FULL NOVELXO Chapter 31: Mistress
I hesitantly make my way inside, the guards bustling in behind me and closing the door with a loud slam. A tiny spark of jealousy fills me as I take it all in, wishing that I could decorate my room with such objects.
"Do you like?" A voice speaks up, and I turn to see a woman sitting in the corner watching me with a tense smile.
"Yes, very much so. It's beautiful!" I exclaim, not wanting her to sense my jealousy and think me unfriendly.
She's sitting in a large recliner hidden partially behind an overgrown, bushy plant but stands to greet me as I approach. I'm shocked to see that she is wearing just as many jewels as the King, if not more, but try not to let my bewilderment show. She must truly be in his favor to live in such luxury.
"My name is Adeline." I greet her, unsure what to say. "I'm excited to meet you."
A small laugh falls from her mouth at my words, her eyes flickering quickly between Heloix's guards standing along the far wall and me.
"I'm Josephine, but you can call me Jo. I'm glad that your King allowed you to come to visit me." She says, glancing down at the plate of food I still hold tightly between my hands. "And that he keeps you fed."
My face heats up as she says this, having forgotten that I was holding the plate in the first place. Scanning the room, I spot a small table just to my right and set it down with a loud clink, the fork teetering on the edge before, thankfully, settling on the glass.
"Would you like to come sit down? I'm working on a puzzle I'd love some help with." Jo says, gesturing to the small table that sits in front of her recliner.
I make my way over to her with an excited nod, not wanting her to sense my nerves about this puzzle she speaks of. King Richard's mate was a big fan of them, always cheering when she slotted a small piece into place. After her death King Richard put them all away, hiding each and every one in drawers, never to be brought out again.
The pieces are covered in vibrant colors like the rest of the room, and under further inspection I realize that they make up large flowers. There's a small seat next to the puzzle table, and I tentatively sit down on it while Jo flops herself back down in her recliner, the oversized chair swallowing her up.
"I've never done a puzzle before." I admit, shyly glancing up at her face. She's already in deep concentration as she stares at the pieces, and hums quietly at my words.
Her eyes continue to scan over the pieces as she brings her fingers up to pinch her bottom lip softly. "It's pretty intuitive. You'll get the hang of it in no time."
Nodding in agreement, I focus on the pieces and try to find a pattern between the colors. There are so many it's impossible to match them, and the first couple of minutes are spent staring at them lost while Jo makes good progress.
She has the entire border finished already and appears to be working on individual flowers at a time. I try to emulate her strategy, but after a while realize that this just isn't going to work for me. Changing gears, I instead start organizing the loose pieces by color, putting them in small piles.
Jo seems to appreciate the work as she begins sifting through my piles and pulling out pieces, cheering quietly to herself as she slots them into place.
"The King must really like you." I eventually comment, eyes sweeping once more over the grand room.
Jo lets out an unattractive snort, glancing up at me with a wide smile. "Of course he does. I'm his mate."
I blink, shocked.
"What?" I probe, unsure if I heard her correctly.
I wish to take back the question the second it leaves my mouth, afraid of offending her with my confusion. The King very clearly called her his mistress and the Beast that joined the breakfast table his mate, but maybe I was mistaken.
"Yeah, I'm his true mate. Thought you knew." She comments, watching me through squinted eyes as she sets down the yellow puzzle piece in her hand and leans back in her chair.
My eyebrows furrow as I absorb her words, struggling to determine what I've heard today is the truth. Jo sighs at my apparent confusion, her mouth falling into a flat line.
"The Beast you've seen wandering around is his chosen mate. Very different thing." She explains.
His chosen mate? I've never heard the term before but it isn't hard to figure out what it means. If she is his true mate then why does he still have a chosen mate, and why does he lie about who she is?
"Did he call me his mistress?"
Jo's eyes water up slightly, and I debate lying to her to relieve the tension. Opening my mouth to deny it, I pause before any sound comes out. If I were in her position, I would want to know the truth. That thought alone has me closing my mouth and solemnly nodding my head yes.
"I don't like when he does that." She murmurs, picking up a random piece and fiddling with it.
I watch her with a frown, not sure if I should ask further or drop the subject. She seems pretty upset, lip wobbling as she holds in her tears, so I choose to remain silent. Reaching forward, I grab a red piece and move it into the pile with the others while Jo watches. She continues to stare as I work and my hands clam up at the attention, skin sticking to the cardboard.
"He only took her to keep his people happy. It's me he loves." Jo speaks up after a tense moment, seemingly eager to defend against the judgment she feels I am giving her.
Glancing up at her, I offer a small smile to try and show that I'm not judging.
"I'm glad that you've found somebody who makes you happy." I say, gesturing around the room. "And treats you so well."
Jo nods at my response, her stern expression softening slightly. I watch as she looks around the room, taking in all of her possessions and gifts, before focusing on me once more.
"Are you Heloix's mate?" She asks, cocking her head to the side.
The guards along the wall shuffle slightly, making me all too aware of the trouble my answer could bring. Despite what I think the answer may be, speaking of my suspicions to Jo, especially in front of Heloix's guards, is a stupid move.
"No." I state.
Jo's lips purse at my words as she glances over at the guards with a sigh. Thankfully she doesn't push the conversation any further and we once more begin working on the puzzle, me sorting the pieces and Jo slotting them into place.
Eventually, Jo stands and stretches her back with a loud groan, the bones audibly cracking beneath her skin. Setting down the piece I hold in my hand, I watch as she walks over to a small bar cart near the door and crouches until she's eye level with the large bottles.
My anxiety spikes as I watch her grab two glasses from the rack attached to the wall, my mind replaying the last time that I drank alcohol. Gulping, I watch as she pours some wine into both glasses and carries them back over to where we sit.
I hesitantly accept the offering, making a mental note to drink only one. The liquid is a deep red and bitter as it slides down my throat. I hold back the urge to grimace at the taste, but Jo catches on anyways and lets out a small laugh.
"Takes some getting used to." She assures me.
A loud laugh bubbles up out of my throat, and I nod my head quickly in agreement. "That's for sure."
We fall into a comfortable silence as my mind naturally wanders back to Heloix. I wonder what he needed to talk to the King about and, after meeting Jo, I'm now suspicious about his questioning of the King's human mate.
If I am his mate as I'm starting to suspect, is he looking to take another and force me to live a life like Jo?
She may be content being called the King's mistress and having to share him with another woman, but that's not a life I'm willing to live. There's absolutely no way that I would sit idly by stuck in some room all day while Heloix and his chosen made parade around.
If he doesn't want me that's fine, but he needs to pull up his big boy panties and send me back home to King Richard's then.
I take a deep breath as I struggle to calm myself down. There's no point in getting myself all worked up over something I don't even know to be true.
"You good?" Jo asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
She's eyeing me with concern, and I grimace as I realize that I've been squeezing one of her pieces and accidentally crunched up the flimsy cardboard underneath my grip. Frowning, I drop the piece back onto the table and attempt to smoosh it back into its original flat shape.
"Sorry about that." I apologize. "Was just thinking."
Jo lets out a quiet hum, nodding her head in understanding. "My mate makes me feel the same way."
I open my mouth to respond, to reiterate that Heloix is not my mate, but the door slamming open stops the words in my throat. Turning to see who's entered, I'm shocked to see Heloix's large frame in the doorway, his black eyes locked in on me.
He stares at me with a clenched jaw. "Come."
I spring up from my seat and hurry over to him, nervous about what's gotten him so riled up. He grips me by the arm as I approach and he pulls me into his chest. I remain frozen to my spot as his head dips down into my hair and he outwardly breathes in my scent.
Heloix holds onto me tightly for another moment before letting go and stepping back, eyes roaming over my face.
"So much anger for such a little body." He comments, flicking me lightly on the nose.
I flinch back at the unwanted contact, confused by his words. "What?"
"Nothing. Let's get going. There's something I want to show you."