The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

18~ REAPED WHAT ONE SOWED

I'd never known getting dressed was this difficult. I'd always relied on maids to assist me since the moment I was born. Now that I had to manage this myself, I didn't even know where to start.

There were too many strings!

Valdemir sent several sets of new dresses for me. The ones that he claimed were more fitted for training. But to me, they were just... plain.

If anyone asked for my opinion, I'd say they were more to rags than dresses.

There were no laces, beads, or pattern trim accents. Their sleeves were even worse because they were all long-cuffed shirt sleeves. I remembered throwing away a brand-new dress that was gifted to me because it was designed with these sleeves. Now, I can't imagine myself wearing it. I wished I could wear all those fancy flounces and bell sleeves like I'd always been.

But I couldn't.

Why?

First, Valdemir ordered me to wear these new dresses when I went to the training camp because they were practical. Second, I wasn't capable of putting my favorite dresses on. Those that I loved had strings on the back, so it required someone to tie them for me. And this was a requirement that I no longer had.

Valdemir said that he'd stopped Dila from attending to me. He told me to do everything myself, just like other servants did. The only things that Dila could help me with were fetching water and bringing me meals.

I couldn't believe my ears when he came to my place late last night and told me all of this. But I had to face the truth. I was his servant now. I had no choice but to obey every word he said.

"Gosh, this is getting nowhere!" I yelled in frustration as my fingers fumbled with the strings, trying to pull the dark gray wool dress together so it wouldn't slip off my shoulders.

The new dresses he sent had strings on the front part, so I thought it wouldn't be a problem when putting them on. Too bad I was underestimating them.

"Are you ready, Miss?" asked Dila as she stepped into the room.

I looked at her through the reflection in the mirror and said, "Not yet. I can't tie these."

Dila's eyes land on my hands. She then stepped forward and offered her help. "Allow me to tie them for you."

"You can't." I shook my head. "That Majesty of yours has made it clear that he won't allow you to attend to me anymore."

"I believe I won't be attending to you. I'll only teach you since it's your first time," said Dila in her usual calm voice.

My hand paused at her words. She's right, I thought to myself. Then, I turned around and said aloud, "Then it is settled."

Dila smiled and walked toward me. She untied the messy knots and redid everything from the start. Next, she explained step by step as her hands worked on getting them tied together.

My eyes followed Dila's every step, and was astonished by how fast and neat her hands were. "Thanks," I said when she finished.

"You're very welcome, Miss." She stepped back and looked at the meal tray on the table. "Please have your breakfast. You don't want to be late on your first day."

I walked toward the table and sat down. "Has he arrived yet?" I asked, picking up the knife and fork.

"Who are you referring to, Miss?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"I don't know his name either. Valdemir only said he'd be sending a bodyguard to escort me to the training camp." I sliced the bread into bite-size pieces.

"I didn't know about this." She shook her head. "However, His Majesty told me to escort you."

"What?" I looked up at her in surprise. "When did he tell you that?"

"This morning," she said.

"What about that guy? Did Valdemir change his mind? Did he want to kill me by sending me to that psycho Beta without any protection?" I frowned, wondering what in the world Valemir was thinking.

"Calm down, Miss. I'm sure His Majesty had his reason. He'd never gone back on his words," said Dila.

"I hope you're right," I mumbled before eating the first bite of breakfast. I couldn't tell the taste, given how anxiety overpowered my tastebuds.

My teeth kept grinding the food I put into my mouth, but my head was elsewhere. I couldn't help but think about how to survive the day with someone who had tried to kill me before.

*******

Dila walked me to the training camp, but she didn't go in. She bid me goodbye at the entrance. "Have a nice day, Miss." She curtsied.

I watched as she turned on her heels and walked away. I waited until she was out of sight before letting my shoulders slump in defeat.

"Here we go," I sighed.

After a deep breath, I turned around to face the entrance. No guards were standing at either side of the red sandstone gate. There wasn't even a door. As if this wasn't shocking enough, there were no buildings either. If it weren't for the sandstone gate and walls to mark the territory, I'd have thought this was grassland. All I could see were grasses, trees, and another gate in about three hundred feet.

"Where is everyone?" I murmured as I peeked inside to see if I could spot anyone. I could only hear noises and growls, but I couldn't see a single soul. Perhaps they were behind that second wall.

"How long do you plan on standing here? Waiting for an invitation placed on a golden tray?" a deep voice echoed in front of me, followed by a broad chest hidden behind a white tunic that was soaked with sweat.

I jumped at the sudden voice. My hand moved to the left side of my chest, wanting to confirm if my heart was still there.

"You scared the hell out of me!" I glared at Gerold, who was standing with his left hand on top of the sword's hilt.

"Hell?" Gerold raised his right eyebrow. It was as if he was trying to challenge me. "Can a queen say that word?"

"W-what?" I widened my eyes in shock, wondering if Valdemir had told him about my identity.

"Yes. He told me everything, queen Laelie Adelaide of Zariya," he said as if he could read my mind.

What's with this place? Can all werewolves read minds? Or is it just me who wears my thoughts on my face? I asked myself.

"What? Cat your tongue?" he sneered.

"Then, does everyone inside know, too?" I pointed to the space behind his back.

"Not everyone. Only the council members and related personnel do. As in here, only Valdemir's pack and I know. The other packs don't know anything about you except that you are a human," he said.

"Oh, that's good." I looked to the ground, feeling relief that not everyone knew who I was. I meant I couldn't look them in the face. After all, what queen ran away from her own kingdom? People would laugh until they tore their mouths when they saw me as I was now. The once high and mighty Zariya's Princess whom everyone was jealous of had now fallen from grace.

"Before we go in, let's do a quick review of what Valdemir told you last night. Let me see if you can act naturally. I need to make sure you won't blow your cover with the first sentence." He narrowed his eyes on me. He looked like he wanted to threaten me rather than to remind me. "Now, how do you introduce yourself?"

I took a deep breath, reminding myself to act natural. Clearing my throat, I said, "My name is Lae. I'm sorry that I don't remember my full name or other details, including how I arrived here. The last thing I remembered was getting hit hard on the head. When I opened my eyes, I was already here."

"What's with your face? Can't you make a sad expression? You just lost your memory and had no idea what happened to you. You're supposed to be upset, not emotionless," he said in an annoying tone. "Again."

I repeated what I'd said. But this time, I thought back to how I lost everything that night at the fire. When I finished, he nodded and clapped once.

"Good," he said. "Just keep repeating this. As for the rest, I'll take care of it."

"I don't understand," I said in a small voice but loud enough for him to hear.

"Which part?" he asked with his folded across his chest.

"All of it." I sighed. "Why does he send me here? And what's with the lie? I thought the bond between the pack was invincible. How could he not trust his own people?"

"How do you know so much about werewolves?" He gave me a suspicious look.

"I read books in the library. I'd always believed there were magical and supernatural beings out there in the world. And I was right." My hands went to my neck just in case he thought of strangling me again. But he didn't.

"Fine. Although Ascian is a secret kingdom, the existence of werewolves isn't." He dropped his hands. "You know what? I'm not going to answer your questions."

"Why?" I frowned in confusion.

He raised his index finger and said, "First, I don't have all the time in the world to explain things to you. Second, Valdemir is the one coming up with this stupid plan. Go and ask him if you want to know. He should reap what he sows. And third, the simplest one," he lifted three fingers in the air now, "I don't want to answer."

My jaws dropped open in disbelief. The last point was usually the critical part. But with this guy, it was the most unreasonable one of all.

"Come, woman. We don't have all day." He turned around and walked away.

I followed behind him in silence as my eyes scanned the surroundings. After passing through the first gate, I only saw bushes, trees, and grasses on my sides. It looked more like a mini-garden rather than a training camp.

However, the view changed from lovely to noisy after walking through the second gate.

Group of people, which I assumed their ages were between thirteen to twenties—scattered all over the places. Girls stood in a horizontal row before the archery targets, where they practiced shooting arrows and throwing knives. As for boys, they formed into five lines and made the basic moves of martial arts—the same moves as what soldiers in Zariya did. For those who looked in their twenties, they were dueling with their swords.

The area was huge and spacious, with only a few trees around. I bet they cleared it for training use. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

I wonder what I'll be learning first: throwing knives, shooting arrows, or sword fighting? I'm interested in archery, though. Will he teach me that? I debated inside my head if I should ask Gerold about it or let him decide what to teach me.

Just then, I heard a loud growl coming from my left. I turned in the direction of the noise only to find a black, giant furball bolting toward me.

Wait. It isn't a furball! I thought to myself after squinting my eyes for a better view. It's a black wolf! A werewolf!

I screamed and ran toward Gerold, using his body as my hiding place.

"What're you doing, woman?" He tried to shake my hand off his arm, but I refused to let go.

"H-help me," I stuttered.

"Help you from what?" He groaned in annoyance.

I turned him around and peeked from behind his back. "From that," I said, pointing my finger at the incoming werewolf.

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