淑女的欲望

As Scarlett was on the brink of sleep, her cell phone vibrated. She thought it was Xander. However, when she checked, she was taken aback to see a text from an unfamiliar number.

\'Odd, why isn\'t my spam filter catching this?\' She grumbled inwardly, vexed by her program\'s lapse in handling texts from unknown sources. 

She decided to shut off her phone, but another message popped up before she could do that. Curious, she opened the message.

Her body tensed as she read the short but impactful message on the screen:

[Unknown: ] Scarlett, this is me, Simon Gilwynn.

[Unknown: ] Sorry to contact you like this. I just want to ask for your time to meet.

At the mention of that name, Scarlett felt her legs turn weak, causing her to clutch the edge of the bed to steady herself.

"Why would Simon want to meet me? And who on earth gave him my number? Theo?" Her expression darkened at the thought of Theodor\'s potential involvement in this. 

She mentally scolded him for his carelessness. But before she could respond, another text arrived.

[Unknown: ] I\'m aware you\'re in Royal City, Scarlett. There\'s no need for you to come to me. We can meet at the hospital tomorrow morning. What do you say?

Scarlett\'s lips twisted into a wry smile. She couldn\'t avoid the grasp of this king.

[Scarlett: ] Alright. We can meet at 9 AM. I assume you know my room number.

After sending the message, she turned off her cell phone. The exhaustion was unbearable, and she really had to give up on the embrace of sleep.

****

A knock echoed through the room as Scarlett stirred awake in the morning. Groggily, she glanced at the bedside table\'s watch and was shocked to find it was only 7 o\'clock.

"Yeah?" Her voice held a hint of irritation as she rose from the bed, dragging her feet wearily to the door. Opening it, she found Logan standing there, his expression traced with concern.

"Young madam…" Logan\'s words seemed to tumble out in haste as if he urgently needed to gauge Scarlett\'s well-being. "Are you alright?"

Scarlett\'s reply wasn\'t immediate; she found his question sound strange. Naturally, she was fine, for heaven\'s sake. She gathered her hair into a disheveled bun, flinging the door wide open before returning to the room to draw the blinds.

The brilliant light streaming in momentarily blinded her. However, as her eyes adjusted, she realized the outside streets were already bustling with activity. An unspoken appreciation for Logan\'s early wake-up call swept over her. After all, she had an appointment this morning—to meet Simon Gilwynn, her half-brother. But before that encounter, she needed to have a conversation with Theodor.

Calmly returning to Logan, she asked, "Why do you think I\'m not okay?" Scarlett\'s brows arched slightly, and her question showed her confusion.

"Ma\'am, your husband has been trying to call you since last night, but you couldn\'t be reached on your phone," Logan explained to Scarlett. "...He asked me to check on you, worried that something might have happened, he mentioned, you never turned off your private phone number, which concerned him."

Scarlett took a deep breath, realizing she had turned off her private cell phone last night, driven by the fear that Simon might try to contact her. She didn\'t want to engage in any conversation with him before speaking to Theodor.

"My mistake, Logan," Scarlett said with a rueful smile. "It seems my phone\'s battery drained. Anyway, you can head back to your room. I\'ll try to call Xander now..."

Logan nodded and began to depart, yet Scarlett halted him with a question before he could move far.

"Is Theodor also staying in this hospital?" she asks. She had heard last night that Theodor had chosen to spend the night here and was planning to return to his residence today.

"Yes, his room is right across from yours," Logan confirmed. "Do you want me to call him?"

"Yes, please. Tell him to wait for me in the living room. I need to discuss something with him. And while you\'re at it, could you arrange breakfast for me?" Scarlett requested.

"Ma\'am, Old Madam has arranged your breakfast in her room. Should I bring it here?" Logan offered.

Scarlett thinks for a moment. "Hmm, yes, please. I still need to have a conversation with Theodor. Also, I have a meeting at nine with someone."

...

After talking to Logan, Scarlett hastened through her morning routine. She had been looking forward to this day. Her encounter with Simon Gilwynn had sparked a strange feeling within her.

However, a lingering concern appears in her mind—how much did Simon Gilwynn know about her true identity? 

Scarlett speculated that he was probably aware of her relationship with Roland Gilwynn, which might explain why he had reached out to her.

She pondered the fact that the king of the country himself was interested in meeting her and had even come to the hospital to only meet her and talk.

It was a puzzling blend of emotions—she couldn\'t decide whether to feel pleased or apprehensive.

After tidying up and selecting a clean set of her favorite black attire, Scarlett promptly placed a call to Xander. She hoped to hear his voice before facing Simon Gilwynn.

"Babe, you finally called me..." Xander\'s voice came through the other end, carrying a hint of relief that brought Scarlett a rueful smile. She regretted not having the energy to reach out to him last night, even just through a text message.

"Hubby, I\'m really sorry..." Scarlett began apologizing before explaining to him what happened last night. She recounted the sudden contact from Simon Gilwynn. 

Xander responded with concern and surprise, "Wife, you should call Roland Gilwynn and let him know about Simon\'s request to meet you. I\'m worried that Simon might have ulterior motives or could pose a threat to you..."

Scarlett\'s heart sank at Xander\'s words. The possibility he mentioned had slipped her mind completely.