Louisa Hendraki

Chapter Five: Regent

Louisa sat on her bed reading a book while Zara helped put her dresses away. "How was dinner today?"she asked with a smile. Louisa closed the book and smiled back. "Awesome. The king actually smiled at me. And he has a son. And the boy's mother met with me. And..."

"The boy's mother lives?" Zara asked confused.

"Yes. It's surprising, I know but he's a sweet boy."

"And you're his mother too... wait... did you say the king smiled at you?"

"Yes. And don't scream. It's just a gesture. Anyone can smile"

Zara, who obviously had enough to say, just smiled knowingly and said instead, "Lady Nora is kind. And she likes you."

"Oh..." Louisa said flustered but was short of words. She didn't want to wander off to Nora again. She'd tried her best to think straight.

Then Zara said,"You'll have new ladies from tomorrow. That's what I was told by the other ladies."

"Other ladies? You're already bonding. Impressive" Louisa said impressed.

"Well what can I say? You'll be Queen and soon, your queenly duties will leave me much lonely so I better make friends...but don't worry. You're irreplaceable, Majesty"

"Oh please Zara. Its still Louisa. You're beginning to sound like Tristan and Roman."

They both laughed and just then, there was a rapt knock on the door before it opened. Nikolai walked in and Zara curtsied. Then she smiled at Louisa before leaving.

Louisa found it strange at first while wondering why Nikolai was in her room before realization hit her.

The wedding night!

She had completely forgotten. She had been so caught up in the excitement of the feast that she didn't remember. Nikolai stalked to her bedside and she hugged the sheets tighter around her as though it would protect her. She wasn't ready yet.

It wasn't that Nikolai wasn't good looking. He was but... she was nervous. Her stomach tightened and she felt like throwing up.

But Nikolai only looked at her and asked,"Why do you look pale?" She was startled. Pale?

"I... I... I don't know. I'm tired maybe" she stuttered. He only looked at her amused. "Relax, Louisa. I'm not doing anything. I came to sleep. You should sleep too, don't you think?" Then he laid on the bed beside her. Louisa just looked at him, unsure of what to do.

He watched her with an amused expression before tapping the space beside him, indicating for her to sleep. She relaxed and laid down nervously, placing her head on his chest.

He didn't react. Instead, he began to stroke her hair. He could tell that she was very shy but he didn't want to rush things with her yet. Afterall, he had come here to escape Juliet. She was very demanding, and it annoyed him most times.

"I'll be leaving to Tavaria tomorrow. I'll return the day after. I want you to rule as regent while I'm away." he said carefully.

Louisa creased her brows in confusion before raising her head to look at him. "Regent?"

He nodded.

"But... I'm new here. I can't rule. I've never done it before..." Louisa said almost worried. "Nora will help you. You are queen. You can rule and you will... just give it a try for a day. You may not necessarily have a quarrel to settle tomorrow. Besides, you'll have to meet with the council and choose your ladies."

"Choose? I thought they were already chosen for me." she asked again.

Nikolai shrugged."You are the queen. You decide how you want them". Louisa sighed and placed her head back on his chest. Being a queen was fun here. Being a queen at Ravencrest felt like a beautifully wrapped punishment. It didn't feel like a good thing. You basically followed every whim of Achan. Nendes meant freedom to choose.

She smiled. If Nikolai was being kind to her then she was willing to give marriage a chance. Yet she was determined to tread with caution, even though she was happy Nikolai hadn't abandoned her on their first night.

****

Louisa woke up early to meet an empty ned. Nikolai had gone. She smiled at herself without knowing why. Then she tried to go back to sleep when there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" she said lazily. Then Zara walked in with a bright smile. It seemed she wanted to ask something but was finding it hard to decide.

Louisa read her mind.

"No. Nothing happened last night. We were both tired." Louisa said matter-of-factly. Zara raised a brow and said,"Come on Queen Louisa. You need to get up." Louisa rolled her eyes at her and sat up and yawned.

Zara smiled at her and helped her into the bathroom for a bath and mouth wash. As Zara washed her hair, Louisa said,"The king appointed me as regent last night."

Zara frowned, confused,"Regent? Isn't that a bit

too early?" Louisa shrugged. "Apparently, he trusts that I can rule for a day." Zara nodded and kept on washing her hair.

While Zara styled her hair, Louisa thought of the prospect of seeing Nora again. She was determined to not act stupid as she did last night. She chose a royal blue sequence dress that had feathers at the end of the sleeves and hem of the dress.

Her hair was styled beautifully in a ponytail and silver clips were fixed to make it more beautiful. "You're a queen now. You must always look your best." Zara said. Louisa smiled.

"Thank you. I need to go find Nora. Be here when I'm back. I'll go alone." Louisa said and hurried out of the room. She met with many servants bowing to her. It felt almost like a dream. She didn't really matter in Ravencrest and here, she felt like a queen.

Or more correctly, she was a queen!

As she walked through the cloister, a little boy ran up to her. It was Conrad. Nikolai's son. He bowed to her, "Greetings your majesty" he said.

Louisa thought he was adorable and smiled. She tapped his nose and he smiled. "How old are you Conrad?" she asked.

"I'm seven, milady"

She looked around. His mother wasn't in sight. "Are you here to see the king?" she asked and he nodded innocently. She smiled at him, "The king travelled and will not be back till tomorrow." The little boy lowered his gaze, disappointed.

"You know what? I'm about to have breakfast. Do you want to join me?" His eyes lit up and he nodded. She took his hand and led him to the garden. She beckoned on a maid that stood nearby and told her to bring food for them.

Then she sat with Conrad on the soft grass. He was very lively and made Louisa laugh with his stories about living alone. He said he wasn't allowed to play with friends and was to be inside the house at all times.

Louisa felt bad for him. She couldn't imagine how lonely he must be feeling. She couldn't imagine living without Zara or Roman or Tristan.

The food arrived and Conrad excitedly thanked her before eating. They were still eating when someone called.

"Conrad!"