The Offer to Be Queen

Chapter 4 The King's Test

That night, Joanna tossed and turned in bed, unable to catch any Z's.

She was somewhat relieved that Lewis hadn't recognized her, yet the fear that he might eventually put two and two together kept her on edge.

She had gone to great lengths to become unrecognizable—changing her appearance, altering her fingerprints, dying her hair, removing all her tattoos, getting a full set of dental veneers, even mastering the Marindale language fluently and beating her peanut allergy!

After all that, even her old comrades-in-arms wouldn't know her from Eve.

But Lewis was no ordinary Joe, and Joanna dared not take any chances.

'I've gotta keep my distance,' she thought. 'If he finds out who I am and catches me, he'd ice me without batting an eye, be it by bullet or poison.'

Hugging herself tightly, she felt the despair creeping in. But she didn't have the guts to die all over again.

She looked out the window and was lost in thoughts. It was just like that night three years ago when she was tossed into the sea as a sacrificial lamb.

The seawater engulfed her, and death nipped at her heels.

That sensation was even colder than not being loved by Lewis.

As dawn broke, Joanna was still noodling over how to make her exit without raising eyebrows when Sandy knocked on her door. "Ms. Davis, His Majesty invites you to join him for breakfast."

Joanna's heart skipped a beat.

She knew all too well that a royal summon wasn't something she could just brush off.

She stiffly opened the door, only to see Sandy standing there with a smile.

"Can I take a rain check?" Irene asked, half-jokingly.

"For the sake of the diplomatic relation between the two countries," Sandy replied.

"Fine," Joanna sighed as she opened the door wider.

Several maids who had been waiting behind Sandy promptly entered the room, laden with racks of clothes and makeup cases.

"Ms. Davis, please allow us to doll you up!"

An hour later, Joanna stood at the dining room door.

She was decked out in traditional Kaelorian attire, feeling a bit out of her element.

But she thought, "This has got to be one of Lewis' tests."

Resolved to not give herself away, she told herself to play it cool and act like it was no biggie.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," Joanna said, flashing a smile as she took a seat at the dining table chair Sandy had pulled out for her.

She was positioned right across from Lewis, giving him a clear shot at reading her every expression.

Under such scrutiny, Joanna could barely enjoy the food, even though the spread looked downright scrumptious.

The king's breakfast was a grand affair with 32 dishes laid out on a massive table that could seat 30 people, adorned with emerald and sapphire decorations.

While slicing into his steak, Lewis cast a cool glance at Joanna, who was only picking at her bread. Lewis asked, "Doesn't the food tickle your fancy?"

Joanna quickly responded, "No, it's delicious."

"It would be even better with some peanut butter!" she added.

Lewis set down his utensils and after a brief pause, said to Sandy, "Bring her a jar of peanut butter."

Soon enough, a jar of peanut butter was brought to the table. Joanna declined Sandy's offer to help and expertly spread the peanut butter on her bread before taking a big, satisfying bite.

Lewis watched her closely, but she seemed utterly unaware but relished every bite.

After a good while, she showed no signs of an allergic reaction, and instead, she appeared to enjoy it increasingly.

"Enough!" Lewis suddenly spoke up and broke the silence. Just as Joanna looked up, thinking she'd done something wrong, she saw Lewis turn to a maid and say, "I said enough. I'm full."

Then, turning back to Joanna's surprised face, he added, "Ms. Davis, please enjoy your meal."

Lewis then dabbed his mouth with a napkin and told the maid standing by, "Peanut butter's tasty, but it's sickly sweet. Coffee can cut through the flavor; go pour Ms. Davis a cup of coffee."

The maid served Joanna a cup of coffee while placing sugar cubes and milk beside it.

Joanna dropped two cubes of sugar into her coffee, skipping the milk entirely, and started sipping with evident delight.

The way she drank the coffee was just like a true Kaelorian, with only sugar but no milk.

Lewis called, "Ms. Davis..."

Joanna looked up to find Lewis eyeing her cup. Lewis asked, "Are you really from Marindale? The way you drink your coffee is straight-up Kaelorian."

Joanna chuckled and said, "You got me there, Your Majesty. I do lean a bit Kaelorian. Curious why?"

Lewis' gaze shifted from the cup to Joanna's face, which had a mischievous glint. His finger tapped lightly on the tabletop as he asked, "Don't tell me it's because you're actually from Kaeloria?"

"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Joanna responded.

"I'm from Marindale and grew up there, yet my foster father worried I'd struggle to adapt here and made sure I was looked after by Kaelorian cooks and maids. So, I got used to having black coffee regularly—it just suits my palate better."

Finishing her explanation, Joanna turned to a nearby maid and said, "Could you pour me another cup of coffee, please?"

Lewis' fingers caressed his cup as he remarked, "Seems like Clark really went the extra mile for his foster daughter."

Joanna sighed. "Yeah, I was raised in an orphanage until I was seven. When my foster father came to Marindale on a business trip and adopted me, I finally had a home."

Lewis then asked, "Ever thought about finding your biological parents?"

Joanna shook her head and replied, "I've thought about it, but finding them in Marindale would be about as likely as—well, as likely as you falling for me."

Lewis said with a frown, "It's not you—it's anyone. I won't fall in love with anyone. Giving up all attachments that could cloud my judgment is the price of being a king."

'Giving up all attachments, huh? I was one of those sacrifices,' she thought.

Joanna sipped her coffee to compose herself and then said, "Thank you for the breakfast, Your Majesty. I've had my fill, and I should get going."

"Wait," Lewis called after her. "I want to take you somewhere."

"Where to?"

"The Equestrian Estate."