Running out of time…
### Veronica’s POV
What in the world had just happened? Did Lucas and Simon just push me aside for that no-good slave? How was I rapidly losing both the war and the battle at the same time? These questions raced through my mind, a storm of anger and disbelief, as I made my way back upstairs to my bedroom. The moment Lucas left the living room with Ashley by his side, I watched their retreating figures, my heart sinking deeper with each step they took. Only when they were completely out of sight did it truly dawn on me that my world was crumbling.
“I am running out of time. The mating season will be over soon, and they will have to choose their mate not too long afterward,” I muttered to myself, each word a painful reminder of my impending doom, as I slowly dragged my feet towards the stairs. “From the looks of things, I am definitely going to get sent back to my parents’ house, and my long-time dream of being the Queen of this Kingdom is going to come crashing down right in front of me.”
A wave of despair hit me, and I rubbed my temples as a terrible headache began to take hold. As I climbed the stairs, I saw the maid coming down, her presence barely registering in my haze of frustration-what was she called in the mansion again? Madam Monica or something like that?
“Good day, Princess Veronica,” she greeted as she walked past me, and I just nodded in response. I watched as she descended the stairs, and a devious plan formed in my mind. She missed a step and slipped a bit but caught herself before falling. Taking a moment to steady herself, she continued on her way, completely unaware of the dark thoughts swirling in my head.
Looking at her, a smile crept across my face as my mind went straight to work. “You old hag, you’re definitely going to be a very useful pawn in this game,” I said, the smile on my face widening even further. “I cannot lose; in fact, I will never lose, especially not to that dirty and lowly thing.” The mere thought of that slave alone filled me with rage. It wasn’t going to be a bad thing if I did everything I could to get my way by any means necessary. After all, it isn’t a new saying that “all is fair in love and war,” and this war, I am most definitely not going to lose.
“Things are definitely going to change in this place,” I declared, my voice echoing through the grand, empty living room, which now seemed more like a stage for my downfall. I looked down at my wasted efforts and frowned once more. I had to pull out the dress in such a hurry after finding out they would be going out. I didn’t get to touch up my makeup or my hair. Not to mention that my handbag contained nothing else but lipstick and a hairbrush. I turned back to continue climbing the stairs until I finally reached the top, then quietly made my way into my bedroom.
As soon as I entered the room, I threw my purse across it, breathing heavily as my mind knew no peace. The thought of Lucas and Simon probably showing Ashley off as their woman to the public was unbearable. If I had gone along with them, at least I would have stood my ground and made it perfectly clear that she was nothing but a slave they brought into the mansion. However, that wasn’t the case; instead, I was just here, rotting in the mansion.
“Oh, my lady, you startled me,” Amira said as she came out of the bathroom with a mop bucket and some cleaning tools in her hand. I remembered leaving her in the room as I rushed out to catch up with Lucas and Simon, so I wasn’t all too surprised to see her still cleaning. “My lady, I thought you were going out with His Highnesses. How come you are back here already?” she continued, and I closed my eyes, fuming, trying not to yell or transfer my aggression to her.
“Amira, just keep quiet for a minute; I’m trying to think,” I responded, laying flat on the bed. As much as I wanted to think further on what to do, nothing helped. Instead, the headache just kept increasing, so I decided to loosen up a bit.
“Amira,” I called out, sitting back up on the bed, and she turned to face me from the dressing table where she had gone to clean up. “Go get some ice cream for us.”
For a moment, it seemed like I had spoken in an unknown tongue, as Amira looked at me with confusion clearly written all over her face.
“Did I stutter? Or did I speak in an unknown language?”
“No, not at all, my lady. I just wasn’t expecting that. So, do I go get it now, or…”
“Of course, go get it now. What do you think, next week?” She dropped the rag in her hand and made her way out of the room, leaving me to the deafening silence that came with being alone.
I looked around for my phone, and as soon as I spotted it lying on the extreme end of my side table, I sighed deeply as I went to get it. It’s funny that I had rushed out to catch up to Lucas and Simon, forgetting the one thing I could not be separated from in the entire world for even a minute.
“I can’t believe I was actually going to forget this,” I said, taking it and turning it on. I scrolled through my phone, responding to as many messages as I could, mostly from my friends and acquaintances back at home. Looking at everything most of them had to say, a frown settled on my face as it really boiled down to how things were going over here and why the Lycan twin brothers had another woman claiming to be their mate despite my presence here. I thought a bit about how I was going to respond to such messages, but after a while, I just stated that everything was all a misunderstanding and would go back to normal soon.
“So exhausting,” I exclaimed, dropping my phone back on the bed in annoyance. All I had to do was respond to a few messages, but giving answers to those questions seemed like a strenuous workout. “If everyone else is asking about this, then it won’t be long before Mom and Dad try to reach me about it,” I said, taking my phone back and turning it off. I knew my parents well, and it was no surprise that the king himself and his lovely queen wouldn’t hesitate to call me very soon. Turning my phone off would help me avoid the unnecessary lectures they would have to give.
Amira walked back in at this point, and I stared at the tray in her hands. She walked closer to where I was seated on the bed before placing the tray right in front of me.
“Hope you brought my favorite flavor, chocolate,” I asked, and she nervously scratched the back of her head as she thought about what to say next.
“Oh, so sorry, my lady. I had no idea that you prefer chocolate ice cream. Let me just go return this then,” she responded, reaching for the tray, but I stopped her.
“You know what, it’s fine. I’ll just have this one instead. By the way, what flavor of ice cream is this?”
“I brought you strawberry, my lady. I honestly didn’t know that you preferred chocolate.”
“It’s fine. This is good as well,” I responded, opening the tub and pouring some into the glass ice cream bowl she had brought for me.
“Here you go,” I said, raising the bowl to meet her gaze.
“Oh no, I shouldn’t, my lady. Please do enjoy the ice cream, ma’am.”
“Amira, I want to believe you do not want to go against my wishes.”
“What? Never!”
“Good. So take this; I’m bored, and I need someone to talk to.” She was still a bit hesitant, but she took the ice cream bowl from me. “Sit down.” I watched her as she quickly sat on the floor close to me, and I shook my head in disapproval.
“What is this, Amira? Are you a dog? Come on, will you just sit on the bed?”
“My lady, I don’t think I can. I shouldn’t be sitting on the same level with you; that would be wrong of me.”
“Hmm, you know your place, and that’s why I like you, but it’s fine. Sit down,” I said authoritatively, and she did as told, sitting on the bed close to me. She still didn’t make eye contact with me, and I smiled as I took in the honor she never missed an opportunity to give me. Shouldn’t this be something a certain someone was supposed to be giving to me? But of course, she had grown wings, and I was going to be the one to clip them.