Chapter 26

"Are you rejecting me?"

Adolph asked so bluntly, Laurel didn't know how to answer. Then, she nodded her head her face burning with embarrassment. A moment of silence passed and Laurel's stomach churned with anxiety. Why wasn't he saying anything? She glanced at his face and found his expression unreadable.

"I-I'm" She tried to calm down and speak clearly. "I'm just an ordinary girl. A girl from the border. I don't have any business I don't deserve to be your partner for such a formal occasion, and--"

"If you were an ordinary woman your age, you would have accepted the invitation with joy."

She winced. She couldn't argue with that. An ordinary girl her age would have tried on the dress and admired herself in the mirror for at least an hour, not packed it up, and tried to return it. If she were just Laurel, she'd have thrown herself at him when they first met and lived happily thereafter without a care in the world, but Laura hadn't been put to rest; thus, all of her doubts were still alive and well, for better or worse.

"Maybe I'm not that sort of ordinary?"

She felt a bit foolish saying it and winced. Couldn't she have come up with something better to say?

He smiled, "That's why I chose you."

She blew out a breath and wished he wouldn't say things that seemed so designed to embarrass her.

"You are really hard to impress," he chuckled. "You make me wonder if I am too old to be attractive."

Laurel's jaw dropped open and she shook her head vigorously, "No, of course not. You're way more handsome than-"

She shut her mouth as his smile turned smug and knowing. Her face would be permanently red at this rate. He tricked her again. She had to stop falling for it!

"Y-You," she cleared her throat. "You're just too you're too Your Majesty, you're-"

"Something happened to you, hasn't it?" Laurel frowned lifted her gaze to meet his. "Someone hurt you, so you're not willing to open your heart easily."

Laurel couldn't answer. How could he have figured that out, let alone ask her so bluntly? What was she supposed to say to that? The truth was screaming in her ears, but she averted her gaze. She wanted to be defensive, but his words just brought up so much agony, she couldn't manage the energy to be upset. Silence stretched between them and she hoped he would take her silence as an answer.

"No one in this country can refuse an invitation from me," Adolph hummed. "So, I suppose you have an issue with a dress."

"Wait, that's not-"

"I'll have a better dress picked for you and sent with your new invitation. You'll be attending the ceremony with me the day after tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, you can't-"

"There's nothing I can't do yet," Adolph said. "Didn't you say-"

"You promised me!" She cried desperately. "You promised you wouldn't force me to do anything I didn't want to do."

He had to give in now. It was clear that she didn't want to go with him, but Adolph seemed unfazed by her words.

"Consider it repayment."

"What?"

"I helped you get rid of Basil and punished him on top of that, so repay me for it."

Laurel frowned, stumped. It was unfortunately too reasonable to deny. If Adolph hadn't appeared when he did, she would have been dragged away by the guards, no matter what she said.

"I'll tell you something no one else knows," Adolph continued, pulling her from her thoughts. "Upon returning to the Imperial City, the ministers began pestering me about finding a mate. They think there's no way for a king to rule the country well without a luna."

It was a ridiculous thing to say to the man who had been ruling the country alone since Basil's mother died in childbirth, but she wasn't surprised that they had brought it up.

"How dare they-"

Adolph shrugged, "They were eager to introduce their daughters and cousins to me."

Of course, they had. Who wouldn't want to be a relative of the king? Let alone having such a direct line of control over the luna? Gavin had as much power over Basil as he did because he was Basil's grandfather. He used that connection to manipulate Basil like a puppet over the years and wield Basil's position as if it were his own.

She couldn't imagine what being the father or uncle of the king's wife would be like. She remembered how her parents had pressured her and tied to use her position to satiate their greed. They weren't nobles and she hadn't had that great of a relationship with them anyway.

A woman who grew up in the care of her relatives in the position would likely give them whatever they wanted, let alone a noblewoman.

It was a cunning ploy, but it would be disastrous for the kingdom.

"They hinted at an alternative, of course, but it's ridiculous." Adolph chuckled. "They have very short memories for men so concerned with my ability to run the kingdom."

"What was the alternative?" She asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"Give more of my power to Basil, since he is about to be married again."

Laurel was very shocked. How bold of them! She knew they were cunning, but she never thought they would approach Adolph directly with such a matter. Still, she couldn't be completely shocked. Adolph was a far more demanding king than Basil as a prince could ever be. He was assured of himself with a clear idea of what would work best for the people. He was unyielding about what he expected from the people around him and ruthless about pursuing his goals. He didn't lean on the ministers the way Basil did, so they had no way to use the position and power for their benefit. He was an uncontrollable force, and now that he had returned, all of their underhanded dealings would be found out, it was just a matter of time.

Their only option was to try and undermine his power in the most subtle way possible.

"They will continue to annoy me with this matter at Basil's wedding while playing the part of loyal subjects." He scoffed, "I know their game, and I'm not interested in their daughters or cousins. If I have a partner, they'll have to shut up."

She couldn't argue with that logic, but he could have anyone accompany him. Why her?

"Besides, you're not exactly an ordinary girl," he smiled at her. "Your father was a meritorious guy who would have been ordained a nobleman if he had lived. Naturally, you would then be a nobleman's daughter... As far as I am concerned, you are."

"Your Majesty, that's not"

"You also have a job in the castle now, and you're doing a great job. You have all the qualifications I want, Laurel."

Laurel hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She was supposed to be here to refuse Adolph's invitation, but she didn't seem to be able to refuse Adolph now. He'd made it seem so reasonable. She almost felt foolish for trying to refuse him.

Still, there was a twinge of bitterness in her head. It wasn't that she didn't trust Adolph's abilities, but the fact was that Adolph needed a mate, the country needed luna, and there was no way to change that. It was the same reasoning that had led Laura to marry Basil. If Adolph did not plan to give up his throne, sooner or later he would have to get married. The ministers would see to it, somehow, that he had no choice in the end.

Adolph was still very young, so there was plenty of time for him to find someone more worthy of the position than her. Despair filled her at the thought of Adolph surrounded by various noblewomen vying for his attention. Worse yet was the idea of just being another stand-in until Adolph found his Delia.

If they had the potential to be second chance mates, and Adolph's mate hadn't been Basil's mother, what would happen if he ever met his true mate?

She didn't want to think about it. She didn't even want to entertain the idea of going with him. Surely, he could see her reluctance? Adolph had promised her that he would not force her to do what she did not want to do. Could this be considered forcing her? She wasn't sure.

It was all a mess, but her sense of duty as the former luna was overwhelming. If Adolph would find no one else, she had to go for the sake of the kingdom.

Laurel dropped into her chair with a sigh. There was no way around it and maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she's dreading. She'd experienced worse than being escorted to a royal event by a king, after all.

" Okay."

"Okay?" Adolph asked.

She looked up at him, "I'll be your date."

Adolph smiled and his eyes sparkled with contentment, "Lovely."