Chapter 104

"Valerick." She said, letting the name roll off her tongue. "What does that mean?"

"It means brave. My mother named me that because I stayed."

Zezi turned the thoughts over in her mind, his mother must have struggled with childbirth. A struggle she herself could relate to. During her years with George she had tried to have a child of her own but it had unsuccessful. She wondered if that had been somehow related to their lack of fated bond.

His mother must have been really glad when she had eventually had him.

"You like it?"

"I do." She answered almost immediately.

No. She didn't, she absolutely didn't.

His smile broadened, "I like that you like it." With a sense of urgency, he added, "I really just leave now, but I will be back soon, as soon as I can make it. I promise." With that, he finally turned away.

As she watched him leave, against her thundering heart, her stomach that was fluttering with butterflies and the goosebumps that laced her skin, she reminded herself over and over again and she was doing this for her mission.

She had no feelings for him.

No feelings whatsoever.

Alright, maybe it would be farfetched to say that.

Fine. She hated him.

Had only hatred.

He was her enemy.

It was only right that she hated him.

Yet as she had turned back to the painting, she couldn't help but observe, as he had said earlier, that the stars in the painting had been written in the form of the letters of his name.

She chuckled.

His mother must have been a wonderful being.

She wished she had met her.

____

He had said soon.

Zezi clearly remembered how he had promised over and over again to come to her as soon as he could make it, with a sought of urgency like he would he running right back to her within the next minute.

Soon was the word.

Not days!

Time had ticked slowly by, into minutes, hours and days from the time they had spoken about the painting, and up till now, Zezi had not seen the Ki--Valerick.

She had even mustered the courage to go to his room but she hadn't found him.

Apparently, she had discovered from, Lady Delice that the dens were growing stronger and he had gotten some information from some anonymous source after his meeting some days ago. He had gone out along with the warriors sent out to deal with it.

Lady Delice's voice had been filled with worry and at first Zezi had concluded that she was worried about the King finding out about them, since this Anonymous seemed like a threat to the White Circle but actually, Lady Delice had been worried about the King. When Zezi realized this, she had been shocked. Watching her pace around, while saying her thoughts out loud about every scene of trouble that took form in her mind, was a puzzling sight.

How had the Princess been able to manipulate this strong feeling into a weapon to be used at her discretion?

How could a person lacked so much knowledge on how to rightly love someone, to the point that they had been easily fooled on the right way to go about it.

Lady Delice did not stop worrying until until Zezi had shifted the conversation away from the King and to the graveyard, asking if she had plans to visit her little Medallion anytime soon.

"Will you be coming with me?" Lady Delice had asked and Zezi had nodded enthusiastically.

"Just tell me when you want to go and I will be in the carriage with you in a flash."

Lady Delice had smiled, feeling a little comforted by the knowledge that she wouldn't be alone on her next visit to her son.

Lady Zezi had seemed genuinely interested. It could be that she understood her need for the visits because she was a mother herself.

Laura wasn't.

When Zezi had spoken to the Princess, Lady Laura had sounded worried about the Den, talking about the King possibly finding out about them if he dug too deep, and their need to bring him down before that would happen.

She had also reminded Zezi about her deadline and mocked her when she said her process was 'coming along'.

"No progress, you mean." She had said with a snide expression.

"Will you like to take it up, Princess? Let's see how you would fare. Hopefully, it wouldn't lead to yet another failure but it is highly possible on your part and that is no mere speculation."

That had wiped the smirk off her face but the voice of her mate as he made his way to her had changed her mood.

"My Raaa Queen." Oliver had said, bypassing Lady Delice who didn't even spare him a glance and throwing himself right into Lady Laura's ready arms.

"Oli baby."

Zezi had turned away, not wanting to suffer anyore turtore of watching the annoying sight in front of her.

These two were infuriating. Both of them.

Chameleons.

An unnecessary Ball of Sunshine who was always consistently hitting on his Mate's best friend and a sister who was part of her brother's traitors.

Disgusting.

That was a day ago though, after dinner.

After that, Zezi had comtempleted going after him herself but from what she had heard from Gwen when she said her suggestion to her, not everyone was in support of their King's mate being a mere werewolf.

Many believed it would shake his loyalty from his kind. Some hated her so much, that unlike Laura that had a restraint, they were ready to die just to have her out of the royal picture. It would be a stupid risk to go after someone who would be in battle with the Den. In fact, she still wouldn't find out how to feed him discreetly of she did, so what was the point.

As the dark drew closer, Zezi stared at the bottle. Her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

The deadline was no longer coming closer.

The deadline was already here.

Tonight was the Princess' Official Mating Ceremony, the night she would give report to the White Circle, the night that her stand would finally be cemented if she brought something that was worth it with her. Her place would finally be known to either deserve respect or to be casted out. Tonight, she would be placed on the scale of judgement, and yet, the King was still no where to be found.

The penalty of the White Circle did not scare her, instead Zezi found herself wondering where he was?

If he had some how been slaughtered in the Den.

Not that she cared about him been 'alive' or something, besides, she just wanted to be the one to kill him, hoping no one else would get that opportunity.

So where was her Valerick?