Meanwhile…
"Looks like it was all worth it after all," commented Alicia as she watched Daniel and Ariel dancing, her face lit with a smile. "Guess I don't need to lift a finger on this after all."
"Well, that's what you wanted in the first place, Mother…" said Reginald, catching her words. "I wouldn't be surprised if you even made the girl end up in Daniel's bed before the crowning, just to stir up trouble and make her crown princess. Tsk… that's what you did to me as well." He whispered the last words, disdain flashing across his face.
Alicia shook her head and sighed. "Oh, Reginald. When will you ever let go of the past, my son? How long will you let it haunt you? Can't you just come to terms with what happened and let it go?"
"No, Mother. No. I am not going to let it go. If it weren't for your scheming theatrics, I would never have ended up in bed with that woman. She would never have been crowned crown princess or queen. Nor would she have given birth to a beastly child that is nothing short of a curse in my life. All of this would never have happened if you had just let me choose my own crown princess—fair and square," replied Reginald.
"Oh, is that so? So I should have left you to choose a woman who would betray us all and bring about our kingdom's demise? A woman who would be responsible for your own father's death, Reginald. Is that what you wanted?" Alicia glared at her son.
"Of course not, Mother. I didn't know that woman was evil, that she planned to destroy us and cause Father's death. I wanted her to be my wife because she proved herself worthy—unlike the woman you schemingly placed in my bed so she could be crowned shamelessly. That was so low that even Father himself scolded you harshly for it," Reginald replied bitterly.
"Oh, please, Reginald… spare me the lecturing nonsense. You, yourself, know the truth of how much you loved Monalisa. Even if you had chosen that woman, God knows you would have gone as far as making her your concubine if the law still permitted it. You just don't want to admit it because of that…" She stopped herself, inhaled deeply, then exhaled. "Daniel needs you now more than ever, Reginald. Don't make the same mistake you'll regret for the rest of your life. You owe him that much."
Her voice trembled as she blinked back tears, turning her gaze once more to the dance floor—where Daniel and Ariel completed their final steps, and the music came to a graceful stop.
Reginald looked at his mother and realized the conversation had stirred something deeper than it should have. He hadn't wanted things to escalate this far, yet he still clung to the bitterness of the past—a past that haunted him, eating away at him from the inside out. He thought he would have forgotten or let go by now, but he couldn't.
He turned his head to the side, his gaze settling on another monster responsible for his torment.
King Damascus Brentford.
As long as that vile, heartless, wicked being still existed in the world, Reginald's peaceful days were still far from reach. Not to mention how he had seeded the monster's roots in his life—marrying his whorish daughter, impregnating her, and giving birth to his blood. Reginald knew Damascus would use that connection to his advantage, to stir more trouble. And he had no one else to blame but himself.
If he wasn't pushed at the edge to make a quick decision for peace back then, he wouldn't have made such a foolish decision but it was too late to regret it now. Way too late.
Shifting his gaze away, Reginald turned to Daniel, who was now walking back to the dais after leaving the poor girl to be bombarded by the press and nobles with unwanted attention.
Just then, a faint voice echoed in his mind as he watched Daniel approach: "You, yourself, know the truth… of how much you loved Monalisa. Even if you had chosen that woman, God knows you would have gone as far as making her your concubine if the law still permitted it."
He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and averted his gaze.
Daniel stood before Reginald and bowed, then turned to bow at Alicia, who smiled at him.
"Way to go, Son. If your goal was to draw the attention of the vicious wolves onto that poor girl, I'd say you did an excellent job. Congratulations," Reginald commented sarcastically.
"Oh, Reginald… please. Can't you at least be supportive of your son? He did something truly unexpected—and good for his publicity. Those horrible rumors about him being a beast will be thwarted by this wonderful performance. Isn't that great?" Alicia replied.
"Yes. Great. But also dangerous and foolish. Now his enemies will give that poor girl a hard time. Perhaps you should have showered your attention on her somewhere else more... private instead of being a show-off," Reginald retorted.
Alicia turned her head, glaring at her son, and opened her mouth to scold him when—
"Don't worry, Father," Daniel spoke firmly. "She will be perfectly safe. This was just a showdown for those who think they can have their way with me—to make them rethink their steps. Besides, unlike you, I am not a coward who leaves his women behind to be devoured by wolves while he escapes with his life. I am more than capable of protecting what's mine. So rest assured—what you're hoping for won't happen anytime soon."
"You bra—!" Reginald almost lunged at Daniel, his face twisted with fury at the insult.
But Daniel didn't flinch. He simply stared back with cold eyes and an expressionless face, as though he hadn't just insulted his father—the supreme monarch of the kingdom.
He couldn't care less. What he had said was the truth. His father was a coward. A pussy. Especially when it came to power and women. He was easily manipulated. A puppet. And Daniel loathed that about him. He loathed it to the core. His indifference and cowardice had caused the demise of his most precious. The one person Daniel had ever truly loved.
His mother.
This greedy bastard hadn't even protected her. Out of cowardice, he surrendered her to be food for the wolves. He hadn't cared for her at all—abandoning her as though she were a nobody, a burden he wanted to get rid of. That was why hatred had taken root in Daniel's heart instead of filial love. This man didn't deserve love. Not even a shred of it. And Daniel was determined to ensure he received none from him.
Daniel cleared his throat and looked at his grandmother. "I think it's time to wrap up the festivities. I'm tired, and I'm sure the women need to prepare for the competition."
Alicia glanced at her son's fury-twisted expression and dejected face. She sighed, shook her head, then turned her gaze to Daniel. "Of course. Let me send word to the master of ceremony to calm the crowd, so I can give the final address."
Daniel nodded before turning to take his seat on his throne. He wasn't surprised to see Eric's chair empty...again. The little brat must have felt his ego bruised after watching him dance with his dream woman and decided to ditch the show.
"Tsk… typical," he muttered as he sat down, overlooking the crowd.
A smirk tugged at his lips as he saw everyone flooding the Flamingo with unwanted attention.
Well, she deserves it, he thought. That's what she gets for trying to capture my attention. And now that she has it, the vultures and wolves will circle. Let's see how long she survives.
His smirk widened as their eyes met and locked.
He could see the fury burning inside hers.
Obviously cursing him.
He swore he could feel the heat licking at his skin, goosebumps rising all over.
But he liked it.
He liked it a lot.
And he began to wonder what it would feel like to be engulfed in the burning sensation of her fury—what it would feel like to have her in his bedroom, pinned beneath him in his sheets. With her writhing both in fury and pleasure. Would she set it on fire?
Strangely, the thought filled him with a certain thrill. An anticipation for the show.
Even his beast stirred beneath at the thought.
And he couldn't wait for it.
Getting a hold of those goddess luscious curves in his hands again, sent a jolt of pleasure electrifying across his body.
The damn Flamingo was a beauty for sure. And he wanted to claim her, despite his reasoning telling him that something was off about her. A familiarity that he couldn't shake off.
He wondered it was.
And was it good.
Or bad.