Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 159: Miss Lydia Is My Wife.

Chapter 159: Miss Lydia Is My Wife.

Late Evening.

Theodore Chambers, Citadel.

Critic Citadel, Critic-Ishire.

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The maid that had been sent to bring down the couple started with a slight frown. "But your highn-"

Theodore turned to her, his eyes dangerous and livid, he spoke to her without words, and she paled before quickly nodding.

"Right away, Your Highness" she bowed and they all left the room.

The royal maids hurried towards the grand dining hall, their footsteps echoed against the stone walls in the dimly lit corridors of the castle, the air was thick with tension as their delicate aprons fluttered behind them while they moved with urgency, their faces etched with worry and fear.

The Lord had refused to come down but the King and this mother were impulsive and cruel.

As they approached the ornate double doors leading to the dining hall, the head maid, a woman of stern demeanour motioned for the others to pause.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead, before pushing the doors open with a soft creak.

"Your majesty" she acknowledged them.

Inside, the dining hall was bathed in the warm glow of candlelight, casting long shadows across the floors.

The long table was adorned with fine silverware and crystal goblets, but the atmosphere was anything but festive.

At the head of the table sat the Salvatore, his normally angry face resting on passiveness. But his fists were clenched, and his eyes blazed with fury as he stared at the empty seat beside him.

The maids could see the tension radiating off him, making the air feel heavy and oppressive.

"Where are they?" Sandra asked, her voice strong.

With trembling hands, the head maid stepped forward, her voice barely above a whisper as she addressed them.

"Your Majesty, his highness has refused to grace the table with his presence"

She explained how she had informed him that they had prepared a sumptuous feast in his honour, but he had refused to join them, locking himself away in his chambers with his wife whom he was helping with her shoes.

As the head maid finished her report, Sandra, the king’s mother rose from her seat with a menacing glint in her eyes. "We shall not tolerate such blasphemous behaviour, go back-"

"Mother!" Salvatore growled cutting his mother off.

His anger only seemed to intensify at the news, and he slammed his fist down on the table, causing the silverware to rattle.

The maids flinched, but stood their ground, knowing they had to deliver their message despite the Kings’ volatile mood.

"We should not agitate him this early, that is not why we invited them" he pointed out, his jaw tight.

Sandra looked at her son for a brief seconds before nodding. "You are right,"

Salvatore stood up and stormed out of the dining hall, leaving the maids to exchange worried glances in his wake.

With clenched teeth and livid eyes, Sandra instructed. "Deliver dinner to their chambers and make sure they are ready for the night before leaving"

The maids bowed and left the dining hall.

Alone once more, they all let out a collective sigh of relief, grateful to have survived the encounter with this wrath.

But they knew that their suffering was far from over because with lord Theodore here they had to brace themselves for whatever challenges the month still held in store.

They headed down to the kitchen for the next task.

Moments later,

In the serene chambers of the grand palace, Lydia sat gracefully at the ornate dining table, her emerald gown, one she had when they arrived cascaded elegantly around her.

While Theodore sat across from her, his demeanour was reflective of the weighty matters that occupied his mind.

The flickering candlelight danced on the walls with the curtains that the soft breeze guided, the candles casting a warm glow over the room as the royal maids silently served their sumptuous meal.

The atmosphere was one of quiet intimacy, a stark contrast to the bustling activity of the royal dining hall below.

Theodore, who had chosen to forgo the company of the other royals, preferring instead the solace of their private and suspicious chambers, smiled when he noticed Lydia gulp.

Despite the initial disappointment of the royal maids, they still set about their task with the utmost care, they arranged the table with exquisite delicacies fit for a king and queen.

Lydia started to sit.

"Come, Gooseberry sit right next to me" Theodore invited because she was sitting across from him and he didn’t want the unnecessary distance.

Instead, Lydia glanced at the maids, she didn’t want them running to tell their mistress whatever they saw here and the woman was already accusing her of seduction.

"No, Lydia" he drawled and with a shy smile she left her seat and approached him.

"You can leave, ...all of you" Theodore bellowed when the maids hesitated after his order.

They left one by one, their faces neutral.

"The maids here are strange," Lydia whispered.

Theodore, resisting a chuckle, asked. "Whatever do you mean?"

She sat properly, her eyes widening as she told him. "They look right at people," Theodore raised an elegant brow. "I mean I am not being a pompous brat but should they not be a sign of respect for the royals?"

He had to let out a laugh and Lydia couldn’t believe this had made him laugh. "Oh that, it is all Salvatore, that is how he likes being... respected" Theodore replied, he stressed the respect to prove a point.

She scrunched her face. "By being stared at?"

Theodore took a spoon to her lips. "Who am I to judge? I love the sound of my name" he confessed.

She took the spoonful and started to chew.

"I bell...believe I... I’m pretty normal" Lydia’s reply came out muffled through her food.

While Theodore smiled, weirdly proud of himself.

As they dined, Lydia and Theodore engaged in polite conversation, their words were ladened with affection and understanding.

With each passing moment, Theodore’s laughter grew louder, fortified by the simple act of sharing a meal in each other’s company and Lydia’s supposedly sad stories that only ended up with her being clumsy.

Lydia stole glances at her husband, she admired the strength and resilience etched upon his features, and her gaze settled on his pearl-white teeth. His handsomeness was incomparable, she believed.

And Theodore, in turn, gazed upon his wife with adoration, marvelling at her grace and poise in the face of such adversity.

He knew soon she might wish she never came here and he shall be there then to take her back home.

The maids rushed in moments later when Lydia rang a bell to draw them in.

"Final course please" she implored them to serve.

"Of course, Miss Lydia" the head maid agreed but Lydia caught on something.

"Miss Lydia?" he asked with furrowed brows. "She is my wife" he growled at their silence.

"Apologies your Highness but it is the Queen Mother’s instructions" they apologised, giving their reason afterwards.

Theodore scoffed at that title. Sandra was delusional but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be upright with him.

As the final course was served, a decadent dessert of berries and cream, Theodore boiled in anger, he tried to keep a cool head but he couldn’t swallow such blatant disrespect to his Gooseberry, whatever was thrown to her was also intended for him and he wouldn’t have that.

Lydia reached across the table to clasp his hand, a silent way of her pleading with him to reign on his emotions.

Their fingers intertwined, a silent affirmation of their unbreakable connection and he met her eyes, they spoke a thousand words of how he was sorry and she understood.

In that fleeting moment, surrounded by the opulence of their chambers, they found solace in each other’s embrace, grateful for the love that bound them together, even in the midst of a kingdom in turmoil.

"You can leave and do not come back unless summoned" Theodore.

"Of course, your Highness"

"Lord Theodore" he corrected.

His gaze somehow settled on all of them, he explained. "That is how I shall be addressed, tell it to the rest of you"

"But of course Lord Theodore" the head maid said with a smile.

He then watched them leave before he relaxed and pulled Lydias’ seat closer to his.

"I have missed you" Theodore mumbled while she giggled, her fingers tracing his arm.

"I am so exhausted and I feel as though the minute I hit the bed, I shall be off to Dreamland" Lydia confessed minutes after dinner.

"I am unsure if this place has a Dreamland" Theodore countered easily.

Lydia shook her head. "It cannot be that horrible"

"Oh it can Gooseberry, it is" he said solemnly.

Then he offered his hand. "Come, let us free you from your stress"

"We should have done this before having dinner, I feel slow" Lydia said with a giggle, and Theodore was sweeping her off her feet.

"I shall carry you" he confessed and they both stepped into the bathroom, letting the hot bath massage them, releasing the bunched muscles and making them fresh again.

Meanwhile,

Outside the chambers were close to a dozen maids waiting for an answer as they repeated the same dialogue.

"Your Highness," one of them called.

No answer.

"We are here to help the lady get ready for the night"

They glanced at each other.

"We should probably leave, we can do this in the morning" one of them alerted.

"Also the Queen Mother never told us to ready her for the night" a cautious one pointed out.

"Good night, your highness"

They all bowed and turned around, leaving the couple to themselves.

Tomorrow would be a new day.