The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

9~ THE MINACIOUS BETA

After breakfast, Lumina assisted me in wiping my body with warm, wet clothes and changed me out of pajamas. She dressed me in a wool, floor-length cameo pink dress with golden ditzy patterned trim accents around the Sabrina neckline and the end of flowing bell sleeves.

“You’re so beautiful, miss,” said Lumina as she stepped back and looked at me.

“Thank you.” I smiled even though I was already used to compliments. But it didn’t hurt to hear more.

“Do you need anything else, miss?” she asked.

“In fact, I do,” I nodded.

“Please tell me. I’ll get it for you.” She smiled and stood straight like she was awaiting my order.

“I want to get out for some fresh air. But my ankle still hurts, so I’ll need your help.”

“Oh.” Her smile faltered. “But King Valdemir said not to let you wander around alone.”

“I won’t go off anywhere. I only wanted some air. Just let me step out of this room and get some air. It’d be better if there is a garden nearby so that I can relax under the tree for a short while.”

“Well, about that….” Lumina fidgeted with her finger and averted her gaze to the floor.

“Valdemir told you not to let me go alone. But I won’t be alone. You’ll be with me. So, there won’t be a problem.” I added when I saw her hesitation.

“Maybe I should inform his majesty first? It’d be better if we get his permission,” said Lumina with her eyes still avoiding me.

“Didn't you tell me he was busy with the royal affair?” I asked.

“W-well, he is.” She nodded. “He called everyone in for a meeting.”

“If so, we can’t disturb him with a simple matter like this. Look. A meeting isn’t a joke. People in there don’t want to be interrupted. If you go to find him now, everyone will get mad. They’ll think you’re wasting their time with something unimportant. Don’t you think so?”

“How about we wait until the meeting is over?” asked Lumina as she lifted her face to meet mine.

“Do you know when it will end?” I asked her back.

“N-no.” She lowered her head again.

I stepped closer and placed my hand on her shoulder. “Lumina, if you’re worried about disobeying your king’s order, then don’t. I’ve already clarified it with you. Let me ask you a question first. Is there any open space with grass and trees around this room?”

“This is a detached castle. So, there are trees, flowers, and grass surrounding this area.” Lumina looked up at me with a frown. It was as if she was confused why I asked this question.

“Good answer.” I tapped her shoulder. “See? It’s perfect. You're still following his order.”

“I don’t think I understand, miss.” Lumina’s brows furrowed deeper, making her eyebrows almost join in one line.

“Listen.” I cleared my throat. “Valdemir told you not to let me wander off. So, here is what we’re going to do. We won’t be wandering off. Instead, we’ll walk with a destination in mind. And that is the garden. If we speak about this logically, the garden is also a part of this detached castle. So basically, we won’t step foot outside the precinct. No rule-breaking.” I smiled broadly, amazed by my intelligence.

“I...I…” Lumina stuttered.

“Come on. You said your king took good care of me. If you don’t let me out to get some fresh air, there’s no difference than locking me up in the dungeon.” I squeezed her shoulder. “Please, Lumina.”

“I understand, miss. I’ll accompany you to the garden.” She hesitated, but nodded anyway.

I could feel excitement creeping up to every inch of my body when she finally agreed to my request. I’d spent seven days being locked up in Zariya’s dungeon and another two days hiding in the abandoned houses or stables of the villagers when I ran away. Those days were dark and suffocating. It was the worst experience I had in my entire eighteen years of my life. There was no way I would coop up inside this room for another day. I needed a taste of freedom, no matter how short it was.

“Thank you, Lumina,” I said as I held both of her hands in mine.

She smiled and said, “Lean on me, miss.” She came closer and put my hand on her shoulder, using her body as support.

The two of us slowly walked out of the room and stepped into the corridor that had no walls. There was only a row of pillars supporting the laterite barrel vault soffit design. I squinted my eyes and raised the hand that wasn’t on Lumina’s body to shield the bright light shining in through the open space.

How I missed the sun. I thought of myself. Since the day of the fire, I’d rarely known the taste of the sunlight. First, Iory kept me locked up. Then, after I became a runaway bride, I only moved at night. During the days, I had to hide from the soldiers, praying no one would find me.

It was funny how the queen of Zariya became a fugitive of her own kingdom.

“Are you okay, miss?” asked Lumina. Her voice brought me back to the present.

“I’m more than okay.” I turned to her and smiled. “The air here is so good. I don’t want to sound exaggerating, but it smells aromatic, too.”

“You’re not, miss. It’s true. This is the fragrance of Michelia flowers.”

“Magnolia?” I frowned in confusion. “I don’t remember Magnolia smell like this.”

“Not Magnolia. It’s Michelia, miss.” Lumina said with a smile.

“Michelia?” I repeated the word in a questioning tone. I’d never heard of this flower before.

“Yes, miss. It’s smaller than our pinky finger. Before blooming, it resembles a chili in terms of shape. There are two types of them: yellow and white. But his majesty only planted the white ones at each corner of this L-shaped castle,” said Lumina. “These past few days have been windy, so it brings the aromatic scent to every part of this castle.”

“So, is there any in the garden? I want to see it since I’ve never heard of this flower before.” I asked.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Good. Let’s go then.” I started moving, and Lumina followed.

As we stepped further away from the door, I noticed we were standing on a high base level. I caught a glimpse of the stairs, so that meant there was a lower level down there. And here I thought this castle had only one story.

“What’s down there?” I asked Lumina.

She followed my eyes and said, “it’s the moat, miss.”

“In the middle like this? Don’t we usually have a moat around the castle?”

“No, miss. This big moat is on the open part of the L-shaped,” said Lumina.

“And how are we supposed to go to the garden? The stairs lead directly down to the moat.”

“Actually, there is a causeway. We can walk on it without getting wet.” She smiled. “Shall we continue, miss?”

“Okay. Let’s go then.” I started walking again, but we only got to take three steps before a wind blew toward us. “Oh, it’s cold.” I gritted my teeth as the icy wind brought goosebumps all over my skin. The chill in the air was heavy, although the sun was shining.

“How about I go back to the room and bring a cloak? I don’t want you to catch a cold, miss. You’re injured,” said Lumina in a worried tone.

“But we already walked far from the room.” I didn’t want to walk all the way back there. My sprained ankle wasn’t that kind enough to make a round trip. I needed to reserve my strength to go to the garden.

“How about you wait here? I’ll fetch it for you. It’ll be easier and quicker that way,” she said with a big smile.

Brilliant! I thought to myself. Out loud, I said, “Thank you. But can you bring a cape instead? The cloak is too long and heavy. It’ll be difficult to walk with my condition.”

“Of course, miss.” She nodded. “Please lean on this and wait for me.” She helped me to the pillar before walking back to where we had come from.

When Lumina’s figure became smaller, I stopped looking at her back-view and turned to stare at the moat. I expected to see muddy and black water, but what entered my vision was something entirely different. The ray of sunlight was shining on the surface of the water, projecting the sight of shimmering golden, wavy lines that moved along with the blowing wind. It was so fascinating that I couldn’t help but lean closer. As I looked at my reflection in the water, my lips curved up into a smile.

“Even though I've been through hell lately, I can’t believe that I still look beautiful.” I ran my hand over my blonde hair, tracing the braids that Lumina styled into the waterfall hairstyle.

“Does every narcissist like to look into the water and brag about herself? Or is it just you?” asked a sonorous voice that came from behind me.

I jumped in surprise at the sudden presence. The movement made me lose my balance and tumble forward.

The moat! Oh, no! Screamed a voice inside my head as the reflection of my face became bigger in the water. I thought I would fall for sure, but a strong arm circled my waist and brought me back to my feet.

“Phew. That was close.” I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks—hey!” I fell on my butt when the hand that had saved me pushed me away.

“Don’t cling on to me. I hate it when someone touches me.”

What the hell? I thought to myself and looked up at the owner of the hand. And what I saw rendered me speechless.

It was apparent that it was a guy, given the voice and arm’s strength. But it still surprised me to see the pair of sexy, protruding black eyes that matched the color of the long, wavy hair that styled in a twist-in bun. He seemed to be shorter than Valdemir, so I assumed he must be Iory’s height. But he was more muscular than that so-called ex-fiancé of mine. The lock of his hair that escaped the loose, low pony fluttered in the wind and brushed against the jawline of his rectangular face.

If he didn’t furrow his brows as if he was having constipation, this guy would appear on a wanted poster as a convicted heartbreaker. After all, every inch of his body showed the manly side that could make people drool the longer they stared.

“What’re you looking at?” He said in an indignant tone.

“I’m looking at you. Who else is here?” I said as I rolled my eyes, wondering if there was a millisecond that this guy wasn’t angry.

He shook his head and turned around, preparing to walk away.

“Hey!” I grabbed onto his ankle.

“Let go.” He looked down and glared at me.

“You pushed me. Now you must help me up.” I glared back.

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” He folded his arm across his chest.

“I can’t. I sprained my ankle.”

“What a nuisance,” he murmured. “Give me your hand.”

I lifted my uninjured hand. He grabbed it and yanked me up so forcefully that the joint almost got dislocated. “Ouch! Can’t you be gentler?”

“With you? I don’t need to.” He smirked.

“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering what he was trying to imply.

“Nothing.” He turned on his heels and gave his back to me. But before he could walk away, I grabbed his wrist. “What’s your problem now?” He asked when he turned around to face me.

“Explain what you’ve just said,” I said in a commanding voice.

“You dare to give me order, woman?” He raised the right side of his upward eyebrow. “Although I’m a Beta, many Alphas aren’t a match for me. Never mind a frail human like you. I can tear you into pieces before you finish blinking, woman. Better know your limit,” he said in a threatening voice.

“You have a handsome physique, but it’s such a waste,” I shook my head.

“What do you mean?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“If you claim to be the almighty Beta, then why did you pick on a woman? Is bullying someone weaker than you is how you show off your strength?”

“Damn you, loquacious woman,” he said in a voice that resembled an animal’s growl.

“Loquacious? How dare you—Arh!” My unfinished sentence was cut off by none other than my own scream. It happened so quickly that I could barely tell what was going on back then. But what I knew now was that my back was against the pillar. His hands were gripping my forearms so tight that I felt his nails were digging into my skin. “Hey, what’re you doing?” I gasped when I looked up to see his pupils change into blue. “What the…” I trailed off, not knowing how to process this situation.

He was so close that I could count his eyelashes if I wanted to. But I believed it wasn’t my priority right now.

“Shut up, woman. My eardrums hurt from all your loud voices,” he said in a hoarse voice. His warm breath brushed against the bridge of my nose.

“Hey, let go of me. It hurts.” I tried to break free of his hold but to no avail. This guy was like a mountain. He wouldn’t budge, no matter how I struggled. “You’re a coward. A real man won’t hurt a woman.”

“I told you to shut up!” He yelled and lifted his left hand to punch the stone above my head, causing a shard of rocks to fall onto my face.

“Arh!” I closed my eyes and screamed. This guy is crazy! I thought to myself. But he only has one hand on me now. This is the time to run, Lae. I knew I had a sprained ankle, but I’d rather try my luck than die here.

With that in mind, I opened my eyes and prepared to run away. Sadly, I could barely take the first step when he caught me again. But this time, he got me by my neck.

He was strangling me.

“S-stop. W-what are y-you do-ing?” I struggled with each word as his large hand impedes oxygen, preventing blood flow to and from my brain.

“You don’t know how to shut those lips, do you?” he increased the pressure on his left hand. “Then let’s see if they can still talk when you’re dead.”

I widened my eyes in terror when he raised his right hand before my eyes to reveal long claws protruding from his fingers. I tried screaming for help, but I couldn’t find my voice. The only thing I could do was to make a plea call in my head.

Strangely, the name of the person who popped up in my head wasn’t Ralph—my eldest brother of eighteen years. Or Lumina, who might be here any time soon.

Instead, I screamed for the name of someone I barely knew for a day. Someone whom I didn’t even know where he was right now.

Valdemir Braegon

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©️StellaKMary | The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard