Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King-Chapter 36: Diamond Necklace

The Crown Prince rose from the bed to which the naked woman lying next to him reacted with pouting, her flushed face covered in beads of sweat from all the hard work she had to do to please her lover.

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That woman was baroness Lucia Valmont, one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting and Kai's lover who coveted the position of the Crown Princess more than anything else in the entire world. And she had been working truly hard to get closer to making her dream come true.

"Get back to bed, Your Highness! I feel offended every time you toss me over like that after we finish."

Kai poured himself a glass of wine and started slowly drinking it while watching Lucia stretch lazily on the bed in a clear attempt to seduce him again.

It was not working. Not that easily; and not while his mind was miles away.

'The rest of the guests are arriving tomorrow. What Mother gave me last time was not enough, I need more of it if I want to shrug off suspicions. My eyes have not been good lately, and with the king dying, we do not have much time left...'

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Lucia finally left the bed too and approached the prince from behind, gently sliding her smooth hands over his chest, her lips almost touching his neck.

Kai handed her his glass and she gladly accepted it.

"The welcoming banquet is tomorrow. Make sure to stay out of my way and do not attract any unnecessary attention to yourself."

Lucia almost choked on wine when she heard his cold warning. She knew their relationship was not something to parade around in front of everyone, especially foreign nobles, but she still hated the way the Crown Prince treated it, as if it meant absolutely nothing.

"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, pretending to be gravely upset. "I know my place, Your Highness, don't you worry. But aren't you being too cold to me about it? All the other ladies-in-waiting are already mocking me for not being favored by you as your lover; imagine what kind of rumors will spread around after the banquet!"

Kai frowned, his brows knitting together. He could not care less what anyone thought about Lucia. Frankly, he himself did not really care about her.

She was of low birth and only got her title because the queen liked her for some reason. As for the Crown Prince, the only value he saw in her was her body and neverending desire to satisfy him in every way possible.

She would spread her legs whenever he wanted her and she would never disobey him.

However, Lucia was still right. The unspoken palace etiquette dictated that if a member of the royal family had a lover among the nobles serving them, they had to treat them accordingly; with reserved respect and generosity.

Letting out a long sigh, the Crown Prince walked to his nightstand and opened the first drawer, retrieving a long, velvet-covered box. With a fake smile, he stood before Lucia and opened it, watching as her big blue eyes shone brightly the moment she saw what was inside.

"A diamond necklace?!"

Her voice was filled with excitement and her fingers trembled while she tried to take the necklace out of the box.

It was a truly mesmerizing piece of jewelry. A white gold, thin web of chains crowned with two dozen green diamonds that sparkled with a rainbow of colors under the silver moonlight.

Yes, it was stunning. But it was not meant for her.

'When people buy diamonds for someone, they choose the color that compliments that person's eyes. My eyes are blue. He bought this necklace... for the princess.'

Somehow, Lucia could not shake off the feeling that Kai had done this on purpose. He wanted to humiliate her.

On one hand, she could not afford not to accept a gift given to her by the Crown Prince as such offense was punishable and she could be thrown out of the palace and left without a title.

On the other hand, if she were to wear this necklace to the banquet where everyone would see it, she would be severely ridiculed for every single lady-in-waiting would know that Lucia still meant nothing to the Crown Prince.

Kai must have done it on purpose. To remind her of her real place.

"You are awfully quiet. Why? Don't you like it?" The prince fixed his deep green eyes on hers, demanding a prompt reply.

"N-no, Your Highness, of course I like it!" Lucia swallowed hard, but her skin was covered in unpleasant goosebumps.

"Good," Kai curled his thin lips into a grin and took the necklace out of the box, tossing it carelessly aside. He slowly placed the beautiful piece of jewelry on her neck and Lucia shivered the cold touch of the gold on her skin, another sharp lump forming in her throat.

The prince smiled again as he noticed it and then joined two parts of a tiny lock together, securing the necklace on the woman's neck. He then walked around her, sliding his cold, long fingers over her shoulders before standing right before her, his pale face still grinning.

"How––how does it look, Your Highness?" She asked in a shaking voice. Kai slid his fingertips over her protruding collarbones, not rushing to give her an answer. Then, he finally looked back into her eyes and smiled again. "It looks beautiful, Lucia."

"Oh, really? I––"

Lucia was not able to finish that sentence as Kai suddenly grabbed her by the neck, his long, cold fingers locking tightly around it, preventing her from breathing properly. The woman widened her eyes in both shock and fear but the Crown Prince was still smiling.

Slowly lowering his face, his lips reached Lucia's ears and whispered like a hissing snake, "Be careful with your words, you stupid bitch. Next time, this will be a real metal chain hanging down your neck."