004

When Selena stepped outside, she saw her father, Duke Cedric, standing in front of the mansion with her stepmother beside him. Not far away, a large carriage was waiting for her. It was beautifully decorated, with several guards standing around it, ready to escort her to the Kingdom of Lunaris.

The moment Duke Cedric saw Selena, he looked at her with nothing but coldness. There was not even the slightest concern on his face, even though he was sending his own daughter to marry the feared Lycan King. His expression remained emotionless, as though the person standing before him was a stranger.

“Get into the carriage,” he simply said.

Selena heard his words but did not bother looking at him. For a brief moment, she wanted to beg him not to send her away. She wanted to ask him to change his mind, hoping that somewhere deep inside, he still cared about her.

But those words never left her mouth.

She swallowed them back.

She knew it would only be a waste of time.

Duke Cedric had never loved Selena, and he certainly was not going to change his mind today.

Instead of embarrassing herself by begging someone who had never cared about her, she chose to remain silent.

She slowly shifted her gaze toward her stepmother.

The woman was trying her best to hide the smile on her face, but Selena still noticed it. She knew her stepmother was secretly happy about everything that was happening.

Selena looked away from them and turned her attention toward the waiting carriage.

The carriage door had already been opened for her.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked toward it. Every step she took made her heart beat faster.

Once she reached the carriage, she climbed inside without saying another word.

The door was gently closed behind her.

A few moments later, the coachman signaled the horses forward, and the carriage slowly began to move.

The ride to the Kingdom of Lunaris took hours, and by the time they were getting close to the kingdom, Selena was already feeling tired. She did not know if it was because she had been sitting inside the carriage for so long or because of the fear of finally meeting the Lycan King. The closer the carriage got to Lunaris, the faster her heart seemed to beat. She wished the novel had talked more about the Lycan King. At least then she would have known whether she would be safe with him or not. But throughout the story, he was hardly mentioned, and she could not help wondering why. The only thing she knew about him was his name, Kael Nightfang. She also knew that, as a Lycan, he was far more powerful than an ordinary werewolf. Over the past few days, she had secretly asked different people about the curse placed upon him, hoping someone would know the reason behind it. But it seemed that no one knew why the curse had been placed on the Lycan King.

Selena rested her head against the side of the carriage and let out a quiet sigh. She also wondered why Kael had not come to take her himself, just the way every groom would normally come to receive his bride. Or maybe... he was simply too old to leave his castle. After all, he had lived for over five hundred years. Just thinking about it made Selena sigh again. He must be a very old man by now. The thought of spending the rest of her life with someone hundreds of years older than her made her feel miserable. She could not help blaming her father once again. The more she thought about Duke Cedric forcing her into this marriage, the more she hated him.

Closing her eyes, Selena silently prayed in her heart.

Please... if Kael sees me, let him change his mind.

Please reject me and send me back to the human kingdom.

As she was still praying, she suddenly felt the carriage slowly come to a stop.

Her heartbeat instantly increased.

Her palms became sweaty as nervousness filled her heart. Different thoughts immediately rushed through her mind as she wondered why they had stopped. Before she could think any further, the carriage door slowly opened.

“Lady Selena,” one of the guards greeted respectfully while bowing his head. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Lunaris.”

Selena slowly lifted her head and looked outside.

The moment her eyes landed on the enormous castle standing proudly before her, she completely froze.

A cool evening breeze gently brushed against her face, sending a slight chill through her body. She stared at the magnificent castle with her mouth slightly open in amazement. Never in her entire life had she seen such a grand building before. The castle stood proudly against the evening sky, surrounded by towering walls and beautiful gardens. It looked exactly like the castles she used to imagine while reading fantasy novels.

Then she suddenly laughed inwardly.

What was she even thinking?

She was no longer reading a fantasy novel.

She was actually living inside one.

Selena became so lost in admiring the castle that she failed to notice the guard stretching out his hand to help her down.

“My Lady,” the guard called again politely.

Only then did Selena snap out of her thoughts.

She looked at the guard before slowly placing her hand into his.

The guard carefully helped her down from the carriage.

The moment both of Selena's feet touched the ground, a strange feeling suddenly spread throughout her body.

It was warm.

Comforting.

Familiar.

It was as though she had stood on this very ground before.

Selena frowned slightly.

Has she really been here before?

Or was the fear inside her beginning to play tricks on her mind?

She quietly pushed the strange feeling aside before looking ahead.

Rows of servants stood neatly on both sides of the castle entrance.

Some smiled warmly at her.

Others looked at her with surprise and curiosity.

Trying her best to remain calm, Selena smiled politely at all of them.

“Welcome, Lady Selena,” they greeted her together before bowing respectfully.

Just then, a handsome young man walked toward her before stopping a short distance away.

He bowed respectfully with one hand placed over his chest.

“Welcome, Lady Selena. I am Damien, the King's Beta. His Majesty has been waiting for your arrival. Please allow me to welcome you to Lunaris.”

Selena smiled politely at him.

However, the moment she heard that the Lycan King had been waiting for her, her heartbeat became even faster.

“Please come with me,” Damien continued with a gentle smile. “You must be tired after such a long journey. A maid will take you to your chamber.”

Selena nodded quietly.

As she secretly studied Damien, she noticed that he looked friendly and respectful. There was nothing frightening about him at all. Seeing how kind he was made Selena wonder if perhaps the Lycan King might also be kind.

Even though…

She still believed he was probably an old man.

Damien turned around and began walking toward the castle.

Selena quietly followed behind him.

The moment they stepped inside the castle, Selena almost stopped breathing.

The inside of the castle was even more breathtaking than the outside.

Magnificent chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, lighting up every corner of the grand hallway. The polished marble floor reflected the golden lights beautifully. Expensive paintings decorated the walls, while elegant golden carvings surrounded every pillar. Everything around her looked luxurious beyond imagination.

It truly felt as though she had stepped into another world.

“My Lady,” Damien suddenly stopped and turned toward her.

“I will inform His Majesty of your arrival.”

After saying that, he respectfully bowed once again before quietly walking away.

Not long after Damien left, a young maid stepped forward and lowered her head respectfully.

“My Lady, please follow me to your chamber.”

Selena nodded before quietly following behind the maid.

As they walked through the long hallways, Selena could not help noticing how respectful everyone in the kingdom was. Every servant they passed immediately bowed their heads.

After walking for several minutes, they finally stopped in front of a large wooden door beautifully carved with silver wolf symbols.

The maid gently pushed the door open before stepping aside.

“My Lady.”

Selena slowly walked into the room.

The moment she stepped inside, her mouth slowly fell open in complete shock.

The room was enormous.

“My Lady,” the maid spoke once more.

“His Majesty will be joining you soon.”

After saying those words, the maid bowed before quietly leaving the room.

The door slowly closed behind her.

Leaving Selena alone…