Chapter 19

We did not get married. Not even in secret.

Henry stammered a few excuses why we couldn’t marry, and they sounded reasonable, but I was determined to find a way around the laws. My kingdom depended on it.

My only consolation was the fact that the Office of the Royal Household invited me to join Her Imperial Majesty on her visit to the orphanage in Aldervolf. It was an institution closest to the older woman’s heart. I heard she spearheaded the construction and establishment of the orphanage. It was her biggest beneficiary.

I was excited. By going with her, I could show my future mother-in-law my child-rearing skills. She’ll know I am the perfect mother to her future grandchildren. It doesn’t matter that I hate children. I could pretend I care about them for one day if it meant impressing Camilla and securing my spot in her good graces.

“Everything all right there?” a voice from behind me instantly pulled me into the present. I turned, smiling, expecting it was my boyfriend who spoke, but it turned into a scowl when I realized it was Jasper who was standing by the door. He smirked at me. “No need to look so happy; it’s just me.”

I rolled my eyes, ignoring him as I continued mindlessly kneading my dough, occasionally sprinkling it with flour. Ever since I saw him fornicating in the garden, it was all I could think about whenever I saw him. His naked chest, his well-toned abs, plump buttocks, that long, thick—

Oh, my goddess. It was incredibly embarrassing, especially when he sarcastically grinned at me. He had to know I saw them that day, and he had to know that’s what I was thinking every time we locked eyes after that. To be honest, there were moments when I thought about him, even if he wasn’t there.

I could feel the redness spreading across my cheeks and neck as I bit my lower lip; my body was becoming hotter by the second.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the metal doors slam shut, the clomping of his boots eerily coming closer. We were in the Culinary Lab, and I was baking batches upon batches of cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and pies for the orphans we were going to visit. I don’t want to go there empty-handed, even though the Empress will almost certainly bring gifts and food. I’d be more believable if I brought a few of my own. I didn’t know what things to bring that would be palatable to children and wouldn’t be considered tacky, so I chose to bring food instead. After all, nobody says no to sweets. Except for maybe diabetics.

I heard metal scraping on the polished floor as Jasper dragged a metal stool and sat down somewhere in the lab. He started tapping the metal counters and sighing loud enough for me to hear as if he was bored. I stole a glance at him, a perfect eyebrow raised. Jasper has his head on the cold counter, muttering to himself. He seemed irritated, and it annoyed me.

I don’t know why he was here. Sure, Henry asked him to accompany me to the orphanage, but it wasn’t an order, it was a favor between friends. Jasper could always say no, especially since he clearly did not want to be with me. And to be fair, I didn’t want him to go with me, either. Henry asked Jasper to look after me, to be my companion and guard, but I didn’t feel safe with him around. Jasper was an occult, a werewolf… Lycan… whatever he was. He could turn on me with a drop of a hat, especially since he wasn’t wearing a limiter like the rest of the occult students. Refusing to wear it even when I demanded he wear one for my peace of mind. Come to think of it, his sisters do not wear them either.

It seemed like some rules did not apply to them.

When the tapping stopped, I felt him staring at me from behind, which was unsettling. He finally groaned quietly after some time. It reminded me of his and his lover’s groans in my garden. I closed my eyes as I tried to block out the memory of the obscene faces he was making that day.

“Are you sure that’s edible?” Jasper suddenly said, and I never felt insulted in my entire life. Rightfully so.

“Excuse me?” There was a frown on my face as I stopped to look at the boy—man—monster. “I’ve been cooking and baking ever since I was a child. I am trained by five-star chefs. I’ve perfected my craft and no one ever complained… and that’s not because I am a princess. People love my food, how dare—”

“People love your cooking… even the inedible ones?”

“What are you—you know what?” I threw my hands in the air. “I don’t care what you think. I don’t need to explain it to you. Just leave me alone.”

“I don’t know what you eat in Rozenberg, but here in Aldervolf, we don’t eat rags.”

“What are you—” When the young wolf gestured with his head and eyes in the direction of the dough I was kneading, I looked down at the counter. Only it wasn’t dough, but a dirty rag I had been using to clean up my workstation a while ago. I must be so deep in thought, I forgot I was done baking. “Oh, no!”

In a panic, I looked at the baked goods I had prepared. They all appeared to be fine, but I had no idea if I had cooked anything indigestible. I tend to space out while cooking because of how repetitive it was to me. I can’t go through them all, and I don’t have time to bake replacements. What should I do? Should I risk giving them to those children when I wasn’t sure they were fit for consumption? I mean, eff them kids. But I couldn’t risk it. What if Camilla ate some and her food had eggshell or something?

I had to replace them for sure. But where would I buy five hundred pieces of freshly baked goods? And how? I just maxed my daily credit limit on my card (my father’s punishment because I refused to tell him why I was living in a hotel) for purchasing plant-based ingredients. They weren’t cheap, and I just wasted them. What a nightmare!

I sat on a metal stool beside me, defeated. My precious time and effort were all in vain. I sighed, trying my best not to cry.

Maybe there was still hope?

My mind raced. Should I ask Henry for some funds? No, that would be rude and embarrassing. But if I told him it’s for the orphaned children, maybe he would… no. No. I couldn’t do that.

What if I asked my stepmother for some money? She wouldn’t say no to me.

No. I discarded that thought almost immediately. I don’t want to owe that woman anything.

But how can I impress Camilla without those cupcakes?

I let out a shuddering breath before standing and washing my hands in the sink, convincing myself, and weighing my options. I dried my hands on a fresh towel before taking my phone, staring at it for a full minute before closing my eyes and lifting my thumb to press the screen.

“Don’t worry, everything’s all right,” I heard Jasper suddenly say.

I stopped mid-press to look at him, both hopeful and skeptical. “How do you know that?” ”

He scratched at his nose. “I just know.”

“Are you sure? Like really, really sure?”

Jasper rolled his eyes at me and took a cookie from the sheet before popping it whole in his mouth. He was perusing other baked goods I spread across the counters of the lab to cool. He swallowed without reaction before stuffing his face with a cupcake.

“You’ve made your point. Stop eating.” I saw his fangs as he opened his mouth and took a dramatic bite of a purple apple pie. My stomach did a flip. “They’re not for you!”

“Are you convinced now?”

“Not really.” I rolled my eyes at him. “But I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“You can always give them to me.” I disliked how adorable those shiny pointed teeth looked when he grinned.

“In your dreams.” I looked at the wall clock, and it shocked me to see the time. “Oh, no!”

I grabbed the multi-colored goodie bags and the party boxes I had prepared beforehand and filled each of them with assorted baked goods. The empress was expecting me at the orphanage after lunch and it was already ten o’clock. With the way things were going, I might not have had time to take a bath and make myself presentable. I was starting to regret sending Becca home. 

If that wench weren’t so disrespectful, I wouldn’t have—

I felt pinpricks touch my arm, and I jumped in shock to see Jasper beside me eating a chocolate chip cookie. He also looked at me, confused.

“What was that?” We both said in surprise.

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