Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 27: The Dark Room

Lorelai was completely flustered. She was indeed enjoying the piece of dried bread with raisins so much, that she even closed her eyes and spread her lips into a big smile; just like a child savoring a tasty treat.

She could not understand why Rhaegar said that his bread did not taste good. Inside her mouth, it tasted like heaven.

Of course, she had been starving for so long that anything might have tasted amazing, but still, the snack offered by the lycan king was beyond anything she had ever tasted.

'Marianna used to sneak this bread for me when I was still a child and Althea locked me up in my bedroom for failing my etiquette lessons. Back then, I was also not allowed to eat, but she risked her job in the palace to get me this snack in secret. She used to make it herself and fed it to me along with hot tea to soothe my stomachache.'

Lorelai had fallen in love with this little treat as well. She even used to hide some of it inside the skirt of her dresses in case Althea would punish her with hunger again.

The princess could not remember the last time she tasted it. Ever since that incident with her leg, Lorelai assumed that the queen had found out about the staff sneaking her food because Althea hired new kitchen staff and forbade them from baking bread in the palace kitchen altogether.

Anyone spotted even smelling of bread could risk being thrown out on the streets.

Although it pleased Rhaegar to see Lorelai enjoy that little treat, his attention suddenly snapped somewhere ahead and he fixed his eyes on a lingering shadow hidden among tall wild rose bushes.

"I guess it's for you," he said quietly, and the princess turned around, her eyes widening upon noticing Lady Marianna's concerned face.

"Your Highness!" She nearly shouted at her princess, but then cleared her throat awkwardly, shifting on her feet. It was clear that she was reluctant to come closer to the lycan king.

"Marianna!" Startled, Lorelai jumped to her feet, losing balance immediately as blood rushed to her head.

Completely nonchalantly, Rhaegar supported her from behind, placing his big, strong hand on the small of her back. Lorelai's body stiffened and she took a few steps toward her aide, a look of subtle fear on her pale face.

"Wh-what is it?"

"It's His Highness the Crown Prince," Marianna answered carefully, "he is back from his hunting trip and is looking all over for you!"

Lorelai felt her blood instantly turn cold, freezing her entire body.

This was not good. Kai had only been out hunting for half a day and he was already back! This could only mean one thing––he did not catch anything and was now looking for something to relieve his anger.

The princess did not want to be that something but she had no choice. It was better to see him on her own rather than make him go after her instead.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Worried about the princess's well-being as well, Marianna gently grabbed Lorelai with her hand and nodded. "Let us go, Your Highness. He does not like to wait."

Lorelai hesitated. Somewhat instinctively, she turned around and looked at Rhaegar who had been watching them silently all this time.

His glaring amber eyes only had one thing reflected in them––pity. He pitied her for being tossed around like that, and yet, it was not the kind of pity the princess saw in others. He pitied her, but he also wanted to help.

"I apologize, Your Majesty, but I have to go. Please enjoy the rest of your evening."

As if disappointed by her words, the king moved his glare away from the princess, opened his cigar case, and lit one of the cigars, bringing slowly to his lips. He took a deep drag, closing his eyes as the smoke filled his lungs, then nodded, and finally replied along with the gray smoke leaving his lips. "You too."

***

Lorelai had been so deep in her thoughts, repeating that single sentence thrown so carelessly at her by Rhaegar that she did not even notice that she had already reached the doors to one of Kai's rooms.

"I will have to leave you now, Your Highness," Marianna said with a bitter smile on her face, and Lorelai only nodded in reply.

That was the rule. When the princess was asked to meet the Crown Prince privately, no one was allowed around them. There was no room for disobedience.

Lorelai watched as Marianna disappeared behind the corner of the hallway, then took a deep breath, and released a loud exhale. Her heart was already in her throat but she could not let her anxiety get to her.

Kai was just like the rest of the predators––he could feel her fear and that was only flaring him up from inside.

Reluctantly, Lorelai rapped her knuckles on the wooden surface of the door and without waiting for her stepbrother's response, invited herself in, stepping inside the room.

As soon as the door behind her back was closed, the princess instantly felt the familiar sickening stench of blood.

This place was called the "dark room". Shrouded in suffocating darkness with only a few candles placed next to the large wooden table in the middle, it was the space where the Crown Prince liked to spend his time as soon as he came back from hunting.

It was the room where Kai skinned and stuffed his loot.

Of course, not every single animal the prince killed deserved to find its carcass in the "dark room". No. Only the largest, most beautiful beasts were honored to be touched by the Crown Prince's knife.

Lorelai hated this room.

The first time she found out that her stepbrother had such a gruesome hobby, she told Kai that he hated him, but instead of trying to apologize or calm his stepsister down, the prince locked her inside the room with his first-ever freshly stuffed wolf and made her spend the entire night looking at its lifeless face.