The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon (Celine and Bastian) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Arlet doesn’t look away for even a second, as though she wants to remind me that she is still there and has not yet accepted her defeat until I finally lose sight of her.

I hate her.

“Don’t pay attention to them. I’ve already given them a task, and if they don’t complete it, I’m going to build a bonfire with their titles. They know perfectly well that I’m not joking and that I’m not as lenient as my father.”

Bastian doesn’t even bother looking toward the trucks. He rests an arm along the back of the seat and keeps his eyes fixed ahead with complete calm. His tone is composed, but there is an unquestionable firmness behind every word.

One of those rare moments when it is impossible to forget that behind the man who jokes with me sits someone accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed.

His fingers find my hand once more and squeeze it briefly, as though he wants to make sure my attention remains here and not on the women disappearing down the opposite road.

“Are you hungry? You skipped lunch and your afternoon meal today.”

He’s wrong about that.

“I didn’t skip any meals. Everyone kept sharing snacks with me, and I suspect it was because I look like a walking stick wearing clothes.” I joke. “But the best thing was what your grandfather offered me in the barn. Something that had been stewing for hours. Delicious, but very rustic-looking. I can still remember the hot aroma escaping from the bowl and the steam rising between us while the rain hammered against the roof.”

Bastian raises an eyebrow.

“And you liked it? People in the village usually cook with whatever they have, and it all ends up in the same pot.”

Prince Thorn isn’t just surprised that I ate whatever his grandfather offered me.

He’s also surprised that his grandfather fed me in the first place.

“Yes, I liked it, and it kept me full for quite a while. I’d like to eat it again because today, with the rain and the cold, it kept me

warm.”

“Well. He murmurs.

For a moment, he actually looks impressed.

Then he turns his head toward his friends.

“Did either of you eat it too?”

Both siblings immediately wear expressions of absolute disgust and shake their heads at the same time.

“Not even if I were dead,” Alaric mutters.

“It smelled better than it looked. And that’s not a compliment,” Aymara adds.

I have to suppress a smile.

“Can you ask your grandfather for the recipe so I can make it myself?”

Bastian pulls out his phone and starts typing. His fingers move quickly across the screen, and when I see who he sends the

15:15 Mon, Aug 17

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

message to, I smile.

William, his uncle.

The reply arrives only a few minutes later.

His uncle wastes no time answering and carefully explains the ingredients and how to prepare it. When Bastian shows me the message. I’m surprised by the number of ingredients involved and finally understand why he said everything they find ” ends up in the same pot. There are vegetables, meat, spices, and several things I never would have imagined together in a single recipe.

“What’s the dish called?” I ask while memorizing the ingredients and instructions.

he replies with a poorly concealed smile.

laughing.

‘

name of the dish, combined with the other culinary remedies Bastian’s grandfather has offered me, proves my point.

He thought I was too skinny.

“Well, I think if we changed the name, it would sound a little more appetizing.” I shake my head, laughing.

“We’ll be there soon. You’re freezing, and I don’t want you getting sick. They’re preparing a bath for you, my mate informs me. moving a little closer.

The warmth of his body is immediate. His arm brushes mine, and a pleasant sensation of heat travels through the damp fabric of my clothes.

I smile at him gratefully

We’re both freez

Winte

ce, and spending hours in the rain, surrounded by mud and damp enclosed spaces, isn’t gers are still cold, and my legs feel heavy after so many hours outdoors.

ake a hot shower.

slowly open, and Alaric continues driving down the gravel road. The tires crunch over the wet stones as the structure gradually comes into view before us.

that road no longer feels unfamiliar.

The lights glowing behind several windows shine through the gray afternoon, and for the first time since arriving in this kingdom, the sight of the castle fills my chest with warmth.

I smile, satisfied with the day.

Alaric parks in front of the castle doors. Our escorts shut off their engines and step out of their vehicles. One of them opens my door, and I recognize him immediately.

It’s Bastian’s head of security.

Good evening. Luna Celine, he greets me.

In fact, it’s the first time he’s ever spoken to me.

“Good evening. I reply, somewhat intimidated.

The Second Chance Of The Rejected Moon

Bastian climbs out of the truck and walks around the vehicle. He throws a glance at his trusted guard and smacks his hand away when the poor man tries to help me down.

“Get lost, Jack. I’ll help my woman.”

The look he gives the head of security, whom I now know is named Jack, is anything but pleasant.

Jack is a huge man. Taller than most guards, broad-shouldered and straight-backed, with dark hair cut short and a scar disappearing beneath the collar of his suit. His expression is usually serious, almost intimidating, but right now he looks like, a man who has committed the terrible mistake of existing too close to his prince.

All because he tried to help me out of a truck.

Bastian narrows his eyes while staring at him, and for a second I’m fairly certain that if he could mark tetritory on the vehicle itself, he would.

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