Her Father's Gift

AYSU

Four days later, Aysu got a response from her father. This gladdened Aysu who rushed out of her room with a speed that startled Magnetino.

“Your Majesty! You don’t know the way!” cried Magnetino.

The realisation that he was right halted her hasty feet, and also the fact that he called her with a fancy title.

“Your Majesty?” she asked the moment she turned to face the man who was putting on an all-white outfit that exposed more of his handsomeness. As Aysu briefly studied the way the colour highlighted his facial structure, she wondered which colour would make Alpha Ximun stand out in a crowd more than he already did.

For a few seconds, she indulged that thought. Then she got rid of it as though it was trash that made her soul stink. Then, she asked, “Why would you call me that?”

He shrugged, placed the bag in his hand on the floor and squatted to position her shoes in front of her bare feet. Then, as he helped her cover her feet, he replied, “It’s a good practice for the future. It would be rude of me to continue calling you by your first name, so-”

“But saying that majesty stuff is a lot of pressure,” she complained. “You should never repeat it. Call me by my name instead. At least, when it’s just the two of us.”

“Okay, Your Majesty.” She narrowed her gaze at him and he smiled sheepishly. “Okay, Miss Aysu.”

She chose to manage his corrected greeting and after a few seconds of nodding, she became active about rushing to get the mystery gift her father sent along with his one-page letter that assured her that she was capable of surviving in The Night Crimson Pack.

“What do you think my father got me?” Aysu asked the man who began to lead the way with a velocity that was unpleasant to her excitement. “Do you think it’s a basket of chocolates?”

“Whatever it is, I am sure you will love it,” he replied. “But please, stop itching to rush out of this place. Now that…” his voice lowered immediately, “...you are with child, you have to be extra careful.”

“Okay, what the heck did Alpha Ximun talk to you about yesterday?”

It was shocking to hear that Alpha Ximun had a brief conversation with him the day before, but the way Magnetino’s mannerisms slightly changed since then was weird and concerning.

“You know, he admonished me to serve you well. He also said to keep the baby thing a secret or else my head will be chopped off and wolves will eat the insides during the brief seconds I’m alive.” Magnetino spoke calmly, one would think that he was comfortable with getting his head cut off.

“He threatened you?” Aysu’s brows knitted. “Did he also demand that you call me; Your Majesty?” Her tone was bitter. “If he did, disregard it.”

“But, he is the Alpha King. I can’t exactly disobey what he says.”

“Stupid hierarchy rules,” she muttered to herself.

“Do you not like the Alpha King?” Magnetino asked as they took a right turn.

Aysu straightened her back and reduced the bitterness etched on her face. “Why would you ask that?”

“You just seem to have a beef with him.”

“Is it wrong to?”

“Not exactly. I believe you wouldn’t be furious at him without a reason. And since the King has been rumoured to have done rather silly things since you arrived, it truly wouldn’t be surprising that you harbour a certain dislike for him.”

Aysu hummed and grudgingly asked, “Speaking of rumours that are true, is that Mayana woman still in the palace?”

Magnetino glanced at her. “I thought you didn’t wish to hear about her.”

“I am just curious.” Aysu’s response led her to think about the last time she saw Alpha Ximun. While she pretended to be asleep after he rushed her to the hospital in concern, he had mentioned to his Healer friend that Mayana just happened to show up in his room. That was the moment she became curious about that ex of his.

“She is still in the palace. But no one has seen her near the Alpha’s room.”

“Oh.” Aysu was relieved, surprisingly. “I am so glad that my room is very far from his. If he decides to entertain her, I won’t get to see it.” Magnetino hooked arms with her and she knew he did it with meaning. So, she asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing. It’s just that once your coronation is finalised, you and the Alpha King have to move into the same room.”

“That doesn’t sound pleasant. Is this how it’s always been?”

“That’s our custom. But since Alpha Ximun had the whole curse issue ever since the Moon Goddess chose him as King, a coronation day could never be set in fear that we might not have a Luna Queen for a long time. It didn’t sound ideal to have two to three Luna Queens within a year.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” Aysu almost damned the curse for leading her to a situation where she has to be in the same room as Alpha Ximun, but Alora quickly warned her not to trigger it.

‘Who knows? It might be lurking, waiting to spring up again,’ Alora further admonished. ‘And that’s why we have to mate with Ximun again. And this time, we won’t hold back.’

‘Oh, shut up,’ was Aysu’s reply.

“We are here,” Magnetino replied as they moved towards one of the rooms where royal gifts were supposedly kept. The man then nodded at one of the guards at the entrance. The huge door in front of them opened and with Magnetino leading, they stepped into the room that had a slight cinnamon scent.

Aysu began studying the room from the entrance and contrary to her thought, the place wasn’t filled with wrapped gift boxes. No, it was practically empty, save for two benches. On one of those benches sat someone who had their back to them.

“Are you the gift?” Magnetino asked with caution.

The person then turned and Aysu gasped with great surprise.

“Gideon,” she breathed his name as though he was a long-lost lover.

“Aysu,” he returned her brief greeting and he further punctuated their great meeting with a hug that made her soul relax from all the tumultuous thoughts about Alpha Ximun. “I have missed you.”

“You are my gift?” she whispered into his ear. He nodded and a smile grew on her lips. “I am so glad. I am really, really glad.”