A lamb tossed into a den of wolves

After the incident that happened that night, King Killian didn't sleep in his room as he had to travel for important work. However, his absence did not stop Elena from always thinking about that night. How he smelled, his warm breath on her face, his finger on her thigh, how he made her feel, she recalled them all. She never stopped thinking and even dreaming about that night. Sometimes, she'd scold herself but most times, she'd just allow her thoughts to go wild.

"My Queen," Irene called for the third time, but this time, she succeeded in getting her Queen's attention.

"Huh? Y-yes?" Elena voiced, a little startled. She tucked her hair behind her ear, blinking shyly like a kid caught doing something bad.

"You weren't paying attention, my Queen. Is there a problem?" Irene asked in concern, her eyes filled with so much worry as she stared at the Queen.

Ever since she entered the room, she had noticed the Queen's distant gaze and absentminded responses, as if her body was present, but her thoughts were wandering someplace far beyond the palace walls. What could the Queen possibly be thinking about?

"I'm fine, Irene, don't worry about me," Elena replied, flashing Irene a practiced smile. "Now, what were you talking about?" She added.

"Well," Irene replied as she raised a huge blue regal gown to Elena's face. "Would you like to wear this or that?" She asked before pointing at the silver regal gown hung beautifully in the wardrobe. Her eyes shifted from the one in her hand to the one in the wardrobe, inwardly making calculations on which one would fit the Queen more.

Elena walked over to the wardrobe and scanned the silver gown before turning to face Irene and saying, "I'll go with the blue. The silver seems too serious." She walked back to Irene, grabbed the heavy gown then went to stand in front of the huge vanity mirror to check it out. "I'm only going for a lesson. I don't need to dress too seriously." She muttered, checking every detail of the gown.

Elena sighed in distress before dropping the gown on the bed. Yes, it was beautiful, but she felt like she didn't deserve to be wearing such an expensive gown. Also, she'd have preferred dressing up in a simple shirt and skirt, but since King Killian preferred dressing in the traditional style, she had to start wearing all those old, big traditional gowns, just so she could mirror her husband.

Times had changed, but King Killian seemed to remain in the ancient era. This was kinda strange and fascinating as he kept dressing and acting like he was born at that time.

Elena couldn't help but wonder if the King simply liked ancient history or if there was more to it.

"Ok, let's get you all dressed," Irene announced excitedly after the Queen made her choice on what to wear.

It was now obvious that Irene was always excited around the Queen. But who wouldn't? Working under the Queen was such an honor.

A couple minutes later, the Queen was all dressed. It took longer than Intended because Elena had chased out the ten other girls meant to help her. She felt like a bunch of people didn't need to help her get dressed.

"My Queen, the Beta, just mindlinked me. He said to tell you that your royal tutor has arrived."

"Okay," Elena replied and with that, the duo walked out of the room.

Arriving at the insanely gorgeous and huge garden, Elena met a middle-aged woman—her royal tutor—dressed in sleek, high-waisted navy blue trousers paired with a crisp white blouse. A tailored blazer, the same shade as her pants, hugged her figure perfectly, giving her a commanding yet elegant presence. Her dark hair was pulled into a neat low bun, and a pair of thin-framed glasses perched on her nose, adding to her aura of wisdom and refinement.

Good day, Madame Lucille," Elena greeted, bowing her head low in respect. The lady before her was not just anyone– she was the late Queen's best friend and Beta. How King Killian even reduced her to a mere tutor was insane.

He was King Killian anyway. His word ruled.

Madame Lucille came from a long line of royals. Although she chose the path of a Beta, her deep knowledge of royal customs made King Killian believe she was the perfect person to tutor Elena.

In his words, "You can't get revenge being ignorant of the ways of the court. Learn to play their game, and then destroy them with it."

King Killian believed that Elena needed to master elegance, strategy, and the art of subtle manipulation if she ever wanted to get revenge—and win. However, he needed to teach her from the very start. That was why he brought Madame Lucille.

King Killian had not fully done a background check to know the kind of life Elena led in the past, but from his observations, it was clear that she was very naive and oblivious—like a lamb tossed into a den of wolves. If she continued like this, she might give up on her quest for revenge even before she started.

It's not like King Killian cared about what she wanted to do with her life…. he just needed a good show. It's been ages since something interested him. He wanted to see how long Elena would last in the game of power, deception, and survival.

"Good morning," Madame Lucille replied to Elena's greeting, her tone firm and cold. She had no expression on her face, which wasn't even surprising to Elena.

Madame Lucille was one of the closest people to the King, amongst the very few who had not annoyed him enough to be killed by him. Of course, some of his attitudes would rub off on her.

Madame Lucille circled Elena, studying her with her hawk-like eyes. She knew Elena was just a contracted wife, but she didn't know Elena's identity. She did not care.

As long as her best friend's son finally got married, nothing else mattered to her. At least, soon an heir to the throne would be born.

"How old are you?" Madame Lucille asked, as she finally stood in front of Elena. She grabbed a wooden ruler from her pocket and then used it to raise Elena's chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. "You are a Queen, you shouldn't keep your head low."

Elena nodded in understanding before replying, "I'm twenty-six ma'am." Her voice was soft.

"Hmmm. You're still a young wolf. Good though." Madame Lucille commented. She straightened her back before adding, "Now, for your first lesson—you're going to learn the proper art of walking like a Queen."

Elena's shoulder slumped and her face paled instantly upon hearing this.

Art of walking? How would Elena's walking step help her grow? How would it help her get revenge? Was the whole point of the lesson not to make her stronger, smarter—or more dangerous? How could learning to walk gracefully possibly help her bring down the people who had ruined her life?

Damn! She had dressed so nicely just to learn how to walk.

Elena couldn't protest, knowing it was the King's order, so she decided to just obey Madam Lucille. How hard could walking be? Perhaps, after this lesson, they'd go to the main deal.

Elena could already feel the sweet taste of revenge on the tip of her tongue as she imagined herself bringing Alpha Enzo and the others to their knees. She was now motivated to start the lesson. Walking could simply be the opening part of the lesson.

However, all of Elena's motivation died a few minutes later after failing how to WALK.

"Straighten your shoulders." Madame Lucille commanded, as she gently tapped the ruler on Elena's back.

Elena continued walking, this time she tried her best not to forget straightening her back. "Chin up!" She heard Madame Lucille yell and she immediately did that. "Control your steps. You're walking too fast. A Queen is never in haste." She added, and Elena reduced her steps.

Elena's frustration mounted with each correction, but she held it in, focusing on mastering the simple task. "Avoid dragging your feet, Elena. Walk like you own the world!"

Oh heavens!

****

After that punishment called training was over, Elena rushed back inside, in haste to take off the huge dress and have a long, cold bath. She pushed the door to the bedroom open, only to freeze in place, her jaw almost dropping to the ground, her eyes widening in horror at the sight before her.

King Killian! Her husband stood there, in the middle of the room stark naked!

"Arghhh!"