The Alpha Princess And Her Dragon Mate

Innocent And Pure

Elisha belonged to the prosperous Varkender family. Her grandfather was the former advisor to the late king. She and King Alaric had known each other since childhood, though they couldn't be considered friends back then. Elisha was deeply in love with Alaric, and the moment she was old enough, she had offered herself as a gift to the king.

Even though she was merely a consort, she was still given preferential treatment due to her family's high status. So, it came as a surprise to the entire palace when she was sent away by the king. With tears in her eyes, Elisha watched as her servants dragged her belongings into a carriage. With one last longing look at the palace, she got into the carriage and was taken back to her family home. Her fate was uncertain.

Sabrina watched the whole scene from her window. She felt uneasy about the whole thing. She didn’t want to believe that Elisha being sent out of the palace had anything to do with her. Sure, she’d met the king last night, and he hadn’t seemed pleased about one of his women being used as a servant. But that was all—they didn’t know each other that well. So it was unlikely he would go to such an extent as to offend a powerful family for her.

Her maids didn’t seem to think the same way. Leyla was thrilled, believing that her mistress had finally gained favor with the king. A servant’s status would be elevated once their mistress was favored, so she was looking forward to all the benefits they would enjoy once Sabrina became a consort.

“My lady, wear this dress today; it brings out your eyes beautifully,” Leyla said, holding up a dark gray dress streaked with olive patterns. Sabrina didn’t care much about her appearance, so she easily agreed to wear whatever the girls picked out for her. Ellen had some other work to take care of, so she wasn’t available.

Today, Sabrina would be engaging with the other women. According to Leyla, a private class was held for the women once a week, focusing on painting, music, or embroidery. The purpose of this class was mostly so the women could spend time together in hopes of maintaining good relationships. The king's favorite woman also attended these classes, and most of the women went in hopes of establishing a good relationship with Rosaline Winter, King Alaric’s one true love.

Sabrina left with Leyla. Chairs were arranged in the garden. Since she had come early, she was the only person there. She didn’t mind; some peace and quiet would do her good. Soon enough, the rest of the women started trickling in one by one, while some arrived in groups. Due to what had happened earlier that morning with Elisha, they all threw Sabrina nasty looks, but no one dared to bully her. Though the rumors might not be true, it wasn’t worth risking their position and ending up like Elisha.

When everyone was settled, an older woman came to sit in the middle of the group. The servants passed around sketchbooks and pencils.

“We’ll be doing some simple sketching today, ladies. It’s a way to express yourselves. If you want, you can pass your sketch to your partners for critique.”

The women, already used to these classes, flipped their papers open and began sketching. Sabrina stared down at the blank sheet of paper, deep in thought. What was she even expected to sketch? She’d never been interested in art.

Rosaline arrived late to the class, but she was polite enough to apologize. The woman was beautiful, with long dark hair and big eyes that expressed innocence. She was the kind of gentle soul who greeted everyone with a smile. Despite being of higher status, she was still respectful to the other women. No wonder the king liked her the most. She was good and pure—something Sabrina had never been, even before she was betrayed by her loved ones. If this was the kind of woman the king liked, then it would be a lot harder to emulate.

“Hey, you must be the new addition to our family.” Sabrina was surprised when Rosaline came to speak to her directly. The woman gave her a kind smile. “Sorry I wasn’t able to welcome you properly. Next time, I’ll treat you to some delicious food made by me. Okay?”

“T...Thank you. I’d like that.”

Rosaline smiled once more and went to take her seat. Sabrina looked down at her blank sketchbook again. Reluctantly, she picked up her pencil and began shading. This eventually led to her drawing stickmen versions of two wolves fighting. She imagined one of them was herself and the other was either Eleanor or Edwin. No...she would take them both out at the same time! So she added another wolf. She drew herself tearing into them, biting hard on Edwin’s throat until she tasted blood, until her hands were painted bright red with his blood—just like they had been with her father’s.

And that stupid dragon king who was making it so hard for her to seduce him? She drew him as well. She drew her wolf tearing into his wings. She wished she had red paint to depict how gruesome the scene would be. It left her feeling satisfied.

“Your Majesty!”

Sabrina’s hands froze. She noticed all the other women had risen to their feet and were bowing to the king, who had appeared out of nowhere. Sabrina quickly rose, but her sketchbook fell to the ground, and her pencil rolled away until it hit the man’s boot.

Alaric bent down and picked up the pencil, glancing curiously at Sabrina’s sketch, which was on full display. His brows furrowed as he examined the image—a wolf ripping off the wings of a dragon, the beast curled up in obvious agony. The image was strikingly expressive. Unknowingly, his lips curled upward.

“Al, I didn’t know you were coming here,” Lady Rosaline said. She was about the only one who could address Alaric so intimately. The king looked at her fondly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, to the envy of the other women. It was clear he cared about Rosaline deeply.

“I just came casually. You don’t need to worry.” The king gestured to the teacher to continue the class. Reluctantly, the women returned to their seats. Sabrina moved to pick up her sketchbook, but the pencil was still in the dragon king’s grip.

“Here.”

Sabrina edged closer, intending to take the pencil and return to her seat. But as she reached out, the king held her hand—to her surprise and to the shock of the other women, who were watching from the corners of their eyes. Even Rosaline seemed startled, but she quickly focused on her sketch, appearing unbothered.

“Your Majesty…” Sabrina began. What the hell did he want? The last thing she needed was another reason for the women to bully her.

“The grave. Did you make one?”

“Yes.”

“Show me.”

Sabrina hesitated. Her father’s grave was personal. She didn’t want this man knowing about it. But it wasn’t like she had a choice. The king released her hand, and with great reluctance, Sabrina led him forward.