Dianna's account
It was Christopher all along, my confusion changed to nonchalance as he continued to question me. None of what he was asking mattered, all I could think about was the face I saw. Why was I hallucinating about the crown prince? And why did his shadow resemble the one of the man that always visits me in my dream?
He pressed a kiss on my forehead and cupped my cheeks in his big hands. "Don't scare me like that, Dia," he said, his voice trembling with concern.
"I'm sorry," I murmured softly, my voice barely audible, the words feeling hollow.
He shook his head vigorously. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I hurt your beautiful face tonight. Forgive me," he pleaded, his eyes searching mine for forgiveness.
This again. I was already tired of this cycle: he hits me, apologizes, and then does it again in a heartbeat. Well, in his defense, he never hits 'my beautiful face.'
Smile, I reminded myself. When I did, he kissed me, assuming I accepted his apology. "Thank you, thank you," he murmured, continuing to shower me with kisses. All I could notice was the overpowering stench of alcohol on his breath. Tonight will be very long.
His hand slid down my neck to my breast, squeezing and pinching. He repeated this as his breath grew hotter. "May I join you? I can't hold it anymore," he groaned between kisses, his desperation palpable.
'My stomach still hurts from your kicks,you bastard!' is what I will never say, even though that's how I felt. Christopher would assume I was rejecting him and go mad, beating me until I agreed. Rather than suffer torment, I nodded, consenting to his request.
It was the usual cycle: he does something terrible to me, apologizes, I forgive him, and we have sex until he pities me and stops. I am human; it was hard to keep up with his werewolf stamina.
After two long, exhausting hours, Christopher allowed me to rest. With my bones aching as if I'd chopped wood all day, I drifted into a deep slumber. When I woke up, the sun was already rising.
Throwing my legs out of bed, I cursed silently under my breath. I had woken up late. I looked to my side and saw that Christopher was still sleeping. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I still had a little time to get everything ready.
Stepping outside, I met my handmaid, Elenor, waiting anxiously. "Good morning, mistress," she greeted, bowing slightly. "Rough night, huh?"
I nodded tiredly. The teenager who had been here all her life smiled sweetly and winked. "Just go to your husband's room. I already bathed the boys, and breakfast is almost ready."
I sighed in relief again, smiling weakly. "You are a lifesaver, Elly." I ran along, heading to my husband's room, where I spent the next 20 minutes sorting out his outfit for the day.
I had been doing that for years: sorting his outfit, getting the children ready for school, and making or supervising breakfast. My husband was wealthy, but he preferred I act as his maid. I got assistance with everything else except his clothes.
He believed that if his wife chose his outfit, no one could insult him, and the day would be fruitful. Occasionally, when it was not, he'd blame me for the poor choice of outfit.
Upon finishing the sorting, I ran downstairs to find my boys already dressed in their royal school uniforms. I couldn't be more thankful to Elenor. I supervised breakfast preparations before returning to my room to prepare myself.
Christopher was still there, which was unusual, but I didn't bother to wake him. I got dressed quickly and left the mansion to drop off my children. Yes, another thing I did that was abnormal for women of class was dropping my kids off myself, but that was a part of my life that I didn't regret.
I loved seeing their happy faces when I waved them goodbye. When I was done, I asked the driver to take me to the palace. The queen mother was holding court today, and as a lady married to the third most influential man in the kingdom, it was my duty to attend.
The queen's court held at 10, but it was customary for all ladies to arrive on time to catch up on gossip and make plans to propose things to the queen. I had no friends here so I mostly kept to myself.
I mean who wouldn't, the women here were vicious, hey would stare at me condescendingly, and some would even dare to tell me that they were my husband's new mistresses. I could care less about that; I just wanted this meeting to end so I could have a much-deserved rest.
We all bowed when the queen mother entered the room. Head high in pride, frowning face, overdressed among others remained a constant with the queen. She went straight ahead to the point of the meeting. "As you all know, my grandson has returned, and he will become king very soon. He needs a wife to be by his side before he finds his mate. I am willing to accept any suggestions you ladies may have for the crown princess selection."
And that was how the meeting set off. Everyone spoke except me. It wasn't because I didn't have any suggestions but because I knew I might get insulted for them, so I saved myself the stress.
The meeting stretched for long hours and was exhausting. After it ended, I proceeded to wait for my husband in his garden since he wanted us to return together. It was the same garden where he attacked me last night. The internal shiver I got entering the place…
The blood splatter was cleaned now, but I could still feel the pain, literally; the bruises were still there. Subconsciously, I rubbed my side, thinking about that moment… that prince. Why did he come to my rescue?
Lost in thought, I didn't notice the figure approaching me until a gentle tap on my shoulder made me jump. I spun around, my heart racing, and found myself face to face with the crown prince. His deep blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and his lips curved into a soft smile.
His arms were locked behind my back, his deep blue eyes fixed on mine. "Be careful," he said softly, those simple words making my heart flutter.
Feeling flustered, I wriggled myself free, inevitably falling to the ground. I immediately went on my knees, bowing my head low. "Forgive me, my prince, I mean greetings my prince," I stuttered helplessly.
He chuckled lightly, the sound like music to my ears. Unintentionally, I lifted my head to see the man whose laughter sounded so angelic, but my nose met with the prince's, whose face was inches away from mine.
"Enchanting," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin.
My eyes widened as I tried to back away, but the prince caught my chin gently.
He examined it by tilting it, then looked into my eyes. "You concealed it well. I almost didn't notice."
"P-pardon me, my prince, but you shouldn't be touching me…"
He gave me a raised brow look that made me instantly regret my choice of words. I immediately bowed my head. "Apologies, my prince, I didn't—"
He stood up straight and bowed slightly to me. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable."
"That—"
A lopsided smirk appeared on his face as he turned. "I will see you soon, and you may want to rise; your master is close."
Master? Confusion furrowed my brows. Foolishly, I remained in my kneeling position, ignoring his warning, when someone entered the private garden.
"Why are you kneeling?" Christopher asked, shocking me out of my reverie.