Chapter 11
It was morning, and it was another day for Luna Vienna to smile widely over the fact that her stepson, Liam, was behind bars. At least, that's what she believed.
"Luna," her most trusted maid, called with urgency as she entered into her bedroom without bothering to knock.
Luna Vienna lifted her eyes from her mirror and turned to look at the girl she had taken in ever since she was ten years old, and had ended up loving her like the daughter she had never been able to conceive. "Such impudence! How could you not knock?" the hairstylist uttered, eyeing the maid, Rita, with disdain.
"It's okay. You may leave now," Luna Vienna said to the hairstylist, who walked away confused because she couldn't understand why she was the one who had been asked to leave.
"Luna, I just returned from the stream. The news is already out everywhere that Prince Liam has been locked up in the dungeon, and people suspect that you might be behind it," she said.
The Luna shrugged. "That's okay. They've suspected me of much worse in the past."
"It's different this time around. They're extending their hatred to Prince Alden. They believe that he must take after your wicked heart and probably just pretends to be good-natured," Rita disclosed.
"Oh no. Prince Alden can not lose the support of the public no matter what. I have to speak to the Alpha right this minute," Luna Vienna stated, rising to her feet.
She left the bedroom, followed closely by Rita, and she didn't stop until she got to the throne room where she had been told Alpha Rowland was.
"You can't go in now, Your Highness," the guards at the door said to her.
"I must speak to the Alpha at once," she said, as loudly as she could.
"I'm sorry, dear Luna, but the Alpha King is in a meeting with the council of elders right now," they explained.
Her face lit up, and she became even more determined to see the Alpha King right at that minute. After all, the meeting was a perfect opportunity for her to clear her name so that it didn't affect Alden. Once the elders heard what she had to
say, they would relay that information to their wives and like that, it would spread like wildfire that she had advocated for the release of her stepson and the people could also go back to finding her son, Alden, worthy of emulation. "I must see the Alpha, and I won't leave until that happens," she insisted.
"Let the Luna Queen in," Alpha Rowland ordered from inside, and a sly smirk played on the Luna's lips upon his command.
The doors were opened and Luna Vienna stepped into the throne room, walking faster than she ordinarily would.
"Greetings, Luna," the elders chorused at once.
"Greetings, Council of Elders," she responded, as she headed straight to the Alpha's throne, where she fell to her knees almost immediately, earning the gasps of surprise of all who were present.
The Alpha stood up, stunned. "My Luna, what seems to be the problem? For what reason have you fallen to your knees? Please, stand up. This is unheard of," the Alpha stated.
The Luna sobbed, wiping away nonexistent tears. "My Alpha, I know you've sworn to keep Prince Liam locked up, but please, for my sake, release him. He has already served two nights and one day of your sentence. I believe that is enough," she said.
"But... but he disrespected you!" Alpha Rowland said.
The Luna shook her head. "As he rightfully should. Despite his physical features, he's still growing up and he is bound to make mistakes along the way. I do not wish for him to resent me even more. Please, do let him go. He has suffered more than enough. No one born of royalty deserves to go through that," she said, still bowing her head low.
"My Queen, you know I love you to the moon and back. However, I do not wish to go back on my word. It would only make him not take me seriously in the future," the Alpha said.
"So be it, then, but let it be known to you that I shall starve myself and remain in this position until he is set free," Luna Vienna expressed, determined.
"I forbid you from doing that "
"You can't forbid me from doing as I wish, your highness. I take Prince Liam as my son, and how can a mother eat when her son has been deprived of food and water? How can she sleep peacefully when her son is being haunted by darkness and insects in a rotten dungeon, when he is not even a criminal?" she fired, interrupting him.
Alpha Rowland heaved a deep sigh, contemplating over her words as the elders nodded in agreement with the Luna's words, and mumbled their admiration at her bravery and support for her stepson.
"Fine then! Release Prince Liam, but he must be led to the throne room and made to apologize to the Luna Queen!" Alpha Rowland ordered.
Luna Vienna stood up, satisfied, as she thanked the Alpha profusely for hearing her out.
Seeing the elders smile at her, she hid her own smile.
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It had been a perfect plan. Nothing could go wrong, and trusting Liam to be disrespectful when he was brought in, she would act all nice to him and make him out to be the bad person. However, what the Luna couldn't reasonably foresee was that she would be in for a big surprise.
"Alpha, Luna, something has happened!" One of the guards that had left to bring in Liam stated as he ran back in with urgency.
"What's the matter?" the Alpha inquired.
"Prince Liam has escaped," he revealed, to everyone's astonishment.
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"We found her in his cell," another guard said, as he came in with none other than Ciara, dressed in servants' clothing, panicking like she was about to lose her mind.
The Alpha approached Ciara with heavy, threatening steps, tightening his fists, already knowing what it was that must have happened, and struggling to keep his composure.
Ciara felt like her heart would explode into a million different pieces, and once the Alpha was directly in front of her, looking at her with a burning gaze that would have killed her if possible, she fell to the floor, grabbing his foot.
"Forgive me, Alpha King Rowland. I have sinned against you. I disguised myself and freed Prince Liam because he told me he just needed to be out for a little while to attend to a personal business. However, he turned against me and locked me up in his place. I am sorry, Your Highness. Please, be merciful on me and do not throw me out. I have nowhere else to go and I apologize for taking your kindness for granted," she said all in one breath.
The Alpha was deeply rooted in anger and shoved her hand off his foot. "You have indeed committed a great sin by defying my words. Prince Liam will evade my warriors if I send them to search for him, and so, that will be futile. Therefore, it is your responsibility to find him and bring him back in one piece. Only then will I consider whether or not to be merciful to you," he said.
Luna Vienna watched this happen, as her face deepened into a frown. The attention had just been stolen from her, and now, instead of talking about how good of a stepmother she was, everyone would be talking about Ciara freeing Prince Liam. Either way, the news will no longer revolve around her and Alden, so somehow, she had still gotten what she wanted, but she wasn't sure yet if that was sufficient enough for her.