Shortly after, two guards appeared and jumped into the water, pulling her out to safety.
Adela’s clothes were dripping with filthy pond water, her hair plastered against her head and cheeks. She kept coughing as if she had really almost drowned.
I cocked my head to the side and waited to see what she would do next.
I wondered if she would indeed cry, just as she had said. Or perhaps, would she scream and throw a tantrum?
“She’ll probably do both,” Yana answered in my head, her voice filled with anticipation. “Just cover your ears to be safe.”
Sure enough, Adela pursed her lips and promptly burst into tears. “Why did you push me?” she sobbed and shot me a look of grievance. “I only wanted to befriend you.”
Adela was loud enough that she quickly garnered an audience. Guards and nobles alike crowded around us, and even Rufus’ private guards emerged from their hiding.
Crystal’s POV
After watching Adela’s poor acting, I asked sarcastically, “Are you implying that I pushed you into the water? Why in the world would I do that?”
“Because you know that I can’t swim! You want to kill me, don’t you?” Adela forced a shiver as her clothes clung to her body. I had to admit, she was quite attractive by most standards. It was too bad that she just had to make herself look like a fool.
What an absolute idiot.
“Why would I, an Alpha, sully my hands by trying to kill a noble lady in broad daylight? I would have to be out of my mind to do that, and you must be crazy for suggesting such a thing.” I openly scoffed at Adela, lamenting the time I had wasted so far on arguing with this stubborn blockhead.
Adela let loose another stream of tears. “Admit it, you’re jealous of me because I’m the lycan king’s mate!” She then whirled around at the guards. “What are you waiting for? Apprehend this she- wolf and report to the king that she tried to murder the future queen!”
The guards shuffled their feet and cast nervous glances at me. “That might not be a good idea,” one of them spoke up. “She is the Alpha of the border pack. We dare not offend her.”
Adela choked on a sob. Clearly, it wasn’t the response she was hoping for. Her face turned a brighter shade of red, and more tears spilled from her eyes. “So, what if she is an Alpha? I am the future lycan queen, the one who saved your king! Are you sure you don’t want to heed my order?”
Even the servants looked torn at this point. “Miss Castillo, we have the utmost respect for you, however…”
“Enough, just go and fetch the king,” I interrupted with a sigh. I didn’t have the patience or the energy to drag this fiasco any longer. Rufus might as well join the circus.
Still, the servant who had just spoken hesitated. “Alpha Crystal, are you certain you want us to call the king over? I don’t think we have to bother the king with such a trifle.”
“It is not a trifle!” Adela shrieked. “It is only right to inform the king that his future queen was bullied!” She ended her outburst by lowering her head and sobbing into her hands.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. “Did you hear that? Go on now; fetch the king. I have a feeling he will be very interested to know how his future queen, who claims that she doesn’t know how to swim, was able to save him from the depths of the lake.”
Adela’s head jerked up at this, her expression changing drastically. “Crystal, do you really hate me that much?” she asked in outraged disbelief. “Do you intend to discredit me in everything I say or do?” I snorted and bit my lip to stifle another chuckle. I looked her up and down and said, “I don’t hate you, Adela. But that doesn’t mean that I will just stand by and watch you do whatever you want. I don’t want our king to have a liar for a queen. You won’t succeed with your schemes as long as I’m around.” As soon as she heard this, Adela’s face twisted into a vicious expression. Her upper lip curled up to meet her flared nostrils, and her eyes flashed wildly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You must have some misunderstandings about me. If you like, I’d be more than happy to clarify them with you in private.”
I raised an eyebrow, and shot her a knowing smile. Alas, there wasn’t much excitement to be had in one’s victory if one’s opponent was a complete and utter moron. “That won’t be necessary. The only thing you need to clarify is how you managed to rescue the unconscious king from the lake when you supposedly cannot swim.”
The crowd buzzed around us. They knew that I had an excellent point. They began to look at Adela with suspicion as they murmured to themselves.
Crystal’s POV
Adela panicked and immediately backtracked, only, she sounded even more ridiculous than before. “I- You misunderstood what I said. Yes, I can swim, but you pushed me so suddenly that I wasn’t able to get my bearings. And-and my legs cramped as well!”
“Ah, so you’re changing your story now? Are you sure this will be the final version?” I gave her a mocking smirk. It was genuine, too. I really was amused by her blatant display of stupidity.
“I don’t know what you mean. All I know is that you tried to kill me!” Adela’s eyes glinted with malice. Gone was the gentle innocence she had shown Rufus and Laura.
I sauntered over to her and crouched to meet her eye level. “The news that you saved the king from the water is widespread in the palace. You say that I tried to kill you by pushing you into the water? Do you think I’m dumb like you?”
Adela flushed at my words. “It’s not that strange! People could have died from being pushed into the water without prior precautions!”
“No, but what is strange is that you don’t seem to know much about the imperial palace, despite your incessant claims of being the future queen. In order to prevent unfortunate accidents like drowning, the ponds and pools in the imperial palace were purposely designed to be shallow. And average adult can stand in the water, and the surface would only reach their chest. If I was really trying to drown you, why would I choose a communal area with shallow waters instead of some remote lake or, better yet, the open sea? If I were that foolish, I would have been ousted as the Alpha of the border a long time ago.” I stood up and snapped a branch off the nearest tree. Then, I swiped at Adela, grazing her cheek with the rough edge of the wood.
Our little audience cried out in unison.
Adela dazedly stared at the branch on the ground. She reached up and touched the scratch on her face, tiny specks of blood smearing her fingers. “You do want to kill me!” she screamed.
I winced and covered my ears. Damn, this bogus she-wolf sounded worse than a pig being dragged to slaughter. I suppose it shouldn’t be surprising for her to fail time and time again when she was this mindless.
“You see?” I challenged her. “If I wanted to kill you, a mere branch would be enough. Why would I bother causing so much just to get rid of you?” I flashed her a taunting smile.
Adela scrambled to her feet and pointed a finger at me. “You all heard that, didn’t you?” she addressed the crowd. “She just admitted that she wanted to kill me! Seize her!”
Unfortunately for her, no one made a move. Even the guards all stood behind me in silence. Their eyes, previously regarding Adela with respect, were now narrowed in undisguised suspicion.
“What do you mean by this, huh?” Adela demanded, refusing to believe that no one was siding with her. She launched herself into another bout of tears.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. “Quit with your act, or you’ll only make a laughingstock out of yourself.”
Instead of heeding my advice, however, Adela cried even harder. She kept calling for Rufus to deliver justice.
“You’re the one who cut my face, yet you’re making it look like I’m the one at fault!” Adela glared at me and cupped her hand over the scratch on her cheek. She sounded like I had just dealt her a fatal wound. I couldn’t hold back my laughter anymore. “Please, if you want Rufus to know about this so badly, then feel free to look for him yourself. But I’m afraid that the scratch on your face will start fading into a scar long before he spares you a glance.”
The paltry little cut looked nothing more than a single stroke of pen on paper. It wasn’t even bleeding anymore.
“You!” Adela bit her lips and balled her hands into fists. She looked like she might lunge at me at any moment.
Well, it would be her loss if she decided to engage in a fight with me. This second-rate she-wolf was no match for me at all. Also, I couldn’t be bothered to raise a hand against her. It just wasn’t worth it.
Just as the situation was about to reach a crescendo, a she-wolf wearing a hat with purple gauze veil gracefully stepped forward. “What is going on here?” she asked gently.
It was Lucy.
Crystal’s POV
The second I spotted Lucy, I instinctively wanted to turn my face away, but then I remembered that I was wearing a mask, so I pushed my instinct aside. However, I didn’t dare to speak anymore.
Lucy was familiar with my voice. The scandal involving her, Kyle, and Richard back then had caused a sensation. I was worried that she loathed me in her head, so it was wise for me to be vigilant about not being recognized by her.
Adela eyed Lucy like she was her lifeline. As soon as she saw Lucy walk over, she rushed to her, grabbed her hand, and pointed one finger at me. “This damned she-wolf is a murderer. Arrest her!”
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