The Purple Eyed Girl

43. I've always liked to play with fire

Feeling rather enraged, I made my way up the stairs and passed my father's room on the way to mine. It fueled my anger even more, so I stormed through my door, annoyed I had to take a shower. I really didn't want to, I didn't want do anything, but I had to. The thought of having to get out of my clothes, go over to the shower, turn it on, wash myself, then dry myself off and putting on fresh clean clothes seemed too useless and too tiring. It was a simple, ordinary daily task which normally would've been routine, but now I really needed to push myself to actually go through with it.

Taking off my armor revealed ongoing patches of dried blood and mud on my skin. I glanced into the mirror and noticed my face was completely covered in it too. Not to mention my hair, which looked more like rope than hair at this point.

It was going to take ages to clean myself and I frustratedly turned on the water and stood under it. It was only then I noticed my toiletries were missing and my bathrobe had been replaced with a different one. There was a different kind of shampoo placed in the shower and I realized I hadn't noticed any of my stuff when I entered the room. It definitely was my room though, because the hole in the bathroom wall was still there.

Oh fuck.

They had moved my stuff to the king's chambers, because that was my actual room now. Deciding I might as well finish the job now that I was in the shower anyway, I embarked on the adventure of cleaning my hair. When I was completely clean I lowered myself down on the bathroom floor, letting the water rinse over me, and it hit me how tired I was.

I groaned and slapped my hands onto the floor before getting up again. Succumbing to it wasn't an option. This was only the beginning. I was queen now. I had to rule not just one kingdom, but oversee two others as well, deal with the generals on a daily basis and deal with Haimon and Valerio since they were still in the palace.

I turned off the shower, dried myself off and wrapped the basic bathrobe around me, allowing myself a good look in the mirror. Dark bags had found their places under my eyes and I had lost a considerable amount of weight, but I wasn't drenched in blood. Finally. A huge grin appeared on my face and I made my way to the hallway where I was greeted by Mr. Anders.

He was holding a box and nodded to it. "A dress for the coronation was delivered from the werewolf kingdom."

"You can return it. I'm not going to wear a dress." I said while we descended the stairs.

He handed the box over to a guard at the main entrance and followed me to the king's chambers. "You want me to make sure your armor is cleaned on time?"

The corner of my mouth turned upward. "You know me so well."

"I'll personally bring your father's belongings to your new office attached to your room. And I'm so sorry for your loss, Iola. I know how much he meant to you and I'm pretty surprised you're already up on your feet again after last night." He stopped me mid-track and placed a hand on my shoulder.

My empty gaze met his before I turned it to the closed doors of the king's chamber. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Okay. Your room and office are off limits to everyone except you, without your permission. But if there's anything you need just ask." He asked, looking at me concerned while removing his hand from my shoulder, shaking it like it was overheating.

My gaze rapidly shifted between the doors and his eyes and I shot him a fake smile. "Thanks."

When my hand found the doorhandle he called out to me once more, causing me to turn around. "Before I forget, there's something I need to show you once you have your crown."

I gave him a simple nod. He returned the favor and we went our separate ways. Not knowing what to expect, I opened the doors and stepped into the chamber. A heavy burden lay upon this room where many kings had met their doom. If they didn't meet their end in battle, many kings died in here instead, including the most recent one.