Queensmen

Chapter 45

~Matchmaker~

"Rise and shine, Your Majesty. The sun has risen, the sky is beautiful and all those other pleasant things that I surely know about."

Hermes pried his eyelids apart with only sheer will. It seemed as though he had just shut them now yet he already had to prepare for another day.

Following a quick glance at his surroundings, he found Mikeal crouched at the foot of his bed, already dressed in his servant attire.

Hermes threw his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. "Remind me again, why I let you of all people wake me up every morning?"

Mikeal bowed his head. "I believe it is because you found my voice charming, Your Majesty."

"What are you doing by my bed?"

"Your Majesty, did you forget?" Mikeal placed his hand over his chest, a hurt look drawn over his features. "Tired to the bone, last night you requested me to get in bed with you and—"

There was a gasp in the background, reminding Hermes of one tiny detail he might have missed when he had looked around. He sat up and stared at the five maids standing in a line by his bed. They all had articles of his clothing in their hands.

Obviously, they had been sent here to get him ready for the day.

Hermes dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "He will dress me today. You all can leave now."

"Yes, Your Majesty," they said together then curtsied.

Hermes watched them drop the items they held then file out of the room. When his guards shut the doors from the outside, he turned back to Mikeal.

The man's head hit the ground. "Your Majesty, forgive me. I just wanted to say that you wanted me in bed with you because that night it was particularly stormy and you needed comfort. I just managed to slip out when the maids got here. I didn't mean to damage your reputation."

"Enough, Mikeal," Hermes sighed, pressing the heel of his palm against his temple. "No one is here to watch your play."

Mikeal looked up slightly and peeked around the room before falling back on his ankles and sighing to himself. "Who knew that the life of a servant was so hard? The moods of our masters are so unpredictable. We can lose our heads at every turn."

"Undress me and stop talking."

"I think you got the order wrong, Your Majesty."

"Are you questioning me, Mikeal?"

"I would never dare to," Mikeal rose to his feet. "It's just. . . If the maids heard you they would start getting ideas and before you know it your relationships with men around the capital will spread."

"Which men?!"

Mikeal shifted to the side just in time to dodge the dagger that had been thrown at him. He bent down to pick the metal basin and washcloth one of the maids had left behind.

"Well, there is Magnus, then Eugene," he began as he dipped the cloth into the water, "Faeradaigh. Then me of course."

"Faeradaigh?" Hermes shrugged out of his robe. "Why did you include Dai?"

"Because we both know you secretly love chubby people," Mikeal replied easily then threw the wet cloth at Hermes. "I can do anything while pretending to be your servant but I will not wipe your body down."

Hermes pulled the cloth off his face with two fingers. "And you are supposed to be my lover."

"You do all the pleasuring in our relationship," Mikeal replied with a straight face.