Honest Confession
That evening, Alexandra went to the garden with Jolla. They both wanted to get some fresh air after being cooped up in their rooms all day. "Are you sure Alessia has returned to her room?" Alexandra asked, walking slowly.
"I'm sure. I've confirmed she's back, and I've already told the king you wanted to go out for a walk and get some fresh air," Jolla said with a knowing smile.
Alexandra suddenly stopped and looked at Jolla, who was right beside her. "What's with that expression on your face? What are you hiding from me?" She studied Jolla's face closely.
"I'm not hiding anything from you. You often overthink me," Jolla replied with a shrug.
"Because you're in cahoots with the king. So of course I often overthink you." Alexandra resumed her walk. Jolla sighed, then followed the young woman she had come to regard as her daughter.
The two of them chose to sit on a bench under a large tree in the centre of the palace garden. Jolla took a glass bottle of fresh blood from her bag and poured it into two small glasses. Alexandra narrowed her eyes as Jolla placed the glasses containing the fishy red liquid in front of her.
“Are you seriously giving this to me?” Alexandra asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes,” Jolla replied with a serious expression.
“What the hell?” Alexandra frowned as if she couldn’t believe what Jolla had said.
Jolla stared at Alexandra’s face for a long moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Your facial expression is hilarious. You look like you’re facing a life-or-death situation. Are you worried I’ll do something to you?”
“I’m not joking, Jolla. Why are you giving me these glasses?” Alexandra asked, annoyed.
Jolla leaned close to Alexandra’s ear. “This is a gift from the king. And it’s not blood. Smell it; it definitely doesn’t smell fishy.” Alexandra took it and smelt the red liquid in the glass.
“What is this liquid? Why do I smell strawberries?” Alexandra dared to taste the red liquid. The sweet and sour flavours mingled in her taste buds. She tasted more.
"Is it good?" asked Jolla, looking curious. She drank the liquid too. However, before it could reach her throat, she spat it out.
Alexandra smiled at Jolla's reaction. "Are you okay?"
"What is this liquid? It's so unpleasant," Jolla said, staring in disgust at the red liquid in the glass, which she immediately threw away.
"It's called strawberry juice. The king knows I like strawberries." After saying that, Alexandra suddenly fell silent. She stared at the glass still in her hand. Her thoughts turned to Stevan, her ex-boyfriend. "How did the king know? Is this just a coincidence? But, as far as I know, fruit is rare in the lycan world. Thinking about the king makes me even more reminded of Stevan, whom I hate so much. There are so many similarities between them. I couldn't even tell them apart if they were both standing in front of me right now," she thought.
Alexandra then took out her phone and leaned back in her chair. She kept staring at her phone screen, hoping for a message from the king. He hadn't texted her since morning. He hadn't even responded to her.
"Where is he? Is he still in a meeting? But that's impossible. It's break time, anyway. Is he spending time with Alessia?" Alexandra was starting to get irritated. Her pregnancy hormones were making her angry over trivial matters. And her more sensitive thinking was causing her to overthink things. The garden was quite crowded, with many palace residents milling about.
Suddenly, the garden became lively when Stevan arrived. Morgan, who was behind the king, just lowered her head. She was a little embarrassed by the attention of so many lycans. She cursed her stupidity for agreeing to accompany Stevan to the palace, while Alexandra still hadn't noticed the king's arrival. She was too focused on her phone.
Stevan looked around for Alexandra. When he found her, he resumed his steps toward her. "You're so focused on your phone," he said, sitting down in the chair next to Alexandra.
"Oh my!" Alexandra was shocked to see Stevan standing before her. "What are you doing here?"
"Why? You don't like me here?" Stevan asked with a fake sad expression.
"Why is the king being so childish? Did you drink the wrong blood?" Alexandra sneered softly.
The palace servants in the garden watched the interaction between the king and Alexandra with envy. Many of the female servants wished they could be in Alexandra's shoes, while Morgan, standing beside Stevan, merely muttered in annoyance, realizing he was merely a statue. He immediately glanced at Jolla and motioned for her to move elsewhere.
"Have you ever met Alessia face to face?" Stevan asked, staring intently at Alexandra's face.
"No. Why?" Alexandra replied, looking down.
"Seriously? Don't lie, Alexandra." Stevan didn't believe her answer.
Alexandra was silent for a long time, as if she were holding something back. "I met Alessia," she said, surprising and worrying Stevan.