Chapter 20: Hitting Two Birds With One Stone
The attendant’s eyes widened with Elys’ startling pleasantries. He expected her to be the same as she had been last night – a fallen noble with pride – but the woman in front of him seemed the complete opposite.
Elys smiled at Henry, and he quickly regained his composure in a matter of seconds, keeping his apprehension in check.
She was sharp enough to have noticed, but chose to let it slide. Even if Henry wasn’t ever going to be loyal to her, she still must get into his better end.
That was a more sensible choice than showing him animosity.
"Your highness," he bowed down to greet her. "The table is set, follow me."
On her way down, a ten-feet tall portrait of a dashing man in his mid-thirties with a young boy sitting on his lap caught her attention. Elys stopped in her tracks for a while to absorb the painting in front of her.
She squinted her eyes, trying to connect the strokes where many slashes had destroyed the canvas. The natural skylight above the portrait made it a sight one couldn’t miss even if they were half blind.
By the looks of it, the man who looked like he was decapitated with the slashed canvas was probably the crazy king of the West Kingdom. The very man that decided to wed a slave to his bastard son.
Elys cocked her head to the right, a soft hum coming out of her mouth. Her eyes trailed off towards the boy, the child’s face intact and safe from the slashes.