Chapter 163 Curiosity and Silk
Chapter 163 Curiosity and Silk
“Alpha,” I greeted him,
“Good morning, Elara, how was your night?” he asked,
I smiled politely, “It was fine, thank you, Father,”
He nodded, his expression softening as he looked at me, “I thought I should come and join you, I knew you'd be at the table, so I decided to have breakfast with everyone,”
I smiled, “That’s very nice of you,” I said as I stood from my chair, “Let me assist you,”
I walked over to him and carefully held the handles of his wheelchair before guiding him closer to the table, once he was positioned comfortably, I helped dish some of the food onto his plate, “There you go,” I said,
The old Alpha looked down at the food before looking back at me, “The meal is fine, Elara,”
I nodded, “I’m glad you like it,”
I returned to my seat beside Kiran and continued eating, I tried to focus on my food, but I couldn't completely relax, there was still something strange about the atmosphere around the table, Victor remained quiet, and although Kiran was speaking with Silas, I could tell he was aware of his brother's silence, I didn't want to think about it, I simply wanted breakfast to remain peaceful,
“So, tell me, Kieran,” the old Alpha said, turning his attention toward his son, “How are the preparations for the celebration going?”
Kiran placed his fork down for a moment, “Everything is going well, most of the arrangements have already been completed, the decorations are being put in place, and the kitchen staff have started preparing the food,”
As he spoke, something suddenly came to my mind, the preparations, I had completely forgotten about them, I frowned slightly, how could I have forgotten to check everything? I had spent so much time worrying about everything else that I hadn't even bothered to see how the preparations were going, I glanced toward the dining hall doors, maybe I should go and check the kitchen myself,
It wasn't as though I didn't trust the maids, I simply wanted to make sure everything was being handled properly, after all, this celebration was important, and I didn't want to discover at the last minute that something had been forgotten, but if I was being honest with myself, that wasn't the only reason I wanted to leave, the atmosphere at the table was making me uncomfortable, everyone seemed to be trying to act normal, but I could feel the tension between them, Victor barely spoke, Kiran seemed unusually watchful, and I couldn't understand what was going through any of their minds, I needed a reason to leave, checking the preparations was a perfect excuse,
I remained seated for a while, pretending to listen as the old Alpha talked, he ate slowly while telling us different stories about the pack's history and sharing some recent news, Silas occasionally responded to him, and Kiran asked a few questions, I listened as well, but my mind wasn't really at the table anymore, I kept thinking about the kitchen, I needed to see what the maids were doing and make sure everything was going according to plan,
I was still lost in my thoughts when the old Alpha looked at me, “Elara, are you alright?”
I blinked, he studied my face, “You look like someone who is worried about something,”
Immediately, everyone's attention turned toward me, I shifted slightly in my chair, suddenly uncomfortable under their gazes, “Oh, yes,” I said quickly, “I'm fine, I would just love to excuse myself and go to the kitchen to check something,”
“The kitchen?” Kiran asked, he looked at me with slight confusion, “Don't worry about that, the maids will take care of everything,”
“I know,” I replied, “I just want to check it myself,”
“You don't need to,” Kiran said, “You've barely eaten,”
I smiled at him, “I'll be back, I only want to take a quick look,”
Before Kiran could respond, the old Alpha spoke, “Kiran, leave her alone,”
Kiran turned toward him, the old Alpha looked at me and smiled, “She has worked there before, let her check whatever she wants to check, she's curious,”
I smiled immediately, “You see? You shouldn't worry, I just want to check the preparations,”
Kiran looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually, he sighed, “Alright, just don't stay too long,”
“I won't,”
I stood from my chair and gave the old Alpha a small smile, “Enjoy your breakfast,”
“Thank you, Elara,”
I nodded before leaving the dining hall, the moment I stepped into the hallway and the doors closed behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief, finally, I was away from that tense atmosphere,
I walked down the hallway at a relaxed pace, looking around as I went, the palace looked completely different from the last time I had walked through this area, the decorations had already been put in place, beautiful fabrics had been draped along the walls, flowers had been arranged carefully around the hall, and several tables had been decorated with elegant ornaments, everything looked clean and organized,
I slowed down to admire the work, the maids had really done a good job, I smiled as I looked at the decorations, for someone who had been worried about the preparations, I was beginning to realize that there might not be much left for me to do, still, I wanted to check the kitchen,
I continued walking, occasionally looking around to make sure everything was in order, the palace was unusually quiet compared to the dining hall, and I found myself enjoying the silence, I was just about to continue toward the kitchen when I suddenly felt someone's hands rest on my shoulders,
I froze for a second before quickly turning around, “Clara?”
She was standing directly behind me, I stared at her in surprise, I hadn't expected to see her here.