Cursed and Fated: Offered To The Wicked Alpha Prince
Chapter 12: Against a royal decree

Chapter 12: Against a royal decree

Adeline followed Gideon through the winding corridors, her pulse racing with every step.

Before they could reach his private chambers, a valet intercepted them, bowing low.

"Your Highness, the Alpha King has requested Miss Valois’s presence immediately. His Majesty wishes to speak with her in private," Deylon informed them, keeping a polite tone.

Gideon’s jaw tightened. He knew better than to openly defy a direct summons from his father in the heart of the palace. "I will accompany her, Deylon," he countered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"Of course, Your Highness," the valet replied, turning to lead them toward the Northern Wing.

As they entered the most opulent sector of the palace, where the King and Queen resided, Adeline’s anxiety spiked.

’What could he want now? I’ve no idea what kind of mess I’ve landed myself in.’

She felt dizzy, an effect of the medicine and the day’s trauma, but she forced herself to keep walking. She couldn’t afford to look weak when the King already blamed her for the friction between him and his son.

Upon reaching the King’s private parlor, Deylon stepped aside. "The King requested to speak with the lady alone, Prince Gideon. Please, wait here."

Adeline cast a helpless look at Gideon before the heavy doors swallowed her. The room was vast. Alpha King Huxley sat upon a sprawling, luxurious couch, watching her with an unreadable expression.

"Your Majesty, please... I didn’t intend to start a fight here," she began as she lowered her head in an immediate apology.

"Take a seat, Adeline," Huxley said, his voice calmer than it had been in the hall. He sat with one leg crossed over the other, gesturing toward a chair opposite him. "We have much to discuss."

She hesitated for a moment before sinking into the chair Huxley had indicated. Clasping her hands tightly in her lap, she waited for the Alpha King to break the silence.

"Miss Valois, I do not want this palace to become a battlefield," Huxley began, his voice level. "What occurred earlier was not what I expected from the woman I chose for my son. As for who filled your head with such notions, I am fully aware of the source."

Adeline looked up, her gaze wide with shock.

"Gideon has grown up under the care of his stepmother, and they have always been at odds. He has never been able to view her or her children as his family," Huxley asserted, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"But I wouldn’t have even known of the curse if not for Her Majesty," Adeline countered softly. "She told me she wanted to keep Prince Gideon safe. I have nothing to gain by lying, Your Majesty; I have nothing left to lose. I would never have fabricated such a story, though I do apologize for speaking out of turn."

Huxley leaned forward, his fingers curling around a crystal wine glass. He took a long sip before setting it down, his fingers rhythmically tapping the rim.

"I agree. You have nothing to gain or lose," he admitted. "But you must understand, openly accusing the Luna Queen or any member of the royal bloodline is a death sentence. You could be beheaded before the sun sets. Why do you think I agreed to choose a broken Omega for my son? Do you truly believe your father brought me a proposal and I simply accepted it without conducting my own research?"

Adeline felt a shiver run down her spine. She struggled to grasp his meaning, but it was becoming clear that the Alpha King was far more observant and calculative than he let on.

She stared at him, her mind racing with a question: what kind of research had a King done on a girl like her? She used to scrub the floors of her father’s house, or was there something deeper in her blood that she herself didn’t yet know?

"Don’t think too much," Huxley said, noting her tension and gesturing for her to relax. "Gideon said something to me earlier, something quite unexpected. He told me he wanted to marry you. I had fully intended to force the union even if he remained unwilling, yet here you are. It seems you possess a quality that moved him to agree of his own accord."

A small smile formed on the Alpha King’s lips as he lifted his wine glass once again. He drained the remaining liquid in one final sip before setting the empty glass back down on the table.

"You may go and rest now. Tomorrow, the wedding dates will be finalized," Huxley stated, his tone shifting back to that of a ruler issuing a decree.

Adeline rose to her feet, her legs feeling slightly unsteady. She was halfway to the door when the Alpha King’s voice brought her to a halt.

"No one is to know the details of this conversation," he warned, his gaze boring into hers. "Regardless of who asks, or who tries to force it from you."

Adeline felt the weight of the secret settle in her chest. She gave a quick, obedient nod and bowed low before slipping out of the room.

She finally stepped out of the chamber and found Gideon exactly where she had left him.

"What did my father say?" Gideon demanded, his eyes searching her face for any sign of distress. "If he intends to send you away tomorrow, he will have to answer to me."

"No, the Alpha King didn’t say that. He was... lenient. He forgave me," Adeline replied softly. She looked down at her hands, her voice barely a murmur. "I was wrong to go against a royal decree. I suppose the mere thought of freedom made me reckless for a moment."

Without her realizing it, a faint smile touched her lips because of the life she had imagined for herself. Gideon watched her, his expression hardening as he arched a dark eyebrow.

"You think what happened earlier was merely a show?" Gideon stepped closer, his shadow looming over her. "Understand this: the moment you touched my hand, you became mine. Your freedom is no longer a matter of chance; it will be decided by me. Even if I stood for you earlier, that doesn’t mean I’m not angry with you. I am still upset with you."