Chapter 15

I set out to find Becca throughout the palace as soon as lunch was finished and we were allowed to loiter. I didn’t like how Jasper looked at me at the time. It was as if he knew I had purposefully spilled the wine on his sister, so imagine my distraught when she and Jasper didn’t show up for the luncheon. I feared he was torturing Becca for information so he could expose me. Everything will be ruined. I’d be ruined. I didn’t come all the way here to fail.

I asked Clifford for assistance, and he dispatched the servants under him to find the two.

I went to the garden to relax and take in some fresh air. I need to find Becca and make sure she won’t talk and—

When I heard laughter from somewhere in the garden, I perked up. I paid close attention and was certain it was Becca and someone else. It was coming from a dense hedge maze ahead. I did not move from my seat and waited for someone to come out of the maze.

“Oh, Your Royal Highness,” my lady-in-waiting exclaimed in surprise when she saw me, “what are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I said, staring at the two of them. Becca blushed and fiddled with her dress’s sash. Her hair was a little tousled, and she wasn’t wearing lipstick.

I turned to look at Jasper, but he was looking away, as if annoyed. Like I was being disruptive. He was lightly scratching the corner of his lips, where I could see a hint of rouge. His shirt was undone, and he was disheveled. His long, wavy hair was down and being blown by the wind.

“What were you doing with him?” I demanded irritably. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Of course, I understand what this means. It was written all over their faces, as evidenced by their current state.

“You can’t just run off with someone who paid you a bit of attention.”

Jasper suddenly turned to me, his eyes were cold and calculating. He was standing in his full height so he was looking down at me like I was a pest. It was intimidating.

“Oh, we-we were just talking,” Becca explained. “Is the luncheon over? I’m starving.”

“Yes, it is,” I said as I stood up and put my hands on my hips, trying not to show how disturbed I was by the man’s presence and expression. My heart was racing so fast, but when I turned to face him and he continued to stare at me, my heart skipped a beat and a chill spread on my chest and spine. “Is there a problem?”

“Your Royal Highness, we weren’t really doing anything,” Becca tried to persuade me. “We’re only—”

“I’m not stupid, Becca,” I snarled. “Let’s get going; I need to speak with you.”

“But...”

“Don’t make me ask again,” I said firmly before turning to leave, rolling my eyes at Jasper. “And make yourself presentable; no one needs to know you just had s*x.”

I stomped away after that. I sat in my room, waiting for Becca to arrive. Every second she made me wait exacerbated my anxiety, and it irritated me greatly. She walked into my room a few minutes later. For some reason, she appeared to be happy and excited. It irritated me even further.

“What do you want to talk abou—?”

Pak!

Becca stumbled to the floor, holding her red cheek, stunned and perplexed.

“You’ve forgotten your place,” I said quietly, looking down on her. I ignored the sting on my hand from colliding with her cheekbone. “I’ve had enough of you.”

“I—I’m so sorry,” Becca said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Please forgive me...”

“Why are you with him? What exactly did he want from you?”

“Nothing, I swear!”

“Liar,” I said, grabbing a fistful of her fringe and yanking it upwards, forcing her to look at me. “Do you honestly believe that someone like you will be noticed by someone like him... without him wanting anything?”

“H-he told me I looked nice...” Becca’s tears streamed down her cheeks, and I grimaced in disgust.

“Pathetic.” I let go of her and walked a few steps away. “A man just has to say you look nice, and you’ll follow him to f*ck you in the bushes; you have no shame; what will they think of me if they found out that I was associated with a sl*t?”

Becca sobbed in her hand, her head bowed low.

“I’m not going to let you embarrass me any longer,” I said, turning to face her. “You will return to Rozenberg with the Wicked Stepmother at once—”

“No! You can’t—” Becca crawled on all fours to reach me. “He—he just asked me what happened; he just wanted to know why and how you tripped, I swear! We just kissed, he kissed me, that’s all!”

My brow furrowed. I didn’t need to know the last bit.

“What did you tell him?”

“I-I told him you tripped, that you stumbled when I suddenly walked in front of you—please, Princess Selina, I took the fall for you, don’t let me go back!”

Becca was a pathetic, blubbering mess. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but I can’t anymore. She’s become more of a liability than an asset since arriving in Volfenheim.

Why should I give her a second chance?

I considered my options. On the one hand, not having Becca around would be a pain; I was used to being attended to my entire life; I needed a lackey to do my bidding, and with her here, I won’t feel completely alone in the strange, new land.

However, Becca has been acting inappropriately throughout our visit. She’s always saying something embarrassing, and she was recently seen socializing with the enemy. I couldn’t put my faith in her.

I approached her, leaning forward and tilting her chin to look at her face.

“You’ll go back with Helena and make sure she gets home safely—”

“But, Your Royal Highness, how are you going to survive here without my help and support?”

“Aren’t you getting arrogant, Becca?” I tightened my grip on her chin and gave her a death glare. “You really thought I wouldn’t be able to live out here without you?!”

“No! I apologize, Your Royal Highness, but that is not what I meant—”

“Good!” I let go of her and crossed my arms over my stomach. “Because I can and will survive without you. I wish I could say the same about you.”

“I’m going to tell on you!” Becca yelled, and I froze. “I’ll tell the king and duke everything.”

“How dare you threaten me...”

“It’s not a threat, if you don’t send me back, I’m not going to say anything; I will always be loyal to you; I’ve never betrayed you!”

“You have repeatedly demonstrated that you are a liability to me because you place so much value on yourself. How could I trust you? Just now you were threatening me.”

“I’ll change. I promise! Just don’t send me back, I’m begging you!” Becca broke down again, sobbing like a child. “If I go back, they’ll marry me off to some old stranger. At least here with you, I have a chance to have a better future. Please! I beg you!”

I locked my gaze on her as I pondered her words.

Everything she said was true. It was her responsibility as a noblewoman to marry into a good family. That’s what was waiting for her at home, just like it was for me. If she stayed with me, it is my responsibility to choose who she will marry. If I send her back, she’ll be at the mercy of her father.

Becca jumped to her feet, grabbed the letter opener on the study table, and pointed the sharp end at herself.

“In any case, I’m not going back.” She pressed it against her neck until the skin broke and blood was drawn.

I sat on the fainting couch, watching her in amusement.

“All right,” I said, waving my hand for her to proceed. “Don’t mind me.”

“Y-you’re not going to s-stop me?”

“Why would I?” I asked, leaning on my hand. “Do it.”

Becca broke down in tears before dropping the letter opener and falling to the floor.

“You’re no fun.” I stood and looked out of the window. I could see Henry and the Otxoa siblings on the grass. I gritted my teeth at how happy they were.

“Why are you so angry with me?”

I sighed. Why, indeed? Why was Becca’s affair with Jasper the straw that broke the camel’s back?

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