4

"No, don't!" Xylia suddenly shot up to a seated position on the bed, drawing the attention of the raven-haired maid who had just entered the room with a tray full of several bottles which most likely contained ointments or medicine.

Seeing that the young woman was now conscious the maid became excited and rushed towards the bed, quickly dropping the tray on the bedside cabinet.

"Princess, you're awake. Thank the goddess," she exclaimed, her face enveloped by sheer joy.

Xylia, who was still taking time to register her situation, was stunned to see this unknown maid acting so familiar towards her.

And why was the latter calling her a princess? She was no longer royalty after being deposed as Luna by her solipsistic former chosen Alpha mate, Frederick.

"Princess, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?" the maid asked, holding Xylia's hand.

"Em... I'm not. I feel fine. Thanks for asking," Xylia responded.

"Who are you?" she felt obliged to ask, and this room was extra spacious and tastefully furnished. Her room when she was Luna back then wasn't even like this.

Her clothing, even though it was a nightgown, was made of a special fabric that even her ex couldn't lay his hands on.

"I'm your personal maid, Jazzlyn," the maid disclosed with a sunny smile, her hers even forming crescent moons. It made her look adorable, almost like a doll.

"I see." Xylia nodded sagely before making an introduction, "I'm Xylia Wilther. Did your master save me?"

"Yes, he did," the maid nodded in response.

"Well... How long have I been unconscious for?" she felt inclined to ask. 

"Why don't you guess, your highness?" Jazzlyn proposed smilingly.

"Just tell me. I'm bad at guessing, and also, why are you referring to me with royal titles? I'm not royalty. Although I was in the past, I'm now an ordinary werewolf, just like most people,"

"No, you're not," the maid however shook her head, "You are someone important. You are Princess Xylia,"

"Are you mistaking me with someone else?" Xylia felt muddled. What was wrong with this Jazzlyn? Did she have a screw loose?

"My mind is quite clear,"

"Huh? You can read my mind?" this puzzled the former Luna even more.

"No, I can't. Even if I do have that ability, for instance, I wouldn't dare use it on my master. That's an insult, a taboo even! You have that bewildered look on your face, it's not hard to know what you're thinking. So I simply thought of replying in order to clear your doubts. I am very sound in mind, your highness. And forgive my lack of manners, I was just too excited to be the first one to know of you being awake." With that, the maid retreated a few steps and then went down on one knee, placing her hands across her chest and bowing her head slightly, "Greetings, Princess Xylia,"

Her actions further befuddled Xylia even more. This girl's dress was different from what she'd seen all her life, even her hairstyle was in a complicated hairdo. If not for her maid uniform, it would be hard to associate this doll-like beauty with a maid of a big household.

She also kept calling her royal titles, does that mean she was in a sort of palace? Considering how this room was, the possibility was high.

The big question was, where exactly was she? And the person who saved her, was he an Alpha?

At that moment, a green-eyed man garbed in pricey regal attire entered the room. His shoulder-length silver hair was braided with several golden beads fastened at the tips. A kobicha-colored necklace hung around his neck with a red gemstone embedded in the middle.

Although his face looked stoic, his eyes were telling a different tale altogether. Just when Xylia was wondering what to say to him, he spoke first.

"Xylia my child, you're finally awake! Thank heavens!"

 "Huh?" She was dumbfounded to hear him say that with a loving tone. Was there a mix-up somewhere?

Her parents, Roselle and Linden Wilther were already late. Why was this man calling her his daughter? Or could it be she bore some resemblance to his child, whether late or missing, so he decided to call her his child?

"Your Majesty," Xylia got out of bed and bowed with her right hand across her chest, "please pardon me if I offend you, but I'm not your daughter. My parents who raised me are no more,"

"They aren't your biological parents," said the king with certainty in his tone.

"Why do you say so, Your Majesty?" she was pushed to ask, her brows knitted.

"Come, let me show you something," he beckoned.

Xylia looked towards the maid who smilingly nodded.

Though uncertain and quite wary, she also realized that she was in her saviour's abode and couldn't really fight back. Besides, he wasn't going to kill her for not agreeing to what she didn't know about right?

So with no other option, she followed the king out of the room. They passed through several hallways and corridors, eventually stopping at a giant black door made of fine wood.

The engraved designs of a red phoenix breathing out fire seemed quite vivid as if it was alive. It sent chills down her body merely by looking at it.

"We're here," the king revealed.

She expected him to push the door open since there wasn't even a doorknob on it. To her surprise, he did something else that got her perplexed.

He made several fast gestures with his hands that her eyes couldn't keep up with while muttering inaudible words. In a matter of seconds, he stretched out his right hand and placed it on the door.

Immediately, the eyes of the vivid phoenix shone and Xylia felt the temperature of the surroundings become hot.

Whether it was her eyes playing tricks on her, she didn't know, but she could have sworn she saw the phoenix's wings flap once. Wasn't it a carving? Was she the one going crazy here?

"Maybe, I'm dreaming," she decided to pinch herself. She wouldn't feel pain in a dream.

However, the resulting pain after she acted on her thoughts made her wince and she gritted her teeth to avoid making a sound. She'd been quite ruthless to herself, pinching way too hard.

The king turned to look at her, "It's not a dream, my dear. Follow me," he said tenderly as the door opened on its own. The temperature had returned to normal after the king went inside.

"Did he read my mind?" after witnessing something this bizarre in front of her, she wouldn't doubt it if the king said he could read minds.

She looked around, hesitating for a few seconds before deciding to bite the bullet.

As she took a step into the room, her eyes widened.

She felt as if she was carrying a gigantic load. Taking another step forward or even backwards had immediately become an arduous task.

"Oh, I forgot. A non-wiz blood can't enter easily," the king was by her side in no time. Taking hold of her hand, the pressure she felt immediately disappeared.

Instead, a wave of relief washed over her, and she felt familiar with this man, as if she'd held his hand a lot in the past.

"That's weird," she couldn't help but say in her mind.

She allowed him to take her deeper into the room that was brightly lit with levitating pearls of different colours that were glowing.

Several designs of mythical creatures were on the wall, making her feel chills in her spine.

They both headed to the bed and the king made her lie on it.

"Close your eyes and I'll help you remember," he softly said to her.

Though confused, she did as he said and soon felt somnolent. Maybe she should just drift off into sleep...