Chapter 114 - 115
She gave him a hug and then hurried off with a grateful frown that left a strong impression. A few moments after she left, Alistar proceeded to roll up his sleeves and then set about storing away the food that had been brought in by other house servants earlier on. The entire time that he worked, he thought of his uncle Daniel with growing contempt. It was regrettable that Alistar was over a dozen spots down the list of those in line for the throne of Civus, for if he were the king of this kingdom then he would surely change many things. At least he would hope to, though as he was now he doubted that he could manage a small business much less an entire realm.
It took him an hour or so to wash, dry and store the dishes away, a process made much easier by the use of basic water magics. By the time he finally retired to his room for the night, it was with a tired mind and sluggish limbs. He had spent days tied up in enchanted rope after hours of dangling from a tree, all the while juggling numbness, hunger and exhaustion. This had been an incredibly stressful time for him, which left him quite drained now that he was back at home with nothing to do.
He decided to go to sleep early, though not until after he had cleaned his body and changed into a soft pair of silk pajamas.
At least I know she’s alive, he yawned, having just confirmed the presence of Vanessa’s magic imprint on the copper lucet that she had given him. If only I had one of these for Kaila.
Crawling into bed, he slid beneath the covers and made to put out the candles when he sensed Anice’s aura following the path through the manor that she usually took when she decided to stop by at his room. Curious, he waited off on dousing the lights. Sure enough, the door soon reported a sharp series of rapid knocks.
Hearing the noise, Alistar climbed out of bed and unlocked the door, opening it to allow Anice inside.
"Hey Anne. What brings you...why do you have a pillow?"
Also in her pajamas, which were crimson to match her long, flowing hair, Anice was hugging her favourite pillow as she stood awkwardly in the warm glow of candlelight that spilled from his room.
"I’m worried one of the boys might sneak into my room again, so I decided to sleep here tonight."
He suppressed a sigh, wondering if he should have just pretended that he was asleep and not opened the door. "Where am I supposed to sleep, then?"
She walked over to his bed and sectioned off a spot with her pillow, allotting herself more than half of the available room. "You’ll sleep here, obviously. What’s the point of sleeping in another room if you’re not there? You’re the one they’re scared of."