Chapter 166: Worry vs Nonchalance
{Third Person}
Meanwhile, inside one of the guest suites assigned to the Human Kingdom delegation, Hazel, Rachel, and Davina were nowhere near sleep.
The three young women occupied the same sitting room, yet none of them seemed able to remain seated for long.
One moment Hazel would be standing near the window. The next, Rachel would be pacing. Davina had already lost count of how many times she had walked from one end of the room to the other.
The banquet had ended hours ago, but the shock of what happened still lingered heavily over them.
"I still can’t believe it," Rachel said quietly.
Neither Hazel nor Davina needed her to explain what she meant. The image immediately resurfaced in all their minds.
Alexander coughing up blood. The shattered glass. The panic. The mages rushing forward.
Davina shuddered. "There was so much blood."
The room fell silent. No matter how many times they replayed the scene, none of it seemed real.
"Do you think he’s always been that sick?" Hazel suddenly asked as she folded her arms tightly.
Rachel frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Alpha Prince," Hazel said, then looked toward her friends. "Do you think his health has always been that bad?"
Davina shook her head. "I don’t know."
Nobody spoke for several moments, then Rachel lowered her voice. "Or maybe he was poisoned."
The possibility immediately made all three uncomfortable. They had never witnessed a royal poisoning before.
In fact, until arriving in the Werewolf Kingdom, such things had always seemed like stories told by travelling merchants, gossiping nobles and busy-body socialites.
Now they had watched something horrifying unfold before their own eyes.
Hazel sank into a chair. "This kingdom is dangerous."
Neither of her friends disagreed.
Before coming here, they had imagined the Werewolf Kingdom would be intimidating because of its reputation.
They had expected strict customs, powerful nobles, and perhaps even hostility toward humans.
What they had not expected was to attend a royal birthday banquet and watch the guest of honour collapse.
Davina released a troubled sigh. "And Amara is living here."
The statement immediately dampened everyone’s mood further. Because that was the part they could not stop thinking about.
Amara.
They still had no idea what had happened after the banquet.
They had not been allowed near her. Nobody had provided any information.
For all they knew, she could still be frightened and alone. The thought bothered all three of them.
"I wish we could see her," Rachel said softly.
Hazel nodded. "Even for a few minutes."
Davina stared toward the fireplace. "Hopefully tomorrow."
The others murmured their agreement.
For now, all they could do was wait and hope that morning arrived quickly.
---
Elsewhere within the guest house, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
Lila was having a wonderful evening.
A glass of wine rested comfortably in her hand as she lounged on a sofa near the fireplace. Soft humming occasionally escaped her lips as she swirled the wine around her glass.
Anyone who saw her would assume she had just returned from a successful celebration rather than a banquet that had descended into chaos.
The truth was simple.
For the first half of the evening, she had been deeply disappointed.
Watching Amara walk into the banquet hall looking beautiful and confident had annoyed her far more than she cared to admit.
Worse still, Amara appeared to have settled comfortably into life within the Werewolf Kingdom.
Even her relationship with Alexander seemed far better than Lila had hoped.
That alone had spoiled much of her mood.
Fortunately, the banquet had provided a much more satisfying ending.
The chaos.
The panic.
The uncertainty.
All of it had improved her spirits considerably.
Lila took another sip of wine and smiled to herself. This was the kind of life she preferred for Amara.
No comfort. No peace. Certainly not happiness.
Just storms, complications and misery.
As far as Lila was concerned, Amara deserved every bit of it.
If remaining beside the Alpha Prince meant becoming caught in endless trouble, then so much the better.
Eventually, those storms would become too much. Eventually, something would sweep Amara away.
The thought alone was enough to make Lila smile into her wine glass. But unfortunately, one thing continued to irritate her.
Torin.
Her gaze drifted toward him. He sat across the room, unusually quiet.
Ever since they returned from the banquet, he had barely spoken. He looked distractedly thoughtful and worried.
Lila knew exactly why. It could only be because of Amara.
The answer was so obvious that it almost offended her.
She watched him for a few moments before looking away. Of course, she was unhappy about it. How could she not be?
Every worried glance. Every distracted expression. Every moment of silence only proved that a part of him still cared, still remembered, still thought about Amara.
The realization irritated her more than she would ever admit aloud.
Fortunately, she was skilled at hiding her emotions.
When Torin finally looked in her direction, he found her smiling pleasantly over the rim of her wine glass.
Not a trace of annoyance showed on her face.
Not a trace.
Meanwhile, deep inside her heart, another thought had already taken root. She knew what she wanted. She knew exactly what she planned to do.
For now, she would wait. After all, there was no need to rush.
Time was on her side.
***
Back at the royal palace, Princess Elowen finally received the news she had been waiting for all night.
The servant delivering the message barely finished speaking before relief washed over her.
Alexander was stable, and the poison had been removed from his system.
The mages were confident that he would recover.
Elowen finally felt as though she could breathe properly again. She sank back into her chair and closed her eyes.
The knot of worry that had sat in her chest for hours finally loosened.
Thank the Moon Goddess.
Her brother was going to live. The thought alone made her feel lighter.
Of course, relief did not stop her curiosity, nor did it stop her concern. Because while Alexander was apparently recovering, she still knew almost nothing about Amara’s condition.
The lack of information bothered her greatly.
Eventually, she rose from her chair and moved toward the window. The palace grounds were quiet now. Most of the lights had already gone out.
Tomorrow would be another busy day. A sensible person would go to sleep, but Elowen had no intention of being sensible.
By tomorrow morning, she planned to visit the Alpha Prince’s residence herself.
She did not care how many guards her father had stationed there. She did not care how many excuses they gave.
One way or another, she intended to see Alexander. And if Amara was awake as well, then she intended to see her, too.
Having made up her mind, Elowen finally allowed herself a small smile.
Tomorrow will come soon enough.