Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 56: A Clue

Clicking her tongue, she leaned closer to the man and whispered.

"Your daughter is just as useless as her mother was. All these years of taming her, and she still does not know her place. If it weren't for my plan to turn this kingdom into an empire, both of you would already be dead. I hope you serve your people well, Your Majesty, while you still have time."

Setting the golden goblet on the bedside table, Althea gently stroked the king's gray hair, her lips spreading into a vile grin once more.

"I did not plan to do it this early, but I guess I have no choice after all. Something disrupted my flow, so I have to tighten my shackles on her. Do not worry, though, Your Majesty. I will make her cooperate."

The moment those words left her lips, a light knock on the door made her shift her focus to the intrusion. She knew who it was, and yet, she could not help but feel annoyed.

"Come in."

Following her order, Lucia opened the door and carefully stepped inside, bowing before the queen.

"What do you want?" Althea asked coldly as she picked up the goblet.

Lucia fidgeted uncomfortably before approaching the queen, her response quiet even in the deafening silence of the king's bedroom. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I have bad news. We have failed again. The nomad girl the knights captured at the border was not the one either."

Althea scowled and motioned for the lady-in-waiting to leave. Once she was alone again, she ran her long, sharp nails through her flowing red hair, a brief irritated groan escaping her lips.

"I have been looking for her daughter for so long, but to no avail. The legend says it was supposed to be a girl, but after all these years… perhaps I was utterly wrong after all."

Feeling defeated, the queen finished the rest of the red liquid and threw the empty goblet onto the king's bed. Reclining in her chair, she leaned comfortably against its back and closed her eyes.

"The lycan king is the leader of nomads, huh? Now, this might be my clue."

***

Lorelai yawned and let out a long sigh as she noticed the time on the round clock before her.

Her fingers tapped nervously on top of her large wooden desk, her mind drowning in the frantic whirlwind of tangled thoughts.

'I was convinced I would be able to find at least one supporter for my anti-slave bill, but the only person willing to listen to me was King Rhaegar. His words mean nothing to the Continental Noble Party unless he is supported by a human representative. Why was I so hopeful?'

It was discouraging. She had failed before she could even start. Now, it was a definite end to her dream of making a difference before the remnants of her power were completely seized.

'I wonder how long this cruelty will continue...'

Thinking about slavery made Lorelai recall a distant childhood memory she thought she had already forgotten.

A young slave boy she had met near the palace training grounds when she was eleven years old, right before her life-changing injury. She did not know who he was, and with the passing years, she was beginning to forget details of his appearance, but there was still one thing the princess could never forget: the way he looked at her when he noticed her too.

He was small, tanned, with messy long hair and an angry expression on his dirty, bruised face. He was skinny, the heavy metal shackles weighing down his arms, but the look on his face was that of a proud man.

'I always wanted to know whatever happened to him afterward. Another useless thought, I guess.'

With another sigh, Lorelai pushed away the remaining papers to the corner of her desk and noticed a thin black envelope resting next to the wooden ink blotter.

Her fingers grabbed it almost automatically, her big green eyes scanning the letters written in white ink.

"The masquerade banquet..."

She read the name of the event out loud and leaned back in her chair.

The masquerade banquet was the first official celebratory event for the Continent Union Celebration and, as the name suggested, required all the guests to arrive at the event hall wearing masks; their identities hidden, creating an atmosphere of mystique and intrigue.

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Having failed to convince the foreign nobles to support her proposal, Lorelai was eager to attend the banquet because it offered her a chance to do something else to help the slaves; something drastic and even dangerous.