An awkward silence fell on the clearing once Fiona declared her intentions to leave with Meria.
She had not even been a contender to get the emperor's attention, but she still behaved like an entitled bitch and wanted to get her way. And her behaviour made the servants look away in shame.
Fiona felt her heart boil in rage as soon as she noticed that extended hand in front of her. She knew it was not for her, but she could not help herself from reaching out for it.
"Lady knight, thank you for extending your hand to help me out. I would like to accept your help because I am gracious."
Fiona's confident smile was firmly etched on her face. After all, what reason would she have not to be convinced? She was a gorgeous omega throwing herself at an alpha in front of her. The royal guard had to fall for her trick.
And if not, then Fiona would make the scene look like the royal guard was interested in her. She had a lot of tricks up her sleeve for that.
Rucia started to pull her hand back in time, but Fiona would not allow that to happen. She moved swiftly and caught that retreating hand.
"O-Oh my! What a tight grip you have, Lady Fiona! One would certainly mistake you as a soldier with your strength."
The royal guard laughed at Lady Fiona's actions, but she was getting increasingly agitated by having that sweet scent on her face.
Usually, she would have already returned her hand from the other party and called for a duel. But offending this family would mean fighting Commander Meria for their honour.
And that was the last thing Rucia wanted to do.
"Fiona, aren't you over the age limit set for this event? I am sure the party invites said you must be below 16 to attend this party. Only a few exceptions were made, and you are not a part of it."
Generally, Meria would not have interfered in this matter and let it resolve itself, but he could tell how uncomfortable Lady Rucia was beginning to look.
As a victim of Fiona's grip, he knew how much it could hurt over time.
Fiona's anger turned towards Meria immediately as soon as he spoke to her. She finally released Rucia's hand, causing the royal guard to shake the hurting part and look at the omega in a new light.
"You have no right to say anything to me, Meria. Not only did you drag our family name in the mud, but you were also trying to stop me from trying to gain any honour for our family. I would have passed on my invitation if I were you. But since I know you are a selfish brat, I will kindly offer to be your +1 for this event."
Fiona spoke these words like an entitled brat. Her tone was confident, and she looked proud of what she was saying.
Rucia knew she needed to put a stop to Fiona's fantasies right now.
"I am sorry, my lady, but there is no +1 for this event. You are over the age limit, and the emperor has not allowed you to accompany me. If you want to be invited to this party, you need a royal invitation."
Rucia reminded the pouting omega.
No one missed the way Fiona tried to seduce Rucia. Her sweet-scenting pheromones threatened to overwhelm everyone and everything.
"B-But this is not fair! Meria, you know how unfair it is. So, hurry up and swap invites with me."
Fiona complained, and Meria was about to tell her that he did not have the power to overwrite a royal decision when his stepmother and father decided to step into the scene.
The drama queen noticed this as well. And since Fiona never missed a chance to act childish, she also decided to do the same this time.
"Waa-mother! Look at the injustice that is being done to me. Brother Meria is bullying me by now, allowing me to head to the royal palace with him. See, I knew it!"
"I told you he was jealous of my beauty and identity as an omega. He even convinced Lady Rucia to bully me along with him."
From Fiona's crying, anyone would have thought Meria had bullied her very hard.
Meria's stepmother was always ready to cause drama.
"Oh! My dear child. How unfortunate you are to have such an older brother. My dear, you need to deliver justice. If a beta like Meria can attend this function, our daughter Fiona has all the fight to attend it as well."
"You will help our daughter out, right, dear?"
"Yeah, daddy! You must help me out. Tell Meria to give his place to me. I deserve it more."
The old general wanted to rub his temple in agitation. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Even if he wanted to ask this favour, how could he tell Meria to hand over an invite the emperor issued? It was akin to suicide for the whole family. But at the same time, how can he deny his daughter and mate anything?
The alpha in him was roaring at him, telling him to do anything to make his mate happy. Even though it recognised Meria as its kind, the absence of a bond mate to stabilise that relationship made the general angry at Meria.
"I have had enough of this bullshit. You, mother and daughter, take this family drama somewhere else. And stop begging Commander Meria to hand his position over to your daughter."
"This invitation was extended forward by our emperor, so unless you see him as a joke and want to make an enemy out of him, I suggest you keep yourself under check. Otherwise, I will take this as an insult against my emperor, and I will have to hold you accountable."
It was not often that Rucia got this angry. She was generally seen as a cool-headed person whom you could go to get your problem resolved.
That was why the mother-daughter pair had seen her as easy prey. They had also hoped to use her alpha status against her.
Who knew that the royal guard would be immune to it all?
Her anger caused her pheromones to rise. The mother-daughter pair looked scared after facing something this scary. They almost wetted themselves, but then the calming pheromones of the general washed over them all.
"I apologise on behalf of my daughter and wife, Lady Rucia. I know they made a mistake, but please keep my honour and allow my daughter to accompany you to the royal palace this time?"
"Please, do it to keep my pride as your loyal commander."