Chapter 80: A sense of duty.

Samantha

It wasn’t a question of whether I was in love. It wasn’t a question of whether I saw myself as the future queen. It all had to do with my sense of duty. I couldn’t let my parents suffer any longer. We were all paying for the sins of our fathers and the time had come to change that. I was the only one who could change that. It didn’t matter that the queen didn’t like me. The moon goddess destined our union. Her decision was more important than that of the queen, after all.

I was trying to convince myself I knew. As I made my way to the castle gates, I took a deep breath. I had to become Adam’s mate. I had to become the queen. I spent all night thinking about it, and it was the only solution I could think of. My parents deserve to be happy. Besides, Adam wasn’t that bad. From the little I already knew about him, he sounded like a good guy. He was handsome and seemed kind.

I couldn’t have asked for a better mate even if I had chosen him myself. I still didn’t like the idea that someone else chose the person I had to spend the rest of my life with, but no matter which way I thought about it, it really was the best option for my entire family. I even convinced myself that it was the best thing for our kingdom. The final step to complete the circle or something like that. My thoughts during the night were pretty intense.

I had convinced myself that this move was the last step to bring all of our people together again. After I was officially mated to the king, nobody would be considered as shunned anymore. It would be the last chapter of that book about our history.

“You seem distracted. We can postpone our daily visit. I know you have a lot to take care of at home.” Adam frowned and I sighed deeply. He had been talking, and I didn’t hear a single word he said! How incredibly rude of me!

“I’m sorry. I …” I hesitated. I wasn’t sure what to say. Did I tell him about my decision? “As you say, there is a lot to take care of at home. I’ve just been a little overwhelmed.” What else was I going to say? I couldn’t very well tell the king that I wanted to get the mating ceremony over with! It wasn’t like I would go back home after the ceremony, and I had to make sure my parents’ house was finished before I left them to their own devices.

“Tell me about it. I would love to know what is keeping your mind so busy. A burden shared is less of a burden.” He smiled, and I nearly whimpered at the sincerity in his eyes. He was the complete opposite to his mother. That much was sure.

“Well, we had to repaint, which meant all the furniture had to be moved around and some of the furniture had been damaged over the years. It’s just one big mess.” I sighed, thinking about the mess at home. “To top it all off, my parents’ bedroom ceiling is rotten and has to be replaced before it caves in over their heads. That means there is dust all over the house where they are painting.” I shrugged and when he laughed, I felt shocked.

“Why don’t you and your parents move into the castle until the house is ready? At least, that way you won’t have to live in the dust.” He shrugged.

“Oh, no! We couldn’t possibly.” I laughed nervously. I wasn’t ready to move out of my childhood home yet! But it would bring me one step closer to my end goal. Maybe if the queen saw me on a daily basis, it would change her mind about me. I wasn’t my ancestors. I wasn’t the one who betrayed her.

“Of course, you can. You are going to have to move to the castle eventually.” He smiled, and I felt my stomach do a little flip. “Believe me, we have more than enough space, and it wouldn’t be any inconvenience if that was what you were thinking.” How the hell did he know what I was about to say?! I thought about it for a moment and finally agreed.

It would be nice to get out of all that dust, but it did mean that I would probably never return to my childhood home. I would probably move into a guest room in the castle and eventually move into the king’s room once we were mated. This time, I didn’t leave the castle on my own as I normally did. Adam left with me so that he could extend the invitation to my parents personally. My father wanted to know what the queen would say and Adam had a very simple answer.

“It doesn’t matter what she says. It is my home, and I’m inviting you.” With that, it was decided. The repairs were halted for the rest of the afternoon while the staff helped us to pack everything we might need. By late afternoon, my parents and I were settled in one of the guests’ suites in the castle. When I made my decision in the early hours of the morning, I never imagined I would be living in the castle by evening. Adam invited us to dinner with the royal family before he left us to get settled. My mother was positively gushing about it all while I felt as if I was a lamb being led to slaughter.

Dinner with Adam also meant dinner with his mother. I knew that there was no way she didn’t know that we had moved in, and I was dreading dinner. As soon as we walked into the dining room, I could feel the tension. It was clear that Adam and his mother were at odds and I knew it had to do with me. If my sense of duty wasn’t so strong, I would have made a run for it, but I was there to prove to the queen I was worthy.