CHAPTER 4

I was woken up by the noise I heard coming from the outside of my room window. I sat up in bed, and felt a wave of dizziness sweep round my head, and I decided to sit still for a while to let my head cool off before leaving the bed.

I had slept last night with a heavy heart, and on an empty stomach. I can't tell for how long I had slept, but I could remember my mother left my room late last night, after very long hours of conversations and sobbing.

My mother had tried to convince me not to take Lucas serious, and never to take any of his words to heart.

"Alpha Magnus had taken you in nine years ago as his adopted daughter, and never as an orphan". She had said, comforting me and doing all she could to make me cheer up and accept our sudden stay as the members of the royal family as our fate.

"Hey, wait for me. Give me the camera, I want to take a picture of myself too". A voice from outside the window brought me back from my thoughts of last night.

I stood up from the bed, walked over to the window and looked out. Right under my bedroom window, downstairs at the ground-floor was Cleo and her other siblings; Kiara and Anita, playing round the beautifully designed car from yesterday.

"Cleo, I envy you; I wish I was the one who got this car gift.” Anita said, she was always the outspoken one.

"I do not envy her, because I know my own suitor is going to give me a much more beautiful and romantic gift than a car." That was Kiara, the beauty queen. She always carried herself like the most beautiful and the most desirable girl in the whole world.

"Well, actions speak louder than words. My own wedding gift is here already and nobody can deny the fact that it is a beautiful gift. And as such, I am not going to allow any of you girls take pictures with my car again". Cleo said, and with that she runs away playfully while her sisters run after her joyfully, shouting happily.

I smiled too, as though I was there with them on the grounds.

I have always enjoyed the company of Cleo, Kiara and Anita ever since we were growing up together as sisters.

We did everything in common, and shared everything together. There had never been a day any one of them had discriminated me nor treated me like I was not their sister.

"What is your choice of a future husband?” Cleo had asked me one day while we were playing together.

"Come on Cleo, we are just fifteen and shouldn't be dreaming of men at this age." I had replied as I shied away from that question.

"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen…" She had counted with her fingers and said.

"In just three years we will be having our coming of age ceremony, and become eligible for marriage. Don't you think we should be prepared, and dream of our future husband so that the moon goddess can see how heart desires and grant them?"

"Nobody assists the moon goddess in mating two people who are destined to be together in marriage. She is a supreme being and does not need the help of humans to operate, so let's change the topic". I had insisted.

"Okay then, what other thing should we talk about? I am just in the mood to talk today.”

As I recall all those memories, I couldn't help but smile.

Maybe my mother was right, maybe I was destined to be here after all. Maybe I should just ignore and avoid Lucas for the rest of my life in this palace.

Or maybe I should just pray that the next battle he would embark on should take his life.

A knock came at the door, interrupting my wishes for Lucas.

"Who is there?!"

"Excuse me my princess, lunch is served". A maidservant's voice came from the other side of the door.

"I will be there in a jiffy." I replied, and quickly pulled out a simple pair of jeans and a medium sized T-shirt from my wardrobe.

Then I got dressed and left the room, closing the door gently behind me.