chapter 30.

" Adam.. " with some intention in my head, I slowly get near him and crouch beside him with a cheeky smile.

Immediately Adam turns his head to look at me while his tail wagging in eagerly.

" Woof! "

" Heh. Look what I have here.. "

While waving my right hand in front of his face, Adam's eyes quickly turn bright in excitement while his eyes keep on looking at a beef jerky that I was holding in my hand to catch his attention towards me.

" woof, woof! "

" You want it? come here. " shaking my hand as a signal for him to get closer, I smile earnestly to him as bait to gain his attention.

" ..... "

Slowly he takes a step closer to me, a step forward, and finally, he sat before me with his innocent face, look up at me while rise his head and continually wagging his tail, he barks at me with joy and raises his big palm to catch the beef jerky on his own.

" ...Here. " gradually to fall my hand in a slow step to gain his attention on the beef, I keep on waiting for the right time to do my plan perfectly.

Slowly, Adam's nose gets to sniff on the beef while his body gradually gets closer to mine, I'm still waiting.

" ...! "

' That's it! '

Immediately pull the beef jerky away from him when Adam almost get to catch it with his own mouth, I place the jerky position with shoving my own lips to make him accidentally kiss my lips with his mouth.

' Almost there..! '

" My lady! "

Gasp!

Slipped my left hand on the floor, my body stumbled to the ground because I'm losing my balance in flinched and unfortunately the accidentally kiss plan failed in embarrassment.

" ..... " slump to the floor with my face flushed, I trembled in annoyed with the disturbing voice from earlier while Adam quickly snatches the beef jerky from my hand with his mouth and run in happiness towards his couch to enjoy his snack eagerly.

" ..ugh. "

" Oh my! my lady, what are you doing on the floor?! " Daisy with her usual innocent face, burst into my room when she saw Adam has been away from me while I still on my position, laying on the ground after a complete failure experience I've just gone through because of Daisy's intense voice.

" It's your fault.. " mumble in annoyance while Daisy helps me to get up from my ashamed attempt, I glare at Daisy with a big frown while Daisy keeps on her innocent face even she senses my glare was meant for her.

" My lady, his grace has just arrived and he was waiting for you in the main room. " her hand keeps on busily sweeping the dirt off from my dress while her mouth keeps on nagging me why I'm playing on the floor even though I knew it was dirty. she really doesn't know it was all because of her intense shout that I'm being shabby like this.

" Then, told him to wait for me while I change my clothes. " with an ignorant face, I take a glance at Daisy then continue my step towards my clothing room with a slow step.

" ....Ha. She's being childish again today... " Daisy with her deep sighs quickly followed my slow step with a despairing gaze.

' I hope you know what you're doing, my lady. '

****

" I see that you've successfully broken half of the curse, Claire. "

Flinch by his words, I coughed my tea a little while my left hand that currently caressed Adam's fur who was earnestly sleeping while leaning his head on my laps, quickly froze in startled. Failed to keep my composure face before this guy, immediately my lips show him a pretended smile.

" ...Um. "

" I shouldn't say it like this. Well, It's just a fortunate was on my side, grand duke. "

" .... "

" ..ha. "

" 'a fortunate'? No matter what you said, the people that saw your current situation now wouldn't think it was as simple as just a fortunate play, Claire. "

Flinch again by his glare, I bend my head to look at Adam in guilt.

" You knew... "

Flinch.

" ..His real name, don't you? " his gaze becomes more intense than the one my father always used to scold me. Slowly, My head bowed when his menacing aura keeps on pierced the serenity that I had been trying to maintain all this time. My body has begun to tremble with a cold sweat flows throughout my whole body out of fear maybe because it's been a while since the last time father's cold eyes look at me with this same gaze as Felixis does right now.

" I don't know... " keep on trying to fool him even in these hard time, my voice shook while whispering my denial in a low voice.

" If you're talking the truth, look at me in my eyes, Claire. " Felixis voice gradually began to get more intense than before.

Keep on a deep breath, ' to gain his trust I shouldn't be a coward in front of him! ' slowly, I raise my head with confidence.

" I don't know what you're talking about, grand duke. " maintaining my firm gaze towards his intense face, I grip my dress to hide the truth that I'm scared right now to look at him right into his red menacing eyes.

" ..... "

After a while, Felixis who was speechless by Claire's glare towards himself slowly bends his head to hide his chuckle.

" Right now.. "

" You look just like him when you both already set a decision in yours damn clever head, Claire. " his complement makes my heart flutter for a second when Felixis suddenly shows his killer smile towards me eagerly.

" ..... "

Fascinated by his face again, my mouth is locked in silence with Felixis handsomeness although I've already reminded myself to keep my composure face before met him here.

' Ugh. This man is trying to make my eyes blinded by his beautiful face after he makes me weaker with his sudden killer questions! '

" Woof! Grr.. ! "

" ....! " gasped from my own thoughts in flinched by Adam's intense growl, I turn to look at Adam that suddenly growling in ominous when Felixis suddenly get near me while I was spacing on my thoughts from earlier. Adam can't do anything without my command so he's waiting for the right time for attacking the grand duke on his own.

" ...! "

" Grand duke..? "

" Grr!! " Adam growling becomes much louder than before when Felixis clearly touch my pinked hair with his hand.

" You know that your father went to the battlefield, leaving you all alone here with my son? " although his rough voice whisper in my ear very closely, it's not him that gets into my mind but my father.

" ...? "

" What? " with a frown, I immediately push his body away from me and instantly get up from my seat in shocked by the news.

" My father went to where? "

" Like I said before, to the battlefield. Lead the whole troops under the emperor's command. " with contempt and cynical smile, he smirked while crossed his leg in an arrogant attitude.

" He left to lead on the war because he openly rejected the queen's order to marry you in a political marriage. That's his punishment. "

****

" ..... "

" My lady.., you should at least eat something although you didn't have any appetite. " Daisy keeps on knocking on the door with the attention that Claire would open it for her but unfortunately she's still in her silence, locking herself with young master Adam together in her chamber.

" He went to the war for a month already without your knowledge because he didn't want you to get worried by his own decision, Claire. " with his pretended face, he acted like he was concerned with my father absence although it's clear that, this is the best time to gain his majesty favor without his majesty right man beside his side.

" But I'm already engaged with your son, grand duke." with a big frown and confused face, I face the grand duke. Looking at him intensely to make him speak the truth.

But then, Felixis with his faking ignorance face keeps on grinning his mouth until it shows his teeth completely. While shrugging his shoulder, he says " The queen wanted you to break off your engagement with my son because you never show up in any gathering together so her highness might think that both of you was not suitable as a marriage partner in the future. "

" It's nonsense! the emperor should know better than anyone that Adam now was in this condition and stopped the queen's thoughts! "

" Hm-mm. "

" Then, what would you do now, Claire? you shouldn't give up yet, right? "

" ..... "

" Whine. Whine. " suddenly Adam whimper on my lap while his palm keeps on rubbing my dress to make me look at him. Aware of my thoughts about Felixis from earlier, my hand slowly stroke Adam's fur while he suddenly sat before me with his worried gaze.

" I know he was trying to see what my next action was as his subject. He wanted me to fight with the queen's decision. " in a low voice, I bend my head in despair with wondering what should I do to save my father and my engagement by own.

" woof! woof! " begin to bark in a low voice, Adam's face get near my head and slowly he leans his forehead on mine. Our distance suddenly gets really close when his wolf body that three times bigger than me has completely touched my whole body.

" whine. whine. whine. "

" Oh my.. are you trying to comfort me..? Thank you, Adam.. " his fluffy fur and his warms forehead give me the warmest that I've longed for all this time, and slowly my arm bluntly hugged his body while my forehead keeps on leaning on him for a while.

" You've been so kind to me even though I treat you like a dog, Adam. I've said this before, you shouldn't treat me with kindness like these or else I'll get misunderstanding... "

" ...Ha. what should I do..? "

Slowly my head became heavy probably due to fatigue and soon my eyes closed, unconsciously I fell asleep in Adam's warm embrace and without Claire's consciousness, a single gaze was looking at her sleeping face tenderly for a very long time.

Suddenly the beast brought his face closer to Claire's bare face, his strong breath caressing Claire's white skin gently and slowly unconsciously their mouths met each other for a long time before he suddenly turns to licked the tears that suddenly flowed on Claire's face when she was asleep.

" .....whine.. "

****

Bang!

" What did you mean by my mother failed?! " grip his fist in his desk, Noelle let go of his range by throwing all the documents to the floor in a rampage and while trying to bear his boiling anger towards his head butler, he frowns his eyebrows menacingly.

" Tch. That stupid mother! how could she failed to marry that bitch off to a lowly family! " his teeth clenched in anger towards the queen.

" Your highness, you shouldn't say it clearly or else the servants might.. "

" Stop her! "

" Hey! stop there! you can't enter! "

" What are you doing?! catch her before she gets through..! "

Dang!

" ....?"

Noelle looks at the door that has suddenly got opened with a strong force from the outside.

" What with those uproars outside..? " blankly look at the door in silence, Noelle stare at it and suddenly a single shade of a girl step into his office with a black cloak that covers her whole body from being seen by the people in the castle.

" Who are you? " sit on his seat again in a calm composition back, Noelle raised his chin with the back of his palm in curiosity with the unexpected presence of a mysterious girl in his office.

" Your highness, this girl sneak into the castle on her own..! " with a shout from the knight that guards the door, the woman was quickly apprehended by the knights before she could approach the crown prince's desk.

" ..Ugh. " suddenly that girl quickly let go a deep sigh in anger by the bad service she received in the palace.

" Wait. Let her go. " with a single command from Noelle, the girl was released by the knights reluctantly. After all, they were fearful that they would get fired because they couldn't even properly stop a weak person such as that fragile woman from entering the crown prince palace on her own.

" You can leave us. " Noelle turns to look at the knights with his intense glare and without wasting any time, all the people in the office get out from there with cold sweats, fear by the crown prince ominous crystal eyes.

" You're quite interesting to bluntly burst in my office like it was nothing here to get scared at, woman. But I'm kind of looking for someone with these kinds of attitudes though. What actually do you want? " with his cynical smile, as usual, he smirked his red lips while his long fingertip keeps on knocking the desk as his way to wait for her answer.

" Who are you, boldy woman? "

" ..... "

Suddenly with a graceful movement, the mysterious girl bowed at Noelle like a noblewoman will moves. She then rise her head up to look straight into Noelle's face while slowly she opened up her cloak to show her hidden face.

" Greeting the star and the only future sun of Castella, Lady Maria Stiffany Almera at your service, your highness the crown prince. " with a sweet smile, she gazes tenderly at Noelle.