CHAPTER 2

At that moment, I couldn't help but think the moon goddess was on my side.

But then, I didn't know if I should be happy or sad. Happy that I was finally on the way to achieve my long-time goal, or sad that I had literally witnessed the brutal death of my mistress and the guards.

But nevertheless, I was going to enter the royal court. I was going to become Lady Selene. I would participate in the Luna competition and get to achieve my goal.

That was the only way I could avenge my parents’ death. I’ve been dreaming about this since forever, and this was my time to grasp the opportunity.

Returning to the ruined carriage, I picked up Lady Selene's bag that contained her belongings. Then I returned to the forest and changed into one of her dresses. Good thing she packed another dress which was her favorite, even though they had been told not to bring anything.

Dropping my hair, I combed and straightened it with the broken comb and paid homage to the lost souls before walking out of the forest.

My horseback riding skill was finally coming to play. I separated the carriage from the horse, and since the carriage was already ruined but the horse wasn’t hurt, I jumped on the horse and headed to the royal court.

As the royal gates came into view, a wide smile spread across my face. I was finally close to achieving my dream.

"Who are you?" a bulky royal guard questioned as I jumped down from the horse.

"Selene. I’m a participant," I replied, ensuring to sound as soft-spoken as the noble ladies were expected. Getting into character wouldn’t be difficult for me since I practically served Lady Selene since I was a kid.

I was more like her best friend, and betraying her was something I never thought of doing, but this had to happen.

He raised his brows as his eyes raked over me. Was he suspecting something? Don’t I look noble enough?

"Your family crest, noble relic, and selection letter," he demanded, and I quickly removed them from the bag that contained Lady Selene’s things. Good thing I had checked them and confirmed before leaving the forest earlier.

I gave everything to him, and he scrutinized them before returning them to me.

"What’s happening?" a voice boomed from nowhere, and I raised my head to see a tall and handsome man dressed in royal clothes. Was the Alpha Prince welcoming his prospective Luna himself?

"Good evening, Beta Prince. She's one of the candidates," the guard responded, and he turned to me. Beta Prince? It was no news that the Alpha Prince had a twin brother.

"It’s late already. How come you’re just coming?" he questioned, concern laced in his tone. I guess he was the nice and welcoming prince.

"Something happened. I’m sorry," I apologized, bowing my head.

"Well, the last always makes a grand entrance. What’s your name?" he inquired, and I cleared my throat before raising my head.

"Selene. I’m Selene Theron from the Nightcrest Pack," I replied with a small smile.

Guilt pricked my chest that instant, but I wasn’t about to feel guilty or stop anything.

He lifted his brows and widened his eyes at me as if he were trying to search for answers in my ears, and that made my heart skip a beat. Does he recognize me? Does he know I’m not Lady Selene? Was I overthinking things?

He stepped away.

"Please, come in. You’re welcome, Lady Selene," he said in a more jovial tone this time, and I almost let out a sigh of relief as I gripped the bag tightly.

The guards opened the gates widely for me, and I stepped into my new life.

"Thank you, Prince," I said, glancing at him, and he flashed me a smile.

"You’re the first to regard me as the Prince and not Beta Prince," he commented, and I forced a bright smile. Should that matter at all? I guess it was really a big deal to him, judging from how happy he sounded.

There were no buildings in view, just beautiful plants and shrubbery. I’ve heard about how beautiful the royal court was, but without even exploring everything yet, just the mere sight of these flowers was enough to tell me how captivating the court was.

But beauty wasn’t everything. I was going to uncover everything beneath this beauty.

"Let me lead the way," I heard him say beside me, jolting me out of my thoughts, and I glanced at him.

"Thank you, Prince."

He bobbed his head and led the way while I trailed behind him quietly, my eyes darting from one area to another. Everywhere was as quiet as a graveyard, and I wondered where they all disappeared to, or how long we had to walk before getting to the main building or if the other candidates were even around at all.

It was obvious I was the last to arrive, judging from how the guard reacted earlier, and even the weather. Night had fallen already, and everywhere was becoming cold.

"So, did you join the competition willingly, or your family forced you?" the Beta Prince questioned after a long moment of silence. I actually thought we would remain that way until we got to the main building, but he just had to break the ice and disrupt my thinking. I never knew princes were interested in other people's lives.

As I opened my mouth to reply, a voice cut me short, and I raised my head to see a pretty lady dressed in what seemed like a servant’s uniform.

"Good evening, Beta Prince," she greeted, but he only acknowledged her with a hug. Finally, I got to know others were in the royal court and it wasn’t just me, the prince, and the guard.

"I had no choice," I replied as I watched the lady walk away. All the noble ladies and noble families didn’t have a choice. They were practically forced into the competition, and after screening, they were shortlisted to ten. Lady Selene wasn’t really excited about vying for the position, but there was this happiness about going to the royal court which always got me curious.

He suddenly stopped, almost causing me to hit my head on his back, but I was able to catch my grip quickly. Then he turned back to face me.

"It must be exhausting, pretending to be someone you're not, right?" he asked, a smirk tugging at his lips, his eyes looking straight into mine, and my blood ran cold that instant.

Does he know?