Twelve

"What are you doing here?" I asked him.

He looked surprised. "Seems we grew a backbone in the short time you've become royalty. No hug? It's been so long since you last saw your dear brother." Magnus opened his arms and moved toward me.

I ducked away from his touch. "Have you forgotten your place? Do not touch me without permission, or I can have your hands cut off."

His eyes darkened and he growled slightly.

"I think you're the one who has forgotten her place. Does your new husband know just who you are? How we pick you up from the slums and take you in? Now look at you, acting all high and mighty before me, the person who made you who you are."

I fought the urge to spit on him. "My husband knows well who I am, and he loves me all the more for it. He did not marry me for status or reputation, or he would never have chosen our family to begin with."

"You bitch," he snarled. In the next moment, he launched himself at me and grabbed hold of my neck to wrap his other hand around my mouth. "I think you need to be taught a lesson."

He dragged me off the balcony and jumped to the ground. When we were out of view and earshot, he pushed me up against the wall and tried to rip at my dress. I screamed and bit against his hand, but it was futile, it didn't budge from my mouth and my cries for help were muffled.

Just as he managed to get his hand up the hem of my dress, he was knocked over the head from behind and fell to the ground. I screamed and dropped to the floor, then looked up at Carlak, who stood there with his cane in hand.

"Apologies for the fright, m'lady. Are you alright?" He offered a hand down to me.

As soon as I saw that it was him, a wave of relief washed over me, and tears poured down my face. "Please…don't mention this to Caspian."

Carlak glanced down at Magnus and gave him a few more good whacks with his cane before he composed himself. "Alright, you have my word. As long as this stays between us as well."

I nodded frantically.

"I think it's best if you return to the ballroom, m'lady. I believe his highness is looking for you." He pointed up to the balcony just as Caspian's scent drifted down to me.

I looked down at my dress and realized Magnus had succeeded in ripping the collar around my breasts.

"If I may," Carlak said and dug into his pocket to pull out a small sewing kit.

"How do you think of everything?"

He chuckled. "It is my job and my pleasure. Now, please, stay still and we will have this patched up good as new." He got to work on sewing the threading back together and like he said, it was as good as new once he was done.

"Thank you, Carlak." I beamed at him, then looked back down at Magnus, still passed out. "What about him? I believe the rest of my family is inside and will probably go looking for him soon."

"Leave that to me, I can make it look like an accident."

A chill went down my spine, but I trusted Carlak to take care of it properly and not harm Magnus at the very least. He motioned for me to follow him and he led me back to the ballroom, most likely under the assumption that I still don't know my way around and would get lost.

"Where have you been? Did something happen?" Caspian rushed toward me as soon as I entered the room.

I tried to manage a smile from him, but no doubt my make-up was ruined from crying earlier. "I think I would like to retire to my room. Is that okay?"

He frowned but nodded. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm just really tired and this has been a little overwhelming for me."

"I can escort you back, I just need to say a few things to some people before I leave." He turned to rush off again, but I stopped him.

"It's alright, I can ask Carlak to bring me back. The king should be present during the first celebration in ages, they want to see who you are, I can't take that away from them so soon." I managed a smile.

As if to prove my point, another person approached Caspian and asked for his attention and pretended as if I wasn't there.

"Keep Carlak with you at all times and send him if there is anything you need," Caspian said.

I nodded and allowed him to get sucked away by the crowd again. As soon as he was out of view, I ducked out of the room and down the hall. Carlak was mostly likely busy with taking care of the passed-out Magnus, I couldn't bother him with more issues of mine, and I could at least remember my way back to the bedroom from the ballroom.

As I walked down the hall I heard footsteps follow behind me. There was no chance they were Magnus, which told me one other person.

"Can I help you, Alaira?" I asked and turned to her.

She stopped a few feet away and glared at me.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself here, wearing gorgeous gowns and covered in jewels. I really thought you would be dead by now." Her tone was laced with jealousy which confused me.

"Alaira, you were the one who sent me here in your place. What else was I supposed to do? I'm sorry if things didn't work out the way you hoped, but that is what happens when you take a risk and change fate."

She snorted. "Wow, being here really has changed you. Did you forget where you came from?"

I sighed. "It's clear the two of you are siblings," I muttered.

"What was that?" she sneered.

"If there is nothing else you have to discuss, I am retiring to my room now."

"What did you do?" Her tone turned serious.

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's obvious you did something to the Alpha King. Every other wife has failed to stay alive before, so how did you manage to wrap him around your finger so easily?"

I scowled. "I didn't feed into the rumours that surround him and chose to blindly figure out who he is for myself. Maybe if you did the same, you would be living the same lavished life as me, but you chose to trust what everyone else was saying and sent me off in hopes of dying. You get what you deserve in life."

With that, I turned my back on her and walked away, but still in time to hear her frustrated cry before she stomped back to the ballroom.

'That felt really good.' 

~*~

The night ended peacefully but Caspian didn't return to the room before I fell asleep, which concerned me when I woke up the next morning and he still wasn't there. I was a little more confident in asking for help from the servants, but to my surprise, Carlak was waiting outside my bedroom door when I opened it.

"Is Caspian here? I didn't see him last night."

He gave me a nervous smile. "He was called to the Queen Mother's palace early this morning. He should be back soon, but breakfast is being served in the dining room in the meantime. I believe your family will be joining once His Highness is back."

"My family is still here?"

"Of course, they must have some unfinished business here and asked to stay another night, his highness approved it."

'Caspian approved this? But why?' 

"I guess that he wants to get to know the family that his beloved wife comes from, and this might be the only chance," Carlak answered my silent question.

"Carlak, are you a mind reader?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I just know a curious look when I see one."

Just then I heard the front doors slam open and Caspian stormed down the hall but stopped once he saw Carlak and I standing there as well.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

He looked to Carlak, who bowed silently and then excused himself.

"Someone spoke to my mother of your true origins. I'm afraid she is aware that you are not a blood daughter of the Alpha Emery family."