The Hidden Luna Queen 2
Chapter 61

That was a problem. I still knew astonishingly little about how to handle situations like this, pregnant or not.

And to top it off, if the food was not taken out of the room within the next few minutes, I knew without question that I was bound to throw up in front of the entire royal family that I was desperate to impress. I refused to let that happen.

Come hell or high water, I would not throw up in front of the royal family.

"Can someone please remove those dishes...?" I begged, trying my best to get the words out while I focused on breathing. "I don't like fish or rare beef."

Isabelle gaped at me. "You cannot be serious," she muttered, sounding offended. "Are your standards honestly set so high that even the food prepared by our hard-working palace chefs is not good enough for you?" "W-What?"

"All this work that everyone put into pleasing you, all in the hopes that you might respect the effort put forward to welcome you to our home- and what do you do? You ask for food to be removed before you even try it." She shook her head with a woeful, disappointed frown. "How very humble of you."

My sensitive stomach sank. That knowing look in her eyes told me everything-she had planned this from the start... she might have even specifically requested for those potent dishes to be made. Not only did she want to humiliate me, but she also intended to vilif me in front of everybody.

I couldn't understand it. Why did this girl hate me so much?

The only connection we had, apart from this, was our fathers' longtime acquaintanceship. I hardly even knew her.

Charlotte rushed to my side, brushing hair out of my face. The cool touch of her fingers was surprisingly a great help. "Don't be ridiculous, Isabelle," she scolded incredulously, "this has nothing to do with standards, she's just-"

"Don't let her fool you," Isabelle said, pointing a sneer at me, only further solidifying what I had already suspected. "She's using whatever excuses she has at her disposal to win you over. Tell me, how can someone who preaches about kindness and humility then go on to refuse any food that is graciously served to her?"

"She's carrying my baby," Xaden emphasized, raising his voice and sounding every bit as threatening as was possible. "That food is making her unwell. Goddess forbid if anyone shows leniency towards my

pregnant Luna!” he exclaimed, exasperated.

Isabelle scowled. "That's no excuse for entitlement."

"Henry!" he spat with ire, despite his refusal to leave my trembling side." Control your impossible, irrational woman or so help me, you will have me to deal with once this is all over!"

Fear rose within me. I didn't want him to start fights because of this!

I wouldn't forgive myself if he got hurt because of me.

The blatant look of distaste Henry threw at his brother, however, was impossible to miss. It had become more than apparent that he cared nothing for his angry little brother's threats or was ready to take on the challenge, even if it ruined the banquet. Either way, h was more than willing to let the chaos ensue and allow his wife to do whatever she pleased, all just to spite Xaden.

But when our eyes met across the table...

Something happened. I wasn't sure if he saw my apprehension regarding a potential fight or if it was how I struggled to fend off my nausea or some sort of combination of the two... but something softened in the harsh contours of his face.

And just like that, I seemed to have another-completely unexpected- ally, even if only for the moment.

Henry sighed, rubbing a tired hand through his brown hair, looking very similar to his father with that gesture. "Isabelle," he called out, "you can stop your little games now. Leave the poor girl alone."

"No," she scoffed. "I hardly think I'm the one being irrational here. She's the one making a fuss about food."

There was no sign of her giving up, even with Henry trying to talk her down. I worried Isabelle would stubbornly stick to her guns until the banquet came to an end.

That was, however, until Alpha King Arlan intervened.

"That's enough," his tired, gruff voice spoke up, silencing the room. I

waited with bated breath, worried he would decide to target me until his gaze ultimately swung over to the other guilty party. "I don't want to hear another word out of you tonight, Isabelle." I blinked.

He was scolding Isabelle?

Maeve POV

"Y-Your Majesty...?" Isabelle murmured, apparently taken aback by Alpha King Arlan's sudden and completely unexpected interruption.

With shallow, heaving breaths as I tried desperately to curb my rising nausea, I watched the interaction, unsure what to expect. She did not say anything beyond that, but the confusion that deeply interlaced within her words was made abundantly clear to me. I could practically hear the storm her mind was beginning to conjure up.

This banquet might have been in my honor, but we all knew just how the Alpha King felt about me.

If he wanted to, I believed without a doubt that he would have continued to keep quiet while Isabelle did what she wanted.

And if it were up to him, I certainly would not have made it this far. I would have been kicked to the curb within the first minute of meeting him.

Was there a chance that I somehow... misjudged him?

"There will be no more discrimination of any sort against Maeve," he said, stiff but stern. "The purpose of this banquet is to welcome her into the family. Anyone who dares to believe or act otherwise will have no choice but to leave."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Luna Queen nod. "She is marrying our beloved Xaden," she criticized sharply. "It is highly inappropriate for a fellow Luna Princess to mistreat her sister-in-duty." The sight warmed my soul-a blessed comfort to know that she was in my corner, even beyond the privacy of our lessons.

Isabelle stammered, full of disbelief. "I-I don't-"

Alpha King Arlan slammed a powerful hand against the table, but no one flinched except for the target in question and myself. "I have had enough of your antics, Isabelle. Treat her with respect or else I will have you removed immediately," he warned, taking on a dangerous tone that left. absolutely no room for debate.

And however much I knew Isabelle might have wanted to, even she knew better than to disagree with the king. She might have been an opportunist or strong-minded, but she certainly was no fool.

But not even a fool would dare to defy the Alpha King.

Not to his face, and especially not in his domain.

"I believe I have made myself perfectly clear," he grunted, taking a sip of his wine when no one said anything else.

Isabelle seemed to take the hint, however, dipping her head, low and courteous before her terrifying father-in-law. "Of course, King Arlan, sire," she murmured quietly as she sank deep into her chair, reduced to nothing but a mere shadow of the girl she was just moments ago. "I meant no disrespect to Your Majesties."

The sight was... unexpected.

I honestly had no clue she was capable of even a shred of humility at all, but I supposed anything was possible. Unlike when Sarah had faced the wrath of a royal, I found it hard to feel any sympathy for Isabelle. Her disdain toward me defied any sort of logic or reason and I failed to understand why she chose to treat me so.

Why was she so eager to see me fail?

King Arlan cleared his throat, seemingly placated with her quick submission.

Queen Leonora, on the other hand, looked less convinced but did not say more regarding the matter. Instead, she summoned several omega servants to clear away all of the offending dishes, remarking that they had not even been listed on the original menu, while Xaden and Charlotte continued to tend to me until every last one was gone.

Before long, I could breathe again without feeling like spilling my guts.

"How do you feel now, Maeve?" Xaden inquired gently, rubbing my knee, as Charlotte finished patting my head with a cool napkin.

I sighed. "Better," I admitted. "Thank you..."

It was not long before the frazzled energy of the room began to dissipate and the servants came out to serve us our plates of food. After that whole debacle, my appetite had diminished ever so slightly, but in the end, I could not resist trying portions of that porterhouse steak Lucas had spoken highly of and even dollops of side dishes that he and Charlotte recommended to me with much gusto.

Lively conversation sprung up once more at the table, and within minutes, it was almost as if nothing had ever happened.

And after all that lying fuss Isabelle made about me not wanting to eat food served by the palace chefs, she was the one who hardly made a dent into a portion smaller than the size of her delicate fist. Somehow, I ended up eating considerably more than she did.

As the servants served me a second-smaller-serving of food, my gaze couldn't help but drift between Isabelle and Alpha King Arlan.

While the king's lofty presence had somewhat perked up as the minutes passed by, Isabelle was in despair, fuming in her chair as she poked at her steak without contributing to the conversation. In full transparency, I was not particularly faring any better. All at once, my mind was racing a mile a minute and lost in a daze, trying to make sense of things.

That could not have really happened... could it...?

The last time we were all in the same room together, it had been made perfectly clear that the Alpha King was firmly planted on Isabelle's side when it came to my impending marriage into their esteemed family. From the beginning, they were both against me and sought to replace any reason to justify keeping me out.

It had only been less than a week since that day.

I didn't understand what on earth could have changed in less than a week for him to step in and help me.

All of a sudden, I felt Xaden's hand on my thigh, prompting me to look at him. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly, amid the conversation everyone else was immersed in. It felt like we had entered our own little bubble, even if only for a moment.

I realized I had been spinning my fork around my plate for longer than was normal. "I... I'm feeling great." "Are you sure?"

"Of course. The food's delicious... your family seems happy... I'm here with you," I whispered. "I couldn't ask for anything else."

Looking unconvinced, Xaden sighed, preparing to say something until his gaze drifted toward the entrance of the banquet hall. And then, any words he might have wanted to say never left his mouth as he stared in shock at whatever captured his attention. Or perhaps... whoever.

"Eric?" he questioned.

All of a sudden, everyone-including myself-immediately whirled around to meet the face of none other than the Second Prince himself. Wearing a dark suit that clung a little too loosely to his thin frame, he matched the attire of his siblings but looked very much out of place with the anxiety- ridden expression that marred his skinny face.

Prince Eric shuffled awkwardly with everyone's attention suddenly on him. "I-I'm sorry for showing up so late."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Even after all that talk about being an outsider, he was still standing here, in front of his entire family.

He actually showed up.