Page 83 of Mermaid on Heels
Luke met her gaze with a promise in his eyes amid his frustration at the court member. “I shall take care of that, Liriya, don’t worry. Bianca will have total justice, and it is not because she is your friend or that she has helped you. No citizen of Lectoria should be treated that way.”
“We better establish that,” Cedric chimed in. “If a court member is doing such a thing, can you imagine the rest of the wealthy families’ actions towards the poor families? This should come to an end, and don’t forget to add that it would be a punishable crime.”
“Thanks Ced, we’ll see to that,” Luke said and turned to Liriya. “And for Earl Alphonse, I’ll have him pay back the money to Bianca in no time, because until then, he’ll be banned from the court.”
“Brilliant,” Cedric said with a pleased grin before Liriya could respond. “Make the banning last for several months at least; it’d serve him right to get his pride wounded because the entire court and even the kingdom will hear what happened.”
Luke returned the grin playfully. “Aye, aye, captain.”
Cedric snorted a laugh and grabbed the sealed letter from the desk. “I need to get this sent to Miss Bianca for Liriya. I’ll see you love birds at dinner—Oh, and don’t forget to lock the door when you leave.” He walked around the desk and handed Luke a key before winking at Liriya and walking out of the room.
When the door closed, Luke pocketed the key and turned to Liriya.
“Thank you,” she told him, tears burning in her eyes at the rush of a sudden wave of emotions.
Luke noticed them and his eyes softened. “Liriya, hey…” He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his, looking into her eyes.
“She is going to be so happyandshocked,” Liriya said with a gentle laugh in her voice. “Thank you for doing this.”
“It’s the right thing to do,” he replied with a smile. “We’ll deliver the message as a surprise to her. Then, we shall help her build her own business as a seamstress and arrange her shop here in the capital if she wishes it.”
Liriya stared at his face through her tears, her smile unwavering as she said, “You are a great man and a great king, Luke. Lectoria is a blessed kingdom to have you as their monarch.”
“Oh, Liriya….”
“No, I mean it. You have a heart of gold that I am… I am looking forward to knowing more.”
Luke held her hands to his chest and his eyes became intense on her. “And if you’ll have it, this heart is yours, my little mermaid.”
Liriya didn’t know how to respond to that. She chose silence and dropped her gaze to his chest where he held her hands, with a shy smile.
“So, tell me. How long had Bianca been paying the earl?” he asked, changing the subject.
Liriya met his gaze. “Ever since her stepfather died over six months ago.”
Luke looked aside and heaved another exasperated sigh. “How much did her stepfather owe him?”
“I am not sure, because I never asked her since I do not know about money and how it is counted.”
Luke’s eyes met hers, and they gentled at her confession. He lifted his knuckles to her cheek, grazing gently. “I will teach you that myself if you want me to.”
Liriya’s lips quirked up. “You have more stressful and important duties to see to after this week rather than teaching me finances.” Luke opened his mouth to protest, but she hurried to add, “I will simply ask Cedric since he has already signed up as our tutor.”
Luke thinned his lips and swallowed his protest; they both knew he wouldn’t have time for that once work caught up with him. As for the rest of his free week, they should probably have fun getting to know each other rather than investing in finance lessons.
“You said Bianca settled her debt. How? I mean, she and her sister were struggling, and it sounds like she owed a big payment.”
Liriya hesitated at first but spoke eventually, dropping her gaze to her hands against his chest.
“I… helped her a little?” She peered at him through her lashes and heard his breath catch. “I discovered a treasure chest in a sunken ship when we were looking for outfits to wear for the land. I did not know what they were, other than that they were gold, until Bianca showed memoney.” She emphasized the last word. “Therefore, we retrieved it so that she could settle her debt. That is how we shopped for our new dresses, footwear, and the materials to make our gowns for the ball—oh, and hired the coachman too.”
She finished with a smile and a tilt of her head.
Luke had a matching smile on his lips as he shook his head. “In front of me stands an angel in person, so pure, so innocent, with a heart made of gold. Oh Liriya, how can I ever thank the Creator enough for you?”
Liriya’s smile grew sly. “I wish I had an answer, but I am wondering howIam going to thank Him enough—for you.”
He stared at her, his eyes unreadable as he cradled her face in his hands. “You mean that?” he asked in a reverent whisper.