Surrogate for the Alpha Prince in a Coma novel Chapter 91

Chapter 91

+15 Banus

I was warm, covered in a blanket. The papers I had been holding were carefully set on the nightstand.

Confused, I started to sit up. I definitely hadn’t been the one to set my papers aside and cover myself with a blanket. And the only other person in the room had been… Grayson.

I had been facing the window, so I turned to look around the room. It was empty. I was the only one here.

Grayson was gone.

I didn’t have time to waste so I rose from the bed and got ready for the day, showering and changing into appropriate clothes for the day – some loose fitting pants and a top that allowed freedom of movement. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail, grabbed my paperwork, and headed for the door. As I reached it, I looked back at the room, at the blanket that had been carefully placed over me as I slept.

Grayson didn’t like me. The way he was handling this situation with Ophelia and the attack was proof of that.

Yet…

No. I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. Whatever this was had to be some kind of fluke. General kindness wasn’t the same as caring about someone. I had to put this out of my mind.

As I neared the training grounds, I started to feel nervous, having no clue what the final turnout for the event might be. The ladies of the court could tell Benedict and Clara that they were interested. Maybe they even could be intrigued. But that didn’t mean they would actually attend.

That nervousness vanished the moment I stepped outside and into the training grounds.

Every single person I had invited, sans the Queen, Ophelia, and her lackeys, were all huddled in the middle of the grounds, looking around like they didn’t know where to begin.

Clara was there, and when she spotted me, she smiled and came toward me. “Everyone’s eager to start. Me, too, honestly. Where do you want us to start?”

I split the ladies into three groups, each to practice a different activity, with the promise of switching every 15 minutes, with a 5 minute drink break in between.

One group was to play badminton, with a net I’d requested be set up in the field. Benedict had said to leave that to him, and he had delivered as the net was there, as were a set of rackets and a few shuttlecocks.

The second group was set to do light exercises, including some more complicated footwork that should help them be more agile.

“To help you more easily move around those dancefloors,” I said, and the ladies were immediately more interested. Clara took to the steps quicker than most, so I left her in charge of this group as I moved to the third.

The third group was at the archery range. Most of the ladies had never even handled a bow before, let alone shot one. Carefully, I showed them how to handle the bow, how to notch an arrow, and finally, how to aim and release. Some arrows flew wildly down the range, but a few met the target, even if they were off center.

The ladies were excited for either event, laughing at their misses or cheering each other on when they hit the mark.

After demonstration, I stepped back, looking around at each of the three groups. In each, the ladies were smiling and having fun.

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Chapter 91

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Pride started to swell within me. This event was going to be a success.

Until, suddenly, everyone started to straighten, stiffening their movements, becoming more formal. I didn’t understand what was happening, until I looked at the entrance of the training grounds and saw the Queen arrive.

Ophelia was with her, her lackeys following behind her.

The Queen, face high, looked around the grounds in clear distaste.

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Chapter 92