Love and Chaos Series
The Alpha King’s Ugly Bride Chapter 30

"Shall we go now?" he asked grumpily, snapping her out of her thought.

She grinned and rose to her feet with grace, walking over to him and falling in line with him. "I'm pretty sure Robb would look down on me for taking too long to present my wife to him."

"You could tell him you were helping your wife out, as any caring husband would." he turned and glared at her, but she ignored him and continued. "Thanks for the hair. I didn't think you could handle it." She admitted.

She expected his response to be a silly excuse to brush up his tortured ego, but it was nothing of that sort.

"Me too. My mother's hair was slicker and straight, hence easy to control. Yours was a little different."

Hearing him talk about his mother, the former queen told her he had a healthy relationship with her, unlike his father.

"You did it though, better than I would have."

His hand dropped to wrap around her waist, pulling her against his firm body. "Well, good thing you married me." he joked in a cocky tone. "Good thing I did," she replied

Xavier and Mia both stepped into the Palace Hall, with their bodies pressed against each other. Robb and Elliott, along with a few other elders and lords, all had an impatient look on their faces, but as soon as they saw them, the impatient look departed. Their eyes beheld the king and queen in adoration and together their aura dominated the throne room.

"I'm sorry." Xavier apologised, as he got close enough to his father. "I didn't mean to keep you all too long. But I had to help my wife. Thank you for your patience."

Elliot chuckled, giving Xavier a ridiculous look. "You're anything but a caring person, Xavier, the act doesn't suit you."

"But he was. He was tender too and patient." Mia spoke up in her husband's defence, bringing Elliot's attention over to her for the second time since they've gathered. His brows narrowed at her in disapproval, and he beheld her as if she was underneath him. Ah, being assholes must run in the Ainsworth's bloodline.

Mia tore her gaze away from him over to Robb, who looks half displeased, half upset. "Your grace, it's such an honour to be in your presence and behold your face." She bowed before straightening, and Xavier placed his arm around her as if she'd escape if he didn't. "Thank you for your patience."

"You're welcome." the upset countenance departed from his face and a tender one appeared. "I was informed about the sudden death of your sister, Ariel. I am sorry. She indeed was beautiful."

Again, she bowed. "Thank you, your grace."

Robb's wrinkled gaze moved from her over to Xavier and asked, "Where's your brother, Edward?"

"I sent him on a royal mission to the kingdom of Klean."

Robb frowned. "What was so important you couldn't send the guards and messengers to deliver?"

"I trust him more than anyone else."

Robb didn't seem to believe his son, but he didn't push it. "Give us a room." He ordered, and the men in the Palace immediately dismissed themselves, but Elliot remained beside him.

"When he said, 'give us room', I believe he said it to you too," Xavier said to Elliott, contempt in his voice.

Elliott ignored him and turned to Robb, who nodded in agreement with his son. Elliot bowed in reverence to the alpha of alphas and then walked out of the throne room. Xavier glared at him until he was out of sight.

"I should also leave." Mia turned to take her leave as well, but Xavier grabbed hold of her hand. When she glanced up at him, she saw the desperation in his green orbs. Either he was too used to her presence or afraid to be alone with his father.

It could have also been for show, to tell his father he wasn't the man he knew three years ago.

"Stay!" that single word sounded like a command and a plea at the same time. She bit her lips and nodded.

He curled his arms around her waist and, turning to Robb; they found his squinted gaze on them.

Xavier braced himself for whatever Robb was about to say now that the rest were out of the throne room. Surely it would be nothing good. Having his queen by his side might reduce the impact. Or it might make it worse, but he didn't want to let her go for reasons beyond his comprehension.

"I heard that after you were crowned alpha King three years ago, you immediately gave the go-ahead for the construction of the capital 3 at the distinct corner of La Ville Royale." Xavier nodded, "Yes, your grace. The farmers, the warriors and the scholars' institutions."

"Whose counsel did you take before embarking on this massive project? Almost every member in the council of alphas I've spoken to denied being informed before it began."

"My brother, Prince Edward and Alpha Koz. I trust their counsel more than any other counsel in the kingdom." Though he would never have admitted it any other day.

Mia glanced up at him at his words, unable to believe her ears.

She had seen the construction of the scholars' institutions, which included a library not so far away from her house. When she inquired, the supervisors of the construction told her that the alpha king had approved the project. She immediately concluded that the former alpha king, Robb Ainsworth, had given the approval before falling asleep and his son was fulfilling his wishes. The speculation that went around also backed her thoughts, and she felt grateful for the work being done. Knowing now that Xavier gave the approval made her feel different. There was so much she didn't know about him. Today, alone, he had blown her away twice.

Robb didn't look impressed, "I might consent to the Warriors and farmers' institutions, but the scholars' institution should still be on hold. Reading and books have not been the secret behind the greatness of Wahala kingdom and I doubt that would start soon." "It might not have been, but studies and reports from spies have shown that Reading of the Southern kingdom has superseded many other kingdoms beside them in the last hundred years, your grace. They also have welcomed travellers from far and wide, those curious about their vast amount of knowledge. That has boosted the kingdom's wealth tremendously. The scholars' institution can be a blessing if used in the right way." Robb still looked unconvinced, and Xavier was losing all amour for this fight.

"He's right, your grace." Mia's small voice spoke, and this brought Robb's attention over to her and also surprised Xavier.

"Investing in the scholars' institution isn't a waste of time and resources. I think it's one of the wisest things the king has done since he began to reign. As a child, I loved reading. After learning that the kingdom of Reading had the largest library in the world, I wanted to see it. I had little access to the library because I was lord Asika's daughter. I know many others would want to, but Wahala's limited resources won't let them. Reading is not just going through new books, it's the acquisition of knowledge and knowledge is power."

Xavier's mouth was almost hanging open by the time Mia finished. Unlike before, Robb now looked impressed.

"Your queen made better points than you did. Then we will look into this and see how it goes."

Xavier's hand around her tightened, making her glance up at him, and their eyes met. His green eyes had a bit of relief and gratitude in them as they beheld her. A heart-stopping smile charged onto his broad face, making him look sinfully gorgeous. The sight melted her up from the inside out and she smiled back.

Why did the sight look so good? She wondered, then realised it was the first time she had seen him smile.