CHAPTER NINETY
“The queen would love to see you”, Nathaniel informed Liam, who laid on the bed without moving an inch.
Nathaniel sighed deeply and walked closer to him. Most times, it was extremely difficult to wake Liam because he valued his sleep time.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Nat tapped his shoulder lightly, hoping that he would stir and listen to what he had to say.
“Your mother has demanded to see you…immediately”, Nathaniel stressed on the last word, hoping that it would throw in some sense of urgency.
Still, Liam remained on the bed, not willing to stir.
“I think it’s about Alyssa”, Nathaniel finally divulged and as though he had been hit by a lightning, Liam jerked up and glared at him with a questioning gaze.
“Alyssa?” He asked as his heart skipped a beat.
Nathaniel nodded his head in affirmation, feeling glad that something was able to get him off the bed.
Liam quickly stood up and took a quick bath. All through the bath, his heart wandered off with thoughts of why his mother had called for him. He still had some uncertainties lying around and somehow, he questioned what his mother’s decision might be at the end.
His heart skipped every moment he thought of how he would feel if his mother turned out to be an antagonist to their love story. He would be greatly shattered, no doubt.
He walked into the dining room, where his mother awaited him. Whenever she called him to have breakfast or dinner with him, it meant that she had something urgent to talk about.
“Have a seat”, his mother said with a smile and unknowingly, Liam’s heart relaxed a bit.
It only meant that the situation may not be as serious as he had thought.
“You called for me”, Liam noted as he picked up a toasted bread and munched on it.
He peered into his mother’s eyes and saw the unrest that laid in it.
“You are worried about something”, Liam noted while she took in a deep breath and nodded.
“I’m worried about you”, she divulged and shifted on the chair.
“Me?”
Liam wasn’t entirely surprised by her statement. Right from when he started things with Alyssa, she had always called him to tell him that she was worried about him.
“Aren’t you making plans to settle down soon?” Her mother asked the one question that she always asked him.
“You should understand that the eyes of the public are on you and any slightest mistake would be used against you”, The queen said with a look of displeasure in her eyes.
“Mother, you’ve said this since the past four years”, Liam said with a bored tone as he gulped down the contents of the mug of coffee.
“That was when Alyssa and your son were not in the picture!” The queen said defiantly, with a look of dissatisfaction in her eyes.
She had expected him to be much more thoughtful than he was, but seeing how he talked enraged her.
“That’s true”, Liam mumbled and picked up another slice of toast bread.
He munched on it slowly, replaying his mother’s words and wondering what it would look like to make Alyssa his wife.
“Isn’t it too early?” Liam asked, but kept mute the moment his mother threw a dead glare at him.
“Make Alyssa your queen and Timothy, your official heir. You have to do this to take the eyes of the elders away from you because at this point, they see you as incompetent, compared to what your father was”, the queen said and for a minute, Liam pondered over what she had just said.
She was right. The meetings of the past few days had been encircled on the need to have a queen and heir for the kingdom.
They had thrown instances where Kings failed to take queens and have heirs, how they ended up falling prey to the other kingdoms around who shoved them aside as weak.
“I understand mother”, Liam replied as he took in a deep breath and nodded his head calmly.
“Are you promising me that you would make her your queen?” The queen asked, hoping that he would give her some form of assurance.
Liam didn’t utter a word. He stood to his feet, bowed his head in respect, and quietly walked out of the room.
The thoughts of making Alyssa his queen engulfed his heart as he walked into the courtroom for the court hearings.
Different people came in with their different pleas, and complaints about their fellow people.
He was extremely distracted that one of the elders had to pull him aside for a minute.
“You seem distracted. Your opinions and verdicts are not in line with their crimes”, the elder complained, while Liam swallowed hard.
“I’m so sorry. Kindly ask everyone to leave and return the next time”, Liam ordered, while the elder stared at him in shock.
“I have to go!” Liam said and hurriedly left the courtroom.
He needed to talk to Alyssa abruptly. His head was raging with several thoughts that he thought it would burst open in no time.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to walk up to her and tell her the thoughts he had in mind. He only lived in his imaginations, frequently seeing how she would sit on the throne and smile at him whenever he was taking decisions that concerned the kingdom.
He walked over to the lake where he and Alyssa had shared most of their first memories with. His heart was certain that Alyssa was his and nothing was going to stop that.
Just then, he felt warm hands on his shoulders. He turned abruptly and met the soft eyes of Alyssa.
“I was just thinking about you”, he said, with a soft smile that sent cold shivers down her spine.
“What were you thinking about”, Alyssa inquired as she peered piercingly into his eyes.
Liam gulped down hard, clearing, searching through his mind for the perfect way to give her a reply.
“I mean, I can’t help but think of how strong you are to birth such a cute son like Timothy”, Liam said with a wide smile on his face.
That was entirely different from the thoughts he had in his head. He had wanted to ask Alyssa to be his queen and make him the happiest man on earth, but the words didn’t seem to come off his throat.
“Are you certain?” Alyssa asked, not fully convinced that something like that would make him wear such a serious look on his face.
He nodded his head in affirmation and rather than arguing with him, she decided to play along.
“You are his perfect father and there’s no one anyone can tell me about that”, Alyssa commented as she played with his cheeks, watching how he blushed and narrowed his eyes immediately.
“I hope you know that you are mine, right?” Liam asked, while Alyssa nodded and gave him a curious stare.
She could sense that he was pointing at something, but she couldn’t say why he dragged the conversation.
“Why?” Alyssa asked with a soft smile that didn’t get to her eyes.
It was clear that Liam wanted to tell her something, but knowing that he didn’t hit it directly on the head made her nervous. At some point, she starts wondering if he was at the verge of breaking up with her.
“Dinner is served! ” A servant announced, disrupting their conversation and making Liam sigh in relief.