Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 23: A Proposal

Lorelai's eyes widened in surprise, but she managed to remain calm and collected. Concealed from the eyes of others, she hid her free hand behind her back and made a fist. All of her real emotions were hidden there.

The lips touching her skin reminded her of the night they shared together.

It was suffocating. That interaction had been already stretching for too long and the princess had to put an end to it. However, as she tried to pull her hand away, Rhaegar only grabbed it tighter though he still removed his lips.

His serene and confident face remained, and his smile had not once faltered. It was only the young woman who looked flustered—the red tingle on her cheeks being a clear indication.

Finally, the lycan king released her hand from his grasp and Lorelai quickly covered it with her other hand. Her skin felt hot as if his touch burned it.

***

Once the formal greetings and introductions came to an end, Kai rushed to his stepsister's side, pulling her away from the nobles. His tight and painful grip around her skinny arm made the princess wince. This would definitely bruise.

"Get out of here," he told her in a low, almost hissing voice, carefully looking around to make sure no one could hear them. "I don't like the way this animal is looking at you and Duke Kalder is getting mad too. Excuse yourself and get out."

Lorelai frowned. Kai's words sounded cruel to her earth, but in all honesty, she did not really have to come up with an excuse to miss the welcoming banquet for the beasts.

Marianna had already informed the princess that she was not allowed to eat anything at the banquet table, thus, even if Lorelai were to disappear without a word, Althea would definitely find a plausible excuse as to why she was missing.

But it was for the better.

Without saying anything, Lorelai freed herself from her stepbrother's grip and immediately dashed out of the hall as if she were running from the crime scene. In all that panic, she wasn't able to bid her proper farewell to the rest of the guests, but she didn't really care.

She kept marching without a pause as if her legs were moving on their own.

She wanted to run away, to hide somewhere dark, lock all the doors, and simply disappear. As if it wasn't enough to feel in danger every single day when she was surrounded by her family, now, another person was added to this dreadful mix.

She couldn't get a break.

Lorelai finally got to her bedroom and locked both windows and doors.

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Without even changing her clothes or washing her face, she buried herself under the blanket and stayed up all night. She wanted to sleep, but somehow, she couldn't.

Her head was filled with the frantic thoughts of the man she thought she would never see again.

It was an unpleasantly haunting feeling. But it was all her fault. She should not have snuck out of the palace that night. She should not have gone to the Gypsy tent. She should have stayed Althea's puppet forever.

It was all her fault.

Tossing, turning, and rolling in her bed all night long, she barely slept a wink that night.

***

The next morning she was still a disaster. Dull skin, dark, almost purple circles under her eyes, puffy face, and messy hair. If Althea were to see her in this state, she would have punished her, Lorelai was sure of it.

Thankfully, today, the princess had to meet a couple of noble officials who were actually on her side, in order to discuss some of the pressing matters related to Erelith's external politics. Once those discussions were over, she moved onto a personal agenda of her own.

"I am working on the law that would make Erelith the first human kingdom to completely abolish slavery."

Her announcement, even when spoken in such a weak and tired tone, still managed to stir up her freinds' nerves.

"Your Highness," young Lord Elion Draven, the only son of Count Draven, the Minister of Treasury, arched his eyebrows in bewilderment. "This is an outrageous proposal! A noble thought, of course, but we will all die sooner than the draft of this law will be even accepted!"

Lorelai was not surprised by his reaction.

Erelith, due to its convenient location and atrocious history, was the center of all the continent trading, especially the slave one. The slavers were still roaming around the borders, catching rogues and selling them as slaves to both Erelith's and other kingdoms' nobles.

Erelith had been earning a lot thanks to that, but most importantly, it was Duke Kalder who had been profiting the most from trading slaves.

His business, however, was not done in such a transparent manner.

Right after Lorelai's injury that had left her crippled for life, Queen Althea passed a very vague law that prohibited slavery in theory, but everybody knew that it was still happening behind the scenes.

In addition, the slaves that had been already in possession of the nobles were not released either.

'Duke Kalder says that the "beast prisoners" he captures are the rogues and beast spies his men catch while guarding the borders of his Duchy, but I do not believe his words. He has been known to hate the beasts and I would not be surprised if he kidnaps them too.'

The princess understood the backlash her proposal would cause, but she detested slavery and wanted to eradicate it altogether. She had to try her best.

"Regardless of the people's reaction, the law drafted by the royal princess cannot be simply discarded without a formal viewing. The House of Nobles will have to take a vote and if..." she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. She could not believe she was about to say that out loud. "If I am to be Duke Kalder's wife, he might... I might find a way to make him vote for it as well."