The Royal Deal

Chapter 256

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Alexcent tried to control his body from trembling. She didn’t come back to life, but now embodies the soul of someone from another world? Belice, what did you do? As the panic grew, Alexcent realized one thing.
There would be no reason to kill her anymore.
The laws forbid bringing back life to those who died.
She did not come back to life; she was a different person entirely.
He no longer needed to keep his distance from her.

“What I realized after coming here is that I have to love myself first,” Amethyst continued.
“Only then can I love someone else entirely.”

“So did you meet him?” Alexcent asked.

“Who?” Amethyst didn’t know who she was referring to.

“The person you can love entirely?”

“I did, but it’s someone I can’t love.” Thoughts of Alexcent swirled through her mind.

“Why do you think that?” Alexcent asked.

“Wait!” Amethyst realized that he wasn’t questioning her.
He wasn’t mocking her in any way.
“You believe me? You believe that I came from another world.”

“Of course.
There’s no reason not to.”

“Is that so?” Was this really something so easy to believe? Amethyst thought. Or is he just placating me?

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“Why do you think this person is someone you can’t love?” Alexcent pried.

“Well, I’m already a wife and mother, even if it is in a different world.
Also, who would accept a woman with such a ridiculous story?”

“You should still tell him.”

“Fine, even if he were to accept me, I don’t know when I might suddenly disappear and return to my world.
How can I ask someone to love me when I may vanish at any time? That would be selfish and cruel.”

“Disappear?” Alexcent hadn’t thought of that.

“Since I came here so suddenly, it would make sense that I could disappear just as suddenly.”

“Even so, that person might not care.
He might prefer to have the opportunity to love you even one more day, than live the rest of his life not knowing why he had been refused.”

Amethyst stared at the slave she knew as Gray. Why is he speaking as if he knew the thoughts of Alexcent? He must just be incredibly perceptive.

“I don’t know.” Amethyst shrugged her shoulders.
“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.
You weren’t destined to be a slave from the beginning.”

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Alexcent avoided her eyes.
“I’m sorry.
Slaves are not permitted to talk about their past.”

“Really?”

“Yes.
The past is the past and you can’t go back to it.
No matter what my past life was, I am now a slave.
I no longer have a past, just a future.”

“I see.” Amethyst looked sadly out the window.
That sounded like something she wanted to believe in herself.

***

Gray was acting differently since the day they had their conversation.
Before, he always seemed cautious and didn’t want to come to near to Amethyst, but now things had changed.
He seemed to be opening up.

“I can’t do it,” Alexcent sulked.

“How many times do I have to teach you how to do this properly?” Amethyst came up from behind him, placed the tie around his neck, and showed him one more time how to make the knot.
“There you are.”

“Thank you.” Alexcent smiled.
He seemed to smile more often now.
He definitely seemed more comfortable.
“And the sleeves? I’m not sure if I get them right.”

Amethyst glared at him.
“You are so annoying,” she joked.
“You can do that much yourself.”

“But if I don’t do it properly then the customers won’t like it,” he insisted.

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Amethyst sighed.
“Come here!” She carefully folded back the sleeves of his shirt.

“The apron…”

“Enough!” Amethyst gasped, punching him lightly in the stomach.
Alexcent laughed as he rubbed the pain in his abdomen.

“It hurts,” he whined with a smile on his face.

Amethyst ignored Alexcent’s childish whining and stormed downstairs.
Some supplies had been delivered to the front door, which Amethyst dragged inside.

“There are crates of grapes and strawberries in the hall,” she informed Alexcent as he came down.

“All right,” Alexcent said.
He took the crates to the stockroom, then opened the doors to the café to let in the first of the customers.

As the orders came in, Amethyst worked in the kitchen to prepare the meals and Alexcent served the food to the customers.
During the downtime between the orders, Amethyst came out from the kitchen to stand at the counter and watch Alexcent as he served the patrons.
She still enjoyed how handsome he looked in the new clothes she had bought him.
As she watched, Alexcent noticed her stare and smiled.

He’s messing with me again, Amethyst thought. Doesn’t he get sick of it.
She knew what he was up to, with the sly smiles and subtle glance when he thought she wasn’t looking.
And even though her heart fluttered, she did her best to ignore him.
Her heart was still with the Alexcent she once knew, and she couldn’t yet give it to another.
She shook her head and went back to the kitchen.

The bells chimed as three large men entered the café.
Amethyst had never seen them before, and they certainly did not look like her usual clientele.
She came back out from the kitchen to see what the newcomers required.

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“So, this is the place.
The café run by a slave that all of the women seem to be smitten with.” The first man spoke loud enough for the entire café to hear.

“Seems like it,” the second man agreed.
“There doesn’t seem to be much to it.”

“Let’s see how good the food is,” the third man suggested

The three men sat down at an empty table and before anyone had a chance to welcome them, the first man shouted, “Hey! Don’t you take orders here?”

Amethyst was about to approach the table, when Alexcent shook his head to stop her and walked up to the men.

“Would you like to place an order?” he said politely to the three men.

The men looked Alexcent up and down.
“So, you’re the one that brings in all of the business by lifting women’s skirts,” the first man announced loudly.
His companions laughed loudly.

“This guy doesn’t seem to remember us,” the second man said.

“How could he forget us already? That’s disappointing, after we took such good care of him.” The first man glared at Alexcent.

Alexcent didn’t dare show any emotion.
He clearly remembered them as the men who beat him when he worked for Lord Veolense.
He looked the first man directly in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry.
I guess it wasn’t a memorable punch.”

“What?! Are you crazy?” The first man was enraged.
“Do you think that you’re special now that you live a different life with your new mistress? You’re still a slave!”

“Please place an order, or leave,” Amethyst said, coming out from behind the counter.