Hidden Beast

8. The Captian

Jasper

Breakfast that day was loud, the clinking of glass and scraping of cutlery to plattera barely heard over the talking going on between the ones at the table.

The king weren't there but the queen and the prince was seated at the tables end talking politely to the ones at the table.

No one seemed to notice the tension between me, the prince and the three girls that sat beside each other. We were all staring at each other, mostly looking offensive but no one made a move to do anything.

As soon as I had eaten up and was exused I left the room, the soldiers followed my planless walking. Caught up in thoughts I wandered on down corridors and up stairs and so on.

Unfocused on my surroundings as I turned a corner I bumped into someone who staggered back a few steps as the person had been in a hurry and had run straight into me.

"Oh sorry" I said as I was brought back to reality, looking up I stared into the dark brown eyes belonging to Captain Lowell of the Royal Guard.

Her expression showed shock as she stared at me some seconds before she smiled warmly making my heartbeat speed up, strange.

"Don't worry. What are you doing up here anyway, it's not really anything to see up here, only bedrooms" she said making me take a look at my surroundings. I didn't even remember walking here.

I scratched the back of my neck "Ah, just got lost in thoughts" I said, hoping she wouldn't think something was wrong with me. Wait...why do I care about what she thinks of me?

It's not like her judgement of me is important to me, so why do I care about what she thinks of me then?

She nodded "So what are you going to do today? Exploring the castle?" she asmed walking around me and down the corridor m, not waiting for an answer.

The guards that followed me parted for her with respectful looks and she nodded back to them.

Thinking some seconds I hurried after her "I don't know, what is worth to explore." I said as I walked to her side, going the same fast pace she did.

She turned a corner and I followed her to the unknown corridor, my guards following behind.

"What you want me like a guide or something? You want a tour around the castle? Want me to show you the tourist attractions" she asked me, her tone amused.

She couldn't see me as I rolled my eyes but she certainly could hear my irritated huff as she joked about me.

Before I could shot back anything she began talking again. "Well sure, why not? I can give you a tour but not now, I'm busy." she said as she stopped in the end of the corridor and and pulled some doors open.

Without waiting for my answer she stepped in trough the doors and slammed them shut behind her leaving me behind, confused.

Wonder whose room that was, hers? Some other person she was visiting that she needed to talk to?

"This is an excellent time to bond with people and make friends, I want you to make them like you" my father said at the table.

We were currently sitting at his table in his rooms, they were similar to mine. I guess almost every time looked alike.

After my encounter with Ruby father had found me walking mindlessly around the place, he had said he wanted to meet me for dinner.

I really didn't want to meet him knowing that he would be trying to make me get friends amongst the influencial people at the ball tomorrow.

I seriously thought about not showing up for dinner in his rooms but I decided against it as I knew what would come after that.

Now he was trying to put it into my head I would only talk to the important people and make them trust me, I knew that would only lead to him trying to force me into a marriage with an daughter to a high nobleman.

That's mostly why I thought against it, if I made friends to a girl he considered propriate to me he would try to marry me off to her and I wanted to mate for my mate.

My plate was cleared and now we were only talking, he wouldn't let me go until I agreed to do as he said so I decided to lie to him.

"Of course dad, it's a good idea. If we get the powerful to trust us we would be exactly as powerful. You're right when you said the ball is a perfect time to do this" I said, the words feeling forced.

He blinked rapidly at me, not expecting me to agree with him but rather talk back to him and refuse to do as he said.

He looked suspiciously at me and I did my best to look innocent so he wouldn't suspect anything was off. He didn't seem to find anything that Gabe me away making me holler in my head but I kept my outsides unloving and unemotional.

After some time he smiled "That's good to hear my son, I know you will do great tomorrow" he said as he looked down to his food and began eating it. He didn't say more and it was obvious he thought he was done with me now.

I tried to hold the victorious smile off my face as I slowly rose from the table "I think I will be retreating to my rooms for the rest of the day, see you tomorrow" I said.

He made a dismissive noise and continued eating without another though about me thinking this was out of the world, his mission completed.

I took that as a cue to leave before he changed his mind and turned on my heels.

The doors closed behind me as I left fathers rooms and walked over to the doors of my room, the guards changed positions and posted themselves against the walls outside my room as I entered it.

Kaden and Sheila rushed to me as always, wagging their tails and barking happily as they licked my face when I sat down on the floor.

They always did this everytime I emerged as they were all alone most of the day, I didn't like leaving them but I didn't have much choice.

Then my eyes caught something unusual and I looked up to see a neatly folded white paper at the table.

Rising to my feets I curiously looked at the note, who could have left that? It was no accident it ended up there, someone placed it there and it was obviously meant for me.

I unfolded the piece of paper and read the single handwritten line in beautiful handwriting.

The garden, tomorrow after breakfast.

R

The text said, it wasn't much words but the meaning was enough to make my stomach tingle.