The Hidden Luna Queen 2

Maeve

POV

"I'm so relieved to have you here, Maggie," I exclaimed once we were finally in the car. "The car rides home have been so lonely the last few days."

To be precise, it had been three days since my first almost disastrous meeting with Alpha King Arlan and the rest of the royal family. That was the day I was forced to enter the palace all by myself, due to the security restrictions prohibiting Maggie from entering without the proper, up-to-date clearance. Thanks to said rules, I had to face Isabelle's jealous wrath alone, suffer a wardrobe malfunction, and navigate the palace alone before and after my lessons with the Luna Queen.

But somehow, I survived those tedious three days and the time had finally come where Maggie's new identity card arrived.

This meant today was the first in a while that she was able to pick me up from my lesson.

And what a pleasant surprise it was to see the Gamma housekeeper as I prepared to leave the palace.

She patted my knee affectionately. "You're too kind, Miss Maeve," she said. "However, I'm well aware of the many friends you've made at the palace. It could not have been so bad without me there, could it?"

I sighed. "Friends or not, it's always nice to see a familiar face."

We spent the remainder of the car ride discussing in depth how my training with Luna Queen Leonora was faring, along with the news that there was to be a banquet in two days in my honor, to which Maggie seemed particularly jubilant... though she toned it down once she realized just how nervous I was.

Once we returned home, I went straight to the kitchen to fetch myself a cup of water.

However, I had not expected to see Xaden already inside and by one of the counters, almost as if he had been waiting for me.

"You're home," I breathed, unable to stop the smile that spread across my face. I did not think I would ever tire of the sight-coming home to someone who always lit up whenever they saw me. "Are you already done for the day?"

"I have a bit of time to kill before my next appointment, so I just had to stop by and see you," he purred.

Honestly, it didn't matter to me in the slightest anymore. He knew both of our schedules like the back of his hand and always managed to time things so perfectly that we could share any free breaks together. If we only had one hour, ten minutes, or even just five fleeting seconds, I would have taken whatever time he could spare. Just seeing him was more than enough to lift my spirits.

Xaden had somehow lodged himself so deeply in my soul, that I couldn't even remember what it was like without him.

And I hoped I didn't have to again.

"Before you say anything else..." he said with a growing grin, pulling a small container in front of him, "I brought you something.” Despite playing coy, whatever was inside smelled phenomenal.

There was such an air of mystery and he seemed to burst with childlike excitement to share what was hidden inside. Curiosity bubbled within me, and I could not resist leaning in. "What is it?"

Xaden opened the container, revealing its mouthwatering contents. What he'd brought home appeared to be a hefty serving of spaghetti smothered with rich tomato sauce and little chunks of savory beef. I could smell the shreds of parmesan cheese mixed into the sauce... the flecks of garlic scattered between the flaccid noodles... the faint scent of buttered bread used to scoop up some of the pasta. But I could also detect something else-something that made the back of my throat tickle with every inhale. Pregnancy might've heightened my senses, but I couldn't pinpoint this ingredient for the life of me.

Was it rosemary? Onion?

"I had to meet with an ambassador from a neighboring kingdom for lunch today," he explained, putting the container on the kitchen counter. She insisted on this lovely little corner bistro, so I thought I'd share some of my winnings with you." Oh... he had been with a woman. I couldn't hide my unease.

I gulped. "Was... was she...?"

The corners of Xaden's lips upturned ever so slightly. "She was over seventy years old," he teased, savoring the embarrassed flush that rose on my cheeks. “And all she seemed to want to talk about was the good old days of her youth as a vixen. Embarrassed, heat spread all over my face... but I couldn't deny the relief I felt upon hearing his answer.

"Would you like to try?"

I nodded with a smile. I was willing to try anything he recommended to me.

Xaden then picked up a forkful of pasta and gestured for me to open my mouth, feeding me once I reluctantly obeyed, feeling admittedly a little awkward. No one ever offered to do that for me before, so I thought it odd, but it was impossible for me to say no when I saw how excited he was.

The moment the spaghetti hit my tongue, I could taste all those amazing flavors... all of the sauce, cheese, and herbs. A small moan slipped past my lips.

He grinned at me. "Delicious, isn't it?"

Indeed, it was. But then I detected that ingredient that I couldn't quite place earlier. And it was-um... it was...

"Are... are you alright? You're turning red."

I opened my mouth to try to placate him, but instead, I burst into a coughing fit, attacked by what seemed like thousands of tiny specks of spice. That was no mere dusting of pepper.

Whatever was in that pasta had set every single one of my tastebuds aflame.

Xaden quickly paled. "Shit, shit, shit-" he cursed, frantically throwing the fork aside like it was plague-ridden. With untapped desperation, he threw open every cupboard until he found a cup he deemed satisfactory enough for the job and filled it to the brim with chilled, filtered water.

Hastily, he rushed back over to where I stood, spilling nearly half of the water in the process. Despite myself, I couldn't help but giggle even as he pushed the cup into my hand, encouraging me to chug the entire thing. "I'm so sorry, Maeve!" he fretted, wide-eyed. "Y You're not allergic, are you?"

"N-No, l-I've just never had spicy food before," I coughed, unable to stop the startled laugh that slipped past my burning, tingling lips. How strange the sensation felt. "P-Please, don't worry about it."

However unpleasant the kick from that spice might have been, I bore no ill will against Xaden for sharing such a dish. How could he have known I'd have such a reaction? I certainly did not, and I honestly didn't think too much of the blunder-what mattered the mos to me was that he brought home something he thought I might have liked.

That only showed me just how thoughtful and considerate he was, despite not knowing much about my likes or dislikes, and opened my heart to him even more.

But Xaden did not share in my amusement.

Instead of laughing, he seemed to close himself off to me. The fright on his handsome face quickly morphed into pensiveness. That only served to dissipate the humor from the room, suddenly leaving me wary. "Xaden, you're not upset, are you?" I questioned hesitantly.

He responded with a slow shake of his head, but began to back away. "I... need to go," he suddenly said, sounding somewhere far away as he retreated towards the front door. "I'll be back soon, I promise." But he wasn't.

He was gone for hours.

By the time evening had begun to roll around, I was stuck in our bedroom, waiting for him to return. Neither Maggie nor I had any idea how to contact him or where he'd suddenly disappeared to. All I could do was pace around the room and just hope and pray to the Moon Goddess that everything was alright with him.

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That look on his face before he left... all serious and weighted with burden. Something about what had happened deeply bothered him.

And I felt like it was all my fault. Everything had been fine until I tried that food.

It suddenly became very possible that Xaden likely reached the same conclusion earlier as I had: despite everything we had been through together thus far, we still really knew nothing about each other. Maybe he just needed a breather after what happened, or maybe... he finally came to his senses and was ready to leave me.

Something hot and thick pulled at my chest. Subconsciously, I halted in my tracks with a pained gasp.

I didn't want to believe it could be true, but how could I blame him for that?

No one would ever want to marry a stranger... let alone someone like me.

All of a sudden, the bedroom door burst open, startling me into looking up. To my shock and audible relief, it was none other than Xaden, who wore a look of fierce determination. The moment his gaze landed on me, he immediately softened. He... he came back!

"There you are," he sighed, approaching me. "I've been looking for you."

"X-Xaden, I'm so sorry about earlier... with the food," I managed to splutter out despite my frayed nerves. "I-It just took me by sur-"

"Let's go out on a date tomorrow."

My mind blanked. Had I heard him correctly?

"... What...?"

He pulled my hands into his own, rubbing his thumbs gently over my knuckles. "Just you and me," he murmured, lacking any of the disdain or detachment I had fully prepared myself to hear. "What do you say?"