? I felt faint, unable to figure out whether it was due to the corset I was wearing tightening around my waist as I inhaled sharply or the fact that the adrenaline rush from earlier was finally catching up to me. I plopped down on my bed in a rather unladylike manner, face buried into the soft pillow. I opened my mouth and screamed out my frustration, grateful that my voice was muffled by the pillow. “P-Princess…” Anne called out hesitatingly. For a moment, I had forgotten that she rushed to my room behind me when I had left the council room in a hurry. I pushed myself up into a seated position and turned to Anne. She stood a good distance from my bed, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Her eyes kept flickering to mine and away, unsure if she should even look at me when I was throwing away every etiquette lesson down the gutter. “I apologise that you had to see me in such an unbecoming manner, Anne.” I said in a soft voice, pretending that I was better now when my head was
? I underlined the first agenda on the list numerous times to indicate the importance of it. Looking down at a proper list now, I could feel myself being able to breathe properly and think clearly. Gideon picked up another pen before pulling my list towards him. I watched as he circled the second agenda. “This is what you need to focus on right now, princess. Finding a suitable partner.” “Isn’t getting answers about father’s death just as important?” I frowned. “There could be a conspiracy rising and what if we have to solve that in order to get answers as to why he chose me to be the heir in the first place.” “I already have some trusted allies who are still searching for clues to even support the theory that your father was assassinated. These things take time.” “Finding someone to marry takes time too,” I argued. Gideon tapped onto the stack of papers in front of him which I assumed to be the eligible alphas he had compiled. “That is why we are here right now. Forgive
? Mother and Aiden grew increasingly concerned as more names were picked from the pile of documents but they did not try to convince me to change my mind since they are well aware of the reasoning behind my choices. In the end, I had written seven letters of proposal to seven different alphas scattered throughout the four kingdoms. By the time we were finished, signs of dawn were approaching us. “Now that we are finally done, I would like to thank all of you for your cooperation and understanding, Lady Isabella, Prince Aiden and of course, Princess Cordelia.” Gideon said as he stood up from his chair, simultaneously gathering the seven letters together. “I shall make haste and deliver these letters immediately.” “Gideon,” I called out, voice hoarse from exhaustion and the lack of sleep. “Yes?” “What if there is no response?” I asked as sudden doubt crept up over me. No matter how foolproof Gideon and I wanted to make out this plan, we can never predict how certain individ
My hurried footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as I went towards the main common room where the alphas were waiting. My heart was beating incredibly fast, maybe from anticipation, maybe from fatigue since I was just training with Rodrick a mere second ago. “Princess! Maybe you should change first!” Anne pointed out as she particularly had to jog to keep up with me. “I’ve already been keeping them waiting for far too long.” I countered. Being tardy was already deemed to be rude, especially when I had to deal with alphas who all shared the same self-absorbed and head-strong traits among each other. I silently prayed that the three who came to accept my proposal would at least be understanding. “But you are wearing trousers!” Anne complained. It was not uncommon for ladies to wear the garment but I was too busy worrying about the alphas getting agitated to bother to dress nicely. It was not like I was completely bare after all. I stopped outside the large closed doors of t
? “Now, let us all calm down before we do something rash.” Gideon said, causing everyone in the room to turn their attention to him. I had to stop myself from sighing out my relief the moment I spotted him by the entrance. He turned to the three alphas and greeted them with a polite smile. “Did you have something to do with this, Gideon?” Lady Marie asked. “Allowing Cordelia to offer herself out in such an unruly manner?” “I do not believe this is any of your concern, Lady Marie. And besides, by the way I see it, the princess has not broken any laws by merely inviting these gentlemen over for a marriage interview.” I shared the same confusion with the alphas at Gideon’s words but we remained silent as though we all did not want to deal with Lady Marie and her children spitting out accusations any longer. “Marriage interview? Why could you not have said so sooner?” Lady Marie glared at me. She did not even wait for me to reply when he suddenly stood up. “Forgive me, esteemed
? Augustus did not seem troubled by Gideon’s questions whatsoever. He merely got more comfortable on the couch and pondered for a moment before starting his story. “The two questions you asked are related and the brief answer to them is that it has to do with my appearance. I was born as a bad omen of sorts to my family because I did not share the same dark hair nor dark eyes as my parents and the rest of my siblings.” He explained. “The title of Ghost Prince was used as a mere insult to me by my family and peers.” “I apologise if I had offended you,” Gideon said. “You did not. After years of this, I became rather used to the title and I grew fond of it.” “And the manor?” I pressed. “Would you believe me if I told you that my father ‘gifted’ me that manor as a means to get me out of his sight?” “You do not get along with your father?” I hesitantly asked. “As I said before, I was considered a bad omen to my family. When I was born, my appearance caused a lot of discour
? The moment Cassian entered the room, he started chattering on and on about gossip among the noblemen. Gideon was completely immersed in listening to who amongst the men in the Adams family had run off with the head maid or which duchess of the Western Kingdom is filing for divorce. I politely drank my tea, hoping that the two men would refocus about why we were here in the first place. But for the time being, I took the opportunity to study Cassian Alwyn properly. Out of the three men, he was definitely the most approachable with his friendly and outgoing personality. He easily captivated Gideon with his charms and effective social skills after all. There was no doubt that he is a very handsome man, with short and smooth auburn locks. He had the most exquisite pair of light brown eyes, the kind that appeared almost golden under the certain light. His skin looked ridiculously smooth, without a blemish on sight and I could tell that he takes proper care of himself. He clearly i
? The silence and sheer confusion on both Gideon’s and mine’s face prompted Cassian to continue on with his explanation. “I am six years older than her, I knew her since she was a baby and I watched her grow. I know that my father or Emperor Herman, would not deem it to be a proper excuse. So to avoid any complications between our families, I decided to use you as a way to escape,” he finally confessed. “Using me?” Cassian smiled. “And if you choose me to be your husband, you will be using me as well right? That is the meaning of a marriage of convenience after all.” I let out a small and polite laugh. “Oh? But it sounds to me that you are just running away from the situation entirely?” “No offence, princess, but you would not understand the ways of noble and high society. You may be a princess by title alone but what do you know of the burdens of expectations?” My smile vanished into a thin line as I held Cassian’s gaze. I was not sure if he was trying to get back at m