Chapter Thirteen
Over the next few months, Matheus put changes into place to weed out those who weren’t willing to bend to his rules. Several nobles were removed from their seats of power and replaced with those who would obey.
Relations with bordering nations were gradually starting to improve, and while Matheus agreed that they had a long way to go, the improvements were good enough for him to consider them a success.
At the same time, Alice had work of her own, transforming Matheus’ former harem into a school. She was teaching the girls how to read, write, and practice magic, creating a new form of guard to keep her family safe while also giving the girls she had come to adore a shot at being something more than servants.
“Remember, girls, love potions have different potencies and different reactions based on what sort of ingredients that you use,” Alice explained, balancing her baby daughter in the crook of her arm as she moved through the rows of desks between her students. “For example, Bachelor’s Buttons will help influence love and allow you to feel whether or not a relationship is meant to be, whereas cinnamon is an aphrodisiac. It will cause lust, but not love.”
Her daughter, Emma, squirmed and let out a whine of protest. At barely a month old, the girl had quickly become the light of her parents’ lives. Although she had her father’s strong features, her hair, eyes, and face were her mother’s. According to her father, she also had her mother’s voice.
“Alright, it looks like my little darling has decided that class should be dismissed for now,” Alice laughed as she shifted her daughter, who had started to fuss noisily in her arms. “Have a good night and remember to read that book on love potions by the end of the week! I won’t be held responsible if you wind up making your true loves turn purple.”
The class dispersed and Alice settled down behind her desk to feed her child, looking up when the door opened. Smiling as Matheus stepped into view, she leaned up and kissed him when he approached.
“How was class?” he asked, trailing his fingers through her hair and smiling when Emma looked up at him, making a soft noise between her eager gulps.
“Fine. The classes are coming along very well. Some of the girls are still having issues on remembering what does what, but for the most part, they haven’t made any major mistakes.” Alice beamed, proud of the girls that she had taken under her wing. “Lindsey especially is doing well. She’s learned how to cast basic fire spells already. Almost lit her hair on fire the first try, the poor thing.”
“Sounds like she has a good teacher,” Matheus said, helping Alice to her feet after Emma had finished feeding. Taking her arm, he led her into the hallway. “I was hoping that you would be free for dinner tonight, once our little one has gone to sleep,” he suggested, glancing down at Alice with a smile.
“I would love that. Maybe I’ll even ask your mother if she’ll watch Emma so that we can have a night to ourselves,” Alice sighed. Despite the fact that there was an ample supply of people to watch her child, Alice had insisted that she would be the primary caretaker. She didn’t want her daughter to remember being raised by a group of nannies.
“Great! We haven’t had a full night to ourselves since Emma was born.” Matheus kissed the back of Alice’s neck and smiled when she blushed.
“I suppose you figure that means we get to make love?” she mused, laughing when her husband shrugged and looked hopefully back at her. Kissing him slowly on the lips, she nodded. “I’ve missed you too, my love.”
Leaning against her lover’s chest and moving through the halls of the castle, it was hard to think that only a year prior she had been living alone in a cottage outside a small town. Though she missed the place dearly, she was happy where she was. She had a family and was able to spread her knowledge to new students who were eager to learn.
“Where’s Talon? I haven’t seen him in a while,” Matheus noted, wrapping his arm around Alice’s waist as they walked.
“Pursuing another lady cat, I’m sure. He’s been enjoying the surplus of cats around the castle a bit too much.” Alice laughed, leaning closer to her mate as Emma started to doze off against her chest.
“Should I be expecting kittens come spring then?” Matheus asked, laughing when his mate nodded with a soft giggle. Kissing the top of her head, he opened the doors to their private apartments and slipped inside.
Settling Emma into her crib, Alice turned around and wrapped her arms around her lover’s neck, kissing him on the lips and smiling happily.
“You know, I was thinking that we should probably work on giving Emma a sibling,” she mumbled against his lips, earning an excited noise from Matheus. “I never thought that I would enjoy having a child, but now that I have one, I want more.”
“Well, I won’t argue with you on that one,” Matheus grinned wickedly, sweeping Alice off of her feet and leaning down to slide their lips together happily. “My angel, my queen, I love you more than life itself,” he breathed against her lips.
Cradled in her lover’s arms, Alice felt her heart flutter in her chest. Out of all the titles in the world that she could be given, being Matheus’ mate was the most important one.
*****
THE END