Nineteen

Princess Caralyn is stuck.

Stuck on decision-making. She has selected two different outfits from the few non-princess outfits she possesses. And now, she can’t decide which of the two to choose.

The number of normal clothes that Caralyn has could be held in one hand, but talk about royal gowns? She has enough to fill a whole room. And that isn’t an exaggeration because back at the palace, she has a walk-in closet filled with nothing but her princess gowns.

She is always in a gown and rarely has the opportunity to dress herself in casual clothing.

Even for school, she wears her light princess gown, since everyone knows who she is. And being the firstborn princess of the royal household requires her to behave like one, both inside and out of the palace.

She once told Mrs Hale that she was glad she wasn’t born in the historical era. Because she couldn’t imagine herself in their typical heavy and full princess gown that could barely be walked in.

Mrs Hale had laughed it off, but Caralyn wasn’t joking. She prefers casual outfits, but her title didn’t give her the luxury to always be in one.

She had spoken with Mateo the day before while he washed the Supreme Ultima’s jacket in the laundry room. He had told her about the new school, things to expect, and things to note.

He had assured her that it was unlikely she would be recognized, as she had expressed her anxiety about the students knowing who she was. She hopes to start her new school year living like a normal person and doing the things she has always wanted to do.

She didn’t want anyone to recognize her as the eldest princess of the Lycan Dominion Pack. Because that means she will be isolated again, with everyone too afraid to speak to her.

They will recognize her as the daughter of the king who tried to murder the Supreme Ultima. And the worst of them all, they will label her as the cursed princess, a title that has been a bane on her life for six years and counting.

She looks at the two outfits one more time before she releases a resigned breath and steps out of her room, heading for Mateo’s.

Luckily, she sees him exiting the dining room, tapping on his phone.

“Mateo,” she calls.

He looks up and immediately stops. “Your Highness. Are you ready?”

Caralyn slowly looks down at her gown before her eyes return to him. “I am not wearing this. I have two outfits selected, but I’m stuck choosing. Can you come with me to see them? I want your opinion.”

Mateo smiled warmly. “Sure.”

They get to Caralyn’s room, and she shows Mateo the two outfits lying on her bed. Mateo moves closer to the bed, one hand across his chest and the other raising to his jaw, as if he is thinking.

“They are both nice, but I think th-”

There is a knock on the door.

Caralyn looks towards the door with a slight frown. “Yes?”

The door opens, and the Supreme Ultima walks in, holding a file. He pauses for a moment when he sees Mateo. Then, he proceeds to the chair beside the window and takes his seat. Caralyn can see Alessio and Enzo standing outside.

From their attire, she could tell that the trio was on their way to work and had just branched by her room.

“Good morning, My Lord.”

“Good morning, Supreme Ultima.”

Both Caralyn and Mateo greeted with a slight bow.

From the doorway, Alessio and Enzo’s heads whip toward each other at the sound of Mateo’s voice.

They both adjust their angles slightly to successfully peek into the room. They become even more surprised when they see Mateo standing beside the princess, very close to her bed.

“Your brother seems to like trouble,” Alessio spoke to Enzo in a low voice.

Enzo threw him a glare. “Whose fault is that?”

Alessio’s eyes widen at the indirect accusation, and he slowly points at himself, giving Enzo a raised eyebrow.

“You are the one who asked him to get close to her and play ‘friend’,” Enzo answered Alessio’s unasked question.

“That is a long time ago, and the purpose for that is already fulfilled,” he rolled his eyes. “Besides, they’ve met before then.” He subtly pointed towards Caralyn’s room. “That… is all him. It has nothing to do with me.”

Enzo barges into the room. Alessio’s mouth drops as he wonders what he’s planning to do.

“Excuse me, Supreme Ultima, but I need to see Mateo urgently,” Enzo says as he walks towards Mateo.

He gets a hold of his collar from the back and starts dragging him out of the room.

Caralyn is dumbfounded.

“I still need to help the princess choose her outfit,” the twenty-two-year-old complains, trying to escape his elder brother’s hold.

“I’m sure the Supreme Ultima can kindly help her with that,” Alessio said from the doorway, and Caralyn frowns.

As soon as Enzo steps out of the room with Mateo, Alessio shuts Caralyn’s door.

The princess can hear Mateo’s continuous whining till it starts to fade away. She would have laughed in amusement if the Supreme Ultima wasn’t currently sitting in her room.

“Come here,” he says.

She walks toward him without a second thought, as if her legs already know whose voice it was. He stretches out the file to her, and she takes it, examining it.

“Your identification card and necessary documents are in there. You will take it with you, and when you get to school, you will know what to do,” he instructed.

She gives him a nod.

He continues speaking, this time about a different subject, and she listens attentively. But the more he speaks, the closer she gets to being offended. He is speaking about her conduct at school, how she shouldn’t do anything that might embarrass or bring disgrace on the Supreme faction household.

His words, combined with the expression, are making her feel disrespected.

She wanted to let him know that she isn’t even planning to let others know she is staying in the Supreme faction Fortress, but she held her tongue.

When he is done, he stands and walks to her bed; she follows with a look of slight confusion.

His gaze is on the laid-out outfits. Then, his eyes move on her.

Riccardo observes her; she looks well put together for someone who had a nightmare and woke almost everyone with her scream. He doubts she even knows that she had screamed that loud.

His eyes drop to the outfits once again. The first outfit consists of a red spaghetti strap, thigh-length flared gown with black heels. The second outfit consists of a white knee-length pleated skirt, a black turtle-neck top, and black Converse.

He pictures her inside both outfits, but still cannot predict exactly what she will look like. He has never seen her in casual clothing.

The red seems too flashy for a first day, and he considered it too short. He finds nothing wrong with the second outfit and slowly points at it. Then, he turns back and walks out, without a word.

She didn’t expect him to help her pick an outfit, and she was a bit surprised that he did. She loves both outfits but had favored the second outfit a bit more.

‘We have the same taste in clothing,’ her lycan swoons.

Caralyn shyly chuckles silently, looking at the outfit Riccardo had chosen. Her stretched lips abruptly pause as she remembers how he had thrown his jacket at her the previous day.

Her face returns to its normal expression. “Why should I wear what he picked out? He’s always so cold to me… and he didn’t believe me yesterday,” she spoke to herself with a look of rebellion.

 

She checks the time and starts hurrying to get dressed so she will not be late for her first class. She doesn’t want to slow Mateo down either, since he had insisted that they both leave for school.

He doesn’t even have any class that morning; he just wanted to accompany her on her first day.

Caralyn finishes, and she cross-checks her handbag before stepping out of her room. She walks along the hallway, heading to the living room. Riccardo, who just finished giving Mateo instructions, saw Caralyn descending the stairs.

The first expression on his face at the sight of her was surprise, then scrutiny, followed by realization.

He suddenly frowns in dissatisfaction.