The Alpha King's Mind Reading Maid (Cecilia) novel Chapter 41

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Cecilia’s POV

I barely slept through the night. Mossed and turned until I gave up and decided to soak in the luxury tub in the bathroom attached to my room. I let the warm water soothe away my aching bones and racing thoughts.

I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath and trying to let the lavender do its job and calm me. But the only thing I could think of was Warren, and how vulnerable he had been not long ago.

I wondered if he was still sleeping, and then I brushed the thought away. Of course, he was still sleeping. If he weren’t, he would most likely be in my bedroom right about now.

The creaking of footsteps made my body feel paralyzed. My heart started to thud violently against my chest as I sat up in the tub, peering around the seemingly empty bathroom. Taking a deep breath, I stood and grabbed the nearby towel, wrapping it around my body.

I stepped out of the tub and started toward the door, not caring that I was splashing water all over the bathroom floor. I swallowed the lump in my throat before I pulled the door open and stepped into my bedroom. I half expected Warren to be sitting on my bed, staring at me like a lost puppy. But when I didn’t see him, I let myself relax slightly.

But the relaxed feeling didn’t last long because I heard a sharp intake of breath from nearby, making me whip around to face the introducer.

“I’m so sorry, Mistress. I didn’t mean to startle you,” Anna said, her eyes wide. “I thought you’d like some tea this evening. I saw you returning to your room late and figured you were having trouble sleeping.”

I let out a breath, though the tension in my shoulders didn’t subside.

“That’s kind of you, Anna,” I told her, forcing a smile as my heart returned to its normal rate. “And I told you, call me Cecilia. We had a deal, remember?”

“Of course,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “I am sorry, Cecilia. It was a slip of the tongue. Please, forgive me.”

“Your apology isn’t necessary,” I assured her. “Thank you for the tea.”

She nodded as she lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“Rumors are speculating from some of the women,” she told me, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper. “You have slapped Vivian… she’s furious. They think the King has punished you. Is it true?”

I pressed my lips together, not wanting to get into it with this girl. I barely knew her, and to spill all my secrets to her wasn’t something I was willing to do.

“You should be listening to mindless palace gossip,” I told her, trying to keep my voice steady. “If there’s nothing more you need… I could use the privacy.”

I motioned for my attire, and her eyes widened when she saw that I was wearing nothing but a towel.

“Of course,” she said, letting out an awkward laugh. “I’m so sorry… again. I’ll leave you be.”

I forced a smile and a nod as she quickly turned away and hurried out of my room, shutting the door behind her. I let out a breath before I went to the door and locked it.

“Strange girl,” Lora murmured, both of us equally confused and left uneasy by that interaction.

“You’re telling me,” I said in response as I went to the dresser across the room so I could grab a pair of sleep clothes.

“We should return to Warren soon,” Lora said, her tone almost pleading, and it made me pause in my movements.

“And why would we do that?”

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“Why wouldn’t we? He needs us…” Lora told me.

“He’s sleeping. When he wakes up, he’ll be Leopold again. We can’t risk it, Lora.”

I could feel her distress before she spoke again.

“We should sleep with him… in his bed.”

I pressed my lips together and shook my head, my eyes finding mine in the mirror.

“That’s a bad idea,” I tell her. “It would get too complicated, and I would surely get punished if Leopold caught me in his bed tomorrow morning.”

“Warren won’t let him hurt us.”

“Maybe not… but it would be suspicious, don’t you think?” I asked, raising my brows. “I need to keep my head down. As Claira and her friends would say, this is nothing more than a job. At the end of the day we are getting paid. Once the King finds his true mate, we will be free to go, and we can return to the life we always knew.”

“To people who betrayed us,” Lora muttered, the bitterness leaking into her tone, and I felt the weight of that betrayal in my chest.

She wasn’t wrong.

“And we won’t let them get away with it,” I assured her. “But first, we need to get back. We need to make Father admit to what he has done and find out why. Then, we can find our own peace. Away from them… and away from King Leopold.”

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