CHAPTER 184: PROVE HER WRONG

Amelie sat quietly on a marble staircase tucked away in a secluded corner of the palace she hadn’t been aware of. She faintly sighed as she lowered her head while nervously fidgeting her fingers in her lap.

Footsteps echoed gently down the corridor, and then a familiar voice reached her ears.

"What are you doing here?" Casaio asked.

Startled, Amelie turned to see him approaching. She began to rise instinctively out of respect, but he gestured subtly and sat down beside her, leaving a respectful space between them.

"You don’t have to stand," he murmured.

There was a brief pause before Casaio glanced at her. "Did Mom scold you again?"

"No," Amelie refused.

"You don’t have to lie to me," Casaio said. "All of us are aware of the nature of our mother. She remains secretive about everything. And as for me, you don’t need to stand for me. I appreciate what you did earlier."

"At that moment, I felt I should speak," Amelie said. "But I made a mistake," she murmured.

"Only Gabriel can argue with Mom. Others usually lose against her," Casaio remarked with a smile.

"I wonder how much it hurts Gabriel every time he tries to get what is in his mother’s heart," Amelie said.

"It hurts him to the extent that he refuses to come here," Casaio replied.

"I thought Her Majesty has accepted me," Amelie murmured. "But I was wrong. She doesn’t consider me worthy of Gabriel. Please don’t tell Gabriel about all of this. He may fight with his mother, which I don’t want to happen."

"Rest assured. Whatever we talk, stays between us," Casaio said, smiling. "Mom will acknowledge you once you prove her wrong. Yes, I heard the conversation of two of you. Mom must’ve been shocked by your attitude. An omega speaking with such clarity before her. It must’ve annoyed her. That’s why she ended up bringing Alex into the conversation," he asserted.

"I did approach Gabriel that night for my selfish motive. I wanted to save my pup. But my intentions were never selfish. I hope I could make the Queen understand," Amelie whispered.

"Mom is difficult to please. But Amelie, I know a day will come when she’ll embrace you with all her heart. I can assure you that she’ll be your biggest supporter then," Casaio said with a smile.

Amelie felt hopeful hearing those kind words. "Then, I’ll work harder for it," she answered with a determined smile.

"You should go. Gabriel is still waiting for you in the main hall," Casaio said.

"Brother Casaio, it must be tough for you to stay calm and composed every time in front of your family and people. The tears you shed when you’re alone is no one going to see. If you ever need to share your thoughts, you can ask me. I’ll listen to you without saying anything. I won’t tell anyone either," Amelie offered.

"Thank you, Amelie. I’ll definitely come to you if I feel low," Casaio stated.

She then stood up. "Will Brother Casaio not come?"

"No. You should go ahead," Casaio replied.

Amelie hummed and bowed to him in respect before walking away, giving him a moment of silence.

~~~~~

Amelie and Gabriel walked into their quarters.

"What did she say to you?" Gabriel asked, breaking the silence with a sigh. "You shouldn’t have gone after her. My mother... she doesn’t hold back. Her words can be bitter. That’s why even my siblings keep their mouths shut because they’re afraid of provoking her."

Amelie looked up at him. "I think I can stand up to her too," she said softly. "I got that strength from you."

A faint smile curved her lips as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. Gabriel’s heart softened at her gesture.

"You don’t have to fight her," he murmured, wrapping his arm protectively around her. "I’m enough to stand between you and anyone who dares to hurt you."

Amelie closed her eyes.

"I know," she whispered and opened her eyes again, hearing the gentle beats of his heart.

Then, pulling away slightly, Amelie still kept her hands gently wrapped around his.

"Did you speak to Karmen today?" she asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "No. I was going to call him after dinner."

"Can you call him now?" she requested.

Gabriel narrowed his brows slightly. "Why? What’s going on?"

"I need to talk to him," Amelie replied.

Gabriel walked over to the bedside table and picked up his phone. Dialing Karmen’s number, he turned around just as Amelie approached him.

On the other end, Karmen answered casually, the clink of a mug heard in the background. "Good evening, Gabriel. How’s everything?"

"Everything’s fine here. How are your injuries?" Gabriel asked, his gaze flicking to Amelie.

"They’ve healed," Karmen replied, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Amelie wants to speak with you," Gabriel said as he set the phone on speaker.

"Uh-oh." Karmen paused mid-sip, lowering the coffee mug quickly.

"Hi," Amelie greeted softly. "It’s good to hear your wounds have healed. Umm... I wanted to ask you something," Amelie began hesitantly, her eyes flickering toward Gabriel before landing on the phone. "Do you not want to consider Princess Katelyn’s feelings at all?"

Gabriel’s eyes widened in shock. ’Kate... has feelings for Karmen?’

Even Karmen was caught off guard. "Wait, what?" he asked, visibly startled, his voice dropping an octave in confusion.

"I know it’s not really my place to interfere," Amelie continued gently, "but Kate told in front of everyone that she likes someone. She hasn’t said his name yet, but..." Amelie paused, then drew in a breath. "If you’re not serious about her, Karmen, I think you should be very clear. You know, she’s a soft heart and she did tell me how you rejected her feelings. But I think she’s very serious about you."

"Amelie, I’ll talk to the princess," Karmen said.

"It’s better if you don’t tell her I informed you. It’s just I wanted to help Kate," Amelie added.

"I understand. I’ll see what I’ve to do," Karmen replied and hung up the call.