Chapter 538
“Ian, what are you doing here?” Casaio asked in confusion, his gaze sharp. He immediately noticed the palace servant standing behind Ian, a servant he himself had dismissed moments before, indicating Ian had countermanded his order.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” Ian started with a formal greeting. “I have come to talk to you about an important matter p>
“Can we talk later? Right now, I have to head somewhere,” Casaio stated, eager to leave. He took a step forward, but Ian moved subtly to block him.
“I will be accompanying you to the werewolf academy. The Alpha King has ordered me to become a mediator and help you from now onward,” Ian explained, dropping the unsettling news.
Casaio’s brows furrowed deeply. “What do you mean? I don’t need any council member’s help in this matter, Ian,” he clarified, his tone signaling his desire for Ian to leave.
“Your Highness, you are currently in a lesser rank than I,” Ian suddenly stated, delivering the cold, calculated truth.
“What?” Casaio’s eyes instantly turned a dangerous red, the statement acting as a powerful trigger. “What did you say, Ian? Repeat it p>
“You heard me, Your Highness,” Ian replied, completely undaunted by the threat of the Alpha Prince’s rage. “Given the scandal that surrounds you and the decisions you have made, the power you once held has diminished. You must be forgetting that the Alpha King has to listen to the council, and under no circumstances shall he favor his children in matters of state p>
“I know that much. But how is my
Ian took out a formally sealed document, the royal decree, from the inside pocket of his blazer and showed it to Casaio.
“Your father gave me this just this morning. Yesterday, a great deal transpired in the council after Idris was found to be bullied,” Ian explained. “While you were occupied with that domestic matter, the Alpha King was pushed to the edge by the council for keeping a former spy in this palace p>
“Zilia is not p>
Ian didn’t let him finish, citing the political fallout. “Indeed, the matter died down for a short while, but it was triggered again after the sudden, massive outrage on social media. And let’s not forget about how the power of the people can overthrow the entire royalty in a single day.” Ian made sure Casaio understood the seriousness of the popular unrest.
Ian’s words made Casaio chuckle, a humorless sound. He never thought a man younger than him would be threatening him, the Crown Prince, with such political authority.
“Fine. You can accompany me,” Casaio stated, his initial rage subdued by the reality of the decree. He fixed Ian with a stern, warning gaze. “But keep in mind that you are not allowed to speak unnecessarily or interfere without my express command p>
“Of course, Your Highness,” said Ian, bowing his head, thus giving a way to Casaio to go ahead.
Karmen looked down at his phone after finishing the conversation with his mother, catching up on messages he hadn’t checked since the day he arrived at the estate. While scrolling through them, he kept walking straight and ended up bumping into someone hard. The various items in the lady’s hands clattered loudly as they fell to the tiled floor, finally causing him to lift his gaze to meet hers.
“Oh my god! Did my porcelain cups break?” Mona muttered in panic, instantly scrambling onto her knees to assess the damage after tearing open the cardboard box.
“I am so sorry,” Karmen instantly apologized, pushing the phone into his pocket and kneeling to help her. As he picked up a cup still wrapped in tissue paper, he murmured, relieved, “Thankfully, this one is not broken p>
“But these are!” Mona said sharply, glaring at him as she held up two shattered pieces of delicate white porcelain.
“I-I can buy them for you right away,” Karmen said, a slight stutter betraying his embarrassment and surprise at her directness.
“I made them with my own hands!” Mona raised her voice sharply at him, tears of frustration welling up. “Do you even know how many days I spent making these? I wanted to give these as a souvenir to Carlos’ friends, but you ruined my present p>
With that, she snatched the last intact cup from him, placed it roughly into the box with the others, and stood up abruptly. “Idiot,” she murmured under her breath, glaring at him.
“What did you call me, Miss?” Karmen asked, instantly frowning at the insult.
“Get away!” Mona snapped, ready to brush past him. Karmen chuckled softly, his tongue pressing against the inside of his right cheek, a sign of amusement mixed with irritation. He quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her motion.
“You don’t call someone an idiot, Miss,” Karmen said, his voice dropping slightly.
“Yes, I do, especially to those who are brainless enough to walk while staring at a phone!” Mona remarked, yanking her arm forcefully out of his grip and walking ahead quickly.
“Hey, you are crossing the line now,” Karmen said, following closely after her.
Mona stopped and turned to face him, her eyes blazing. “You did it first! You walked aimlessly, not looking who was coming from the front. How dare you even argue with me after you broke my things p>
“Aimlessly?” Karmen retorted, stepping closer. “And what did you do? You could have walked straight, but no, you didn’t use your eyes either p>
“Hey, why are you two arguing?” Carlos’s voice interrupted them as he approached, looking confused by the sudden commotion.
“This servant of yours is claiming to be your friend, Carlos,” Mona said dismissively, gesturing toward Karmen.
“I am not a servant! How could you be this—” Karmen began, instantly furious at the title.
“Mona, Karmen is my friend,” Carlos corrected her immediately, stepping between them. “He is actually a Beta of Prince Gabriel. Please apologize to him p>