Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 54: The Spasm

"Why are you trying to ruin everything for me?" The Crown Prince's voice turned colder and louder. "Why are you trying... to meddle between me and Lorelai?!"

The queen could not suppress a loud fit of laughter escaping her lips. "My dear child," she stepped closer to him, sliding her long, thin fingers over her son's cheek. "You know that I would never do anything to upset you, right? I promise you, whatever happened with the princess was not my fault."

She then shifted her dark eyes down to her lady-in-waiting and sighed. "Lady Lucia made a huge mistake, and she will be punished for it. You can choose her punishment, Your Highness."

"Fine," Kai removed his foot from Lucia's head and started walking toward the door. "Have her cleaned up and send her to me afterward."

"Of course, Your Highness."

As her son disappeared behind the closed door of her bedroom, Althea placed the sharp tip of her shoe under Lucia's chin, forcing the woman to raise her head and look up at her. When their eyes met, the queen faked a warm smile and whispered, "Stupid bitch."

***

After the horrible incident with the Crown Prince, Lorelai remained terrified for quite a long time.

Shattered and weak, she locked herself in her bedroom, shunning all human interaction and cutting her social interactions to a minimum.

She could not forgive herself for what had happened. She could not even look at her own reflection anymore. She was ashamed. She could not stand herself.

Nobody was allowed to enter her chambers except for Marianna. Yet, even though she was the only person in her surroundings who had not witnessed the horror of the "dark room," Lorelai felt uneasy in her presence as well.

"It was not your fault," the woman kept repeating, but Lorelai did not listen. Of course it was her fault. It was her mistake.

"Your Highness," Marianna entered the room with a big green box in her hands. "Another gift from His Highness, the Crown Prince."

She carefully placed the box on the floor, right next to the door, because she knew that the princess would not open it and one of the maids would have to send it back later.

During all the time Lorelai had been cooped up in her bedroom, the gifts had not stopped coming. Kai kept sending her furs from his hunted loot, leaving notes of apology and requests to meet and talk.

Duke Kalder, too, showered her with new dresses, shoes, and jewelry, sending lackeys from all the best shops in the capital.

Lorelai did not care for any of the presents. The moment they arrived, she ordered Marianna to send them back immediately, unwilling to accept anyone's pity.

'How can they be so foolish? It was not me who was hurt, but my people. I do not need to be pitied or bribed. I need... I want to be left alone.'

"Marianna," she addressed her aide without even looking at what she had brought. "Take it outside, please. I do not want this in my room."

Marianna let out an almost unnoticeable sigh but still complied. "As you wish, Your Highness."

Still, there was one single gift box that Lorelai was reluctant to dispose of.

Slowly, the princess's long, bandaged fingers reached out to the nightstand and grabbed a purple box with a pretty silk ribbon on its lid. She opened it carefully and looked inside, her eyes stinging with welling tears.

It was a box filled with dried raisin bread and a small bottle of cherry wine in its corner.

It was Rhaegar's gift.

Lorelai swallowed hard, trying to push an annoying dry lump stuck inside her throat. Just by looking at this gift, she felt both relieved and angry.

'It's all because of him. Had I not gotten involved with him in the first place, none of this would have happened. I need to stay away from him. From all of them.'

Her eyebrows furrowed as a sharp spasm twisted her insides into a tight knot. Hunger was tormenting her, and the tempting sight of the delicious snack in her hands was enough to cause another spasm.

Her eyes were greedy. Lorelai imagined dipping a piece of crunchy dried bread into sweet and aromatic cherry wine before placing it in her mouth, feeling its incredible taste spread inside it.

She recalled the way it would soothe her appetite, bringing her much-needed relief, while the cherry wine would put an end to the painful spasms.

But she could not eat it.

Irritated, Lorelai slammed the lid onto the box and marched to the open window by her bed, leaning over the windowsill. Without even looking down, she turned the box upside down, emptying its contents onto the ground beneath her window.

The sound of the glass breaking made her flinch, instantly regretting the loss of the delicious wine, but she still knew that she had made the right choice.

'I have to stay away... I have to stay away from everything related to him.'