312 Feelings
Selma Payne’s POV:
Most of the time, it was Rhode who carried me down from the tree and bought me a blueberry ice cream sprinkled with powdered sugar. Then, he would bring me home while talking about the dinner menu.
Although I wanted to stay in my former home, I had to stay in the hotel to prevent the security guards from going crazy. Ultimately, I arranged for my adoptive parents and Rhode to come in. We spent a happy week together, and then we had to get down to business.
In addition to our honeymoon, there was another purpose for the Shadow Pack – to select a new Alpha.
This work required the residents in the pack and the representatives of the royal family to witness it. Without a doubt, I was the guest representing the royal family.
The day of the selection was set to be the night of the nearest full moon, the 23rd of September. Before that, we selected a few candidates through public opinion. Among them are some of my acquaintances, such as the captain of the guards, Daniel, a few young people from political families, and even my brother, Rhode.
Besides being Benson’s Beta, Rhode didn’t have any political capital. Benson’s resignation had ruined his reputation.
Even under such circumstances, so many people still supported him. Although we unanimously attributed this to the people’s recognition of Rhode’s achievements, everyone knew I couldn’t do without it. As the adopted brother of the princess, Rhode had the possibility of rising to the top. This made countless people fight to invest in him.
Rhode couldn’t help but feel depressed. But he never showed it before me, and I knew it was because of Emma.
One night, Emma came to me and said, “The most influential Mr. Payne doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.”
At that time, I didn’t realize my influence on Rhode. I was happy he could get so many people’s support, so I was puzzled. “Why? Is he troubled?”
“I think it’s because of the votes,” Emma shrugged and said, “Mr. Payne is happy that the people voted for him, but he thinks that if he gets support because of you, you will probably be viewed as practicing nepotism. So, he is considering whether to withdraw from the election.”
“What?” I was shocked. “Why? Rhode had given so much for the Shadow Pack. He deserves it all. He shouldn’t have to give it up for me!”
I immediately decided to look for him, but Emma stopped me.
“Would you like to hear my opinion?”
“Of course, please go ahead.”
“I don’t think Mr. Payne is calm right now. He’s at the peak of his impulsiveness. If you go over and persuade him now, he might be even more determined to withdraw from the election.”
Emma was right. My appearance would push Rhode to make an impulsive decision.
“So what do you think is the best?”
“You can give Mr. Payne the cold shoulder for one night and pretend that you don’t know about this. Since the temporary Election Committee is not open at night, Mr. Payne would have to wait until the next morning to apply to abstain. There’s only a bit of time left until tomorrow. If we can distract Mr. Payne until the night, it’ll be too late for him to back out.”
It was a good idea, but…
“But this is only a temporary solution. Perhaps he will withdraw from the ceremony if we can’t resolve the knot in Rhode’s heart.”
Emma was stunned. She didn’t seem to have thought of this.
This girl couldn’t be blamed for not thinking carefully. In fact, from her life experience, she always played the role of the instigator, so she valued the results over the process, not to mention the psychological disturbance.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was too naive,” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t have taken it for granted.”
I told her not to feel guilty. “You don’t have to apologize. On the contrary, I should thank you. Thank you for thinking about my family.”
I didn’t expect Emma to fall silent after I said that suddenly. The redness gradually spread to her cheeks and ears, and soon she was as red as an apple.
I was initially confused, but an idea immediately came to my mind.
“!”
I took a deep breath and swallowed my shock. I asked softly, “Are you two…? Oh my god, really?”
“Yes, I think so.” Emma nodded shyly.
This was the first time I’d been so close to a friend’s love life, and I was so excited that I couldn’t speak. Once again, I suppressed my shrieking and excitedly asked, “I remember you haven’t met your mate yet. You and Rhode?”
“No, Your Highness. The Moon Goddess did not give us any guidance.” Emma shook her head. “I’m not a traditional person. I don’t care if fate has arranged the best choice for me.”
“How far have you guys progressed? Holding hands? Unsure? Confessing? Oh my god, I didn’t notice anything.”
“Actually… we have yet to make any progress. I have a one-sided favorable impression of Rhode. I don’t know what he’s thinking.”
𝘧𝗿𝐞𝐞𝒘𝗲𝘣n𝘰𝘷ℯ𝒍. 𝒄o𝗺
I realized it was time for me to make a move and immediately said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you test him!”
“But the election is going to be a success.”
“Don’t worry. I understand Rhode. He’s not that weak. If he gave up on the election because of me, I’d be suspicious of what he’d gone through in the past three years that I don’t know to become such a timid and irresponsible man!”
