Surrogate for the Alpha Prince in a Coma novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Lillian’s POV

“I’ve just received word,” the Prime Beta said as Grayson and I were in Grayson’s room. Sitting upright. Grayson was looking through the pack notes of the day. He looked from them to his Beta. I was in a nearby chain. attempting to mend my torn gown

Grayson had already told me to simply discard it, but knowing that Josephine had picked it out for me made it special. Also the gown was so beautiful, to throw it away felt like a waste. It deserved to be worm to an occasion where it wouldn’t be so rudely ripped.

“What’s the news?” Grayson prompted.

“The Queen herself has suggested that Lillian attend the Moon-Blessed Hunt.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“An event just for noblewomen,” Grayson said, pensive.

The Prime Beta picked up where Grayson left off. “This is an animal hunt for women only, of the Queen’s choosing. This is a pre-autumn ritual to honor the Moon Goddess and the many gifts she bestows upon us. It is an honor for you to be invited, and evidence that the Queen is taking your position seriously.”

Grayson immediately went back to studying his documents.

“Am I allowed to attend?” I asked him, when he said nothing about it.

“It makes no difference to me,” he said.

“I should go then,” I said. “I know a little about hunting. I should be able to keep up.”

Grayson frowned at the very corners of his mouth. “Stay with the group.”

I knew better than to mistake the words for worry. He likely had some tactical reason for the advice. After what happened with Piers, I was even more inclined to go along with his warnings.

“I will,” I told him.

He gave no notion of acknowledgement.

Later, I stepped out of the room, once again heading toward the kitchens, this time to retrieve the soup that I was presumably to feed Grayson for his lunch. Since Josephine had sneaked up on me in a side hallway, this way I stuck to the main corridors where there were lots of guests, thinking I might be safer from any altercation in big numbers.

Unfortunately, of the number standing at the base of the main stairwell, Ophelia and her lackeys were there, chattering and laughing. One of the lackeys spotted me first, and nudged Ophelia, whose face soured as she looked up at me.

At once, I wished that I hadn’t come this way, and debated if it was too late to go around a different way. Quickly, I talked myself out of it. I was the Luna Princess, and plenty of witnesses were around. If Ophelia wanted to start something with me here, she would end up making an ass of herself.

She moved to step into my way as I came down the stairwell.

“Look who’s here,” she said, mocking. “The walking womb. That’s all you are around here. You know that, don’t you?”

Chapter 2

+15 Bhus

“Stand aside,” I said. “I need to retrieve the Prince’s food.”

“No one cares about you,” Ophelia said. “And once you have a baby, you’ll be thrown out into the trash where you belong.”

Her words did little to affect me. I knew my place here, maybe even better than she did.

Raising my voice slightly so others could hear, I said, “Are you going to step out of the way? Or are you willing to accept blame for why the prince will go hungry?””

Others glanced over, and Ophelia looked around, catching them. Her face turned red as her glare fell back onto me. But, grumbling, she moved to the side.

Feeling victorious, I stepped through them and continued onto the kitchen.

Hoping to avoid Ophelia on the return trip, I vouched for the back hallways instead.

As soon as I turned a corner, a hand shot out and slapped the tray down, straight out of my hands. The soup bowl smashed against the floor, soup spilling all over. The bits of bread and water to drink were wasted, mixed in with the ceramic pieces on the floor.

Ophelia, it seemed, had predicted my movements and beat me here. She and her lackeys stepped out of the shadows, each of them cackling like hyenas.

Knowing they only wanted a reaction from me, I did my best to ignore them. Instead, I pulled a rag from pocket and kneeled down to try to clean up some of the mess.

“She’s only good on her knees,” said one of the lackeys. “That’s probably what Piers thought too.”

Anger burned within me, a cutting remark on my tongue, but I held it back, knowing it would only make things worse.

“She’s a servant through and through,” Ophelia said, and then trudged through the spilled soup, carrying shoeprints of it all the way down the hallway.

Only one of her lackeys tried to avoid the spilled soup as they left. I recognized her, Clara, daughter of the Beta Minister. She looked back from the end of the hallway, sympathy in her eyes, before Ophelia called for her.

“Clara!”

Clara quickly looked away and disappeared after the others.

I continued cleaned. Soon after the others had gone, some servants arrived to help me. Once the job was done, I headed back into the kitchen. The cook already had a fresh tray and bowl waiting as if she had heard what happened. It seemed news traveled fast among the servants.

By the time I returned to Grayson’s room, he was pacing with impatience.

“You let me go hungry,” he said. “What took so long?”

I thought about telling him, but stopped myself. Ophelia was a childhood friend of his. They had known each other a long time, and she was honored by him and his family. Did I really think he would believe me over her? And, even if he did, that he would continue to take my side? 1

If he heard Ophelia’s lies about me, he’d probably agree that I deserved the bullying.

No. It was better to stay silent.

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Chapter 22

+15 Bgnus

Watching me, Grayson’s eyes narrowed. I almost felt like he could see straight through me. But I didn’t open my mouth. I didn’t say one more word.

He took the tray from my hands, moved to his desk, and started to eat.

I moved to the window and looked out of it, wondering if I would have to endure Ophelia’s bullying forever, or if she would eventually get bored. Or maybe, like she said, after I gave a child to Grayson, I would be cast out like trash.

Where would I even go?

From behind me, I felt Grayson’s eyes on me, but he didn’t say anything more.

Later, after stepping outside of Grayson’s room once more, another figure approached me in the hallway. Seeing it was Clara, I braced myself.

She approached, stopping a foot from me, and made no act against me.

“Are you planning on attending the hunt?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You shouldn’t,” she said.

My irritation rose. “What does it matter to you?”

She glanced up and down the hallway. I did too, no one was there.

“You didn’t hear this from me,” she said. “But you need to be careful.”

“I can handle spilled soup and cruel words,” I said. 1

“At the hunt,” she pressed. “This is a warning, Lillian. Some are planning foul play for during the competition.”

P

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