The Year 3000

Chapter 32: More Training and Secret Meetings

Ashton's POV

[before Scarlett & Harry left]

Previously:

"Ashton." His tone was mocking. "King Louis needs you to go back down to the servants' quarters at once to continue your training."

My eyes were burning with hatred, but I bowed with red swimming in my vision.

"Yes Sir." Without another word, I stormed out of the room, going around the corner and down the grand stairwell. After several more turns and two more staircases, I was positive I was lost.

Fuck.

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I swore loudly under my breath, turning around several times. This part of the Palace was deserted, doors lining either side of the narrow hallway. I racked my brain trying to remember how to get back down to the servants' quarters, but came up with nothing. Finally, I just picked a random direction and began walking. I was completely panicking on the inside. Louis was going to kill me for being late, worse than kill me. I dreaded to know what punishment he had planned. I was sure he was counting the seconds I was late just to use it against me. An image of his signature smirk filled my head.

I quickly shook it away with a shudder.

My heart was in my throat after the third wrong turn. I was desperate. I had no idea where I was, and there was no one around to help me. Feeling about ready to just bang my head against the nearest wall and scream, I turned another corner. But before I even had time to register what was happening, a hand shot out and roughly grabbed my arm, shoving me around.

I felt my stomach drop as I came face-to-face with the familiar blue-green eyes of the Devil himself.

"K-King Louis." I gulped, unconsciously shrinking away from his looming figure. Louis was fuming as he glared down at me, his grip on my arm tightening painfully. I winced, but he either didn't see, or didn't care. My guess was the latter.

"Where the hell have you been? You're nearly half-an-hour late to your training," Louis growled out, his breath fanning over my face as he shoved me into the nearest wall. I tried in vain to swallow the lump in my throat before I spoke.

"I-I got lost, uh, Sir," I replied pathetically, but at this point, I didn't care. My pride was much lower than self-preservation on the totem pole of priorities. Louis stared at me for a moment longer, before leaning in even closer to my face.

"If you're ever late to your training again, I will break every single bone in your fragile little human body, feed you vampire blood, and then do it again," he whispered venomously in my ear. I shuddered, an image of him doing just that filling my head. I blinked, but it didn't go away. One glance at Louis' impatient face quickly snapped me back to reality. Trembling, I managed to nod.

"Good, now come on. We have thirty-minutes of training to make up for." He began leading me back to where I was guessing as the servants' quarters.

"A-Are you g-going to p-punish me, Sir?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. To my surprise, Louis abruptly stopped walking, making me nearly run into his frozen figure.

"Not right now." His voice was cold, detached. Without another word, Louis began walking again. I was confused, but I didn't dare utter a word. Instead I silently followed behind him all the way to the servants' quarters. Maxton was waiting for us, his face stricken with apprehension.

"Your Majesty." Maxton bowed, stealing a glance at me.

"Let us continue with the training." Louis' voice was clipped as he spoke. Worry shot through my heart. He was like a ticking time-bomb; at any second he would go off. And I was standing directly in the line of fire. However, as the training progressed, Louis was unusually quiet. Of course, there were still beatings from him whenever I messed up, but it wasn't as frequent as it had been. I didn't question it, but it made me curious. What had happened in his meeting that had calmed him down? Good news or bad news?