Chapter 30 – The War God Alphas Arranged Bride

This time, I felt a bubbling rush of laughter rush to the surface. My God. Why hadn’t I gone to Wendy? I knew I’d felt embarrassed about it all, but if anyone was capable of teaching me, it would have been her.

“You’re right. I should have. Instead, I locked myself in the library for hours on end to the point where I was utterly exhausted,” I confessed with a breathless laugh.

Wendy shook her head, utterly baffled. “Didn’t you allow yourself any breaks at all?

Alexander must have been worried.”

I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know what he was feeling, to be honest. Even though we shared that one intimate moment about our pasts, he and I haven’t been close recently. He’s been so busy with his plans lately that he isn’t even aware that I haven’t been in bed like I usually would be.”

She gave me a questionable look.

“What do you mean?”

“In the midst of me trying to gain anything valuable from my research, I kept falling asleep in the library. But…The strangest thing is that whenever I’d wake up, I always found myself back in bed. Nina claimed that I must have been sleepwalking, but I’ve never slept-walk in my life. Not even as a child.”

An interesting glimmer flashed over Wendy’s eyes. Again, it made me feel as though she knew something I didn’t.

“Really? How curious…” she said airly. “No matter, when this is all over, you and I are going to sit down and start these etiquette lessons.”

I nodded my head and smiled. “Alright. Thank you.”

The time arrived in which Wendy and I had made it inside the event and, as if on cue, most of the room had turned their heads to glance in our direction. Many people gasped while others were muttering under their breath to those nearby.

If they weren’t gawking at me then they were staring at Wendy. The woman beside me was handling the attention like an absolute star. The edge of her lips held a smirk that dared anyone to let out one snide remark.

Now that I thought about it, there was a very likely chance that this Luna gathering was the first event Wendy had openly attended in a very long time. Based on the surprised looks of some of the other older women in attendance, they were all shocked to see her there.

Myself, on the other hand…I was continuously being accosted by ongoing murmurs about my attire. It was as though no one could believe it was really me who was wearing this dress.

Gradually, Wendy and I made our way deeper into the room while keeping our stature tall and proud. I’d never walked with confidence before.

Suddenly, an older woman approached us with an astonished look on her face. “Oh my God, Wendy!”

“Hello, Lilian. It’s so nice to see you again, I trust the family is well.”

“Oh, yes. My son and wife have just welcomed their second child just a few months ago,” she exclaimed. “Come, you must catch up with the rest of the ladies over here, it’s been too long since we’ve last spoken.”

My heart lurched in my chest at the thought of her leaving my side. What the hell was I going to do if she left my side?

Wendy, having sensed my uneasiness, turned to give me a reassuring glance. “I’ll be over here. Don’t worry. Remember to just relax.”

Easy for her to say, the woman already has a long list of devoted friends!

Who did I have? As sad as it sounded…No one. I suppose that was the price I had to pay for spending the majority of my time with staff in my house rather than trying to make friends my own age from other families.

I let out a long breath and headed off toward the refreshment table for something to help my dry throat. Picking up a glass of tea, I was instantly faced with a few girls I didn’t recognize. Their eyes were devouring my appearance from the jewels that were hanging off of me to the dress that flowed to the floor.

“Your dress is absolutely stunning,” one of them said.

“You must tell us where you got it from.”

“And your necklace, is that a real emerald?”

My stomach clenched. “Um, my designer made it for me,” I said weakly.

All their faces lit up with shock. “You have your own designer?”

“Oh, well, I probably shouldn’t have said that she’s my designer. She works with my husband and I whenever an occasion like this

comes up. And, yes. To answer your other questions, the emeralds are real.”

Their jaws collectively hit the floor. I took a tentative sip from my glass and braced myself.

Well, who knows, maybe this won’t be such a catastrophe after all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of two very familiar-looking faces and immediately felt the blood drain from my face.

What the hell are they doing here?

[Evelyn’s POV]

For a brief moment, I seriously thought I may have been hallucinating…Or, at least, I was hoping I was.

Alexander had power – that much was obvious. But, unfortunately, that power did not extend past the royal family. This was after all a Luna gathering that was being held by the princess herself. It generally meant that all families were allowed and accepted to attend, regardless of any misdemeanors they may have acquired prior to.

Isabella and Samantha were present merely by luck. If anyone else had been hosting the event, they would have had a less easy time being able to attend. This alone made my stomach churn. No doubt they were going to take every opportunity to make my time here a living hell.

From where I was standing, I had a clear view of Samantha and Isabella, who both gaped at me with equal looks of astonishment and pure shock. Was it my own presence at the event? Or was it due to the dress I was

currently wearing?

As much as the very idea made my insides coil and twist in displeasure, I knew I needed to approach them – if not to say hello then to simply ask them why they were there.

I kindly excused myself from the small crowd of women that surrounded me, wishing to know more about my dress and calmly made my way over to my Stepmother and Stepsister.

Wendy’s words of encouragement echoed through my head on replay. “Don’t worry. Remember to just relax.”

If anyone should be worried or concerned about the current situation, it should have been them. By, truly, by the pale looks on their faces, I knew I was right.

Isabella, always one to save face, forced a tight smile and gave me a curt nod of acknowledgment. My eyes easily drifted to the slight bump of her stomach, reminding me of the ‘new heir’ she and my father were planning to raise in place of my brother.

I pushed down the bitter anger that coursed

through my blood and cracked a smile in return.

Isabella’s tone was condescending and on the line of venomous. “My, my…I must say, Evelyn, we’re surprised to see you in such a pretty dress. We all know you’re not a fan of these types of gatherings,” she remarked.

I fought the urge to narrow my eyes at her as my gaze proceeded to flicker between her and Samantha.

“The credit goes solely to my stylist,” I said coolly. “I suppose it’s nice to see you here, considering the circumstances from when we last saw each other.”

Again, I watched Samantha and her mother go stiff. The two shifted back almost a foot as though I had threatened to throw my drink at them. Something shimmery caught my attention and my eyes dropped toward Samantha’s hand.

A ring…More specifically, a wedding ring.

So, she and Liam had actually tied the knot.

Nothing about this realization should have

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