Queen Time Twist

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 "When tomorrow comes... my dream will come true, Alex." Her sobbing was muffled by the traditional ball gown she was wearing. The details of her dress blurring into another, mixing it into a big glob of red and gold.

"Why are you crying, Elise? It's your happily ever after." His voice broke at the end. Alex didn't look happy either. If anything, he seemed to be as miserable as she was.

"That's the problem, I was wrong."

Scraps of the past were sometimes what kept her through the day.

Weeks of her slow recovery consisted of a steady rhythm of visiting the library, the kitchen, and the small workshop she found behind the Gardens.

Fast healing was a bitch. She was sure the tips of the whip were dipped with wolfsbane which would have explained the continuous infections on her back. Her enhanced immune system would forcefully try to stitch her skin over the infections which only made it worse. Sleeping with her back bare was only the tip of the iceberg.

Ever since the argument with the Prince, she gave a wide berth to her roommate while he remained frustratingly stubborn by going through the silent treatment. His lack of engagement for anything she initiated discouraged her attempts to apologize, only resulting in awkward nights on the same bed.

She gave it a break after a few days.

Many advisors flitted to and fro in the large library today which kept her from concentrating on the cloud chamber research she had on the agenda. Instead, she talked with Azalea who plopped herself down on a stool next to hers when seeing her bored expression.

The topic steered to the night of her punishment. She found herself curious about what happened after she lost consciousness.

Paranoid that one of the Warriors would hear them, Azalea scooted closer as she continued to say in an undertone.

"You should have seen his face, Lady Eli. He was absolutely livid. You would never imagine such emotion from the Prince!" Azalea gushed. She guiltily thought back to before she drowned. And after she drowned. She felt grim as she recalled almost every one of her moments with the Prince.

"His aura was unmatched and incompatible. He ignored the Queen Mother herself when she tried to stop him from taking you. It was the first time I heard him Alpha-order anyone."

Her brows furrowed as she straightened alarmingly, "To the Queen Mother?"

"No. To Alpha Alexander." Azalea rushed, "He ordered the Alpha to prosecute the Warrior who lashed you."

"Why- why would he do that? The Warrior was under the Queen Mother's orders." Panic rose for the unfair retribution the Warrior might have gotten. "He was carrying orders."

"It wasn't for the lashing itself, it was the procedure milady. It's the law that the back should be bare for healthy and moral rehabilitation. But the Warrior went on before the Queen Mother could give the signal."

No wonder her back was still itchy as hell.

"I've never thought the Prince could be anything but calm and collected." Azalea smirked mischievously while nudging her arm, "The Prince's emotions are everywhere since you married him."

She laughed nervously.

The afternoon sun was slowly tipping when the talk between them ceased.

Azalea was helping her clear the table, filing all the papers and texts she worked with. They were almost done when the already dim light was blocked by a visitor.