"What do you mean, Queen?" There was sarcasm in his voice as he asked.
"Do not play with me. Evelyne told me everything about the play, and I sent that assassin. Why did the assassin add silver, wolfsbane, and other Lycan poison to his blade?" the Queen Dowager asked, gazing at him. She knew what he was capable of doing.
"Hahahaha." Alaric's laughter echoed as he walked to the closest seat and sat down.
"Was that a slip, or did you plan to tell me you all decided to get rid of Genevieve even after our agreement?" He harshly banged his hand on the side table.
"You first went against the agreement, so do not expect me not to. I am not a martyr, so do not think I would stay still when you go against the agreement." He stood up from the seat and folded his arms across his chest.
"Alaric, I am your Queen, and you will follow my orders!" Her voice echoed in the room.
"Unfortunately, you are not my Queen. You are the King's mother, and your orders are not from the council, are they?" A smirk rested on his lips, seeing the Queen Dowager's face flush red from embarrassment.
"Get out, Alaric!" she exclaimed, her hands clenching into fists by her side.
"I was wondering when this would end." He smiled at her for a while before walking to the door.
"Queen?" He stopped and turned around to look at her. "I have things in control. Unfortunately, I knew the plan would go wrong." He smiled and finally walked out of the room.
"Gosh!" The Queen Dowager grabbed a vase from the side table, and the next thing she knew, it was on the ground.
"Queen, are you okay?" Some maids rushed into her room, coming to her side.
"Get out!" she snapped.
"I will make sure to deal with you, Alaric. Enjoy this while you can," she muttered with a frown of determination on her face.
---
"The King is stable now, my lady," a guard said to Genevieve, who had been standing aside for what felt like an eternity.
"Is he awake?" she asked, and the guard shook his head.
"Any idea when he will wake up?" she asked and got the same answer.
"You, get her away from here." It was Evelyne's voice.
"It is your fault my father is in this condition," she spat at Genevieve.
"What are you even saying? Were you not at the hunting grounds? I did not stab him, did I?" Genevieve frowned.
"Oh, now you tell me what to believe? If you had the decency to die, then would he be here? But no, you do not care for my father, and so you refused to die and chose to sacrifice my father." Evelyne's voice dripped with venom.
"What you are saying does not even make sense, but I understand that you are stressed because of the King's condition, so please stop creating a scene."
"You are a whore, and I will prove that to the world. I..."
"Lady Evelyne, I think you are going too far," Alice muttered.
Smack!
Whack!
Evelyne slapped Alice twice, leaving the imprint of her five fingers on Alice's face.
"How dare you talk to me!" Evelyne raised her hand to slap Alice again, but Genevieve caught her wrist in midair.
"Evelyne, you are going overboard, and I might lose the last shade of patience I have left. So please leave," Genevieve said, still in shock, a frown visible on her face.
"I will make sure to get back at you for this." With that, Evelyne walked out.
"Oh goodness." Genevieve sighed.
"Can I go see the King?" she asked the guard at the entrance.
"I think you should, my lady." He opened the door and only closed it after she stepped inside.
"Are you okay?" she muttered, sitting by his side.
She didn't know if he could hear her, but she felt like she could just talk.
"Why did you take that stab for me?" She took his hand.
"Why? Why? I don't know… why do I feel this way?" A tear escaped her eyes. "I was so scared," she muttered.
He lay there motionless on the bed, his chest rising and falling with slow, steady breaths.
His body was slack, his limbs splayed out in a relaxed pose.
Scared that she had hurt him, she placed his hand beside him, but then she gently took it again, her fingers wrapping around his limp wrist.
"Why do I feel this way?" She drew closer to him, placing his hand against her cheek as if seeking comfort from his touch.
His hand rested against her skin, his touch warm even in his unconscious state. Memories of him replayed in her mind.
She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his skin against hers.
How could she feel such a deep connection to him even when he was unconscious? Was it just the mate bond, or was it something more? With Edric, she felt like she was learning something new—something different and dangerous. She had never felt this way when she was with Alaric.
At this point, she questioned if her feelings for Alaric had ever been real.
"When are you going to decide to come back to me?" she whispered.
How could a man so dangerous look so innocent?
"Please come back to me." She closed her eyes, her tear falling onto his palm.
His eyes slowly fluttered open as he gasped for air.
A faint groan escaped his lips as he stirred.
Genevieve looked up to see him waking up and, without thinking, she hugged him.
"Uhm…" He moaned, his body tense with pain.
"Oh, sorry." She snapped backward.
He looked at her as he sat up with a jolt, clutching at his chest.
"You… how long have you been here?" he asked, feeling embarrassed. He never thought she would ever see him looking so miserable.
"Are you always this stupid and weak?" she asked, and he chuckled.
"Are you worried?" His chest was wrapped in bandages, stained with blood, with a faint scent of iron lingering in the air.
He winced as he moved. Now it felt like he was overdoing it, but Genevieve seemed to be paying him more attention.
"It hurts here." He pointed at his chest.
She reached out instinctively to pat his chest but hesitated, realizing he was still hurt.
"I mean, my heart hurts seeing you like this."
He smiled weakly.
"My lips hurt too." He tilted his head slightly. "Can you kiss me?"