Chapter 432: Chapter 432

Another stunned moment ensued.

"Me?" Shelby pointed a finger at herself because she was the only female in the whole room, and she had been the subject of the conversation.

"Are you referring to me?" She added in disbelief, and for a fleeting moment, her hand brushed over her tummy... an unconscious gesture that didn’t go unnoticed.

The man, Brian, walked to the front but maintained a distance from her. Brian then nodded at her question, not giving anything away at the fact that she had asked that. Any discerning eye could see that Brain remained humble and almost servile, even though Shelby was the supposed prisoner.

At the nod, Shelby dropped her arm, still shocked. A faint blush crept up her neck, lighting her up like the first bloom of dawn. There was a softness in her gaze, a distant, dreamy quality that made it impossible to look away. Every person in the room could see it... pure, unguarded happiness... with a mix of excitement in there.

But what struck them the most was the certainty in her expression. There was no hesitation, no flicker of doubt. She wholeheartedly believed the news, embracing it as if it were carved into the very fabric of reality itself.

She showed none and did not question Brain again. The room remained frozen for an even longer time as they were unsure what to do with the news. The woman that the prince wanted seemed to really belong to another. This was a taboo for them and made some of the old Faes happy. Others were on the fence.

Shelby’s eyes softened as if she were conversing with her inner self.

The Faes, hardened warriors, seasoned advisors, even the prince himself .... found themselves ensnared by the sight of her. It was a rare thing, this kind of joy, untouched by caution or skepticism. It was dazzling.

Prince Simon, usually composed and unreadable, was no exception. His sharp eyes, accustomed to strategy and deception, softened at the sight. Even the fact that Shelby was with child did not seem to bother him in a bit as he gazed upon her. He had seen beauty before, but never . Never so raw, so utterly unaware of its effect. In short, Prince Simon was bewitched!

And yet, amidst the awed silence, one person stood apart. Stunned, yes... but not entranced. Instead, a cold realization clawed at his insides. His fingers curled into tight fists, nails biting into his palms as a wave of self-reproach crashed over him.

’How did I not see this?’ The thought struck like a hammer to his chest.

Murray stirred awake on the floor. He had been conscious, merely pretending otherwise, but those words jolted him upright. And at that moment, it all made sense. Past events flashed through his mind, each piece clicking into place as he reproached himself more and more. He bit his lip.

"How did I miss this?" He murmured, thinking back to his mistress’ behaviour these past few weeks, her possessiveness, her occasional irrational behaviour around her husband and other women.... It all made sense then.

Murray and Currey should have known because they had seen Faes pregnant before, but then Shelby had never been a Fae, so they had never made that connection!

That realization somehow burned more than anything else.

Shelby lowered her head, abruptly breaking the trance that had held the room.

It took another few seconds before they got their bearings back and even more time to remember the last statement by Brian. Before they got their wits back, Prince Simon asked,

Their mouth drops open.

"Prince Simon, what do you mean?"

"Exactly what it means! Have you ever seen a woman more beautiful than she is?"

Simon questioned. He had only used a few short seconds to think of what he needed and wanted. Simon turned his eyes and, this time, looked over Shelby’s head. He had learnt his lesson. Her ruffled and dishevelled hair with leaves stuck here and there did not put him off as it would have usually done.

Her rumpled and dirty attire did not put him off. Even the fact that another man had slept with her did not put him off. Prince Simon liked his women in a particular way: clean, sexy, and untouched. Shelby did not fit the bill at all! However, the only thing that remained in Prince Simon’s mind was: ’I want her!’

He continued, "No woman in our kingdom surpasses her, and as your king-to-be, I have to have the best!"

"But sire! She is human!"

They were mistaken if the elders believed this would dissuade Prince Simon, who supposedly despised humans.

"I have eyes and can see that, thank you!"

A few people in the room took a hard look at Shelby. In their land, there was no lack of beauty, but the human in front of them shook their underlying belief that they, the Faes were the more superior race, even though none of them would ever admit it.

Even after living hundreds of years, their faces registered shock.

’We should be immune to such level of looks,’ They thought, but every single one of them, no matter how old or powerful they were, had succumbed to Shelby’s charm, and she had barely spoken many words and even tried to seduce any of them.

Her beauty was simply majestic. Her tattered dress and dirty face did nothing to obscure her looks at all. It made them curious to see what lay underneath that.

’Where did that thought come from?’ Some wondered, shaking their heads vigorously, but that did not shake the lustrous thought snaking into their minds.

How could someone look so unkempt yet dazzling? It was baffling! At that point, they could understand why their king-to-be wanted to take her on as his wife. Besides, who dared marry a wife more beautiful than a queen?

But she was human! Could they allow her to be their queen and reign over them? Most importantly, who the heck was she, and where had she come from... or how did she come to their land?

A unique charm emitted from her almost at a visible rate. Their heat beats accelerated. She had yet even to move a facial muscle in an exaggerated way, and they were already sold on her!

Only one person in the crowd still held his composure, frowning. Brain wanted to ask the question on his mind, but he was not sure that the audience was right. He remained bowed, thinking,

’She... it can’t be!’

Murray shot up to his feet then, pushing the guards between them and obscuring Prince Brian’s lecherous gaze.

"Are you okay, Milady? Did they hurt you?" He whispered over his shoulder and Shelby nodded. Surprisingly, just as the guards tried to rush towards Murray, Shelby stopped them with her cold gaze.

The guards were baffled but found themselves obeying that gaze. On the other hand, Prince Simon was happy because the guards agreed with him and obeyed their future queen. He did not like that useless wanna-be guard though and dismissed Murray in his mind.

"Prince Simon, the woman is with child! Brian is never wrong on things !" The oldest Fae among them spoke slowly,

"So what? The witch can have the fetus as part of her payment when she comes in for the ceremony!"

This stilled the room again as the old men considered the implications of this.

Shelby smirked. For some reason, she was not afraid.

"I’d like to see you try!" She dared, then said unhurriedly,

"I am married and will not be marrying you, no matter who you are!" She took her time glancing around at all of them, observing their faces while her hand wrapped around her belly protectively.

"Tch, Tch, Tch! As expected of our future queen, she is defiant and bows to no one! I like that!" Prince Simon retorted,

’A very sharp tongue indeed!’ he mused in his mind, but he was happy beyond words!

All of their mouths drop open. No one had ever talked back at their Prince like that and lived to see the next second, but he let her live and praise her?

"Beautiful women are abundant but a beauty like yours? Even I have never seen one in my life!"

Prince Simon walked down, pushed Murray aside as easily, gripping Shelby’s chin. He voided, looking into her eyes, but Simon could not help it. He smooched her cheek. Shelby struggled to move but could not!

She shuddered, and tears pooled in her eyes. Her skin crawled at the fact that another man had touched her, and her ring pulsed brightly, but Prince Simon saw none of this.

It was at this time that Shelby realized that she was not afraid, but she did not have the power to resist them!

"However, my queen... "

"... you will be above all, but me; therefore, you should pay respect to me!"

Prince Simon caressed her smooth cheek and then ordered,

"Throw her in the dungeon until she comes to her senses! The coronation and marriage will be held in five days!"

Lots of protests went around, but Prince Simon did not heed.

"Prince Simon, we don’t even know who she i-"

Simon raised his hand to stop the chatter and asked, "Who is this?"

But then he answered his own question,

"... Oh... I nearly forgot.... It’s that useless protector!"

Simon turned to face all of the old Faes and the guards,

"As I said, she will be Queen, and I am enough to protect her. Kill him off!"

This time, Shelby couldn’t help but gasp, but then Simon pauses,

"You look very familiar... almost like - "

He stopped, then added thoughtfully,

"That cannot be.... Anyway, I changed my mind. Keep him in the dungeons as well. We will use him as part of the offering sacrifice on the coronation day!"

Simon raised his hand and squeezed it mid-air. The person who had been protesting gasped as if struggling for breath and then dropped dead.

"Now, that’s quieter.... Take my queen and her sacrifice away! She will soon be warming my bed!"

He turned to look at Shelby and grinned. For the first time since coming there, Shelby took a step back as her heart thundered. They were in deep shit! Just as she was stuck in that thought, another voice shouted,

"Prince Simon, you really can’t do that!"

All I hear is I can’t do this or that. STFU!

"WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS!"

"Lock up this useless bookkeeper with them!"

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