Ariana swallowed the dumpling that had been in her throat since the morning and followed her mother into the dining room. Daniel, Trenton and Irina were already impatiently waiting for them. Daria’s husband should be back tomorrow, so today they will have to manage the negotiations without him. “Good morning, ladies.” Daniel greeted them politely. His eyes immediately looked at the shy girl who was partially hidden behind her mother. He gestured to invite them to the table. Daniel helped Daria while Trenton moved the chair for Ariana. But before he could do anything else, a growl escaped Daniel’s throat. Trenton immediately stopped and returned to his seat right next to Irina. Daniel walked over to Ariana with slow steps. “What’s happening?” Irina linked with Trenton and demanded an explanation. Trenton shoo

Araina looked into his eyes in disbelief. At first, the comment regarding his revenge on Marcus surprised her. She didn’t know if he meant it literally and would really accept her as his partner just to annoy him. But what bothered her the most was the thought that he would accept her as his queen. Ariana the queen. The thought seemed so distant and humorous. Just a few months ago, she trained the curtsy in front of the mirror. She trained to make the best possible impression on King Marcus. Ariana didn’t think it was weird or funny. She was looking forward to the moment she would face the king himself and, in the depths of her soul, she hoped he would choose her as his mate. Today, she looked at such dreams from a different angle. “Do you really think we could be together despite the daughter I hold in my womb? It’s not your

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Daria welcomed her husband with open arms. Just as Trenton had informed them, his men had escorted Peter all the way to the capital, and they had finally arrived today. Exactly two days later than Daria and her daughter. “You almost look like there’s a chance I won’t come back.” Petr picked her up in his arms and gave her a long kiss. It had been over a week since he had seen his wife disappear beyond the gates of Salstar City, while he remained standing far outside the gates, facing Marcus. Although he knew his king would not risk open combat, he was not entirely sure whether he would avoid a skirmish. The strategy they agreed on with Trenton paid off and he managed to buy time for his beloved daughter and wife to get to safety. “Where is our little girl?” Peter

“How was it at Salstar?” Ariana stayed in the lounge after dinner and waited for her father. There were some unresolved issues that she would like to know more about. She knew that Daniel also wanted to talk to her father, so she didn’t plan to keep him long. “What exactly do you mean?” Her father answered her in a slightly stern tone. How Ariana had talked to him before dinner was still going through his mind, and his wife’s words were ringing in his ears. As a mother, Daria quickly coped with the change in her daughter’s behavior, but Peter couldn’t do it. He still saw his little girl, whom he wanted to protect at all costs. “What about Marcus? Did you fight him? Did he follow you to the capital? I want to know what he did.” Ariana quickly laid out her cards on the table. The information

“Take care of yourself. I don’t know when we’ll be back. I guess your father and I will stay in town for a few days. We will sleep in a boarding house.” Her parents had planned to leave without her from the beginning. Ariana didn’t understand what was happening for a moment. Yesterday during dinner, she prepared a long speech about how she didn’t want to go to town with them. Even before going to sleep, she discussed the arguments with which she would support her position, and to her surprise, her parents only came to say goodbye. “What do you mean, you stay in town? After all, you don’t have any money to pay for the boarding house, so where do you want to sleep? Besides, you don’t even have the money to buy a house?” Ariana asked the questions that had occurred to her yesterday in the evening, but she did not want to discuss their financial