Lycan King's Regret: Punished The Wrong Daughter

Arabella Toussaint:

By the time I was taken to the laundry quarters, my knees felt as though they were on fire. Every time I moved, it sent a sharp sting through my knees.

It’s okay. You’ll get used to it. Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.

I kept chanting the words silently in my head.

The stone pathways had scraped my skin, leaving it throbbing. My legs were trembling so badly that I could barely hold myself on my knees

Hungry, sore, and exhausted.

I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten.

The scent of bread drifting somewhere inside the palace only made my empty stomach twist harder.

"Move faster!" A guard shoved my shoulder, making me nearly collapse. The laundry area was behind the servants’ wing. Large baskets overflowed with dirty clothes.

Omegas were working tirelessly around giant tubs of water, while chattering to each other. The moment I entered, several pairs of eyes turned towards me.

A tall woman stepped forward in a spotless gray uniform, "The royal hostage?" she asked the guard, who laughed mockingly. He must have nodded because the woman’s lips curled, "Ah. The famous Toussaint princess ... murderer’s sister."

I lowered my gaze in shame.

"She is filthy!" Someone from the crowd spoke, and the rest of them found it funny because they laughed.

"I’m Helena!" The woman told me, "I’m the head Housekeeper." She then pointed towards the overflowing baskets, "This needs washing... and the baskets over there... those washed clothes need to be folded."

I couldn’t even nod. Helena must have taken it the wrong way because she smirked, "What? Too much work for a princess?" She pointed towards my knees, "Stay on your knees. My eyes are on you, don’t forget that," she pointed her two fingers towards her own eyes

I nodded and crawled towards the baskets. The room swayed, and I could hear laughter in the room.

"Pathetic. I’ll miss our Princess Anika when I look at her face," Someone muttered, and the rest of them nodded their heads.

Ignoring them, I went to the pile of washed clothes and started folding them. As a former slave, I knew they needed to be sent for ironing.

My stomach growled painfully, and my arms felt heavy. But the hatred on the Royal family’s faces kept me going.

The only thing I had learned in life was to keep going if I wanted a piece of bread.

I tried to ignore my empty stomach and got busy with work when the memory of the beast surfaced in my thoughts. For the first time that day, I smiled faintly.

Whoever he was, he had saved my life. If not for him, I would still be lost or lying dead somewhere in that forest.

***

I stared at the warm bun in my hands in disbelief. The soft bread nearly sank beneath my fingers when I tore it apart.

My eyes widened when I saw strawberry jam inside. For a moment, I stared at it. There was a small carton of mango shake beside my plate.

I had never been given this kind of food in my entire life. Maybe when my mother was alive.

The thought made my smile fade for a second. I quickly pushed it away.

All the servants around me were busy eating, though I could feel their curious glances.

Without wasting a second, I took a huge bite and man...

My eyes nearly rolled back. Sweet Moon Goddess. This was... delicious.

I took another bite. Then another. And another.

The conversations around me slowly died down. By the time I looked up, several servants were staring openly. One of them was holding her bun halfway to her mouth.

I blinked in confusion. Were they planning to eat mine, too?

In the Blackthorn pack, I was served the leftovers while here...

Here I was eating the freshly baked bun, and this strawberry jam was delicious.

I wish I could ask for more. I quickly grabbed the mango shake and finished it in record time, letting out a loud burp that echoed in the silent room.

Ignoring them, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and got back onto my knees. After crawling to the closest pile of clothes, I started folding them again.

They all were still staring at me, but now I didn’t care. After all, I had to spend the rest of my life with them.

***

My back felt as if it was about to snap in half. After spending the entire day on my knees, all I wanted was a place to sleep.

A servant led me towards my quarters when a maid hurriedly came to us, "The queen wants her. Now!"

Now? But why?

A few minutes later, I was standing outside the queen’s chambers.

"Come in," Her voice came from inside.

While staying on my knees, I pushed the door open. She was lounging on the couch in a sheer night robe. A girl was seated on another couch, with a book on her lap, popping grapes into her mouth.

One maid stood behind her, brushing her hair, while another one was cleaning silverware.

The queen gestured towards her feet, barely glancing at me, "Massage them!"

I had spent years massaging Vikki’s and Vanessa’s feet and back whenever they were tired. She closed her eyes, and all I wanted to do was drop to the floor and sleep on it.

"Your night duties will begin soon," The queen spoke, and it was followed by giggles from the girl and the maids.

My hands paused as I tried to think with exhaustion. Night duties? My mind had almost stopped working.

The queen smiled, "I haven’t decided which warrior should spend the night with you. Tonight, you take your rest. I’ll decide tomorrow which room you’ll be sent to."

The blood drained from my face, and I felt my heart stop in my chest.

"What?" I whispered, but the queen heard me. Her smile widened.

"Don’t worry," she chewed her lower lip while her eyes gleamed with wicked satisfaction, "Our Lycan warriors won’t disappoint you."

The girl sitting nearby burst into laughter.

"Oh, Goddess... mother..." She covered her mouth, controlling her mirth, "Can you imagine? Kneeling in front of those warriors and sucking their cocks. Ha-ha."

The maids who were standing there also laughed.

"She isn’t even pretty. None of them would be able to get it hard enough."

"Mother. Is she even allowed to sleep in bed? How about we ask every warrior in our palace to check if she is still a virgin or not?"

They were talking about me like I wasn’t even there. For the first time since arriving at the palace, real fear settled in my chest. How was I supposed to survive if they decided to send me to a warrior?

At the moment, being abandoned in the jungle didn’t seem like the worst thing that could have happened to me.