Evergreen

Eleanor's POV

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I shouted from inside of my room. The next moment, the door opened and a maid walked in, then bowed to me.

"Yes, what's it?" I raised my face from the hand mirror which I was holding to apply some morning makeup. I'm the lycan princess, so I always desire to look pretty radiant.

"Your highness, the king requests your presence now at the throne room. He has something important to say to you and your brother."

Immediately she mentioned my brother, I put up with a frown. Out of anger, I dropped the makeup kit in my hand on the bedside table and settled on the bed, lying on my sides.

"Tell him that I haven't fully woken up." I looked at the small clock on the bedside table and it was 8:30 AM already. As the princess, my wakeup time on vacation is 8 AM and on a normal day like this, it's 5 AM where I get to do some morning runs and exercises.

"Your highness, it's really a serious matter before he asked to see you this early. I guess you should go listen to what he has to say." The maid persuaded, from where I grunted and slowly pulled myself up from the bed. I shot her an unhappy glare but it was of no use.

"Come with me!" She said to me and I slowly followed her, then I realised I had half makeup on my face.

"Give me five minutes please," I told her and rushed to complete it. I was already dressed, so I went out with her.

As we passed the series of hallways and balconies heading towards the throne room, my mind was filled with a lot of thoughts as to what the king really wants from me. Anna said it's really important, I wonder if she already knows what the king is going to say.

I reached out my hand and grabbed her by the shoulder. She paused and turned swiftly.

"What's it, your highness?" She asked politely, I let out a smile. At least, she managed to be polite with me when most of the royal family members treat me as an outcast, probably because I'm a woman dreaming to take over from my dad as the next Lycan King.

"So you know what the king wants to say to me?" I questioned her with a witty smile. She shook her head and moved on.

"Come with me, please. I don't want to incur issues with your dad." From her tone, she could be afraid. Most people are afraid of my dad, his brutal and fierce face and acts makes him a king people can't withstand, except the strong.

We met at the throne room which was where he kept his important meetings here at the palace. The first person my eyes landed on was my brother, I winked my eyes away, looking over to the window. I stumbled and jerked my knee.

A groan came up from my mouth.

"See who wants to become the lycan king, she can't even compose herself." It was his voice, it was George. I heard him quite well, my adopted brother who almost raped me three years ago. I forced myself and stormed towards where my seat was.

"It's such a shame you have the mouth to talk after what you did. Shouldn't you be ashamed of yourself?" I lashed back at him, after all he almost committed a worse crime and he was my junior. I had to show him his place.

"Will you shut up and sit down here?" My dad yelled at me, sending shocking waves all over my body. I dashed to my seat in a minute to avoid a slap, it wasn't difficult to get one from him, but I always wonder why he never gave one to George who is a guy and also isn't his birth son. It's a guy that's supposed to get the yells and beatings.

I sniffed, forcing my emotions in. I realised how hard it could be to see an outsider being treated better than you in your family.

"Haven't I warned you not to raise your voice at a man no matter what he does to you?"

These words circled in my mind like a cyclone, igniting a burning fury in me. My eyes turned bloodshot, I stamped my foot on the floor, tightening my fist.

"Dad, it's such a shame you would say that. If it's so, that means some men don't really have dignity as they claim."

"What?" He stormed from his seat and gave me a hard punch on the head.

"Is that what I taught you? No wonder, you're just as useless as your mother."

I grabbed the spot he hit me, trying to absorb the pain. Tears began to cloud in my eyes, not mainly because of the punch but the trauma of being treated like a slave by the very person I called dad. I couldn't take it any longer, I broke out in tears and stood up from the seat to go to the restroom but I felt his hand grab me and jack me painfully back to the seat.