Lauren was about to respond when suddenly Ethan came rushing and went to bow to the King.
"Your Majesty, please don't grant Princess Lauren another marriage. She already promised to marry me."
Lauren's eyes widened. What the hell was Ethan saying? She thought while fighting the urge to punch Ethan and kick him out.
"Mr. Sullivan? You have returned?" The Queen asked, surprised that the famous gentleman who was nowhere to be seen for a year was suddenly back, and what was even more shocking, he also wanted to marry Lauren.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ethan replied. "I actually came back to propose to Princess Lauren."
Vincent wiped the trace of food on his lips and caught Alec's eyes turning a little red for a second, which gave him a hint that Alec did not like the interruption from another gentleman.
"Mr. Sullivan, you said Lauren already promised you a marriage, did that mean my sister said yes to you?" Eloise asked with a small smile.
"When did I say anything like that, Ethan?" Lauren questioned as she glared at Ethan sharply.
Ethan raised a brow, did not understand what Lauren was doing. He just wanted to save her from another dead end, like how she asked him to be her fake fiancé earlier.
"Your Majesty, it is Lord Everston I want to marry," Lauren clarified before throwing Alec a glance. Alec's brow raised a bit but did not leave any comment.
"And I have no intention of marrying Mr. Sullivan," Lauren added and Ethan's lips parted. Lauren gave her a look to shut his mouth. Thankfully, Ethan got the signal.
"Oh! I must have misunderstood you, Princess Lauren! I thought you wanted to marry me," Ethan muttered sarcastically to cover up his embarrassment. "My apologies."
"It does not seem right," Queen Thalia spoke after Ethan hurriedly excused himself. "Why would Mr. Sullivan bring himself to the royal table just to say those words?" Her gaze drifted to Lauren as her eyes turned like a snake's. "Unless you really promised him marriage, Lauren? After all, Mr. Sullivan is a dear friend of yours."
"Queen Mother, did you just miss Mr. Sullivan's words? He said he must have misunderstood me." Lauren sighed dramatically and looked at the King. "Your Majesty, the truth is, Mr. Sullivan did not propose marriage because something was going on between us. The reason was, he wanted to save me from my marriage with Lord Merriweather's son because he knew I did not want to marry Mr. Merriweather."
"But that does not matter now, right? I have made up my mind. I want to marry Lord Everston," Lauren added.
"You haven't answered the question yet, Lord Everston," said the Queen, ignoring Lauren. "How come the third princess held your interest when there are a lot of noble ladies whose reputations are much more pleasing? And do you even know Lauren well? Unless… you have been meeting each other in secret all this time."
How scandalous for a queen to talk about a secret affair at the King's table, Lauren thought.
"I believe how a man chooses his wife is not based on the time he had spent with a lady. After all, most parents usually wed their children to people they barely know. Am I right, Your Majesty?" Alec replied, and Lauren could not help but admire the lord's wit and eloquence. He was indeed the perfect partner for a perfect crime.
"And to answer your question, the princess and I haven't done anything scandalous. We are not meeting each other in secret. I just happen to admire the princess' wild nature, as I have this strange fondness for peculiar things."
Lauren's lips curved up a bit at what Alec said. He seemed to know very well how to counterattack. A true warlord, indeed.
"I'm also not fond of a secret romance, Your Majesty. Right, Eloise?" Lauren said, which had Eloise's eyes widen. Eloise did not know yet that Lauren knew about her love affair with Sean Devitt. But with Lauren giving her sister a hint, Eloise felt bothered.
"I don't know what you are talking about, Lauren," said Eloise in a small voice.
"Enough of that," King Martin interrupted. "Let's talk about Lauren and Lord Everston's engagement."
"Your Majesty-" Queen Thalia was cut off by the King's glare.
King Martin had made up his mind. No matter who Alec married, he would still benefit from it. Besides, he didn't want to take the risk of saying no to the vampire lord.
"Your Majesty, if you are worrying about Lauren because she is the youngest princess and I am a warlord known for viciousness, then you can be rest assured that I shall allow no harm to befall her," Alec said to the Queen even when he knew the real dilemma she was facing. Apart from satisfying his bloodlust with the enemy's blood, Alec also loved playing with people around him, but only those people he found intriguing. And at the moment, the Monserrate family intrigued him.
It was evident in Cassandra and Eloise's expressions how they badly wanted to leave the table, but they knew the King didn't want them to act that way. After all, they had studied royal etiquette since childhood. They were expected to act as a prim and proper princess at all times, and walking out of the dinner table was not part of it.
"So, when will the wedding be? I would surely love to attend such a grand celebration," Vincent spoke, meeting Alec's eyes with a playful smirk.
"If His Majesty will allow, I want to marry the princess as soon as possible."
"But Lord Everston, should you not be rushing your wedding? There are a lot of things to consider. What about the preparations?" Queen Thalia butted in. "You are the lord of Everston fortress and the head of the defense ministry. For sure there will be a lot of people who will want to attend your wedding. It should be grand, and a grand celebration would at least take a month."
Well, a grand celebration would indeed take some time, Lauren thought to herself. But she knew the Queen was stalling the time on purpose. For sure the wicked Queen would plan something to ruin the engagement, and she should be ready for it.
Lauren cleared her throat, drawing attention to her. "Who says I want a grand wedding? A simple one is fine with me. I'm sure Lord Everston shares the same sentiment. Don't you, my lord?"
Alec tapped the stem of his wineglass with his finger, then calmly he spoke, "It all depends on what my bride wants."