Alexander left the room during the wee hours of the morning. His knights also followed. He didn't tell me anything about why he left the room so early, he didn't even say anything to me before leaving. But at least he left the room all to me. Good riddance. The late night trip left me a bit exhausted, but waking up in the kingdom of Cessi had to be the most refreshing feeling ever. I laid lazily on the bed, eyes wide open, as I thought about how I managed to sleep next to Alexander without strangling him to death. It wasn't like I didn't plan on strangling him, I just didn't think it'd be nice for someone with a high status like mine to commit an act of felony, especially one as serious as regicide. Sunlight crept in through the small space between the curtains. I rubbed my bleary eyes and walked to the window, pulling the curtains apart. The dawn chorus of melodic birdsong drifted in and there was a pearly glow in the sky, one that made the sky look like a giant painting. There was

Alexander was a complicated person. To me, he wasn't someone that could easily be understood. I thought he hated me and now he wanted me to love him, to say I was dumbfounded would be an absolute understatement. I wasn't just dumbfounded, I was furious. He was the same person that threatened to kill my father, the same person that told me he didn't love me, the same person that told me he only wanted me for my womb. He was the same person that almost choked the life out of me. “I'm trying to make you fall in love with me, Annalisa.” I remembered his words and I couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped through my lips. "Is everything okay, lady Annalisa?" Aliya asked, in a tone that gave away her concern. She was behind me, helping me with the corset of my gown. I was fully dressed, prepared for the ball, all that was left was to tighten my corset and wear a necklace. I nodded. "Just keep on doing what you need to do. I am okay." She said nothing afterwards, and once she was done w

I slammed my eyes shut as if that would help me forget the fact that Alexander killed Calixto. At a lull of the moment, Alexander turned me around to face him, but thankfully my eyes were closed. I didn't think I could bear to see the monster in front of me. I felt my lungs seize. My chest tightened and cold beads of sweat ran down my back as I felt his hand crawl all over my skin, then it stopped moving when I felt it on the rope of my corset. I held my breath, preparing for the worst, but inexplicably, nothing happened. The world around us grew still, even the air seemed to cease its movements. Slowly, I dared to open my eyes and found Alexander staring directly at me, his eyes no longer red but their usual hazel color. They sparkled like yellow diamonds against the backdrop of the night sky, a sight that would have mesmerized me if not for the blood of Calixto adorning his face. "You were crying, Annalisa," he remarked, his voice full of concern. "And you're still crying," he add

As Aliya had mentioned, there was indeed a huge crowd outside the palace of Cessi all because of me. They all wanted to see the Omega that was mated to their beloved crown prince. Alexander walked next to me, holding me by my hand as we headed towards the carriage. There were three carriages aligned next to some of the Cessi palace guards. Aliya was to ride along with Alexander two knights. Julian and his wife had some things to sort out in Cessi so they decided to stay back. As I was about to enter into the carriage with Alexander, I felt a tug by my leg. I stopped walking, so did Alexander. Our attention was drawn to an elderly she-wolf who had managed to breach the guard barricade. Her appearance was striking, dressed in a tattered red gown with silvery, unkempt hair. "Leave my princess," she shouted, laying low on the floor. I wondered how she passed through the guards who had formed a barricade around the crowd. Then I figured she crawled her way through them. Two palace guard

As I languished in the echoes of Sophia's profound words, my thoughts were unrelenting, even as I observed Amelia tenderly grooming Rhea's velvety coat. The clock struck midnight, a time far beyond the girls' bedtime, yet our conversation had captivated us to such a degree that the passage of time slipped away unnoticed.Once Amelia was done brushing Rhea's hair, I tucked the girls to sleep. It was my first time tucking them to sleep, and I'd only done so because Amelia requested me to and I didn't have it in me to decline her. "Gentle dreams," I whispered, bestowing delicate pecks upon their drowsy foreheads. Drained from the day's events, their weary countenances morphed into dreamy smiles, signifying imminent slumber. With a final sweep of the room, I put off the lights and departed.I decided to head back to my room and as I passed by Alexander's room, which was next to mine, I noticed his knights weren't by his door. That meant, Alexander himself wasn't home yet. A week had pass