Chapter 9 The Dispensable Mate

• KING REGAN'S POV
• I dismount from my horse and quickly head to the roofed part of the palace courtyard. We never go outside unless it's absolutely necessary, like today. Our border to the north was attacked again, four of our border guards killed and a nearby village was also raided. We suspect it was the work of Alpha Ethan's men. He is the alpha of Blackmoon, our neighboring kingdom to the north. He is the only one foolish enough to challenge us.
• I had to get to the border and see the damage done. I will have a discussion with my brothers before sending men to retaliate.
• "Shall I send for the princess, your Majesty?" my escort guard asks after seeing the rashes developing on my hands.
• "No need," I reply taking off my black cloak and handing it to him. "I will personally visit her quarters. You go and inform my brothers about the situation." He nods and bows before quickly departing.
• I head in the opposite direction, towards the guest quarters where princess Hellen room is. I remove my leather gloves noticing the deep red rash running down my arms. Even when covered the sun still affects us minimally. Luckily we have Princess Hellen who can heal us. Maybe it's time to consider moving her to the main palace, where she will be closer to us.
• I knock twice on the door of her chambers and wait for a response. After a brief moment, I hear the sound of slow footsteps approaching from inside. The door flies open, but instead of Princess Hellen's beautiful face, I am greated by that our the human mate.
• "Y..our Majesty," she gasps, her voice filled with surprise. She awkwardly attempts to bow, her eyes lingering on my face for a moment longer than necessary. It is only now that I notice how innocent and lovely she looks up close. Her big brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and long curly, dark hair makes her look like the most innocent creature on earth. It's a shame she's not of royal blood, just a lowly human who needs all the protection she can get. The rest of her, is rather unpleasant too. The worn, damp dress she has on is stained with what appears to be dirty water, and she seems unfazed by it as she clutches a soiled rug in her hand.
• "Where is your mistress?" I ask, my tone curt.
• Before she can respond, Princess Hellen's voice cuts in sharply from inside of the quaters, causing our human mate to flinch. "You'd better dry every last drop of that water, human, or I'll personally ensure that your head rolls if I slip and fall."
• ELLA'S POV
• The powerful Alpha king gazes at me with what I think is pity in his eyes as my mistress yells from inside. I had accidentally let the water overflow from the tub while preparing her bath, so now I have to dry every inch of her beautiful rooms.
• But wait, what is one of the great alpha kings doing in the guest quarters? Are there no servants available for him to send? Seems I was wrong to think they wouldn't come here. It's hard to tell which of the three brothers he is though.
• "Are you deaf too? Get me your mistress!' he snaps, making me to flinch again. Yeah, that was definitely not pity in his eyes. I was wrong. He definitely doesn't feel sorry for me. Royals like him and my mistress don't pity or care about anyone besides themselves.
• "She is taking a bath, Your Majesty," I quickly reply, trying not to stutter. "I can still go get her, if it's urgent."
• He snorts in annoyance. "Tell her to come to the main palace when she's done," he says, turning away. That's when I notice the rash on his arms. Is he here to ask Princess Hellen to heal him?
• "Wait, Your Majesty," I blurt out, and he turns back, frowning. I don't know why, or what compels me to do it but I take a step forward and gently grasp his left his arm.
• "What are you doing, servant?" He reacts with disgust and anger, pushing my hand away.
• "It's healed," I point in disbelief, my eyes fixed on his now unblemished skin of his arms. "I can heal them without…"
• "Who are you speaking to, hu..." Princess Hellen's sharp voice trails off as she suddenly appears behind me.
• "Darling..." She exclaims in a sudden, honeyed tone, her demeanor shifting immediately as she notices the alpha king. Wait! did she just call him "darling?" When did they become that intimate?
• "Princess Hellen," the alpha king addresses her, his gaze finally shifting from me.
• "What brings you here? I was just about to come see you to discuss those gifts you and your brothers promised I can ask for." she says her tone dripping with charm as she moves toward him.
• "I came seeking you to heal me, but your... servant beat you to it," the alpha king states, and Princess Hellen's smile vanishes as she glances at him all over before turning her attention back to me. She appears both stunned and angered.
• "I clearly ordered you never lay your filthy hands on anyone without consulting me first," she snaps, and I bow my head.
• "My spell's power must still be in her," she says, flashing a calculated smile at the alpha king. He nods.
• "Would you mind escorting me out while we discuss about your gifts?" he asks, and Princess Hellen eagerly takes his arm, following him.
• KING REGAN'S POV
• "Surely you do not believe that our human mate is the healer," Kian scoffs, settling into the chair across from me.
• "I don't believe it. I just want to understand what's happening," I reply calmly. Since my morning encounter with our human mate I don't know what to make of what happened. She seemed so sure that I would heal when she touched me. I also wonder if what the princess said about her spell power still being in our human mate is acctually true. I have never heard of something like that before.
• "The beautiful princess is doing everything she can to lift the curse and heal us.That's what's happening," Kian insists, just as the door swings open and our assistant William guides the old priests of our kingdom into the room. He is the only person I could think of, who can give me the answers I need.
• The old man appears fragile and unsteady on his old feet, William supports him by the arm and leads him to our table. Aleric invites him to sit with us due to his age.
• "Thank you for coming on such short notice," I acknowledge once he has settled.
• "How may I be of service, your majesty?" he asks, bowing his head before meeting my gaze. "I already explained that I cannot break the curse for you unless you have the blood of a descendant of the rogue peasant your generals killed," he states bluntly, yet his voice sounds kind.
• "The reason I've summoned you has nothing to do with lifting the curse, not in the way you might think. I just have some questions," I clarify, and he studies me keenly before nodding.
• "What are your questions, your majesty?" he inquires.
• "We've found a talented sorceress who we believe can lift the curse," I announce, and his eyes narrow in disbelief.
• "That's impossible, your majesty..." he begins.
• "It's possible because she's already healed us on multiple occasions," I argue, and the man regards me skeptically.
• I fold my leather jacket, revealing the unblemished skin of my arm to him. He seems taken aback, momentarily speechless.
• "She hasn't yet managed to fully break the curse, but she can heal its effects," I explain. "However, she can't directly heal us. She's using a servant girl who she claims can transmit the power of the spell from her to us. I need to know if that's possible," I inquire.
• The man seems to think for a moment. "It is possible for the power of a spell to pass through another intermediary before reaching the intended target," he responds.
• "Told you," Kian interjects.
• "But I still don't understand how the sorcerless can heal you unless she is a decedant of that rouge peasant," the old man adds.
• "We don't understand that either. I had hoped you would have all the answers," I admit.
• "Can the intermediary be replaced by another?" Aleric suddenly asks.
• Is he asking if our human mate is dispensable? The old man nods, starting to look perplexed by our questions.
• "That's all the questions we had. Thank you again for coming," I say, quickly dismissing him. I motion to William to escort him out. The last thing I want is for him to find out that we have a human mate we plan on rejecting. He will likely lecture us about how the the moon goddess will punish us for it.