SMITTEN

Aisha's bronze eyes shone as she saw the King in front of her. Visions of their secret rendezvous flashed in her mind.

She immediately shook her wanton desires at the back of her head as she bowed, "What brings you here, your Majesty?"

She bit her lips, hoping it would stop the galloping horses in her chest.

Instead of answering her questions directly, King Leandro continued to walk forward and sweep his hand in the air, changing the holographic view to a map. It was probably a Gaean Map.

"Whoa, I didn't know you could do that, your Majesty," Aisha reacted with her hands clapping.

King Leandro seemed to ignore her as he continued on, "The Gaean Lands are divided into four regions. The North, South, East, and West," he then pointed to the four corners of the map.

"Oh my gosh, he's freakishly the hottest teacher ever! I could do overnight classes tonight," Aisha gulped to prevent her mouth from drooling..

Her palms cupped her face as she sat and put her elbows on the table.

"The King's Castle is here in the North and -" King Leandro continued on, but he stopped midway. "Are you listening, my lady?"

Aisha immediately straightened herself and responded quickly, "Yes. And there is the Lycus Lands in the Southern Region, am I correct?"

She grinned at him from ear to ear, bragging that she was indeed listening attentively.

King Leandro nodded to Master Aurelius, who bowed back to him. Then he turned off the visuals.

"To tell you the truth, I am here because I need to see a book. But I also want to inspect if Master Aurelius' current pupil is studying well for her examination," he said as he darted his attention to Master Aurelius.

The teacher lifted his eyeglasses from the tip of his nose and gave Aisha a stern look.

Her face turned pallid white as she stood there, frozen on the spot.

"Exams? Oh my gosh, this must be a nightmare," she lightly patted her cheeks to wake herself up. She felt the pain, but King Leandro and Master Aurelius were still in front of her.

Her eyelids fluttered rapidly as she asked in a nervous tone, "What will happen if I fail the test?"

If they call off the wedding, then she won't be a royal wife anymore. She doesn't need to be pregnant and breastfeed.

"It's probably a good thing to fail," Aisha thought to herself, making her less anxious.

However, all her hopes were dampened by the King's blunt answer.

"You will stay here at the Athenaeum with Master Aurelius until you do," King Leandro said in a serious tone.

Aisha's shoulders hunched as her eyes darted to the Chamber. There were rows and rows of books everywhere. And it's as high as a three-floor building! Seeing it suffocated Aisha. Her hand clutched on her neck.

"No worries, my dear King. I will pass the test," She laughed uncomfortably. "I will even get an A+, you'll see," Aisha put her hand on her forehead and made a salute.

King Leandro pressed his lips as if he was suppressing a thrilled smile.

"That's excellent. I better be going then," King Leandro responded in a formal manner and was about to turn his back when Aisha stopped him.

"Wait!" Aisha's hand reached out.

She didn't know if it was because his presence made the atmosphere more colorful than the holograms.

Or she could see the anxiety and tension in his face, which was different from when they were alone together.

"What do you want to research, your Majesty? Maybe I could help you out. You don't have to carry all the burden by yourself," she smiled from ear to ear.

King Leandro seemed to be affected by her words, that he froze for a few seconds with his jaw dropped open. His smoldering gaze at her seemed to be saying a lot, but she didn't understand.

Coming back to his senses, King Leandro came back to his stance and rubbed his chin. "Do you have knowledge on crops, my lady?" He asked her, making Aisha gulped.

"Uh - No," she laughed awkwardly. "Why? Are you planning to farm?"

"Yes, that is true, my lady. I'm looking for an alternative to Spelta since it only grows on a specific kind of soil. It is Gaean's staple food. But it's getting scarce lately," King Leandro sighed as he answered her.

Aisha felt bad for the King. It must have been hard for him to look after such a large kingdom.

Her lips pouted as her face crumpled up. She didn't know what Spelta is. But she ignored it. Maybe they have other crops that she knew about.

"What other kinds of crops do you have aside from Spelta?" Aisha continued to ask.

Maybe they would have some plant that she's familiar with.

Master Aurelius was the one who answered for her. "We also have viciam, triticum and hordeum -"

Master Aurelius continued on, but Aisha lost count of them. She scratched her head, having no idea what they all are.

"I'm sorry, I think I couldn't be of help," Aisha said in a sad tone as her head hung low.

King Leandro stepped forward and patted her head, surprising Aisha.

"Thank you for doing your best to give one," his face was void of emotions. But his amaranthine eyes softened as he looked at her.

Now it was Aisha's turn to feel mushy inside. She didn't receive that very often.

As he walked away, she resolved to herself that she would do her best to be of help no matter what.

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

A person's most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge,

But a heart full of love,

An ear ready to listen

And a hand willing to help others.