Pampered by the Villainous Tyrant King

Chapter 27

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

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That morning the king had left before Annabeth had woken up as usual on the occasional nights the king spent at Dahlia Palace, only this time she had woken up in the king's bedroom.

She had never been here before since she was granted her own temporary quarters in Gardenia Palace. His bedroom was tastefully decorated with shades of calming blue and green. Everything was done low-key but with elegant pieces of furniture. Annabeth approved. One could always tell an owner's personality by the way they decorated their personal space. That or the king had some great interior decorators.

Although the physicians had said she was out of danger, Annabeth was still made to halt her swordsmanship lessons for a few days. Lucy and Piper were both buzzing around like worried hens, clucking their tongues whenever they thought she was working too hard.

The truth was, Annabeth was looking for anything to do to forget what had happened at the dowager queen's ball. Anytime she thought of how the dowager queen had conspired to assault her and then kill her, Annabeth had to fight the contents of her stomach from coming up. And so she threw herself into piles of paperwork to take her mind away.

Annabeth had already gone through the palaces' budgets and plugged any leaky holes. Those who had done a good job were praised for their merit and assured that they would get a yearly bonus. Those who did not, sorry, the queen was demoting or kicking them out.

Next, she had to make sure that the palaces' infrastructure was stable. The stewards last time had used poor construction materials in the fixing of the stables, so it would not be unheard of if the stewards had tampered elsewhere with their sticky hands.

There were so many affairs to take off besides the usual financial budgeting and approval of administration like preparing for the upcoming Festival of Bounty and Fertility. But even Annabeth was forced to take a break by Lucy and Piper. Even Sir Rachel was sent to report with a message that the king would stop the queen's swordsmanship lessons if she were to continue being a workaholic.

Kicked out of her own study, Annabeth ended up visiting the library in Gardenia Palace. She had been here quite a few times to study with her tutors before her move to Dahlia Palace. Dahlia Palace had a library as well, but the majority of books and scrolls were in Gardenia Palace. She had marveled at the stupendous size that rivaled that of a mid-sized museum.

Annabeth slowly browsed the bookshelves, selected a few interesting titles and then headed to the coziest spot in the library. There was a chaise propped by a corner of the library underneath a window that had a magnificent view of the gardens and the Eldoris capital but was hidden from the main library by bookshelves. Only this time, Annabeth's favorite library reading spot was currently occupied by the king.

She approached the chaise, a little disheartened that her spot had been taken. But then again, the king had been living here for twenty-three years. This was probably his spot first.

The king didn't seem to notice her approach. As Annabeth went closer, she realized that the king appeared to be asleep, a book lying open on his chest. So, even the king had his moments where he appeared to be dodging work?

She was going to turn around and leave to find another place to sit but the light from the windows had seemed to cast a filter over him like a gentle frame where he was painted by the gods that no Instagram filter could ever capture. It seemed a pity that no one else could see such a scene.

Annabeth quietly sat down on a stool by the side. She had brought some paper and pen to take notes, but now they were her instruments of art. Annabeth wouldn't claim to be the best artist around, but her major did require some art skills. Quietly, she began sketching the portrait of the king.