Chapter 178: She is in Love
{Third Person}
As the banquet continued, conversations gradually resumed throughout the hall.
Amara sat quietly beside Alexander, and from time to time, her gaze drifted toward him.
At first, she did not think much of it. She would glance at him briefly, then return her attention to whatever conversation was taking place around them. A few moments later, however, her eyes would wander back again.
The more she looked at him, the harder it became to ignore the same thought.
He should not be here. No matter how normal everyone was pretending things were, Alexander had nearly died. Even now, the memory from that night still made her uncomfortable.
For the third time in less than ten minutes, her gaze drifted toward him. Unfortunately, this time, Alexander noticed.
Without turning his head, he calmly said, "If you keep staring at me, people will start looking and talking."
Amara nearly choked on her drink. Immediately, she looked away. "I wasn’t staring," she said as a faint flush crept onto her face.
Alexander finally glanced at her. "You were."
The answer came so quickly that Amara knew arguing would be pointless.
For a moment, she considered pretending not to know what he was talking about. But in the end, she abandoned the idea.
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. "I was only wondering something."
Alexander waited. She hesitated before finally speaking. "I still think you should be resting."
One of Alexander’s brows lifted slightly. "Resting?"
"Yes." She turned toward him properly this time. "You nearly died two nights ago."
Alexander’s expression remained unchanged. "I’m fine."
Amara looked unconvinced. The fact that he was sitting here attending a banquet did not erase what she had witnessed.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it’s true."
She frowned. "I still don’t think you should be here."
Alexander studied her for a brief moment, then said simply, "You worry too much."
Amara immediately disagreed. "I think my concern is justified."
The answer came so quickly that it almost sounded automatic. A faint silence settled between them.
Alexander looked away first. Amara opened her mouth as though she intended to continue.
There were still things she wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask, and concerns she wished he would take more seriously. Yet when the moment came, she found herself hesitating.
In the end, she simply closed her lips.
Alexander seemed to notice. Fortunately, he did not ask instead, after a brief pause, he said, "Tomorrow, you may go and see your friends off before they leave."
For a moment, Amara thought she had misheard him, so she just stared at him, almost star-struck. "Really?"
The surprise escaped before she could stop it.
Immediately afterwards, she remembered where they were. This was a royal banquet; dozens of people surrounded them, and some were undoubtedly watching.
Amara quickly composed herself. "Thank you, Your Highness."
A bright smile appeared on her face. It was genuine and warm, the kind of smile she never seemed capable of hiding when she was truly happy.
Alexander looked at her. For several moments, neither spoke. The sounds of the banquet seemed to fade into the background, then Alexander finally reminded her in a calm voice,
"You appear to have forgotten where you are."
Amara blinked twice, then she realized exactly what he meant, and the smile immediately softened.
Her posture straightened. The excitement remained, but she carefully concealed it beneath proper etiquette.
"My apologies."
Despite her words, the happiness was still visible in her eyes.
Alexander continued looking at her for another moment, then another. Something in his expression shifted slightly. It was subtle enough that most people would have missed it.
Finally, he looked away. And as he did, the corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. The expression vanished almost immediately.
Amara was left wondering whether she had imagined it.
Before she could think further about it, Alexander had already returned his attention to the banquet.
---
Several tables away, Hazel, Rachel, and Davina had witnessed enough of the exchange to form opinions of their own.
The three young women watched Amara return her attention to the banquet before exchanging knowing looks.
Rachel was the first to smile. "Oh, she’s hopeless."
Hazel laughed softly. "Our Amara really is."
Davina shook her head. "And she still refuses to admit it."
The three of them continued watching from afar. The smile that had appeared on Amara’s face after speaking with Alexander had not gone unnoticed.
Neither had the way she seemed perfectly comfortable speaking with him.
Rachel leaned closer to the others. "She likes him."
Hazel immediately nodded. "That’s obvious."
"At this point, I don’t think anybody is confused except Amara." Davina grinned.
The three of them shared a quiet laugh. Then Rachel glanced toward Alexander. The Alpha Prince had already returned to his usual calm and unreadable expression.
Nothing about his face revealed what he was thinking. Even so, Rachel was not convinced. "I think he likes her, too."
Hazel raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
Rachel smiled. "If he didn’t, why would he bother indulging her?"
The question made the others pause. And when they thought about it, it was true.
Alexander was not known for being patient, nor was he known for entertaining unnecessary conversations. Yet Amara had just spent several minutes worrying over him, and he had listened without ending the discussion immediately.
Davina nodded slowly. "And whatever he just told her..." A grin spread across her face. "...it was definitely a favour."
The other two immediately agreed. There was no other explanation for the smile that had appeared on Amara’s face.
Rachel sighed dramatically. "It looks like our girl is truly in love."
Hazel burst into laughter while Davina nodded enthusiastically. "I think so too."
The three friends dissolved into quiet giggles. As their laughter faded, however, their expressions softened.
Tomorrow morning, they would be leaving the Werewolf Kingdom.
The realization made the evening feel a little more precious.
Before they departed, they wanted one final opportunity to spend time with Amara and speak with her properly.
After all, nobody knew when they would see their friend again.
---
Meanwhile, at another table within the banquet hall, both Lila and Torin had been watching the royal table since the moment the banquet began for entirely different reasons.
Lila’s gaze remained fixed on Amara. The sight irritated her more than she cared to admit.
Two nights ago, she had genuinely believed that the chaos surrounding the banquet would finally bring misfortune into Amara’s life. Alexander had collapsed. The palace had erupted into panic. Amara herself had fainted shortly after
For a brief period, Lila had allowed herself to feel satisfied, yet here Amara was tonight, healthy, smiling, and laughing. And sitting comfortably beside the very man everyone feared.
Lila’s grip tightened slightly around her wine glass. The more she watched, the more annoyed she became, especially when she noticed the smile on Amara’s face after her conversation with Alexander.
It felt deeply unfair.
For years, Amara had possessed things Lila wanted. People’s affection. Their trust. Their admiration. And now, somehow, she had even gained the attention of the Alpha Prince.
Lila’s eyes narrowed as a dangerous thought slowly formed in her mind. What if Alexander knew the truth?
No. She immediately dismissed the idea. If he knew, surely he would have reacted differently.
Her thoughts drifted back to the welcome banquet held months ago when Amara first arrived in the Werewolf Kingdom.
She remembered warning him, remembered trying to hint at the truth, yet he had shown almost no reaction at all.
At the time, she had assumed he simply did not care. Now she wondered whether she had been too subtle.
Perhaps she should stop hinting and simply tell him, and spell everything out. Yes. She should tell him that Amara was not truly a Caldwell, the secret that has been hidden for years.
The idea settled into her mind and refused to leave. And the longer she considered it, the more appealing it became.
Across from her, Torin was also looking toward the royal table. Unlike Lila, however, there was no resentment in his gaze.
Only regret.
He watched the real stars appear in her eyes after listening to something the Alpha Prince had said.
The sight brought back memories he had spent months trying to ignore, before everything fell apart.
Back then, he had genuinely believed they would spend their future together. Now, looking at her from across the banquet hall, she seemed very far away.
She looked happier than he had expected and more at ease than he had expected.
The realization filled him with a strange mixture of guilt and sadness. And right then, Torin found himself asking a question he usually avoided.
What if he had remained loyal?
What if he had protected her instead?
What if he had refused to betray her?
The questions lingered only briefly because a moment later, a hand landed lightly on his arm. He immediately stiffened and slowly turned.
Lila was smiling at him, at least, it looked like a smile, but something about it made him uncomfortable.
"Do you regret being with me?"