Chapter 3

　　Relina

　　He chose to? Do Alphas like him give up such privilege that easily? I couldn’t think of any reason to quit being the ruler of a pack. True, there are responsibilities but I would rather rule a prestigious pack over becoming a servant of the Alpha King’s concubine.

　　Yet, somehow, those words he said hung in the air, heavy with a deep meaning that I couldn’t comprehend.

　　I decided to shrug it off, minding my own business as I begrudgingly waited for Madam Potter to arrive for these so-called etiquette lessons.

　　It didn’t take long for the woman to enter my bungalow.

　　Around ten minutes, I guess?

　　An old woman around her 60s stood before me. She had a perfect posture despite her age and her dark hair with her aging gray highlights are tied in a clean bun. She was completely different from my grandmother.

　　“Greetings, Miss Relina. I’m Olivia Potter but for everyone’s sake, you can call me “Madam Potter”.” She bowed before me and I felt a bit awkward seeing these prominent wolves bowing before me.

　　Even before I received my results, I didn’t receive this kind of treatment from anyone at all.

　　“Pleasure is mine,” I replied, coolly. “My name is Relina Keane.”

　　She studied my expression as if deciphering her next move. She sat at the couch seat across from me and she gave a low grunt. “It seems the young Alpha managed to convince someone of your status. Your beauty alone could even swoon the Alpha King without the etiquette lessons.” She paused for a moment. “However, it is still a requirement for all concubines.”

　　“Isn’t the job of a concubine to please the king?” That had been in my mind all this time. “So…will all of these lessons have to be sexual?”

　　Who knows if this old lady is a sexual deviant beneath that strict facade of hers?

　　Upon hearing my blunt question, the old woman’s lips curved into an ugly frown, obviously unamused.

　　“If you hadn’t locked yourself up for a week, you would have learned your role here head-on. A concubine isn’t just to fornicate with the Alpha King, you have to learn proper etiquette that could match His Majesty’s preference.”

　　I frowned. “Well, I’m here now, right?” I sighed as I crossed my arms. I was feeling tired of listening to Aslan’s ramblings earlier and now I had to deal with this old woman who was clearly annoyed with my defiance.

　　Her frown deepened as she snapped her fingers then she bellowed, “Bring them all in!”

　　On cue, the maids who often sent me meals barged inside the bungalow entrance, carrying hard-bound books as thick as encyclopedia sets. One after another, they kept placing them all on the coffee table and little by little, the books grew until it formed a mountainous terrain.

　　My eyes grew wide, perplexed as I continued watching over maids coming and returning back and forth with thick books on their hands. What the heck was going on here?

　　“W-What are these?”

　　“History of the Palace, the Biography of all Alpha Kings, the symbolism of the tea both Asian and Western, the art of Kama Sutra and many more.” There was a faint smirk marring on that old lady’s lips before she continued.

　　“These are all for the sake of making you a proper concubine. I expect you to read them all within a week before we officially start our sessions.”

　　“A-All of them?!” My jaw dropped as the maids kept coming back and forth. “You’re kidding me, right?”

　　Madam Potter grunted. “A youngster like you could handle a ‘bit’ of information. You have all the free time you have living in this palace, Miss Relina. I suggest you use it wisely.”

　　I glared at the old woman. I bet this was her little revenge until I exhausted myself this week. Yet, I decided not to piss her off any further and kept quiet while the maids continued placing these books.

　　I heaved a weary sigh. This would be a long, tortuous week.

　　======

　　Aslan

　　I sighed, glad that I somewhat convinced the new concubine to start her training. Madam Potter came out from the bungalow, an expression akin to amusement.

　　I raised my eyebrow while my arms crossed. “What do you think of her Madam Potter?”

　　“A beautiful wolf who is unfortunately trapped within these Palace walls,” she replied, sternly before her lips curved into a smile. “Though I must say she wasn’t a wallflower as you stated in your report, Mr. Grimulf. Why did you write that false information to the Alpha King?”

　　I chuckled while my shoulders lazily shrugged. “Well, it wasn’t false information given my terrible history of first impressions.”

　　“Did you write the false report to prolong the Alpha King’s visit? You know that he is coming to see her soon, isn’t that correct?” Madam Potter’s suspicion hasn’t been lifted since our first meeting and all I could do was give her a charming smile.

　　“It’s for the sake of keeping Miss Keane safe until she’s ready.”

　　“Yet, you are very impatient, requesting me to collect all those books for her to read. You are strict despite your young age, Mr. Grimulf.”

　　As expected, the old woman didn’t buy my bullcrap as she stared at the road outside the bungalow. Our eyes caught sight of two figures—alpha attendants based on their scent, passing by, carrying the weight of a bundle shape which bore a resemblance of a body.

　　My suspicions were confirmed when a lifeless hand slipped from the makeshift shroud. Their eyes turned to meet ours and nodded with camaraderie before they heaved and continued their path towards the desolated murky forest within the palace walls.

　　“Another dead concubine, huh?” Madam Potter said, nonchalance shown from her voice.

　　For us, this is a normal occurrence to carry disposables and bury them far from the concubine residence.

　　“Relina Keane will be like that unless she plays her cards well. Good luck with that, Mr. Grimulf.”

　　The old woman patted on my shoulder as her lips curved into a sinister smile.

　　“You and your assigned concubine needed it.”