Chapter 4

“That jerk! What does he think of himself!” Allure snapped as she took off her dress and looked at herself in the mirror. “How dare he try to threaten me! Does he really think that he can control me like this? He must be dreaming!”

Allure grabbed a wet towel and cleaned up the blood staining her chest. The wound left by the stab had already healed, leaving behind only a small scar.

“You want to mess with my mind? Play with me, huh?” She continued grumbling as she changed into more comfortable clothes. “Great! This lady will show you what it takes to play a real game. She will beat you so hard that you won’t be able to show your face in the entire Lycan Kingdom.”

While Regan was threatening Allure that he would turn the act into reality, Allure got distracted by their proximity. By the time she gathered her bearings, Regan had already pushed her away and stormed out of the room. She had wanted to follow him, but the guards blocked her way and obstinately led her to her bedroom. All she could do now was to grumble and vent her frustration.

“Just you wait….” Allure’s eyes lit up with determination as she took out her laptop and set up the devices. “Wait and watch as I turn you into an obedient little puppet!”  

Allure’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she punched in a series of codes. After running for a few minutes, the screen blanked out, and the laptop powered off on its own.

“No bad,” Allure mumbled under her breath as she connected her laptop to a small device and inserted a platinum chip. “Unfortunately, in front of Midnight Shadow, all tricks are useless.”

After working for another hour, Allure cast an invisible net around the Regan Palace. Apart from a few dark patches that were controlled by some separate technology, she could monitor everything now.

The first thing she did after gaining access was to look for Edna and Irwin. It didn’t take her long to figure out that they were locked in the water prison.

“Allure, are you alright?” Edna’s anxious voice sounded the moment she activated Edna’s nano communicator. “Those guards… they have locked us up in some secluded place. It’s difficult to say where we are because this region is completely isolated.”

“You are probably in the underground water prison. Don’t worry. Regan won’t really harm you. He probably just wants to use you to manipulate me.”

“This won’t do…. We can’t let him use us as a bargaining chip. Irwin and I will try to get out of here quickly. Even if we have to risk our lives, we won’t let that moron use us to subdue you.”

“When have you ever seen me at a disadvantage? Don’t worry, handling this will be a piece of cake.”

“But he is the Lycan Prince and we are in his territory…. If things go wrong….”

“Nothing will go wrong. So, you can stop worrying and relax. Just treat this as a vacation and enjoy your time with Irwin.”

“Vacation? You want to pass being locked up in a desolate, empty room as a vacation? We are probably just going to be bored to death.”

“Once Regan lets down his guard, I will find a way to sneak in a laptop or something. Until then… hang in there and have fun the old-fashioned way. Don’t forget what grandma said before leaving.”

“Allure! You! I… I don’t want to talk to you anymore….”

Beep! Beep! Beep! Allure burst into a peal of giggles as the call got disconnected. “Now that I have reassured Edna and Irwin, it’s time for real action. Let me see where that punk is right now.”

Allure’s expression froze as she zoomed into one of the screens. Prince Regan was sitting on a luxurious bed with a woman on his lap; his arms wrapped around her slender waist.

“Bastard!” Allure slammed the screen of the laptop shut. “I can’t believe he’s doing that with someone else on our wedding night…. Moron!” Her face flushed with anger and she stormed out of the room. “Even if he doesn’t like me, he can’t be so disrespectful, right?”

“My Lady, please…” the guards blocked Allure’s way, the moment she stepped out of the room. “His highness has ordered you to stay in the room. You can’t go out tonight. Moreover, your attire….”

“What’s wrong with my attire?” Allure snapped, grabbing the guard by his collar. She took in a deep breath, as if struggling to rein in her temper. “I am very bad mood right now. So, you had better keep your mouth shut and mind your business. If you rub me off the wrong way, I can’t guarantee that I won’t take your life.”

“Please show mercy, my lady.” The other guard knelt to the ground and begged. “We were just following orders.”

“Whatever are you following his orders for?” Allure snorted and pushed the guard away. “He isn’t the kind of person who appreciates hard work. Just stay here quietly and don’t get in my way again.”

The guards looked at each other with hesitation. “What should we do now? Madam Allure doesn’t seem like a woman we can mess with, but we can’t defy Prince Regan’s orders, either.”

“How about we just follow her at a distance? If Prince Regan gets angry, we can explain everything and apologise immediately. We can also take this opportunity to figure out more about their relationship. That way, we can make decisions with more ease in the future.”

Bang! Allure slammed the door open with a kick and barged inside.

“I know that you have no interest in this marriage. I don’t either.” Her expression turned darker as she looked at the woman who was serving drinks. “However, it doesn’t mean that you can disrespect me like this!”

“Pray tell me, my lady, how did I disrespect you?” Regan raised his eyebrows and smirked meaningfully. “What’s wrong with me having some fun on my wedding night?”

Allure glared at Regan for a long moment, as if contemplating whether she should respond or not. In the end, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she proved her thoughts through actions.

Under the watchful eyes of guards and servants, she grabbed Regan’s wrist and dragged him all the way to her bedroom. Not only that, she even pushed him inside her room despite his protests. Her action was so sudden and unexpected that Regan was beyond stunned. By the time he could gather his bearings, they were already in Allure’s bedroom.

“Finally.” Allure heaved a sigh of relief as she locked the door and leaned against it. “What exactly are you trying to prove, Regan Wortimer? Why did you hire an escort to act with you when you usually stay away from women?” She ran her fingers through her hair and looked at Regan helplessly, “Can’t we like have a conversation in a civilised manner and strike a deal or something? Do you really have to go out of the way to make things difficult for me?”

Regan looked at her with a strange expression and raised his eyebrows. “You want to have a civilised conversation with me?”

“Yes, let’s talk this through. I am sure we can….” Allure froze as Reagan leaned forward and pressed his palms on either side of the door, trapping her in between. They were so close now that Allure could feel his breath on her face. “W… what are you doing?”

He dipped his head close to her left ear and whispered, “Checking if you have the qualifications to negotiate with me.”