Sophie went out of the room, in hope to ventilate even just for a short while. She wasn’t going out that much lately. The plan she conducted with Flora was supposed to continue, but since Axel brought guests, Sophie can not leave the
Palace. She felt like it would be disrespectful to leave in the morning knowing they have important visitors. So, she stayed.
But now that even Flora wasn’t on her side, Sophie felt a little suffocated.
Sophie elegantly trailed the back of her shoes to the palatial floor. There was nothing that could be seen in the great hall but her. No servants, nor warden. She walked, passing by each pillar. While her each step creating a sound of a heel kissing the floor.
It was the same.
The Palace was the same. Every day, after she wake up, she’ll went out of their bed chambers. Some days, with her servant. Sometimes, with her Alpha. Sophie lived in the Palace enough to get the ordinary feeling of walking into your own house. Yet in this very moment, the Palace felt more quiet.
Perhaps, because she wasn’t with either of them.
For as long as Sophie could remember, there were more than ten servants. But each day, she spent her time only hanging out with Flora. They have a lot of cuisinier, but she only ever eaten what Flora made. She was that close to her.
She was with her a lot of times that taking a break from it made a difference.
She even felt more unentertained and unhappy now that she wasn’t on good terms with the Alpha.
Sophie’s steps halted. Now, that she thought about it. What was the Alpha trying to pull? She wasn’t commonly generous to anyone. Not to be very critique, but their visitors didn’t even look important. They looked ordinary for the Alpha to treat them specially.
The night of the feast, Axel introduced her to them. The Wesleyeian wolves. She recognized the tribe, but not the importance of treating them differently. Her brows creased. Is Axel preparing for something? A legal bond tied by agreement, perhaps?
Sophie, who felt a little curious, continued to walk and changed direction. If she was not mistaken, the guests’ chambers were in the second floor. Sophie thought stubbornly and headed towards the stairs.
Induced by her silliness, Sophie walked all the way from the Hall to the second floor. There weren’t any servants. There wasn’t any Jackson, Hansel, nor Jacob. Axel was gone, and right now, she was the only one who can make the call.
Sophie made herself validated by thinking she had all the rights, as Axel’s pair, to visit their special guests.
And so, empty handed, she knocked to the first room.
“May I come in?” Sophie formally asked from outside the door.
“M-my Lady!” She heard Flora’s voice, before the door was opened.
Sophie was proved not mistaken when she saw Flora holding the knob. She had such a confused look in her face, but Sophie tried to wiggle it by smiling. Sophie then shifted her gaze to bed, where one.. two.. three…
“Oh…” Sophie smiled at their visitors. “You’re all here.”
The Wesleyeian wolves, who were sitting, stood up, upon seeing the Alpha’s Luna. They were just talking to Flora Flora, the servant who had been ordered to assist them. Before Sophie appeared. It had them surprised to have her personally visit them. Especially when their first impression of her was cold. Sophie never spoke to them. They also only ever saw her every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Except she skipped this afternoon. Now, seeing her smiling confused them a bit.
They didn’t know how to react to the unfamiliar Queen.
“W-were pleasure to meet you…” Gondol, who felt agitated to pay his respect, bowed down his head. “How may I help you, Luna of the Western Border?”
“Too formal.” Sophie boldly commented, still wearing friendly look in her face to ease their wariness, which she was aware of. “You can all call me Sophie.”
Taken aback, Gondol’s lips pursed as he stared at the most important woman in the Kingdom. He thought about how different the Queen looked with a smile. At the night of the feast, she looked… intimidating. So, he felt a little perplexed.
He cannot help but wonder if the Queen also wanted something…
“What can we do for you, Ms. Sophie?” Norman, who was beside Conrad, asked. “I believe you have something to ask of us, yes?”
Norman’s bluntly question made the other Wesleyeian wolves looked at him with prohibition. Norman was the only one who seemed to hold a grudge against the Alpha, who had shown them cruelty beforehand. That being the case, he never felt any gratitude for what the Alpha was giving them now. May it be a special treatment that would only happen once in their lifetime.
“Yes…” Sophie, who was flabbergasted by the wolf’s tone, took a step. “Were you sent here to form a union with the Alpha?”
Sophie, too, was blunt. Her question was only a theory she thought of under the current circumstances. The Alpha, who was her pair, was never that of a generous wolf. The Palace was his place. He would not let anyone take even a single step inside, unless he acknowledged the wolf. On the contrary, these wolves didn’t look important. She figured Axel might be offered something that would benefit him, enough to treat them nicely.
Her theory was too good to be true, and she would have doubt it if Axel didn’t leave the Palace. His absence whilst his guests are staying here meant it was more important.
What could that be?
A jury.
“Not with the exact intention, but indirectly, yes.” Conrad was the one who answered Sophie. “Haven’t you heard from the Alpha?”
Flora, who was only listening to their harmless conversation, walked to gave her grace a chair to sit in. She was just worried about how she was doing since she cannot attend her now. Sophie’s sudden appearance in this chamber made her feel at ease.
“No…” Sophie honestly responded, before she sat in front of the gentlemen.
Norman, Conrad, Gondol, and Dorrothy. She remembered the names, but not their character. Whenever they share a table each meal, her mind was always wondering off. She hadn’t speak to them, and she guessed it was what made them feel wary of her.
She must have thought she was… unapproachable and unsociable.
“Does that mean he was not interested in forming an alliance?” Gondol, after hearing Sophie’s response, concluded that the Alpha may not had mention it to his Queen because Axel never appraised it. “Isn’t that why he brought us here?”
“I believe otherwise, Mr. Gondol.” Sophie respectfully cleared his doubts. “The fact that he went to talk to the Council made it certain that he was indeed considering it.”
“He went to talk to the Council?” Conrad repeated. “To consult the pack?”
“Most likely.” It was Sophie.
Now, Sophie had been brought to light. They were here to form an alliance. The only question left was why? Why would the Wesleyeian tribe, who was known for their wise method, would want an alliance? The Western Borders had enemies, it would not benefit them to form a connection with such troublesome, pack…
Unless…
“We are sent here to confirm if the rumors about the Alliance between your Alpha, and Edward was true.” Dorrothy, who had been silent all this time, spoke in a calm manner. “We speculated that our leader also wanted to form an agreement with Axel, as we needed a strong pack to back us up.”
There it was.
Their motive and intention. They were probably caught captives by Axel’s men, and upon speaking personally to them, Axel had probably considered it and brought them here. Now, all the questions left were the one that only her Alpha could answer.
Answers that may be revealed after the said agreement was made, presumably.
“He will agree to it, Mr. Dorrothy. You can trust my words.” Sophie said, as a contented look was presented in her face.
She heard what she needed to know. “Thank you for your honesty, Wesleyeian wolves.”
“You’re bound to know it.” Gondol asserted. “Is there anything you’d still like to know?”
“No…” Sophie shook her head. “That is all. But perhaps, we can talk much more outside. Why don’t you allow me to give you a tour around the Palace?”
It was an unplanned invitation. It all just normally came out of her lips. She still didn’t want to go back to her shared lair with the Alpha. And of course, taking them out would also mean she could get to talk to Flora. So, there was no harm.
The Wesleyeian wolves, who also had nothing to do since all they had been doing for the past days was waiting, accepted Sophie’s kind request.
They all went out of the chamber, not knowing the conversation they just had would reach a pair of ear that shouldn’t be hearing it.