Chapter 8: Impossible

ALEXANDER

I chewed what was in my mouth. I hadn’t had a meal that good in years, and the look on his face wasn’t enough to make me stop. I gulped it down without raising my head, continuing to wolf down the spread of delicacies on the table until I heard the scrape of his chair as he stood and walked away.

I didn’t look up. I finished eating quickly, then rose to my feet and returned to my room, finally full. Rubbing my stomach, I felt pleasantly bloated. I wanted nothing more than to wash up, climb into bed, and sleep when a knock sounded at the door.

I got down from the bed and opened it to find the butler smiling warmly at me. My heart dropped, fear creeping in that my table manners must have offended Alpha Damon. But then the butler said, “Your Majesty, please change into the dress you wore earlier today. The head maid will be here shortly to escort you to the Queen’s palace.”

I blinked in confusion. Then I remembered the dresses, gowns, and lingerie I had seen in the closet at noon, and I realized this beautiful room had not been prepared for me at all. It had been meant for my sister.

“I’ll change right away,” I replied.

Then I shut the door.

Although disappointment settled in my chest, it did not hurt as deeply as I thought it would. I already knew my place in his life. I was neither his first love nor his first choice. I was only a cruel joke—his fated mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess as if to mock him.

When another knock sounded at the door, I had already changed back into the dress I had worn at noon.

“Come in,” I said.

The door creaked open, and a woman stepped into the room. She was about five-foot-four, with a petite frame, big bright eyes, and a warm smile. The tension in my body eased immediately.

“My queen,” she said, “come with me. Let me take you to where your true authority is.”

For a moment, I almost believed her. Then I shook my head. I knew her words were only meant to coax me out of the room. Still, I had no choice in the matter, so I followed her.

When we stepped out through the back door of the main palace, I saw another palace standing not far away, barely a hundred meters from it. A plaque hung at its entrance. Its architecture felt strangely homely. Unlike the main palace, it did not try to project power or authority. Instead, it felt welcoming. Flowerbeds bloomed all around it, and trees lined the courtyard. Children ran about laughing. There were no armed guards here. Unlike the main palace, where everyone looked as though they were teetering on the edge of death, the people here looked alive. They smiled, chatted freely, and carried themselves with ease.

I was led inside and then taken to my room.

The head maid looked at me with a smile and said, “Your Majesty, if there is anything you want, please call for me. My name is Christina. Just say my name, and I will appear at your door immediately.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile.

My gratitude seemed to startle Christina. She must not have expected it, because her lips stretched wider, and her eyes gleamed with excitement.

“We are here to serve you, Your Majesty,” she said.

Then she bowed and left.

I turned to the wardrobe, itching to change. I wanted to strip away everything that reminded me of my father’s house. I did not want to live with those memories of rejection and humiliation. Every breath I took while carrying them felt unbearable.

My eyes widened when I saw that every dress in the wardrobe had been tailored to fit me perfectly. A smile touched my lips. One by one, I brought them out until I found the one that felt the most comfortable.

I kept wondering who had arranged for the dresses, but I was too exhausted to think much further. I climbed into bed and fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning, fear gripped me at once. But then I remembered that I was no longer in my father’s house. The tension drained from my body, and I relaxed back into the bed, closing my eyes to steal a little more sleep.

When I finally got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up, I came back just in time to hear a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I said.

Then Christina walked in with her signature smile. She bowed her head slightly before greeting me.

“Good morning, Your Majesty. I hope you slept well?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

I was surprised that the servants in the palace were nothing like the ones I had grown up with. They were not snobbish at all.

Glancing at my closet, I asked, “Christina, do you happen to know who arranged the outfits in my wardrobe?”

Christina replied with complete certainty, “Your Majesty, of course you know who did it. Apart from your husband, who else would dare do such a thing for you?”

My hand, which had been reaching for a blue round-neck dress, froze. I turned to look at Christina in disbelief. I knew Alpha Damon far too well to believe he would do something so thoughtful for me. She must have been conditioned to always speak well of her master.

I quickly got dressed, and Christina led me to the dining room, where I was served a variety of delicacies I had never tasted before. To my surprise, every single dish suited my taste perfectly.

“I knew you would love it,” Christina said. “Your husband instructed us to prepare several dishes and make sure everything was freshly made. He also mentioned that you love meat, and it seems his assessment was right. I think he cares about you more than anyone realizes.”

My eyes widened. Alpha Damon, who had barely spared me a glance since rescuing me from my stepmother when she tried to sell me to human traffickers, cared about me?

Impossible.