The Crown Thief and Her Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 14 - THE BEDCHAMBER

Amelia Cooper’s Point of View

Leaving the castle felt like defeat for Amelia but what else was there to do?

The king was not coming back because the wedding with the Ivory Kingdom was off, and she had made such a fool of herself that she was going to lose her place as a maid. 

She could not hope to steal the Golden Crown of Skavon anymore.

Why should she stay any longer? There was nothing left for her at the castle. 

Leaving would also allow her to escape from the increasingly confusing attraction she felt towards the prince. She still remembered as clear as if he was with her the tone of voice he used when he was giving orders, the way his golden eyes shone, the tension in his muscled body. She still shivered thinking of the way his hand had caressed her skin, back in the gardens…

To think that had all been a game for him, to see how flustered he could leave her, was insulting. He had been so clear he did not want her - and of course he did not. 

Leaving the castle would have the added benefit of helping Amelia forget about the stupid prince.

She should not leave empty-handed. She could still make use of her little time at the castle. Amelia might have been down, but she stayed pragmatic. She needed to leave with a prize.

If she wanted any chance of escaping alive during the night, she had to travel light. Guards were sure to be guarding the drawbridge. What she took with her had to be small enough to be hidden in her dress.

If Amelia looked empty-handed, they might just let her leave without too many questions. Amelia was a pretty great actress. She could cry on command. She would play the role of the distraught maid who felt bad about the princess dress incident. It would be believable that she would want to quit. The guards might let her go without asking too many questions, just glad to get rid of an inadequate human servant.

What should she steal? She did not know where the kingdom’s treasure was hidden to steal precious jewels from it. Some trinkets and decorations on display were small enough to hide and easy enough to take. However, even the most precious amongst them would only be worth enough gold to last a few months, a year at most. Amelia had bigger wants than that. She did not do all that work to end up back in the street next summer. 

No, only a few things in the castle were both small enough to hide and precious enough to allow her to live a comfortable life for quite some time.

The crowns. 

William, Eleanor, Edmund and Marjorie had all crowns that, while not as precious as the Golden Crown of Skavon, were worth impressive sums of money. They were all ornate with enormous precious stones that were amongst the biggest in the world. Just the price Amelia would get by selling one crown would be well enough to finish her days living comfortably.

Amelia would not steal Eleanor’s crown. First, she knew nothing about how well guarded the Ivory Princess’ room would be (since both the Onyx kingdom AND her Ivory’s entourage were concerned by her well-being). Second, and perhaps most importantly, the disappearance of Eleanor’s crown would be perceived as an important affront. The end of the alliance was one thing - an outright declaration of war would be worse. The crown vanishing in the middle of the night might just be the straw that would break the camel’s back.

It was clear: Eleanor’s crown was out of the question. William’s was too. As the crown prince and elder son, his room would be guarded by two shifters, especially now that the warriors of the clan were on edge after the attack. Marjorie and Edmund rooms were usually only watched by one guard each (since they were of a lower rank than William), which would be a little easier to break in.

Marjorie’s would be probably the easiest to steal. Amelia knew the princess’ room well by now since she worked there. She knew where the princess left her crown while she was sleeping. 

However, she also knew that the princess tended to work very long hours on her projects to reform and help the kingdom. There was a good chance Marjorie was too stressed out to sleep and was up reading and writing. As nice as the princess was, Amelia doubted she would just let her walk out with a princess crown. 

It left only one choice: Edmund’s crown. While she had never been in his bedroom, Amelia knew where the room was. Plus, Edmund had said he did not care about his crown, had gamely offered that she could run off with it. Maybe the offer still held.

Amelia could always try.

Her decision made, Amelia snuck out of the servants dormitory. She made her way up the stairs, in the hallway. Despite the darkness in the castle, she easily found her way to the prince’s door. It was not guarded at all, which was odd. She had heard that one guard was to always be posted at Edmund’s door at night. She had thought she would have to wait until they did their round, snucking in quickly. 

Things would be easier than she thought.

Her heart was beating fast. As quietly as she could, using her years of practice as a thief, she turned the door handle and pushed it. The door was not locked - odd again. It was so easy that Amelia suspected it might be a trick. She held her breath, weighing her options, when she heard a metal noise around the corner.

Someone might be coming.

Without thinking, Amelia entered the prince’s room, closing the door behind her. In the hallway on the other side of the door, footsteps came closer, than further again. No one had noticed her. She sighed in relief.

A soft, masculine sigh from the other side of the bedroom, barely audible, seemed to answer her own. Amelia could only see the silhouette of the bed in the darkness and could not distinguish if the prince was sleeping or not.

Was Edmund dreaming? Or was he awake and aware of her presence?

Amelia froze. Her heart was beating so loudly that she was sure it would wake up the prince - if he was not awake already. She looked hurriedly around the room, trying to find the crown before it was too late, before he saw or heard her.

She was in luck. The crown was on a cushion on a drawer, a few inches from her. She would not have to cross the room - she could take her prize and be out in seconds.  She leaned, grabbed the crown and put her hand on the door handle, ready to leave.

Before she could turn the handle, a moan broke the silence of the room.

Was Edmund injured and in pain? Had one of the intruders hurt him too?

Another heavy sigh grabbed her attention, and Amelia tried to peer in the dark corner where the bed was.

The silky curtains were not properly closed on the window. A dark cloud moved away from the moon, and a ray of moonlight illuminated the bed dimly, allowing her to see. 

Prince Edmund was alone in his bed, laying on his back. His eyes were shut closed, his brow furrowed. His chest was naked, and damp with sweat. A tempting trail of dark hair started from his navel and disappeared down in the covers, as the prince was covered from waist down by a blanket. The blanket was moving rapidly, almost as if his hand…

“Yes, baby, don’t stop,” the prince gritted between clenched teeth.

Oh.

Prince Edmund was not in pain then. He had not noticed her either.

The prince was pleasuring himself.

He was very distracted indeed. 

Amelia felt her color rise. She should grab the crown and leave now. It would be the perfect moment to slip unnoticed - not to mention that it felt wrong to witness this private moment. This was not meant for her eyes. 

She knew what she had to do, but she could not move. It was as if she was glued to the floor, stuck in place, mesmerized by the sight before her. This was the most intimate she had ever seen a man be - and this was not any man. It was Edmund, the man that had haunted her dreams (and her every waking moment if she was honest with herself).

Another long, dirty moan echoed around the room again.

“This feels so good.”

His rhythm had slowed to long movements downwards followed by sharp push upwards. Amelia’s view of his lower body was completely obscured by the blankets. However, she could still imagine his movements from the ripples on the sheet. Edmund was stroking himself in long, languorous strokes, his back arching off the bed with every deep, powerful movement.

Amelia thought she had desired Edmund before, but it was nothing compared to now. If her legs were not as weak as wet noodles at the moment, she would do something reckless, like offering him to use her hand or her mouth to help him reach completion. Heat was pulsing between her legs. She was desperate for release too but unable to do anything except watch the scene unfolding before her eyes.

“Your scent…” Edmund grunted as he jerked up in another powerful stroke. “It drives me wild. So full of desire… It’s like you’re here with me.”

Who was he thinking about? Was he imagining himself in the arms of that Grace girl? Amelia could not help but be a little jealous. What would it feel like to have the attention of such a man? 

“You are mine,” Edmund growled, so intensely that he sounded almost angry. “Mine!”

He repeated that word, mine, again and again. It was less and less intelligible, as his movements grew increasingly more frantic under the covers. His strokes were faster, almost desperate as, behind his closed eyes, he was probably imagining his partner coming undone. 

“Baby, come for me. I am so close… I -”

The prince threw his head back in abandon, as he moved quicker, his release closer. His hips rose off the bed, tenting the covers. He stilled for a moment, then shuddered as his powerful c****x hit him.

“f**k, Amelia!”