Sorry I'm Mated To The Commander novel Chapter 183

Chapter 183

Chapter 183

Afraid that Evelyn might say something else, Olivia quickly changed the subject.

Jayvon, on the other hand, gave Layla a few more glances but didn’t say anything in the end.

“We’re here. Let’s get off the aero-vehicle,” Layla said, stepping out first. Jayvon quickly helped his mother, Eleanor, out, followed by Rosa.

Finally, Olivia helped Evelyn along, whispering, “Evelyn, please, don’t go saying things you shouldn’t. Prince Atlas only gave you a smack before because he was looking out for you.

“He and Layla are so close, totally into each other. Why are you trying to talk her into running away from the wedding?”

Evelyn glanced at the innocent Olivia and replied calmly, “I just said Layla doesn’t want to marry into the royal family. I never said she doesn’t want to marry Prince Atlas.”

Olivia blinked, confused. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

Evelyn sighed, “Olivia, you’re so clueless. Don’t let some guy trick you when you grow up, okay?”

Olivia’s cheeks flushed. “Evelyn, what are you talking about? I’m still young, I’m not in any rush to find a partner.”

“Then why have you been nonstop talking about Commander Sullivan these past couple of days?” Evelyn teased.

Olivia’s face went even redder, and even the fins on her mermaid ears flushed pink.

Thankfully, Evelyn let it drop and didn’t push her any further.

They disembarked from the aero-vehicle and met with the crowd at the Wastelands-9 Orphan Core. When Celia saw Layla, she hesitated as if she wanted to say something but held back. Nonetheless, she greeted everyone warmly.

With Lynn, Randall’s mom, helping out, everyone warmed up to each other quickly.

When they saw all those lively, adorable kids, even Evelyn, Rosa, Eleanor, who wasn’t feeling well and seemed a bit out of it, and Evelyn’s old friend, all had their expressions soften.

The kids were so pure, carefree, energetic, and thriving.

No matter how much despair some of them carried about life, looking at those vibrant, youthful faces, they couldn’t help but be uplifted.

Soon enough, their spirits were lifted, too.

Lynn and Olivia kept everyone company, along with the kids.

Celia finally got a chance to speak with Layla alone, with a worried look. “Layla, is November actually Prince Atlas?”

“Yes,” Layla replied.

“And you two.” Celia trailed off, uncertain.

“We’re mates. The royal family is making arrangements for our wedding,” Layla said.

Even though Celia had tried to prepare herself, she was still pretty shocked. She quickly took a sip of her bio-engineered gel to calm down, then said, “Layla, can you tell me what’s really going on?”

Layla didn’t hide anything. She told Celia about how Xanthe used her optical computer to register them as mates, and how

14:58 Wed, Jan

Chapter 183

Atlas, during his ruf, was going by the name November. She laid it all out, no secrets.

“Back then, we kept it quiet because we both had our reasons,” Layla said. “But now that Prince Krish exposed everything, we just have to go through with the wedding, whether we want to or not.”

Celia took Layla’s hand, her face a mix of joy and worry. “Layla, Prince Atlas is definitely a reliable partner, but being a royal member is no walk in the park. If you ever run into trouble, there’s really nothing I can do to help.”

She really was a good person.

But she had a habit of worrying about things that might never even happen.

And she could be a bit of a nag sometimes.

But Layla actually liked that about her. When an elder nags you like that, it just means they care.

Layla said gently, “Ms. Brennan, don’t worry. No matter what happens, I promise I won’t let myself be mistreated.”

“That’s good to hear. You say you found your family. Do you think your father will come to your wedding with Prince Atlas? If he does, it’d be nice to finally meet him. I bet he’d want to hear all about your childhood,” Celia said.

Layla barely registered Celia’s words, her thoughts drifting.

‘He’s not coming. There’s no way,’ Layla thought.

Just as that thought flashed through Layla’s mind, Zaa’s voice buzzed in her earpiece. “Layla, your dad just sent you an encrypted message. I finished decoding it. He says he’s coming to Alpha Prime before your wedding to take you away.”

Layla was speechless.

And as if things weren’t messy enough, Mollie, captain of Her Majesty’s guard, pinged her. [Queen Leilani wanted you to come to the palace to talk about the wedding dress.]

Mollie asked where Layla was and said she’d come pick her up.

Meanwhile, the elders and the kids were having a great time together. Even Eleanor, who almost never smiles, had a rare smile on her face.

After making sure everyone was settled, Layla said her goodbyes and hopped into Mollie’s aero-vehicle.

She sent November a quick message, letting him know Queen Leilani had invited her to the palace to talk about the wedding dress.

She waited, but there was no reply for a long time.

Suddenly, Mollie bowed to Layla.

Layla blinked in surprise. “Ms. Clark, what are you doing?”

Mollie explained, “My aunt never had any kids, though she’s always loved them. Because she couldn’t have children, she and her partner eventually split up, and she’s been pretty down ever since.

“Her Majesty was worried about her, so she asked her to help out with the house, just to keep her busy,”

Layla nodded. “When people have something to keep them busy, they won’t get lost in their own thoughts.”

Mollie said, “That’s true, but now that Her Majesty’s private residence is gone, my aunt’s kind of lost right now. She doesn’t really know what to do next.”

14:58

Wed, Jan

Chapter 183

Without something to focus on, people’s minds just start wandering.

And when that happened, they always ended up thinking about all the worst stuff.

Layla realized why Mollie had bowed to her.

And right on cue, Mollie said to Layla, grateful, “I just saw her telling stories to the kids. It’s been forever since I’ve seen my aunt smile so softly.”

Layla said, “I’ve been leaning on Rosa for help lately. The orphanage is really short-handed, and Celia’s got her hands full trying to manage everything alone.”

Mollie replied, “Maybe my aunt could come by more often, or even stay here for a while.

“Just the other day, Her Majesty was saying that if my aunt ever feels at loose ends, when you and Prince Atlas have kids someday, she could help look after them.”

Layla was speechless.

She hadn’t expected the topic to suddenly shift to her, and honestly, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Her life was already a mess. Throw a baby into the mix, and it’d be total chaos.

Besides, in the interstellar era, getting pregnant the old-fashioned way was nearly impossible. If it were easy, the James family wouldn’t have freaked out over Xanthe getting pregnant and then changed their minds.

Of course, Xanthe was totally over Caleb now.

After chatting a bit more, their aero-vehicle stopped at the palace gates. Mollie helped Layla get her iris registered for palace

access.

Mollie explained, “I got you second-tier access in the palace. That means your clearance is just below His Majesty, Prince Krish, Her Majesty, and Prince Atlas.”

Prince Atlas might not live at the palace, but since he’s one of only two princes on Alpha Prime, his access is top-notch.

Layla barely batted an eye at that.

Honestly, she wasn’t into the palace at all. All that glitz and glam just wasn’t her thing.

If it weren’t for business, she wouldn’t even bother coming here.

Now that Layla’s status was officially out in the open. She was recognized as Atlas’s fiancée.

So as she walked by, people with less status would all bow to her.

But as soon as Layla passed by, people started gossiping in hushed tones.

“Layla’s really got some crazy luck. One minute she’s kicked out of the Sullivan family, and the next, she’s marrying Prince Atlas,” one whispered.

“I heard she’s been married to Prince Atlas for ages; it just wasn’t official yet,” another chimed in.

“That girl’s got some deep plans up her sleeve, for sure,” a third voice added.