Chapter 213. Her First

Night had fallen, and the rays of the full moon swept across Meredith’s tea garden. The maids, including Julia and Vermon, still lingered outside, wandering among the shrubs and neatly trimmed bushes. Inside the tea house, Arthur drowned himself in ale, unknowingly letting his guard down around Meredith. His armor had been removed, leaving him clad in a soft velvet robe.

She had perhaps made enough of an impression on him to lower his defenses—or maybe it was just the alcohol. Its sharp scent overpowered even the strongest incense Meredith had lit.

“I became king of Eldridge at a very young age,” Arthur said, staring into the golden glow of his drink beneath the candlelight flickering on the table between them. “Do you know how difficult it is to rule a kingdom with thirteen separate cities and a council of old men whose visions rarely align with yours?” His voice was drowsy as he waved a small glass of ale around, his eyes half-closed. “And I had to shoulder all that re