Chapter 96   – Special Rewards (1)

“Come in,” said Amethyst.

Pon opened the door and made his way into the room. Pon never came to her room, not unless something is urgent. It made Amethyst worried. she thought,

“Pon, is something amiss?” she asked him.

“Madam,” said Pon, gravely, “I need to talk about something.”

“What is wrong?” asked Amethyst, worried at his grim expression.

“Forgive me, Madam,” said Pon, “But why didn’t you make a sticker board for the Duke as well?”

“What?!” asked Amethyst, confused. “The Duke?”

“Yes, Madam,” he said, “At this rate, he might end up killing everybody.”

“Why would Alec need a compliment board?” asked Amethyst, incredulously, “He is the ultimate authority.”

“Well, if he had one as well,” added Lunia, timidly, “He would scare us a little bit less.”

“Scare you?” asked Amethyst, “What’s going on?”

Pon and Lunia frowned. It seemed both of them didn’t want to talk about whatever has happened.

“And why in the world would he need a compliment board though?” asked Amethyst. “I mean it’s not like he can be given a bonus, or a vacation.”

“Well…,” said Pon, “maybe the reward can be something different for the Duke.”

“Yes, Madam,” said Lunia and clasped Amethyst’ hand tightly. “Please allocate the Duke a compliment board as well.”

Amethyst looked at them, stunned. thought Amethyst.

Amethyst thought. However, Lunia and Pon had looked positively distressed. She couldn’t ignore their requests.

“Okay,” said Amethyst, “I will think of something.” Pon and Lunia looked relieved.

At that moment, Roman arrived in the room. “Madam!” she called.

“Roman,” Amethyst said, “What brings you here?”

“Oh, thank the gods, you are all here,” said Roman. She greeted Pon and Lunia too.

“I don’t know if it is something I did. I might have made a mistake,” she said hurriedly, “I thought of everything, but I don’t know where I went wrong. Forgive me for intruding, but I need to ask you if I did anything that is not up to the expectation.”

“Roman,” Amethyst asked gently, “What’s wrong? What mistake did you make?”

“That is what I am here to ask you,” said Roman, “I don’t know.”

“But you are doing great!” said Amethyst, “Lunia told me about your accomplishment in your work. It is highly commendable.”

“Do you really think so?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” assured Amethyst.

“Then why did the Duke visit the establishment with a very scary face?” asked Roman.

“What? Alec visited?” asked Amethyst, surprised.

“Yes, he came in person,” said Roman, visibly terrified, “He looked around. I thought maybe I had made a big mistake because the Duke has never visited the place before.”

Everyone was terrified of Alec and his unpredictable new behavior. Pon, Lunis, Leyrian, Gen, and now… Roman. Pon nodded with understanding and handed Amethyst a blank and new compliment board.

“I had it made,” said Pon, “It’s blank. Maybe you can fill it in.”

“Did you have it prepared in advance?” asked Amethyst.

Pon nodded. He, along with Lunia and Roman left the room with a pleading look at Amethyst. She looked at the compliment board in her hands. For others, there was reward of bonus and vacation and such. Wat could she put in the reward section for Alexcent?

First reward column, she wrote ‘A massage’. Amethyst wondered. “I must be crazy,” she muttered. In the second reward column, she wrote ‘Welcoming at the front door’. She thought, Amethyst shook her head. In the third reward column she wrote ‘Granting a small wish’. Well, that seemed good enough.

*

Amethyst awoke and opened her eyes at the rustling somewhere near. A dark shadow lingered in front of her.

“Alec…,” she said. “Why are you so late to come to sleep these days?’

Instead of an answer, he caressed her head, fondly. Amethyst woke up fully and blinked her eyes to focus on him.

“I woke you,” he said softly. His low-pitched voice ringing in the silence felt gloomy.

She wondered if his workload had become too heavy these days. “Are you busy?”

“No,” he said.

“I heard the Congress will be over soon.”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t overwork yourself.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Yes, obviously.” Alexcent caressed her cheek. She felt his fingers on her cheek, warm and gentle.

“I have something for you,” she said, and reached under her pillow. She found the compliment board that she had filled with the reward prospects and gave it to him.

“For me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, “You don’t need a bonus or a paid vacation, so there wasn’t much I could give you.”

Alexcent stared at the small compliment board. There were three columns for rewards that were newly filled:

The rewards seemed too small for anybody else, but for Alexcent, it was the most precious thing he had ever received. His heart was filled with joy. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

To his surprise, his wife pushed him down on the bed, her kisses becoming frantic. She bit his lower lip gently and invaded his mouth. Her hands slid inside his robe and found his skin. It seemed ages since she had been this close to Alexcent. Her hands trailed over his skin and stroked his stomach.

She was particularly aggressive today.