The Crown Thief and Her Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 13 - THE DECISION

After Eleanor’s inflammatory statement, the whole dining room fell completely silent. Everyone was thinking the implications over in their head. The Ivory Princess had called the mating off.  The alliance would be over. The Onyx kingdom would be ruined.

“My Princess,” started William, taking his fiancée's hand in his own big ones, “You must take some time to think the situation through. My brother Edmund and my sister might have soft hearts, but I am ready to do whatever it takes to protect our family. Father will too when he comes back for our wedding.”

Eleanor withdrew her hand, disgust written on her face.

“My decision is final, Prince William Harrow. I am not your Princess. We are not mated yet, and we will never be. I am writing to my Father, King Stephen Cordova, tonight. He might not like it, as it was my only chance of becoming Queen. However, it would be better to be married to a duke and become a simple duchess, than to be shackled to a Prince - or even a King - from an impoverished kingdom who does not have the power or the will to protect his castle properly.”

Amelia blanched, and felt faint. She barely managed to keep her balance as the dire consequences of her actions dawned on her. She had been the first to push to save the intruders’ lives - so this whole cascade of events was her fault. 

She thought she had been doing something brave, something to help the rebellion in her own way. Back when she was living away from the castle, as a thief in her small village, Amelia had known a number of rebels who wanted to overthrow the wolf shifters. They were amongst the nicest but most desperate people you could ever find in the crime world. They all had lost a lot due to the cruel taxes and wars of King Leopold Harrow. Many of them had nothing left to lose.

Turns out, by saving the intruders, Amelia had doomed the whole kingdom to the worst fate possible. Without the dowry and the support of the Ivory Kingdom, the Onyx Kingdom was completely ruined. Winter would be coming in only a few short months. The King would raise taxes again in a desperate attempt to keep his lifestyle. People would drop like flies.

Worse even, the Harrows would stay in power forever. King Leopold would not be coming back for the wedding, if there were none. Amelia would never have even the chance of stealing the Golden Crown of Skavon. With the growing poverty, the rebellions would grow too, and Leopold’s paranoia for his own safety with them. No one would ever be able to steal that damned crown - and the king would stay in power forever.

Plus, it was all for nothing. The King would be notified one day or the other of the castle invasion, and would just order the rebels to be put to death. There could be a trial, sure, but Leopold would be the final judge. He was not known for his compassion or pity. There would be no vote this time, the Alpha King orders reigning supreme. 

The alliance with the Kingdom of Ivory would be in shambles, the Golden Crown of Skavon would be out of Amelia's grasp, and the invaders would still end up dead.

What a mess. 

“Princess Eleanor, I feel like I must apologize,” pleaded Marjorie, clearly panicked at the implications too. “I did not mean to make you feel like these rebels threatening you was unimportant. I will get to the bottom of this, and make this castle the safest place for you to live with your family. You have my word.”

“Are you willing to change your vote?” asked Eleanor drily. “Are you willing to say here and now you are in favor of executing the vile men who attacked your castle, who attacked your guests, who attacked me?”

Marjorie bit her lip, then spoke again, trying to sound calm.

“No, I will not let those people be executed without trial. This is not our way. But I will - “

“But nothing, Princess,” cut Eleanor, contempt dripping from her voice. “If you are not willing to take concrete action, there is nothing you can do. I will not take the word of a clutz who cannot even muster the will to pick a decent dress for her future Queen arrival.”

Marjorie looked down at the golden dress Amelia had picked for her. Prior to Eleanor’s arrival, Marjorie and Amelia had spent most of their time discussing the details of Marjorie’s reform plan for the agricultural output of the province of Blue Peak. 

Both girls knew little about court fashion. Marjorie did not care, and rarely appeared publicly as her Father was constantly afraid she would be unable to behave as quietly and properly as a woman of her station should, bringing dishonor to the whole pack. Amelia, having never even been to the palace, knew even less. She had chosen the dress that looked the prettiest to her eyes.

“My… What is wrong with my dress?” asked Marjorie. “I did not mean offense when I…”

“What is wrong with your dress? Where to begin… Everything is. In itself, it is too over-the-top to welcome a future Queen. With that flashy golden color and all those little jewels, you look like you are just begging for attention. Then again, your makeup is done by a shaky hand, and your hairdo is already falling apart. You are trying both too much and too little to be the center of attention, and the result is both comical and jarring.”

Marjorie and Amelia both blushed.

The Princess of Ivory rose, pushing her chair back. It rattled against the wooden floor, the sound almost deafening in the quiet dining room. Edmund’s eyes had narrowed when Eleanor had begun her tirade against Marjorie. 

“Offer apologies to my sister,” he growled.

Edmund had been using his commanding Alpha voice - taking a deep, firm tone that bode no further discussion.

Amelia trembled with desire. What would it feel like to have him bark orders at her in that voice? To have him order her to be his mate?

Not that he would ever want or order such a thing but...

Edmund’s voice was so authoritative that it had made Eleanor raise her shoulders defensively, adopting a submissive posture. For a few glorious seconds, Amelia thought Edmund had managed to fix everything, that his commanding attitude had forced Eleanor to reconsider. She truly understood why he was nicknamed the Prince of Darkness. Edmund could be terrifying when he wanted to.

Terrifying and beautiful. A dangerous combo. 

Unfortunately, the Ivory Princess blinked a few times, then stood straighter and looked directly in Edmund’s eyes, challenging him.

“I am not part of your clan, Prince Edmund. Your little Alpha tricks will not work on me,” Eleanor said, her confidence growing with every word she said. “Why should I apologize to your sister? Stating the truth?”

Edmund was about to argue with her when William stopped him.

“Edmund,” roared William. “Stop being a beast to our guest and future Queen. Your anger is misplaced. The Ivory Princess is right. Change your vote. These brutes have violated our home. I know you want revenge as badly as I do.”

“You really are asking Edmund?” asked Eleanor, disbelieving. “Prince William, your brother has been nothing but vile to me ever since I arrived. I am not sure that him changing his vote would even alter my decision to leave. He said my word was not worth more than a maid’s. He just wants to boss me around.”

“Edmund will change his vote and offer his most sincere apologies,” said William, his statement sounding more like a comment. “He knows that this is what Father would want. He knows this is what is best for the kingdom.”

Edmund’s gaze was anguished now, very different from the stern Alpha male that had told Eleanor off. A few minutes earlier, confidence had been emanating from him, Edmund had been standing for what was right, for mercy. He had believed his sister when she said mercy was the best course of action. 

He had believed Amelia.

To Amelia’s surprise, Edmund turned towards her, searching her eyes as if he was trying to find answers there. As if he cared what she would think about him. 

Should he change his vote?

Amelia did not even know. She did not want the intruders to die, but she did not want the alliance to be over either. 

She turned her head away from Edmund, not wanting to influence him in any way. She had already done enough today.

“Well?” said Eleanor impatiently.

Edmund squared his shoulders. 

“Our laws are to be respected,” he said. “These intruders have the right to a trial. I will not change my vote. If Ivory rulers are scared of a few handful of humans, that is not my problem. Go ahead and break the alliance. I’m happy such a weak temperament won’t be mixed with our bloodline, tarnishing it. My brother William deserves a mate that will not be afraid of her own shadow.”

Eleanor was so indignant that she was left unable to speak for a few moments.

“Very well,” she snapped finally. “I believe your servants will show us to our rooms? We will be staying at your castle until my Father confirms that the wedding and alliance are over. It should take only a few days. Then, we will leave. Our weak temperament won’t abuse your hospitality for too long.”

On that note, she strode out of the dining room. Her entourage left with her. 

Once the Ivory delegation was gone, the rest of the dinner took place in a tense silence. Most nobles did not touch their plates much before going back to their occupations, which meant there would be plenty of food left for the servants. 

Amelia, who had been dying to taste the wonderful things that had been cooked, could not even muster some joy at the thought. She was not hungry anymore. She even felt quite nauseous, and was sure no food would stay down.

Amelia was on autopilot for the rest of the day, her heart heavy and her head numb. She helped clean the banquet table. She sat with the servants as they ate their meal. She helped Marjorie out of her dress and into her night clothes.  The princess did try to stir up a conversation, but Amelia did not feel like talking. She just felt tired.

In an ironic twist of fate, once in bed, in the big dormitory she shared with other maids, Amelia was once more unable to sleep. Her mind kept replaying again and again the events in the dining room. 

She had ruined everything by speaking up to protect the rebels. There was no way to fix it.

It was no use staying at the castle anymore. The king would not be coming back with his Crown, at least, not before winter, when the construction of his summer palace would somewhat be forced to halt. Amelia could not stay at the castle for months. She might not even have a job in the morning, after her dress choice for the princess had been eviscerated. Marjorie would stand for her, but even her approval might not be enough to shield Amelia from the combined wrath of the princes and Nestor the steward.  

There was only one thing left to do.

Amelia had to leave the castle.