The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

11~ MICHELIA’S KISS

The garden wasn't as big as the one I had at Zariya, but it fascinated me to see different types of flowers that I’d mostly never seen before. Besides, the aroma of the Michelia flowers was getting stronger now that we approached the area.

"Hmm. It smells so good." I took a deep breath, wanting to capture this wonderful scent in my lungs forever.

"It's Michelia," said Valdemir.

"I know." I nodded. "Lumina told me. But which one is it?" I asked as I turned my head sideways, looking for this tree.

"This one." He stopped walking and stood next to a tall, slim tree that had a mixture of both light and dark green leaves.

The scent got stronger as I breathed the air in, but I couldn't find any white or flower like what Lumina had told me. So, I asked him, "I don't see any flowers."

"They are up there," he said.

I followed his eyes and looked up to see white dots peeking from under the group of green leaves. I could barely call them flowers since they were too small to see as one. It was like looking for a small pearl in the vast grassland.

"I can't see them well. They're too high," I pouted.

"Well, we planted them a long time ago. So, it's apparent that they grow this tall," Valdemir chuckled and started walking again. Finally, he brought us to the largest tree in the area, where a Giant Banyan Tree stood tall in the middle part of the garden. "Wait here," he said as he put me down on the grass and helped my back to lean on the tree.

"Where are you going?" I asked when he turned on his heels.

"I'll be back soon," he said as he took off his cloak and draped it on me before disappearing behind the giant tree. I didn't get the cape that I sent Lumina to fetch. She said she dropped it in panic when she saw Gerold leaving. So, the cape got dirtied, making me come here in the same dress I had left the room. But now, thanks to his royal cloak, I didn't have to shiver in this cold air.

When Valdemir returned, he held a Michelia's branch in his hand. "For you." He gave it to me.

"Thank you." I brought it close to my nose and inhaled its fragrance. This time, I could see them. There were five flowers on the branch, and one of them blossomed. Each petal was long and pointy at the end, but its size was smaller than my fingernail. "They smell really good."

"Indeed." He nodded. Then he sat down next to me with one leg stretched horizontally on the grass and another with his knee up.

We remained silent for a short while until I became the first one to break the silence. "Thank you for helping me back then. You know, the incident with that Beta guy. I thought I was going to die for sure," I said, looking at the pink Crepe myrtle tree ahead of me.

"Don't worry about it. Actually, Gerold is a good guy. He's just a little stringent," said Valdemir.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I thought back to the moment when he almost choked the air out of me. "No matter what, there was no excuse to kill an innocent person. Even criminals knew of the crimes they had been convicted of."

"It is Ascian's most absolute law to not welcome outsiders. That was the reason the tree root was there to shield people from entering our territory."

"What kind of law is this? Is your ancestor trying to isolate the kingdom?" I asked, meaning this as a joke.

"That's true," said Valdemir in a humorless tone.

"Oh." I was only kidding back then. I'd never thought it was true. "Has it always been like this since you were born?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I asked, wondering about what led the previous king to this decision.

"We're werewolves. One of the creatures that humans considered as enemies. Why should we let outsiders in? To kill us? We ran away because we wanted to hide from them. There was no point in interacting with humans when they were the cause that almost made us extinct."

"Hey, humans aren't all bad." I turned to him. "Sometimes, they just can't accept new things suddenly. Just give them time, and they'll understand."

"I hope so, too," said Valdemir in a small voice that I could barely hear. It was as if he spoke his inner thoughts out to himself rather than talking with me.

His eyes looked to the distance like he was reminiscing about things. At that moment, I wished to know what he was thinking.

"Well, since your kingdom forbids outsiders from entering, I guessed I was the first one then." I looked away and changed the topic.

Of course, I wanted to know what Valdemir was thinking. But I didn't think it was appropriate to invade his privacy. If he felt like sharing, he'd have talked already.

"No," he said. "You're the second one."

"Second?" I turned back to him in surprise. "Since Gerold was so mad about me being here, I thought I was the first."

"No," he shook his head. "Your brother, Ralph Adelaide, was the first."

I widened my eyes in shock at this revelation. I hadn't introduced myself to him yet, so how did he know who I was? Hold on. He also knew my brother. It was beyond believable.

"How do you…." I trailed off, not knowing how to ask it. Should I ask, 'how do you know my brother?' or go with 'how do you know who I was?' I'd planned on giving him a fake identity, but now, it looked like I didn't need to.

Valdemir turned to me. His red eyes peered into mine and locked me in place. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. His gaze held me in place, preventing me from looking away.

"I know everything about you, Laelia Adelaide. You're the crown princess of the only kingdom that practiced matriarchy. Zariya. Wait, I should correct my words. You're no longer a crown princess," he paused. "A few days ago, you were already crowned as the Queen."

I frowned and shook my head in disbelief, wondering where he knew all of this. I thought living inside this forbidden forest meant losing contact with the outside world. I didn't get why he learned of this. Even if the news spread, how did he recognize my face?

"There are more," he said, keeping his eyes locked on mine. "You were running away from your fiancé, the third prince of Izles kingdom. The kingdom that takes patriarchy so seriously to the point that the queen and concubines dared to kill their own daughters to trade for sons."

I parted my lips, wanting to ask something. But I couldn't. There were millions of questions in my head that demanded answers. Yet, I didn't know where to start. Valdemir shocked me too much with his information.

"I also knew what caused you to run away from your handsome fiancé. The one that you love so much," Valdemir continued.

"Loved." I corrected him. "It was all in the past. He and I had nothing to do with each other anymore."

Valdemir remained silent after I said this. Then I saw his eyes move. It happened so quickly that it might go unnoticed. From the movement of his eyes, I could tell he was smiling. It was as if he was happy to know I had no attachment to Iory.

I didn't know why, but at that moment, my heart pulsated. It pounced against my chest so loud that I was afraid he could hear it.

What's wrong with me? Echoed a voice inside my head as I tried to calm my beating heart down.

"He killed your family, didn't he?" he asked out of the blue, giving no chance to prepare. So, the only thing I could do was to nod. Then, he continued, "I'm sorry."

I blinked and tried to hold back tears when the memory of losing my family appeared inside my head. I swallowed the lump in my throat and asked, "But how did you know that? I've heard Iory already beheaded people that suspected him. Ministers, servants, and maids alike who accused him of this tragedy were all dead."

Valdemir looked away, breaking our eye contact. For the first time since we have been staring at each other, I wished he hadn't done this. I knew it was weird to see someone with eyes the color of blood, but for me, I found comfort in that pair of red eyes. I couldn't explain why. I just knew it.

"I was there," he said. His eyes stared at the same pink Crepe Myrtle tree I once looked at.

"What?" I frowned in confusion. "Why were you there?"

"I was supposed to go there with Ralph. Still, when his wife got pregnant, he canceled the plan. I already knew it, but I couldn't help myself. I've been waiting for so long, so I decided to go alone." He paused as if he didn't want to continue, but after a sigh, he continued. "I was there when it all happened. But I couldn't do anything. I'm sorry."

I shook my head even though he couldn't see it. And so, to get his attention, I reached out and placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. Iory planned this for a long time. You won't stand a chance against the small army he brought with him."

"I still can't get the guilt out of my head. I watched the fire engulf the tower your twin brothers were on. I was there too late. If I'd arrived earlier, I could've run up and saved them. And then I learned about the death of your parents, too. I could only assume Iory was behind all this. That night, I tried to find you. I wanted to bring you to Ralph so you wouldn't meet the same fate as your family. But I failed. I couldn't find you, no matter how hard I tried," said Valdemir.

"Don't blame yourself. I lived in that castle for eighteen years, and I'd never known that one dungeon existed. I'm surprised that Iory knew, though. But then again, since he planned all of these, he must have done his research." I shook my

head, thinking back to how meticulous my ex-fiancé was.

"I wished I could stay longer and continue looking for you, but trouble arose here in Ascian. Someone took advantage of my absence and tried to cause an uproar, wanting to overthrow my position as the king and the pack leader. So, my wolf urged me to return immediately and settle things here. I'm sorry, Lae." Valdemir's voice and eyes were full of pain that I just wanted to comfort him.

But how could I manage that when I couldn’t even comfort myself.

I knew those things were the past. They were only parts of the tragic memories. Still, after hearing it again, those terrible images flashed in my head as if I'd returned to that moment. I could still picture the blood splashing to the floor when Iory slit my parents' throats inside the throne room. Although I wasn't there in person, I could still hear the screams of my younger twins trapped in the tower. The picture of them shouting for help, calling my name until thick smoke smothered their cries and faces was vivid in the fragment of my memory.

I tried to hold back my tears, but they refused to stay put in my eyes. Those crystal teardrops trickled down my cheeks like a broken dam. When I knew I could no longer control them, I raised the branch of Michelia flowers before our faces, pretending to take a closer look. It was as if I wanted to hide my crying face from him. I didn't turn away because that would only arouse his suspicion.

"Lae," he called my name in a soft voice.

"I'm okay," I said, trying my best to keep it steady. "I just wanted to inhale the fragrance of these flowers. They smelled so good."

There was a brief silence from his side, so I thought that I'd successfully fool him. However, the next thing he said surprised me.

"I know a quick way to stop the tears," he said. "Do you want to try?"

"Really? What is it?" I asked.

"It's hard to put it into words. Action is easier," he said. "Just say yes, and I'll show it to you."

Although I was perplexed by all this, I still wanted to know. People said curiosity killed the cat. I believed this was true.

"Yes." I nodded, even though I knew he couldn't see.

"Close your eyes," he said in a gentle voice.

"Why?" I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"You can't ask. Just do everything I've said."

"Alright." I closed my eyes. "Done."

I felt a warmth envelop my hand—the one holding the Michelia branch. Then, my lips came into contact with something cold and aromatic that was obviously coming from the branch. But that wasn't all.

I also sense something else. It was wet, soft, and warm. This texture resembled a person's lips.

His lips.

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©️StellaKMary | The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard