SMITTEN

Aisha heard the female servants rustling in her room. But she covered herself in her thick blanket. She didn't want to wake up yet.

The Royal Consorts stories still played in her brain that she even dreamed about them!

'I never imagined myself to be married to a polygamous man!' she screamed inside her head, before furiously shifting to the other side of the bed. 

But then, her face scowled as she thought why she was being like that. She knew from the start that this was the setup. She was the 1007th Lady Consort of the King of Gaea. And she was married to him because she must give him a child.

'Why am I being frustrated right now? This wasn't a problem for me before!' Aisha grimaced before scuffling and lying on her back, still inside the blanket. 

'Is it because I am already in love with the King and I am jealous right now?' her fingers flew to her parted lips. 

"Good morning, my lady," Rosalia greeted her. 

Aisha could sense that Rosalia was just a foot away from her. Still wanting to stay in bed, she pretended that she was still asleep.

*snore loudly*

"It seems like Lady Aisha didn't want to do the royal physician's requirement of waking up early today," Rosalia told the other female servants, which she could also hear from under the bed.

'I just got sick. It'll be okay. And besides, what's the sense? I don't want to bear a child for the King anymore,' she continued to rant under the blanket.

Just then, a messenger gave a message from outside the Chamber to Aisha. 

"The King is requesting for the presence of Lady Aisha," he announced in a loud voice, that even when Aisha was still sleeping, she would surely wake up and oblige.

Aisha pulled the  warm blanket even closer to her as she spoke in a pretentious weak voice, "Please tell the messenger that I feel sick, I cannot come."

She recalled that the King is genuinely concerned about her health. Perhaps she would not be punished if she used that as an excuse. 

Rosalia bowed down to her and went outside the Chamber. Aisha immediately opened the blanket, jumped from her bed and eavesdropped at the door of her Chamber. 

"Please tell the King that my lady is not feeling well. But she would just dress and be with him in a short while," she told the messenger, to Aisha's horror and surprise.

Aisha's face grew as dim as a cloud of a mighty storm. She put her arms over her chest, surprising Rosalia as she came back after talking with the messenger.

"I told him what you just said, my lady," she bowed down to her with a quivering voice.

"You did not," Aisha growled, before stomping away. "I am not coming," she blurted out before sitting at the edge of the bed. 

"Forgive me for saying this, my lady. But no matter what you are feeling about him, he is still the King," Rosalia reminded her before brushing her hair with a boar bristle brush.

Aisha nodded her head as she agreed with her. She knew Rosalia was listening to her conversation with the Royal Consorts as she was just a foot behind her being her court lady. 

"I know," she sighed. "But you know what happened last night. If you were me, can you really face him right now?" She shrugged up her shoulders and glanced up at her as she waited for her response. 

Rosalia was about to answer when another messenger called out from outside her Chamber. This time, it was her own servants. 

"Lady Sofia, the King's 87th concubine wants is here, my lady," her servant said, *surprising Aisha and Rosalia as they both darted their heads to the door.

Then they glanced back at each other before Aisha uttered, "Who is she? What is she doing here?"

Rosalia's shoulders lifted as if she was telling her that she has no idea. "We will know if you get dressed now, my lady."

Aisha nodded her head vigorously in agreement. Like lightning, she dressed and faced Lady Sofia. 

Aisha immediately recognized her as soon as she saw her. She was the one whom she talked to before who changed her statement last night.

As soon as they sat down in Aisha's Chamber's Patio, she immediately stated the reason why she was there. 

"Forgive me for lying to you, my lady. I couldn't sleep last night because of guilt. I know you have a good relationship with the King. But the other consorts were envious of you," she said without even looking at her.

Aisha's eyes widened in surprise. "So they were all playing with me last night? But why do their stories connect together? And it seemed like it was true, since I experienced the same thing myself."

"To be honest, we were all planning that even before we met at the Cenatio. They combined their personal stories together, so they would be more believable. But the truth is, all of them were just one or two experiences," she smiled awkwardly at her as she darted her eyes away.

Aisha froze for a minute with her jaw dropped open. "S-so that means the King wasn't really meeting with you all."

As it finally dawned on her, her lips lifted into a wide grin. 

She immediately faced Lady Sofia and grabbed her hands. "Oh my gosh, my lady. You're such a lifesaver. I already thought of filing for a divorce."

Lady Sofia gave her a curious look. "Divorce?" she repeated to him. 

Aisha's shoulders shrugged as she responded, "Never mind. Still, thank you for being honest right now. Just as I thought that all potential girlfriends are backstabbers in real life."

As she said that, Lady Sofia's lips lifted into a genuine smile. "Well, I just want to help the King, too. He's been good to us and our family. And all he wants is an heir."

Aisha nodded her head in agreement. Now she knows where to go to next. 

*************************

Honesty has a power that very few can handle.