557 Staring At Husband
The next day, Great Lady Theodora arrived at the Obsidian Palace to visit her son. Theron’s aide and servants hurried to welcome her at the entrance.
“Is my son awake?” the Great Lady asked as she walked inside with the aide in tow. “This early in the day, he should be having his meal in his room, I think? Get servants to unload my carriage. I had my ladies pack medicinal herbs that can help–hmm? What’s wrong with your expression?”
The aide felt hesitant to answer as he was sure the Great Lady would not like it.
“His Excellency is not in his chamber… but in the practice grounds.”
“What?”
As expected, the Great Lady was perplexed, almost losing her dignified appearance as she turned around to face the aide.
The aide wiped away his sweat. “We tried to stop him but he took his sword and–“
Listening to the man, Great Lady Theodora could not blame him. She knew her son was reckless but she didn’t expect him to go to this extent.
Practicing sword in an injured condition, surely he was asking for scolding from his mother at such an old age!
With a deep breath, the Great Lady regained her composure and walked towards the practice grounds with slow steps. It was not far from the entrance; in fact, it was next to the main garden of the Obsidian Palace. The aide followed her with a relieved sigh.
Even before the practice grounds came into the Great Lady’s sight, she could hear the sharp sound of a sword slashing through the air. As a swordsman in her youth, she could tell that this was not the kind of sound a mere warm-up exercise could bring about. The one brandishing the sword was truly putting effort in each of his swings.
Inside the vast empty area, she could see her son standing in the middle, swinging an ordinary long sword with measured precision and strength, moving his body as if he had no injury to start with.
‘Aish, this boy! He has always been so stubborn, and despite the years, he is still the same. A mother can only feel helpless in front of such a child.’
Just then, her gaze noticed that the grounds had another presence in them. Someone was standing at the side of the practice ground, and that person’s gaze was stuck on Theron. The Great Lady chuckled and instructed the aide behind her, “You can leave. Make sure a physician is on standby outside.”
The aide bowed and left while the Great Lady walked towards the spectator at the sidelines. It was the Third Concubine, Lady Saira, who was observing her husband. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice someone was coming toward her.
Great Lady Theodora found it amusing that even though she was standing next to the younger lady, the woman still failed to sense her arrival. She followed her line of sight and sighed in appreciation.
Theron was now executing the first three movements of the royal family’s famed swordsmanship, efficiently switching from offence to defence techniques. His serious expression, coupled with his handsome face, was such a sight to behold.
Though he was a middle-aged man, Theron still looked younger than the men of his age, and if a stranger were to lay eyes on him, they would think he was at most in his late thirties. Only a few strands of gray on his brown hair were the signs of his ageing.
His body appeared strong and fit like that of a knight, and it was due to his dedication to the sword. Even after he passed the throne to Drayce and basically locked himself in the Obsidian Palace, he never stopped practicing the sword.
Apart from drinking himself to sleep at night, Theron would basically spend all his time in the practice grounds. On rare occasions, he would relax in his garden, and if he was in the mood, he would go hunt in the forests north of the capital with his knights, never to return for several days.
One of the reasons his body was able to remain active despite his age and abuse was because Esther had shared her soul with him.
“He still looks as handsome as before, isn’t it?” the Great Lady commented out loud.
The woman beside her nodded in a daze. “Hmm. He still is.” But then, she immediately realized what she had said and turned to look at the Great Lady. She bowed her head. “M-Mother…Good morning…”
The Great Lady helped her up. “Good morning, Saira. Are you enjoying watching your husband train?”
Lady Saira, who already felt like a thief caught red-handed, immediately shook her head. “I dare not have such thoughts, mother. Please do not tease me…” She didn’t know what else she should say.
All these years, Lady Saira had simply acted like a subordinate of her husband, a steward who handled the affairs of his residence, and never had she shown any such feelings towards him
Now, she felt like her innermost thoughts were being exposed.
The Great Lady chuckled at her daughter-in-law squirming under her gaze, acting as if she had committed some grave mistake. “Why do you look so guilty? Did you commit a sin? Is staring at your husband a sin?”
Lady Saira didn’t know what to reply and simply said, “I was carrying water to His Excellency.”
The Great Lady nodded and said, “I am glad that at least you don’t hate him now.”
Lady Saira felt more guilty when she heard it.
There was a time when she hated her husband. For the longest time, she resented him because he made her concubine against her wish and made her break her promise to the previous queen. To be a member of the royal harem was nothing short of being imprisoned.
But as years went by and she witnessed Drayce’s growth, she realized her hostility against Theron was unfounded. The man was too broken to be the target of her hate.
It gave her a new goal.
Since she could not serve Drayce as her nanny anymore, then taking care of the man her Queen cherished should also be considered paying back the goodwill shown to her by Esther.
Unlike Lady Saira who was able to respect and accept Esther’s departure, the previous king continued to long for his wife who would never return to him. He continued to live in the past, unable to take a step forward, as if his own time had frozen.
Thus, she accepted serving him as though she was her servant, a silent supporter of sorts. Though Theron never acknowledged her presence around him, she continued to do her duties like a servant.
Lady Saira didn’t know how and when…but somehow, she came to fall for this man who didn’t belong to her.
“Your presence was the only thing that made me assured that he would be fine for I know you would take care of him,” Great Lady Theodora commented.
“Thank you for trusting me, Mother. I only did what I should. At least, I could take care of one of the two men most precious to Her Majesty.”
“She would be glad to know of your loyalty.”
“For that, she needs to return here. His Excellency is still waiting for her. I wish she would return and put an end to his suffering,” Lady Saira said as her gaze moved back towards the man who had long stopped worrying about his own life.
The old woman could see how much Lady Saira cared for Theron. “If she returns, you won’t be allowed here and you won’t exist for him anymore.”
Lady Saira smiled lightly, but the sincerity in that smile could not cover the bitterness in her eyes.
“No one exists for him but Her Majesty. I merely wish for their happiness. They deserve to be happy together,” she replied lightheartedly as if she had asked herself this question countless times before and arrived at the same conclusion. She honestly shared her thoughts with her mother-in-law. “If Her Majesty returns, I will be able to put my worries down and finally live life for myself. I look forward to spending more time with my son and daughter.”
“My son is fortunate to have you,” The Great Lady held her hand and caressed it gently. “Do you know why he allows you to be around him?”
Lady Saira nodded. “Because my presence keeps reminding him of Her Majesty.”
She was aware of reality and never deluded herself into thinking that her husband felt anything for her.
“You are right but there is something else,” the Great Lady said.
“What else could there be, Mother?” Lady Saira asked as she could not think of anything.
“Because he is aware of your loyalty towards Esther and knows you would never be greedy from what he could offer you.”
“His Excellency has given me more than he should when he was not even obliged to do so.” Lady Saira referred to having kids with Theron. “Though I failed to understand his intentions at that time, I later I understood he did it for me. He is a man who didn’t like to show his thoughts, but I know he cared for me and that is enough.”
The Great Lady smiled at the kindness of her daughter-in-law and then looked at her son. She remembered she came here to scold her son. “I am too old to be waiting like this. Call him and let him know of my presence.”