Escaping Her Curse—Completed

Chapter Nine

Still feeling as though she was still in a dream, she asked, “And what is the fun part?”

Oliver feigned a surprised smile as he replied, “Why, following me around all day to get the hang of things, of course!”

“Oh, uh, of course,” Jessie said with confusion.

“Now, normally, I’d give you the day to do whatever, and that was what I was planning to do. But then, I remembered what the meeting I’m having in a bit was about, so I thought you’d like to join that and just sit in. I think you’d be interested in the meeting.”

“And why would that be?”

Oliver flashed her a cheeky grin. “Because it’s about magic.”

“For a kingdom who despises it so much, it sure seems like you talk about it a lot,” Jessie remarked.

“That’s fair. I don’t deny that my father hates magic, but that doesn’t mean that I do, necessarily. I think there are some benefits from it. I mean, it’s why we still have them working in the first place. We have an entire section of the castle dedicated to magic and the study of it and what it can do. So, I think–”

“That it’s okay to e*****e people to do your research because you’re scared of something you don’t understand?” Jessie interrupted before she could stop herself.

Oliver’s eyebrows rose, scrunching his forehead. “Hmm. What a bold statement to make.”

Jessie remained quiet, her eyes downcast to stare at the floor. She usually had much better control over her tongue and didn’t know what had come over her to say such a thing to the prince of all people.

Sensing the change in mood, Oliver pushed off his desk and sat in one of the chairs seated across from the couch Jessie was sitting on. He evaluated her demeanor and worried face.

Finally, he sighed. “Jessie,” he began. “I don’t want you to stop speaking your mind. In fact, I appreciate it. However, you must not say things carelessly. I am the Prince, and you must respect my status.”

“I will–”

Oliver held up a hand. “Let me finish.”

She nodded.

“My father is fearful of magic. He saw first hand the cruelty and destruction magic can bring. He fought against it, yes, out of fear, but also to save this kingdom. He was not wrong to do so. Now, I may not exactly feel the same way as him, but I will respect how he handled things. He did what he thought was best, and I hope that my people will trust in me when it is my turn. We have better precautions in place now, so there is hope that we do not meet the same fate. As my assistant, you will respect how things run in this country. Understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Jessie said weakly.

“Thank you. I don’t mean to give you a tongue lashing. I really don’t. Were anyone outside these four walls to hear what you just said–” he stopped abruptly, causing Jessie to look up and at the prince.

His face was turned to the side, and he seemed to be working his jaw. He seemed upset, which surprised Jessie.

“It will not happen again,” she said.

“Thank you,” he mumbled.

Jessie half smiled to herself. “Sorry for ruining the mood and your excitement. I did not mean to make this about me and my lowly opinions. I cannot begin to understand what it feels like to have an entire country resting on my shoulders. You have to take into account everyone, and I dare not place myself in a higher station than where I belong. I’ve already been given so much by you. Let us return to the mood prior to this conversation.”

“I would appreciate that,” Oliver replied, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“I, um,” Jessie started, rising from her seat. “I’ll go change.”

“You don’t need to.”

Jessie curtsied quickly. “I’d rather be in uniform, even to watch a meeting take place.”

Oliver watched her scuttle out of the room after snatching up the pile of clothes he’d brought for her. This was absolutely the last thing he wanted with her: for things to be weird and unsettling. He hadn’t meant to lash out at her. In fact, he partially agreed with her. However, his father still reigned, which meant that everyone in the castle reported to the King. Not him. He couldn’t protect her from them, and he so desperately wanted to protect her.

Walking back to his desk chair, Oliver sat and pondered over his last thought. He wanted to protect her. But why? The longer he thought about what he’d just done, in pulling her from her maid position at the dukedom to be his assistant, the more absurd he saw his actions. He knew his father would perceive them as childish. He was both worried and shocked that his father hadn’t stopped this from happening already. This meant that the old man was planning on using Jessie somehow.

Why had he taken her? Why had he plucked her from her little hideaway to bring her out to the wolves? The nobles and palace attendants would not be kind to her. So, what had possessed him to do such a thing? There would be rumors and whispers that would follow her everywhere she went. They would speculate that he was sleeping with her. They would say her position wasn’t fairly awarded. They would hate her.

Oliver placed his head into his hands, upset with himself and lost in the downward spiral of his thoughts until he heard the door barely creak open. He jerked his head up and saw her swish through the door. Her hair was braided and rested gently on her shoulder, curled around her neck. There were a few hairs framing her face. And her face. Her mesmerizing eyes. His own eyes traced the long scar down her face, which did nothing to hide the beauty of her features. Without the marred skin, she would turn the head of every man. But he didn’t care about her outwardly beauty. There was a quietness about her, a calm and a peace that she brought to his soul. Like she was water on a hot day.

That was why he would protect her from the vipers. She soothed his soul in a way he thought he’d never feel. Her mere presence brought him closure and safety in a way so unexplainable that he felt as though he was crazy for even thinking such a thought.

“M’lord?” she asked meekly, feeling the weight of his stare.

Her voice. The most melodious thing he’d ever heard. Musicians would die before they’d ever perfect the beauty her voice alone brought into the room. Not even the birds or an opera could compare to how sweet she sounded. Let alone the lips, in which her voice escaped from. They were beyond anything he’d ever–

“M’lord? Your stare is, uh… Is there something wrong?”

His eyes snapped shut before he blinked a few times and cleared his throat.

“Nothing is wrong with you. I mean. That’s not,” he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He was not used to being flustered, and he did not enjoy it one bit.

“What time is the meeting at?”

Silently thanking her for giving him a lifeline out of that conversation, he promptly answered, “Half an hour. It will probably go until lunch. Will that be alright?”

“Absolutely! I’ll just arrange things here so that I’m ready for tomorrow in the meantime.”

“Sounds great,” he mumbled as he dove into the paperwork he had been ignoring all morning.

He needed something to distract himself from how much of an i***t he’d just been. He needed something to get him through until the meeting. He didn’t want to dwell any longer than he already had on his already embarrassing encounter.

Before long, he was buried in his papers and only somewhat heard the soft rustling of Jessie moving to and fro. What felt like minutes later, her quiet voice interrupted his train of thought to let him know that it was almost time to leave for the meeting.

“Already?” he asked, checking his own magically infused device that allowed him to see the time.

Standing up from his seat, he gathered the folders related to the meeting and gestured for Jessie to follow him out of the room.

“You’re going to meet at least half of the nobles today. I’ll introduce you, so don’t worry about that. We’ll find you a seat in the corner, where you can settle for the duration of the meeting. What’s that?” he asked suddenly, stopping in the middle of the hallway.

“Paper?” Jessie replied, confused.

She had been struggling to keep up with his fast stride, and now she almost ran into him.

“Yes, I know that. But, why do you have paper with you?”

“For notes.”

“You’re going to take notes?”

Jessie looked at him with perplexity. “Of course I’m going to take notes. I’m sure we’ll need them for later discussion, or at least to remember all that is said.”

Oliver thought for a moment before continuing on. “I think hiring you is going to be the best spur of the moment decision I’ve ever made.”

She smiled at his back as he prattled on about who she’d meet and the basics of what they’d be discussing in the meeting. Before long, they arrived in front of a meeting room. She watched Oliver confidently walk into the room and command attention.

“Good morning, everyone. This is Jessie Montgomery, my new personal assistant,” Oliver announced to the table full of men.

In the matter of seconds, all eyes zeroed on her, scrutinizing her, and all Jessie wanted to do was hide from their sneers.