Page 44 of The King's Omega
Enough sexy dreaming, Vali. Back to work.
Rigol
My valet thought I’d lost my mind. I’d changed clothes three times already and was now pulling at the formal cravat I’d insisted on at the last minute.
“What was I thinking? A cravat. She’s a servant girl, not a visiting dignitary.”
My valet stayed silent, his eyes on the ground. For some reason, his silence made me feel murderous.
I couldn’t kill my valet. I only had one, as every other able-bodied man had been pressed into military service. The news coming from Axe and Lorn was all bad. I hadn’t heard from Vilkurn, but didn’t expect to, considering where he was. I still had hope for Tarn.
I wanted to kill Tarn, too. He was the one who’d set up this ridiculous scheme. Me, the king, tutoring a servant girl to read! It beggared the imagination. What if she slammed the door in my face, or cursed me, or…? I should have refused. And I would have, except my underwear had come up from the laundry perfumed with her lust.
Lust! Who had she been lusting after? My men knew not to touch her, but what of the servants, what of the stable hands or visiting merchants… A low growl escaped my throat and my valet suddenly stank of fear. “You are dismissed.”
He bowed his way out, and I stalked to the library, opening the top buttons of my shirt as I went. She wanted to learn to read. I knew how to read. I could make this work. It was a conversation.
I tore through the library door and realized too late that the girl was already inside. “Excuse me,” I said, sucking in a lungful of her perfume.
Peaches and honey and a hint of bitterness—fear.
I could do without the fear. “I didn’t know you were already here,” I explained, as she shrank back, holding a book in front of her chest. I tried to moderate my tone.
“What do you have there? Which book is that?”
“I don’t know. I c-can’t read the title. Tarn said I w-would have a tutor for reading. I’m not sneaking. I’m supposed to wait for him or her.” Goddess, her fear was palpable. Shame flooded me.
“Yes,” I said, fighting for calm. What was I doing here?
Ah, yes. A conversation, a straightforward exchange. No arguing, no threats, no ultimatums. “Be charming,” Tarn had told me. “You charmed the kitten that hated you into sleeping on your pillow at night. Think what you could do if you were half as kind to the girl! Treat her as a guest, not a servant or a slave.”
Right. A guest. “Have a seat.” I gestured to the chairs I had ordered placed by the fire, near a small table of grapes and cheese. “We can begin when you are ready.”
“W-wait.” Her tiny nose wrinkled, like she’d smelled something rotten. “You’regoing to be my reading tutor?” She peered around the room.
“What are you looking for?”
“Tarn,” she snapped, darting around me to peek behind the tapestries. “He’s playing a joke, right? You’re not really my tutor.”
“Why couldn’t I be?” I huffed.
“Y-you’re the king!”
“I had heard that rumor, yes.”
“And you’re a…. a horse’s ass!” Her eyes blazed fire. “You hate me, and I hate you, and for all I know you’re trying to get me in here and… attack me or something.”
I closed my eyes. When was the last time someone had spoken to me like this? At least the scent of her rage was better than her fear. I could work with anger. “Attack you with what, knowledge? Never mind, you’re excused. Tarn said you were keen to learn, but you’re already seeking a way out of it. You won’t try, so you may leave.” I turned away, muttering, “Probably not smart enough, anyway.” I braced myself in case she threw a book at the back of my head.
She sputtered for a few moments, then sighed loudly. “I am smart enough. But… you’re the king.”
“Not at all smart. We already covered that.” I glanced over my shoulder.
She rolled her eyes. “You can’t possibly have time to tutor me. There’s a war happening any day!”
As if I needed reminding. “I have an hour each day reserved for diplomacy. But no diplomats are entering our lands this close to war. I’ve sent everyone away, and I have the time. So—” I gestured to the chair again, watching her dark eyes narrow as she regarded me. “Shall we begin? We’ll quit as soon as your brain gets overtaxed.” I raised an eyebrow, silently daring her.
“I’ll overtax your…” Her words got muffled as she flounced over to the chair. I fought to keep from smiling; she was fun to tease.
