Eric
Beth and Jessica entered my father’s office.
“Beth and I are ready to go for a walk in town,” Jessica announced.
I got up from my chair as soon as my mate walked in behind Jessica. She was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was falling loose, covering her pretty face, and she was looking at the wooden floor while holding her left arm with her right hand. She seemed introverted but physically better.
“Good morning, Beth,” I greeted, offering her my hands for her to hold. She looked up at me, red spreading across her cheeks.
“Good morning,” she whispered, hesitating before placing her right hand over mine.
“Have you slept well?” I asked. Beth nodded, peeking behind me as my mom kissed my dad. “Was she too hard on you?” I lowered my face to hers.
“Of course not,” Jessica protested, sitting on her mate's lap. “We just had an honest conversation, and now we are going to be best friends.”
I turned my head back to face my mom. “You took a while coming down.”
“We were chatting while she was getting dressed. And now we are going shopping.”
“Do you think it's wise to go to town so early? Can't this wait until Anna gets here, and I can properly meet my son's soul-mate?” My father questioned, analyzing my mate who slightly rose her eyes to look at him.
Jessica got up from his lap and trailed her fingertips on the stack of papers over the desk. “The last thing that Beth needs is to be treated like a prisoner here, too. She needs fresh air and to see normal people living their lives. She also needs to buy personal objects that she can't borrow from us. And it's not early, it's 10 a.m.”
“Like what?” Marcus questioned, rising up and crossing his arms over his chest.
Jessica rolled her eyes and inspected her nails. “Underwear, darling.”
“Fine,” Marcus breathed out and looked at me. “I guess our conversation is going to be postponed so you can go with your mate.”
Smiling, I nodded and looked at my shy mate. “I would love to show you around and then take you to see some of the buildings that we are restoring.”
“No, no,” Jessica protested. “It's just for shopping and sightseeing, no talking about work. You can talk about that with her another time.”
“I can use the time to catch up on my reading, but first,” my father said, circling his desk and stepping forward to face Beth who recoiled against my chest. For a moment, I feared what he intended to do, but his next words relaxed me. “Can I properly be introduced to my new daughter?” He tried a smile to make her understand that he wasn't going to harm her. Then he pursued his intent. “Despite the misunderstanding from yesterday, I'm quite harmless,” he said. “I'm Eric's father and the king of these lands. I'm happy to meet you, Elizabeth.”
“Nice to meet you, Your Highness,” Beth mumbled, bowing her head. I felt her body relax against mine. “I'm sorry for yesterday.”
“Nice!” Jessica chirped. “Now that we’re all formally introduced, can we leave?” She walked our way. “I'm starving, and Rose isn't here today. I need a proper American breakfast.”
“Not before Beth feeds. She's still weak, and she can't skip meals,” I protested.
My mom sighed before recoiling back and sitting on the king’s chair. Waving her hand, she said, “Okay, go feed your mate. I'll stay here with your dad. We need to talk about something, anyway,” she added, playing with a pen.
I hesitated for a moment before exiting the office with Beth. Once we arrived at the kitchen, I had every intention to question her regarding what Jessica had talked to her about.