5

Lucan couldn’t understand why she stared at him like that every now and then when she usually ignored him. Every time she did, his hatred for Selene grew even more.

“Do you expect something to change when you stare at me like that? Or at least don’t complain anymore about not having any duties… Take care of this as soon as possible.” Lucan pushed for an answer from Selene, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

“I will,” Selene replied after a beat, her voice barely audible.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Odette said to Selene in a naively cheerful tone, and the maids gulped.

“I think that’s enough for lunch. I’d better get going. I wish to spend some time alone with Odette,” Lucan said.

Odette looked up as he rose from his seat, hardly having eaten anything. Odette was the only one in the garden who didn’t realize Lucan always left first without eating much at all.

Lucan gave Odette a look, and she awkwardly got up from her seat to curtsy to Selene.

The king and the lady left the back garden of the queen’s chambers, affectionately arm in arm. Selene was left alone with the maids, and she quietly chewed her food. The head maid, Freya, approached Selene with a worried look.

“Your Majesty…”

“It’s all right. This isn’t the first time.”

Even though this wasn’t the first time, Freya thought it wasn’t at all the same to bring a new woman over to dine with them. Still, she shut her mouth like a good head maid.

“I suppose I must prepare now that I have a duty to fulfill. Make haste,” Selene ordered in a quiet voice.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Selene suddenly chuckled weakly.

“I’m in trouble, Freya,” she muttered.

“I beg your pardon…?”

“His Majesty is right. I’m a queen who rose to the throne through my father’s influence, and I have no idea how to manage something like this. I’m in big trouble.”

Freya was at a loss as she stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face. Selene shook her head at herself. She mumbled something about that being a joke, but her voice didn’t sound like she had been joking at all.

That day, the queen didn’t leave the table until she finished the rest of her meal.

“What on earth was that earlier?” Lucan questioned with a disgruntled look on his face once they were inside Odette’s temporary abode within the palace.

Odette widened her eyes, looking perplexed.

“Me? What did I do?”

“Putting your hand on mine earlier…”

“Is this merely because I put my hand on yours? Your Majesty has never had a problem grabbing my hand and putting your hand on my waist. I thought we agreed we would do these kinds of things whenever it seemed appropriate,” Odette retorted.

“I’m not talking about your actions. I mean what you said back then. Why would you suddenly entrust this process to the queen? You don’t know what she might do with this as her excuse,” Lucan scolded.

Odette was looking in the mirror, taking out the ornaments in her hair. She looked at Lucan through the reflection.

“There was just something I wanted to confirm Her Majesty’s reaction… And what about you, Your Majesty?” There was a trace of reproach on her small face as she looked at Lucan. “You should have warned me beforehand, Your Majesty. You said that I simply had to come with you, but I had no idea it was to have lunch with Her Majesty. I’ve heard much about what a cruel husband you can be, but this really is exceeding my expectations,” Odette said.

“And you were acting unnecessarily courteous to the queen. That isn’t why I made you the concubine,” Lucan replied.

“My, you must be careful. I’m not the concubine yet, remember?”

Lucan gazed at her for a minute, then said, “Do you realize how impertinent your behavior is right now? If you were any other person, Tobias would have had a word with you.” Odette only laughed in response.

“Making a bargain with the supreme Alpha himself is already an incredible brazenness in and of itself. One or two more acts of impertinence wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Your job is an official one, to keep the queen in check,” Lucan said.

“The way Your Majesty was using me seemed much too personal for you to say that. Are you trying to make her jealous?”

Lucan gave her an ugly glare. It was a ridiculous statement to hear. Jealousy was something only possible between people who had feelings for each other. The relationship between him and Selene was one without any potential for something like that to blossom.

“Make no mistake. People have to believe that all of this is happening because it is a personal matter because I’m madly in love. That’s the only way I can avoid interference from the nobles,” Lucan said.

“I know that.”

“Besides, do you not understand what kind of a person the queen is even after seeing her? What jealousy? She wouldn’t bleed even if she were stabbed.” “About that,” Odette cut in, turning away from the mirror to face Lucan.

“Judging by the queen’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she was emotionless. Did you ever consider attempting to turn Her Majesty to your side, Your Majesty? She could choose you, her husband, over her father the duke. Instead of treating her so coldly like this—” Odette quickly stopped herself when Lucan waved an irritable hand.

“Stop talking nonsense. Does it look like such a thing would work on the queen? Even a rock has more emotions than her. In fact, it would be easier to seduce a rock on the side of the road.”

“But even her hands were shaking today. I felt sorry for her seeing it,” Odette insisted.

“That’s a useless waste of emotions. She isn’t someone you should feel sorry for. That was only from her excessive pride in being wounded… How could she stand humiliation like today’s after being raised like a princess at the duke’s household?”

“I see.”

“She didn’t even bat an eye when I announced that I would be taking a concubine. I could die and she would simply accept it. She’d reply, ‘ok,’ and keep slicing away at her meat,” Lucan said.

It was an unnecessarily extreme sentiment. Why was he being so severe if he was so disinterested in the queen he was keeping locked up in the palace?

Odette thought both the king and the queen were somewhat emotionally faulty. She got the feeling that someone with common sense like herself had nonetheless gotten involved with a dangerous duo, but it was too late to turn back now.

“How is the marquis?” Lucan asked.

“My father? I’m sure he’s flipped. It would be a miracle if he hasn’t fainted. Don’t you know, Your Majesty? No one wanted to send their daughter to the palace because everyone was scared of Duke Dreadmoor’s retaliation,” Kaia said.

“I can’t believe Marquis Oakheart has such a lack of courage even as the head of the Nobility Faction… Even more cowardly than his own daughter, it seems,” Lucan said, clicking his tongue.

“Father has always been quick to take precautions. I can’t believe he sided with you instead of the duke. But Father isn’t the only one to blame,” Odette muttered, thinking of her father, who had always been spineless. “The duke has even kidnapped a member of the royal family in the past. That man was willing to use such an unsophisticated method to get rid of the crown prince. A concubine would be nothing to him. Goodness, how could anyone stand against a terrifying man like that?” she continued.

When Lucan was a young crown prince, he had been kidnapped for over ten days by abductors and taken to a forest owned by Duke Dreadmoor. The abductors had even tried to kill Lucan. Anyone could clearly see who was behind all of it, but the duke had vehemently refuted the accusation, claiming he could never have done it. He killed everyone involved without any warning, so there was no evidence left.

“Did you tell your father to reinvestigate that incident?” Lucan asked.

Another reason he had made Kaia a concubine was so he could easily contact Marques Oakheart away from the watchful eyes of the Ducal Faction.

“I heard he already did multiple times. I was told anyone who could be a potential witness to the incident are all dead. The town was completely destroyed and no one was left alive.

There was, of course, no evidence left with the town in ruins,” Odette replied.

“Then tell him to do it again until he finds something.” “Are you looking for someone?” Kaia asked.

Lucan didn’t answer.

“Your Majesty?”

“That’s not it… I’m only trying to find evidence that the duke was behind

it.”

Odette thought the king was lying. Anyone could see on his face that he was desperately looking for someone. But Odette Oakheart was a quick-witted woman of common sense, and she promised herself she wouldn’t get more involved in this matter than she had to. So, she answered primly without any complaint. “I see,” she said.

Seeing Odette reply so simply and serenely reminded Lucan of Selene for some reason. It was always “I will” and “I see” and “ok” to anything and everything. It was arrogant and irritable to see her always respond so curtly.

Lucan mussed up his hair in annoyance.

The queen’s chambers were busy for once. It was ironic. The first task the queen had been assigned was to prepare the concubine coronation ceremony. Selene herself was collectedly making preparations, so the maids also busied themselves with their work without complaint.

But Selene’s father, Duke Dreadmoor, was unable to remain calm at all. He frequently visited the queen’s chambers like he was having scheduled meals, his face always red and purple in frustration. That is to say, he visited at least three times a day. He was always a bit tamer on his way out after seeing Selene, his beloved daughter, but the next day when he visited the queen’s chambers, he would walk in looking furious all over again.

“That insane old man is coming to the palace like it’s his own home,” Lucan muttered.

Everything was being reported to Lucan, of course. The head butler looked furious as he listed everything he had heard.

“According to the servants, the duke is yelling and having a fit. Everyone can hear him through the doors. He goes on and on about how his precious daughter could be treated like this—”

“That’s enough. It’s exhausting just listening to it,” Lucan cut him off.

“But it is undeniable that work has been slowed down by the duke’s visits to the palace, Your Majesty. Had there been no delays, the coronation date would already be set by now,” Tobias insisted.

“Do you think the duke is the only one to blame for that? The queen could plan it quickly if she wanted to, but I’m sure she’s taking her time on purpose.” Head Butler Tobias saw the intense look of hatred on Lucan’s face and closed his mouth without another word.

“Send someone to the queen. Tell her not to forget what I said about getting this done as soon as possible. And also tell her I don’t wish to see her fail miserably at her task when this is the first time I’ve entrusted her with one,” Lucan grumbled.

“I shall… deliver the message with more appropriate wording.”

“That will not be acceptable, Tobias. Deliver it exactly as I said. She needs to know that people will only laugh at her if they think she’s acting like this

because she’s jealous.”

“She is still human, Your Majesty. Should she truly become aggravated and report it to the duke—”

“Tobias!” Lucan roared, his voice rattling the study.

Tobias jumped and lowered his head.

“Must I hear about not stepping on the duke’s toes even in my own study?” Lucan snarled.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I misspoke. I shall watch my words,” Tobias replied.

“You may go,” Lucan said tiredly.

Once Tobias left the study, Lucan roughly rubbed his worn-out face. Duke Dreadmoor was an apparition that haunted him to no end. What was worse, he was an undead apparition that was still perfectly alive. A sickening apparition.

“Yes, I was the one who did it, Your Highness. I tried to end your life. But what can you do about it? You would be lucky to stay alive now that you’ve gotten a second chance at life.”

Lucan could still remember vividly how the duke had held him by the shoulders when he was young and whispered those words to him. He wasn’t wrong. Even his own father had kept silent, despite knowing it was the duke’s doing. So, what could he have done as a mere child?