I believed he mentioned that I would be going to the ball. She appeared taken aback when she noticed the palace guard.
Had the king changed his mind? She contemplated this.
"Greetings, Your Highness," the guard said to Alex.
"I hope there's no issue," Alex inquired of the guard.
"The king has instructed me to escort Her Highness back to her room until the masquerade ball starts," the guard replied.
Acia hesitated and glanced at Alex for assistance. Alex sighed and instructed the guard, "Please stand back and give us five minutes; we need to discuss something very important.
" The guard replied, "But the king said..." to which Alex firmly responded, "It's an order."
With no other option, the guard stepped back. Alex then turned to Acia and urged, "You need to go with him to prevent any chaos or suspicion, please."
Acia replied, "I don't want to cause any trouble. I'll go with him and return tonight," smiling reassuringly.
"Thank you, Acia," Alex said.
With no alternatives, Acia had to accompany the guards, not out of joy, but because it was the best decision she could make.
"I need to resolve some matters with the king," Alex said, giving her a gentle pat on the head. "You'll be okay, right?" he asked. "Of course," she replied with a giggle, "I'm not a kid anymore."
After Alex left, the guards moved closer. "Let's go," one of them said to her.
"And the king instructed me to remind you not to forget his orders," the guard added firmly.
"He also mentioned that I should give you these clothes so you can change out of the dress you're currently wearing", he said.
"Can I check it acia"asked curiously.
"Yes" he answered
Acia took the box from him and opened it to see the dress inside..
The dress is a simple, knee-length or tea-length gown in a muted color like beige, pale blue, or dusty rose. It has a classic A-line silhouette with a fitted bodice and a subtle flare at the hips. The fabric is likely a mid-weight cotton, polyester, or blend, with a subtle texture or pattern. The dress features minimal embellishments, perhaps a small floral pattern or subtle embroidery around the neckline or hem. The sleeves are likely short or elbow-length, and the neckline is modest and not too revealing. Overall, the dress exudes a sense of quiet elegance and restraint, suitable for a more low-key or understated presence at the royal ball.
"He really wants me to keep a low profile," she thought.
"My advice to you is to remember the king's instructions: you need to stay as inconspicuous as possible. No one from the immortal family should recognize you," he said, glancing at Acia with a hint of disdain. "Now, you should move forward," he continued.
"Okay, but are you certain the king sent you to accompany me to my room?" she asked, "because I know him well, and he doesn't allow guards to enter my room unless it's to deliver a very important message," she said, sounding suspicious.
"Do you really think I would escort someone like you?" he said rudely. "You should hurry up; there's a lot to do," he added, pulling her hand.
It struck her as odd that Lucian, her uncle, would send someone other than Elizabeth to take her to her room.
"Is he suspicious of us?" she wondered, a sense of fear creeping in. However, as she glanced at the bodyguard again, she found his behavior even more questionable.
Lucian could be unpredictable, but something about the entire situation just didn't sit right with her.
They walked for around ten minutes until they reached their destination. She glanced at the guard, expecting him to leave after escorting her, but he remained in place.
Acia's heart raced as she found this increasingly suspicious.
"Open the door," he instructed her, but she sensed a drastic shift in his gaze that made her uneasy.
"I can't," she replied, refusing.
"Open it before I break your head," he threatened harshly.
Before Acia could react, he yanked the door open and shoved her inside, locking it behind him.
"What do you think you're doing?" she shouted.
"How dare you! If the king finds out, he's definitely going to take action against you!" she yelled.
"Let me go!" she pleaded in a panic.
"Ah, deal with who?" he replied with a sinister laugh. "The king won't care whether you're a virgin or not after I'm finished with you. Does he ever really care about you?" he said, laughing maliciously.
"Please let me go," she pleaded.
"Oops, princess, I thought you were confident," he replied with a wicked laugh.
"Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted to experience you?" he said, pulling her toward the side of the bed.
"I've wanted to feel what it's like to lie down with the abandoned princess, and now that the opportunity has come my way, I'm going to take advantage of it."
"Do you even realize how many years I've spent contemplating this"? He said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.
Acia felt a wave of disgust as she looked at him. Was this really her fate?
Would she truly be violated?
"The fact that you're still a virgin excites me," he told her, licking his lips. He then covered her mouth as Acia felt herself lying back on the bed.
Acia felt deeply sorrowful, realizing that no one would come to help her, especially since she was alone in her room, far from the palace. At that moment, she recalled her mother's words. Her mother always said that miracles could happen, but Acia had never believed in them, not even when they were on their deathbeds. Now, she wondered if a miracle could occur.
As she kept reflecting on the situation, tears streamed down her face, and she felt a chill in her abdomen. Her clothes had been pulled up, and she thought to herself that miracles don't happen; what is meant to be will be.
Before long, she noticed the guard's grip loosening as he was about to reach for her breasts.
"Disgusting rats," she heard a low voice say next to her as someone came to her aid, She thought.
she couldn't open her eyes, covering them in panic and still trembling. "Princess, don't worry, you can open your eyes; he's lying there dead already."
Acia cautiously opened her eyes, still in shock, but when she opened her eyes the sight before her left her utterly stunned.
"Cat got your tongue?" he said with a smirk. "I didn't know the former princess of the human world was so intriguing."