Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 205: Threats...

Chapter 205: Threats...

The celebration was still echoing through Arcadia when the first whispers reached Selene’s ears.

She didn’t need servants or rumors to tell her. She had been watching from the high window of the south wing, hidden behind lace curtains, as lanterns floated above the training yard and the crowd cheered with delight.

She could hear them congratulating the prince and his mate.

Her expression was serene.

Her nails, however, dug crescent moons into the palm of her hand.

Later that night, Selene delivered the news herself.

With a steady hand and a voice that wavered with emotion, she wrote a note and sent it to her father through a messenger.

"They announced it publicly. Without warning. Without counsel. Before the week ended."

"He’s chosen her, Father. After everything we’ve done, he chose and I’m here, casted aside."

And she knew exactly how Lord Aldric would react.

—

It didn’t take long.

Three days later, the gates of Arcadia thundered open as the royal stewards scrambled to accommodate the unexpected arrival of Lord Alderic.

He entered with a full escort—twenty mounted guards, a caravan of gold-lined wagons, and his personal advisors trailing like shadows. The man didn’t arrive quietly.

He arrived like a storm that had been brewing for far too long and everyone knew in the palace something was off.

Evelina watched from one of the upper balconies as he stormed through the marble courtyard, red-faced and fuming.

Relia gave a low growl in her head. "Big man with too many feathers. Smells like greed and overpriced wine."

"I wonder what this is about though," Evelina murmured.

Jasper, standing beside her, nodded. "He’s the kind of man who thinks the palace revolves around the weight of his coin purse."

"He looks like a man who’s about to explode."

"You’re not wrong."

Inside the Great Hall, King Lucien met Lord Alderic personally. The tension between the two men was thick enough to choke on.

"You received my letter, I assume?" Lucien said coolly.

"I received betrayal," Alderic snapped, voice echoing through the vaulted chamber. "You made a promise, Lucien. Our children—my Selene and your son—were to be joined. That union was the foundation of everything we’ve built these past five years."

Lucien didn’t flinch. "I said I would consider it."

"And now you’ve chosen some... commoner to replace her?" Alderic growled, slamming a jeweled ring against the armrest of his chair. "Do you think I’ll sit idly while my daughter is humiliated in front of the entire kingdom?"

Lucien’s eyes narrowed. "Your daughter is not the only one involved in this. Damian’s choice is his own."

Alderic scoffed. "Do not insult me with talk of freedom. I built this kingdom’s trade routes. My ships guard your southern waters. My men hold your mountain passes. If I pull my banners and my caravans from Arcadia, your kingdom will crumble faster than it rose."

"You’d risk war over pride?" Lucien asked.

"I’d risk it over broken promises."

The silence that followed was long and tense.

In the shadows, Selene stood with her hands folded demurely in front of her, dressed in pale blue silk, looking perfectly composed. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she glanced between her father and the king.

"Father..." she said softly, "Please. Don’t make enemies where we had only allies."

Alderic turned to her. "You deserve better, Selene."

"I know," she whispered. "But... maybe it’s not too late."

Lucien’s gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"

Selene bowed her head. "Perhaps if the prince were reminded of his duties... if Evelina were shown to be... unstable... the council might see reason."

Lucien’s jaw clenched. "You’re suggesting we undermine the crown prince’s mate’s reputation?"

Selene blinked innocently. "Of course not, Your Majesty. I’m simply saying... if the pack begins to question her place, Prince Damian may begin to question his choice."

Alderic nodded, emboldened. "I’ll call for a review of the council’s ruling on Evelina’s exoneration. That trial was far too swift. I’ll also begin withdrawing my guards from your border patrols and suspend all naval grain deliveries until this matter is rectified."

Lucien stood, slow and deliberate. "You’d weaken us just to make a point."

"I’d remind you who helped make you strong."

The king said nothing.

But his silence was not consent—it was calculation.

—

Meanwhile, Evelina was unaware of the full conversation, but she felt the shift in the air as if someone had changed the wind’s direction. She found herself back in the gardens with Damian later that evening, walking the petal-strewn paths hand-in-hand.

"I take Selene’s father didn’t take well to our engagement," she said softly. "They’ll come for us."

"They already are," Damian replied, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "Let them."

"I’m not afraid," Evelina said.

"I am," he admitted. "But not of them. I’m afraid they’ll make you feel like you don’t belong."

She stopped walking and turned to him. "Damian. I don’t care about their titles or their money or their judgment. I care about you. And I care about Arcadia. I’m not leaving your side."

He smiled faintly. "Even if it starts a war?"

She smiled back, fiercer this time. "Then we fight."

Relia chuckled in her mind. "Now kiss him and go sharpen your blades. That’s my girl."

—

In a quieter corridor deep in the palace’s east wing, Selene met with Zade again.

He stood in shadow, one hand against the cool stone as she passed him a sealed note.

"What’s this?" he asked.

"Proof," Selene whispered. "Enough to sow doubt. Not enough to destroy her yet—but enough to start."

Zade frowned. "You want me to spread this?"

"No," she said. "You’ll give it to someone else. Someone neutral. Someone curious enough to ask questions."

"I’m not a puppet."

"No," she agreed. "You’re the only one who could actually make him listen... if you chose to."

Zade’s fingers tightened around the note. "If this backfires, they’ll turn on us both."

Selene’s smile didn’t waver. "Then don’t let it backfire."

He said nothing as he turned around and walked away.