𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 || 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚✔

Chapter 6: The Compromise

Roseanne awoke from her sleep and found herself alone in her bed as always. She got out of her chamber and took her fragrant bath. Afterward, she seated by herself in the adjoining alcove where the meal was set ready for her.

The table was laden with excessive repast fit for the gods themselves, whole wheat breads out of the oven, topped with fortifying sesame paste and thick golden honey, layered pasta filled with goat cheese and savory meat with olive oil, and sliced Macedonian ham on a bed of chopped lettuce and baked tomatoes along with a jug of the creamiest milk. There was also a huge bowl of grapes and figs and freshly picked berries from the groves of Argos, and mountain tea from Crete.

But this time, Roseanne couldn't seem to find her appetite. She began her first meal of the day in silence. As her head was preoccupied with so many unsaid things, her invisible handmaidens addressed her, though she still saw none of them in the flesh.

"Sovereign lady, how was your night of slumber?" the voice by the chair spoke to her.

Roseanne blushed as she thought of her night spent in the most pleasurable way yet her heart still felt heavy with loneliness. She replied with a coy sweet tone that she had no trouble with her sleep.

"Then why do you seem so gloomy today?" another voice came from across the table where the candle-holder stood. "Did we fail to meet any of your needs?"

Roseanne quickly shook her head at the candle-holder.

"No, no, this is more than enough for me," she said. "I wish for nothing else. I just have this strange sadness, which I can't seem to grasp. One moment I was content and overjoyed, but the next moment, I felt miserable and deprived."

The princess was uncertain about her internal conflicts and her budding passion. Her wish to behold her wedded companion felt too intimate to let it be known. Yet the invisible maids already knew what had caused their mistress's gloom.

"Perhaps you're lonely and far away from home," they said. "But over time, you shall learn to forget and enjoy your new life here."

Roseanne nodded with a smile. Her handmaidens tried to cheer her mind with jokes and stories. It would have seemed rather strange if one was to see her conversing with them. At times, Roseanne felt as if she was speaking to a chair or a vase stand since it was where her unseen maids seemed to be located.

After a hearty meal of the greatest delicacies and the most nectarous drink, she took a short excursion to a pleasant grove of tall and stately trees. Roseanne explored it with the same amazement, and in the midst discovered a beautiful marble fountain, which sent forth clear and crystal waters. Roseanne's mood began to improve at the sight of nature and beauty of her surroundings, and she was able to pass her time alone without much boredom.

Her day went by like this until sundown. Then she returned to the palace again for supper. Then her heart began to anticipate the mysterious presence.

But tonight, Roseanne felt torn between her desire to meet her invisible partner and the dreaded sadness of being left alone like the nights before. These feelings slowly beclouded her mind as midnight drew close.

While she reposed on her bedding of down, trying to ignore her unsettling thoughts, Lisa entered her chamber and at once climbed onto the bed with her.

Those golden lips fluttered over her cheeks like a butterfly over a flower. Roseanne felt the blissful weight upon her body once again, but this time, she made herself rigid and unyielding, resisting Lisa's attempt to part her shapely legs. The young goddess did not understand the state of her beloved maiden. She tried to caress her with the same passion, but her mortal wife did not return the gesture like before.