Chapter 190: Sheer Disappointment
{Third Person}
Queen Lysandra somehow managed to hold herself together until she left the King’s quarters.
She walked with her usual regal poise, her back straight, her chin lifted, and her expression composed enough that anyone who saw her in the corridor would assume nothing was wrong.
Not a single servant dared to look at her directly, and her maid-in-waiting quietly followed behind, unaware of the storm raging beneath her mistress’s calm exterior.
The moment Lysandra stepped into her own palace and the doors shut behind her, the mask shattered.
Her expression twisted violently. Rage exploded from her like wildfire.
The nearest vase was the first to go.
She grabbed it and hurled it across the room with so much force that it smashed against the wall, shattering into countless pieces. The sound echoed through the entire sitting room and made every servant present flinch.
No one dared to move.
Lysandra’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her breathing had become uneven.
Her maid-in-waiting lowered her head immediately, trembling. "Your Majesty—"
"Get out!"
The roar that came from Lysandra was so sharp and filled with fury that every servant scrambled to obey.
Within seconds, the sitting room was empty. Only her maid-in-waiting remained, too terrified to move.
Lysandra turned and swept her arm across the table, sending glasses, plates, and a decorative lamp crashing onto the floor.
The destruction did nothing to calm her.
Her entire body trembled with fury. She could still hear Sebastian’s words ringing in her ears.
If any foul play is used... and something happens to Alexander... none of your children will ever succeed the throne.
Each time the words replayed in her mind, her anger intensified.
How dare he?
How dare Sebastian threaten her like that?
And for whom?
Alexander.
Always Alexander.
It had always been Alexander.
No matter what happened, no matter what anyone did, Sebastian’s heart had always leaned toward that cursed child.
Lysandra clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her breathing grew heavier. The more she thought about it, the more unbearable it became.
She had truly believed this was finally their chance.
For one glorious moment, she had imagined Zarek ascending as the next Alpha Prince. She had already tasted victory. Only for Sebastian to rip it away from her so cruelly.
Worse still, Alexander would remain the Alpha Prince. Even after moving away from the palace.
The realization burned like poison.
Lysandra suddenly turned to her maid. "Send for Zarek." Her voice was cold, sharp and dangerous.
"Now."
The maid immediately bowed and rushed out.
Not long after, Zarek arrived.
The moment he entered and saw the state of the room, his expression darkened. Broken glass littered the floor, shattered ornaments lay scattered everywhere, and the atmosphere itself felt suffocating.
He had seen this before. This was his mother at her most dangerous.
Zarek stepped carefully over the broken pieces. "Mother, what happened?"
Lysandra turned toward him. Her face was beautiful as ever, but her expression was terrifying.
For several seconds, she simply stared at him. Then she began recounting everything.
She told him about her visit to his father. She told him about what she had assumed. And then she told him exactly what Sebastian said.
Every word.
She repeated the threat word for word. By the time she finished, silence filled the room.
Zarek stood completely still. His jaw tightened, and his expression had grown colder with every passing second.
"So." His voice was low. "Even if Alexander leaves the palace..."
He already knew the answer.
Lysandra’s face twisted with bitterness. "He remains the Alpha Prince." The words sounded almost venomous.
Zarek slowly lowered himself into a seat. His face darkened. Then, his thoughts immediately returned to the banquet. To that night of the poison.
A cruel thought rose inside him. This time, he did not suppress it. He embraced it.
A bitter laugh escaped him, then he spoke as his eyes hardened. "To think... That I actually felt relieved when he survived
His voice dropped further. Now there was no warmth left in it, only cold resentment.
"I should have wished he died from that poison."
Lysandra looked at him. There was no shock in her eyes because deep down, she understood exactly how he felt. In fact, part of her felt the same.
Had Alexander died that night, everything would have changed.
Everything.
Zarek’s expression remained cold. "Father has made his position clear." He leaned back slightly. "As long as Alexander lives, I have no chance."
The truth was cruel and undeniable.
Lysandra slowly sat down. Her anger had not faded. If anything, it had grown colder and more dangerous.
Her eyes narrowed as dark thoughts began forming in her mind.
No.
This was not over. Not even close. Sebastian may have crushed her hopes today, but that did not mean she had lost.
Not yet.
Slowly, her lips curved into a dangerous smile.
Zarek immediately noticed. He knew that look. It meant his mother was planning something.
Lysandra’s voice was quiet when she finally spoke. "Then we will simply change the situation."
Zarek frowned slightly.
Lysandra’s gaze sharpened as she spoke each word carefully. "There are only two ways this ends. Either Alexander gives up that title..." Her eyes darkened. "Or it is taken from him."
Zarek’s expression shifted. He remained silent, but his attention sharpened completely.
Lysandra slowly clenched her fingers against the armrest. "I swear... I will find a way." The bitterness in her expression deepened. "I will make sure Alexander gives up that Alpha Prince title."
Then, she looked directly at her son. Her gaze burned with fierce determination. "And when that happens..." A dangerous smile appeared on her lips. "It will come to you."
Zarek said nothing for a long moment. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth lifted into something much darker.
Whatever little hesitation remained in him was fading rapidly.
The game had changed, and neither mother nor son intended to lose.
---
At the Third Prince’s residence, Rowan learned about Alexander’s decision later that evening.
One of his trusted guards had quietly come to report the latest developments in the palace.
Rowan sat in the living room while listening without interruption, his expression calm and unreadable as the guard relayed everything he had gathered.
Alexander was leaving the royal palace in a few days. That alone was shocking enough. But the second part of the report was what truly caught Rowan’s attention.
Even after leaving the palace, Alexander would still remain the Alpha Prince.
When the report ended, Rowan dismissed the guard with a small nod. The man bowed respectfully and left, leaving Rowan alone with Yara in the sitting room.
Yara had been quietly seated nearby the entire time. She had listened as well, and the moment the guard left, her gaze shifted fully to Rowan. She could tell from his expression that his mind was working through something.
She moved a little closer to him and studied his face. "You look surprised."
Rowan did not answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back slightly and rested one arm against the couch while his thoughts continued moving.
Alexander leaving the palace was not a small decision. If anything, it was bigger than most people would understand at first glance. To ordinary people, it would simply look like the Alpha Prince wanted to leave the suffocating politics of the royal palace and seek peace elsewhere after everything that had happened.
But Rowan did not think so simply. He knew Alexander.
Alexander was not impulsive. He was not reckless. And he did not make meaningless moves.
If Alexander had decided to leave the palace, then there was more to this than people could see.
Yara watched him for a while before asking again, "What are you thinking about?"
This time, Rowan answered. "I’m thinking about why Alexander made this decision."
Yara frowned slightly. Her tone carried mild confusion. "Isn’t it obvious? He nearly died."
Rowan gave a small nod. "Yes."
That much was true.
Alexander had nearly died. Amara had also been poisoned. Both incidents happened inside the palace under the Alpha King’s protection.
That alone was reason enough for Alexander to distrust the palace.
Still, Rowan felt there was more beneath the surface.
He remained quiet for a long while, his thoughts drifting elsewhere. Then, unexpectedly, a faint smile touched his lips.
He suddenly thought of Zarek and their mother.
He could already imagine how the two of them must have reacted when they first heard the news.
They must have been thrilled, at least initially.
Naturally, they would have assumed that Alexander leaving the palace meant he was abandoning the Alpha Prince title as well. And if that happened, there was only one obvious outcome.
Zarek would become the next Alpha Prince.
Rowan knew his mother well enough to imagine exactly how quickly she would have started celebrating.
But then reality would have struck. Alexander was leaving, yet he was still keeping his title.
That changed everything. That meant Father had already made his stance clear.
No matter what happened, King Sebastian had no intention of allowing anyone to touch Alexander’s position. Not while Alexander still lived.
The faint smile on Rowan’s lips disappeared as his expression turned thoughtful again.
After a long silence, he muttered quietly to himself, "Father is really determined."