breasts in those corsets might be an even exchange,” Gavin countered from the armchair near the fire.
All my men were scattered about waiting for me to be ready. “I’m glad no matter what I wear, you all seem to find something to enjoy about it,” I said with a chuckle. “Now, I believe it’s high time we made an appearance at this banquet that is in our honor.”
Slowly, they all gathered, and I noticed they weren’t wearing their guardian uniforms, instead wearing all black with the exception of a gold sash.
On the sash was the mark they all bore, claiming them as my consorts, except Gavin’s had the addition of a crown.
I assumed it was to mark him as the next in line or crown prince, if you will.
“Those are new…” I commented, unsure how I felt about them not being seen as my guardians first.
May came to stand next to me, crossed her arms, and looked them over.
“Apparently, it’s customary to ensure that all consorts are declared plainly so that no advance might be made on them.
People here in this kingdom don’t seem to follow the same rules of being committed to one lover.
While many have closed marriages, there are many who have open ones that will allow either partner to seek attention outside of the marriage. ”
Hearing this, my head snapped to look at her. “How common is it for someone to have an open relationship?”
“More common than a closed one,” she answered, looking none too pleased. “Queen Catharine called you a whore for having so many committed partners, but here you can just fuck who you like as long as you always return to your husband. Talk about double standards, the bitch.”
While I agreed with her, it made me wonder about so many things.
It would be so easy for people to use one another to get information.
Learning this just made our job that much harder to track down what the Lost King might have hidden in Creisal.
What if, in the haze of passion, someone asked about secrets that were better left hidden?
“The queen wasn’t herself. I’d like to give her the benefit of the doubt that the Lost King had her acting that way to ensure we didn’t get an alliance with them,” I pointed out. “As for the other implications, this will be tricky unless they were silenced by magic not to say anything.”
“Or they are a spy,” Pax cut in. “We know better than to let our lips flap to a pretty piece of ass when it could fuck us over in the long run. I don’t think you need to be as worried about this as you are. It’s good to keep it in mind, but I believe we’ll still find what we’re looking for.
“Any other shocking things I need to be aware of before we head to this banquet?” I inquired, looking at the others. Everyone shook their heads, setting me at ease. “All right then, let’s go enjoy the feast.”
Turning, I went to head out into the hall but paused and glanced at my men over my shoulder. “I assume I don’t need to say that this is a closed relationship, and none of us are free to find partners elsewhere.”
“No, you have nothing to worry about, Cassy-bear. By putting on these sashes, we are declaring ourselves claimed and off-limits. If someone else tries to make advances on us knowing it isn’t welcome, we are allowed to retaliate how we see fit,” Dayson explained.
“Seeing as we are armed and also your guardians, I think we are safe to assume they will leave us alone.”
“Spitfire,” Pax said, stepping up to me.
“I was a member of this court for years, and there are those who will be unhappy I’m claimed and unavailable to them.
Being a spy is something I took seriously, and I would use whatever means necessary to get the information from in and out of our kingdom.
I’m saying this to be honest and up front in case something was said to you by those who enjoyed my company. ”
I cupped Pax’s cheek and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you for telling me. I know sharing about your past involvement with other men or women isn’t something anyone likes to share with their partner. I love you, Pax. I know I don’t say it enough, but I absolutely do.”
Pax returned my kiss with more fervor but stopped before it got us hot and bothered. “I love you too, Cassarah. I’m proud to declare that I’m claimed by you and no one else can touch me, so don’t let those snakes ever let you doubt my love.”
Nodding, I took his hand, intertwined our fingers, and headed out into the hall. An attendant was there to lead us to the room where the feast was being held. We met up with Phillip and his entourage along the way, allowing us to enter together.
“Entering, the Dragon Queen Cassarah of the kingdom of Sheca and her eight consorts. Accompanying her is Crown Prince Phillip of Norden, the nephew to Queen Catharine and King Thomas,” a herald called out as we made our way to the head table.
The head table was up on a higher level so we could observe the rest of the feast below us as we ate.
I was seated on the left side of the kin, and Prince Phillip was placed next to the queen.
My men took their places down the line from me, with Gavin taking his place to my left as my heir.
While I’d studied situations like this, it was as a noble lady of the court, not the queen.
Instead of having to wait to eat, we were served first, but a taster was presented before me to sample all the items on my plate before handing it over to me once he didn’t die.
“Did you find your rooms to your liking?” Queen Catharine asked with a kind smile on her face. “It’s been so long since we had guests.”
“Yes, Your Highness, the rooms are beautiful, and it’s lovely to see right out to the sea,” I said, returning her smile.
This was the closest to normal I’d seen her since I freed her from the Lost King. She chatted with Phillip about nonsense things, but I also noticed they were all subjects that were at least three years old.