The next morning ~~~
Cyrus Valentino jogged back to the palace's entrance after his morning routine of an intense training session and running a few miles, his nose tingling with the smell of delicious food coming from the kitchen.
He looked at the ancient clock in the hall. It was eight in the morning.
Why was his chef cooking so early in the morning when he preferred his breakfast at nine? Cyrus wondered and wiped the sweat around his neck with the wet towel.
As he walked further into the hall, he was about to turn around to speak with Miss Quinn when his gaze met with excited amber eyes that looked back at him with a smile.
He paused.
He looked at her from head to toe. She was just wearing a peach-colored sundress. It had only been ten hours since their last confrontation and three hours since he last saw her, leaving her sleeping on the bed, but why did it feel like she had gone through a major change in those hours?
"How should I address you?" The girl's voice brought him out of his trance, and he narrowed his brows.
"I am your king," Cyrus Valentino said, towering over her.
He expected her to flinch and bow in submission, but to his surprise, she bobbed her head up and down.
"My king. Should I call you my king, then?" Amelia asked, oblivious to the storm brewing in his mind.
"Mr. Valentino for you. You are not my people," Cyrus said.
Amelia raised her brows at his words but didn't say anything else.
She was not 'his' person?
She expected more hostility than she was receiving, so it was still a fair deal.
Amelia nodded to herself. Since she ran away from the palace the first night, she would need to rely on herself to navigate her way into the King's heart. Her past won't help her into it.
Fearing that the king's cold attitude would scare the girl away, Miss Quinn immediately rushed forward.
"Madam has prepared –" she started to speak but was cut off by Cyrus.
"Who is your Madam? She is seventeen," He corrected.
"Me. I am Madam. You married this seventeen-year-old girl. What were you thinking?" Amelia raised her hand, stepping before Miss Quinn.
Cyrus's gaze darkened while everyone froze in their places.
Never in their wild dreams had they seen anyone standing before their King, looking back into his eyes with this kind of boldness.
And while some of them would've called this courage, they knew it was pure stupidity.
"I dare you to repeat those words." Cyrus stepped forward, making the back of her legs hit the table. She was about to stumble back when Cyrus's hand held her, stopping her in mid-air.
"Go ahead," His dark gaze, cold blue eyes, moved to and from between her eyes as if searching for something.
If Cyrus Valentino thought he got married to someone who was a mere scaredy cat, he was definitely in for a surprise.
She once ran away from him in fear. She didn't intend to repeat the mistake.
"My loyalty is bound to you, my king. Oops, I mean, Mr. Valentino. I am your betrothed. I will bear whatever title you'll allow me to," Amelia held onto his hand before pulling herself closer to him.
Cyrus looked at her little actions and the genuineness in her eyes before taking a deep breath.
"She is no queen without a test of loyalty. Call her princess," Cyrus gritted his teeth before looking at Amelia, pulling her closer.
Her fast-beating heart was so evident that even Miss Quinn looked away shyly, thinking something was about to happen.
"Only till she goes around breaking it," Cyrus said before he let go of her hand.
Amelia, who didn't expect him to let go suddenly, widened her eyes as she fell back into the lush carpet.
Her hips stung at the pain.
The thud made Miss Quinn turn around and raise her eyes at their princess.
"Oh my, Princess," She rushed to help Amelia, who chuckled.
"He is a tough nut," Amelia grinned.
Miss Quinn widened her eyes when she heard Amelia's words.
She was about to tell the girl not to say such things casually because their king had sensitive ears, but it was too late.
"Grrrr!"
A low warning growl echoed through the halls, and Miss Quinn sighed awkwardly before shaking her head.
"Let's go and get you fed first, Princess," Miss Quinn said as she helped Amelia up.
Already feeling hungry as if she hadn't eaten in days, Amelia nodded with a heavy heart, as if she had been wronged by everyone, and Miss Quinn smiled inwardly.
When she heard their King was getting married hurriedly as part of a peace treaty, she really worried that he would marry the wrong girl, who would be money-minded, power-hungry, or too scared of him.
But to her surprise, this girl was full of life, and regarding the other two, only time will tell in the long run.
Amelia waited for the King to come and have their breakfast while roaming at the dining table, where she took whiffs of mouth-watering food.
One look at her made it clear what kind of torture it was for her even to stand there, but she still stood persistently.
"Miss Quinn–" One of the maids walked to the dining room, and Amelia turned, hoping to see the king, but he was not there.
The maid whispered something in Miss Quinn's ears, and the lady looked at Amelia.
"Princess, your sister is here," Miss Quinn said.
Amelia, who had a visible, lively appearance earlier, immediately dimmed something that didn't go unnoticed by the head of the maids.
"Hmm." She walked out of the dining hall into the main hall, where she saw her sister sitting on the couch and looking around with raised brows.
Hannah stood when she saw Amelia, with a fake smile plastered on her face and crinkling eyes that were supposed to show real happiness, just a mask to hide her evil intent.
"Amelia, are you alright? That monster… I mean, the King didn't do anything to you, right?" Hannah said, deliberately putting on a scared expression.
She smiled inwardly when she noticed everyone looked slightly disgusted when she called their king a monster.
Amelia noticed it, too, but she didn't react. She didn't need to, not before Hannah, for sure.
"What brings you here, sister?" Amelia asked, holding Hannah's hands to show how much she had missed her already.
Hannah looked around before pulling Amelia outside towards the backyard.
"What happened? I thought you were making a run last night. I even stayed awake the entire night for you, but I knew something was wrong when you didn't show up even after four in the morning. How could I not come? I care about you. Did that man catch you?" Hannah asked.
Amelia remembered sleeping for a long time and waking up to an empty bed, but the warmth on her side indicated the king had been here, and she couldn't help but feel the heat in her ears.
Hannah furrowed her brows.
Realizing she was slipping, Amelia pretended to look around in fear before pulling herself closer to her sister.
"I couldn't do it yesterday. The security here is extra tight, sister. Maybe I should wait for Alpha Killian to interfere. I am truly helpless," Amelia said.
Hannah sighed.
Her useless sister couldn't even do that much. The security was going to be tight. What did she expect from the royalty?
"Killian might take an entire month, Amelia. Things are bad in his pack. Will you continue living with this monster till then? What if Killian doesn't accept you after that?" Hannah asked.
Amelia observed her sister's expression and noticed her anxiousness. It wasn't the anxiousness of worry for her sister but of her plan falling apart.
She knew that her running away from here and being declared a traitor was essential to Hannah's ultimate plans to come into full flow.
"Sister, you are already here; why don't you take me with you?" Amelia asked.
As if she was stung by a bee, Hannah snapped her hands away.
"Have you lost your mind?" Hannah asked before she cleared her throat.
"I mean, if I took you, they'll know that I aided it, and they'll come looking for us in the town. It will make things worse for Dad. If you run, I will help you, but who will help if both of us become wanted?" Hannah twisted the facts.
Amelia smiled inwardly.
Right. These were the same facts that would've made her resolve dissolve and trust Hannah again, but now that she knew the truth, she wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
"Okay. Give me some time. I will think of something and let you know," Amelia said.
Hannah nodded at her sister.
At the same time, Cyrus, who had also been informed about Hannah's arrival and had been listening to their entire conversation because the mini microphones were placed all over the palace, raised his brows.
Tight security? The girl didn't move an inch from the bed the entire time.
After a quick shower, he got dressed before leaving his room and turning off the Bluetooth.
Every step he took screamed of authority and power, making everyone bow to them.
When he reached the hall, Hannah and Amelia were back, and he briefly glanced at them.
He sat on the couch before then, leaning back like the true royalty he was.
Feeling suddenly oppressed, Hannah gulped and stood from her place.
"I will visit you later. Stay strong," Hannah said before bowing to the King and leaving like someone with her tail on fire.
As soon as Hannah left, Amelia took a deep breath, bringing back her smile as she looked at the King.
"You look handsome, truly breathtaking," she complimented casually before walking to the dining table to eat something, leaving a frozen Cyrus behind, who tried hard to figure her out.