Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 38: A Political Threat

Lorelai's thin fingers trembled and she almost dropped the note to the floor, suddenly feeling lightheaded and cold.

Marianna, having noticed her lady's distress, rushed to her with a look of concern on her aged face, supporting her from behind to help the princess keep her balance. "Your Highness! Is something the matter? Is it bad news?"

Lorelai needed a moment to collect her thoughts.

Yes, it was bad news of sorts; not only for her, but for everybody else as well.

'I was wondering why no one mentioned anything about yesterday's incident, especially since Duke Kalder's men were brutally massacred by not just anybody but citizens of the Beast Kingdom. I am convinced that the duke knows the truth and was already preparing for retaliation, but this? This goes beyond petty disagreements and revenge. This is a political threat!'

"Your Highness?"

Lorelai lost herself in thoughts once again, and Marianna decided to help her get back. The princess folded the note and hid it inside the corset of her dress, offering her aide a reassuring smile.

"I will take care of this later. For now, let us head to the banquet hall. Our foreign guests should not be kept waiting."

***

The banquet hall in the main royal palace was already bustling with a cacophony of cheerful sounds as all the noble guests had gathered inside, their luxurious attire sparkling against one anther.

The royal delegations from both Ashval and Bridvar exchanged greetings and paid their respect to the royal family of Erelith, occasionally mingling with the rest of the nobility present.

This time, the delegation from Ashval was led by Queen Phaora, the queen regent who was appointed as the ruler of Ashval when her husband, King Darius died in an accident during his last hunting trip.

Their oldest son, Prince Aviel, was still too young to be appointed as the new king, therefore, the reigning power was in the hands of Phaora and the Royal Parliament.

She was dressed in the official colors of her kingdom––an extravagant dark blue dress with silver lace all over it. Her long, straight black hair was neatly arranged at the back of her head while the shining silver tiara glistened with a set of blue diamonds, reflecting the bright light of the crystal chandeliers.

The head of the Bridvar's delegation was Lord Augustine Tanori, the chief royal prosecutor and the Archduke of the kingdom. He was already quite old, yet his towering height and strong build made him look a lot younger.

Despite his notorious reputation and powerful status, Lord Augustine was rather friendly and easily approachable, attracting attention from quite a few older noble women.

As the princess' arrival was announced, everyone's focus was instantly shifted to her, a quiet ripple of suppressed murmurs running through the hall, expressing their disappointment in her arriving so late.

Lorelai's tardiness was intentional. Even though she knew that missing the welcoming ceremony was unforgivably rude, thanks to the minuscule power she held within the palace, her absence could have been easily overlooked, especially since Queen Althea had never had an issue with coming up with some believable lies to cover up for it.

As she looked around the banquet hall, her heart contracted with painful uneasiness.

'The beasts are not here.'

Lorelai was disappointed. But not because of Rhaegar and his people, but because of everyone else instead.

The beasts did not receive a very warm welcome when they arrived at Erelith before everyone else and now, the very first official banquet of the Continent Union Celebration had started without their delegation.

"Your Highness!" Lorelai turned around and saw Marquess Frederick Galeran rushing toward her, his face flushed with agitation. "Why are you so late? I was beginning to worry that something had happened to you!"

The princess looked at the man's kind, youthful face and offered him a gentle smile of appreciation. Marquess Frederick was not only one of Lorelair's loyal supporters, but also her friend whom she had been meeting secretly for the last ten years to form a strong alliance.

Thanks to him being the youngest son of the Minister of Treasury, he had unlimited access not only to the funds the princess might have needed for her secret tasks, but also collected dirt on the noblemen who did not pay taxes or resorted to theft.

Their political tandem was quite an impressive one, considering the work they have been doing was always done from behind the scenes.

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"I did not want to spend more time with the Queen and the Crown Prince so I pretended I had some important tasks to finish," she exclaimed and the marquess let out a sigh of relief.

"I have been eavesdropping on the conversations that have been going on around here to get a rough idea of whom we could approach with our proposal. So far, I do not think that foreign nobility is open for such a drastic measure."

Lorelai was not surprised but the disappointment still stung her deeply.

Sure, they could still succeed in encouraging some people to keep an open mind to her idea, but without the solid cooperation of the higher titles, it would still feel like walking on thin ice.

"By the way," Frederick lowered his voice and scanned their surroundings to make sure no one else was listening. "Is it true? I've heard there was a pretty gruesome fight in the slums near the Gypsy tents. Duke Kalder's men were brutally massacred, yet he buried the incident right away."

"It is true," Lorelai nodded, responding just as quietly. "Unfortunately, it is far from being buried."

"What does it mean?"

Lorelai's fingers reached her corset when suddenly, the atmosphere inside the banquet hall shifted; a cold chill mixed with abrupt silence filled the space, only occasional, distant murmurs echoed like the phantom howls.

Both the princess and Marquess Frederick turned their heads to see what had happened when Lorelai's body froze in astonishment.

It was them.

The beasts had finally arrived.