Protect Me, Alpha King - Chapter 170: Chapter 170

Marketplace
Maxxwell stilled upon hearing my voice. His expression softened, and he smiled as if he did not scare the princess. Or was it only I who was frightened for the princess's life?
With heavy and fast steps, I sauntered towards them even if the other part of me said this was no longer my problem.
Still...I could not help but pry.
"You are here," the alpha king commented. "I was looking for you, River. The servant did not see you anyway."
Saw the other servants looking for me, but I hid. The alpha king did not know it.
At least he was back in his control.
"I happened to see both of you, and then you nearly lost control."
"Are you saying His Highness was trying to hurt me? Well, you are deeply mistaken."
Talk about in denial. Smiling, I just did not react. I did not think she would be saying that the alpha king would hurt her.
Or was he capable of that? So far, he did not hurt me.
"Good for you, then. I was mistaken."
"Hmp!" the princess said and looked in the other direction. "What do you want? Do you approve of His Highness marrying me? You are not part of this date. The alpha king is mine alone on this day and the following days until I return to our kingdom."
I scratched my head. "May I remind you that he is my mate?"
Maxxwell smiled at me.
Oh, no. Not that smile. My anger seemed to vanish upon seeing that smile.
No. Remember, you hate him, River. Hold on to that.
"I don't care if you are. You are still not married yet. I can still snatch His Highness away from you," she whispered, proud.
I stared at her in disbelief. Wasn't she afraid after what had happened earlier? The alpha king nearly attacked her, and it didn't faze her? She still wanted him? Stupidity.
That was the only thing that I could think of.
"Do you hear what you are talking about?"
"Yes. I can perfectly hear it."
"Despite that, you are taking him away? We have a child."
Why did it feel like these were no longer lies but the truth? Did I want the alpha king?
"I can raise him as my own."
"Your Grace. There is no need for that. I will continue turning you down since River will remain forever my mate."
Princess Leonora pouted.
Was that the only she was capable of doing? To look cute? "I won't stop, Your Highness. The time will come when you will realize it is better to choose me. I am beneficial to your kingdom." I heaved a sigh.
Princess Leonora narrowed her eyes at me. Disappointment crossed her face.
"Why are you here? Your presence is no longer needed. You can go now so we can move to our next stop." To the alpha king, she said, "Where are you talking me, Your Highness?"
"Your Grace, the queen, can be wherever she wants." Maxxwell suddenly yanked me to his side, making me gasp. "Why don't the three of us have a walk all around the palace? What do you think, My Queen?" My Queen.
That damn endearment never failed to make my heart jump.
My forehead knotted. "I don't plan to become your third wheel, Your Highness. Thank you for the invitation, but I want to turn it down."
Now that the alpha king was back and was already in control, I could leave them.
"I insist. You don't have anything to do, anyway."
He was telling the truth at that point, but fine.
"No, Your Highness."
"No one has the right to turn down the alpha king."
Images of what happened earlier resurfaced. Leaving them alone was risky.
Suppose it means protecting the princess from the alpha king. As much as I hated her guts, I did not want anything wrong to happen to her. "Fine." If I get bored, I will abandon them.
The alpha king's eyes light up. "Why don't we go to the marketplace and see if you want anything for yourself? I will pay for it."
"Your Highness. It would be okay if it were only the two of us. We did not have to drag the woman."
I did not understand this woman. "You can call me Queen River."
The alpha king beamed. And I hate seeing it! Again. Why did he have to be so handsome? And why did he always have to grin at every word I said? He was getting bothersome!
"I don't want to. You wish!" she answered and left Maxxwell and me.
"Forgive her. She will return after I talk with her Father."
I knew there were a lot of women wanting the alpha king for themselves, but Princess Leonora was on the other degree, far from Lady Juliana.
"What if the King asks you to marry his child?"
I was not scared, okay? I merely wanted something to talk about.
Princess Leonora glanced over her shoulder and saw we did not move. Then, she waved her hand, urging us to follow her.
And Maxxwell and I did.
"That will never happen, River. I will not allow it. You are the only woman I will marry. You can write it on the stone." My heart jumped.
Be still, my heart.
"Speaking as if you love me. You even killed your mate," I spat, mustering all the hate I could show.
The smile quickly vanished from his face. "Back to that, again?"
"Yes. In my eyes, you will forever be my sister's murderer."
He heaved a sigh and slapped his forehead while staring at the sky. "I no longer want to comment on that. That is not good for the baby. Let's go."
Just like that, the alpha king left me and walked after with the spoiled princess.
I gaped at him. Did he have immense character growth while I was staying at Riverside Pack? Whatever. It was no longer my concern.
Being with the princess was like babysitting her. I realized it as I observed her with the alpha king. The two were walking side by side, and her being touched was not something to be dismissed about.
The people in the marketplace eyes were all over the young princess, and her hands were both anchored on the man's biceps. Curiosity was all over their faces as they watched the two who looked like lovers. They could pass as lovers, actually, while I could pass as their servant.
Well, I was their servant.
"Buy that for me, Your Highness," Princess Leonora said sweetly while pointing at some high-quality fabric.
I stopped walking and stood a mere distance from the two while looking at the other displays. This was the second time I was in the marketplace. The first one was together with Sir Elijah when he brought me a necklace. Too bad I had not retrieved it after giving it to Henderson.
The market was buzzing with people and was full of displays ranging from high-quality clothes to food. There were cute animals. If only I could look for baby clothes. That would be awesome.
"River. Did you find something that you like? I will buy it for you," the alpha king offered.
"I'm good, Your Highness. There is nothing I want right now."
Liar.
The cute dog who was wagging its tail at me caught my attention and was the cutest thing I ever saw. My hand was itching to pet it. But stopped.
"Don't mind her, Your Highness. Whatever you want to give me, I will accept it with open arms."
The merchant, holding a cloth that the princess pointed out earlier, gave the fabric to the princess, which the latter gave me.
"Hold this for me," she said and put it around my arms.
My eyes went wide.
She was really treating me like I was her servant.
The alpha king, sensing my displeasure, grabbed it from me and uttered, "Let me do it."
"No, Your Highness! You are the mighty alpha king. It's a disgrace if I will give you the things I bought and treat you like my errand boy. You are not my slave. Let's go."
I snatched the cloth from the alpha king and went after the princess and the alpha king, matching our pace.
I did not know how long we were walking, but as I went after them, I noticed one man silently following us. I did not know if he was the princess's man, but it seemed he was not.
Actually, I had noticed his presence but set it aside.
The alpha king was listening (or not) to the princess musing and failed to notice that person.
Biting my lip, I watched as the stranger dived into the crowd, but I could easily see he had planned something terrible.
My heart pounded against my chest as the urge to tell the alpha king about but stopped otherwise. If there was a threat, I could stop it.
I edged closer to them, and the alpha king instantly sensed my presence.
"What's wrong, River?"
"N-nothing."
"Is that heavy? Let me help you. It is you who is pregnant. You should never carry anything."
"I can still perfectly carry everything."
At the corner of my eyes, the man stopped, and our eyes met. Smirking, he turned into the corner and dived into the alleys.
I can catch him.
Gathering all the things the princess bought, I transferred them to the alpha king's hand and, without saying anything, ran in the man's direction.
I heard Princess Leonora's voice telling the alpha king to let me go and used that opportunity to focus on the task. Running, I forced my feet to walk faster. Still looking at me, the man continued walking until I got out of the center of the marketplace.
'You are being foolish!' I nearly stumbled upon hearing Sunflower's voice in my head.
My eyes watered. 'You came back."
She pouted at me. 'I am still mad at you for hating the alpha king. Maxxwell has no fault. Zenith decided to take her life.'
Anger resurfaced, and I shifted my attention to the man. 'You cannot force me to be with you on the same page. In my heart, Maxxwell was the one who killed her. No one else.'
He was gone.
Dammit!
Where was he?
With my heart hammering against my chest, I scanned the surrounding. If something will happen to the princess while visiting the kingdom, maybe the king will declare war.
I was looking around when something was pressed on my side. Something sharp.
"Don't ever think of doing anything foolish," a man's deep voice uttered.
I sucked in a breath.