Zuri cut her meat with exaggeration and when she tilted her head to look at Rose, her gaze sent shiver down the princess’s spine. Gayle, who watched this from the sideline felt his heart almost jumped out of his chest. The alpha should have secured the knife in Zuri’s hand before she gave in to her impulse and hurl it to the princess’s face, because from the look of it, that was what she wanted to do.
“Thank you, princess. I should give the same advice to you,” Zuri smiled, but there was nothing good from it, while Khaos leaned back to his chair and watched everything unfolded. “It’s alright to be more active, because while I am younger than you, I managed to secure almost two unions.”
Storm clouded Rose’s eyes when she heard that. It was a sore spot for her and Zuri hit where it hurt the most.
Meanwhile, Dacre mimicked Khaos’s gesture, he was impressed by how bold Zuri was. He didn’t pay close attention to her before when she was still with Xaden, but this woman looked interesting.
Rose was not his mate, thus the king didn’t feel the need to step in in this petty banter.
“Thank you for your advice, luna Zuri. I really appreciate it.” Rose was quick to compose herself and she looked as graceful as ever. “It’s hard for a woman with royal blood like me to find someone that could match my status.”
Rose glanced at Khaos and Zuri was close to throw the knife in her hand to her eyes if it was not for Khaos, who finally took away the dangerous weapon.
“Royal family should keep their blood pure. It’s a pity that alpha Khaos has been promised to someone else.”
Zuri frowned at Khaos for taking her knife away.
Khaos tilted his head, staring at her innocently when Zuri gave him a look for taking away the knife in her hand. The voices in her head kept screaming at her, but she was still able to hear what Rose said.
“It must feel like a punishment for being mated to someone, who was not on the same status as you. But, no offense, luna Zuri. You must have another redeeming quality in you.”
Rose’s compliment was a backhanded one. It was a reminder that Khaos’s union with Zuri was an insult that the king gave to the alpha. Zuri was a widow of a traitor, after all. Someone, who could only stain the royal blood.
“It’s a pity, both of you look good together. You chose the wrong brother, luna Zuri.” Rose smiled sweetly at her.
When men would fight openly with strong force, here women had their own battle of dignity.
However, Zuri’s reaction was not what Rose expected. The luna pressed her face against Khaos’s arm. She didn’t even bother with Rose’s jab.
“Indeed, it’s a pity.” Zuri nuzzled her cheek against Khaos’s arm. “So, pitiful,” she sighed with feeling when Khaos caressed her head to calm her down, knowing she was thirsty for Rose’s blood.
However, this gesture caught Dacre’s attention. He didn’t why, but he felt there was something about Zuri that he couldn’t put his finger on. This woman was rather interesting.
At first, he learned that Zuri was the one, who had brought glory to River Creek pack. She was undoubtedly smart, but something was off about her.
“It’s a beautiful morning.” Dacre clapped his hands, indicating for Rose and Zuri to stop with their subtle jabs. “Let’s talk about something more important here.”
And with that, Dacre engaged Khaos in a serious discussion about the food supply for people.
Yes, Khaos had put the responsibility on him as the king in front of so many people yesterday, but it didn’t mean Dacre wouldn’t get him involved to solve this problem. He still acted as if Khaos was his advisor and the tension between them had never been there.
Meanwhile, after Zuri finished her food, she stood up and walked away from the conversation. She felt sick. The dining hall full of people and this made her ill.
And once Zuri was outside and the cold wind caressed her cheek, she felt slightly better. She found a quiet corner and started to poke her throat with her fingers, as she forced out the food that she had eaten earlier.
She vomited to the snow covered ground and kept doing that until her eyes were burned with tears and her stomach was empty. Khaos had given her too much to eat. She couldn’t help but to think that she would get fat.
Her subconscious always told her not to gain weight and her mother’s word was always on the back of her mind. Sometime, she could control it, but sometime, it controlled her.
“What are you doing?”
Zuri’s eyes widened, she was too focus on herself to notice Rose’s presence, apparently, she went out of the dining hall when she saw Zuri left. She followed her and watched everything.
Zuri straightened her back, her expression became even colder than the white world around them, she wiped her tears and then turned around to face the princess.
“What are you doing?” Zuri threw the same question right to Rose’s face.
“Are you sick? Why are you vomiting like that?” Rose made a disgusted look when she glanced at the mess that Zuri made. She wanted to vomit herself.
“Mind your own business, princess. Be careful to get shit on you if you were too noisy.” Zuri glared at Rose, but right now, it was not only the princess that she saw, but her mother too.
Karina kept telling her of what to do to a woman like Rose, who wanted to take her man away from her.
“Oh, shut up. It’s not like you could prevent your mate from cheating on you,” Zuri growled at her mother, but for Rose, she was talking about something that didn’t make sense.
“Pardon me?” Rose looked confused.
“I am not talking to you! You also shut up! All of you are too noisy!”
Rose looked around her, she was sure there were only the two of them here. “Who are you talking to?” She looked even more concern right now. This woman was unhinged.
Knowing she slipped, Zuri walked away from her, ignoring Rose’s attempt to talk to her.
However, when she mentioned Khaos, Zuri stopped walking and turned around to face her again. This princess didn’t know what kind of danger that she was in.
“Don’t make the same mistake again, luna Zuri, you need to let go of the alpha.”
Zuri scrunched her nose, she must have missed the prologue of her monologue. “I don’t make the same mistake, I make it five or six times, just to be sure I am wrong.”
Her claws elongated, she was so tempting to claw Rose’s face. No one here. If you didn’t count her mother, who was staring at her with disapproving look, no one could tell what she was going to do next.
However, before blood could spill, it was Rhett, who found her first and approached them. He saw the look on Zuri’s face and her claws that emerged from the tip of her fingers.
“The king is looking for you, princess,” Rhett said, knowing this was enough to make princess Rose to leave right away. He was not blind, he could see how she was interested to the king and the alpha. It would be a win for her if she could get either of them. Her comment earlier about the royal blood was the proof.
But, before Rose left, she gave one more advice to Zuri. “Ask yourself if you are worthy of him.”
However, Zuri started to laugh maniacally when she heard that, which startled the princess.
“Do you want to know my worth for Khaos?” Zuri asked between her laughter, at the very least, Rose’s comment was too hilarious for her to quench her murderous intention. “You can’t even hold a candle to me, princess. Stay away from him, you only make yourself miserable with your lame attempt.”
Zuri continued laughing so hard, she teared up. She didn’t know why, but her question was very hilarious for her. It hurt her cheeks to laugh like this.
“It has been a while, since I have a good laugh!”
Rhett immediately stepped in and reminded Rose that the king was waiting for her.
“What happened to your sister? She is sick.” Rose’s face had turned red because of anger and humiliation. The way Zuri laughed at her made her feel like she had said something dumb, as if Zuri was questioning her intelligent.
“I will take her to a healer.” Rhett wanted Rose to leave immediately before she saw more this side of Zuri. They shouldn’t have let her be in the public after the ritual, though she looked normal most of the time, but still, they needed to take precaution.
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