Chapter 252
1502words
As soon as I got out of the room, I rushed through the hallway and didn’t pay attention to the passing people.
I have to get out of here, as far away from Mr. K as possible. I can't stay any longer… not with everything that happened.
The light shining inside the temple from the small windows told me that it was already the dusk of the day. I couldn’t believe I was that long in there.
As I reached the door out of this basement, I pushed it open despite its heaviness and hurriedly went out. However, as I rushed forward, I didn’t notice a small step in front of me, which accidentally caused me to lose my balance.
Damn it! It’s not the right time for this!
I cursed as I landed on my butt and sprained my ankle. I gulped in pain, grimace forming on my lips. Since I was still in the sacred territory of the Moon Goddess’ temple, where everyone was equal, all my inhuman capabilities, such as my healing, were paused.
“Are you alright? Here, let me help you.” I looked up when I heard a soft and sweet voice in tune and a flawless-looking hand extended toward me.
I blinked a couple of times, unsure if I should trust her. She had a camera slung around her neck, and she was wearing a casual brown shirt and jeans. Her wavy hair was bust-length, making her face look small.
She’s beautiful, and her brown eyes, staring at me, made me feel comfortable. She looked sincere and honest.
“Thanks… I, uh, just lost my balance.” I awkwardly replied, accepting her hand and letting her pull me to stand.
I was dusting my clothes off when she suddenly made a small jump in front of me, making me look back at her.
Her eyes went wide as she opened and closed her lips, unsure of what she should say. She pointed at me in a mixture of admire and amazement, making me questionably and curiously narrow my eyes at her.
“Wait… are you… are you Princess Della? You are, aren’t you?”
Her voice was so chirpy that I also couldn’t help but smile. It was the first time since I got here that someone seemed genuinely glad to see me.
But along with those gladnesses came the worry. Of course, she recognized me… but now I have to stay on my guard. After all, everything here in Wakeland was crucial. Being extra cautious won’t hurt.
“Um…” I cleared my throat, which successfully grabbed her attention.
At once, she stopped her movement and cleared her throat before looking at me. With a raised hand, she introduced herself while waving at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. My name’s Cathy. I’m a reporter with the Wakeland Times.”
Wakeland Times? Now that I explained the camera to her.
And there, all the gladness I felt earlier popped like a bubble and vanished into the thin sky.
Now, it’s just more than being cautious. She might look innocent, but I couldn’t be too sure as Wakeland Times is under Kendrell.
My friendly face instantly hardened into a diplomatic one. Enduring the pain, I stepped back from her and glanced at her camera. “I’m sorry, Cathy, but I don’t have time for an interview.”
“Princess Della, please… I only want to introduce myself. I actually already knew about you since you were in the Dark Moon Pack. You… you were always such an incredible Luna. I’ve never doubted your strength or leadership, no matter what’s been said about you in the Wakeland Times,” she replied, staring at me with those big, expecting eyes.
Pausing, I narrowed my eyes, sharpening my gaze as I looked at her more suspiciously.
How did she know about my involvement with the Dark Moon Pack?
It’s been years, and not many reporters would have access to that - -the Kingdom’s PR team had made sure to control the spread of the news as much as possible.
I kept my gaze on her as my mind and heart went into turmoil. Its link every gear on me started moving in wonder as to how she knew about my past.
Still skeptical, I nodded my head. “I see. And how, exactly, do you know what happened in the Dark Moon Pack?”
More importantly, how much did she know about it?
Her eyes wandered around for a little while before she shyly bit her lip and looked back at me, eyes filled with sincerity.
She opened and closed her lips quite a few times with hesitation before finally letting out a deep breath and softly narrating, “I… just heard things, that’s all. Stories, mostly, but ones that never align with what we published. I wanted you to know that people out there believe in you, Princess Della.”
Then, she hurriedly looked through her pockets and pulled out a business card. Please know that there are people like me who see past the headlines.”
Should I believe her?
She looked really sincere, almost like an open book, but I couldn’t help but feel that it was all too coincidental. Besides, anyone could act. I shouldn’t let my guard down.
Nodding, I accepted her card and slipped into my pocket before limping towards my car parked at the edge of the temple’s ground.
With my hand on the opened door, I took one last glance back at the temple and caught Cathy, who was also looking my way and filled with anticipation.
Shrugging my shoulder, I got in my car, started the engine, and drove away while feeling my ankle heeling more and more as I got further from the temple.
As the sky slowly turned to darkness and trees beside the road passed through my eyes in a blur, my thoughts lingered on Cathy, and our encounter replayed in my mind over and over.
Youth was plastered all over her. She looked so innocent and sincere, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was something more. But then… if she was as sincere as she looked like…
If I could really trust her… if I could bring her over to my side, I could finally have eyes and ears in the Wakeland Times. But I couldn’t be hasty. I need to know more.
With those thoughts bothering me, I clicked my call button on my car’s wheel and dialed Sapphire’s number.
“Princess?” she immediately answered. Though she was shouting, the noise on the other end muffled her voice a bit.
She’s probably near the dock and has started investigating the incidents regarding the Rogues.
“Sapphire, I need you to look into someone. Her name’s Cathy, a reporter at the Wakeland Times. She contacted me and said she wanted to work for me… but I need to make sure if she could be trusted. Can you dig around and see what you can find?” I asked as I turned my wheel in an intersection.
I heard a lot of movements on her line before the surroundings quieted down a little bit. “I’m on it. It might take a bit, though. I’m asking some questions, and some chatter is here. But I’ll check out Cathy for you.”
“Thanks, Sapphire. Let me know as soon as you find anything.” With that, I parked my car in front of the pack house.
If I could get Cathy to work for me, I could quickly intercept and respond to the false reports made to slander me.
Upon getting inside the house, I was greeted by the warm glow of the lights in the study office. There, I saw Albert busy at his desk, almost covered in a mountain of documents.
He was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice my arrival. His brows were furrowed as he read through the file in his hand, his pen gliding through the words on it.
“Busy?” I called out, surprising him.
He instantly dropped his pen and file and looked up at me warmly and lovingly.
“Della, you’re home,” he said and hurriedly stood up.
I watched in amazement as he walked around and poured me a cup of coffee.
As I accepted his coffee, I gestured to what he was doing.
He scratched his head shyly and replied, “I thought you’d want something to help you relax.”
My heart skipped a bit at his gentle act. I couldn’t help but feel guilty when I saw him so caring and considerate of me.
He had always been very thoughtful.
I wanted to smack myself right now. How could I betray such a perfect man like him?
If I could turn back time, I’d rather fall in love with him.
“You look tired, though. Did something happen in the temple?” he asked, making my heart pound inside my chest as I was reminded of Mr. K and his touches.
“I…” I swallowed and shook my head. “Nothing unusual… just tired of the long ride.”
