If the prince is feral, he should be killed

Chapter 2

Ellie pov

Panic lived and breathed in my veins at the woman's words, whose name I learned was Lefika.

She continued. "And his curse would only be broken if he mounted a bride who was a firstborn and a virgin, but it seems that every one of those kingdoms was deceiving - those girls ended up being torn apart before the beast prince would even mount them. Or perhaps the prince's cure didn't require a virgin firstborn at all; maybe there's another antidote we haven't discovered yet." 

"So that means I might die in seven days if I'm being sent to the prince's chamber?"

The woman covered the distance between us, and her hands rested on my shoulders. "Dear. We can't tell but hopefully, the moon goddess used you as leverage to cure our prince."

The tears strained at the rim of my eyes. "Why didn't they just end his life? They are suffering him."

The woman's hands quickly covered my mouth. In a low voice, she spoke. "You shouldn't be caught saying that. That's treason, and you'd be flayed alive." she arched a brow. "Understood?"

I nodded my head as terror wracked my body at the way she'd jumped to shut me off and the weight of her words.

"Be careful, mortal princess," she warned. The wall has ears. There's no secret in this palace. In fact, in the whole of Anthrika, there is no place for secrets. Your sister might betray you over political appointments or the consort's favor." She withdrew her hand. Be careful who you confide in."

I nodded.

"Be careful," Lefika cleared her throat. "The Alpha King won't allow anyone to kill his son because he's the son of his deceased childhood lover, his favorite child. The Alpha King felt the best way he could honor his wife's memory was to keep the beast prince alive, continually summoning sages and healers to heal him.  Some days, the Prince shows improvement, but on others, he goes berserk and kills hundreds of people before he walks back to his cell, with blood dripping from his mouth and claw-like talons."

Gosh! The mere imagination of Lefika's description terrorized me.

"Another question." I raised my hands in the air.

A scowl stole across Lefika's pretty face. "No more questions, mortal princess!"

"Just one," I persisted in a pleading tone. After a moment of silence and pleading she finally succumbed.

"Just one, and there won't be any entertainment for me answering you today again until tomorrow."

I nodded.

"Or," my heart broke at the thought that she was changing her decision. "How about you don't ask any more questions but tomorrow you can ask me three questions."

"No, I want to ask you now."

"And if I answered you tonight, from tomorrow onward you can only ask me one question?" she fixed her gaze on me.

"Yes," I responded and she gestured for me go on. "The prince, what sort of man was he before he turned into a beast?"

Lefika leaned in closer to me. "The prince, before his unfortunate fate, was a man who appeared blunt on the surface, but the other side of him was as sharp as the edges of a Golgotha sword. It could slay and pierce without a second thought.

Even in his feral state, he's ten times more intense than he was before. He hated women before his feral state and wouldn't allow any woman to serve his drink or touch him."

"Thank you Lefika for this response."

"You're welcome mortal princess," she answered swiftly, her words accompanied by smiles that could mend a broken bridge.

"I'm Ellie," I corrected her because I hated it when she called me "mortal princess." The title made me feel like a second-class citizen. "You mentioned some ritual baths and royal rites, right? So, can you tell me more about them?"

"Before you meet the prince you'll have to perform a ritual bath, the herbs and potion are being prepared by the consort's physician. It says some of the herbs when bathed properly would assist in curing the prince when he mounts you."

"Hmm," I mumbled. "Sounds great." Though at the mention of the consort, my instincts caught a whiff of something foul and malicious, I hadn't even met her in person, so I shouldn't assume anything. Besides, I couldn't ask Lefika about the consort anymore because I'd exceeded my question limit.

"I'll be resting tonight right? Tomorrow I'll meet with the rest of the royal family for a proper introduction?"

Lefika nodded. "I might not be here tomorrow, but I'll send two maids to prepare and teach you about etiquette. The day after tomorrow, you'll meet the queen consort. Please, I beg you, take your etiquette lessons seriously, as ignorance isn't an excuse in this palace, so you won't face the consort's wrath."

Lefika said and before I could adjust and respond to her words, the door slammed gently against its hinges.

A deep, frustrated sigh escaped my lips as Lefika's words replayed in my head. "I should take my etiquette lessons seriously? Then I will." I murmured to myself, climbing down from the king-size bed. Just then, the door pushed open, and two maids entered, trays in hand.

Their heads were lowered in deference. "Greetings, my lady."

"Rise." I snapped swiftly, sitting on the bed with my eyes lingering on them.

As my mouth parted to utter some words, the door clicked open with Lefika sauntering in, her body leaning against the door, her chest rising and falling.

A beat of shock pulsed inside my chest and my brows rose in askance at her. I rose, regarding her entire body countenance.

"My lady, its urgent you have to meet the prince tonight." Lefika uttered in a suffocated whisper, as she approached me.

I flinched, fixing my gaze on her. "You said in seven days. What changes?" I asked, regarding her countenance with a calculative stare.

"The prince is enraged tonight."

I raised an eyebrow, stifling a gloat. "So? How does it affect me?"

Lefika paused, her eyes considering me before she licked her lips.

"It might be he's sex starved and if his request isn't met on time, then cadavers would litter everywhere by morning tomorrow. The king cared about his people, about every life so you must fulfil your duty tonight."

I chuckled. "What about my life? If a feral beast is enraged how do a mere mortal like me pacify him?"

"Sex! You give him sex my lady. I believed you knew the reason why you were brought here was to fulfill his desire at any given time."

I broke down in tears after a moment of silence that stretched between us. "You said they died! The girls who were sent in there always die! Why me?"

"My lady, now isn't the time to cry. Now is the time to fulfill your duty. Some other time i'll be here to lend you my shoulders to cry on but not today, not this moment."

Before I could react, I was already dragged out of my chambers. She mentioned some ritual bath, isn't it? And herbal tea?

Why wouldn't she give me those before I met the beast?

Curse!

Only if I had known, I would've taken along my silver blade in case he turns to seek my life then I would take his!

But I don't even have my silver blade!

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, and with the way I was being dragged like a reluctant horse to a river churned my stomach.

We arrived at a serene wing of a palace with an archaic architectural carving on the wall.

They stopped and Lefika pointed her fingers towards a spot.

"Over there my lady. We would stop here, there is a corrugated gate on that side, open it and enter."

Thoughts churned behind my blue eyes before I managed a haughty scoff. "Really."

But they were leaving, and I saw them locking me up. How come I never noticed there was a door out there?

The urge to collapse to my knees and cry was so irresistible at the moment but I'm Ellie Bakidoth. I swear, I'm not going to break down or tear up.

My fingers clenched at the side of my thighs as I treaded in the dark towards a gate that was before me.

Though there was fire burning on the lamp, it was dim so I barely saw.

I finally stopped, merely staring at the gate caused chills to run down my spine.

It was a metal gate, I wondered why they didn't use silver to build the gate to curtail him from going out and killing people.

While thoughts ran wildly in my mind, shocks rippled through me as the gate forced open and I was yanked in.

How manage? My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and anxiety pulsated through my veins.

Suddenly, a loud growl rumbled in my ears from behind me, and my heart hammered against my ribcage so hard that I couldn't breathe. The air on my neck stands at attention, my body hyper-aware of its surroundings as I feel an evil presence behind me.

Slowly, I turned but froze almost immediately my eyes craned with fierce red eyes.

Its eyes criticised me sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine.

A growl rippled from his throat, aggression hardening his body. My legs wobbled the moment it wrapped it black- taloned fingers around my throat and snarled in my face, baring its long canine teeth as if it was daring me to a fight.

Did he perceive me as a threat?

He picked me up by my throat, my legs kicking in the air, and I shook as fear of what he might do to me gnawed away at my confidence.

I wouldn't even have reached my twentieth birthday before I died?