Elias allowed her to return to the banquet hall but in return, he promised to announce that she now belonged to him.
It was necessary. As a woman working in the palace, everyone had to know that she was chosen by the Crown Prince so no one would dare to touch her, even the King.
"There you are. Where have you been, little pet?" The man who first approached her earlier blocked her way.
As the Crown Prince's lover, her status stepped up a little. She shouldn't be touched by anyone even though she was a servant.
She bowed in front of the man and remained with her head down.
"I apologize, but I believe I can't entertain you tonight. Or maybe not anytime." She politely said.
The man's aura changed. A mixture of burning desire and anger engulfed him. He grabbed her left arm and pulled her closer.
"You dare to humiliate me!" The man shouted, enough to get everyone's attention.
She could hear the chatters from the guests and their eyes were scrutinizing her. No one dared to step forward to help her.
But as he was going to slap Helena, everyone was dumbfounded when Elias stopped the man with his hand.
"Y-You're Highness! This servant is disrespectful toward me." He said.
Elias smirked. "Disrespectful? Aren't you the one crossing the line here, Eris? This woman works as a servant in the palace and as you all know, they serve the King and me."
The man called Eris frowned. He slowly loosened his grip, giving Helena a chance to get away from him. She didn't plan on hiding behind Elias, but she found herself rushing toward him.
"With all due respect You're Highness, I know the rules inside the palace. But as one of the King's relatives, I can also pick a woman here and ask him to give her to me."
Elias gritted his teeth and Eris felt his anger because the prince's grip tightened.
"Eris, be thankful that you are a relative because if you're not, I could just rip you into pieces when you lay a finger on my woman."
Eris' eyes bawled both from the words he heard and the pain he felt when Elias broke his arm.
A tormenting scream was heard in the banquet hall. The guests were shocked by the scene. Elias never loses his temper, especially around his pack.
"Your woman? That servant?" Eris asked while trying to fix his arm.
Elias grabbed Helena's hand and looked around to meet his pack's gaze.
"You heard it right. Helena St. Claire is my lover now and laying a finger on her is an act of treason. Emma!"
Emma quickly kneeled in front of Elias.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Bring Helena to one of the rooms in the east wing."
She heard another chatter and she couldn't understand the reason. It was just a room so what's the big deal? She thought to herself.
"You don't need to serve us tonight. Go to your new bedroom and wait for me." Elias ordered.
His voice was commanding, but felt reassuring. She nodded and followed Emma out of the banquet hall.
"You said you're just here to work. What happened?" Emma asked.
She sighed. "I didn't lie that I came here for work. I lied about getting attracted to the Crown Prince. When we first met, I was running through the forest. I caught his scent and followed it. I met a lot of men who got charmed by my appearance but this is my first feeling this way."
"His scent. You can't resist it, right?"
She nodded. "I tried, but it's pulling me toward him."
"Then he is your mate."
She was surprised. "Mate? I apologize but I disagree. I didn't feel the strong bond between us."
Emma didn't argue with her. She had no idea about the mating pull. It was true that Elias' scent was so irresistible, but it wasn't strong enough.
From what she read, the mating pull was something that you couldn't live without. If a werewolf found its mate, they would be inseparable.
But she didn't feel that way toward Elias. She was certain that she could live without him and she was just using him to get her revenge.
"What's in the East Wing?" She asked Emma instead.
"It's a place for women who will join in the selection of the next Queen." Emma answered coldly.
Elias already told her that she would be his Queen and that gave her a bigger chance to win the selection.
"The selection will start in a week. As you already know, the Crown Prince will ascend to the throne in less than two months and he should have a Queen before the ascension." Emma continued.
"How many women are residing in the East Wing?" She asked.
"Twenty and you are the twenty-first candidate. All other details will be discussed to everyone tomorrow."
She nodded and didn't ask further. The East Wing had twenty five rooms in total. As they walked through the long hallway, five girls came out of their rooms.
Based on their appearances, Helena was certain that they came from a wealthy clan. They looked at her as if she was a disgusting sight, but she didn't care.
"Here's your room."
Emma opened the door and was expecting to get a surprised reaction from her. The room was huge and everything she needed was already inside. She got a closet full of dresses, shoes, jewelry and a lot more. But it didn't impress her because she had all those things when she was Amelia.
"You could use anything in this room during the selection. You may be one of the Crown Prince's women, but as long as you have no title, you will remain a servant in the palace. If you want to change your rank, you have to gain favors from the royals."
Emma turned her back and went out of the room. She was unsure if Emma was giving her a warning or an advice, but what she said was a great help for her.