The Wife of the King's Pay

Chapter 20 The Unexpected Honeymoon (Part 4)

The morning sunlight that pierced through the cracks of the window curtain, woke Cleantha from her sleep. The girl squirmed her body lazily. He opened his eyes three times to adjust his vision to the blinding light.

Cleantha straightened her body on the back of the bed. Waving the blanket that covered his body and moving his legs slowly. A stiff feeling in her ankle reminded Cleantha of the frightening events she experienced in the middle of the forest.

Even more astonishing was that last night he slept in bed with the King.

Surprisingly, he actually felt calmer because of the existence of the King. He slept very well without waking up.

But this morning, he found the King was no longer beside him.

"Where is the King? Did he wake up earlier than me?"

Cleantha looked towards the wall clock that showed at eight in the morning.

"Mrs, are you awake?" a woman's voice came from behind the door.

"Who?" ask Cleantha.

"I'm Imas, Mang Jaya's wife" the woman replied.

"Just go in, Bi."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Bi Imas said, entering Cleantha's room.

The woman in her late forty years brought Cleantha breakfast.

"Mrs, I am called Lord King here to serve you. I'll accompany you until four in the afternoon."

"Bi, where is Mister..I mean my husband?" cleantha asked him.

"Mr. King left about an hour ago, Madam. Sir said he'd exercise in the morning around here."

Bi Imas paired the folding table in front of Cleantha.

He put fried rice, toast and warm milk for breakfast.

"Please eat Madam. Aunty's gonna check Madam's leg."

Bi Imas held onto Cleantha's bluish-looking ankle. Deftly, he compressed the bruised part with cold water.

"Mrs, were you sprained while exploring the forest?"

"Yes, Bi."

"If your feet hurt like this, your honeymoon will be disrupted. You should be able to go for a walk together with Sir. The newlyweds usually want to be alone. Moreover, Madam was still very young and beautiful. Lord King would want to quickly have a baby from Madam," Bi Imas said with a smile.

"No, Bi. My husband already has a daughter from his first wife" Cleantha replied shyly.

"Madam, rich people like Lord King usually want a son as the successor of his lineage. Since the Madam was young, Bibi was sure the Madam's content was fertile. Could have given birth to many sons for Master."

"Auntie was married to Mang Jaya at the age of six. If the age of the husband is more mature, he will care for and love his wife. Aunt who proved it herself. The Bibi and Mang Jaya household is lasting until now. We have three children" Bi Imas continued, applying oil to Cleantha's feet.

"I just found out that the age of a husband and wife can affect a marriage."

"Just trust Auntie, Madam. Sir will surely spoil Madam. Especially if the Madam has given him a child."

Cleantha only smiled wryly in response to Bi Imas' words.

"Aunt to the kitchen first, ma'am. Later Aunt comes here again to help Madam take a bath."

After Bi Imas came out of the room, Cleantha ate her own breakfast.

I don't know why Bi Imas' speech just rang in his ears.

The shadow as her belly grew as it contained the King's child, just flashed through Cleantha's mind.

Then came a boy who held her hand and called her "Mother".

"No, this is impossible!" cleantha shouted at her silly delusion.

"Why are you hysterical? What is impossible?" ask the King who just arrived at the door.

Cleantha instantly covered her mouth using both palms. He felt very embarrassed because the King caught him screaming for himself for no apparent reason.

The king crossed paths while casting a suspicious look.

"You must be lying. There's no way you're shouting that loud if there's nothing you're afraid of" the king said in disbelief.

"I just.remember the dark atmosphere of the forest," Cleantha explained.

The king shook his head.

"Do you have any past traumas or phobias about forests? If it's true that upon our return to Jakarta, I'll call a psychologist to give you therapy."

"No, Mister. I have no mental problems. I'm normal and fine."

"But don't yell or act weird anymore. Others will think your mentality is being disturbed" said Raja released his sports jacket.

"Oh yes, after bathing I will climb the mountain with Mang Jaya. You stay in the villa with Mr. Darma and Bi Imas."

"How long will you be gone?" ask Cleantha.

"I'm probably going to camp there. I'm going home to the villa tomorrow morning."

Cleantha bit her lower lip.

"Sir, then what should I do all day at the villa?"

The king was silent for a moment as if remembering something.

"The internet network in this area is not so good because the location is surrounded by mountains. You will not be able to play social media or enjoy your favorite movies. You better watch TV or read a book."

"What books can I read, sir?"

"Wait a minute" said the King walking out of the room.

A few minutes later, he returned with a stack of books in his hand.

"Read these books. Some of it was my old collection that I moved out of the house. There are nature exploration books and books on leasing."

"For these top two books are Zevira's former possessions. It's about baby care. She bought it before giving birth to Ivyna. Now it's not used anymore. Who knows, it will be useful for you in the future" explained the King putting the books before Cleantha.

"If you need anything, just ask Bi Imas. I told him to come here to take care of you. I'll get ready now" said the King passing by leaving Cleantha.

Cleantha looked at the book wrapped in a picture of the baby with a feeling of uneasiness. He recalled Bi Imas' words about a baby boy.

"It must be all a coincidence. I'm overreacting to it."

...****************...

Throughout the afternoon, Cleantha took turns reading the books that the King had lent her. The book that most caught his attention was about banking and leasing. After graduating from college, he always hoped to work at a large leasing company like Keyla.

While remembering Keyla, Cleantha suddenly missed her father and older sister. Somehow they are doing now.

Cleantha took her phone. Tried to contact Keyla a few times. But a bad signal makes the call difficult to connect.

"What the Lord King said is true. In this place I can't call anyone."

Eventually Cleantha gave up and kept her phone in a drawer.

By late afternoon, Cleantha was very tired of staying in the room. He walked himself slowly towards the middle room.

"Mrs, why didn't you call me?"

"I don't want to trouble Auntie. I just want to watch TV for a while" replied Cleantha sitting on the sofa.

"Madam, dinner's ready. Is there anything the madam needs anymore? Otherwise Auntie wants permission to go home. The sky began to cloud, afraid of the rain on the street."

"Yes, Auntie can go home. There's still Mr. Darma accompanying me."

"Thank you, Madam. I'm going home now."

"Be careful, Bi," said Cleantha, full of sincerity.