04 Shared Meal

The King barely spares me a glance before waving a dismissive hand my way. He turns to my siblings.

"Take your pick," he says, his tone laced with disinterest. "Claim what you wish and be done with it. I have important matters to attend to."

The remaining shackled Lycans tremble under the weight of his words. More are dragged forward, half-starved and beaten down, waiting to see which of my brothers and sisters will decide their fates.

I force myself to watch, to etch their suffering in my memory.

It's all I can do since I can't save them. Not yet.

I can't take any more servants with me. I already attracted a smidgen of their unwanted attention by suddenly agreeing to take Casimir. As much as possible, I want to keep being the ignored and neglected little ghost sister to them and stay far away from their radar.

The discussion moves on to matters of treaties, war, and politics. Thankfully, it seems that after the initial surprise, no one seems to care that I have chosen a Lycan. No one thinks me worth a second thought, even Leonel, who I fear grew interested enough to keep an eye on me, is already at work in making his new Lycan slaves his footstool.

'Just hold on a little longer, everyone,' I silently tell them. I know they can't hear me but I prefer I don't give them empty words. What they want and need is action and results.

Sanders bows at my side. "Come, Your Highness," he says in a soft voice.

I nod and turn on my heel, exiting the hall with Casimir trailing behind me. With the enchanted shackles on his wrists make it impossible for him to try and escape, lest he gets electrocuted and subdued. He remains silent until we step into the empty corridor that leads towards my palace, away from prying eyes and ears.

Then, all of a sudden, he jerks away from Sanders, his posture rigid, his golden eyes burning with something dangerous. Sanders was quick enough to grab him by the shoulder, holding him back at the thought Casimir was going to attack me.

"What game are you playing?" he growls.

I meet his gaze head-on, refusing to cower. "No game," I reply coolly. "You're mine now. That means no one else can hurt you."

Casimir laughs at that, sharp, hollow, and bitter. "You think having a collar on me means I'll listen to you?"

I don't expect him to trust me. At least not yet. I know what I did to him before. Well, it's more like what I didn't do for him before. This is only the beginning. "I don't expect you to listen," I say simply. "I only expect you to survive."

His jaw tightens at that, a hint of surprise upon hearing my answer. His steely look returns but he doesn't push further.

I take that as a small victory.

***

Sanders leads us through the winding halls of the palace grounds, out towards the residential wings where each royal member has their own palace. The closer a palace is to the King’s, which is the Golden Rose Palace, the more important and grand it is.

My eldest brother, Crown Prince Leonel, resides in the Rose Palace, a sprawling estate with gleaming golden fixtures and towering spires. My other siblings, each with their own standing in the line of succession, have estates named after flowers—Orchid, Dahlia, Iris, and so on. My palace, Lilac, is the farthest and the smallest, sitting at the very edges of the palace grounds like an afterthought. A quiet place no one visits unless necessary.

Additionally, unlike my siblings, who command entire staff and some even have their own Order of Knights, my palace has only three servants.

Sanders, my butler, and two borrowed maids from the main palace–obviously spies my father purposely sends to keep an eye on me(not that they have anything to report and I doubt the King would bother hearing reports about my life).

That was how little I mattered in my past life...and how little I mattered in the present. But the only difference is how little I had done to change my fate back then.

We reach Lilac Palace, its faded lilac-colored banners barely swaying in the breeze.

Casimir eyes everything with suspicion, his movements guarded, his muscles coiled as if expecting an attack.

He's even more guarded than he was when he came here first. Maybe it's because it's official that this is where he'll also be living.

Sanders clears his throat as we stop in front of the door to the drawing room. He opens it and stands to the side, turning to me. "Everything will be prepared for him, Princess. I'll need a moment to finish things up..." he assures me, though I can sense his unease as his words fade with him not wanting to finish his sentence.

I already know what he's so hesitant to say. With the big event happening in the Golden Rose Palace, the usual maids that are supposed to be on duty in my palace are there. It's only me and Sanders...and now Casimir, until all the new batch of Lycan slaves are given to my siblings.

The Festival of Weres is also looming around the corner so it's just going to be the three of us until...well, until the people remember my existence.

I'm actually thankful for the alone time. My plan to get Casimir to understand I'm on his side will be easier to pull off without me worrying about the maids tattling to the King.

I can't let the others know what I'm planning.

As much as possible, I'll deal with some of Casimir's needs myself and Sanders will deal with the rest.

I nod at my butler. "See that it is. Thank you, Sanders. I'll keep Casimir company while you finish up, then."

"If that's the case, allow me to prepare the tea–"

I shake my head. "No need Sanders. I can serve the tea and snacks myself. The sooner you start with Casimir's room, the earlier you can return."

With nothing to say to that, Sanders conceded. Before he left me with Casimir in the drawing room, though, he made sure that I was comfortable and safely inside. He even inspected the integrity of the enchanted shackles before nodding his satisfaction and taking his leave with a bow.

From the corner of the room, I spy a trolley with a covered meal on it. It was probably left by the maids before they went to the Golden Rose palace.

It's probably very cold now but at least there's food for Casimir.

I head on over to the trolley and uncovered the meal. Steak and some veggies. Even though I'm a powerless princess, I'm still the princess. The meal is probably sad-looking compared to what my siblings get to eat at their palaces, but I'm just thankful I still get a complete meal, some meat, snacks, and tea time.

I sit across from Casimir as he glares at the untouched food on the table.

"Eat," I tell him.

He scoffs as he pushes the plate away. "Why? So you can poison me?"

I sigh. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have gotten the trouble to claim you and be ridiculed back in front of the King and my siblings."

Casimir's jaw clenches. "I don't need your pity. I've survived worse."

"You don't need my pity," I say calmly, shrugging a little before I lean forward, elbows on my thighs and my chin on my steepled fingers. "What you need is strength and power. And I can give you that."

Casimir goes still, suspicion flickering in his golden eyes. "And why would you do that?"

I reach forward and take a teacup with water, my fingers tightening my grip on it. "Because I refuse to be powerless again..."

Casimir doesn't trust me but there's a shift–something uncertain but present. And I can work with that.

All of a sudden, he narrows his eyes and makes a grab for the utensils, tossing his fork on my side of the table. "Eat first. I'll eat if you don't keel over."

I hesitate only for a moment before taking a bite, using the very utensils he's handed me...and one he'll be using after. He watches closely as I chew and swallow, searching for any signs of deception before waiting a couple of minutes.

When he finds none and sees I'm still alive, he snatches his fork from me and finally starts eating, slowly, still watching me like a predator assessing a new variable that appeared in his hunting grounds.

As I ignore the fact that we shared utensils, I think about knowing I have a long way to go. A very long way. But this is the first step and I will not make the same mistakes.

After Casimir finished eating, Sanders arrived and led Casimir to his new room while I decided it was time for me to prepare for bed.

Washed and in my nightgown, I murmur to myself as I settle under my covers. "This time, I'll get it right."

Without me knowing, outside my bedroom, on the balcony just beside mine, Casimir leans against the balustrade as he stares at the moon, expression unreadable.

"Let's see what you're really up to, Princess..."