Chapter TenUlricBeing at home is supposed to make up for the long day at school, but not in my case. It rather determined how bad the stay at home would be. It determined the amount of trouble I would have to put up with, as it was always double whatever happened at school.Sometimes I get tired and too overwhelmed, and I just want to quit everything, maybe go away with my mom and find a good place for us to live and start a new life. But my mom’s hopes were on me, and she wouldn’t be happy to see that I had given up.My mom was the only reason I was in this fight to begin with. Even though I had topped my brothers in every Royal class and training we’ve done, I never had it in mind to go head-to-head with them for the throne. But seeing how my mom was being treated and how she had been subjected to so much abuse and shame, I just couldn’t let her live like that forever.It wouldn’t even end with me. If I didn’t do anything to change the situation for my mom and me, then every singl
Chapter ElevenMaelisMy legs felt as though they were glued to the floor, I couldn’t move, and the same applied to my brain, it couldn’t come up with any way to escape the impending danger and chaos that would be caused by the brothers if they were to see me, standing there as one of the new recruited maid.I looked around, my eyes desperately searched for a way out, but I couldn’t find anything, I couldn’t think of a way out of this mess.I kept my head bent, maybe hiding my face could save me, but that wasn’t possible, anyone who knows me well would recognize me even if my face was hidden. The scar on the side of my face and neck would expose me.“Keep walking!” One of the guards leading us to our rooms yelled out.I looked up, and that was when I realized that the other maids had gone far beyond me. I picked up my legs and rushed to join them, finding a way to move myself in between them just so I wouldn’t be recognized.“Stop and greet the princes.” Another guard ordered, and we
Chapter TwelveUlricStanding there and waiting for my father, the Alpha King, to come in felt like forever. I already knew what my fate was, but I wanted to strongly believe that he would make the right judgment this time.He was always quick to make judgments and would even listen to my brothers over me. I was like the child he never wanted, but it was still confusing why he was acting that way. Until we were thirteen, my father was all over my brothers and me, treating us equally, without any preferential treatment for anyone.Though the other people around us treated me just the same way I was being treated now, my father and brothers were different. I always thought if I had their support and love, I wouldn’t care about how the palace maids or their mothers treated me. All of a sudden, the people from whom I gained my strength changed towards me. They were the shoulder I could lean on when I had any problems or was maltreated by any of their mothers or palace maids, but they move
Chapter ThirteenMaelisI watched as the three brothers walked out of the throne room, leaving us with the alpha king.What I had just witnessed was a display of power and wisdom. I initially thought the alpha king was being biased when Prince Ulric was dragged away, but I never expected him to do the same with Prince Valko. Even Prince Valko was as surprised as the rest of us.When they were both taken away, I wondered what the alpha king was going to do next. How did he intend to uncover the truth if he wasn’t going to hear from both sides? Were they being interrogated wherever they were taken?I was still pondering when the alpha king ordered Kael to step forward and explain what happened because he was the only witness. The alpha king emphasized the importance of Kael telling the truth and not being biased.Kael stood silent for a few minutes, likely debating whether to tell the truth or align with someone. From what I had observed since meeting them, if he were to side with anyon
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