Chapter 246 - The Markets - I
Xavier woke up first. It was not a rule for him to wake up early but as the king he had a lot of stuff to go over and it became a habit of his to be well rested.
He got up first. He did not mind the cold water against his skin as he was taking a bath but now he had to switch it on for Adaline.
He got dressed and made his way into the kitchen to prepare warm milk for adaline. By the way, she was standing outside in the cold. It was obvious that she was going to have a sore throat or so he hoped, when she woke up. The worst is that she would have the flu.
He placed it into marks before listening through the door of a room. She was sleeping soundly. Gently opening the door without any sound he walked in and placed the mugs on the bed side table.
She looked so beautiful, he could not help but stop everything as he admired her. She was eternal to him. She was the one who he wanted to spend his entire life with. It was amazing to him how everything in the beginning seemed so easy and now it was just the opposite of that. Too much had happened, too much was buried underneath the carpet and too much was there for them to go over to get. This seemed like the journey of a lifetime.
He softly kissed her forehead, his lips barely even touching the skin of her. He didn\'t want to wake her up. But he also did not want to take the moment away from her.
He closed his eyes and relished the moment that was being experienced just from his side. It was like Deja vu. Remember the time, now sealing like very long ago, when he used to watch her sleep from his window. Watching her sleep without any stress and tensions made his beast feel at ease. Just as it did now.
He sighed in resignation. He had to wake her. They were here for a reason and that was more important than the sleep of Adaline.
"Hey," he tapped her shoulder gently and continued to do so until a frown came on her face and she groaned loudly.
"Stap," she croaked out. By the way she spoke in her rough voice it was obvious that she had a sore throat just like he had estimated.
He sighed and took the mug. "Get up and drink this. I know you have a cold." Her nose was runny and she was constantly sniffing. It also appeared to be red.
Adeline didn\'t move except to lean her back on the back of the bed to be comfortable enough to drink. She really held the hot mug of milk while still cuddling inside the blankets.
He liked the silence in between them but it was necessary to tell what the day was going to look like. But it did not sit well with him that she was sick because he could not overwhelm her.
"First day you have two options since you are sick," he raised his index and middle finger gesturing the two options, "number one is we go to the temples and we spend the day with how the priest direct us to and the second one is we go around for a light work and check out a few shops before coming back and have your rest."
Her throat ached and so did her shoulders. The bones in her thigh said to be cramping and her eyebrows ached too. "Second, I think going to the shops would be better and refreshing."
"Hmm," he nodded with a raised eyebrow, "I am sure."
He waited until she had finished her milk before he told, "I have switched on the heater. Your water should be warm enough at the right temperature. Check it with your hand, do not burn your skin." He warned. " Also is there something specific you would like to have for breakfast other than something?"
"Yes, ce—"
"Adaline," he cut her off, "you are already sick so please do not go ahead and ask for something unhealthy."
She grumbled, "then you decide," before she got a and wobbled to the bathroom.
Xavier kept his mug beside hers before standing up and moving to her wardrobe. He picked out and another that she would wear below her T-shirt in after that two sweaters one thicker than the other so that she could be comfortable in wearing them. After that he picked up another jacket along with leg warmers and thick jeans. All of these were placed neatly line by line on her bed before he moved out, picking the cups along with him and closing the door of a room.
Adeline clearly could not be trusted when it came to taking care of herself.
He ordered breakfast and did not take much time for them to bring it. Just as Adeline opened her door, he closed the front door with a trolly full of breakfast in his hands.
"Wow," she sniffed loudly and as forcefully as she could with the closed nose. "Never mind I can\'t smell anything." She huffed and moved to the table where he placed everything.
"Now I know you should not hurry to eat anything but just so you remember the temperature here is minus degrees, so eat while it\'s still warm."
She nodded and attacked the first thing on her plate. Hard boiled eggs were the first thing she ate after which she went to the buttered toast. Then came the lowly fruits.
"Why do fruits here taste so different?" She asked with her mouth full.
"Because we do not use any artificial injections to grow them. The fruits here are grown by a complete natural process. Even the fertilizers and manures used are natural." He explained putting some more food on her plate and pouring her hot tea.
Adeline ignored that and the slightly warm feeling inside her aching chest.