Chapter 17
Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen
17 Going For A Walk
Selma Payneâs POV:
âThere will be guests coming in a while.â My father told me at dinner, and I simply nodded without paying much attention. Iâd accompanied them to meet many people during this time.
However, I almost choked on the food when I saw Aldrich and another strange tall man come in If I didnât quickly drink a glass of water, I would have become the first princess to choke to death.
The man beside Aldrich should be his father, Duke Frank because he looked very similar to Aldrich and was a gentleman with good manners. However, the atmosphere now made me feel that something was wrong. No one spoke. It was so strange. I didnât dare to eat anymore and pushed the food aside. Aldrich didnât tease me today. Instead, he stood solemnly and silently beside his father.
Duke Frank and Aldrich saluted my father and mother, and my parents also solemnly and seriously accepted their salutes. I was the only one who seemed out of place. If I knew this, I wouldnât have been dawdling just now and would have finished eating and left earlier.
âMr. Frank, this is Selma, whom I mentioned to you before. She has royal blood, but she grew up in Europe. This time, weâre here to prepare for her werewolf awakening.â
My father turned to me again. âSelma, this is Duke Frank, Aldrichâs father and my best assistant. I have many things that I cannot do without his help.â
Duke Frank looked quite kind, and I felt very close to him. He smiled and nodded at me. âI remember Aldrich telling me he would train a girl. I believe it must be her. In the critical period of the werewolfâs awakening, strict training is needed.â
âYes, but she just had her first training this morning. I hope sheâll be better after that,â my father said softly. I could see the pride on his face.
âI wonder if youâre adapting well here? Selma?â He asked me affectionately, not as annoying as Aldrich, but this was the first time I spoke to a royal family member. I was very nervous, but my mother looked even more nervous than me, which made me feel a lot better. I smiled kindly and tried to answer him as steadily as possible.
âYes, Your Excellency. Everyone is very good to me. Iâm very happy here.â
âThatâs good,â he said with a friendly smile.â There are many sceneries here that canât be seen abroad. So you should go around and explore. It will be good for you to know more about this place in the future.â
âOf course. I canât wait to learn more about this place ...â His attitude made me feel a lot more relaxed.
âShe just arrived. Weâre too busy to bring her out to sightsee.â My mother explained, âAnd weâre the only people she knows here. Weâre worried about leaving her in the hands of others. Itâs hard to say whoâs the bad person.â
He nodded in understanding and suggested, âChildren canât stay locked in. We should let her go out and have fun more often.â
âSheâll feel better after going to school and making new friends,â my father said in a low voice.
âIt doesnât matter. Let Aldrich take her out to have fun. They are both young and have more topics to talk about. They will spend more time together in the future, so they can get to know each other more now.â
My smile immediately froze. Fortunately, I still remembered the occasion and didnât lose my composure. Aldrich still had a serious look, and his sunny mood immediately turned dark. However, Duke Frankâs expression was very sincere, and I couldnât find any reason to refuse.
âOf course, itâs a good suggestion, but isnât Aldrich busy today? You didnât have to take the time to come out.â My mother probably knew what I was thinking, so she said tactfully.
âYour Majesty, Iâm on leave today. Iâll only start work tomorrow.â Aldrich took the initiative to step forward and said.
âThatâs great, then let Aldrich take her out to look around,â Duke Frank suggested.
I had already completely given up on the possibility that we could avoid being alone. I sighed in an almost inaudible manner.
âYou guys can go out and have fun. Youâll be in school for a long time, so you wonât have time to play around.â
After obtaining my parentsâ approval, we left one after another.
Laughter came from behind the door. I felt that it was my parents laughing. They were always like this, pretending to be serious, but they were waiting to see me make a fool of myself.
Duke Frankâs voice was faintly heard, but I couldnât hear it clearly. Maybe there was something important to discuss, so he had to find a way to get the two of us out. I hoped that their conversation would be quick. I hoped today would end quickly so I could spend less time with Aldrich.
âI thought you would refuse... âHe proudly turned the car key Duke Frank gave to him.
âDo you think Iâm a hothead like you?â I rolled my eyes.