Chapter 430: Chapter 430

Prince Simon, who had been pissed at the interruption, felt his heart thump uncontrollably as it landed on the female in front of him. But he was the supreme head and did not want to give away his feelings in front of his subjects.... Never!

However, Prince Simon was like an open book to a few of the old men in the room, but, at this time, they could not fault him, as they were in a similar boat.

A few of these old men had their eyes constricting upon laying eyes on her.

The two guards shoved Shelby gently into the room. The two who were on either side of her differed from the two Faes who had initially accosted her. She had tasted hope and despair in the span of a few moments. Hope, fleeting and intoxicating, rushed through her veins like a warm, golden light when Murray had rushed to that clearing and dealt with the two hostile Faes.

For a heartbeat, she dared to believe there was a way out, a chance to rewrite everything, but who was she kidding? Despair followed swiftly, a cold, merciless tide that drowned her in its depths. As soon as Murray had guided her to the safety of the hollow cave-live structure, reinforcements had arrived.

Frankly, Shelby was surprised at how swift their coordination was, but she was even more surprised at how easily they took Murray out, even though they had caught him unawares. That feeling of vanishing hope clung to her ribs, twisted her gut, and suffocated the fragile spark of optimism.

The contrast was dizzying! One moment soaring, the next plummeting into an abyss. Her lips parted, but no words came. She knew that she was no match for the Fae who had come in. From what she could see, there were about ten of them, so Shelby ’let’ herself be captured.

The only silver lining Shelby saw in this was that this new group of Faes were not lustful as the initial two that she had met. She actually commended them for their self-will. Shelby had been with her innate charm for long enough to notice when men struggle to keep it together, and these were the same. However, they decided to keep their eyes to themselves instead of act on it and this made her grateful.

Jumps start to when they were escorting her, Shelby could even feel the gentleness in their touch. She was unsure why, but why would she question a better treatment?

For the guards who were escorting her, even though they wanted to be rough, like they did with every other prisoner or trespasser they captured, they could not help but become mellow in her charm. In fact, they did not understand why they could not even look her in the eye!

Immediately Shelby entered the room, one thought consumed a bunch of the Faes in the room: ’This was ridiculous!’

This was because, the moment she stepped into the chamber, an inexplicable aura surrounded her, one that commanded both respect and curiosity.

One could see what she was the moment she entered. Her clothes were strange, unlike anything that most of them had seen before and most of them suspected what she was; a human. However, at the same time, Shelby did not fit the bill properly. Her aura, deadly looks, and smallish figure could make her pass for a well-built female Fae at any time, at the same time, she felt like a human to them. This made them greatly confused.

Shelby walked calmly in front of them until a few feet from the highest seat and stopped.

Shelby turned sharply to the source of the noise and winced, deciding to keep her words to herself.

That was Murray. He was still unconscious, and they threw him like a sack of potatoes. Who thought those little figures did not have any strength?

Prince Simon cleared this throat, especially when his trance was broken by the sound of Murray hitting the floor.

He turned his head and then shook it slightly, wondering what was going on. However, Prince Simon could not help but take a second look at the bewitching female, who had been brought there.... And that was the second mistake he made, especially when he met her blue eyes. The first had been trivial as he had not met those intense eyes that could draw one in.

Prince Simon was entranced. His eyes dilated, drawn into a world where only she existed. For a moment, all sounds in the room dimmed. Prince Simon’s breath hitched, shallow and uneven, as if the very sight of her had stolen the air from his lungs.

His lips parted slightly, caught between awe and something deeper... something primal. A strange, uncontrollable heat surged through his veins, pooling in his chest, and then straight to his groin, making his pulse hammer in his ears. Every detail of her... every movement, every flicker of light against her skin... felt almost unreal, as if she were a vision, a dream crafted just for him. And yet, she was real. Too real. And that was the most dangerous part.

Multiple calls went through one ear and then out the second. The prince did not hear a thing!

"What is wrong with him? Prince Simon!"

Shelby turned to look around the room, and similar reactions went around. She sighed, knowing the predicament that she was in. She was a sitting duck, waiting to be slaughtered.

When she turned, Prince Simon temporarily had his wits back.

"Huh," He blinked and looked back at the worry on the faces of the people. Humiliation surged through him at once, but he had no other place to run to. He was in one of the most prominent seats, and all eyes were already on him.

At this time, because all eyes were on the trespassers, none of the people saw Brain stagger back, with his eyes narrowing to slits when they fell on Murray and his companion.

To cover his humiliation, Prince Simon feigned anger. He snapped,

"Who are these paupers that dare pollute the air I breathe?"

’Paupers?’ Shelby thought raising her head. For some reason, she did not fear that skinny man who sat in the grander seat.

Shelby still did not understand what he meant, though.

"How dare they breathe in the same airspace as I do?!" Prince Simon repeated,

Shelby stifled a laugh. At that moment, she had long forgotten that she was supposed to be a prisoner, but the man was so funny. He was trying to throw his weight around, yet he was the only person in the room who did not know that it wasn’t working.

’How are we supposed to breath, then?’ She murmured, and her eyes fluttered with ridicule. They were within about twenty feet from this man, who seemed important, but the irony of his statement was not lost to her. She was sore, and her clothes were torn at different points, making her seem unkempt, but all the observers saw was a girl so beautiful that they could not breathe. Shelby, being oblivious to this fact, wondered,

’Why is he sitting there?’

The supposed throne was bare, but the man with the highest authority in the room was seated on a smaller chair similar to what looked like the main throne. It was directly adjacent to it.

A few guards closest to Shelby nudged her from the back to shut up, but none answered Prince Simon’s question.

"Bow to our monarch!"

One guard whispered as if looking out for Shelby,

"Your highness?" Shelby started but made no indication to bow,

"YOU SHALL ADDRESS ME AS YOUR MAJESTY!"

Shelby looked at him in amazement, raising her eyebrow taller than she had ever done in her life.

"Someone’s a bit cranky..." she whispered to herself, but unknowingly, the sound reverberated across the room, shocking its occupants!

"What a disrespectful creature!"

"Beauty or not, she must be taught to obey our monarch!"

Others had their mouth open, unable to form any words to this. To say that they were shocked was a real undercurrent. Since Syla had become the highest monarch, he had ruled with an iron hand, but the Elders got away with many things because Syla was considered a Prince and not a King.

Despite this, there had never been such blatant disrespect to Syla, his son Simon or any of the other royalties... not behind their back and absolutely, never in front of them wee girl was doing.... And from the looks of it, she had no fear.... Not a single speck of it.

Another thing that had shocked the old men in the room was the fact that Shelby stood tall and not hunched. Prince Syla may have lost his internal power, but Simon still had his and he was able to command it to its peak. This was why he was the designated heir to replace Syla and also why some had hope that he could complete what his father could not.

For a brief moment, Simon was stunned at the utterance, but instead of getting angry like he would have done, he burst out laughing. A deep, bellowing sound echoed through the room. One which shocked all in the room for they had never seen a relaxed and carefree Simon... ever!

The old Faes exchanged wary glances, wondering if he had lost his mind. He should have been furious at the girl’s sharp retort... offended, even. So why was he laughing?

Their silent question hung in the air, thick with tension, until Prince Simon finally spoke. His voice was clear, unwavering, and laced with amusement.

"She will be my wife."

A stunned silence followed. Mouths fell open. Eyes widened. Shelby herself stiffened, her expression frozen between disbelief and outrage. She should have been pleased that he had not ordered her to be beheaded, but that was far from Shelby’s mind. She only thought of his audacity to say such words,

But Prince Simon? He simply smirked as if he had just made the most obvious and natural decision in the world.

"Yes, she will be my new wife!" He nodded, very pleased with himself,

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