Mermaid Tear (The Fated #2)

26 | Best-Laid Plans

Two Weeks Ago

Exhaustion sent Kain into a deep sleep from the moment his head hit the pillow.

If it weren't for the faint ache that swept through his temple as a polite, yet firm knocking woke him the next morning, he wouldn't have realized any time had passed. As it was, in the seconds following the rousing noise, he shoved his face deeper into the pillow crushed between his arms. A mutinous part of him considered staying there forever.

That wasn't possible, however, so he slowly rolled out of the bed.

Kain opened the door to Lyre offering him a greeting bow. A pile of clothing laid over the servant's arm.

"Good morning, Milord," Lyre said as he straightened. "I hope I didn't disturb you, but the tailor came by with some of the ready-made items he measured you for last night."

Kain shook his head, stepping away so Lyre could enter. "Not at all. Please, come in."

The servant swept past him, walking straight for the room divider. He laid the clothing over the top, before turning to face Kain with a friendly, but hesitant smile. "Were you wanting help, Milord? I am a competent manservant if you wish. Or I could check the state of your breakfast. Will you and the missus be dining together?"

It was Kain's turn to hesitate. There was a chance Lyre would consider it odd if he turned down all assistance, but he couldn't view being dressed by a severent as anything less than disconcerting. "Checking on breakfast would be appreciated. And...yes, I believe I will."

More accurately, he would ask and make sure she was comfortable with it while the servant was gone, then dine together if the answer was yes.

Lyre nodded, before starting towards the door. "Very well, Milord."

As soon as he was gone, Kain approached the room divider. A quick study of the clothing provided told him the material was more expensive than anything he'd ever owned. Which was to be expected given their benefactor. As was the fact the outfit consisted of typical Eolian noble fashion.

The pristine, white collared shirt had a faint ruffled design down the buttoned front, and was extremely soft to the touch. The accompanying blue-and-silver vest felt like silk, and despite the rush the tailor had been subjected to, it was just snug enough to be comfortable, but not suffocating. It felt odd to tuck the black pants over his travel boots, but the end result looked rich enough after he found a cloth to polish a few scuffs off the toes.

The last touch Kain added to the outfit was an uncertain one. Despite being aware that Alekos had hung onto his blade, therefore making dawning his sword-belt pointless, Kain still strapped the leather into place. He wouldn't be able to relax without at least an ounce of the familiar weight.

Once he had finished, Kain approached the bathroom door that connected his and Melitta's quarters. His hesitant knock was met first by silence, then muffled conversion. Despite his sensitive ears, Kain couldn't pick up on anything beyond the existence of whispered words.

"Melitta?" he called uncertainty.

"Just a moment!"

Content she had heard him, he tucked one hand into his pocket to wait. The other combed absently through his hair. Belatedly, Kain realized he should've done something with it in an attempt to complete his fanciful appearance, but it felt so odd. The sailor in him was used to simply throwing his mother's cap into place and calling it good. And, beyond that, the adventurer of the last month had simply grown used to ignoring the loose curls.