The Leper King's Healer

Chapter 16.1

Lady Philippa, on the other hand, had just returned to her room.

Philippa POV:

As I returned to my room, Abu stood at the door chamber, saying, "Lady Philippa, I just delivered the message to His Majesty,"

I questioned, "really... how it goes?"

"Well, as you requested, I handed you the letter, and here is the response," he said as I reached it and read it. I smiled and summoned Emma. "Could you please prepare a dress for me for tonight?"

"Yes, my lady," Emma says.

I spend the entire afternoon working on a massive filter design that may help Jerusalem in the future, as well as testing the efficacy of a current anti-bacterial cream that I am developing and the very first antibiotic tablet that I am testing.

Despite my hectic schedule, I asked Emma to assist me in baking cookies as a token of apology, which she gladly did, and I was covered in flour and cinder for the rest of the afternoon. It had been a long day, and before I knew it, Emma arrived to inform me that it was time to prepare for dinner. Emma assisted me in getting ready for a dinner with King Baldwin.

Emma escorted me to the dining hall; the king was not present when I arrived, so I prepared the apology cookie basket that I had personally baked for him earlier.

I greeted him with a smile and a curtsy, and he approached me with a slight bow of his head, saying softly, "thank you for inviting me to dinner."

"Yes, your majesty, and thank you for accepting my invitation," I reply.

He drew my chair to allow me to sit; he is truly a gentleman, I thought to myself, once we were properly seated. "I apologise for making you uncomfortable earlier," he said.

"No! that is not at all true... " I respond, "you don't need to apologise, I should be the one apologising about my behaviour, it wasn't your fault... I was just embarrassed, that's all," I said as I looked down.

"Well, you don't need to be embarrassed in front of me," he chuckled, "accidents happen all the time, and you were really adorable earlier," he chuckled.

I blushed profusely as I looked at him, "umm.. t-thank you.." he calls me adorable!! I can actually hear my own heartbeat!! I reflected to myself.

I gave him the cookie basket that I had prepared earlier. "I made those... I... wanted to apologise for leaving earlier," I explained.

He took off his mask and reached for the cookies, eating one "it's delicious," he said. "Really?" I ask quickly.

"Yes... thank you," he replied. "I am surprised that you can bake; did the nun teach you as well?" he inquired.

"No, Emma, teach me how to do it."

"You really can do anything," he said with a smile.

"Not at all... I'm still lacking," I say as I fidget with my hair.

He softly smiled as he looked at me, "my lady, I would like to inform you that as a member of my court, you will be required to attend a royal court meeting tomorrow."

"Really?! That is superb! I will be there," I replied quickly.

"s-superb?" he asked, tilting his head.

"It means... Fantastic," I said.

"oh... Alright," he chuckles.

We have a nice dinner together, but I feel very awkward talking to him because he is such a gentleman. After dinner, we walked down the hall to his bedroom chamber for his daily night treatment. Unlike the first night, he is now very comfortable around me, and I cleaned his wound and applied medicine.

Baldwin POV:

"Almost finished," she said as she applied cream to my eyelids, "there done," I said as I opened my eyes.

"Your Highness, I've been meaning to ask you," she said as she tidied up her medicine bottles. "What is it, my lady?" I inquire.

"I'm just wondering if I could borrow a horse," she explained.

"A horse?" I inquired.

"yes... because I need to find herbs that I need, I realised that I might need to search elsewhere, and I don't want other people to bother about it, so I just thought that maybe I could borrow a horse," she explains.

"Of course," I replied.

"But first, I really don't know how to ride a horse, so I was wondering if anyone could teach me," she said shyly, fidgeting.

She's so adorable that I chuckled as I looked at her, "well, I can teach you."

"r-really?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, "but even though I appear this way, I can definitely teach you how to ride a horse."

"That's not it; I just don't want to burden your Highness with the likes of me," she explained.

"You're not a burden, and I'd love to teach you," I explained.

She asked eagerly, "When are we going to start?" with a bright smile.

"We can begin after our morning court meeting," I explained.

"Thank you," she said, and I was mesmerised by her bright smile, which was soothing, and I couldn't help but blush as I looked sideways.

"Is there a problem, your grace?" she inquires innocently.

"n-no.. it's late.. can I walk you over to your chamber?" I inquired.

"t-thank you, your grace," she said softly as she prepared to carry her medicine tray. "s-sure... " she said as she prepared to carry her medicine tray. "let me carry that for you."

I looked at her as we walked side by side down the pitch-dark hall lit only by wall torches leading to her bedroom chamber.

"It appears that we have arrived," she said, oblivious to the fact that we had already arrived.

"Thank you, your Majesty, for escorting me to my bedroom chamber," she says as she takes her medicine tray from my grasp.

"It's nothing..." I smiled as I looked at her hand, which was occupied by the medicine tray, and casually reached for her long soft black hair, kissing it "good night my lady."

She was surprised and turned bright red, and she had such an adorable expression that I couldn't stop smiling at her.

"G-good night!" exclaimed Lady Philippa as she quickly entered her bed chamber.

"Good night," I softly said.