She didn’t respond, and how could she? It wasn’t a yes or no question.
“Years, I assume.”
She tapped her finger.
“Little sinner, unless you ask me to disrespect you, respect is all you’ve earned. Not watching you change is what civilians would call ‘bare minimum’. It’s sad that you think you don’t deserve that.”
The tops of her cheeks twitched upward.
I thought back over my sentences. “The disrespect they give you is not the same kind you can earn with me. But you are not ready to earn that. Come.”
She stepped around the table, pausing just a foot away.
I shook my head. “Walk to the door and wait.”
She did as I asked, pausing just beside the door, her hands folded at her hips.
I walked over to the clothes, grabbing the dress and boots she had just taken off before meeting her at the door and opening it for her. “Go. You will walk beside me, and you will always go through the door first. That is how a queen is treated, even by theHatter who has enslaved her, and I am nothing if not faithful to my Queen.”
Her hands tightened, her jaw feathering ever so slightly before she stepped into the hall, the smell of vomit still lingering, but the bucket itself gone.
Good. I would hate to make a bad impression on my first day as her new betrothed.
We walked to the door to the Back Hall, and I opened it for her again, letting her out to the sanctuary where Charles, Thomas, and Garrett still lingered.
“What the Hell?” Thomas bit.
“Thomas, language,” Garrett lectured.
“He’s already changed her hair,” he argued. “Look at her! The Daylight Whore.”
“A queen also ignores the comments of those beneath her,” I told her under my breath.
We walked in tandem to the sanctuary doors, of which I opened, and she walked through. Thomas’ disagreements followed us out the front doors, the sky filled with clouds on this early Spring day.
I paused outside of the church, glancing towards the parking lot to see what remained.
Charles’ car.
Garrett’s car.
Thomas’ van.
My bike and the van I used to transport the children.
“Well, this just won’t do,” I spoke clearly. “Don’t worry, little sinner, we’ll get this cleared up by the time I pick you up again, for now,” I gestured towards the van.
I could feel her uncertainty as well as I could feel the cool air against my skin, but she walked beside me without hesitation, doing as she was told like the obedient little slave to the church she had been beaten to be.
I led her to the passenger door and opened it for her, causing her to outwardly hesitate this time around.
I angled my head. “This is not a test, little sinner. I’m not a taxi service. You will sit in the front seat where you belong.”
She flexed her fingers carefully before stepping forward and carefully crawling into the van seat.
I shut the door and took apart my phone, tossing one piece into the grass as I walked around the front of the van, my eyes drifting towards the front of the church to find the three remaining members locking up, Thomas watching me carefully.
I gave him a smile. Yes, the game was changing rapidly now, and if they weren’t quick enough, they wouldn’t be able to keep up.
