4. All That Glitters Isn't Gold.

Nadia's POV

“Royal princess? What the actual fuck?” Amy screamed and then cracked into another round of laughter again.

I had shut the door in Luca’s face the moment I entered my quarters. Nothing made sense, and I had to call Amy because, unlike humans, I couldn’t just look up what was wrong on the internet.

“I can’t believe your mom went straight for the Alpha King. That’s wild, Nads.”

"I used to think they stayed in a different city. Didn't realize they were at the Blackridge Pack this whole time," Amy continued. 

“How did she even meet him?” I blurted. My thoughts were completely jumbled up, and being a princess in a place I knew no one or what things were like, didn’t seem like something I was interested in.

Did Mom know this? 

Thinking back to how comfortable she was when we got here, she most likely knew. 

“I think I’ll just have to ask my mom. I can’t believe she didn’t mention that the man she bagged was the Alpha King.”

“Why do you sound so unhappy? Any girl on this continent would be excited to be you, Cel.”

Amy’s lips formed into a pout as she glared at me. I shook my head, smiling back.

“You have no idea what it’s like here….”

“Do a palace tour video!” Amy interrupted, and I sighed.

She wasn’t going to get it. At least, not until I was ready to tell her that one or both of my stepbrothers hated me.

Two sharp knocks on the door rang out, and I hurriedly ended the call and rushed to open the door.

Two girls who seemed to be about my age and in uniforms stood in front of me and curtsied. “Good afternoon, My Lady.”

“No, no! You don’t have to address me like that.”

Before they could reply, Sam stepped in my line of view.

Where had he been standing before?

“Your Highness, if they don’t address you like that, then it only means you want them to have their pay deducted and be punished.”

I felt my heart racing and my blood pounding against my temples.

Without a choice, I nodded.

Sam sighed in relief and then gave a small bow.

“The family dinner is tonight, and His Majesty has requested that these two girls be assigned to help you get dressed and settle in properly…” Without another word, Sam gave another small bow and walked away.

Staring at the two girls, I sighed and stepped away from the doorway.

“My lady, would you like to choose from the dresses prepared for you or would you like to choose from what you had before?” One of them asked, and I raised a brow.

Dresses prepared for me?

The other girl with dark blond hair giggled and then gave a small bow. “My lady, I’m guessing you have yet to explore your quarters. If you don’t mind, we could show you around. We checked everywhere while we cleaned the other day.”

A part of me was tempted to tell them not to address me that way, but I decided it was safe to leave them for now.

I was going to leave anyway.

But first, “What are your names?” I asked.

The blonde girl stepped forward quickly, “I’m Jessica, but you can just call me Jess.”

The other girl, who had her dark hair in a tight bun, gave me a small smile and bowed her head slightly, too. “My name is Emily.”

Both of them had very different personalities, but I didn’t mind either.

“My lady, how about we choose one of the dresses the King got for you. I’m sure he would love to see you in them since he chose the designs himself,” Emily advised.

“Alright, let’s do that,” I agreed, but the truth was, I barely had decent dresses. Shopping was a luxury, and most of the clothes I wore for dancing were two pieces.

I didn’t really have a choice.

I had looked around the quarters briefly. The first part was an empty room with lounge chairs and a small swing. The flowers were lighter tones and placed against the six windows that covered the room. It had four doors, and I had yet to explore what was behind any of them.

Jess led the way and opened the second door on the right-hand side.

“This is your main room,” Jess started, and Luca wasn’t joking.

The room was designed in beige and white themes with splashes of pink around.

But the size!

This room could have fit in our entire apartment back at home, and left some space.

What the actual fuck?

The thought that this was really how some people lived had me struggling to find words. i ha

I took a deep breath, and only then did I realize that both girls were staring at me expectantly.

“My lady, do you like it?”

I nodded hurriedly. “It’s perfect.”

If there wasn’t a certain devil named Ares Callahan, I would have been hugging my mom right now for landing this Royal king.

My room had four doors. At first, they weren’t noticeable because they were hidden behind ceiling-to-floor curtains, but with Jess’s help, I looked at the balcony that was designed like a backyard garden and the bathroom that looked absolutely unreal.

The third door was a small room that had a design between a small library and a study room. Maybe it was a study.

Jess giggled before opening the final door, and I could tell how excited she was.

The moment she opened the door, her excitement made a whole lot of sense because what in the goddess was this?

The closet was almost as large as the bedroom, and it looked like whoever designed it expected me to be someone who loved fashion.

The dresser was huge, and the clothes that had filled up all the racks were eye-catching. The middle had some sort of island with various accessories locked in glass viewers, while a whole wall was left for shoes and bags.

Why would I need all of these?

I sat on one of the plush stools and took a deep breath.

‘All that glitters isn’t gold, Nadia.’

I still needed to get out of here because, regardless of how perfect this room was, or this whole place, the truth remained: I was no princess, and with Ares here, he was never going to let me forget that.