Chapter FourteenMaelisJuggling school and working as a palace maid was way harder than I expected. I thought it would be a piece of cake, but it turned out to be like a broken part of a rock: hard and tiring.We were woken up by the loud blaring of the morning sound over the speakers installed in every room. We rushed up to go to work, and people who couldn’t get up with that sound were disciplined by the guards. I knew it: nothing would go unpunished in this castle, and I had to be extra careful.We were put into groups for work that morning. Some were sent to the kitchen, some to clean the royal halls, including the dining room, and others to the royal farm. I was lucky to be sent to the kitchen where we didn’t do much work, but none of us were allowed to leave once we stepped in. The chief cook said we might go out and come back with germs that could harm the royal family. If only he knew what we used to do in the kitchen back at home.Due to the drastic measures, restrictions, a
Chapter FifteenUlricIf I could have things go my way, I would shut down every single person who said those abusive words to her. I felt a pang of pain when I saw the hurt in her eyes and the disappointment when no one stood up for her.I wished there was something I could do, but I was helpless. I couldn’t do anything to ruin what I had been planning for years. I almost made a big mistake the day before by hitting Valko, but my father was in the right mood to make the right judgment. If it had been one of his bad days, he would have made me pay for hitting Valko and assumed that he was right.It was a narrow escape for me, and I didn’t want to do anything to ruin all I had been working on for years. I had to comport myself and always be on the alpha’s good side. I had to do that for myself and for my mom, who had so much trust in me.There was the engagement with Lucia and the desperation I saw on my mom’s face to make sure the tie was sealed. She wanted me to get mated first, and i
Chapter SixteenUlricIt had only been a day since I saw her, yet it felt like I had known her for years. It was as if the mate bond and attraction towards her had been there all along, only now making itself known. Was this what the mate bond felt like, or was it something else? Everything left me confused. I wasn’t sure how to define what I was feeling.I had experienced the mate bond before. I felt it the first time I met Maelis at the pageant, and it didn’t feel pre-existing; it felt like finding a missing piece of myself, one I had longed for. But now, the feeling towards this new girl was just the same as that for Maelis. It felt like I had been waiting for her for years, as if I was meeting Maelis again.These thoughts became too much for me. I really couldn’t figure out what exactly I was supposed to do. The situation I was in was more difficult than expected. I had to decide whether to be with Lucia or keep waiting for Maelis. And then there was the new girl again. I had to m
Chapter SeventeenMaelisThe rest of the week was spent trying hard to stay away from the brothers. It wasn’t as easy as I thought, but I did all I could to make that happen, thanks to the head maid who still saw me as someone unworthy to serve the royal family. I would have been seen by them if I had been chosen to serve them.It was the weekend, and the head maid had already informed us that the weekend always started with the farm, then serving the royal family, and then doing the washing. Every single task was demanding, but like Alisha said, if we could impress the head maid and the royals, we could be given a higher position, and there was nothing I wanted more than the position of a royal physician. I had to do everything I could to make that happen, even if it meant doing things I didn’t want to do and going out of my way to do them. I had to get that position and show my father that I had a future. I wouldn’t be the slave they said I would be for my entire life.“The head mai
Chapter EighteenMaelisI desperately wanted to disappear at that moment. I wished I could find a way to wipe her memory so it would seem like she never saw me and I could go on my own. I looked around, wondering where I could go to escape the impending chaos, but her grip on my hand was so firm that the reality sank in immediately—there was no way out, and I had been caught by her.What do I do? How do I explain myself? What do I say to her? Multiple thoughts troubled my mind, but I didn’t have an answer to any of them. Nothing was clear, no ideas were forthcoming. It seemed like I had hit a dead end. I looked up to meet her gaze, which held a mixture of surprise, confusion, and mockery. I immediately withdrew my gaze and looked down again. Maybe she wasn’t sure it was me yet? Maybe she felt she was mistaken? What if she still didn’t know I was the one?All these thoughts raced through my mind, and I kept my head down, hoping she would let me be or become confused and leave.The trut
Chapter NineteenUlricI had my doubts. I knew Lucia wouldn’t stop with just spewing insults at me; she would also try to end our engagement. Although that was what I wanted, I didn’t want to go on with getting mated to her, and I was unable to break the engagement from my end. It would be great if she could do it. But it was also not great because she wouldn’t just be breaking our engagement but also breaking my mom's heart. My mom counted on that; she believed that getting mated to her would be our ticket out of the almost miserable lives we were living.The only thing helping us was the Royal status we had and how it would help us if we were outside. But within the walls of this castle, we were nothing, and every single person was above us, even the maids. Having an elaborate mating ceremony with Lucia was seen as a way to attract the Alpha’s good eyes and impress him. He would be so impressed that I was getting mated to the daughter of an elder and pack minister.Mother doesn’t un
Chapter TwentyMaelisI blinked multiple times to be sure I was seeing right, and when the realization dawned on me, I shuddered with a mixture of fear and embarrassment, the one thing I had been trying to avoid since I entered into the castle has finally happened.Even with that, I tried to hide my face, maybe as the day he passed by my side, he wouldn’t recognize me, maybe he hasn’t yet realize that I was the one.A part of me knew I was being delusional, but I just held on to that tiny rope of hope that I still hadn’t been caught, that he was only there to fight for me thinking I was just a normal maid.I almost entered into the ground during those minutes of awkward silence, my heart kept thumping hard in my chest and at some point I was afraid it was going to burst out.This was what I had been trying to avoid, I planned to stay clear of the brothers throughout my stay in the castle, but this lady has blown my cover, I didn’t even know what exactly she wanted from me.The first t
Chapter Twenty-oneMaelis The louder their voices got, the harder my heart pound, I didn’t know what to do. My eyes scanned around for a place to hide but I couldn’t find anywhere. There were bits tall shelves fixed to the walls with a lot of books on it, and the center was filled with reading tables and chairs, there was nowhere to hide.I hung my head in disappointment, it seemed as though there was no way out for me again, I just kept getting into one problem or then other. It doesn’t seem as though there was a way out for me from this.I still got a narrow escape from Lucia, and then Ulric, but now, getting away from the other two brothers seemed really impossible.My head was still raising in synchrony with my heart when his hand grabbed mine again and he pulled me towards a door I didn’t see after scanning through the library multiple times.He pushed the door open and pulled me in. It was a big space but was filled with boxed which were labeled with different type of archived
Chapter Sixty-sixMaelisIf I were told to write a test on how I feel, I would fail miserably because I just couldn’t put my feelings into words, no matter how hard I tried.I wanted to hate Ulric, to resent him for what he did to me, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, even after everything he had done. Why? Why can’t I hate him? I couldn’t have the good things go my way, and even the bad ones seemed to be working against me.He hurt me, he betrayed me, he broke the trust I had in him—what more could I do but hate him? But my heart was working against me. I found myself being drawn to him even when I wanted to pull away.I watched as he dragged his legs out of the room, and a low gasp escaped my lips. I was completely confused, unsure of what I wanted or what to do. I knew I would have to make a decision sooner or later, but how could I do that when I didn’t even know what I wanted? When I was still so confused? He did all of that to me, he hurt me more than I coul
Chapter Sixty-fiveUlric Kael told me to leave, and she didn’t say anything to stop him. She let him embarrass me like that, and she even added to it.All I was trying to do was make up for my mistake, to show her that I care about her, and I didn’t mean any of the things I said. Why can’t she see that? Why can’t she see my sincerity? I’ve tried to show her how much I’m willing to do to make things right, but she doesn’t even notice.Will she ever give me the chance to show her how much she means to me? Will she ever let me back into her life? I know I messed up, and I’m willing to right my wrongs, but she isn’t giving me a chance, and it’s driving me crazy. I’ve never been this restless about anything; I’m losing my mind.Even though they told me to leave, I couldn’t bring myself to go without knowing what they were going to do. I couldn’t just trust Kael with her like that. Kael isn’t just dangerous—he’s deceptive. He’ll deceive her and leave her with nothing.What deal was she tal
Chapter Sixty-fourMaelisI was helpless and hopeless. This was the exact thing I had been trying to avoid. I thought this little secret of mine would remain hidden after Ulric made Lucia promise she wouldn’t tell anyone about seeing me in the castle, but I was wrong, totally wrong. Nothing goes as I want them to do, I had forgotten that.I dragged my legs away, unsure of where exactly I was heading to. Going to the class would only set me up for more drags and taunts from the other students, and I couldn’t take it. The worst part would be Ulric standing up for me, and acting like the hero in my pathetic story when he was also one of my tormentors.How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so vulnerable and soft to give him the chance to get to me so easily. All of these could have been avoided if I hadn’t been attracted to him and given him the chance to have his way with me.He used me! He fucking used me!The thought of that made his words ring in my head again, and I
Chapter Sixty-threeKaelHow could she? No one has ever talked back to me like that, no one dares to look me in the eyes and speak to me in such a manner. The most annoying part is she’s nothing but a mere slave, my personal slave, and she had the audacity to challenge me? The nerve of her!No one dares to do that!I was the prince, the future alpha king of this great pack, and I wouldn’t tolerate any form of disrespect, especially not from someone as insignificant as her. Even the pack ministers and council doesn’t dare to look me in the eyes to talk back at me! How dare her!The way she looked at me, so bold, so defiant—it made my blood boil, my skin thicken with fury. I wanted to tear that defiance out of her, to break her completely, to show her just how insignificant she truly was. Yes, I knew I made a mistake, I mistook her for someone else, and almost forced myself on her, but no one is above mistakes, or is she? She acted like she has never made any mistake in her life, I m
Chapter Sixty-twoUlricMy heart sank as I watched her leave in tears. I wished there was something else I could do other than just watching her walk away in pain. I wished I wasn’t that helpless and could help her out of this situation she was in.Now, the entire school has gotten to know that she worked as a maid in the castle which will only make her stay in the school here tougher than it was before.Even if I wanted to help her, she wouldn’t take my help, believing that I was the same as everyone else here. She said that to me.I wished I could turn back the hands of the clock and addressed the issue I had in some other way, other than just letting her off just like that. I could have handled Ella in another way, I could have tell her off by doing something else, but I jumped too quick into conclusion, and let her go. I said things I wasn’t supposed to say to her, I made her feel unwanted when I in fact wanted her to be with me every single minutes that passed.I made her feel li
Chapter Sixty-oneUlricI wished there was something I could do to avoid the impending chaos, I wished I could help her out of this situation, but I was helpless, just standing here and watching her.The moment she walked into the hallway, everyone turned to her, staring at her as though there was something on her body that they wanted to remove with their eyes.She looked worried and confused, I was sure she was trying to figure out why they were all staring at her like that.She had been through a lot in the last couple of hours and I didn’t want this to add more to the way she was feeling, but I wasn’t sure of how to go about it.She continued to look around, staring at each and everyone’s faces, as though she was trying to figure out why they were all gazing at her from him. When our eyes met, she glared at me for minutes before withdrawing her gaze and turning away.My heart sank, I never though it would be so soon. I knew we might never get to be together at the end of everythin
Chapter SixtyUlricI wished I could take back every single word I said to her, I wished I could take it back. I wished I hadn’t said that to her, but what could I have done? How else could I have made mother happy?I was still in my room that morning with her on my chest as I swirl in the aftermath of our lovemaking, and I wanted more time with her. I wanted us to relive all those moments again, I had no single regret because they were the best moments of my life. Until mother’s head court-lady walked in and met us in that compromising state.Apparently, she had been knocking for minutes, and I was way too lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear her knock. All I was just doing was staring at Lis’s beautiful face and her sexy body, wishing I could have myself inside of her again, and imagining how great a morning sex would feel, until she barged in.Lis who was way too drunk and lost in her sleep couldn’t hear any of that. I tried hard to force Ella not to tell mother. She was one of m
Chapter Fifty-nineMaelis A deal? I was unsure of what he was talking about, or what deal he could have in mind.“What do you say? Are you in?” He asked.I just stared at him for minutes, wondering if he was up to t another mischief or was really serious this time. But I still couldn’t see that remorse in his eyes, he doesn’t seem like he feels wrong for doing that to me, so I couldn’t really believe the words he said.“I’m waiting, you are wasting my time.” He grumbled, peering at me as though there was something on my face. “Are you in?”I shook my head. “Not until I know what the deal is.” How does he expect me to accept to a deal without knowing what it was?Even though I was a maid, it didn’t mean I was dumb and didn’t know my right. How could I give in to a deal without him telling me what the deal is about first.“Well, it’s a smile deal.” He began and moved closer to me.I raised my hand, gesturing that he steps back because even being too close to him now makes me feel unco
Chapter Fifty-eightMaelisThe kind of relief I felt was immeasurable, I had never felt so much relief since I got into this palace. It was as though everything had been put into a pause just so I could have a breathing space and catch my breath from the constant troubles and pain that I had been going through.Thinking about pain, I felt that sharp pain shooting through my parts and up to my chest to cause a sudden tremble escaping my body. I just laid there on the bed, staring at the ceiling as different though raced through my banging head.I couldn’t remember much of everything that happened last night, but I had a faint memory of some things, and I began to put the scattered pieces of the things I remembered together.I remembered following prince Kael to his room and how he boasted after making me his person slave, and then sending me to get a package for him, I remember all of that very well, I knew all that happened.Then, going back to his room and finding him sniffing a whit