Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 24: Out of the Question

A strong shiver of disgust shook Lorelai's body once again. She loathed the idea of having to submit to that horrifying man, pleasing his perverted desires only to gain his favor. But there was no helping it. If she could at least gain something useful out of this union, the princess thought she could try and endure as much as possible.

"It does not have to be just the domestic agreement," Lorelai continued, "the Continent Union celebration is the perfect time to reach out to the representatives of other nations and attempt to convince them to use their influence as well. If the royal princess is able to gain international support, then her word begins to mean something."

Marianna nodded. "Well, there is already one king whose support you will definitely get—King Rhaegar."

The mention of the lycan king's name made the room fall completely silent.

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The past was not kind to the beasts in terms of slavery. Many previous lycan kings were not kind to their own subjects as well. Thus, those unhappy with their reign ran away from the Beast Kingdom and turned into rogues which humans liked to hunt for fun.

They killed the ones who were too weak to defend themselves and kept those who possessed unique features treasured by the slave traders.

The strongest beasts were turned into gladiator slaves while the prettiest of them––into sex slaves.

'And there goes that rumors again... King Rhaegar is rumored to be a slave in the past which, if proven to be true, could mean good news for me.'

A glimmer of hope ignited inside Lorelai's heart, however, the moment she thought about getting closer to him again, the princess could not help but feel scared.

That progressing emotional distress made her feel lightheaded again, her stomach twisting from the unsatiated hunger she had been feeling since morning. She could no longer think straight.

"Let's finish the meeting for now."

Lorelai rose to her feet and the rest did the same. Count Draven and Marquess Galeran offered the princess a polite bow and left her study while Lady Marianna narrowed her eyes as she noticed Lorelai's pale face.

"Are you feeling unwell, Your Highness? Is it the stomachache? Shall I get you some herbal tea with honey?"

"No, no need to," the princess shook her head and smiled lightly. "I just want to get some fresh air."

***

Lorelai walked slowly through the small garden behind her quarters, breathing in the fresh flower scent brought by the wind all the way from the orchard of the main palace.

It was a pleasant scent but way too strong for her current condition, and instead of feeling relief, her headache only increased.

It was not only the annoying pain inside her head that bothered her; the princess found it difficult to move because her stomach continued to twist and spasm.

'It is probably because I am barely eating these days... It feels like my stomach is eating itself.'

That, combined with the tight corset crushing her rubs made Lorelai feel insanely uncomfortable and she found it difficult to think about anything else but her own discomfort. She tried to think about other things, including her announcement about passing the new slavery law, while looking at the colorful display of blooming flowers, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to think about anything else but pain.

Suddenly, Lorelai heard a strange noise coming from somewhere deep in her garden.

Startled and curious, she followed the noise until she reached its source and gasped in surprise––King Rhaegar and the two of his men she saw yesterday in the throne room, were sitting on a vast blanket spread over the soft carpet of grass.

The beasts looked carefree. They were eating and drinking, sitting comfortably under the shadow of a large apple tree that provided them with the shelter of its broad, heavy branches.

They looked so peaceful and contented that Lorelai felt incredibly jealous of the lethargic atmosphere their mere presence had created. Yet, she could not take her eyes off them.

All of a sudden, Rhaegar set down the glass of wine he was holding and turned his head toward the princess' hiding spot, spreading his lips into a wide grin.

"Don't just hide there, Your Highness, or I will assume you are spying on us."

Taken aback by his words, Lorelai widened her eyes.

'How did he know I was here?'

The answer to that silent question followed right after. Of course, he was born with the blood of a lycan, the strongest wolf race there was, he must have acute senses and could sense her scent from afar.

Now that she had been discovered, Lorelai did not think that ignoring his remark was a smart idea. Embarrassed, she slowly stepped out from behind the thick trunk of a tree and made her way to the blanket from which all three men were intensely observing her every move.

But she did not care for their glares; the princess was more interested in all kinds of food spread all over their blanket.

Lorelai's stomach grumbled and she felt her mouth watering as her hungry eyes frantically scanned the food. Dried meats, fresh, aromatic bread, cheese, fruit, berries, red wine, and honey... The longer she looked, the more she felt her stomach cling to her spine.

She swallowed hard and closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh of distress.

Rhaegar noticed the princess' hungry look and motioned for her to take a seat on the blanket, right next to him, and Lorelai rushed to reject his offer.

"Oh no, I could not, Your Majesty!"

Unfazed by her fast rejection, the king nodded at his men, addressing them in a stern voice, "Leave."

"Oh, please don't send them away on my account!" Lorelai pleaded almost desperately but Rhaegar only shook his head. "That is out of the question. If I say they need to leave, then their only option is to leave."