Stolen by the Beastly Lycan King

Lorelai slowly walked back to her study, reveling in the warmth of the sunlight that seeped through the hallway windows. 

Compared to Althea's room, where the curtains were always drawn, allowing only artificial light from the chandelier candles, any other room that did not shelter her presence, seemed a lot warmer and thus more cheerful. 

Despite the dreading news that had just been delivered to her and the annoying pain in her right hip, the princess felt a little better just walking through the sunlit hall. 

Pausing next to one of the tall windows, Lorelai looked through the glass, noticing two people talking outside, among the blooming orchards of the palace gardens. 

'Kai?'

Those people were her stepbrother, Crown Prince Kai Erelith, and her future husband, Duke Vincent Kalder. 

Even though she could not see their faces very well, Lorelai could tell that their discussion was not a pleasant one. And she knew exactly why. 

'If the old duke is here, it means they are discussing my marriage. No wonder Kai looks so annoyed.'

As she finished that thought, Duke Kalder turned on his heel and left abruptly while the Crown Prince suddenly raised his head and locked his glowing green eyes with the princess.

His angry gaze sent a shiver down her spine, forcing Lorelai to avert her eyes and step aside from the window. 

There was always something unsettling about her stepbrother which made her feel scared. She did not like to provoke him. 

The princess was about to get inside her study when she heard the familiar heavy rhythm of her stepbrother's footsteps marching toward her from around the corner of the hallway. 

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai winced and tightened her grip around the ornate handle of her cane. Kai appeared almost out of nowhere right before her, fuming with unreasonable rage as he spat his next words. 

"So it's true, huh? You whored yourself off to that old pervert?!"

His crude tone and the choice of words put a disgusted grimace on her face. 

Kai was the spitting image of the queen except for his sparkling green eyes––the only visible proof that he was indeed of royal blood. His presence always made her shrink the same way Althea did. 

"Please do not use such harsh words in my company, Your Highness," Lorelai started calmly, "and do not act like you have not been aware of that as well. Her Majesty the Queen has been planning this union for years; this is the only thing I can do for the royal family."

Even though she spoke the truth, somehow, Kai did not find her reply even slightly comforting. On the contrary, it irked him even more than his impromptu conversation with Duke Kalder. 

"You..!" The prince raised his hand, prepared to strike his stepsister but Lorelai lifted her cane in a protective stance, fixing her bright green eyes on his with unexpected confidence. 

"You cannot hurt me anymore, Your Highness. From now on, only my future husband can."

***

From that day onward, Lorelai noticed that both her ladies-in-waiting and her maids had become a lot busier, always running about and often called to the queen's quarters. 

That alone was a definite clue that the wedding preparations had been set in motion. 

Annoyed and frightened, the princess tried to bury herself in the palace work that her stepbrother had been successfully neglecting, going hunting or sleeping with prostitutes instead, but no matter how hard she tried to focus, her mind refused to obey. 

Even a moment's pause made her thoughts twirl in disarray. 

Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Lorelai set her quill aside and leaned back in her chair, her eyelids tightly shut. 

As she tried to take a break and find a moment of peace, the princess suddenly recalled that bizarre dream from a few days ago. 

A pair of glowing amber eyes shone in her mind's eye as if they were right in front of her. 

Startled, Lorelai opened her eyes, her chest heaving. 

'I cannot help but feel that it was not a mere dream... With everything that has happened so far, it feels like some sort of a premonition.'

Indeed, with the impending marriage alliance looming over her head, she saw that strange dream as a sign from above. After all, the timing was just too accurate. She wondered if her heart was warning her about her fate. 

'Poison...' Lorelai pictured a small glass bottle of red liquid she saw in her dream and immediately felt the ache in her muscles. 

Following was the male voice crying out her name in despair and the princess felt her skin covered in goosebumps. 

It would have been nice. If only someone would come to save her from this hell. 

Her thoughts then shifted back to the poison and Lorelai frowned. 

Gypsies. In her dream, she bought that poison from a Gypsy woman. 

Gypsies were not really citizens of the Erelith Kingdom. In fact, they were just nomads, roaming around the continent like it belonged entirely to them. 

Peaceful and harmless in nature, they posed no threat to others, and with their innate talent for street entertainment, gypsies were welcome everywhere and received no judgment or discrimination. 

Lorelai had seen the Gypsy settlement in the Capital before. She had always found them fascinating and yet, she had never had the courage to approach them. 

And now, it felt like the right time to finally do so. 

With another long sigh, the princess turned around and looked out of the window behind her chair. Despite the late hour, it was still light outside which made her surprised for a few moments.

'Ah,' she finally recalled, 'today is the summer solstice!'

The summer solstice was the longest day of the year but it was also the day when all the commoners, including gypsies, gathered in the Capital Square to celebrate the occasion with all kinds of festivities and entertaining events. 

Strangely, Lorelai's heartbeat fastened, and she felt her palms getting damp. 

Perhaps that dream was indeed a premonition. 

No, it had to be. 

That dream was both a warning and a helping hand. 

An unwavering decision was made right away––she would do it. 

She would go to the festival disguised as a commoner, meet the gypsies, and buy that poison.