We were at a long table. I was beside Alpha Storm and Crown Princess Cassandra or Luna Casey. On the other side, across us, was Alpha King, Grand Alpha, and Princess Cherish or Captain Iris.
They started conversing about political matters which I wasn’t interested in. I remained silent. My eyes were focused on my meal. I never intended to join in their conversation.
“I heard you will be joining General Cairo’s brigade, my dear Iris.” I heard Grand Alpha said. That made me glance at him as he was eyeing her youngest daughter.
Her Highness gave me a look as she could already feel that discussing that matter was not good since I am here. I just gave her a reassuring smile that I was fine by it even though it pained me.
Hesitant, Her Highness answered. “Um… Yes, Father. Brother said that on the original list, I wasn’t really included to be one of the Captains of the troops. Thanks to Her Majesty, General Rachelle, she put me on the spot and changed the course.” Princess Cherish gave me a credit and smiled.
I heard the Grand Alpha’s snort. “The strategist can have the same thinking as her. It just so happens that Rachelle thinks it beforehand and before the strategist can even announce what will happen, she already took the credit.”
I gripped the utensils I was holding. He sounded like what I said in the assembly hall could have the same prediction as to the scholar strategist. How dare he mock my skills!
I took the handkerchief and tapped my mouth. “I am way better than the strategist. The strategist of the palace is a useless one if he has no experience in training soldiers and entering in the war,” I said, looking at the tender juicy meat. I cut it into small pieces and put it directly into my mouth. “Thus, the strategist of the kingdom isn’t that resourceful. He only relies on information. Neither he experienced witnessing how war goes,” I said in my icy cold tone.
I was way calmer right now but the annoyance lingered inside me as to how the Grand Alpha mocked me and was poisoning me.
“Butting in someone’s conversation is a rude thing to do.” The Grand Alpha shot me a glare. “I hope you do learn it in your etiquette classes, Your Majesty.”
I put on a small smile with a smug expression. “I beg your pardon, Your Majesty but I cannot help myself.” I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand in a lady-like manner. “It is my idea in the first place and His Majesty approved it. I don’t want anyone who will steal my credit because I am the first one who gave out the idea. Even the military higher-ups didn’t think about that,” I said, boasting.
I couldn’t believe I would have to be like this one day to the Grand Alpha. I couldn’t imagine that we would have to clash like this.
I watched how an annoyed expression smeared on his face but then changed to a calmer one.
“You may be right. But that doesn’t mean you will still lead the brigade even if you are the one who took the credit.”
I huffed mentally with a small smirk plastered on my lips. He was trying to provoke me… I knew it. What he was doing gripped my utensils tightly.
“My, my.” It was Luna Casey. “Let’s not talk about the military brigade. It is already finished and decided. Brother has already finalized it.”
I was glaring at the Grand Alpha while he was smiling sweetly at me. His decree was trying to make me defy it…
“Let’s talk about the upcoming marriage of Claude and Rachelle. Do we have a wedding organizer then?”
I glanced at His Majesty who was looking at me before he laid his eyes on Casey. Our marriage… I wanted to bark. I don’t even want to end up like this…
“Father already hired the wedding organizer. The outfitter and the dressmaker are scheduled to come here next week.”
“Perfect! Storm and I will come back next week then. We will help Rachelle to choose her wedding dress,” Casey beamed.
I snorted. “To see how miserable I am?” I looked at Luna Casey with a smug expression. “That would be perfect!” Casey stayed silent from my remark.
“Rachelle…”
I turned to Storm. “What? I’m telling the truth, Alpha.” I shrugged. Then I ignored them and continued eating my food. I glanced at Claude who was looking at me.
He glided his eyes to make me look somewhere. I followed his gaze to see him tapping his finger three times on the table silently. I suddenly remembered that he said that if I wish not to stay here any longer, I could just give him a signal.
I simply shook my head, telling him I am not going to leave that earned him a perplexed look. I would like to have a clash with them.
Grand Alpha cleared his throat. “Son.”
“Yes, Father?” Claude asked.
“You can let your sisters handle the Luna Queen coronation. So you can focus more on your upcoming wedding with Rachelle.”
I secretly gritted my teeth. Why do I feel like every time the Grand Alpha spoke, I felt like he was provoking me? That sardonic smile was enough for me that he was mocking me and wanted to spark an argument with me.
“Yes, Father. I will give them the details tomorrow.”
I huffed. Luna Queen coronation… After the wedding, I would be crowned as Luna Queen of Waevalon Kingdom. After being crowned, I would start my duties as the Luna Queen.
The temple palpitated from annoyance. They were dropping this on one spot to make me feel pressured. The way the Grand Alpha spoke right now was he intended to emphasize the events that will happen in the next few months, hinting that there was no way for me to escape it. His tone was provoking me as well.
“I hope Her Majesty can keep up with her schedule.” Grand Alpha smiled sweetly at me.
I tightened my grip on the utensils I am holding. Now I get it. He did this intentionally. This dinner was a sign to ruin my night. That lost my interest.
I stomped the utensils to the table with a fake smile plastered on my lips. Everyone except the Grand Alpha was startled by my action and looked at me.
Before I could even speak, Grand Alpha stood up.
“I will take my leave before I will get murdered here,” he said with a smile that made me furious coldly.
I watched him leaving as some servants of his were tailing him. I waited for him to get out of sight before I released the utensils I was gripping earlier.
I decided to stand up. “I am leaving,” I said shortly and coldly.
“Rachelle.”
I glared at Luna Casey. Until now, I was still resentful of my Alpha and Luna. They just sold me out. They could have lied that Claude and I were mates.
“I am not in the mood to discourse with you,” was the only thing I said before I turned my back, kicking the chair I sat on earlier.
I was extremely angry. I couldn’t do this anymore to keep my cool. I couldn’t even do anything to lead my troops again. I could have wished things had turned out differently.
I returned to my chamber and ordered the servants to get rid of the gown I was wearing. Then I kicked them out. I even commanded the palace guards not to let everyone enter because I need privacy. I wish to be alone!
I was wearing my nightgown and stayed in my bed, curling up like a furry kitten. I was thinking of ways to cool my head off. I already took a bath before changing my nightgown. I smelled like lavender. But it didn’t calm me down.
I turned over to my bed and saw the window door to the balcony was open. I immediately put on my footwear and decided to go to the balcony. Looking down, I checked if there were palace guards. I saw that they were about to change posts.
“Great,” I said, smiling from ear to ear.
I had a minute before other guards exchanged their posts. With conviction, I decided to jump down and landed gracefully from the fifth floor to the ground without making any noise. I was immediately alerted when I smelled a familiar scent from behind. I hastily pulled out the dagger from my thigh holster under the hem of my nightgown and pointed it to him.
He immediately stopped my dagger just by holding the tip of it with his fingers. The same move I did when his knight pointed the sword at me.
“You have great reflexes, Your Majesty,” His Majesty said with a smile.
I snorted and put down the dagger. I hid it in my holster and looked at him.
“What are you doing here?” I grimaced.
I eyed him. He was still in his red tailcoat tuxedo. It was already midnight yet he wasn’t in his chamber?
“I came to see you. I was about to climb but then I have this inkling that you will do something adventurous on your own. So I waited.” He smiled sheepishly.
I snorted. “Are you going to call the guards that the future Luna Queen escaped from her chamber?”
“No. I am, in fact, here to help you stroll around. I can’t just let my future Luna Queen enjoy it on her own.”
I rolled my eyes. Then I became alert, sniffing the scent. My eyes widened. The next round of palace guards was coming here to guard this area! They were already here! There was no time to run away because I would be caught. Their footsteps were coming in our direction.
I gasped when His Majesty pulled my hand in his direction. He made me lean on the wall and trapped me with his body. I gasped when his knee was in between the apex of my thighs.
Flushing and feeling disgraced, I tried to push him away from me. “W-What are you doing, Y-Your Majesty?” I hissed at him in a whisper tone.
“Who’s there?”
My heart leaped from my ribcage, hearing one of the guards’ voices. I could still escape if Claude wasn’t trapping me.
I shivered when his hand was on my cheek and leaned on my ear. “Just play along. I’ll help you get away from them,” he whispered huskily to my ear. “I promise.”
“What? Are you insane?” I whispered back in an almost loud manner.
“Your choice,” he whispered to the crook of my neck. I shivered when his lips lightly grazed my neck.
I panicked and spotted the head of one of the guards. My body was in heat from the closeness of his body to mine and his thigh was in the apex of my thighs that sent tingles down my spine.
I shot him a glare. “You better help me out from here, Your Majesty. I want to take a stroll tonight,” I said, whispering a little.
His Majesty smiled. “Of course, my Luna Queen.”
His lips descended to mine which didn’t shock me. It was as if I was already expecting it. I immediately closed my eyes and forced myself to respond to his kiss. But that came naturally for me as my hands moved to their own accord to reach his neck.
Our breaths mingled. I couldn’t even stop kissing Claude. I even released a soft moan inside his mouth when his thigh kept on caressing my soft bud covered with fabric. His hard thing covered by his trousers was poking to my stomach, making it pooled below. Claude left my lips and started leaving wet kisses to my neck as his hands were wandering around my body. I moaned softly from the delirious feeling flowing inside me. I was also feeling hot right now.
“You! Who are you? How dare you disgrace the palace?!”
Claude stopped from nibbling my earlobe. His rugged breath was like music to my ear. “I want to mark you,” he whispered. I shivered to his embrace when he licked the curve of my neck before he turned around. I even caught his luscious eyes turning cold when he faced the guards.
“Disgrace? Is it that bad of doing something nasty to my Luna Queen here?” Claude asked in his icy cold voice.
They gasped when they knew who the intruders were making a disgrace to the palace.
The guards knelt before us. “Y-Your Majesties. I-I didn’t know Alpha King and future Luna Queen are here,” he said, flushing in embarrassment. “We deserve death.” They bowed their heads to the ground.
Even though my cheeks were also flushing and my lips were swollen, I tugged Claude’s hem off his coat when I saw him smirking. I’m afraid he would put them to death with the way he was staring murderously at them. He looked at me. His expression softened.
I shook my head. “J-Just forgive them.” He grinned at my words. I rolled my eyes and turned to them. “Rise and go back to your post. Let the Alpha King and I do our business here. Understand?”
They stood up and nodded. “Y-Yes, Your Majesty Luna Queen.”
“Let’s go.” I tugged his hand before I slit my eyes at him. “You promised me.”
He halted in front of me. Then he fixed my dress and pulled up the collar. My other shoulder has been exposed! I didn’t realize that.
Claude gently gripped my hand. “As you wish, Luna Queen Rachelle,” he said with a meaningful smile.