Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 28: A Mistake You Will Regret

Lorelai had visited this room on multiple occasions ever since, but it had never become easier for her, especially since the number of dead animals looking at her had dramatically increased.

She could not understand what exactly was feeding Kai's obsession with this awful hobby. What exactly was he trying to preserve: one's beauty or one's death?

As the princess carefully made her way through the bizarre tomb of dead animals, she finally saw the Crown Prince.

Silent and serious, his features looked unusually frightening as the dark shadows of the candlelight danced menacingly on his face. He was still wearing his hunting uniform which was now covered in splatters of blood while his blood-drenched hands were skillfully operating over the wide wooden desk.

"Finally here, huh?"

Kai's cold voice sent ripples down his stepsister's spine and Lorelai's already uncomfortable posture tensed even more.

With his dark green eyes still fixed on his dead victim, he slowly slid a thin blade under its skin, continuing, "I have been waiting for you for ages, you know. Your ladies-in-waiting have been looking for you all over the palace."

At last, Lorelai recognized the carcass on Kai's table.

It was not his loot. It was Blackie, Kai's loyal hunting dog who had been hunting with him for years.

Lorelai's eyes widened in shock and she felt her mouth dry up. Why would he kill his own dog?

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Dissatisfied with the princess' prolonged silence, Kai raised his head, and a slight smile instantly tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Ah," he pulled the knife away from the dog's body and locked his eyes with Lorelai's. "He failed me today, you see. Barked at a bird while I was aiming my arrow at a beautiful deer. What a shame; he could have served me for at least two more years before retiring."

"I don't understand," Lorelai started, bewildered. "You killed him because he startled a deer? You already have a deer's carcass here, why would you end his life because––"

The princess could not finish her sentence as Kai cut her off with a loud fit of laughter.

Even his laugh was terrifying.

Walking from behind the table, he stood right in front of his stepsister and pressed the back of the blade against her white cheek. His lips twisted into a bizarre grin as he noticed the stark contrast between the color of her skin and the darkness of the dog's blood.

"This is not the point, my dear sister," he whispered and the princess closed her eyes as his hot breath brushed over her face. "He failed me. And I do not appreciate it when those who belong to me fail me like that."

Lorelai opened her eyes and shifted them down in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the blade pressed against her cheek. Her heart was a frantic bird flapping its wings against the cage of her ribs, and she was certain that Kai could hear it.

Yes, he enjoyed her fright. And Lorelai was convinced that if he could, the Crown Prince would have skinned and stuffed her body too.

Still holding the knife against the princess' face, Kai continued. "That king of animals... What is your relationship with him?"

Lorelai swallowed hard before replying, "I have no relationship with him. The day he arrived at the palace was the first time I met him."

Her words, however, did not seem to affect the man in the slightest. Pressing the back of the blade harder against Lorelai's skin, he added. "Really? He, on the other hand, seemed to be quite smitten with you, won't you agree? And just before you came to see me, were you not enjoying a meal with him in secret?"

The princess felt as if the life itself was drained from her body. Her palms felt wet and the crazy drumming of her heart had already reached her ears.

"I... I stumbled upon him when I was taking a walk through my garden. He invited me to share a meal with him because he wanted to be polite."

Suddenly, Kai wrapped his long, blood-stained fingers around his stepsister's neck, glaring down at her like a madman.

"You don't get it, do you? You are a royal princess, Lorelai. A human princess. Do not get close to that monster. And never––never, you hear me? Never make a mistake you will regret. Do you understand it now?"

Lorelai was reluctant to answer and Kai's grip on her neck tightened. She thought that he should have been smarter than trying to suffocate her while he was waiting for her reply.

But the Crown Prince was cruel and hot-tempered, there was no reasoning with him.

Gathering her strength, the princess nodded painfully and whispered, "Yes... Your Highness."

Thankfully, Kai released his stepsister right after he heard her submissive response and before she knew it, Lorelai found herself standing in the hall of his quarters, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath and steady her heartbeat.

She had no idea how she reached her own bedroom, but as she closed her door, it finally dawned on her––she did not have her cane with her anymore!

'Goodness, do not tell me... Did I really leave it in Kai's room?'

The thought of needing to go back and face her stepbrother again made her stomach tie in knots, but before she could make any unpleasant decision, someone knocked on her door, and a moment later, she heard a familiar voice. "Your Highness? May I come in?"

"Marianna!" Lorelai had never been so happy at her aide's arrival before, especially since the woman entered her room carrying her forgotten wooden cane.

"The lycan king's man brought it to me shortly after you went to see the Crown Prince."

Marianna placed the cane next to the princess' bed and took a seat next to Lorelai, releasing a heavy sigh.

"Strange people those beasts are..." She waited for Lorelai's response but the princess remained silent, her eyes firmly fixed on the floor beneath her feet.

Marianna smiled lightly, then covered her lady's hands with hers and added, "Sometimes I wonder if they actually have more human in them than all of us."