Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 261

CASSANDRA

Helene didn’t utter a word on our way to the ladies‘ room but conducted herself very politely. Her pretty face remained smiling, and the expression was so fixed it was as if she had been born smiling. It was unnerving after a while, and I kept waiting for it to falter, but her face never changed.

Once the door to the bathroom was shut tightly behind us, I tried to talk with her and attempted to coax her out of her daze.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked. “I heard that you were ill with some sort of sickness.”

“It was just a cold,” Helene replied nonchalantly. “It was nothing to worry about. I’ve fully recovered now.”

I nodded my head and after a moment of pause, I tried again. “I heard about your maid as well-”

“It was all just a rumor,” she cut me off before I could finish my sentence. “The maid resigned because her mother passed away. I suppose that someone wanted to use such gossip to demean my fiance, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

She turned to face the mirror and smoothed her caramel–colored hair down. My eyebrows creased together as I tried to make sense of it all. Her movements, her expression, her tone, even her words… it all seemed so rehearsed. It was so eerie and strange like she was a puppet or something.

I waited a little while and then decided to probe her further.

“Helene, did something happen?” I asked directly. “You don’t seem like your usual self.”

She turned to face me and her smile grew even more exaggerated, as if she were putting on a show or something. Her berry–painted lips were curled into a chilling grin and after a second or two, I had to glance elsewhere.

“Don’t worry about me,” she assured me, and then she turned to face the mirror.

Something definitely wasn’t right. No matter what I asked, Helene answered me without much consideration, as if she had her answers prepared beforehand. Everything about her felt so fake, it was almost as if she were someone else entirely.

I wasn’t sure what was going on. Was she behaving this way because she didn’t want to risk being overheard? Surely this place wasn’t the best place to speak about the plan, but I began to wonder if she decided not to carry out her escape at all. Maybe she thought I was unreliable and didn’t want to follow through.

O

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Chapter 261

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took a step closer toward her, we were

marble bathroom to

voice to a

is the plan still going to happen? Or do you want to cancel

then turned to face me. Confusion painted her expression and she blinked her

talking about?” she asked as

I talking

I stared back at her in shock. Why did she seem so unaware of what we had discussed?

impulse to clarify and ask Helene if she’d decided not to escape and find her freedom outside of Vlokwell, but as I stared into her eyes, I realized that her confusion wasn’t

had no idea of what

I knew in my heart that Helene was truly confused and didn’t know what I was speaking of. She

It

I tried to make sense of her

to the sickness that had left her bedridden for days? No, that couldn’t be possible. She would have had to be on death’s door in order for her mind to be so completely scrubbed like this. No disease could

this.

frowned at her, Helene seemed to snap out of her haze and gave me

smile.

remarked. “Ronald is waiting for me, I’m sure. I don’t

Ronald had me confused. She seemed so deeply in love with him, which struck

What had changed?

that Ronald was likely wondering where we were, and

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Chapter 261

hurting her and I couldn’t risk her safety.

stepped into the hall, I smiled at

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you like to visit

chamber tomorrow?” I wondered. “I would love to have you over so you can try some tea I brought

ask Ronald,” she cut me off. Her tone wasn’t aggressive at all. She genuinely sounded like she was content with his attention and didn’t want to spoil it.

course,” I

we arrived at the party, Helene asked for his permission

if you want,” he said with a smile, but Helene took his

far from you,” she mused dreamily,

I smiled, I was chilled

Something wasn’t right.