Chapter 209
Chapter 209
That malicious look simply flickered across Agnes’s face.
It had vanished when Westin turned around.
The softest smile appeared on his lips, “Agnes, you came.” This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
They kissed each other’s cheeks.
Agnes’s little gang curtseyed to Westin and said in unison, “My King.”
“I should thank you for taking your time and preparing Janet for this event,” Westin said with a smile. “So how was she? Was she a good student?”
Janet looked at Agnes.
She was quite curious how Agnes would answer this question. Would she tell on her? Or would she smear her on purpose?
Agnes bit her lips, tears gleaming in her doc–like eyes, “My King…it is all my fault. I was not a good trainer. I failed to teach Janet how to behave properly. And all the guests saw her carrying a barrel walking in, which is just…obscene. I should be punished for my incompetence…”
She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes.
“Obscene?” Janet let out an icy laugh, “That is a very strong word. I didn’t know that helping out a maid is such a huge crime.”
Kalinda raised her voice, eager to defend her leader, “Those servants and maids exist for a reason. We paid them good money, fed them, clothed them so that they could do these heavy labors for us!
If you sympathize with the servants all the time, maybe you are not cut out to be a noble.”
Janet rolled her eyes.
Agnes whispered to Kalinda with a frown, “Don’t say that…I am sure Lady Janet meant well. She just didn’t know how to behave properly in front of a distinguished. group of people… Again. Entirely my fault.”
She bent her knees abruptly and said to Westin sobbing, “My King, please punish me. You trusted me with such an important task and yet I failed it completely. I blame myself so much…”
Her gang panicked seeing her bend her knees
They all bowed to Westin and begged, “Please forgive Lady Agnes, my king. We are partially at fault too. We were all there when Lady Agnes trained her yet none of us knew that she would behave this poorly…”
Janet found this whole scene so ridiculous that she almost laughed.
She had got to say though: Agnes was smarter than all the bad women she had met combined.
By blaming herself first, Agnes successfully painted herselt as a perfect victim. And the harder she blamed herselt, the more serious Janet’s mistake would seem.
Westin was never going to punish her…Agnes knew that.
She just needed him to assign blame to Janet in the end.
Westin let out a sigh, “Get up, Agnes. I didn’t say it is your fault.”
He held her elbow and tried to help her up.
Yet Agnes remained in that posture, “No, my king, I won’t stand up until you punish me for my mistake!”
Her voice was louder than usual.
Many people’s attention had been drawn to her.
The surrounding crowd was watching them quietly, waiting for Westin’s response. Westin straightened her back and gave Janet a meaningful look.
Janet’s heart skipped a beat.
…Was he finally going to scold her?
“I should have known that a couple of days of training won’t make a difference to you,” he said deeply.
Janet sneered internally.
Was he saying that her poor manner was beyond help?
“Because you have such a distinctive personality,” Westin chuckled. “Strong independent, fierce, and kind, which is exactly why I like you so much. I don’t want to carve you into some upper–lady model. You are fine…just the way you are.”
A ringing silence fell upon them.
Agnes snapped her head up, glaring at Westin in disbelief, as though she couldn’t believe that Westin just complimented Janet.
Janet was stunned as well.
She felt her cheeks warm because of his words.
Westin seemed to enjoy the shocking look on her
“Come with me.”
He whispered to her, taking her hand.
r face.
They held hands, walking past Agnes and her gang, through the astonished crowd,
and got up to the gazebo in the center of the garden.
Westin clapped her hands, getting everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, nobles and elders, welcome.”
He announced to the large crowd in a booming voice:
“I am thrilled to let you know that I have found my mate. The Lycan’s kingdom will soon have a Queen. So please join me in welcoming my mate, your future
Queen–Janet Manning!”
A round of applause broke out in the garden, sending birds flying off from the branches into the night sky.
Janet’s face went red slightly.
She looked around and saw many excited faces. Most people were genuinely happy for their King.
Of course, there was one exception.
Agnes stood in the far back of the crowd with an expressionless face.
Her doe–like eyes were cold as ice.
When their gazes met in midair, Janet lifted the corners of her lips and gave Agnes a provocative smile.
She could tell that Agnes was furious inside.
And she looked forward to the day when she exposed Agnes for the hypocrite that she really was.
“Dance! Dance! Dance!” the crowd cheered in unison.
Westin grinned.
He held Janet’s hand, spinning her into his arms, and gracefully waltzed her into the
dancefloor.
His dance moves were a seamless blend of confidence and fluidity as if he were born to waltz beneath the stars.
The guests couldn’t help but steal glances at him, enchanted by the aura of sophistication that surrounded him.
Laughter and lively conversation filled the air.
The enchanting melody grew louder.
More guests poured into the dance floor and danced by the side of their King and future Queen.
“I thought you were going to blame me for helping that maid carry the beer barrel,” Janet whispered into his ears.
He chuckled, “I would if you weren’t my mate. But you are so I will support anything that you do.
She paused.
He really knew his way around women and what to say to make them happy.
It was hard not to fall into his sweet trap.
“Those nice things that you said about me, independent, kind and fierce-” “Yeah, what about it?”
“You were really saying those to the elders, right?” she asked. “You want them to believe that you are genuinely into me.”
The smile on his lips faded slightly, “Maybe I really meant it. And I said those things because that was exactly how I felt-”
“No, you don’t. You would never knock down a woman that you love and kidnap her to your home. So you can keep lying. Just don’t get yourself fooled by your own lies.”
His face turned cold.
“You really know how to sabotage a romantic moment,” he said darkly.
Janet shrugged, “I am simply being realistic.”
“Fine.”
He said crossly, looking away from her, over the dancing crowd.
“You were right. I did say those things to make our relationship seem real. And next time before acting recklessly, you should really think about the deal we made first. Never put our cooperation at risk again.”
“Duly noted,” she replied indifferently.
“And apologize to Agnes when you have the time. It is not her fault that you almost embarrassed yourself in front of everyone.”
Janet raised an eyebrow.
She found it amazing how a man could be so easily fooled by a woman’s innocent face and tears.
“You really don’t have any feelings for her?” she asked, “It is OK. You can tell me.” “NO!” he snapped.
“Really? But she apparently has feelings for you. It has been years since her mate Keavy died and if she wants to remarry, you two would make a perfect couple-”
He tightened his grip on her shoulder, “Stop trying to pimp me out! I am not getting together with Agnes. And you are certainly not going anywhere!”
She pouted, grudgingly.
His chest heaved as he said, “You will marry me as planned and help me handle the Elder Council. As for what happens after that and whom I will marry eventually, that is none of your business.”
She didn’t say anything.
“You hear me?” he snapped.
“…Yeah,” she answered unwillingly.
The rest of their dance passed by in an awkward silence.
As soon as the last note of the music ended, he let go of her hand immediately.
“Come. I want to introduce you to some elders,” he said icily.
He took her to one of the tables that surrounded the dance floor. A couple of white–cloaked men were sitting by the table.
“Janet, meet Elder Randy and Elder Pierre, from the House of Light,” he introduced.
Janet shook hands with the both of them, “Nice to meet you.”
The man with a found face and red gin nose was Elder Randy. He let out a booming laugh, “The werewolf princess! We have heard a lot about you.”
“You are everything that King Westin described,” Elder Pierre chuckled.
Janet smiled, “I hope those are some nice things that he said about me?”
“Of course! He described you as the best woman in this world, the embodiment of the Moon Goddess. I think we should get a drink and toast to the alliance between werewolf and Lycan!”
“How about that barrel of beer that I personally carried into the garden?” Janet suggested, smiling.
Everyone around the table laughed.
“Great idea!” Elder Randy said loudly, “Servant! You heard the Queen.”
The servants rushed over, bringing them four glasses of beer.
Westin raised his glass, “To alliance. To our mate bond. And…to my love for Janet.”
“Well said!”
Elder Randy cried and took a great swig.
Janet raised the glass to her lips.
Yet before taking a sip, from a peripheral look, she saw Elder Randy freeze.
“…Elder Randy?” she lowered the glass, perplexed.
Elder Randy clenched his throat abruptly, his face quickly turning grey.
He looked at Janet in horror.
Blood ran down from his nostrils and the corner of his mouth.