Her Unwanted Mate On The Throne

Chapter 2

#Chapter 2 Anyone meet Prince William?

“Doris!”

Doris slipped a little when she went to step out of the bathtub. The bathroom door slammed opened and she barely had the chance to cover herself before the shouting continued.

“Where on earth have you been all night? Do you even realize how many miles I walked searching for you—“ Beth held her tongue when she took in the sight of Doris shivering. A small sense of relief bloomed inside Doris to see her best friend stand before her, the look of anger melted off her roommates features and formed into concern. “What—why are you bathing now? The water must be freezing!”

Beth stepped closer, Doris shakily stepped out of the tub entirely and tried to ignore the water that dripped from her skin as she tied her towel around her. It formed a puddle at her feet, one she would have to clean later. What a ridiculous thing to worry about after what happened to her last night.

Absently, she touched her long brown hair and made sure it still covered the mark on her neck from Beth’s view.

“I felt…” Doris hesitated, her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. Numb. “Tainted.”

“Tainted?” Beth’s brows furrowed. “Doris…what happened?”

“I…” Her voice cracked, Doris almost flinched from the sound. She couldn’t possibly tell anyone what happened yet. The words burned on her tongue as if they were poison, she closed her eyes and tried to banish the images of the night before from her mind.

“Are you feeling alright? Your voice is all hoarse and scratchy.” Beth grabbed another towel to soak up the puddle at her feet. “I told you never to take a cold bath, Doris!”

Doris watched her friend clean the water that dripped from her skin. Her throat hurt, she could barely speak, she knew it was because she’d been up crying all night. She couldn’t have just returned to her room after what Prince William did, Doris hid herself away and let her emotions take over every ounce of her. She cried until she choked, until she couldn’t breathe. It didn’t make anything better, it only left her empty and disconnected from everything around her.

“Why didn’t you come back last night?” Beth continued, seemingly distracted with her own thoughts. “I was up all night worried about you.”

Doris bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying again at the thought of Prince William. Her skin still burned from his hands, she could still feel his lips on her neck and she felt… ruined. On the inside and outside. Never before had she been touched in such a way, she still felt the shame like a fire inside her that refused to be put out. “I just had a lot to clean after the party, it was quite the mess.” Doris offered weakly.

“Well, whatever the reason, I’m here to let you know Mr. Carson came by the servants’ quarters and requested that everyone to be present.”

“Mr. Carson?” Doris almost squeaked. “Why would he be here?”

“No clue. Most likely to give us more orders. Anyway, dress yourself and don’t be late.” Beth picked up the wet towels and carried them from the bathroom, leaving Doris alone with her horrible thoughts.

Her mind raced the moment the door closed. Why would Mr. Carson want to see all of them? Was it because of last night? Had he seen her and pretended he didn’t? Doris picked at her nails nervously,“What should I do?” She whispered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Freedom was something Doris had been looking forward to since she was 16 years old. The day she might finally be allowed to leave the Palace was still a faraway dream, but one she held on to. Five long years were spent quiet yet dedicated to serving the Royal House Arnold as best she could. Five long

years inside the castle—of being told what to do and who to serve. She always made sure to keep her head down and out of trouble. The more invisible she was, the better. A maid like Doris wasn’t even allowed outside of the Golden Palace without the Alpha King’s amnesty. She was quite literally a slave to all those higher up than her.

But after what happened the night before, Doris couldn’t help but feel as if her chance at freedom had just been shattered to a million pieces. All the nights she dreamed of a land far from the Golden Palace slipped from her mind as if the dream were already taken from her. How could she ever be foolish enough to think she could one day be free? Why did she ever allow herself to dream of another life when being a maid was all she’d ever known? It felt as if she were marching to her own funeral when she finally left her room to meet Beth. A small part of her wished that she came clean to her friend about what Prince William did to her. Then, perhaps, she might have one person on her side. Even if she was punished in front of everyone else.

When Doris arrived to where the servants’ gathered, she could already hear the sounds of a chattering crowd. Whispers of gossip and quiet wonders of why they were gathered, Doris only hoped she remained unseen during this meeting as she slipped in through the back door.

In the front of the crowd, Mr. Carson stood with Melody Harford by his side. Doris did her best not to frown at the sight of her. She was only two years older than Doris, yet charmed her way into the position as the head of maids. Many of the others liked to claim it was because of her beauty, while Melody’s friends said it was because she was smart and sociable. Doris begged to differ. Melody wasn’t exactly the best or kindest maid here.

“What took you so long?” Beth appeared at Doris’ side, it almost made her flinch. “Careful, someone might notice you’re late.” Beth whispered as she grabbed ahold of her arm and dragged Doris to the empty spot beside her. Reluctantly, Doris smiled at Beth and tried to blend into the eager crowd. She was surprised to see everyone else so awake when all she felt was exhausted. Though, she doubted

any of them had been attacked like she was. She doubted they spent their busy night crying in a dark room.

Doris surveyed those around her while they waited. No one else looked nervous or scared like she was. Many had their heads bent in conversation with each other—just another normal day in the Palace. Doris’s wandering gaze had accidentally met the eyes of Mr. Carson when they swept across the room. The sight alone made her body shiver, she looked down at her hands in fear he might remember her from the night before. Had he been staring at her this whole time? Was he here because of her? Her heart pounded louder than those around her.

“Quiet.” Mr. Carson finally spoke. The crowd quickly simmered into silence. “The Golden Palace appreciates all of the hard work each of you put into Prince Martin’s engagement last night.”

He paused, Doris felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

“Although, it seems not all of you were dedicated to making sure the evening ran smoothly.” Doris wiped her palms on her skirt as he spoke, his dark eyes roamed the crowd. “I heard at least one of you were slacking off far from your duties last night. Just remember that no one will cover for you if anything turns up wrong.”

Was he talking about her? Could everyone else hear how loud her heart thundered? The room was hot —

“However,” Mr. Carson continued, piercing her thoughts. “Alpha King Charles was kind enough to send along an extra tip to each of you for your dedicated work. He was quite pleased with the party, as was Prince Martin and his lady. I hope you’re all thankful to the Royal House for their generosity.”

Slowly, Doris allowed herself to breathe again. Mr. Carson wasn’t looking at her suspiciously, or at all anymore. He wasn’t here to take her—he was here to tip them all.

A line eagerly formed to collect their tips. Doris stayed towards the back while her heart calmed down. For a minute, she thought she was about to be in trouble for—what Prince William had done to her. It was silly, she didn’t do anything wrong other than stray from her duties for a moment. She was the one that was attacked, not the other way around.

Once it was her turn, Doris kept her head down while she accepted her tips with a polite curtsy. “Thank the Royal.” She said properly before she turned to leave.

Just as she turned, Mr. Carson spoke again. “One more thing before you all leave. Did any of you happen to meet Prince William last night away from the party?”

At his words, silver coins clattered against the stone floors and echoed through the room—shocking everyone into silence. Their eyes all landed on Doris at once and it took her a moment to realize what she had done.

Doris stood there at a loss, staring down at her discarded tips on the ground.