Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 175: What A Strange Girl

Lorelai heard a strange commotion near the servants’ quarters and slipped out of the palace to investigate.

Thanks to Frederick, the son of Marquess Galeran, she had learned that tonight was the night one of the slaves would be brought out from the pit. Since it was part of her plan to draft a slave prohibition bill in the future, the princess felt compelled to understand exactly how the rogue beast slaves were being treated.

How shocked she was when she didn’t even have to reach the slaves’ quarters to realize what was happening.

A boy...?

She squinted her large green eyes, spotting a frail figure darting toward the flower bushes in her garden. It only took her a moment to piece it together—he had escaped the slavers and was now trying to find freedom.

You won’t find freedom there, you silly boy, she thought, recalling the positioning of the knights stationed around the palace grounds.

Lorelai’s desire to help him swelled within her, but she knew she would have to be brave. She needed to approach him carefully and convince him to trust her, to accept her helping hand.

When she finally saw the boy up close, she could hardly believe her eyes. Though slightly taller than her, he was so thin and frail-looking that she immediately assumed he was younger than her.

How horrible, she thought, her heart aching as she mulled over the cruel fate the boy had endured at such a young age. His small, rugged frame tugged at her pity, each detail of his appearance a testament to his suffering.

In that moment, she made a silent vow: if she could save even one life, perhaps it would open the path to saving them all.

***

Rhaegar didn’t know why he chose to abandon all logic and follow the girl, letting her small, delicate hand grip his bony wrist. There was something so effortlessly commanding about the way she spoke and moved, as though she carried a power beyond words. He couldn’t help but feel that, even if he surrendered himself to her, he would still be safe.

She was different. Completely different from anyone he had ever met.

"Where are we going?" he finally asked, his voice breathless from the strain of running. His legs felt like they might give out beneath him at any moment, but the girl’s energy seemed boundless. The gardens stretched endlessly before him, and he silently admitted that, without her, he would have wandered aimlessly for hours, hopelessly lost.

"The annex building," she replied, her tone surprisingly lively for someone in their situation. It was fascinating how she seemed so full of life while Rhaegar was barely clinging to his strength. "There’s a secret passage I use to sneak out of the palace all the time. It leads through the stables beyond the palace walls—only the servants ever go there. It’s safe!"

She sneaks out of the palace using a hidden passage? What a strange girl...

Indeed, everything about her was astonishingly strange. Rhaegar knew it would take a long time for him to forget her.

At last, they stopped running, and the princess stood beneath a tall tree unlike anything the boy had ever seen. He assumed such trees only grew in Erelith.

"Can you climb?" she asked, then quickly shook her head as if recalling something obvious. "Well, of course you can—you escaped the pit, after all."

She slapped her forehead lightly in a mock scolding gesture before placing her small hands on one of the low-hanging branches. Looking back at Rhaegar, she said, "We’re climbing all the way up. Do you see that small window on the third floor? That’s where we need to go. Just follow me."

With a reassuring nod, she turned and began climbing.

A sharp, unpleasant burning sensation spread across Rhaegar’s palms—his scraped skin still remembered the agony of the rope that had delivered him from the pit.

Alright... I’ve already come this far.

Steeling himself for more pain, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the rough branches with both hands, pulling himself upward with renewed determination.

To his surprise, they climbed the tree relatively quickly. Before Rhaegar could catch his breath, he found himself inside the royal palace.

It might only be an annex building, but it looks so luxurious to me...

He thought that his evident fascination might be the result of a life spent on the run, compounded by the last two years of confinement in the darkness of the pit. The boy had never seen a proper house in his life, let alone a royal palace.

Strangely, he found himself wishing for more time to explore everything the building had to offer. But, alas, there was no time for such indulgence.

"Let’s go," the princess whispered, grabbing his hand once again. This time, she placed her soft, warm palm over his. The boy instantly felt the comforting heat of her touch, and though it sent a jolt of pain through his scraped hand, he didn’t care. All that registered was the gentle warmth of her skin.

"We’ll have to be very quiet here," Lorelai continued. "My father’s quarters are nearby, and there are many knights and servants roaming around at all times."

Rhaegar nodded silently, watching as the princess pressed herself against the wall and began sliding along it in an exaggeratedly careful manner. Her movements were so dramatic that he had to make an effort to suppress a chuckle.

How strange, he thought, mirroring her actions. This is the first time in a long while that I’ve actually felt like smiling.

They pressed on, pausing occasionally when the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears, slipping into the shadows of the long hallways to stay hidden. Everything was going smoothly until a sudden commotion forced them to stop once more, this time ducking behind a tall ceramic vase.

"Oh no!" Lorelai whispered, her brows furrowing deeply. "The dogs! They must have picked up your scent!"

Sure enough, amidst the cacophony of sounds, Rhaegar could discern the unmistakable barking of dogs. The rapid clatter of their paws on the marble floor sent a chill down his spine––there were more than just a few of them.