45: 45 You Won't Let Me Down

45 You Won't Let Me Down

Delia's pov 0

It was evening when I returned to the palace. The setting sun cast an orange glow on the white marble walls of the palace. The whole palace had lost the haughty look of the day, and showed gentleness.

I looked at Susanna and Alen, who were waiting for us at the door, and felt a sense of relief.

"Sis, look. The palace looks like a big marmalade cake under the setting sun." Vivian rubbed her belly and muttered.

Alen touched Vivian's hair. He smiled as he listened to her and handed her something while Susanna and I were talking.

Susanna was as serious as ever. Her gray eyes hid all her emotions perfectly. She looked at me and whispered. “How was the party today, Miss?”

"Today's party, I think everything is OK," I murmured.

I was silent for a few seconds, thinking of Catherine's last glance, her half-smile, and her "See you next time."

"Catherine is the adopted daughter of elder William and a childhood playmate of his Royal Highness Kral, and if you can establish a good relationship with her, it will be a good thing for your future royal life."

There was no tenderness in Susanna's words, but I still understood that she was explaining to me about Catherine's special status. From the moment I entered the palace, I felt as if I had stepped into a whirlpool. I could feel the shadows of royal glory.

"I understand, Susanna." I looked at the old woman who was half a step behind me. She has kept this distance from me since the first day I arrived. As someone who has lived in the palace for decades, she has incorporated royal rules into her lifestyle. Whatever she does, she does it for royal glory. Although I hated her at first, I could feel that she was on Kral's side and was doing her job diligently. I began to understand why Kral always had a special respect for her.

“Delia？”

A voice came into my ear, and I stopped and looked down at the hall.

"I've been waiting for you, Delia."

The door of the room at the end of the corridor was opened. That's Kral's study.

Kral's handsome face appeared at the door. His eyes swept me from top to bottom like a lamp, checking to see if I was all right. He is obviously no different from usual, but I feel he is a bit strange today. His eyes were calm, but something stirred beneath them, like a swirl under a lake.

"Good day, Prince," we saluted him.

"What can I do for you?" I approached the room and found him sitting in front of the study window, elbows resting on the arm of a chair, fingers interlocked, and a book half-opened in his lap.

"Leave us." Kral didn't answer my question first. He waved Susanna off. Alen closed the study door, and Vivian left with them.

I watched as Kral's most trusted men stepped down, not understanding his intentions.

“Your Highness... Master?”

"Delia, don't worry. I was very pleased with your performance at William's Castle this afternoon."

Kral smiled at me. He stood up, closed the page in his hand, and placed it on the bookcase against the wall. Three high-ceiling bookcases lean against the wall. Each book has a black sheepskin cover with a gilded title and royal crest on the spine.

He held out his hand to me as if he had asked me to dance at a ball. I put my hand in his warm palm and felt the calluses on his knuckles, which gave me a subtle feeling.

Kral sat me down in a chair in front of a desk. He opened the cupboard under the table and a broken arrow lay on the paper. The familiar arrow feather made me gasp.

"Is this Catherine's arrow?"

I covered my mouth and couldn't figure out why Kral knew what had happened this afternoon and got the arrow. I wondered if he knew what Catherine was going to do to me today?

"Yes," Kral said, his long fingers playing with the broken arrow. The arrowhead refracts the cold light, but Kral doesn't care. He stared at me with his golden eyes and said, "Delia, I actually made two bets on myself today, both of them about you. Now would you like to guess?"

There it is again, and I'm laughing to myself.

Kral always likes to do that. He was always decent and distant when there were other people around, and when we were alone, he acted like a child at times.

"Considering what you just said, I think the outcome of these two bets must be to your satisfaction." I reached out and took the broken arrow from his hand. I mimicked his expression, raising my long, thin eyebrows and looking directly into his eyes.

"Ha-ha-ha." Maybe I was right, or maybe it was the first time I showed him my boldness. There was a surprise look in his eyes after I took the item out of his hand, and then he burst out laughing. His laughter filled the room, and Susanna and Alen looked at each other in surprise behind the door.

"It's been a long time since your highness laughed like that, hasn't it?" Whispered Alen behind the door.

"That's not your concern, Alen," Susanna, next to him, replied coldly.

"Yes, Ma'am." Alen rubbed her nose awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders.

I've never seen Kral so happy. He sat on the desk, his long legs beside my chair.

“Well, Delia, did I ever tell you that the best thing I ever did was to get you out of the Red Moon Pack?” He stopped laughing and leaned over me, his warm right hand touching my face, making it hot.

I have a hunch. I think Kral suffered some excitement today. His spirits were high and his smell was stronger.

"My first bet is whether you lose out to Catherine Today," he said.

My eyes widened in surprise. He had known all along that Catherine would do me harm.

“I know you won't let me down,” he said, rubbing his right thumb against my cheek. The calluses on his hand rubbed against my face, causing a tingling sensation.

"And the second?" I said.

"The second one," the smile on his face faded. He dropped his hand and the heat disappeared from my face. He got up slowly and went to the window. The setting sun shone through the garden outside. The green plants cast a large shadow on the ground. Kral's shadow lengthens in the sunlight.

"Delia," he said, staring silently into the garden for a moment, then he turned his head. Half of his face was outlined by the setting sun. His thin lips opened and closed under his straight nose. "Are you willing to risk your life for me?"

"What?" I said in amazement.

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