The Cursed Alpha Prince's Replacement Bride-Chapter 31: The Welcome Banquet (V)

{Third Person}

Following the King’s toast, the servants moved swiftly into action, gliding between tables with practiced ease as they began serving the first course.

Plates were set down almost in unison, the aroma of richly prepared dishes filling the air.

At the same time, the next set of entertainers entered quietly from the open end of the oval. The music began—deeper this time, heavier, driven by drums and sharp, rhythmic beats. It carried a wildness that was impossible to ignore.

Then the dancers stepped forward. Their movements were nothing like the earlier performance. This was raw, powerful. Their bodies moved in sharp, controlled bursts—lunges, turns, and strikes that mimicked combat.

At intervals, low, haunting howls broke through the rhythm, sending a subtle chill through the air. Their attire only heightened the effect—layered animal hides, rough and ancient, as if each piece told a story of a hunt survived and conquered.

It was a full display of strength, dominance and identity.

Lila watched for a moment, her brows knitting together in clear distaste. Then she leaned slightly toward Torin and muttered under her breath, "Barbaric."

Her lips curled faintly as she looked away from the performance.

When the food was placed before her, she didn’t touch it. Her gaze shifted instead to the glass of wine at her side. She hesitated, watching carefully as Torin picked up his own glass first.

He took a small sip, paused, then set it down.

Only after that did Lila pick up hers, bringing it to her lips cautiously. Even then, her expression betrayed her reluctance. Everything about this place unsettled her.

Torin, however, had already gone still the moment she spoke earlier.

He leaned in slightly, his voice low and controlled. "Lila," he said, "be careful."

She glanced at him, wondering what this caution was all about.

"We are on their turf," he continued quietly. "They hear more than you think. If any of them catches that, it won’t just be a simple misunderstanding." His tone sharpened just a little.

"And don’t forget, we are not the ones in power here. If anything happens, even our own government won’t protect you."

Lila almost rolled her eyes, but she held it back. His warning was enough to make her swallow whatever else she wanted to say. She leaned back into her seat, choosing silence, though her displeasure remained clear.

Sensing the shift, Torin softened slightly. He reached for her hand, his voice gentler now. "I just don’t want you getting into trouble."

Lila turned her head to look at him, and a small smile returned to her lips.

Meanwhile, at the head table, Amara’s attention had drifted far from the performance. Her gaze moved restlessly across the banquet, scanning faces one after another, still searching, looking and hoping.

But they weren’t there. She couldn’t see any of her friends.

Her grip on her cutlery loosened slightly as disappointment settled in. She barely touched the food in front of her, her appetite gone without her realizing it.

’Why can’t I see them? Does it mean they didn’t come?’ she wondered. ’Did father not contact them, or were they too busy to come see me?’

The thought sank deeper than she expected, dragging her mood down with it. And then, her gaze met Lila’s again.

This time, Lila was already looking at her with a smirk at the corner of her lips.

Before Amara could even process it, Lila turned slightly toward Torin and said something to him. Then she extended her hand toward him.

Torin took it. Without hesitation, he lifted her hand and pressed a deliberate, intimate kiss to the back of it.

Lila’s smirk widened, her eyes still locked on Amara.

Everything slowed for Amara as her eyes widened in shock. For a moment, she didn’t breathe.

She blinked, once, as if trying to correct what she had just seen. Her mind scrambled to make sense of it, but nothing aligned.

Her heart began to pound, loud and erratic in her chest. Her breathing turned uneven and shallow.

’What...?’ Her thoughts came in fragments. ’What just happened? Why would Torin... kiss her hand? What is going on?’

Her fingers curled tightly beneath the table. And then the realization crept in, unwelcome but impossible to ignore.

’Are they... together?’ Her pulse spiked. ’Don’t tell me... they are together.’

’No, that can’t be. Torin can’t do this,’ she said, living in self-denial, yet Torin could and already did.

In this moment, Lila was more like, ’If I can’t show Amara that her man now belonged to me, then I can’t sleep peacefully tonight.’

---

The Alpha Prince’s Residence~

Here, the atmosphere remained still—calm in a manner that seemed purposeful, measured.

Then it broke.

The thunder of approaching footsteps and armor shattered the calm as two hundred royal guards stormed into the outer grounds, their formation tight, their presence overwhelming. At their front stood one of the King’s personal guards, his bearing unmistakable.

Immediately, Alexander’s own guards reacted. They didn’t draw their weapons, but they shifted subtly.

Every single one of them stepped into position, their bodies forming a silent wall of defence around the residence. Their hands hovered close to their weapons, their eyes sharp and waiting for a command.

The tension in the air thickened instantly.

Jasper stepped out from the main building, his expression already dark. His gaze swept over the intrusion before settling on the King’s guard.

His voice came out cold and commanding. "State your purpose for this uncalled show of disrespect."

The King’s guard stepped forward, unfazed by the hostility surrounding him. He bowed slightly, but there was no submission in it.

"We are here on His Majesty’s orders," he said clearly. "To escort His Highness to the welcome banquet."

Jasper’s eyes narrowed. "Invading His Highness’s residence without summons," he said slowly, "and you dare call this an escort?"

The King’s guard did not flinch. "We only carry out His Majesty’s command."

Silence stretched between them for a brief moment before Jasper turned without another word and went back inside.