Chapter 5

　　Relina

　　I was fortunate enough not to encounter anyone when I ran off. The sun set not so long ago, the vast blue sky was kissed by the hues of purple and orange. Once I reached the large palace walls, I panted heavily, my ribcage ached from the excessive run.

　　Now that I reached the back of the palace, w-what should I do next? Should I find a secret passage or create one myself?

　　What if I winded up getting caught? I briefly read that the alpha attendant and I would be executed and that would mean I could get Aslan killed thanks to my stupid stunt. Oh moon goddess, how could I be so stupid?!

　　M-maybe it wasn’t too late. No one caught me running away and maybe I could come up a lame excuse like I was lost or something.

　　‘Take deep breaths, you could do it.’ I thought to myself, my feet turned back as I heaved another sigh. ‘As long as no one has caught me running off, I’ll be just fine.’

　　The only problem was—where was the concubine residential district?

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　　Surrounded by darkness, I found myself lost in the depths of the forest. If it weren't for the guards everywhere, I would have followed the lampposts, hoping they might lead to the concubine area.

　　I sighed, silently praying to the moon goddess that Madam Potter wouldn't report me for being late from my "break."

　　But with the dense forest on this starless evening, this detour would only prolong my agony.

　　"If only I had my wolf with me, it would have been easier," I muttered under my breath as I ventured deeper into the forest.

　　Who knew if the forest creatures would have attacked me before I faced any potential punishment? I smiled wryly at my own sarcasm.

　　Just as I struggled to navigate through the rose bushes, I froze in my tracks, my eyes widening with genuine surprise.

　　Before me laid an exquisite sight: a picturesque fancy gazebo beside a lake, with a waterfall cascading nearby. There were red spider lilies surrounding the meadow path.

　　“Wow, it’s beautiful,” I said, my feet had already moved to get closer.

　　It seemed out of place in this dense forest like I was transported to a magical world. Who would have made this specifically for? Given that it was in the deeper depths of the forest, I would assume this was a secret place for someone.

　　A place I shouldn’t be nosing around for too long.

　　I should really get going before I would get caught—

　　“Oh? And who might you be?”

　　A deep, baritone voice from behind stopped me from moving, my heart palpitated as I felt a cold sweat drop from the corner of my cheek.

　　As I heard feet moving to my direction, my breath hitched.

　　“Just a wanderer who had lost her way,” was my response, concise without showing too much of my fear and nervousness. I didn’t turn to look at the person behind me as I wanted to avoid being seen as much as possible. “Do you own this gazebo, sir?”

　　My response made his feet stop, a moment of silence exchanged between us as he finally spoke, “Well, you could say that.” I could hear the amusement in his tone.

　　“Your clothes speak more about you—a concubine of the Alpha King, I assume?” He continued and I’m relieved that he stood in a comfortable distance between us.

　　I couldn’t speak.

　　“What’s your name?” He asked once again.

　　I bit my lower lip, pondering whether or not to reveal my name knowing the consequences.

　　“All right then…” His voice trailed off before he added. “Why won’t you turn around and face me, concubine? I’ll decide whether you are pretending to be a fool or you’re up to something. Or…” He paused for a while for a dramatic effect. “...are you worried that your presence here would alarm the king?”

　　I gulped before I conceded. There was no point hiding when I was completely under this stranger’s mercy. “Y-Yes…”

　　Should I run? No, I couldn’t outrun a wolf especially when I hadn’t gotten mine yet. My whole body trembled at the thought of being caught and I silently prayed that this man…this stranger was kind enough to let me go.

　　“Then turn around.” His authoritative command spoke volumes of the situation before us and if I made a slight mistake, it would be the end of me…and Aslan.

　　My feet slowly turned their heels, my head still lowered because I was avoiding his gaze. Intuition told me not to infuriate him so my head lifted to reveal my face.

　　My voice let out a small gasp as my body slightly trembled.

　　Dark, kempt hair with a skin resembled like a sunlit bronze, radiant and rich in its hue. But apart from his unique beauty, what caught my attention was his eyes.

　　He had striking amethyst eyes.

　　However, a thought slowly sank through my mind one information I had learned from my reading.

　　Only descendants of the High Alpha were born with that unique eye color.

　　T-This must be the Alpha King.

　　My throat hitched in my throat as my feet impulsively backed away. Alarming bells ringing on my head as if screaming right to my ears to run, run as far as I could.

　　“So, are we going to stand here all night long or are you going to explain who sent you to assassinate me?” He said with his arms crossed.

　　“A-assassinate you?” My voice croaked. “No, I’m j-just lost…that’s all. I d-didn’t know—”

　　“Don’t you know how to properly greet me in my presence? For an assassin, you lacked tact.”

　　“I’M NOT AN ASSASSIN!”

　　My eyes widened at my sudden outburst as I immediately clasped my mouth with my hands. If there was one thing I never and I mean NEVER do and that was to raise my voice to the Alpha King.

　　I lowered my head immediately, hiding my fear and shame. The lessons I had been studying for the past few days were forgotten when I finally faced the Alpha King who was clearly suspicious of me.

　　“I a-apologize for r-raising my voice, Y-Your M-Majesty…I—”

　　My head raised with the intention of showing my sincerity, however just as I did so, he was already towering over me. His hand slowly extended toward me, fingers outstretched like the talons of a predatory beast.

　　Like he intended to reach out to wrap his hand around my throat and kill me right here, right now.