Chapter 3: Unwanted Attention
1759 Kata
Regardless of how shocked I was, I realized that I needed to say something, or do something before I was severely punished for falling into the prince.
Based on the royals' reputation, it probably didn't matter that it was Sophia's fault. I'd messed up, and that was it.
“Miss Black, I had thought that you were better than that. Now, as punishment for your unruly behavior...." As expected, it certainly didn't matter to the unforgiving Beta.
I could sense danger in Xavier's tone, but it was even more frightening that he actually knew who I was.
I'd assumed that Xavier, being the Beta of the Alpha King, wasn't someone who could easily be fooled. But I hadn't expected him to have already learned everything about us.
I heard Sophia's voice as she snickered behind me. “Serves her right."
My heart sank even more. For the first time in a long time, I started to panic. All I could do was pray that I hadn't brought disaster to my pack.
But before my sentence was announced, I heard a calm yet authoritative voice say, “All is well. No need to overreact, Beta Xavier."
“Thank goodness you're unharmed, Prince Warren!"
“Prince… Warren?" I shouldn't have spoken aloud when I was still standing right next to him, but he acknowledged my question with a slight nod.
“I believe the ground is a bit uneven here." He looked at me. “Are you all right?"
I finally got the chance to fully appreciate how handsome he was, and my heart stopped beating for just a moment.
My voice was trapped somewhere in the back of my throat, but I managed to nod and then forced myself to say, “Yes, Your Highness. Thank you, and I apologize."
“No need." The prince had a faint smile on his face. Then he turned to Beta Xavier. “Carry on."
Beta Xavier bowed deeply. “Yes, Your Highness."
The crowd of girls continued along the path, and I was swept up in it. I reminded myself to pay better attention and turned to face the front, while I was still pondering the entire incident.
Prince Warren! Thank the Goddess he wasn't the cruel Prince Theo! I almost felt happy tears began to form in the corners of my eyes.
But then, how could the enchanting young man I'd met long ago be a prince? It was in a forest so far away from the capital… I couldn't have possibly encountered a royal there, could I?
However… what if there was the slightest chance that it really was him? Then what should I do? Should I approach him and find a chance to explain myself, or should I just pretend that nothing had ever happened between us?
“Prince Warren is such an incredibly handsome man. And he seems to be very kind!" Brook whispered. “You're lucky. Imagine if that had been Prince Theo you'd bumped into!"
“I can't," I admitted. Yes, I was lucky this time. But if I made another mistake, it could be the end of my journey in the most permanent way possible.
I cast a glance toward Sophia and saw her give me a scornful sneer. “Just wait. Your luck will run out," she uttered under her breath.
I clenched my fists, but I knew I couldn't afford to take any action at that moment.
We headed through another door into a separate wing of the palace, and I pushed all of my anger toward Sophia and my unanswered questions about Prince Warren to the back of my mind, so I could concentrate on what I needed to do.
The announcement had said that we'd be there for three years, collect our riches, and then return to our families… but I had a feeling the real situation would be much more dangerous.
This part of the palace was just as luxurious as the rest, with priceless artwork in gold frames lining the walls above the black marble floors. Despite its beauty, I managed to keep my eyes straight ahead so I wouldn't be distracted again.
We came to a stop in front of a group of rooms with thick mahogany doors. A man dressed in a uniform similar to Xavier's was waiting for us.
He looked much younger, with broader shoulders and a mop of curly black hair atop his head. He was handsome in an unassuming sort of way, and his eyes were scrutinizing but not unkind.
“Ladies, you have arrived!" Xavier said with a flourish of his arm. A shout arose from the crowd as giggles and clapping filled my ears. I forced a smile onto my lips so I wouldn't stand out in the crowd.
This was where Prince Theo lived? It felt different from the rest of the palace. I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why.
We waited for the door to be opened, but the other man stopped us. “Actually, Prince Theo isn't available."
Beta Xavier's smile faded. “What's this now, Beta Jake? I was told—"
“You heard me, sir. I've been asked to look after the young ladies until the prince is ready. He wanted me to tell you he'd get back to the king with his thoughts later."
“But—" Xavier began.
Beta Jake cut him off with a harsh whisper. “You wouldn't want to disobey His Highness' order, would you, sir?"
Although reluctant, Xavier cleared his throat. “Very well," he said, “I shall report to the king that it is all in your hands now… Beta." He said the last word like it was a curse. Then, he cut between us, heading back down the hall the way we'd come.
Interesting.
Beta Xavier served the king, and that should've made him the most powerful Beta in the entire country… but it seemed that Beta Jake had easily defied him.
The rumor must be true. Prince Theo was favored by the king, and that was why his Beta was able to overrule someone of higher rank.
“Hello, ladies," Beta Jake said. His tone was much less formal, almost as if he wasn't trying to fool us. “It's a pleasure to see all of you. Prince Theo is quite busy with other tasks at the moment, but I assure you that you will be meeting him shortly."
The deeper into the prince's quarters we went, the stranger I felt. Finally, I figured out the reason.
People.
Or, to be more precise, a lack of people.
It was eerily quiet in this wing of the palace, because other than Jake, I didn't see anyone else.
Unlike the rest of the palace, where guards and servants were available every few steps, there wasn't anyone else here.
Everything here just seemed so… lifeless.
Eventually, Beta Jake led us outside into an open area facing a large door that seemed to lead to an office. Then he divided us into groups of eight, and we waited.
As time went by, the gentle morning sun started to burn even brighter, beating down on us as we stood in line. After a while, the back of my dress was soaking wet. Other girls were in no better shape than me, yet oddly, no one complained, not even Sophia.
Perhaps everyone was trying their best to make a good first impression on the man they were competing over.
How long had it been? Two hours, or maybe three?
I couldn't believe this was how Prince Theo treated his prospective Luna on the very first day.
Not that I would ever want to be selected by him, I just couldn't understand why this was necessary. Why did he have to be mean to a group of girls for no reason whatsoever?
To my surprise, Beta Jake stood in the hot sun with us, and there was not a hint of resentment on his face.
During this time, my mind went back to Prince Warren a few times, and I had to work hard to press down the upcurl of my lips. That helped a lot as we waited.
Finally, after what seemed like centuries, Jake's expression changed slightly. I figured he was communicating with someone using the mind-link.
“Thank you for your patience," he said simply. “Now, group one, please follow me."
Thank the Goddess we were finally moving this along!
Eight nervous ladies followed the Beta through the door, and in less than two minutes, they were back out and dismissed.
The same thing happened with the second group.
That was way faster than I'd thought, but it made me even more confused. What exactly did Prince Theo want from us then?
“Group five, please follow me." Jake instructed flatly. That was my group.
I took a deep breath, focused on my steps, and heard the door click closed behind us.
There he was.
Prince Theo was sitting behind a large desk with his head dipped down, a pen in one hand, and some files in another. He went about his work, not paying the eight of us any attention.
His hair was a bit darker than his brother's. I couldn't see his entire face, and his thick eyelashes blocked most of his eyes. It was difficult to tell at this angle, but it seemed that he was as good-looking as Prince Warren.
Beta Jake started introducing us one by one to the prince, and I watched in shock as he continued to write, not even sparing us a single glance.
Halfway through, his Beta paused and said helplessly, “Alpha… don't you think you might at least take a look at them?"
“No need to."
Those were the first words I'd heard from Prince Theo, and they sounded cold and distant. It didn't matter that his voice was actually deep and soothing; his tone had made it very clear that he had no interest in interacting with any of us.
“You continue," he said, giving his command to his Beta.
Jake sighed. “All right." Then, as his Alpha instructed him, he continued to announce our names.
“This is Miss Dyan Emstream from Zabra pack." He pointed to the girl next to me, and then to me. “Lastly, this is Miss Ciana Black of Alvar pack."
As I let out a breath, thinking that it was finally over, the prince raised his head and looked in my direction.
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- Penulis
