Chapter 39: Hello there, Princess.

**BEA**

The Princess spent as much time as she could next to her brother. Wherever Adonis went, Bea was hot on his heels. After such a long time they had to spend separately, she felt as if she was missing out.

However, she had no idea that her brother silently thought of anything to escape the outcome she brought up. No one in her family would let anyone hurt Bea, let alone kill her.

"What are you thinking about?" Bea suddenly asked as her eyes focused on her brother. They sat by the kitchen table, snacking on some treats just as they used to do when they were younger.

"Nothing that might concern you, sissy. Anyway, do you want to tell me more about your mate?" Obviously, Adonis tried to distract Bea, yet she couldn't understand why.

When they grew up, both had no secrets from each other. They used to call themselves the power team because they could do anything that came to their mind for as long they were together. And now, when Bea told him about her biggest concern, her brother suddenly became as secretive as never. It appeared that the training camp did change Adonis.

"Well, apart from the fact that he wants to kill me? I mean, he's nice, and he has pretty eyes. He found me at dad's grandmas' coven when I was gone and all that. I think he used to live in the castle, but I don't remember him. All in all, he's a stranger to me." Bea forced her spoon into the ice cream, but the cravings suddenly died.

As Adonis silently observed her, Bea thought of what her life had become over what seemed like a few weeks to her. All she wanted was a quiet, calm lifestyle, but she got everything that's the opposite of her dreams. She'd much rather spend every day in the library, not run away from an unknown danger.

"Sounds like a nice guy. Except for the killing part- I don't approve of that. I'm sure dad has something planned to deal with the shit situation. But I think you should get some rest now; it's getting pretty late. We can do something fun tomorrow." Adonis got up from his seat and walked around the table to encourage Bea to leave.

He didn't want to let his little sister feel anything but happiness, yet for as long as he couldn't deal with the issue on the spot- he was as helpless as everyone else.

Bea tried to protest, but her brother didn't acknowledge her attempts. The Princess left the kitchen with a rather sour mood and stomped back to her bedroom.

She decided that it'd be better to clean up her room than think of everything she couldn't escape. Besides, God knew what she had hidden there- most of the things Bea owned were hidden in her closet, and she hadn't touched them in years.

About an hour into a frantic cleaning, Bea found a teddy bear. She knew that she had seen it before but couldn't wrap her mind around it nor remember any memories connected to the plush toy.

With the teddy bear in her hand, the Princess left her bedroom and headed to her parent's bedroom. One of them had the answers she needed, and she wouldn't give up until someone told her the truth.

Bea knocked on the door, but no one answered. She tried more for about two minutes until she heard someone groan in annoyance. "Mom, dad, I need to talk to you," Bea matched the same energy, intentionally trying to sound as annoyed as ever.

After a while, she overheard footsteps on the other side of the door, and her mother finally appeared in her view. Eve looked like she had just woken up. "What is it, sweetheart?" The Queen asked ever so softly.

Bea lifted the teddy bear to her mother's eye level. "This. I found this in my bedroom, and I'm darn sure it meant a lot to me if it's still there. I know I have memories about it, I'm sure I do, but I can't remember anything. So, you or dad will tell me everything. I'm grown, mom; there's no need to protect me as if I'm damaged goods- I deserve to find out the truth." Bea felt anger rising in her. It was so unfair that she was the only one left in the dark while she was the one everyone tried to protect. How would they even protect her if she was unaware of whom she'd have to deem as an enemy or friend?

"That's the first gift he gave you. Your mate," Eve whispered as she opened the door wider and invited Bea inside the bedroom.

The Princess quickly walked into her parent's bedroom and stopped right before the family portrait her parents hung on the wall. "Uncle teddy bear? So he wasn't my imaginary friend after all?" Bit by bit, Bea tried to remember anything. It was a slow and complicated process, but she could recall a few things, and those were more than just enough.

"Yes." Eve couldn't look at her daughter. Only when the Queen lost her child did she understand how many mistakes she had made. Perhaps if she didn't jump to accuse River of everything he did for her daughter, their life wouldn't be such a mess.

"Uncle teddy bear is my mate, isn't he?" Bea gasped, pointing her finger at her mother. She was ready to force her mother to come clean about everything she did.

Eve nodded her head, too ashamed to dare to glance at Bea.

"All this time, you knew, and he was still sent away? How is that fair to him? How is that fair to me? You knew that he'd come after me either way, and you thought it was better to keep us apart all this time? Was it because you couldn't stand the thought that I'd be mated to someone I knew, mother? Do you really believe that it's easy for me to leave with someone who's a stranger to me? You took away years and didn't feel bad about it. I can't believe this. My own family stabbed me in the back when I was a clueless child. I wonder what you could do now when I'm grown." Tears streamed down Bea's cheeks as she started shouting. The emotions took the best of her, yet it wasn't like all of them were against her mother. Bea couldn't understand her own life, which hurt more than some injustice from her family. No one could know how everything would change after they banished River.

Eve tried to approach Bea, but the Princess stepped backwards to keep the distance between her and her mother. The Queen shook her head and spoke up. "I didn't intend to hurt you, Bea. As your mother, I tried to do the right thing and protect you from potential danger. No one could know that something like this might happen. How was I supposed to know the consequences that might come years later? All this time, I did everything to protect my children, but everyone made mistakes. I wanted to do my best and faced the worst outcome. I'm not perfect, I can't always be right, but I'm trying so darn hard." Eve knew that her words wouldn't change much, but she couldn't escape the conversation anymore.

Bea's bottom lip trembled, and right before the Princess could accuse her mother of more crimes, a sound of a loud bang startled them. Eve's eyes clouded the same instant, and though Bea ran up to her mother and tried to shake her- there was no way to stop the mind-link. When Eve returned to her senses, she grabbed Bea's shoulders and brought their foreheads together. "Darling, we're under an attack. I need you to hide, okay? Your father left, I'm not sure when he'll be back, but I'll have to join the warriors along with your brother. Hide, don't let them find you. One rat can pass us, and if that happens- the rebellion will get what they want. You are their target now. Run to the library and hide there. You remember the secret door, right?" Tears streamed down Eve's cheeks as she spoke to her daughter. Bea couldn't utter a word, so she nodded. Eve pressed her lips against Bea's forehead and whispered, "leave," before she rushed out of the bedroom.

Bea didn't waste any time and left the bedroom seconds after her mother disappeared from her view. She held the teddy bear close to her chest, seeking some comfort as her heart pounded against her ribcage. "Why are they here? Why did I think we had time before the rebellion attacks? And why the castle? Is it because dad left? But how would they know that dad left? Maybe there are more spies in the castle than I thought?" Bea whispered the questions to herself as she attempted to unlock the library door.

As soon as she stepped inside, the scent of an old book surrounded her, and the Princess nearly lost herself in the bliss. Yet, another loud crash in the distance reminded Bea that she had to hide until everything was over. "I should have gone to the stupid training and help my family, not hide. But no, I have to love books and fantasies more than the reality!" Bea scolded herself under her breath.

She tightened the hold around the teddy bear as she tried to find the book that was supposed to open the secret door. Yet, before Bea reached it, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Hello there, Princess."