Diana had expected to find more bodies but was surprised to find none. It was just that which belonged to that one servant. She held her chest as if she could calm her raging heartbeat by rubbing her chest.
Calhoun was behind her instantly and when he peeked over her shoulder to see what had got her screaming, he chuckled. Diana was such a scaredy pants. How can she be so afraid of a dead body?
"Diana..."
"Don't you dare to mock me, Calhoun?" She warned. Calhoun raised his hands in surrender. "What happened?"
"I was just rounding the corner when the body fell at my feet," Diana replied. She was still shaken up by the sight.
"Calm down, darling. I'm sure it was just a prank that went too Extreme. I'll just ask around the servants and find out who has done it." Calhoun said.
Diana nodded severally. As Calhoun took a step forward, she grabbed his shirt in a tight fist and held onto him. She did not trust him to leave without her. What if suddenly all the other servants in the castle began to die one after the other?
Diana did not know that that was somehow a simple revelation which she had gotten. Calhoun had indeed planned to rid the castle of all the servants and employ a new set during the regular banquet.
By the following day, the meals for the banquet were prepared, and the outside of the castle was decorated properly for the werewolf party to celebrate the last full moon of the year.
Diana was feeling jittery. She didn't know how she was going to make an appearance. Despite the love she and Calhoun had shared, it did not change the fact that she wasn't Luna yet the Luna.
She found Calhoun coming out of his chamber that morning, fully dressed, to recheck the decorations and preparations for the night. Just to be certain it was perfect.
She watched him walk towards the corridor where she stood and just as she smiled to welcome him, she noticed a shadow approaching. Her smile disappeared as Calhoun's attention was dragged away by Felix.
She groaned internally. Thomas was leaving later that day and that meant she had to appear at the banquet with Coco. This made her miss Julitta all the more. If Julitta was around, she would have helped her look after Coco while she pursued the man she loved.
Now she had to watch by the side how Calhoun conversed with other people, being so busy and forgetting that she existed. Was she just going to allow it? No.
She did understand that being the alpha meant a lot, and being a king meant even more. But it also did not mean that he was going to just ignore her and his son.
She smirked as a thought crept into her heart. She knew exactly what she was going to do. If his attention was going to be on work all through the day, then that was even wonderful since it would give her the time to prepare for a night he could never forget.
She went to meet him where he was discussing Felix. Once Calhoun noticed Diana approaching, his stoic face broke into a soft smile. Felix could already tell who was behind him from the hospital expression on Calhoun's face so he did not bother turning.
"Alright my king, I'll return later-"
"Oh no no, Felix." Diana stopped him immediately. "I just want to ask him for something and I'll be on my way. You don't have to go.
Felix paused and nodded. "alright then."
"What is it that you want?" Calhoun asked.
Diana smiled. She walked up to him and pulled his head down to whisper in his ears. Diana was not short but Calhoun was a good foot taller than she was.
Once she had whispered to him that which she wanted, Calhoun readily gave in to her. He did not bother asking what she needed it for. He gave her the keys to his safe so that she could take as much money as she needed.
Diana was ecstatic. Now she could get everything she needed without having to bother about the budget. She quickly ran back to the chamber and had her bath.
She wore a dress which she believed she had left with Calhoun when she still worked for him. Since her body had changed after birthing Coco, the dress was a bit tighter in the busy area and it caused her bust to come up a little too much.
Diana also noticed that the dress was now shorter. That was also because her hips had gotten wider. If Calhoun saw her leaving in the dress, he would stop her or he would ask to go with her…
He could even wear his robe over her. Thinking about it made her want to show herself to him first. But then she decided to wear a mask before she left.
Once she had dressed completely, she went to the castle's garage and the guard who drove the king was unwilling to drive her.
"What do you mean by you only working for the king?!" Diana demanded. "I am the king's family!"
"I'm sorry but without the king's permission, and I mean direct permission, I can't leave this castle... Much less with anyone else." The man answered, bowing deeply.
Diana was tempted to go in and meet Calhoun but she decided against it. It could probably just delay her further. She decided to take another car.
Before the guard could complain or refute, Diana kicked him in the guts and snatched the keys from his hand. She was in the car and driving off before the poor guard could get up to his feet.
Calhoun had watched the scene and he felt proud of Diana. She had handled the case well.
If she had come running to him, he would have scolded the guard but he would have also asked himself if she was going to cope as his Luna. But dealing with such a trivial issue with so much violence after trying peace was perfect. He loved it so much.
Diana drove far from the castle. She went to a clothing store and began searching for a nice dress to wear. While she walked around the stores in the mall, she couldn't just find the perfect dress. She needed two. One for the werewolf banquet and the other for the kingdom celebration. She still did not know the reason for throwing the banquet.
While she walked past an antique store, she saw a dress that stood out amongst others. The colour was an ancient pink that seemed dull but due to the glitters, it sparkled. It had a body-hugging up and the waist had a corset of a darker pink that almost seemed like red, around it.
The hips area was somewhat fitting and from the thighs, it started to fall into a flair. It was so long and full that it spread up to three feet from where the mannequin stood, gradually turning to an off-white.
Diana was awestruck. She stared at it for so long until she was tapped by the sales attendant.
"Hello ma'am, you seem to keep staring at that dress. Do you love it?"
"Yeah," Diana answered. "How much is it?"
"Fifteen grand." The lady responded. "Rumours said it belonged to one of the oldest Lunas of the pack."
"Oldest Lunas," Diana replied. "Before Montego began to rule?"
"Yes. She was the one who raised Marjun Montego."
"His mother?"
"His grandmother." She corrected me.
Diana sighed. Of course. How can it be that it is always the grandparent to train the child? Why were the parents always so... Lazy? Montego raised Calhoun. The only difference was that Calhoun's mother was always there too.
Diana paired the dress and had it neatly folded in a carton bag. She held it while she still walked around the store for something else she could use.
"Pardon me for asking, do you plan to wear this for the banquet tomorrow?"
"Tonight," Diana answered.
The girl nodded. "I don't mean to interfere but I think this one will match for tomorrow. I even have a nice shirt and robe set that could be worn by whoever would choose to go with you. It belonged to Marjun's grandfather. I'm sure you would get the king's attention with that."
Diana smirked. "Then what shall I wear tonight?"
"Well, since it's a werewolf theme, I think you should go with silver for tonight. Silver against the night blue of the sky. Like the full moon in the dark sky." The girl narrated.
"You sound so wonderful. Come on, show me what you got for me." Diana exclaimed excitedly.
In the end, Diana had gotten way more than she budgeted for. The girl also worked as a hairstylist and a make-up lady.
Diana was thrilled to have her prepare her for the banquet. The silver dress she had given to Diana looked like a wedding dress and she felt like Calhoun had to take the hint.
By the time she arrived at the castle, it was nearly 4 pm. The banquet started in four hours. She had to get prepared. From the moment she entered the castle, she noticed how silent the atmosphere was. She hurried up to Calhoun's chamber and she met him pacing with a teary-eyed Coco in his arms.
"Cal -"
"Where the hell have you been?" He attacked her immediately after she showed up. "You left since morning, I did not know where you went. You couldn't even place a call to check up on your son.
You know fully well that Thomas was supposed to travel today! He delayed his trip for a few hours just for you!"
"Oh please! Don't yell as if the boy does not belong to you as well!" Diana replied. How could he speak to her in such a manner when she had been out just because she wanted to please him?
"He has been crying non stop since he did not want his grandpa to go. He needed you-"
"You are his father-"
"He did not grow with me! The bond is still yet to form!"
"And who's fault is that?!" Diana exclaimed angrily.
"Your fault," Calhoun replied instantly. Diana's eyes went wide and tears filled them.
"Is that all I am to you? Your son's mother." Diana whispered. "To think that I spent so much time outside just to try and please you tonight. Just for the sake of your reputation."
She chuckled. "Give me my son."
Calhoun held on to the boy since he felt guilty for making her cry on such a special occasion. Did she go out to surprise him? Had he ruined his surprise for the night? Diana walked up to him and snatched the boy from his hand.
"Diana-"
She did not respond to him, she walked away. Calhoun sighed. They had just made up yesterday, how come they're having issues today?
Diana walked to a guest room with Coco. It was on the other side of the castle where feet didn't usually tread. She laid the boy in the bed and she remembered that he had nothing to wear.
She grabbed the telephone by the bedside and phoned the store where she had met the girl.
"Hello, welcome to the antique store in Mall 01 of Wisteria, my name is Annie, how may I help you?"
"Uh, Annie... I think I forgot something with my sales attendant, can I be onto her?"
"What's her name please?"
"Ellie," Diana answered. "Um, Elizabeth."
"Alright, hold on."
The lady handed the phone to Elizabeth.
"Oh dear, did you need something else?"
"Yeah. I think I have to cancel the make-up and stuff. I'm no longer in the mood to attend the banquet. I didn't even get something for my little boy. He's two and I don't think he can get used to such."
Elizabeth felt sad.