Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne novel Chapter 3

#Chapter 3 Where were you last night?

“How dare you disrespect Mr. Carson and the Royal House!” Melody was in front of Doris within a blink, ready to land a loud slap against her cheek. Doris was too stunned to move, her embarrassment was almost worse than the pain that burned her cheek.

She could feel their gazes on her, every one of them made each second grow more terrible to bear. Doris slowly lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I apologize Mr. Carson and Ms. Harfond. It was an accident.”

“Your name is Doris?” Mr. Carson asked.

Doris lifted her head, a feeling of panic bloomed inside her stomach once again. “Yes, Mr. Carson.”

“Did you meet Prince William last night?” He raised his chin slightly to look down his nose at her. Her heart stilled for a beat inside her chest.

“No, I didn’t.” She said carefully. She willed herself to swallow her fear and look him in the eye.

“Where were you last night?”

“After I finished my work at the party, I—1 returned to my room to rest.” Doris forced out. She saw Beth from the corner of her eye shift at her words. Doris dared a glance to see a confused look upon her friend’s concerned expression. Doris quickly looked down again.

“Well,” Mr. Carson paused before he turned his attention to Melody. “There’s no need to make a scene, she hasn’t done anything wrong. You don’t have to punish her for this, Ms. Harford.”

Melody waited until Mr. Carson turned away before she rolled her eyes. “Very well. You may go now. You should be grateful to Mr. Carson for his kindness.” Melody said with a bite to her words.

“Thank you, Mr Carson. And Ms. Harford.” Doris forced out quickly. She didn’t need any more attention on her than there already was. Hurriedly, she gathered her coins and turned to leave. She could’ve sworn she’d felt Mr. Carson’s gaze burn into her back as she left through the large doors.

Her heart wouldn’t calm again until she reached the empty Royal Library, where Doris worked most of the days. It was her favorite place for some small sense of peace—something she desperately needed at the moment. The grand room was filled to the top with books in every subject and genre, it was quite calming to be surrounded by it all. Especially since not many people wandered through.

Doris was only thankful Mr. Carson didn’t continue to push her for answers. She wasn’t sure if she would’ve been able to hold them in if he did. And what would they do to her if they found out she was the one with Prince William? Would they blame her for his behavior? Would they take away her chance of freedom?

The memories swirled around her in flashes. Each one brought back a sensation she was shamed to remember. His mouth on her neck, Doris’s fingers traced the mark he’d left beneath her dress and made sure her makeup still covered it well. The ghost of his hands still moved down her skin whenever she saw him in her mind. Why did her body react that way to him when he groped her? Why didn’t her body feel as disgusted as she knew she should have from his assault? The thoughts only brought more shame and warm tears.

A knock startled Doris, she quickly wiped her wet cheeks and opened the wooden doors that creaked at the hinges. A familiar face appeared, Doris exhaled slowly. “Beth! What’re you doing here?” At least it wasn’t Mr. Carson.

“Hello—“ Beth’s bright expression fell when she saw Doris. she quickly closed the door behind her. “Have you been crying?”

“What rumor?”

“Oh, so you haven’t heard.” Beth glanced behind her before she lowered her voice. “I just overheard the maids that were on duty last night. They said Prince William showed up to the ceremony very late and completely drunk. The ceremony was about to end when he finally stumbled through the doors. Luna Queen was furious—the way he acted was incredibly disrespectful to the Queen and her family.”

Beth paused to take a breath, Doris stood with her eyes wide and fist caught in her own apron. Beth’s eyes danced as she continued. “That’s not all, they said Prince William had slept with one of the maids. No one knows who, though. He was much too drunk to even know himself.”

Beth’s excitement drummed through the room, Doris paled. How would anyone have known—did someone see them? At least they didn’t know it was her… but what if someone did see it was her? Doris couldn’t shake her unease, at least Beth didn’t seem to notice her growing nerves. She was too excited to relay all the gossip Doris had seemingly missed in the past 24 hours.

“I was worried you were the maid that met Prince William since I didn’t see you return last night.” Beth tilted her head in thought. “I mean, he is quite handsome. Perhaps one of the most handsome men in the entire kingdom so I wouldn’t blame you if it was. Although, you don’t want the same fate as Lisa and all the other maids he’s sent away.” Doris glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby to hear her friend speak like this. “You know, Prince William doesn’t even have an Alpha title. The Alpha king considers him too reckless and irresponsible to bother with assigning him a pack or territory. If I’m honest, I don’t think he would be worth it. Prince Martin though…he would be a better choice—“

Doris had enough, she clamped her hand down on Beth’s mouth to silence her. “Are you crazy! You can’t talk about the Royals like that, Beth! You never know who could be listening!”

Beth laughed under her hand and lowered it. “Alright, alright! We’re alone, it was just fun talk.” Beth winked at Doris. “Now, are you ready for some good news?”

“What is it?” Doris asked.