His Forsaken Luna-Chapter 58: Khave (1)

After waking up to discover Kharis assessing me while I slept, I returned to my chambers swiftly, slamming the door in his face until I was dressed again. He didn’t seem to mind, even with some of his dramatic ranting. It was too early for that, and I was about to call Theo for some tea until Kharis made a suggestion.

"How about trying khave?"

"Khave?" I sat straighter at my desk. The word is strange on my tongue. Was it Solfyran? "What is that?"

Kharis grinned broadly. "A hot drink better than tea... Depending on your tastes. I find it delicious, AND it will wake you up better than that pond water you call tea."

Pond water?! It doesn’t taste that bad.

"Is it from Sun and Fury?" I tilt my head, wondering about this drink.

Kharis’ eyes gleamed mischievously. "It is. Now don’t go telling on us, Princess." I was about to ask what he meant when I realised the law they would have broken. Tensions were high between our kingdoms right now, and any broken law could cause more problems.

It was so little but it would be considered as smuggling the drink to our kingdom. Clothing and gems were fine, but food and drinks were not acceptable. I doubt Alaric would care. It was the nobles who would make a fuss, or if Deyanira heard about this, then it would be an even bigger issue.

Holding his stare conspiratorially while leaning my arms on the desk closer to him, I replied, "I would never. Unless it is poisoned..." One eyebrow shoots up at him.

Kharis slaps his hand to his chest. "I would never do such a thing to a lady, and certainly not to someone so lovely as yourself."

My eyes roll before I can stop them, I muse, "Such a charmer."

Kharis replies in Solfyran, his accent smooth, followed by a smirk. I ignored it, wondering what Eryx or Cohnal would have done if they had been here. Most likely, a clip around the back of the head. He must have a bruise forming there by now.

"Then let us try this drink you claim to be so tasty." I waved my hand a little impatiently, but honestly, I was grateful for Kharis’ attitude, or should I say his personality. He was bright and cheerful, someone who could push my thoughts aside about Soren.

After showing Kharis to the kitchen, I held back a small chuckle at his reaction to the sight of my palace. He said something in Solfyran first, possibly a curse or something along the lines that matched his shocked expression. The man wasn’t one to hide his feelings like all the other men I know. It was refreshing, and I hoped I would not be disappointed by this man in the future—it was highly likely, considering where he was from and who he worked for.

"Where is everyone?" He frowned, brushing away some dust from a counter.

I shrugged. "Do you need anything from here or not?"

Kharis looked around again. "What is the likelihood of someone assassinating you in a ten-minute window?"

"Um...?" I looked around like the kitchen might give me the answer.

"Never mind," Kharis sighed. "I can mindlink Cohnal."

"About what?" I began following him out of the kitchen in confusion.

Kharis swore under his breath. Well, I assumed he did; it wasn’t in Isa.

"How can you live like this?" He looked at our surroundings with a scowl.

"Quite easily when it is what I have grown up with." I shrug. "Come. Let us go back to the study. You can try our tea-"

"I’ve tried it," Kharis grumbled. "It sucks."

My eyebrows shot up at that, and I shook my head at his causal words. "Where is your slave?" He then asks.

"I sent him on a few errands." He helped me change and was reluctant to leave, especially when he found Kharis waiting in the corridor, but I wanted some space from Theo as well.

I didn’t really know who I could trust right now besides my brother. For now, Kharis was more of a comfort than anything, and Theo would remind me about Soren’s betrayal.

"Maybe you should make him clean this place until it is spotless. Do you not have a budget to put a bit of paint on the walls or something?" He grumbled, and it made me wonder what he grew up like.

Kharis wasn’t an Alpha or Beta, but he might come from a wealthy background if my home wasn’t up to his standards. I thought they were barbarians? Again, it made me think about the lands of Sun and Fury.

"You can always return to the Guest Pavillion," I suggest with a shrug. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Sun God, no. Eryx will kill me for leaving you." He opened the study door for me again. I stepped through, returning to my seat at the desk, wondering what I might have to drink now that khave and tea were off the menu.

"Faidon too," Kharis continues. "You’ve even made that heartless beast a little smitten with you."

I point at myself. "Me?"

"Well, who could blame him." Kharis grins, leaning his arms against the desk and resting his cheek on his fist.

I clear my throat. "Getting off track here... Is Faidon not..." I look around the room and to the ceiling. I honestly didn’t know at this point if he was actually some sort of shadow in the room or if he was just excellent at his job. "On duty?"

Was that the right term?

"The guy needs to sleep at some point, you know." Kharis sat back in his chair across from me. "That’s why I’m here!"

They were certainly a contrast in personalities, one dark and brooding in the night and the other bright, cheerful in the day, brighter than our sun anyway. "Don’t guards usually keep a distance?"

"Not all. Besides! I think your perspective on us needs shifting a little... You’ve only interacted with our Prince... We aren’t all like him."

"A heartless killer?"