Alie gently dried her damp hair with a towel before draping it over the back of a chair. Again, she was feeling nauseated since she woke up. Though she’d felt fine for a few days, the discomfort had returned, leaving her unsettled and restless.
With a sigh, she walked to the dressing table, lowering her hand from her chest.
"I wonder where Gabriel disappeared to so early," she murmured, dabbing face cream onto her cheeks and forehead.
As she reached for a nude shade of lipstick, the door clicked open behind her. Gabriel entered the room, catching her gaze through the mirror.
She tilted her head and smiled softly. "Gabriel, good morning."
"Good morning, love," he replied warmly, heading straight to the cupboard and pulling out a leather jacket.
Alie turned back to the mirror, carefully applying the lipstick.
"Are you going sowhere?" she asked curiously, rising to her feet. "To the company? Should I co with you? I’ve already missed two weeks of work."
Gabriel slipped his arms into the jacket and glanced at her.
"I’m not going to the company today," he replied. "Karn handled everything behind our backs, and my major etings are all scheduled for Monday. I’m putting on the jacket because I may’ve to go outside later to pick a muffins for you."
"What?" Alie smiled. "I can order them if I want," she added.
"But I want to buy them myself," Gabriel said, holding her both hands.
"You didn’t wear red or pink today," Gabriel remarked, his eyes lingering on her lips.
"No," Alie replied. "I felt like trying this new shade." Then, with a small smile, she added, "By the way, I’m thinking of making espresso with cream. I’ll prepare one for you too. Wait for in the garden?" she whispered, brushing a kiss to the top of his lips before pulling away.
Gabriel smiled, watching her as she turned toward the door. In a blink, he was beside her, his arm slipping protectively around her lower back as they walked downstairs together.
The maids, who were cleaning the living room, straightened instantly upon seeing them, exchanging quick glances before greeting them respectfully. Alie offered a soft chuckle.
"Relax. You don’t have to be so formal," she told them gently.
"They’re trained to be formal with us royals," Gabriel murmured, his nose brushing against her cheek in an affectionate gesture.
The reminder made Alie pause for a brief mont. She was a royal now, sothing she still hadn’t fully internalized. So much had changed so quickly. Yet, the title didn’t matter to her. What mattered was the love of the people around her.
"I should head to the kitchen," Alie said, excusing herself. Gabriel let her go with a nod, his eyes following her as she disappeared down the hallway.
Gabriel had just settled on the couch when Karn entered, followed by Denzel. Both n bowed slightly in greeting.
"Where’s the man who attempted to kidnap Alie?" Gabriel asked.
Karn responded without hesitation, "Prince Casaio was handling that matter."
Gabriel’s expression darkened. "Since when does my Beta take orders from another Alpha?"
Karn’s hands curled up in nervousness.
"Speak the truth," Gabriel warned. "I’m not in a good mood today."
Just then, a voice rang out from the corridor.
"I released him," said Casaio, stepping into the room.
"Why?" Gabriel scratched the temple of his forehead, glaring at his elder brother.
Casaio casually sat on the sofa chair across from him. "Because his intentions weren’t to harm Alie. He was in a need of money and thought if he could kidnap Alie, asking you for so ransom, everything would be sorted," he lied with a straight face. He had decided not to tell Gabriel that it was their mother who sent Mortis so that the wedding could be held.
"You took decisions in my territory," Gabriel hissed in anger, "without once consulting with ."
"I’m the eldest prince," Casaio said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I can make decisions without consulting my younger brothers."
Both Karn and Denzel stood frozen, silently backing Casaio’s claim with their silence.
Just then, Alie’s soft voice floated into the hall, breaking the taut silence. "Brother Casaio! You’ve returned. Good morning." She walked in with a tray in her hands.
She imdiately sensed the tension in the room. Her eyes flicked to Gabriel, searching his face for answers.
Casaio turned to her. "Hi, Alie! Seems like you missed . And you’re calling brother now?" He arched an amused eyebrow.
"Ahh, yes. If the prince doesn’t like it then—" Alie began, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
"I’ve no problem," Casaio interrupted, allowing her to call him brother.
Relieved, Alie smiled and placed the tray gently on the table. "I prepared espresso with cream. You two should enjoy it," she said, her voice light as she gestured to the cups. Then, glancing at Karn and Denzel, she added, "Would you like so too? I can prepare three more cups."
"We would love—" Denzel started, but fell silent when he caught Gabriel’s sharp glare.
"A," Gabriel said, "we had decided to enjoy the espresso in the garden."
"Yeah, I know," Alie replied, brushing her fingers against her dress. "But now that everyone’s here, we should enjoy it together." Her eyes softened as she looked at Casaio. "Make sure to give the second cup to Brother Casaio. I’ll be back soon."
Before she could step away, Karn spoke, "Alie, you should prepare one for yourself. We won’t take it."
"What? Why not?" she asked, clearly surprised. "That would be bad. We should enjoy such things together."
Her warm smile lingered in the air, montarily diffusing the tension that clung to the room just a minute ago. As she left, Casaio spoke,
"She understands what a family should look like."
"Casaio, why did you send a doctor to treat Zilia’s wounds? I told you not to show any rcy on a spy," he declared with a deadly glare at him, ignoring how Casaio tried to lighten the mood.
Reviews
All reviews (0)