Chapter 8: The Pendragon Household

INDY

The people here really hated me! I was able to leave my room easily without getting caught because they were too busy gossiping about what I had done a while ago. Leaning against the walls of the gates, I heard two maids talking with a guard.  

“The house has really been unpleasant ever since Lucinda was engaged to the Alpha Prince. It’s only been three months, but it already feels like a lifetime,” one of the maids said.  

“Shh,” the guard silenced her. “She wants all servants to call her by her full name, remember? Lucindabella only. We’ll get tormented if she hears us.”  

The other maid scoffed. “It’s not like she’ll hear us.”  

Well, I was here. Not that it mattered, though. I wasn’t offended by their words. I, too, knew how evil Lucindabella truly was.  

“She’s probably up in her room thinking of another plan to lure Alpha Rome. However, she will never succeed. Clara is far better than her. I wish she would just leave this house.”  

“I will,” I whispered to myself. I was already thinking of all the other places I had written into this book. My mom’s province—Bellarium—was especially beautiful. There were also other provinces that felt like a joy to live in as an introverted person.  

“Should I just poison her food?”  

I pursed my lips. Well, I guess I’d have to be more careful with my meals from now on.  

With that, I sneaked out of the gates without any trouble, still making sure to be careful because they were wolves with keen hearing. Once I ensured an adequate distance, I began moving around more freely. I whistled a happy tune and breathed in the fresh air. 

However, I suddenly felt my chest ache. A whimper echoed in my ears, and I reckoned it was my wolf. In this universe, one’s inner wolf would manifest through instinctive utterances and reactions; but human forms cannot communicate with their wolf forms through words. Still, without such communication, I could feel my wolf longing for Rome.  

Mate. Mate. Mate.  

She must be feeling like this because I was leaving the house after staying here for months.  

“There, there,” I muttered, patting my chest. “Your mate doesn’t love you. You’ll get used to it someday.”  

I felt another ache but ignored it, looking around the surroundings instead.  

“I really did make a beautiful world.”  

It wasn’t perfect at all, but after getting used to the four corners of my small apartment, this felt like heaven. I paused for a while when I remembered Larissa, though. I would truly miss her presence and aggressive pieces of advice. However, she always wanted me to live for myself. With that, I was even more determined to break off this engagement.  

That was why I sneaked out in the first place.  

The very first person I needed to convince was none other than my father.  

Gideon Pendragon, the eldest son of Dragon Pendragon, a.k.a. Lucinda’s worst nightmare.  

Well, in the book, Lucinda loved her father a lot—mostly because he was the only parent she had left. Her mother died after giving birth to her, so her family always held an unspoken grudge against her. When she manifested as a Beta at the age of 5, it was another demerit to her character. From that point on, she always tried to prove herself in the worst ways possible. Back then, I wanted to show the readers that Lucinda wasn’t a villain by heart but a villain built by her trauma. However, it was never accepted well when I tried to introduce her backstory, so I never bothered.  

The Pendragon household wasn’t too far from the Windsor mansion. In fact, it was only two miles away. Another two miles and the Court of Justice would be found.  

I recognized the estate even from afar. It was far from the other houses and undoubtedly the largest in the subdivision—not as big as the Windsor’s but definitely still far too large.  

I arrived at the gates, and the guards were immediately startled the moment they saw me. “Lady Lucindabella,” they bowed.  

I bowed to them as well and greeted, “A pleasant evening.”  

They lifted their heads slightly and appeared confused. I didn’t waste any time then and went inside. They were about to escort me, but I held out a hand.  

“It’s fine,” I smiled. “Just take care of your posts.”  

Again, they looked perplexed.  

“Oh, and call me Indy from now on. My name is far too long.”  

Despite not seeing their reactions, I could sense how stunned they were from behind me. I giggled to myself and shook my head. However, the moment I entered the house, I felt a chill run down my spine, causing the small smile playing on my lips to drop.  

I heard the sound of utensils clanging elegantly against plates, paired with the scent of meat and vegetables. My stomach grumbled. I realized then that I still hadn’t eaten since I came into this world.  

I walked slowly until I reached the dining area. I didn’t even have to make myself known before four pairs of eyes snapped toward me.  

Genevieve, the eldest daughter. Archibald, the literally balding twin of Genevieve. Tristan, the sibling who openly hated me. At the head of the table was my father, surprised by my appearance.  

“Lucindabella, what are you doing here? You didn’t inform us of your visit.”  

I looked down at the spread and saw the scrumptious-looking food. However, there wasn’t a spot for me, and I definitely couldn’t eat properly with all of their stares, so I decided to proceed with my plan and leave.  

“I just came to inform you about something,” I started off.  

Genevieve sighed, shaking her head. “You could have just asked the messenger to send a message.”  

Genevieve has always been the one closest to my mother as she was the eldest, so I knew she was the one who hated me the most. She just didn’t make it obvious like Tristan did.  

“This is an important one,” I said.  

That captured their attention.  

“What is it?” Archibald asked. “Is it the wedding? Father has already set a date for it.”  

“It’s about the wedding,” I affirmed. 

My father’s face slightly lit up with the mention of my marriage. A small smile appeared on his lips with the thought of marrying me to the most powerful household. I knew his objective after all. He plans to merge the Court of Justice and the royal family to govern over all the packs. That way, he would have more power as the Lord Justiciar.  

So, this marriage was really important to him.  

Well, sorry Dad. I was going to ruin your dream.  

“I don’t want to get married to Alpha Rome anymore.”