The King's Rejected Lady

The Point Of No Return

CROWN PRINCE Allistair's eerie cerulean eyes crashed into the glistening red eyes of Tori right after she turned to the corner of the King's palace, where her feet led her. Tori's falling body was immediately grasped by the crown prince. "Lady Tori? What are you doing here? I thought you are with that arrogant prince?"

"Hey, what's wrong? Damn! Did that bastard do something?"

His firm hands cupped her cheeks. Prince Allistair's cool eyes like the calm sea darkened when he saw her tear-stricken eyes. "How dare he!" He tried to leave her for a goddess –knows-where, maybe to commit treason against a fellow royal, but Tori immediately stopped his arm before he could leave her.

"Don't. I need to talk with Yei Lin. Take me to him, Alice." Tori disregarded all etiquettes since the man before her did not give a two-fucks about it after seeing her state. But her state was the last thing for Tori. She wanted to confirm something.

Her desperate plea shook the proud crown prince of the Kingdom of Monakre. He nodded his head as he clasped Tori's right hand. "Let's go." Their strides were fast as they took every turn of the King's palace. And when they arrived at the guest room that was for any foreign royalties, Crown Prince Allistair opened the door without knocking which astounded Tori. "Shouldn't we knock first?"

"Screw knocking. Yei Lin is just reading or writing."

Crown Prince Allistair was right. The crown prince of Ming Country was just reading at his study table. His eyebrows knotted when they did not even knock. But when his eyes glanced at their connected hands, a frown formed on his thin lips which made Tori pry her hands from the prince of Monakre Kingdom.

"What's with all the fuss?" Crown Prince Yei Lin set his book down and closed it. He also set his eyeglass down before standing up to welcome them.

"I saw her crying. That fucker needed some serious lesson, let's go, Yei Lin!"

Tori rolled her eyes at how Crown Prince Allistair acted like a common criminal from the capital's back alley than a graceful prince charming. "I did not cry. You were just imagining it, Alice."

Gone was the caste system. In this room, where no one else was looking, the two future kings of the Monakre Kingdom and Ming Country bowed to one person, Lady Victoria Rozenreff.

Tori looked dead straight at Crown Prince Yei Lin. "You failed. I saw Tessa on his bed."

"We were ambushed. Someone leaked the information. Prince Corean's knights attacked the envoy. My greatest apologies, Lady Tori."

I knew it. That silhouette belongs to Tessa.

"But I got some good news for you. I was able to build a connection to the Arin Tribe's chieftain."

AT THAT very same night, Tori went out of the Rozenreff estate under the disguised of her infamous coat. Her hood covered her determined red eyes as she trotted away from the home that she would be leaving for a while.

Under the shade of a pine tree a few meters away from the Rozenreff estate's main gate, Tori turned to look back once again. She felt it in her heart that it would be a little while before she could taste chef Elmond's éclair or head maid Teresa's hot chocolate.

Tori pulled her hood more to cover her face and continued walking away. Seconds later, footsteps followed her which she did not mind at all. The figure in her right spoke, "The carriage is this way, Lady Tori."

The young duke's warm hands guided Tori towards the darkest part of the street where the rented carriage awaited. "You did not wear your gloves, I see." Though his voice was distant, the concern behind those words could not be denied.