ADESSA.“But I think you are the missing royalty,” Danielle added.“Why?”“This mark on your back. It looks exactly like the one that…” She paused, and when I tilted my head to look at her, her eyes widened, and her face turned red.“Like the one that? Like the one that someone has?” My brows furrowed. The King told me in passing that the birth marks on the backs of the royalties were not public knowledge. But maybe workers in the palace knew this thing. “Never mind.” She replied. “We should rinse off your body.”“Have you seen a mark like this?” I asked as I stood up, pointing to the red mark on my hip bone. She swallowed, and her face was turning more red. I already assumed many things. “From my father?” I teased her, and she immediately shook her head. “No. Of course not.” “So… from one of my brothers?” I leaned closer, enjoying the blush on her face. Despite the discomfort on her face, I could say this was the only thing that felt natural in my fairytale life at the moment.
ADESSA.I was not able to sleep at all last night. After Father left my room, I asked Danielle about the Royal Games. She confessed to me she didn’t know the full extent of the event and that what she knew was just hearsay or stories passed on. The Royal Games were not practiced for many decades because no princess had been born in the Royal Family for a long time.And it seemed the King was reviving the tradition because of my existence. Danielle told me what she knew about the game—it was open only for unmated Alphas, regardless of age. Unmated Alphas were those who were never married, as well as widowed or divorced. They were not only open for Alphas of this continent but also extended to other continents. All the while she was talking, I did my best to keep up a brave front, listening and trying to get all the details as possible, even if everything she said kept breaking my heart. I knew Kael loved me, and I was confident he would make an effort, but what if they didn’t le
ADESSA.“This is your room from now on, Adessa.” The King’s voice came from behind me.I slowly turned around to curtsy before him. “Good morning, Father.” I almost said, “My King,” and I was glad I was able to catch myself as I wanted to make a good impression.He nodded but remained in his spot while I continued to smile warmly at him. “This room is for me?” I asked.“Yes.” He replied before he motioned with one hand. “Come here.”One man approached him and handed him a beautiful crown encrusted with clusters of small gemstones. It was sparkling, and just looking at it made my heart thud loudly.“This is a ceremony that should be witnessed by our people, but allow me to be selfish and have this moment alone with you. I will give you a grand coronation the moment you settle with a mate.” I bit my bottom lip. I almost got teary-eyed with his words, but the last part made me worry again.“Kneel down, Princess Adessa. Remember that the only time you will kneel before me is whenever I
ADESSA.I was acting calm compared to the turmoil within me. Everything the King told me led to one thing: I had no freedom to choose who I would end up with. He was implying I should give up Kael and accept whoever ended up as my future husband. I had told him I had been married and that I was no longer pure. He said it didn’t matter anymore. He was sure everyone wanted to have the possibility of ruling Absalom. I felt like I was just a tool for Absalom. I wanted to tell him I didn’t care about his kingdom. I only wanted my husband.But how ironic my life had turned out. What was happening was exactly how my life started with Kael. I was also just a tool to save him—his ego and his heart—from being broken by Desiree. Only this time, I had no idea who I would be marrying. And at least with Kael, he asked me if I wanted to. I was not forced into marriage with him. My eyes stung as I tried to keep from tearing up as we walked down toward the hall where the breakfast banquet was. I co
KAEL.Keeping a low profile was never a problem for me. I could keep myself quiet for a long time, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off Adessa from the moment she appeared at the banquet.Even before, she was already beautiful. But seeing her in a beautiful gown and all this luxury around her made her shine even more. She was really fit to be a princess. To be honest, I felt little—too little compared to her. I was starting to think I didn’t deserve her, especially after everything I did to her. But the moment our eyes locked and she returned the smile I gave her, hope rose in my chest. Maybe she still wanted me. And with each minute that passed by, my hopes kept getting higher. I didn’t take my eyes off her, so I caught her every time she looked at me while seated at the head table and eating breakfast. She was more than ten meters away from me, but I could see her lips twitching into a smile whenever we locked eyes, even if she placed something in her mouth. I counted the times she lo
ADESSA.As much as I wanted to stay in Kael’s arms longer, we didn’t have the luxury of time. I wanted to run away with him, but what kind of life would we have after that? Although the stupid Royal Game is in the way of us being together, being a royal was also my only chance of being free from the crime I committed. I was holding on to the hope that somehow I could convince the King to change his mind and let me choose who I wanted to be with. Maybe if I told him Kael and I had no plans of being the King and Queen of Absalom, he would just let the idea go. Besides, with five princes, what are the chances of us being crowned as ruler of Absalom? So, this Royal Game was obviously a waste of resources and time. I looked at Kael, wiping the wetness between my legs and making sure none of his cum was running down my thighs while I continued to hold the hem of my gown’s skirt. “I don’t think I can remove my smell on you.” He stood up and threw the toilet paper in the nearby bin before
ADESSA.“We need to go, my lady,” Danielle said the moment she was done rubbing off the oil on me.“Okay,” I replied, but my eyes were on Kael, who was biting his bottom lip but not saying anything. “I will just turn around if you want to say goodbye to each other.” Like she said, Danielle moved toward the door and turned to face it. Kael went to me and cupped my face, kissing me briefly before talking. “I won’t come back to the breakfast hall.” My eyes watered as I nodded my head.“In case the King noticed we were both gone. I also have to leave the palace vicinity soon.” He added as his knuckles brushed my cheeks. “Be careful.” I was struggling not to cry, but I wasn’t successful. Just the thought of him being away from me was crushing my heart.“I will. Please don’t cry. You have to be strong without me. And use your heat to protect yourself.” He whispered the last part in my ear before he kissed my cheek. “I will come back for you.”“Sir…” Danielle spoke, and our heads turned i
ADESSA.Danielle helped take my clothes off, but I told her I wanted to shower alone. I wished I didn’t. I wished I had let her help me with my bath because she was gone the moment I stepped out of my bathroom. Another handmaid was waiting for me. Aileen informed me that she would be assisting me moving forward. I knew right then and there that Danielle was in trouble. I might get away from the King’s anger, but not her, and it was all my fault. I maintained my composure while Aileen assisted me in putting on a new gown, even if I was worried. She offered to braid my hair, but I refused and let it down. And even if she wasn’t in agreement, I left the room in a hurry. I wanted to find Danielle to make sure she was okay. My feet led me to one of the Palace Salons, where I was told the King was. Either he left the banquet early, or the breakfast had been concluded. But it didn’t matter anymore, as Kael was no longer there, and I had to make sure Danielle would not be punished.Aile
ADESSA. I had no idea what to feel once the result of my pregnancy came out. Negative. A part of me was grieving because Kael and I wanted to have a child, and another part was relieved that no other person I loved would be pushed into this messy life I had. But aside from that, nothing had changed.I threw all my doubts about Kael. Danielle was right. There are people worth taking risks for, and I would risk it all for Kael.If he turned out to be the bad man in the end, at least I had no one to blame but myself. Rather than turning my back on him and finding out they were all wrong about him.He might not be my husband anymore, but I remembered the vows I made to him in that car—for richer and for poorer, in sickness and health—I promised to honor and cherish him. I planned to keep the end of my vow, even if I didn’t have the ring anymore that we had that day, as I had taken it off and left it in the car when we attended the Moonlight Ball. I’d been longing to see Kael. The days
ADESSA. I whimpered softly before fluttering my lashes. The bright lights blinded me for a millisecond before I was able to open my eyes completely and found everyone staring at me—as if I were a subject on a petri dish. “Am I dead?” I asked. “Adessa!” The king hissed, and I closed my eyes immediately.“I’m sorry, Father. I just…”“Enough. We will talk about that in private. You need to be checked first.”I just nodded my head before opening my eyes. They assisted me into a sitting position before they checked my vitals. After a while, the physician said nothing was wrong, and it could only be pointed to exhaustion. He then asked the King if he wanted him to do sets of tests to check further.Even before he could answer, I had already blurted out my own question. “Can you check if I’m pregnant?”I knew I was being bold, but the earlier I could find out, the earlier I could plead to stop the Royal Games. “Do you think you are?” The King’s jaw tightened as he asked.“I’m already del
DANIELLE. Prince Esriel was approaching. As much as I wanted to walk away and pretend I didn’t see him, I couldn’t. I had my responsibilities as Princess Adessa’s handmaid and as a palace worker. So, I turned my body around and bowed my head in his direction. “What’s happening here?” he asked once he stopped before me and the guard outside the room. I tilted my head up and met his piercing gaze before replying. “The princess fainted your Royal Highness. I already requested for the family physician to come here.” He didn’t say anything and opened the door, stepping inside the princess’s suite, so I had no choice but to follow him.I walked faster than him, leading him to her bedroom. “She still hasn’t woken up.” I immediately checked her pulse and if she was breathing. “Do you mind helping me to position her correctly, sir? I can try carrying her, but I don’t want to hurt…”“Cut with the Sir crap, Dani.” He interrupted me, and then he chuckled. He walked toward the bed, and I cou
ADESSA.I made it back to my chamber and found Danielle there. She ushered me in and locked the main bedroom before guiding me to sit on the bed. “Are you okay, my lady?” She asked, and I could tell she was worrying about me, even if she knew she was in a greater mess than I was. “No,” I replied, letting out a big sigh. “I’m sorry that you don’t feel good, but I have to say this first because they can take me away from you any moment now.”“I won’t let that happen.”“Don’t worry about me, but listen, Princess Adessa. Under this mattress is my phone. It is safer here than in mine if they ever search my room for anything.”I nodded before I threw my arms to hug her. “I’m sorry I put you in trouble.”She rubbed my back and pulled away from my hug. “It’s okay. I want to help as much as I can.”“Did he message already?”“Not yet, when I placed it there a few minutes ago.” She replied. “He must not have the chance to do it yet.”“Do you think he loves me and not just because I’m a princes
ADESSA.“Did the accident really happen? Did he lose his memory, or was that an act to force divorce on you because he no longer wanted you?” Father asked all this in one breath. “But he changed his mind when he found out you could be of Royal blood.”“He had an accident! If you researched him, then it should be here!” My voice was higher, and my hand slammed on the folder as I fought my tears—everything he said kept piercing my heart. I could take anything. I could take the divorce talk. I could take looking at photos of him and Desiree embracing and laughing. But my heart couldn’t accept that he didn’t love me as he said. “It is here.” The King took out documents and pushed them in front of me. My eyes watered as I looked at the papers—some of them I was familiar with as they were handed to me while he was in a coma.All these documents were signed by Dr. Carlitos, the one who attended to him because Dr. Gideon was not around. “The doctor who saw and attended to him was not a leg
ADESSA.“Your brothers will be the ones screening all the applicants for the Royal Games. They should know who your ex-husband is.” Father’s words kept resonating in my head, and I was losing my focus. Father talked about not wanting to meddle with whoever would be joining the games, as he was the one to determine who would take the crown after him. So he needed not to give any favor to any of my possible husbands. I still couldn’t understand anything. So, instead, I looked at all the men around the table. Esmaeel, Eston, and Esriel, the three oldest, listened intently while Esaias, the youngest, looked bored and kept yawning, although he was trying to be discreet about it. Esegar was playing with a Rubik’s cube and seemed to be in his own world. But he did ask a few questions while Father was reminding all of them when the screening would start, so I knew he was listening. I did wonder, though, who among them wanted the crown. Maybe I could plead to him or them to let Kael part
ADESSA.“There she is.” I heard a voice, and my head snapped to look where the sound came from. I found myself face-to-face with four men around a conference table. Even though they were sitting, they all looked tall. They must be taller than Esriel, who was already six feet and two inches in height. “One would have thought she was tall. Did we have a midget for a sister?”My eyes widened. Midget? I was around five feet and four inches. I wasn’t short. They were just giants. I thought they were seriously judging me when I realized they were all smiling. “I would rather have a midget than a giant for a sister,” Esriel said as he stood beside me. They all chuckled, and if these four men, who must be aging from their late twenties to late thirties, were the princes, they didn’t look like one except for the formal vests they were wearing. The way they were snickering reminded me of the boys of the little rascals. “Hi…” That was all I could say as my eyes shifted between them.They imme
ADESSA. “Do you think I will just get my details from another’s mouth without any proof? Don’t you think I’m not capable of getting credible information?” The King asked, and his voice was back to being cold again. “I’m not challenging your resources, Father, but I know my husband. I know what we went through and why we ended up here.”“Do you really know your ex-husband, Adessa?”I was confident when I started talking about Kael, but the way he was delivering his words made me question whether I really knew Kael. Was one year enough to know him? But even if there was doubt in me, I did my best not to let it show. “Nothing anyone can say can make me see him in a different light.”“You are blinded by what you feel about him.”I swallowed hard, but I kept my gaze on him. I was torn between challenging him more and allowing him to speak his mind. “Let’s move to my office. Your other brothers are waiting for us there.” He stood up from his chair, and I immediately moved to block his w
ADESSA.Danielle helped take my clothes off, but I told her I wanted to shower alone. I wished I didn’t. I wished I had let her help me with my bath because she was gone the moment I stepped out of my bathroom. Another handmaid was waiting for me. Aileen informed me that she would be assisting me moving forward. I knew right then and there that Danielle was in trouble. I might get away from the King’s anger, but not her, and it was all my fault. I maintained my composure while Aileen assisted me in putting on a new gown, even if I was worried. She offered to braid my hair, but I refused and let it down. And even if she wasn’t in agreement, I left the room in a hurry. I wanted to find Danielle to make sure she was okay. My feet led me to one of the Palace Salons, where I was told the King was. Either he left the banquet early, or the breakfast had been concluded. But it didn’t matter anymore, as Kael was no longer there, and I had to make sure Danielle would not be punished.Aile