The Rejected Werewolf Princess by Didiadeyemi

Chapter 73

CAMILLA’S P.O.V

The entire palace was in an uproar that morning. Everyone was trying and failing to find out where Frederick was and how he managed to pull off an elaborate scheme. The guards were combing the towns to see if anyone had sighted him but we soon realized that eye witness testimony was almost always unreliable because everyone claimed to have seen him and no two statements were the same. It was frustrating but I had to applaud him, it was not easy to avoid palace soldiers.

“Didn’t he leave a message?” I asked for the umpteenth time. I could not imagine that Frederick who had dropped pages from my father’s journal for days would suddenly do something like this without leaving a message.

“The guards said they didn’t see anything by the stream or in the houses. If he left a message then we haven’t seen it yet.”

Ryker had been speaking to me as he would a child and I was beginning to wonder if somehow, I had upset him. I knew he disagreed with my trust in Frederick but I didn’t know how to explain it to him. I thought that having a sister would make him understand. I didn’t have any family and I wasn’t willing to condemn the only sibling I had to death over a simple hurt. I knew he would listen if the situation was right and I was determined to get him to listen which was why I was partly grateful that the guards hadn’t found him. If they did find him, it would have been game over.

There was a knock on the door and one of the generals walked in. He bowed to Ryker and I before making his way closer. “We found something at the Eastern border than we believe is from Frederick. There is no way to confirm it but it was addressed to you and it was nailed to a tree.”

I reached out for the letter but Ryker grabbed it first. I could feel and see the confusion in the room because Ryker usually stayed out of things like this and he reached over me to grab the letter. His eyes scanned it and once he was done, he nodded to the guard and dismissed him. There was so much I wanted to say in that moment but I didn’t because I still wanted to maintain the image of a united front.

Instead of letting the frustration win, I schooled my expression into one of indifference and turned to the elders. “You can leave. Inform me as

soon as we have anything on Frederick.” They nodded and I watched as they left the room in a single file. I waited until the door shut before I turned to Ryker. “Am I going to get that back?”

He hesitated for a second before handing it to me. At that point, I wasn’t interested in reading it anymore but opened it. I took the time to admire Frederick’s writing because it was a perfect cursive. There were just seven words written boldly in ink: Step down or it will get worse.

finally turned

about. I exhaled deeply as I tried to find the words because I knew that the last thing we needed was to have a fight especially

here?” I asked and he ran his hands down

innocent people to get what he wants. What part of that screams redemption to

change if they are

but I had and I didn’t regret it. I just wanted peace and I wasn’t above trying to get into a truce with Frederick so that I could

rose to his feet and when he spoke again, I realized that I was right for doubting. “You do what you think is

does that

going to protect you from everything- including yourself,” he grabbed the files on the desk. “I have never once made you feel like this wasn’t your kingdom and I have never made you second guess your decisions before today but I will make you a promise, Camilla, even if I have to run through everything you have built to ensure that you are safe, I will

didn’t wait for me to respond before walking out of the

thinking about what the hell had just happened. Ryker never spoke to me in that manner, not even when I was wrong. I knew he hated Frederick but I didn’t know it was that bad. It took me around ten minutes to gather my wits and leave the council room

not expected him to implement his words so soon. I was locked in my office for majority of the day and when I left, I

unanimous vote. Ryker had approached them and convinced them that I was in danger spurring that action. I couldn’t even be pissed at him because I had expected it. Besides, it was just a few guards or so I

indoors. By night time, I was at my wits end and I wanted nothing more than to strangle Ryker. What made everything worse was that he didn’t seem to care about what he had done. He was unapologetic about it. By the time we got back to the room at night, I wasn’t speaking to him. I got dressed in silence and curled up into myself to read the journal. The one I had gotten from Frederick was very interesting to say the

bed facing me but I refused to look up. “Baby,

I stayed quiet.

what I needed to keep you

27

in my own kingdom. You cannot possibly expect

that matters,” he cut in. “If it makes you feel any better, I cannot leave either. It is not just your safety that has been threatened.” I frowned at