Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 55: You and I Should Have Never Happened

"Perhaps you should get some rest, Your Highness," Marianna continued as she accepted the glass from the princess's hand. "You have been on your feet since morning; your leg must be killing you."

Lorelai leaned on her cane, silently admitting that the woman was right. But she could not stop moving. And she had two reasons for that.

The first and most important one was her goal of convincing as many people as possible to support her anti-slavery proposal. And the second reason was... she was scared to stop moving because she did not want to meet King Rhaegar.

'I have seen one of his men around, which means he is here today as well. I can avoid meeting him. I just need to stay occupied at all times.'

As the princess approached yet another group of people, she could not help but feel disheartened. Even the foreign officials did not want to hear about her plan.

"Have you considered the damage this will cause to our economy?"

"The nobles will never agree to that, especially the lower-ranking ones! Imagine how much money it will cost them to cover the employment of commoners instead of free slave labor."

"With all due respect, Your Highness... Perhaps we should attribute this to your young age, but you must be aware that the mere idea of such a drastic reform goes against the traditions of our continent!"

These were just some of the comments Lorelai received from others, and it hurt her deeply that none of her well-prepared arguments were persuasive enough to make at least one person trust her competence.

'They are not worried about the cost of labor; Erelith no longer has working slaves. They are scared to lose their "toys"...'

"Haaa..." Another conversation ended with a negative response, and the princess was ready to give up.

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She was not particularly disappointed. Such a reaction was expected. After all, most of the members of the foreign delegations came to Erelith to buy slaves from Duke Kalder. It was a deep-rooted business, and Lorelai had no power to meddle with it.

"You look distressed," the sound of a familiar low voice, along with the poignant smell of cigar smoke, sent a chilly ripple through Lorelai's body.

Slowly, she turned around, her eyes widening. Despite her desperate attempts, he still found her.

"Your Majesty," the princess closed her eyes and offered Rhaegar a polite nod.

"I noticed you have been talking to virtually everyone but me today. I wonder why that is. Considering I would be the best foreign official to listen to and accept your plan."

Lorelai turned away and started walking, partially ignoring his words. "My proposal failed. I do not wish to discuss it any longer. With anyone."

She hoped that her harsh response would be enough to make the proud king leave her alone, but instead, like a loyal guardian dog, he followed after her, quietly smoking his herbal cigar.

The princess made a quick round through the garden and reached the fountain, approaching the shadow under the large oak tree.

Having realized that they were alone there, she turned around, ready to tell the man off, but Rhaegar grabbed her by the hand first and pulled her behind the wide trunk of the tree.

"Ah!"

Lorelai whimpered and shook her hand off. Her palms were still hurting after she had beaten up Lucia, and the king frowned as he noticed the bandages on her hands.

He pinned her against the tree, frowning, his amber eyes glowing brightly. "I heard about what happened with the Crown Prince the other day. Why did you not tell me anything?"

Lorelai sighed, indifferent. "What would have happened if I did?"

The frown on Rhaegar's face deepened. "I would have killed him. I would have killed the Crown Prince and that lady-in-waiting, too."

Now, the princess could only scoff. "And then what? What would happen next?"

Lorelai locked her big eyes on his, her expression cold and demanding. "Would you go to war after that? Would you obliterate my kingdom altogether because someone was cruel to me? Then what about me?"

She felt tears welling up in her eyes again and silently cursed herself for her sniveling. She repeated, "What about me? What would I do? Who would I become? Would you take care of me?"

Rhaegar's eyes widened as her words sank in. "Lorelai, I––"

"Stop it," she wiped her tears and averted her gaze. "Do not offer or promise me anything if you cannot take responsibility for your actions and words."

She pushed his body away with a light touch, and Rhaegar took a step back, obedient.

"Lorelai, wait––" he tried to add something else, but Lorelai cut him off again.

"Don't," she concluded. "You and I should have never happened."