Mating the Princess(Rated R)

Chapter 24

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*6 months later*

A lot can take place in 6 months. My life was proof of this.

As promised, my parents stayed in the Castle to monitor me and make sure that I never escaped. It was clear to everyone that after a week in the Castle I wasn't going anywhere. There was no real need for my parents to still be in the Castle.

Two months into our marriage , Victor started to make subtle hints for them move out of the Castle, as tradition required them to. But my father was unwilling. He didn't want to let go of power and he found excuses to prolong his stay. Victor's patience wore thin and then demanded that they leave before the agreed 6 month period. My father flat out refused and tried to pick fault with every little thing that Victor did.

I supported my husband against his unfair attacks and it actually bonded Victor and I closer together during that time.

Then, the unexpected happened. A plague broke out across the country and killed off 1/8 of the population. Everywhere was affected, from the rural areas to the capital. My parents advised Victor to do nothing about the issue and eventually the plague would go away. They were wrong, without proper measures and guidance from the Monarchy, the plague kept spreading and our citizens grew more outraged. People started to rebel in major cities and for once, it seemed like there could be a real challenge to the monarchy.

There was a small cynical part of me that wanted to sit back and let the walls cave in, but I couldn't stand to picture people like Madi or Malakiy's family hurt because of the Castle's mismanagement. Moreover, I made a promise to the moon goddess that I would remain Queen and live out my destiny. I needed to help in any way I can. 

First thing I did was uncover my father's plot to regain power. He had been purposefully sabotaging Victor's rule by giving him misleading advice. He had planned to change the Constitution so that he could rule alongside Victor until my future child got married and the power switched to her husband. My father had been collecting evidence that would prove Victor was incompetent, weak, and not fit to rule. He had planned to turn the army against Victor and stage a coup. I intercepted the letters my father had written and showed them to Victor.

My father was put to death for treason. It was almost poetic justice considering Margot, William, and Rebecca had all been charged with the same crime.

Despite how much I loathed my father, I was not happy that he was put to death. I wished he had lived the rest of his life in the dungeons or that he was exiled. I didn't like wishing death on anyone. I also didn't like the fact that Victor didn't consult with me first about the matter. He said it was because he didn't want to put me in the difficult position of deciding whether my father should live or die. I didn't believe that excuse, and I suspected he didn't tell me because he didn't want me to talk him out of it. For the first month following his death, I was wracked with guilt. I felt that my actions had once again lead to another death in my family.

Victor resembled my dad in many ways. Although he was kinder and more understanding, he was obsessed with power all the same. There could not be two Alphas in the Castle, and my father was too threatening for Victor. Still, his betrayal and secrecy after all I did for him, soured our Union. He would never see me as an equal and he resented the fact that my blood made me more powerful and useful than he could ever be. Despite how close we became in those first 2 months when it was us against my father, his actions had permanently wiped away whatever bond we had formed. Afterwards, i became cold towards him.

However, Victor did reverse some of my father's rules, namely, the fact that I could not leave the Castle.He also removed my needing of a bodyguard while we were in Castle walls. He let me have more say when it came to  handling matters of the poor. He also let me hire new staff for the Castle. We put a letter in the newspapers requesting that the Castle would hire new staff. You can only guess who I decided to hire.