《The Werewolf King's Bride》


 Chapter 1: Going Through Hell

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Please, don''t do this," I pleaded onest time. And just like every other day, they did not listen. Another kick was forced onto my stomach. I jerked forward on the ground, biting my lips fiercely to keep myself from making a sound. I did not want to look weak.


    "Tell me, will you do it again?" Draven snarled, grabbing my hair roughly.


    I tried to talk, but no sound came out of my mouth. My throat hurt from the agonizing grasp he had there a while ago.


    "Tell me!" he yelled, bringing his mouth as close to my ear as possible.


    "Leave her alone, brother. She is nothing more than a piece of garbage. There is no reason for us to waste our time here," Maxen stated.


    "Speak up, you filthy whore!" Draven hissed once more and pped me across the face.


    It was too much. I hit him back on the chin. I was not a particrly strong person. My punch surely did not have much effect on him, but it, at least, made me feel a lot better.


    "Whatever you do, don''t touch my face!" I hissed.


    "You little cunt!" Draven growled and yanked my hair, forcing me to stand. He kicked me in the stomach once more.


    My eyes welled up with tears, but I blinked them away quickly before they fell. I would not give him that satisfaction.


    Draven tried to p me again, but this time Maxen stopped him. He dragged Draven back with difficulty and spoke to him in hushed tones. I could not hear anything. I did not want to either. All I wanted to do was get out of here.


    Draven muttered something under his breath and hurriedly left the room. My knees were trembling violently as I struggled to stay on my feet.


    "Let''s go to your room," Maxen said, a bit soothingly.


    "My knees... I can''t walk," I mumbled, trying hard not to cry.


    Maxen sighed and wrapped his arms around me, guiding me through each step. I was grateful to him for that.


    As we reached the door of my room, he elbowed it open and took me inside. He closed the door from inside, being careful so others could not hear anything. Then he took me to my bed.


    Maxen went to the bathroom and returned with a bowl of water and a soft white towel. He sat alongside me and began cleaning a cut on my left arm that had been caused when Draven hit me with a belt.


    "What did you do today?" he asked, wiping two drops of blood from the wound.


    "I didn''t bring him any beer today," I replied.


    "You know how he reacts when he doesn''t get his beer," Maxen said.


    "I know. But there... there was this..."


    "What?"


    "There was that animal on the road. It was bleeding. I could not just walk away. I took it to the vet. I think the animal was shot. It was bleeding badly," I said.


    "Where is it now?"


    "I just left it a little inside the forest so it could get back to its habitat. It was heavy. I had to tie it up with a rope and pull it inside. Hope it didn''t mind."


    "All the money went in that?"


    "How much do you expect me to earn working in a coffee shop?" I snapped. "I can''t even buy any clothes or books for myself. Mother and Father aren''t going to buy us anything either. They need to buy drugs, right? That''s the only thing they need. I can''t understand why they even bothered to bring me into this world if they don''t even care for me.


    And our big brother, Draven- all he can do is yell, fight, drink, smoke, and fuck underage girls. And of course, kick me for not bringing him his beer."


    "I know, Blue1. But what can we do?" Maxen said, sympathetically.


    "I told you that we should go to the police. But you''re too afraid. And you''re supposed to be my big brother."


    "Draven will kill us."


    "Kill us? He kills me every time I can''t get his beer!" I yelled. "He doesn''t tell you to do anything but to look for girls for him which you do as well."


    "It''s not like I''m proud of it."


    "Does it make a difference? You still do it, right? Bring whores at home for him so he can destroy them!"


    "Blue, it''s not me who you should be angry at," he said, in a surrendered tone.


    "I don''t even know who I should be angry at, Max. It''s just too much. To be abused in my own family, it''s unbelievable," I sighed.


    Max remained silent as he meticulously cleaned each of my wounds. He was one year older than me and the only person in my family who genuinely cared about me.


    We had both epted as children that our parents would never love us. At the very least, I knew it was a must in my case. Father was not interested in having daughters. He desired more sons to look after his property as if he had a lot! But then there was me, the unwanted cursed daughter, born after Draven and Max.


    Mother looked after me until I was three years old, at which point she also put me away. It was as if she had just shown me how to survive and then abandoned me. She was a drug addict, just like Father and Draven.


    Max and I grew up together, despite the fact that my family''s attitudes toward him and me were always diametrically opposed.


    I was frequently yelled at and kicked when I refused to do what they wanted. When I was seven, my father kicked me in the stomach so hard that I had to go to the hospital. When I was released from the hospital, Father beat me again because his money had been squandered on my treatment.


    I grew ustomed to it. When they hurt me, I had learned not to cry. Mother had never raised her hand on me, but Father and Draven did. It was like I was their torture toy. They would strike me not just when I refused to bring them beers and cigarettes, but also when they were in a foul mood and wanted to have a good time by hitting someone.


    Draven was now twenty years old, and Max was eighteen. He said he was going to leave the town forever after he graduated. I was happy for him while at the same time, I wondered if he left, it would not take long for Draven and Father to kill me.


    Father had almost killed me a week ago when he was too angry and almost stabbed me with a kitchen knife. But Maxen managed to stop him. I yelled at Max for that. Dying was better than enduring this kind of abuse every single day.


    They hated me even more because I always yelled back. I knew the consequences would not be good if I talked back, but I could not help it. I would get beaten even more for that and even Max would not be able to stop them that time.


    Max and I would go to school together. But I could not go to school sincest week as I had to work additional hours at the coffee shop to earn more money so Draven could have his beer. He even managed to get a fake report saying that I had a high fever and the doctor advised me not to get out of bed for fifteen days.


    But I had spent all the money today as I had to take the animal to the vet. Marcello and I wereing back in his car. Marcello was my neighbor and friend. We were in the same ss and he was kind enough to give me a ride every day. When we were driving by the forest, we saw it lying in one corner, bleeding badly.


    "Look!" I noticed it and made Marcello stop the car.


    "What?" he asked.


    I did not say anything. Rather, I got out of the car and went to the animal to see if it was still alive. Thankfully, it was breathing.


    "We need to take it to the hospital," I said.


    "It''s a wild animal, Blue. We can''t just..."


    "We can''t leave it here either," I said sharply, cutting him off.


    "We will need money. I don''t have any in my pocket now," Marcello said.


    I hesitated for a moment. I nced at the animal in front of us and then took a deep breath, realizing that I was going to go through hell today.


    "I have," I said.


    "But what is this anyway? It''s too big to be a dog. It''s huge."


    "It''s not a dog," I muttered, leaning closer to the animal. "It''s... oh my god! I didn''t know..."


    "What?"


    "It''s a wolf," I gasped.

 Chapter 2: A Sin

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Max left after he had cleaned my wounds. He told me to sleep. But I could not. Every night, I was haunted by the thought of not being able to leave this family.


    Max once told me that there was a cause behind Father''s vehement dislike of me.


    "Can''t you see that you don''t look like him?"


    "You mean he beats me up just because I don''t look like him?"


    "Come on, Blue. It''s clear that... Don''t mind, please. It''s clear that you''re not his."


    "You mean, Mother cheated on him and I''m the result?" I asked.


    "I guess so. I mean, look at Draven and me. We have gray eyes and dirty blond hair. But you don''t. You have brte hair and blue eyes. Even Mother doesn''t have them."


    He had a valid point there. My appearance was diametrically opposed to that of my father. I had a few things inmon with Mother, but I had nothing inmon with Father. Father, Draven, and Maxen all had blond hair and gray eyes. Mother had dark brown eyes and red hair. But I was unique.


    My facial structure was also different. My nose was simr to Mother''s, but in other ways, I had apletely different structure. This time, I truly wondered if I was not my father''s. Maybe this was why he despised me so much.


    I sat next to the window, leaning against the frame, attempting to fill my mind with cold air to expel all of my misery. Things were bing moreplicated. I overheard Draven and Father discussing whoring, or something simr two days ago.


    I was horrified, believing he was talking about turning me into a whore to get money. Since that day, I had been carrying a knife with me. So in case Draven or Father tried to sell me to someone, I would be able to kill myself. I would rather die than be someone''s ything.


    The moon was obscured by dense clouds tonight. The night seemed to be pleading with me to go out onto the roof and sit in the rain. Whenever it rained, I would go up to the roof and sit there for as long as I could without being seen. No one was there to see anyway. But I still refused to cry any other time if it was not raining. Perhaps, to make myself stronger, I chose this way.


    Draven''s usual yelling reached my ears. He was even angrier than usual tonight. I did not care to go and see why he was behaving like that. In these situations, I stayed as far away from Father and Draven as possible. If I came into their line of sight, they would direct their rage at me.


    I decided to get some sleep. At least, if I slept, I would not have to deal with the pain in my abdomen.


    But my peace was not something my family would want. Suddenly the door of my room burst open, and before I knew what was going on, Draven had grabbed me by the hair.


    "She took the money. Ask her," he hissed.


    I saw Father there as I writhed in agony, trying to break free from his clutches. Both of them together... I was so dead tonight. I wanted to tell Max that he should at the very least bury me.


    "Have you taken the money, Blue?" Father asked coldly. His voice was not loud and I feared this the most. When he was loud, he would kick me or strike me with a belt. But when his voice was cold, he was the most ruthless. Thest time he said something like this to me, he shoved my hand into the firece and held it there despite my wailing and screams.


    Fortunately, an elderly neighbor stopped by to see what was wrong. Or I would surely lose my hand that day.


    "What money?" I asked. I had no idea what they were talking about. I had never taken their money, not even for once, not when I needed to buy tampons in an emergency, not when I needed to take costly medicines for my throat pain.


    "I''ve kept five hundred dors in the second drawer of my table," Father said. "Did you take it?"


    "No."


    A punchnded on my throat. It was excruciatingly painful. I felt as if the bone there had broken as a result of the sudden force. I clenched my teeth, making a futile attempt to breathe.


    "Liar!" Draven hissed angrily. I was certain now that Draven was the one who had taken the money.


    "I''m... not... lying," I managed to stammer, in the throes of agony. I coughed and felt my chest burning with pain.


    "She is lying, Father! That whore!" Draven snarled.


    "You piece of pure nonsense, I''m not lying!" I shouted, not caring about the pain in my throat.


    "How dare you talk back, you bitch!" Draven said and pulled my hair so hard that I felt my whole skull getting out of my head.


    "Slow down, Draven," Father said slowly. "She will learn her lesson soon. I got our first customer."


    I gasped, realizing what he was talking about. Even though I knew exactly what he was talking about, I did not want to believe it. He could not truly do it, could he? He was my father. No matter what, he could not do it, right?


    "How much does he want to pay?" Draven asked, not loosening his grasp on my hair.


    "100 dors per two hours," Father replied.


    "It''s not much. Tell him 150," Draven said as if he was talking about renting a piece of unused furniture.


    "It''s just the beginning. We''ll grow the business more," Father said. "I think she is ready now."


    "Are you talking about..."


    "Yes, sweet sister. We''re discussing how we can use you as a business tool. What''s that body of yours for then?" Draven said, smiling like a maniac.


    My heart sank with fear at the prospect of losing my sole valuable possession.


    "No..."


    "Oh, yes," Father said. "If you can''te to use, there''s no need for you."


    "Then I''ll leave. I won''t evere back, I swear," I said quickly, hoping he would agree.


    "Don''t even think about it. Why do you think I kept you alive all those years?" Father said.


    "To use my body for money?" I yelled. "I would rather die than be anyone''s sex toy."


    "Don''t raise your voice, you little slut!" Draven hissed and yanked my hair even tighter.


    "Leave me alone, you evil! I have never done anything wrong. Then why are you doing this to me?" I said desperately. This time, I could not even stop the tears.


    "Shhh..." Draven jeered into my ear. "You will like it, sister."


    All I wanted to do was hit him so hard he would never forget what he had done to me. Maybe my hand was a little faster than my intellect. I did not even know what I had done until Draven groaned in pain.


    "How dare you..."


    Draven almost knocked my head against the corner of the bed. To my greatest fortune, I heard Mother''s voice from downstairs.


    "Raphael! Someone wants to meet you."


    Mother''s voice was unbelievably gentle. I was certain it was someone who we did not know or someone important.


    "Draven,e down. I don''t want whoever it is to hear her stupid screams," Father said, ncing disgustedly at me as if I was rotten garbage.


    Draven sneered one more time before releasing my hair and exiting the room, mming the door loudly behind them.


    I sobbed as I sat on the bed, my knees pressed against my chest. I did not want to cry, but the tears did not stop. The voices downstairs were very low. I had no idea who had shown up or what they were discussing. Not many people woulde to our house. If anyone did, it would be the drug-selling hefty obese man with thick mustaches.


    After what seemed like an hour, I heard footsteps upstairs. Iid down and pretended to sleep so I would not have to face whatever they had nned for me this time.


    "Blue,e downstairs."


    It was Mother. Her voice was cheerful, which was unusual to hear. She was clearly ecstatic about something.


    "Why?" I asked, suspiciously.


    "Juste on," she said and pulled me with her roughly. Her grip was not as tight as Father''s or Draven''s, which I was grateful about.


    "What is it?" I asked again.


    But she ignored me, yet the smile on her face remained. She brought me downstairs into the living room. I nced at the ce and still could not fully understand why she had brought me here.


    There were not just them there; there was another man, or I would rather say a sin.

 Chapter 3: Bride

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    He was... I had never seen anyone like him. He was leaning against the wall, staring into my eyes in a way no one else had ever done.


    He was tall, very tall, even taller than Draven, who stood six feet three inches. He was muscr, his long white sleeves cinched around his biceps, and the first two buttons on his chest were undone, disying a wicked sight to anyone''s eyes. His long face remained expressionless, with no sign of warmth, only coldness.


    He sported dark ck hair that matched his eyes. His beardless, razor-sharp jaw appeared to cut through my skin.


    His eyes traveled up and down my body. I became self-conscious all of a sudden. I was not in a good condition for sure. My body was covered in scars, almost all of which ached. Thanks to Draven, my hair was as unkempt as if I had just emerged from a tomb and had not washed my hair in weeks.


    "That''s my daughter," Father said, sitting on the couch, his face brighter than usual.


    "She has a nice physique. She may be petite, but I''m sure you''ll find good things inside," Mother said eagerly and my whole existence dropped.


    The ground beneath my feet was swaying. Were they renting me out to him as a ything? My eyes welled up with tears, but the strongest thing I felt was anger.


    "What are you saying?" I asked Mother sharply.


    She pinched my skin and told me to shut up with her eyes. I could not help but stare at her, unable to say anything else.


    "How long do you want her for?" Draven asked.


    "I don''t want to rent her. I want to buy her... forever," he spoke for the first time and I felt my whole world freezing around me.


    "She is not for sale. She is for rent," Draven said.


    "I''ll give you as much money as you want. And as I said, I want to buy her," he said sharply, his gaze sweeping me from head to toe.


    Draven looked at Father who seemed to be thinking, thinking about selling his daughter.


    "I think we should sell her, Raphael. She is useless anyway," Mother said eagerly.


    I could not bear looking at any of them any longer. My mind was foggy as each of my senses went numb one by one. My head felt heavy, and I feltpelled to lie down, fearing that I would trip and fall at any moment.


    "How much will you give us?" Father asked.


    "Let me tell you something before. She is not touched at all. We''re giving you a full untouched virgin. The price should be high," Draven said.


    "Ten million," he said, his voice as cold as ever.


    Draven gasped and Mother''s grip on my hand tightened in excitement. "She is yours to use, beat, or whatever you want to do with her," Father said, even before a second could pass.


    "I''ll go to the police and tell them what you''re doing," I shouted at them.


    "You fucking whore!" Draven snarled and was about to smack me when his hand was instantly bent behind him with enormous power, and he winced in pain.


    "She is mine now. Don''t you dare touch her or raise your voice at her," the stranger said, his voice threatening, but noticeably calm. "You don''t have any right over her anymore. She is mine, only mine."


    When he said I was his, he looked me in the eyes as if he was trying to imprint it in my mind so I would never forget it. He let go of Draven, who took a quick step away, too stunned to do or say anything.


    "Go to your room and only bring what you absolutely need. Take no clothes and don''t stay too long. We''ll be leaving in ten minutes," he spoke directly to me, causing my heart to skip a beat in terror and a strange emotion.


    I nodded and went to my room. I knew he was just a stranger who wanted nothing more than sexual pleasure from me. Even if I stayed with my family, they would rent me out to other men so they could enjoy my body. I decided to go with him and then whenever I would get the chance, I would run away. I would never let anyone force me to do something. I had had enough of listening to others.


    I went into my room, only to find it unusually quiet and dark. Everything felt empty. Then I realized that the main thing that felt empty was my heart.


    Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I took deep breaths to keep myself from copsing right here. Even Max was noting to meet me for onest time. He was not like this at all. But then where was he?


    I looked around the room and realized that I had nothing but my wounded heart and thoughts to take with me. I sighed and looked out the window onest time. I was never going toe back here, my home, a miserable one, but still, it was my home.


    I went into the restroom to wash my face. My wrists and neck were covered in marks, making me appear pitiful. I did not have any kind of cosmetic to use to hide my wounds either. They were always on disy, like a piece of heinous art.


    I gathered myself together and went downstairs quickly, not wanting to waste any more time in this house. The guy looked at me narrowly, noticing that I had not taken anything with me.


    "Aren''t you going to take anything with you?" It was not him who asked this. It was Mother, showing fake care for thest minute I was here.


    "As if I have anything," I muttered.


    "She has taken money for sure," Draven snarled.


    "I haven''t, you jerk. You are the one who has been stealing all of the money. I earn my own money, you dumb-headed asshole. You just got ten million selling me. How much more do you want?" I shouted and approached the front door before anyone could tell me anything else.


    He came up behind me and unlocked the door for me, his gaze never leaving mine. The cold airnded on my face with drops of rainwater. I flinched at the sudden chilly sensation.


    "It will be ten minutes of walk into the forest," he said.


    I did not look at him, but kept my gaze forward, deciding which way to run. I felt tiny next to him, standing five feet four inches tall. I had a feeling that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to get away from him. And the way he twisted Draven''s arm behind his back made me wonder what would happen if he did the same thing to me.


    "Look at me, Blue," he said, his voice cold but gentle. Hearing my name in his voice was intoxicating for some reason I could not exin.


    His voice seemed topel me to look him in the eyes. They were extremely dark as if sinfully absorbing all the light in the world. It was peculiar. His eyes were pure ck, not dark brown. It was, however, impossible for the eyes to bepletely ck.


    "It''s pointless to try to run. It will only take me a few minutes to find you. And now that I''veid eyes on you, you''ll never be able to get away from me," he said, sending shivers up my spine like the feel of cold water on the skin in the winter.


    "And you''re safe with me. Whatever your family has done to you, I will never do the same to you. No one will ever hurt you in the ce you''re going now."


    "I''m not safe with you either," I said, mustering all my courage.


    "Oh, yes, you are. You''ll be the safest and happiest with me," he said, slightly smiling, but his smile did not reach his eyes as his gaze traveled to the wounds on my wrists.


    "You just bought me," I wanted to shout, but I could not. All that came out was a low murmur.


    "I''ve bought you to make you mine," he said.


    "Make me your ve?" I asked.


    "No."


    "You''re lying. You all are lying. Why else would you buy me if I''m not going to be your ve? You''re going to turn me into your toy. You will hurt me and enjoy my body without my consent. You''re the first customer they were talking about, right?


    You want me to use me, you want to strike me when you''re angry. You want to do unimaginable things to me and then kill me eventually. That''s why you want me, don''t you?" I shouted, all my rage pouring out like it had been released after a long time.


    "No, Blue," he responded calmly. "I want you as my bride."

 Chapter 4: On The Way To His Place

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Bride?" I mumbled, my breath catching in my throat and causing intense pain. "Stop ying with me!"


    "You think I''m ying?" he asked.


    "You are. I don''t trust you."


    "I can''t make you trust me right away. But you will very soon," he said, his voice calm but confident.


    "I don''t want toe with you," I said, looking pleadingly at him.


    "Don''t make me force you, Blue," he sighed.


    I looked around at the dark surroundings, the sound of the wind mingling with the hammering of my heart and his hushed breathing. I had no idea what to do or whom to put my trust in. But there was something about him that made me think I could try to trust him.


    "Just give me a chance. You won''t regret trusting me," he said gently.


    I locked my gaze on him, intently studying him. I nodded after a while. Even I was puzzled as to why I had epted so quickly.


    "Let''s go then," he said and offered me his hand. I studied his hand for a moment before slipping my small hand into hisrge, firm one. His hand was warm like a candle lit from a distance. It took a few moments for my skin to limatize to this new sensation.


    "Where are you taking me?" I asked.


    "To my ce."


    "Your ce? Don''t mind my harsh talking, but anyway, you have a lot of money that you... ok, so where do you live? You said we have to walk ten minutes inside the forest. But I mean, as you have a lot of money, you can live in a big town in a veryfortable mansion or something like that. You don''t have to live in a forest cabin, I guess.


    Is it a personal preference or something?"


    "Who said I live in a forest cabin?" he asked in a way as if he was amused by my confused state.


    "You live in a forest. So that must be..."


    "I don''t live in a forest, sweet Blue. You''ll see in a while. My ce is enough for us," he said smiling.


    "Then where?"


    "You''ll see. Come on now."


    He suddenly took off the long coat he was wearing. It was ck and appeared to be made of high-quality fabric. When I saw him before, he was not wearing that coat. Perhaps he had taken that off when he came here, and then he put it on again.


    Before I knew what was going on, he had wrapped the coat around me. As I was wearing a short-sleeved long shirt with my shorts, his knuckles brushed over the exposed skin of my upper arm. Goosebumps appeared all over my body when my skin came into contact with his.


    "What... what are you..."


    "It''s raining. You''ll catch a cold," he said normally as if it was nothing butmon sense. Perhaps it was, but this act ofmon sense stood out to me. No one had ever given a damn if I was dying, let alone a simple cold.


    "Don''t you need it?" I asked.


    "No. I don''t catch a cold," he replied.


    "Thank you," I mumbled.


    "Don''t thank me for this little thing, my bride. Or you''ll get sick thanking me," he said, smiling at me. His smile was not overly broad, but rather a small curl of his brownish pink lips, frigid but full of unspoken feelings.


    He led me deep into the forest, his coat, keeping raindrops off my skin. However, my face and hair were wet. He had my hand in his, and for some reason, it gave me butterflies in my stomach.


    "Why are you doing this?"


    "Doing what?" he asked.


    "Marrying me? Why do you want to marry me?" I asked.


    To my surprise, he chuckled. "Because I want to."


    "But why? You''re good-looking. You can have any girl. I don''t think a girl with a bruised body will be a good match for you," I muttered.


    "Hey, look at me," he said, and I obliged. "Since the moment Iid my eyes on you, I wanted you."


    "When did you see me first?" I asked in a shaky tone.


    "A long time ago."


    "When?"


    He did not answer me, but kept walking, not so fast as if he was walking like that for me. It felt strange walking hand in hand with a stranger who turned out to be far too handsome to handle.


    The scent of fresh raindrops on the ground filled my nostrils. But it was not the smell that made me dizzy. A hallucinogenic deep masculine smell had been emitting from him, making me want to sniff him, pressing my nose on his skin.


    "What''s your name?" I asked.


    "Call me Demetrius," he replied.


    It seemed like an ancient name, but very handsome. I liked it, but also wondered what it would feel like to say his name. Would it vibrate in my mouth? Would I be able to say it properly or mess up in the middle because of overthinking?


    I wanted to ask him a lot of things, but I was not sure if I should. What if he got annoyed and decided to punish me or something like that? I did not want to be struck again.


    "Blue, you can ask me anything you want. You don''t have to be afraid of me. I''m your soon-to-be husband. There''s no need to fear me. At least, not you," he said as if he could read my mind. I was curious as to what he meant by ''at least not you.'' Did others fear him a lot?


    It was true that he appeared cold as if staring at him for an extended period of time would cause one to freeze to death. But, based on how he spoke to me, his appearance appeared to be the pr opposite of his words.


    "Ask me," he urged gently again.


    "Do you live alone?"


    "No. My family lives with me and there are servants as well."


    I could not tell if what he was saying was true. That many people would necessitate arge space. Where exactly did he live?


    "Here," he said.


    I noticed that we had arrived in what appeared to be a very dark ce, full of trees and shadows and the sound of small animals running over small branches, making snapping noises.


    "You live here?" I asked.


    "You''ll see, my bride," he said with a smile.


    I blushed suddenly at his word. He was being way too gentle with me and even calling me his bride even though we met a few minutes ago. No, I met him a few minutes ago. But he did not. He said he had seen me a long time ago.


    Was he stalking me? But how was that possible? He was probably twenty-four or twenty-five, not more than that.


    "Um... can I ask you something?" I hesitated.


    "Yes, my bride."


    I gasped once more at this word, but quickly straightened myself out before making a fool of myself. "How old are you?"


    "What do you think?"


    "I don''t know... perhaps twenty-five..."


    "Close. I''m twenty-four," he replied.


    So he was seven years older than me. Perhaps a little less than seven years, as I was just two days away from turning eighteen. The age difference was neither too great nor too little.


    "Is it unsettling?"


    "What?"


    "The age gap?"


    "No. I... I just..."


    "It''s okay. I''m not too old I guess," he remarked, and I couldn''t help but smile. His lips curved into a smile as well. It was perfect; the way his lips curved, his dimple appeared on his left cheek, and his eyes softened. Everything seemed to be making me feel different.


    There was a Coast Dous-fir in front of us. Both in width and height, the tree was enormous.


    "Coast Dous-fir," I murmured.


    "Yes. How do you know it?" he asked. I was surprised. I said it so quietly, almost not making a sound. But he still heard me. How?


    "I read about it."


    And then, I began to ramble whatever I knew. Well, it was a habit of mine to say everything I know of.


    "And...," I exined. "Oh, I''m sorry. I actually could not... stop myself. I have this bad habit of talking about something I know. I''m sorry."

 Chapter 5: Werewolf

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I was amused by the girl''s embarrassment at uttering a lot of things all at once. I was quite taken aback by the way she spoke. She had read a lot of books and learned a lot, and she wanted to share that with others, but she was not sure if others would like to hear that.


    She was afraid of me, I could sense that. I could not do anything about it, at least not yet. But I was determined to make her feel better.


    Her tiny hand shook slightly in mine. She was looking away, possibly because she thought I had be angry because of her talking.


    "You know a lot of things," I said, smiling at her. It was difficult for me to smile, but I did my best. I was not in the habit of smiling or speaking in a friendly manner, but I was determined to try because of her.


    She smiled shyly but did not look at me. I had a feeling that she did not want to see what my face was holding. Perhaps she was afraid of seeing what kind of emotion it would hold.


    I chuckled and turned to face the trunk of the tree. She was in for a rude awakening right now. I needed to make sure she did not flinch away from me out of fear.


    "Blue?"


    "Yes?" she asked as she returned my gaze, her wide eyes expressing the depth of her heart.


    "You need to trust me, okay? I won''t hurt you," I said.


    She looked perplexed because I had said the same thing to her before. She had no idea what I was going to do at this moment.


    "Just don''t run. Watch and then I''ll exin everything to you," I said, holding her gaze.


    She nodded, strands of her wet brte hair falling on her cheeks. I was tempted to tuck them behind her ear, but I restrained myself. There would be plenty of time for that once she had fully trusted me. Then there would be no restrictions. But now, I needed to have patience. I needed to give her time and I would not mind waiting, even though it was going to be hard.


    I took a sharp breath and as I brought my right hand in front of the tree, it was not just a hand. There were ws, sharp nails, and a bit of ckish fur.


    She widened her eyes, not looking away from my hand as her heart rate increased noticeably. I had held her hand in my other one, so she could not get away.


    "What... What''s that?" she asked, her voice shaky.


    "I''ll exinter," I said. "Don''t fear, Blue. I won''t hurt you. Calm down and take deep breaths. One... two...


    yes, like that."


    She looked very fragile, but her eyes were full of determination. She was brave, I knew it. She was everything my world needed and mostly, I needed.


    When I pressed my w against the trunk of the tree, a bright light began to shine from beneath my w. The light went ck, as if it were ink, in an instant, and a gap appeared. The gap widened until it took on the shape of a door.


    She was staring at it all, too stunned to say anything. She clutched my hand tightly as if she was terrified and needed me to save her. I reassured her by tapping her hand, and she nced at me.


    "Come on in," I said, leading her through the door. Her steps were shaky as if she was about to fall at any moment.


    As soon as we stepped inside the door, we were in a forest, but it was not nighttime there. The gentle breeze along with the charming morning light fell on her face, which was saturated with water.


    She turned around in time to see the door vanish in the same way it had appeared, leaving an ash tree in its wake. She exhaled deeply and gripped my hand even more tightly.


    "Wee to my world, my bride," I said.


    "What... Okay, you said you''d exin everything. Please tell me everything right away. I''m feeling bad. I think I''m going to faint," she said quickly.


    "Let''s go to my ce first. Then you''re free to ask me whatever you want."


    "Why not right now?"


    "We''re in the middle of a forest, after all. I imagined it would be cozy in a room "I stated.


    "Everything is weird. You better tell me everything now, in this ce. I''m... it''s hard to understand. Please tell me," she said, almost pleading.


    "Alright. Let''s sit down there," I said and took her under the mango tree. She sat down, a bit hesitantly feeling me close to her. I smiled in my head and sat down beside her, her hand still in mine, and I had no intention of letting go.


    "Tell me now."


    "Ask me what you want to know."


    "Alright...um... What are you?" she asked.


    "I''m a werewolf," I replied.


    "But there is nothing like a werewolf in this world."


    "Yes, there is. First, tell me everything you know about werewolves. Do you know what they are or what they can do?"


    She started again, saying all she knew about werewolves. It was amusing, to say the least. Besides, I was curious about what her world thought about my kind.


    She stopped suddenly. "I''m talking too much again. I''m sorry," she murmured.


    "No, I want to hear it. Go ahead," I urged. It was not a lie. I wanted to hear everything she had to say and I would never get tired of hearing her voice.


    I wanted to know more genuinly, especially because she was talking so excitedly. It was good to see her not afraid and just simply enjoying talking about something.


    "You know a lot I have to say. You talk like you memorized book lines," I said gently.


    "Well, I read a lot of books about almost everything. I read about this on the inte. I have this weird ability that I can remember almost everything that I read once. Line by line," she said.


    "That''s strange but great."


    "It''s useless. I mean, people don''t listen to me. So, it''s pointless to have this kind of ability," she muttered, clear sadness in her voice. But it was not the sadness that clenched my heart painfully, but the eptance of the sadness in her voice. I promised myself to make her so happy that she was going to forget what sadness was.


    "People are stupid, that''s why. Don''t worry. I''ll listen to you. You can tell me anything, you know."


    She smiled and nodded. "So, am I right? About werewolves?"


    "It''s how your world describes werewolves, right?"


    "Yes. I mean, there are these myths, no one knows if they are true or not."


    "They are not right in all cases. Well, let me tell you about werewolves then. You need to know that as well living here."


    "There are more werewolves here?" she asked, surprised.


    "This is an exact replica of your world, with three doors leading to the other world. This was one of the entrances that we used to get here. Even though this world appears to be simr to yours, there are numerous differences. This worldcks the technologies that your world possesses. It''s moreid back here, but much more privileged than your world. And this world only has..."


    "Werewolves," she finished for me.

 Chapter 6: Ask Me

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Yes, werewolves," he said. "We are born werewolves because our parents are werewolves. We can''t turn anyone by biting or casting curses or something like that."


    "That means if the parents are werewolves, the child will be a werewolf as well?" I asked.


    "Well, that''s usually the case. But a werewolf and a human can also create a werewolf, though there are some factors to consider. The human has to be the werewolf''s mate," he exined.


    "Mate? Is it like some kind of goddess chooses a particr werewolf for a werewolf?"


    "Yes, it''s like that."


    "Can two humans ever make a werewolf?"


    "No. It''s not possible," he said. "Anyway, so, when we turn eighteen, we find our mate."


    "Ok," I said, puzzled as to why he had brought me here in the first ce. He was twenty-four; he surely had a mate. Then why did he have to bring me here? "So, a werewolf can have a werewolf mate only, right?"


    "Yes," he replied. It was clear now. He had a mate and he had brought me, God knew why. But what if his mate was dead? Then perhaps that was the reason he wanted to marry me. But I was not his mate.


    He said that a werewolf and a human could make werewolf children as well. But then how did they do it if the human was not the werewolf''s mate? There must be a reason. But did I want to be his mate? I guess time would tell.


    "Then why am I here? I''m not your mate. You must have a mate, right? You''re older than eighteen. You surely have found your mate," I said before I could stop myself.


    "I''m the Alpha which means I''m the king of the werewolves. After my father''s death, I have been the king being the oldest son. And the kings have a chance to choose their own mate. They can choose any mateless werewolf or even a human," he said.


    "But why haven''t you chosen someone before? I mean, why wait this long?"


    "I waited for you toe to age," he replied.


    "What?"


    "I told you I know you for a very long time. If I want to make you my mate, you need to be eighteen first to mark you. You''ll be eighteen in two days, so I thought it''s time."


    "Mark me?"


    "Mark you and make you my mate. You''ll see how it works."


    "What will happen if you mark me?"


    "Then no one can take you away from me. You''ll be mine fully," he said. He pronounced the word ''mine'' with too much force and determination which gave me the idea that no one could ever take something away from him if it was his.


    "But why me? I''m just a human. You could have any werewolf as your mate. They are strong and more gorgeous as well," I said.


    "But I don''t want them. I want you."


    "Why?"


    "There are a lot of reasons, but the main reason is what you''ll find outter. The reason is sweet, Blue," he said, smiling slightly.


    The way he looked, he did not seem to be the person who would smile and talk friendly. It felt strange.


    "Well, since you''re the king..."


    "You''re going to be the Queen."


    "I wasn''t about to say that," I murmured while drooling over the prospect of bing Queen. A queen and me? It seemed to be impossible. I was sure I would never be able to believe that until I truly became the Queen. "I was about to ask, as you''re the King, then do you live in a castle or something like that?"


    "Yes, I live in a castle. It''s huge. You''re going to love it."


    "Is there Motte? I mean, an earthen mound with a t top?"


    "No. The castle is on innd. A Motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification. Ours is not like that," he said.


    His words made me believe that he, too, knew a lot about things. It made me happy in a way. At the very least, he would understand what I was saying, whereas the majority of people assumed I was insane because of everything I said.


    "What about a gatehouse?"


    "Yes, we have a gatehouse. It''s important for security."


    "Moat?"


    "Yes, our castle is surrounded by a moat. There is a bridge that leads inside. It''s the only entrance. The moat is filled with water and makes it hard for invaders to try to enter," he said.


    "You have a great hall, right?"


    "Every castle has a great hall. Sometimes it''s in a separate building. In that case, it''s called a hall house. But ours is in the castle. That''s where the dinner party for you will be held."


    "For me?"


    "When you will be the queen, we will invite other kings and queens here in our castle for dinner. It''s tradition," he said.


    "Oh, right," I said. It was weird to think of myself as a queen. "Can I ask you something?"


    "Just ask me, Blue. You don''t have to ask for my permission."


    "Um... I''ll turn eighteen in two days. Then when will..."


    "Two dayster. I don''t want to waste any more time," he replied without letting me finish. He did that a lot. It gave me an odd feeling that he could read my mind.


    "Oh ok."1


    "Do you want to ask me anything else?"


    "Well, there is another thing..."


    "Spill out."


    "Are you marrying me only to have kids?" I blurted out and held my breath, without meeting his gaze.


    "Look at me, Blue," he said, in an icy and calm voice.


    I looked up at him, my lips slightly trembling as I tried to apologize. However, he pressed his finger to my lips, causing me to shudder even more.


    "I''m marrying you because I want you to be my wife. Kids are not my concern at this time. My concern is you and that''s all," he said calmly.


    "Ok. That''s all. I''ll ask more when questions wille to my mind. Right now, it feels weird, but somewhat clear."


    "I expected you to ask about my werewolf."


    "You will tell me?" I asked. I wanted to ask him a lot of questions about it, but I could not. I assumed it would be inappropriate or something. I felt strange asking him questions, especially after he said he was the king. I feared that he would be offended and punish me.


    "If you really want to know, I''ll tell you."


    "So you can turn into a wolf?"


    "Werewolves can turn into a wolf. But as I''m the Alpha, I turn into a much more terrifying creature. It''s still a wolf, but a lot bigger and different looking," he said.


    "Will you show me?"


    "I''m frightening."


    "I don''t care. I just want to see it. I mean, I''ve seen wolves before. I just want to see how much different you look from them."


    "You saw wolves before?"


    "Yes. Well, there was a wolf that was possibly shot by a hunter. I took it to the veterinarian. Because of that...1"


    I could not finish. The memory of being beaten up by Draven came back to me. I could not just tell him that. I would look weak.


    He did not ask anything about it as well. I was grateful for it. Rather, he even had enough sense to change the subject.


    "My wolf is quite tall. I''m tall as well, but he''s massive. And it''s ck in color. Given the color of my fur on my hand, you might have guessed."


    I gave a nod. "So, one of these days, I''ll show you what my wolf looks like. It''s difficult to look at him because he''s so terrifying. But you''re brave, aren''t you? I''m sure you are. I know you''re not going to back down."


    His words were soothing. Except for myself, no one has ever called me brave. It sounded strange, but it was also too good for my ears to bear.


    "Are you ready to go to the castle then?" he asked.


    "Yes."


    He stood up and helped me to my feet. I noticed he was always holding my hand, and I was not at all bothered by it. In some ways, it felt good. It was as if his touch made me feel safe as if no one could ever hurt me if I was with him.


    "Your family is there too, right?" I asked nervously.


    "Yes. They are waiting for you."


    "They know about me?"


    "They do. Not only them, but the whole kingdom is waiting for you," he said. "They are waiting for their Queen."

 Chapter 7: The Echo

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    My knees were trembling after only five minutes of walking. I felt like I would not be able to walk anymore. But I did not tell him that. I did not want to look weak. I knew I could do it.


    But he stopped suddenly and looked down directly at my legs. I did not even wince in pain, but he seemed to see through me.


    "Do your legs hurt?" he asked.


    "Just a bit. Not so much. I can manage," I said.


    "Hold onto me."


    "Wha..."


    Before I knew what he meant, he picked me up in his arms in bridal style. No one had ever held me like this, not in this way. I blushed and was surprised as well.


    "I can walk," I murmured.


    "Just rx," he said.


    He started walking again. He was carrying me so easily that it looked like I was weightless. It was true that I was very slender, but the way he picked me up, waspletely effortless.


    Father had never let me eat properly. He said that if he fed me fully, I would get spoiled. I tried to steal food from the kitchen as well, but when I got caught, I had been struck with a belt twenty times.


    I exhaled a sigh. Everything changed in the course of a single night. I felt safer than I had in a long time now that I was away from my family and in the arms of a stranger. Furthermore, the stranger imed to be the King of Werewolves and desired me as his Queen, despite the fact that I was a nobody.


    His scent was enticing as if it transported me to a different world of rxation and addiction. I buried my face in his chest, trying to make it appear unintentional. And soon I realized that I hadpletely be addicted to his scent and it was making me rx more than I should. My eyelids felt heavy, and my mind reminded me that it had been a long time since I had slept.


    Sleeping in his arms would be inappropriate. I tried to keep my eyes open and think about anything other than sleeping. My attempt, however, was too feeble to be effective. My eyes soon gave out, and I felt myself drifting away.


    "You''repletely useless. You''re garbage. "You''repletely useless. You''re garbage. You will never be wanted by anyone. ept it, you bloody whore," Father said, his voice booming and nasty.


    "You cunt, do you have any idea what you look like? You piece of trash, bring my beer before I break your skull."


    Draven''s words made me cringe. I could tell that he meant what he said. He would not back away from breaking my skull. Furthermore, he would be delighted to do so.


    "It''s your entire fault, Blue. Why didn''t you listen to your father? You''ve brought this up," Mother said, showing her fake pity.


    "It''s going to be alright, sister. I know it''s hard for you. But trust me, everything will be fine. Just hold on a bit longer," Maxen''s soothing voice came to my mind.


    "Come back here, you slut!" Draven roared.


    I could not see anything, but I could hear their voices. It was like they were never going to leave me alone. They were going to haunt me all my life and never going to let me sleep.


    "You haven''t brought cigarettes again, you bitch!" Father growled.


    "That cunt stole all the money!"


    "You deserve to die!"


    "Don''t even try to talk back, you bitch!"


    "It''s your fault, Blue, you and I both know that. Just listen to them."


    "It will be okay, sister. Have faith."


    Hearing their terrible remarks and then Max''sforting ones made me want to scream. Everything was killing me. And then I heard it suddenly.


    "She is mine now. Don''t you dare touch her or raise your voice at her. You don''t have any right over her anymore. She is mine, only mine."


    I jerked awake, gasping for air as his voice echoed in my head. Did he mean everything he said? Was I truly his? But why would he want me? I was nothing more than useless trash.


    It took some time for my breathing to return to normal. In my panic, I was sweating profusely. With the back of my hand, I wiped the sweat from my brow. That was when I noticed that I was not in his arms anymore, but rather in a room, apletely unknown room, and oh lord... the room was bigger than Max''s and minebined.


    I was in a tall, queen-sized bed with plenty of pillows and a thickforter. The bedding was the same color as the walls. The deep blue color scheme gave the room a royal appearance. Silly me, I forgot that it was supposed to be royal when he was a king.


    Some of the pillow covers were dark blue to match the bedding and walls, while others were royal gold, gleaming in the candlelight.


    There was arge window on my right side. The long dark blue drapes hung there, fluttering in the breeze. I noticed that it was dark outside, kind of like evening. Had I slept for this long?


    An exquisite chandelier hung atop my head, looking as magnificent as ever. It was golden in color with a silver tinge on top.


    Beautiful golden artworks adorned the walls, giving the space a unique feel. Everything in the room was wless, if not more.


    "Can I meet her?" I heard the voice of a little girl from beneath the closed door.


    "Not now. She needs rest. You can meet her tomorrow morning," he said. His voice was full of care as he talked to the girl. I wondered who the girl was.


    "Please, Uncle Demetrius. I want to meet Aunt," the girl said pleadingly.


    Did she mean me by aunt? I wondered what it would feel like to be called Aunt. It would be weird as I was not even eighteen yet.


    "Uncle Demetrius told you that you can meet Aunt tomorrow. She will like to meet you too. But she needs proper rest for that. Especially when you''re going to spend the whole day with her," a woman said. Her voice was calm and warm, veryforting.


    "Okay, Mother," the little girl said.


    "Come on then. y with n," the woman said. "And brother, take care of my to-be sister-inw."


    "You know I will," he said.


    The footsteps faded away. I thought all of them had left. But then proving me wrong, the door opened, revealing his dashing form entering, dressed in a ck shirt with the two upper buttons undone, revealing a small but tempting section of his chest, just like before.


    "You''re awake," he said, noticing me sitting and looking at him.


    "Yes. I''ve woken up just now," I said. "It''s a huge room."


    "Do you like it?"


    "Yes. It''s beautiful."


    "Good. The healer has taken care of all of your scars," he said, making me look down at myself. I noticed that I did not have any bruises on my body. It feltpletely different. Nothing else was aching, which was apletely new sensation for me. Yet the most terrific part was that I was not wearing my cloth anymore, rather I was in a white nightgown made of satin.


    "My clothes..."


    "The maids changed your clothes," he said, stepping towards me, not in a threatening way though.


    "Oh."


    "I''ve told the maids to bring your dinner here. You must be too exhausted to go downstairs though my family insisted a lot to bring you down there."


    "It''s okay. I can go," I said even though I was not okay. Yes, I did not have any pain in my body, but I was not sure if I was ready to meet his family yet.


    "Not now, Blue. You can meet them tomorrow morning," he said and I gave a nod. I could barely take my eyes from him. He was truly mesmerizing; every inch of him was a work of beauty, a lovely sight to behold.


    "My niece is very excited to meet you. Since the day she has found out about you, she has been bugging me to bring you here. And now that you''ve arrived, she is over the moon and she will do anything to meet you. It took a long time to finally make her understand that you need rest and she can meet you tomorrow," he said, smiling.


    "How old is she?" I asked.


    "She is four now but talks a lot. You''ll love her."


    "I already love her," I said. It was not a lie. The thought of someone being eager to meet me made me fall in love with her instantly. How much I wished everyone would feel the same!


    "I have some issues to take care of. I''ll meet you in the morning."


    "Ok."


    He started to get out of the door. Suddenly I felt the urge to do it. I knew I needed to. It was the proper thing to do.


    "Demetrius?"

 Chapter 8: Mother

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Hearing my namee out of her mouth seemed to be the most tempting melody of all. My heart skipped more than one beat at this. It was too much; her effect on me was crossing the limit now.


    "Yes?" I asked, tightening my fists in anticipation of my legs carrying me up to her and doing somethingpletely inappropriate.


    "Thank you," she muttered.


    "For what?"


    "I don''t know. For making me feel like a human, I guess."


    My heart constricted cruelly inside my chest as I heard this. I had taken her away from her family, but the way they treated her was something that no one, not even a beast, could do. Her family was going to pay for that. I did not know exactly what they had done, but I knew it was something serious. What kind of parents would sell their daughter to an unknown person?


    "You deserve it," I said, smiling at her, though I was sure that it did not reach my eyes. The pain she was feeling inside, I was determined to ease that away so all she would remember was happiness.


    "You need to go to your work then, my king," she said. I knew she was saying that to see how it felt to say this.


    "You don''t need to call me that, Blue. Call me Demetrius only," I said, smiling at her. This time the smile was not tight. It was automatic and it was only for her.


    "Ok, my king, I mean, Demetrius," she said and smiled.


    I left the room, feeling light-hearted suddenly. Her smile seemed to be the fuel my machine needed.


    I went to my study room. The table had several papers on it and a map, with red and ck marks on it. The Beta stood there and as soon as I entered, he bowed slightly.


    "My king."


    "Any news?"


    "He wants the East part. He threatened of war if we don''t give him that," the Beta said.


    "A war? Does he have no idea that he will lose in that case?" I said. "Send him a letter and tell him that I will not give up any part of my kingdom. If he wants it, he has to fight me."


    "Then it''s going to be a war, my king," the Beta gasped.


    "Yes. It is a war, indeed," I said.


    "But what if King Ford says that he doesn''t want thend anymore? He can try to have a sly n."


    "We will be ready. He can''t do anything," I said.


    "Yes, my king," the Beta bowed and left.


    I sighed and sat down in the chair. Finally, she was here. I wanted her for a long time and now she was with me, in my world. Even though my sister and mother liked her, my other family members were not too fond of the idea of me marrying a human.


    They wanted a werewolf, a King''s bloodline, but I wanted her. I knew she was going to be a perfect Queen as well. I did not care what others were going to think about it. I had made up my mind a long time ago. It was her, and it would always be her.


    "Is she okay?"


    I was jolted back to reality, hearing Mother''s voice. She always managed to do that to me. Even though I could hear Mother''s footsteps, she still managed to surprise me. It had been always like this since childhood.


    "I told the maids to bring her dinner to her room," I said.


    "Have you told her everything? She is, after all, a human. This world is new to her, and it''s also a bit of a shock. One moment she is at home, and the next she is in apletely different world surrounded by strangers," Mother said as she took the seat in front of me.


    "She asked me some questions, and I answered them. I''ll tell her moreter. She needs to rest right now," I stated.


    "She is beautiful. She was sleeping when I saw her, but I''m sure she''ll look even more gorgeous when she wakes up," Mother said, smiling. "There''s already a rumor going around about you and her. People are assuming you chose her."


    "But I haven''t made any announcements yet."


    "Oh, my boy, it''s clear. The way you carried her, the way you looked down at her when you told us that she is the Blue you were talking about, the servants suspected that you like her. It''s not their fault. You''ve never done anything like that before. They know you as cold and merciless. Your strong ruling made them think that you can''t like someone.


    But seeing you with her, they sure got a st."


    Mother was beaming. She sure was happy for me. She was always telling me to find a mate. But I always refused because the only girl who was in my mind was Blue.


    "So, how does she feel about it all? The marriage, I mean."


    "I don''t know. She is not saying that she is unhappy nor is she showing that she is happy. She is just... okay with it, I guess," I said, thinking about her reaction.


    "She will love you, Demetrius. She is lucky to have you. Anyway, what about her family? What do they think of this marriage?"


    Just thinking about her family made me want to rip their heads off. They had been cruel to her. They did not deserve her in the first ce. They did not even bat an eye selling her to me.


    "They are okay too," I said. It was not my right to tell my family about her family. She would tell them if she was ready.


    "That''s strange. They don''t even know you."


    "Don''t worry, Mother. Everything is fine," I tried to reassure her.


    "I certainly hope so. Your uncle, on the other hand, is not pleased with the situation. He wanted you to marry King Lysander''s daughter, you know. And the fact that you''ve chosen your mate, who is also a human, has enraged him even more "Mother said.


    "I told him a lot of times that I will marry the girl I want. What''s his problem? If he continues to behave in this manner, I will expel him from the pce," I said angrily.


    "You know we can''t do that. He is your father''s younger brother. Your father would not want that. Now that your father is gone, we can''t disrespect his wish," Mother said. "Moreover, the main thing is that we like her. I''m sure your father would like her too.


    He would be happy for you."


    "I know. But Uncle Victor is crossing the limit. I''m giving him this one chance and it''s thest one he will get. If he tries to disrespect Blue in any way, he will have to pay the price," I growled, clenching my teeth.


    Mother sighed, knowing that I would not move from my words. Even though he was my uncle, I never liked him. He was always bbering on keeping up with the King''s bloodline, and stupid traditions. I knew he was not happy at all with me choosing a human and would try to tell me to get rid of her again. But if he tried to say awful things to Blue, he would not live to see the light of the world again.


    "Keep her close, Demetrius. She is a human and not all werewolves will like her so soon," Mother said in a warning tone.


    "My room is next to hers, Mother. Nothing will happen," I said.


    "Just be careful. I''m worried."


    "I know, Mother. Don''t worry. I won''t let anything happen to her."


    "If anything happens to her, it''ll be your fault, Demetrius. You''re the one who has brought her here. She did not want to be here, but you wanted her to be here with you and be your wife, your mate. Just make sure that you value her as one and take care of her. Save her with your life. She''s..."


    "...worth it," I finished for her.


    "Yes. I know you''ll save her. Just don''t prove me wrong, son."


    "I won''t. You know I won''t." Mother managed a smile.


    I knew she was afraid, but she tried not to show it. She was always like this. She was strong. She would not back away. And I was proud to have someone like her as my mother. She was not just my mother.


    She was my friend as well. I could talk to her like I could talk to no one else and she understood me. She was straightforward with everything she said and even managed to give me that characteristic of hers.

 Chapter 9: No Mistress

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The meal appeared to be Royalty-style. I never had such good food in my life. A plump woman with unruly brown hair walked into my room and handed me a piece of paper. The paper was a little stiff and yellowish, but not in a bad way.


    It had strange names that were supposed to be foods written on it. I found the one thing I could understand and told the woman to get it for me.


    She brought me a steak, which I had requested, but it was enormous. I was not sure if I would be able to finish the whole thing. Along with the steak, mashed potatoes and boiled peas were served. The mashed potatoes were creamy, just like I remembered having at an aunt''s house. It was the first andst time I had that experience. Because at home...


    Perhaps a stray cat ate more than I did.


    "Would you like some wine, my Lady?" she asked.


    I choked hearing ''mydy''. The woman quickly brought me a ss of water.


    "I don''t drink," I replied, which turned out to be nothing more than a whisper.


    She did not ask me anything else, rather she started organizing already organized things. It was only when I was almost done with my food, that she started talking again.


    "Permit me to ask you a question, mydy?"


    "Sure."


    "Are you king Demetrius''s bride? I mean, our to be Queen?" she asked, hesitantly.


    "What is your name?" I asked.


    "Please ept my sincere apologies, mydy. I''m sorry if I offended you..."


    "What is your name?" I asked again.


    "Eleanor, mydy. Please, mydy, I don''t have anywhere else to go," she pleaded.


    "I''m not going to take you away from your work, Eleanor. I just wanted to get to know you "I said, and she sighed in relief, albeit with a puzzled expression on her face. "As for me being your Queen, you should ask your king."


    "King Demetrius directed that we look after you and not allow you to work. We''re supposed to take care of everything for you. Please ept my apologies if this offends you; however, our king has never done anything like this before," she exined.


    "Like what?"


    "He''s never brought another woman with him before. He had mistresses, but not anyone like you. Mistresses have been just for pleasure, but the way he looks at you, it''s more than that, deeper than anything else. He cares for you, mydy."


    I did not hear what she was saying. It was killing me to think about him having mistresses. I did not know why I was feeling like that, but all I wanted was to leave this ce than see him with another woman.


    "He has mistresses?" I asked before I could stop myself.


    "He had," she said.


    "What do you mean he had? Doesn''t he have now?"


    "I''m sorry, but I''m not aware of it, mydy. This week, his majesty hasn''t slept with any mistresses. It''s probably because of you. I don''t know, but something tells me that he doesn''t want to have any mistress anymore. He wants you, mydy."


    "Did he have one mistress or too many?"


    "They were more like whores, mydy. They were paid for giving pleasure to the king."


    "You mean, there was more than one?"


    "Yes, mydy," she replied. "But why are you asking me this, mydy?"


    "I just wanted to know."


    "Mydy, there are guards outside this door if you require anything. You can tell them what you need," she said before taking the tes away.


    I sighed and retreated to my bed. Everything seemed odd. But I was no longer interested in strange things. I was feeling a surge of rage inside of me.


    He had brought me here, saying he wanted to marry me, but then he had mistresses. But what if Eleanor was correct? What if he truly did not sleep with anyone this week? What if he truly gave up his mistresses?


    I sighed and slid out of bed. My body was no longer aching. I made my way to the bathroom.


    It was huge. Everything seemed to ooze opulence. The look waspleted by the bathtub in the center, which was surrounded by two unnamed trees and artwork of a leaf.


    I was wondering if I could use it. Actually, I was not sure if I was supposed to use everything in this room. Demetrius had not told me that yet. What if he got mad? What if he would punish me?


    The sound of the door opening caused me to turn my head in that direction. I stood there, trying to figure out who it was. Since I was in the restroom, I had no idea.


    "Blue?"


    I was relieved. It was him. But why did I feel relieved? I did not even know him. It was as if he possessed the ability to cleanse my mind of all worries and fears.


    "Hey," he said as he entered the bathroom.


    He appeared tense, but his face rxed when he saw me standing there, hugging myself with both hands. Was that a look of concern in his eyes? Was he worried about me? But why?


    "Hello," I said slowly, feeling a little shy for some reason.


    "Are you nning on taking a bath?" he asked.


    "I was nning to. Well... um... can I..."


    "Yes, Blue, you can ask me a question," he said, carefully pronouncing each syble as if to ensure that I understood him. His voice was not cold but amused.


    "Can I use the bathtub?"


    "Of course, you can use it. It''s yours. Everything in this room is yours. Everything outside this room will be yours too after two days," he said.


    "Ok," I said. I opened my mouth to say something more to him, but then closed it again thinking if it would be appropriate.


    "Blue, don''t hesitate in saying or asking me something," he said calmly.


    "Can you read minds?" I blurted out quickly before I would lose the courage again.


    He burst outughing. Hisughter reached my ears, numbing them to everything else but hisughter.


    "What makes you think that?"


    "The way you finish sentences for me... the way you talk... it seems like you know what I''m thinking," I muttered.


    "It''s not like that. It''s just... I know you too well," he said, causing my heart to pause for a second as I processed his words.


    "Oh ok. I have another question."


    "Should I be worried?" he asked yfully.


    "Will you tell me the truth if I ask you?"


    "I will."


    "Well, it''s not just one question."


    "I have time," he said as if he was waiting for my questions.


    I inhaled deeply. If he wanted me to be his wife, I needed to know a few things. I could not be someone to be kept in the dark and then be used. I had been used enough.


    "Are you truly going to marry me?"


    "Yes. Do you have doubts?"


    "No. I mean, it''s so sudden and unexpected that I cannot help but be a bit... uncertain," I muttered.


    "You''re still thinking that why would I want to marry you, right?"


    I nodded, the thought of him reading my mind still lingering in my head. But he had already told me that he could not read my mind, he just knew me better. But how? Was I right about thinking that he had been keeping an eye on me? For how long?


    "It''s because I want to. I''ve wanted to for a long time as I told you before."


    ''You''ve known me for long?"


    "Yes, enough for making me want to make you my Queen."


    "For how long?"


    "I''ll tell you about this er. You won''t have to ask me that again. I''ll tell you myself. I want you to know about it as well, but not now. The perfect time is yet toe."


    "Ok," I said. "Do you... do you have mistresses?"


    He did not say anything and I regretted questioning. I should not have asked him this. I knew that he would be angry, but I still asked him. How foolish I was! Did I not learn enough, while growing up with my family?


    "I''m sorry," I mumbled.


    "Don''t be. I''m just a bit surprised that you''ve asked me this so soon," he said. "But I''m not angry and don''t ever be sorry for asking something to me. I''m your to-be husband, not your god. And no, I don''t have any mistress. I had before, but not anymore.


    I won''t have anyone as well. I don''t want my wife to feel useless," he said.


    Hearing this from him gave me a sense of relief. Perhaps he was truly not as cold as he looked. He had a heart probably, even though he did not seem to be the kind of person who cared.


    "Anything else you want to ask?"


    I shook my head. "I just want to take a bath."


    "Alright. I''ll see you in the morning then," he said. "Goodnight, Blue."


    "Goodnight," I said, "Demetrius."

 Chapter 10: Perfect

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    As soon as he left, he seemed to have taken the warmth with him, the same warmth he had brought with him before. The ce felt emptier now.


    I let out a sigh and got rid of the toofortable satin nightgown.


    In my mind, I thought about all the things I read about early nightgowns. I read about a lot of things and I remembered everything. This was the problem I had been facing since my childhood. If I read something attentively, I could remember it line by line, word by word. It would seem like a cool thing, but it was frustrating for me. First of all, because no one listened to me.


    Then whenever I thought about something or came across something I knew about, these lines would keep flooding in my mind. It was getting harder every passing day not to get tired of myself for this.


    I sat in the tub, trying not to think about anything too much for fear of those lines reappearing. I did not want to think about anything anymore. All I wanted and needed was to rx, something I had not done in thest fourteen years.


    But I still tried to rx by putting all of my weight in the bathtub, and filling it with hot water. Although the hot water made me feel warm, it did not feel as safe as Demetrius''s warmth.


    I was definitely going insane over him. I told myself over and over that he was a stranger. However, it did not work. To my horror, my mind kept drooling over the stranger, who was also handsome and sinful.


    I looked down at my body, which waspletely scar-free now. No matter how many times I looked down at myself, I was always surprised to see it without a bruise and feel no pain.


    After a while of sitting there, I was finally able to rx and calm down. My limbs felt like they were in heaven, and my mind was also at ease. My lips automatically curved into a smile.


    Even though there was a lot of confusion and uncertainty, I was able to rx. I closed my eyes and let the warm water whisk me away to another world.


    I had no idea what had happened. The sound of the door opening startled me awake, and my heart began to race.


    I had fallen asleep in the bathtub.


    "Don''t tell me you fell asleep in the bathtub," he said.


    I nodded guiltily even though I was not sure if it was my fault. The pleasure and rxation were too much to handle.


    "Dear lord, Blue. You''ll catch a cold for sure," he said and started toe closer.


    "No, no, no," I said panicking. "Don''te here. I''m... naked."


    "Oh, right," he said, realization hitting. "Get out of the water quickly. I''lle back after five minutes."


    I nodded, and he walked away. He appeared to be concerned about me. Was it because he genuinely cared about me? I was not sure. Even though the answer was obvious, I was hesitant to ept it.


    As I stepped out of the bathtub, I wrapped myself in a towel. I felt a bit cold suddenly. I stood in front of the mirror, observing myself. I looked different now with all those bruises gone and without a frown on my face.


    I kind of looked... alright. I wanted to continue observing myself, but then his words came back to me. He said he was going toe back in five minutes. I did not want him to see me naked.


    I went over to the closet and opened it, only to be greeted by a slew of gorgeous gowns. But the only problem was that they were not the type of clothes I wore. They were all gowns, expensive and stunning gowns that could take anyone''s breath away.


    I was curious if I had to wear these here. I was taken aback by the thought. How was I supposed to walk in these long, heavy dresses? Would I look weird?


    A knock came on the door and I looked back, panicking. "Are you done, Blue?" his deep voice came through.


    I was d that he did not just walk in. I would not even be able to tell him off as I was at his ce, he was not in my ce. At least, the thought of him being respectful made me feel relieved.


    "No," I replied. "Um, Demetrius?"


    "Yes?"


    "Am I supposed to wear one of these dresses?" I asked hesitantly.


    "Yes. Don''t you like them? I can get other dresses if you want."


    "No, I like them. I''ll be out in five minutes."


    "Okay. I''m waiting."


    I wore a light blue dress that reached my knees. The front of the dress was adorned with cap sleeves and pearls. It looked adorable, but I was not sure if it would look the same when I would wear it.


    The appearance was not the primary reason I chose it. It was the only dress that felt light on my body, so I went with it.


    I wore it, taking care not to tear any part of it. I did not want to cause a scandal. The zipper was a bit hard to reach, but I managed eventually. I had no intention of calling him for this. It would be strange and embarrassing.


    As soon as I put it on, I realized I was correct about itsfort. The fabric did not itch, and because it was lightweight, it made me feelfortable.


    Ibed my wet hair quickly. I looked for a hairdryer but quickly realized that I would not be able to find one here. If I was right, this world was not as developed as my world. There was not even electricity or anything like that. It was like they were ancient like the times of kings and queens.


    There were some cosmetics on the dressing table. But I did not use them. Not because I did not want to, but because I was not sure if they were the same as in my world. What if I used them wrongly?


    "Blue?"


    "I''m done," I dered, checking myself in the mirror to ensure I did not look like a frog. Hopefully, I did not. I looked approachable, which was enough for me.


    I opened the door and found him standing there. He was talking to one of the guards, but the moment I came out, he tilted his head towards me and his ck eyes met mine.


    I gasped quietly as a wave of chill rushed through my veins as he stared at me. For some time, his gaze did not move mine. Then he started to look up and down at me. I felt ufortable, especially with the guards observing everything. I wanted to bury my face in the pillows knowing perfectly that they had turned into the shade of a ripe strawberry.


    "Do I look okay?" I asked.


    "You look... perfect," he said and my cheeks heated up more than it felt like they could burn anything down.


    I smiled and he offered me his arm. I hesitantly ced my fingers through his arm, feeling too timid.


    "They are waiting for you in the dining room," he said.


    "Your family?" I asked even though I knew the answer myself.


    "Yes. They are looking forward to meeting you."


    "Are you sure I look okay?"


    "Just rx. You look amazing," he said making my heart beat faster.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, Blue. They will love you."


    "I hope so. So it is true that you''re marrying me?"


    "You have asked me this a lot. My answer is always going to be the same, Blue. Yes, I''m going to marry you," he replied and I kept my gaze forwards as we reached the stairwell. Everything was perfect here, but his words... they were_ everything to make things perfect.

 Chapter 11: The Breakfast With His Family

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I thought I was going to pass out from nervousness. With the anticipation of meeting his family, it was difficult to breathe. What if they did not like me? What if they would want to throw me away? He would not do it, would he?


    "Demetrius?"


    "Yes?"


    "What if they don''t like me? Will they throw me out? Will you throw me out?" I asked.


    "Of course not, Blue. They will like you. And I''ll never throw you out. No one has the right to do so," he replied gently.


    He held my hand as he guided me down the steps, and I felt as if his hand was the only thing keeping me upright.


    He led me to the dining room, which alone was the size of the conference room of our school. I noticed there was a table in the middle with a balcony in the front as we entered the room. The room did not need any candles for lighting; the sunlight-filled that need properly.


    A woman with fiery red hair smiled at me. Her eyes were simr to Demetrius''s. I knew right away that she was his mother.


    Beside her, there was a woman, perhaps of the same age as Demetrius, who had bright red hair like his mother and blue eyes. She was smiling slightly at me, a friendly look oozing from her face.


    There was another man who was on the other side of the table, looking at us expressionlessly. I did not like the way he was looking at me. It was clear that he did not like me.


    Beside the man, there was a woman with blonde hair who was faking a smile. It was way too obvious, but she still did not seem to understand that. I was certain that these two, whoever they were, did not like me at all.


    "Uncle Dem, can I talk to Aunt Blue?"


    A little girl''s voice drew my attention away from them and down. I noticed a girl with brown hair poking Demetrius on the leg with her little finger, giving me nervous yet curious nces. Her eyes were baby blue, so beautiful that I felt the urge to kiss her right away.


    "Go ahead. Talk to her," he urged gently, smiling down at her.


    With small, tentative steps, the little girl approached me. I knelt to make it easier for her to talk to me.


    "Hi," I said as I noticed her hesitation.


    "Hello, Aunt Blue," she said, suddenly smiling when she noticed I was smiling as well. "I''m Ava."


    "It''s nice meeting you, Ava."


    "Really?" she eximed, smiling broadly.


    "Yes. I''ve been looking forward to meeting you sincest night. Your uncle informed me that you want to meet me. I''ve been waiting since then," I murmured as I took her gentle hand in mine.


    "I went to meet you, but Uncle Dem did not let me. He said you needed rest. I wanted to y with you. Will you y with me today?"


    "She has juste here, Ava."


    It was the woman who I thought was about the same age as Demetrius. Perhaps it was his sister.


    "Don''t mind her, Blue. She is just very excited," she said, smiling at me. "I''m Evelyn, by the way, Demetrius''s sister. We''ve all been looking forward to meeting you."


    "It''s really great to meet you," I said. "And I would not mind ying with Ava. I would love to actually."


    "Really, Aunt Blue?" the girl asked excitedly.


    "Yes. We can y whatever we want."


    "Alright then. We will go in the garden and y there in my treehouse," she said.


    "Thene and have your breakfast first," Evelyn said and her daughter ran to her.


    "Come on, dear. Sit down," the woman who I suspected was Demetrius''s mother said gently.


    Demetrius nodded at me and helped me sit in a chair. "I''m Demetrius''s mother. You can call me Mother too."


    My heart almost sank hearing this. She was better than my own mother. My mother never loved me and here she was, I just met her and she was telling me to call her Mother.


    I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes, but I immediately gathered myself. "That is his uncle and his wife."


    I smiled at them, and the woman responded with a phony smile of her own, while the male remained expressionless. Now it was clear that he did not want me here at all.


    The breakfast went on with their little chats while I listened mostly. They were being friendly with me and I was gettingfortable talking to them as well.


    "What about your family, Blue?" his uncle asked suddenly.


    He had not spoken to me in a long time, and his abrupt question made me feel like he was attempting to humiliate me. But he could not know about my family, could he? Did Demetrius tell him?


    "There are my father, mother, and two brothers. I''m the youngest child," I replied, trying to keep my tone even.


    "They didn''t know much about our Demetrius, did he? Then why did they let youe with him?" he asked again.


    "I..."


    "They know enough to trust me with their daughter," Demetrius said before I could say something.


    "Still she is their daughter, right? They can''t get to know you in only one day," his uncle said.


    "Uncle Victor, that''s something that Blue and I need to worry about, not anyone else. And I would appreciate if people kept their noses to themselves," Demetrius said coldly.


    His uncle seemed to get angry at this but did not say anything else. It kind of seemed to me that he was a bit afraid of Demetrius. Was Demetrius very angry? Would he do punish people if they did not listen to him? This thought came to my mind a lot every time I would think of saying or asking him something. But as each minute passed, with his gentle behavior, I could not think of him bing angry.


    "What''s this?" I asked, looking at the weird-looking slimy thing on my te.


    "That''s made of beef," he replied.


    "It looks weird," Imented.


    "But tastes good. Eat it," he said.


    I decided to try it even though I had a feeling that it would not taste good. As soon as I put it into my mouth, I found out that he was right. It indeed was tasty.


    "Like it?" he asked and I nodded immediately, causing him to chuckle. I heard his mother amusingly chuckling as well, but I had no idea why. Was it because I ate it? Or was it because her son smiled? But either way, I was okay with it. At least, she did not seem to hate me.


    Breakfast did not turn out to be as horrible as I had feared. They seemed to get along with me, which was a plus. His uncle and aunt did not like me for sure, but that was not something I needed to worry about. Demetrius seemed to defend me, so it was fine.


    After breakfast, I promised Ava that I would y with her. Demetrius said he wanted to talk to me a bit first, so I told Ava to wait while I went to my room with him.


    "Listen, Blue, there are a lot of people here. They are all werewolves and as you''re a human, there are going to be guards with you wherever you go. Not everyone is good, so you have to be careful all the time. Do you understand?"


    "Yes."


    "And if anyone asks you about your family or anything like that, tell them only the parts you''refortable in talking about. This includes me. You don''t have to talk about something you don''t want to talk about," he said, making my heart go abnormal all over again. He did not have any idea how much his words meant to me.


    "Ok," I mumbled. I found him getting closer to me and I stiffened. He put his face down so his lips brushed against my left ear and kissed on my helix. I shuddered and he held me by the shoulders with his strong hands.


    "I''ll meet you at dinner, my bride. I would love to join for lunch as well, but I''ve some work to do," he said and I could do nothing but nod.


    "Let me introduce you to your guard," he said. He did not even have to call out, two men came through the door as if they already knew that Demetrius wanted them.


    "This, my bride, is Barrett," he said looking at the man in his fifties. Most of his hair had turned grey and he had a look of absolute loyalty on his face.


    "And that is Ezekiel."


    Ezekiel was young, perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three. He had blond hair along with matching grey eyes that gave him a look of fierceness. But his fierce look was nothingpared to Demetrius''s resting face.


    "Barrett and Ezekiel, meet your future Queen and Luna. Save her with your lives if you might."

 Chapter 12: Only Her Right

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Yes, my king," both of them said at the same time.


    Blue was shocked hearing what I said. She should be. She had never faced these kinds of things before. She would get used to it after some days.


    During the breakfast, even though Uncle Victor tried to make Blue feel ufortable, I did not let him do so. I would never let anyone try to make her feel bad.


    "I''ll leave now. I need some things to take care of," I said. The way she looked at me with her deep eyes made me want to kiss her right away, but I restrained myself. There was going to be time to do so after we were married and she would ept me properly.


    "I''ll go and meet Ava. She is very cute," she said, smiling.


    "She is. She likes you a lot. I''m sure she will start sharing her secrets with you."


    "Secrets?"


    "Everyone has secrets, Blue, little or big."


    "Do you have secrets?"


    "Perhaps I do," I said as I kissed her on the forehead. She flinched, not expecting it. She nced up at me with those beautiful blue eyes that had the power to make anyone fall for their beauty.


    "I''ll see youter then," I said, "my bride."


    I smiled at the thought of how my life would be with her in it. Whatever it was going to be, it would not be dull or lifeless.


    On the way, I met the Beta.


    "My king," he bowed.


    "Has he sent any reply?" I asked as I walked towards my study room with the Beta striding beside me.


    "No, my king. I believe he is plotting something new. He is not going to let go of the matter easily. King Ford is known for his cunning schemes," he said.


    "Do you suspect that we will lose to his sly ns, Kenzo?"


    "No, my king, I did not mean it. I know that our kingdom will not lose. I was just saying that now that you''ve chosen your bride, he might..."


    "He might try to take her away from me?" I asked.


    "Yes, my king," he said blowing his head.


    "And why do you think she is the one I chose? I haven''t introduced her officially yet," I said.


    "Everyone is talking about it, my king, so I assumed. Please forgive me if I am wrong."


    "No, you''re not wrong. She is the future Queen," I said. "I will introduce her tonight."


    "Good to know, my king," he said. "My king, can I ask you something?"


    "Go ahead."


    "She is a human?"


    "Yes," I replied. "Is that a problem?"


    "No, my king. Why would it be a problem? It''s just humans don''t reallye to this world, so I was a bit surprised. Nothing more than that," he said quickly.


    "Good. Now you need to make preparations for the future Queen''s official introduction. There is not going to be anycking of any type."


    "Yes, my king. I will make sure of everything."


    "Go now."


    Kenzo, the Beta, bowed and left. I went to sit in my chair. I needed to write letters to the other kings regarding the invitation to our wedding dinner party. There would be no time to write them after, so I decided to write them right away.


    I was finished in an hour. I was never fond of writing invitation letters to other kings and queens. But as it was part of my duty, I had no choice but to do it. Kings and queens were not going to appear on their own. Rather, they dispatched a representative to represent them at Royal weddings.


    I got up and went out of the room, knowing full well that I needed to see her again.


    I met Evelyn on the way.


    "You got such a sweet bride, brother," she said smiling.


    I smiled too. Mother and sister liked her a lot. They had to. No one in their right mind could ever hate someone like her. She was perfect.


    "Where is she?" I asked.


    "Someone can''t let his bride get away from his eyes," Evelyn teased.


    "You were even crazier about Merrick," I said.


    "My husband is handsome. Of course, I was crazy about him. I still am," she pouted.


    "And my bride is gorgeous. Don''t you think I should be crazy about her?"


    "You got a point there, brother. I won''t lie, but she is truly pretty. Did you see her eyes? They are just perfect," she said. "Ava likes her a lot. She has taken her to her treehouse.


    I think she is reading your bride her favorite poems."


    "Good then."


    "Are you going to your Blue, brother?" she asked.


    I did not reply. I started walking. I heard her chuckling behind. She knew the answer herself. Was it too obvious that I was crazy about Blue? Perhaps it was.


    But I did not care. She was my bride and I had all the right to be crazy about her.


    I made my way to the garden. On my way, I got bows again and again. I had gotten used to it and it did not bother me at all. But I wondered how Blue was going to feel about it. It was going to take her some time to adjust.


    I knew the way to Ava''s treehouse pretty perfectly as I was the one who had built it for her. She was even closer to me than her parents, mostly because her parents were always busy traveling, but she did not like it.


    As I reached the treehouse, I saw that Barrett and Ezekiel were standing under the steps. The treehouse seemed to be so quiet. I climbed up the stairs and looked inside the door only to find one of the most beautiful sights.


    Ava was sitting on Blue''sp and reciting a poem to Blue, who was listening intently, stroking her hair. Blue had her eyes closed as she was leaning on Ava''s head gently.


    I went inside, being careful not to make any noise. I watched as both of them were very intent in their poem reciting and listening.


    "Was it good, aunt Blue?" Ava asked as she was finished.


    "It wasn''t just good, Ava. It was amazing," she said and kissed her on the cheeks.


    "You have beautiful hair, aunt Blue."


    "Thank you, sweetheart. But your hair is better than mine."


    "Really?"


    "Yes. It''s perfect," she said lovingly. "And don''t call me aunt Blue. Call me Blue, just Blue."


    "But you''re my aunt."


    "I am. But I''m just_ not old enough to be aunt. Aunt seems to be so old. Call me just Blue," she mumbled and I smiled inwardly. Her back was in my direction. That was why she had not noticed that I was there yet.


    "Ok," Ava said excitedly. "Have you seen Uncle Dem''s statue?"


    "Yes. Just a while ago when I came here," she replied.


    "Uncle Dem looks better than Father. I told Father this, he justughed. I told him to look like Uncle Dem, but he doesn''t."


    "I''m sure your father is good-looking too in his own way. Or how could he get this beautiful girl?"


    "Am I beautiful?"


    "Yes, you''re. You''re a gorgeous, sweet thing. I''ve never seen anyone as gorgeous as you," she said.


    "I''m better looking than Uncle Dem?"


    "Your uncle is_ good looking too_ in his way. And you''re good looking in your own way," she replied. I could hear the difort and shyness in her voice.


    "Girls like Uncle Dem. I heard Mother''s servant saying that she wants to do bad things with him."


    I had to struggle to hold out myughter as I saw Blue moving ufortably. "What bad things?"


    "I don''t know. They did not say, but they were giggling a lot. They said they want to go to Uncle Dem''s bedroom and sleep in his bed."


    Blue did not say anything for a while as if she was trying to process what Ava just said. "They did not say anything else, right?"


    "No. I asked them what they meant, but then they stopped talking and did not say anything else."


    Blue sighed in relief. "Don''t listen to them. People say a lot of inappropriate stupid things. If they say something like that again, tell me right away."


    "Ok, I will tell you. You will beat them up, right? That will be fun. They will fear you a lot too then. Only you have the right to sleep in Uncle Dem''s bed, right?"


    Blue thought for a while and then making my breathing stop, she said, "Yes."

 Chapter 13: The Tour

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Do you love Uncle Dem?" Ava asked.


    I was at a loss for words. I did not want to lie, and I did not want to tell the truth either. But even I did not know at that moment what was the lie or what the truth was. How did I feel about him? I had no idea.


    "Ava, you should not ask Blue these things too early. Give her some time."


    His voice made me jump. If Ava was not on myp, I would surely do so. I hastily looked back and saw that he was kneeling on the floor with a little smirk on his face. Could the sight be any better?


    Ava jumped up from myp and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He easily picked her up and sat her on hisp, kissing her hair.


    I wondered how long he had been there. I did not even notice him. Lord knew how much he had heard. It was embarrassing.


    "Ava is going to sleep. Let''s go back," he said, and I jolted out of my thoughts. Ava was yawning and her eyelids got heavy. I nodded to him and got up. He went down the stairs and I followed.


    "I have got my work covered for the day. Do you want to go on a tour of the castle?" he asked.


    "You will show me around?"


    "Yes."


    "Ok."


    "And there will be a gathering tonight. Tonight, I''ll formally introduce you as the future Queen, "he said, and my heart began to thump once more. It was going to take some time for me to get used to hearing the word "Queen."


    "Oh, alright. Do I have to do something there? I mean, anything that I don''t know about?"


    "No. All you have to do is be there, and that''s all," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, I''ll ce Ava in her room. You cane with me if you want or you can wait here. Then we can start our tour."


    "I''m going to stay here," I said, and he nodded. I stood in a corner of the long corridor, watching as he walked away.


    Behind me, Barrett and Ezekiel stood. I felt the urge to talk to them if they were my personal guards, but did not know how to start.


    "Um... is it a pack or something?" I asked, gathering all my courage.


    "Yes, mydy?" Ezekiel asked.


    "He is the king, right? So what do you call it? A kingdom or a pack? Werewolves live in a pack, right?"


    "We call it our kingdom, mostly. Some call it a pack as well. But most of us prefer kingdom as it''s far bigger than what a pack is supposed to be," Barrett replied.


    "I see. So, what is the name of this kingdom?" I inquired, quickly adding, "I don''t know anything about this ce. So, please don''t mind my questions."


    "Of course not, mydy. Please do not worry and ask me anything," Barrett said quickly. "Our kingdom is Querencia. It''s the most powerful of the five kingdoms."


    As Barrett said this, his voice was filled with pride. Perhaps this was what it felt like to have a ce to call home, a perfect home, a home to be proud of.


    I was about to ask something more when Demetrius came back. He motioned for them to leave, and they bowed respectfully.


    "Come on. We''ll start from the Great Hall," he said, offering me his hand, which I epted after giving it a thought.


    I nodded, and he led me to the end of the corridor, where there was a massive door. We were greeted by two guards who bowed and opened the door for us.


    The room was enormous¡ªit was rectangr and three times as long as it was wide. On one of the long sides, there were windows, specifically arge bay window. There were many pictures on the walls, mostly portraits of men and women with solemn expressions.


    "They are the previous kings and queens," he whispered into my ear, his breath brushing against the side of my neck, making the hair on my nape stand up in alert.


    "Why aren''t you there?" I asked.


    "They are the dead ones, my bride," he replied. "I''m not going to be there anytime soon. There are many things to do."


    "Who eats here?" I asked, pretending that I did not hear what he saidst.


    "Almost everyone. Especially on asions, everyone in the castle, the soldiers, the royal have a feast together. Very chaotic, I have to say. Royals can eat with them every day if they want to," he said, wrinkling his pointy nose. "However, I prefer my privacy."


    "Okay, so tonight... the..."


    "The official introduction?"


    "Yes, that. Will you do it here?" I asked.


    "Yes, my bride. Have you seen the firece?"


    "It''s huge," I said, gaping at it as the woods burnt gracefully, the fire emerging greedily. "Do you sit there?"


    "Yes, the Royals sit there," he said.


    I cast a nce toward the far end of the hall, where the high table sat. I was wondering if I was supposed to sit there as well.


    "You''re going to sit beside me there," he said as if he could read my thought. I wondered how much he knew me to know what was going on in my mind almost all the time.


    "I bet you know a lot about great halls as well," he said, and it was all my mouth needed to spill out the words that have been running through my head the moment he mentions the Great Hall to me.


    She told me all about great halls in her world and how they were. I was curious because I did not know a lot of things about her world. Besides, if I wanted to be a good husband, I needed to know more things about the world where my wife came from.


    "Do you see the difference between the Great Halls described in your world and the one you''re seeing now?"


    "Yes. Do members really sleep on the floor here at night?" I asked.


    "No. Everyone has their chamber here. The servants have their own chamber in the servants'' quarter at a side of the castle, the soldiers have chambers as well," he replied.


    "That''s great. Sleeping on the floor appears to be a bit... harsh, especially at night when it gets cold."


    "You''ll never have to sleep on the floor," he muttered, as if he he knew about the times when I had to sleep on the basement floor at night as part of the punishment.


    I did not say anything. It was ufortable to talk about those times. "So you''re not going to show me the bed chambers, are you? They are private ces."


    "I can show you if you want to even if they are private."


    "No, it''s fine. I don''t want to invade anyone''s privacy."


    "You''ll see mine soon, after our marriage, because you''ll be staying there with me," he said, and for some strange reason, I blushed. Staying in the same room, on the same bed with him was more than strange for me. He was still a stranger, yet I was going to be his wife the day after tomorrow and also going to be with him in his room. Everything seemed unreal at that moment.


    "Is your room called the Great Chamber?"


    "Yes, my bride. Don''t worry, sweet thing. You''ll be there very soon," he said, once again bringing his lips closer to my ear that his lips almost brushed against it. What was he doing?

 Chapter 14: Sudden Darkness

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I flinched away quickly, attempting to expand the gap between us, but he was still clutching my hand, holding me in ce.


    "Running away, my bride?" he teased.


    "Aren''t you going to show me other parts of the castle?" I asked, trying to stop his teasing. I did not want to let him see my state, as an awkward mess.


    "Oh yeah, my bride," he whispered, brushing his lips on my earlobe before pulling away. "How about we go to the library?"


    He led me upstairs, on the second floor, to the library. On our way, many people bowed to us. I felt very ufortable, but he did not seem to notice.


    "Do they always bow?" I asked.


    "They are supposed to, as I''m their King," he replied.


    "Isn''t it too much?"


    "Perhaps, but rules can be overbearing sometimes," he shrugged.


    He pushed the library door open with his palms. It was huge and heavy for sure, but he opened it effortlessly.


    "Are you werewolves stronger than normal human beings?" I asked.


    "You can say that."


    "Like, how strong are you? Do you have super strength?"


    "Depends on your definition of super strength."


    "Can you punch a wall and make a hole?"


    "I''m not sure about a hole, but I can make a fracture on the wall for sure," he said.


    "And you won''t break your knuckles?"


    "Not just by punching on the wall."


    "That''s really amazing!" I eximed in awe. But then the thought came to me. He was unbelievably strong and that meant he could snap my bones if he was angry. I gulped. What if he snapped my bones? What if he cracked my skull?


    "What''re you thinking, my bride? Are you scared of me?"


    "No," I tried tough, but the sound that came out of my mouth could be anything, but surely not augh.


    "Don''t lie to me, sweet thing. I can see through your words. Don''t hide your true feelings from me_ ever," he said, bringing his face close to mine and cradling the side of my neck as if he was careful that I might crackdown.


    "I''m not scared... Just a bit conscious about the reality," I mumbled.


    "I see. But be assured, my bride, I will not hurt you. I will lift the world for you..."


    "And then let it fall on my head when you''re angry."


    "What makes you think I would do that?" he asked, and I realized I had said that aloud. I thought it was in my head, but my mouth betrayed me.


    I nced up guiltily at him, my eyes meeting his ck ones, and I gulped once again. "Sorry."


    "Why are you apologizing? You spoke exactly what was on your mind. I''d like you to do the same. I want you to bepletely honest with me about your life, your decisions, your feelings, and everything else," he said while running his thumb across the corner of my neck where his hand was, and I felt myself melting down. "But don''t be concerned, my bride. You''re mine and I don''t hurt that is mine.


    I save them at all costs and I make sure that no one else takes what is mine. But I will never hurt my thing. No matter how I am with others, my sweet bride, you will not see that part of me with you."


    I did not know if I was to be confused or relieved by his words. There was something in the way he said ''mine'', some kind of possessiveness, a determination, and something more that I could notprehend.


    "You will not hurt me?" I asked shakily.


    "I won''t, darling, I won''t," he said and kissed my forehead. The gesture was a sign of protectiveness, a promise that secured my heart tightly.


    "My king?"


    A voice made me flinch, and I tried to get away as we were too close. But he held me in ce, not bothering who saw us standing that close.


    I noticed we were still standing in the library door, too close to each other, that his breath fell on the top of my head.


    "Oh, I did not know...," the old man started hesitantly, looking away.


    "Don''t bother, Amos. I''m here to show the future Queen the library," Demetrius said, ncing down at me, making my cheeks heat up.


    "Oh, I did not know. Wee, mydy," the old man said, bowing.


    I nodded at him and offered him a smile, not knowing what else to do. "Pleasee inside, mydy."


    "You can take a break now, Amos. We need a bit of privacy."


    I did not understand at all. He was supposed to show me the library. Then why would we need privacy?


    "Certainly, my king. Have a good time, my king and mydy," Amos said and bowed once again before leaving.


    Demetrius led me inside the library and shut the door behind me. The library was massive, with a massive rack on either side. There were more books than anyone could ever count. I was left in awe at the grandeur of the ce and the collection of the books.


    "Why do we need privacy?" I asked, but he just chuckled, shaking his head. "We''re not married," I mumbled under my breath, which made himugh even more. Hisughter was seductive in a way, even though it was not supposed to be.


    "Don''t worry, my bride. I will not do something you will not want me to do. I just don''t want him to linger around when we enjoy our alone time," he said.


    I cleared my throat and feltpelled to shift the topic. He was teasing me more and more with each passing second. He was not like that a while ago, but he had been slowly a tease and I... did not hate it.


    "Do youe here often?" I asked him as we walked past a shelf and I gawked at the books.


    "I don''t have a lot of free time, but when I have, Ie here to read."


    "Can Ie here too? I want to read some books too," I requested.


    "Of course, my bride. You don''t have to ask me that, just to do whatever you want," he said, patting my hair as if I was a little kid. "But remember one thing."


    I looked up at him, as his voice had suddenly turned frigid. It seemed like the warm side of him was gone in a split second. I could not help but feel ufortable at the sudden change.


    "Always remember that you''re mine. Always remember that," he said, his voice so dark and dangerous that I wanted to take a step back. If it was not for his hand on my hair and his other hand holding my hand, I would do so as soon as possible.


    "Do you understand, my bride? Do you understand, my sweet Blue?" he asked, bringing his face down to mine, letting me almost get blinded by the look on his dark eyes.


    "Y-Yes," I said and my voice trembled badly.


    He smiled abruptly, causing the dark aura to rip apart and catch me off guard. "Good girl," he remarked as he messed up my hair.


    "Come on now, let''s go to the window. I''ll show you something," he said and pulled me with him. I was too shocked that I could not utter a single thing. The sudden change, the dark look- everything was telling me that there were more things about him than I thought.


    "Is something bothering you, my bride?"


    I shook my head and tried to smile as he showed me the moat. The water that filled the moat was clear, looking beautiful as sunrays fell on it. Even with the beautiful weather and the fantastic surroundings, I could not help but think about the way he behaved a while ago.


    "Don''t you have to work today?" I asked.


    "No, my bride, not until the afternoon. I''ll leave after lunch. I can bete. We have a problem with another kingdom. Things are getting a bit harsh with several of their spies entering our kingdom. I need to look more into this matter," he said.


    "Barrett said that there are five kingdoms," I said.


    "Yes. This is Querencia, my kingdom, our kingdom. The other four are Ataraxia, Trouvaille, Lacuna and Mazarine. We have a problem with Trouvaille. Ford Trouvaille is the king of Trouvaille. He is not much of a person to make decent deals with others.


    He even named his kingdom after his surname."


    "Is that allowed?" I asked, surprised.


    "He made it allowed. His kingdom is a bit smaller than mine, but I won''t lie, but he has better spies than us. His spies take death vows."


    "Death vows?"


    "Yes, like if they get caught, they will kill themselves in a way or another," he replied.

 Chapter 15: You

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "He sounds like a bad person," she mumbled.


    "We all are," I said.


    She looked at me as if I had said something terrible. Perhaps I did. I messed her hair up and smiled at her.


    "What is it, my bride?"


    "Nothing," she said and shook her head hurriedly.


    "Are you afraid of me?" I asked.


    "No... It''s not like that."


    "Then what is it like?"


    "I don''t know. You''re so hard to read, but I''m not afraid of you," she muttered, but she was not so sure of that herself.


    "It''s better if you don''t be. I won''t hurt you," I said.


    "I know."


    "Good girl," I said and kissed her on the forehead. She was taken aback. Other times I had to see her from far away, but now that she was in front of me, just a few inches away, it was hard for me not to touch her. Even though I wanted more, I could satisfy myself just by holding her hand, at least for the time being.


    "Do you only have your mother, sister''s family, uncle, and aunt here in the castle?" she asked.


    "Well, Evelyn and her husband don''t really stay for long here. They travel a lot. But their daughter stays in the castle sometimes and sometimes goes with them. It depends on her mood. And her mood changes a lot. And aunt and uncle live here too along with their son."


    "But I haven''t seen your cousin."


    "He is... He goes here and there. He wille back. There is no need to meet him anyway," I said, feeling disgusted at the thought of him.


    "Why do you say that? He is your cousin," she said.


    "It doesn''t matter. Anyway, let''s go. We''ll have some food. It''s almost lunchtime."


    "Will you show me the roof first?"


    "You want to see the roof?"


    "If it''s not a problem..."


    "No, it''s not a problem, not for you. I''ll take you to the roof, but not now. I''ll take you there tonight."


    "Why not now?"


    "You''ll see," I said.


    I knew my talking intrigued her, but I enjoyed seeing her expecting something. I wanted to see her surprised while, I also wanted her to be sure that I would never hurt her.


    "Okay. You''re not going to push me off the roof, right?" she asked and quickly pped her hand over her mouth. She did not want to say it for sure. But it did not matter. She could not trust me and she had a reason for it. I was a stranger anyway.


    "I''m sorry. I was not...," she panicked.


    "Blue," I said calmly. "Don''t be sorry. I understand that it''s hard for you to trust me. Besides, I''m a stranger who you have never seen before, but are going to marry. You should behave like this. I would be surprised if you didn''t behave like this.


    But please give me a chance and try to trust me. You don''t have to fully trust me, but just a bit. I''ll manage the rest. I''ll make you trust me, my bride."


    She gulped and nodded. "Are you not too hungry?" I asked.


    "Not like I have to eat right away."


    "Then I better show you the rest of the castle," I said and led her out of the library, holding her hand. I did not want to let go. I knew that even though she felt a bit ufortable in holding my hand, she felt safe with me. She was still pondering in her mind if she could trust me or not. I smiled slightly.


    "Don''t worry, my bride. You will trust me soon. You will like me, like the way I like you."


    "You like me?"


    "Oh, sweet Blue. Isn''t it obvious? I like you and that''s why I want to marry you," I said.


    "But why do you like me? I have nothing that can make someone like me."


    I sighed. If only she knew how much I wanted her since the first time I had seen her, if only she could hear how my heartbeat increased every time Iid my eyes on her, if only she knew how much I wanted to kiss her, if only she knew how much I wanted to mark her as mine!


    "Don''t ever say that, my bride. You''re everything anyone would want. Shame that they can''t have you. You''re made for me and you''ll always be mine. It doesn''t matter if I mark you as mine or not, you are destined to be with me and no one can change destiny, the destiny that''s chosen for them," I said.


    "Then tell me, why do you like me?" she urged.


    "Because everything you do, everything about you, makes me want you," I said, and she looked at me in disbelief, but I was sure that she felt the words to her heart.


    "Do you have arrow loops here?" she asked.


    I chuckled. She must be desperate to change the subject. "No. We don''t need that. Did you forget that we''re werewolves? We fight ws to ws, fangs to fangs like beasts.


    We''re not human, Blue, nor we behave like humans. It doesn''t matter if we look like humans; we''re never humans. It doesn''t matter what the situation is or where we are, we''re always beasts and we''re always going to be beasts."


    "But I''m not one of you. How will I survive?"


    "What do you think I''m for? I''ll save you," I said. "I''ll always save you."


    She looked down at her feet as we were passing the corridor towards my study room. I stopped and nced at her. She seemed to be thinking if she should tell me something or not. But the fact was that... I already knew what she wanted to know.


    "Don''t be concerned, my bride. I''m the beast you shouldn''t fear. I''m the beast that won''t kill you. Rather I''m the beast that would do anything to save you. You don''t have to save yourself from me, my little bride. I won''t hurt you."


    "You lied to me," she mumbled.


    "I never lied to you, my bride," I said calmly.


    "You said you can''t read my mind. But you can_ every time."


    "That''s not the matter, my bride. I just_ know you more than anyone else. I can read people, but you''re the one I know most perfectly."


    "How?"


    I did not say anything. How could I tell her that I had spent so much time observing her that I knew what she wanted, what she thought, without even asking her? I just smiled at her and took her to my study.


    "It''s your study," she said, gazing here and there. "It''s so perfectly decorated. You must have a lot of servants."


    "I have a lot of servants, but no onees into my study except it''s urgent."


    "You decorate and clean it yourself?"


    "Yes," I replied. "Is it hard to believe, my darling bride?"


    "A bit. You are good at this. It''s just perfect," she said.


    "You cane here anytime you want."


    "But I don''t have any business here or there is no emergency."


    "My bride doesn''t need a reason to go somewhere in my kingdom. She can go wherever she wants," I said and lifted her chin up. "My ce is your ce too, my bride."


    "You have a lot of books here too," she said, looking at the bookshelf.


    "What can I say? This head of mine won''t calm down if I don''t read something. But now I think I''ve found something else that can calm both my head and heart down."


    "Really? What is it?"


    "You''ll know soon."


    "You''re very_ mysterious," she mumbled.


    "You''ll love my mysteries soon, my bride," I said and smiled at her. She was truly intrigued by me. I had to admit that she looked kind of adorable, with her mind racing with thoughts and unknown anticipations from me.


    "Do you stay here most of the time?" she asked.


    She was always trying to change the subject whenever I told something that intrigued her. I did not me her. People always found it hard to understand me. But she was going to understand me soon. Even though I was not sure if I wanted her to, but I was sure about one thing; I would not be able to stop her.


    "Yes, most of the time."


    "It''s a good ce to spend time in. But what about your family? Don''t you spend time with them?"


    "I prefer alone time," I said. "But things have changed a bit now. I preferpany now, just one particr person''spany."


    She looked at me with a questioning look on her face as she asked, "Who?"


    "You."

 Chapter 16: Lion Like A Wolf

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Mypany?" I asked, dumbfounded. Why would he want mypany? I was not someone anyone would want to spend time with. People called me weird all my life.


    "Yourpany, my bride."


    "Why?"


    "There are some things in life that don''t need any reason. It''s just how life is. Uncovered in some points," he said.


    Why was he so mysterious? Sometimes he was gentle and warm, but the next moment he was intriguing, a bit frightening and mysterious.


    "Won''t you take me to the tower?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I did not like to talk about the things he was mysterious about. They made me ufortable and always let a shiver run through me.


    "Now?"


    "You won''t be here in the afternoon, as you said. Then I won''t get any other time to go there," I exined.


    "Alright then. How can I refuse you, my bride?"


    He took me to the tower. I liked the insides, the way the wall was made of stones. It gave a kind of cold vibe.


    "It''s huge," Imented.


    "It''s supposed to be," he muttered carelessly.


    Perhaps he was used to seeing those big and luxurious things, but I was not. I barely got to have enough food, let alone luxury. So, everything here was taking me by surprise, even though I knew clearly that things were going to be luxurious and expensive here in this castle.


    After spending some time in the tower, Demetrius took me down for dinner. He asked me if I needed to take a shower, but I said that I did not. Most of the times, I took a shower in the middle of the night. Because I loved to pour all of me out in my tears sitting on the floor as water fell on my skin.


    "Where is Ava?" I asked Evelyn as I sat beside her in the dining table with Demetrius on my other side.


    "She is sleeping," Evelyn replied with a smile. "That kite has finally calmed down after talking endlessly. Oh, meet Merrick, my husband. And Merrick, this is my to-be sister-inw, Blue."


    "Nice meeting you," I mumbled.


    "Nice meeting you too, mydy," he said.


    "Oh no, call me Blue please," I blurted out.


    "Sure, Blue. I heard Ava is very fond of you. She has been telling me about you since I''vee back," he said, taking a seat beside his wife.


    "She is amazing. We had a great time," I said.


    "You''re going to introduce Blue officially tonight, brother?" Evelyn asked.


    "Yes, that''s the n. I''ve told others to prepare everything. There is going to be a feast tonight," Demetrius muttered coldly beside me.


    His voice had no hint of warmth, unlike the times when we were alone. Why was he behaving like this? It was his family.


    "I told you, my bride, I''m not the same way with everyone else," he whispered into my ear.


    "Why not?" I whispered back.


    "That''s how I am," he replied simply, leaving me in confusion again. He seemed to enjoy making me feel intrigued.


    During lunch, Evelyn chatted with her husband and her mother joined now and then. Demetrius''s uncle and aunt talked among themselves, but I noticed them looking at me as if I had done something wrong every moment or so. Demetrius was not talking while I was trying to figure him out. Why was he like this? It was like multiple personalities were inside the same person.


    His mood seemed to change every now and then in a blink.


    "Do you, by any chance, have bipr?" I asked. I could not hold my tongue back anymore. I needed to know why he was behaving like that.


    "What?"


    "Bipr- Do you have bipr? Do you?"


    "Why do you ask that?"


    "You know why," I muttered. "Do you have it?"


    "No," he replied.


    "You do have," I said in a low tone so no one could hear me. He chuckled slightly, only so I could hear the sound of hisughter. He surely had heard me.


    After lunch, Demetrius took me back to my room. It felt weird because he could tell any of the servants to take me back, but he never did. It was like he was trying to make sure that I had gotten there safely. But why?


    "I won''t be able toe back the whole afternoon. The feast on behalf of your Royal introduction will take ce at eight tonight. I''lle back right on the time. Be ready."


    "Um..."


    "You have something to tell me, my bride?" he asked.


    "It''s just... I won''t have to say anything, right?"


    He chuckled. "No, my bride. You won''t have to say anything. You just have to be there and look perfect, which you always are. So, basically you don''t have to do anything," he said and kissed me on the forehead.


    "Okay. I''ll be ready," I said. "Will... will you be there too?"


    "Are you afraid without me, my bride?" he asked with a smirk.


    "I don''t know anyone else," I mumbled.


    "Don''t worry, my sweet bride. I''ll be there with you, holding your hand and leading you into this world officially," he said and kissed me on the forehead once again.


    Why was he doing this? I was feeling strange, but in a good way, which frightened me even more. He was having unimaginable effect on me.


    "Okay."


    "I''ll go now. And remember, this is an unknown world full of creatures that are not humans. So, be careful in whatever you do. Just stay inside the room when I''m not around. It''s safe for you."


    "Will they kill me if I go out?"


    "What happens when you go to the cave of lions? A lot of lions. They can kill you, right? But there is a possibility that they will not kill you, but just hurt you, scratch you, hurt you so much that you''ll want to die. And there is also a chance that they will not hurt you at all. You know what it means?


    The situation is unpredictable. This is the same thing here, my little Blue."


    "Then what if I go to the grasp of a single lion?" I asked.


    He smiled. "The lion can kill you, can eat you, can hurt you... And there is a chance that he can fall in love with you, can care for you and save you from others, perhaps from his own kind as well."


    He continued, "But it''s almost impossible for a group of lions to fall for you, to care for you, to want good for you. There are always going to be one or two who will want to harm you. But the first lion, if you stay with him only and he falls in love with you, he will never leave your side.


    He will always be there for you when you need him, he will stand up for you, he will listen to you even though he never cares what other people say, he will be kind to you. He will show you his wild side too, but he will make sure that you like his wild side along his gentle side that''s only preserved for you."


    "Why would he show me his wild side if he loves me?"


    "That''s what a lion is, my Blue. No matter how much gentle he tried to be, he can never give up his wild side, his possessiveness. Even though he will love you, he will make sure that you know who you belong to. For that, he might not hurt you with pain, rather with pleasure."


    "How can someone hurt me with pleasure?" I asked.


    "Oh my bride, there is always a way for everything. The lion has his way. He will hurt you and torture you with so much pleasure that you will crave more and do whatever he wants you to do. He will not take advantage of you, but he will make you his and make sure that no one ever dares toy their eyes on you or you look at another lion in the same way you look at him."


    "Will the lion go against his own kind for me?"


    "If you love the lion, care for him and stay with him despite his ws, he will stand up to anyone for you. He will do anything and everything for you," he said, a little cold smile formed on the corner of his lips. "Just like a wolf will do."

 Chapter 17: Evelyn

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    He left me dumbfounded, thinking about what he had just told me. He was strange. I did not understand why he could not talk a bit more clearly.


    One thing about him that surprised me a lot was that he could not just read my mind. He always knew what I was talking about, even when I would not make things clear. I wondered if he truly understood that I meant him by the lion.


    I was nervous about tonight''s event. He was going to introduce me to all the werewolves. They were surely going to hate me. I was a human, after all. He said that I would not have to do anything, but just be there. I wondered if he truly meant that.


    I decided to take his word in this case.


    I lie down on the bed, thinking about surviving. Even if I managed to go through tonight''s event, there were going to be other things next as well. The day after tomorrow, I was going to marry him right when I would turn eighteen. I had never thought about marrying this early. Honestly, I never thought about marrying as I always had a feeling that someday Father or Draven would kill me.


    But as it did not happen, and I managed to live, I had to marry him.


    Marrying him did not seem like the worst thing that could happen to me. He was handsome, perfect, and also was good towards me. But there was also an intriguing part of him that always frightened me. Yet as he did not mistreat me, I thought perhaps I could ept him as he was, and then one day, maybe I would understand him and the meaning behind his mysterious words.


    Max would be jealous of me seeing the luxurious things around me. I wished he was here, too. But part of me wanted to p him in the face. He could have put an end to our misery, or at least he could try if he had the courage to go to the police. Even when I tried to go to the police, he stopped me, saying that it would destroy our lives. As if our lives were not destroyed already!


    I heard the door opening. Demetrius said he would not be here till evening. I sat up on the bed to see who it was.


    I did not expect her to be here. It was Evelyn, Demetrius''s sister. She was exquisite, just like her mother. She smiled at me and came to sit beside me.


    "I''m leaving after your wedding. I might not get much time to chat with you, so I thought that this is a perfect time. Were you sleeping?" she asked.


    "No. I was just lying down," I replied.


    "Tired?"


    "No," Iughed. "Demetrius took me on a tour around the castle. Perhaps that''s why I''m just a bit fatigued, not so much though."


    "He has shown you everything?"


    "Kind of. But he did not show me the roof. He said he will show that to meter," I said.


    "Good. Have you been to his study?"


    "Yes. It''s very beautiful."


    "He spends most of his time there. He likes to be alone, you know."


    "He told me that. He said I can go there any time," I said.


    "He said that?" she asked as if it was something very hard to believe.


    "Well, he said that he would like to spend time with me, so if I want to, I can be there."


    "That''s new. He never lets anyone enter the study room without business. He sometimes lets Mother go there, but not always. Especially when he is in a foul mood, everyone stays away from him."


    "Oh," I mumbled. "Does he get really angry?"


    "When he does, he is really hard to face. But he will not hurt you. You''re very precious to him. It''s clear in his eyes every time he looks at you or talks about you."


    "He talks about me?" I asked, surprised. Why would he talk about me? There was no reason for someone to talk about me.


    "He tends to keep things private about him. But he told us about you two months ago. That was when Uncle Victor told him to marry a princess. He refused and said that he had already chosen you as his Queen."


    Two months ago? So he was telling me the truth. He truly knew me for a long time. But was he keeping an eye on me? How did he even see me? His sister did not seem to know much about this thing, so I decided not to ask her.


    "Oh. I didn''t know him that time," I said.


    "He said that you met him only yesterday when he brought you here," she said.


    "Yes."


    "Can I ask you something, Blue?"


    "Yeah, sure."


    "Don''t tell him about this," she said.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t," I promised.


    "Good then. Well, did he force you toe with him?"


    I thought about it for a moment. That time I had wanted to run away from him. But he knew what I wanted to do. He told me that he would take care of me, he would not hurt me and he also said that I would not be able to get too far away from him. He would perhaps force me toe here with him if I tried to run away. But I did not.


    I came here with him willingly. It was not called forced for sure.


    "No. I havee here willingly," I replied.


    "But why? Why would youe with a stranger?"


    I did not know what to tell her this time. I could not just tell her about my family and the things they did to me. I could not tell her that I wanted nothing more than to get away from that family. And for that, if I had to go away with a stranger, I would.


    "That''s a secret between us," I said. "We would like to keep it this way."


    "As you wish. But you can trust me and think of me as a sister."


    "I know, Evelyn. It''s just I would like to cherish our secrets," I said with a smile.


    "So, have you two... I mean, done anything?"


    "Done anything?"


    "You know, mating."


    "No," I said quickly, blushing furiously. "We didn''t do it."


    "Nothing at all?"


    I shook my head, not knowing how to mutter a single word about this. Her question made me think about how it would feel like to be in his embrace fully, how it would feel to kiss him. My own thoughts scared me. I did not know if I wanted to do it or not, but to my horror, I was actually considering it.


    He kissed me on the forehead and brushed his lips against my ear, but he never tried to kiss me on the lips. But he always came very close to me that I would start to feel self-conscious.


    "Anyway, so where are you going?"


    "Merrick and I are going for traveling. This time, Ava wille with us too. We''lle back after six months, perhaps and then we will set out again."


    "Demetrius said you two love traveling."


    "We do. We met this way. I was traveling to a waterfall and Merrick was there, too. Then we traveled together and you know sparks flew. So here we are now," she said, grinning. "We were very young.


    I was eighteen, and he was neen. And here we are, after five years, we are still very much in love."


    "I hope I get a family like this too."


    "Oh, Blue, you have already got a family. I know my brother. You might not believe this, but you are the person he cares about the most, more than anyone else. He will stand up to anyone for you. You might think that as we are his family, he is very close to us. But that''s not the case.


    If there is a fire and he can only save one person, he will choose you without any kind of hesitation," she said. "Do you know why? Because he wants you. He feels some kind of pull towards you. Wolves are hungry, Blue. And the Alphas are even hungrier.


    They get what they want and when they get it, they make sure to take care of it and let no one elsee in between the Alpha and his precious thing. My brother might look very frightening and I won''t lie, he actually is like that. But to you, he is softer than cotton.


    All you have to do is be his only and gain his trust, be with him, and then, he will give the world to you and protect you from whateveres in the way."

 Chapter 18: I Am Ready

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Evelyn''s words rang in my ears long after she was gone. Was Demetrius truly frightening? He kind of gave me that vibe, but I was not sure. He never behaved scarily with me. But then I remembered the way he twisted Draven''s arm. It was kind of scary.


    I did not even notice when I fell asleep. I felt exhausted for some reason. I woke up feeling warm breath on my face.


    "What the..."


    "Shh. You can still sleep for half an hour more," he said, pressing his index finger on my lips.


    "What''re you doing here?" I asked.


    "Can''t Ie to my bride? I''ve finished my work already. I havee to see how you''re doing and found you sleeping. I could not walk away from taking advantage."


    "What advantage?"


    "Watching the blissful sight of someone sleeping," he replied and I blushed. I could not bring myself to look up at him. It was getting harder for me to resist the temptation of doing something.


    "Are you shy, my bride?" he chuckled amusingly.


    "N-No," I muttered, looking away from him. His face was very close to mine, his warm breath on my face made me want to bury my face somewhere so he would not be able to see what a mess I was at the moment.


    "My bride lies too, I see," he said and stroked my cheek with his fingers. He was so close to me... I could not think straight.


    "Should I get ready now?" I asked, trying to get away from him or I might lose my mindpletely.


    "I''ll send the maids then. But we can still wait two more minutes," he said, smirking and I could not help but wonder what kind of thought was running in his mind.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "I don''t need a reason to spend time with my bride."


    "I should get ready, De-Demetrius."


    "As you wish," he said, chuckling, "my bride."


    He got up and went towards the door. Before leaving, he gave me an enchanting smile that I could not get my mind off. What was he doing to me?


    Not long after he left, three maids entered with their hands full of various things which I did not care to look at. I was thinking of what was going to happen tonight now that he was going to introduce me to everyone. I just wished I was not going to make a fool of myself.


    "Mydy, pleasee with us," one of them said.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "For bath, mydy," she replied.


    I noticed that she had ck hair, as dark as coal. She was holding a white towel in her hand. "I''ve bathed this morning."


    "It''s the rule, mydy, to take a bath before getting ready for important events," she said calmly.


    Important event? Was tonight an important event? He was just going to introduce me. Was it too important?


    "Alright then," I said and followed them into the bathroom. They removed the dress I was wearing though I was embarrassed. But they did not seem to care. As I sat in the water, they scrubbed my skin lightly which wasfortable in a way, but I preferred doing it myself. Thinking that Demetrius might get angry, I did not object.


    "Mydy, can I ask you something?" the silver-haired girl asked.


    "Yes," I said.


    "Mydy, where did you and his majesty meet?" she asked.


    "Are you asking me this because I''m a human?" I asked.


    "No offense, mydy," she said quickly.


    "No, it''s alright. Actually, Demetrius chose me as his bride. I didn''t know him," I replied. I decided not to tell too much thing. Demetrius might not want me to tell too many things and besides, it was better if people did not know such things. The less they knew, the fewer questions there would be.


    "That means his majesty proposed to you, mydy?" she asked, enthusiastically.


    Of course, he did not propose to me. He just brought me here without even asking me to be his bride. He said that he wanted me as his bride and if I tried to run away, he would catch me anyway. But I could not just tell them that. He was the king after all. I could not badmouth him.


    Or he might punish me.


    "Kind of like that," I said, managing a smile.


    They did not ask me anything else. It seemed like they wanted to ask me, but feared for some reason. No wonder they feared Demetrius a lot and thought that I would tell him if they asked me something about him.


    "Do you all fear Demetrius a lot?" I asked.


    "His Majesty is someone who doesn''t forgive if someone breaks the rule and his orders. He is a powerful king and his reputation is well known in all the kingdoms. He certainly is tough, but a very strong king. We all respect him a lot," she said.


    She talked very carefully as if not letting a bad word against him slip. So this was how they had to talk about their king. I wondered if I would be able to talk like this as well. I did not have any practice talking in this manner, but perhaps I needed to learn as soon as possible. I could not think of what he would do if I offended him.


    After the bath, they helped me wrap up in a towel. They did not soak my hair saying that I needed to have my hairbed nicely.


    "His Majesty chose this for you himself, mydy," the ck-haired girl said, grinning.


    It was a bright red dress with a sweetheart neckline. There were little diamonds on the front part of the dress. The upper part of the dress was made ofce creating a magnificent design that would attract anyone with good taste. The dress was very long along with a fluffy downer part.


    "It''s... It''s too expensive," I muttered.


    They looked at me as if I had said something wrong. But I truly could not think of wearing this dress. It was way too expensive. I could not just waste his money, could I?


    "His Majesty brought this, mydy. And you''re our future queen. You have all the rights to wear this and any expensive things," the red-haired girl said.


    "I guess so," I mumbled though I still did not feel that it was right to wear it. I was going to talk to Demetrius about it.


    "How do you know that I''m your future queen? I''m not officially introduced yet," I said.


    "Words travel fast, mydy," she said.


    She was right. It was a kingdom after all. If something happened, everyone would find out sooner orter.


    "I don''t know any of your names yet," I said.


    "I am Brenna, mydy," the ck-haired girl said. "This is Ruby and that is Arianell, mydy."


    Their names were easy to remember as they were associated with their appearance. I wondered if everyone here was named like that.


    They helped me put on the dress. The dress was heavy and it was a bit hard to move in with it. But the fabric wasfortable and for some reason, it did not make me sweat though I was worried about how to walk with it on.


    "Wear this cape, mydy. It will make you look even more beautiful," Ruby, the red-haired girl said.


    I did not notice the cape before. It was beautiful, even the word beautiful was not enough to describe its beauty. It wasced in the part of the neck. It was very long that it touched the ground behind me like a silky wave of red g pressed against my back like a protective shield.


    They did not let me look into the mirror before they were finished preparing me. They applied those makeups that I saw on the dressing table earlier with utter skill. Arianell put my hair in a side bun with a braid going from the side to the back into the bun.


    "Mydy, you look lovely," Brenna eximed.


    I looked into the mirror to see if she was right. The sight I saw was not something I was familiar with. I had never worn something so beautiful and I was not sure if the dress was something for someone like me to wear. I looked different. I did not care how I looked. All I cared about was how his reaction was going to be.


    What if I looked too bad and he would not like it and decide to punish me? He said he was not going to hurt me, but living with a family like mine, I developed the fear of being punished for everything and I was not sure if it would go away any time soon.


    "His Majesty wants us to inform him when you''re ready, mydy," Brenna said.


    "I am ready."

 Chapter 19: Future Queen

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I stood in front of the mirror, trying to find any fault in my looks. I did not want to embarrass myself tonight.


    I heard the door opening. I knew it was him. I was thinking if he would like my look or not. What if he did not like the way I looked tonight? Would he rethink his decision of marrying me?


    "I''m ready," I said, turning to face him.


    He just stood there, looking at me, as if time had stopped. His expression was unreadable. I did not understand if he liked how I looked or was horrified.


    "I''ve never worn something this fancy before... I''m not sure if I look okay," I mumbled.


    "You look beautiful," he said, approaching me and my legs froze in the ce. He stroked my cheek with his knuckles and I shivered slightly, feeling a sudden chill. "Just perfect. Red suits you."


    "Thank you," I muttered shyly.


    "Do you like it?" he asked.


    "I do. It''s beautiful, but it''s_ expensive. You shouldn''t have given me something this expensive."


    "Don''t ever say that," he said gently, but I could sense the warning in his voice. "You''re my bride. I''ll give my bride whatever I want, I''ll cherish her, I''ll make her the happiest person in the world. Moreover, you''re the future queen. You deserve to have the most expensive thing in the world."


    "But..."


    "No buts, my bride," he said, pressing his index finger on my lips, "Tonight, everyone will know who my bride is. They will know their future queen. And tomorrow, you will be mine and this kingdom will get its queen."


    "It feels unreal, Demetrius."


    "Nothing is unreal, my bride. This is all real and you''re with me, the ce where you''re always going to be."


    "Why me, Demetrius? Please tell me, why me?"


    "You will know when the timees, my bride. Be patient," he said gently. "We should get going now. Everyone is waiting for us."


    "Okay. Are you sure that I look okay? No one willugh at me, right?"


    "No one will dare. And you look perfect, my bride," he said and kissed my forehead. "But I am curious as to what will you do if someone tries to take me down."


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "When you''re my mate, I would want you to do something I would do. But now, you can do what you want."


    "In that case, I would probably ignore them. But if they crossed the limit, I would give them a piece of my mind," I said.


    He smiled. "And if you need any help in that, I''m always there," he said with a handsome smile that only he could give.


    I gulped. Now that I thought about it, having him as my husband was not going to be as bad as I thought. It was true that I was afraid of him, but I could try to get over the fear or try to avoid him if that was the case.


    "I''ve lied to you once, my bride," he said suddenly.


    "What?" I asked, my voice a bit shaky as I tried to think of what he could lie about. Did he lie about marrying me or did he lie about liking me? Or did he lie about not hurting me?


    "Remember when you asked me if I can read your mind? I said no that time," he said as he brought his face down to my ear, "But_ I actually can read minds."


    "Then why did you lie to me before?"


    "Because I wanted to know what you think about usually, but now- I think I should not keep this from you. But there''s one thing, my bride. No one else knows about this."


    I could not believe he told me a thing that no one else knew about. It was a huge secret after all. Was I that trustworthy?


    "You''re trustworthy; at least I want to trust you. And I know you won''t break my trust, my bride," he said. "We should go now, my bride."


    "Yes," I said.


    "Don''t break my trust, my bride. I don''t like the ones who do so."


    I gulped. It was not like I would break his trust, but I still wondered what he would do if I did so. Would he kill me?


    "You don''t need to know that," he said, reminding me again that I had forgotten that he could read minds.


    I slipped my hand through his arm as he led me out the door. My heart was thumping in my chest despite my best efforts to calm myself down. I still doubted what kind of impression they were going to have of me. A lot of the werewolves bowed at us on the way. I felt quite uneasy, but Demetrius kept giving me reassuring nods and my heart would thump even crazily at this.


    He led me down the stairs. I had a lot of difficulties climbing down the stairs wearing this long dress, but he kept his hand on me to help me down, and thankfully, I did not fall on the way.


    "Just rx," he said as soon as I took thest step. "And breathe."


    I took a deep breath and looked at him, like a little girl waiting for praise for doing as told. He kissed me on the forehead and smiled at me.


    The door of the great hall opened, revealing hundreds of people there. As they saw their king with an unknown girl who barely managed to stand still, I heard a lot of them gasping. Were they mortified seeing me?


    Demetrius did not seem to care. He walked towards the high table with a proud and still look on his face. I had not seen this side of him. He smiled a lot with me, but now, he was apletely different person with a high personality, pride omitting from every part of him.


    I saw his mother, sitting beside the biggest chair in the middle of the table. She smiled at us. There were two vacant chairs in the middle that I guessed were for us. I saw his sister Evelyn, brother-inw, niece Ava, uncle, and aunt, but there was one more person that I had not seen before. He was perhaps a few years older than Demetrius. He had brown hair and light brown eyes.


    He was sitting at one corner of the table right beside his mother who was telling him something, but his eyes were fixed on us or precisely saying_ on me.


    He gave me a smirk for no reason and I could not help but feel ufortable. I looked away from him hastily. Demetrius helped me up to sit at the high table right beside him. All the eyes were on us now and suddenly, I started feeling self-conscious.


    "Don''t worry, my bride. Just rx and give me a smile," he whispered into my ear.


    I managed a smile and he nodded at me with a small smile that I was sure no one else could see. I heard Evelyn chuckle in amusement, sitting beside me.


    "You look really pretty tonight," she said, with her dashing smile that resembled her mother a lot.


    "Thank you. You look amazing too," I said.


    Sheughed. "Of course I do. I have to look good for my husband after all," she said, nudging her husband who kissed her cheek affectionately. The love between them was so pure and clear that it melted my heart. No wonder they got such a wonderful baby Ava because of their love.


    I smiled at them and then again saw that man oddly looking at me. I wanted to ask Demetrius who he was but then decided against it thinking it might not be the right time to ask him that.


    He nodded at me, perhaps meaning that he would tell meter. Of course, he could read my mind- I kept forgetting.


    He stood up after a while and everyone fell silent. The silence was filled with his powerful aura in the air, making anyone shiver. The way everyone looked at him, was full of respect and fear at the same time. But he did not care for any of that.


    "Tonight, this kingdom will introduce a very important person," he said, looking straight at the people ahead. "I, King Demetrius Easton of Querencia, introduce the future Queen of Querencia Blue Learley."


    As he offered me his hand and I epted it and stood up, everyone gasped and cheered at the same time. I could not believe it was truly happening. Somehow, a girl like me had be the bride of a powerful king who was also a werewolf in a whole new world. Perhaps I was an outsider here, but with him beside me, I could feel how everything was going to change and this was going to be my home.

 Chapter 20: The Feast

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The feast was grand. Everyone was talking and smiling as they were enjoying the feast. Evelyn exined the names of the items to me and I noticed that they were different from what I used to call them in my world. It was going to be even harder for me to tell them what I wanted to eat.


    I had mashed potatoes and French onion soup along with French bread. They called it something else here which was much harder to keep in mind.


    "Wine?" Demetrius asked.


    "No. I don''t drink," I said, smiling. Precisely saying, I had never drunk before. We were not wealthy enough to afford wine and besides, even if we went somewhere, Draven would not let me eat anything good, so wine was out of the list.


    "Don''t think about those times. Remember it''s a new life and you will not remember anything of the time with those people," he said.


    I nodded, feeling too grateful to say anything. If it was his true self, then I was not going to have any regrets marrying him, no matter if he was a stranger.


    He could read my mind and told me that only I knew about it. I wondered if it was true. Even his mother and sister did not know about it?


    "No, they don''t know about it," he said, reading my mind.


    "Why didn''t you tell them?"


    "I just don''t like to tell my secrets to everyone."


    "Yet you told me," I mumbled.


    "You''re not everyone. You''re my bride and will be my wife tomorrow. You''re the one I''m going to spend the rest of my life with. If you don''t know about my secrets, then who will?"


    He was trusting me a lot. No one had ever been like this to me. I could not help but feel a bit emotional at this. But did he not fear at all that I might betray him?


    "I know you won''t," he said. "I know you, my bride. I know you will never betray me. You will be the best queen there ever was and the best wife. And you will always stay by my side."


    "I''m not the Queen type of person," I said.


    "Why do you say that?"


    "A queen needs to maintain a lot of formalities- sit still, look pretty and perfect, talk with courtesy, show respect and sit idly..."


    "A queen has other responsibilities too," he said. "She is the king''s other half. A kingdom can''t be fulfilled without her."


    "But most kings marry so they can have heirs," I said calmly. "The kings just use them for reproduction and then they ignore them, go with their mistresses."


    "Do you think I will do that?"


    "No, I mean..."


    "Blue, I don''t like anyone suspecting me," he said calmly, but the dangerous tone made me shiver. "You''re new here and you''re my bride, that''s why I''m trying to make you understand that I won''t hurt you. But you have to trust me fully. I''m a man of my words. Do you get it?"


    "Y-Yes," I mumbled, my heart filled with fear.


    "You''re not sure," he said.


    "Sorry, I just..."


    "Don''t worry. You will trust me fully soon."


    I gulped and ate the rest of my food. Demetrius was talking to his mother and Evelyn was talking to her husband with a smile on her face that did not leave at all. I saw Ava, sitting beside her father. She smiled and waved at me and I waved back.


    A man came from behind Ava and kissed her hair, but he was_ looking directly at me. It was the same man who was sitting beside Demetrius''s aunt. I always felt uneasy at the way he would look at me. I averted my gaze from them and looked beside, only to find Demetrius looking at me.


    "He is my cousin, the one I told you about," he said. "And you don''t like him."


    "I don''t mean any..."


    "I don''t like him either," he said and I could not help butugh.


    "Sorry, it''s not even funny...," I mumbled, trying to control myughter. It would be a horrible thing if I startedughing hard in front of everyone.


    "Justugh if you want to. You look even more beautiful when youugh."


    I blushed at his words. He was so free with me... How could someone say that he was cruel and cold?


    "And the thing you told me about being a queen... You can be any kind of queen that you want to."


    "But people won''t like me if I behave as I want to."


    "If you can be the real you, everyone will admire you. We live in a world where we don''t just care for love. Admiration and respect is the main thing here. You might not be loved, but you will be admired as a powerful queen- It''s not a bad thing. Do you think people like me? Do they love me?


    Most of them don''t, truly saying, almost none of them don''t. But they respect me, fear me, and admire me and it''s enough to make me one of the most powerful kings. Just like that, you can be yourself too and let the world see what you can do just by being you, but not the person others want you to be. And I''ll be with you on the way," he said.


    I did not say anything. His words echoed in my head. He was right. I should be myself and let the world see what I truly was. I should not care if they loved me or not. No one can please everyone at the same time.


    "And you don''t have to be the all-perfect queen," he said and brought his lips close to my ear. "You can be my warrior queen."


    I was not even sure if I could be that, but something about the ''warrior queen'' sounded perfect, just right. I thought if I truly could be that type of queen. It surely was going to be difficult, but I needed to work hard to make a ce in this world. I was weak in their eyes as I was the only human here where they were all werewolves.


    But I needed to let them know that I could be more than a human as well.


    "You can do that," he said from beside, reading every single word of my thought.


    I was not used to it and it felt kind of weird as well. What if I had some kind of embarrassing thoughts? Oh no...


    "Don''t worry. As long as the thoughts are about me, I don''t mind," he said.


    It was getting too much. But there was nothing I could do. I wondered if he could read everyone''s mind.


    "I can," he replied quickly. "Just think about what you have to ask. We must not talk about this here."


    ''?????? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ??????????? ?? ????????, ???????? ?????? ???????? ????????????, ??????????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ??????????, ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ????????, ???????????''


    "I could do this for as long as I can remember, but I never told this to anyone."


    "Why not?" I asked.


    "Someone told me not to."


    "Who?"


    "That''s something for you to know another day," he said. "Anyway, there is going to be a drinking session now."


    "You mean, everyone will drink as much as they want?"


    "Yes."


    "I thought werewolves can''t get drunk."


    "That''s nonsense. We all can get drunk."


    "So you''re going to drink now?"


    "No. I have promised someone else something that I will do tonight."


    I wondered what he had promised to another person that he would not even drink. It kind of made me sad for some reason. But I tried not to think about it. He could read minds after all. It would be very embarrassing if he knew that I was sad just for this.


    I looked beside me and found him smiling at me. His smile was not wide or warm, but just enough to melt my heart. The way he looked at me and smiled at me always gave me a sense of protection and care.


    But why was he smiling at me? Did I make a fool of myself by thinking about something weird? The worst thing was- I could not even remember what I was thinking about.


    "Don''t overthink everything, my bride."


    "Why do you call me my bride all the time?" I asked, mustering all my courage. No matter what he said, talking to him always gave me chills.


    "Don''t you like it?" he asked.


    "No. I just... It''s too intimate."


    "I have all the rights to be intimate with you," he said, smirking. "And now, I need to leave to fulfill my promise."


    "Ok," I mumbled, half-heartedly.


    "It seems like you''ve forgotten."


    "What?"


    "I promised you that I will take you to the roof tonight."

 Chapter 21: Issac

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    She blushed, looking down at herp. She was looking breath-taking today and now that she was blushing, she looked irresistible. It made me want to tease her even more.


    For the first time in my life, I told someone that I could read minds and to my surprise, I did not feel slightly insecure at this. The thought of getting betrayed did not cross my mind not even for once. It was like I knew I could trust her, those eyes that held the world in them seemed to make me trust her, let her know my secrets, and keep her by my side.


    I offered her my hand and she took it, still shy as she blushed furiously. I liked seeing her like this. It made me impatient. I had to remind myself again and again that only one day and then she would be minepletely.


    Mother chuckled looking at me. She was still treating me like a little boy. No matter what I was, or even if I was a king, to Mother, I was always a little boy, the boy she gave birth and raised.


    "Are you sure no one will mind if we leave like this?" she asked, looking around as if in search of disappointing eyes.


    "I am the king. Who will dare to mind if I do something?" I said.


    "????????''?? ?????? ?????????????? ???????" she thought.


    "Perhaps. A king has his advantages," I said and she looked at me, shocked. She still had not gotten used to my mind reading thing. I had to admit it was kind of fun to tease her and read her thoughts, especially to see her embarrassed expression.


    I led her out of the hall. Everyone bowed at us and she looked as uneasy as ever, gripping my hand tightly with her tiny soft hand.


    "You will get used to it," I said to her.


    "I hope so," she muttered, still not so sure.


    I had held her hand tightly so she would not fall as she went up the stairs. She was not used to wearing long dresses, so it was a bit difficult for her to move in the red gown.


    "???? ?? ???????? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ????????? ??''?? ?????????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????????. ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???? ?????"


    "You can wear morefortable things if you want. I will bring the designer to you," I said, reading her thoughts and she jumped up in surprise as usual. I sighed. It was going to take her a while to adjust to this.


    "No need. I''m just..."


    "I don''t like to hear lies," I said firmly.


    "Alright then," she said in a surrendered tone. "But you don''t have to waste too much money on me."


    "And why is that?"


    "?????????????? ??''?? ?????? ?????????? ????."


    "I don''t know..."


    "You''re saying somethingpletely different from what you''re thinking."


    "What? What was I thinking?"


    I sighed. "Let''s go now. You will understand everything very soon, my bride."


    We were walking through the corridor. Two stairwells led to the roof- one that everyone could use and another one that only the Royal family members could use.


    "Isn''t it a bit rude not to introduce your bride to your cousin?"


    Hearing his voice, Blue almost jumped out. We looked behind us and found him standing in a corner.


    "What do you want, Isaac?" I asked, annoyed.


    "How can you talk like that, cousin? I just wanted to meet my to-be sister-inw," he said with a fake innocent expression.


    I could not even do anything about this punk because of Mother. She made me promise her that I would not do anything to my uncle''s family as Father would not do it. It was utter nonsense, but still, she was behaving as if a family was everything. If the family was untrustworthy, then I would not mind leaving them behind. They were not worth staying with after all.


    The quicker I got rid of him, the better. Knowing his nature perfectly, I did not want Blue to stay even a single second with him.


    "Blue, this is my cousin Isaac and as you know, Isaac, this is my bride Blue," I said, gritting my teeth. The way she nced at me, it was clear that she knew that I was angry and did not want to be here.


    "Nice meeting you," she said, smiling at him, but through the smile, I could see the fakeness.


    "??????''?? ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ??????????????," she said in her mind. I could not help but feel a slight hint of happiness inside. She was indeed the perfect person for me.


    "The pleasure is mine," Isaac said, giving his cocky smile. He tried to take Blue''s hand, but I pped his hand away.


    "Don''t get too far," I warned.


    "I''m just trying to get to know my to-be sister-inw," he said. "What? Are you afraid that I will take your bride away?"


    "It was a pleasure meeting you, Isaac. But now if you excuse us... We have something in hand," she said, surprising mepletely.


    "Yes, sure," he said, ufortably.


    This time, it was not me who led us, rather she held my hand and led me out towards the stairwell.


    "?????? ???????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????????? ???? ???? ???????? ????????! ??????????????????????- ?? ??????????, ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ????????. ?? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ??????," Isaac thought. I clenched my fists, trying to control my anger. Even though I could always read others'' thoughts, I never felt like today- it was as if I was losing control over myself and I would rip his head off any time.


    I was supposed to lose control because or else others would find out about my ability to read minds. This was a secret and my advantage, I could not afford to lose it. But this time, I did not care about anything else. All I wanted was to get rid of this bastard.


    "???? ???? ?????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ????????, ???? ?????" she said to me through her mind. I looked at her, being a little surprised, and found her pouting at me. The anger I felt seemed to cool down in a moment, just like the ray of sunlight in the morning, after a war of darkness and blood.


    I shook my head and smiled at her. Every single moment, I was discovering again and again that choosing her as my bride was the right idea.


    As soon as we got away from him, she looked here and there and then poked on my arm like a little kid.


    "Hey, what was he thinking after I behaved rudely? You looked angry..."


    "You don''t need to worry about things like that, my bride. Just stay away from him," I said.


    "I will stay with you," she said.


    I chuckled. "Yes, you will stay with me. But when I am not around, you need to stay close to Mother or Evelyn and keep your guards close."


    "Why won''t you be around? Do you need to go out of the castle?"


    "A king has a lot of things to do."


    "???????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ????????????, ?? ????????????. ???? ?????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????????????, ?????????? ????? ?? ???????? ???? ??????''??. ???? ??????''??."


    "Don''t overthink, my bride. My work doesn''t need to concern you. All you need to do is be happy and stay healthy. I can take care of other things."


    "But I want to help you with your work too. You can tell me," she said.


    "You can help me with my work?" I asked, chuckling. I stroked her cheek with my knuckles, feeling the softness against my skin. "If I tell you, I take care of the trash, will you be able to help me then?"


    "Take care of trash?" she repeated, deep in thought.


    "???????? ???????? ???? ???????? ???? ????????? ??????????... ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ?????????????????? ???????? ?????????"


    Her eyes darkened suddenly as she looked at me wide-eyed. I had to admit this girl was quick-witted.


    "I would not put it that way," I said.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to offend you thinking about something so horrible..."


    "But it''s true though I would rather want to call it'' work'', a must."


    "Killing people a work?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.


    "If you know why it''s a must, then it is work."


    "Then why is it a must?"


    "Some werewolves go over the line, try to betray me, vite thew, break the peace... they don''t deserve to live. And as the king, I like to clean my kingdom with my own hands."


    "You like to? Not because you have to?" she mumbled.


    I did not say anything. The truth about me, my identity was not a pleasant thing to hear. But I did not want to hide the truth from her. She needed to know what I truly was and... She was going to ept me that way.

 Chapter 22: [Bonus chapter] Comfort Over Beauty

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "But why do you like to kill them?" she asked. "Do you like to hear their cries... their pleas... theirst wishes...? Do you like to see them begging for forgiveness? Do you look twice at the person after you hit them?


    Do you ever try to think what they are thinking? Do you ever try to feel what they are feeling?"


    "Guilty doesn''t deserve to live," I said.


    "What if you get the wrong person? Do you try to rify if they are the culprit or not? I don''t think so," she said. Her voice was shaking slightly, but she was trying hard not to look broken.


    Her thoughts were going back and forth but always ended at the same ce. There were voices in her mind- cries, pleas, screams... And right that moment, I knew what she had been through in her family. In her world, I could not read her mind as my mind reading did not work there. But aftering here, now I totally understood why she wanted to get away from her family that much.


    And I was going to make her family pay for what they had done.


    I wrapped my arms around her. She was surprised but did not pull back, not because she wasfortable, but because she was afraid, afraid that I would punish her if she protested. I sighed. I did not want our rtionship to be like this.


    I might be frightening, but I did not want to be that way with her. It was hard to ignore the darker side of my personality, especially when most of the part was dark and scary. But with her, I tried to be gentle and calm.


    I was wrong. I thought I seeded in removing her fear of me. Now I understood that I needed to work harder to gain her trust fully and make her free with me.


    "You don''t need to think about anything else, my bride. If you want to help me, you need to work harder to be worthy of the work. You said you want to be a warrior queen, didn''t you? Then first, you need to be a queen. Tomorrow we will marry and you will be the queen. And then, you can work to be a warrior queen and be side by side with me.


    You will fight, you will work just like me and show the world that being a human hasn''t lessened your worth at all in a werewolf world," I said.


    "But killing werewolves..."


    "You don''t need to worry about that, my bride. I''m telling you now and then again- don''t worry about this."


    "But do you..."


    "Stop, Blue," I said, a little firmly this time, without letting her finish. I already knew what she was about to ask me by reading her thoughts. "I don''t want to hear any more word about this. Do you understand?"


    "Y-Yes," she mumbled.


    "Good. Now let''s go. We better not waste any more time," I said, pulling her back by the shoulders.


    She was still afraid, the frightened look in her blue eyes created a deem effect, yet the beauty of them did not fade away.


    "Shall we go now?" I asked.


    She nodded and epted my hand as I offered. She did not fully want to go with me, but she still did... because she was afraid that I would punish her.


    Perhaps I should have told her that I would not harm her, perhaps I should have told her that if she was notfortable, she did not need to go with me. But would I do that?


    No.


    I would not let her distance herself from me. I would make her want me the way I was and I would make her see the true world was not a fairy tale at all. In this world, sometimes the viins could be saviors.


    I led her up the stairwell. The door of the roof was locked. Only the Royal family members could unlock it by the touch of their hand in their werewolf form.


    I brought out my hand, no my w. She flinched but did not try to pull her hand away that I was holding. I pressed my hand against the wood of the door and the door opened with a low creak.


    "???? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ????????? ???????? ??''???? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ???? ???????????????? ??????????."


    "Not all the doors," I said. "And you don''t need to go anywhere alone for the time being. When the timees, I will arrange everything for you."


    "Can you stop reading minds for a moment?"


    "No. Not because I don''t want to, but because I can''t. The thoughts of people are like voices, almost silent like the breathing of air. You can''t escape it," I said with a smile. "And truly saying, I don''t want to escape either."


    "Would you if you could? Would you escape this type of life if you could?" she asked, looking straight into my eyes.


    "No. Never."


    I pushed the door open and helped her in. The roof was kind of big and properly decorated, but I had not been here for a very long time, probably twelve years. There was no need for me toe here, but now looking at her face as the chilly wind made the wisps of hair on her face fly, I found a new reason toe to the roof.


    She was looking at the ce attentively. There were different types of flowers- roses, orchids, daisies, peonies... The deep aroma of flowers flew in the air and the beauty of them could make anydy''s heart tter... but not hers.


    She was looking at them, but her eyes did not tter, rather it seemed like she was trying to see how the flowers truly looked.


    "????????, ?? ?????????? ????????... ????''?? ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ?????? ??????????????????," she was thinking as she curiously touched a ck rose.


    "Do you like it here?" I asked.


    "It''s rxing... there is wind and a good scent. It makes me feel good," she said, "but if I had to choose between my room and this ce, I would choose my room."


    Just like me.


    "Why? Any girl would want to spend time here with all the flowers around, a beautiful space, cushions, an umbre..."


    "Perhaps because I like to choosefort over beauty," she replied simply. As I watched her gentle yet determined face, she sat on the swinging chair. She closed her eyes and let the air soothe her face.


    I sat beside her, feeling the warmth of being with her. It was like she had an intoxicating vibe that always pulled me close to her.


    "Can I talk to you about your family?" I asked.


    She seemed to be ufortable for a moment, but then even quicker than a second, she looked at me with a straight face and nodded.


    "????''?? ?????? ???????? ??''?? ?????????? ???? ???? ????????. ?????????? ???? ???? ?????????? ???? ?????????????? ???????? ??????????????. ???????? ?????? ???? ?????? ????????... ?????? ??''???? ?????????? ???? ???????? ???? ????????."


    "I will not let you go either," I said.


    "Eh? Get out of my head! I forgot again!" she eximed, shaking her head furiously as if she was trying to shake me off her hair.


    Iughed. "I already told you it''s not up to me."


    "Even if it was, you would still do it," she grumbled.


    "Right."


    "Alright, so what do you want to talk about my family?"


    "I know they treated you wrong. Wrong is not enough to describe what you have been through. We can''t go back to the past. If I could, I would save you from them. But now all we can do is, take advantage of the present, do something that would make them pay for what they have done. Tell me...


    tell me what do you want me to do to them," I said.


    "If I tell you something, will you do it?" she asked.


    "Anything you want."


    "If I tell you to kill them, will you do it?"


    "Do you want me to?" I asked.


    "No," she mumbled. "I don''t want them to die. I want to leave them be for some years and then, if I be someone better, I will go in front of them and show them that whatever they did to me, did not break me, rather made me stronger."


    "Don''t you think torturing them is a good option?"


    "Yes. But I would rather want my revenge to be a bit different, with a hint of gentleness and a rush of pain that they will remember all their lives," she said with a smile. "Don''t you think this is how I should do? Perhaps you don''t. After all, we are different. But I would like to go my way and as you said, I can get what I want.


    Then can''t I do this?"


    Her smile seemed to be dead with no sign of warmth. My heart clenched in my chest. Never again- I did not want to see this smile again. I would not allow her to give me this kind of dead smile. Even someone like me who had yed with blood all his life, to whom taking life was nothing more than work, got creeps seeing that smile on her face.


    "Yes, you can do this."

 Chapter 23: [Bonus chapter] The Villain I Chose

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    If I told him to hurt them, he would do that, I knew he would not bother thinking about it again. Perhaps I should have told him that. But for some reason, I did not want to do that. All I wanted was to let them see and suffer from within.


    "Don''t youe here?" I asked.


    "No. It has been a long time since I''vee herest."


    "When did youe herest?"


    "Probably eleven or twelve years ago," he replied normally.


    "..."


    "???????????? ???? ???????????? ?????????? ??????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ????''?? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ??????. ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ???????? ?????? ???????????? ???????????"


    "Perhaps because the person is me."


    Every time he read my thoughts and answered me, I had to remind myself again and again that he could read thoughts and I needed to be careful while thinking about something. What if I offended him somehow? He was going to punish me for sure.


    The wind was chilly. For some reason, hispany made me feel strange, not in a bad way though. He was a king, someone very busy, but still, here he was, sitting with me on the roof, enjoying the cool breeze of the night. His hair was as ck as coal, slightly gazed. His eyes matched the color of the night, or perhaps the night was not as darker.


    He was dangerous, the type of person I would keep myself away from, yet with him, I felt at ease, I felt protected. It was like he could save me from anything and for some reason, I wanted to be with him, not in his shade, but beside him as an equal. I admitted he was scary, but he did not hurt me and if I was right, he did not have any intention of hurting me either.


    He was right- in this world, the viin could be the savior and perhaps, I could ept a viin as my savior as well.


    As I nced at him, I found him smiling at me. Did he read my bizarre thoughts again? But I decided not to care about it anymore and try to act normal, just like the way I would if he could not read thoughts. There was no point in trying not to think about weird stuff anymore. No matter how hard I was going to try, I would end up thinking about them again.


    So it was better if I did not try, rather I should behave normally. It would be better for both me and him.


    "That''s a good choice that you made," he said.


    "I know."


    "You''re not afraid of me anymore then?"


    "I am."


    "I see. What can I do to make that fear go away?"


    "You can''t do anything. I just have to get used to it," I replied. "You don''t mind me flinching a bit, do you?"


    "Honestly, I do. But I will try not to pay attention to it much."


    "You know that you''re scary, don''t you? Then why do you be like that?"


    "There is one thing that I cannot do. No matter how much I try, I cannot hide my true selfpletely. After meeting you, I wanted to be like others, impress you the way other men do, but then I realized I cannot do that. It would make you fear me even more if I tried. Rather, I decided to be my exact self with you and let you choose- fear me or like me, because either way, you have to be with me."


    "????????????????????."


    "I just know what I want and if I want something," he said, "I make it mine."


    "Even if it something you should not have?"


    "Yes, even if it is something I should not have, even if it''s forbidden."


    "???????????????????????? ????????????????, ??????????????????????, ??????????''?? ???????? ?????????? ????????????, ??????????????????, ??????????''?? ???????? ????, ??????????''?? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ???? ????????????, ???????? ???? ???????? ?? ????????????????????."


    "The things that you''re thinking about, do you know that I can get angry?"


    "But you''re not angry. It is human nature to think about anything and it''s you who is reading my mind. I haven''t asked you to do so. So, you have to bear the consequences as well," I replied.


    Heughed, shaking his head. He looked even more handsome when heughed which he did not do often. I watched as if I was bewitched and felt that I could watch him like this forever.


    "You have a point there, my bride," he said, stillughing. "You amaze me. Sometimes you''re like a little girl who fears me, and other times you''re like a fierce lioness that shoots words like sharp ws. Exactly who are you?"


    "I thought you know me. That''s why you want to marry me, don''t you?"


    "I thought... I thought I know you enough, but now I know that I don''t. There are more things about you that I need to find out."


    "And I thought I was the one in the dark about you."


    "Trust me, among others, you''re the one who understands me the most even if you know me for a very short time," he said and kissed the side of my head gently. "We will be a great couple."


    I felt my cheeks heating up at his words. How could he talk so shamelessly? Did he even think of what he was saying?


    "Oh, is my bride shy?" he teased. "I can''t talk shamelessly, I can be shameless as well. But you have to wait till tomorrow to see what I can be. Tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow, and the day next- it will keep going on like that."


    "??????! ???????? ???? ???????? ???????????? ???????"


    "I don''t mean just that," he said. "Having sex is a simple task. You can do it with anyone. But I don''t want to do that with you."


    "Huh?"


    "I don''t want to have just sex with you. I want to taste every part of you, every single ce_ I want to mark as mine. I want to make love to you, make you love me. All night long, I will..."


    I quickly put my palm on his mouth to stop him. I was sure my face was flushed because of embarrassment.


    "Don''t."


    "Don''t what?" he asked, taking my palm in his hand, moving from his mouth.


    "Don''t_ talk like that. Those words_ are too embarrassing."


    "Don''t be embarrassed around me. After all, we are going to be together until death does us apart. We need to get used to each other."


    "There is time for that."


    "So you''re admitting that after some time you will get used to it and I''ll be able to talk dirty to you."


    "No! I''m just saying... Never mind."


    We sat inplete silence for a while. It was not ufortable. We both seem to enjoy the silence along with the cold wind in the peaceful atmosphere. Suddenly he touched my hand and kissed my knuckles. I was surprised by the action.


    "Happy birthday, my bride," he said with a smile that was so dashing that I did not care about what he said, rather I was more focused on the smile.


    "Do you know how long I waited for this day? Since the first time I met you, I''ve been waiting... waiting for you to turn eighteen so I can marry you. I always wanted to make you mine forever. And now just some more hours, and you will be mine."


    "Have you waited a very long time?"


    "Yes," he said,ughing. "For you, I can always wait."


    "Even if I''m not ready for something, will you wait for me until I''m ready?" I asked.


    "Do you mean... You''re not thinking about anything as you asked."


    "I''m just saying," I mumbled. Truly, I did not think about anything as I asked this. It just came to my mind and I thought of asking.


    "Even if it''s that, I guess I have to wait. It will be hard, but I will try," he said.


    "What are you talking about?" I asked. This time, I truly did not have any idea what he meant.


    "You''ll know, my bride."


    "Okay," I mumbled. "So_ we''re getting married tomorrow?"


    "Yes."


    "Um... are there any kinds of rituals or something like that I need to know about?"


    "There are. You''ll know soon enough," he said, in his usual mysterious tone and I could not help but wonder what he meant.

 Chapter 24: Open The Lock To My Soul

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    The rituals that we needed to perform might freak her out if I told her. It was true that she needed to face them eventually tomorrow, but I did not want to scare her this time. I wanted her to face them bravely, just like I needed her to, the future queen needed to.


    "Do you know what truly my family did to me?" she asked faintly.


    "I do. I read your mind, Blue," I replied.


    "You said you knew me for a long time. Did you see me in my world then?"


    "Of course, I did. Or how do you think I chose you?"


    "Then howe you didn''t see what my father did, what Draven did, mother..."


    "I watched you from afar while you were doing something."


    She smiled. "I''m d you didn''t have to see me in that condition. That would be embarrassing. You know, I wish you could meet Max."


    "Your brother?"


    "Yeah," she replied, smiling slightly. "He is not like them. Well, he doesn''t hurt me. He wraps my wounds, then we talk for hours, just small talks like how our lives would be if we were not in that family. Useless talking, you know."


    "But you don''t love himpletely," I said.


    "I don''t," she replied without any hesitation. "He might care for me. But he is not worthy of my love. If he truly wanted to help me, he should have let me go to the police. Rather he let it stay that way. He might have stopped them, but he never took my side in front of them.


    I don''t need someone like that. It''s true that I need someone in my life, but that person has to be brave enough to take my side when everyone is against me."


    "And you were the first person to do so."


    "Why don''t you just tell me so? Why do you keep it in your mind?" I asked. I would like to hear how she would tell me that. I would like to hear about us from her. But she never truly said it. She always kept these thoughts to herself as if she was scared of uttering them.


    "I don''t know. I just can''t," she replied.


    Honesty- didn''t it make me want her since the beginning? She might lie sometimes, but serious matters never got her lies. She was truthful about particr things and of course, my attraction towards her increased at this trait of hers. Her boldness when necessary surprised me every time. Truly saying, whatever she did was out of the ordinary and unexpected.


    Sometimes I wondered if there would be a time when I would not be surprised by her behavior anymore.


    "Ugh_ it''s a good ce to take a nap. I feel rxed."


    "Thene here. You can use my shoulder," I said.


    "No... no need. I was just... You don''t need to bother yourself," she said quickly.


    "Come here, my bride. If I can''t bother myself for you, then who will I bother myself for? Come now."


    I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she rested her head against my shoulder. She felt so tiny beside me. She felt fragile. I wondered if she would be able to handle a monster like me. Would she break apart? No, I would not let her.


    She needed to stay beside me and I was going to make sure that happened.


    "You can sleep if you want to," I said.


    "No, I will just stay like this for a while. And besides, I''m not so... sleepy," she said, fighting a yawn.


    I chuckled. She was definitely going to fall asleep in a while. "You have to stay in my room with me after our marriage," I said.


    "You mean we have to stay together starting tomorrow?" she asked.


    "Yes. It''s not like we have to, but do you want to stay without me in a different room? Because I don''t want to. Nor do I have any intention to do so. Do you want to live apart from me?"


    "No, it''s not like that. I just..."


    "You were worried because we don''t know each other?"


    "I would not say I''m worried. It''s more like I''m a bit..."


    "Shy?"


    She nodded. I could help butugh at her adorable expression. "After some time with me, you will not be shy anymore, my bride."


    "At all?"


    "At all," I confirmed. "You won''t be shy about anything. Not a single part of you will be hidden from me. I will see every part of your body, your soul, just like the way you will too. But I guess, it will take more time for you to see me than me to see you."


    "What do you mean? Can''t we see each other at the same time?" she asked.


    "Oh my bride, you can see my body just the moment I see yours. But my soul- I''m afraid it''s far too deep and tied tightly."


    "Can''t I loosen it?"


    "That depends on you."


    "How?"


    "That''s something you have to figure out," I said, smiling at her.


    "You''re mysterious," she mumbled. "I can''t figure you out, yet sometimes, I think I''ve found the key to your lock. But I keep losing it before I can open the lock. But_ someday, maybe I will find the key again and will be able to open the lock."


    "I''ll be waiting," I said and kissed the side of her head. The sweet scent of her hair filled my nostrils.


    ''Do you know why I want you to open the lock to my soul? Do you know why I want you to know me from within? Because I don''t even know what I am. To me, I''m like a shell full of rage, cruelty, mercilessness, yet when I met you, I found something else inside me, almost like a glimpse of ray after the stormy night. But I don''t know what that thing is. I want you to know what it is.


    I want you to tell me what you see in me because I want to know what I am. I don''t want to be known as the merciless king, especially not to you.''1


    We were quiet for a long time, enjoying the air, at least I thought she was. I was more focused on thinking... Not just a single thought, rather everything was flooding inside my head.


    Her breathing felt steady and she was not thinking about anything as well. I looked down on her face and met with her sleeping face, as peaceful as always- her pale face shining in the moonlight reminding me of the first time I met her.


    She asked me several times about it, but I did not tell her. I did not think it would be a good idea to tell her, more importantly, I did not want to tell her so soon. For some reason, I wanted to treasure that memory in my heart and then tell her when I would feel like she was ready to hear it.


    ''Guess I have to pay the maids more forbing her hair like this,'' I thought and chuckled to myself. To be honest, it did not matter if shebed her hair in this way or not. She always looked beautiful. I might not call her the most beautiful girl nor she was the ugliest.


    But she surely left an impression that made people want her and I was sure if she went somewhere, even if she was not the center of attention, she would catch the eyes of the predators with her binding aura.


    The moon looked bright today. Tomorrow, she was going to be minepletely. It had been long since I had been waiting for that day and now just a few more hours. She was weak, a little human, but if I was right, she was not going to be like this forever. One day, she was going to be one of the strongest people and my precious queen.


    She was already precious to me, but one day, this precious girl would be able to protect herself as well. Until then, I needed to prepare her, be with her and teach her. When she would learn everything, we would stand side by side to face our enemies.


    It was not like I wanted her to do the things I did, rather I had already figured out that even if she might not seem like it, she was not someone who would stay still when everyone was working.


    The prediction surprised me. How was I so sure? I did not know myself. It seemed like I knew what was going to happen. But how I knew had no answer. Perhaps it was for the best.


    Sometimes knowing the answer of how was not something necessary.

 Chapter 25: Today Is The Wedding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The moment I opened my eyes, I discovered that I was no longer leaning against Demetrius''s shoulder, rather I was in my bed, being way toofortable under the fluffy nket.


    I rubbed my eyes until my sight was blurry and a drop of water fell from my eye. I surely had slept for a long time. The day looked way too bright today. Demetrius must have brought me here. I wondered what time it was. He said today...


    "Crap! What the actual hell!"


    "Mydy, are you alright?" Ruby rushed inside.


    That was the time I noticed that she was inside the room, in the bathroom. But rather than feeling embarrassed, I was panicking.


    "Today... What''s going to happen today?" I asked shakily.


    "Mydy, are you truly feeling alright? Should I bring a ss of water to you or something..."


    "No, nothing. Just tell me what''s going to happen today."


    "Today you and our king are going to marry, mydy. Did you forget?"


    "Huh?" 1


    So, it was true then. We truly were going to marry. The day I turned eighteen was also going to be the day I was going to get married, the same day when I became an adult. There was a lot to take in for one day, but the thing that bothered me was if I truly would be able to be happy.


    He would not hurt me, would he? It was not like I had a choice to run away from him. And more importantly, I was not sure if I wanted to run away from him. For some reason, even though I knew he had a weird possessive personality, I wanted to be with him. I wanted to know more about him and see his deepest self that he had locked inside himself.


    "Mydy! Are you alright? You''re spacing out!"


    "Yeah, I''m fine. It''s just... Never mind. Um... can you tell me when the wedding ceremony is?"


    "His Majesty said he will tell mydy himself. He told me to inform him when you wake up."


    "I must have slept for too long. You should have woken me up," I said.


    "His majesty told me not to. He said that mydy needs rest," Ruby replied.


    "Do I?"1 I mumbled. "Anyway, I better freshen up. Then you can call him."


    "Mydy, I prepared a bath for you. I mean, today the bath is a bit special. So it took quite a long time. It''s ready now. Mydy can take a bath and in the meantime, I can inform his majesty."


    "Alright," I said.


    I went to the bathroom and sat down in the bathtub. Ruby called the other maids and they came to help me bathe. I still did not understand why someone else needed to bathe me when I could do it perfectly myself.


    Today they were using some weird oils with weird smells on my body. Thankfully, they said that they were going to wash it off and my body would not be slippery. Or it would be truly disgusting.


    "Today is a really special day, mydy," Brenna said excitedly.


    "Yes, mydy. You''re going to be our queen today," Arianell said, grinning broadly that made me wonder if it was her wedding or mine.


    "You guys are really excited," I muttered.


    "Of course we are, mydy. It''s a special day for every werewolf," Brenna said. "Even if ourdy is not a werewolf, it''s still a great day for you."


    "How so?" I asked.


    "Mydy, you don''t know anything that happens at a wedding?" Arianell asked, being kind of surprised.


    "Um, no," I mumbled.


    "Then we must tell you, mydy," Arianell said enthusiastically.


    "No need. Ari. His majesty doesn''t want us to tell ourdy anything," Ruby said. She said she had gone to inform Demetrius. I wondered why he did not want them to tell me anything. It would be better if I knew about the rituals beforehand.


    In that way, I would be able to rx a bit.


    I sighed. There was no point in thinking about his weird decisions. All I needed to do was see what was going to happen next. All I wished was for everything to go as smoothly as possible. I did not want to be unhappy anymore.


    "Did you bring the special scent her majesty ordered you to?" Ruby asked Brenna.


    "I did. We can use it on mydy tonight," Brenna said.


    "What scent?" I asked, not getting a single thing they were talking about.


    "It''s very special, mydy. It makes the wedding night even more special," Brenna replied, being totally red.


    So, they were talking about those things... Now that I thought about it- I was kind of afraid of what was going to happen. I had never done this before... I had never even kissed anyone. Did I really have to do this tonight? Was there no escape?


    I shook my head furiously. If I did not stop thinking about it now, I might start thinking about it in front of Demetrius as well. That would be a huge problem. If he found out that I was afraid of this kind of thing, he might get angry or something like that. I had a feeling that if he was angry, there would be lots of trouble.


    After the bath, they wrapped my body in a towel and dried my hair. I had to admit that I felt good after the bath and even more rxed than before.


    "Mydy, we wille back after a while," Arianell said and bowed. Before I could ask where they were leaving before dressing me up, they left. I wore a in off-white robe that was meant for wearing after taking a bath so the maids could do the hair.


    I got out of the bathroom and discovered the reason why they left hastily. Demetrius was sitting on the bed, wearing his usual king''s outfit and looking as handsome as always with his powerful aura surrounding him.


    "Have you bathed?" he asked, looking back at me.


    "Yeah," I replied. "I slept a lot today. Why didn''t you let them wake me up?"


    "You needed rest."


    "Why? I wasn''t even tired or..."


    "You needed rest for today. It''s gonna be a day without any rest."


    "Are we going out for a run or something? Is it part of the tradition of a wedding ceremony?" I asked dumbly.


    "Pfft1... No. You''ll see, my bride."


    "You always say this. But wouldn''t it be better if I know beforehand?"


    "Why are you standing so far away? Am I that scary?"


    "No..."


    I went up to him and sat down on the bed. Being too close to him always made my body twitch for some reason. I did not know why, I just did not want to feel that sensation. Not because I did not like it, but because the feeling confused me. It was the first time I was feeling like this. Perhaps that was the reason I was afraid of being too close to him.


    "I just don''t want to frighten you," he said.


    "Do I have to die?"


    Heughed. "No... Alright, if you wish to know, I can tell you. But you can''t be scared. And even if you''re scared, you have to face it."


    ''What kind of possessive saying is that? Is it supposed tofort me?''1


    "It''s not. I''m not good atforting others," he said.


    "I can see that."


    "Anyway, the wedding ceremony of the werewolves involves marking."


    "Don''t tell me... Are you going to bite me?"


    "How do you know that?"


    "I''ve read werewolf romance novels... Anyway, are you really going to bite me?"


    "It''s called marking. It means you''re mine officially. The marking of Alphas are unique and it is more_ painful."


    I gulped. No matter what it was, I needed to face it. Now I felt like it would be better if he did not tell me this. It was all my fault. I should not have nagged him.


    "Is that all?"


    "I know you''re scared. Why are you pretending?"


    "I am scared, but I still want to know," I said.


    "It''s what we do in the ceremony. The night events are different."


    "What do we have to do then?"


    "Just what couples are supposed to do on their wedding night."


    That''s it then- tonight we were going to do it. Why was I feeling so nervous? Truly saying, I was kind of scared. He was truly tall and big. I looked very tiny next to him, but if we did it... Oh no, what if I died during the process?


    "Don''t overthink, my bride," he said in a way that gave me the impression that he was trying to suppress hisughter. "We just have to do that, just a bit longer than usual."


    "Huh?"1


    "You know, kind of like a night-long make-out session," he smirked.


    "Eh?"1

 Chapter 26: Roses

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Are you scared now?" he asked, smirking.


    How could he talk about that shameless stuff so easily? He was even smirking. But dear lord, he was looking more handsome now. Why... why did he have to look handsome all the time that I could never take my eyes off him?


    I shook my head and looked down on myp. I was sure that my face was bright red. I did not want to look at him like that. He might get the wrong idea...


    "Oh, is that so? Let me see your face then," he said and lifted my face with his finger under my chin.


    My hands felt numb. Even though I wanted to cover my face with my hands, I could not. It was like they would not listen to me, rather they were hypnotized by his words.


    "Do you know what you look like right now?"


    I shook my head again, as his gaze prated through me, making my blood run faster through my veins than usual.


    "You look like a blood-red rose, on a silk white nket. Do you know what red roses mean?" he said, caressing my cheek with his rough thumb.


    "Love," I mumbled.


    "That''s right. They represent love. What I don''t understand is how can a flower represent something and why people care about their meaning so much," he said.


    "That''s because people like to believe in something. They want to hold onto something no matter what. Even if it''s something that''s meaningless, they try to find a new meaning of it and hold onto it, embrace it. In my world, people send different flowers to their loved ones that carry messages.


    Sometimes, the messages are sad and sometimes they are happy, either way, this tradition has be a part of the everyday life in my world."


    "Would you like to receive flowers too?"


    "I have received many roses once. They don''t mean so much to me now."


    "Did they mean so much to you back then?" he asked.


    "Not so much, but they made me feel special," I replied.


    "Who was it?"


    "I don''t know. I never found out actually. It was one year ago, during spring perhaps. I used to work in a coffee shop, you know. When I went there one day, I found one blue rose with my nametag tied to it. It was strange, you know.


    I mean, I never talked too much to people there, and besides, who would want to send me a rose? It kept happening for one week. But the number of roses increased gradually. Like on the first day, there was one rose, the second day, there were two, and on the third day, there were three. The person kept sending those blue roses for one week."


    "Then? Did the person send any roses again?" he asked. I was not used to getting all the attention of a person to myself and now that he was listening to my every word, I could help but feel a rose of hope bloom inside my heart. All I wanted was a happy life with at least one person, who would pay attention to me and listen to me, be with me. Was I expecting too much?


    "Yeah, I got roses again the next week. But this time, they werevender roses. Just like the same way, the number of roses increased and the person kept sending me roses for a week. The next week, I got dark pink roses. And then, burgundy roses. After that, yellow roses with red tips...


    pink roses... rainbow roses. You know, the week I got the rainbow roses, I was feeling a bit down. I actually smiled a lot after I got them. For some reason, I could not stop grinning. Just like that, I got a lot more roses again and again.


    But suddenly, one week ago the person stopped sending me roses. I was kind of sad and depressed. I don''t know who, but for some reason, I felt as if someone close to me left me. I asked all the staff in the coffee shop asking if they saw the person who left roses for me, but they said that they never saw anyone. But... the day when you went to our house, I got ck roses that morning."


    "Did the roses help you?"


    "Yeah, a lot. They kept me strong. I know it''s silly to think like that, but I could not help but feel a bit stronger every time I saw the roses in the morning."


    "Do you like the person?"


    "I don''t even know the person. I don''t even know if it''s a man or woman. I have a hunch that it''s a man, but still..."


    "If you could meet that person, what would you say to him?" he asked. It was a bit odd to hear such questions from him, but for some reason, I did not want to stay quiet. It was true that even if I stayed quiet, he would know the answer himself as he could read minds. But I wanted him to know the answer from my mouth. It felt like a better option than staying quiet.


    "I would like to thank that person forforting me. Maybe he did not mean it, but still, it was a great help."


    "How do you know it''s a guy?"1 he asked.


    I gasped. He was right- how did I know it was a guy? It was true that I had a hunch, yet I could not go around and call that person ''he''. Did Demetrius mind? We were getting married today and I was talking about another guy like this... It was not something to be angry about, but I did not know yet what would make him angry.


    What if he was angry about this?


    "I just guessed. You know there is nothing else about that person. I mean, I never met that person, so there''s nothing between us," I said hastily.


    "Did I say there''s something between you two?"


    "No... No, you didn''t. I''m sorry if I was being awkward."


    He scratched the back of his head and sighed, as if in frustration. "Just a little longer. I have to wait a bit longer."1


    "What? For what?"


    "For you," he murmured and smirked.


    "For me? But I''m here, ain''t I?"


    "You''re here, but can I feel you? I can''t. It''s not like I don''t want to. I want to touch you more than anything else."


    I raised my hand to him, in front of his face. "Here, my hand. You can touch my hand."1


    He chuckled and kissed the back of my hand, his thumb brushing on my skin. "Not just your hand, my bride. I want to touch you everywhere, every single ce of your body. I don''t care about marriage, you know. I mean, we can get marriedter too. It''s not like I would leave you.


    But in case, you wouldn''t want that, I wanted to marry before doing anything. But I did not want to waste any time. So, I decided to marry you as soon as you turn eighteen. It might feel rushed, but trust me, holding myself back for too long is way too hard for me and now I feel like...ugh... it''s like I''m dying."


    Did he mean that he wanted to have sex with me as soon as possible? Could someone be this much crazy about this? He could have any woman he wanted, then why was he being like this to have me?


    I was getting a very bad feeling about everything. He was being mysterious while at the same time, he was kind of flirting, no, it was more like he was sure that everything would go as he wanted. Honestly saying, even I could not see how everything would not go in his way.


    "I better go now. It''s dangerous for me to stay here.1 You can take a nap if you want to. The wedding ceremony will be held tonight."


    "Tonight?"


    "Yes, tonight. It won''t take too long, and then there will be a feast. After that, I can rx in my own way," he said.


    "Rx in your own way? I want to rx too then. I''m sure I''ll be tired after seeing so many people."


    "Don''t worry, you''ll rx with me as well. I can''t rx alone anyway, especially my way of rxation needs you. You better not think about anything now. Just take a nap or rest," he said,ughing slightly.


    After he left the room, I could not help but be nervous. Everything was moving too fast. I could not even blink a single time before my life turned upside down. The pace needed to slow down. I had just turned eighteen a few hours ago and now I was going to marry. And also the person I was going to marry was not a human, but a werewolf and not just a werewolf, rather a werewolf king- the Alpha.


    ''Just kill me, dear lord.''

 Chapter 27: [Bonus chapter] Ready To Get Married

    {A bonus chapter for ya'' all, my dear readers! I''m truly passionately unbelievably in love with you all for supporting me and I hope you guys will be with me until the end of my life, oops, the end of the story of Demetrius and Blue. Well, honestly, I won''t let you go even after that. I will give you more stories to read so you can never leave me (sob of determination)...


    Let me be shameless for once then. If you like the journey of grumpy selfish possessive Demetrius and odd abused strong cute Blue, then vote me with power stones and help this pitiful author in the ''My Werewolf Lover And I''petition. Hope you guys will hear my inner voice that''s asking for love} [By the way,ments, reviews, and gifts are wee]


    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius left the room, but came back again right after five minutes and made me take another nap. I had no idea why he was doing that. He was behaving as if I needed to take as much rest as possible.


    I had my lunch and then took another nap. When I woke up in the afternoon, I felt way too lightheaded. The maids were rushing here and there and bringing strange bottles while chatting away endlessly. But I could not get a grasp of what they were talking about. I wanted to ask, but then for some reason, decided against it.


    "Mydy, Her Majesty has chosen a dress for you. It is really beautiful. You will look very beautiful in it, mydy," Brenna eximed excitedly.


    "Demetrius''s mother?" I asked.


    "Yes, mydy. Her Majesty had brought the best designer of our kingdom and ordered the dress," she replied.


    But how did she know my size? Could it be that Demetrius had known my size all along and told her that? Perhaps that was how he got that red dress for me and it even fit me well.


    For some reason, rather than being excited about the wedding, I was kind of anxious. My heart was throbbing inside my chest as if it was scared at the expectation of something bad. After all, my life was never something to be happy about. Even I lost the mood to hope for something good.


    "Is something wrong, mydy?" she asked.


    Perhaps she noticed my gloomy uncertain look. Even though I tried not to show it, I could not properly remove that look from my face.


    "No, I''m just nervous," I said, managing a smile.


    "To be honest, I would be nervous too before my wedding, mydy," she whispered to me as she was cleaning my feet.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "My apologies, mydy, but I cannot tell you about that. His Majesty warned us not to tell you about anything," she said, sounding truly apologetic.


    "Oh, alright," I mumbled.


    After cleaning my feet, which was more like washing them again and again and applying lotion-type things on them, she went to prepare my nightwear. Ruby came tob my hair.


    "We will start preparing you now, mydy," she said. "After Ib your hair, Ari and Brenna will help you get into your dress."


    "Alright," I said and sat on the stool. "Would you get nervous before your wedding, Ruby?"


    "Um..."


    "You can tell me. It will be a secret between us," I said.


    "His Majesty warned us not to," she said.


    "I know. But I''m really nervous. Just tell me some of it. I just... I don''t know why. I can''t rx.


    Please," I begged.


    I surely managed to give her puppy eyes. "Alright, mydy, but if his majesty finds out..."


    "He won''t," I assured her.


    "If you say so... well, on the wedding ceremony, the werewolves bite on each other''s skins and drink a bit of their blood. It''s called marking. It means that you belong to each other."


    "Like both the male and the female bite into each other''s skins?"


    "Yeah, they do, mydy."


    "But I''m not a werewolf. I don''t think there will be a mark left if I bite him," I mumbled. "His muscles are pretty hard."


    "No, mydy. You don''t have to do that. Only his majesty will do it. And besides, only the Alpha has the right to choose his own mate. He can choose a human if he wants to. That''s why for the marking process, the Alpha doesn''t need to be marked.


    The moment he bites into his chosen one''s skin, just like the way she bes his, he bes hers as well. They be connected from blood to blood and soul to soul. Until one of them dies, the other one cannot get another mate. Werewolves'' wedding ceremony does not take long. To be honest, the werewolves only have to mark each other and that''s all. Then there is a feast," she exined.


    "The biting thing- how long does it take?" I asked. The thought of him biting into my flesh was terrifying.


    "Not long. It will be over in a few moments, but..."


    "But what?"


    "It will hurt a bit, mydy," she said, hesitantly.


    "And what do you mean by ''a bit''?"


    "I''m sorry, mydy, but it will hurt a lot. But the pain will be gone in a moment. We have prepared an ointment for you on his majesty''s order. His Majesty told us to make the best and most effective one for you, mydy."


    "That''s a bit good, I suppose," I mumbled. No matter what they were going to apply on my skin, the procedure was going to be painful. My heart was shaking with fear in my chest, but I tried not to show it.


    "You don''t sound convinced, mydy," she said.


    "That''s because I''m afraid. But I''ll try to be brave," I murmured. "Tell me more. What do I have to do next?"


    "A marking process is not fulfilled just by this. The werewolves need to mate for the marking process to be fulfilled. And on the wedding night, the mating process takes longer than usual. And as you''re a human, this will be really exhausting for you. There is a possibility that you''ll be way too fatigued to move your muscle, but still, the mating needs to go on until sunrise."


    My cheeks were flushed red, but the fear seemed to have gotten stronger. I was tiny next to Demetrius. If he mated with me, I feared if I would be left in one piece by morning. Even the thought of no one dying by having sex did not seem to calm me down.


    "We might get a prince very soon, mydy," she said, dreamily. And here I was, fearing everything that was about toe to my life.


    I did not try to argue with her that I was not nning to have any kid any time soon. To be honest, I was more like a kid myself. How would I be able to take care of another one? And besides, what if I get paralyzed by the next morning with the whole mating thing? I shook my head frantically, trying to get those ridiculous thoughts of my head.


    "Is there anything else that I need to know?" I asked.


    "No, mydy. They are everything," she replied.


    I was truly feeling bad. I did not care what was happening around me. I did not even notice when the other maids entered, or when they put that wedding dress on me. They did my makeup, but I did not see anything. I was deep in thought, trying to reason with myself that I would not die tonight.


    "She looks stunning," Arianell said.


    "Mydy, look, His Majesty won''t be able to take his eyes off you," Brenna eximed.


    "Mydy!"


    "Oh, what were you saying?" I asked, jolting back to reality.


    "Mydy, take a look at yourself in the mirror. You look dazzling," Brenna said.


    Even though I did not have any intention to do so, I forced my eyes to see myself in the mirror. Dazzling- I could not say if that was it, but something was different about my looks, or was it because of the dress?


    The dress was not white, rather it was ck, deep ck like a ck hole. There were little white dots all over the dress as if stars in a ck sky.


    The dress might be beautiful, to be honest, the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, but I was not okay with it. It was far too_ revealing for me.


    The dress had a long train and those white dots were shimmering in the light now that I looked at them properly. The dress was backless, with no single trace of fabric or anything. I had never worn something like this before. I was feeling ufortable and self-conscious. It had a boat neckline and there was enough ce for him to bite into the flesh of my shoulder.


    I flinched, rubbing the ce as if soothing it before something like that was going to happen.


    It had long sleeves that covered my hands up to my fingers, kind of like arm gloves. I wondered what kind of fabric it was that it made me feel sofortable, light, and cold.


    The earrings that they made me wear were ck as well, with a long trace of ck pearls that went down to my shoulders.


    They put my hair in a loose it. I had to admit my hair looked kind of beautiful in this way, but I still had a hard time trying to see if it was truly me.


    So that''s how it was- I was getting married after all.

 Chapter 28: No Disobedience Allowed

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I wondered if my little bride was doing alright. She seemed to be nervous. I did not want to scare her and that''s why I warned everyone not to tell her anything about it. But seemed like, someone did not listen to me.


    ''Aftermitting a sin, humans or werewolves, they think about that more than normal. Some fear, some regret... But then why? Why do they have to sin in the first ce? This is the question that I had since I started to understand my life. There are some things that you''re asked to do in your life and some things you are told not to.


    If you do what you''re supposed to do, there would be no problem. But they don''t do it. The sins, the tasks they are not supposed to do, they do it. And for some reason, I can''t bear it- not at all.''


    The moment the maids came to tell me that she was ready, the red-haired one was trembling with fear, and her thoughts were giving away what she had done. Did my little bride not realize that the maid would think about what she had done in front of me? 1


    "She is ready, your highness. We have prepared her as your highness told us to. We braided her hair as your highness told us and did not use any perfume.1"


    "Is that so?" I said. "Bring her downstairs. Did she eat something?"


    "No, your highness. She said she is not hungry and she looked a bit out of reality as well."


    "Alright. Then go and bring her downstairs the moment I''ll send my word to. Now get out," I said calmly. "Except you."


    The red-haired maid stopped in her tracks, looking as if she would copse at any moment. She was trembling in fear, but did she not realize what was going to happen before she dared not to listen to my words?


    "Now tell me why do I owe the pleasure of meeting a maid who dares not to listen to my words?" I asked smiling1.


    "Your h-highness...," she started crying.


    What was the point of crying after someone had done something wrong? It angered me. They were all the same. First, they would do something wrong and then they would ask for forgiveness.


    "Tell me. Did my bride tell you to do so?" I asked.


    "No, not her. Please don''t tell her anything, your highness. She did nothing wrong. She was just..."


    ''Lies. I hate lies.''


    "Is that so? So, you mean that you told her because you wanted to, not because she asked you to?"


    "Yes, your_ highness. I-It won''t happen again," she bowed her head, sobbing frantically.


    "Did she ask you to?" I asked as calmly as ever.


    "Your highness..."


    "I asked if she asked you to."


    "Yes, your highness," she said while hurriedly adding, "She is just worried if she is going to do something wrong. It''s not her fault, your highness."


    "My bride still doesn''t know a lot of things, but what you did is a mistake. And you''ll be punished for it."


    I called the guards through my mind. This was something werewolves of the same pack could do.


    "Take her to the dungeon," I said, not caring about her pleas.


    My bride still did not understand my nature fully. She did not know what I liked and what I did not like. But she needed to and I was going to make sure she did.


    I went downstairs after sending a word to the maids to bring her downstairs. Mother said that it would be better if I did not see the dress before. She wanted a white dress just like brides usually wore at their wedding, but I had no intention of seeing my bride in a traditional white dress. I did not see the dress, but I told Mother that the dress must be ck, just like the soul of her son.


    I did not have to wait for too long for my heart to skip several beats at the feeling of pure bliss. There she came down the stairs and for a moment, I truly was astonished. She looked perfect, just perfect. A smirk formed at the corner of my lips subconsciously- I chose myself the right person after all.


    I helped her get down thest three steps. The moment my hand met hers, she flinched. All this time, my eyes did not leave her face and because of that, the look of pure shyness did not escape my eyes.


    I closed my eyes and touched the side of her face. I could feel her surprised re on me. For some reason, it made me want tough. Such an innocent beauty I got for me.


    ''He isn''t even looking at me. Do I look that bad? I thought I look okay today.''


    So that was what she was thinking... It was hard to guess what she thought and if it was not for my mind-reading ability, I was sure that it would take me years to guess what was going inside that head of hers.


    "Not fully yet," I muttered.


    "What?" she asked- it was more like a whisper as if the sudden shyness had affected her voice as well.


    I opened my eyes and smiled at her. "Your beauty- I was trying to feel it. I don''t know what I felt, but my heart is aching."


    "Where did you learn those cheesy words?" she asked, but she was blushing.


    "Don''t you like to beplimented?"


    "Normally- I want to beplimented normally, not in a cheesy way."


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind. But what I said is true," I said, "my bride."


    She flinched, hearing ''my bride''. I looked down at her once more. Mother truly chose the perfect dress for her, or I chose the perfect person for the dress. She looked breath-taking in it and I felt like if she was not there, I would not be able to breathe, and even if she was there, it was still hard for me to breathe. I knew this feeling, I had felt it since the first time I met her.


    But tonight, the feeling was too strong, too painful, yet too passionate.


    "Shall we go now? Everyone is waiting," I said and offered her my arm.


    She slipped her hand through my arm and nodded shyly. Her face showed clear nervousness and her eyes were roaming around us as if she was looking for something or someone...


    ''I thought Ruby would be here too. Others are here, then where''s she?''


    So she noticed... Even though I had my suspicions, I fully did not know that she would notice if one maid was missing. Most Royals would not. A servant was like an object to them. If one was gone, then there would be a new one, just like a toy.


    ''Oh shit! I totally forgot... he can read minds and perhaps he read Ruby''s mind too.''


    "I''m sorry, Demetrius. It was my fault. I was the one who asked her to tell me about the ceremony. Please don''t punish her for my fault," she said quickly, looking directly into my eyes.


    Interesting- No one had talked to me looking into my eyes for a long time. My bride seemed to surprise me quite a lot.


    "As it''s our wedding, I cannot possibly refuse my bride, can I?" I said smiling. "But it won''t be the same next time. You should know that I don''t like it when others don''t listen to me."


    "Wha... Yes, I understand. I''m sorry," she said.


    "You better remember that, my bride."


    She was trembling slightly beside me though she tried very hard to maintain her bnce. She looked very pure, and the more I looked at her, the more I wanted to take this purity from her.


    Her thoughts were revolving around that maid. I wondered why she was caring so much for a simple maid. No matter how many people I met, this was the first time I met someone who was worried about the safety of a mere maid.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t hurt her. She is just in the dungeon, she''s not being tortured," I said.


    "Um... did you have to take her to the dungeon? She just told me about the rituals. Isn''t it good to know about the things I''m going to go through?"


    "Good or bad, it doesn''t matter. The thing is I told her not to tell you, yet she disobeyed me. And disobedience, even for a trivial matter is not epted."


    "What if I do the same thing she did? Will you throw me in the dungeon as well?" she asked firmly.


    "No and that''s something you don''t need to worry about today. At least today, you don''t have to think about anything."


    "Okay. But please free her as soon as possible. It was a simple mistake after all."


    "You must not have noticed it yet, my bride, but," I whispered into her ear, "in this world, nothing is simple."

 Chapter 29: Wedding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Even though he never hurt me, his possessive talking was kind of intriguing. And besides, I was angry at him for sending Ruby to the dungeon. Because of me, she had to go to a nasty ce like that. She might never forgive me. It was me who told her to tell me about the ceremony. That time, I had forgotten that she was going to be in front of Demetrius and he would easily be able to read her mind.


    I knew he was strict with orders, but I did not think it would be this much that even this minor mistake would lead to this.


    My mind was hazy all the time for some reason. At this point, I did not even understand what I was thinking about. It was like different unbearable thoughts were flooding in my mind, but too hard to recognize each of them.


    He led me out of the castle in the dark of the night. I did not seem to notice where we were going- all I could think about was if I would be able to survive tonight. I did not understand why I was feeling like I was going to die as if I was counting down.


    "Why would you die?" he asked all of a sudden.


    "Eek!" I almost jumped in surprise. "Sorry. Well, you know what?"


    "What?"


    "Get out of my head."1


    "I can''t. You know that," he said, shaking his head innocently.


    "Then pretend you don''t know what I''m thinking."


    "Will it change the fact that I know what you''re thinking?"


    "No, but at least, let me believe that you can''t read my mind," I said, irritated. I thought it would not disturb me this much, but now his mind-reading ability was being too much for me. It was hindering all my privacy that I felt like a naked soul exposed in front of him.


    "Alright, I will try to ignore your thoughts," he sighed. "Anyway, you didn''t look at me the whole time. Do I look okay?"


    My eyes slowly met his appearance. Indeed... he indeed looked even more handsome. The tuxedo he was wearing was ck as well and I wondered if the shade of my dress was the same as his. I could not quite see if I was right because of the darkness of the night.


    I could not meet his gaze, rather my eyes seemed to roam over his body as if measuring every single part of him. My heart was racing inside my chest and blood was boiling inside my cheek. I felt too warm, too shy...


    "How do I look, my bride?" he asked smirking.


    "You look_ good," I muttered.


    "Just good?" he asked with a hint of yful dissatisfactory in his tone. He was teasing me on purpose!


    "Um... very good, I guess."


    "I see," he chuckled. "I got myself a very shy bride it seems. It doesn''t matter. I prefer you this way.1"


    "Can you not talk like this now?" I asked, almost pleading.


    "Why? What''s wrong with it? I''m talking to my bride after all."


    "Yeah, but..."


    "Your heart," he said, suddenly bringing his head down, "Your heart is beating loudly. Is it for me?1"


    "Eh? What do... Please let''s go now. It''s get_tingte," I said quickly, averting his gaze carefully.


    "You don''t have to be shy."


    "Just stop talking already," I muttered under my breath.


    He justughed, shaking his head. He was being unbelievably difficult at this moment and he was teasing quite a lot too. Was this his real self? Was this how he was going to be with me after our marriage? If he could cut the possessive vibe, he was not bad to get along with.


    He led us to another huge structure that looked a bit like a church. The walls were off-white and for some reason, I did not like the decoration of the ce. But when I went inside, I was proven wrong instantly.


    The ce was dazzling and very big with hundreds of seats, upied by perfectly dressed people. Someone announced our presence and opened the huge door for us. After that, all I could see was a well-lit long path, and all I could hear was gasping and giggling,ughter, but they were not loud at all. But for some reason, the ce felt cold, a lot colder for a ce filled with people.


    ncing beside me and seeing the expression on Demetrius''s face cleared my confusion. The temperature did drop because of him. It was supposed to, especially when he had that kind of strict and scary expression on his face.


    At the front row, I found his family. Ava waved at me, giggling adorably, showing her two slightly bigger front teeth, and even though I was nervous, I could not help but smile at her. She was way too adorable to exist... unlike the man beside me who was handsome, but too intriguing that I could not help but get chills running on my skin.


    "Am I too intriguing?" he asked, leaning at my side.


    "I thought you said that you will pretend not to know my thoughts," I said.


    "Oh right, I forgot," he said smiling. Why did he have to smile so handsomely? My heart was not in a stable condition anyway.


    "Will Ruby be alright?" I asked, remembering about her again.


    "I told you not to worry about anything else."


    "I''m just..."


    "You''ll meet her tomorrow," he said, cutting me off. "And I don''t lie_ to you."


    What was that supposed to mean? Not lie to me... Then did he lie to others? His words were always strange and it made me worry if I would ever be able to understand him properly.


    The ceremony was weird- a very old werewolf in a long ck cloak muttered something in a strangenguage. All I could do was stand dumbly beside Demetrius who had his gaze fixed ahead.


    Suddenly he faced me and was looking intently down at me. Not only just him, everyone was looking at me. The atmosphere was awkward. I had no idea what to do or what to say.


    "It''s time," he said.


    "For what?" I asked dumbly.


    "To make you mine," he replied with a smile.


    "Are you going to bite me?" I asked him through my mind. For some reason, asking it aloud seemed to be a bad idea.


    "It will hurt, but the pain will go away soon."


    I flinched. How much was this going to hurt? Would it be more painful than the beatings I used to get from Father and Draven?


    "Don''t think about them," he said firmly.


    "Right," I mumbled.


    "So shall we do this now?"


    Even if I said no, he would surely do it, wouldn''t he?


    "I will," he confirmed.


    I sighed. There was no point in telling him not to read my mind anymore. He kept doing it no matter what.


    "Alright," I said, "I think you should do it now."


    He touched my right shoulder with his fingers. His fingertips felt very cold suddenly. Was it just his touch or was I too nervous?


    "If you keep flinching like that every time I touch you, there would be a problem now and tonight and the time ahead of us," he muttered.


    "I''m not used to a male''s touch," I mumbled.


    "A male''s touch?" he asked and for some reason, I felt I could trace anger in his voice. But what was he angry for? I did not say anything wrong, did I?


    He just gave me a little smile and brought his face to my shoulder. The fear started to creep inside my body again.


    "Hold onto me if you have to," he whispered into my ear, his warm breath falling straight on my ear and the crook of my neck.


    I grabbed his forearm tightly. Wrapping my arms around him in front of that many people seemed to be a very embarrassing choice.


    "What should I call you after our wedding?"1 he asked all of a sudden.


    "Eh? What should you... Of course, my name. You should call me by my... Arg..."


    His teeth sank into my flesh and a burning pain erupted from that ce. The pain was unbearable, just like fire, creating a nk whiteness in my head. I was worried if I would be able to survive this pain. In my eighteen years of life, this was the most painful experience of all.


    I was trying not to scream and before I knew it, I had already buried my face on his shoulder. I felt the blood being pulled from the wound. This time, the pain was different, starting from my toes, it spread throughout my body. But it was still severe.


    "It''s over," he whispered into my ear and licked the wound, cleaning the blood up.


    A loud shot of ps erupted in the room, but I could not see anyone''s face. My head felt heavy. Even though the pain had left my body as soon as he moved, I was still feeling bad. For some reason, I still wondered if things were going to be like this- would I be able to survive in this world?

 Chapter 30: Teasing During The Feast

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "In the presence of the moon goddess, I announce you officially mates," the priest said.


    The room got filled with pping noise andughter, but I did not care for any of that. I securely wrapped my arms around her. She looked as if she was about to fall. Even though her beauty was shining tonight, her face was pale and filled with terror.


    "You''re trembling," I said.


    "I''m sorry," she mumbled.


    "Stop apologizing for everything. It''s not your fault in the first ce. It was supposed to be painful," I said, irritably. "Does the ce hurt anymore?"


    She shook her head. I sighed. In the world of werewolves, they congratte through cards. And besides, when it was concerned with the Royal family, they could not talk to them whenever they wanted.


    During the feast, she was not talking as well, and for some reason, she was not thinking about anything properly. One moment she was thinking if she was going to die, the next moment, she was wondering why she was trembling too much.


    Another sigh escaped my mouth. If tonight was supposed to go as it was supposed, she needed to calm down first. For this, I did not want to tell her about the rituals. If she had not known about them beforehand, she would not feel like this at this moment.


    "Do you know that you''ve received a lot of gifts for our wedding, my wife?"


    She flinched and pouted at me. "Why?"


    "What do you mean why? It''s our wedding, so isn''t it natural to receive gifts?"


    "No, that''s not what I meant. I mean, why are you calling me that?"


    "Calling you what- my wife?"


    She nodded shyly with her face flushed. "You shouldn''t call me that... I have a name. You should call me by my name."


    "But you''re my wife. Why can''t I call you that?" I asked.


    "People call their wives by name," she replied.


    "People do that, but my wife, did you forget that I''m a werewolf?"1


    "Still..."


    "What still? I''ll call you whatever I want. I can call you ''wife'', I can call you Blue, I can call you baby, darling, sweetheart, little bird..."


    She pressed her palm over my mouth to stop me. Her rosy face looked even more adorable at this point.


    "God, stop it," she mumbled. "What if someone hears you?"


    "So what? You''re my wife. I can talk to my wife whenever I want and about whatever I want," I replied, removing her hand from my mouth.


    "You''re being immature."


    "Immature? What about I be mature tonight? I can..."


    "Mother, the hairpin looks good on you," she said, looking at Mother with a sudden smile on her face.


    So she was going to use this technique now... Not to worry, I would get more time to tease her after the feast.


    "Is that so, dear? I got this madest week for the wedding only. If you want one, I can..."


    "No, no need, Mother. Anyway, where is Ava? I can''t see her," she said.


    "I''ve put her to sleep," Evelyn replied. "She needs to go sleep early at night, or she will sleep all morning the next day."


    "So is my son behaving nicely to you?" Mother whispered into her ear.


    "You know, Mother, I can hear you," I said tiredly.


    "Then pretend that you don''t," Mother replied coldly.


    "Yes, he is being really considerate," she replied. ''If you count teasing being considerate.''


    My wife indeed thought and utteredpletely different things. As her facial expression never betrayed her, I wondered if I would be able to understand her if I could not read minds. Perhaps it would take me some time to understand her.


    I took a sip of my wine. She never drank before. Even if I had a desire to see her drunken state, tonight was not the time. I did not want her to get a ckout tonight. She needed to remember everything that was happening and that was going to happen next.


    Mother, Evelyn, and Blue were chatting andughing. Werewolves were ncing at her mostly, but even through all those stares, I could locate the poisonous of all.


    Isaac was ring more than usual at Blue with a smirk on his face as he drank his wine. And the thoughts he was having were even more disturbing.


    ''I just have toy my hand on her. It''s going to be fun stealing that king''s wife from him. And besides, a human girl is weak. What defense can she possibly pull? Moreover, I''m not sure if she will be able to resist me if I flirt with her enough.''1


    If I killed him and made it seem like an ident, no one would know, right? Though Mother would know it was me and my wife was not dumb as well, this thought needed to be fulfilledter. But I was going to make him pay for having these types of thoughts about my wife.


    I nced at Blue and found her frowning slightly, though it was not enough for Mother and Evelyn to notice. And it seemed like she noticed that bastard Isaac looking at her as well.


    ''That guy... What''s wrong with his eyes? Why is he ncing at me like that? Do I have something on my face? Well, that look doesn''t look innocent...''1


    She was right- that look definitely was not innocent and he had such nasty things in his mind. But the best thing was- his n would never see the light.


    ''Hey, don''t do anything weird, Demetrius. I know you know what I''m thinking,'' she said through her thoughts.


    I could not help but let out a chuckle. My wife seemed to understand how I was a bit. Well, it was for the best and if I only had her on my side who would understand me, I would not need anyone else. After all, she was the best support I could get.


    The kindness she showed all those years ago, how could I forget it just like that? For her, I was alive today. Was it not enough reason for me to like her and make her mine?


    The feast ended with satisfied faces. I warned others not to make Blue feel ufortable in any way. That''s why the female werewolves kept themselves away from her. She had calmed down after a long time- I could not afford to frighten her again with anything.


    "You both shall return to your room now," Mother announced.


    Blue turned bright red like a ruby instantly. 1She nced down on herp, avoiding everyone''s gaze. Evelyn was shaking withughter. I gave her a death nce to shut her stupidughter. It was making Blue ufortable... though I wanted to tease her as well.


    "Let''s go now, my wife," I said into her ear.


    "Everyone is looking at us, Dem," she mumbled. "It''s embarrassing..."


    Dem- did she just call me Dem? Why did it feel so special? And before I knew it, I had started to grin like a fool.


    "Why are you grinning? Are youughing at me?" she asked adorably, pouting her lips.


    "Of course not. It''s just it felt really good to hear you say my name."


    "I always call you by your name. Hey, don''t tell me you expect me to call you ''husband''..."


    "Not my idea, but I won''t mind if you call me that," I said.


    "Will you stop teasing me?" she asked tiredly.


    "Not a chance," I said. "Now let''s go to our room, my wife."


    Her flushed face came back and I could not help but feel like losing control at that moment. I grabbed her hand, being unable to stay here anymore.


    "We''ll take our leave then," I said. "Please enjoy your drinks."


    "Enjoy your night!" Isaac said, way louder so the whole room could hear him.


    The urge to grab his head and smack it against the wall was too much. Blue pressed my hand and bit on her lips with pleading eyes. Just for her, I let that filthy animal go.


    I led her out of the great hall. On our way, she was overly quiet. Her ears were red, as well as her face. Quite a beauty she was at that moment...


    I opened the door to my room. It was our room from then. Royal couples were not required to stay in the same room and most of them never did so. But I had never thought of staying in a separate room from her. Now that I got her, how could I let her stay away from me?

 Chapter 31: Let’s Make Tonight Immortal

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I did not even know what to say or what to do or even where to look. I was feeling too shy. Moreover, Demetrius''s constant teasing was making me blush unknowingly as well.


    As soon as we entered the room, he closed the door behind us. Should I do something? But what in the world was I even supposed to do at this moment?


    "Don''t worry, I''ll teach you everything," he said and I jumped in surprise. "Why are you surprised? It''s just me- your husband here."


    Husband... Right- he was my husband now. I got married on my eighteenth birthday and a new chapter of my life had begun.


    "That maid Red..."


    "Ruby. Her name is Ruby," I corrected.


    "Right, that Ruby girl, she told you about everything, right? So, you know what we are going to do now, don''t you?" he asked, smirking.


    "I... uh... I..."


    "Are you shy, my wife?" he asked, cing his chin on my shoulder where there was a bite mark left. Though there was no pain, I still could not bring myself to look at that scar.


    "Let me take a shower first," I blurted out, using all the courage I could muster.


    I tried to move away from him quickly, but he grabbed me by my waist and pulled me towards him that my back met against his hard chest.


    "I''ve thought about all this a long time ago, my wife," he said, his breath falling straight onto my ear. "I''ve nned this night before too. We haven''t been out for too long. You took a bath before the ceremony, right? It''s enough. And I''ve taken a bath that time as well."


    "Still..."


    "No still, my darling wife. Let me make you mine fully now," he cut me off.


    I gulped. I had never done this before. I had never even kissed anyone. Everything was moving too much. But as it was necessary, I was obliged to do it.


    "You''ll like it," he said and kissed on my nape.


    His fingers ran on my bare back and once again, I was reminded that the dress was backless. "Mother seems to have a nice choice. You look magnificent today."


    I could not help but flinch at his touch. "The dress is... too revealing. My... back is exposed...pletely," I mumbled.


    "And what''s wrong with that? Your back is beautiful, everything about you is gorgeous."


    "But they saw a lot of my skin..."


    "Let them see," he said. "That''s the only thing they can do after all. Just let their eyes be blessed, my wife, as they cannot feel your skin. Because only I have the right to do so."


    Did he have to add things like that in the end? His words were making me blush and a tingly sensation bubbled up inside my stomach.


    "Look at me," he said in amanding tone.


    I looked back at him, into those dark eyes that showed a veil of mystery and a secret between life and death, mind and soul, light and darkness. He touched my cheek with the back of his hand. The touch was so gentle that I felt as if he was trying to touch a castle of sand with delicate moves.


    "Your skin is soft," he muttered. "Just stay like this forever. Do you know why?"


    I shook my head. I had no idea what he was trying to say. He behaved as if he was trying to savor the moment, spend every second with utter importance and care, and for the first time in my life, I became aware that the time that flew by never came back.


    "Because soft things are unbreakable."


    His gaze was fixed on mine. No matter how shy I felt, I could not move my gaze from him as if I was possessed.


    Over my eyes, my cheeks, my lips- his fingers traced everywhere as if a blind person was trying to see. I could hear his heartbeat as well as mine, but could not quite differentiate them. The sounds were different, but they beat with a matching rhythm as if they were meant to beat together with utter perfection creating a captivating melody that only the hearts could hear.


    He bent towards me, his face hovering over mine just before his lips met mine. The feeling was overwhelming- my first kiss, oh lord, was it supposed to be this crazy?


    Rough and warm- his lips were a mixture of all those words that I read in romance novels, all those words that made my heart flutter. He was doing all the work- moving his lips over mine and making my heart throb inside my chest with sudden heat. I felt useless- I did not even know how to kiss.


    He pulled back and rubbed our noses together. "Don''t worry. I will teach you everything," he said soothingly. "Just move your lips slowly. There is no need to rush."


    But I read that in the heat of the moment, kisses were crazy, not slow and patient. Was I wrong?


    He chuckled. "My innocent wife, when the fire starts, there is no turning back. You''ll get to see it yourself."


    My cheeks heat up and I bit the inside of my lips. Even when he was being considerate, his words were still teasing, but for some reason, I did not hate it.


    His lips met mine again and this time, just like he told me, I tried to move my lips as well, trying to match with his motion. And this time, I knew the mistake I made. I found myself asking that the thing we were sharing- was it just a kiss? Or was it more than that?


    He bit on my bottom lip lightly and I gasped in the kiss. In the meantime, his tongue sneakily found its way inside my mouth.


    For the first time in my life, I tasted wine and I could not even believe that I tasted it through a kiss. But there was another taste as well... like eternal happiness, like heaven, or was it like hell?


    While kissing, I knew that couples closed their eyes, but I did not know why back then. Now I found out that it was to feel the intensity, the purity, and the warmth of being in each other''s embrace with their lips sealed together by a never-ending bind.


    His lips left mine, but the feeling seemed to be still alive on my lips. Was this how kisses were supposed to be?


    "Won''t you breathe, my wife?"


    And only then I realized that I had run out of air. Why did I feel that way? Were our souls already bound together?


    He smiled at me, but there was a dangerous look in his eyes. "Now slowly, we will do other things. You need to rx. Can you do that?"


    Rxing was thest thing that I could do at that moment. Under his blinding intense gaze and amid the tight knot in my stomach, I had even forgotten how to breathe, so rxing was out of the question. But I wanted to feel everything. If I liked something, why not enjoy it as well? And besides, he might be someone I did not know about much, but still, he was my husband.


    If I could not be with him, then who?


    I nodded at him and it did not take long for him to press his lips on mine again. His hands were around my waist, pressing me against him. I wrapped my arms around his nape. He had to bend a lot to kiss me- the problem of being tall...


    The taste of the kiss, the taste of us together was unforgettable and for a split second, I felt I could taste his soul. The wounds that I had gotten from my family seemed to start healing the moment his lips had found mine. Just what kind of power did he have that his kiss had that effect on me?


    The first kiss was as gentle as it could be, light as a feather, short-lived like the kindness of a psychopath, but warm as the embrace of a loved one.


    Our lips met and left several times, while his hands got busy taking off my earrings. I had wanted to ask who chose the earrings as they were truly beautiful, but guess I needed to wait until morning if I managed to survive tonight.


    The fear of getting hurt had left my mind a long time ago, but this time I was worried if I would be able to survive the heat that was building inside me like a baby dragon breathing for the first time.


    I panted as he left my mouth, a string of saliva between us as his gaze intensified on mine.


    "Let''s make tonight immortal, my wife."

 Chapter 32: The Wedding Night (1)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The moment those words left his mouth, my whole body stiffened. I looked up at him, trying to read the expression on his face.


    He was not smiling at all, rather there was an unbending coldness with a shadow of something that I could not quite understand. Even though he did not smile much, this time the expressionless face seemed dangerous like fire burning deep into his eyes, just like the fire I was feeling inside me.


    "Let''s get unnecessary things out of our way," he said.


    "W-What?"


    "Let''s start with these hairclips," he said. His hands moved skillfully to unbraid my hair and take those little fancy hairclips off. The clips had tiny diamonds on them and the body was made with gold. He ced the hairclips on the dressing table and my hair spread on my back.


    "The ointment- you don''t seem to need it."


    "What?"


    "For the wound on your shoulder," he said, running his fingers on the ce. "My saliva healed it fully. I thought it would not be enough, but seems like I was wrong."


    "Your saliva?" I asked, feeling shy even more than I was at the moment.


    "Werewolves can heal their mate''s wounds by licking them. Every werewolf has their healing power, but if a werewolf is badly wounded, then their mate can help them heal. And now as you''re my mate, I can heal your wounds," he exined.


    ''But I can''t help you.''1


    "Your husband is not weak, my wife," he smirked. "You''ll find out soon, so don''t worry."


    ''I was not worrying!'' I internally screamed.


    "The scent is useless. We won''t use that as well."


    "What scent? Is it the one that the maids talked about?" I asked. The maids were saying that the scent would make a wedding night even more special. I wondered if it was kind of like those drugs that turned people on.


    "Yes, it''s the one they talked about. Those women have nothing more to talk about than other people''s personal life," he said with a scowl. "And you''re right. The scent can turn you on."


    My cheeks heated up again and I feltpelled to cup my face quickly in embarrassment. But he grabbed my hands before I could move them and chuckled.


    "But we won''t need that. I don''t want anything stupid bothering the true feelings," he said as if he was disgusted to even think of using the scent. "Now now, my wife, you seem to get some time to think about other things. Shall we begin?"


    "Haven''t we begun already?" I asked.


    For a while, he looked surprised and the next moment, he chuckled- a quick change of expression like a sudden thunder in a clear sky though his change of expression was positive.


    "Yes, yes we have."


    He started kissing the skin on my neck, the exposed part of my shoulders. The heat was rising in an unbearable way inside my belly. And the moment I thought I would let out a moan, he suddenly picked me up in bridal style.


    The time when he first picked me up like this and carried me here came to my mind. I felt so rxed in his arms, but tonight, the rxation was far away from what I was feeling. I felt as if I was going crazy. I craved something but was too shy to admit it.


    "You''re all red," he said throatily. His voice startled me. He sounded as if he was suppressing something. No matter how I looked at it, it looked painful for some reason.


    He sat me on the bed while his hand traced my bareback. I flinched- his warm hand suddenly felt too cold. But still, I did not want to move away from him. Even though I was too close to him, the only ce I wanted to be was closer.


    He kissed the back of my hand and rubbed my knuckles against his lips. It felt softer than the time when we kissed and hotter as well. His breath felt so ticklish that I almost made a weird sound.


    He licked my fingertips. I gasped. What the hell was he even doing? I tried to pull my hand back, but his grip was strong.


    "Don''t lick there..."


    "Why not?" he asked, not bothering to stop licking.


    "It''s..."


    ''What should I say? That it''s not conventional? Or is it weird?''


    "I like every part of you. So, let me mark you as mine. This body, this heart- it''s all mine just like mine is yours," he said.


    His lips trailed on the exposed part of my hand and even over the dress, he did not bother to stop marking me with his lips.


    I felt weird. I did not know what to do. Soft whimpering noises were leaving my mouth. For some reason, it did not seem embarrassing like before, rather it felt natural.


    "Let''s take it off now," he said and without waiting for my response, he pulled the dress down my shoulders.


    I tried to stop him from doing that- it was more like my hands automatically went to stop him, but he grabbed both of my hands with his left hand as he got busy taking the dress off with his right hand. There was nothing I could do, rather than be embarrassed. I closed my eyes tightly, trying not to react as his fingers brushed against my skin.


    Even though he was using one hand only, he did not seem to have any trouble in taking it off. In a moment, I was left in nothing but my underthings. I did not dare to open my eyes. Mainly I was afraid to see what kind of look his eyes might hold.


    "I will allow it for a bit," he said, "until I take everything off you."


    Allow what? I could not ask him that. Rather, I tried to stay calm under his touch. Suddenly his hand left my skin. The emptiness was frustrating. I wondered what happened.


    "Perhaps I''ll just rip it," he whispered into my ear and before I could grasp his words, he ripped the underthings apart with a single pull.


    I gasped loudly and my eyes shot open. I was too shocked to say anything- not just because he ripped my underthings, but because of the fire in his eyes. It seemed like a monster was trying to break free from chains.


    "Everything but you must go."


    I was so focused on the hungry look on his face that I did not even care that I was naked. I did not feel like it was unfair that I had known him only for two days and he had already seen my naked body. Rather, I was kind of happy that it was him. After all, he was the one who had seen my naked soul, yet could not care less about the wounds in it.


    "You''re beautiful," he muttered. "I was sure of it, but now it feels unreal."


    He was not touching me at all, rather he was observing my body, taking in the sight that my body had to offer. I wondered if I was worth looking at. I was too slender for my age, but the way he looked at me made me feel so special that I forgot about my insecurities.


    Suddenly he pushed me on the soft mattress and before I could catch my breath, he started kissing me. His hands found my breasts with aggressive movements that I almost thought that time had fastened itself.


    He bit on my lips and the moment my lips parted, he pushed his tongue inside. We had kissed like this a while ago, but this time, it was too intense. My mind stopped thinking and I stopped breathing as he was discovering every part of my mouth greedily as if there was no tomorrow, no next time.


    The moan that left my mouth was too shallow almost like the purring noise of a cat, but it did not make it through as he swallowed it all. His mouth left mine, ending the wet kiss, but someone as inexperienced as me had no idea that it was only the beginning of the shower of kisses.


    I had been proved wrong just a whileter as he started sucking my neck, his big hands fondling my breasts, kind of like dough.


    "Pfft..."


    He looked at me with surprised eyes. I pped my palm over my mouth. I did not want tough out loud. Now the situation had be awkward, thanks to my beautiful mouth.


    "Sorry, just... the way you''re touching my breasts, it''s like you''re fondling a dough... hahaha, sorry, it''s not even supposed to be funny," I muttered, almost wheezing. I was still in heat, but the thing was way too funny to resist. Perhaps because I was nervous in the beginning, a sudden simple movement even made meugh.


    "You''re really something," he chuckled. "Now what should I do to stop yourughing? Let''s see..."

 Chapter 33: The Wedding Night (2)

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    The sight she offered was the best portrait anyone could ever imagine. I expected her to be beautiful, but not as much as to make me this impatient. It was her first time, so I was trying to hold back and take everything slowly. But at this rate of my restlessness, I had no idea how long I would manage to stay put.


    I held her hand and took her nipple in my mouth while my other hand caressed the other one. Herughter stopped abruptly and a purring sound escaped her mouth.


    I swirled my tongue over the hard bud. She felt so delicate that I feared I might break her, but there were more things to do. I had been waiting for a long time after all.


    "Seven years is no joke," I muttered without my knowledge. "Seven fucking years... I can''t take it anymore."


    "Seven?" she mumbled in surprise.


    "Later. Think about itter, my wife," I said hoarsely and took my attention to her other lonely breast.


    "Um... ah... I-I feel weird."


    If she felt weird, then what I was feeling at this moment was trying to swallow moltenva and try to endure the pain.


    "Let''s wipe out the weird feeling then," I said.


    I brought my hand down to her utter perfection while observing her face just to see how she would react. I wanted to see her like this for a long time.


    "Ah... hm..."


    "Is it still weird?"


    "It''s even... weirder," she mumbled desperately.


    As it was her first time, she was supposed to call these feelings weird. I could understand herpletely.


    Even though I liked hearing her moans, it was making it harder for me to control myself. If I was not careful enough, she might end up getting hurt.


    I rubbed the wetness with my fingers and she squirmed just from that. It was kind of adorable and hot at the same time.


    "See how wet you''re for me?"


    "Don''t... don''t say those shameless... things aloud," she muttered. She looked like a rabbit caught in the trap of a hungry wolf.


    I could not help but chuckle at how cute she looked right now. Her cuteness was making it too hard for me, but I had waited several years, so a few more minutes would not hurt, right?


    I slipped one finger inside her and she gasped in surprise with her eyes widened. "You''re too tight. Even one finger seems to be too much," I said. "Hey, rx. Just breathe, alright? It''s supposed to make you feel good.


    Tell me, do you feel any pain?"


    She shook her head, pouting her lips though she was still in a bit of shock. She was supposed to be when it was the night when she had been held by a man for the first time. Everything was happening too fast after all.


    If there was a choice, I would consummate the marriage when she was ready even if it would be like death for me. But as I was a king and she was my wife, it was important for me to mark herpletely so she would be safe. Because if the news of her not being marked fully slipped somehow, other kingdoms would plot against us and try to harm her.


    Even if she was not markedpletely, she was still my mate. Losing a mate was like suicide for a werewolf. It would weaken a werewolf''s power and if it happened to me, I would have a difficult time holding my power in my hands, and more importantly, losing her was not something I wanted to even think about.


    For that reason, even if she felt rushed, we needed to do it. After all, our future was in our hands and the thing needed to make that future perfect was to use the time we had properly while making wise choices.


    I brought the finger out of her and slipped it inside again while observing her face to see the sweet expressions she was making.


    "Should I add one more finger?"


    "Will it fit?" she asked innocently.


    What was she saying? She was asking if another finger would fit? Did she think my finger was a thick tree trunk? Then what would she call my pride if she saw it?


    I suppressed myughter with great difficulty. If it was not for the mood, I would have choked onughter. It was surprising- I did not rememberughing freely before. Everything felt so gloomy. But that was until two days ago. Being with her was enough to lighten up my mood and even I could see a side of me that I did not know existed.


    "We''ll see," I said and pushed another finger inside her.


    "Ah... umm..."


    It was getting too much. I started stroking her rapidly that she almost forgot how to breathe. She closed her eyes as moans escaped her mouth and an addictive sound filled the room. I had a feeling that she was trying to stay as quiet as possible, perhaps she was worried that someone from the outside might hear her.


    I did not me her. Werewolves here did not have any shame. When a couple was married, others would stay outside the door on their wedding night and try to hear those sounds. Judging by her thoughts, it seemed like humans were like that as well.


    But my room was soundproof. No one from outside could hear anything. I had done this a long time ago. I had my reasons and it was a good thing that I brought the magician to do this that time.


    It was not long before she reached her climax. She had a body that responded well to my touch like cold raindrops falling on naked skin.


    "Do you know what a beautiful face you just made?"


    "Eh...?" she asked with an embarrassed expression.


    "You just reached an orgasm. Did it feel good?"


    She nodded though I could tell she mustered all her boldness to do so. It was kind of cute to tease her like this.


    Looking at her flushed face with her lips apart from the aftermath of her climax, it was all that was needed for me to lose the single thread of patience left.


    "I think you''re wet enough. I can''t take it anymore."


    It took me only one minute at the most to take of my outfit. For the first time, I felt so restless to take off my clothes. They felt like a nuisance at this moment.


    My wife seemed to be rather shocked to see me without clothes. It was her first time seeing me like this, but I did not expect her to be this shocked that she even forgot to close her mouth.


    But I was in desperate need of doing the thing that I wanted to do for a long time. Perhaps that was the reason that I did not care to take the chance to tease her.


    "If it hurts, tell me immediately, alright?" I said before parting her legs.


    She seemed to be numb that she did not even protest to hide herself or show any sign of shyness. Regardless to say, her mouth was still open.


    "Hey, Demetrius, no matter how I look at it, but that thing between your legs is abnormal," she said bluntly.


    "..."


    "I don''t mean to disrespect you or anything, but... um... is the ce between my legs wide enough for that thing to go in?"


    "..."


    "Sorry, keep going."


    "That''s more like it."


    All I needed was to enter her at this moment. The time had finallye to make her minepletely. No one would ever be able to take her from me then.


    I sighed. "Your lips look so empty. That''s unfair," I said and captured her lips before she could utter anything.


    I rubbed the tip against her entrance, just enough to make her clench her fists. Just a bit more... I needed her to rx a bit more so it would not be too hard for her. It was not in my hands to confirm her that it would not be painful. No matter what I did, the first time would still be painful. But at least if I could make her worry less, the night would be sessful.


    ''No one has died while having sex, right?''


    She was worried this much about it? Interesting- it made me want her even more and tease her. But my patience had finallye to an end and there was no turning back.


    "Tonight you''re going to be mine."

 Chapter 34: [Bonus chapter] The Wedding Night (3)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The moment I saw him without his clothes, for a split second I thought I could not breathe and the next moment, I was busy observing the sight in front of me.


    I had never seen anyone with a body like his. He looked even more handsome. But I was scared as well. How was that thing supposed to go in?


    As it was my first time, it was surely going to hurt a lot. Aftering here, all I wanted was not to get hurt. Perhaps it was so selfish of me to think like this.


    "Remember to tell me if it hurts, okay?" he said again. He seemed to be in pain as he was looking at me desperately. I nodded quickly.


    He started kissing my lips again as the tip entered slightly. I flinched but he held me with both of his hands so I would not be able to move.


    "It doesn''t hurt!" I eximed delightedly breaking the kiss.


    "That''s because not even the tip is in," he said.


    "Eh?"


    And before I could express my shock properly, his grip tightened on my upper arm as he pushed inside.


    A burning pain erupted from the ce. The feeling was far from good- it was the worst. My hands were trembling along with my hips.


    "It... hurts," I sniffled.


    He licked beside my left eye, perhaps he just licked my tear. He soothingly rubbed the side of my neck. The touch was so gentle that it felt like he was touching something very precious to him.


    "I know, my wife, I know. Just breathe, alright? I won''t move for now," he said though it felt like he was in pain to wait. "Come on, breathe with me. One... two...


    yes, good girl. I don''t like to see you in pain, my wife. Now it makes me feel bad that I can''t help."


    But he was already helping a lot. His soothing words and touch were truly magical. It felt like the pain was going away though an unpleasant burning feeling was still there.


    "Are you feeling better?" he asked.


    "Hmm."


    "Should I move then?"


    "Y-Yes," I said.


    He breathed an air of relief as he started to move gently. But the pain was there and every time he moved, the burning sensation increased.


    "It still hurts, doesn''t it?"


    "Hmm."


    "I''ll finish quickly," he sighed.


    He started moving faster than before, but I could not tell it was too fast. It seemed like he was suppressing. But because of the pain, I could not focus on other things properly.


    The pain had started to decrease, but it did not go away. Tears were flowing down even though I tried not to cry. A groan escaped his mouth while a hot gush of a liquid filled inside me.


    He pulled out of me slowly and I felt like I could breathe again. He surely held back a lot and looking at his face, I kind of felt sorry.


    I tried to wrap myself up in the nket, but the moment I tried to move, my downer part started hurting.


    "Don''t move," he said while putting on his robe. I felt ashamed to be the only one naked at this moment.


    I sat down even though it hurt and hugged myself to hide as much as I could. He came back with a bowl full of water and a towel. He ced the bowl on the bedside table and handed me a robe.


    He ced the robe around my shoulder and I quickly put it on. I was grateful for it. Being naked was embarrassing.


    He dripped the towel in the water. I wondered why he was doing that, but I could not help but gawk at him. He looked really handsome. I must have had gone crazy. Everything he did made me think that he was getting even more handsome.


    He suddenly started parting my legs. I grabbed his hand quickly. "What... what are you doing?" I asked.


    "You bled," he replied. "I''ll just wipe the blood."


    "I-I can do it myself."


    "Of course you can."


    "Then..."


    "But let me do it for you. I''m your husband after all," he said with a smile.


    The smile was gentle. He did not seem to be as scary as others told him to be. Besides, the smile did not seem to be a fake one either. Did he then have this side of him save for me only?


    I parted my legs and looked away. It was too hard for me to look him in the eyes, especially in this embarrassing moment.


    "I''ve seen every part of you already and we even mated. There is no need for you to be shy, my wife," he said, wiping my downer part gently.


    "Still...," I muttered. "Did I bleed like hell?"


    "Just a little. It''s not menstruation."


    "..."


    He wasughing as he said it. He was surely making fun of me. Though he teased me a lot, I liked being beside him. I felt safe and kind of happy.


    But suddenly a thought hit me. He said he had been waiting for me for a long time. But if that was the case, then why would he bother to have mistresses? If he was true about his decision of making me his queen for a long time, then why?


    "So you''re thinking about it now, huh?" he sighed. "Well, you have the right to know."


    I kept forgetting that he could read my mind. But this time, it seemed like a good thing as I did not have to ask him that myself. It would be ufortable and I did not even know where to begin with.


    "In a Royal family, there are some stupid things that you have to follow. One of them is having mistresses. As I was the heir, when I wasn''t taking any mistress, rumors spread. Of course, my sweet cousin was the one who started it."


    "But why?"


    "Those rumors said that I don''t prefer women, or I can''t feel anything like lust. It risked my position. They started to believe that I could not make an heir. If that was the case, then they would surely choose Isaac as their king. So I took mistresses though they were my mistresses in name only. I gave them money to keep their mouths shut.


    They woulde to my room and stay here for some time. I had my room soundproof. So no one could suspect anything," he exined. "Well, I met you seven years ago. I just didn''t want to have anyone else but you."


    "You don''t mean that this was your first time as well, do you?" I asked in utter disbelief.


    He chuckled and kept on wiping. I should have understood sooner. The look he had on his face when he entered me, I had a feeling that he did not know that it would feel like that. But maybe because I had a firm belief that he slept with his mistresses before, I ignored it.


    "You could have just told me sooner," I grumbled.


    "I thought it wasn''t important."


    "Wasn''t important? How can you say something like that?"


    "Is it something important?"


    "Of course!"


    "Why?"


    Now how could I tell him that it would make me feel good to know that he had been waiting for me all along?


    "If that''s the case, I would have told you sooner. Anyway, I know it hurt you a lot and you couldn''t exactly decide."


    "Decide what?" I asked.


    "If I was good or not," he replied shrugging. "It won''t happen again. I even had to get it done after just a few thrusts."


    After wiping the ce clean, he gave me a little bottle full of something silver. The liquid looked like transparent jello.


    "It''s for the pain. It won''t hurt when we do it again," he said.


    I opened the sip and drank the whole liquid. I could not believe it- even the taste was like jello. From now on, this was the best medicine I tasted or perhaps I would ever taste.


    "Is it that bad?"


    "What? No, of course not. It tastes like jello," I said.


    "Well, it''s for women for their first time. It instantly removes the pain. Try moving your legs now. Does it hurt?"


    Just like he said, I tried to move my legs. Truly it did not hurt anymore. Honestly saying, it did not even feel like we did it in the first ce.


    "It doesn''t hurt anymore, Dem!"


    "That''s good. Because if it still hurt, I would have brought the doctor by his cor and fed him this myself until he choke on it."


    Whoa- was it not too extreme? Perhaps this was the reason everyone feared him. Really even his words were terrifying.


    "Now that the pain is gone and you''re smiling again, shall we pick up from where we left off?"

 Chapter 35: The Embarrassing Morning

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    When I woke up, it was past lunchtime. I was not even in my right mind after waking up. And the moment what happenedst night came to my mind, I felt even more embarrassed.


    It was true that it did not hurt anymore. Moreover, it was too good to be true. I had been weird. Peculiar sounds were leaving my mouth and if I recalled correctly, I even asked for more. How embarrassing!


    He was too strong. I had a feeling that he would not even bother to stop if it was not for me. We had to keep going on until sunrise. After that, I did not even remember when I fell asleep or perhaps I had lost my consciousness.


    My limbs hurt as if they were smashed by a big machine. It was too difficult to even sit. At this rate, I could not even think of standing.


    "You''re awake, my wife."


    I almost screamed hearing his voice. I did not notice anything after waking up; rather I was more focused on trying to remember all of the embarrassing things I had donest night.


    Now that I looked at him, he was dressed properly. It seemed like he had some work done while I was sleeping like a log.


    "When did you wake up?" I asked.


    "I had woken upte today- at 8," he replied.


    ''Eight in the morning iste... Are you kidding me? We literally slept after 5.''


    "What time is it then?"


    "Three. It''s past lunchtime," he said. "You weren''t waking up. The maids got worried and called me. So I''vee to see if you''re alright."


    "Oh, sorry for worrying you."


    "Do your limbs hurt?"


    I was sure that I had be all red already. I looked down on myp, so I would not have to meet his eyes.


    "They''re just... sore," I replied.


    "Don''t worry, it will be gone soon," he said. "Now you better freshen up. We will have our lunch."


    "You didn''t have your lunch?" I asked in surprise.


    "No."


    "Don''t tell me you didn''t have lunch because..."


    "Go and freshen up quickly, my wife. You don''t want your husband to starve, do you?" he said, cutting me off.


    "Right," I said and tried to get out of the bed, wrapping the nket around me.


    He caught me quickly as I almost fell. "Careful. I''ll send the maids. Don''t move, okay?"


    And just like that, he left. A smile curved on my lips. Perhaps everything was not a bad thing. But the best thing that I found was that he was truly waiting for me. How could someone be like that? How could he wait for me for seven years?


    I wanted to know more about when he first saw me or why he chose me. But he told me that I did not need to ask him that. When the time woulde, he was going to tell me that himself.


    "Ruby!" I eximed loudly the moment I saw Ruby entering along with other maids. By the look on her face, it did not seem like Demetrius hurt her. Rather she seemed happier than the times I saw her before.


    "Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" she said, bowing.


    "Thank me? What are you saying? Because of me, you had to go to the dungeon. I''m truly sorry," I said quickly.


    "No, Your Highness. Because of you, His Highness did not punish me. He forgave me for my grave mistake and also made me your personal maid," she said, sniffling.


    Demetrius made her my personal maid? But why? The way he behavedst night, it seemed like he hated Ruby and did not want her to do anything with me. But then why did he make her my personal maid? It was not like I was not happy. But I could not ease my mind.


    I needed to ask him about it.


    "Anyway, Your Highness, Arianell has prepared your bath. Should we head there? And today, Your Highness needs to wear a dress that covers your neck," she said.


    Hearing her words, I looked down to see what she meant. My goodness! What the hell did he do to my skin? Were those the things that people called hickeys?


    It was so embarrassing that I did not even know how to look at the maids. They had known what we did, but I did not want them to see marks of it.


    "You look so red, Your Highness. Do you by any chance have a fever?" Ruby asked anxiously.


    "No, I''m fine. Let''s just head to the bath now. Demetrius must be waiting," I said.


    During the bath, all I did was close my eyes and hear their bbering about my skin and how good the king was to me. Everything was embarrassing, so the best thing I came up with was to keep my mouth and eyes shut and pretend not to exist.


    "His Highness calls Her Highness with such sweetness that''s even greater than peach," Arianell said.


    "Yes, and did you see the way he was yelling at the tailor for not bringing the cape?" Ruby said.


    "What did he do?" I asked, not being able to let this one slide. Did he truly yell at the tailor for that reason? But when did he even order a cape for me?


    "His Highness had ordered a cape with ckce and the one the tailor brought had ckce too but thece was not dark enough," Ruby exined. "That''s why His Highness has been in a bad mood in the morning."


    No matter how I looked at Demetrius''s behavior, he was kind of childish and immature in some ways. Even though it was a bit cute sometimes, it was not a good thing. I needed to talk to him.


    After taking the bath, the maids dressed me up in a veryfortable and casual dress. It was a shift dress. Though I liked howfortable and light it was, the maids were not happy with it.


    "Your Highness, don''t you think it''s too short?" Arianell asked.


    "Don''t judge His Highness''s taste. His Highness chose this for Her Highness," Ruby said.


    Demetrius chose this for me? When I told him that the dresses here were heavy and it was hard to move in them, he had told me that he would get me somethingfortable. So he truly did it for me.


    "But if others saw Her Highness in this dress..."


    "If they try to say something bad, I''m sure His Highness will do something about it," Ruby said.


    They put my hair in a high bun which was not too tight nor too loose. I had three maids before, but for some reason, I did not see the other one again. And as Ruby said, Arianell and she were my two personal maids from now on.


    "This dress suits you, my wife. Is itfortable?" Demetrius asked the moment he entered the room.


    The servants were preparing a small table in our room. The room was big enough for it. Truth be told, the room was twice the size of the room I was in.


    "Yes, it''sfortable. Thank you for being considerate," I said. I could not look him in the eyes. Because whenever I looked at him, I would rememberst night.


    "My wife, aren''t you being too formal with your husband?"


    "Am I?"


    "It hurts my feelings."


    "Sorry, I was just... Never mind. Let''s eat now. You must be hungry," I said.


    "You''re hungrier than I am, my wife. You haven''t had your breakfast and besides, your body needs some nutrition as well after a tiresome night," he said.


    Ruby was shaking withughter as she ced the dishes on the table though she did not make any sound. Arianell was bright red like a radish. And as for me, I almost had a heart attack and if there was a way to die out of embarrassment, I would have been dead by now then.


    "Please enjoy your meals, Your Highness."


    Ruby and Arianell left after serving everything. We sat face to face at the table though there was no point in doing so as I could not meet his eyes.


    "What is it, my wife? Is the food not to your taste?" he asked as if he had no idea what was going on.


    I sighed. "It''s not that. But the problem is you can''t tease me in front of everyone. It makes me ufortable."


    "So you mean teasing you while we''re alone is okay?"


    "That''s... Can''t you just stop teasing me?"


    "Not a choice."


    "You''re being childish, Demetrius," I said. "Anyway, only if we''re alone, you can behave like that. But not always."


    "As my wife wishes," he said with a smile. "Well, my wife, tomorrow, shall we go on a date?"


    "On a date?"


    "Won''t you like it?"


    "Of course I will. But where?"


    "That''s a secret, my lovely wife," he smirked. "Just be ready at ten. And by the way, the marks on your skin look good on you."

 Chapter 36: Call Me By The Other Name

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Last night was the best night of my life. Even though the first time, I had to hold back a lot, it was not the case after that. She was exhausted, but we needed to keep going. It was important so the marking process could be fulfilled. And more importantly, I enjoyed it more than anything else. If possible, I could go for two more rounds.


    But after sunrise, I let her rest. She looked like she had gotten out of a volcano.


    Tonight as always, it took me a while to finish all the work. I wanted to go back as quickly as possible, but then the thought hit me. Last night, it was a must to mate. But what if she did not want to do it? What if she did that just out of responsibility?


    Holding myself back afterst night was going to be hard. But if I wanted her heart to be mine, I needed to be patient.


    I returned to our room veryte. But she was still awake. Perhaps she was waiting for me to return. The food was ced on the table and she was talking to her maid with a smiling face. It waste. She had been waiting for me all this time?


    She must be hungry. But the look on her face did not show that at all. Perhaps she was good at hiding her true feelings better than anyone else.


    "Why didn''t you just eat?" I asked.


    "Oh, you''ve returned," she smiled.


    "I will take my leave then, Your Highness," the maid bowed. It was the same maid who disobeyed me and told my wife about the ceremony. That was the reason I had made her my wife''s personal maid. It was clear that she would do anything to help my wife. That was what Blue needed in the pce, someone who she could rely on beside me.


    "You haven''t eaten."


    "Oh, I wasn''t that much hungry. And besides, I was waiting for you," she said.


    "You didn''t have to."


    "Why not? It''s no fun to eat alone."


    "You could have chatted with the maid," I said.


    "I''m talking about you. Would it feel any good if you ate alone?"


    "I''m used to it," I shrugged.


    "Or do you not like to eat with me?" she asked.


    "How can I not like to spend time with my dear wife? I''m just saying this cause you don''t need to stay hungry because of me. Werewolves are stronger than humans. I can go days without eating, but if you don''t eat in time, it might be bad for your health," I said.


    She pouted. "I want to eat with you and that''s all."


    "If that''s what my wife wants," I gave up.


    It was always fun to argue with her about little things, especially because her reasoning and thinking face was adorable. It was even more fun to tease her. But it was only for me. I could stand at all when someone else tried to talk to her like that.


    I would prefer changing my outfit, but looking at my dear wife made me change my mind. It was clear that she was hungry. This silly girl...


    "Are the food here to your liking?" I asked as I watched her eating her steak. She looked cute, especially because she took too little food in her mouth as if she was feeding a bird.


    "Hmm... it''s good," she said with her mouth full. Even the little food she took in her mouth seemed to be too much for her to chew. "Why aren''t you eating? Don''t you like it?"


    "I was just watching you."


    "Eh? Why?"


    "Choose one- cheesy or normal," I said.


    "What? Why..."


    "Just choose one, my wife."


    "Alright- normal then," she said. She looked confused with her eyes getting bigger than normal, though she did not stop chewing on her food.


    "You look adorable. I just can''t stop watching you."


    "Are you making fun of me? You''re being cheesy right now, do you know that?"


    "You chose normal, so I told the truth only. I didn''t try to be a hopeless poet," I said.


    "If that''s normal, then I wonder what cheesy might be..."


    "Your face shines brighter than the moon. Your eyes shine so brightly that my heart tters. I feel like I can see the doorway of heaven just by looking so deep into your eyes. It''s like the brightness that nothing can describe..."


    "Stop," she said calmly. It was more like she could not show any more expression due to the sudden change of atmosphere.


    "The beauty of your heart reflects on your eyes..."


    "Pfft... hahaha... Oh my goodness!"


    "d you''re enjoying it," I chuckled. "I will keep in mind to be cheesy."


    "Oh lord, stop! Hahahaha... I can''t... I tried not tough, I swear I tried. You''re just...," she said through her continuous wheezing. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them as if she was going to face something that took all her strength.


    "Alright. So, listen, Demetrius- if you want your wife to live and not die due to embarrassment, you need to keep your tongue at bay. Because too many cheesy words are heinous for the heart of your new wife and since her heart is quite weak, it would not be good to stress her out. She might die while wheezing."


    The way sheughed freely, for some reason, I wanted to keep that moment in my heart. If I needed to bring her the most precious thing in the world, I would if only she would alwaysugh like this.


    "Why are you looking at me like that now?" she asked after calming down. She had beenughing for quite a while now. Her face was all red because of that.


    "It''s the second time youughed freely in front of me," I said.


    She blushed and focused on eating, at least she tried so. Perhaps I had teased her way too much. I pretended to focus on eating as well though I was more interested in tracking her secret nces towards me.


    "Demetrius..."


    "Isn''t it hard to call me Demetrius?"


    "Why would it be hard?"


    "Hard or not, I prefer something else," I said.


    "Hey, you don''t expect me to call you anything cheesy, do you?" she asked suspiciously.


    ''What else should I call him? I can''t just call him ''baby'', ''honey'', ''darling''... eek! Demetrius... I can call him Demetrius only.''


    "Your imagination is praise-worthy, my wife. Well, you know what to call me. You have already called me that before. Evenst night when we were doing it, you moaned my name. That''s the name that I prefer," I said while observing her face getting redder and redder.


    "Dem... Do you want me to call you Dem?" she asked in a low tone.


    I smiled at her and she knew the answer herself. It never failed to startle me that how much I couldugh freely around her. She was like the home I never had- a home that was impossible to leave, a home that provided thefort that even all the wealth could not buy.


    After the dinner, the maids cleaned the ce up. She looked all flushed for some reason. Truth be told, I knew the reason. But as I promised myself earlier, I would not do it until she made it clear that she wanted it as well.


    "My wife, I have something for you," I said.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "It''s your birthday gift. It took some time to make it. Thatzy Luc... I should have beaten him up. I didn''t have much time to deal with his ass, or I would have shown him the way to hell," I said, gritting my teeth. "Anyway, sorry for beingte, my wife.


    But I''m sure you''ll like the gift."

 Chapter 37: [Bonus chapter] A Gift

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    A gift he said? For some reason, my heart swelled up with an unknown emotion. My eyes could only look at him and my mind could only ask- ''Is it true?''


    All the things you were showing me, all the care and warmth you were giving me- was it all true? My selfish heart wanted this feeling tost forever and to have all this to myself. Just what was this feeling that was making me this greedy?


    "Come here, my wife," he said and offered me his hand.


    I took his hand. It always amazed me just how big his hand was. My hand always looked tiny in his hand. It was still hard to believe that this handsome man was my husband. Not even in my wildest dreams, I thought I would be the wife of someone like his. He was so powerful and strong, and most importantly, he was caring.


    He took me to the dressing table. The huge mirror that stood there reflected a very unbelievable sight that made my heart almost lose its sanity. Him standing behind me, holding me by the waist- it felt too unreal to be true.


    "You''re so little, my wife," he said, cing his chin on top of my head. "And so adorable that I want to hold you in my arms forever. I want to hide you from everything. But you don''t want that. You don''t want to stay hidden and be saved only. And that''s why you will be someone the world will look up to with fear and respect at the same time.


    The path is hard. But just as I am holding your hand right now, I will hold your hand then too. Just stay with me, my wife. Stay close to me so I can always feel you."


    My eyes filled with tears. I did not like to cry, but right at the moment, those tears felt too hard to resist. I was not sad, nor was I happy- I was surprised, and more importantly, I felt hopeful and lucky.


    "You don''t have to ept me right away, my wife. I don''t expect you to. You don''t have to push yourself. Take your time. Take as long as you need. But stay with me and never leave me."


    The tears that I hardly could hold back started to fall. I never wanted to have this kind of life nor did I ever expect it. I did not want any luxury; I just wanted to have enough things to survive. But still, I got this. I had be a queen. And most importantly, I found a man who always exceeded my expectations.


    The man I ended up with- my husband who promised that he would hold my hand. It felt like a story that I did not want to finish. What would it take me so it would be a never-ending story?


    "Tears are precious, my wife. You shouldn''t shed them so easily," he said, wiping the tears with his thumbs. "They call tears someone''s weakness. Are my words your weakness, my wife?"


    "They... are precious," I mumbled.


    "Don''t let words fool you, my wife. Even the ones you trust the most can break you. That''s why words are not something to judge someone''s true intention. Look at their actions and then judge. Don''t just hear the words, feel them to the depth."


    "Then shouldn''t I trust you too, Dem?" I asked.


    "Even when I tell you to trust me, you shouldn''t trust me fully until you see my actions. Eyes can''t lie, my wife. Look into my eyes and see if you can trust me a bit. If you see the truth there, then rely on me a bit. But my actions will be the real things that you should judge me with," he said. "Take your time to see if I''m worthy of your trust."


    "I trust you," I said. "No matter what you say, Dem, you are someone I want to trust. If you want to hurt me, you can. But I will still trust you."


    I looked up at him and found his face hovering over mine from behind. "Because I know you will never hurt me," I smiled.


    For the first time, I could see a look of surprise in his eyes. But it was just for a moment before he chuckled. "Alright then, my wife. I''m grateful to earn your trust. Then know that you''re the safest with me."


    I had already known this. There was no ce where I felt at ease like this. He was the one who had the ability to make me feel that way. I did not prefer any other person either.


    "Now, this is your gift."


    I did not even notice when he wore me a ne. It was not something fancy, but the locket in the shape of love was kind of captivating for some reason. I could not exactly see why, but it seemed like the ne was shining a bit.


    "See? It''s shining. But only you and I can see it. And perhaps a high-level magician. This ne prevents me from reading your mind."


    "W-What?"


    "It prevents me from reading your mind. It means..."


    "No, I don''t mean that. I mean, why are you giving me this?"


    "My wife, it is important to give someone privacy. I don''t want to get in your way of thinking. So, you should wear this all the time. Don''t worry, you can wear it while bathing as well," he replied. "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "I didn''t know you would care for someone''s privacy."


    "Why would you say that?" he asked in a dejected way.


    "Well, or you would give other people something to prevent you from reading their minds."


    "Who cares about them? I only care about you," he shrugged. "I don''t care about their privacy. They are disgusting people thinking about disgusting things. But sometimes, it''s kinda fun to see them having confused thoughts and see them scheming against me. It''s even more fun to rip their heads off at the end and when they ask why I did that, I just say that they are annoying."


    "... You''re not being literal, are you?"


    "What do you think?" he smirked.


    There was no doubt he meant exactly what he said. Now I could guess a bit as to why others feared him that much.


    "Can you really not read my mind now?"


    "No. What are you thinking? Are you calling me something bad in your head?"


    "Why would I do that?" I rolled my eyes.


    "It doesn''t matter though as now we''re married. We''re bound to each other, aren''t we?" he said hugging me from behind.


    I wanted to say yes. But I could not. Right at that moment, I could only focus on the warmth and the feeling of being protected. Yes, this was the feeling I liked the most.


    "T-Thank you for the gift," I mumbled.


    "I''m d you like it, my wife," he said and kissed on top of my head. "It''s quitete now, my wife. We should sleep."


    My face burned up again. Were we just going to sleep or were we going to do that again? Honestly saying, I did not even know if I wanted to do it or not. It sure felt good, but something always felt missing. Perhaps that was why I was confused.


    "I will change then. You can go to sleep, my wife."


    ''Go to sleep? Did that mean... Perhaps he is thinking about my health since I looked tired. That must be it...''


    Iy down on the bed gazing at the ceiling. Onlyst night on this bed, we had been so close. All the time we did this, I had been calling out his name without even knowing that myself. Now that I thought about it, I had been strange. It did not seem like I was in my right mind. Everything felt hot and all I wanted for him was to move and never stop.


    The pleasure was dangerous. It made me lose my mind. But for some reason, I wanted to feel it again. Perhaps just a bit... But I could not ask him for it. It would be too embarrassing.


    And maybe he did not want to do it now. He must be tired. Well, he did look tired. Unlike me, he had been busy all the time.


    Ruby said that he worked all the time without going anywhere. She even said that he had a bad temper and he had zero patience. But I knew it was not like that. He waited a long time for me and even was ready to wait until I could ept him, then how could he not be patient? I wondered if this part of him was just for me.


    In that case, I would like to cherish this part of him dearly so he would open up to me more. If we kept going like that, perhaps we would be able to grow closer soon.


    I clutched the locket tightly. He considered my thoughts as if they were very important. It was the first time someone paid that much attention to me. I almost felt spoiled.


    Tomorrow we were going on a date. I still did not understand why he wanted to go on a date suddenly. But I was kind of looking forward to it. It had been like this since the moment I came here. I had always been looking forward to the time when we were together and alone.

 Chapter 38: The Date (1)

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Last night was harder than I thought. Sleeping on the same bed as hers, also while her leg unconsciously touched mine, it was like trying to endure the hardest pain possible. As a result, I could not sleep at allst night.


    "My king, is something wrong?" Kenzo, the Beta asked. "You look tired."


    "Do I?" I red at him.


    "Not at all, my king," he quickly said.


    Perhaps I truly looked pitiful. But it should not go on like this. Even if I cared for my wife a lot, I should not be like this in front of others. Or it might lead them to think that she was my weakness and they would try to harm my precious delicate wife.


    It was true that she was my weakness. If I found out anyone tried to do something bad to her, I would give them the most painful death possible. And if anyone tried to take her from me, perhaps they would need to think of a way of making artificial werewolves since there would be almost none left to serve them.


    It was almost ten. I had finished my work quickly as I was going on a date with her. Suddenly the familiar scent filled my nostrils.


    As expected, there was a knock on the door. Being a king and an Alpha had many advantages. As she was my mate now, just like other werewolves could not smell me, they could not smell her either. That was why no one could tell it was me or her if we did not show ourselves.


    "Who can disturb Your Highness now? Should I punish..."


    "Don''t talk uselessly," I said sternly. "Only one person can enter my study without asking for permission and that is my queen. You better keep that in mind if you don''t want me to pull out all of your furs to sew a sweater for my wife."


    "Please forgive me, my king. I shouldn''t have said that," he bowed.


    "Then get the hell out."


    "Yes, my king."


    He bowed and left. The moment he opened the door, the scent became stronger. "Greetings, Your Highness."


    Even though I could not read her thoughts anymore, I knew that she was thinking about what to say in situations like this. If she asked me, I would tell her just to ignore.


    "Oh, hello. Is the king inside?" she asked awkwardly. It made me want to tease her about it, but since that beta was here, I could not talk to her as I wanted to.


    "Why the hell are you still there?" I barked.


    "Apologies, my king. I''m leaving."


    He truly left this time. "Aren''t you going toe in, my wife?"


    "Oh... Y-Yes," she mumbled as she stepped inside. "Are you in a bad mood?"


    "Why do you think so?"


    "I mean, you yelled at him just now," she muttered clutching her dress.


    "Oh that," I chuckled. "That''s my regr mood. Don''t worry about it. Those pigs..."


    "You have a foul mouth, Dem."


    "That''s reserved for them," I said. "Anyway, are you ready to go now?"


    "Uh-huh. But if you have any work now..."


    "I don''t. Ipleted them early. So shall we go now?"


    "Okay."


    "By the way, my wife, do you know how beautiful you look today?"


    She blushed. Today she was wearing a silk ck gown with flower drawing on her chest in golden color. The identical ring as mine shone in her finger. There was a ck stone on top of the ring. It was a ck gemstone in the shape of a diamond. It was the most valuable gemstone in my world and also the rarest as well.


    There were only three of them left. It was said that those gemstones were left by the Moon Goddess herself.


    This gemstone was called ck Tear. Our family had two of them that now belonged to me and my wife. The other one belonged to King Ford of Trouvaille kingdom1.


    "You wore ck too," she muttered.


    "I always wear ck, my wife."


    "You wore a white shirt when you went to my house that night," she said.


    "Well, that was an exception. Truly saying, I did not think of taking my ck coat off. And Mother said that if I went to bring you here, I should not wear ck. I mean, she meant that you might get scared seeing the all-ck look. You see, ck hair, ck eyes, ck attire, ck aura... I have a frightening appearance," I said.


    "Pfft... is that even a reason?"


    "Of course. I don''t like the reason as well, but well, Mother is right. You might have gotten scared."


    "You mean you look scary in ck?" she asked.


    "Don''t I?"


    "Well, I''ve seen you in white and ck only. When you were in that white shirt, you looked good and handsome, especially with the sleeves tightening around your biceps and the first two-button undone... And in ck, you look even more handsome. I mean, the way you look in white, just multiple it with ten. That''s how you look in ck. Like freaking hot," she muttered impatiently.


    I could not believe my ears. My wife was always shy, then how could she talk like this all of a sudden? But to think of it, it was kind of good. Still, for some reason, I felt like she said those things louder than she intended.


    Just to prove me right, her smiling face suddenly darkened as panic struck her face. She pped her palm over her mouth and gasped.


    "What is it, my wife?" I asked teasingly.


    "I... I was nning to say that in my mind. I mean, I-I didn''t mean to...," she mumbled. She looked like a bright red tomato at this moment. So adorable...


    "Why are you embarrassed, my wife? I''m your husband after all. You can praise your husband all you want," I said. "To think of it, did you really think like that when you first met me?"


    "Who wouldn''t?" she pouted.


    "I''m d. And it''s also great to know that you think I look better in ck. Mother says I look like a tyrant in ck."


    "Well, you kinda do..."


    "That''s why I wear ck. I like to scare others, you know," I said. "Now shall we go, my wife?"


    She nodded. She had worn the ck cape I had brought for her. And her almost ck hair was tied up in a bun. Yes, she indeed looked like the queen of Querencia.


    There was a horse prepared for us. We did not shapeshift unless there was a war. That was why we lived like humans most of the time.


    She could not possibly know how to ride a horse. Because of that, I prepared only one horse so we could ride together.


    Usually, she would be shy and embarrassed about getting close to me and object sometimes as well. But perhaps horse riding seemed to trigger her panic as she did not bother to argue at all.


    "The horse is as ck as coal," she muttered.


    "His name is Jack."


    "He is beautiful," she said. I could see the clear excitement in her eyes, but she did not dare to go near the horse.


    "You can touch him. He won''t bite," I said.


    "I know!"


    Even though she said it, she was reluctant to get closer to the horse, forget touching. She was putting one-foot front and then again backed away the moment the horse moved a bit.


    "Come here. Give me your hand," I said, taking her hand. I ced her palm on the horse''s fur. She flinched, but I did not let go of her hand. In a moment, her fear seemed to subside as she did not flinch anymore and tried to back away. The horse seemed to like her too as he did not move much.


    "His fur is soft," she muttered.


    "Mine is softer," I mumbled.


    "Did you say something? I didn''t quite catch..."


    "It''s nothing. Just don''t rub him too much. He will get spoiled and would not want to leave your side."


    "Really?" she asked excitedly. "That would be cool!"


    "That would be a nuisance," I grumbled.


    "You''re really..."


    The moment we set out, she buried her head in my chest. Perhaps the speed was too much for her. Well, I did not slow down though... It was not like she was trembling. That was why I thought she would be able to get used to it in a while.


    "Is it too much, my wife?" I asked.


    "It''s too fast! I will fall!"


    "What am I for then? I''m holding you, ain''t I? Just try to look around, my wife. The air is fresh and so is the weather. And this speed will give you wings."


    "It''s dangerous," she muttered.


    "But isn''t it exciting as well? If you can feel it, then slow things will be of no use to you. And besides, my wife," I said, "Your husband is dangerous as well."

 Chapter 39: The Date (2)

    [Another chapter for my dear readers! Well, as I mentioned before, this novel has participated in the ''My Werewolf Lover And I''petition. So if you enjoy reading it, please support this novel. Love you all!]


    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The horse was gorgeous in every way possible. Especially with the whole ck color, he was quite eye-catching. But still, I could not dare to go near him. It was my first time seeing a horse. In the town side, there were no horses and with my family''s financial condition, the thought of going somewhere to see a horse was unimaginable.


    But Dem helped me. I was feeling guilty. I could not do anything properly here and I did not know about many things. He had to help me with every single thing. I needed to be worthy of being the queen as soon as possible so he could rely on me as well.


    We were being too fast. The wind felt dangerous as it fell on our skin. But he was not slowing down. I could not tell him to slow down as well. I would look scared if I did.


    "I''m holding you, my wife. Don''t be scared and open your eyes. Look around," he said.


    I had to muster a lot of courage to open my eyes and look ahead. It seemed like we were traveling the wind. Everything seemed to be going backward at full speed.


    The air felt too cold. The hair on my nape stood up in the chill, but still, in the midst of all this, I could feel his warm breath falling on my skin.


    Now that I managed to look around, I felt braver. The speed did not feel as scary as before. Even though I could not rx fully, perhaps looking around would not hurt.


    "Like what you see now, my wife?"


    "I can''t see anything clearly. It''s blurry. We''re too fast, Dem," I said.


    "Well, feel the speed then, my wife," he said.


    "The speed?"


    "This is how we chase someone," he said. "In the war, sometimes we have to go this fast as well."


    "Don''t you fall?" I asked. The speed was dangerous. If I was alone on the horse, I would have fallen a long time ago.


    "I haven''t ever," he said.


    "Not even once? That''s impossible. What about the time when you first learned?" I asked.


    "Not even then. When you''re the heir and you make a minor mistake, everyone goes against you. Well, I never fell in front of others. Because I always practiced a lot before I started training officially. It was my father''s n. He did not want to make me look weak.


    He was right, you know. If anyone saw me falling from the horse, they would spread rumors that I am weak and not eligible to be the king. Father would train me himself. That time, if I say I didn''t fall, that would be a huge lie. No one can be the best at first. It''s not like everyone fails on the first try, but they don''t do the best either.


    It takes some time and practice. After I had mastered horse riding, only then I started taking training from the instructor," he said.


    "When did you even start horse riding?"


    "When I was four."


    "... Do you guys perhaps are of a different size than us humans? Never mind. Ruby is just a bit taller than me."


    It was very disturbing. How could they be like that? Just because an heir fell from a horse would mean that they were not worthy of the throne? What kind of stupid thinking was that?


    Now I was sure that there were more of these stupid things other than this. First that mistress incident, and now this horse riding thing- everything was disgusting. No wonder Dem had be so cold. He had to endure all those things. If someone talked about Dem badly, I would surely give them a piece of my mind. They were not even worthy of talking about him.


    I patted his chest lightly as I leaned against him. He was very warm and it seemed like his warmth was filling me with warmth as well.


    He touched the back of my head and rubbed soothingly. Did he notice that I was trying to sympathize?


    "Don''t worry, my wife. Those things did not break me," he said.


    "But they were horrible rules to follow," I said.


    "I know. But you don''t have to follow anything, my wife. I don''t want you to do something that you don''t like."


    He had been saying the same thing all the time. He always tried to make me asfortable as possible.


    "I feel bad for you, Dem. I know what you''re going to say. But still... Don''t you ever cry, Dem?"


    "No, I don''t."


    Perhaps it was part of those horrible things as well that if a king cried, he was considered weak. For some reason, I felt really bad for him.


    "But if something or someone hurts you or if you just want to cry, I can lend you my shoulder orp," I said. "And I will also cry with you. You don''t have to feel embarrassed around me. I won''tugh like mean people."


    I did not know what look he had on as I was leaning against his chest. He chuckled all of a sudden and kissed the top of my head.


    We did not have to ride too much after that. I was so busy cursing those horrible rules in this world inside my head that I did not even notice where we were.


    We were on top of a hill. The ce where we stood was deprived of any trees or anything else. It was like a circr ce without any trees. The ce was strangely soundless as well.


    But it was a very... I did not know how to describe- beautiful or sacred? Or something else? There was a huge tree in the middle of the round ce, but I could not recognize it. It was the first time I could not recognize a tree. I had read all about them and with my photographic memory, it was hard for me to forget something that I once read about.


    The tree looked strangely familiar while at the same time unknown. ck flowers bloomed in every branch. The flowers were very little but mass in number. The tree looked like a wave of darkness.


    "Legends say that under this very tree, the Moon Goddess made the first werewolf. Well, there is no proof of it. It''s kind of like a myth," he said. "But I like this ce. It''s where I used toe when I needed a break from everything. You know, it has a calm atmosphere."


    He was right. The ce was indeed calm, too calm to be precise. It felt like there were no living beings here.


    "It''s beautiful," I mumbled.


    "It''s beautiful?"


    "Yeah, it''s strange."


    "Strange indeed. But not this ce. It''s you who is strange," he said.


    "Huh?"


    "How can you call this ce beautiful? No matter how you look at it, it''s gloomy and dark. Other werewolves avoid this ce. Because they think this ce is cursed."


    "But you said that the Moon Goddess made the first werewolf here. Then..."


    "But I haven''t told you the rest, my wife," he said. "The first werewolf fell in love with the Moon Goddess. She was said to be beautiful. But you cannot love God. Not in that way. You can be a loyal servant, but you can never be equal.


    The first werewolf pushed too hard and tried to touch the Moon Goddess. And that''s when it happened. The flowers that were once white turned ck and this ce became so gloomy that even animals don''te here. No werewolfes here as well. They say if youe here, you will be cursed as well. You will be a monster."


    "Still you like this ce, don''t you? That means you don''t believe in that rumor."


    "But, my wife, I am a monster."


    "A monster? You call yourself a monster, then you must be a monster," I said. "Even if this ce is cursed, you chose toe here. Even though you knew you would be a monster, you still came here. Because it''s your choice. If you choose to be a monster, then what can someone else do for it?


    It''s your life. So the choice must be yours as well. And to me, this ce is beautiful because of its uniqueness. It''s not like I believe the rumor. I don''t actually care about this kind of thing. It''s my choice after all."


    I looked up at him and held his hand. "And if I choose to be with a monster, that''s my choice as well. There is nothing you or anyone else can do. As I said, my choice is mine only."

 Chapter 40: The Date (3)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    We sat under the tree and spent some time there. It was an oddly calm ce. But it felt good to be there. I always liked silent ces as my house was always filled with yelling. A bit of silence and peace would feel like heaven.


    After that, we went to the local shops. I did not even notice that Dem had brought two ck hooded cloaks for us.


    "Is it okay to wander around the locality like this? I mean, you''re the king..."


    "No one will recognize us. First of all, we''re not wearing anything that can be used to recognize us. Secondly, they don''t know how we look. And thirdly, we''re wearing cloaks. Just keep the hood over your head," he said.


    "If you say so..."


    "So where do you want to go first, my wife?"


    "I don''t know. I mean, I don''t know anything here. It''s better if you lead me."


    "Now that we''re in the market, why don''t we taste the food here then? I don''t know about the food too as I''ve never eaten in this market. You choose," he said.


    Of course, he did not know about the food. How could a king know about the food that the ordinary ate? He was used to royal foods.


    But something about him was strange. Kings were not supposed to be like that. I had read in novels that kings despised the lower-ranked people. They would always look down on them. But the way he talked, it did not seem like the case. It was more like he was kind of interested in seeing what ordinary life felt like.


    For some reason, I got the feeling that he wanted to lead an ordinary life even if it was just for a moment.


    "What about that shop over there? It looks interesting," I said pointing at the shop with brown tassels around it.


    "Alright, let''s go then."


    The shop was not too big nor too small. It was still hard to believe that everyone around here was werewolves. They behaved like humans, but they were indeed werewolves. It was weird in a way. They could turn into their wolf form easily within a blink of an eye. I had never seen one transforming, but I could not help but wonder.


    "What should we order, my wife?" he asked.


    "Um... let''s see the menu," I said examining the names of the dishes. There were weird names written and I had no idea what kind of food they were. So, I just ordered whatever first caught my eyes.


    "Well, are you sure about that one?"


    "Why? Is it bad? I thought its chicken."


    "It is indeed chicken. But it''s too spicy," he said.


    "Really?" I eximed excitedly. I had always liked spicy food. When Maxen1 and I could save some money, we would go to the shop of the Korean guy. He made really spicy ramen. Maxen used to work there sometimes, so he would give us as much as we wanted and we would eat until we felt like dying. It was quite fun, more like I could breathe again after leaving in a hellhole.


    "I''ll surely have it then."


    "If you say so. But I''m sure you''ll regret itter."


    "Heh, you''re just scared! Just tell me you can''t eat spicy food. I won''tugh," I said mockingly.


    "Scared you say? Let''s see then," he smirked. "Who can finish the whole dish first without drinking water or milk wins~ What do you say?"


    "Alright, it''s a bet then! You will regret it though."


    "We''ll see, my darling wife," he smiled.


    The chicken was boiled and then seasoned with spices. The sauce was thick and kind of reddish. It was the perfect type of food that I liked.


    Though the smell was dangerous, I dared to take a bite and it was far from what I expected. To be honest, it was not spicy enough at the first bite. But after taking a few more bites, it started to get hot inside my head.


    I looked at Dem who looked very red. I had only seen him that red on our first night. Even thinking about that time was embarrassing. I had not been myself that time.


    His lips were swollen and red. He looked really cute. But if I told him that, I was sure he would make a face that would say ''Cute you say? Only cute? Couldn''t you think of something else? Like handsome?


    You hurt my feelings, my wife.''


    I even could imitate him. I could not help but grin. He looked quite adorable every time he talked like that.


    "You look so happy, my wife," he said.


    "Pfft hahaha... look at your state! You look like a strawberry," Iughed.


    "And you look like Red," he said.


    "Who is Red?"


    "Angry bird."


    "What... Hahaha... you know about angry birds? I thought you were ancient lol. Did you y the games or did you watch the movies? Hahaha, I can''t stopughing!


    How did you even manage to do that? Hahahaha it''s too funny!"


    "Both," he said. "Your husband is not outdated, my wife," he grumbled, taking another bite. "You hurt my feelings, my wife."


    He looked truly hurt. I was not supposed to feel like this, but he looked even cuter at the moment. I wanted to press those cheeks of his. Every time he used the line- ''You hurt my feelings, my wife'', he would make such a strangely devoted face that my mind would stop working for a second.


    I finished before him. By the time he was done, he looked like he was going to die. I was in a good condition as I had a habit of eating spicy food. He should not have challenged me in this case.


    "I won! See? I told you! Haha... you shouldn''t have challenged me in this," I said proudly.


    "Now... that I see it, I''m pretty concerned about your health," he said while drinking a huge ss of milk in one gulp. Judging his physique, it was not strange at all.


    "I''m kind of a professional at this," I said. It was bragging at this point, but it was enjoyable.


    "Alright, you win. But I''m never having it again," he said. He was still quite red. I could not see his ears, but I could tell they were as red as his face.


    "You could have just told me that you can''t eat spicy food. Why did you push yourself?"


    "Well, I didn''t think it would be like death," he grumbled.


    Huh, it was more like he did not want to admit he could not do something. So kingly thing to do...


    We walked around the market and had some cake. It was mostly for Dem since I felt his tongue might still hurt as he kept making weird noises. When I asked him that, he said it did not and said the same thing again- ''Your husband is not weak, my wife''.


    I made him buy a chocte cake for us. He said that I could eat them all, but refused to eat himself. He was just trying to show off that he could manage. Such childishness!


    "Just taste it," I said offering him a spoon.


    "Just tasting," he muttered though he finished the whole and even bought a lemon cake.


    The ownerdy and I had beenughing silently. "Your husband is quite childishly stubborn, youngdy," she said. "How long have you been together?"


    "We married two days ago," I replied.


    "Two days ago? Isn''t it the same the day our king got married?"


    "That''s right. We married that day as well."


    "Oh my! You two are lucky that you got married that day. We got a queen that day after all," she said. "Our king might be cold. But he is a great leader. The queen must be a great leader as well.


    Wish I could meet her."


    "Really? Why do you want to meet her?"


    "I heard Her Highness is quite a beauty. She has long hair that has a mix of ck and brown and her eyes are blue like oceans. Her skin is fair and smooth. And she is a shy person," she muttered dreamily.


    At this point, I truly took my time to acknowledge if I should say something or not. Was this what people were saying about me? Did they truly call me a beauty? What kind of weird talking was that?


    It was true that I was not ugly and I did not refuse that my eyes were not beautiful. They always shone weirdly. But that was not enough to call me a beauty or talk about me like that. Perhaps that was because she did not see me herself. Yeah, that must be the case.


    "You are not entirely right."


    I looked behind me and found Demetrius looking at us with a weird look. Though the hood shadowed over his face, I could still see his smirk. And the more I looked at his, he looked like he was up to something.

 Chapter 41: Date (4)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I saw the queen myself," he said. "Her Highness has long brte hair kind of like chocte. Her hair is really thick and beautiful. And she looks beautiful in a braid. Her skin is fair and perfect. It''s soft to touch and easy to leave marks on."


    "Stop it already," I grumbled.


    "How do you know about that young man?" the old woman asked.


    "I am close to the king. He told me," he said. "And red marks look good on her skin. Her eyes are blue as if the sky and the ocean have met together. They are beautiful. It looks like her eyes shine like blue sapphire."


    "Really? She must have the most beautiful eyes," the woman said excitedly.


    ''Just kill me already.''


    "Her lips are small and they''re like two soft petals. And when she smiles, it''s like there are fireworks in the beautiful sky. She is short, but she is better that way. It''s easy to pick her up. Well, she is quite skinny, and it would be better if she ate a bit more."


    "Ohe on. Skinny ones are the prettiest."


    "Still she would not look bad if she was chubby. It would be easier to hold her then. But to be honest, she looks good all the time no matter if she is skinny or chubby."


    ''I want a one-way ticket to heaven due to embarrassment.''


    "She is beautiful! Now I want to see her even more."


    "You can see her right here."


    "Huh?" I almost choked.


    "What do you mean?" the woman asked.


    "I was actually talking about my wife. Why would I talk about another woman when I have my beautiful wife? My wife is the most beautiful one," he said. "We''ll get going then. And I hope you can meet the queen one day. Heard she is a good person."


    The woman was dumbfounded. Before she could say anything else, Dem had already led me outside. I still had not recovered from the incident inside.


    ''Is it alright if I just die right now?''


    He pinched on my cheek suddenly. "Hey, what''s going on in that head of yours? And you''re red as well. Could it be that my wife is being shy?"


    "Are you really asking me this?" I asked tiredly. He was surely just pretending to not understand while a moment ago, he had been telling those weird things about me.


    "Come on. I just told the truth. The woman seems to like you just by hearing about you. If she meets you, I wonder what she is going to do. I should invest some in her business," he said.


    "Ow!"


    All of a sudden, my hips and back started to hurt. I had been feeling a tingly sensation of pain for a while now, but it was too much now.


    "What''s wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?" he asked worriedly and supported me by my waist.


    "It''s just... my back is aching. Well, my waist is not well too," I muttered. I did not want to ruin our first date like this. But the pain was disturbing and it made it difficult for me to walk. "It''s fine you know.


    I can... Eek! What''re you doing?"


    He suddenly picked me up in his arms. It was true that it wasfortable, but it was too embarrassing. People, no, werewolves were looking at us and muttering to themselves.


    "Dem... It''s not necessary. I can, you know... It doesn''t hurt too much. I can walk," I mumbled. It was hard to meet his gaze as well, as I was too flushed.


    "Who said you can''t walk? I just don''t want to let you. And besides, is it wrong for a husband to carry his wife?"


    "No..."


    "Then just let me carry you, my wife. It''s just me, right?"


    "But others are staring at us," I said and buried my face in his chest.


    "Let them. Who cares?"


    We reached where the horse was pretty quickly. He put me down and helped me sit on a rock.


    "I''ll bring some water for you. Just wait here and don''t go anywhere," he said.


    "Alright."


    I stretched my legs and back. Because of me, we had to return quickly. Such a weak body I had... It was true I had never worked out, but I did not think my body was this weak. I mean, I could endure Draven''s and Father''s beating and then go out to buy food. But now just by horse riding, I felt like my back was breaking apart.


    Was it because I had been spoiled sinceing here?


    "Does your back hurt?"


    "Oh yes. Just a bit... What? Who are you?" I asked, turning back.


    The guy was perhaps a bit younger and shorter than Dem. But still, he was much taller than me. He had silver hair and blue eyes, but his eyes were a bit darker than mine.


    "What is a beautifuldy like you doing here?" he asked while leaning towards me. It was ufortable. How could someone who came out of nowhere behave like this?


    "Who are you?" I asked.


    "I was just passing by and found this beautifuldy sitting alone. Do you mind if I join you?"


    "Join in what? My back is hurting, that''s why I''m resting."


    "Then I''ll sit for a while too," he said with a smile.


    He started to sit beside me, but I moved quickly. "Not beside me. Just sit in another ce."


    "Oh, ying hard to get, huh?" he smirked.


    "No, I''m impossible to get. I''m already married and I''m waiting for my husband. He has gone to bring me some water," I said.


    "What? You''re married already? But you''re so young. I mean, you look so young. You..."


    "Do you have a problem with it?"


    It was getting annoying. First of all, this guy came out of nowhere and started to get close, and now he was talking like this.


    "Anyway, how old are you?"


    "Thirty."


    "You''re lying. Hey, I know you''re not even twenty yet. Perhaps you''re eighteen or neen. You still have a life to love, you know. You can go with the person you love."


    "Shut up, please. I''m with a person who cares about me and whom I like, so you don''t have to say things like that. And besides, I don''t think you know me enough to talk about things like that."


    "But with a beauty like..."


    "Do you want to feel the touch of hell?" It was Demetrius. He hade back already. Thank god. It was getting more and more annoying.


    "Who the hell are you to interfere with us?" the guy asked.


    "He is my husband," I muttered.


    "Now get out of here and don''t get in our way again. Next time, your head and body will leave separately," Dem said. His tone was calm but too cold and scary that I got goosebumps.


    The guy could not say anything further and left quickly. Truth be told, it was kind of funny. But I could not just startughing. Especially when Dem looked kind of angry.


    "Did that bastard do something?" he asked.


    "Huh? No. He was just flirting, but I told him that I''m married," I said, taking the water from him.


    "Yeah, I heard you saying that," he said. "I hate it when people approach something that I cherish. It doesn''t matter if it''s an object or a person. I truly hate it. I don''t care if they admire it from afar, but getting close is too much."


    Cherish? Did he cherish me? My heart started acting weird again. It was not the first time. It had been happening quite a lot every moment, especially when he was with me.


    I ced a hand on my chest. ''Hey stop beating like that. It''s not like the world is ending. Stop it already.''


    "What''s wrong? Does your heart hurt?" he asked and before I knew what he was doing, he ced his hand on my chest, right over my left breast. If his hand was a bit down, then he would touch something hard for sure.


    He touched me there before too and we did more than that, but for some reason, I forgot how to breathe.


    "Does it hurt here? Is it too much? Can you breathe properly?" he asked. He did not seem to be flustered like me at all. Of course, he was not supposed to be. We were married after all and I was the one who was behaving strangely.


    I needed to get used to this as soon as possible.


    "No, it doesn''t hurt. Thanks though," I mumbled.


    "You don''t have to thank your husband, my wife," he chuckled. "Now that I think about it..."


    "What?"


    "Nothing. You will blush if I say it."


    "Are you going to say something embarrassing? Or are you nning on teasing me?" I asked suspiciously.


    "I''m nning on telling the truth. Do you wanna hear it?"


    "Yeah."


    "Your chest is pretty soft," he said.


    "..."

 Chapter 42: Misunderstanding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Since the day we went on our date, something was wrong. Yes, we still had our dinner together and we also teased each other a lot. Even Iughed almost all day. And when he was with me, he would tell me about the rules and the ones he did not like. At a normal nce, it might seem normal. No one hurt me or anything, rather I was having the best time of my life.


    But still, something was off between us.


    There was an invisible barrier that I could sense. No matter how I tried to find reasons, I could not. Was it not normal for husband and wife to sleep together? By sleeping together, I did not mean just sleeping. But we did not do it again since our wedding night.


    He had a lot of work to do and barely got out of his study. I had gone to visit him a few moments, but he seemed truly busy. So I stopped going there too lest I might disturb him.


    And when it was bedtime, he would just hug me to sleep. I was too embarrassed to talk to him about it. No matter how I said it, we were married only for a month and I had known him for a month as well. We were not that intimate to talk about things like that. Even if I wanted, I could not just talk to him like that.


    Other things were fine and I did not have any trouble in chatting with him, but when it came to intimate matters, I could never bring myself to start.


    He would talk about intimate things shamelessly sometimes, but he never went over the line. The barrier that was between us never fell down. It was like he was preserving it. But why? Did I do something wrong? Or was he regretting marrying me?


    It was true that I was just a human and I was powerless. But it was him who wanted to marry and brought me here. It was not like I proposed to him. If he wanted to be like this to me, then why did he bother to marry me in the first ce?


    I did not want to be distant from him. If things were going to be like this, I would rather not have him before it was toote. I just did not want to get hurt.


    "Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? You don''t look good at all," Ruby asked anxiously.


    "I''m fine," I muttered. It was the same as always. Whenever someone would ask if I was doing okay, this was the answer I would give them. It was not like I could talk to them about my problem. Perhaps they would make fun of me or think that I was stupid to worry about things like that. But what could I do?


    I was not experienced at all. I had never been in any rtionship. And besides, I could not help but feel insecure about everything.


    "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness, but you can tell me if something is bothering you. I can try to help," she said. I could feel her sincerity in her words. Should I try to tell her?


    "Actually, there is something that''s bothering me. It''s not a big deal, I know. I''m just overreacting perhaps," I muttered.


    "Please tell me about it, Your Highness. I''ll try my best to help," she said.


    We were having some tea. I would get bored, so I would ask Ruby to have tea with me. She could make the best tea possible and because of her, I could not go a day without a cup of tea.


    "Well, since... the wedding night, we... haven''t done it," I mumbled.


    "What?"


    "I know it''s not a big deal. I''m just..."


    "Your Highness, what''re you saying?" she asked as if she had fallen from the sky. "You mean, His Highness hasn''t mated with you?"


    "Perhaps he is tired..."


    "No, Your Highness. His Highness hasn''t been that busy these days. The busy days will start the next month as the other kings will visit each kingdom."


    "What?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. You two haven''t fought, have you?"


    "No, we haven''t," I said. We had never fought, not even for once. It was true that we argued a lot, but that was about small matters. Those arguments urred mostly because of our teasing each other though he teased me the most.


    "Do you two kiss, Your Highness?"


    "We haven''t since that night."


    I did not know how to approach him. I thought he would do it, but he never did. He kissed my forehead, cheek, or sometimes ears, but he did not kiss my lips.


    "Your Highness, are you sure everything is alright?" she asked. It seemed like she was having a hard time breathing even talking about it. I had to admit it was an embarrassing topic to talk about, but the way she looked, it was like she was too shocked than embarrassed.


    "Um... yes. You look like it''s impossible not to make love in one month."


    "It''s true, Your Highness. I mean, it''s not impossible, but it''s too hard. Werewolves can''t go many days without mating after they find their mate. It''s quite painful too, Your Highness."


    "But I don''t feel any pain. I''m a bit frustrated about it, but I don''t feel any pain," I said.


    "That''s because you''re a human, Your Highness. But it''s hard for werewolves. I don''t get how His Highness is holding up."


    "I don''t understand. Can you please tell me a bit more clearly?"


    "Well, when werewolves find their mates, they need to mate frequently. Or it bes painful for them. And after a werewolf finds their mate, they can''t mate with another werewolf. They must do it with their mate. And on a full moon, they just have to do it. Or it hurts like death," she exined.


    It was scary. I had never heard of anything like this before. Then again, this was an unfamiliar world. There were more and more things to learn. But what surprised me more was that Dem could just tell me to do it with him. But he never for once mentioned it.


    He was not like that. He was always straightforward with everything. But then why did he hide it from me? It was not like I did not want to do it with him. To be honest, I was kind of eager to do it as well.


    "Then it means Dem is feeling some kind of pain, right?" I asked anxiously.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "What should I do now? I''m too embarrassed to tell him to do it with me. I mean, what if he doesn''t want to do it with me anymore? What if I was so bad that night that he regrets..."


    "Your Highness, His Highness chose you because of who you are, not how you''re in bed. And I don''t think it''s anything like that. Your Highness, you said you met His Highness for the first time the day he brought you here, right?"


    "That''s true."


    "Then what if His Highness is trying to be considerate of you? I mean, please forgive my rudeness, but His Highness is not someone who would be considerate of others, but when His Highness is with you, he shows a different side of him, Your Highness. His Highness must have felt that Your Highness doesn''t want to mate, or His Highness might be forcing Your Highness."


    Why did it note to my mind before? Now that I thought about it, there was a possibility that it was the case. But what I suspected could be true too. The excitement I felt burnt down pretty quickly.


    "Your Highness, you should talk to His Highness," she said. "In this way, all the misunderstandings will be solved."


    "I... I''m just too embarrassed. How will I even start? What if he teases me again?"


    "Your Highness, a moment''s of embarrassment can solve a huge misunderstanding. You just have to let your heart out, Your Highness."


    She was right. I did not need to be embarrassed now and even if I was, it did not matter. I needed to talk to him no matter what. Or the misunderstanding might continue. I did not want to have questions between us.


    Honestly, I was very d and grateful to have Ruby as my personal maid. If she was not there, I could not even imagine who would help me all this time. She was a bright person and also someone who I could rely on.


    "You know what, I''ll tell Dem to pay you double," I said.


    "That would be great! Ahem... I mean, there is no need, Your Highness. It''s just my duty and besides, I''m happy to help you," she said.


    I chuckled. No wonder Dem chose someone like her as my personal maid. He perhaps knew we could rely on her.

 Chapter 43: We Need To Talk

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    There was not much work to do, but I still spent most of the time in my study. Being around my wife and not being able to do anything was harder than I expected. It had been a month, but she did not make any move.


    Did she hate to be with me? It was true I kind of forced her toe with me, but I thought she would be happy. There was nothing I would not give her. She could have money, food, or whatever she wanted and no one would hurt her as well. And I was not bad-looking that she would hate to look at me. But then what was wrong?


    Was I too bad that night?


    I was inexperienced at this, but I thought I did it properly. She had looked like she was enjoying it, more like she was getting crazy in pleasure, or at least I thought so. Perhaps I was wrong. It was not the case at all. Perhaps she had hated it a lot that she could not think of getting intimate with me.


    We would tease each other and talk a lot, but nothing more than that. It was more like a bit more than friendship.


    ''Damn it! What am I thinking? Have I lost my mind now? How can a husband and a wife be friends? Yes, they can be friends, but not like this. Friendship is important, but between a married couple, there are more things than that.''


    I would just wait a few more days. If she did not do anything by then, I would ask her directly. The full moon wasing as well. It would be like death if I wanted to keep myself away from her.


    I had dinner in my study tonight. I had sent a letter to her saying I had a lot of work. It was a lie. I did that so I could keep my mind calm. I felt bad for lying to her, but there was no other choice. I needed to keep myself away from her so she could think about her feelings.


    Or she might confuse physical connection to her feelings.


    It was one at night. She must have fallen asleep. I had told her to go to sleep as I would bete.


    I made my way to our room. I could not suggest using separate rooms. It would be too weird if I said that. She might even get hurt.


    The room was dark as I pushed the door open. It felt colder than usual. Was it because the curtains were up?


    I took extra care not to make any sound. She was sleeping peacefully. I could not believe I was having strange thoughts again just by looking at her. After taking a shower, I came back only to find her sitting on the bed amidst the darkness.


    "Weren''t you sleeping? Did I wake you up?" I asked.


    "N-No," she mumbled. "We need to talk."


    "... Alright. Let me turn the candles..."


    "No...," she said quickly. "I want to talk to you like this."


    Even though I did not want to, I went to the bed and sat in front of her. Being near her was painful. But if she wanted to talk about something, I needed to be near her so she would not feel abandoned.


    "What do you want to talk about, my wife?"


    "Am I disgusting?" she asked bluntly.


    "... What? What''re you saying? Who said that? Who dared? Just tell me their name.


    I will kill them and their entire family..."


    "No one said that to me!"


    "You don''t have to be afraid of anyone. You''re the queen. Who will dare?"


    "It''s not like that! I mean, was I that bad?"


    "I don''t understand what you''re talking about, my wife."


    "I... I mean, do you regret marrying me?"


    What was she talking about? Did I treat her so bad that she got this kind of idea all of a sudden?


    "I know I''m just a human. I am weak too. I don''t know much about this world. And I''m useless too. You know, I didn''t want this life. It was you who brought me here.


    I thought everything would be okay. But... I... you gave me a lot of things- money, status, happiness. But I still can''t help but feel down. Perhaps you''re busy and stuff, but I feel like you don''t like me.


    You can tell me if you want to avoid me. I mean, humans make mistakes. And just like that, werewolves can make mistakes too. Perhaps you chose the wrong person for you..."


    "Stop talking," I said coldly.


    It was getting too much. Could she not see how angry I was? Who the hell gave her this kind of idea?


    "Get to the point, Blue. I don''t like to hear nonsense."


    She flinched. She looked scared. But I could not help but get angry. I did not care if others talked nonsense about themselves, but when it came to her, I could not just ignore her.


    "Tell me clearly," I said.


    "I... I think I''m too bad for you. Perhaps I did really badly on... our wedding night. I could not do things properly," she sobbed. "It won''t be a surprise in that case if you don''t want to sleep with me anymore.


    But please tell me first if you don''t like to do it with me or be with me. Or it hurts."


    "Damn it! Fuck!"


    I hugged her tightly. Her tiny body trembled in my embrace. Tears fell on the front of my robe.


    "I don''t want to cry... hic... I just... Just tell me if you don''t want me. Trust me, I will get over it..."


    "Don''t talk. Don''t utter a single more word. Just keep quiet," I said coldly.


    "Dem..."


    "I told you not to talk."


    It took her some time to calm down fully. So she was thinking that way... I thought she hated to be with me, but it did not seem like the case. Rather she was feeling insecure and thought that I did not want her anymore and she had done badly on our wedding night. How ridiculous? The way she made me feel that night was something I could give up everything to feel again.


    It took her a while to calm down. I did not like to see her cry at all. It was like feeling a lump in the chest.


    "Hic... hic..."


    I pulled her back and wiped her face with my thumbs. Fortunately, her eyes did not look puffy. But her lips and cheeks were a bit swollen and red.


    "Now tell me, my wife. Did you think I didn''t sleep with you again because you did badly on our wedding night? And because I don''t want you anymore?"


    She nodded. "Look at me, my wife."


    She raised her head slowly to meet my waiting gaze. Her blue eyes seemed to shine even more. Every time I looked into them, I could sense something weird. But the feeling was not bad, rather it was kind of peaceful.


    "Stay still," I said. I touched her lips with my fingers and traced down her jaw, cheeks, eyes, nose, ears, neck... The moment my hand reached her chest, she held my hand quickly.


    "I think I told you to stay still, my wife," I said.


    "But..."


    "Stay still."


    She drew her hand back slowly. I touched her breasts lightly, running my fingers over her nipples that hardened under my touch.


    "Um..."


    Even the touching was light and over her nightgown, it still seemed to affect her. I slowly made my way downward.


    The moment my hand touched her thigh, she flinched again. But she did not move much this time.


    My hand found its way under her nightgown and the moment, my finger touched her moistness, she grabbed my hand tightly with her eyes widened with shock.


    "Demetrius... What are... you doing... all of a... sudden?"


    "Stay still, my wife, and don''t ask."


    "How can I? You''re..."


    "Shhh... isn''t it normal for a husband to touch his wife like this? Or do you hate me when I do it?"


    "No... that''s not it..."


    "Then stay still, my wife."


    Her moistness dampened my fingers. The slippery liquid made it easy to rub the ce. She squirmed in my arms as if she was in pain. But of course, the pain was not like any other pain. This pain was sweet.


    "See how wet you''re, my wife? See what I''m doing to you? All these days I wanted to do this. But I restrained."


    "Uh... Ah! Stop rubbing..."


    "You know why? Because I wanted you to make the first move. I thought you didn''t want to do it with me," I said and pushed two fingers inside her.


    "Ah! Uh... wait! Dem... uh!"


    "But you didn''te to me. Do you know how hard it was for me to control myself? And now you''re saying these types of things?"


    I sped up and held her tightly so she would not be able to get away. She was squirming badly as if she had hardship in breathing.


    "Ah! Uh! Ahh... D-Dem... Ah! Wa...


    Wait! Oh god! Please!" she moaned.


    "It''s your punishment for talking like that."

 Chapter 44: Punishment

    [Warning! Mature content ahead! And if you get second-hand embarrassment, don''t curse me, please. So let me warn you again properly. Mature content + Second-Hand embarrassment ahead! Proceed with caution.


    And male lead is really teasing and that''s at a dangerous level. Don''t fall for him, though. It''s not Blue who will kill you, our male lead will probably bury you alive for looking at him lewdly. After all, his wife is the only one who can do that]


    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    A punishment? He truly wanted to do it with me and waited so I would make the first move? The intention was good, but it led to some misunderstandings and this situation...


    "Ahh... Dem, please wait... it''s too much..."


    "It''s just the beginning of the punishment, my wife," he said and kept torturing me with his fingers.


    "It''s too fast... huh..."


    "You look beautiful when you make this face," he said.


    "Uh... it''s embarrassing..."


    I wished he would stop staring at me. He had held me in a way that I could not even hug him to avoid his gaze. I wished he would just kiss me. But he was not doing that and was not even showing a sign to do so. I could not even kiss him as I had never done it. It was always him who kissed first and that was also on our wedding night.


    "Huh... I can''t take it... anymore... please..."


    "Please what, my wife?"


    "Just a bit more..."


    But rather than doing so, he stopped abruptly just when I was about to reach my peak. I gasped and looked at him in disappointment.


    "Why... why have you stopped?" I asked. To be honest, I was angry. How could he start and then stop all of a sudden?


    "It''s a punishment, my wife."


    "W-What? No, you can''t..."


    "Then you should do something in return and I will take you to the greatest height. Will you do it?"


    "... Do what?"


    "I will tell you soon. Do you agree?"


    "Yes!" I said quickly. I could not wait a moment longer. The waiting was killing me.


    He chuckled and started stroking again. His breath fell on my face. I wanted nothing more than my lips to touch his, but how should I do it? This time, I truly hated my shyness.


    "Nngh... huh... Ahh! I... uhh!"


    "You came a lot, my beautiful wife," he whispered into my ear. "Now what about we start your real punishment?"


    "... Huh?"


    I was still in a daze. It always happened after a climax. I would feel disoriented. Besides, he was saying weird things. It was hard to understand.


    If the punishment he was talking about was stopping in the middle when I was about to reach the ultimate, I was going to die for sure. I never knew it would be this frustrating.


    "You agreed, didn''t you?"


    "What kind of punishment?"


    ''He is not going beat me, is he? That''s the only type of punishment I know about. Well, there is another thing too. But he can''t mean that, can he?''


    He put me down from hisp. I did not even notice how I ended up there. Perhaps it was because I had almost lost my mind at that time.


    "You will do everything tonight," he said.


    "Eh? What?"


    "You know what I mean, my wife," he smirked and licked my earlobe.


    "I... I..."


    "Help me undress, my wife," he said.


    "It''s... It''s embarrassing," I blurted out.


    "Aren''t punishments supposed to be embarrassing, my wife?"


    If I could just die right at that moment, I would. Even if he was my husband, it was too embarrassing. I did not even know how to look him in the eyes. Now I kind of wondered how some people did this with random people. First of all, it was embarrassing. And secondly, I could not even think of doing it with anyone else other than him.


    It was not just because he was my husband, but there was something else too. I was sure my heart would not beat this faster if it was someone else. And I did not want to have anyone else either.


    But still, the punishment was dangerously difficult to perform. Especially when he was too handsome and was smirking at me. He clearly was enjoying it.


    "Don''t waste any more time, my wife. Your husband is waiting," he said.


    "... Alright," I mumbled.


    He was wearing a bathrobe only. If I just pulled the belt, it would fall down. My hands seemed to start trembling for some reason. I had seen all of him, but why was I so afraid to do so now?


    I touched the hem of the belt. It was harder than I thought. I could not just make myself pull it.


    "I''m waiting, my wife," he said.


    ''I''m doing, dammit! It''s just too embarrassing!''


    I pulled the belt closing my eyes tightly. He had a very strong and athletic body. Just one look and anyone would start drooling. Perhaps that was the reason I was too shy to look at him.


    "Open your eyes, my wife. You have to get punished," he said.


    I opened my eyes slowly. Just how did I get such a handsome husband? It was too bad for my eyes.


    He was too perfect for a human. Then again- he was not a human in the first ce. The sight perhaps made me greedy.


    I rested my palm on his bare chest. It was hot and firm. I slid the robe down his shoulders. He threw the robe aside. Now he was sitting in front of me wearing nothing. It should be called a crime for too handsome men to get naked in front of their wives and give them heart attacks.


    "Why don''t you look down and see how excited I am for you?"


    Now that he mentioned it, I dared to look down. My face heated up and it seemed like I forgot how to breathe.


    "Do you know I''m suffering right now? You should make me feel bet..."


    I did not even know how I managed to do that or when I did that. All I remembered was losing my mind and pressing my lips on his. It was the first time I started the kiss. I thought I was not good at this. But it felt kind of good to make the first move.


    At this point, I had no idea what I was doing. Perhaps I hadpletely lost myself. My lips were greedy enough to never stop moving. He grabbed my waist tightly and pinched on my hips. I gasped and opened my mouth only to find his tongue intervening.


    I pushed him away by the chest. I hadpletely run out of air. It seemed like he had sucked my soul with the kiss. I was the one who started the kiss, but he was the one who finished it, and perhaps he would always be the one to finish everything.


    "Take that filthy fabric off, my wife," he said. It seemed like he was in pain. And just by ncing downwards a bit, I could tell why.


    The nightgown was quite loose. It took only two seconds to take it off. I did not know where my shyness had gone all of a sudden. It happened that night too. I had be bold that night too, and even said shameless things.


    "You''re beautiful," he muttered. "You''re so beautiful that I want to treasure you. I want to hold you forever. I want you all myself, all of you. This body, this heart- I want them all. You married an evil werewolf, my wife."


    He grabbed my breasts with his hands. His patience seemed to leak out with each seconds passing. And before I could get a hold of myself, he took my nipple in his mouth while rubbing the other breast with his hand.


    "Huh... ah..."


    I had almost forgotten he had another hand that was not upied until I found it between my thighs.


    "Dem..."


    "You''re wet, my wife. Now, do you want to hear your punishment?"


    "W-What... Ah..."


    "You have to put it in yourself. I won''t help you this time."


    "What?"


    "And you have to move by yourself too."


    "It''s too..."


    "I want to see your beautiful face when you ride me, my wife. I want to see how desperate you be, how red your face bes. I want to see everything," he said and licked my nipple. "And to be honest, I want to see how your breasts bounce with each move."


    "Don''t talk like that! Ah!"


    Every word he spoke, they were shameless. And with each word, his fingers rubbed the moist. I did not hate it. And it did not feel unknown at all. It was like his fingers became too familiar to me.


    "Don''t you want me like I want you, my wife?"


    "I-I do."


    "Do you want me inside you?"


    "Y-Yes."


    "Then put it inside, my wife. It''s all yours to enjoy," he smirked.


    "Just like this ce," he pinched on the tender flesh between my thighs, "is mine to cherish and enjoy."

 Chapter 45: Let Me In

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I won''t help you," he said. "You''re brave, aren''t you, my wife? I want to see that part of you tonight."


    The need, the desperation- they all were driving me insane. The erotic gaze on me felt like a burn erupting on my skin. Yes, I wanted all of him right this instant.


    He was sitting against the headrest. I ced both of my hands on his muscr shoulders. But I still did not know how to do it.


    We had done it before too, but I was still afraid of it. Now that he wanted me to be on top, I found myself worrying if it would fit.


    "Dem, was it like thisst time too?" I asked.


    "What do you mean?"


    "That thing," I pointed downwards, "Was it this... Never mind."


    He chuckled and pulled me towards him. "Be quick, my wife. I''m losing patience."


    I held his shoulders tightly as I climbed up on hisp. I had never touched it before. So I was quite nervous.


    I touched it slightly with the tip of my finger. He groaned that instant. I flinched. Did I hurt him or something?


    "Are... are you okay?" I asked.


    "Be quick, my wife," he groaned impatiently.


    It was like he was in pain. I gathered my courage and grabbed it with my hand. It was hotter than I expected and also very firm.


    "Huh... don''t make me wait, my wife."


    It was embarrassing, yet my boldness exceeded my expectations. I ced it between my thighs. I thought I would be able to do it properly, but the moment the tip touched the entrance, I felt like panicking again.


    I gulped and forced myself downwards. And the feeling... I did not know what to think anymore. It was overwhelming and hot. I felt stuffy and out of breath.


    "Uhh... huh!"


    "Breathe, my wife," he whispered into my ear. "I''ve been waiting to feel like this all the time. Now, my wife, move on your own. I want to see and feel all of you."


    I tried to bring myself up, but I could not move much. Perhaps it was because I was too overwhelmed that even if I wanted to, my body would not let me.


    "I... I can''t..."


    "Of course, you can," he said. "Then I''ll help you a bit. Think of it as a deal for a long and hard night, my wife."


    He grabbed me by the waist with both of his hands and brought my hips up. I was so surprised that before I could grasp the situation, he brought my hips down with great force.


    "Ahhh!" It was not a moan; it was more like a scream. And it did not stop. My body did not feel like my own. It felt like it was just a limb that was possessed by his hands on my waist.


    "Uh... huh... ah! It''s... it''s too deep."


    In this position, he could reach too far. The way it was overwhelming, it was too much sinfully pleasurable as well.


    "You''re clenching me. I''m losing my mind," he groaned.


    "Ah! Huh... Ahh..."


    "Fuck! I can''t hold back anymore!"


    Suddenly it was not me who was moving. He started pushing himself from below. The moves were far away from gentle. They were rough and fast.


    "Ah! Uhh! Ahh! Huh... ah! Ah!"


    I could not stop the moans that were leaving my mouth. I was being too loud, but I could not help it. There was no way to stop what I was feeling, how my insides were burning up with desire and my mind was in chaos.


    "You''re so beautiful."


    He kissed me on the shoulder while thrusting from beneath. Even if it was too much, I did not want him to stop. I wanted to be crazy even if it was for tonight. I wanted to lose myself in the depth of pleasure.


    I felt even closer to him than before now that our bodies were connected together. I had been thinking a lot if sex was always like this. But now I knew it was not. It would never be the same with another person.


    And more importantly, it was not just sex. It was making love. It was not just satisfying physical desire, rather it was connecting two souls together.


    "Call my name, my wife. I want to hear it."


    "D-Dem... Ah! Oh, Dem!" I moaned. "It''s... too fast."


    "I think I''ll crush you at this rate. But I can''t stop. If I do, I think I''ll die. So please, don''t tell me to stop."


    Even if he was too fast, I was not going to tell him to stop. That was thest thing I would do. Was he feeling what I was feeling at this moment?


    Sweats dripping, breaths heaving with our bodies entangled together, I could hear his loud heartbeat. It was the same as mine. There was no way to determine whose heart was beating faster. I did not know even this would give me such pleasure.


    Suddenly he flipped me over that I was on my back and he was on top of me. But he did not stop, not even for a second.


    "Ah! Ahh! Uhh... Nngh! Dem... ah!"


    "What the... Why are you crying? Am I hurting you in any way, my wife?" he asked worriedly.


    "No... Never. It just... feels so good. I feel so good to be so close to you. I am so lucky," I said with a smile even though the tears did not stop.


    "Damn it! Fuck!" he cursed and each thrust became even more furious. It was like he was trying to take as much as possible as if he was running out of time.


    "Uhh! Ahh! Dem... huh... ahh! I..."


    "Don''t leave me, my wife. Don''t ever leave me. I don''t know what I''ll do without you."


    "I... I won''t..."


    He was surely too much strong. All the time we did it, I felt like I was dying in the most beautiful way possible. It was sinful yet something I craved more and more. He had the ability to take me to the peak of pleasure again and again. He took me up and made me crazy. I had already lost my voice.


    He groaned and bit on my shoulder. It was painful, but the pain did not reach the pleasure I was feeling and I did not mind the pain at all. A hot gush of liquid flooded inside me. It was too satisfying and hot to control.


    "You''re beautiful. I must be the luckiest person in the world that I found someone like you as my mate. You''re too beautiful and perfect to handle," he said and kissed my forehead.


    Did he just say perfect? How could someone call me perfect? I had countless ws. No matter who he was, there was no way he could call me perfect. Did I just hear him wrong or had he lost his mind in the heat of the moment? Whatever it was, me and perfect were twopletely different things.


    "Dem... you can lie down beside me. Don''t your arms hurt?"


    "They don''t hurt at all, my wife. I want to look at your face like this. I can look at you forever," he smiled.


    "But it''s..."


    "It''s not embarrassing. I''m looking at my wife, ain''t I?" he said. "I''ve met you first seven years ago. That time, it was just simple gratitude I felt for you. But then, again and again, you surprised me. You were very young back then, but you were mature.


    You piqued my interest. But even that time, I did not know it would happen."


    "What would happen?"


    "That I would feel this way about you. Perhaps you''ve married a crazy werewolf, my wife. I don''t know what it is, but whenever I see you, I want to keep you in my arms. I want to show you off because I''m proud of having someone like you in my life. I want them to be jealous of me. But if someone tried to take you from me, trust me, my wife, I won''t let them live.


    I don''t know this feeling. The feeling was so burdensome at first that I felt like I was losing my mind," he said and brushed his fingers against my cheek. "But now I don''t feel that way anymore. I can ept that feeling now. Now it feels like those feeling are right. Those feelings are proof of how important you''re to me.


    I''m still working on finding out more about the feelings. In the meantime, I know it''s too much to ask as I made you marry me all of a sudden, but I want you to ept me in your heart. Please let me in, my wife. I won''t hurt you nor will I leave you. Just give me a chance to prove myself and to cherish you just like I always wanted."

 Chapter 46: Just Stay With Me

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "You''re so bad, Dem," she pouted. "How can you say those words with a straight face? How can you even ask me something like that? You''ve given me everything. Trust me, I never wanted this warmth. I just wanted to survive and one day, throw some trash on my family''s face.


    Yes, that was the only thing I wanted. I did not have any dreams. Dreams were always out of reach for someone like me. I never thought of loving someone or being loved. Yes, a part of me wanted to be cared for. But that part was under so manyyers that I sometimes forgot that I had that kind of wish.


    But then one night, you appeared."


    She smiled up at me. "I thought I was walking into another hell after leaving from one. I yelled at you too, remember? But I was wrong. I mean, it''s not my fault for not trusting you. You were a stranger and, also a handsome one.


    So, I thought you were going to use my body. Now that I think about it, you kinda forced me toe here with you."


    "Sorry about that. I didn''t have any choice though. You would nevere on your own," he said. "You were even nning on running away."


    "You lied to me that time. When I asked you if you could read minds, you said no."


    "It would freak you out even more," I pointed out. "Just imagine what if a stranger forces you toe with them and then also says that they can read your mind, how would you feel then? Isn''t it creepy?"


    "Well, that''s true."


    "Now enough talking. Shall we go for another round?"


    It had been one month since our wedding night. And only this night, we became one again. Even though we did it multiple times tonight, I still could not get enough. I craved more and more. It seemed like I was addicted to her.


    "No, my limbs are numb. What? Don''t give me that look! You were the one in beast form here," she grumbled.


    It was true that I had gotten too excited and was kind of rough. But still, it was not enough to satisfy my desire for her. Perhaps it was something that would never be enough.


    "Just one more round. Come on!" I pleaded.


    "Nope. Not tonight. You don''t want me to limp in the morning, do you?"


    "It''s not a problem. I can always carry you."


    "It is a problem!"


    "But you''re too light. I can carry you with one hand," I said.


    "Not your problem, but it''s my problem. What would others say if you keep carrying me around?"


    "Who cares about others?" I grumbled.


    "Whatever. Just not anymore tonight," she said dismissively.


    It could not go on like this. I needed to find more ways to trick her. She would eventually give in and fall for my tricks. Huh, then it would be an even longer night.


    Iy down beside her and she rested her head on my shoulder. Her hair was long and beautiful. I liked the color- it was not dark, but it was not light either. She looked even prettier with her hair in a braid.


    "I heard the full moon is near," she muttered.


    I almost made a strange noise in shock. I did not expect her to know about this. If she asked her personal maid, she would tell her, but I did not think she would think about full moons in the first ce.


    "Yeah, it''s after seven days," I said.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about it then? I always have to hear these things from Ruby. It would make me feel better if you would exin them to me," she said.


    "Sorry about that. You know, I''ve been keeping my distance. So, I didn''t think of burdening you with that. I mean, if you knew that it would hurt me like death if we didn''t mate on the full moon night, you would do it without thinking about anything else."


    "What''s there to think about? We''re married, aren''t we? It''s usual for a husband and a wife to make love," she shrugged.


    "It is. But you don''t understand... We, werewolves, are too strong and on a full moon night, it''s like we be crazy. You don''t even know how dangerous we be. It''s dangerous for you. You''re a human, my wife.


    You will get hurt. Your body won''t be able to take it," he said.


    "Are you stupid or something? You said it will hurt like death and now you''re talking as if you were nning not to mate with me on the full moon night."


    "..."


    "What? You were really thinking that? What''s the problem, Dem? Sometimes I don''t understand you at all. It''s you who wanted me to be your mate. You chose me, a human, as your mate on purpose and you even waited seven years for me toe of age.


    Then didn''t you think about it that time? Or were you nning on not doing it with me on full moon nights at all? Were you nning on suffering instead?"


    "I was just going to focus on another thing."


    "What the... Tell me clearly, Dem."


    I had never seen her angry. It was the first time and it was kind of scary too. How funny that the mighty king Demetrius was afraid of his wife getting angry!


    I sighed. "Well, if you focus on another pain..."


    "What will I do with you, Dem?"


    "That''s basically my line."


    "Shut up! How can you still talk like that after thinking about something so ridiculous? How can you be so careless about yourself? I understand that it''s going to be a bit hard and you might not be yourself. But it''s not like I''ll die. And why would you suffer alone like that especially when you have a mate who you can go to?


    It''s no fair, Dem. If you don''te to me on the full moon night, I will drag you in the bedroom if I have to."


    I chuckled. "You look adorable when you''re angry."


    "Dem!" she punched me on the chest. It felt like a feather falling on a brick. Needless to say, she got hurt. "You''re naked fully. But why does it feel like I punched on armor?"


    "Don''t do that again if you don''t want to get hurt. Werewolves'' muscles are pretty hard," I said while rubbing her fist.


    "Anyway, promise me you will do it with me on the full moon and won''t think of doing anything stupid," she said.


    "Alright, you win," I sighed. "I promise."


    She yawned. I must have gone crazy. Even her yawning face was too adorable. I kissed her on the forehead and hugged her.


    "Sleep, my wife," I whispered into her ear.


    She did not need to be told twice. She fell asleep in a moment. She looked so fragile in my arms that I was afraid if I was not careful enough, she might break. She always looked so tiny next to me. Even for a human, she was quite short. And in the world of werewolves, even female werewolves were much taller than her.


    Because of that, she looked even more delicate.


    I was so selfish that I brought someone as delicate as her into my world, a world full of beasty creatures like werewolves. And I did not want to let go of her. Even though there was danger lurking around, I still wanted to keep her with me. I had convinced myself that I was strong enough to protect her. But in the end, I was just selfish.


    I had basically forced her toe with me. If I had not brought her with me that night, things would never be like this. She would not be sleeping naked in my bed in my arms. I would not be able to call her my wife. Because she would find someone else in her life. Perhaps I was in her heart by now, but to think clearly, I forced my way inside her heart.


    But no sense of guilt hit me. Rather I was proud and happy because I did not let anyone else take her from me. I made her mine first. I became the first man in her life and I would be thest man as well.


    Just how selfish I was to think like that? But still, I wanted to keep on being selfish like this. If being selfish would keep her with me forever, I would do so. Yes, it was true that if she wanted to leave me, I would let her. Her happiness was the most important thing after all. But I had to make sure she would never want to leave me.


    I would try even harder so even the thought of leaving me would never cross her mind.


    "Just keep on being mine, my wife. Just stay with me."

 Chapter 47: I Will Give You The Sharpest Blade

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius had again left before I woke up. He did not even wake me up. No matter how many times I told him to wake me up when he left so I could at least say goodbye, he never did. He was always like- ''You don''t need to. Your body is weak. You need to rest well.


    I don''t want to see my wife sick.''


    I did not understand how saying goodbye in the morning would make me sick. He was just going overboard.


    Since that night, we had been pretty close. It had been five days already and as I had cleared his worry that I did not want him, he had be touchy-touchy all the time and was teasing more than usual.


    But there was a thing that I found truly impressive. Just one look at him and anyone would find him scary and handsome at the same time. No one would want to mess with him. I thought he was the type of man who would not give proper freedom. The way he talked kind of felt scary and even made me think that he was obsessed with me at some point. But it did not take long for me to be proven wrong.


    He was a bit overboard about my health and safety, but he never behaved as if he hated when I talked to other men. Though he never introduced me to other werewolves because he did not like them much, he did not hate it when I chatted with them for a long time. I fact, he was happy that I got along with them though he did not show his happiness.


    His mother always liked to go to the garden. I had gone a few times to have tea with her. All the time, she was telling me about flowers. She loved flowers a lot and thus, she loved talking about them. As I knew much about flowers as well, we would keep talking for hours without noticing.


    But because of her mother, Dem was kind of frustrated. He was always behaving differently since that night. He even said that he wanted to make love in every single ce of the pce and outside the pce. Of course, I said no. But he said he would find his way.


    One day when we were taking a walk in the garden, he had almost got his way. But then suddenly, he heard footsteps and it was his mother. Thankfully, she did not understand anything as we were fully clothed. He even was angry at his mother because of that. His mother did not even bother to ask him, rather she asked me if anything was wrong.


    "I don''t know, Mother. He didn''t tell me anything," I muttered ufortably.


    "That brat... Leave him be then. He is always like that- grumpy for no reason. Or maybe the reason is too weird," his mother grumbled.


    ''Well, yeah, it''s indeed a weird reason.''


    These days I had been walking around the training ground. The swords were too cool. And the way they were swinging it was truly mesmerizing. But the most dazzling was indeed my husband. Even his sweaty self was too hot to control.


    "My eyes..."


    "What''s wrong, my wife? Has something gotten into your eyes?" he asked.


    "No, nothing, it''s just too sweaty," I muttered.


    "What''s sweaty? I thought it''s a cold day. Your lips look dry too, though I have a way to..."


    "It''s not that! I mean, you''re sweaty..."


    "And?"


    "Well, you are sweaty and because of that you look hotter than usual!" I yelled.


    "... Whoa! I didn''t expect that, but I''m d. I need to work out even more then so you keep calling me hot," he chuckled.


    "Stop it! I''m embarrassed enough," I mumbled.


    Dem always liked to practice at night. He practiced in the morning as well, but he preferred evening for practice. Almost no one practice at that time, so the training ground would be almost vacant.


    His de was too big and it looked heavy. The de was too sharp as well. But for some reason, I found myself awfully drawn to it.


    "Your de... can I hold it?" I asked.


    "You want to hold it?"


    "Uh-huh."


    "Why?"


    "... What kind of stupid question is that?"


    "No, I mean, doesn''t it look scary?" he asked.


    "Eh... No. It''s kinda cute."


    His mouth fell open, but he quicklyposed himself. "I need to see a physician to perfect your eyesight," he muttered under his breath. "You even called me cute."


    "Well, you''re cute."


    "There you go again," he sighed. "It would be better if you call me handsome."


    "What? What''s wrong with being cute? And besides, I call you handsome too."


    "That''s only when we mate..."


    "Shut up!"


    "It''s the truth."


    "I called you handsome when you wore that ck tailcoat as well."


    "Alright, alright. My wife seems to be angry."


    "You''re so mean. I told the truth only. You look cute when you grin. And you look handsome when you are smirk. You look hot when you''re angry and when you''re practicing with a sword."


    "And when I''m topless and sweating..."


    "Yeah, that too," I said, and right that moment, I realized what I had said. "Wha... Shut up already! Now let me hold the de."


    "Okay, but you won''t be able to lift it," he said. "You''re tiny."


    I grumpily held the de. He was right. I could not lift it one bit from the ground. It was too heavy. Just how strong Demetrius was to lift it up and swing it as if it was just a stick?


    "I told you," he muttered.


    "Let me try again," I said. He was holding the de from a side so I did not cut myself. But even this time, I could not lift it up.


    "It''s alright, my wife. It''s too heavy for you anyway."


    "Ugh... If I was a bit stronger, I would be able to lift it up as well," I grumbled.


    "You need to eat enough for that."


    "I eat like a dragon!"


    "Just kidding! Even if you eat an elephant, you won''t be able to lift it. It''s too heavy for most werewolves anyway," he said. "Do you like des this much? Your eyes are sparkling. You don''t even look at me like that..."


    "Why do you make things weird like that? Well, yeah, I like des. They are cool and sharp- good for killing..."


    "... You just gave me goosebumps."


    "I tried to look like you when you threaten," I said. I had seen him threatening a low-ranked werewolf the other day. Regardless to say, he looked hotter that way.


    "If you like des this much, I will get you one," he said.


    "Really? But I''m not sure if I''ll be able to handle it. Besides, I don''t even know how to hold a de, forget wielding it," I muttered.


    I had liked sharp things since childhood. There was a reason for it. As when I was ten and Draven almost choked me to death, I was saved only because I stabbed his right hand with a kitchen knife that was on the bedside table in my room. Thankfully, I had brought it before, so I could cut a mango.


    That was the first time I had seen Draven so scared. But after that incident, I could not do it again as all sorts of sharp things were kept out of my grasp. I could not see that scared look on Draven''s face till the night Demetrius bought me from my family. The way Demetrius twisted his arm and said that I was his, Draven surely had been frightened as hell. It was a satisfying sight to enjoy.


    If I had known that Demetrius would treat me like this, I would have enjoyed the moment a lot.


    "No one knows how to wield a de when they first hold one. That''s why you''ll learn it."


    "Really? Who will teach me?" I asked enthusiastically. For some reason, this idea seemed to be just perfect. Even the thought of learning swordsmanship was interesting.


    "I will find someone good," he said. "I would love to do it, but I don''t..."


    "Eh, don''t be like that. It''s not like you have to do everything when ites to me. Just get me a teacher and then you will see, I will show you how much I learned. How does this sound?"


    He chuckled and sighed at the same time. "I don''t know what to do with you."


    "Huh?"


    "You''re too cute," he said and came towards me. A light kiss fell on my forehead. "And don''t worry, I will find you the sharpest de possible. And a pair of gloves that will help you hold it so you don''t cut yourself. You need to be extra careful while you hold it though. I won''t like to see any scars on you except the hickeys and my mark.


    "

 Chapter 48: Ways To Threaten

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Now that I think about it, it''s going to take a while for the de to be made," he said while thinking about something.


    "Hey, you''re getting too worked up on this all of a sudden. You can take it slow...," I patted on his arm.


    "No, I should have thought about this sooner. You actually need to protect yourself. I mean, I was nning on teaching youbat, but I thought we could start after a year or two. But it was a stupid thought. Dangers won''t stay still till a year or two," he said. "When I''m not near, you need to at least manage to escape."


    "... Perhaps..."


    "Alright, you better keep this in the meantime," he said and tucked a dagger on my hands. I had seen the dagger before. He always had it with himself.


    "What''s this?"


    "A dagger."


    "I have eyes. I mean, why are you..."


    "So you''ll be able to save yourself," he said. "Now listen carefully, my wife. If anyone annoys you, no matter who they are, just stab them in the heart and twist it to the left. The de is that way. If they are wearing armor or something like that, I mean just in case, you better stab them in an eye. It''s better, right?"


    "... Are you trying to raise a murderer or something like that?"


    "No, I''m just telling my wife some necessary things," he shrugged.


    ''This man... Sometimes it''s hard to understand that he is usually like this since he is always so gentle with me. And there is no denial that he means it.''


    "Huh, whatever you say. Now, will you practice any longer?"


    "No. It''s enough for today," he said. "You better return to our room. I wille back in a moment."


    "Alright," I said.


    It was a great problem. If I was not careful enough, I might even get a nose bleed every time I see Dem topless, especially when he was practicing. Yet I went to watch him practice with his de every evening. He looked so hot that I barely managed to keep my eyes to myself. But every time he would catch me staring, it would be embarrassing.


    I made my way to our room. These days he always tried to get his way into coaxing me into doing it with him any time. Thankfully, I did not agree all the time, or I would have to go to the physician several times already.


    "Well, well, isn''t that my beautiful sister-inw?"


    I jerked my head back. The mischievous grin and eyes full of schemes, it was Isaac, Demetrius''s cousin. Since the first day, I did not like him. I had not seen him since our wedding. I did not care where he was, so I never asked anyone about him. For some reason, I did not want to get near him.


    A sense of danger always followed when he was near.


    "Greetings, Lord Isaac. But where are your manners?"


    "Oh, my manners... I forgot to use that in front of a mere human," he sneered.


    "Lord Isaac, do I have to remind you again that I am the queen of Querencia? If you cannot mind your manners in front of me, I might have to look the other way of making someone obey," I said sternly.


    Isaac looked ufortable and surprised at the same time. I felt pride inside for putting him back in his position. Dem had been teaching me how to threaten a lot. I thought he was just going overboard again, but he was very serious about it. Now I could see why he did so.


    "Sister-inw, you seem..."


    "Before your sister-inw, I''m the Queen. Watch your manners," I interrupted.


    "What? Do you want me to call you ''Your Highness''?"


    "It''s what is expected."


    "Who will call you that? You''re just a human...," he shrugged.


    I chuckled. "I lost my patience. Why don''t I throw you in the dungeon? How many times should you be whipped? A hundred or two hundred? Or what about I lock you in your room for a month?"


    "You cannot do that."


    "Says who? I am the Queen and I can do anything I want to. Tell me who will stop me."


    "You..."


    "Say one more word, you''ll lose your tongue." The atmosphere suddenly turned colder. How could it not? The cold yet threatening voice of the king always had this effect.


    I was so engrossed in threatening Isaac that I did not notice Deming. He was standing beside me and by the look on his face, it was clear that he was truly angry. He looked scary. It felt like if he could, he would rip Isaac in two.


    "You talked rudely to the Queen. Don''t you know how to show respect?"


    "Oh, Your Highness. I was just messing with sister inw."


    "She is not someone you can mess with and moreover, show her respect. Perhaps you won''t understand just with this," Dem said.


    I had no idea what was happening. In a moment, five knights came out of nowhere. Perhaps Dem had summoned them with his mind. He told me that werewolves of the same pack couldmunicate through their minds. I was so envious of them. If I was a werewolf, I would be able to talk to Dem through my mind as well.


    How unfortunate!


    But it was not the time to think about that. "Take him to the dungeon and lock him in a cell for two days. Don''t give him any food."


    "What are you saying? How can you do that?" Isaac yelled.


    Suddenly Demetrius grabbed him by the cor and pulled him. "How can I do that you say?" he said threateningly. "You talk to my wife in that lowly manner and you aren''t even grateful that your tongue is still in your mouth. It''s just a simple punishment, but if I see you disrespect her again, I will show you hell."


    Isaac''s face turned pale. The knights dragged him to the dungeon ignoring his yelling. Demetrius was still angry. He did not move from his ce or look at me. He seemed to be boiling.


    "Um, Dem... Are you alright?" I asked shakily.


    He was very scary when he was angry. Was he angry with me too? Did I do something wrong?


    "... Ha! ha! ha! ha!"


    I did not expect it at all. The way he wasughing... to be honest, I had never seen himughing so hard. Yes, he looked freaking handsome and it was not good for my eyes, but still, I was confused.


    Had he gone mad or something? Did being angry make him mad? Was the condition serious? I heard if the spouse was angry, a kiss always helped. Should I just kiss him?


    "Ha! Ha! Ha... that was the best!"


    "What?"


    "I didn''t know you could threaten so well," he said and patted me on the head.


    "Eh? I just said what you told me earlier. I mean, you said that I should threaten by asking questions like- ''Should I throw you in boiling water so your skin falls off your bones?'' or ''What about your fingers? They seem so long. Should I cut them in half?''"


    "Wha... Hahaha... Where did you learn the finger one?" heughed. "I didn''t tell you that one."


    "I made that up," I muttered. "... I thought you were angry. But you seem to be in a good mood."


    "Well, that bastard surely ruined my mood, but you made me happy and proud just now. That is just how my wife is supposed to be," he said and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I will teach you some more effective ways of threatening. After we mate tonight..."


    "Can you not talk like that?"


    "What? Don''t tell me you won''t let me make love to you tonight. I''ll die. Do you want your husband to die?"


    "It''s not like that... I didn''t say I won''t let you," I mumbled. "I mean, anyone can hear us if you talk like that in public."


    "No one is here, my wife. And besides, everyone knows how much I want to make love to my wife. So they will understand," he smiled.


    "..."


    "Anyway, after we make love at least five times tonight, or until you''re tired, I will teach you the ways to threaten properly. I will give you the basic knowledge, you can spice it up as you want just like today."


    When he was like this, he was nothing like a husband. He was like a friend, no, a best friend. But it would never take him long to change from best friend to husband. I chuckled. No matter which world it was, in both humans and werewolves, it was very rare to find someone like him who could be anything his wife needed- a friend, a husband, a supporter. He could be everything.


    Just what did I do to be so fortunate to have someone like him in my life?

 Chapter 49: Emergency At The Magic Tower

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius had been in an unusually good mood since I threatened Isaac. He even tried to pick me up just because he was happy. Thankfully, I stopped him in time. Or it would be embarrassing if someone saw this.


    "Have you gone mad? I can walk on my own," I muttered quickly.


    "Are you saying this because I''m sweaty? When we do it, I am sweaty as well. You don''t mind then. But why now?"


    "Eh?"


    I had no idea he was like this when we married. I could never imagine. He was always so upright and moody. He was gentle too, but I did not know he could be cute and childish in this weird way.


    "You''re being weird, Dem," I muttered.


    "Since when?" he asked as he took my hand in his and led me to our room. Because of Isaac, our precious time had been wasted.


    "Since five days ago," I said. It was true he had been too close to me since that night when we got rid of the misunderstandings though he got his own way that time too. He and his so called punishment...


    "I''m just happy to be close to you," he smiled slightly. "Why? Don''t you feel the same way? Or don''t you like to be with..."


    "I do!" I yelled. "Why do you always jump to the conclusion?"


    "That''s good," he chuckled. "I will take a shower then. Or we can take a shower together..."


    "No, thank you."


    "We have never done it. It''smon for couples to take a bath together. Come on," he urged.


    "Nope," I said firmly.


    "Why not?"


    "Because... I don''t know. It''s weird."


    "Why is it weird, my wife? We have seen everything of each other many times. Then what''s wrong?" he asked. "If you can''t give me a reasonable answer, I''m dragging you with me."


    "Well, we will smell each other''s armpits..."


    "... I smell your armpit when we mate too," he said casually.


    "Wha... Now that you say it, it''s weird," I mumbled. When I said it in my head, it did not sound this weird.


    Did my armpits smell when we do it? Perhaps it was not the case. The maids used a lot of things on me and one of them was a potion to use on armpits so they would not smell. He kissed literally everywhere, so perhaps my armpits truly did not smell.


    "What''re you thinking about, my wife? Be quick to give me a reason or you know..."


    "It would be a bother for you."


    "Washing you? Haha, you''re so tiny. How can it be a bother?" heughed.


    "Stop saying that I''m tiny!"


    "But you''re tiny and cute," he said and kissed on my forehead. I did not notice he had already closed the door of our room.


    "Anyway, we''re not bathing together. At least, not today."


    "You''re being cruel to me, my wife. You don''t hear any of my desires..."


    "Desires, huh? What is the thing you do to me every night again? What''s its name? How can I forget?" I said sarcastically.


    "We mate."


    "What the... You''re not supposed to answer that! I was being sarcastic! Ugh! I can''t... Go to take a shower, Dem.


    Then we''ll have dinner," I gave up. It was hard to argue with him. He always kept teasing me and I always ended up being all flustered.


    "But next time," he pecked me on the lips, "I will drag you with me."


    I sat down on the bed as he went to take a shower. I touched my lips. He had kissed me just a while ago. I still could not get used to it. I wondered if it was the same for other people as well. Did they always get flustered like me every time their spouse was a bit intimate?


    But I did not hate it, rather I enjoyed it. When he was close, I felt warmth that I never felt before. And to think that we were family, my heart would swell of with a weird emotion.


    Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I had not asked the maids to bring us dinner yet, then who could it be?


    I opened the door. "Good Evening, Your Highness."


    It was the Beta. "Sorry for disturbing. Your Highness, there is an emergency in the magic tower. The magician requested His Highness''s visit."


    "His Highness is taking a bath. I will tell him that now. Does he have to go there right now?"


    "It would be better if His Highness goes there as soon as possible," he said.


    "Alright. You can go now. I will tell him that."


    "Yes, Your Highness," he bowed.


    After he left, I knocked on the bathroom door. "Have you changed your mind? Do you want to take a shower with me?"


    "No, thank you," I said. "There is an emergency. The beta came. He said the magician wants to meet you."


    I heard him swearing as he came out not long after that. He was wearing only a towel around his waist.


    ''Eek! My heart! My eyes! Danger alert!''


    "Why are you all flushed, my wife?" he asked teasingly.


    "Stop it and go quickly. There is an emer..."


    "There is no emergency. It''s just a hint," he said casually.


    "What do you mean?"


    "That Luc was researching on how to make the ne I gave you in. You see, it''s shining. As I said before, you and I and some high-level magicians can see it. As I had to give some of my blood..."


    "You gave your blood to make this?"


    "It was necessary. Don''t worry about me. Did you forget that I heal? Anyway, so any other magicians can''t detect that it''s a magic object, I told Luc to do something about it. No one knows about my mind-reading ability, so it''s important to be careful not to raise any suspicion. A wrong move might end up being a huge problem.


    I told him to find a good way to send me a signal if he found a way, but that silver bastard found this way... No wonder he is a nut wit."


    "Hey, don''t talk like that. He made this ne. You should give him some credit," I said.


    "I just can''t bear the sight of anyone. They are annoying," he grumbled.


    "You mean I am annoying too?"


    "You''re not anyone. You''re my wife. I don''t refer you as anyone, my wife," he said. "Do I have to show you? What about we do..."


    "No, just go. Don''t waste any more time," I said and helped him wear his shirt. He was doing it toozily as if he was going to leave sixty yearster.


    "I need to take the ne with me," he said.


    "Oh right... Let me take it off," I said and started to get the hook. But he grabbed my hand suddenly.


    "Now that I think about it... You bettere with me."


    "What? Are you sure? Won''t I be..."


    "Why will the queen be a nuisance?"


    I narrowed my gaze at him. "How are you so sure I was going to say ''nuisance''?"


    "You use it a lot, more than you call my name," he shrugged.


    "Well... Anyway, let''s go then. I haven''t been to the magic tower either," I said quickly before he started to lecture me about how I always let myself down. He was not wrong about it. But no matter how much I tried, I never could get over the things I was called in my family. I was always like a useless tool to them.


    "Where is the dagger that I gave you?" he asked.


    "Under my dress. I hid it well," I said and showed him how I tied it with a belt against my right thigh.


    He pressed his thumb on his lips and the way he did it... I just wanted to die for a moment. Even if anyone had the strongest heart, they would not be able to handle this intense amount of handsomeness.


    "..."


    "What? Is something wrong? Does it look weird? Should I..."


    "No, keep it like that," he said. His ears were red. It was not hot enough in the room to make him like that. Was it because I showed my thigh? My goodness... This time the one blushing the hardest was me.


    "If that silver punk annoys you, stab him and as I said, twist it to the left. If you twist it to the right, you might hurt yourself, so remember the right direction."


    "Why would I do that? You''re talking as if we''re going to a war."


    "Annoying ones are not supposed to walk on the same path as us. If anyone annoys you, just go ahead and stab them. Are you worrying about... Don''t worry; I''ll take care of the dead body."


    "..."

 Chapter 50: The Magic Tower

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I was losing my mind again. It was not something special to see someone with a dagger tied against their thigh, but here I was seeing my wife like that and losing my sanity.


    "I need to fuck her with that dagger tied against her thigh," I mumbled.


    "Did you say something? I couldn''t catch it," she said as we were walking on the castle ground.


    "No, nothing. Don''t worry," I said. "Just make sure not to step on pebbles. There are some sharp ones."


    "Oh, I''m careful," she said and smiled. Even in the darkness, I could see the glow of her blue eyes. It was the first thing that drew me towards her. Her eyes were captivating in a strange way. Every time I looked into them, I felt dizzy and restless, but even the restlessness was peaceful.


    "Who do you look like?" I asked.


    I never knew about her past much. If I knew what she was going through in her family, I would have saved her as soon as possible. But I never followed her around. I liked her, but I did not want to stalk her. I wanted to respect her privacy. But now it felt like it was a wrong move.


    If stalking would have saved her, I would have done so.


    "I don''t know. You see, I don''t look like my father or mother. The only simrity I have with Mother is that we both are short," she said.


    "Perhaps you look like your grandparent or something like that. It happens, you know..."


    "No, it''s not that," she said with a faint smile. "Max said that perhaps Mother had cheated on Father and had me. Because of that, Father always hated me. And Draven too. I think Max was right."


    "But it''s not your fault," I said.


    "I know," sheughed. "But what can I say? It has always been like this. I know it''s not right. And I tried to go to the police too. But I got caught every time.


    It was like they were always keeping an eye on me."


    "... You don''t mind me killing them, do you?"


    "You don''t mean that."


    "I do," I said firmly. Yes, I wanted to kill them more than anything else. If she said yes, I would do so without hesitation.


    "That''s not necessary," she said. "We will kick their assester. But the thing that they got ten million dors..."


    "Oh, that?" Iughed. "I''ve taken care of that already."


    "Eh? What do you mean? Did you rob them or something?"


    "No, I just had sent two of my people there..."


    "Werewolves?"


    "No, humans. They had evidence of them buying illegal drugs. That..."


    "Draven?"


    "Yeah, him. He bought those and he also harassed women and almost raped one as well. His father choked a man to death..."


    "Father killed someone?"


    "He did and more importantly, I would like it if you don''t call him father. I mean, just don''t think of them as your family. They don''t deserve it."


    "... You''re right. But when did he kill someone? Who did he kill?"


    "It was a random man. They got into a fight and then it sorta happened," I said.


    "Whoa, I didn''t know any of this. Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "I got the news five days ago. Well, I wanted to tell you that evening, but I was avoiding you, you know, because of the misunderstanding. And then when I came back that night, we fixed everything up and then you know what happened. For the past few days, we have been doing it every time we got together or we are busy teasing each other. So, I forgot. I''m sorry.


    I should have told you sooner. You''re not mad at me, are you?"


    "No, it''s alright. It''s not like it would do me any gain even if I know. It''s just... Are all their money is gone?"


    I nodded. "They are in jail."


    She looked down. I thought she would be happy. She did not love her family at all and it would be unfair if they got a perfect life after doing those horrible things to her. So I wanted to show them what misery meant. But to think she would be sad...


    "... But Max... He is not bad," she muttered.


    Oh, so she was worried about Max? I almost felt a bit guilty. No matter what I did, if she was not happy with it, there was no point in doing it in the first ce.


    "I gave Max enough money to cost for two months and he promised he would go to a university," I said. "I knew you would want that too."


    She did not say anything. It was hard to understand the emotion her face held. After a long time, it seemed like she had the same expression on her face that she had a month ago when I had brought her from the hellhole.


    I did not dare to say anything else. Perhaps she needed some time to think things through. We walked in silence towards the magic tower. I had never brought her here before. Truly speaking, I never suggested this ce either. Mostly because there were magical objects here and there and even if Luc said that most of them were harmless, I could not risk it.


    I knocked on the door of the tower. She suddenly smiled. I was caught off guard by the sudden change.


    "Thank you," I said.


    "... Are you feeling alright?"


    "Of course!" she smiled brightly, too brightly. But her smile was not the only surprise waiting for me. She wrapped her arms around me. I had always felt lucky that she was very tiny as I could hold her easily and securely. "I am really fortunate to have you. I can never repay you for what you''ve done."


    "Why would you ever repay me? I''m your husband after all."


    "That''s right," sheughed. "You''re just too good for me. But I''ve be greedy, you know."


    I wanted to know what she wanted to say next, but that punk Luc opened the door right that moment. If he was going to bete, then why couldn''t hee a bitter?


    "You''ve brought your wife too?"


    "Stop being rude, you punk!" I smacked behind his head. "Talk to her rudely, I will rip your ears off!"


    "Why are you acting like that again?" she whispered. "I thought you were in a good mood."


    "I was in a good mood, but this punk..."


    "Is he your friend?" she asked.


    "Friend? What friend?"


    "So he is your friend," she muttered.


    "Greetings, Your Highness the Queen. I am the master of the magic tower, Luc. Please forgive me for myte greetings," Luc bowed to her.


    That punk did not even bother to bow to me. Perhaps it was because we had grown up together since we were six.


    "It''s alright, Lord Luc," she smiled.


    "Can I talk to herfortably?" Luc asked me. "The formalities are tiring."


    "No, you can''t," I dismissed firmly.


    "Of course, it''s alright. I''m pretty bad with formalities as well," she said quickly. I looked at her with a questioning look. "It''s alright, right? He is your friend."


    "... If you are okay with it, then its fine," I sighed.


    "Wow, you truly have changed, haven''t you? Or are you like this in front of your wife only?" Luc asked.


    "That''s none of your business. Move away from the entrance," I said and pushed him away.


    "You''re being mean," I heard her muttering.


    "I''m just acting rightfully," I shrugged. "Anyway, what news do you have? Can you stop it from shining?"


    Luc closed the door and motioned for us to follow him. The tower was very tall. There were many stairs. I wondered if she would be alright climbing all the stairs.


    "Do you want me to carry you?" I asked.


    "Of course not!" she declined firmly.


    I chuckled. I did not want to carry her either. It was not because I would not love to, but because I did not want her to be like all those queens who were only used tofort. She needed to stand high without anyone''s help so everyone would look high on her. They would not care she was a human. The only thing they would remember was that she was the Queen of Querencia.


    Of course, it was not the same when we were alone. That was the time when I liked to spoil her more than anything else. I liked taking care of her and doing everything for her even though she would say I was going overboard. After all, there was nothing wrong with a husband spoiling his wife.

 Chapter 51: [Bonus chapter] The Magic Tower (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I climbed up the stairs slowly. Every single ce in the round and narrow tower was untidy. Wherever my eyes went, there was nothing but books. I wondered if Luc read all of those. Dem did not tell me much about him, but the way it seemed, it was clear that they were friends though my husband was too reluctant to admit it.


    It was still hard to believe what he said a moment ago. He truly made sure my family was punished. Perhaps I was evil, but I was happy. From the beginning, I knew that the things they were doing to me were wrong. But I could not do anything. I had lost all my hopes.


    Living in that hell, I had never learned how to dream. And I did not know if I would be able to know the real meaning of dreams.


    But I was wrong. Now I knew what dreams meant. After all, I was living in a dream myself. And I did not want to wake up either.


    I was d that Maxen was now able to attend a university. He always wanted this while I only wanted to get away from my family no matter what I did. He was not abused like me. Perhaps that was the reason he had the heart to dream big while I had never learned the word ''dream''.


    But Demetrius taught me this word. It was the first time someone held my hand and took me to step by step. There was one thing I was sure of- I would never be able to leave him. Even the thought of leaving him was painful.


    Since the moment he brought me here, I was afraid he would leave me. But he always kept telling me not to leave him. Was he insecure or was he afraid of me leaving him? But why would I leave him? Who would want to leave someone like him? Even if I was crazy, I would never even think of leaving him.


    "Are we going to the top?" I asked.


    "Yes," Luc replied. "That''s where I do the research."


    "Is it too hard for you?" Dem asked.


    "No, I''m fine," I smiled.


    Demetrius had been holding my hand all this time. It always surprised me how big his hand was. When he came back at night, his hand would be cold. But his hand always warmed up pretty quickly. I envied him for that. Sometimes my feet would not warm up even if I stay under the nket all night, while if he just entered our room, his hands would warm up in a moment.


    "The shining is not too much, but enough to attract attention," Luc said.


    "It''s more than enough. Just stop it from shining," Dem said. It seemed he did not like the ne shining at all. I did not care about it even if I could see it as well. To me, it was just a mere glimpse of a drop of rainwater under sunlight. But I did not understand why he hated it that much.


    "I can''t see the brightness in your eyes when I look at you. That stupid light fucks the mood up," he grumbled under his breath.


    "..."


    I did not even know what to do- cry orugh. He was being unintentionally funny. He looked so serious that the thought ofughing seemed like a serious sin. It was embarrassing as well since Luc was here as well. But he seemed not to care. Perhaps he knew Dem a lot better than others.


    We reached the top of the tower atst. It was just like a typical circr room. There were books and pages lying here and there. An old sofa was ced in a corner with a white nket on top of it.


    "Is it alright if I call you Blue?" Luc asked.


    "Sure," I said and smiled. It felt good when someone called me by my name here since almost no one did so. Demetrius would rarely call me by my name. He would always call me ''my wife''. No matter how many times I had told him not to call me that, he never listened. He would always ask- ''Can''t a husband call his wife what he wants?''.


    I had given up on trying to make him understand. And for some reason, I did not hate it.


    Others would call me- ''Your Highness'', ''Your Royal Highness''. It was tiring, but there was nothing to do about this. Even Demetrius said he hated to be called by that, but it was necessary.


    "Alright then, Blue, can you please give me the ne?" Luc asked.


    "Oh, sure."


    "Let me."


    Demetrius helped me unhook the ne. His warm breath fell on my nape. I had a feeling that he did that on purpose. There was no need for his nose to be that close to my nape if he wanted to take the ne off only.


    "Your fragrance is dangerously appealing, my wife," Dem whispered in my ear.


    "Hey, I am here as well. You''re making me feel nauseous," Luc said in a disgusted tone.


    "Just get the hell out of here if that''s the case," Dem grumbled.


    "You''re kicking me out of my own tower? That''s not possible," Luc said.


    "A king can do anything he wants. Now don''t waste our time. Tell me what you''ve found out."


    "There is a way to stop it from shining. If we can surround the ne with darkness, then it''s possible."


    "Don''t tell me... Then it''s easy," Dem said.


    I could not understand a single thing they were saying. But by the look on Demetrius''s face, I was sure that the n was something mischievous or forbidden.


    "If we can transform even only a bit into the ne, then if something bad happens, she can even be able to protect herself," Luc said.


    "Good. So what are the things that you need?" Dem asked.


    "A bag of your blood and another bag of Blue''s blood..."


    "What? You bastard! Do it with my blood! I will give not just one or two, five bags of my blood, but don''t even think about bringing my wife into this!"


    "Calm down," I tried to soothe him.


    "It''s not my choice. It''s what needs to be done. She is the owner of the ne, right? And you''re the one with the power. As it''s forming a connection between your power and the ne''s original power, there needs to be a bonding between the owners," Luc exined.


    "We''re already mates."


    "That''s true, but it''s not enough. Do you want to do it or not?" Luc asked.


    "No. There is no need to do anything like that," Dem said firmly.


    Was it because he did not want to give my blood? Was he worried about me? But it was necessary for us to remove the brightness of the locket. If another magician found out, then it would put his secret at risk. I could not just let that happen.


    "Dem, it''s alright. It''s just a bag of blood, right?" I said, pulling his sleeve.


    "Just a bag of blood? Have you gone mad? It''s not less at all," he said angrily.


    "But you''re giving that much as well."


    "Things are different for you and me. Just look at me. Do you think I''m unhealthy? Even if I lose five bags of blood, nothing would happen to me. And besides, as I am a werewolf, my health issues can be fixed pretty quickly. But you''re just a human and also a tiny one at that.


    If you lose blood, it''s going to be bad for your health. So just don''t agree to this."

 Chapter 52: The Magic Tower (3)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I understand. But it''s important. Isn''t it you who said sometimes what''s needed to be done might not be the easiest path, yet we have to go down that path?"


    "I shouldn''t have said that," he muttered.


    I ignored him. "As I said, I''m going to give blood as well."


    "I hate it," he said. "It''s really too much. Can''t we decrease the amount of blood she has to give?"


    "No," Luc answered immediately. It must be very important for me to give a bag of blood. It was not like I was afraid of it. But Demetrius was overreacting. "Her blood is a must. Don''t overreact.


    It''s just a small amount of blood."


    "You annoy me," Dem grumbled. "What else do we need?"


    "A moonstone," Luc said.


    "A moonstone?" Dem and I asked at the same time.


    I thought everything I knew about moonstones. The lines flooded my mind automatically. It was like I was seeing those texts all over again.


    I had read about moonstones being used to enhance or suppress the abilities of supernatural artifacts, but I never could think that I would witness something like this in real life. Suddenly my hands started to feel colder just by thinking about it.


    But thankfully, it was a moonstone. Moonstones were prettymon and they were not too costly as well. Then it would not be a problem to get it. Or so I thought...


    "Now where will we get a moonstone?" Dem asked.


    "Eh?" I was too shocked to say anything else. What was he talking about? Was he bring serious? "Aren''t moonstones prettymon? They are not even costly."


    "That''s in your world, my wife. But here, moonstone is very rare and there are limited numbers of it. Once every full moon, one is left in each kingdom. It can be anywhere and whoever finds it the first, it became theirs. We had a vast collection, but that bastard Ford destroyed ours. We should have been more careful," Dem exined.


    "Then you can get as many as you want from my world," I said. If he could just go to my world, he could have endless of them.


    "It''s not easy. I can only go there once a year. I mean, a werewolf can go there once a year. And only some members of our family know about the pathways and how to enter the other world. And also, only an Alpha can do this. As I''ve already gone there once this year, I can''t do it again."


    "That''s... Now, what then?" I asked. It was awful. Perhaps King Ford had destroyed them when Demetrius had gone to bring me here. So he did not find out about it till he came back. Such disgusting timing!


    "The night after tomorrow is the full moon. We have to find the moonstone before anyone else," Dem said. "It won''t be a problem..."


    "It will be," Luc said calmly.


    "Why? I will just go out and grab that one. You know, Alphas can sense a moonstone better than any other werewolves. And no one can run faster than me," Dem said. It again felt like he was showing off like a kid. It was kind of cute.


    "Did you forget," Luc said, "that you have a mate?"


    "Oh..."


    The response from Dem was so little that I almost did not hear him. Now that Luc said it, I understood what he meant. I had forgotten about it as well.


    Mated werewolves needed to make love with their mate on a full moon night and they also would be beastly on every full moon night. Demetrius was dangerous enough and that was why I could not even guess what he would be like on the full moon. Would he tear me apart or something?


    I was flushed red. I did not know how to look at Luc anymore. They talked about this type of stuff as if there was nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, it was a natural thing for couples to do. But that did not mean it was not shameful to talk about.


    "... Then the morning after the full moon, I will go find it," Dem said. He surely had noticed how embarrassed I was. He always liked to tease me and see me shy. But by the look on his face, it seemed he did not like it when others were present.


    I had seen that look before too when his sister Evelyn was teasing me about my wedding night. I was too embarrassed to say something as other maids were asking odd questions about how I felt, if the thing was big and stuff like that. But suddenly, Demetrius barged in and scolded his sister for asking something like that. It was not Evelyn''s fault fully as she only asked how I was feeling.


    The maids asked all the other questions. But still, he was mad at her for bringing it up and took me from there.


    I had to admit that I was saved. There was no way I could answer those questions though there was one thing I was kind of happy about that I was the only one who he had been with. It felt good to know that he shared his body only with me and he never even thought about doing so with others.


    "Good then. Bring it as soon as possible," Luc said. "And I only heard that you''ve made a human your mate. But I did not expect this. Now I''m truly worried."


    "I''m worried about it too," Dem said.


    "What... What are you talking about?" I asked.


    "Oh, please have a seat, Blue. I will grab some cookies...," Luc smiled suddenly at me.


    "No need. If she eats your cookies, she will have a stomachache for sure," Dem said.


    "You''re being rude," I nudged him.


    "What rude? He perhaps had those cookies stored for over two years," Dem said.


    "They are not rotten," Luc protested.


    "No, thank you, Luc. I''ll just sit down," I said as calmly as I could.


    I sat down on the couch and Dem sat beside me. "Can you..."


    "No, I can''t," Luc stopped Dem abruptly. "There is no way to calm a werewolf down on a full moon. It''s just impossible. No matter how much you threaten me or anyone else, there is no way to do this."


    "It''s dangerous," Dem muttered.


    "It indeed is. When you told me you chose a human, I thought you were joking. When you even pretended to have mistresses yet never took any women, I thought there was something wrong with your sexuality."


    "..."


    "Then again, you kept saying the same thing again and again for seven years that you have chosen your bride. Even when you went to bring her here, I thought she was someone stronger. I mean, look at her. She is so tiny. Being short is one thing, but she is slender as well. How can you think that she will be okay on a full moon?


    Moreover, she is a human."


    "You think I didn''t think about it? I know it''s going to be hard. That''s why I was nning on going somewhere else on a full moon night. Perhaps in the forest so I would not harm her."


    ''You guys, I''m here as well.''


    "Have you lost your mind? It will hurt like hell," Luc said.


    "Heh? It''s not like I can''t handle it. You talk as if you''ve experienced it. You haven''t even found your mate yet," Demughed.


    "... You can''t handle it. It''s really too much. No matter what you do, there is no other way," Luc said. "Really? You don''t know anything about this.


    If I haven''t seen your wolf form myself, I might have doubted if you''re truly a werewolf."


    "You better talk as much as necessary," Dem grumbled.


    "On a full moon, a werewolf subconsciously finds their mate. Here as there are werewolves only, the male and the female werewolves find themselves. But as your wife is a human, even if she hides, you will find her eventually. If it takes more than five minutes, I''ll be surprised. First of all, you can trace her scent. Then as you''re an Alpha, your mate bond is stronger than normal werewolves.


    You know what I mean?" Luc said. "There is no way to escape. You have to do it. Well, all you can do is pray. I guess that would be wrong too as you''re going to do something sinful..."


    "Shut up!" Dem yelled.

 Chapter 53: I Would Rather Not Look At The Tree I Can’t Climb

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Let''s go back, my wife. If I stay another moment here, I think my mind will adapt to his dumbness," I said.


    "Stop being rude," she nudged again. She had been saying that again and again. She only did this when she thought the other person was good. It was true that Luc was a good person despite his dumbness. Perhaps she felt he would mind.


    "Teach your husband some manners, Blue. I''m telling you- he is two-faced. See that innocent smile he''s giving you, when he turns to me that turns into a creepy one," Luc said.


    She chuckled knowingly. She had seen it herself after all. To be honest, I did not like to be near anyone other than her. Everyone disgusted me. All they wanted was power and the fake warmth they gave- they were like poisons that would slowly kill someone.


    It was only her who was real with me. I had brought her myself so I could have her all to myself, the only thing I truly could have. All the power, fame, wealth- they were nothing but a nuisance. If a day woulde when I would be able to leave all this behind and just have my wife, I would be the happiest person.


    She always made me feel rxed andfortable. Not even some time ago, I could not think of letting my guard down and trusting someone, yet I wanted to trust her. I had let my guard down in front of herpletely and there was not an ounce of doubt I had for her. She was the one who would never betray me.


    "We''ll leave then, Luc," she smiled.


    "Please visit again. Don''t bring this man with you though. He keeps disturbing. We can chat a lot, you know," Luc said.


    ''Should I just kill him?''


    "Haha, I will try to visit sometime," she said.


    "I didn''t know he was marrying such a great person like you. That guy didn''t even invite me to the wedding," Luc said.


    "Really?" she asked in disbelief looking at me.


    "He needed to make the ne for you," I said.


    "You forced me!" Luc protested.


    "What forced? I simply ordered and I''m the king. You have to obey me," I smirked. At times like this, it felt good to use the power of a king. Anything was right in the case of a king. Even my wife did not have any word to argue with me.


    "You must be hungry now. Let''s go."


    "Yeah...," she muttered. "We''ll leave then, Luc. I''lle by again."


    "Sure, sure. Just remember not to bring..."


    "Utter another word, half of your tongue will be gone," I threatened.


    It seemed like we came here only to get not too good news. Now I was getting truly worried about the full moon night. She was just a human- there was no way she would be alright. Yet she did not seem to care.


    "Are you still thinking about the full moon?" she asked.


    "... Yeah. You know it''s..."


    "We''ll be fine. Don''t worry," she said and squeezed my arm.


    "I hope so," I muttered. "But, my wife, aren''t you provoking me?"


    "What? No, what provoking?" she asked. "Don''t tell me... No, I''m telling you."


    "Why not? We can do it anywhere," I smirked.


    "No..."


    "Give me a reason."


    "Anyone cane," she said.


    "That''s not a problem. I told you before too. I can sense it quickly before anyonees," I said.


    "No, that''s... I''m hungry! Yes, I''m hungry, really hungry!" she said earnestly.


    ''You want to escape that much, huh? How adorable!''


    "I can''t keep my wife hungry of course. Let''s go eat first then," I chuckled.


    As always she was taking way too little food in her mouth. I always liked this sight. For some reason, I found it cute the way she chewed on her food.


    "Your aunt invited me to have some tea with her tomorrow," she said suddenly. Thankfully, she did not look at me, or she would have found me gawking at her.


    "Did she send a letter or something?" I asked.


    "Hmm," she muttered. "It came this evening. She invited me tomorrow afternoon."


    "If you ask for my opinion, I don''t want you to go. That woman is not a good person. She is all about evil schemes. She tries to humiliate anyone she doesn''t like," I said.


    "She doesn''t like me," she said.


    "... It''s not your fault," I said. I did not deny it as it was the truth. There was no point in hiding it when she was the one who needed to deal with it. If I hid it just thinking about her feelings, that would do more harm to her than good.


    "I know."


    "She doesn''t like me. His son couldn''t be the king because of me. I don''t understand. My father is the eldest son. So it''s natural for his son to be the next king. And moreover, I''m older than Isaac.


    Yet his parents are being unreasonable. They hate me because of that. And as you''re my wife, they don''t like you that much as well."


    "Not just that, I''m also a human, but suddenly became the queen. I heard that your uncle wanted you to marry a princess."


    "He told me that. But I refused. They knew clearly that I had no intention of marrying anyone other than the person I chose, yet they kept doing so. He even brought me a list of the high-ranked women''s names. It was frustrating."


    "Women wanted to marry you too," she said. I nced at her. She was not angry or anything. She was simply chatting with me just like we usually did.


    "Where did you hear that?" I asked.


    "Maids were telling me this. I mean, I asked how your life was before. Then they told me that you received a lot of love letters and proposals for your hand in marriage. And there was even a princess who visited the pce only to make you ept her proposal," she said.


    "... That''s true," I muttered. "But it''s all in the past now. I''m married now after all."


    I was afraid if she would get sad or something like that though she did not show any sign of that yet. She was good at keeping her real feelings hidden, so I did not want to make sure she knew that there was no way these things would happen again.


    "I know," she said calmly.


    "Are you... okay?"


    "Of course. I don''t have any reason not to be," she smiled. "I actually don''t me thedies. There are two reasons- they either wanted to marry you for power and wealth or because you''re handsome. None of the reasons are pointless. I understand them.


    If we talk about handsomeness, you''re the most handsome man I''ve ever seen. So it''s natural for anyone to fall for you pretty quickly. And so pursuing you is no surprise. Anyone would do that."


    ''Anyone, huh?''


    "What about you?" I asked.


    "What about me?"


    "Would you pursue me too if we had met before?"


    "No," she replied without hesitation.


    "No?" If I said I was not hurt even a bit, it would be a huge lie. "Don''t you like me?"


    "It''s not that. I liked you after we married. I never met you before. The night we met, yes, I was captivated by your handsome features. But handsomeness alone is never enough to make someone like the other person, at least it''s like this for me. And besides, I didn''t know you had good intentions that time," she said.


    "And if I met you before, I would surely be charmed by your handsomeness, but I would rather not look at the tree I can''t climb."


    "Even if you want to?"


    "That''s right. I don''t want to get hurt," she said.


    I smiled. Why did I even get hurt hearing the ''No'' only? I should be proud. She knew what she could have. A strong and smart reasonable personality- she was the most interesting person I had ever met.


    "Thank you," I said.


    "... Why?"


    "For telling me the truth and not lying for my sake," I said.


    "You know I always speak the truth with you," she said.


    "Of course. That''s why I like you this much," I said.


    She looked at me with her eyes widened. I knew why she was behaving like that. There were countless times when I told her that I liked her and there was not a single time when she did not react like this.


    But I did not want to see this reaction. I wanted her not to react at all like this was a natural thing. It would take some time for her and I understood why. But I was waiting for that day when I told her that I liked her, she would just smile or say- ''I know''.


    "So what are you nning?" I asked to ease the tension. And besides, I wanted to know her decision as well. "Will you go tomorrow?"


    "You don''t want me to go," she muttered.


    "It''s your life. The final decision should be yours. Well, yes, I don''t want you to go, but you should do what you want to or what you think is right," I said.


    "Then I''ll go."

 Chapter 54: Plan

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Can I ask why?"


    "Well, I want to spend some time with her," I replied.


    "If you think you can turn her into a good person just by talking to her, you''re doing it for nothing," he said.


    "I''m not doing to for that. I just need to see what kind of move she will make to embarrass me," I said.


    I did not like his aunt as well. There was some kind of malice in the way she looked at us. It was ufortable. From the first day I came here until now, that look in her eyes never changed. I needed to see if she was smart enough to scheme something big, or she would go with the traditional ns.


    "I don''t understand," he said.


    "Neither do I. But I think I should. Just think about it- isn''t she the type of woman who can scheme against us?"


    "She is," he nodded.


    "She is a woman and it''s said that poison is a woman''s weapon. I need to see if she will go the traditional way. I mean, I actually want her to go the traditional way. You know what I mean?"


    "Of course," he smirked. "In some cases, tradition is better than rare."


    If I epted her invitation, then she would try to poison me or use some petty tricks. But if I declined, then she would think I was a tricky opponent or I was trying to avoid her. She would make big ns in that case and even could start an uprising or plot against us secretly. If things stayed only at poisoning and petty tricks, there would be no chance of things getting out of hand.


    "In that case, we need to do some little preparations," he said.


    I had forgotten that we were eating. It happened every time we talked about something. Both of us would get carried away.


    "We better eat first," he said and smiled.


    His smile was perfect. My heart almost stopped beating. His smile was enough to brighten up my day. And if I did not see him smile at least once a day, I would probably feel depressed. It had never happened. He always smiled in front of me and there was no way those smiles were fake.


    At least that was something I was sure of.


    "Is there something on my face, my wife?" he asked teasingly. "You''ve been staring for quite a while."


    "It''s just... Your smile is pretty," I mumbled.


    "Pretty?" he almost choked on his wine. "My wife, I think I need to punish you again."


    "W-Why? I''m just telling the truth."


    "That''s why I need to punish you, my wife, to show you who the pretty one is," he said in a dangerous tone. I could never get used to his quick change of attitude. It was almost dangerous.


    "... Uh... I''m sorry. I won''t call you pretty again," I said quickly.


    "And what if you do?"


    "I won''t!"


    "I said ''if'', my wife," he said. "Then let me tell you this- when you''ll call me pretty again, I will punish you right then and right there."


    That was ridiculous. And moreover, he was not even joking. I gulped nervously. He was so gentle most of the time that I almost forgot that he had this side of him as well.


    His punishment was dangerous. I had suffered once. This type of punishment was not painful, rather it was painfully pleasurable. I feared it. When it happened a few days ago, I felt I was not myself. I was saying weird things and the sounds that were leaving my mouth were weird as well.


    After dinner, he told me to wait for him. Iy down on the bed on my back while he was looking for something in the closet.


    There were two closets in the room- one was his and the other one was mine. I had another room where my dresses were stored. There was a lot- more than I ever could wear in a lifetime. I had never opened his though he said it did not matter. I had no reason to do so though he rummaged through my closet once to find the best dress he wanted me to wear on our walk together in the garden.


    I could not help but chuckle remembering this. He was really childish sometimes. To think I would have him as my husband, I was quite lucky.


    He looked over at me and chuckled with an amused expression. In a while, he came back with a few bottles.


    "What are those?" I asked, rolling over andying on my stomach.


    "They are antidotes of poison. If you want to act naive in front of her, you need to drink the tea. There is a chance that there will be poison in either the tea or on the teacup. See this bottle with blue liquid?" he pointed at the small ss bottle with blue liquid inside it. "You need to drink it before you leave. The effects willst five hours."


    "What will it do?"


    "If you drink poison, no matter how dangerous the poison is, this potion will stop the poison from working."


    "Like disable the powerpletely?"


    He nodded. "It''s a powerful potion and you don''t need to use it too much either. Just one drop is fine for normal poisons and if the poison is strong, then five drops will be okay. But you''re going to take six drops, just to be sure," he said.


    "That''s good then," I said. In this way, we would be able to trick them and make them fall in their own traps. They would not even know how I managed to survive while I acted too naive.


    "What are the other bottles for?"


    "They are poisons," he said. "You can test the potion tomorrow morning if you want to."


    "Won''t it waste the antidote?"


    "So what? We can always get some more from Luc," he shrugged, "though it takes one year to get half a liter."


    "My goodness, you''re so reckless, Dem," I said. "We can''t use something so precious like this. And it must be rare as well, right?"


    "... Well, it is..."


    "Then we can''t use it recklessly. Someday, we might need it, and then what if we don''t have it? Someone precious can die because of that."


    "Someone precious... You''re right. I can''t let anything happen to my precious one," he mumbled. "I''m sorry, my wife. I shouldn''t have said that."


    "It''s okay. Then the n is set- I''ll take the antidote before going."


    "That''s right," he said. "You know, you''re awesome."


    "Wha... Haha, it sounds weird," Iughed.


    "I like to see youugh."


    "You''re starting again. I thought you wouldn''t talk like this."


    "I''m not doing anything bad. I''m just telling the truth," he said innocently.


    ''Your truth makes me feel weird.''


    "Come on. Don''t give me that look. I''m telling the truth. Your smile is like..."


    "Stop it, Dem!" I pped him on the shoulder lightly. It was for my safety. Even if I hit him with all my force, nothing would happen to him, rather I might end up with a broken hand.


    "You''re flushed," he smirked. "What about we..."


    "ce those bottles to a safe ce first. Honestly..."


    "Oh, right."


    He ced them back in his closet. My eyes fell on his back. He was wearing his robe. His broad shoulder was truly mesmerizing. The picture of him naked shed in my mind.


    ''Eek! Am I a pervert or something? How can I think of someone naked?''


    But then again, he was my husband. I had the right to think about him like that. It was not like I was not allowed to. We did everything a couple would do. Then it did not matter if I thought like a pervert, right?


    I must have lost my mind. Whenever I looked at him, I always found myself admiring his looks again and again. It was like I was seeing him for the first time every time my eyes fell on him.


    I was so busy admiring him in my mind that I did not notice when he climbed on the bed.


    "My wife, you seem to be busy with your thoughts. You''re not paying attention to your husband," he said with a hint of sulking expression.


    ''What you... I was thinking about you.''


    "What about I bring your thoughts towards me?" he said and before I knew it, I felt his hand creeping inside my nightgown.


    "You... huh," I gasped as his fingers found their way to my inner thighs.


    "Everything on me, my wife- your eyes, your thoughts- everything."

 Chapter 55: Why Were You Sad For Me?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Are you awake, my wife?" he asked from beside me.


    "Mmm," I mumbled. I was in his embrace with no ce to move. Most of the times, he would leave before I even wake up. But sometimes, when I would wake up a bit earlier by ident, I would find myself in his embrace, though he never let me get up that early. He would make me sleep again, saying I needed rest.


    "Go to sleep then. It''s too early," he said and closed my eyelids with his palm.


    "I had a weird dream," I said.


    "What kind of dream?" he asked.


    "I don''t remember, but now I feel like a viin," I muttered.


    "... Aren''t we viins?"


    "Wha... What?"


    "Viins are better. You can do anything you want without thinking about the consequences. That''s just perfect," he said. "You know, I would rather be a viin. And as my wife, it would be good if you''re on the same team as me."


    "You keep calling yourself viin... But you''re not like that."


    Heughed. "You''re saying that because you haven''t seen me at a battlefield. They say I kill werewolves like I kill bugs."


    "But... in a battlefield, aren''t you supposed to do so? You haven''t gone there to party, right?"


    "You''re the only one who would put it like that," he said. "But I''m d that you think so. And it doesn''t matter if you feel like a viin. Sometimes, we have to be a viin to win."


    His words felt weird. No matter what he said, I always found myself thinking about his words. I actually admired him in some ways. He knew the reality and always spoke the harsh truth. If he hid any of them from me, I would feel bad. But I was d he did not think I was weak.


    He kissed me on the lips suddenly. It was just a little peck, but even just from that, I turned into a red bean.


    "Do you want to sleep, my wife?"


    "Huh?"


    "If you don''t, we can go down to busi..."


    "No! I''ll sleep. I''m sleepy. Good night or morning, whatever," I muttered quickly.


    He chuckled. I had my eyes closed. But I wanted to open them badly just to see himugh. I heard from his mother that no one could make himugh or smile. His lips barely twitched no matter what happened. But the man I was with was not like that at all.


    Heughed and smiled freely.


    Everyone said he was very cold and always shut himself down. He never even talked to anyone properly, let alone opening up. Yet since the beginning, he had been very gentle with me and never hesitated to answer any of my questions. Even Luc was surprised when he saw Demetrius talking freely.


    Sometimes I wondered if he felt like he was being forced. Did he feel suffocated being the king? Whenever he was working, the smile or rxed look on his face would leave without leaving a trace. It was weird. A smile was not necessary while working, but a strict and scary face like that was not fitting as well.


    I never dared to ask him that. I was worried that he might hate it if I asked about something like that. Perhaps he did not want to talk about it. If I asked, maybe he would answer me even if he did not like talking about it. But I did not want the situation to go like that.


    "You''re not sleeping," he said.


    "..."


    "Stop pretending. I know you''re awake," he said and tapped on my nose.


    "Ow! I just..."


    "What were you thinking about so intently? Your brows were furrowed," he said. "You looked cute though..."


    "... What time is it?" I asked, avoiding his question.


    "It''s five in the morning," he answered. "But you''re avoiding my question."


    "N-No, it''s not that."


    "It''s definitely that. You stuttered a bit."


    "I was just... Well, I was thinking of going to meet Luc. So I was thinking about which time would be perfect," I said. I did not want to, but I had to lie. But perhaps it was for the best. If I met Luc, perhaps I would be able to know more about Dem.


    I needed to know more about him to understand him better.


    "You''re not telling the truth, my wife. You''re too bad at lying," he said while caressing my cheek. "But I know you have a reason for lying."


    "I''m... I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have..."


    "My wife, why do I feel like you''re sad about me? The way you looked at me the moment you opened your eyes- I saw sadness for a while. But that wasn''t towards yourself, rather towards me. Why, my wife? Why were you sad for me?"


    ''Are you sure this ne prevents you from reading my mind?''


    "I... I..."


    He sighed. "It''s alright," he said. "You don''t have to say anything. I understand that you''re confused about my personality. It feels like there are two different persons when I''m with others and when I''m with you, right?"


    I did not even know what to say. How did he even know that I was thinking about it? More importantly, I could not read the look in his eyes.


    "I want to find the answer to that question as well. You know, I''ve been wondering all this time. Why am I like that with you? I never thought I would be able to smile freely. I never even thought of smiling. Smile and happiness were something kings aren''t supposed to have.


    But then why? When I''m with you, why do I feel happy? Every time you look at me, I feel different. It''s like a heavy weight is lifted from my chest. Tell me why. I want to know too."


    "Dem... you..."


    "Yes, I feel that way. I really don''t understand. I know you''re confused too. Whenever you''re near, there is a hard feeling in my chest. It hurts when you smile," he said and inched closer, "but I still want to suffer. I want to see your smile all the time."


    His face got closer to mine. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the kiss that fell on my lips not long after.


    His hand found my breast which he palmed patiently. His kiss was slow, his every move was slow- it was not amon thing for him. He was fast, not too fast, but he was never slow, not like this.


    His lips left mine and I found myself facing the ck eyes I always admired. "My lovely wife, the only one for me, if you find the answer, please let me know first. I wish to know what this is. And I want to hear it from you," he whispered in my ear while licking my earlobe, "since only you can see this side of me."


    "Huh..."


    "Won''t you tell me, my wife?"


    "Ah... y-yes, I-I will," I mumbled.


    "That''s good. You know, your scent drives me crazy," he said and took my nipple in his mouth.


    "Mmm... uh..."


    Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Ah, this was that he hated the most. I was kind of disappointed as well. Even though I was still shy about the whole thing, I hated it when we were interrupted.


    "Those bastards! I will behead them all today!" he grumbled angrily.


    "What are you saying? It must be something important," I said. "And... we can always do itter."


    "Later, huh?"


    Suddenly he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me up. It was just a matter of seconds before I found him thrusting inside me suddenly.


    "Dem!"


    "I hate to dy. I hate it," he said and thrust forward.


    "Ah! Dem, ahh!" I moaned. My mind was going nk again. I thought I was losing my mind until he kissed me again. Our tongues entwined and breathing matted, I wrapped my arms around him as if I needed to cling to him.


    "You feel good, my darling wife," he said, breaking of the wet kiss. With the erotic sound and harsh breathing, everything felt weird. I should not make any sound or the knights who came for him might hear us, yet I could not stop myself.


    How would I show my face to themter? But my thoughts kept getting tangled together and that was all because of him.


    "Uhh! Huh... ah! Dem... nngh!"


    "I hate to be apart from you, yet I have to fucking leave every single morning," he grumbled.


    Even in the depth of pleasure, I could see the desperation in his eyes. For some reason, the question came to my mind- ''Does he wish to leave? Throw away the title and live a normal life?''


    I did not know if it was possible, but even so, a smile curved on my lips. Because-


    ''So do I.''

 Chapter 56: Does He Want A Kid Or Not?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I could not believe this guy. He had left like nothing happened, while I was lying on the bed being all numb. I felt like I had been under a truck all this while. Thankfully, he was gentleman enough to cover me with the nket.


    "Your Highness!" Ruby eximed. She always let me sleep in the morning as it was Demetrius''s order, but perhaps she had heard that I was awake. I wondered how. Did someone find out what we were doing a moment ago? I knew it, I knew someone would eventually hear the sounds.


    ''Damn it! It''s embarrassing as hell!''


    Ruby was used to seeing me naked in the morning. After some days, it did not feel weird and embarrassing anymore. If it was her, there was not a problem though I still was embarrassed when others maids talked about the red marks on my body.


    "You are up early today, Your Highness," she said with a big smile.


    What was that smile for? My downer part was aching as if it would fall apart. But she looked as if something good happened.


    "Ah, yes," I muttered. "Things happened, so... And now I can''t go to sleep."


    "Your Highness, I think there is going to be a huge feast soon," she said.


    "Eh? Why?" I asked. "Dem didn''t tell me anything about it..."


    "Well, Your Highness, kings, and queens are not usually close. There are usually political marriages in the case of kings and queens. They don''t even know exactly what kind of person they are marrying until the wedding day. There is neither love between them nor any connection. They sleep with each other because they need to, not because they want to. And then the queens give birth.


    That''s all there is between the king and the queen. The king has his own harem."


    "Harem?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. The kings mostly spend time with the concubines. And sometimes, concubines give birth to the king''s children. It''s a usual thing. And queens have their harem too. And sometimes, a queen can give birth to any of the harem''s men''s child."


    "Ugh... Sorry to say this, but it feels disgusting," I grumbled.


    "I know, Your Highness. But Your Highness And His Highness arepletely different. You both even share a room. It''s the first time I saw a king and a queen staying in the same room and also mate every night..."


    "My goodness, have some shame."


    "It''s a good thing, Your Highness. Perhaps we will hear good news soon."


    "... What good news?"


    ''Don''t tell me...''


    "A prince or a princess, Your Highness."


    ''I knew it! Damn it! What prince and princess? I''m not ready! I''m definitely not ready. We just got married, for god''s sake!''


    "His Highness doesn''t have any harem as well, and neither do you. I think it''s the best rtionship between a king and a queen. I''m so happy, Your Highness," she eximed.


    Dem never talked about this with me. I never knew. But now that she told me, I felt weird. There was no way I would be okay with him having a harem and sleeping with others. Truthfully, I would even hate it if he spent time with another woman. How ridiculous it was to think that I would be this jealous to even think about!


    But the relief was he would never do it and I trusted him. He truly hated others. It did not matter if the other one was man or woman, he hated them all. He never looked at anyone else properly.


    And I never felt anything towards anyone other than him. I could not even think about being with anyone else. There was no way I would do it. And I was sure in that case, he would burn down everything.


    I giggled subconsciously. I had seen him jealous before. Even though it was not so extreme, it was cute.


    "Your Highness, that''s why I was saying that there will be a feast. If a prince or a princess is born..."


    "That won''t happen any time soon," I said.


    "Why are you saying that, Your Highness? Don''t you..."


    "Yes, we do it. But I''m not ready to be a mother. I mean, I''m just eighteen. Alright, so what I''m going to say is weird, so please don''tugh."


    "Of course, Your Highness."


    "Well, the condition in my family was not so good. To be honest, it wasn''t good at all. We were poor. And my family was not a perfect family as well. We had to work all day to make some money. And there were other problems as well.


    Because of all these things, I never had a chance to date. I never had been close to any man before marriage. And I never even experienced anything good in life untilst month. I want to stay like this a little while more. You know, if you have a kid, no matter what you say, you can''t be as free. I don''t want to be tied down.


    I had been tied down all my life. I don''t want that anymore," I said.


    "I''m sorry, Your Highness. I did not know," she said apologetically.


    "It''s alright. You didn''t know. Well, it seems like that... We spend a lot of time together, so it''s normal to think like that. But we''re not nning on having any kid this soon. We talked about this as well.


    Dem knows what I want and a kid is not his first priority as well."


    "His Highness said that himself?"


    I nodded. "He did. I mean, I asked him and then he told me that."


    "His Highness never cares for other kids. But he is really close to Lady Ava. And Lady Ava likes His Highness as well," she said. "So I thought His Highness would want to have a kid as soon as possible. Guess I was wrong..."


    "..."


    Dem was close with Ava as I could see. Ava was not here at the moment as she had gone with her parents on a trip. They had left right after our wedding though Evelyn still managed to have time to ask me about my wedding night...


    But did he truly want to have a kid? I mean, he told me he did not want to, but did he tell me that to make me feel better?


    I needed to talk to him. No matter what kind of reaction I would get, I needed to hear it from him. There was no way to stay with a misunderstanding. It was the best thing I learned from reading romance novels. There was always a clich¨¦ plot of misunderstandings because of notmunicating enough. I could not let that happen to us.


    "Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" Ruby asked.


    "Nothing. Anyway, I want to take a bath."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I will prepare it right away," she said enthusiastically.


    "Alright."


    I should keep the thought forter. Even though I did not want to be a mother right away, I wanted him to tell the truth. I wanted to know what he wanted. Then perhaps we could talk it out.

 Chapter 57: That’s How Life Was

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I rxed in the hot water of the bath. "Your Highness, which oil would you like?"


    "Um... Lemongrass," I replied.


    My shoulders felt stiff and my head was killing me, but I still felt a bit rxed. Perhaps it was because of the hot water.


    "Your Highness, should I massage your shoulder?" Ruby asked.


    "Oh, yes," I said quickly.


    She massaged my stiff shoulders and neck. "You really are a saint," I said. "Gosh, my shoulders were hurting a lot. Now it feels better."


    "What are you saying, Your Highness? A saint and me? If anyone has to be that, it must be you."


    "Haha, stop joking," Iughed.


    "No, I''m not joking, Your Highness. I''m telling the truth," she said. Even though I could not see her as she was behind me, I could tell she was giving puppy eyes.


    The thoughts came back to me again. Demetrius had been giving me a potion that prevented pregnancy. It was like pregnancy pills. I would ask for it eventually, but he gave it to me first the next day after our wedding. He had taken my desires into ount. I was lucky, yet I felt uneasy.


    What exactly did he want? Was he just caring about my desires only? That would be unfair. No matter how much I wanted to be happy, I wanted him to be happy as well. Could we not be honest with each other about everything and be happy together? Was it that hard?


    "Your Highness, you have beautiful skin," she said while scrubbing my back.


    Of course, I had good skin and that was because Demetrius healed all my wounds the moment I came here. I wondered what she would think if she saw my previous skin that was full of scars and bruises.


    "If you don''t mind, Your Highness, can I ask you about something?" she asked.


    "Yes, sure," I said. Ruby was the only maid who took care of me most of the time. Demetrius did not let any other maide to our room. He was being careful about traitors and as he seemed to trust Ruby the most among the maids, he made her my personal maid.


    "Your Highness, can you tell me how your life was in the other world?"


    I almost gasped. I trusted Ruby. More importantly, Demetrius trusted him. He never kept any person near him who was not trustworthy. That was why I never doubted her. And she was fun to be around as well.


    It would not be a bad thing to share a bit of my past with her.


    "Well, it was not a good lifepared to now. I used to live with my father, mother, and two brothers and I went to a high school there."


    "High school?"


    "It''s where you study. I could not graduate from there. Well, I came to this world and got married, you see."


    "Your Highness, what kind of family did you have?" she asked. I wondered why she was so interested in my family all of a sudden. Perhaps she was just curious.


    "Um, as I said before, we were not financially perfect. My father was not a good person actually, neither was my mother. They neglected me since childhood and used to beat me up. Especially my father and Draven. Draven and Maxen are my elder brothers. My father never wanted daughters.


    He thought that girls are useless. So after I was born, he hated me. And besides, I did not look like him at all. I heard my mother had an affair with someone and then I was born. That''s one of the reasons he hated me even more. Draven, Father, and Mother- all of them were alcoholics and drug addicts."


    "What is a drug, Your Highness?"


    I told her what drug was and why it was used. Ruby listened intently. She was curious too, so it was good to talk to her. Besides, I liked telling people things that I knew. It made me feel a little less useless. Even if for a moment, I wanted to feel better than I was.


    "It causes mental havoc. It''s a lot riskier than drinking. It''s simply hazardous. In other words, you lose your ability to think clearly."


    "Then it must be bad for health," she said.


    "Of course, it''s bad for health!"


    "Then why do they take it?"


    "Isn''t smoking bad for health? But they still smoke, right? Just like that, even if it''s bad for health, they still take it. It''s a dangerous addiction after all."


    "Your family used to take drugs too then?"


    "Yes," I said. "I''ve seen the effects myself. My father and Draven used to beat me up with anything they got. If there was nothing near, they would use their hand. I had to bring them alcohol and cigarettes. If I did not, then it would be hell for me," I chuckled.


    "Yeah, that''s how life was."


    "Oh, Your Highness, I''m so sorry. I did not know," she said, almost sobbing.


    ''This girl sure can cry any time.''


    "No, it''s alright. I''m not there anymore, right?"


    "But how can someone''s family be like that? I can''t believe this..."


    "Well, they were not good people after all. But Maxen was good among them. He never hit me. He actually loved me a lot. But he was a coward. That''s why I don''t forgive him.


    But perhaps, someday if we meet again, I might like to see his face," I said.


    "Didn''t His Highness do anything about it? He loves you a lot."


    ''Love?''


    I ignored the word that kept ringing in my ears. "He did. Actually, he bought me from my family?"


    "What?"


    "Yes. He did that so he could marry me. When I came here for the first time, that was the day when I met him for the first time as well. I thought he bought me as a ve and so I was nning on running away. Now that I think about it, it''s kinda funny."

 Chapter 58: Real Love Is Not Fated

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "That night, Draven had beaten me up. Well, he would do more, but then Mother called Father downstairs. Draven can''t just keep beating me up that time, right? The visitor could hear after all. So he went downstairs as well. Max was not home at that time.


    Or he would put ointments on me. Anyway, then Mother came to take me downstairs. I didn''t know what was going on. And besides, I was not in a good condition. I had bruises, my hair was a mess, mainly I was a mess at that moment. When I saw him for the first time, the first thought was- he is freaking handsome.


    I mean, I''ve never seen anyone as handsome and good-looking as him. Then he said that he wanted to buy me. That''s the moment I wanted to kill him."


    "Kill His Highness?"


    "Yep. I know there was no way I could do that. First of all, he is stronger than I am. I mean, just look at us. I look tiny next to him. Then I thought of escaping from him.


    But he threatened me that he will drag me with him if I try to escape."


    "Oh my god! His Highness threatened you?"


    "That''s right. I yelled at him and then he told me that he wants to make me his bride. It''s not like I had a choice. So I had toe with him. But unlike how dangerous he looked, he treated me with kindness and gentleness. Now that I think about it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.


    Though I still hate the way he brought me here, I''ve forgiven him about that."


    ''Not that he apologized... He doesn''t think he did anything wrong. Well, again, it''s Demetrius I''m talking about...''


    "Your Highness, did His Highness kill your family?" she asked.


    "Erm, no."


    "... Then I need to request His Highness myself...," she muttered.


    "What? Why?"


    "They''ve hurt you a lot, Your Highness. They don''t deserve to live," she said.


    "... Well, they did hurt me a lot. But I don''t want them to die. I mean, I want them to see what I''ve be. I need to improve myself a lot, so I can stand in front of them and show them that I''m not the broken girl they thought I am."


    They wanted to break me into pieces and they thought that I was broken as well. But what they did not know was that I was never broken. I was just a bit fractured who needed to be mended a bit.


    "But that''s not enough punishment," she urged.


    "After that, if I''m not satisfied, I''ll just tell Demetrius to kill them. What about it?"


    "That''s a great idea, Your Highness!" she eximed. She truly looked happy. I did not know she could be this scary unconsciously. Perhaps all the werewolves had a dangerous version of them deep down.


    "By the way, haven''t you found your mate yet?" I asked.


    She sighed. "No, Your Highness. I''m already neen, yet I haven''t found my mate."


    "Really? I''m sure you''ll find a great person as your mate."


    "I hope so, Your Highness."


    "That makes me wonder- you have to be with the one chosen for you, right?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Then what if you fall in love with another werewolf and then find out that he is not your mate? Then what?"


    "That''s why we''re not supposed to fall in love before we find our mate," she replied.


    "But how can you decide if you''ll fall in love or not? Sometimes even if you keep your guard up, you might end up falling in love with someone."


    "Even if that happens, we have to leave the person for our mate. That''s why it''s better not to fall in love before meeting our mate," she said.


    It must be hard. It was not fair either. Love was not something to be decided. Was there no way to change this kind of fate?


    "So how do you find your mate? I mean, how do you know that someone is your mate?" I asked.


    "I haven''t experienced that yet... Well, but I heard that, there is a rush of emotions and we feel a connection with the other person. It''s hard to describe. It''s like we''re destined to be with the other. It''s our fate after all."


    "Then you marry?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "That means you can''t date... The sequence- I don''t like it."


    "You should not say it like that, Your Highness. Even though I don''t like it as well, we''re supposed to respect our goddess''s wish."


    "Is she the Moon Goddess?" I asked. Demetrius told me about her before. I had never been curious about her, but now hearing all these things, I wanted to know what she truly was.


    "Yes, Your Highness. The Moon Goddess chooses our mates for us. She gives us a destined partner whom we''re bound to till death."


    No matter how I looked at it, it was a weird thing. Real love was never fated. It was natural and unexpected.


    It had been long since I had been in the bath. I was so engrossed in chatting with Ruby that I did not notice.


    After the bath, I had me breakfast. Ruby kept chattering away while I chewed on the food. And that was the moment, the unexpected letter came.


    It was from Demetrius''s aunt. She had changed the time to have tea with me. Earlier, she had invited me this afternoon, but now she changed it to tomorrow afternoon. She wrote that she was not feeling well since morning. I wondered if she was telling the truth or was it just her n. But what would she gain by dying?


    Nothing came to my mind. I hated this kind of anxious feeling. They always tired me out and gave me headaches.


    "Ruby?"


    "Yes, Your Highness?"


    "Is Demetrius in the training ground now?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. There is still half an hour left of the training."


    "It''s still too early."


    "Are you nning to go somewhere, Your Highness?"


    "Yes," I said. "I want to visit the magic tower."

 Chapter 59: [Bonus chapter] Dirty Thought

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I nned to go to the magic tower. Demetrius was still practicing. Or I would have asked him toe with me. And after practice, he always needed to work.


    There was lots of paperwork he did every day. I did not understand anything about it. I was too bad at managing the ounting fields or understanding them. Demetrius said I did not need to deal with it. I could go to any field I wanted. But there was nothing I was particrly good at.


    In high school, I was good at mathematics. I liked solving the problems. Sometimes I wished I could solve my life problems as easily as mathematical problems. But there was no way it was that easy. I must be stupid to think like that.


    I was so pathetic. I wanted to do something useful, but I could do nothing. All I was doing was sitting in our room forever.


    "What''re you doing?" I jumped up in surprise hearing his voice.


    "Dem! Your training- is it over already?"


    "I came back early," he said and came towards me. I had been struggling to zip my dress up. I had sent Ruby to send Demetrius''s aunt a letter. I had written her that it was alright and I would love to meet her tomorrow.


    He zipped up the dress for me. I leaned behind against his chest. It was firm and hot like always. I could hear his heartbeat up close. It reminded me how close we were. Still, to think that he was my husband was almost unbelievable.


    "You seem to have something to tell me," he said, nibbling on my earlobe.


    "Your aunt sent me another letter this morning," I said.


    "Then?" he asked. His hands were around my waist. He braced me too easily in his arms. I almost felt like I had nothing in my bodypared to his.


    "She said she is sick and that if I have time, we should meet tomorrow afternoon."


    "Tomorrow afternoon, hm. What did you say?"


    "I agreed."


    "If you drink the antidote before, there aren''t any more things she can do," he said.


    "Yeah," I muttered. He was right. It would be alright if I just took the antidote. "Anyway, today I''m going to the magic tower."


    "Why?" he asked. I did not even need to look at his face to know that he was making a disgusted face.


    "To visit him, of course," I said.


    "Why would you visit that punk?"


    "He is your friend and he seems like a fun person. I''m bored anyway. Shouldn''t I go?"


    "You can go if you want to. Just don''t let that punk bber too much. He never stops," he said.


    "He is a good person. Why are you talking like that?"


    "My wife, you have hurt me just now," he said and rubbed his face on the back of my shoulder.


    "Eh, what?"


    "You just talked about another man like that in front of your own husband. You never talk about me like that."


    "What are you saying? He is just Luc. He is your friend, right? Then he is my friend as well. What''s wrong with talking about him? And why the hell are youparing yourself with him?


    You can''t bepared with anyone else," I said impatiently.


    "And why is that?"


    "Because you''re the best," I smiled.


    "... You... you just turned me on."


    "No, not now. It''s daytime..."


    "We can do it anytime," he smirked.


    "No, we can''t. And besides..."


    I could not finish. Ruby had already entered the room. "Your Highness!" she eximed excitedly. She would always do that every time she came to me. "Oh, I did not know... Apologies, Your Highness.


    Please forgive me."


    "Get out," he said coldly.


    "Yes, yes, Your Highness," she said and left quickly.


    "Um... I really can''t... my hips hurt," I said.


    "I know. I''ve been too rough this morning," he said and pecked me on the lips. I blushed suddenly. "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of myself."


    ''Take care of himself? It meant he is going to...''


    A weird scene popped into my mind. It was weird, too weird. Was I a pervert or something? Why was I imagining something like this? It was embarrassing. Thankfully, I was wearing the ne.


    If he could read my mind at this moment, perhaps I would have to dig a grave for myself.


    He kissed me on the neck again before going to the restroom. I truly was a pervert. He surely never thought like that about me. I mean, who would be in their right mind to think of someone like this?


    I was blushing madly. I just thought about it once and now I could not get it off my mind. Should I just run around so my mind would fresh up?


    Was it normal for couples to imagine these dirty things about their spouse? It was not a problem when we made love, but to think about it, it was pretty dirty.


    I shook my head and got up. I needed to go to the magic tower so I could learn more about Demetrius. He would not tell me, but Luc could help me. They seemed close and besides, Luc was a good person. I was bored as well. I might spend some time with a friend.


    And I might get to learn more new things, especially about Dem.


    I had arranged some cookies to take for Luc. I asked Dem what he liked, but his answer was not much helpful.


    "He can consume anything as long as its name is food," he said.


    So I chose some gingerbread cookies and red velvet cookies. Ruby said everyone loved them, so Luc might like them as well. I took her advice in this case.


    "If he bothers you too much, just stab him with the dagger I gave you," Dem said. "And twist it to the left side. I know I''ve told you this many times. It''s just so you won''t forget."


    "... You''re the worst."

 Chapter 60: Visiting Luc

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    At thest moment when I was about to leave for the magic tower, I heard I only had one guard now. Demetrius had assigned two personal knights for me, but today, he said only Ezekiel will guard me.


    Barrett and Ezekiel were assigned to guard me when I first came here one month ago. Barrett was an elderly man and Ezekiel was in his twenties. His blond hair and gray eyes were as fierce as always.


    I had not left my room much. Because of that, I could not spend much time with them. That was why I had no idea what type of people they were.


    "What happened to Barrett?" I asked when Demetrius informed me that Barrett would not guard me anymore.


    "He was a spy," he said.


    "What?" I eximed in shock. "But he seemed to be a good person..."


    "That''s why he was a spy. He pretends well," he shrugged. He hade out of the restroom already. I had been thinking about weird things for a while. As he started talking about something serious like this, I could avert my mind from those thoughts.


    "Trouvaille''s?" I asked.


    "Yes," he nodded. He had told me once that among the five kingdoms, Trouvaille had the best spies. But I did not expect Barrett to be a spy.


    "When did you find out?" I asked.


    "Yesterday."


    "But you didn''t tell me," I said.


    "It wasn''t important," he shrugged. I sighed. There was no point in arguing. He truly needed to understand the importance of something. To him, the most important matters were not important enough, while trivial matters were more important.


    "What will happen to him now?"


    "He will be executed," he replied normally.


    "Executed?" I gasped.


    "Yes. The execution will take ce tonight."


    "But why?"


    "What why? He made a grave mistake," he said angrily. The sudden anger made me flinch. "He was sending news about you."


    "About me?"


    "You keep forgetting you''re the queen, my wife. And most importantly, you''re a human who has be a queen. Not all werewolves take this news normally," he said. "Only Alphas can enter the other world, precisely saying your world. But the time is limited as well. No Alphas ever chose a human as their mate."


    "It''s the first time?"


    "Yes."


    "In history?"


    "Yep."


    "The hell!" I gasped.


    He chuckled. "You''re amusing," he said.


    I ignored his teasing. "What do you think King Ford will do with my news? It''s not like I''m a threat or something."


    Ford Trouvaille was the king of Trouvaille. I heard he was a ruthless king who was full of himself. He was not so old, but he was known for killing mistresses just for pleasure.


    "You don''t have to worry about that," he said. "Didn''t you say you''ll go to the magic tower?"


    "Hmm, will it be too early?"


    "No. It''s a perfect time," he said with a mischievous smile. I had a bad feeling about this.


    After that, he went to work in his study and I made my way to the magic tower with Ezekiel. Ezekiel did not talk much. To be honest, he did not talk at all if not necessary. I had heard his voice only once.


    It was awkward. I wondered if I should break the awkward silence. But what should I talk to him about?


    "Um, are you going to go everywhere I go?" I asked awkwardly.


    "Yes, Your Highness," he replied. His voice was calm and deep, but not as much as Demetrius''s.


    Of course, I already knew he would go everywhere with me, but still, to break the silence, I asked a dumb question. Perhaps I should not talk anymore.


    Reaching the magic tower, I knocked on the wooded door. It had been quite a time, but still, Luc did not open.


    "He must be inside, right? It''s locked from inside," I muttered to myself.


    "Should I break the door, Your Highness?" Ezekiel asked.


    "Eh? No," I said quickly. Did all werewolves have aggressive thoughts in their minds? Even innocent-looking Ruby talked about killing my family because they had abused me. "Can you connect to his mind? I mean, you guys can link your minds and talk like that, right?"


    "It''s not possible with Luc. Magicians are exceptions as they use spells on themselves to avoidmunication. Most of the magicians do this," he exined.


    "Oh," I mumbled. If that was the case, knocking was the only way now. If Luc was on the top floor, then how would he even hear the knocking? I could only hope that there was some kind of magical object inside that could take the sound to his ears.


    I knocked on the door loudly for a long time before a sleepy-eyed Luc opened the door. He looked like he had not slept in years.


    "You kept Her Highness stand here for ten minutes," Ezekiel said.


    "Ah, it''s alright. I think I''vee too early," I said smiling. "Demetrius said it''s a perfect time. So I thought..."


    "I knew it! He did it on purpose," Luc almost yelled. "He knows I sleep in the morning. But still, he did it."


    "Oh, I''m so sorry. I didn''t know," I said.


    "It''s not your fault. Pleasee inside," Luc said rubbing his head. "Are youing inside too?" he asked with an annoyed look ncing at Ezekiel.


    "I''m Her Highness''s personal knight," Ezekiel said. "It''s my duty to follow Her Highness."


    "Ugh, whatever," Luc rolled his eyes. "Don''t dirty this ce."


    "It''s already dirtier than a bin," Ezekiel muttered under his breath.


    "If you don''t like it here, just go out," Luc said.


    "I need to be with Her Highness," Ezekiel shrugged.


    For some reason, I got the idea that they were not in a perfectly good rtionship. Luc did not behave badly with me, but he did not seem to like to be in the same ce as Ezekiel.


    "Again sorry foring this early. I won''t do the same next time," I said as I followed him to the upper floors of the tower.


    "It''s alright. It''s not your fault. That guy..."


    "By the way, I have brought cookies for you," I said and handed him the box I brought. "I didn''t know what you like, so I brought gingerbread and red velvet cookies. Do you like them?"


    "You really brought cookies for me?" Luc eximed and before I could understand, he hugged me. "You''re such an angel, Blue."


    Ezekiel grabbed his hands and pulled him back. "Even if you''re the master of the magic tower, you can''t disrespect the Queen. How dare you touch her and also call Her Highness by her name!"


    "It''s alright," I said shaking my hands. "I told him to call me by my name. Of course, Luc shouldn''t do it when there are other people around. But it''s just my knight. It''s not a problem."


    "But thank you, Ezekiel," I added looking at him. For a moment, I could swear I saw his eyes widening. But then, it returned to normal in a moment.


    "If Her Highness says so," Ezekiel said and let go of Luc.


    "You''re grateful I didn''t burn you alive," Luc said threateningly to Ezekiel.


    "You know I''m fast," Ezekiel said.


    "Anyway, Luc, do you have work right now?" I asked.


    "Not in a while. And as you''re here, I will rather chat with you for a while. I need to find out about a lot of things after all."

 Chapter 61: Visiting Luc (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Luc led us to a small room. There was a window right beside the table through which a pleasant breeze wasing in.


    "Make yourselffortable," Luc said.


    I sat down on a chair at the table right while Luc sat down on the other side. Ezekiel stood behind me. It felt weird to sit down while someone was standing.


    "You can sit down too, Ezekiel," I said.


    "I am fine, Your Highness," he said in his usual cold voice.


    "No, it''s really alright. I won''t feel good if you keep standing," I said.


    "Alright, Your Highness," he said and sat down on a chair as well.


    Luc had already opened the box of cookies I had brought for him. He asked if I wanted some tea, but I said no. Looking at the condition of this ce, I was sure that my choice was a wise decision.


    "Help yourself, Blue," Luc said with a smile. "Wow, these are good."


    "I''m d you like it," I said. "You should try them too, Ezekiel. They are freshly baked."


    Ezekiel did not protest like before and took a red velvet cookie. He always looked gloomier for his age. Now that I thought about it, Demetrius always had a gloomy expression on his face too in front of others. But his expression was more like dangerous than gloomy.


    "Now tell me about everything," Luc said.


    "Everything?" I asked.


    "Like how you two met, how is married life and how is that always angry king," he said.


    I told him of the night when we first met. It was great talking to Luc. He listened intently and always made weird expressions. But I could not say the same about Ezekiel. For some reason, I felt he was angry a bit. But why?


    "So your family sold you that easily?" Luc asked in shock.


    "They wanted to get rid of me in the first ce," I shrugged.


    "That''s terrible," Luc muttered.


    Yes, it was terrible. And I still had nightmares, remembering those horrible times. But there was no point in pitying me. I did not like to be sad thinking about that either. It was in the past. Even though the wounds were not healed, there were two things to do- heal the wound or ignore it.


    Since I did not know how to heal them, the only thing I could do was ignore them.


    Luc had pity in his eyes for me. I hated it. I did not want to be a matter of pity. It was not like I broke down in crying or looked like I was too sad about my past. Then why was he looking at me like that? Even in Ezekiel''s eyes, there was pity besides anger.


    The only person who never pitied me was my husband. And that was the reason, I was mostfortable with him. He always told me that I was brave and never for once pitied me. Yes, that was how I wished to be treated. A smile curved on my lips just thinking about him.


    "But it''s like kidnapping, isn''t it?" Ezekiel said suddenly. I was brought out of my thoughts with a harsh pull.


    "That''s just like Demetrius," Luc chuckled.


    "But kidnapping is not okay. It''s forced," Ezekiel said. I did not know why he was getting so worked up on this.


    "Well, I had the n of escaping that night, but then he told me that there was no point as he would catch me eventually. Truth be told, I just wanted to escape from my family and live a happy life. I did not care about anything else. I thought he was going to take me as a ve. So I freaked out. But it turned out I was wrong.


    He told me that he would make me his bride and he would not hurt me. That moment, his words were soothing. But more importantly, I knew I could not escape. So I decided to go with him. Then I found out he was telling the truth and I started to trust him. I think it was the best decision I ever made," I exined.


    "So I don''t think it''s kidnapping since I did not try to escape. And even if it was, he had a good reason. He never hurt me, right? Rather he gave me a beautiful life."


    "He is really different with you. Who thought that guy would only kidnap?" Lucughed.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "I thought he would just kill whoever came across him and bring you here then. But to think he was so gentle, that''s really unbelievable. Ugh, only if I could see the look on his face... I would mock him for years then," Luc said. There was no doubt that Demetrius and Luc were good friends.


    "So how is your married life? How does he treat you?" Luc asked. "I need to see how much different he is with you."


    "Everything is going well," I said. "He treats me well. He took me out on a date too. Then he didn''t have time. So we could not go again. But he promised to take me out again."


    "Does he get angry?" he asked.


    "Not with me. But I''ve seen him a bit angry," I said.


    "How does he usually behave then?" Luc asked. He truly seemed to be interested. If I was right, he surely was gathering information to tease Demetriuster. In that case, I would be more than d to help. Demetrius always kept teasing me. Then it would be my revenge.


    ''Haha, it will be fun to see Demetrius flustered. That will be my win!''


    "He teases me a lot. Even with a simple matter," I said.


    "That guy bullies you? Haha, that''s too funny! Don''t you bully him back?" Luc broke out inughter.


    "Of course, I do. I tease him too," I firmly said. Then I slowly added, "It''s just he is a pro at it."

 Chapter 62: Visiting Luc (3)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I did not think it would be this fun to talk to Luc. Now it seemed to be a good idea that I came here.


    "You two are doing better than I thought," Luc saidughing. "I thought that guy would not even find a mate. You know, kings choose their own mates. They don''t have fated mates. He was always so distant and you see, he doesn''t even talk to people properly. So I thought he would always be single.


    But to think he would marry and also go against everyone else to marry the person he likes, it''s really... What can I even say? I know him the best and even I''m surprised."


    "He didn''t tell you anything about me before?" I asked. "He said he had known me for long."


    "He just told me that he has a girl in mind who he wants to make his mate. That was a long time ago. We were pretty young back then. Perhaps we were seventeen or eighteen then. He was gloomy back then as well. But after we found Lady Evelyn back, he suddenly came said that he found the perfect person for him," Luc said.


    "Found Evelyn back? What do you mean?"


    "He didn''t tell you? I thought that guy tells you everything," Luc said. "Anyway, seven years ago, Evelyn got lost once. I don''t know what happened. It''s a secret. He didn''t tell even me.


    Before, he used to stay quiet whenever it came to the talk of choosing a mate. It was like he did not care at all. I had already assumed that he is going for the ''no mate, fuck off'' life. But then one day when I asked him about it just to be sure, he said that he has someone in mind and he is sure about her. I was really- it was like trying to swallow a stone.


    I thought he was just joking though he is not someone to joke about something like that. I asked for the person''s appearance and he just said that she had blue eyes and brownish-ck hair. And that''s all. He wouldn''t tell me anything else. And his reasoning was- ''You might fall for her''."


    I did not even know how to react. I had no idea he was this serious about me for a long time. A tingly sensation formed inside my stomach and my cheeks were burning. I covered half of my face with my palm while making it look not so intentional.


    ''You never told me this, Dem.''


    "But I still never thought that he was serious. Not until he truly brought you here. Honestly, that''s the first time I knew that he was talking about a human. He used to surprise me with his actions when we were little, but as time went by, I understood him and that brat never could surprise me anymore. But he surprised me with you. Ugh, I wanted to be at the wedding.


    But he gave me a lot of work... Now, look at me. I don''t even have a mate and I''m this old," Luc said.


    "You''re not that old. Aren''t you of Demetrius''s age?" I asked.


    "Yeah, but still, twenty-four isn''t less," Luc sighed. "By the way, how old are you? You look pretty young. Are you eighteen or something?"


    "Yes."


    "What? You''re eighteen? Only eighteen? I was just joking, but I didn''t think... Well, you look like eighteen years old, but I didn''t think you would actually be... So that''s what he meant by waiting.


    He was waiting for you toe of age. That perv... he had definitely been thinking about perverted things for a long time."


    I blushed even harder. That pervert... Now that I went through everything again- I needed to ask him if he actually wanted to marry me seven years ago. It was weird. I was only eleven back then.


    "So how is he treating you?"


    "Um, good I guess," I said.


    "That''s not even an answer. Don''t be like his. He is the ''just answer, no shit'' type of man, but it''s pretty boring. You can''t even converse like that," Luc said impatiently. But the Demetrius he was talking about did not match the person I was married to. Demetrius did not talk less; rather he liked talking a lot, especially if he could tease me about it.


    This thought had crossed my mind before too- ''Was he like that with me only?''


    The things he said yesterday came to my mind. ''You know, I''ve been wondering all this time. Why am I like that with you? I never thought I would be able to smile freely. I never even thought of smiling. Smile and happiness were something kings aren''t supposed to have.


    But then why? When I''m with you, why do I feel happy? Every time you look at me, I feel different. It''s like a heavyweight is lifted from my chest.''


    The way he looked when he said all this was hard, no, impossible to forget. Even he was confused. What could I say? I was confused as well. It could not be love. There was no way it could be love.


    We had been together for a very short time. No matter how long he had known me, the time of us together was not enough to fall in love.


    But was it true for me? No, it had to be true. Love was not something to happen this quick. I was perhaps mistaking those weird feelings for love. That must be the case.


    Now that Luc asked how he was, if I wanted to tell the truth, it would be-


    "He talks a lot," I said. Luc was surprised, even Ezekiel was shocked. I had almost forgotten he was here all along. He was too silent. And he did not make many facial expressions. It was always hard to understand him.


    It always bothered me when I could not understand someone. I always felt quite intrigued talking to them. Perhaps that was why I was awkward with him.

 Chapter 63: Visiting Luc (4)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    A long silence and after that a howler ofughter followed. Luc wasughing like he had neverughed before. It seemed if he could roll on the floor, he would.


    "... Are you kidding me? Tell me you''re joking," Luc said while shaking withughter.


    "I''m not," I said normally. "He really talks a lot. Evenst night, we talked so much that we forgot to eat."


    "What do you two even talk about? That guy is pretty boring when ites to chatting," he shrugged.


    Luc waspletely wrong about this. Demetrius was not boring at all and when I was with him, I feltpleted. Boring was thest thing I would feel.


    "We talk about everything and some personal matters," I said. I had no wish to tell them what we talked about. After all, those were the moments I would like to treasure in the deepest pit of my heart.


    "Now if I think about the things overall, it''s weird. Your husband is being weird. No, he is married now and it''s weird. And he is different with you, it''s even weirder," Luc sighed. "I just wish to livefortably right now. Doe visit me a lot, Blue.


    I''m bored and tired with all the work."


    "Of course, I will. I''m bored as well. Demetrius said he will get me a sword, so until then..."


    "A sword? Why?" Luc asked, surprised.


    "Uh, well, I liked his de. So he told me that I should have a sword myself. He is going to get me a teacher as well. Since he is busy, he can''t teach me himself," I said.


    "... I don''t even know what to say. Anyway, congrattions for having a great married life," Luc said.


    "You know what? You''ll find your mate soon too," I said.


    "Who wants to find a mate? I just want to livefortably and die without regrets," Luc said.


    "But you told me that you haven''t found your mate yet and you''re pretty old though I don''t agree. So I thought..."


    "No, I said that only because everyone says that. I actually don''t want a mate," Luc said.


    "That''s not possible," Ezekiel said.


    "I know! I know that''s not possible! Why do you have to remind me that?" Luc shouted. "Come to think of it, you don''t have a mate as well. How old are you again?"


    "Twenty," Ezekiel muttered.


    "Huh? You''re pretty young. You''ll see the trouble of having a mate in two or three years. You must be eager to find your mate. You all are the same after all. Werewolves go wild about having a mate," Luc said while patting Ezekiel on the shoulder who shoved his hand away.


    "I... I don''t want a mate," Ezekiel mumbled.


    "What did you say? I didn''t quite catch it," Luc said, scratching his ear as if he was fixing his hearing.


    "Nothing," Ezekiel said in his usual cold tone. But I could swear I heard it right- he said he did not want a mate.


    "Anyway, it''s been quite long. I should leave now," I said. "It was a great time though. I''lle again."


    "Make sure you do. But don''t bring your husband here. He is annoying," Luc said.


    I justughed. It felt good to find someone other than Demetrius to talk freely. I was grinning like a fool unintentionally.


    ''Ugh, I miss my dear husband! I miss him a lot! I need to see his handsome face to calm down!''


    It was indeed a good decision toe to Luc. Because of him, I found out a lot about Demetrius and how he was. There were some questions I had for him though...


    What exactly happened seven years ago? What happened to Evelyn? Where was she lost? Why did he talk about me after Evelyn was found? Was there any connection between all of these? Was it because of Evelyn that he met me for the first time?


    I did not remember much of when I was eleven. It was a long time ago after all. I could remember almost everything I read, but not the things that happened to me in my life. I needed an answer.


    But I would not ask him. He told me himself that when the right time woulde, he would tell me how he met me for the first time and what made him want me as his mate. If I said I was not curious, that would be the biggest lie ever. Because I was dying to know the truth, yet I was restraining myself from asking him.


    ''Wow, my self-restraint is sickening.''


    I met the beta on my way and he told me that Demetrius was in his study. I did not even know why I was missing him this much all of a sudden. I had seen him right beforeing here. But why was I feeling like I needed to see him right away? Was it because of what Luc told me?


    I did not know, nor did I want to know. All I knew was that I wanted to be with him. I wanted to feel his warmth and hug him. It was a normal thing for a married woman to feel for her husband, right?


    "Your Highness, are you going back to your chamber?" Ezekiel asked.


    "No," I said. "I''m going to my husband."


    "Did he call for you?"


    "No."


    "Then why?" he muttered.


    "Because I want to see him as soon as possible. I suddenly miss him," I replied. I did not know why I was getting impatient, but for some reason, I did not like the way Ezekiel behaved sometimes. Especially when it came to Demetrius, he always behaved differently. I did not like it at all. Now I felt like seeing Demetrius even more.


    Just one moment- I would be with him in no time.


    "I wish to enter alone," I said to him as we reached Demetrius''s study.


    "... Yes, Your Highness," Ezekiel bowed.


    ''I''m oddly excited.''

 Chapter 64: Kneel

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    It was a good day today. My wife had gone to meet Luc. I was sure that she would have a good time. Even though I hated to admit it, Luc would be a goodpany for her for the time being. I wished I could spend more time with her, but as I was the king, there was no chance of that.


    Her knight was reliable as well. Ezekiel was young, but he was the first one who caught my attention in the training ground. He vowed to protect her at all costs and he was loyal. After some thought, I decided that it would be better if she had one guard with her. I had thought of assigning more guards for her, but it would not be a good choice.


    In that way, she would attract more attention and danger at the same time. Besides, Ezekiel alone was perfectly capable of protecting her.


    He did not talk if not necessary. It was not much of a bad thing. He only needed to carry out his duty.


    It had been quite a long time since she had left. If I said I did not miss her, that would be a lie. I always wanted to be with her, yet I had to leave every morning.


    "Aren''t you going toe in, my wife?" I asked. I knew she was there and I also heard her voice though I could tell, she was trying to be quiet.


    She peeked through the door. The first thing I noticed was her blue eyes. She smiled shyly at me.


    ''So cute!''


    She closed the door and before I knew it, she suddenly ran towards me and hugged me. It was so sudden that it took me two seconds to understand what was going on. Her warmth filled my space.


    I wrapped my arms around her. She was rubbing her cheek against my chest. It was a problem, a huge problem.


    "Hey, the thing you''re doing right now is really cute," I said. "But you do understand that you''re making me excited, right?"


    "W-What? I was just hugging you," she mumbled, looking at my face, "I missed you."


    I kissed her lightly on the lips while trying to remember the history of werewolves. ''Self-control... When did the first werewolf appear?''


    "You missed me?" I asked and ced her morefortably on myp.


    "Hmm," she said.


    "How much did you miss me then?"


    "How can you ask something like that? It can''t be shown," she pouted.


    "Ah, it can be shown, my dear wife. Can''t you think of anything that you can give me right now?" I smirked.


    She blushed. "Why are you always so indecent? I was just... You always tease me like that," she said and hid her face in my chest.


    "You look pretty cute when I tease you."


    "That''s not a good reason," she mumbled. "You''re such a bully, Dem."


    "It''s just you''re too cute," I chuckled and kissed her hair. Everything about her was beautiful. Even a single hair of hers was pretty. I must have gone crazy about her. "By the way, did you have a good time?"


    "Yeah, Luc is pretty fun," she said impatiently with a grin. She always talked like this when she liked something. I was d that she went to the magic tower and spent time with Luc, but suddenly I was not as d as before. Perhaps it was because of the way she answered me.


    "It seems like you had a great time," I muttered.


    "Of course! We talked a lot," she said.


    "So you had a great time?"


    "Why are you asking the same question again? I told you yes."


    "So you had a great time and it was better than the time you spend with me?"


    "Who said that?" she asked with a shocked expression.


    "I''m so hurt, my wife," I said.


    "... You are acting like a child," she said.


    "A child? Seems like I have to prove again that I''m an adult, don''t you think?" I said.


    "Eh? No, I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said that," she said quickly. "What the... It''s..."


    She was all red again. She tried to move quickly from myp, but I held her tightly in my embrace.


    "Why are so shocked? It''s because of you. Now you need to take care of it," I smirked. "I''m not going to take care of it myself again."


    "But how can I... It''s not our bedroom," she mumbled.


    "Does it always have to be our bedroom?"


    "... These kinds of things should be done in the bedroom."


    "I''m getting impatient, my wife. I don''t care if it''s our bedroom or not, I just need to do something."


    "I... But..."


    "So you don''t want to do it here?"


    "It''s just..."


    "I want to hear the truth, my wife."


    "Not here..."


    "I''ll listen to you this once," I said. "I have another idea. If you don''t want to do it here, you need to promise me to do something else."


    "Is it something indecent?"


    "... Do you expect to calm me down with decency?"


    "Well, no..."


    "So you promise?"


    "I don''t have a choice," she muttered.


    "You do. I can just fuck you here."


    "My goodness, stop being so direct," she said putting her palm on my lips.


    I licked her palm. She quickly retreated, being bright red. "What... what are..."


    "Nothing," I smiled. "Now you promised, right?"


    "Hmm."


    "Good. Then stand up," I said.


    She looked confused but stood up. She looked too oblivious. It made me want to do dirty things to her even more. How could someone be so cute and hot at the same time?


    I positioned my chair so I was facing her. "Kneel."


    "What?"


    "Do as I say. Kneel. You promised, right?"


    "Yes, but kneeling... Why do I have to kneel?"


    "My dear wife, if you want to satisfy this hungry man in front of you, don''t ask. I''m running out of patience, my wife and it''s all your fault."

 Chapter 65: Does It Feel Good

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had no idea what he was nning on doing. Though I had thought about some weird stuff when he told me to kneel, I was still not sure if he meant it. But then again as it was him, he perhaps meant it.


    I kneeled in front of him. It was so embarrassing that I wanted to hide my face somewhere. "Now what?" I asked shyly.


    "You look so red, my wife," he said mockingly. I gave him an angry re. "Alright, alright- I won''t tease my wife anymore. Now can you see how excited I am for you?"


    I looked at it timidly. It surely looked big. It was the problem with him- he got excited pretty quickly. And I had to face the consequences. Not that I hated it...


    "Take it out, my wife," he said.


    "Eh?"


    "You heard me."


    I touched it over his pants. It was hot even from over the fabric. I had touched it once before only. It was the night when we cleared up the misunderstandings.


    I unzipped his pants with shaking hands. Perhaps my hands were shaking because I was nervous. The moment I unzipped his pantspletely, it sprang out. It scared me all of a sudden.


    "Pfft..."


    "Are you serious?" I grumbled.


    "Sorry."


    "What should I do now?" I asked.


    "Touch it," he said.


    "Just that?"


    "... My wife, you still don''t know that your hands are magic. And more importantly, you''re testing my patience."


    I shook my head as if trying to get rid of all my shyness. I touched it slightly and just like that night, he flinched. The firmness was quite dangerous, especially to think that it went right inside me. And the size was scary too.


    I held it with both of my hands. Subconsciously, I felt like I should not press it. Or he might get hurt. For some reason, the thing felt quite valuable.


    "Like this?" I asked.


    "Now move your hands, up and down," he said. His voice was throaty. It felt like he was in deep pressure. I wondered if it was because I held it. At least, I wished it was because of that.


    I moved my hands up and down slowly. It felt weird, but for some reason, my body was feeling hot. I was doing it to make him feel better, but why was my body feeling weird?


    "Huh..."


    "Does... does it feel good?"


    "Yes, it is good," he said. "You can use a bit more force, you know. You''re touching it like you''re touching a feather."


    "Oh, I thought you would get hurt if I use much pressure," I said. I decided to do as he said. I used a bit more pressure than before and increased my speed. I could hear his rapid breathing as well as deep groans.


    It was twitching slightly in my hand. ''It''s weird but surprisingly good. It''s embarrassing too, but I want to make him feel better.''


    There was a hint of liquid on the tip. I wondered how he would feel if I touched there. I rubbed my thumb over the slippery tip. His legs shook a bit at the reaction.


    Suddenly his breathing seemed more rapid than before. It was like the times when I was about to reach the climax. Was he about to reach his climax as well? I had never seen him do it in front of me. I mean, he always did it inside me and there was no way I could see that.


    He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. My hands were still on his thing, rubbing it as he said. He pressed his lips on mine and took me in for a deep kiss. I did not expect it.


    His hands reached inside the front of my dress to grab my breasts. Even over the undergarments, I could feel his fingers pretty clearly. He said he would not do it here, but he was being like this again. I was worried that someone mighte inside at any time. And someone might even hear us.


    But his lips were blocking me from making any noise. I could not evenin or push him away. A felt something hot dripping through my hands and even the part on my neck felt hot.


    I could not see anything, nor could I make any sound. He pushed me backward. I fell on the floor over the arm that he ced so I would not hit my head. His lips were still on mine. He was being impatient.


    His lips left mine only when I ran out of airpletely. "Huh... I can''t breathe... You said, you won''t do it here."


    "I''m sorry. I could not control myself," he said, though he did not look apologetic at all. "... You look..."


    "What? What happened?" I asked.


    "Your hands..."


    I looked at my hands. They were covered in some kind of whitish slimy liquid. ''So it''s his... To think only this liquid can get someone pregnant...''


    "What are you doing? You look like you''re examining it. Do you like it that much?" he asked teasingly.


    "No, it''s not like that!" I said quickly.


    "You''re embarrassed again, my wife," heughed. He brought out his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped my hands. He had kneeled on the floor as well. I did not know why, but I felt kind of happy. "You did an amazing job."


    "Did I?"


    "Yes, of course. That was perfect though I would like to see you use your...," he mumbled.


    "Use my what?"


    "Nothing. We can do thatter," he said quickly. After he was done with my hands, he started wiping my neck as well.


    "Why are you wiping there?" I asked. "Do I have some dirt there or something? I didn''t go anywhere to get dirty though..."


    "Uh... I shot."


    "Shot...?" I mumbled. "Oh..."


    As soon as the realization hit me, I fell silent while he was shaking withughter. This guy was seriously something.

 Chapter 66: Youre Perfect

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    He had cleaned me up fully and I was now sitting in his chair while he was standing up behind me. He was showing me his paperwork. I just wanted to see how much he worked. And it was a lot I had to admit.


    Though he was showing me some important papers, the mood from earlier had not changed yet and I was still embarrassed about the entire thing. We had done something lewd just a while ago and now he was showing me the paperwork. How funny!


    "Your ears are all red, my wife. Is it because of me? Are you embarrassed?" he whispered into my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear. Weird... Everything was weird.


    "I won''te here again," I mumbled.


    "Why not?" he asked.


    "You''re such a bully. You always bully me," I said.


    "But you like it, my dear wife," he kissed my ear. He always did this. Whenever he had the chance, he kissed my ear. It was as if it had be a habit of his. I did not understand him, or his behaviors. The more I tried to understand him, the more I fell into a hole.


    And the hole kept swallowing me.


    "Stop it," I said, trying to push him away. "What if someonees in?"


    "No one wille in, my wife. It''s my study. Not just anyone cane in without permission," he said. "It''s just you. Even my mother needs permission."


    "Is it okay? I mean, we''ve been together for a month..."


    "We''ve been together for a month and you''ve known me for a month. But, my wife, it''s not the same for me," he said. "I''ve known you for seven years. I know what kind of person you are. And I trust you."


    "... It''s unfair."


    "What is?"


    "I... I don''t understand why you''re being this kind to me. I don''t know what I''ve done to deserve this. I was just a girl- an ordinary girl, but then suddenly you arrived. Everything changed in one night. And now, I''ve be a queen all of a sudden.


    I''m cared for and spoiled. I can do everything I want and even if I just say that I like something, you bring it for me. And more importantly, I''ve be the wife of someone like you... I don''t know, I don''t understand," I said. A tear fell from my eye. I did not want to cry, yet my chest felt heavy.


    It was not sadness, rather pure happiness. It was so much that it was overflowing. "I just... I don''t deserve this. Trust me, I''ve done nothing good to deserve this."


    "Shh... Don''t ever say that again," he said and wiped the single tear with his thumb. He kneeled beside the chair and held my hands in his. "My wife deserves everything in this world and beyond this world. Who said you don''t deserve it?"


    "But I... I have been a coward. I''ve med Maxen all the time for stopping me. But truth be told, I was a coward myself. If I truly wanted, I would have found a way out. If I was a little bit braver, I could be worthy of standing beside someone as mighty as you."


    He squeezed my hands lightly. "You''re perfect just the way you''re. There is nothing you''recking, my wife. Brave you say- you''re the bravest woman I''ve met. You''ve kept up living even when you were going through such brutalities. Perhaps you had given up hopes that time, but I don''t me you.


    Because you embraced the reality. My wife, not many people can do this. Do you know why humans get betrayed by fate?" he said. "That''s because they can''t ept reality. They stay in the maze of light of hope. Even if the light is just an illusion, they embrace it.


    But you were brave enough to give that light up. You would rather live in the darkness than embrace the false desire of something like useless hope. And that''s exactly what I like about you."


    "We''re the same after all. And that''s why there is no one else for us. You''re the only one who can be with me. And if someone else says that they arepatible enough to be with you, I''ll just kill them. If anyone tried to take you away from me, no matter who they are, they will have to leave for hell a bit earlier than expected."


    "You''re brave, you''re beautiful. Every part of you is perfect. I like your smile, your hair, your blue eyes, your white skin- I like everything about you. You''re saying you''re not worthy of being with me? And I think I''m not good enough for you. But you know how I am, don''t you?


    I am greedy. Even if I don''t deserve you, I want you. And if I want something, I have it till I get bored of it. Because I wanted you, I made you mine. And you''ll forever be mine since I will never get bored of you. It''s impossible, my wife.


    No matter how much I look at you, every time my eyes fall on you, it''s like I see someone new all over again. No matter how much I touch you, your skin feels new again and I crave you more. So rather than saying that we don''t deserve each other, it''s better to say that even if we don''t deserve each other, let''s be greedy. I don''t care about morals. I don''t believe that greed will lead you to your end.


    I think my greed for you is one of the most valuable things. This greed will never fade away. Just like me, I want you to be greedy as well. Be greedy and get what you want. No one is stopping you and if someone tries, I''m here, right? I''ll rip them off.


    So please, my wife, be greedy. Please take me by your greed. After all, it''s not about what we deserve, it''s all about what we get."


    "You... You... I hate you," I forced my hand out of his grasp.


    "You hate me?" he asked, looking hurt.


    "You... You almost gave me a heart attack. No, an excessive dose of handsome attack. I almost died. And it''s all your fault," I mumbled.


    "Pfft, I didn''t know my wife could make jokes like that," he said and tapped on my nose. "But what I said was true. Every single thing was true."


    "... Thank you," I said. "You made me feel better, a lot better actually."


    "Won''t you smile then, my wife? I made you smile. So I deserve a smile of yours, don''t I?"


    I could not help butugh. "You''re really something..."


    I was not perfect. No matter what he said, I could never be perfect. But if in his eyes, I was enough, then I did not need to be perfect anymore. After all, the only person I needed to ept me was him.


    "I will leave now. You better go back to your work," I said, getting up. "I''ve wasted a lot of your time."


    "That''s a lie, you and I both know it."


    "Anyway, I''ll go now. See youter."


    "Okay, and I''ll bete. I won''t be able to have dinner with you. I have to go and check a few things. I''lle back before one though."


    "I''ll wait for you," I said.


    "You don''t have to. It will bete."


    "It''s prettymon for me to stay up until one. I''ll wait for you even if you say no."


    "Alright, but you have to bear the consequences as well."


    "What consequences? You''re not thinking of anything indecent, are you?" I asked cautiously. Knowing what kind of person he was, it was easy to guess what he was thinking. He always made an indecent meaning about every single thing. And he kept teasing me about it. It was hard to make aeback as I was not good at saying these kinds of embarrassing things.


    That was why he always got his way at these types of moments.


    "I will fuck you."


    "... That was pretty frank..."


    "It''s a deal then, right?" he smirked. "I know you like to make deals. So what do you think?"


    "I will think about it," I said.


    "It''s not like you will have a choice. If I find you asleep, I will just wait for the morning. And if I find you awake, you and I both know what will happen, don''t we?"


    I blushed. I was trying to keep a straight face even if he was teasing. But I ended up getting all embarrassed again.


    "... I will go now," I said and basically, ran out of there.


    ''Ugh, it''s so embarrassing. That shameless man...''


    I could not believe I did not hate him talking like that. I did not enjoy it, but I did not hate it either. Was I considered a pervert because of this?

 Chapter 67: Please Just Worry About Me

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    It was his fault. I wanted to talk to him about something important. But because of his behavior, I had forgotten about it.


    I sighed loudly. It was frustrating not to know about something, especially when it came to him. I did not understand him and because of that, whenever it came to something about him, I would feel more tired than usual. I wanted to understand him, but the more I thought about it, the harder it became.


    There was no way of giving up as well. It was not like I could not, but I did not want to. He was someone who cared for me and I liked him too. Of course, I needed to understand him even if it was the hardest thing possible.


    I had been tired these days. It was his fault as well. He had been keeping doing it all night and because of that, I could not get a wink of sleep properly till dawn. He got even lesser sleep than me, but he looked as energetic as always. I was so jealous of him because of that. If only I had been a bit stronger, I would not have to be so tired all the time.


    I always had lunch alone. Demetrius had work, so he would always have his lunch in his study or sometimes with his knights. I met some of his knights, but not all of them at once. He had never taken me to meet them. Perhaps it was not necessary.


    "Your Highness, you look beautiful today," Ruby said as I was having lunch.


    ''What beautiful? I am more fatigued than usual today.''


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes, Your Highness! You look really beautiful," she eximed.


    I could not even smile. I did not even remember when I fell asleep after lunch. I dreamt about something strange.


    It was a long time ago. I was eleven years old. I saw a wolf on the street. It was hit by a car. There was no way I could leave it there. I had used all the money that I had earned from working at a flower shop to treat its wounds.


    The wolf was whining. It felt like it understood what I was saying and recognized me.


    The wolf was reddish and beautiful. I had stayed with it in the forest. I had sneaked into my house to bring a torch and stole some food from the kitchen for it. I knew the consequences, yet I took the risk.


    I stayed that night with it in the forest. It was cold, so I had brought my old nket as well. But I actually wrapped the wolf in it.


    The next morning, I found myself wrapped in the same nket. The wolf was not there anymore. But what I did not understand was who could have wrapped the nket around me. It was not like the wolf could do that. And where was the wolf? It was not fully recovered.


    There was no way it could go away with that injured body.


    After I returned home, I had to face the consequences of my actions. I was beaten up so badly that one of my fingers broke and my back became bluish. Max and I were almost the same age.


    I had been sick for a whole week and could not move an inch. As I could not earn any money because of my health, I was starved.


    Even though I was not regarded as a human being in my family, Max was not treated like that. He would get his meals all three times and he was not beaten up as well. That was because he was a boy. Father did not want a girl. ording to him, girls were useless. And I was just a burden to him while Max and Draven were his heirs to take over the family business.


    It was not like I wanted to take over his business. It would not make enough money in the first ce.


    Max had brought as much as he could though it was the amount a bird would eat. I knew he tried. He had cried the whole time while feeding me. It was not enough. Truth be told, it was far from enough. But I still had the meal with a smile.


    Because I knew he had tried. And moreover, there was no point in crying while it would only burden me. It was the time when I had finally epted the truth. Since that day, I did not have any hope. I gave up on all the dreams. I lived only to survive the day until my graduation.


    I was nning on running away after I graduated.


    I woke up suddenly. The dream was not good at all. Especially the beating part seemed too real. It had been so long yet I could not forget it. The pain, the screaming- everything was still raw inside me.


    "You''re alright. No one will hurt you. You''re fine."


    I heard a soothing voice. I opened my eyes slowly only to meet the familiar ck ones. They were full of worry and care. It felt unreal.


    The worry- it was for me. He was worried about me. Tears started to fall from my eyes and I wrapped my arms around him. This man was worried about me. I did not want anything else. ''Please, just worry about me.''


    He rubbed my back calmingly while holding me in his embrace. I felt protected. It was not the first time. I had this feeling before too and it had been like this since the night he appeared in my life.


    "I don''t like to see you cry, my wife," he said.


    "I''m sor-...


    "More importantly, I don''t like to see you holding back in front of me. So, it''s fine to let it all out. Even though I prefer your smile, sometimes tears are manageable," he said.


    Just as he said, I let it all out. It had been long since I cried properly. I had always tried to hold my tears back. I did not want to let my family see me cry. I did not want to look weak in front of them. But when I was with him, the act I put on had no use.


    It was like he broke the shield I had kept up until now. But I was d. It was good to have someone to whom I could open up to and show what I truly felt.


    "It was the same type again, right?" he asked after I calmed down a bit. I had my head on his shoulder as he rubbed my back. It was calming.


    "... Yeah."


    I had been having nightmares a lot of times. And every time it happened, I would always find myself in his arms while he would say soothing words to me. Without even asking me, he knew what type of nightmares I had.


    "You know I won''t hurt you, right?"


    "I''m not afraid of you."


    "You shouldn''t be. You shouldn''t be afraid of anyone," he said. "... Let me just kill them. Please."


    "No."


    "They hurt you, my wife. Please let me kill them."


    "No, Dem. You shouldn''t..."


    "I don''t care what I should do or I should not! They fucking hurt you!" he suddenly yelled while squeezing me tightly in his arms. It was hard for me to breathe. But I did not know why I was a bit happy. Someone was saying something like this because of me.


    "... Please..."


    "You keep saying that, my wife. But you''re still hurting from the inside, aren''t you?"


    "I am hungry, Dem," I said, ignoring his question. But it was true that I was hungry. I did not have anything after lunch. I had fallen asleep and before I knew it, it had passed a long time.


    "Of course, you''re hungry. If you weren''t, that would be a surprise," he said. "And before you ask, it''s two at night."


    "... Huh?"


    ''It''s been that long? I had slept like a log for that long? And more importantly, I couldn''t wait for him as I said I would! It was the worst!''


    "Why are you sulking? It''s okay to sleep, you know," he said. "It''s good for your health as well."


    "... I couldn''t wait for you. I said I would, but I could not keep my word."


    "What?"


    "I said I would wait for you. But I couldn''t...," I mumbled.


    "You''re worried about that? It''s alright. And besides, I told you I will fuck you if you wait."


    ''Eek! Don''t talk like that!''


    "That... But..."


    "You don''t have to say anything, my wife. It''s alright that you''ve slept. And I''m d that you''ve taken some rest. Because of me, you couldn''t sleep at night properly. I''m sorry about that," he said. "Honestly saying, you''re so cute that I can''t help but get excited.


    And you know how dangerous it bes if I get excited, right?"

 Chapter 68: Feeding Her

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Can you wait for a bit? Let me get the food for you," I said. She was in my arms. And it seemed she was still shaking.


    "Okay," she mumbled.


    I did not like the fact that because of her family, she still had to suffer like that. At this moment, I wanted to kill her family more than ever. Even thinking that those disgusting people hurt my wife so badly was enough for me to want to grab their heads and smash against the wall.


    She had been crying for a while. She was even talking in her sleep though it was more like she was trembling and mumbling to herself in pain. It was the hardest thing to see. I shook her to try to wake her up, but it took her a while to get up.


    The front of my shirt was wet with her tears. I did not like to see her cry at all. No matter what the reason was, I just wanted to see her smile all the time. Crying did not suit her. But at least, she was crying in front of me. Even though I did not like to see her cry, if it was in front of me, it was a bit better as it would be bad if she looked vulnerable in front of others.


    Who knew what anyone could do to my vulnerable wife?


    I brought the food for her on the bed. The maids had brought our food in the room already. On my order, they did not wake her up. But I did not know she would sleep for this long.


    "Your face is all puffy," I said and wiped her face with my thumbs. Her cheeks were very soft, even though she was skinny. She looked even redder than usual.


    "I''m sorry you had to see an ugly sight," she muttered and tried to hide her face.


    "How can you be ugly, my wife? You''re always beautiful no matter what," I said. And it was not a lie at all. She was always beautiful- when she smiled, when sheughed, when she was expressionless, and even when she cried. But I did not like to see the beauty her crying face made. Crying was just a no.


    "But I..."


    "Don''t talk anymore, my wife. Eat. You''re hungry, right?"


    She nodded. "Let me feed you," I said.


    "No, it''s fine. I can eat by myself," she said quickly.


    "Don''t you want me to feed you?"


    "No, it''s not like that. It''s just... it might trouble you..."


    "It won''t. Doing something for you can''t trouble me," I said. "It''s fine now, right?"


    "If you want to..."


    "I do," I said and cut the meat for her. "Open your mouth."


    She opened her mouth slightly and I fed her. It was the first time I was feeding her. It was not even something great, yet I was feeling happy. Her mouth looked full. Perhaps the amount I cut was too much for her.


    "Should I cut a bit smaller?" I asked.


    She nodded immediately. She looked cute with her mouth full to the brim as she was trying to chew properly. I could not bring myself to tease her since she was sad. But I kept it in my mind so I could tease herter.


    "Is it how much you take in one bite?" she asked.


    "Kind of."


    "Jesus, I felt like I was suffocating," she mumbled.


    "That''s because the space inside your mouth is small," I chuckled. "It''s really small actually. I wonder..."


    "... Why do I feel like you''re thinking about something indecent?"


    "Absolutely not."


    ''Absolutely yes.''


    It took quite a long time to feed her, but it was enjoyable. It was always fun to watch her chew on her food. For some reason, I always found it adorable.


    "So you''ve gone out, right? How were things? Was everything alright?" she asked.


    I never talked about this kind of thing with others. But now that she asked, I could not help but feel a bit different. And it made me want to give her a detailed description and even show her the charts.


    "Everything is fine. The good thing is I didn''t need to clear out mosquitos tonight. I could, but I didn''t want to have blood on me tonight."


    "Is it because of me?" she asked.


    "... Kind of. I don''t want you to..."


    "You''re doing the right thing, right?"


    "... I guess so."


    "Then I don''t mind seeing you like that. I mean, I don''t know what to expect, but I think it will be fine since it''s you," she said.


    "Is that so?"


    "Hmm, you''re my husband after all. I should not be scared of you."


    "Should not be? But are you scared of me?"


    "Not really. I mean, not usually. Just sometimes, I flinch..."


    "Why? Am I scary?" I asked.


    "It''s not that, you know. I just... I don''t know. You''re so cute all the time, but when you''re angry, you kinda look dangerous," she muttered.


    ''Cute again? Where did she even get the idea?''


    "By the way, did you eat?" she asked.


    "You don''t have to..."


    "You didn''t, right? Eat."


    "I will eatter. You can go to sleep again if you want to. You don''t look like you can stay awake for a while more," I said and tapped on her nose. Her nose was so cute that I always wanted to touch it.


    "Nope, not happening. I''m not that sleepy anyway," she said. "I want to watch you eat now. You look adorable."


    "..."


    ''I should be the one saying that.''


    "But you look..."


    "I''m alright. I said that, right? I''m fine. Don''t worry," she smiled. It was that nk smile again. She always smiled like that when she was sad.


    I did not like to see her like that. That freaking smile... I needed to wipe that away. Where was her beautiful natural smile?


    "I can''t just say no to you," I said and looked away.

 Chapter 69: Theory

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    She had been staring at me as I was eating. It was not ufortable, but the way she was calling me cute was frustrating. Why was she calling me cute? Was I not cool? Could she not call me cool or handsome? Anything was fine but why cute?


    I did not remember doing anything so she could call me cute. Precisely saying, cute and I were two opposite things. There was no way anyone could call me cute. And I was sure that no one would call me that except the wife of mine.


    She had a different view of things. She even called my de cute. It was shocking. It was scary even for a knight.


    Because of her, I had to sit on the bed to eat just so she could take a good look at my face while I ate.


    "You''re cute," she said. "But you take quite a lot of food in your mouth at once. How can you chew?"


    "I take normal proportion. It''s just you who takes too less," I said.


    "It''s just habit."


    "Habit?"


    "I mean, back at my old home, I could not have much food to eat. So I used to take less food in my mouth so it would take longer to finish. It felt like eating too much, you see," she said with a smile.


    ''Don''t smile saying something like this. It''s not okay at all.''


    "So tomorrow you''re going to have tea with Aunt, right?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I did not want to see her like that anymore. It was depressing. And there was a huge chance that I might get angry suddenly. I did not want to scare her off.


    "Huh? Yeah, that is what nned," she said, "unless she changes the time again. By the way, did you try to find out if she was actually sick?"


    "I did. I heard that she was in her room all the time though she usually spends most of the time shopping or gossiping with other noblewomen. I heard there is even a group of noblewomen who do nothing but gossip about literally everything. But she might have pretended to be sick. There is a chance. So, we got to be careful," I said.


    "You''re right," she said.


    I had finished eating. I went to wash up. She seemed busy thinking about something. It seemed something serious.


    Even after I came back, I found her the way she was when I left. She seemed to be deep in thought. For some reason, I did not want to disturb her.


    "Dem?" she called out suddenly.


    "Yes?"


    "The dream I had today- it was about a strange incident," she said. "And I feel like it has something to do with you."


    "What do you mean?" I asked and sat on the bed beside her.


    She snuggled close to mine and wrapped both of us in the nket. She rested her head on my shoulder and I ced my arm around her. Heat was radiating from her and her seductive scent filled my nostrils.


    ''Control- I gotta control.''


    "Seven years ago..."


    I almost coughed out loud. Did she figure everything out? If that was the case, then it was pretty fast.


    "... one day, I treated a wolf. It was a long time ago, but I remember the wolf''s color. It was reddish and very pretty. I stayed with it for a long time. Then at night, I fell asleep beside it in the forest.


    I had covered it in a nket that time. But when I woke up, the nket was around me. Perhaps I was sleeping so deeply that I did not notice when the wolf left or someone took the wolf," she said. "And you said you saw me for the first time seven years ago, right? Luc told me that something happened to Evelyn seven years ago. She was missing.


    Then when she came back, she was not okay. And no one knew what exactly happened to her."


    I did not even know what to tell her. To think she would figure out this quickly and all by herself was impressive. But I wanted to tell her myself. I thought she would not like the fact that I knew about her that long ago, yet did not talk to her that time. So, I was taking my time to prepare myself. But it seemed she already almost figured it out.


    It was all because of that punk Luc...


    "I have a theory about it."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "I think the wolf was Evelyn."


    *cough


    "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.


    "I''m fine. Keep going."


    "As I said, I think the wolf was Evelyn though I don''t have any idea how she ended up there. I mean, you told me that only Alphas can do so. But I have a theory about it too," she said. "Seven years ago, you were seventeen. You were not the Alpha then, right?"


    "I wasn''t."


    "Then that means, your father was alive back then. And as both of you have your father''s blood aka the previous Alpha''s blood running in yourselves. It means any of you could be the Alpha. But as Evelyn likes traveling and she would do anything to just travel, perhaps she gave up the throne herself.


    But as back then, the Alpha was not decided and both of you had Alpha blood inside you, Evelyn could enter the other world though I don''t know why she would do that. It can be that she was curious as she likes to visit different ces. So perhaps she got hit by a car or something, I don''t know. Let''s just say she got injured somehow and then I found her as I was a regr in that path.


    And the person who took her was you."


    "How are you so sure?" I asked.


    "As I said, it''s just a theory. And I have a feeling that I''m not wrong."

 Chapter 70: The First Time Seeing Her

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "So, ording to your theory, the wolf you saved seven years ago was Evelyn and the person who took her from there was me?"


    "Yes," she said. "And for some reason, perhaps because it was a bit cold, you wrapped me in the nket. Well, that''s not the point, even though it''s cute. So I think that was the first time you saw me."


    "..."


    "Say something."


    "Did you figure it by yourself?"


    "I learned about things from Luc and you, and then I guessed the rest."


    "Why are you so smart?"


    "What?"


    "Marry me."


    "I am your wife. What''s wrong with you?"


    For a moment, perhaps I had lost the sense of thinking. How could she think of all that by herself? Even thought it was just an assumption, how could it all be true?


    "So based on your reaction, I guess I''m right, right?" she said.


    "... I wanted to tell youter," I muttered.


    "Are you upset that I found out?"


    "No, of course not. I was just... Yeah, that was the first time I saw you and that day, I decided to make you my mate."


    "Just like that?"


    "Hm? Yeah."


    "That''s weird. I mean, I just helped your sister. That can''t possibly be the only reason, can it?"


    I scratched my head. I did not think she would find out this quickly. But now that she did, I needed to exin everything to her. She had a right to know after all.


    "Let me tell you from the beginning," I said. "You''re right that because of the Alpha bloodline, she was able to enter your world. And it was out of curiosity as well. But then when we could not find her, everyone went nuts. We tried to find her everywhere. Evelyn once told me that she wanted to see the human world herself and visit different ces.


    I told her it''s impossible since she was quite reckless back then. Well, she still is... Anyway, I guessed that she might be in your world. So I went to look for her. As she is one of my kind, I could trace her through her smell. And then I saw you there as well.


    You were asleep. My sister had woken up by then and she had almost healed as well. You see, werewolves heal pretty quickly, especially if the wounds are small."


    "But her wounds weren''t small. They were dangerous type," she said quickly.


    "That much is nothing for a werewolf," I chuckled. "After she healed, she went back to her previous form. But as she was in another world, even though she had mostly healed, her body was weak. She told me that you helped her. You were beautiful even for a kid, so I looked at your sleeping face for a while. Then I wrapped you in the nket and waited."


    "Waited? Why?"


    "Because... I wanted to see you properly. I wanted to thank you. I would perhaps say that it was my pet wolf and then thank you for saving her."


    "So you waited until I woke up?"


    "Yeah."


    "But you didn''te out," she said.


    "Well, that''s because..."


    Suddenly I was feeling more embarrassed. I had been practicing telling her about it for a long time, but now I was feeling like I should just disappear.


    "Can''t you tell me?"


    "No, it''s not that... Ugh, how should I say this? It''s embarrassing."


    Sheughed all of a sudden. "That''s good. It''s always me who is embarrassed, now it''s quite satisfying to see you like this."


    "At least, you''re enjoying," I muttered. "Well, I wanted to thank you when you wake up. But... when you woke up, your..."


    "I had drools on my face?"


    "No, not that. It''s just... your eyes..."


    "My eyes? Were there eye boogers?" she asked.


    "Your eyes were too pretty that for a moment, I forgot how to process my brain and I could not get myself to be in front of you, because you were just a kid yet I was thinking of making you my mate because I liked your eyes more than normal and you also had a cute face that I could not resist having that kind of thought and now I''m feeling like a pervert, but trust me, I would not do anything that time and that''s why I waited all this time so you wouldn''t think of me as a pervert and I''m very embarrassed right now, so please don''t look at me and forgive me if I''ve truly been a pervert!" I blurted out.


    "... Whoa, that was a pretty messed up yet perfectly organized thought. I don''t even know how that''s possible, but not bad," she said. "Well, to think that you wanted to make me your mate because you liked my eyes is a bit weird..."


    "It''s not just that. The first thing was eyes, but then I came to like more things about you- like your smile, your little nose, your red face, your long hair, the way you eat..."


    "The way I eat?"


    "Not just that. I like your tongue as well."


    "... My tongue?"


    "I came to like it recently since it feels good to entangle mine with yours," I said.


    "... I don''t want to know what you like about me. I don''t think I''ll ever ask, but I''m d you didn''t say..."


    "I like your breasts too. They are pretty and soft. The nipples are good to..."


    "Shut up!" she pressed her palm over my mouth. "I want to sleep. Let''s sleep."


    "Only if you tell me if you think of me as a pervert or not," I said removing her hand from over my mouth.


    "You''re a pervert."


    "... How can you say that to me with a straight face?"


    "I mean, the things you talk about, it''s the attitude of a pervert. But as you''re like this only with me, I don''t care if you''re a pervert. You''re my husband after all."


    ''You''re an angel.''


    "Marry me."


    "I''m your wife."

 Chapter 71: Happy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Let''s sleep then. I''m nning to sleep as well since you''re not feeling good. Or I would have gone straight to our nighttime routine," he said.


    "... Stop being shameless for a moment," I mumbled. There was no point telling him that since he would go back to being indecent both with his words and actions again.


    "As my wife says," he chuckled.


    It was different sleeping beside him than sleeping alone. There was the warmth of another person that I never had before. And he always held me as he slept. For some reason, it made my heart flutter. Perhaps it was a normal thing for couples, yet I could not help but feel special.


    He always had the ability to make me feel special and perfect, even when I knew there was no way it was true.


    And to think that I would guess everything correctly was quite unbelievable. In fact, even I had no idea how I did that. I just ced the right information in the gaps and added some of my thoughts with it. But I did not expect it all to be true.


    Looking at him, it seemed like he wanted to tell me this himself when he was ready. I had no idea that he was embarrassed. It was kind of cute to see him all flustered like that.


    Tonight he had fallen asleep before me. It was the first time. Other times, it was always me who would fall to slumber first.


    He looked very calm while sleeping. His perfect eyebrows were right in front of me and I felt the urge to touch them. But I refrained myself since he might wake up. He slept pretty lightly after all.


    I had once again forgotten to ask him the question that had been in my head all day. It would be a bit weird to ask him about that, but I needed to know. If he was pretending to not want kids just because I said that I was very young for that, it would be wrong. At least, if we could talk freely about this, it would be a bit settling even if we had disagreements.


    I had slept for a very long time. Because of that, I was having a hard time trying to fall asleep. And as I had eaten just a while ago, my belly was almost bursting. He had fed me too much and as he looked quite satisfied, I could not even say no to him.


    He was holding me in his arms again and so tightly that I barely could move. It was like he was stopping me from getting away from him. It was strange. Even at random times, he would tell me not to leave him for anything. I did not understand this at all. Why would I bother to leave someone like him?


    He had given me everything I needed and even what I did not need.


    And besides, even if he did not have anything but he just cared for me, I would not leave him even then. But no matter how many times I said this, he would always ask me the same thing again and again. Sometimes it felt like he was insecure.


    I tried to get out of his embrace as quietly as I could so he would not wake up. But all the efforts were in vain.


    "What are you doing?" he asked sleepily. Even his throaty sleepy voice was handsome. But it was not time to admire his voice.


    "The restroom," I mumbled quickly. "I want to go to the restroom."


    "Okay. I wille with you," he said and tried to get up.


    "What''re you saying? It''s in our room. Why would you need to go to the restroom with me? Sleep, go to sleep."


    "Will you be okay?"


    "Sleep, Dem," I said and kissed him on the forehead.


    "... Hey, don''t be so cute right now. I might eat you up."


    "Don''t be silly," Iughed. "Sleep. I''ll be right back."


    Honestly, I did not need to go to the restroom. I just wanted to sit down for a while. Lying down was hurting my back.


    The window was open. The cold wind was inflowing through it. I sat on the window stool. It was kind of amazing and refreshing.


    My hair was not tied. It was flying everywhere on my face. ''Should I just cut all of it?''


    Even though I had the urge to do so and I would feel nothing even if I had no hair, I could not bring myself to do it. He said he liked my hair. How could I cut my hair when he said something like that?


    I grinned. Perhaps I was a fool to feel too happy just by this. Everything he said or did for me felt special. I did not know marriage life could be this amazing. I thought it would not be a good thing to get married at such an early age. After all, who in the world got married on the day they had be a legal adult?


    For us, it was like starting dating and getting married at the same time.


    But it was not a bad thing. I had been nothing but happy all the time. I wished so much that we could stay like this our whole life. It was too much to wish for, but still, I could not help but feel greedy.


    "And I was wondering where you went."


    I almost fell out the window in surprise. He grabbed me quickly as if he knew it was going to happen.


    "Now, now, it''s not good to be alone at night. Don''t you feel sleepy?"


    I shook my head. "I didn''t wake you up since you were sleeping soundly."


    "I''m still sleepy, but the problem is you''re not. Then why don''t we do a thing?"


    "What?"


    "I will use yourp pillow and you can fall asleep too if you want to. You can sit against the headboard," he said and I knew there was no way I could escape this proposal. Or he would bring up something indecent again.

 Chapter 72: If It’s You

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "We... We need to talk!"


    It was the first thing I heard after I woke up. It was clear my little wife did not sleep much and she was restless because something was in her mind. Now that she was wearing the ne I gave her, I could not even read her mind. I thought it was for the best that I did not get into her head and give her the privacy she needed. But at a time like this, I wished I could read her mind.


    "Did you even sleep?" I asked.


    "Yup, I slept enough. Why are you asking? Do I look bad?"


    ''How can you look bad? You''re always cute and pretty.''


    "No, you just look... restless."


    "Well, I had this question for you since yesterday morning, but I couldn''t ask you that even though we were together for quite a while," she said.


    "What question?"


    "Later- We can talkter. It''s not just a question. So we need to talk about this in our free time," she said. "When are you going to be free? You can''t have lunch with me, right?"


    "Yeah, I have work. If you want to, I can postpone..."


    "No, no need. Work is more important," she cut me off. She always cut me off when it came to postponing my work for her. ording to her, I should not put off my work for her. But it did not matter to me. Work was just work, but she was my wife.


    How could work be bigger than her? And it was not like the world would end if I put off the work for a while. But of course, my wife would not listen to any of this. It might not be obvious, but she was quite stubborn about matters like this. "What about this afternoon?"


    "You have an invitation from Aunt," I said.


    "Oh, I forgot," she mumbled. "Then what about tonight?"


    "... Not possible," I said.


    "Why? We can talk during dinner or then after dinner," she said.


    "Tonight is the full moon. Do you expect me to have a casual talk with you on a full moon?" I asked.


    She turnedpletely red in a matter of seconds. "... Oh, that''s right...," she mumbled, looking down. She was not even meeting my eyes.


    "Are you being shy, my wife?" I teased.


    "It''s not that..."


    "But you''re all red. What''s there to be shy about? We did it a lot, didn''t we? And we''re married. So there is nothing to be ashamed of," I said. She looked so red that it seemed like she would burst at any moment.


    "And besides, I know every part of your body. Like the mole on your right thigh..."


    "My god, stop it!" she said and hid her face with her hands. "You''re being... shameless."


    I chuckled. It was so amusing to tease her. Looking at her flustered face always made me want to tease her more and more, especially since her reactions were cute.


    But even though I teased her about tonight, I was still worried. I had never been in the heat before. Werewolves started to feel the effect of a full moon one month after the marking. And it had been one month since our marriage. Because of that, it would be the first time I would feel the effects of a full moon.


    On a full moon, werewolves be almost crazy to mate. And only mated werewolves could feel it. Male and female werewolves were a goodbination for mating during the heat. But as my wife was a human, she was not strong enough. And as I was the Alpha, I was the strongest among werewolves. It meant I was much stronger than normal werewolves.


    I had never hated my strength, but it was the first time I wished I was rather a human or at least, a normal werewolf. Then it would not be much of a problem. But because of my strength, I was afraid that I might end up hurting her. She was so fragile that it was too hard to even think about it.


    I was still thinking about going somewhere isted. I did not want to hurt her. Even though I told her I would not, it was hard for me to ept this.


    ''Why do werewolves have to be so fucking horny on a full moon? Why do I have to be the same? If being an Alpha gave me the opportunity to choose my own mate, then why can''t I choose not to be so damn horny on a full moon? Why do I have to be a werewolf in the first ce? Why couldn''t I just be a human? Even if I was a werewolf, why couldn''t I be a normal werewolf?


    Why did Evelyn have to give up the right to the throne? I didn''t want to be a king. If she was the Alpha, then I didn''t have to go through all this. Because of our Alpha blood, both of us could choose our own mates. Then if she was the Alpha, I could just go and live a free life with my beautiful wife. It''s all because of being a werewolf.


    I hate this.''


    "You look pissed. Did... did I do something wrong?" she asked, snapping me out of my cursing inside my head.


    "No, it''s not you. It''s never you. I was just thinking about some trashy things that can''t be avoided," I said. "So what''re you doing today? I''m busy, or I would take you on a date. So how about we set a date?


    I mean, I won''t be busy all the time, right? And we need to go on dates as much as possible. I can''t keep you inside all the time. And your de is almost done. I gave them a design. The design is a surprise, but I hope you''ll like it."


    "... Something is bothering you, right? You''re talking more than usual," she said. "I think I know what is bothering you. It''s about the full moon, isn''t it?"


    Was it her or me who could read minds? It seemed like with each passing day, she could read my mind better than ever. It was true that I wanted her to understand me, but at this rate, it was getting a bit scary. And moreover, her assumptions were scarily on point.


    "Perhaps you''re thinking that it''s a bad thing that you''re an Alpha and that you''re more powerful. Then you''re afraid of hurting me and thinking that I might get hurt when you''re going to be like that, you know what I mean."


    ''There is no doubt she can read my mind.''


    "Ain''t I right?"


    "Yeah, you''re right," I said. "Yes, I''m afraid of hurting you. No, I''m more afraid of breaking you apart. Look at you- you''re so tinypared to me and your skin is so soft and your bones are surely fragile... What am I going to do with you? No, I know what to do with you, but I don''t know what to do with me and my fucking...


    I don''t want to hurt you. You''re so delicate..."


    She hugged me all of a sudden. "Thanks for caring about me like this. Ugh, I''ve be so emotionaltely. I don''t know exactly how, um, difficult the situation can get tonight, but we can go through it, you know. I mean, we have to. I can''t let you get hurt.


    It will be painful if we don''t do it. We can just think of it like any other night, you know. I mean, we do it every night, right? So we will do it tonight too just like that."


    "I won''t be able to control myself."


    "Do you even control yourself?"


    "... I hold back a lot," I said. It was true. As she had a fragile body, I could not just go around and satisfy my desires though I had my suspicions that as it was her, no matter how many times I did it, I would never be able to satisfy myself.


    "You expect me to believe that when you keep doing that until dawn or until I''m too exhausted or almost unconscious?"


    "I want to do it more. I hold back, even during daytime as well so you can rest. But I''m not sure about this time. I heard werewolves lose control fully..."


    "So you won''t even know what you''re doing?"


    "Kind of like that. It''s pretty messed up. No matter how I look at it, it''s not a good thing at all."


    "Hey, cheer up. We will be fine. Even if you lose control, it''s you, right? No matter what happens, it''s always going to be you. So even if you be scary, it''s still you. If it''s you, then I don''t have any problem," she smiled.


    I did not know until now, but this smile had be a must in my life now.

 Chapter 73: Tea With Lady Caerlion

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had fallen asleep again. After I talked to him a bit in the morning and tried to help him get rid of his worries, he kissed me on the forehead and I fell asleep in a moment. What was it- a magic spell?


    "Your Highness, you look tired these days," Ruby said when I finally woke up. It was almost lunchtime. I was taking a bath that Ruby prepared for me.


    "Yeah."


    "And you eat quite a bit more than before, Your Highness."


    "I''m hungry all the time."


    "Perhaps Her Highness is pregnant."


    "Pfft... What are you even saying? I use birth control all the time and Dem told me that Luc said it is hundred percent safe. There is no way I can be pregnant. Didn''t I tell you this before?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. But I''m just saying what I saw," she said.


    "You''re wrong about this one. I''m not pregnant. We are yet to talk about it first," I said.


    "My apologies, Your Highness."


    I sighed and tried to rx in the bath. It was true that I had been tired all day and I had been eating a bit too much than usual. But it was normal for me. There was no way I could be pregnant. I was confident about this one.


    But it was not why I was a bit troubled. I was going to drink tea with Dem''s aunt. She did not like me from the very start. It was obvious from the fake smile she gave me. And besides, Dem had told me the same as well. There was a chance that she could try to poison me.


    It was not the worst scenario since I was going to take the antidote before. Rather I was more worried about her changing the date. I had a feeling that she did that on purpose, but I had no idea why.


    And before I knew it, time was moving forward mercilessly and it was the afternoon in the blink of an eye. I had taken the antidote already. Dem had also sent me a letter to remind me to take the antidote.


    I was grinning like a fool and had read the letter almost twenty times before Ruby told me that I was running out of time. I was behaving like a high schooler with a crush. Perhaps it was because I had recently be an adult and already was living with the person I liked.


    Ruby had styled my hair in a long braid with sky blue flowers decoration. I was wearing a sky blue gown. It was not too in, not too sparkly. Perhaps being a queen needed to waste too much time after the makeup even if it was just for having tea, and that was also with a family member.


    "Don''t you think it''s too shy?" I asked.


    "No, Your Highness. It''s perfect and besides, the dress is just a in gown. I was thinking of one with more jewels, but as you said that you don''t want to wear something heavy, we have to go with this one," Ruby said.


    ''in gown- my ass! This thing is too long and shy, no matter how I look at it. Just look at the flowers in the front and the unnecessaryyers... It''s super expensive as well.''


    Demetrius never bought anything that was not costly enough. He said that he did not care about buying costly things, but still, he wanted to do it for me. I told him not to, but he said that it was important to make a unique expression as the Queen of Querencia. I could not argue about this one since he knew more about this than me.


    His mother and aunt wore these types of dresses as well, but mine ones stood out too much. He said mine ones were more costly and made out of the best fabrics. Even Ruby was chattering about how good and perfect the fabrics were though I could not find much of a difference.


    I had reached the garden where Dem''s aunt had invited me. She smiled broadly at me the moment I reached there.


    "Your Highness, the Queen, please allow me to greet," she greeted me formally.


    I still had a hard time getting used to these formalities. But as a queen, I needed to follow them even though I did not like them at all.


    "Indeed, Lady Caerlion," I smiled. "It''s a pleasure to see you."


    "The pleasure is mine, Your Highness. What a funny world- two people living in the same residence but cannot meet each other at all," she said with a smile. I could sense the hint of mockery in her tone.


    "Yes, after all, those two people are supposed to work," I said. "It doesn''t matter if one is idle, the other one is busy nheless. How can those two meet in such a different lifestyle?"


    "Indeed, indeed," she said. She looked at the maids and said, "Pour us some tea."


    "In any case, Your Highness doesn''t dislike ck tea, right?" she asked.


    "No, I''m fine with it," I said. I had no idea what I was going to talk to her about. Perhaps I would just go with the flow. If she wanted to talk about something, I would just get along with it. And if she tried to embarrass me, I would just prepare someebacks as quickly as possible.


    "Maintaining all the formalities is a bit tiresome. Do you mind if I cut it down a bit? It will be just between us," she said.


    "I''m afraid not, Lady Caerlion. You and I are not someone who can drop the formalities out of nowhere," I said. "And I wish to stay the same way."


    She gritted her teeth, but then fixed herposure pretty quickly. "... Well then, it can''t be helped," she said. "... Anyway, I heard there is amittee for nobledies. As the Queen and an honorable person, Your Highness can join themittee as well.


    Coincidentally, I''m a member as well. I can help..."


    "Did I ask?" I asked bluntly and then smiled. It was something Dem taught me. He said this kind of attitude was good for making a scary impression. And that was what I needed. "Don''t get me wrong, Lady Caerlion, but I don''t think you''ve given me enough time to think about it first before going to a conclusion. Shouldn''t you think about asking for my opinion first?"


    "... Ah, forgive me, Your Highness. Let me ask you properly this time- Would you like to join themittee?"


    It was clear how much she hated obeying me like that. But there was no other choice. She could do nothing but do so even if she despised it like hell. Power was an important thing it seemed.


    "No," I replied and took a sip of the tea. "But if someday I feel like it, I will let you know."


    "Sounds good, Your Highness."


    "Right?"


    "By the way, I am very curious about something- how is married life going for Your Highness?"


    "It''s going pretty well. Thank you for asking," I said. I kind of knew where she was headed...


    "Good to hear. Our king is not someone to love after all. If all goes well, then it''s very good to hear."


    "Why are you saying that he is not someone to love? Has he told you this himself, Lady Caerlion?"


    "No, he hasn''t..."


    "Then how do you know this? Or are you making weird assumptions based on some kind of twisted phase in your mind?" I asked calmly. "Or do you not want him to love me?"


    "How can I want such a thing, Your Highness?"


    "Ah, yes. It''s more like how can you even say such a thing. We can''t control what we have in our minds, but we can definitely control whates out of our mouth, right?" I smiled. "After all, it''s for our own good."


    "... Indeed, Your Highness. A king marries mainly because of an heir..."


    "If you''ve invited me to talk about me and my husband''s personal lives, then let me get something straight. I don''t have any time for trash talk, you see. So if you understand, Lady Caerlion better not meddles into our personal business. I don''t like it when others poke their noses in unnecessary ces, you see."


    The way her face gloomed hearing my words was worth seeing. I did not like to be rude to people. And I always tried to behave properly, but some people were not worthy of it. There was no point in trying to be nice to them since they knew how to flip down the nice part with maniption.


    And the rest of the talk was wary. She had a difficult time as she could not embarrass me as she wanted. This time I thanked Dem and my mind for helping me with potentialebacks. I grinned in my mind with satisfaction.

 Chapter 74: That Bastard Isaac

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Agh... my head... I feel dizzy."


    It all started to happen when I was on my way back to the castle. Two maids were apanying me. But suddenly my head started to feel heavy and I felt dizzy.


    It could not be poison. I took the antidote. There could not be anything wrong with the antidote. Then why was I feeling like that?


    Ezekiel was not with me since it was not graceful to bring knights to tea parties or women''s social gathering. But now I regretted it a lot. Something was wrong about everything. I could feel my body getting weaker.


    The part of the garden I was crossing was almost vacant. I wished I could go to Demetrius as soon as possible. Or perhaps if Mother was here, she could help me to. But who would help me now? Those two maids? They were more like pawns of Lady Caerlion who were here to watch the fun.


    There must have been something in the tea. It was not poison, and even if it was, then it did not have any effect on me because of the antidote. But there was something else as well though I had no idea what it was.


    "Your Highness, are you feeling alright?" one of the maids asked.


    "No, I''m not feeling alright. And now that I think about it, you are not even going to call the king even if I ask you to. I don''t think you''re maids either. And I couldn''t care less now. But trust me, if my husband finds out, he will kill you all," I said.


    There was no point in threatening them. Because they were not the real ones behind it. There were more people who perhaps did not want me around.


    "Ah, my beautiful sister-inw is here."


    The voice... that shameless prick! It was his and his mother''s n all along. They surely mixed something in the tea that had got me feeling all dizzy.


    "What the..."


    I could not even talk properly. My voice, my thoughts- everything seemed to be messed up. It was all because of the tea. Dem and I thought she wanted to get rid of me since I was an eyesore for her, but we did not think of the slightest possibility to do something else.


    "Are you feeling okay? You look really flushed, don''t you, sister-inw?"


    He grabbed me by my waist. I tried to shake him off, but he held me pretty tightly. My body felt weaker. It did not take long before my mind was shutting down along with me body. And soon, I fell into darkness.


    "You see, it''s a cruel world. And we are crueler. Tell me. What''s the most important thing in this world? It''s power, you see. The throne- for it, I can do anything.


    That bastard Demetrius took it from me. And everyone says it was his to begin with. Just because he is the son of the previous king cannot alone give him the right to be the sessor of the throne. It''s too unfair. Don''t you think? Oh, you can''t talk right now, right?


    You are probably far away now and when you''ll wake up, I wonder what condition your husband will be in. He cares about you a lot, doesn''t he? He took the throne away from me. But so what? I will take his wife away little by little. Perhaps he won''t die tonight if he can''t mate with you.


    But I will just let him only suffer this time. Because the next time, it won''t just end with this."


    I only could hear that bastard''s voice. I could do nothing. Where was Demetrius? And where was I? What if we could not mate tonight? It would be too hurtful for Dem since it was full moon.


    So it was their n all alone to separate me from him on the full moon. That was why Dem''s aunt rescheduled. She was not sick, rather she just wanted to y with me.


    I did not know what was happening. But when I could open my eyes again, I could not see anything. My eyes were not blindfolded, rather the ce was dark.


    It was a room, not too big. There was a ss of water at the bedside table. That was when I noticed, I was on a bed. Realizing the worst possible thing that could happen, I looked down at me hurriedly.


    Thankfully, my dress was not torn or anything. That meant, no one hurt me or anything. But then where was I?


    The room was as dark as it could get. My body felt weak and my head was still a bit heavy, but it was not as serious as before. At least, at this moment, I could think straight.


    There was no sound anywhere except my breathing. At least, the bed wasfortable and there was a nket as well. I could not even track the door of the room.


    It kind of felt like a forest cabin. But how did I end up here? Did that bastard Isaac brought me here? I could not believe I once thought that I should try to get along with him. It was when I first came here and for a moment, I considered making up with him and not to be his enemy. I thought it was just a little family quarrel.


    But I had no idea it was this serious until I married.


    Dem was right. This guy deserved no mercy at all. But now what was I even going to do? I had no idea what time it was. There was no window and the room was as dark as hell. I could not even find out if Dem knew about it or not.


    He must have heard that I could not be found. He must be looking for me. He said he could find me by my scent, but what if he did not? What if I had to stay here until tomorrow?


    "Ugh, that shithead!" I yelled. "Stupid bastard!"


    It had been long since I yelled. At my house, yelling was amon thing. Perhaps I could not just ept things as they were and ended up making a fuss. Father called me rebel and said that people like me deserved to know their ce. But I already knew my ce. I already knew that my leg was too far into the mud that I could not pull myself up anymore.


    Realizing my position was the thing that led me to give up all my dreams or perhaps it refrained me from learning the ability to dream. I just wanted to survive a day.


    But then, he came into my life and pulled me out of the mud. He taught me to be spoiled. It felt good. Though I still did not approve of the way he kept spoiling me, I did not hate it. I felt happy that someone was caring for me and wanted to spoil me for no other reason than to self-satisfaction.


    I tried to stand up even though my legs were weak. I could not just give up and sit still. The room was unnaturally dark. How could a room be this dark? There was not even a hint of light anywhere.


    I wondered how I was even breathing in a room like this. The fact that I still did not have any difficulty in breathing was a surprise.


    The floor was cold and made of wood. Perhaps I was right that it was a forest cabin. I could hear the howling of wolves. It was the first time I heard this. Even though I lived among werewolves, I never for once saw them in their wolf forms. Demetrius told me that they barely shape shifted and it was because they were ustomed to live like humans.


    They even fought with human weapons rather than ws and fangs. It was strange. It was not like living among werewolves at all. It was more like living in the era of kings and queens when technology was not improved and there was nothing that was in the modern age.


    I heard wolves howled at night. Then that meant, it was night already. But it was not the only thing that crossed my mind. If they were howling, then they must be in their wolf forms. But did that mean werewolves mate in their wolf form on the full moon?


    "What kind of situation is this now?" I muttered.


    I was sure that Demetrius would find me since he could smell me. But others did not know about this. Perhaps they thought that because they could not smell me, Demetrius would not be able to smell me as well. It was a secret between Dem and I that even though others could not smell neither him nor I, he still could smell me.


    "But please, don''t be in your werewolf form. Not now."

 Chapter 75: The Full Moon (1)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The wolves'' howling had stopped suddenly. There was a disturbing silence. It was like the calm before the storm.


    I tried to look for the door in the dark room. I tripped over my own feet and fell once. I could hear Dem''s nagging and tease in my ears.


    But all of a sudden, there was the sound of someone striding angrily. Someone wasing this way. The sound was familiar, yet something was off.


    "The door... I need to find the door...," I mumbled, but then, there was a loud bang, "or not?"


    The figure standing at the entrance was someone I expected. But his attitude was unexpected, especially the look on his face. Since the door was open now, a bit of light was entering through it. And in the moonlight, I could see him properly.


    It was already sote at night. Perhaps I had been out for quite a while. I stood up and ran towards him. I did not know what to do, so I just hugged him- it was the first thing that came to my mind.


    For a moment, I had forgotten about everything. All I wanted was to be with him. Even without me knowing, I had been used to having him around. And it had gotten to the point that if he was not around even for a moment, I would feel empty inside.


    "Dem, you..."


    "You still have a chance," he said throatily. "So, leave while you still can."


    "What?"


    "Go to Luc''s tower. It''s not far away. He will do something to keep me away," he said.


    "What do you mean? I''m not leaving you," I said.


    "I... I''m losing my mind," he said as if he was resisting himself. He was not touching me as well. "I can''t... I don''t think I can hold back any longer."


    Something about him was scary. It was not just his voice, when he came in, his face was kind of scary as well.


    "I-I won''t leave you," I muttered. "You''re my husband. How can I?"


    He sighed loudly and closed the door loudly. The room was again dark. I did not like it since I could see nothing, not even his face. And the Demetrius in front of me was someone unfamiliar.


    I did not know how I felt. I could hear his sharp breath and our pounding hearts. I did not let go of him. For some reason, I was afraid. But it seemed like he was much more afraid than me. Perhaps that was why I was dared to be daring.


    I looked up at him even though I could not see him. But perhaps there was a special ability so I could still see him in the darkness.


    I rubbed my palm against his cheek. He still looked like he was restraining himself and it did not look like an easy thing to do. I knew perhaps I would get hurt, but there was no way I could allow him to get hurt all by himself.


    I needed to let him know that he should let go and do what he needed to. There was no point in resisting when in the end, it was bound to happen.


    He was too tall for me. I held the back of his neck and brought his face down. He loosened up a bit, but not fully. I pressed my lips against his. At first, it was just a light kiss, but it did not take long for him to loosen up more and take the lead.


    But he was being strange. He was not being gentle. And he was not just being aggressive. He was behaving as if time was ending.


    His hand grasped the back of my neck as he savored my lips. It was hard to breathe. We had kissed countless times, but never for once I had felt this way. This time I felt like all of the air was sucked out from inside of me.


    "Mmm... D...," I tried to tell him to slow down, but his lips were not leaving mine. It was like he was sucking the air out of me on purpose.


    His other hand grasped the back of my dress tightly. It was clear what he was going to do. But I still tried to stop him. I held his hand and tried to push him away, but before I could do anything, he had already ripped it. He was not himself. It was scary.


    He pushed me on the bed, finally letting go of my lips. It seemed he could see in the dark. There was a low rustling and the movements were impatient.


    There was a cold feeling in the room that was hitting against my skin. I wished I could hide somewhere warm, but at least tonight, it was not possible.


    He flopped on the bed and grabbed me by the waist. There was no way he could do it right away. I was not ready yet.


    "Dem, I..."


    But I could not finish. He forcefully parted my legs and when I thought he would do it, he did something strange and it was not something I expected.


    It was his face that made its way to my inner thigh. It was embarrassing and I could not even stop him. I did not know something like this could be done. Perhaps he was not in his right mind, so he was doing weird things. There was no way someone could do something like this, right?


    "Dem, you shouldn''t... uh..."


    He licked, much to my shock. That ce... How could someone lick there? But the most surprising fact was the hot and burning sensation. It was as if his tongue was a fire that was burning me slowly.


    I knew about sex. I had read a lot of novels and other books. And once, I had read about this act. In that novel, the guy was a bit of a crazy and obsessive type. So I could never be serious about whatever he did. He had done this act while having sex, but I thought it was because of his character.


    And as it was too embarrassing, I could not ask anyone or make myself find more about it. But now, at this moment when I was facing it myself, I regretted my ignorance back then.


    "Ah! Huh... De... Hmm..."


    Perhaps I was losing my mind. I had closed my eyes long ago, being unable to take the strange sensation in. But I did not face darkness; there were colors that I saw- strange, unknown colors. I put my palm over my mouth as my throat was making strange noises. Perhaps I could shut my mouth for a while, but I could not shut my mind. Before this moment, I did not know pleasure had a color.


    And it was such a beautiful color...


    His tongue teased me up. It was so dangerously pleasurable that I was afraid of something. But what was I afraid of? I had no idea.


    "Ahh! Um... ahh! Huh..."


    No matter how hard I pressed my palm over my mouth, those sounds still snuck out. It was like I was ying cat and mouse with myself.


    "... Huff... uh... Ah! Nngh... Ahh!


    Slow... slow... down," I muttered impatiently. It was like my whole world was bursting. The colors were mixing up and a colorful rainbow burst. It was when I could breathe again.


    Everything crumbled down and I was left alone in a strange world. My heart had not calmed down yet.


    We had barely done anything yet. But I already felt like he was pushing me to my limits. I did not know this type of thing someone could do. The hotness, the sweet torture, and the warm breathing on the secret ce- I did not know they existed.


    My heart was being crazy. I heard some words. He was saying something though it was more like he was mumbling to himself. I could feel the heat of his body, but I did not know where he was. Was it because the colors had vanished and the darkness emerged once more?


    I wanted to see him, talk to him and touch him. I wanted to call out his name. But something was wrong with me. I could not reach out even when I wanted to.


    I could just hold out my hand and I could touch him. But what was wrong with me? Why could I not move at all? It was like I was bewitched. I felt he was looking at me and for some reason, I had the feeling that it was his gaze that was keeping me down- the gaze that burnt like fire against my skin and the gaze of a hungry wolf towards his prey.


    "I can''t take it anymore," he grumbled. "I''m sorry."


    "Huh?"


    He suddenly flipped me so I was on my stomach. It was so sudden that I almost screamed. He wrapped his hand around my stomach and pulled me up, so my hips were raised. I had no control over it. He raised my hips a lot. This position was ufortable and more importantly, it was embarrassing.

 Chapter 76: The Full Moon (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    This position was totally new and scary to me. My hands and head were on the bed, but my hips were raised. I was truly scared. It was not just the position. It was also him who I was scared of.


    He was never gentle when it came to making love. He might say that he tried to hold back, but to me, it was not holding back at all. I always thought he was aggressive. But I also knew he was not someone to lie. If he said he was holding back, then he was holding back. But tonight, I did not think he would hold back.


    His movements were aggressive as well as his breath. Every time he exhaled, it was like something dangerous poured out of him.


    I had not gotten used to this position, but he did not give me any time as he thrusted all inside me.


    "Ah!!"


    It was the first time he did this from behind and I had to admit, it was shockingly scary. He reached too deep in this position and it was like, he was crushing his way in and out. Each time he moved, I felt my world crumbling down and the next time, it was building up again. He was relentless and each of his moves was more merciless than the previous one.


    "Ahh! Huh! Uh! Ah!"


    He never reached this deep before. It was too good to endure and too scary to let go. He had held me by the hips to thrust. It was too vigorous.


    My hands were shaking. Perhaps my hips would shake as well if he was not holding them tightly. I could feel his nails digging into the flesh of my hips while I was grasping the bedsheet with my hands as if I was trying to find something to hold onto.


    "Slow... slow down... a bit," I said desperately. "It''s... ah... overwhelming."


    But my words did not seem to reach his words as he kept moving tirelessly. The stimtion was nonstop. It was not his fault. He had warned me before and even gave me a chance to go away even though it would hurt him a lot. But how could I leave him hurting when he had done so much for me?


    Our mating was never like this before. This time, his domination was dangerous and too fast. It was kind of aggressive. He was not hurting me, but I was still scared. So this was what he meant when he said he would lose control. He was truly not himself.


    I felt hot and stuffy and as the pration was too deep, it was hard for me to catch my breath. His breath was heavy as well and I could feel his hands on my hips getting sweaty. He was not talking at all like he usually did.


    Usually, he would tease me for everything, even when we were doing it. But this time, he did not utter a single word. Rather he was making a beastly noise. The sound was hot and hoarse. He had never made this sound before. But the sound was kind of scary as it seemed that it was not him, rather an animal.


    His hands left my hips and grasped my breasts as he bent over me. The way he was ying with them was a bit painful. But the pain mixed with pleasure and made a different sensation that was not painful nor pleasurable, yet addicting.


    "Huh... Nngh! Huff... ah!"


    It was hard to keep my rationality at this moment. Just when I thought I had lost it all, he pulled me by the hair. It was not painful, but definitely embarrassing.


    But because of this, it seemed the feeling had changed as well. Everything felt different. He bit me on the neck.


    "Ahh!" I screamed. "Dem... It''s too... much... huh!"


    "I... you."


    "What? Huh... what did... you... say?"


    "I love you."


    ''What???''


    Now I hadpletely lost my mind with no way back. Suddenly he had started to thrust even faster than before. Perhaps he was close.


    But it was not helping me to think at all. Did he just say he loved me? He loved me? It was unbelievable. Like was one thing, but love?


    He groaned against my nape and thrusted twice as fast as before. Everything was calm for a moment or two. My body had gone numb and I was sure I would not be able to move for a day.


    But it was not the end. He flipped me over my back and pulled my legs on his shoulders. His grasp was firm and before I could understand, he pushed inside me again.


    What was that? How could someone get aroused again in such a small amount of time? It seemed like the full moon was a type of aphrodisiac for werewolves and it was much stronger.


    But what about me? The pleasure was so overwhelming that it was hard to think. And my body was weak as well. Perhaps I would lose the ability to walk for days after this night.


    My head was spinning. It had been too long. He was doing it again and again. And each time, the position was different than before. It was too irresistible and insane. His every move was furious and it seemed like as the night grew old, he was being wilder than before.


    It was definitely the effect of the full moon. No matter how possessive and difficult he was, it was the first time I was seeing him to be this wild. It was like he was letting out the beast inside him.


    "Dem... I... Huh!"


    "I love you."


    ''Again?''


    Then I must not have heard it wrong the first time. It was not a dream. I could not hear the same thing wrong twice.


    My heart was already thumping in my chest and hearing this, my heart filled with warmth. Tears started to flow down my cheeks. Just what kind of power did those words hold to make me feel like this? They were just three words, yet I felt like I was craving them for a long time.


    It was the first time someone told me this. Perhaps that was the reason I was overreacting. My eyes had gotten adjusted to the dark and now I could see his face.


    He looked different and a bit scary, but for some reason, I wanted to be as close to him as possible. Our bodies were as close as possible, yet I wanted to feel him more.


    He took my nipple in his mouth and subconsciously, my hand went to hold his hair. His ck hair was sleek that I always liked. Suddenly, he bit on it.


    "Ugh!" I groaned in pain. But then he licked it again as if soothing the pain. And surprisingly, it worked. Two things at the same time were too much, but three things were more than too much. It was crazy and I realized it when his hand rubbed over the secret ce while going in and out and ying with my breast.


    "You know, I want to keep you all to myself," he said suddenly. I was too shocked that he started to talk after all this time. "I want to show you off because I''m proud of you. But I don''t like it when someone gets close to you. I don''t want any other person to get close to you. I don''t care about anything or anyone, but I just want to have you.


    Every part of you- I want all of them. I''m a pretty possessive man, ain''t I?"


    "I''m an evil person, you know. I have some evil thoughts," he said throatily. "I don''t want to let you leave. Perhaps I''m insane, but I even thought of tying you up with something so you can never leave me. If I have to cut all the ties for it, I would do it, but I can''t let you leave. I want you to be by my side always.


    I''m crazy, I know. But I can''t help it when ites to you. I''m always afraid you''ll leave me. You know what? I think I''ll really tie you with me so you can''t even think of leaving. I don''t want to, but I''m afraid.


    I''m afraid I''ll have to live without you."


    "It''s not impossible. But that living won''t be called a living anymore. How can someone live when their most important thing is gone? It''s like a body without a heart. Death is better in that case, right?"


    "Dem... wh-what are you saying?" I muttered.


    "I''m saying that I can''t let you leave me. You have to be with me. I don''t want to force you, but I can''t think straight," he yelled. "I just want you. You think I''m crazy too, right?"


    I cupped his face with my hands. "It''s... unusual, but... you''re not... crazy. I think...


    I''m the crazy one."


    ''Yes, I''m crazy for not realizing it sooner.''

 Chapter 77: I Will Stay With You Forever

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I''m sorry."


    I heard a voice apologizing to me. But why? I could not understand at all. It must be my dream. But why would someone apologize to me in my dream?


    "Perhaps I should call a doctor."


    "What? What doctor? No, don''t call a doctor. I''m fine," I yelled. "... Oh, you''re up."


    What kind of situation was that? Both of us were under the nket. He surely covered me up when he woke up. But now I did not know what to say.


    I just wanted to hide somewhere so I would not have to face him. At least for a while, I wanted to be alone.


    "I''m sorry," he muttered.


    ''So it was you who was apologizing...''


    "... Nothing bad happened, so... you don''t need to apologize," I mumbled, being cautious so I would not meet his eyes.


    He should not have told me that. Why did he have to say that he loved me? Well, truly speaking, since the beginning, I knew that he loved me. But even so, for some reason, I always tried to ignore the fact and led myself not to believe it in the first ce. But why? I had no idea.


    Perhaps I did not want to take the burden of the word ''love''.


    "I don''t remember many things. Just that I came looking for you and then I told you something, but I don''t remember much of a thing afterward. I mean, I know we did it and I was like hell and hurt you a lot, but I don''t remember the details," he grumbled angrily.


    "What? You don''t remember?"


    ''You don''t remember? You don''t remember what you said to me? None of it? Then what about the ''I love you'' part?''


    "... Did I do something too bad? Or did I say something?"


    "No," I mumbled. "It''s nothing important."


    ''Yeah, you said a lot and it''s really important.''


    "... I... I don''t know what to do..."


    "It''s okay, Dem. It''s alright. I''m fine, right?" I said. He looked distressed than ever. I had never seen him like this and he looked like he was hurting. And it felt like no matter what I did, nothing would be able to fix his mood right now.


    "What fine? Have you looked at your body? The fucking bruises I made?! There are a lot... I can''t believe this! That fucking full moon!


    If I could, I would just..."


    "Hey," I cupped his face, "We went through it just right. And I think you controlled well."


    "Or I would just break in half if you didn''t," Iughed.


    "Don''t... Don''t make that face," he said as he touched my lips with his finger. "Don''t act like it''s ok. I know I didn''t want to do this, but I still did it, didn''t I? You got hurt because of me. You should be angry at me."


    "Why would I be angry at you? It wasn''t your fault in the first ce."


    "Because it''s human nature to be angry. You should have been angry at me and then perhaps if I apologized a thousand times, you should forgive me. But you..."


    "How can I be angry at my cute husband?" I smiled and pinched on his cheek. "I know it has been hard for you too. And I''m d I could help you."


    "You''re too... Your body aches, right?"


    "... Just a bit. It''s not too much. I mean, we just... did it, right?"


    "I wish it was just doing it," he muttered. "I will wipe you up."


    "It''s alright. I can do it," I said quickly.


    "Listen to me," he said sternly and I flinched. "I''m sorry. Please listen to me. You''re hurt," he sighed.


    I knew he was angry at himself and as I was behaving like nothing happened, it was normal to get angry. But I had to admit that he was quite scary when he was angry.


    "... Okay," I mumbled.


    It was daytime, but now that I looked around, the room was quite bright. Last night, there was not a single hint of light in the room which made the whole situation even scarier. But now I found a window.


    He had already brought some water and a towel. I did not know that there were more rooms in this ce but looked like, there was even a restroom.


    "It is a ce made for werewolves'' mating," he said as he started to wipe my body gently. "Werewolves are somewhat crazy beings, you know. When they are in heat, they almost lose their minds and run around or be totally beastly. So there are some cabins made in the forest so they can mate. It''s one of them. But what I don''t understand is how you ended up here.


    I followed your scent subconsciously and found you here. That time, I almost lost my mind, so I couldn''t ask you. But there is no way you cane here on your own. Something happened, right?"


    "... Yeah, something happened," I sighed. "But before I say anything, can you hit your cousin real hard for me?"


    "What did he do? Did he touch you? That bastard dared to do something horrible to you? What hit? I will just kill him! I will rip his hands off..."


    "Calm down, calm down. You don''t even know what happened," I said.


    "I''m looking for a reason to kill him. Anything is fine. Him being annoying is okay too. But he dared to mess with you. It''s more than enough for a reason to kill him," he said, gritting his teeth.


    "Actually, there was something in the tea. Because of that, I fell unconscious. I tried toe back as soon as possible when I started to feel dizzy. But I could not walk properly or even see. There was no one to help me and since it''s not okay to bring knights to tea parties, I couldn''t take Ezekiel with me. Then Isaac came and I think I fell unconscious on him."


    "You mean to say that he touched you?"


    "Um, when I had still sense, he held me by the waist. But then, I don''t know. When I woke up, my dress was alright, so I don''t think..."


    "I will kill him."


    "Don''t...," I said quickly. Honestly, I would not even mind if he killed Isaac. He was annoying and was crossing the line. But I had the sense to realize that it would not be a good thing to kill him just because of this. He was a living being after all. "If he does something big, you can think of that then."


    "But I don''t understand why he would bring you here. I mean, this ce is prettyfortable," he said. He was right. I was wondering the same thing as well. If he wanted to separate us, he could have just thrown me into a dirty ce or something, but why this ce?


    "I don''t know either."


    "I''ll find out about it."


    "How? Are you going to beat him? You''re wee to do that, but..."


    "I''ll ask him."


    "What if he lies?"


    "My wife, did you forget that I can read minds?" he said. Usually, he would smirk while saying these types of things. But this time, he did not have much of an expression.


    "Right, you can read minds," I mumbled. This time, I was truly thankful that he could not read minds. My emotions were running wild and my head was filled with questions. If he knew about those emotions, I had no idea what he would think. Because those emotions were mixed. There were fear, excitement, worry, care, and perhaps love.


    And with them all mixed, I could not think of how to not be anxious.


    "You can rest here for a while. I''ll order the maids to bring some clothes for you."


    "You''re going to leave?"


    "No, I''ll ask them through my mind," he said.


    "Okay."


    There was a silence. He was looking at the bruise on my neck. It was kind of big and looked painful, but was not in reality.


    "That one is not painful," I said. "It looks scary, but it''s no big deal."


    He did not say anything, but hugged me suddenly. I was so startled that I almost made a weird sound.


    "Stay like this," he whispered into my ear. His hot breath was making my skin tingly. Because of that, I was reminded that I was naked and he was naked as well. I was so engrossed in his face that I did not feel the need to look down. But it was not much of a problem since he looked too handsome and hot when he was naked.


    Perhaps my thinking was not normal, but I always felt that people looked weird when they were naked. That included me. It was the reason I always tried to avoid going in front of the mirror when I was naked. But he was the only exception to my that kind of thinking. He looked like a piece of art no matter in which condition he was. His physique was too perfect to be considered normal.


    How could someone have such a perfect body? His abs, arms, legs, face- everything was perfect.


    "Just for a moment..."


    Even though he said this, I could hear the real meaning in my ears. Perhaps it was because he said those things to mest night- his real desires, his want to bind me to him, and his desire to have all of me. It was not natural, but I was d that I found out about it,... since I was not nning on letting him go either.


    "I will stay with you," I said and hugged him back, "forever."

 Chapter 78: Dangerous Desire

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "You better not go back on your words," I said. Even though I asked her to stay with me for a moment, I meant forever. I always wanted her by my side. Perhaps it was a dangerous thing to think, but I could not help it. I needed her. And if she wanted to leave me, I was nning on tying her to me so she could never leave.


    ''I''m crazy. What am I even thinking? But I still want you- all of you.''


    "I won''t," she said. "But now, wear something. It''s..."


    "What''s wrong? It''s normal for a couple to be naked in front of each other," I said.


    "Yeah, but... it''s weird," she mumbled.


    "Alright," I said. Unlike other times, I did not tease her. It would be precise to say that I could not bring myself to do so.


    The thought of her finding out about my dark desire was scary. What if she got scared? I did not want her to be scared of me. I wanted her to be happy beside me. For some reason, I had been having a feeling that I had told her somethingst night that I was not meant to let her know. What if I told her something crazy?


    What if she was pretending to be okay while she was scared?


    At this moment, I wanted to read her mind. I needed to know what was going on inside her head. But I could not just ask her to take the ne off when I was the one who told her to wear it all the time to respect her privacy.


    And there was nothing I could do about my desire as well. Every moment, every minute, every second, she was always inside my head. It was like I could not live a single moment without thinking about her. It had been like this since the first time I met her. For some reason, I had always found myself dangerously attached to her. But since she came here, the situation got worse.


    I did not want to let her out of my eyesight even for a moment, but so she would not find out about it, I pretended to be okay with her going ces.


    She must not feel the same way. She might like me, but there was no way she thought about me every single moment. My situation was not normal. Perhaps that was why I was more and more anxious about her finding out about it.


    Whenever she left my side, I would feel like suffocating. And the worst thing was I was not even trying to get better. I just wanted to stay the same even if it hurt.


    It had gotten to the point that even if she told me she did not want me anymore; I would still keep looking at her. It was as if there was no one who could rece her. And if she wanted to kill me, I would invite her in with open arms.


    "Dem?"


    "Huh?"


    "You are squeezing me. I can''t breathe," she said and I noticed just then that I was hugging her too tightly. I let go of her quickly. She touched the side of my cheek and rubbed her palm against it. "What''s wrong? You know you can tell me anything."


    ''I thought I could too, but I''m afraid I can''t let you know about this.''


    "Just thinking about something," I said.


    "Something that you want?" she asked innocently.


    "Yeah, something I want. Something I really want all to myself, something I can''t let go," I muttered as I leaned against her palm.


    "Don''t worry, you''ll have it all to yourself," she said as if she was sure of it. How could even she know that I was talking about her? "Don''t worry anymore."


    I chuckled. "My wife can take all my worries away," I mumbled.


    ''Yes, you really can take my worries away. Just be with me and everything will be alright. I want nothing more than you.''


    "Now wear something. The maids will be here..."


    She could not finish as there was a knock on the door. "They are here. Get dressed then," she said.


    While getting dressed, I noticed that I had ripped her dresspletely. There were even a lot of bruises on her skin. It was my fault to hurt her like that, but even then, she behaved as if nothing happened and it was just a usual night for us.


    Was it because she was used to being hurt all the time? Or was it because she did not want me to feel guilty? But in any way, I did not like it. I wanted her to be honest with me. I knew her body was hurting even if she refused to admit it.


    "I asked for only your personal maid. Is that okay?"


    "Yeah. I was worried that you''ve asked for more maids. But it''s okay if it''s her," she smiled.


    "You don''t feelfortable around other maids? You know I can always change them," I said.


    "No, no, there is no need," she shook her hands quickly. "I just... Well, Ruby is really trustworthy and she is nice to be with. I can talk freely with her."


    "You can talk to her freely only?"


    "Yeah, she is amazing," she said.


    "Only her?"


    "What do you mean? Don''t tell me... Why are you evenparing yourself with her? You''re my husband and she is my personal maid. I can''t believe this. You''re so childish," sheughed.


    "... Yeah, yeah. You''re so mean to me and now you''reughing," I mumbled.


    "Are you seriously doing this? Ha, ha... You''re too funny!" sheughed again.


    The thought that I made herugh made me feel strange. It happened every time she smiled at me orughed or teased me. To be the reason for herughter made me think that perhaps I had gotten her heart already. The way her eyes squinted when sheughed and her adorable wheezing made me smile.


    ''Hah, I really am lucky that I found you, ain''t I?''


    "Then I''ll wait outside," I said.


    "You can stay if you want to," she said, "unless you want to go out."


    "It''s not that. I just need some air. This room is suffocating," I said.


    "Okay then. I''lle out as soon as I''m done," she smiled.


    It was not the truth. It was not the room that was suffocating; rather it was my guilt that made me feel like this. I had never felt like this before. It was not like I had never hurt anyone. I had killed a lot of people like flies and on the battlefield, I never batted an eye before shing through the enemies. But when it came to her, even if I hurt her just a bit, it was hard to forgive myself.


    I kissed her on the forehead. It was hard for me to touch her. It was not like I did not want to. It was more like I was afraid that I might hurt my fragile wife. Her skin, as soft as cream and as white as snow- I did not want to see any scars on her beautiful skin.


    "You''re behaving strange, you know that?" she said.


    "Am I?" I muttered.


    "Hmm," she mumbled. "Don''t worry about me. I''m not much hurt, you know. So, don''t feel guilty at all."


    "Get ready," I said.


    "You''re ignoring whatever I say about it," she said. "You know, you don''t have to..."


    "Stop it, Blue," I said coldly. "If you keep saying something like this, I don''t want to listen anymore then. I don''t like to listen to nonsense."


    "... I''m sorry," she mumbled, looking down.


    "Stop apologizing! I... I don''t want to see you like this!" I yelled. "Just get ready. And don''t say you''re sorry one more time or that it''s not my fault or it doesn''t hurt. If you always behave like everything''s alright, how will I find out?


    I can''t even read your mind now! No, don''t tell me that you will take it off for me. Just tell me if you don''t like something or you don''t want something. And tell me if anyone hurt you including me. Don''t just say that it''s alright!"


    I knew I was being too angry, but I could not help it. Why did she always have to apologize for something she had not done? Why did she always have to say she was okay? Was I still a stranger to her that she could not say what she truly felt?


    "Get ready. I''ll be outside," I said. "After returning to the castle, I will summon the doctor."


    "There is no..."


    "Shut up!"


    She flinched. "You will have your body checked up by the doctor. And I don''t want to hear you say no," I said.


    "... Okay," she mumbled.


    I sighed. I truly was getting too much angry. She looked like she was frightened. I did not want to yell at her like this. I could not bear it anymore. I left without looking back.

 Chapter 79: To Break The Suffocating Silence

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, I brought a dress that will cover most parts of your body," Ruby said.


    "Yes, good...," I mumbled and before I knew it, I broke down in tears. I covered my face with my hands. I could not even stop myself. It was embarrassing to cry in front of her, but my tears would not stop no matter how hard I tried.


    "Please excuse me," she said and hugged me. ''Thank you, thank you,'' I wanted to say, but nothing came out of my mouth.


    Actually, I was crying because of two things. First of all, he was truly scary when he was angry. It was the first time he yelled at me and it was also the first time, I truly was frightened. No matter how much Father or Draven yelled at me before, I was never scared like this. But when Demetrius yelled at me, I felt like I was falling. It was scary, really scary.


    And secondly, what he said was perhaps true. I should not apologize all the time. It was not like I had done something wrong. But when he talked like that, I always felt like I should apologize.


    It took me a while to calm down and when I did, I met an angry Ruby. She was like fuming in rage for some reason.


    "No matter who His Highness is, he can''t talk to you like that, Your Highness!" she objected.


    She must have heard the yelling since she was right outside the door. I could not believe she had to endure such an embarrassing event.


    "It was actually my fault," I said.


    "No, Your Highness. You''ve been very considerate," she said. "Full moons are really dangerous, yet you facedst night with a brave face. And look at your body. There are bruises all over, yet His Highness is yelling at you because you''ve been considerate? It''s not fair.


    You should yell back and let it all out on His Highness."


    I chuckled. "That''s why he yelled at me. I didn''t yell back," I said. "He wanted me to get angry at him. But think about him- it''s not his fault as well. It wasn''t like he wanted to be like that.


    It was a full moon and because of that, he had be like this, but he is behaving as if it was all his fault. Isn''t he the one being unreasonable here? That''s why I tried to tell him that it''s not his fault. But then, he got angry."


    "You''re really nice, Your Highness. But this time, it''s not your fault at all. His Highness is being really... He can be angry at us, but why is he being angry at you? It''s not fair at all," she said.


    Iughed. "It''s okay, you know. I should get ready now. He is waiting."


    "Your Highness is an angel. How can someone be angry at you?" she mumbled as she helped me get dressed.


    She was smart enough to bring the right dress. I had too many bruises on my skin and if anyone saw this, it would be embarrassing.


    "Your Highness, how did you end up here? I thought you would be in the castle, so I had prepared an aphrodisiac for you, so it would not be too hard for you. But you didn''t return and I did not see His Highness as well," she said.


    "I don''t know that either," I said. "After returning to the castle, I''ll find out about it. Oh, the doctor wille to see me as well. So after that..."


    "... Your Highness, I think you should have some chocte cake today. It brightens up the mood," she said enthusiastically.


    "Alright, I''ll take your word on that," Iughed.


    "Let meb your hair, Your Highness," she said.


    "Ah, I forgot I had hair."


    Shebed my hair and made a long braid. Demetrius liked it when my hair was braided. Guess, he was still mad at me. If someone yelled at me all of a sudden, I would be mad at them as well. But I could not be mad at him since he was half right about what he said. But about the other half, I was right.


    But since he was too stubborn, I could not tell him that.


    After returning to the castle, Demetrius took me to our room. None of us said a word to the other. He looked really angry and I was afraid that he might start yelling again. I did not like it when he yelled. He looked scary whenever he yelled and when it was directed towards me, it was even scarier.


    "The doctor will be here in a moment," he said as I sat on the bed. He was leaning against the bed frame. It was the first time he talked after a long silence that neither of us dared to break.


    I nodded and looked away. I never knew it would ever be awkward to be in the same room as my husband. But this time, I just wanted to get out or kick him out. As neither was possible, I decided to stay quiet and look away.


    But the silence was disgusting and suffocating. It was like the unspoken words and their weight was too much to bear. I should do something. But I could not think of anything but...


    "Okay, so listen," I said loudly, standing up. "I won''t apologize anymore as you said. Yes, it''s true that it wasn''t my fault. But let me tell you why I did it. You... you look really intriguing all the time and your words are even more intriguing.


    So, whenever you talk, it''s like I have to do it even though you don''t mean it. I don''t know if it''s your face''s fault, or your voice''s or yours. I really don''t know. But I can''t help but feel like apologizing. But you''re being really difficult to deal with right now."


    "It wasn''t your faultst night. How many times do I have to tell you? I know you told me not to say this again, but I have to state my point! You''re being unreasonable to yourself and my words! Just because you''re the king or something doesn''t mean you can be unreasonable and also get angry because someone isn''t agreeing to your unreasonable words! You can''t be like this.


    And now because of you, I''m scared of making you angry because I get scared when you yell. Perhaps that''s because it''s you."


    "Well, that doesn''t mean that just because it''s you, you can do anything you want. And I can''t even get angry at you for some reason. I don''t care if you''ll take my word for it or not, but I''ll say again that it wasn''t your fault. And more importantly, you would never hurt me intentionally," I said. "And well, if you can, please don''t yell at me.


    It makes me feel really sad and I get scared even though I don''t want to be. And there are more things going on in my head. But I can''t tell you that since I cursed you a lot in my head. Now if you want to keep on being angry, I don''t care. Just do whatever you want!"


    Letting it all out made me feel lighter. But after a while of yelling, I had no idea what I was saying anymore. I said whatever came to my mind and it did not matter if it made any sense or not.


    "... I don''t mind talking now, but perhaps you''ll get all flustered," he said.


    "Why? Why would I get flustered? You''re the one who told me to yell. That''s why I''m letting it all out! Now you want me to stop? Why do I have to stop just because you told me to?


    I won''t!" I yelled again.


    His eyes were focused on mine as if telling me to continue. Something was off. I looked the other side of the room only to find a female doctor standing there along with Ruby. My cheeks burned up.


    ''I just want to hide my face somewhere. My gosh, it''s so embarrassing...''


    Demetrius did not even tell me about it. He did that on purpose. He could give me a signal or tell the doctor to wait outside. Surely, the doctor had asked permission through her mind and he gave her the permission that way as well. This time, I was truly angry with him.


    "Check her full body and give her whatever she needs. I don''t want to see a single scratch left," he said. I would have preferred if he had ordered this looking at the doctor. But he was looking at me the entire time. I had noticed this before as well. All the time, he never truly looked at anyone, as if he did not want to.


    That was the type of person he was to others.


    ''Weird...''

 Chapter 80: Side Effects Of Pregnancy-Preventing Medicine

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Yes, Your Highness," thedy doctor bowed at him.


    She had blonde hair and green eyes. She was a perfect example of beauty. Her sses reflected the light and for some reason, it made her look really wise. But she looked like someone I knew.


    Demetrius gave me a long look before heading out of the room. I sighed. He was getting on my nerves now. If he did not talk to me the next time I was going to see him, I would truly be mad at him.


    "Greetings, Your Highness. I am Emma Reerba," she bowed at me. "I am Ezekiel''s older sister."


    So, that was the reason she looked familiar. Except for her eyes, she looked like Ezekiel, my personal knight. While she had green eyes, Ezekiel had gray eyes that made him look rougher.


    She checked my full body so there was no ce left. It was embarrassing. I was counting in my head that how many people had seen me naked by far.


    "Your Highness, I applied the healing medicine on your body. All the bruises will be gone by noon. I would prefer using the slightly weak one, but His Highness ordered me to use the strongest one so the bruises will be gone as soon as possible," she muttered.


    "... Yeah," I mumbled.


    "But I think something else is wrong," she said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Is Your Highness taking pregnancy preventing medicine?"


    "Ah, yes," I replied.


    "I thought so. It''s having a side effect on your body," she said knowingly.


    She talked a bit like Ezekiel. Both of them had serious faces, but Ezekiel''s face was much more serious than hers. Even though she talked in almost the same manners as him, she was a bit easy-going than him. Truly saying, he was kind of unapproachable because of his serious face kind of like Demetrius. While Ezekiel was hard to approach, Demetrius was impossible to approach.


    "What kind of side effect? Is it something serious?" I asked.


    "Yes, it''s actually making your body weaker. It''s not supposed to happen, but since Your Highness is a human, the side effects are taking severe forms."


    "What side effects?" It was not me who asked. Demetrius had suddenly burst through the door as if something huge transpired.


    ''Honestly, you should knock. It is basic manners. But of course, it''s my husband we''re talking about.''


    "Uh, Your Highness, are you having headaches these days?" she asked, looking at me. She was caught off guard as well.


    "Yes, she does," he answered for me. It was true that I hadined about headaches for the past few days.


    "And is your menstrual bleeding regr?"


    "Is it?" I asked, ncing at Ruby.


    "Still not sure as Her Highness has been here for a month only," Ruby said.


    ''Ah, that''s right. But it feels like I have been here for a long time. Perhaps it''s because I''mfortable here.''


    "What about dizziness? Does Your Highness feel dizzy sometimes?"


    "Yes," I nodded.


    "Breast tenderness?"


    "No," I said while at the same time, Demetrius said, "Yes."


    "What? When?" I asked.


    "Two nights ago, you said this when we were..."


    "Okay, okay, I understand," I quickly cut him off before he said something embarrassing. "Yes, I have breast tenderness though not regrly."


    "And because of all these side effects, your body is getting weaker. All the medicines here are made for werewolves. Werewolves'' bodies are five times stronger than humans. That''s why the medicines here are not that suitable for humans. Even the healing medicines should not be used too many times on humans as it can weaken the human bodies," she exined.


    "So you mean..."


    "Yes, Your Highness, you should stop taking the pregnancy-preventing medicines," she said.


    ''What? Then what if I get pregnant? Demetrius and I haven''t talked about it yet.''


    I could not say a word. I looked at Demetrius''s face, which held no emotions at all. He was almost always like this. This face of his hardly ever changed.


    "Alright. Is there anything else?" he said.


    "No, Your Highness," she said.


    "You can leave now, both of you," he said nkly.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    They bowed and left. I kind of wished they did not leave. I could not think of facing him right now. What would I say to him? What would he even say to me? Would he yell at me again?


    "Will it be a problem for you if you don''t take the pregnancy-preventing potion?" he asked.


    "... It''s not like that..."


    "Then what is it like?"


    "I... I just don''t..." There was no point in being indirect about this. If he wanted to know the truth, I should tell him that. He could think whatever he wanted. But still, it was necessary for me to express myself. "I actually don''t n on having a child at this moment."


    "You don''t?" he muttered. "Is there any particr reason for that?"


    "Yes," I said. "I''m only eighteen. There are more things I want to see and learn. There are a lot of things I want to experience. And I want to get to know you better. So, I personally don''t want to have children right now.


    And when we first met, you said that you didn''t marry me just to have heirs."


    "So you mean to say that you don''t want children because you want to live freely for a while at least?"


    "Y-Yes..."


    He smiled all of a sudden. It was thest thing I expected. But his smile was too sweet for me to bear. It was like the way his lips curved into a magnificent shape was driving me crazy. It was a usual thing for me to wonder every now and then that if it was a dream that I was married to him. For some reason, it was very hard to believe.


    After all, I was just a normal human and he was a mighty werewolf, and most importantly, he was handsome as hell. How could someone so good-looking be my husband?


    "I''m d you told the truth," he said with the heart-stealing smile of his. "I was worried that... I was worried that you''re too afraid of me to tell the truth."


    ''That''s your fault. You''re too intimidating. But I think I''m getting used to it. It''s not as scary as before.''


    "To tell the truth, I don''t want a kid at all," he said.


    My eyes widened with shock. What was he saying? In novels, I never read that a king did not want an heir. It was the first time I was hearing such a thing. No matter how strange his thoughts and view of the world was, it was far from my expectation.


    "I don''t like kids. They are annoying. There are some reasons that I don''t want children. First of all, as I said, they are annoying. Secondly, giving birth is hard. And since you are a human, giving birth to an Alpha''s son is even harder for you.


    I don''t want to see you in pain. And thirdly, I don''t want a kid who will look like me or have any of my characteristics. If the kid is like you, then it''s okay. But I don''t want someone like me. That''s why I don''t want any kid," he said.


    I did not want any kid right now, but it did not mean I did not want to have any kid at all. After some years, if a kid came along, it would not be a bad thing. But what was he saying all of a sudden? I never thought he felt this way.


    "But why?"


    "Why what, my wife?"


    "Why don''t you want a kid like you? What''s wrong with having your appearance?" I asked. ''You''re quite handsome.''


    "Isn''t it obvious?" he smirked.


    "... You are handsome and you know it. It can''t be your looks," I muttered. "Then it must be your personality..."


    "Right?"


    "What? It''s really about your personality? I was just joking..."


    "My wife," he said as he took steps towards me and stopped right in front of me, leaving almost no space between us, "do you think your husband''s personality is good?"


    "No."


    "You didn''t even think about it," he chuckled.


    "That''s because it''s obvious," I said. "Well, no one has a good personality. Just think about it. Does anyone in this world have a pure heart? I don''t believe so. Everyone has a side of them that''s dark.


    That''s how humans are made after all. There is a blend of dark and light inside humans. And I think werewolves are the same. There is both light and dark in them. So, when I said you don''t have a good personality, I didn''t mean it''s just you. If we think thoroughly, don''t we all have bad personalities?


    It''s true that you have some traits that are not positive and some traits that I don''t like, but who am I toin? It''s you, right? You can''t change who you are no matter how much you try. So, there isn''t any point in hating yourself thinking that you have a bad personality."

 Chapter 81: Almost Impossible To Conceive Child

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "I don''t think you understand, my wife. You have no idea what kind of horrible thoughts are going through my head," I said. "It''s not just bad personality. It''s twisted and rotten to the core."


    "How do you know that? How do you know that it''s twisted? If you know that your thoughts are twisted, don''t you think it''s strange? If you truly were a twisted person, you shouldn''t have understood it. You would think as if it''s normal behavior, yet you are able to separate your twisted thoughts. Think about it, Dem.


    It''s not possible if you''re... I''m not saying that you''re a good person. I''m just saying that you''re not evil," she said.


    "Huh? You know nothing," I mumbled. She knew nothing about what I wanted. How would she feel when she would find out that I wanted to lock her up so she would not be able to leave? How would she react knowing that I wanted to keep her all to myself, somewhere where only I would be able toy my eyes on her?


    "Perhaps I don''t. And let''s say that you are a twisted person with a bad personality and you don''t want a kid like you. And I don''t want a kid at this moment. But I''m okay if it happens after some time. Now what? What will we do?" she said.


    "Then will we stay away from each other because of this? I mean, we won''t do it?"


    "... You don''t want to do it with me?" I asked.


    "It''s not that. Of course, it''s not the case. I don''t want... us to stay separate."


    "Then no matter what happens, I won''t stay away from you," I said. There was no way I would be able to keep myself away from her. I had been waiting all those years for her. It was not to get separated. It was so I could have her, kiss her, touch her, and embrace her whenever and however I wanted.


    "But then..."


    "Yes, I don''t want a child and neither do you. But you see, you''re a human. So, it''s almost impossible for you to conceive my child anyway."


    "W-What? But no one... told me that," she muttered in shock.


    "I know. It''s because I forbid them from doing so. My lovely wife, I know you so well," I said. "If you found out about it, what would you do? You and I both know what you would do, don''t we?"


    "... I don''t understand at all..."


    "You do," I chuckled bitterly. "You won''t want to marry me. It''s not because you want a child badly, rather you won''t want me to be heirless. Is that right, my wife?"


    "It''s..."


    "A werewolf can only have a child with their mate. They can''t even mate with another werewolf who is not their mate. Because if they do, they are punished by the Moon Goddess. It''s death. They cough up blood, a lot of blood, and then it''s the end," I said. "You know this, don''t you?"


    She kept silent. I had heard her talking to her personal maid about this. That maid of hers told her everything.


    "Dem, why didn''t you tell me this?" she asked.


    "Because you would want to leave me," I said. "I intended to keep it hidden at least until our wedding. But then, I didn''t think I would need to tell you this any time soon as you were taking pregnancy-preventing medicine."


    "... Then tell me one thing. Just because you like me, you chose me?"


    "Yes."


    "Hah, I don''t have anything. Dem, I can''t even get you... Just why did you have to choose me? Because you like me? Oh please, give it a break. Choosing someone for a lifetime is not as simple as saying the word ''like''," she said.


    "I don''t know how to answer this. I don''t know exactly what I feel about you. It''s difficult, almost impossible to describe. And what if you don''t have anything? Let''s say that you don''t have beauty, power, anything. So what?


    Who cares about those shallow things? In my eyes, it''s just you. I don''t care about beauty, power, or anything; I can see you, and you only. It''s you, or none," I said. "And as it''s almost impossible for you to have my child, we can still do it. And if anything happens, we can always take care of it."


    "Take care of it? You don''t mean..."


    "You know what I mean."


    "But it''s a kid," she said.


    "My wife, I don''t care about anyone but you. If only you don''t leave me, I''ll do whatever you want. Just tell me what is it you want, but don''t tell me to stay away from you. If you want to have a child, I''ll not kill it. And if you don''t, then let me get my way. But for that, you have to tell me what is it you want," I said.


    "I... Alright, we''ll leave it up to fate then," she said. "If I get pregnant any day, we''ll keep the child."


    "Alright. As you want, my wife," I said and kissed her on the forehead. "By the way, there is a thing I wanted to tell you."


    "What is it?"


    "Let''s go to the garden."


    "What? Why?"


    "The mood in this room is not quite right," I grumbled.


    "... I don''t understand you at all."


    "Though I''m a bit disappointed, it''s quite amusing to surprise you," I said. "Wear something light then. It''s quite hot today. The days are hot these days and nights are cold."


    "That''s how it''s supposed to be," she muttered as she went to the closet to choose a dress.


    "Let me help you get ready."


    "How will you help me? I''ll just put on a dress. The braid is still okay, so... You can wait outside. There is no need to call Ruby as well," she said.


    "What about I help you put it on?"


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 82: [Bonus chapter] Giving Up An Obsession Is Not Possible

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    He made his way to the closet and started rummaging through the dresses. I just stood there and watched my husband being childishly stubborn and find me a dress to wear today.


    As he was looking for a dress for me, my mind went back to our conversation. I could not believe he hid that important information from me and most importantly, he behaved as if he would do anything for me, only if I stayed by his side.


    I had found out about his nature, thanks to the full moon. He did not want to let me know about it and because of that, he had been trying so he did not say about his desires aloud. I had to admit that he was right about this. His desires were indeed a bit creepy.


    But I knew that it was not just an obsession. If it was, then I would not be able to move as freely as I could now. But there was no way to deny that there was no obsession though it was good to know that he was trying his best.


    But I knew something perhaps he did not. Obsession was not an ordinary thing. And most importantly, it was not something that anyone could get rid of. It was impossible. Just how getting obsessed with something was hard, giving up the obsession was rather impossible.


    I decided not to tell him that I knew about it. It would stress him out and he might try to do something that might put his mental condition under pressure. Doing something against physical ability was one thing, but when it came to mental condition, it was not something one should do since it might lead to an unimaginable inner pressure.


    "What about this dress? It''s light and the color looks good as well," he said.


    He held out a light crimson A-line dress made with thin fabric. To be honest, I did not care about what I wore. I just wanted to pass through the day without remaining naked.


    "Alright," I said. "But I still don''t understand why we have to go to the garden."


    "Why? Can''t a husband and a wife spend some time together without any particr reason?" he said. He was not angry anymore as before and it seemed like he did not yell at me in the morning. It was as if the morning incident had not transpired at all.


    "No, it''s not that... I mean, it''s hot today."


    "That''s why we''re going to sit under the willow tree," he said.


    Again, everything I knew about Willow trees came right into my mind. The thoughts were like bullets,ing too suddenly before I could figure anything out. There was no way of controlling the thoughts. It was simply impossible for me. If I knew about something, my mind felt the necessity to let me know in details. Sometimes, my mouth would start rambling.


    It was like they worked without my consent. Whether I liked it or not, it would happen nheless.


    When I was young, if a teacher asked me something, I would start rambling half the book. The kids would look at me weirdly as if I had gone mad. The teachers would also be surprised.


    When I was in the third grade, the teacher called my parents to meet them. When they came, they told them about my strange but extraordinary condition and expressed the necessity to go to a doctor or something since conditions like mine were not very normal and it could mean something serious was wrong with my brain. But my parents just shrugged, saying I was weird since the beginning.


    I never could go to the doctor about this matter, so I never truly knew if something was wrong with me or not.


    Was something wrong with me?


    As the words flooded back in my head once more, I wondered again. Was I truly normal? Was someone else had this condition like mine? Was it so acute in their cases? Or was it just me?


    I desperately wished it was not just me. Why would I suffer only? Sure, it came in handy sometimes, but not often. Most of the times, it was just a pain in the ass.


    Like right now.


    "What are you thinking about so intently?"


    "Nothing, just my photographic memory kicked in," I muttered. "By the way, why is there a willow tree out of nowhere in the middle of the garden? I mean, it''s not something that''s meant to be there, right? It''s a royal pce. I had never heard of a willow tree to be in the middle of a garden, let alone a royal garden."


    "Well, it''s true that it''s quite unusual for your world. But in the royal gardens of all five kingdoms, there is a willow tree in the middle."


    "What?"


    "Yeah, it''s said that one of these trees possess the power to connect to the Moon Goddess."


    "... Is it just a tale or is it a real deal?"


    "I don''t know. Actually, I couldn''t care less. Who cares about Moon Goddess? She made weird rules for us that we got to follow like dogs. Why would I care about connecting to her? I want to do nothing with her."


    ''Well, wolves are a kind of dogs. But I better not say that...''


    "So you don''t like the Moon Goddess?"


    "Of course, I don''t. If I wasn''t the Alpha, can you believe what could have happened? I would have another mate and had to live with her. So annoying! Fuck, I can''t even think about it! Let''s just forget it, okay?


    The willow tree is good even though the maker is total scam," he grumbled. "I just want you," he added in a whisper. But I still heard it. The words hit as if my heart was hit with a truck. I should control myself, or I might die because of this excessive affection though I was greedy enough to want more.

 Chapter 83: Under The Willow Tree

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Even though I told him not to, he put the dress on me himself. And of course, he tried to do indecent stuff as always.


    "I didn''t know they would grow after you turn eighteen," he muttered as he zipped the dress up.


    "Grow? What''re you talking about?"


    "Your breasts," he said nonchntly.


    "..."


    "They were a handful, but now they spill through my palms," he said while making weird gestures with his hands as if he was trying to prove his words.


    I felt so embarrassed that I felt the urgent need to hide my face somewhere. "Stop saying such embarrassing things as if it''s nothing!"


    "But it''s the truth," he shrugged. "Though you breasts grew in the past few days, something else is still the same."


    "... Please stop talking," I said tiredly.


    "I can understand why your breasts grew. As I give them my utter affection every day, they surely want to show their gratitude by growing up, don''t you think? But what I don''t understand is even though we do it more than normal, down there, you''re still almost as tight as the first time. But, I like all of you as it is."


    "... Are you seriously talking about that? Honestly, let''s go already. You said you have something to tell me," I said in hope of getting out of this weird conversation.


    "Ah, my wife is so shy," he said and touched my cheek with the back of his hand. He rubbed his knuckles against my cheek. Whenever he did this, my heart would feel lighter and the butterflies in my stomach would go crazy. "Your face is red like a tomato, your ears as well. Hah, such a cute expression- I want to eat you up."


    "Nope," I said and pushed him away by the chest. "It''s not the time to be like that. Let''s go now."


    "Alright, alright, my darling wife," he chuckled and tapped on my nose.


    ''Again, you did it again...''


    I wondered when it started that he would call me by sweet names and I felt like it was the most normal thing possible. Was it usual between couples? Or was it just us? But in any way, the feeling was quite blissful, as if I was waiting for this my whole life.


    We went to the garden together. I had seen the willow tree in the middle of the garden before too, but I never went near it. For some reason, I did not like the look of the tree. I was not someone to be too fond of trees or to hate trees. But I was always interested in finding out about them. Perhaps it was because of my photographic memory that I always wanted to know more and more about everything.


    The willow tree was no different, but I did not like to go near it.


    As Demetrius wanted to go there, I did not oppose. He might feel bad if I said no. But if he liked this ce, perhaps I would like it as well as long as he was with me.


    "You are smiling," he said all of a sudden.


    ''Yes, I''m smiling, but do you have to point it out? Now it''s weird.''


    "The weather is good."


    "Haha, is that why you''re smiling?" he chuckled. "My wife, aren''t you lying to your husband? And besides, the weather is hot. You don''t like hot weather."


    "... That''s true."


    "Then can I know why you were smiling? Is it because of me?" he asked, bringing his face too close to mine.


    "Please let it slide," I said in a surrendering way.


    Heughed. "Just say it''s because of me. As long as it''s me, I don''t mind."


    "Who else would it be?"


    "So you''re admitting you smiled because of me?"


    "..."


    We sat under the shade of the willow tree. Looking at Demetrius, it seemed like the ce was to his liking. He looked rxed. But I could not say the same about me. I felt weird. It was as if someone did not want me to be here, as if I was invading someone else''s property.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked. His arms were crossed behind his head as he leaned against the body of the tree.


    "Nothing," I said quickly. Perhaps I was feeling this way because I was tired. But then why did I feel this way whenever I came near this tree? "Well, what did you want to tell me? It seemed like it was something serious."


    "It''s something I didn''t tell you."


    "Huh? What is it?"


    "Remember when I said that you saved Evelyn?"


    "Uh-huh."


    "As I said, that was the first time I saw you. But there was another time when you didn''t save any other werewolf, rather me," he said.


    It was quite a surprise. I did not know how to react. Should I be happy that I saved him? Or should I be anxious that he was hurt? I hated mixed feelings and now I was feeling that again.


    "You don''t remember it, I know."


    "W-What? I don''t get it..."


    "I actually used a potion on you so you would forget what happened that day."


    "But why?" I asked. Did something horrible happen that day that he had to use that potion on me?


    "It was five years ago. I always went to see you once a year and to make sure that you were not taken."


    ''Well, that''s like you.''


    "There was a guy with weirdly blue hair who wanted to confess to you. Thankfully, I found out and scared him off by threatening him. And since I was much older, he got scared," he said normally. "But then one day, I met someone unexpected there."


    I could not even guess who it could be. It must be a suspicious human. It could not be another werewolf, right? Since it was my world, there could not be another werewolf, unless it was also an...


    "It was another Alpha," he said.


    "Another Alpha?"


    It was true that he told me that only Alphas could enter my world once a year. Yet, it was hard to ept that another Alpha went to my world, and more importantly, to my city out of all the continents, countries, towns, and viges.


    "Yeah. Remember King Ford?"


    "King Ford? Isn''t he the king of Trouvaille?"


    "That''s right. It was him. And apparently, we don''t have a good rtionship, neither our kingdoms." He had said this before too that King Ford was arrogant enough to name his kingdom after him. Since then, I did not like this guy even though I never met him. Demetrius was arrogant too and he liked to show off, but it did not get to the point to name his kingdom after his name.


    I pity the people of Trouvaille since I would feel disgusted to live in a ce that was named after someone else no matter who he was. Dem even told me that Trouvaille had skilled spies and they could be anywhere around us. They were from the suicide squad. It was hard to believe that they would not mind giving their lives up for missions.


    "He was there because somehow he found out about you," he said. "I don''t know how it happened. No one was supposed to find it out, but still, somehow he managed to. So, he went there to kill you."


    "Exactly how old is this King Ford?" I asked. "His name sounds pretty old."


    "He is the same age as me," he said. "But that''s not the point. If you want to get angry at me, I can understand."


    ''Why would I get angry at you? Because King Ford wanted to kill me? Oh please, my family wanted to kill me my whole life. Who cares about this random dude?''


    "I''m not angry. Please continue."


    "... So, when I found him lurking around the coffee shop you used to work at, I fought him. I actually challenged him and as he is too proud of himself, he epted it. Both of us were badly injured, but he managed to run away before I killed him. Actually, our conditions were really bad. The fight between two Alpha is always dangerous and most of the time, one of them dies.


    And even if they don''t die, they are gravely injured. So when I was nning to leave as it was the only way I could survive, you found me first. I could not go ask for medicines anywhere and it was hard for me to move in that condition. Truly saying, I was too arrogant to ask for help and even if I did ask for help that time, there might be police or doctors involves.


    So what if they asked for my identity? You see, there were a lot of difficulties. Yet, there were you. As always, you were there when I needed you even though I did not want you to find me."

 Chapter 84: Under The Willow Tree (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The weight of his precious words and the burden of not remembering anything felt painful. The more I tried to remember, the more painful it was.


    "I... I can''t remember anything, Dem," I mumbled.


    "Don''t try, my wife. You can''t remember even if you try hard. I used the kind of potion that permanently removes a specific memory. So, the day is erased from your memory," he said. "I''m sorry, but it was a necessity. You know, you can get mad at me for that."


    "I''m not mad. You had your reasons, right?"


    "Of course. How could I disclose the fact that I''m a werewolf at that moment? So, I had to do it," he nodded. "I remember that you brought a lot of medicine from the pharmacies. I told you not to take me to a doctor. Well, you thought that I was a criminal and that''s why I was refusing to see a doctor.


    So, you were saying that you will call 911 no matter what. I didn''t know what the hell ''911'' was back then. But well, now that I know, I feel stupid. Anyway, it took me a while to convince you that I was attacked by assassins and they were still after me. If you took me to a doctor, they might find out my whereabouts. Well, I''m d that you were cautious of strangers.


    That''s why my beautiful wife is safe after all though you were still hurt by your family. But if we forget about trash, you''re okay because you were cautious."


    ''I guess so. But please, don''t add ''darling'', ''beautiful'' all the time. It''s really too much to bear.''


    "I was there for the whole day and you took care of me without resting. You were crying, you know. I still remember how hard you were sobbing saying that how will I live when I lost so much blood. I asked you to hold my hand so I would feel safe."


    "You really did that?" I grumbled.


    "I wouldn''t miss a chance like that, right?" he smirked. "Then I erased your memory."


    "But did you have that potion with you that time? Why?"


    "Well, it wasn''t with me... It fell from Ford''s pocket."


    "Eh? Why would he carry something like that with him?"


    "I think it was because in case someone saw him killing you, he would just make them drink those potions."


    "That''s unrealistic. I mean, like what if a person escaped right away? It''s possible, right?" I said.


    "He brought a lot of things with him, but this was the thing that fell from his pocket. He hade prepared for sure," he said.


    ''That bastard, Ford! That punk truly wanted to kill me it seems.''


    "Well, it was good that the memory-erasing potion fell from his pocket. It came to use."


    "But what if the potion wasn''t there? What would you do then?" I asked. There was no way he would have thought of bringing me with him that time, right?


    "I would have brought you with me."


    "What?"


    "Yes, that''s the only way. Then I could have a lot early, but I wanted to wait until you''re eighteen. The legal age for mating and marriage here is sixteen for girls and eighteen for boys. You were thirteen that time. So, if I brought you here, I would have to wait only three years for you. But I didn''t want that.


    As per your country, thewful age for marriage is eighteen. So, I wanted you to turn eighteen first. Well, actually, I didn''t want to look like a creepy guy who seduces minor, so..."


    "Pfft..."


    "Are youughing?"


    "No... Why would I?"


    "Ha, I''m d that you''re having fun. But I''m also sad that you areughing at me. And I''m confused as to why you''re not angry at me."


    "... What kind of odd feeling is that?" I muttered. "I told you before too. I don''t have any reason to get mad at you. You wiped my memory for a reason. Though it was an important thing, I don''t care as long as you think it''s right."


    "You trust me that much?"


    "I told you before too."


    "Yeah. When I said you should trust anyone not even me, you insisted that I earned your trust long ago. I''m d, you know," he smiled.


    ''Ack! How can someone look so handsome while smiling? Jesus, I might die from my husband''s handsomeness!''


    "Well, are those the two times I saved werewolves?" I asked.


    "Yeah. Why are you asking this?"


    "Well, you mean to say I didn''t save anyone else other than Evelyn and you?"


    "That''s right."


    "And that''s also those two times?"


    "Yeah. But I still don''t understand why you''re saying this. It''s as if you expected a different answer."


    "Of course, I did. I saved another wolf the same day you came. That''s why all my money was spent and I couldn''t bring beer for Draven. He was angry because of that and even beat me up. But that''s not the..."


    He suddenly hugged me. It was so sudden and unexpected that I was taken off-guard. But I felt warm.


    "Dem... what is it? You''re hugging me suddenly..."


    "Is it wrong for me to hug my wife?"


    "No, of course not... I mean, it''s so sudden..."


    He ced me on hisp. It was as if I was not a human but air. He did not seem to use much strength to move me. It was embarrassing. I felt the need to hide somewhere. I was sure he would tease meter about it.


    "You know, I can sit down there..."


    "Myp is morefortable for you, my wife," he said.


    ''Comfortable, my ass! I''m all flustered now because of how close he is to me!''


    "Now you can talk?"


    "How can I even talk like this?"


    "Why? Your mouth isn''t upied in any other way. Or should I..."


    "No, I''m talking. Lord, you are really something...," I mumbled. "So the wolf I saved that day was not a werewolf?"


    "No, it was merely a wolf," he said.


    "And I thought that it was a werewolf as well. Actually, I had forgotten all about it due to circumstances. But then when I remembered, I really thought it was a werewolf. I mean, now that I think about it, basically, most of the time of my life was surrounded by werewolves. So, I thought it was a werewolf as well. Guess I was being absurd," I said.


    "I''m d that it wasn''t a werewolf."


    "Why?"


    "Why would you touch another werewolf except me?"


    "What the... Are you being serious?"


    "My wife, I''m a very jealous and possessive person, you know that, right?"


    ''Of course. How can I not know this? And he is even arrogant enough to admit this freely as if it''s the most normal thing to say. Nheless, I still like him no matter how he is.''


    I nodded slowly. "I get easily jealous. But trust me, I''m holding back," he whispered into my ear. "That day, Luc even hugged you."


    "Ah, yes...," I said. "But how do you know? I don''t remember telling you this? It''s not like I was hiding it from you. It''s just I thought it was too insignificant."


    "I smelled him from you and then read Ezekiel''s thoughts. He seemed irritated that Luc hugged you as well. Well, it''s not like I like this fact."


    "It was just a friendly hug and it''s just Luc."


    "You don''t even know Luc that well?"


    "But he is your friend, right? So, he must be a good person and besides, he seemed friendly to me as well," I said.


    He looked as if he hated it a lot. There were even furrows on his forehead. "... Ah, I''m sorry. I won''t do it again. I will keep my distance," I said.


    "Happy now?"


    "Only I can hold you like this," he muttered as he hugged me tightly. "Only I can touch you, kiss you, embrace you, spoil you, and do everything with you. No one else."


    "Right," I said. It was like I wasforting a little kid. Since I knew about his personality, I knew how much it meant for him to hear that I wanted it to be him only. In reality, I only wanted him as well. But for a person like him, it was important to express this with actions and words.


    "I really have a weird thinking, right?" he chuckled bitterly.


    "It''s... It''s okay to think differently than the rest only if it doesn''t cross the line," I said.


    "You''ll be with me even so, right?"


    "Dem, please stop saying such things..."


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with me. I don''t understand at all... Should I lock you up so you can''t leave me? But you won''t like that, will you?"


    "No, I won''t."


    "Then tell me... tell me what should I do to bind you to me?"


    "Dem," I said slowly, "aren''t we already bound together since the moment we got married? The marriage vows were not just words to me, Dem. When the priest said we would cherish each other for the rest of our lives, I took it to heart. Didn''t you, Dem? Didn''t you carve the words in your heart as well?"

 Chapter 85: Under The Willow Tree (3)

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "You will never leave me then?" I asked.


    "No, I won''t," she said.


    I just needed to hear that. But no matter how many times she said it, I always felt anxious. I always feared for the time she might leave me.


    Then should I try to get her pregnant? If there was a child between us, then she might never think of leaving me. But I did not like children and I did not want to share her with anyone. Then what should I do?


    It was like I was going crazy. She was right beside me. Then why was I being like that? Why was I fearing that she might go away?


    Suddenly two soft palms cupped my face and shifted my thoughts and attention towards my beautiful wife. She looked deeply into my eyes and once again, I was mesmerized by her eyes. They were beautiful and clear just like the sea. It seemed like I could see through them. Most of the time, it was easy to read her. But there were some times when I could not read her.


    Since I could not read her mind because of the ne, I had to rely on getting to know her better. It was hard as I was not experienced in these types of things. But I was trying. The more I could understand her, the better and rxed I felt.


    "I told you this before- your mood changes really quickly," she said.


    I leaned against the soft palms cupping my face. "Does it?"


    "Yeah. That''s why sometimes it''s hard to understand you," she said. And I could say the same about her. It was sometimes really hard to understand her as well and I hated those times.


    "You want to understand me?"


    "Of course."


    "If you want to understand me, you need to know me first. And when you know me, you can slowly understand me."


    "I know you. I can''t say enough, but I''m trying," she said. "Hah, you speak as if you know me too well."


    "Well, it''s true that I don''t understand you sometimes as well, but I know you."


    "Really?" she asked with a questioning look.


    "Of course. I also know that you''re hungry right now," I said. She did not have any food since yesterday. She was supposed to be hungry. I was wondering when she would say this, but she had not yet.


    "Hungry? Well... a bit. But it''s not like we need to go back for that. I''m not that hungry," she said.


    She was always like this. In front of me, she always behaved as if she would give in no matter what. I did not understand this. With others, she was not like this. She always had her head high while she was with others. But when she was with me, she would give for my sake.


    "We don''t have to go back," I said. "Here, eat this." I gave her two sandwiches. I had brought them for her since I knew she had not eaten anything.


    "Can you do magic? How did thosee here?" she asked in surprise.


    "I brought them for you," I said.


    "What about you?"


    "I don''t eat sandwiches," I said bitterly.


    "Why? They are tasty," she said.


    "I just don''t like them. Actually, I don''t like it when the breades with something."


    "What???" she eximed loudly. It was like she had just heard something she should not have. It was adorable though... "You don''t like when there are other things with bread?"


    "That''s right. I don''t like fancy bread."


    "Fancy bread? Are you kidding me? That means, eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, ham- they are out?"


    "They taste weird," I said.


    "What about chicken?"


    "Nope."


    "What? Fried chicken, or steak, or BBQ chicken..."


    "They are out," I said. I did not understand why she was making a big deal out of this. But I did not stop her since it was too cute.


    "Bacon?"


    "No."


    "Then cheese? Please don''t say that even cheese..."


    "Sorry to disappoint you, but no."


    "Cheese? What did cheese ever do to you? I can''t believe it... Chicken, cheese... my goodness," she rambled on. "That means, you don''t like burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, right?"


    "I don''t know what people like about them."


    "... You really are something? Your self-resistance is sickening," she muttered. "Really? Don''t like pizza? I can''t even think about it..."


    "Self-resistance, huh?"


    "What? Why are you focusing on that thing now?"


    "My wife, do you really not know about my self-resistance at all? I thought you knew about this too well. But now, I think I need to work harder to remind you that again."


    "Remind me what? Hey, you aren''t implying anything indecent, are you?"


    I raised my eyebrow at her. "What do you think?"


    "You... you are too much," she mumbled shyly as she nibbled on her sandwich.


    ''So cute.''


    I wiped the breadcrumbs from the side of her lips. "You eat like a bird, my wife," I said.


    Her face turned red as she tried to look away, but I held her face so she could not do so. "The way you eat looked too familiar to me. So, I had been trying to find out why. Now I remember. You actually eat like a little bird."


    "You are teasing me again," she muttered.


    I liked it when she made this face. Honestly, I liked whatever face she made except one smile. There was a smile that was ck as an empty canvas, as lifeless as a corpse. I wished she had never learned to smile like that. And whenever she smiled like that, it felt like the worst possible nightmare. I did not want to see her like that.


    I wished she would always smile lively like the moon.


    "My wife."


    "Hm?" she looked at me with her big eyes.


    "I feel like I''m missing something. Are you sure I didn''t say anythingst night? Why do I feel otherwise?"


    "Yeah, you said something. But it''s not necessary. It was just... just your shameless talking as usual," she said.


    ''Shameless talking, huh? But why do I feel like you''re lying, my darling wife? Why do I feel like it''s something I didn''t want you to find out?''


    "... If you say so," I muttered. There was no point in asking her. She was not going to tell me anyway. But what exactly did I say that night? If only I could remember...


    "By the way, I found the moonstone."


    "What moonstone? Oh, the moonstone," she said. "But when did you even go to find it?"


    "This morning," I replied. "Remember when I left, that''s when."


    "Oh... I thought you left because you were angry."


    "I was, but not too much," I said. I actually felt better after she yelled at me. She needed to stand up for herself and not apologize even when she had not done anything wrong.


    "But you came back quickly too..."


    "Of course. It''s just a piece of cake," I said. "Don''t you have anything to say to me?"


    "Uh, what do you mean?"


    "Praise me."


    "..."


    She startedughing. It was too cute to watch herugh with breadcrumbs all over her face. She pulled me into her chest and patted my head.


    "My husband has done a good job. I''m very proud of you," she said while smiling. "By the way, it''s truly amazing that you found it in that short amount of time. Alphas are really great, I suppose."


    "No."


    "What?"


    "Not Alphas. Only your husband is great," I said. "Don''t say such things carelessly, my wife. It hurts my feelings."


    "Feelings?" I heard her mumbling. Then she quickly recovered and said, "Well, I was just praising you."


    As she decided to ignore it herself, I decided not to ask her anything about it as well. But it was not like I was not curious. I just did not want to make her ufortable about these types of things.


    "Along with me, you were praising other Alphas as well."


    "What? No, I wasn''t! But if you really don''t like it, I won''t say it again."


    "That''s right."


    "Should I say something?"


    "No. I know what you''re going to say."


    "You''re adorable!" she eximed loudly. I was sure someone might have heard her. I could guess what kind of shocked expressions they might be making. Well, it did not matter since it was just my wife who could see me like this.


    ''But still, I don''t like ''adorable''. Say ''cool'' or ''handsome'' or ''hot''.''


    "My wife, calling a man ''adorable'' is not okay."


    "Why not? Adorable things are supposed to be called adorable."


    "Sweetheart, you really make me want to teach you to behave. You''re being naughty."


    "You... I thought we were not going on about this stuff, but you''re again being indecent," she muttered. Her cheeks and ears were already red. It was good to see her like this.


    "I think I have to disappoint you, my wife, but your husband is always indecent with you."

 Chapter 86: Excessively Cute

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Two days had passed since the full moon. Things had been hectictely. Demetrius confronted Isaac and his mother, Lady Caerlion. Of course, as expected, they denied. But as Demetrius could read their minds and I also told him about it, he found out exactly what happened. There was no proof, so he could not punish them.


    But then, he found those maids who were there as well and made them tell the truth. He wanted to kill them, but Mother and I managed to stop him.


    "At least, let me make sausages."


    "What?" I asked in surprise.


    "Let me make blood sausages using their blood," he had said.


    "..."


    That was how our conversation went. It took a while to make him understand that we could kill them just for this. If this news leaked out, then it would be a disgrace towards us. And besides, I was not liked by all of the werewolves here since I was a human. That was why we needed to be as careful as possible about everything.


    Atst, he sent them away from the pce and it was not temporary. I was truly surprised when he did that. When he suggested it before, Mother was against it. But this time, she did not oppose. Rather, she was pretty angry as well since they tried to harm me.


    Dem said his uncle''s family was not living in another residence that was quite a bit away from the pce and they could note inside the pce as they pleased. Even though I was surprised, I was d to hear that. I did not like them from the start and they always looked at us as if they hated us more than anything else.


    After all those hectic things, this morning was my first swordsmanship lesson. As promised, Dem had made me a de, but he had not shown me yet. He arranged proper clothes for me and told me to meet him in his study.


    "Your Highness, these types of clothes suits you. Here, women don''t really wear pants. It''s not like they don''t at all. But it''s rare," Ruby said as she braided my hair.


    I really did not understand why Dem was so obsessed with my braid. And for some reason, I always found myself telling Ruby to braid my hair. Perhaps it was because I wanted him to look at me with satisfaction.


    "But who is going to teach Your Highness?" she asked.


    "I don''t know. Dem told me to meet him in his study. That guy hasn''t even shown me the sword yet," I sighed. "But I''m excited! I mean, it will be the first time I will be able to hold a sword and most importantly, lift it. I couldn''t lift Dem''s de since it''s so big and heavy.


    I mean, honestly, who can fight with something like that? It''s like it came from a factory of cutting candies."


    Thankfully, this time I could make Ruby agree to not put makeup on my face. I would get sweaty and it would be disgusting if I had makeup on. To be honest, I did not like wearing makeup that much since I was not used to it. But Ruby always made me wear makeup saying that it was important for a queen. The same went for essories.


    But this time, even she had to admit that it would be gross to get sweaty over makeup.


    "You''re all ready to go, Your Highness," she said proudly.


    "Ah, it''s alright, right?" I asked nervously. It was weird to look at me like that. I had never worn something like this before, so it was ufortable. But the shirt I was wearing was quite thin so it did not feel too hot and stuffy inside.


    "It''s perfect, Your Highness. I''m sure you will do great at swordsmanship. And when you learn that, teach me a few moves, please. I would like to kick a few bastards'' asses... Ahem, my apologies, Your Highness."


    I chuckled. I took a deep breath and made my way to Dem''s study. He was surely inside and it was just my husband. Yet it was like my legs were shaking and I could not move.


    "You really hesitate a lot beforeing in," he said from the inside. The door was slightly open, so I could hear his manly voice perfectly.


    "Ah, it''s not like that... I was just," I mumbled as I walked inside. He was writing something on a parchment. There was a pile of papers on his left. He really worked a lot every day. For me, even thinking about managing all that was hard as hell.


    "You... you..."


    He was looking up and down at me but was not saying anything clearly. Did I look weird? Should I change?


    "Do... do I look weird?" I asked.


    "... Ezekiel will teach you. He is really good at it. He came to me first. You perhaps had mentioned this to Luc."


    "Yeah. I told him about it. Ezekiel was there as well. Perhaps that was when he heard about it," I said. But I was still wondering why he ignored my question. Why did he not say anything about my appearance even when I asked?


    Did I truly look so weird that he could not speak up?


    "So, Ezekiel is going to teach me?" I mumbled.


    "Do you hate it? You don''t have to if you don''t want to."


    "No, it''s fine... I just didn''t expect this."


    "But," he said as he stood up, "today, your teacher would be me."


    "... Huh?"


    "Since it''s the first day, I want to be the one to teach you. I would like to teach you every day. But I won''t be able to make time for it, so..."


    "It''s alright, you know," I said. But he would teach me? I could not believe I was tenser that he would teach me than I would be if it was someone else. I was just too conscious of his presence.


    "Right," he said suddenly from behind me. I did not even notice when he got there. He wrapped his arms around me as if bracing me. "But, my wife, you look excessively cute today. What should we do about this?"


    "Eh? Wh-What are you saying?" I asked as my cheeks heated up.


    He licked the side of my neck with his tongue. Now I truly regretted that it was not a turtleneck.


    "Dem, don''t... do this now."


    "Why not?" he muttered pressing his lips against my nape. "It''s normal for husband and wife."


    "No, it''s not... It''s weird."


    "Weird, huh?" he suddenly sucked on the skin of my neck.


    "Ah..."


    "You... Dammit!"


    He pushed my body towards the table and leaned against my back. Something hard was touching my bottom.


    ''Eek! Why... why now?''


    "Please... I have to do it. Just once," he said as if he was in pain.


    "What... what are you saying? Here? It''s not a ce. And besides, it''s... it''s broad daylight.


    How can we..."


    "Just once. I can''t take it anymore," he said. "Please..."


    "What if someone ces in?" I asked.


    "No one wille in. It''s just you and me."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I''m sure. Now, please... Damn it! I can''t wait!"


    He pulled down my pants from behind. He was too skilled at doing this as it took him almost no time. I was too embarrassed to say anything. How were we even going to do it? Like this? In this position?


    But that would be too weird...


    "I can''t believe it... We didn''t kiss, neither did I touch you, yet you''re wet like this. My wife, you are really nning on driving me to the edge, aren''t you?"


    "Don''t... stop saying... such things already," I said.


    "Should I?" he said and touched my weak spot. I felt like my legs would give away the moment his fingers touched the ce.


    "Ah... Huh! D-Dem..."


    "I touched you like this countless times, yet your reaction is always the same. But it''s cute, really cute and it turns me on," he said.


    I could feel the hard object touching my bottom. He was grinding against me. I felt like my insides were melting. I could not calm myself down. It was getting too much. Truly, I did not want anything more than to feel him inside me.


    "You''re wet enough, my darling," he muttered in my ear before pushing himself all the way to the edge inside me.


    "Ah! Nngh! Uh... Huh..."


    "I''m gonna move, so hold onto the table," he groaned.


    ''The table? How to hold onto the table? Where to hold? Where to put my hands? I think I''m gonna fall.''


    Before I could manage, he pulled out just before thrusting forward again. He held my shoulders tightly as he thrusted inside me. I felt too full to the brim. I needed something to hold on to. My knees were giving away. At this rate, I would not be able to practice swordsmanship at all.

 Chapter 87: Swordsmanship Lesson

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Shit!" I cursed under my breath in irritation.


    "W-What''s wrong?" she asked.


    "Mother ising this way. Damn it! I can''t believe this!"


    "Then quickly fix yourself. I''ll do so as well," she said quickly and forced me to stop doing the blissful deed we were doing.


    "Ugh, what a turn-off!" I grumbled. Why did Mother have to go this way at this moment? Perhaps she could not smell us, but of course, she would be able to smell if we did it. There was a faint sinful scent around us. But I decided not to tell my wife this since she would almost die of embarrassment.


    "We... we can always do itter," she said as she patted on my arm. The gesture was too cute. I wanted to stop her, lest she might turn me on again. But I could not bring myself to do it since I was more than addicted to seeing her expressions. "And besides, we d-do it every night.


    So..."


    "Then can we do it more than usual tonight?" I asked. I could not just let go of this opportunity. If someone did, he would be a great fool.


    "More?" she asked in shock. She alwaysined that she was tired after three times when I could still easily go for another round. "But we do at least three times every night!"


    "So what? Three times is not enough," I said. "I thought you would listen to me."


    "... The hell? Why are you sulking?" she muttered impatiently. "O-Okay then. Just one more round..."


    "Alright," I said with a smile though I was still disappointed because of the disruption. "We need to go down as soon as possible. Or I might end up tearing your clothes apart."


    She looked too cute today, especially how her legs looked in the pants. No matter how much I looked at her, I was always left surprised as to how beautiful she was head to toe.


    We went to the front of the castle. The castle ground was pretty big. There were a lot of ces for her to practice. I took her where there were not many people around. She was not muchfortable around other people and for some reason, it made me happy to think that she was the mostfortable around me.


    "Here is your sword."


    "It''s... it''s heavy."


    "Yes, it is. We''re not going to practice with it right now. We''re gonna use a wooden sword first. Then a light one and when you''re ready, you will be able to use this one."


    "It''s a long way," she mumbled.


    "Of course. You can''t learn swordsmanship in one day."


    She ran her fingers on the de that was on my hand. I had to hold it for her since she could not lift it properly and even if she could, it would be just for three seconds.


    "A ymore," she muttered.


    "Yeah," I said.


    "It''s two-handed, right?"


    "That''s right. That''s why to lift it and use it, you need to get yourself ready day by day."


    She muttered somethings to herself. They were about when or why these swords were used in the past. "Anyway, where is the wooden sword?"


    She always behaved like that after muttering words to herself. She had a photographic memory and I always liked her expression when she talked about something as if she knew all about it. It was really adorable and this ability was admirable as well. But she did not like it much. So, I tried not to talk to her about it, lest it might make her ufortable.


    "Look behind you."


    The wooden sword was ced on a stone there. I had already prepared this ce for her, so everything was ready. Only she needed to be there.


    She ran towards it and held it up. "Whoa! It''s so cool! Do I look like a knight?" she asked with a huge grin as she looked back at me.


    ''Have mercy on me...''


    "You look like my queen," I said. "Huh, you really are... Too adorable!"


    "You really like to be cheesy, don''t you?"


    "I''m just telling the truth," I said. "Anyway,e here and stand in front of me."


    She did as told. Her small hands gripped the wooden sword tightly and her eyes were focused on mine with her lips pouted.


    "Now listen. Swordsmanship is an art. It''s like martial arts involving a sword. Right?"


    "Yeah," she nodded.


    "As if! It''s total bullshit. Swordsmanship means fighting with swords mainly to save your life and win, that''s all. No matter how much you think of it as an art, it''s actually a caution to preserve life," I said. "Now,pose yourself. Your physical strength is like a deer''s and it''s not enough to be good at swordsmanship.


    So, you need to keep practicing more and more to improve your strength."


    "It wille in handy in our nighttime activities as well," I mumbled.


    "Did you say something?"


    "It''s in your head," I said. "Then you need to be calm. Don''t freak out at any chance. No matter what happens, you must not freak out."


    "You talk as if it''s the most important thing," she muttered.


    "It''s an important thing. But the most important thing is being able to win. It doesn''t matter if you cheated. You see, winning is the motto no matter what," I said.


    "You really are the hell of a teacher. What kind of teacher advice to cheat?"


    "Well, I do," I shrugged. "It''s what you need to keep in mind, my wife. No matter what, winning is a must and for winning, we can do anything. We must do anything."


    "Then you need to be confident," I added. "The look of confidence is very important. When your opponent sees the fire in your eyes, they easily fall a step behind. And that''s your chance. They might not show it, but trust me, their heart miss a beat. And this little magic of time is your advantage."


    "You see, everyone has a different style."


    "What''s my style then?"


    "You''ll figure that out yourself," I said. "And... Anyway, we better start the main training."


    "Okay!" she eximed determinedly. I sighed. Perhaps I would not survive this day because of her cuteness.


    ''Get a grip on yourself. Your wife isn''t running away.''


    "Straighten your back, but don''t stiffen your body. Rx, but not like you''re trying to take a nap. Just be normal. Don''t tighten your front part. Just stand as you usually do, but make sure your back is straight," I said.


    "Like this?"


    "Yeah, now lose your grip on the handle slightly. Hold it thinking it''s not a sword. It seems like you''re being too nervous."


    "I-I''m sorry. I cannot handle it. It... just feels weird for some reason," she muttered.


    "Let me help you then," I said. I went behind her and gripped the sword''s handle over her hands. Her body trembled slightly. I chuckled lightly. It always felt great to see how conscious she was of my presence and touch. "My wife, don''t tremble too much just because of my touch."


    Her ears turned red. I could tell that the same fact could go with her face. "I... I can''t help it. You''re... too close," she said impatiently.


    "I''m your husband. It''s normal for us to be close. And besides, it''s not like I have never touched you before. It has been more than a month since we married," I said. "Now, can you focus on your sword?"


    "... Y-Yes."


    "Hold it forward and look at the edge," I said and led her to do so. "And get used to it first. You need to get the feeling of holding a sword first. We can''t start unless your hands recognize the shape of the handle just the way..."


    "You can skip the indecent part," she said, but her eyes were focused on the sword as I told her.


    "Haha, alright," I chuckled. "Now try to feel it in your hands."


    She closed her eyes as her hands were shaking slightly as she gripped the handle. "No, not closed eyes. Open them. My wife, blindness is not an option when you have perfectly fine eyes."


    "Oh," she muttered. "You said feel, so I closed my eyes."


    "It isn''t the same feel you are thinking about. To feel the pressure of the sword in your hands, your eyes need to remain open all the time. Not just your eyes. All of your senses need to be cautious and active since we''re not learning art," I said, "rather a way to avoid death in hideous situations."


    "It... it feels strange to hold it, like... I don''t know. But I like it."


    "You really seem to like it," I mumbled. "Just don''t like it more than you like me."


    "You really are something..."

 Chapter 88: Swordsmanship Lesson (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I did not think Dem would be teaching me on the first day. I thought I would not be able to focus. Whenever he was near me, it always felt like everything else was gone and it was just him and I. I would get flustered for nothing in particr and could not focus on anything. It felt like high school shoujo romance manga.


    And I was proved right and wrong at the same time. When he was right behind me, holding the sword over my hands, I felt like my heart would burst. No matter how much time we spent together or how many times our bodies met each other, I would always get flustered near him. But when he started to talk about techniques, I truly did not get flustered anymore.


    Rather, I was more determined to focus on his words and moves.


    "Straighten your back, darling, and don''t tighten your grip too much," he said from afar as I was swinging the wooden swords as he told me.


    ''Stop calling me darling for god''s sake... At least, not now!''


    He had been doing that for a while. I told him not to, but he kept calling me ''darling'' for quite a while.


    "Swing it in a natural way. You look stiff," he said.


    "Ack... Sorry," I muttered.


    "No need to apologize, my wife. It''s your first time. Just be careful and try not to stiffen your body. It will only hurt yourself," he said calmly.


    Today the first two of his buttons were undone. The sight of his hint of muscr chest made me blush. I should get used to it, yet I never could. He was always someone who managed to surprise me even though he was the person I was most familiar with.


    "Is my chest too hot, my wife?" he smirked.


    "Eee! No, it''s nothing... I''m not looking at your chest... I was just... I was... Never mind!" I said, being totally embarrassed.


    Even if he noticed, he could have just kept quiet. But he had to go and embarrass me. So typical of him...


    We had practiced for three hours without stopping. I felt like I was dying. When I could not move as much as I was supposed to, he made me run around three treesbined twenty times. He said it was warm-up, but I felt like I was dying.


    But the good thing was he ran with me as well. It felt less stressful since he was doing it with me. It would have been a great day if my heart did not almost get to the verse of exploding several times. I was confident about one thing that if I kept on doing it every day, I would die or I would be too strong. The first option was more obvious to happen.


    "You did well," he said and kissed me sweaty forehead. I could not even stop him as I was panting badly.


    "I... I am... sweaty," I managed to say.


    "I know. You look cute," he chuckled and wiped my sweaty face with his sleeve. "Your face is so red. It was hard, wasn''t it?"


    I nodded. "But... it was fun!" I grinned at him. It was true that I had a lot of fun. Though it was hard, it was amazing and since he was with me, it felt even more special.


    He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You''re too cute."


    "Eh?" I turned bright red. I still had to find out the strategy he used to say things like that as easily as breathing.


    My back was hurting along with my hands and legs. It was as if I would break apart at any moment. I was still panting badly. He had called the maids to bring water and towels for me. It was so cool that they couldmunicate through their minds. I wished I could do that too.


    But since I was a human, it was impossible.


    He took two towels from them and wiped my face, neck and other revealing parts. It was embarrassing that he was spoiling me in front of others, but it seemed like he paid no heed to that.


    "Your heart is beating like a drum," he said.


    "Thanks to a teacher who made me work like a bull," I muttered.


    Heughed. "I prefer wolf," he said. "Your breathing seems toe to normal a bit."


    "Hmm, I can breathe..."


    "But your face is still flushed. That''s cute."


    "Wha... Please refrain from saying such things in public."


    "Why? Are you shy, my wife?"


    "I''m supposed to be, right? If you talk like this..."


    "But I like to tease you."


    "Remember you told me that you won''t tease me in public?"


    "Ah, that''s right," he said. "Then I will do it in private. And you can''t get away from it in any way."


    ''It definitely was a trap.''


    "They really suit each other. Did you see how sweetly His Highness treats Her Highness? Aww, it''s so sweet."


    "They are perfect. They even stay every night together. It''s my first time seeing a king or queen only focusing on themselves and having no concubines."


    "His Highness is always so scary, but I heard he smiles at Her Highness."


    ''What kind of saying that? Isn''t smiling natural for a person?'' I thought as I heard the maids whispering to themselves behind us. I wished they would stop saying such things. I could hear them clearly. And I was sure Dem could hear them as well. Moreover, he could even read their mind.


    Nheless, it made me feel better that most of the people here were taking our rtionship properly. Of course, there were others who did not want us to be together. But still, I was kind of happy.


    "See this, my wife? Even the maids saying how perfect we''re for each other," he said. "Should I spoil you more in that case?"


    "What? No! You really are spoiling me more than enough. It''s too much," I said.


    "But I want to," he said with a sulking face.


    "You''re so cute, Dem!" I said with a grin. "But don''t spoil me too much. I might get too used to it and cling to you forever."


    "In that case, I will keep spoiling you," he said. "Because, my wife, I want you to cling to me as if I am the only support you have."


    "... Let''s... let''s go back."


    "Okay," he said and picked me up from the ground.


    "What the... Dem, put me down! I can walk... It''s em..."


    "Who cares about it being embarrassing? I am carrying my wife because her legs are shaking. Is it a bad thing? I have my reasons. And who cares about what others think? We do what we want.


    And even if I was to carry my wife without any reason, that would be my choice as well. If anyone thinks of it something, then just let them," he said.


    As he said it, it looked like I had lost my courage to argue back. All I could say was, "O-Okay."


    "Cling onto me," he mumbled. Did he think I did not hear it? He sometimes said this type of stuff in a whisper and then would go back to being normal again. It was weird. But the weirdest thing was I could understand his personality more than I thought I would. Sometimes I felt like it was just natural.


    I had read about these types of things before as well. But it seemed like his feelings were different from ''obsessive love''. It was not to that extent.


    It was true that he wanted to protect me a lot, but there were times when he wanted me to be able to protect myself. Though he always tried to do everything by himself, he also did not cross the line in that case. It was also true that he sometimes wanted to possess me though he always tried not to show this side of him. But I was d that he was trying not to be too possessive.


    I liked his possessiveness. Perhaps I was weird, but I truly liked it. Unless he crossed the line, it was kind of cute and tolerable.


    Since the first day we met, he made sure that he would not tolerate it if I left him. It was not like I wanted to leave him, but he always kept saying the same thing. It was at a serious stage, but I did not mind him. How could I mind his personality and try to change it? It was not my job to change him; rather if he wanted to change himself, he needed to do that himself.


    No one could change another person fully no matter how much they tried.


    But I did not know if he always thought about me. I mean, he told me that he did, but I did not know what he meant by always.


    Nevertheless, I liked him as he was. He was a person who loved me. Now I was sure about it. Perhaps he did not know it himself, but he loved me. I wondered why he could not understand that it was love. When he told me how he felt about me and asked me what feeling it was, I wanted to say ''love''.


    But then I stopped myself. What right did I have to say something so important like this when I was afraid to say it myself?


    What if I gave my heart to himpletely to the point that if he did not want me anymore, I would be useless and would not be able to do anything else? If I fell harder for him, I would not be able to live without him then. It was dangerous to fall for him.


    Perhaps I was crazy. But I took the dangerous path and was preparing my heart for the worse. I was falling for him more and more each day and I was not even trying to stop myself. For some reason, I did not want to wait too long to tell him that what he was feeling was ''love'' and I felt the same way.


    I hugged him tightly and rubbed my face against his chest. His deep masculine scent filled my nostrils.


    "I thought you were embarrassed. But it seems like you''re enjoying this now," he said.


    "What can I do when I have such a childish husband? Of course, I have to keep up with him," I said, "since he is the one I will spend the rest of my life with."


    Even without looking at him, I could say that he was looking at me with a surprised look. "That''s right," he said after a while. "I''m the one you''ll spend your life with."


    After returning to our room, he took me to the restroom and helped me undress. I did not stop him. For some reason, the look in his eyes stopped me from saying anything.


    He scrubbed my skin carefully with soap. I did not know he would bathe me. He was still wearing his clothes as he sat beside the bathtub on a tool. With his sleeves folded and careful hands, he took care of me while I gawked at him like a pervert.


    "I am so happy," he said. "You know why, my wife?"


    "Why?"


    "Because every day, I now have a reason to look forward to. It''s hard to believe that you''re with me all the time. It still feels like dream."


    ''It should be me saying that.''


    "By the way, you like white roses, don''t you?"


    "Yeah. They are cute."


    "I know. You kiss the petals every time you get one. That''s the only flower you do that to," he said.


    "Yeah, that''s right... Wait! Dem, how do you know that? Don''t tell me... It was you, right? It was you who used to send me flowers!"

 Chapter 89: His First Time Blushing

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Took you long to figure out," I said.


    She moved impatiently in the bathtub. "You... That''s your fault! You never even gave a hint! How am I supposed to know that it was you?"


    "I gave a hint, you know."


    "Not that I know of."


    "Remember when you told me about the roses? That time, didn''t you notice my reaction?"


    "Well, you looked weird."


    "Perhaps, but I was not too angry. My wife, do you think that your husband will stay quiet after hearing you talking about roses that someone else gave you? No matter if it was a woman or a man, or it was in the past or in the present- I would track that person down to ask why they did so," I said.


    "You''re... strange."


    "I''m a jealous person. Though I try to keep my jealousy in check, sometimes I can''t help it," I said. Seeing her close to another person was unimaginable. Even thinking about it made me mad. Perhaps I was crazy about her. But if by being crazy, I could have her all to myself, I would rather ept my crazy side.


    "Were you ever jealous?" she asked slowly.


    "Of course," I said as I scrubbed her skin sensibly. Her skin was smooth and soft as cream. I just wanted to touch her all the time. The thought of being able to touch her smooth skin alone was making me feel special. Of course, there was no one who would ever be able to touch her like this. "When that punk hugged you..."


    "Luc? But it was a friendly hug, I told you."


    "And I also told you that, friendly or not, I don''t like people touching you," I said. "But I didn''t get too angry since it was that stupid punk. Well, he might be clingy, but he is reliable and won''t do anything wrong. But that doesn''t mean he can touch you however he pleases. p him or stab him the next time he does that."


    "Stab...? You don''t need to go that far."


    "I don''t care if you kill him though..."


    "I do! He is your friend and also my friend in the process," she said loudly.


    "Friend in the process?" Iughed.


    "Geez, stopughing!"


    For some reason, I was totally different when I was with my little wife. She always brought out a strange side of me. But that strange side felt natural these days. Perhaps she was just making me the right person.


    "By the way, there is an uing banquet," I said. "We need to attend, though if you don''t want to, you can say no. I won''t force you."


    "What banquet? Where?" she asked anxiously.


    "In Ataraxia pce," I replied. "I got the invitationst night."


    "When you left for a whilest night?"


    "Yeah. There is a twelve-hour difference between Querencia and Ataraxia. That''s why the arrival of the invitation was an odd time."


    "So when do we have to go there?"


    "The banquet is two months away. You don''t have to go if you don''t want to."


    "Then what''s the point of sending an invitation this early? I mean, two months is too much... If it was one month, that would be okay..."


    "That''s how things are here. Even two months is a short time to get ready for the Royals and nobles," I said. "It''s strange to me too. But well, it''s not a problem even if we have a short time. You have the best things in this kingdom. So, no matter how short the time is, you can always shine though you''ll shine even without wearing anything- not like I''ll let you."


    "Then the banquet is two months away?"


    "Yeah. You know you don''t have to..."


    "Why are you saying that again and again. I want to go because I want to be with you. And besides, it will be a good experience," I said. "Why? Don''t you want to go with me?"


    "What? How can that be?" I said loudly. "It''s just... I thought you wouldn''t want to. But if you want to, we will go together. I''ll be happy to take you with me as well."


    How could I tell her that I did not want others to look at her too much? The king of Ataraxia was an old man and he was not the pervert type. But he had two sons. The crown prince had a fianc¨¦, but it was political. She was the princess of Lacuna. I had met the crown prince and from what I could see, he did not seem like a bad person.


    But the person who made me worry was the other prince. He was a yboy and went for all types of women, even married ones. But one day or another, my wife had to make an appearance as the Queen of Querencia.


    "Yeah, it would be cool too! I will get to see another pce," she said with a grin. "By the way, how are we supposed to go there?"


    "Carriage."


    "Carriage?" she asked with a strange look in her eyes.


    "Do you hate it?" I asked.


    "No, I''m excited! I have never seen a carriage in real life, you know," she said. "There will be horses, right?"


    "Or what? Did you think bulls or cows?"


    "Haha, kind of," sheughed.


    "You look really excited."


    "Yep! It will be amazing, especially since we will go together," she said. My pupils dted strangely, hearing her words. It was amazing how cheerful and excited this girl was just because she would be able to be with me.


    "Give me your palms," I said.


    "My palms? Okay."


    She spread out her palms towards me. There were red marks and callouses there because of today''s practice. I never liked seeing any mark on her delicate body. But for some reason, these marks- I liked them.


    Because these marks were the symbol that she would be able to protect herself slowly. I kissed her palms and licked her skin.


    "Wha... What''re you doing?"


    "I got soap in my mouth..."


    "That''s what you get from being weird all of a sudden," she said knowingly. "Why did you have to lick my palms all of a sudden? You knew that there was soap."


    "I couldn''t help it," I said.


    "... You''re making me feel weird too," she mumbled and looked down shyly. "You really are something. Honestly, why do you have to do these types of things all the time? I don''t understand at all... Really?


    Sometimes you''re so childish..."


    "Dem, are you listening? What... Wait... Your face...," she muttered as she put her palm against my cheek. "You''re... Dem, you''re blushing!


    Aww, are you really blushing?"


    "I''m not!"


    "Aww, don''t need to hide," she said teasingly with a huge grin. "Anyone can blush, but you look really cute when you blush. Aw, it''s my first time seeing you blush."


    Yes, and it was my first time blushing, or whatever this weird thing was. The hell... Why did I have to be weird like this all of a sudden? It never happened to me before. And now my little wife was looking at me as if I was an adorable little animal. I did not want her to look at me like that.


    I did not want to be cute in her eyes. Rather, I wanted to be someone who she would call handsome or cool, not cute.


    "Are you being shy now? Aww! So cute," she grinned happily as she found a new thing to tease me with. It was mostly me who teased her since her reactions were the perfect item to tease with. But to think that she would do the same...


    Now I understood how she felt while I teased her. It was truly tiring and embarrassing. But only I could make her feel that way and it could not be the other way around.


    "Hey..."


    "Are you still blushing? Even your ears are red... You look so cute!"


    "Listen..."


    "Your face is so warm against my palm. Wow, you really are blushing..."


    Now she was truly going too far. Perhaps it was time for me to step in and show her if I was truly cute or not.


    "You''ll regret your decision now," I said.


    "Huh?" she looked at me with her big eyes.


    I grabbed her cheeks and kissed her deeply. She was taken aback, but her words were cut off because of my lips. It was a good way to shut her up. Perhaps I would use it whenever she would try to call me cute.


    I grabbed her waist with my hand and pinched her skin. She pushed herself forward and her lips parted just enough for my tongue to invade.


    "Mm... Hm..."


    "Breathe with your nose," I said, leaving her lips, and then again went back to the kissing. I was addicted to her soft lips and suppressed moans. Her moans were like a melody that only I had the right to hear and her lips were the fruit only I could taste.

 Chapter 90: I Want To See Your Perverted Side

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Just how did we get to this? He was helping me bathe, but now what the hell were we even doing? All I did was call him cute which he was being. He was even blushing. It was my first time seeing him blush.


    But what he was doing right now was beyond imaginable. Perhaps I should not have teased him like that. Or the situation would not get to this.


    "I can''t... Mm."


    He bit on my lips and pulled, looking directly into my eyes. He smirked while his teeth nibble my downer lips softly. His eyes were yful as well as his movement.


    There was no way we could do it here. There was soap and it would not be romantic at all. It was painful if the soap got inside somehow and he surely knew about it. Even though he liked to do indecent things most of the time, he was still considerate.


    "See? This is what happens when you try to tease me," he said. "Now can you see it who is the actual cute one? Too bad you can''t see how cute and lewd your face looks right now."


    "L-Lewd?"


    "Yes, really lewd," he said and licked my cheek, "So lewd that I want to lick you all over, everywhere just to see this face again."


    "Dem, you know...," I muttered as my cheeks heated up and my body felt like it was on fire. I did not know how to calm myself down. There was a tingly sensation all over and all I wanted was to calm down, but there was no way I could do so when he was being like that.


    "Let''s wash you up properly," he said. "After all, we need to finish what we started this morning."


    "I... I can wash myself, you know," I mumbled.


    "Of course, you can. But I want to do it for you," he said and started unbuttoning his shirt.


    "You..."


    "I decided to bathe with you. Can''t I?"


    "No, it''s not like..."


    "Then I will," he said. "Don''t worry, I won''t do anything in the bath. There is soap everywhere. It will hurt you."


    No matter what kind of situation it was, he always was considerate. It always made me want to like him even more.


    "You took off your pants too?" I asked, shocked.


    "Of course. Who takes bath with their pants on?" he muttered as he got into the bath with me.


    I moved as far away as possible, at least I tried to. But he wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me closer that I fell on his chest.


    I subconsciously moved my palms over his chest, as if I was trying to feel him. He breathed deeply.


    "My wife, do you want to kill me?"


    "Huh?"


    "You''re provoking me, you know."


    "Wha... I''m not! Besides, provoke or not, you''re gonna do it sooner orter," I muttered.


    "That''s true. But the way you''re massaging my chest, it''s getting hot, you know," he said.


    "Ack!" I moved my hands quickly, but he grabbed my arms and pressed my palms against his chest again.


    "Do it more," he said. "Make me feel good."


    "W-What?"


    "Touch me more and kiss me. Embrace me and don''t let go," he said. "I want your attention everywhere."


    "You sound like a cat..."


    "My wife, you understand that there will be a punishment for what you''re saying right now?" he said in a dangerous tone. "This is your punishment. I want you to make me feel good."


    "But... but I don''t know how to do it..."


    "Try," he said. "Just start. It''s supposed to be a bit hard, my wife, since it''s your punishment for being a bad girl."


    ''Jesus lord!''


    "How am I supposed to..."


    "Do it," he said sternly yet in a calm tone.


    I took a sharp breath in. I had no idea what to do. I had never done this before. We had kissed before and done a lot of other things, but I had never done this.


    I put my lips on his before my mind could worry about doing anything wrong. Thanks to his practice, I had learned how to perfectly kiss now. I could even let my tongue wander in his mouth as I wanted.


    As I pulled my lips back, a string of saliva stood between us as if connecting us. His ck eyes were locked with mine as if pulling my soul towards him.


    I brought my face down and kissed on the hard abs of his lower stomach. It was warm. There was water, but I still managed to rub my lips against his abs.


    "You... chose that ce to kiss first..."


    "Was it bad? Was I bad?"


    "It was good, but," he said, "I''m not satisfied. Let''s get out of this fucking bath first."


    He was being very quick with an impatient look on his face. I wanted to tell him to slow down, but for some reason, I could not bring myself to say anything.


    "It''s the first time you are doing something like this. It should be long and perfect. So, the bed is the right ce," he muttered something like this. "To think you can be this pervert..."


    "You''re making fun of me!"


    "I''m not. All I''m saying is I like my cute pervert wife," he smirked.


    Everything after that happened so fast that I barely managed to take a breath. And before I could understand, we were on the bed already.


    "You were too fast, you know," I mumbled.


    "I''m not a patient person, my wife," he said and sat me on hisp. "Now, make me feel good. Start with that part again."


    "Which part? Lower stomach?"


    "Yes, that part. Go on," he urged.


    I took a deep breath again. Back in the bathtub, when he did not expect it, it was easier. But now that he was giving me his full attention, I was getting nervous. I made sure I did not meet his eyes as I was trying to figure out how to start in my head.


    I took another breath and kissed him on the lower stomach. I nibbled with my teeth gently. He took a hoarse breath in. My cheeks flushed and I felt myself thinking crazily- ''Is he feeling good? He is feeling good, right?''


    I pressed my palm against the ce and lightly pressed it while I kissed gently. I was overjoyed when I found him takingbored sharp breaths in.


    I had never done this before, but as a person with nothing to do but read books, I knew about a few tricks. Perhaps they woulde to use after all.


    I took his left hand and kissed his palm. He always did the same thing for me as well. So, this time, I could feel how he felt. His hand was rough and hard and really big. It was too manly and more importantly, his fingers were very long with perfect fingertips.


    I kissed his fingertips one by one and licked them. I wondered if he was feeling good. But one thing was sure- I was feeling amazing.


    I did the same thing with his right hand. Still, I could not bring myself to look at him in the eyes.


    "Are... are you feeling good? I don''t know if I''m good..."


    He gave me a peck on the lips, shutting me up. "You''re amazing. Can''t you see how excited I am down there and also inside? Keep doing it. I want to see my wife''s perverted side."


    My goodness! It was too embarrassing! Yet, I wanted to continue. I started kissing his ears and licked his earlobe, just like he used to do to me. His ears were red and hot. I pecked and nibbled on his earlobe as if it was a fruit that I wanted to taste.


    His hand slid behind me and he grasped me there. It was so sudden that I was too surprised.


    "D-Don''t... It''s my turn to make you feel good. Don''t do anything," I said.


    He chuckled and nodded. "Alright. If my wife wants..."


    I said it boldly, but I was still shy. ''Jaw next.''


    His jaw was sharp and beautiful. But if I called him beautiful, he would not like it. He preferred handsome over pretty, beautiful, and cute even though he was all of them.


    I kissed on the left side of his jaw as my hand rubbed the right side. I saw his lips twitching slightly as if wanting attention. I rubbed his bottom lip with my thumb and he suddenly licked my finger.


    "Ack!" I almost screamed.


    "It''s delicious," he smirked.


    Now he was looking at me intently. I could not think of doing anything else, so I started kissing him. The kiss was intense. With my free hand, I found the part between his thighs. His huge body trembled slightly beneath mine the moment my fingers touched it.


    ''Here goes nothing.''

 Chapter 91: Lets Be Together Forever

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The kiss got forceful. Even though I was the one who started it, he was now the one in control. Our lips connected us, but it felt like there were more to that connection. The connection that was more than skin deep, the connection that made me feel like floating in ecstasy, I did not want it to ever break apart.


    Perhaps I had truly fallen for him. It was love. With our lips touched and our hearts beating like crazy, there was one word in my mind.


    ''Love''


    In the split second his lips left mine, they were again pressed against my neck. Biting fiercely and holding me tightly, he marked his territory just like a wolf. All the red marks stood there as evidence.


    "Huh...," I gasped.


    His teeth dug in the flesh of my shoulder painfully. Tears welled up in my eyes and began to fall even without me knowing.


    "I''m sorry," he said quickly as blood tickled down the wound.


    "It''s okay. I like it," I whispered. Yes, perhaps I had finally gone crazy, or perhaps I was crazily in love with him.


    With slightly bloody lips, he kissed me as if ravaging. My hand was still on his length, moving on its own. I wondered if it was the reason for his too muchbored breathing.


    "I won''t be gentle. You can still say no. I will stop."


    "Yes," I whispered. "Please take me."


    "... Fuck!" he cursed. "Put your palms over the wall. Right now."


    For some reason, unlike other times, I did not hesitate. I did as he told me. The cold wall against my palms felt weird, but it bnced with the hotness that I was feeling inside.


    I felt himing up from behind. The heat radiating from his body hit my body with a tingly sensation and hot expectation.


    He grabbed me by the throat and kissed me deeply that I almost ran out of breath. His free hand grabbed my hip while his nails dug inside the flesh and with an unbelievable force, he tore his way inside.


    The moment, his lips left mine, the sound of a wild beast left my throat. It was just like that night, but this time, I felt myself more absorbed in it.


    His sweat fell on my back like cold raindrops, shivering me from head to toe while heated pleasure filled me from the inside. The magical moment left both of us crazy. It was as if this craziness knew no bound.


    "You like it, don''t you? The way I make you mine like a crazy beast?" he groaned in my ear. "Tell me. Tell me how much you want me."


    "I... I like it," I gasped as his relentless pounding went on.


    "How much do you want me? Do you want me to stop? Or do you want me to fuck you like this?" he asked as he stopped all of a sudden.


    "Don''t... don''t stop," I said, more like sobbing. "I want you. I want all of you... So, please don''t stop!"


    It was as if he was waiting for this answer. The moment, my lips stopped moving, he thrust back in again, ravaging as he pleased.


    My body was on fire, burning all the way inside. Yet I could not get enough of him. I wanted more and more and more. There was no ''stop'' in my mind. I just wanted him to drive me crazy and fill me up to the core.


    "Dem... Ah!"


    "Blue," he groaned my name.


    Never in my life, had I thought I had a special name, or was I grateful for it. But this time, I was grateful that my name was Blue.


    He grabbed my breasts and painfully yed with them. But the pain felt good. His touch seemed to touch my mind as well, ying with my thoughts.


    "K-Kiss me," I muttered breathlessly. "Kiss me..."


    His lips met mine sideways, but it was as fierce as always, if not more. My body was acting on its own. I could feel my hips moving on their own to match his pace, my teeth biting his lips aggressively, and my right hand wrapping around his nape from behind as if pulling him closer.


    His hands aggressively ying with my body like a doll, his lips upying my mouth, and him blocking my mind and mind, bad things kept going on and on.


    "Mine... You''re mine and mine only," he grumbled as he kept biting wherever his lips took him of my body.


    Even though we were connected in all the way possible, he pressed me closer to him as if he did not want to let go even for a moment. My lips formed into a smile while tears were flowing down my eyes.


    ''Please hold me even closer and never let go.''


    I got his everything- time, care, love, attention, loyalty, and even his body. I never expected to have all those things to myself. But perhaps my magic fairy finally answered me even when I never asked for anything.


    "Ahh!" My body went crazy as a powerful end hit me. "Dem... uhh! Huh... ah!"


    He kissed me everywhere- all the ces he previously made marks while making new marks again. My hungry and greedy heart and body wanted more even when I could not take any more.


    "Blue...," he grumbled and grabbed me by the hair, pulling me back towards him. It was painfully good.


    He was my power and also my weakness, and his love was the thing I was holding onto in this world. There was nothing for me except him and I did not want anything else either.


    As he wrote stories on and in my body, I craved more of his ink. Pushing me to my limit and testing me, his moves drove me to madness.


    He was like a different person from time to time, including this time. It was dark. But even this dark side of him made me want him. I wanted to embrace all of him, so he would embrace me as well and never let go.


    He stirred my insides with his continuous and merciless moves that left me breathless and mindless. The mysterious and dark story our bodies were making together kept on growing. The desire and ourbined heavy breaths in the air expressed how much we wanted each other. Even within the chaos, I could separate the meaning of his every move, every touch and every kiss.


    He pulled me by my waist and made me sit on hisp. His hips started moving again with us facing each other.


    I kissed him on the neck, biting and sucking like senseless. His groans and moans drove me out of my mind. I wanted him to feel how I was feeling, both inside and out.


    I always thought I would be happy if I was with him. Just being with him could make me happy. But now I knew I was wrong. In reality, I was a greedy woman who could never be satisfied with just that. I wanted his attention, his everything, just like I wanted him to want me.


    "Beg... Beg for more," he said.


    My lips could not move. I was left breathless with the fierceness. I wanted him to continue and stop at the same time.


    "Beg! Won''t you?" he asked as he mmed deep within me while his nails dug in the flesh of my hips. "Won''t you?"


    "... Y-Yes! Give... me more!" I yelled senselessly.


    "Like that!"


    "Ahh! Dem, I want more... Uhh!"


    My body was shaking fiercely, telling to stop and keep going at the same time. I was confused, yet surer than ever. He kissed my already parted lips and stirred inside my mouth with his tongue. Tongues entwined and lips connected, it was hard to know who was breathing whose air.


    I felt like my body was breaking. But still, if he asked me again, I would give him my body again. Whenever he would ask, I would give him. Perhaps it was the dangerous stage of love that I was afraid of. Yet, in the end, I fell into this hole as well.


    The wetness between us did not get the time to dry at all as it kept increasing. Two bodies kept crushing together filling the silence of the room with amatory noise.


    I wanted to tell him I loved him. I wanted to tell him again and again. But whenever I tried, no sound came out of my throat. It was frustrating, but I kept forgetting about the frustration as his body relentlessly stimted me.


    "Fuck me more! Please... I... ah... want more!"


    "Greedy, aren''t you? But let''s take care of this greed!"


    He mmed twice as forceful as before and I even forgot how to moan, how to breathe. My mind went nk, but even in the void, I was looking for him.


    My body fell like a corpse on him as my head rested on his shoulder. He was breathing heavily and held me tighter. For a moment, or perhaps a long time, none of us said anything.


    It was like we both hade to a conclusion together without any word spoken. When we were together, we truly were crazy. It was the type of craziness that one could not be alone. Two souls, two bodies, two minds, two personalities, and those two had to be us to be crazy.


    Both of us knew what we wanted. Yet, he broke the silence to let me know.


    "Let''s be together," he said.


    "Forever?" I asked.


    "I don''t talk about temporary."

 Chapter 92: Surprised To See Her Wild Side

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Sleep now," I said as I kissed her on the forehead andy her down on the bed. She fell like a lifeless body. It was understandable that she did not have any strength left in her body.


    She slept peacefully and I could only observe soundlessly. Her beautiful face looked exhausted and red. I wanted to hide her right away, so no one else would be able to see this look on her face.


    I licked the wound on her shoulder. I bit her far too hard this time. For some reason, I did not feel any guilt, or perhaps I did, but it was mixed with a slight hint of satisfaction.


    Her body was covered with red marks, but she had a satisfied look on her face. I pulled the nket over her delicate body. She made a soft purring noise as she snuggled under it. I chuckled as I kissed her soft cheek.


    To be honest, even I was surprised seeing her wild side today. I had never thought my sweet wife could be like that. As much as it was surprising, it was amusing as well. This time, she was far more active than usual. She even made a lot of marks on my body.


    But where did she learn about how to touch a man in the bed? It had to be a book. But which book? Perhaps I would be able to tease her about itter if I found the book. Guess I would just search the whole library for this type of book.


    ''Do you remember what you said to me just a while ago? Or have you forgotten already?''


    Perhaps she did not remember or was not in her mind when she said it. It was not like it was something important. If it was, perhaps she would tell me again. I would just wait until she brought it up again. If she did not remember, then the fact that she told me ''I love you'' should be hidden.


    I did not know if it was special or not. No one had told me what love was. I never could bring myself to read these types of books as they felt weird. I wished she would tell me what it was like to love. I would like to know how she felt about me and how I felt about her.


    I did not know if it was love or not, but one this for sure- I wanted her in my life, I did not want to let her go, I wanted her to smile all the time, and I wanted to be her priority. I did not care if she liked other things, but in any case, I wanted to be her number one, just like she was to me.


    "I will be waiting for you to tell me if love is special or not. So, make sure you have an answer. I''m waiting."


    I got ready to finish my work. It was tiring taking care of all the documents. Kings did not usually do this. But I did so even if I hated it. Mostly because there were would be treason and other problems. That would be too much hassle.


    Taking care of this myself was easier in this case.


    I kissed her on the forehead before leaving for my study. I had already called her personal maid. She stood with a bowed head at the entrance.


    "Take care of her and make sure she doesn''t get up the moment she opens her eyes. She keeps doing that and then suffers from headaches. When she gets up, send me a word," I said. "And the queen told me to increase your sry because of your hard work. But if I find something wrong, it will be thest day of your not so necessary life."


    "Yes, Your Highness," she said. "And thank you. I will keep taking good care of Her Highness."


    "Thank her, not me."


    I went to my study and sat down in the chair. I needed to leave for inspecting the borders. It would take me a month to return. I could not believe I forgot to tell my wife about something so important. And to think that I had to leave tonight, it was really depressing. Though she would still say it was okay, I knew it was not.


    "Your Highness, may Ie in?" the Beta asked.


    "It''s annoying, but if you have to..."


    "The painting of Her Highness had been stolen, Your Highness," he said.


    It was not my wife''s official painting as the Queen. It was yet to be drawn. The painter wanted to draw one first so the next one would be perfect. That was why her painting was made a few days ago. But now someone stole it. If I was right, it was someone of kingdom Ataraxia''s doing.


    "Who can do it, Your Highness?" he asked.


    "Send a word to our spies in Ataraxia and tell them to keep an eye on the princes. If anyone shows extra interest in the queen, tell them to send a word," I said. "The painting won''t surely be seen for a long time."


    "Yes, Your Highness," he said. "Her Highness is beautiful and the way she fought back against Lord Isaac- it was impressive for a human. I think the word has reached other kingdoms. And besides, most of the werewolves are interested in seeing what kind of person our Queen is. There is another thing..."


    I could read his mind clearly and knew what he was on about. But still, I had to waste my words to ask him about it.


    "The Queen''s blue eyes have attracted the attention of some of the dark mages. One of my spies found out that Achlys was unnecessarily interested in the Queen, especially her eyes."


    ''Disgusting bastard! How dare he think weirdly about my wife!''


    Achlys was the master of the magic tower of Mazazine. Just like five Alphas were the most powerful among werewolves, five masters of the magic towers were the most powerful among mages. The masters of the magic towers possessed the ability to fight against Alphas.


    Achlys was famous for his collection of eyeballs. He collected various animals'' eyeballs, but there were rumors that there were werewolf eyes in his collection as well. That was why it was no surprise that he took an interest in Blue''s eyes as well. Who knew this bastard had the guts to even think about it?


    "Blue is a rare eye color here. So, I think in the next banquet, it would be great if the Queen did not attend," he said.


    I had thought about it as well. Everything and everyone was going to be dangerous there for her. But, everything here was going to be dangerous as well if I left her. Uncle''s family had to leave the pce and it was more or less because of her. They surely were furious. It would not be surprising if they tried to do something to her.


    Mother was here in the pce, so she was safe. As Mother was the mate of an Alpha, she was a lot more powerful than them. But Mother was supposed to attend the banquet as well. She needed to keep her ears open in the social circle there for information. There was no way I could leave my wife here alone.


    It was better to take her with me in this case. At least, I would be there with her. No one would try to do anything to her when I was near.


    "No, she has to go," I said.


    "But..."


    "Luc and Ezekiel will go as well. They will take care of her. Ezekiel has the potential to keep up against an Alpha and Luc is as powerful as Achlys since both of them are the masters of the magic towers. They will be able to keep her safe," I said.


    "Your Highness, the Queen is a human. She doesn''t need to be hurt too much to..."


    "I know. Do you think I want her to die?" I barked. "Get out if you''re done talking. I don''t want to hear any more of the bbering."


    "Yes, Your Highness. And yes, Ezekiel was looking for Her Highness just an hour ago. He wanted to meet the Queen."


    "Why?"


    "He did not give any reason. He just said he wanted to meet her. But then Her Highness''s personal maid said that Your Highness was with the Queen. Then he left," he said. "He did not look too happy."


    "Alright. Is that all?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    I sighed as the Beta left. This brat Ezekiel was acting suspiciously in an odd way. He did not want to go against us. He wanted to protect the Queen at all costs and was even willing to give up his life for her. But something about him was off. A part of his thoughts was hard to read as if they were blurry.

 Chapter 93: The Bird Won’t Fly Away

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had a good nap. When I woke up, it felt like years had passed. I almost felt like I waste for school. It took me a while to realize that I did not go to school anymore and I was not in my world anymore. Moreover, I was married to the king of the werewolves.


    "It''s really true, huh?" I muttered as I massaged my forehead.


    "What''s true, my wife?"


    "Eek!"


    I was too surprised. If he was not there, I would surely fall from the bed. My body was aching and I was naked from head to toe. Earlier events came to my mind. It was so embarrassing that I just wanted to dig a grave and lie down there.


    "You slept for a long time. It''s time for lunch," he said. "Your maid said that you weren''t waking up. So, I came to wake you up. To think that you would jump hearing that you''rete for school..."


    "So it was you...," I mumbled.


    He sat beside me and put his head on my chest, rubbing against it. "There were a lot of documents to deal with. I had a hard time."


    "Oh, are you okay now?" I asked as I ran my fingers through his silky ck hair.


    "Hold me," he said. "I will be okay."


    ''Aww!''


    I wrapped my arm around him and touched his hair gently. It looked like he was clinging to me. But it was adorable.


    "You know, about the banquet- it would be better if I could leave you here. But since it won''t be safe as Mother won''t be here as well, you need toe with me."


    "I want to go too."


    "Yeah, but it''s dangerous there. Someone stole your painting."


    "The one we made a few days ago?"


    "Yeah, that one," he said. "I think it''s someone of Ataraxia."


    "A Royal family member?"


    "I think so. It can''t be the king. He is devoted to his wife, so other women don''t attract him. Well, we have to see. Anyway, whoever it is can''t do much with just a painting. In your world, pictures were normal, right?


    I don''t think it will be much of a problem. They just know a bit how you look like. And the master of the magic tower of Mazazine seems to be interested in you, in your eyes. He likes to collect eyeballs. Don''t worry, I won''t let anything happen to you. If I could, I would not rather let you hear about any of this.


    But it''s important for you to know. So, you can be more careful."


    "I understand," I said. Perhaps because I was a human, everyone was curious about me. So, stealing the painting was one thing. But why would someone be interested in my eyes? That magician truly wanted to collect my eyes?


    "Blue eyes are very rare in this world. Well, even if someone has blue eyes, they are not like your eyes. Your ones are glossy and bright and truly beautiful. There are differences between the colors of your eyes and others''. Your ones captivate others," he said, "just like they did me."


    I had heard this before too. People used to say that my eyes were so beautiful that they could stare into them for eternity. Obvious exaggeration... I never really cared about it before, but whenever he said this, I felt too happy.


    "I would like to see those blue eyes bleeding. You see, I have a knack for destroying beautiful things." This was what Draven had once whispered to me. I was d. At least, my brother called me beautiful. But the seven years old little me did not know how twisted those disgusting words were.


    "I will save your eyes forever- the bright look and beauty- I want to save them all," he said.


    "I know," I muttered with a smile as I gently touched his hair. "I know you will."


    "Oh, there is something I have to tell you about," he said.


    "What is it?"


    "First of all, I''m sorry. I really am."


    "You''re sorry?" I mumbled. It always felt weird whenever he apologized. I knew it was not supposed to be anything strange or something like that. But I always felt like he was the type of person who never apologized. Perhaps it was because of his usual smug face, though he did not have that kind of face when he was with me.


    "Well, I have to leave tonight to inspect the borders. It was nned. I was just too rxed around you that I forgot to tell you. I''m really sorry."


    "But you have to leave tonight?"


    "Yes. I wish I could dy a bit, but it''s inevitable."


    "The way you''re talking... When will youe back?" I asked. I had a feeling that it was not about a short time at all. He sounded way too apologetic.


    "... A month most probably," he said. "It depends... But I can''t return before one month."


    "One month? That''s... that''s a long time," I muttered.


    "I know. I''m really sorry. You will be lonely..."


    "It''s not about me! Where will you be staying? In a tent?"


    "We''re not going in the forests, my wife. And besides, we''re going to hide our identities. Of course, I can''t go as the king. We will probably stay in the motels or something near the ce..."


    "Oh..."


    "The motels are disgusting to stay at. The smells are really revolting. I want to have your scent all the time around me, but I have to stay without it for one month... It''s torture."


    "It''s just one month...," I said, though I was not okay with it as well. I had never stayed away from him even for a whole day since I hade here. But to think that I needed to stay away from him for one whole month, it was tiring.


    "It''s supposed to be one month. Hope it won''t be longer than that. I will try to finish as soon as possible."


    "You don''t have to worry about me," I said quickly. "You don''t have to rush in any way. I will be fine."


    "It''s not just about you, my wife. I want toe back as soon as possible as well," he said. "I don''t want to stay away for too long. Sometimes I fear the bird might fly away."


    "The bird doesn''t have a home. The outside world is dangerous for it. And besides, the bird has already found its freedom inside," I said. "The bird won''t fly away."


    ''So you don''t have to cut its wings since it did not grow them in the first ce. It''s okay. The bird likes the cage anyway.''


    When it started I had no idea. But now we truly acted like a true couple. We would talk, express ourselves freely, make jokes, tease each other, have fun together, eat meals together, sometimes visit outside, and get intimate. We did everything.


    But there was a difference between other couples and us. I did not know if it was strange that I had known it since the beginning. The line of difference was always visible in front of me. I could always sense how differently he viewed the world, just like me, how he also craved a simple life like me and how we both could match a rhythm that only was meant for us.


    It was fine- I was okay being the bird. I had nothing to fear about. My wings could not be cut down since they did not exist. The cage was not locked as well. His instincts were telling him to lock it, but he did not. He was fighting against his instincts.


    And most importantly, I did not have to sing. No one expected anything of me. It was freedom, the freedom I wanted.


    "Dem, is it okay to visit the magic tower when you''re not around?" I asked.


    "If you want to, then you can," he said. "If it''s inside the pce ground, you can go anywhere. The magic tower, library, my study, rooftop, garden, castle ground- you can go anywhere. But not outside. It''s dangerous for you. And don''t wander around alone.


    Take Ezekiel with you wherever you go. And even if you go to the magic tower, don''t let that punk get clingy. You can look around the whole castle ground and if you find something interesting, you can just tell me about it. I will bring it for you. You can also write me while I''m away."


    "Write? Like letters?"


    "Yes. Letters- do you want to write me? I would like it if you do so," he said.


    "I can write letters? Whoa, so cool! I never wrote letters before except in exams. Then who would deliver my letters to you?"


    "Birds," he replied. "I have a weird ckbird that will deliver letters."


    "Doesn''t it have a name?"


    "It''s called the bird of death like a grim reaper. I think it''s cool. It scares others off though... But I think you will like it," he said. "You have a strange sense of detecting weirdly cute things."


    "Can I see it?"


    "Alright, I will show it to you. But let''s have lunch first," he said. "A wild rabbit almost made me weak."

 Chapter 94: The Bird Of Death

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    During lunch, my little wife was too impatient. She wanted to see the bird too bad that she could barely eat properly. And she was also the first one to finish. It was the first time she finished before me.


    "Where is the bird?" she asked as I was wiping her face with a piece of cloth. "Don''t tell me it wille only at night."


    "It will deliver your letters only at night, but you can meet it now," I said.


    "Why? Can''t it see during daytime?"


    "They can," I said. "It''s just they don''t like sunlight."


    "So they don''t go out during daytime?"


    "No. They are kinda luxury lovers. Most of them even hate raw meat. Their meat needs to be cooked properly or they don''t give a fuck about them and would probably pluck someone''s eyes out whoever is close," I said.


    "What the... They are scary," she muttered.


    "But they are extremely loyal to their owner and to the ones the owner cares about. Since I never had anyone that I care about until recently, my bird is quite reckless. It ate some part of a servant''s thigh one day because the meat wasn''t cooked properly."


    "What happened to the servant?"


    "He is alive. But who cares? He tried to poison it anyway."


    "But why?"


    "Because the bird sometimes roams around the castle ground and if someone tries to sneak in, it kills it without wasting any time. You see, he was a traitor. So, he tried to kill the bird first, but got caught in the process."


    "Oh... I''m surprised you haven''t killed him," she said.


    "Well, he is in the dungeon getting his dick pierced with a hot needle a hundred and fifty times a day," I said. "I wonder if I should increase the times. And he is getting whipped a hundred and fifty times as well. Is it enough?"


    "... You should just kill him."


    "Haha, is that so? Hrious!" Iughed. "By the way, let''s go see the bird. I don''t like the look on your face right now. It looks like you''re processing something in your head."


    "I am," she mumbled. "To think you actually are talking about something like that nonchntly, I am really overwhelmed by a weird feeling."


    "Weird, huh?" I muttered. Weird was okay until she was not scared of me. But sometimes, I actually wanted her to be scared of me. "Weird is good."


    "Let''s go then," she said. "But where is it? Did you keep it in a room or something?"


    "Yeah, it has a room," I replied.


    She looked surprised and her mouth fell open. "I was joking though..."


    "Close your mouth, my wife. I might put my finger in..."


    She closed her mouth right away and pouted. I led her to a room that was attached to the roof. She roamed around a castle a lot, but it was too big to finish looking around. There were a lot of ces she had never been to.


    She was muttering to herself, but I could not hear anything. I was focused on the sound of her voice, not the words. I was absorbed in the sweet and addicting melody. How she smiled, how her eyes shone all the time no matter what, and how quickly her lips moved- my heart was skipping more than one beat witnessing all those. Satisfaction formed inside me. I wished I could always make her feel like this.


    I wished she would always smile, smile for me.


    "Dem!" she grabbed my arm. "You are dazing off."


    "Oh... I was just thinking about something beautiful," I said. "Were you saying something?"


    "You never said a bird lived inside the room on the roof. I thought it was just there for no reason. I mean, there are too many rooms in a castle needed or not," she said.


    "I thought you would get scared. So, I didn''t mention it earlier," I said. "Well, it''s an excuse. I actually keep forgetting to mention things."


    "I noticed."


    "You''re not angry, are you?"


    "Huh? Why would I be?"


    "You looked like..."


    "No, I was just thinking that if that''s the case then I have to keep asking you a lot about everything," she said with a serious look. "In that way, you don''t have to worry about forgetting anything."


    I chuckled. "Seriously?" If only she could see how cute she was, I was sure that she would get the hell of a surprise.


    "Now don''t go near the bird alone. Just stay behind me and don''t make a ruckus. It will attack if you do so though I will just kill it before it does," I said as I opened the door.


    The room was dark, even the windows were closed. There was no sound inside. It was like nothing was there.


    "Are you sure it''s here? The room looks vac..."


    Her words were cut off as a screeching noise filled the room and something flew towards me and sat on my shoulder. I looked at the face of my wife. Werewolves could see better than humans in darkness. Because of that, the slightly surprised face of hers was presented before my eyes.


    "Is it on your arm?" she asked.


    "Yeah. Do you wanna touch it?"


    "Hmm," she mumbled. "Can I?"


    "Let me lead you," I said as I took her hand and touched the bird''s feathers with it. The bird did not do anything since I led her. The birds of death were loyal to their owners along with the ones the owners cared about. After seeing that I was with her, the bird slowly let its guard down around her and sat on her shoulder from mine.


    "It sat on my shoulder, Dem," she muttered anxiously. "What should I do? Its ws feel weird."


    "They are sharp. Is it painful? I''ll move it right away."


    "No, don''t," she said. "They are not dug in the flesh. It just is ticklish."


    "That''s good then. It smelled me in you. That''s why it let its guard down around you so quickly. Unlike werewolves, birds can smell Alphas and their mates," I said. "But to think it''s even rubbing its face against your head... Oh, would you look at that smug face?


    It''s clearly enjoying itself."


    "What are you saying? You have a fixed smug face as well."


    "Eee, don''tpare me to it! This greasy feathery bastard is clearly flirting with my wife," I grumbled. "Should I throw it out?"


    "It''s just a bird! Don''t be mean," she muttered.


    "Hmph! You''re siding with a bird you just met and ignoring your husband."


    "Haha, you''re so cute," she grinned. "Don''t be like that. Anyway, I was thinking about this for a while- when you are in your wolf form, can you eat raw meat and live animals? Like wild rabbits, birds, deer, cows...? I mean, I read that wolves prey primarily on hoofed animals such as deer, moose, bison, elk, and caribou.


    And because wolves typically huntrge animals though they are opportunistic and will eat the smaller prey, they must coborate to catch their prey. If they can catch it, wolves will eat a healthy, strong animal. I wonder if that''s the case with you werewolves as well."


    "Nope, absolutely not," I sternly said. "It''s possible to raw meat on a full moon now that I think about it since I lose my shitpletely that time. No, that''s not possible as well. There is no time to eat when you have to fuck like hell that time. It''s annoying since I don''t remember anything. There is no point in doing so.


    Anyway, and we don''t hunt or do something like that. As I said, we''re mostly like humans. We only shapeshift if we must or sometimes for fun. To be honest, it''s annoying to be a wolf."


    "You look like you truly hate it," she mumbled.


    "I do," I agreed without passing a beat. "And I also hate the way you are stroking its neck."


    "What''s wrong with it?"


    "It''s a he," I pointed out. Well, even if it was a she, I would have hated it.


    "So?"


    Guess I had no choice but to endure it for some time. I could not just say no to her when she enjoying herself so much. But the shocking this was her reaction. Her reactions were not always normal and I was aware of it. But this time, it was far from her abnormal reaction. Something was wrong.


    If I was right, she perhaps had not seen the bird properly in the darkness and she could not even take it out because it hated sunlight. Because of that, she did not react like she was supposed to after seeing it.


    She would probably be too shocked when she would be able to see it probably. Now I was sure that the bird would not do anything to her. So, I was trying to imagine how her face would look when she would see it.

 Chapter 95: Already Miss Him

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Dem had already left. I was alone. He would be gone for at least one month. It was a long time. I was already missing him.


    "Your Highness, your tea is getting cold," Ruby said. I liked having tea before going to bed. But since my husband was always impatient, I could hardly have some. Now that I was alone, I decided to have some tea. But my mind was somewhere else. I almost forgot about the tea.


    "A month will pass by quickly, Your Highness," Ruby said sympathetically.


    "Yeah," I muttered. "You can go now. It''ste. I will sleep too."


    It was almost one at night. Because of me, even Ruby was not able to sleep as well. After Ruby left, I tried to sleep for a while. But no matter how much I tried, I could not sleep at all.


    ''Dear head, please stop it. Stop thinking for god''s sake.''


    Well, nothing happened. I had to get up. It happened because I slept the whole morning till noon. And because of swordsmanship training, I had been tired and slept pretty well. Now there was not even a wink of sleep in my eyes. I was still tired, but I could not sleep.


    My body was kind of sore for two reasons as well. I woke up and started walking around the room. The window was open. Dem liked to close them, but I always forced him to keep them open, or I would feel breathless.


    There was a blissful silence around. I sat by the window, feeling the cold air against my face. The silence and cold air felt peaceful.


    The stars were as beautiful as always shining in the ckish-blue sky. I used to watch the stars back at home, mostly because I liked the color of the night sky. It made me weirdly homesick even when I did not have the right ce to call home.


    A lot of things happened in a very short time, but it seemed like it had been a long time. Sometimes I felt like I was waiting for this moment.


    As I was looking outside the window, I saw a figure on the ground. For some reason, it did not take me a long time to understand who it was.


    "What is he doing at this hour?" I muttered to myself. It did not take long for me to know what he was doing. He was pulling a rabbit from the water of the moat and then wrapped it in a towel.


    It was hard to properly see anything. I could hardly grasp the situation. But the rabbit looked cute. I had a soft spot for cute things, especially animals. I wanted to touch the rabbit so bad. But going out at this hour was not something I should do.


    Even though it was just Ezekiel, I should not. It was not like I did not trust him. But Demetrius did not like it and to be honest, I did not like it as well. I would rather keep my distance. And besides, for some reason, I found Ezekiel quite strange. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but sometimes the way he talked was too mysterious.


    It was as if he was hiding something. Of course, it was not something big or Dem would surely know.


    I sometimes wished I could read minds like Dem. It would be so cool and I would know everything others were thinking about. But Dem said that it was frustrating but useful.


    "I wonder if he is the only one possessing this kind of power. He can''t be the only one, can he? And besides, why would he get such a power?" I muttered to myself. Dem said that he never asked anyone about it as they would find out about it. He searched for information in different books, but there was nothing. Perhaps this power was something very rare and forbidden or something like that.


    I was so absorbed in thought that I did not notice when Ezekiel noticed me. He was looking straight at me. Now that I noticed him, I could not just ignore him. But what was I supposed to do?


    I could not think of anything else, so I just waved at him with a smile. He pondered for a while and then slightly moved his hand which I assumed to be a response.


    He waved his hand in a way that was more like telling me to go to sleep. He looked like a rabbit himself with the rabbit in his arms. I nodded and moved away from the window. It was not like I did not want to sleep, I just could not.


    "Honestly, I wish I was like those who can get sleepy reading a boring book," I sighed. If I read a boring book, I would end up memorizing the entire book and then the words would keep flying in my mind. Forget sleep, I would not even be able to sit still.


    Suddenly I saw another figure outside. I moved towards the window to take a closer look. Almost no one left the castle at night. That was why I was kind of cautious seeing someone outside. Ezekiel was already gone, but what was she doing here at this hour?


    I quickly wore a cloak and ran out of my room. I was trying not to make any noise while at the same time going faster. I was wearing my fluffy ck slippers. I forgot to change them, but it did not matter. My never satisfied husband had arranged too many of everything for me, including every type of essory.


    Dem showed me the secret door to leave the castle. We two were the only ones who could open the door. He said that he made Luc cast a spell on it a long time ago so only he could see it. It was a small door and it was at the backside of the castle in a very shabby room. So, no one went there usually. And now that I was his mate, I could open it as well.


    All I had to do was push it.

 Chapter 96: [Bonus chapter] Know About Father-In-Law

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I reached the ce where I saw her. She was gazing at the liatrises. Hearing my footsteps, she looked at me.


    "Can''t sleep?" she asked.


    I nodded. "What are you doing, Mother?"


    "I couldn''t sleep either. I have been suffering from insomnia these days. Sophia had been making me some passionflower tea these days, but it''s not helping. So, I came outside," she said. Her red hair looked like a me under the moonlight and her ck eyes were glistening slightly. Her ck eyes were refreshing to look at that, unlike Demetrius''s.


    His eyes held nothing at all most of the time and I would feel that his eyes were pressing me so hard that I could not move at all.


    "I saw you from my window," I said. "For your sleep, can I rmend something?"


    "Go ahead. That would help too," she smiled.


    "I have read about this before- well, almonds, kiwi, walnuts, tart cherry juice, white rice, bananas can help with your sleep. Oh, and turkey too. You can try to have chamomile tea as well."


    "Ah, I like tea. I have never had chamomile tea though..."


    I started telling her about Chamomile tea. The words came out of my mouth very swiftly, as if I had been reciting them like a mantra all my life.


    I bbered without even realizing it. "Oh, I said too much."


    "Though I don''t know what it all means, it looks like you know a lot about it," she said. "I will tell my maid to make some chamomile tea for me then."


    "Ah, I don''t understand it all as well," I said guiltily. "I just remember what I read."


    "Your memory is pretty sharp, unlike the son of mine."


    "Haha, it''s true that he keeps forgetting things," Iughed. There were many times when Dem forgot to tell me important things. ''But he looks cute when he apologizes for forgetting. Not that I can tell it to Mother.''


    He also had another problem. He would think something was not important enough to mention when actually, it was more than important. For example, he did not tell me that he actually did not sleep with his mistresses and was a virgin because he thought it was not an important enough matter.


    "You miss him already, don''t you?"


    "... Yes. It''s lonely without him. But I''m nning on keeping myself upied." I had no idea how I would manage to keep myself upied. I could not find anything interesting enough to do that would keep me busy.


    "Let''s go sit down. We can talk for a while," she said.


    She sighed as she sat down on the side bench. I sat beside her. She smelled like lemon. Perhaps she had used lemon oil in her bath. I mostly used rose oil on the other hand. I was not particrly fond of aroma oils, but Ruby would keep nagging.


    So, I gave up protesting and chose the rose-scented oil. It had a soft and pleasant scent that was not too deep or too light, just enough.


    "Demetrius was always different than others since childhood. He has ck eyes like mine and looks like me as well, except for his hair while Evelyn looks like their father except for her hair. Ajax was strange too, but Demetrius and he are different."


    So father''s name was Ajax... His name reminded me of Ajax the Great, a mythological hero- the son of King Tmon and Periboea, and the half-brother of Teucer. But it would be odd to mention it right now, so I decided to keep quiet. If I said so, I would look so odd.


    "Did Demetrius tell you how Ajax and I got married?" she asked.


    I shook my head. Demetrius never liked talking about his family. For some reason, he always looked like he hated it. That was why I refrained from asking him as well.


    "Ajax was the king of Querencia that time and I was just amoner in Mazazine. It was twenty-four years ago. There was a war going on between the two kingdoms. Ajax was renowned for his tyrant behavior. He was called the mad dog of the battlefield. In one word, he was a crazy person who could kill anyone in the blink of an eye.


    All of us knew that he would never spare anyone no matter what. And he was a womanizer, to be honest."


    I almost choked hearing it. She was saying all this nonchntly. This look was not unfamiliar to me. After all, I was married to a man who could say anything with that look on his face.


    "There was a saying that he would not bed a woman more than once. It was enough for me to hate him."


    ''I agree. Even though he is my father-inw, I have to admit it.''


    "So, when the war broke out, I was working as a doctor for the soldier. I lived with my uncle who adopted me when I was four. I don''t know who my parents are, not that I ever cared. I learned about herbs and medicines from my aunt. She was a doctor as well. I used to help her.


    During the war, I apanied my cousin to the camp to help them. Aunt could not go at that time as she was busy in another vige. But who knew what would happen next? I had no idea that I would be able to meet my future husband right there."


    It seemed like it was a good thing that I could not sleep tonight since I would be able to know about Demetrius''s family more. And if it was Mother, she would surely go into details and tell me almost everything.


    Perhaps I would be able to get to know about something that might lead to understanding why Demetrius had the strange ability to read minds. If I could find out about it, it would be beneficial for us since secrets about ourselves would never help.

 Chapter 97: Cursed Eyes

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "That time, I had been treating injured soldiers all day and night. Because of that, I barely got any sleep. And I was tired all the time. One night, when I was washing myself in my tent, I heard something. It turned out that a man was hiding there. He was injured.


    But not enough to forget to hold a dagger under my throat," she said.


    "It was..."


    "Yes, it was Ajax. I did not know back then. I was kind of good at fighting, but I was no match for someone like him. So, I had to stand still. He threatened me that if I screamed, he would slit my throat. No one wants to die, right?


    But he was injured as well. Werewolves have a strong sense of smell, hearing. I could smell blood from him and it was pretty strong. I just had to track the smell to locate where the wound was and then I hit him there. He lost hisposure and his hood fell. That''s when I saw his face.


    And truth be told, I was mesmerized by his beauty. I would rather call him beautiful than handsome. Of course, he was handsome, but his face was truly beautiful," she said with a smile. "His wound was pretty big and right on his stomach. I don''t know why I could not just ignore it. So even though he told me not to, I started to apply medicine on his wound.


    You know, when werewolves get hurt, if the wound is too deep, self-healing does not help entirely. That''s why medicines need to be applied. He could not even do anything but listen to me since because of my hit, his wound was opened more. Thankfully, the wound wasn''t made with the silver weapon."


    Dem had told me before that silver was deadly for werewolves. If a werewolf''s heart was pierced with silver, they would die right there.


    "Werewolves fight with silver weapons along with the normal ones and if the silver ones pierce a werewolf''s heart, death is bound toe. My son has surely told you this, hasn''t he?"


    "Ah, yes. He did," I replied.


    "He doesn''t seem to keep anything to himself when he is with you. So devoted to his wife... I am really proud of him," she chuckled. "Anyway, I treated his wounds. He was quite surprised. But as a doctor, I just couldn''t leave him like that.


    That night, I fell asleep after treating him. I thought he was sleeping, so I closed my eyes for two minutes or something. But I fell asleep as I was too tired at that time. Later he told me that he was actually pretending to be asleep. The next morning, he was nowhere to be found. He had left that night.


    But I found myself on the bed and the nket was properly wrapped around me. Well, it was strange. Like why the hell would he do something like that? And there was a ring on my ring finger. That was weird. I tried to take it off, but it was too tight.


    There was no time to worry about a mere ring when there was practically a war going on. The warsted three more months. Querencia won the war and Mazazine was ced under Querencia when it came to power. Right after the war ended, I was taking a good break from everything. Honestly, the war had made me thinner and I was exhausted as if I was going to die. But peace did notst long.


    A week after the war ended, I heard that a man came to meet me and said that he knows me. And I came out of my room only to find out it was him. He smiled brightly at me and before I knew anything, he asked for my hand in marriage."


    "Really? Father-inw was really straightforward, it seems," I said. Demetrius was like that as well, but he was more cunning than that. He was not so patient, but he still waited for me so I woulde of age. But as Mother was twenty at that time, there was no problem.


    "He was. My uncle and aunt were dumbfounded and were asking me what the hell was going on. I mean, how was I supposed to know? You know what happened next?"


    "What?"


    "I fainted."


    ''Well, I didn''t expect that. But I can''t say I expected a p and a free-kick.''


    "When I woke up, he was still there. He somehow convinced my aunt and uncle, though my cousin was not so convinced. He said he came in secret. I had already reached an age to marry, but as I was mateless, there was no point in that. I did not want to marry someone I just met and moreover, he was someone of another kingdom. But I didn''t want to burden my uncle''s family anymore.


    They had done more than enough for me. I could simply ept his offer, but there was one more thing. What if he finds his mate? What will happen then? I told him that. That''s when he revealed that he was the king of Querencia and also told me that the ring he gave me was the ring that the king of Querencia wears.


    And kings can choose their own mates. He took me with him and I really was shocked to see how huge the castle was. The servants, knights- everyone epted me. Of course, there were some who did not. But that did not matter so much. After the wedding, I never thought that I would be so lucky to have him.


    Honestly, I thought he would have a harem and I epted it since there was nothing I could do about it. I even asked him about it. He confessed to me that he was not that good for a man. He had slept with countless women and had a harem as well. But after he met me, he did not touch another woman and as soon as the war ended, he broke his harem, so I could be his only one.


    Well, he proved his loyalty to me and never touched another woman again. He supported me all the time. I don''t know what made him fall for me, but I''m grateful that he did. Or how would I have such a wonderful husband, a great son, and a beautiful daughter? Then we had Demetrius and after him, Evelyn. I don''t know why, but Demetrius was always distant.


    He never opened up to any of us and always stayed away from everyone. We were worried for him, but he never came to us. For some reason, he always kept everything to himself. Then he met Luc and opened up a bit to him. I was a bit relieved, but he actually never let anyone in. I think it''s because of the cursed blood."


    "Cursed blood?" I asked in shock.


    "Yes," she nodded. "ck eyes are not normal. They are called cursed eyes. I was often ill-treated because of my eyes'' color. It is said that those who are born with ck eyes don''t have the blessing of the moon goddess. And the blood of those who have ck eyes is demonic in nature.


    You see, there is a difference between my eyes and his eyes."


    "My eyes are less dark than his ones. I won''t lie- but this is true. ck-eyed werewolves truly possess demonic power. They are part of the devil himself. Women with ck eyes rarely possess any demonic power, but men do. It''s really, really rare to have ck eyes.


    But the werewolves with ck eyes are not really appreciated. Demetrius was called the devil by kids of his age. Perhaps that''s why he shut himself down. I wish I could help him at that time. But I never could. He never came to me and when I tried to get close to him, he just never opened up."


    "He even told me that he hated his blood. I don''t know what his demonic nature is, but there is," she said.


    "I see," I muttered.


    He said that he did not like his blood and because of that, he did not want children, and even if there was a child, he wanted them not to be like him or have any of his features. But he never told me that it was because of the cursed eyes.


    "He never told you about this?"


    I shook my head. He must have heard a lot of hurtful words from others because of his eyes. It was not his fault. Now I could understand why he behaved like that with others. For a kid, mental abuse was more dangerous than physical abuse. After all, words were sharper than knives that could leave wounds more than skin-deep.


    "As a mother, I wish I could help him. But he neveres to me. He never even talked to any of us properly. That''s why when he talked to me  freely, after all this time one day, I was really surprised. You know when it was?" she said. "The day he brought you here, he talked to me.


    It was about you, but I was d that he talked to me. I never thought of having a human as my daughter-inw, but I''m grateful. Though he doesn''t talk to me much, it still improved. So thank you."


    "What are you saying, Mother? You don''t need to thank me. I don''t know if it''s because of me or not, but I will always be happy if you two are on good terms."

 Chapter 98: You Can Never Be Free With Him

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ah, dear, I know it''s because of you," she said with a faint smile. "He loves you more than anything else."


    "Love?" I muttered even without myself knowing.


    "Of course!" she said enthusiastically. "You behave as if... He didn''t tell you he loves you?"


    ''He did, but that time, he was not in his right mind. But well, he truly loves me. It''s clear. But it''s weird to say it out loud right now in front of Mother for some reason. Perhaps because of how simr she looks to Demetrius, it feels like I am saying it to him.''


    "Did you tell him you love him?"


    I did not say anything. What was there for me to say? I was not ready yet. To be honest, there were a lot of things that happened within a short time. And I could not say that I was being sincere since the beginning.


    "You know you can be honest with me, Blue," she patted on my back. "Even if you don''t like my son, I can understand..."


    "No, it''s not like that!" I said quickly. I liked him. No, it was not just liking him. I loved him. But it was not the same all the time. "Uh, I think I should say this to Demetrius as well.


    I don''t know how you will feel about it, but I''m going to say it anyway. The night Demetrius brought me here, I actually wanted to run away then. I didn''t know him. How can I just follow a stranger? But I followed him. I don''t know why, I just did.


    He threatened me that if I ran away, he would catch me eventually and bring me with him. After he brought me here, I was scared of him. I wanted to run away from him. Trust me, I even considered every possible ways to get away from him. But in the end, I could not do anything. I even put up an act to like him.


    It was like that in the beginning. After the wedding, for the first time, I actually felt a bit attracted to him. Then as days went by, I slowly grew fond of him and eventually fell so much for him that I can''t even bear to separate from him even for a moment. He always treated me so kindly and is always considerate of me. But I still could not ept his kindness without suspicions.


    I mean, why would someone go that far for a person?"


    "He was really being sincere all this while. But it took me long to understand. I even pretended to like him," I said. It was hard to keep my thoughts in check too for a while and sometimes, he even heard what I was saying in my mind. But he never really made it hard for me or got angry at me. "And now...


    now I''m feeling guilty. I don''t know... I can''t believe I..."


    "If you think of normal reaction, then there is nothing to worry about or feel guilty about," she said with a serious and reassuring look on her face. "From what I understand, he literally forced you toe here and basically locked you up, just like a bird in a cage. Blue, no matter how you look at it, it''s not freedom. He might love you with all his might, but you''re not free.


    And if you want to stay with him, there is no other way. Just because he is my son, I can''t say he is a perfect man. Yes, everyone has ws, but if you look at his behavior, they are weird. Tell me what kind of man he is. Be honest."


    "Possessive, jealous, protective, but supportive, sweet, cute..."


    "Thest three- I can''t imagine him since I have never been able to see him like that," she said. "But the first three- he can surely be like that. You see, he is not at a primary level. You know what I mean?"


    I nodded. I had epted this since I epted his love and my feelings- if I was with him, I could never be free. When he said that if I wanted to leave him I could- it was a lie. Because he would never let me leave. He wanted me to be with him even if it meant to tie me up. But at least, he was trying to change a bit.


    "His traits are not possible. So, you can''t possibly think that he will love you like a normal man. And from what I can see, he loves you so extremely that if something happens to you, he won''t hesitate going to heaven or hell to bring you back."


    "... I guess I better keep on loving him," I said. "But can you tell me one thing? I didn''t fall for him at first sight, neither at second sight... But I have fallen for him eventually. Is it really okay?


    I mean, he fell for me before, but I still doubted him and then..."


    "It''s okay. It''s more than okay," she said. "I''m d that you did not like him at first. The way he brought you here, it wasn''t supposed to make anyone like him in the first ce. And I bet he knew about it too well. But he still wanted to make you his.


    Judging his personality, it''s no surprise. But it''s up to you if you truly want to be with him. You can break the mark, you know."


    "What?"


    "You''re a human, not a werewolf. Marks are impossible to break between werewolves, but that''s not the same case with you. It''s hard, but not impossible."


    "I... I don''t want that," I said. "I want to be with him. It''s my choice, so even if it''s wrong, I''m fine with it."


    "I will support you no matter what you choose. My husband was not really an amazing person. But I loved him regardless of his ws. At least, he was sincere and loyal. Demetrius is a lot different than Ajax, but I''m d that you support him."


    I looked ahead of myself at the asters. The starry shaped flowers were in white and violet. They were refreshing to look at. A smile curved on my lips. I felt relieved that I had been honest, truly honest.


    I would tell Demetrius about everything as well. I did not care if he would hate me for it. Perhaps he had already known about this. But still, it was my responsibility to let him know about everything.


    "By the way, did my son show you or tell you about his demonic ability?"


    "... No... I haven''t seen anything like that."


    "I see. I don''t know if it is a dangerous ability since there is nothing written about it in books. I mean, it is written that werewolves with ck eyes possess demonic powers, but it is not said what kind of power that is."


    I kept quiet. Perhaps I knew what kind of power it was. I had my suspicion that Demetrius could not be normal. Mind reading could never be a normal power. But now I understood. His demonic power was mind reading.


    I could understand why he did not tell me about it. He did not want me to feel disgusted or hate him. He was always worried about it. But how could I make him understand that I could never hate him, not when he was being so nice to me?


    "Mother, there is one thing I was thinking about... Ruby, my personal maid said that she never saw any king or queen not having harems before us... But..."


    "Ah that?" she chuckled. "Yes, my husband and I both had harems, but that was on name only. It''s like a disgrace if a king or queen doesn''t have a harem. It''s odd, but it''s reality. But my son doesn''t care about it at all."


    "Yeah, he told me this," I muttered. I was d. Thank god that Demetrius was like that. I was not sure if I would be able to bear it if he had a harem, even if it was in name only. And I was sure that Dem would never allow me to have one as well. Not that I wanted...


    I was satisfied with my sweet husband. "But I heard that werewolves can only...um... do it with their mates. Then..."


    "There is a way for those with Alpha blood or those who are Alpha''s mate to do it with multiple. There is a potion that allows them to do so."


    "Oh...," I mumbled. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of things I did not know about this world.


    I should try as hard as I could to learn more. It would be good for both me and Demetrius. And I was really grateful to Mother for supporting me. I never had the chance to experience the love of a mother before since my own mother only showed me how to survive, not live. Now I was d that Demetrius''s mother epted me and also treated me as his daughter.

 Chapter 99: Swordsmanship Training With Ezekiel

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Please wake up, Your Highness. It''s time for your swordsmanship practice."


    Ruby had been calling me for a while now. But I did not want to wake up, so I was not answering. But it did not help as she threw the nket away and forced me to get down from the bed.


    "Your Highness, you''re the one who told me to force you to wake up even if you don''t want to," she said.


    "Ah, right... But I still feel sleepy..."


    "Didn''t you sleepst night?"


    "... I did," I mumbled. Yes, I slept but only for an hour or two. Mother and I talked almost the whole night. She told me a lot of things about Father-inw, cursed eyes, and also that kings and queens did not have to be mates to marry. They married for political reasons and then took concubines.


    Because of a potion, even if they found their mates, they could still mate with others. It was weird and I did not like the idea at all. If there was a way to change it, I would try.


    "Your Highness, please look where you''re going," Ruby said as I smashed my toe against the chair leg.


    "Jesus, I think my soul has left my body!" I muttered as I was rubbing my toe with both of my hands.


    "Who is Jesus?" she asked.


    "My buddy."


    It was pretty hectic when I got ready. I reached the pce ground and found Ezekiel waiting for me. I waved at him and he waved back, which was more like just a bit moving of his hand.


    "Good morning, Your Highness," he said and bowed.


    "Good morning," I said.


    "But Your Highness looks so tired."


    "Ah, I couldn''t sleepst night."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yeah. I saw you too. Remember?"


    "Yes. Your Highness waved at me."


    "By the way, what were you doing that time? I mean, I saw you saving the rabbit..."


    "I couldn''t sleep as well. I was just walking in the garden. That''s when I saw it," he said. He was more talkative than usual today. Other times, he barely talked a sentence. But I was d.


    "Where is it now?"


    "I released it," he said.


    "Oh...," I said, a bit disappointed. I could not tell him that I wanted to touch it. It would be so unlike for a queen to talk like that.


    "My sister has a few pet rabbits. If Your Highness wants, I can bring one," he said as if he could read my mind.


    "Really?" I said too excitedly, then quickly fixed myposure. "Excuse me... I just..."


    "Your Highness, you can be yourself in front of me without worrying about maintaining your image. After all, I am your personal knight. There is no need to be formal with knights."


    I looked at him with an unsure look. Did he notice that I was trying hard to maintain my image? Honestly, it was hard to keep being formal and maintain etiquette since I was not used to it. In my world, there was no way anyone would be this formal.


    "It''s alright, Your Highness. All nobles are like this," he said.


    "Then I think it''s fine. You won''t mind, right?"


    "Of course not. I will be d," he said, "when you''re yourself."


    ''Huh?''


    The training was good and enjoyable. Ezekiel was a good teacher as well. He was very young, but during the training, he looked too mature and respectable. I could not help but giggle.


    "What''s wrong, Your Highness?"


    "Haha, I was just thinking... You look totally different right now. I mean, you are always so serious, but right now, you look ultra-serious," I said. "You look like a real teacher. Have you taught anyone swordsmanship before?"


    "No. It''s the first time."


    "Is that so?" I muttered. "I think you would be a good teacher."


    "... Perhaps," he chuckled. "Your Highness is the first person to say so."


    I was kind of surprised. It was the first time I saw him like that. He looked like... He looked like a cute little cat. I felt urged to save him. It was just like the time when I wanted to save a cat that I read in a manga.


    If I could, I would pluck it out of the pages and make it alive.


    "Perhaps we should take a break, Your Highness," he said.


    "Right... I think I''m dying," I gasped.


    I sat down under a tree. My heart was thumping as if it woulde out of its ce any time. I was having a hard time adjusting my breathing.


    "You should sit down too, Your Highness," I said as he was standing in front of me.


    When there was no response, I looked up at him only to find him looking at his left. It was as if he was deep in thought.


    "Your Highness, can I ask you a question?"


    "Yeah, sure," I said.


    "What if you want something? Will you go for it?"


    "Of course. Why wouldn''t I?"


    "Even if it''s something that belongs to someone else?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s not like you can''t have it. It''s just you shouldn''t. Will you still go for it?" he asked, not looking at me.


    "If it''s me, I won''t want something that belongs to someone else in the first ce. But if it''s apetition, perhaps I would try to win just like everyone else. I don''t know if these two are the same case. I think you should do what you want. I mean, I am not in a position to judge when I don''t know the whole situation," I said.


    "I think," he looked right at me with a slight smile curved on his lips, "I''ll do what I want. It has been in my mind for a long time. I think I should put an end to this now. I will just do what I want, not what I think is right. I will go for it even if it''s wrong. Perhaps I''m crazy, but at least, I won''t have any regrets."


    For some reason, I did not have a good feeling about this. I did not say anything wrong, did I? I mean, what if my answer had influenced his weird thinking? But I just said what I thought.


    "Hey, you aren''t nning to start a rebellion, are you?" I asked seriously.


    "Of course not," he smiled again and sat down beside me. "I''m just doing what I want."


    "I heard that day my sister went to treat Your Highness," he said after a while.


    "... Yeah," I mumbled. I wondered if he knew why she went to treat me. That would be too embarrassing.


    "I hate it when others aren''t being considerate."


    "Huh?"


    "Werewolves are too strong. That''s why dealing with humans, they need to be considerate."


    I did not know what he was talking about. Was he interested in humans or something like that?


    "Yeah. But I wonder if all the werewolves think the same way. I mean, they have never been near any human..."


    "I hate this. I hate him," he said. "So immature..."


    "Who?"


    "A man who only thinks of himself and tries to possess, does what he thinks is right and doesn''t care about anything else," he said with a disgusted face. "What do you think of that kind of man? Aren''t they disgusting?"


    "Uh...," I mumbled. I could not say disgusting. Well, Demetrius had some of these traits and I never found him disgusting, rather I loved him. Yes, that was the answer- I did not know about any other men. I did not care. But I loved Demetrius as he was and I epted him.


    So if it was only him, it was fine. "I don''t personally like the traits. But when the negative traits in a person don''t exceed the line, it''s fine. Until then, it''s fine. I know it well."


    "Oh... How does it feel being tied down?" he asked all of a sudden.


    "Tied down? How would I know?"


    "You don''t know?"


    Somehow I felt like he was trying to express something through his words. It was weird. I did not want to talk about this anymore.


    "I think we should start again. I feel refreshed," I said.


    "Alright," he sighed.


    Why did I feel like he was always trying to take Demetrius down? Was it just my imagination? It was indirect, but I felt like he meant Demetrius and perhaps he was thinking that I was being tied down.


    Of course, that was not the case. It was true that I was forced toe here. But I fell in love with him and found out that he was good for me. And besides, he cared for me more than anything else and treated me as if I was the most precious person to him. He was the same to me. I wanted to treasure him and love him forever as well.


    All of the members in the castle knew about our good rtionship and they were even gossiping about it. I even once heard that they were saying that as we spent too much time together, there could be a kid any day.


    But that was not the problem. The problem was why was Ezekiel behaving like that? First of all, he was just my personal knight. He was supposed to protect me on Demetrius, their king''s order. Secondly, even if I was being tied down, he was not in any position to oppose. After all, I was his king''s wife.


    He could not oppose his king no matter what. Then why was he behaving like that, especially when I was not mistreated by Dem in the first ce?

 Chapter 100: The Weird Dream

    [We have reached the century for The Werewolf King''s Bride. Thank you for your support and keep supporting Demetrius and Blue and let''s pray so they have a good life.]


    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I could not sleep the next night as well. The worst memories began to crawl into my mind, making me shiver from head to toe. It did not happenst month. But why now?


    Perhaps I knew why. Until now since I came here, Demetrius was always beside me on the bed. I could never feel the depth of darkness because of his warmth. He made me forget all about my past. But when he was not here, those memories came crawling back again like monster spiders spreading their legs to capture me in its grasp.


    Their voices, their scary faces- all came to my mind. It was as if I was fading and falling into their grasp again. I did not want this. I wanted to scream, I wanted to run away. But I could not move my body.


    I thought it was over. After all this time when I did not have those nightmares again, I thought I was free from them. But who knew it was a lifelong debt that I did not even want. It was a debt from being born that I needed to pay with my entire life.


    There was a dark ce where I could not help but fall, deeper and deeper, waiting for it to consume me fully. I just wanted to live properly. Why did I have to face this? Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to be born in the first ce if this was what I was going to face?


    "It''s alright..."


    There was a voice. I did not know who it was, but it was reassuring. It seemed like the person was pulling me up.


    "Please calm down."


    "Huh?"


    "Calm down, Your Highness."


    "Who the hell is Your Highness?"


    "Calm down, Blue. It''s alright."


    "Ah, Blue... That''s me..."


    "Do you want me to stay with you?"


    "Who are you?"


    "You don''t know me?"


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t have to know. It''s just in your imagination."


    "Is that so?" I asked.


    "Yes. Do you want me to stay with you?"


    "... No."


    "No? Why not?"


    "I shouldn''t stay much with other people."


    "Why?"


    "Demetrius doesn''t like it. He says I shouldn''t trust others much," I replied.


    "That guy..."


    "He is right. People are not good."


    "Then do you think he is good?"


    "No," I said. "But he is good to me. I love him for that."


    "He is not good to you. He just wants to possess you."


    "I don''t care. He is the first person to make me feel special and besides, he lets me do anything I want. Why wouldn''t I like him?"


    "You never liked anyone before him?"


    "No, other than myself, none."


    "Why not?"


    "I just didn''t find the right person."


    "If you did, would you choose him?"


    "What kind of question is that? I don''t like it."


    "Alright. I won''t ask it."


    "But why are we talking? I don''t know if I know you."


    "It''s just your imagination, didn''t I say it? Just let it be in your mind. Can''t we just talk?"


    "Hmm, I guess so. Talking won''t harm."


    "That''s right."


    When I woke up in the morning, I remembered the dream pretty clearly. It was as if I was having a dream within a dream. The first one was a nightmare, an old nightmare. Then someone woke me up andforted me. That person even talked to me in another dream. But I did not remember their voice anymore.


    I did not even know if it was a he or a she. It was weird. It was the first time I had this kind of dream.


    "Your Highness, you look even more tired than usual, but somehow, you look kinda relieved as well," Ruby said as she braided my hair.


    "What kind of exnation is that?"


    "But it''s the truth. It''s strange."


    "I guess you''re right. I had a strange dream."


    "What kind of dream?"


    "Nothing special," I said. For some reason, I did not want to tell her about it. It was too weird to talk about.


    I got my spirits up during the training. It was fun to wield the sword and when Ezekiel praised me, my mood lifted up. He was a good teacher and it looked like he was much experienced in this. But I still could not help but think that my husband''s posture was worth nose bleeding.


    "That should be all for today. Your Highness was extremely determined today," he said.


    "Right? It''s so cool!" I eximed as I slumped on the ground.


    "You did well."


    "Haha, you flutter me. But I''m d you praised me. It''s good to be praised," I said.


    "You deserve it," he said. "Did Your Highness have a good night''s sleep?"


    "Huh? Not really," I muttered. "Ah, I miss him. I miss my husband. When is heing back?"


    "You miss him that much?"


    "Uh-huh. I miss him more than anything else," I said sulkily. "I wrote him a letterst night. It''s my first time writing a letter. His bird took it."


    "The bird of death?" he asked in a surprised tone.


    "Yeah. It''s really strange looking but amazing. I mean, I have to say that it''s kinda scary, especially its ws and beak. But it''s loyal and doesn''t hurt me. So, it''s fine," I said. "And besides, it has been this faint dream of mine to have a scary-looking pet that will save me from anything and bark at those who try to hurt me."


    When the bird came to my roomst night even when I did not call it, I was really surprised. And it was kinda scary looking as well. That day, I could not see it properly because of the darkness. But as it rubbed its head against me, it was like my shock had gone away. Now that I thought about it, it was kinda cute.


    "What is Your Highness''s favorite color?" Ezekiel asked all of a sudden.


    "Eh? ck. Why?"


    "Just asking. Can''t I know?"


    "That''s not it. It''s not like you can''t know. It''s not even anything important," I said. "I was just surprised."


    "And what is your favorite flower?"


    "Roses," I replied. "ck roses."


    "That''s strange. Women don''t really like ck things here."


    ''That''s bullshit! Anyone can like anything- men or women. Some even say boys can''t like cute things. I mean, honestly, why not? Maxen likes cute things, especially cats.''


    "What is your favorite food?"


    "Pizza! Now that I remember, I miss pizza. It''s so tasty...," I said, almost drooling over my imaginary pizza.


    "What is pizza?"


    "Pizza is a dish made up of a round, t base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often other ingredients such as anchovies, mushrooms, onions, olives, pineapple, meat, and so on, which is then baked at a high temperature, traditionally in a wood-fired oven," I said.


    Whenever someone asked me about something I knew about, I would ramble on without thinking anything else. Dem said it was okay, so I did not care. "I love the cheese ones, I mean lots of cheese. My favorite is deep dish. It''s so amazing that I can even die for it. Like really- how can something be so heavenly and tasty?"


    "You seem like really like it?" he chuckled.


    "Of course! You have no idea... I wish you werewolves could taste it. It''s really amazing," I said. "Well, there are others who don''t like this, of course."


    Dem did not like anything on bread. He had a strange taste. He said it was weird to have anything on bread or with bread. That was why, he did not like pizzas, burgers, sandwiches... I told him he was missing out, but he did not listen.


    "Is that the only food you like?"


    "No! I like burgers as well. Do you know about burgers?"


    "No."


    "A hamburger, or burger for short, is a sandwich that consists of one or more cooked patties¡ªusually ground meat, usually beef¡ªced inside a sliced bread roll or bun. The patty can be pan-fried, grilled, smoked, or me-grilled.


    Hamburgers are frequently topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, or chilies, as well as condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, or a "special sauce," which is often a variation of Thousand Ind dressing, and are served on sesame seed buns. A cheeseburger is a hamburger that has been topped with cheese. And it''s my favorite type of burger," I said.


    "I also like pasta," I added.


    "Oh, we have pasta here."


    "Yeah. Dem and I had them at dinner," I said. "I like bigoli con l''anatra. It''s my favorite. Dem likes spaghetti though not the spicy ones."


    ''He can''t eat spicy things.''


    "By the way, Ezekiel, I''m thinking of visiting Luc tomorrow. I wanted to go there today. But my legs are aching."

 Chapter 101: Cursed Eyes Shows The Real Self

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Have youe to hang out? That''s great!" Luc said as Ezekiel and I went to the magic tower the next day.


    "Yeah, and I have to ask you about something as well," I said.


    "Come in and sit down first. You look really red and tired."


    "Oh, that''s... Ezekiel was teaching me swordsmanship."


    "Good. But to think Demetrius let you..."


    "He is the one who suggested it," I said.


    "He truly is different with you," he muttered. "Anyway, sit down. I will get you a ss of water."


    "No need. I brought some water for Her Highness," Ezekiel said. It was true he had already brought water for me. I was almost dying during the training, so he went back to get some water.


    I took a seat on the couch. It felt like my whole body was melting. It was nice to sit down after swordsmanship training.


    ''My butt feels perfectly rested...''


    "So what is it you wanted to know?" Luc asked, sitting beside me. Ezekiel was sitting at our front. This time, I did not have to tell him to sit down.


    "What do you know about cursed eyes?" I asked.


    "Cursed eyes?" Luc repeated.


    I nodded. "I want to know what you know."


    "Did Demetrius tell you about it?"


    "It doesn''t matter. I thought if Ie to you, I might know about it."


    He scratched his scalp and sighed. "Well, I know as much as others know, nothing more I guess."


    "Tell me then."


    "ck eyes are called cursed eyes. There are types of dark eyes- like not too ck, and fully ck as if it''s devil''s yground. Just like the devils within you can see your real self, the devils within the cursed eyes can not only see the real self of the person, but also others."


    "See the real self of others?" I mumbled. It seemed like I could understand most parts now. If cursed eyes could see the real self of others, it meant that anyone was exposed in front of the devils of the cursed eyes. Demetrius could hear others'' thoughts. He could read their minds, their real thoughts. It was just like Luc said.


    Dem could see a person''s real self as well. Perhaps it was because of his ck eyes.


    "Yes. I don''t know how, but that''s all it''s said in books. Women with ck eyes rarely have any demonic ability, but men sure do. I don''t know what your husband''s ability is," he said. "Do you know?"


    "... No. No, I don''t," I muttered. Demetrius had not sent me a letter yet. The bird was not here as well. After it took my letter to Dem, it did note back.


    I wondered if it was alright. I had never sent a letter, and that''s also using a bird.


    I was worried, so I asked Ezekiel if it was alright. He said that the bird of death was dangerous. No one could harm it easily. Perhaps Dem was too busy. He had gone to work after all. I hoped he was alright.


    Before leaving, he said that he had gone to take care of mosquitoes along with checking the borders.


    "What are you thinking, Blue?" I jerked hearing my name. Last night, I heard my name as well in the weird dream. I again had that weird dream. It was right after I had a nightmare about my past. They would not go away and in the darkness, it seemed like the devils of the past were calling me, trying to take me away. Then that person came and called my name, pulling me out of the darkness.


    But I again did not remember if it was a he or a she.


    "You really are not yourself today," Luc said. "Do you have a fever or something?"


    "Ah, no... I''m fine," Iughed it off. "By the way, Luc, do you know if there is any dream where a person talks to you freely, but then you don''t remember their voice?"


    "What do you mean?" Luc asked.


    "Um, I sorta have this nightmare every night. Then someone calls my name andforts me. Then that person talks to me. It''s as if a dream within a dream. I could never see their face though... In the morning, I forget all about that person.


    I don''t even remember their voice. Now I don''t even know if it''s a he or she," I said.


    "That''s pretty weird. I have never heard of anything like this," Luc said.


    "Right? I know it too... It''s the first time I had this weird dream."


    "Does that person make you feel better?" Ezekiel asked all of a sudden.


    "Ah, that person talks to me and I can talk to him freely as well. It almost feels as if I''m talking to a real person," I smiled. "Well, I''m kinda d as that dream helps me to get out of my nightmare. No one likes to stay inside a nightmare, right? That''s why I''m d," I said.


    "I''m d," Ezekiel mumbled.


    "Huh?" I asked in confusion.


    Luc coughed loudly. "By the way, Blue, do you miss your husband?"


    "Yeah, a lot. I sent him a letter, but he hasn''t replied yet. I think he is busy."


    "He is," Luc chuckled bitterly. "That guy has gone to take care of some trash, I mean in his words."


    "Yeah, he told me."


    "He told you? I mean, just like that? Like he told you everything?" Luc asked with a shocked expression.


    "Huh? Yeah," I replied.


    "Do you know what it means to take care of trash?" Ezekiel asked.


    "Yes. Doesn''t it mean killing?" I asked bluntly.


    "... He chose the perfect wife for him," Luc muttered. "To think you took it so lightly... I mean, I expected you to be scared or something like that."


    "Should I be?" I asked. Well, it was not like I was not scared. But Dem said that he needed to do it and besides, in historical romance novels, I had read about kings taking care of these types of things. It was not a big deal. Now as my life was just like a historical romance novel, I did not care about these things and could take everything seriously, but not worry too much.


    "Haha, no, you should not," Lucughed. "Ah, and I am sorry for hugging you that day. Your husband had given me a piece of his mind before he left and told me to keep my distance."


    "Oh, is that so?"


    "He cares about you a lot after all. Though I don''t know what it feels to have a mate, I still understand how much you mean to him and how much he means to you," Luc said. "Even if there is someone trying to take one of you away, they don''t stand a chance."


    I did not understand why Luc added thest sentence. Perhaps he just meant that we were inseparable. It was true in a way. Unlike most couples in romance novels, we never faced any misunderstanding and even if we did once, we cleared it out.


    We had perfectmunication and we barely hid anything from each other. And besides, there were no jealousy issues since everyone feared Demetrius and did not get close to him. Even if they did, Demetrius would not pay them much attention. Sometimes he was rude with others though. And I was not close to many men as well except Luc and Ezekiel. Luc was Dem''s friend and also my friend now.


    And Ezekiel was my personal knight. He was supposed to be with me all the time. That was why everything was fine between us. Both of us knew how to keep our distance from other people.


    Dem was not a perfect person, but neither was I. Both of us had some weird thoughts about the world and the way we viewed it was different as well. It was as if two puzzle pieces fitting together.


    Ourmunication helped us to stay pure to each other without a hint of misunderstanding. And we trusted each other, but sometimes it felt like Dem was worried that I might leave him. No matter how many times I told him that I would not, he was never properly convinced.


    The only thing I could do now was to keep being with him so he did not need to believe it, rather he would not even find the time to think about him since I would always be there.


    And our respect for each other made us fall in love. I was waiting for the right time to tell him that I loved him and what he was feeling was love. Perhaps I needed to wait until he returned as written words were not enough to express how much I loved him.


    "You''re smiling, Blue," Luc said.


    "I just remembered something good," I said. "Well, I will take my leave now. It has been quite a while."


    "Alright," Luc said. "And Ezekiel, after escorting her back,e here again. I need to have a word with you."

 Chapter 102: Fall For Her

    (From Ezekiel''s Perspective)


    "What the hell do you think you''re doing?" Luc barked.


    I had escorted her back to her room. These days I had a lot going on in my mind, and now I had to deal with this guy.


    "Stop shouting," I grumbled and rubbed my forehead.


    "You think no one can see what you''re doing," he said angrily.


    "What are you talking about? Say clearly," I said. "You''re giving me a headache."


    "Headache?" Luc repeated bitterly. "Do you think your body and head will still be connected if Demetrius finds out about this? I still don''t understand... Go and look for your own mate, Ezekiel, when you still have time."


    "Mind your own business."


    "Wow! You''re not even denying it?!" Luc said. "You still have time. Don''t fall for the wrong person."


    ''How funny! I have already fallen...''


    "You know you''re doing wrong, right? First of all, she is a married woman. And besides, she is happy with her husband. Why are you trying so hard to get her when you know she is head over heels for her husband? And Demetrius cares for her so much that killing a hundred people for her won''t be a problem for him," he said. "Quit whatever you''re doing.


    Can''t you understand that it is clear how you feel about her? It''s clear in your eyes and just quite the way you''re trying to make her feel disgusted towards her husband. It''s not working. She loves him. So, just give up if you want to save your head."


    "Is that what you want to tell me?" I asked tiredly.


    "... It''s hopeless."


    "I know," I chuckled. "Perhaps I am a crazy bastard."


    "I don''t have anything more to say. I just know how it''s gonna end. Don''t tell me I never warned you," Luc said. "If you still want to keep doing whatever you are doing, just go ahead. Messing with Demetrius is never a good idea. But since you''ve chosen this road, no one can do anything about it, can they?"


    After talking to Luc, I returned to my room. I knew I was being an idiot. But I could not get her out of my head.


    It was not just Luc, who was wondering why. I was thinking the same thing. Just why did it have to be her and no one else? To be honest, there was nothing special about her. She was a beautiful woman, but not the most beautiful though she still stood out. Perhaps it was because of her eyes.


    Those blue eyes of hers were truly magnificent. Her eyes had an icy feeling in them and that must be the reason, whenever she looked at me, it seemed like my heart was freezing up from the inside.


    She was not even good at anything, particrly that would make her look special. Then why did I even feel that way towards her?


    It must be when I saw her for the first time. She was not behaving high like all other nobles, rather she was talking like a normal person. She was a human after all and was not used to all this. I thought she would change after a while when she would be the queen.


    But she remained the same. She was still the same simple woman as before. That was when I started to feel strange around her. The way she smiled made me lose my mind. I wanted to protect that smile no matter what.


    King Demetrius might be a good king and knew what he was doing, but he still was not the perfect man. He was rude, but that was not the problem. The way he brought her here, I did not like it at all. He literally forced her to marry him and she could not even escape him.


    That was the time I started to hate him for real. It was to the point I had to force myself to stand him. How could he do that to a woman like her? Did he want to possess her only? Did he love her in the first ce or was it just his obsession?


    If I was right, he would even tie her up if he had to. And she even liked being with him and she was calling it ''love''. I did not think that was the case. I knew about her past. It was supposed to be a secret, but I heard it from her in her sleep.


    She was not treated nicely at all in her family. Her father and brother even used to hit her. I could not believe how someone could hit someone like her. The king brought her from her family somehow, but I did not know how since she did not tell me about it.


    He might have shown her kindness, but I was sure he did not actually care about her feelings. He just wanted her to be with him and it did not matter to him if she wanted it or not.


    She was surely mistaking this slight gratitude as love. She had no idea what she was feeling. I was trying to tell her again and again, but she did not understand.


    I even followed her that night when she was talking with the king''s mother and heard everything they were talking about. It was not good of me to do so. But I could not stop myself. I wanted to know what she was feeling, how she was. To be honest, I wanted to know everything about her and that was also not for any particr reason.


    When she returned, I could not help but sneak into her room. It was not a good thing to do as well to sneak inside a woman''s room in the middle of the night, especially when the woman was married. But I could not stop myself and before I knew it, I was already in her room.


    The room smelled like her. I felt rxed. Her sleeping face was beautiful and pure as if she was an angel. I could not help but observe. That was when suddenly she started crying in her sleep and was trembling.


    I tried to wake her up. I knew it would be bad if I got caught in her room. But I could not just let her be like that. I had to wake her up. I shook her and called her, but she was not waking up. It was like she was having a nightmare.


    I called her again and again, but it did not help. Just when I called her name, she woke up, or at least, that was what I thought. She thought it was a dream. She did not even open her eyes or recognize me. I took the opportunity and talked to her. When I could not convince her in her consciousness, I tried to convince her in her sleep.


    But she was adamant. She kept saying that she epted the king no matter what. Just what did I need to do so you would give up on him and leave him? Would it be then when I would stand a chance?


    She did not even take any concubines, neither did the king. The king only had eyes for her, but it was not love. It must not be love. It was a pure obsession. And she was a loyal wife. That was why she did not look at any other man other than her husband.


    It was a good thing. But I still did not like it.


    For two nights, I went to her room and I was nning to go there again tonight. Despite knowing that it would be bad if I got caught, I could still not make myself stop. I wanted to hear her talk about her. She was even smiling when she was talking. She even said that she liked talking to that person, though she thought it was a dream. It was alright.


    Even if she thought it was a dream, she liked it, right? It was enough. I just wanted her to feel good and I liked to hear her voice as well.


    Perhaps because she was so simple, I could not help but fall for her knowing that she had a husband who was also the king.


    I should see her as the queen. But I could not. I only saw her as a woman. I wanted to respect her, but not as a queen. I wanted to respect her as a woman and see her like that. Perhaps that was the reason I did not like calling her ''Her Highness''.


    I preferred her name.


    Blue- what an odd name! She definitely was named that because of her eye color. It was a simple and strange name, but it felt special for some reason.


    ''Even if I can''t have you, can''t I still try? What if you change your mind? What if you don''t like him anymore? Then I will have a chance, won''t I? At least, until you say that you hate it, I will keep chasing. Perhaps I really am an idiot...''

 Chapter 103: First Letter From Him

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I don''t know how to start with those ''dear'' things. It''s weird. But hope you don''t mind it that much.


    I couldn''t reply to your letter earlier as I was busy and wasn''t back until tonight. And you asked me how am I so many times that it was in every step of the letter. Anyway, I am fine though I have a headache and I miss you. By the way, how are you? I am not good at writing personal letters and it is my first time trying, so even if it''s bad, bear with it.


    There were a lot of mosquitos to take care of. But I''m trying to finish as soon as possible. I miss your scent. I can''t wait to be with you again and you know, do a lot of things to hear some of your sweet voice.


    By the way, did you get scared of the bird when you saw it in light? That day, the room was dark. So, surely you couldn''t see it. But it seems like you still managed to adapt to its look.


    The food isn''t good as well. It''s annoying. The pub I went to served only bread, along with different ingredients. They served exactly what I hate. I think there was cheese, garlic, sauce and some other things. Perhaps you would have liked it.


    I can bring the recipe for you if you want to though I won''t ask myself. It would be weird. But if you want to, I can manage to get it.


    Are you eating well? You need to eat more. Your body needs immunity, especially since you''re practicing swordsmanship now. But I think your appetite has risen as well since you are moving more.


    And keep your distance from everyone. I mean, talk to them, but still, keep your distance. I don''t mean anything bad, you know. I mean, I just don''t like it when you are too close to others. But you can tell me if I''m being too much.


    You told me in yourst letter that you talked to Mother and spent time with her. Did she tell you anything weird? She likes you a lot and you can rely on her. But she might want to support a bit too much than necessary. Tell me if you''re ufortable in any way. Or if she told you anything weird, tell me as well.


    Did you visit Luc? He sent me a letter saying that I should let you go there to hang out with him. That punk wants someone to talk to and spend some time with. You can go there if you want to. You might be bored.


    You can also go to the library. But take your maid or guard with you. Don''t go anywhere alone. I know I have said all these things before leaving as well. But I''m just reminding you. It''s important to take someone with you no matter where you go.


    You''re a human after all. Werewolves are not good you know. So, be careful. If you notice anyone suspicious, notify Mother right away. She will know what to do.


    Goodbye. And sleep well. I will bring something back for you and I will try toe back as soon as possible. So, be a good girl until then.


    I read it again and again almost ten times even though I memorized every single word only by reading once. I was really happy. Finally, he had sent me a letter. It was my first time getting a letter. Perhaps that was the reason I was happier than usual.


    "Your Highness is really happy today," Ruby said.


    "Yeah. Demetrius has sent me a letter. I''m so happy!" I eximed, sniffing the paper. Ah, I was being weird. But I could not help it. I felt like a teenager in love.


    I had recently be an adult. Maybe that was why I still had a teenager''s tendency within me.


    "By the way, Ruby, when do girls be adults here?" I asked.


    "When they are sixteen," she replied.


    "That means you''re an adult too, right?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "What about boys?"


    "Eighteen," she replied.


    "Oh," I mumbled. "In my country, we be adult when we''re eighteen."


    It was night time and Ruby wasbing my hair. She said it was good tob hair before going to sleep. As I did not care about it much, she kind of forced me to let herb my hair.


    "What is Your Highness''s country''s name?" she asked.


    "USA- it means United States of American," I said. "It''s the first time I told someone the name of my country in this world. It feels weird. I kind of got used to here."


    "It is good that Your Highness has gotten used to here since you have to stay here for the rest of your life."


    "Well, that''s true. I like it here as well. It''s really luxurious."


    "When Your Highness said that theing of age in your country is eighteen, did you mean both boys and girls?"


    "Yeah, that''s right. Well, it can be different in other countries. In Australia, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Nethends, it''s eighteen. I mean, it is eighteen in most of the countries. In my country, there are fifty states. In most states, it''s eighteen.


    But in bama, Nebraska, Puerto Rico, it''s neen and in Mississippi, it''s twenty one. In Japan and In New Zend, it''s twenty," I exined. "Ah, I talked too much again."


    "It''s no problem, Your Highness," she chuckled. "I don''t mind at all. I heard Your Highness talking to His Highness many times. It''s like Your Highness can be yourself with His Highness properly and His Highness enjoys it as well."


    "He has to listen to my bber sometimes," I sighed.


    "But His Highness likes to talk to you. He even smiles at Your Highness. Your Highness might not understand this, but it is really a big deal for us to ever witness His Highness smile. Before no one ever saw His Highness smile. He always have this poker face, no offense," she said.


    "Is that so?" Iughed.


    "Yes, Your Highness. But when His Highness is with Your Highness, he seems like to turn into apletely different person," she said. "None of us ever thought of seeing His Highness like that. He is a great king, so we all wanted the best for him. That''s why when His Highness brought Your Highness here, even though Your Highness is a human, all of us was d.


    Even though His Highness had many mistresses, there was a rumor that His Highness did not sleep with any of them and just paid them to act."


    I took a deep breath in as I found myself thinking how much Demetrius had changed. I had never seen anyone as loyal and determined as him. Truly I was too lucky to find someone like him. Of course, he had not slept with any of the mistresses since he was waiting for me- that was what he told me.


    "Your Highness, remember when you told me that you don''t know if His Highness wants any children or not? How did that chat go?" she asked.


    "Oh, that? You see, I can''t use birth control medicine anymore since it''s bad for my health. Dem doesn''t like kids. And I don''t want to have one right away. But we decided to keep the child if we have one," I said. It was actually not the whole thing.


    As I was a human, it was almost impossible for me to conceive his child. But if I did get pregnant someday, we decided that we would keep it.


    To be honest, I wanted to have a kid who would look just like Dem. He was so gorgeous and handsome that it was hard to look away from him. If our kid looked like him, it would be great. I was mostly attracted towards his ck silky hair and ck eyes. But he did not want to have a kid who looked like him. I understood now why he said that.


    It was because of cursed eyes. Werewolves with cursed eyes had demonic abilities. In case of Dem, it was reading minds. I could understand how frustrating it was to read minds and more importantly, werewolves were wary of cursed eyes. Perhaps Dem did not want our kid to have cursed eyes and that was why he said that.


    "It would be good if the child looks like Your Highness," Ruby said.


    I clenched my teeth. I could not help but get angry. "Why?"


    "Your Highness is beautiful, especially your eyes. A kid will look great if they have your eyes, Your Highness," she said.


    "Is that the reason?"


    "No, Your Highness," she mumbled. "It''s definitely not the only reason. It''s not about what I think and truly speaking, I don''t mind. But Your Highness, cursed eyes are not really weed here."

 Chapter 104: The Festival

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Cursed eyes werewolves are called demons themselves," Ruby said. "We know that our king is a great ruler, but none of us can deny that he might have some demonic abilities since it''s inevitable. And I don''t think demonic abilities are wees anywhere since those werewolves have weird powers that they are not supposed to have."


    "But it''s not their fault," I said. "Why hate them?"


    "That''s just how it is, Your Highness."


    "Ugh, I don''t like it. Like who cares what his eyes colors are or what kind of ability he has? He is a great king and that''s all," I grumbled. "You know what? Let''s not talk about it anymore. I think I''m losing my sanity."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    Ruby did not say anything about it again. The days passed by without anything special going on. Every morning, I went to practice swordsmanship with Ezekiel, then sometimes went to hang out with Luc. I often went to spend some time with Mother as well and kept writing Demetrius letters and he replied as soon as he could.


    "Your Highness, there is a festival going on. Would you like to visit it?" Ezekiel said. Ruby had told me about the same thing a few days ago. I wrote Dem about it and he said that if I really wanted to visit the festival, then I needed to take Mother with me. It was not like I was too curious about it. I was more absorbed in enjoying learning swordsmanship.


    Ezekiel said I had improved greatly though I could see I still had a lot to learn.


    "Not really," I muttered as I took a sip of tea in the bright afternoon in the garden. Ezekiel was with me as always as he was my personal guard and Ruby was there as well. They both were having tea with me since it was awkward to have it alone.


    "His Highness doesn''t like Her Highness to go outside the pce ground," Ruby said. "And besides, it is not safe for Her Highness to wander around as well since she is a human."


    "It is Her Highness''s life. She needs to decide for herself," Ezekiel said.


    "But Her Highness is doing the right thing to stay inside. And why is Sir Ezekiel talking like this? His Highness wants the best for Her Highness. That''s why he said all this. And moreover, His Highness has prepared everything within the pce ground so Her Highness doesn''t need to go anywhere," Ruby protested.


    "Then are you saying this is okay? This is basically like locking up a bird in a golden cage with food," Ezekiel said.


    "Sir Ezekiel, you have no right to talk like that," Ruby said. "You can''t..."


    "That''s enough," I said calmly. Honestly, my head was hurting hearing those two argue about something so pointless. I could not care less about the festival. I just wanted to improve my swordsmanship skill and wait for my handsome husband toe back and show him what I had learned. That was all I wanted.


    I had no idea where Ezekiel got the idea that I was locked up inside the pce by my husband while I did not want to go out in the first ce since it was too tiring. I could not change the way of his thinking that I had learned by trying to tell him the truth again and again which he was too arrogant to believe.


    But I was d that Ruby was trying though I had a good idea that she would have to give up eventually as well just like me. "I want to rx."


    "Ezekiel, is it possible to teach me twice a day?" I asked, looking at Ezekiel who was sitting in front of me.


    "Twice? But would Your Highness''s body be alright?" he asked.


    "I will be fine. It''s so cool to wield a sword," I grinned.


    "If Your Highness wants so..."


    Ruby was grinning broadly as well. Her sour mood had improved drastically. And I knew the reason too well.


    "That would be great!" she eximed.


    Just like Demetrius, she was always making a fuss about how much food I ate. She had been saying that I ate too little and that was why my body was so weak. Since I was learning swordsmanship, my appetite had improved and she had been more than happy to bring more and more food.


    She was even saying how strong I had be though I did not notice much of a difference in my strength. But I was d that she was attempting to cheer me up.


    "You look happier than Her Highness," Ezekiel said tiredly.


    "That''s because Her Highness doesn''t eat much at all," Ruby said. I just wanted her to stop talking. It was embarrassing. "She eats so little that all the maids and His Highness were worried. Even the cook tried to change the recipes slightly so Her Highness would eat more. It did not help much since Her Highness had so little appetite.


    But now, Her Highness can eat more. The cook is trying to make new recipes as well."


    ''Ah, thank you guys for worrying about me. But now that I hear it myself, it''s really embarrassing.''


    "Is that so, Your Highness?" Ezekiel asked.


    "... Well, I had a bird''s appetite," I muttered. Now that I thought about my whole life, I was alwayspared to a bird. My appetite waspared to a bird''s appetite. I was called the bird without wings and even I called that myself. Some thought that I was locked inside a cage just like a bird.


    And I had no idea how many times these types of coincidences would keep taking ce. "But I am fine now."


    "Oh, Blue... Fancy seeing you here."


    I looked back hearing the familiar charming voice. It was Mother. We had gotten a lot closer, thanks to the increase of the time we spent together.


    "Mother," I said and stood up," would you like to have some tea with me?"


    "Ah, sure," she said as she came to take a seat beside me. "Were you enjoying tea with your maid and knight?"


    "Yes," I said. "It is good to have some tea at this time."


    "Indeed," she smiled brightly. These days whenever we spent time together, I was more focused in her eyes. I wanted to see how her eyes reacted when she made different expressions. Every time I would do so, I wouldpare her eyes to Demetrius''s. And no matter how many times I did so, I could not find anything wrong with Dem''s eyes. Unlike others, I could not tell that his eyes were expressionless.


    Just like his mother''s eyes, his eyes also sparkled when he was happy. It was just his eyes that had a different way to sparkle that I could now notice right away.


    "Blue!"


    "Ah, yes? Have you said anything?"


    "You look like you''re thinking about something," she said. "Is there something on your mind?"


    ''Think of something. Say something, or it would be so weird.''


    "I was just thinking about the festival," I said as it was the first thing that came to my mind.


    "The festival?" she repeated. "Do you perhaps want to visit it?"


    "No, not really," I said quickly. "I was just thinking about it... It''s not like I want to visit it or something." Now I regretted saying this.


    "But I want to visit it," she said in a slightly sulking tone. "And if I am not here, it would be dangerous for you, Blue."


    I knew it! She was doing this on purpose. There was no way I could not recognize this technique since my cunning husband was just the same. He liked to use weird expressions so I would not be able to refuse. I was sure that Mother was doing this because she thought that I was too shy to tell her that I wanted to go to the festival. And now, I could not even correct her.


    "If Mother wants so, I should apany," I mumbled.


    "Your Highness, can Ie as well?" Ruby asked eagerly. Her eyes were shining brightly as well as her red hair. I could not just say no and besides, I did not have any problem if she came along.


    "If it''s fine with you, your maid cane along," Mother said.


    "Yeah, sure, you cane with us," I said.


    "Your knight wille too, right?" Mother asked.


    "Hmm," I muttered. As my personal knight, Ezekiel needed to go everywhere with me and Dem kept reminding me, again and again, the same thing. "By the way, what kind of festival is this?"


    "It is a festival that takes ce once every year. That''s why it''s quite famous," Mother said as she took a sip of the tea that Ruby poured her. "It will be your first time visiting one. So, you should enjoy yourself."


    "Right," I mumbled while thinking if I truly would be able to enjoy myself. I was never good at being around too many people. But guess I should try to let myself loose a bit.

 Chapter 105: What Men Like

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Now I was getting ready to go to the festival. Mother said we could not wear something too shy since we needed to go keep our identity hidden. Little did she know, I wanted to wear something simple as well...


    It was a high waist blush pink dress with a pearl ribbon around the waist. I went up to my ankle. The fabric was not too soft, but it wasfortable to wear. It was most likely chiffon.


    I had never worn these types of dresses before. But here, I wore dresses made of expensive materials. Most of the dresses had diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other precious stones. Even the fabrics were high ss. The designs were unique and sometimes the dresses were too beautiful that I felt guilty wearing them. If I could, I wanted to preserve them with all my might.


    But Demetrius was more like the type to throw away something after using it once. He even wanted to throw those dresses away after I wore them once. But I stopped him and after a long argument, I made him understand that it was unnecessary to throw them away since I could wear them again or at least, keep them.


    "Is this dress alright, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "Yeah, it''s good," I said.


    "I don''t personally like the fabric, but since Your Highness is okay with it, it should do," she said.


    "Well, it is quite rough. Perhaps that''s why..."


    "Yes, it is not that good to touch," she said. "What is Your Highness''s favorite fabric?"


    "Well, I like almost all of them. They are different but amazing," I said. "But if I have to say favorite, it''s silk. It''s really soft like a baby''s skin and elegant as well. It gives the luxurious vibe."


    "Yes, Your Highness. Silk is indeed quite a great fabric. It is delicate to handle and hard to clean though."


    "Yeah, many fabric weaves tighten or pucker when washed," I agreed.


    "Now that you said it... Your Highness, you can go buy something for His Highness at the festival."


    I was nning to buy something for Demetrius anyway. But I was not sure what to buy. Now that she mentioned it, I was again worried about what to buy. I did not know much about what he would like since he was never clear about his favorite things. Every time I asked, he would say that he did not have much of a favorite thing.


    "Is Your Highness perhaps worried about what to buy?" Ruby asked.


    "Well, yeah... I am not sure what he might like...," I mumbled worriedly.


    "His Highness is a man too."


    "Of course, I didn''t marry a woman," I said.


    "No, I don''t mean it, Your Highness," she said. "I mean, His Highness will like what other men like."


    "Other men like?" I mumbled. "Well, as per I read in books, the perfect gift for a husband should be a wallet, suit, golf game or something like this. If Dem liked to cook, I could bring some kind of kitchen essentials. But he doesn''t like it that much, so that''s out of the question. Then a jacket, key chain, expensive wine, maple syrup... I have read that maple syrups make a good gift.


    Then there is beer, watch..."


    "No, Your Highness. His Highness will like more if you gift him something that includes Your Highness," she said, shaking her head.


    "Includes me?" I muttered to myself. Why did I feel like she was talking about something indecent?


    "His Highness likes to spend some personal time with Your Highness," she said.


    "So you mean... lingerie or something like that?" I muttered.


    "That''s right, Your Highness," Ruby nodded.


    I blushed and looked down quickly. I had never thought about it before. No matter how many times we did it, I was still embarrassed whenever I was naked in front of him. I wondered if he would like it if I wore lingerie... I was not even sure if I would look good in it and besides, I was not experienced with these types of things.


    So, I needed to choose carefully so it would not be too embarrassing though I had my suspicion that no matter what I chose, it would still be embarrassing.


    "Does Your Highness know about lingerie? Or we can take some suggestions from other women," she said.


    "I don''t know much. I mean, I know about some types... Well, we need to see," I said. "You sure he will like it?"


    "Of course, I am sure," she said so confidently that I almost believed her fully. "His Highness will love to see Your Highness in one. You can even buy something more... like aphrodisiac..."


    "We don''t need that..."


    "No, that''s not what I meant," she said quickly. "Couples try using an aphrodisiac. It can be once in a while experience."


    "For a single woman, you know quite a lot about these types of things," I said.


    "What can I say, Your Highness? I just like to know about them beforehand since when I will find my mate, I want to make the full use of my knowledge and live the best couple life possible," she said.


    "That''s so cool, you know. I am sure you will find a great mate," I said and patted her on the head. Even though she was taller than me, sometimes she was more childish than me. "So what type of boy do you like?"


    "I want someone cool and hot, like freaking hot. He needs to be handsome and tall. I want his eyes to be brown and his hair dark, like ck or dark brown. Dark hair looks the best. He needs to be at least five inches taller than me and he needs to have a bad personality."


    "Bad personality?" I asked, surprised.


    "Yeah, bad boys are the best."


    "So, you are looking for a yboy?" I asked.


    "Kind of. I mean, I want someone who ys with girls, but when he meets me, he will let all of that go and be only mine. He will look only at me."


    ''So, you are looking for the men like the typical male lead trope of bad boys falling in love and being the doting boyfriend.''


    "You got everything nned out it seems," I chuckled.


    "If only I could get my dream boy... Ugh, in the end, it only depends on fate," she said sulkily. "I know it''s just a dream. But I still want to dream."


    "Who knows? You might find someone you truly like," I said. "Well, you know, it doesn''t matter if you find your dream man or not. Sometimes, we meet someone so special that they be our dream man. He might not be the perfect exnation of your perfect boyfriend, but he can still be your new dream man."


    I could rte to this more than anything else. I never had anyone I liked before. Then I met him. He was someone I would avoid at any cost. First of all, he looked scary, handsome but scary. He had this devil-like aura that screamed at me to run.


    Precisely saying, if I could, I would avoid him at first nce, forget marrying him. But then, he slowly became my perfect man and now I could see that dream of a perfect man was nothingpared to meeting the real perfect man.


    "Is His Highness Your Highness''s perfect man?" she asked.


    "He is now," I grinned. For some reason, whenever I talked about him, my heart would feel fluffy as if I was talking about my favorite thing. Perhaps he was my favorite thing, the thing I could live without but it would be more like living without a soul.


    "Your Highness, you love His Highness a lot," she muttered.


    "... Is it that..."


    "Yes, Your Highness," she nodded. "It is clear like crystals. Whenever Your Highness talks about His Highness, your eyes shine brighter than ever and you grin endlessly. It is definitely ''love''."


    "Yeah... I know."


    "Your Highness should never choose anyone else other than His Highness. His Highness cares for Your Highness more than anyone else and he would do anything for Your Highness," she said suddenly. "Your Highness should never leave His Highness. He won''t be able to take it. No matter how strong our kinges out to be, his heart is like a sandcastle when ites to Your Highness.


    I am sure everyone can see it, but still, some people are trying to separate the both of you. But Your Highness should not be moved by their shallow words. They are not the truth, Your Highness. No matter what happens, His Highness will always be the perfect one for Your Highness just like Your Highness is the one for His Highness."

 Chapter 106: Another Weird Dream

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    After I was finished getting ready, Ruby went to get ready as well. She said she would not take too long, so I was waiting in my room.


    These days, Ruby had been saying weird things again and again. She kept saying that Demetrius was the best for me and I should never leave him and that he would always be the one for me.


    In the first ce, I was not going to leave him. Why would I? I knew he was the best for me and I loved him. But still, she kept saying the same thing as if she was trying to warn me about something.


    There was a knock on the door. I wondered who it was. But since my high-pitched voice was really disgusting, I decided to check myself than ask who it was.


    I opened the door and peeked through the gap. It was Ezekiel. He dressed up slightly as well. Perhaps it was Mother''s personal maid who forced him. She was always making a fuss about getting dressed properly.


    "Oh, it''s you...," I mumbled.


    "Her Highness wanted to know if Your Highness is ready," he said.


    "I am," I said. "Ruby will be back in a while as well. Then we can leave."


    "Is that so?" he muttered and ruffled his hair with his hand. "Can I spend some time with you, Your Highness?"


    "Huh?"


    "I mean, can I wait with Your Highness?" he asked, looking into my eyes.


    "Well, I am not doing anything interesting..."


    "Besides, it is not okay for Your Highness to stay alone even for a while. If I am near, then Your Highness can be safe," he said.


    "Alright then. Would you like toe in?" I asked.


    "Sure."


    He came in and looked around the room as if he was truly interested. Dem''s and my bedroom was unnecessarily grand and extravagant. It was understandable since he was the king. A king''s bedroom was indeed supposed to be as luxurious as possible.


    Not many people were allowed toe into our room. After all, we were the king and queen no matter how hard it was to believe. I had still gotten used to my position. It always felt weird to call myself the queen.


    "Your Highness is looking down," he said as he sat down on the couch. Even the couch in our room was too extravagant and luxurious. Sometimes it felt weird to sit on it as I felt like I should not be using it.


    "I just have a headache," I said.


    "A headache?" he repeated. "Is it serious?"


    "Not really," I said. "I will be fine after a while. I had some tomatoes and jpenos. My headache is less now."


    "Jpenos? Do tomatoes go with jpenos?" he asked, surprised. I could understand his reaction. When I asked for it, Ruby was shocked as well.


    "I don''t know. I just like it," I said. "Besides, hot peppers are good for relieving headaches."


    "Do you want something to eat? Or something..."


    "No, I am alright. Just be yourself, Your Highness," he said.


    "Ah, right..."


    "By the way, Your Highness looks very beautiful today," he said.


    "Thank you. Ezekiel doesn''t look so bad yourself," I said. For some reason, when others praised me, it did not feel as special as when Dem did. Perhaps it was the power of love.


    "This color suits Your Highness," he said. "And Your Highness looks good with her hair down."


    "My hair down?" I mumbled.


    "Yes. You are always beautiful, but with your hair down, you look even more beautiful. Don''t you prefer it this way?"


    "I usually prefer braid," I said.


    "Is it... is it perhaps because His Highness likes it?" he asked.


    "Well, he likes it. But I like it as well," I said. It was the truth. I did not like tob my hair much before, so Max would always make braid my hair as it was quick. "It''s habitual."


    "... Is that so?"


    "Yeah."


    These days, the air between us was ufortable. It was true that I was neverfortable around him, but now it was worse. Since the beginning, something about him always felt distant and I felt intrigued. Now I felt even more intrigued and wanted to avoid staying with him alone somewhere since it felt really ufortable.


    But I could do nothing about it since he was my personal knight and he was supposed to be with me all the time. Dem said that he was the most fitting for this position. But still, I was thinking of taking another personal knight.


    "Are you worried about something, Your Highness? You look slightly pale for a while now," he said. "And you have been walking around the room."


    I did not even notice that I was walking around the room. If he had not pointed it out, I doubted that I would notice.


    "Oh...," I mumbled, embarrassed. "I just had a dream..."


    "What dream?" he asked.


    What dream? I did not know myself. What was the meaning of it? I did not remember the whole thing, but some parts of it. And it was about Demetrius.


    "You know, the world is beautiful. But only when you are there with me. And when you are not there, there is no meaning. I will care for this world if it allows for us to be together. But if it opposes somehow, you know, I can destroy it. I don''t care who lives or who dies.


    I just want you."


    "Nothing matters if I want you. For you, I can do anything. I can kill anyone. I don''t care who I have to kill, if only you''re with me. To have you, I will do anything."


    "Since the moment I met you, I knew I found you, my one and only. Perhaps you were not meant for me. But still, I had decided back then that I would make you mine. I didn''t care about your choice, because you did not have one. How could you when I had already decided that you would be mine and mine only?"


    "I love you so much that I am unable to act like a normal person. I want to touch you all the time, keep you with me. I just want to have all of you. Normal was never something I was. But now, I think I am more abnormal than ever. But you will ept me, won''t you?"


    "You don''t even know how much I like all your expressions... I like it when you smile, when youugh freely, when you are surprised. I sometimes even like it when you''re scared. It''s so adorable. But I don''t like it when you cry. I don''t like it at all.


    But I can put up with it since it''s you."


    "Do you think I am crazy? Perhaps I am. But you know what? Who gives a fuck about it? So what if I am crazy? I don''t care.


    I am crazy for you and I love it."


    "I love you. I love you so much that I can do anything for you. I will give you anything. So, please stay with me. Don''t leave me, ever."


    What the hell was happening? I crouched on the floor as the words started to flood inside my head. I had a dream, just like this. But I did not remember it well. The moment I thought about it, it happened again. It was Demetrius, telling all those things.


    His face was scary and he was smiling. But it was scary, his smile was scary. My whole body went numb. I could not think straight. I was scared.


    "Stay with me and don''t leave me. Forever, I want to have you forever..."


    "Stop it!"


    "Are you scared? My darling wife, are you scared of me? But you said it''s okay. It''s okay for me to be with you. So, take me again. Come closer and hold me."


    His hand touched my cheek. Even his hand was cold. I did not know what kind of ce it was since the only thing I could see was him.


    "I always think about you. Do you think about me too? How much? How much do you think about me? Tell me, darling..."


    "Please stop it..."


    "You know, when I think about my future, you are always there. You are smiling... It''s just you and me, just like it''s supposed to be. So, won''t you be a good girl and make the future possible?"

 Chapter 107: I Just Want To Cry

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "You belong to me. So don''t even try to run away. It''s pointless, darling."


    I wanted it to stop. It was not real. I was telling myself, but slowly, I could not even hear my own voice. It was as if the dream was pulling me in, dulling all my senses.


    "You''re supposed to be mine, my wife. I don''t want to hurt you. So, be a good girl and stay with me."


    "It''s not you," I said. "Please stop it. Come to your senses. It''s not you."


    "Ugh, I hate this. What sense? I don''t understand the senses of people in this world. This world was never meant for me. But you understand me, don''t you? I know you do, my wife.


    Please be mine, darling. You can only be mine."


    I did not know what happened next. When I opened my eyes again, I was on my bed and Ezekiel was sitting beside me in a chair while Ruby was standing beside him.


    "You''re awake!" Ezekiel eximed.


    "... Did I faint?" I asked.


    "Yes. It... It has been three hours," Ruby said. "We were really scared. The doctor came and checked Your Highness up as well. We''re so d you''re okay..."


    She looked like she had even cried and Ezekiel looked pretty drained out. They must have got a big scare.


    But what about me? How was I feeling? I had no idea... I did not know what that dream was about. It was as if those words were sucking me in. More than his words, I was scared of that smile.


    I did not want to see it again.


    "What happened that time? You were screaming and shaking," Ezekiel asked.


    "I... It''s nothing. I just had a weird dream," I smiled, though it was forced. "It''s nothing, really. Ah, you haven''t gone to the festival, have you?"


    "How could we? Your Highness was sick," Ruby said.


    "Where is Mother?" I asked. "She wanted to go..."


    "Your Highness, your life is more important than the festival. Her Highness checked up on Your Highness a while ago. She told me to take good care of Your Highness," Ruby said. "Your Highness should rest now. You look very pale."


    "Yeah, my head hurts as well," I said. "I guess I will rest..."


    "Do you want me to be..."


    "No," I said. "I would like to be alone. Please leave me alone."


    After they left, I sat on the bed and put my palms on my face. Yes, I just wanted to cry. And tears did not stop either, as if they were waiting for the moment I would let it all out.


    It was hard to breathe. The air stuck in my throat did not want to get out at all and it was as if I was being suffocated. I did not like this feeling at all. I did not like the fact that I was scared of him merely because of a dream. But in truth, I was and I could not help but get even more scared.


    That dream kept crawling inside my head. Every word was like a needle, his smile was like poison. I hated it. I wanted to escape it.


    But what if it was a lie? What if it was just a dream? I knew that his love was excessive, but it did not go to this point, or I would have noticed. But why would I have a dream like this? He had never been like this to me in real life.


    I was confused. It was as if I was trying to convince myself of something I knew was a lie. And the more I thought about it, the more confusing it got. I just wanted it to stop. And for the first time in all this time I was here, I was kind of scared to meet Demetrius.


    It was all because of the dream. We were okay. We were doing alright. I was happy with my husband. And just when I was having a good time, that dream had to invade my mind.


    "I just want to be happy. Is it too much to ask for?"


    Perhaps happiness was not meant for me. Just when I thought I was having a good time, something had to happen. For the first time in my life, I felt good being somewhere and I felt like I belonged there. Since childhood, I was like a burden. I was not weed. At home, my family did not want me.


    My father hated me for being born. My mother hated me as well for unknown reasons. My brother Draven hated me as well. Only Maxen cared about me. But even he could not stop them from hitting me as they pleased. At school, I got good grades, but I did not have any friends.


    People would talk to me there, but I was not close with anyone.


    Loneliness was something I had experienced since the moment I was born. I always stood alone. No one truly cheered me on or helped me move forward. I was just surviving, not living. No one cared if something happened to me. And I was sure that if I was found dead someday, no one would care as well.


    After I came here, first I thought my life was finished for sure. I thought Demetrius would make me his ve. In that case, perhaps I would not even fear killing myself. But he married me instead and spoiled me like a princess. I did not know happiness was this sweet. He loved me more than anything else and cared for me.


    Even when his love was excessive, I epted him because I was not a normal woman either. I was greedy. I always wanted more. And nothing would ever be enough for me.


    Was it happening because I was greedy? Because I was never satisfied? But what could I do? I had never felt this way before. Perhaps that was why even the slightest touch of care made my heart flutter.

 Chapter 108: [Bonus chapter] Going To The Festival

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Two days after that happened, we were able to go to the festival. We wore capes so no one would recognize us.


    The festival was bigger than I expected. There were a lot of people there. I hated crowds. It was suffocating. Perhaps that was why I had a headache not long after we went there.


    "Are you enjoying yourself, Blue?" Mother asked.


    "Yes, yes... it''s fun," I said quickly so she would not suspect that I felt like my head would burst.


    "That''s good. Let''s go look in the clothing store," Mother said excitedly. "I am not intending to buy anything. It''s just good to look around."


    "Alright," I smiled. If Mother was enjoying herself, then perhaps I should try to enjoy as well.


    If I did not know she was Demetrius''s mother, perhaps I would not believe that she was. She looked very young, kind of like his elder sister. It was truly surprising and amazing.


    In the clothing store, there were lots of different types of dresses and fabrics. Women were very cheerful as they tried on the dresses and looked around the store. And just as I feared, Mother and her maid got separated from us. Ruby had already left to look around the festival on her own. She was very excited and said that she would try to find her mate here since there were a lot of people here.


    "We got separated, huh?" I muttered.


    "Yes, we better stay close. If you get lost, it will be hard to find you since I can''t smell you," Ezekiel said. He had been avoiding calling me ''Your Highness'' here since we came here hiding our identities. It would be bad if someone recognized us.


    "You know what? You can call me by my name when we are here. It''s weird to be called ''you''," I said.


    "Alright, Blue," he smiled.


    Being called by my name all of a sudden was weird. Only Mother called me by my name here. Dem almost never said my name. I noticed that he only said my name when he was angry and sometimes when we were doing it.


    "It''s the type of dress you wear most of the time, right," he said, touching an A-line dress.


    "Yeah, they arefortable," I said. "And besides, among the dresses here, I like them the best."


    "What kind of clothes did you used to wear back in your world?"


    "Well, I would wear jeans, or shorts and tops," I said.


    "Shorts?"


    "Yeah, it covers the upper part of the legs. It doesn''t go down the knees."


    "Is that what you were wearing when you first came here?"


    I nodded. "I didn''t think I would need to change. Now that I think about it, it was embarrassing since I did not even have any makeup on. Yikes, it was too embarrassing..."


    "By the way, look, it''s an empire line dress," I said, trying to change the topic. It was too embarrassing to talk about and I wanted to let go of that matter as soon as possible. "I wear them a lot as well."


    "Oh, I have seen you wearing one like this once," he said. I was kind of surprised that he noticed that as well. No one usually noticed someone''s dress so clearly.


    "Well, I don''t wear them much outside. I guess I will wear them more since they arefortable," I said. Actually, there were so many dresses that it was pretty hard for me to choose. In the end, I ended up choosing the same types of dresses because that was easier than choosing a different kind every day. "Whoa! There are lehengas as well!"


    "Are you talking about this long red dress?" he asked with furrowed eyebrows.


    "Yep! In my world, this is an Indian dress. India is a country''s name," I said. "Well, I''m kinda surprised to see it here."


    "These types of dress are from Lacuna."


    "Lacuna? Isn''t that one of the five kingdoms?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "Women in Lacuna wear these types of dresses. And they look different than us as well."


    "How different?" I asked.


    "They have darker skin tone and their hair is ck, or dark brown. Their ent is pretty different as well," he said.


    ''Indian! Just like Indian! What the hell? It''s so cool!''


    I had always wanted to visit India. Well, the reason might sound strange, but I wanted to visit so I could eat their spicy foods. They used a lot of spices in their food, so I always wanted to taste it as a lover of spicy food. Even though I knew it was almost impossible for someone like me, I still wanted to.


    "Hey, do the people in Lacuna perhaps like spicy food?"


    "How do you know that?"


    "Yes! I have to visit Lacuna no matter what," I eximed excitedly. For some reason, I was excited all of a sudden.


    "Why so suddenly? Is our kingdom not good enough?" he asked.


    "No, it''s not like that. I just have a very big heart and mouth when ites to spicy food. I just love ''em!"


    "Is that so?" he chuckled. "Then do you want to have something spicy?"


    "Really? Is there anything like that here?" I asked.


    "Sure,e with me," he chuckled and pulled me by my arm. I tried to pull back quickly, but he held my hand even more tightly. "You will get lost."


    He was right. I did not know this ce and it was important for me to stay close to him here. But for some reason, I did not feelfortable at all. It felt itchy as if it was not supposed to happen.


    "Your hand is sweaty," she said.


    "Yeah," he said bitterly. "I''m just nervous."


    "Nervous? Why?" Was it because I was talking in an ufortable manner? Or was it because of something else?


    "Wouldn''t you be the same if you do something you always wanted?"


    "Eh?"


    ''What the actual hell?''

 Chapter 109: Can There Be A Dark Mage Around?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Ezekiel took me to a diner not so crowded. He told me that there were foods here that would match my taste. I wanted to eat something spicy, but I did not think he would truly bring me to a diner.


    "Order anything you want," he said.


    There was a lot to choose from, so I chose whatever piqued my interest the most. I did not even bother to ask him the names of the foods since they were too weird and hard to remember.


    "You took the shrimp soup," he said as we settled down at a spare table around a corner.


    "Yup. It''s called Tom Yum soup in my world. There are two types of Tom Yum soups- clear one and creamy one. This is the creamy one. I had the clear one before, but not the creamy one. And I got spicy grilled salmon kabobs.


    I don''t what this is called here. But that''s what it''s called in my world," I said. "Oh, I talk a lot, don''t I?"


    "Well, it''s good to be yourself," he said as he took a bite of his omelet. He told the chef to make it as spicy as possible. "Besides, I don''t hate it."


    I was wondering if he truly would be able to eat it. That moment, Dem came to my mind. He had done the same on our date and then had to drink lots of milk to calm down. He wanted to challenge me. Even though we could not finish the date since my back started hurting, I had a good time.


    As soon as he got into my mind, I was once again reminded of the dream. I could not get it off my mind no matter how much I tried. For that reason, I was kind of scared and ashamed to face him. He gave me so many things, yet I was thinking like that.


    I thought it would be okay as long as I epted him as he was and I was trying to do so as well. I knew what kind of person he was, but he never crossed the line, so I thought it was fine. But that was until that dream. Since then, I was scared and could not think straight.


    Sometimes it felt like someone was trying to control me as if I was tied down by someone and that person was ying with my mind.


    ''What am I thinking? It can''t be true. How can someone y with my mind? It isn''t possible, right? Or, is it?''


    "Ezekiel... can I ask you something?"


    "Yes. You can ask me anything," he said.


    "Well, it might sound crazy, but can someone manipte your mind? Like y with your thoughts and make you dream weird things?" I asked.


    "It''s not impossible."


    "What???" I yelled and jumped out of the chair so suddenly that it fell backward.


    "Calm down. People are staring," he said.


    "Oh, sorry," I said as Ezekiel helped me sit down.


    "Why are you acting like that? Did you have a weird dream?" he asked.


    "No!"


    "Your reactions are strange."


    "Right, I am sorry. I actually came across to something like that while talking to a maid," I said. It was too hard to lie, especially in front of someone who was almost always with me. I was worried that he might see through me. As per I knew, Ezekiel was not dumb. And I was perhaps in trouble because he was not dumb.


    "Oh?"


    I was right. He saw through me. He knew I was lying. I tried to smile casually and tried to change the mood.


    "Well, who can do it?" I asked.


    "Dark mages."


    "Dark mages?" I repeated. I did not know about them. I just knew that there were magicians in this world just like Luc. But who knew there were diversions between them as well?


    "Yes. I guess you can understand from the name what they do," he said while taking another bite. "They use ck magic."


    "ck magic?" I mumbled. For some weird reason, I suddenly remembered the song ''ck Magic''. It was not the time to think about something like that and I felt dumb because of it.


    "Yes. ck magic is forbidden in all kingdoms. But as you can see, there are mages who still use dark magic. They need to keep hidden since it''s forbidden."


    "Can any mage use it?"


    "No," he said. "Well, let me exin from the beginning."


    "Just like there are humans in your world, there are werewolves in our world. But among the werewolves, 0.000001% of the poption is born with magical powers."


    "That less?"


    "Yeah. It''s like 70 werewolves."


    ''The hell...''


    "By magical powers, I mean mana. The stronger a werewolf''s mana is, the more powerful mage they be. There are very less werewolves born with mana. That''s why magicians are very rare."


    "The strongest magician in each kingdom bes the master of the magic tower. Just like Luc. He is the strongest magician in the kingdom and that''s why he is the master of the Querencia magic tower," he said.


    "There are two types of mages. Ones who are born with normal mana and others that are born with ck mana. ck mages are rarer than anything else. That''s why they are hard to find. They have to live like normal werewolves if they want to survive since they can''t be a normal magician because of their ck mana. ck mages are more powerful than normal mages.


    One ck mage canpete against four of the masters of the magic towers."


    "There are other factors to consider as well. Let me tell you clearly. In the beginning, there were the moon goddess and the ck lord. The ck lord was called the demon. He had dark powers. He fell in love with the moon goddess and then tricked her to be with him.


    They gave birth to werewolves."


    Actually, it was their decision to make werewolves, a different breed since there was already a world where there were humans. But the ck lord grew hungry for power and decided to kill the moon goddess. It seems like he did not actually fall in love with the moon goddess. Rather, he was after her power," he said.


    "There was a fight between them. None of them won and none of them lost. The moon goddess went back to her home, the moon and the ck lord went back underground. It is said that because of the war, some of the ck lord''s power was freed in the world and because of that, some werewolves obtained ck mana. Since then, their descendants were born with ck mana.


    The amount of ck mana kept decreasing as the generations passed by. That''s why, now even if there are ck mages, they are not too powerful."


    "So you mean the direct descendant of the ck lord was the most powerful ck mage?" I asked.


    "That''s right. Don''t worry. No matter how powerful a mage is, they can''t live forever. They are mortal just like us," he said. "But just because a werewolf is born with mana doesn''t mean they can be a mage. It needs practice.


    But firstly, it needs the unleashing of the power."


    "Is it like turning the power on?"


    "Yeah, kind of like that," he nodded. "It needs another magician to do so since they can sense the mana within someone."


    ''A ck mage is rare. But can there be someone around us? Should I bring Luc to check it out?''


    "Can Luc sense mana within someone as well?" I asked.


    "Of course. He can do it better than anyone else," he said. "He can even sense if there is any magical power used around."


    "Like he can track it down?"


    "Yes."


    I bit my lips fiercely as I tried toe up with a n. In this world, there were a lot of strange things going on. It was not impossible for a ck mage to be around us. I would just bring Luc to take a look around the pce. Perhaps he could just spend the day with me. It would be easier for him to examine then.


    But what troubled me was who it could be. Dem was very protective, so he did not let many people near me. That was why only Ruby took care of me even though a queen was supposed to have lots of maids. Other maids helped me, but it was Ruby who did the main thing. Then I had Ezekiel, my personal guard.


    Luc was Dem''s friend and of course, he was not the ck mage since he was the master of the magic tower. As per Ezekiel said, ck mages could not live like normal mages. And there was Mother. He was Dem''s mother and a very nice person. She would be bad as well. But then who could it be?

 Chapter 110: First Time Drinking

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    That day, for the first time, I drank alcohol. I did not want to at first, but then I got curious. Besides, Ruby had joined us as well.


    She had bought lingerie and aphrodisiac for me with the money I gave her. When I said that I wanted to buy something for Dem from the festival, she suggested them. Since I was not experienced at those types of things, she wanted to buy them for me.


    "It''s high quality material. Just as you said, I bought the best one though it''s expensive," Ruby said.


    "Really? Cool!" I said. My head was light and I felt rxed. I did not even know what was getting out of my mouth anymore. Perhaps it was because I drank too much.


    "Don''t drink anymore," Ezekiel said as he grabbed my hand.


    I pped his hand away. "But I can drink more. Why are you stopping me?"


    "You really should not drink, Your Highness. You''re drunk," Ruby said.


    "Don''t call her ''Your Highness'' in public," Ezekiel said.


    "But I can''t just disrespect her. She is our queen," Ruby protested.


    "Then do you want to get caught? What if people find out that the queen herself is walking around in the festival? Do you think it will be okay?" Ezekiel barked. "And besides, her life is already is danger. Now we don''t even know where Her Highness is."


    "I think Her Highness is watching the fireworks. It has started already," she said.


    "Ah, I hate fireworks!" I said loudly.


    "Why? Girls like fireworks," Ezekiel said.


    "She doesn''t like noise," Ruby said. She was being careful not to call me ''Your Highness'' since it would expose us. But I could tell that it was hard for her since she was not used to it. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of surprising that how muchfortable Ezekiel was while calling me by my name. It was weird.


    I slumped my head on the table and closed my eyes. I felt dizzy. For some reason, I even felt sleepy, but could not quite get myself to sleep.


    "Just why are you doing this, Sir Ezekiel?"


    The moment I closed my eyes, Ruby''s tone changed. Perhaps they thought I was sleeping. Perhaps I was the mischievous type, but I did not want to clear up their misunderstanding.


    "Sir Ezekiel is making a very bad move. You should not do this," Ruby said. "It is clear, Sir Ezekiel. Please refrain yourself from doing anything like this anymore. You''re just Her Highness''s personal knight, but that doesn''t mean you can have any other feelings for Her Highness. And besides, it''s not like Her Highness is avable.


    His Highness is still alive and both of them are in a very lovely rtionship. Anyone in the castle can say the same. Her Highness is happy with His Highness. I have been noticing Sir Ezekiel trying to change Her Highness''s mind. I did not say anything at first, but it''s getting too much now. Her Highness is a good person and a loyal wife.


    And His Highness might not be the best person, but he is a loyal husband. And His Highness loves Her Highness the most. Everyone knows this. The things Sir Ezekiel is saying are not true at all. It might be true that His Highness did not give Her Highness much of a choice, but in the end Her Highness saw how sincere His Highness was and fell in love with him."


    "I don''t have to hear that from you," Ezekiel said.


    "Perhaps you don''t understand me, Sir Ezekiel. What I mean is don''t try to get too close to Her Highness and don''t even try to ruin their marriage. They are happy together. And werewolves are not supposed to fall in love before finding their mates. It only will hurt them. The thing is different with Alphas, but we, ordinary werewolves, are not supposed to love anyone before finding our mate.


    Moreover, Her Highness is not avable. She is married, for god''s sake. Please understand. You''re making me pity you."


    "You pity me?" Ezekiel chuckled bitterly. "Even I pity myself. But if only that would make me not want her... I don''t think I''m letting her go."


    "What? What do you mean by that? Letting her go?" Ruby muttered in a surprised tone. "Her Highness was never yours to begin with."


    Ezekiel did not say anything for a while. And I was like- What the fuck??? What was going on? I knew that Ezekiel was strange around me, but I did not know he felt that way towards me. It was not like I did not have my suspicions, but I forced that thought out of my mind.


    "Do you think His Highness will stay still when he finds out about it? He will have you executed. I''m telling you- give up when you can, Sir Ezekiel. You''re a good person. It will be a waste," she said.


    "Even if His Highness finds out, I am not nning on letting go of this feeling," he said.


    "I will tell His Highness," Ruby said. "I want His Highness and Her Highness to be happy together. They deserve each other. It will be great if they have many children. I just wish for them to be together forever. I won''t let you ruin it."


    "Why are you so fixated upon keeping them together? Can''t you see that the king has her locked up?"


    "What locked up? His Highness is doing everything to protect Her Highness. He loves her. It''s true that His Highness is possessive and tries to control, but he also knows his limit unlike someone who is in love with another man''s wife," Ruby said angrily. "Don''t you have any shame? Please stop it, Sir Ezekiel."


    My head was hurting now. Perhaps I was more drank than I thought I was. I should not have drunk this much.


    "Ugh...," I groaned as my head hurt.


    "Your Highness!" Ruby eximed and rubbed my head. "Are you alright?"


    "No," I muttered. "My head hurts. I wanna go home."


    "Can you walk?" she asked.


    "Huh? Yes!" I said and stood up. To be frank, I had no idea where I was or what was going on. I was just saying whatever was on my mind. I did not know what happened until I found myself in someone''s arms.


    "What are you doing, Sir Ezekiel?" Ruby asked angrily.


    "She can''t walk. She even fell and hurt her leg," Ezekiel said.


    "Put me down! I can walk!" I said and hit his hand. I was not in my right mind, but I had enough sense to know that I should not be near him. How could I be near a man who had feelings for me? I should tell Dem to change my knight when hees back.


    "Calm down. You will fall," he said. "I will put you down when you get to your room."


    "Huh?"


    "I promise. And besides, you''re safe with me."


    ''I''m not.''


    I did not know what happened then. When I opened my eyes again, I was in my room. I could not see if there were others around me.


    There was a bag beside me. It was the same bag in which the lingerie and aphrodisiac was. I wanted to see it. And I wanted to wear it.


    Perhaps the alcohol had made me crazy, but I wanted to do weird things. I took the lingerie and went inside the restroom. The lingerie Ruby bought for me was the baby doll type.


    It was very revealing. I did not feel as shy as before. Perhaps it was because I was alone right now. Even just a while ago, I was kind of scared of Dem because of that messed up dream. But perhaps the alcohol had done something to me. I did not feel frightened anymore.


    I wanted him toe back to me as soon as possible.


    "Ouch!"


    I hit my leg at the side of the door. I heard someonee running this way. "Dem! Is that you?" I asked.


    A pair of arms grabbed me and carried me to the bed. I did not know what was going on. And before I knew, I felt lips pressed against my neck.


    The touch was very gentle. Was it Dem? But Dem was not supposed to be here. Who could it be other than Dem? There was no one else in the room with me.


    I also felt rather chilly. I hugged myself tighter, just to save myself from the cold.


    I wished I was wearing something more.


    And what was wrong with my eyes? It was like they were pressed shut by some outer force.


    I tried to open them, but every time I tried, my head spinned and I could not do it. I felt someone''s hot breath against my skin once more. The lips were trailing my cheekbone.


    "Dem?" I murmured. "Dem..."


    He did not say anything. But I could feel his touch more.


    It was not exactly wonderful, but it was very eager. His hands did not feel as expert as before as he trailed my face and neck.


    "Dem... Talk to me," I pleaded. "I''m scared, Dem. Talk to me, please."


    No answer.


    It was growing colder. There were words that I wanted to tell him when he was not here. Now that he was here, I seemed to get nervous a little.


    "Dem, I cannot open my eyes. Dem, please, talk to me. And I have to tell you something."

 Chapter 111: He Has Come Back

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I love you, Dem..."


    "Why did you drink when I was not here?"


    "Huh?" I mumbled as I opened my eyes slowly hearing the familiar voice.


    It was Dem. It had been a long time since thest time I saw him. To be honest, I was afraid for a moment when I looked at him.


    "Now you are afraid of your own husband?" he asked in a dangerous tone.


    "N-No, it''s... not like that..."


    He was angry for some reason. His ck eyes looked scary and it felt like he could break me in half with his re.


    "You''re too unguarded," he said angrily. "You drank in front of another man and moreover, got drunk. Then you showed this much skin to someone other than your husband."


    "Skin?" I muttered being surprised and looked down only to find myself wearing the lingerie Ruby bought for me. "Huh? When did I..."


    I could not remember anything properly. I must have been drunk too much and I was having a ckout. Thest thing I remembered was hearing Ruby and Ezekiel''s conversation.


    "How do you think it feels toe back to my wife like this? I would prefer if you were waiting for me in this, but there was another man in our room, kissing your neck."


    "What?" I asked, shocked. "I didn''t kiss anyone!"


    "No, you were unconscious. He took advantage of your drank state," he said.


    "Huh? E-Ezekiel?"


    "So, you know that it''s him," he said.


    "That''s because... he was acting weird..."


    "Did he touch you before as well?" he asked angrily.


    "No... He did not," I said. "Where... where is Ezekiel?"


    "Now you''re fucking asking me where that bastard is?" he yelled and grabbed me by my hair.


    "I... I just... Mm..."


    My mouth was shut because of his forceful kiss. He was still wearing his formal clothes. I grabbed the front of his cloth as my lips melted against his.


    "That fucking bastard has even made a mark on your skin! I will kill him!" he grumbled angrily.


    "Dem..."


    He fisted his hands and twitched his lips as if he was too angry to control himself. "You''ve even brought aphrodisiac as well. I heard from your maid that it was for me."


    I shyly nodded. I was so embarrassed that I could not bring myself to say anything. But more importantly, I was scared.


    "Such a pretty bottle," he said as he took it from the bedside table. "If you bought it for me, why don''t you drink it?"


    "Me?"


    "Yes, you."


    "But..."


    "Drink it," he said sternly and opened the cap for me.


    I flinched. His face was scary, but I truly felt guilty. I should have been more careful. I took the bottle from him with a shaky hand.


    "This won''t do. Your hands are shaking," he said and took the bottle from me. "Why don''t I help you drink it?"


    "Eh?"


    "Open your mouth," he said.


    I opened my mouth as he said just a bit. He grabbed my face with his hand and poured the whole drink inside my mouth. The taste was sweet and it had an addictive sweet scent.


    "It is the strongest one avable," he said. "It will be effective for longer than the normal ones."


    I could not hear properly what he was saying. The moment he touched my hand, I felt as if something cold contacted my skin. My body was getting hot from the inside and I was feeling more sensitive than before.


    "Come down from the bed," he said as if he was ordering. "Kneel in front of me and take it out. Use your mouth."


    "My mouth?" I asked. I had never done this before. So, I was nervous. To be honest, he had never asked me to do it for him before and I was too shy to say it.


    "Yes."


    I got down on the floor as he said. Even the floor felt cold under me. Since I was wearing lingerie only, the air of the room felt too cold against my skin.


    "Take it out," he said.


    "... O-Okay..."


    I unzipped his pants. The warm feeling only kept growing inside me and for some reason, I could not help but feel impatient.


    It was very warm and hard. I gasped the moment it was unveiled in front of me. No matter how many times I looked at it, it was hard to believe that this thing went inside me.


    "Take it in your mouth and suck it," he said.


    I did not know how to do it. It was my first time after all. It was so big that I was worried if it would fit in my mouth.


    I stick out my tongue and touched the tip with it. It felt weird. I quickly closed my mouth at the strange sensation.


    "Do it," he urged with a deep voice.


    It seemed it affected him. I just touched the tip with my tongue, still it felt like he liked it. I did the same again. But I was too afraid to go forward.


    He was perhaps too impatient. He grabbed my hair from the back and pushed forward that it went inside my mouth until it touched my throat. I almost gagged, but it was stopped because of the thing inside my mouth.


    "Suck it properly. Don''t use your teeth," he said. "Yes, like that. You''re doing well."


    I did as much as I could. It was harder than I thought. But hearing him praise me made me want to do it more. I used my tongue to go up and down of the length.


    I could feel his gaze intently focused on me. I could feel the dangerous arrows he was shooting on my skin with his eyes. My body felt hotter and I was aroused more than ever. I just wanted him to touch me and do something while I also wanted to make him feel good.


    "No, not yet. Make mee first," he said as if he could read my thoughts. But it was not possible since I was wearing the ne that prevented him from reading my mind. "Huh... your mouth is hot. It feels good."


    "Mm..."


    "You are so aroused, aren''t you? You are dripping all over, did you see?" he said. "The thought of anyone else seeing you like this pisses me off!"


    He tightened his grasp on my hair and started pushing my head forward and back without stopping. I could hardly breathe, but he did not stop.


    "It''s all mine. I said it before too, didn''t I? Your body, heart- all of this is mine. No one can take it from me," he said while his hands did not stop moving my head at all. "And if anyone tries, I will kill them."


    I gagged again, but he did not stop. I did not know what I expected, but I did not expect to feel like this. Even though I was the one touching him, my body was feeling hotter. I felt sick with need. I wanted something.


    "I''m close..."


    Before I could process what he said, something hot filled my mouth and spilled from the side. I gagged and coughed it up though most of it went inside my throat.


    He grabbed my throat and made me look at him. I felt like a shameless woman, sitting wearing something like that and doing things like this. I was embarrassed, but perhaps because of the hotness inside my body, I did not want to hide from his dangerous gaze.


    "You look so lewd, don''t you?" he said as his gaze prated through me like a sharp knife. "You have such an innocent face, but now you look like this... I want to make you even dirtier now."


    "But," he added as his face inched closer to mine, "only I can see you like this. Only I can do things like this to you."


    He stared deep into my eyes once before his lips pressed hard against my wet lips. His hands grabbed both of my breasts and he yed with them while pinching and pressing painfully.


    "Do you know how angry I was the moment I saw that fucking bastard pressing his lips on your skin?" he grumbled against my lips and bit on them. The salty taste of blood filled my mouth. "I want him to see what I do to you. But then again, I don''t want anyone else to see the face you make when I do things to you. Perhaps I will just keep it to ourselves only.


    But that doesn''t mean that bastard is not gonna die."


    He pushed me backwards and I fell on the floor. His hands inched down and stopped on my knees.


    "Dem..."


    "Are you feeling hot?" he asked.


    As I nodded instantly, he asked again, "Then, tell me what you want me to do with you."


    "I... I don''t know..."


    "You don''t know?" he asked as if he was teasing me. "Then shall we stop for today?"


    "No!" I protested quickly.


    "If you want to continue, tell me what to do."


    "I... I want you... to do it... with me," I mumbled.


    "Is that so? Then do as I say."


    "... W-What?"


    "Open your legs for me, darling," he said.

 Chapter 112: I Love You

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I could not believe what he was saying. I was so ashamed that I could not move my body. The only thing I could do was stare at his firm dangerous face.


    "If you don''t do as I say, I won''t give what you want," he said and rubbed my hip with his hand. Even from over the fabric, his touch felt too sensitive.


    "I..."


    "Don''t you want me to touch you? Don''t you want me to make you feel better? Your body is getting hot, isn''t it?" he said. "I will make you feel better, but you have to do as I say. Won''t you do as I say? Won''t you listen to me?"


    I nodded slightly. I wanted to feel better. The hotness inside me was too much to bear. I wanted it to calm down.


    "Then spread your legs for me," he said.


    It was humiliating. But for some strange reasons, I found myself slowly parting my legs, allowing him to see what was there.


    "There, good girl."


    He was staring so intently that I felt my face burning up with shame. I wanted him to stop staring and do something about the weird feeling inside me.


    "Wow, did you notice?"


    "W-What?" I asked.


    "That this ce ispletely exposed," he said as he touched my inner thigh slightly. I flinched quickly. It was like a rush of electricity ran through my veins from his finger.


    "Is... is it?" I mumbled. I truly had no idea. When Ruby brought it to me, we were in the diner. Then when I came back, I was too drunk to think straight. Perhaps that was why I did not notice it.


    Even now, I was not in my right mind.


    "Yes, it looks beautiful," he muttered.


    "Don''t... don''t stare too much..."


    "Why not?"


    "It''s... it''s embarrassing," I mumbled.


    "But I''m your husband," he said. "I don''t care if anything is embarrassing. You can always show every side of you to me, and me only."


    I gulped as his tone changed. My mind was hazy. But even through my slightly blurry vision, I saw him staring up and down at me dangerously.


    He bent down on the floor and rested his hands on the knees of my parted legs. Once again, his touch felt too cold for my skin.


    "Do you want me to make you feel good?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Alright, I will make you feel good. I will drive you out of your mind today, my love," he said.


    ''Love... He called me ''love''...!''


    My body seemed to tingle at his words as if they were fingers running over my skin, making me shudder.


    "Keep your eyes over me and see what I do to you," he said huskily. "See the way I worship your body. And your heart, your everything. Keep your eyes on me, my goddess, and let me take care of you."


    He brought his face down and hid between my legs. The moment his lips touched the sensitive ce down there, my body subconsciously tried to get away. But before I could do so, he grabbed me by the hips with his strong hands and kept me in ce.


    "Ah..."


    As he sucked on the ce, it did not feel like he was doing only that. It was as if he was pulling my soul towards him, everything of me. I could not stop him. For some reason, it did not feel wrong. Perhaps because I had already known that my soul belonged to him.


    "Dem... Uh, it feels weird..."


    "You mean good?"


    "Mm..."


    With each swirl of his tongue, I could only burn more and more in pleasure and drown in the marks of his love. Not just my body, his marks prated my soul as well.


    It felt too right to be true. I should have recognized him the moment we met. Perhaps my soul had already recognized his dark soul and made love to his soul and waited for my eyes to see it too.


    "That ce..."


    "It''s sweet," he said, "and beautiful."


    "Dem, my... my body is... on fire... Nngh... Ah!"


    "Then let me extinguish it," he muttered. "Let me make you feel better, my love."


    The way he was making me feel was deeper than anything else and tonight, it seemed he was desperate to make marks deep within my soul, my mind, and my body. Each of his moves was more passionate and full of unspoken words. I could only think how deeper in the pit of his love I was falling.


    In the secret ce, he kissed me passionately. It was the type of kiss that was dangerous, hot, and a secret. My back arched and my head flew back as a long moan escaped my mouth.


    "... Sto... Something... I''m gonna..."


    "You cane," he said but did not stop.


    "Ahhhh... Mm, uhh!... I... ahh..."


    He pulled his head back and looked down at me while licking his lips. "It''s tasty," he smirked.


    "Huh...," a sound escaped my mouth as I was gasping for air while looking at him shamelessly exploring me.


    "Did it feel good? Is your body happy?"


    "Yes...," I grinned shamelessly. "I''m happy..."


    "But are you satisfied?"


    "No," I replied. "No, I''m not satisfied. Please... please give me more, Dem..."


    "That''s my girl," he chuckled.


    He was staring at me raptly as slowly touched my inner thigh which was still sensitive intently from the climax. And before I could understand, he shoved two of his fingers inside me.


    "Ack! Uh... What..."


    "Didn''t I tell you that I will drive you insane tonight?" he smirked. "My darling wife, I meant it when I said it. And I will do so. Did you want it that bad that you are this surprised?"


    He moved his fingers rapidly while I gasped for air. I arched my back, but he grabbed my breast with his other hand and put my body down.


    "You seem to like it," he grinned.


    "Ah! Huh... Nngh... please... It''s... too much..."


    "We''ve just started, darling. We can''t end it just yet, can we? Especially when you''re enjoying it this much? Aww, are you crying? Is it because of the pleasure?"


    I could not say anything. My throat felt sore from the moaning, yet I could not stop. If he would not have told me, perhaps I would have not even noticed that I was crying. Yes, the pleasure was too much to bear, but it was exactly what my body needed. I wondered if it was because of the aphrodisiac.


    While his fingers drove me out of my mind, his free hand wandered over my skin, writing the stories of our love. And I craved more of his touch, only to get crazier.


    "I want to..."


    "Okay, I will kiss you," he said before I could finish and bent over my body to kiss me, but even then his fingers did not stop.


    "Mmm... hmm," I moaned in the kiss as my body felt like it was exploding and the only thing I could hold onto was his lips.


    "Ah, you came already," he said and licked his fingers which were making me crazy just a moment ago.


    "Please... I don''t want to wait... Please, give it to me," I begged as tears fell from my eyes. "Please..."


    He smirked and kissed me passionately. The sound of our wet kiss and mybored breath through the kiss was urging me. For what? I did not know what to do if he did not want to do it with me yet. What if he wanted to tease me more? But I did not want that.


    My body did not want that. I was growing impatient more and more with each passing second.


    "Should I make youe a few more times?" he asked the moment our lips separated, looking deep into my eyes.


    "No... Please, no... I want you..."


    "Then promise me you will never think of any other man other than me."


    "I never... I only think of you..."


    "Why? Tell me why, my wife," he said. "Tell me!"


    "Because you''re my husband... and I... I love you!" I sobbed. "I love you. I wanted to tell you this before, but I couldn''t. I''m sorry...


    I''m sorry for taking so long..."


    Even the scary dream could not stop me from loving him and wanting him. Even if it was a ck mage who wanted to separate us would never seed. Because he had already made a special ce in my heart that could never be taken away.


    "And you love me too," I said.


    "Yes," he smiled. "Yes, I love you."

 Chapter 113: I Love You (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Will you always be a good girl then?" he asked.


    His hands were on my hips like cold ice. But my body still did not stop flinching every time his fingers moved even the slightest.


    "Answer me, my wife," he said sternly.


    I nodded quickly. "No, I want to hear it from your mouth," he said.


    "Y-Yes..."


    My body was on fire. It was getting hot from the inside. I could only stare at him nkly with pleading eyes to give me what I wanted.


    "Good, then remember this always," he said. "You''re mine. I won''t let anyone have you. If anyone tries to take you away, I will kill them. Someone like me doesn''t like killing, you know..."


    Heughed bitterly. It was kind of scary, but for some reason, I did not feel scared. My hand reached out to touch his face which was slightly sweaty.


    "I love you," I said as I rubbed my palm against his cheek. "I won''t leave you, so please be prepared to spend the rest of your life with me."


    His eyes shone with surprise, but then he chuckled. "I''ve been preparing myself for the past seven years. Now, I''m an expert at this."


    Before I could grasp his words, he pushed forward and I found myself filled up. It was hot and felt bigger than usual.


    "Ahh! Nngh..."


    "Isn''t this what you wanted?" he asked.


    He was so close to me that his breath fell right on my face. But I was breathless. He was so close to me yet I wanted him to be even closer. We were closer ever than before, yet I was greedy.


    "You''re very tight. Is it because we haven''t done it for a long time?" he muttered. His lips were twitched as if he was in pain. "But I''m d. It''s good to be inside you again."


    Tonight, he was being different. He was taking longer to do anything as if he was determined to push me to my limits. Perhaps the promise he made was serious after all.


    His hips started moving and I found myself gasping. I felt fuller than any time else down there. It was as if he had reached the deepest part of me.


    "You''re clenching around me. It feels too good," he said into my ear while his breath felt like hot iron on my skin.


    Perhaps it had been so long that I was feeling that it was again the first time we were being like this. Everything felt strange yet so familiar. It was weird. But I wanted to have more of this feeling. I wanted to treasure every single moment of this.


    "Ah! Huh... Dem... I''m... I''m losing my mind..."


    "Is that so? Then lose yourself," he said. "I will be there to bring you back again."


    "Mm... Uhh! Too rough... and deep..."


    He ced his palm over my stomach. "Here... I have reached here. Does it feel good?"


    "Hmm... I love you..."


    "Me too," he said and pushed more forcefully than before. "I love you too."


    He kissed me roughly while his hips kept moving and his arms held me as tightly as possible. I was sure that there would be a lot of marks left on my body tomorrow. But I craved them. They were the sign of our passionate love after all.


    "Ahhh... I''m... I''m cing..."


    My legs shook fiercely. I wanted to tell him to stop as it was too much. But no words came out of my mouth and he did not stop as well, taking me to the deepest of the deepest part of ecstasy.


    I felt drowsy as if I had consumed drugs. Ah, I knew it- he was the drug that I craved and he was the dangerous drug that I should not consume this much, yet could not stop.


    His rough touches and our wet kisses made me crazy. The pleasure was only rising and growing even more passionate as if it was the first night we were sharing. Even our wedding night was not this passionate.


    And I knew the reason pretty well. On our wedding night, the feelings were one-sided. That time, I did not trust Dem well. But this time, I was in love with him just like the way, he loved me. And that was why the pleasure increased just like the quality of food increased by adding spices.


    "Do you want it to be even deeper?" he asked, though it was more like a groan, into my ear. "Ah, you like it harder, don''t you? You like rough, don''t you?"


    "Huh... I..."


    "I will give you what you want," he said and licked right beside my eyes as I was already crying. "I will give you everything you want. So, just hold onto me."


    I wrapped my arms around his nape and hid my face on his shoulder. His familiar masculine scent filled my nostrils. I missed this scent so much that I wanted to drown in him.


    "Ah! Uhh! Ha... Uhh..."


    I screamed in pleasure as his thrusts became faster and harder. It was like he was pulling it out fully, only to shove it again inside me, filling even my deepest parts.


    The lustful story we were creating only kept growing. The pages kept increasing. Just when I thought I was running out of ink, he kept giving me more as if to remind me that this ink would never run out.


    "I think," he whispered into my ear as I hung on him, "I have changed your innocent soul into a lewd one. I''m d... I''m d that I ruined your soul."


    I was not moaning anymore. The frequent moans and the asional screams had turned into screams only. If our room was not soundproof, everyone from outside would surely be surprised. Even I was surprised as to how crazy he could make me.


    His breath was falling right on my shoulder and I could even hear his pounding heart. My heart was the same. Sometimes, it was hard to distinguish the sounds.


    He hugged me as tightly as I was hugging him, if not more. It was as if both of us were afraid that the other one might let go. I wanted to make him understand through my touch, the same way he was trying to make me understand.


    Suddenly he mmed even harder than before. My screams got stuck in my throat and I could not even close my mouth as my mind wentpletely nk. I felt another climax approaching. Perhaps he was the same as he held me tighter and bit on my neck.


    "Ahhh! Huh... uhh!"


    "Look at me," he said.


    I pulled my face up and looked at his sweaty face. The room was dark tonight, but I could see his face in the moonlight. It was beautiful...


    "This face... this look- it''s all mine. This expression- show it to me only," he said. "Won''t you?"


    "Y-Yes," I said withbored breathing.


    He rubbed his palm against my cheek and kissed my forehead. I melted in his touch. The fire because of the aphrodisiac had calmed down, but the fire that he caused was nowhere near to get extinguished.


    "You''re bleeding," he said as he touched my neck where he had bitten a while ago.


    But it did not feel painful at all. Rather, I was happy. His love marks were like a love story written on my skin while his bite marks were the love story he wrote in my flesh.


    He licked the mark. It would heal within the morning, but I knew I would get more of this. It was just the beginning and my greedy heart and body were just waiting patiently to get filled again.


    "It''s... it''s..."


    "Yes, I''m hard again," he chuckled. "Didn''t I say that I will drive you out of your mind tonight? It''s just the beginning, darling, and I won''t stop until you''re insane enough to not ever think of leaving me."


    He grabbed me from under my arms and threw me on the bed. He grabbed my ankles and ced my legs over his shoulder.


    "This position... it''s..."


    "Why? I''ve seen all of you already," he said. "Though I''m surprised every time I look at you, I want you to get familiar with my stare since you''ll always be having it on you."


    He got inside me again through my parted legs. The overwhelming and familiar sensation started increasing again.


    "Mm... uh..."


    I was sure of it now. I would never forget this. His touches, his words would always remain deep inside me. The way I would never forget what my family did to me, this would remain inside me always. Even though his love was suppressing the painful memories, they still did not go away. And I knew they would never leave me as it had already scarred the part of me beyond healing.


    "Don''t think about anything else... Look only at me and lose yourself in me," he groaned. "Feel my touches and let me carve inside you."


    "Yes, I will...," I smiled and looked at him. "So, please... help me remember this forever..."

 Chapter 114: Sleep Talking

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    She slept peacefully in my arms. I held her tightly as if I did not want to let her go even for the slightest.


    I had told the guards to catch Ezekiel as soon as possible. They could not catch him, perhaps because he fled. Thinking of him kissing my wife''s neck was disgusting. I wanted nothing more than to kill him.


    I would have done so the moment I found him in our room, but he fled through the window. But he said something before he left that had been bothering me since then.


    "Do you think locking her up is the same as loving her? Have you ever listened to her properly? You even married her forcefully. Do you think you can gain her true love like this? You''re no other than a monster."


    Well, even though I was worried that he might have told the same to my wife and that was the reason, she was afraid of me. But it did not matter.


    I was a monster after all.


    I was supposed toe back after a month. But I finished the work quicker than usual and thus, was able toe back five days before. I did not have any business today. Mainly, I tried not to keep any business for today since I did not want toe back to her being covered in blood.


    I truly went overboard tonight. But I could not control myself. How could someone control themselves when they saw their wife wearing something like that in front of another man who was also kissing her skin?


    I had made enough marks on her skin so the mark he made would not be seen at all. But perhaps he was right. Perhaps I was locking her up. But I did not care. I just needed her by any means. I could never let her go, not when I got her into my grasp.


    "Mm... D-Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    She was still sleeping. Perhaps she was having a nightmare or something. She always shivered like that in her sleep whenever she had a nightmare or she was feeling cold. Since she was covered by the thick nket, it could not be because she was cold. I rubbed my palm on the side of her neck and kissed her on the forehead.


    "It''s alright. I''m here. You can sleep," I said.


    "I''m scared..."


    "Scared? Of who?"


    "I... I don''t know... I had a weird dream."


    "Weird dream? Tell me about it," I said.


    She had sleep talked a few times before. But it was the first time I was hearing her talking this much. Perhaps it would be good for me since she would not be able to hesitate saying anything since she was sleeping.


    "Well, that night when we were supposed to go to the festival..., I had this... dream. It was about... Dem."


    I gulped and took a deep breath hearing this. She stopped for a while as if she was looking for a word to phrase what she wanted to say.


    "It was a dark room. And... And he was saying weird things."


    "Who? Me, I mean, Dem?"


    "Y-Yes," she mumbled.


    "What weird things?"


    "He was saying things... like he did not want to let me go... and he would even lock me up even if he has to. I remember what he said line by line."


    "Can... can you tell me about it then? I will listen to you," I said.


    "He said - You know, the world is beautiful. But only when you are there with me. And when you are not there, there is no meaning. I will care for this world if it allows for us to be together. But if it opposes somehow, you know, I can destroy it. I don''t care who lives or who dies.


    I just want you."


    "What? I... I mean, he said that?" Well, it was true and it was not something extreme. So, it did not matter much. I had told her this before too. But to think she was saying the types of things I would say without missing a word...


    "Nothing matters if I want you. For you, I can do anything. I can kill anyone. I don''t care who I have to kill, if only you''re with me. To have you, I will do anything," she said. It was strange to hear it in her voice.


    "Since the moment I met you, I knew I found you, my one and only. Perhaps you were not meant for me. But still, I had decided back then that I would make you mine. I didn''t care about your choice, because you did not have one. How could you when I had already decided that you would be mine and mine only?"


    Now I had started sweating. I said this in her dream? No matter what I had in my mind, I could not just say that to her. Yes, it was true that I did not give her much of a choice, but it was impossible that I would say it to her. What surprised me the most was that it was exactly what I had in mind.


    "I love you so much that I am unable to act like a normal person. I want to touch you all the time, keep you with me. I just want to have all of you. Normal was never something I was. But now, I think I am more abnormal than ever. But you will ept me, won''t you?" she said.


    "You don''t even know how much I like all your expressions... I like it when you smile, when youugh freely, when you are surprised. I sometimes even like it when you''re scared. It''s so adorable. But I don''t like it when you cry. I don''t like it at all.


    But I can put up with it since it''s you."


    "Hey, Blue..."


    "Do you think I am crazy? Perhaps I am. But you know what? Who gives a fuck about it? So what if I am crazy? I don''t care.


    I am crazy for you and I love it," she kept saying. "I love you. I love you so much that I can do anything for you. I will give you anything. So, please stay with me. Don''t leave me, ever."


    ''No way... No wonder she was afraid of me... I can''t believe this! How could this happen? I never nned on saying these things to her, yet... How could she have such a dream when I have told her nothing like this in real life.''


    "Stay with me and don''t leave me. Forever, I want to have you forever...," she mumbled. Her voice was dark and it was like a slight mumbling. It was clear that she was sleeping. I was d. I did not know how to face her anymore.


    "Are you scared? My darling wife, are you scared of me? But you said it''s okay. It''s okay for me to be with you. So, take me again. Come closer and hold me.


    "I always think about you. Do you think about me too? How much? How much do you think about me? Tell me, darling... You know, when I think about my future, you are always there.


    You are smiling... It''s just you and me, just like it''s supposed to be. So, won''t you be a good girl and make the future possible?"


    "That time, I told him to stop saying such things, but he did not stop," she added. "I was scared. The way he smiled that time was scary... I don''t want to see that smile again... It''s too scary..."


    "I''m sorry..."


    "Then he said- You belong to me. So don''t even try to run away. It''s pointless, darling. You''re supposed to be mine, my wife. I don''t want to hurt you. So, be a good girl and stay with me," she said.


    "I told him toe to his senses, but he said- Ugh, I hate this. What sense? I don''t understand the senses of people in this world. This world was never meant for me. But you understand me, don''t you? I know you do, my wife.


    Please be mine, darling. You can only be mine."


    She was sleep talking, but she was right about everything. Yes, I thought about these things. It was not a wrong thing to think, but surely, she would not take it as easily as me. I thought about these things, so it were easy to me. Yes, I was obsessed with her. But I did not want her to know so, so quickly.

 Chapter 115: His Affectionate Mode

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Are you alright, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "Huh?" I mumbled as I struggled to get up.


    "... His Highness went overboard," she muttered and wiped my body with a wet towel. "I knew this would happen if His Highness finds out. That guy was trying too hard for no reason."


    "I don''t really know how I got home or what happened after that. My head feels nk. When I woke up, Dem was there," I muttered. All I could remember was the time when we were in the diner and then when I woke up, I found an angry Dem. He looked like he could eat me. And after waking up this morning, I found Ruby keep mumbling to herself while wiping down my body.


    There were a lot of marks on my body and it was a lot more than usual as if Dem wanted to make sure that every part of my body had his mark. Last night, we told ''I love you'' to each other together for the first time.


    Though a lot of things happened and a lot of things were going on, I still was kind of happy. Finally, he hade back. I had missed him a lot.


    "Your Highness, you''re hungry, aren''t you?" Ruby asked.


    "Yeah, please get me something," I nodded.


    My whole body was hurting and it was hard to move. Ruby helped me take a bath and then I had returned to bed again. Lately, I had been taking care of some documents for Dem. They were easy to deal with, so it did not give me much of a hard time.


    Ruby brought my documents to my room and I had been checking them sitting on the bed while Ruby fed me some food.


    "Your Highness, your handwriting is beautiful," she said.


    "Is that so? Dem''s is better though," I said, not taking my eyes off the documents.


    Before I thought that it would be troublesome and boring to take care of documents. But I was proven wrong very quickly. It did not feel boring at all. Rather, it felt good to have something to take care of.


    Ruby told me that queens did not usually have anything to do. But I did not want to be like that. It was good to rest, but even resting felt annoying for too long. That was why I had written to Dem that I wanted to deal with some documents as well to help him. He gave me permission to deal with the expenses of the pce.


    It took me the whole noon to make sure that the expenses were not unnecessary. There was still something wrong with it. It seemed someone was smuggling the pce''s kitchen''s expenses.


    "What are you doing?"


    I looked towards the door hearing the familiar masculine voice. "Oh, Dem," I said. "Are you done with your work?"


    "Yes," he said. He still looked kind of angry. To be honest, I wanted to hug him and rest my head on his shoulder. But I could not take the initiative.


    He walked towards me and sat in front of me. He took a look at the documents. His eyes looked serious all of a sudden.


    "Is someone smuggling the kitchen expenses?" he muttered.


    It surprised me how quickly he noticed it. He only took a look and found out about it while it took me a long time to find the difference in the amount of money.


    "Hm," I muttered. "I found out about it just now."


    "Alright, I will just take a walk around the pce. Their thoughts will be clear and the person will be executed immediately," he said.


    "Executed? Just for this?" I asked, shocked. I knew that the punishment was going to be serious, but I had no idea that it would be this extreme.


    "Yes, the punishment needs to be extreme so no one dares to do it again."


    "I took care of all of them. You can check to see if there is anything wrong or missing," I said.


    "Hmm,ter," he muttered and put the documents on the bedside table. He inched closer and hugged me suddenly.


    "Dem?"


    "Let''s stay like this for a while," he said. I could not say that I wanted the same. Perhaps it was because my eyes felt teary and my throat was heavy. I had grown too emotional aftering here. At my home, I barely ever cried, but here, I could never control myself. "Do you perhaps think that I have locked you up?"


    I was surprised at the sudden question. Why would he ask something like this all of a sudden? Did Ezekiel say something to him?


    "Why... why are you asking this all of a sudden?"


    "I feel like it," he said. It was obviously a lie. He was not someone to mention it just because he felt like it. "What''s your answer?"


    "No... I don''t think so," I said, "since I like to stay inside the pce ground as well."


    He pulled back from the hug and gave me a peck on the lips and nose. He ced his head on my chest and nudged his face against me.


    ''Is he on the affectionate mode- I wonder?''


    "I love you," he mumbled.


    "Me too," I said and ran my fingers through his hair.


    "I was really angryst night, you know. I don''t like it when others touch you, men especially," he said. "When I saw him kissing your precious skin, I wanted to kill him. He fled, or I would have killed him right away."


    Ruby told me the same thing. She said that no one knew where he went or why he fled. Only Demetrius and Ruby knew exactly what happened.


    "I went to Luc this morning to ask him what he knew. He told me that he noticed that bastard trying to get you against me and warned him, but obviously, that fucking bastard did not listen," he said, gritting his teeth. "Luc even said that you were having a weird dream."


    "Yeah," I said. "It was like someone was chatting with me in my dream."


    "What?"


    "It was a person, but I could never see their face or hear their voice," I said. "It was really strange."


    "That''s really strange," he mumbled.


    "Right?"


    "Is that why you talk this much in your sleep? Did you meet that person again in your sleepst night?"


    "No... It was a different person. I could feel it though I still don''t hear their voice or see their face. It''s always dark," I said. "Wait a moment! Did I talk in my sleep out loud?"


    "Do you remember what you said?"


    "Not really..."


    "You didn''t talk much," he said. "Just a few words. It was cute..."


    I turned bright red the moment he said cute. I could not control myself from being too happy. Perhaps it was because it had been almost a month that I could not see him.


    "Oh..."


    "There were a lot of mosquitos to take care of this time, but I finished the work as soon as possible. I missed you so much that the moment I went there, I wanted toe back," he said. He was still pressing his face against my chest while I ran my fingers through his hair. He looked very spoiled this way. But I liked him being like this.


    "Is that so? I missed you too," I said.


    "Well, that said, Luc told me that we need to take care of the ne soon since the banquet is only a month away."


    The ne that prevented Dem from reading my mind shone brightly, but only Dem and I could see it. And some high-ss magicians could also see it.


    "You sure you want to give your blood?" Dem asked.


    Both of our blood and moonstone were required for the process, but Dem had been opposing the idea of me giving blood though I did not have any problem with it. Even now, his tone said it clearly that he did not want me to do it.


    "Yeah, I''m fine with it," I said.


    "... Are you sure?"


    "Yeah, it''s no problem," I said and patted on his head. "Don''t worry too much."


    "Then is it okay if we go to the magic tower tonight?"


    "Sure," I said. "I don''t have anything to do anyway. And besides, I need to talk to Luc about something as well."


    "What is it?" he asked, suddenly jumping up.


    "Well, is it okay if Luc is around for some days?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean, I just had some weird dreams these days. And I heard that ck mages are able to manipte people''s minds," I said. "So, if Luc is around, he can trace the mana."


    "ck mage? Who gave you that idea?"


    "Er... Ezekiel..."


    "That... What did he say?" he asked as if he was controlling his anger. The moment I said Ezekiel, he had been angry.


    I told him everything Ezekiel told me about ck mages. Dem did not believe that there could be ck mages around us and said that they were extremely rare.


    "But it''s not impossible," I protested. "They are rare, but it''s not like they are not real."


    "Alright, though I don''t think it''s the case, you can talk to Luc," he said. "I will give him permission to be around you."

 Chapter 116: Telling Luc About The Prediction

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    That night, Dem and I went to the magic tower. On the way, Dem clung to me like glue. He did not let go of my hand and often gave pecks on my lips. I did not know why he was doing it, but since I liked to be close to him as well, I did not care.


    "I love you," he said.


    "I know."


    Luc told us to wait and went to bring something. I had a feeling that he had gone to bring a dagger.


    "You still can say no," Dem said.


    "I''m fine- I told you," I said.


    We were sitting on the couch as usual. Luc seemed to have cleaned it a bit. He said that I wasing as well, so he wanted to make a good impression as my friend. Luc was actually a good friend and he was trustworthy as well, or Dem would never keep him by his side.


    I had no idea that Luc warned Ezekiel and told him to stay away. I had noticed that Ezekiel was being odd, but I had no idea that he felt that way towards me and that was also very strongly. Even Luc and Ruby noticed it before me and tried to warn him. I could tell that they were very loyal and trustworthy.


    Luc came back with a dagger as I expected. The dagger looked scary, especially the way the sharp edges shone. I did not want to look scared since Dem would not let me do it if so. But perhaps he had figured it out already.


    "I told you to say no if you''re ufortable," he said.


    "I''m fine," I said.


    "She is fine, she said. Stop being so annoying for god''s sake," Luc grumbled. "I understand that you love your wife. But aren''t you being too much?"


    "It''s alright," I said. "He is just worried. But I''m really fine, so don''t worry."


    I patted on Dem''s arm to calm him down. He red at Luc as if he could burn him down with his eyes.


    "Blue better go first," Luc said.


    I knew why he said that. Perhaps he thought that I would get scared if I saw it cutting through Dem''s skin. He was right in a way. I would definitely get scared.


    "Are you okay with it?" Dem asked and Luc rolled his eyes.


    "Yeah, I''m fine," I nodded and gave him a reassuring smile.


    Luc asked for my hand and I ced it on his left hand. He brought out the dagger and I looked away. But he did not cut my skin.


    "No, it won''t do... Give me your shoulder," Luc said clicking his tongue.


    "Shoulder?" I asked.


    "Why?" Dem asked, eyeing him.


    "Getting the blood would be easier if it''s her shoulder," Luc exined. "Don''t give me that look. It''s not like I want to hurt her either."


    Dem unzipped my dress slightly and helped me get the sleeve down my shoulder slightly. This time Luc shed through my skin quickly before I could understand. I could feel blood pouring out of the cut endlessly. Luc ced something there and collected the blood. It did not hurt as much as the beginning and kind of felt normal.


    "You alright?" Dem asked.


    "Hmm," I mumbled. It was surprising how many times he asked to make sure that I was okay. It made me kind of happy that he cared for me that much.


    It took a while to collect my blood. Even though I told him not to, Dem still licked the wound right in front of Luc to heal it. It was very embarrassing.


    "Do you have to do it when I am in the room?" Luc grumbled.


    "How will the wound be healed then?" Dem muttered. "Did you see how much blood she lost?"


    After Dem healed the wound, Luc collected his blood as well. When he cut his skin, I was observing his face to see his reaction. But to my surprise, he was unmovedpletely.


    "Are you okay?" I asked him.


    He chuckled and pinched on my nose with his other hand. "Why would I not be okay?"


    "He has a body that doesn''t hurt at all," Luc said. "I know what you''re thinking. The world is indeed unfair."


    "And Demetrius even said that there was something you would like to talk to me about. It was very unusual of him, so I was surprised," Luc added. "What is it?"


    "Ah, do I have to say it now? It''s weird to talk like this. I mean, you''re collecting blood..."


    "Alright, then," Luc said. "I will finish it soon, after then..."


    Luc went to ce the blood aside. It was pretty disgusting to look at the bright red liquid. But Dem seemed unaffected. It did not surprise me. A man who could kill people like mosquitos could not possibly be affected by blood. It was stupid of me to ask if he was alright because of that little cut, but still, I did not like it.


    "You look like you want to talk to me about something," Dem said.


    "Yeah," I said. "I do."


    I had not yet talked to him about his eyes. His mother told me a lot of things about it. But the person I wanted to hear everything from was him.


    "About what?" he asked.


    "Is it okay if I tell you thister? It''s supposed to be a secret," I said.


    "What is..."


    Dem wanted to say something, but he stopped as Luc had alreadye back. He flopped on the couch beside me with an eager but rested face.


    "Now, tell me what is it that you want to talk about," Luc said, cing his arms crossed on his thighs and leaning forward while ncing at me sideways.


    "Well, it''s about ck mage," I muttered.


    "ck mage? What about them?" Luc asked.


    "Well, I have been having weird dreams for a while now," I said.


    "Is it about the dream where you talk to someone?" Luc asked.


    "No, it''s something else and even weirder," I said. I did not even tell Dem about this, but now he would find out about it as well. "It''s well... I mean, Dem appeared in my dreams and he was saying weird things."


    Dem looked ufortable, but he did not seem surprised. But I did not remember telling him about it at all.


    "What weird things?" Luc asked.


    "Well, some scary things, but Dem is not someone to tell something like that," I said. "And I think a ck mage is around me and manipted with my thoughts."


    Luc did not look as surprised as I thought he would be, even Dem was surprised to see his normal reaction.


    "Are you sure that Demetrius has never told the things he said in your dream?" Luc asked.


    "No... No, he hasn''t," I replied.


    "Alright," Luc said. "I think I can guess what you want from me. My answer is yes. I will be with you for some days."


    "Why are you like this about it?" Dem asked. "You don''t look surprised at all."


    "Well, a few years ago, I sensed the mana of a ck mage for the first time. But then, when I went to look for them, it vanished. ck mages are able to hide their mana energy though it takes a lot of practice and experience. Then, a few days ago, it happened again. It was when I went to get some pie from the main pce kitchen.


    That day, I tried to look for the source as well, but then, it vanished yet again. That''s why, it''s possible that a ck mage manipted her thoughts. But the question is, why her?"


    "I can guess," Dem muttered with a hand on his chin. "I think that person wants to separate us."


    "Yeah, I think so too," I said.


    When I had the dream and suspected that it was the ck mage''s doing, I had a feeling that it was because that person whoever it was wanted to create a wall between Dem and me. The dream showed how scary Dem could be and it truly scared me. But when Dem came to me again, the fear melted down as I saw the sincerity in his eyes. Whoever that person was surely failed. They could not separate us.


    Still, a doubt remained in my mind. Everything had a base. If there was a suspicion, it meant there was a base to that suspicion too.


    What if Dem thought about those things? What if it was not wrong? It might not be entirely right, but it also might not be entirely wrong. There needed to be a base for such things.


    Dem''s previous words came back to me. The way he said he wanted me and how much he wanted me.


    It was not normal. None of it was normal at all.


    He could be severely obsessed with me, even more than I thought. Was it not dangerous for me then? Was I was so very safe with him like I thought previously?


    I decided not to think about it for a while. I needed some peace and quiet. For that, for the time being, I needed to stop thinking about such things. Even if he was that much obsessed with me, at least, he would not hurt me, would he?

 Chapter 117: Sudden Sickness

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Hearing Luc agreeing to me quickly relieved me slightly and after hearing that Luc had the same suspicion, Demetrius had decided to be more careful as well. We were still in the magic tower, but I had been feeling uneasy for a while now. I had no idea why, but it seemed like something was trying to get out of me.


    "What''s wrong?" Dem asked.


    "I... I don''t know. I''m feeling weak all of a sudden," I muttered. "I don''t know if it''s something serious, I mean..."


    "We''re going back, Luc. You can be with her starting tomorrow," he told Luc who nodded. Luc looked like he was thinking about something serious.


    "Don''t even think about something so weird," Dem warned.


    "How do you know what I am thinking?" Luc asked.


    "It''s written all over your face," Dem said. "We''re leaving now."


    Before I could understand, Dem picked me up in his arms and started climbing down the stairs.


    "Dem..."


    "What?"


    "It''s... I can walk," I mumbled, being flushed. No matter how many times he touched me, I never could entirely get used to it.


    He looked angry again. I did not know why he was angry this time. I did not do anything wrong, did I?


    "What kinds of baseless nonsense was he thinking, that idiot? It can never be true," he muttered to himself.


    I wanted to ask him what he was on about. But something about his face made me change my mind. Perhaps I should not ask him just yet.


    He looked scary. I hid my face in his chest and grabbed the front of his shirt tightly. I was feeling worse than I thought. Blood was not something I feared and cuts did not affect me much as well. But then why was I feeling like that?


    My heart was beating faster, but this time, it was not because I was flushed or something. Rather, it felt like something was trying toe out of my body, tearing me apart. My chest was hurting and I felt light-headed.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I... I feel bad," I managed to mumble. "My c-chest hurts."


    "What? Is it too bad?"


    I nodded. I wondered if I had a heart attack or something. After all, I had the symptoms.


    I did not know what happened after that. I only remembered thinking of the symptoms of a heart attack and wondering if I was suffering from that.


    When I woke up, I was in the bedroom and Dem was sitting beside the bed on the floor. He had his head on the bed and he was sleeping.


    ''Ack, so cute!''


    I hovered on his sleeping face, observing as if it was the most beautiful thing ever. And I knew it was. He truly was beautiful.


    He had long eyshes and his lips were thin and sharp. They were of a mixture of pink and brown. Even his nose was in good shape. I could not help but admire his features.


    ''This is my husband. This handsome man is my husband. Yes! This man is my husband and if anyone tries to take him away, I will do something more impressive to them!''


    But I had no idea what was something more impressive that I could do. I was not even strong. Perhaps I needed to work hard to make some muscles or something. Though I had been practicing swordsmanship for a month already, I did not look much strong, even though my ability increased at least a bit.


    I clenched my fists and promised myself that I would save this handsome man forever no matter what.


    I tried to poke him lightly on his nose. But I was too anxious. Then I thought perhaps I should not disturb his sleeping. He looked very peaceful while sleeping.


    ''He is so cute! I will just give a peck on his forehead and then I will sleep as well.''


    It was easier to do as he had his eyes closed. I did not have to feel his eyes on me. I gave a peck on his forehead and on his nose. But as I was about to pull back, a hand grabbed me from the back of my neck.


    His ck eyes looked deep into my eyes and I felt like my soul just got exposed to him. I tried to pull back, but his grasp was strong.


    "You''re being cute at a time like this," he said.


    "Eh? I was just..."


    ''How can I say that you''re so good-looking that I could not help it? So, that said, am I an official pervert now?''


    "I''m sorry... I woke you up, didn''t I?" I mumbled guiltily.


    "No, I was awake since you woke up," he said. "My senses are quite sharp being in wars."


    "Oh?"


    "So, how are you feeling now?" he asked.


    If he had not asked, I would not even remember that I was sick just a while ago. Now that I remembered it again, I could not help but wonder what was wrong with me.


    "I''m fine. But what happened to me?"


    "Don''t you remember? You were feeling chest pain and then you fainted," he said. "The doctor did not find any problems though."


    "Is... is that so?" I muttered. "Perhaps I was just weak. I mean, I am always weak, so..."


    "It can be. You need to eat properly," he said.


    As he was not here, he did not know that my eating habit had improved greatly. Since I was practicing swordsmanship, my body needed more food.


    "Yeah," I muttered. I did not want to argue about this. There were more pressing matters to be focused on. "By the way, what time is it?"


    "Ah, it''s midnight," he said.


    "I... I disturbed your sleep," I eximed sadly and cupped my face with both of my hands. "I feel awful now..."


    "It''s alright. I don''t need much rest anyway," he said and pinched my nose lightly. "It doesn''t seem like you are sleepy anymore."


    "I''m not."


    "Then will you tell me what you wanted to talk about before?"


    "Ah, that... Well, it''s not that important..."


    "But that doesn''t seem the case, right? And moreover, you wanted to talk about it, so it doesn''t matter if it''s important or not," he said. "Go ahead."


    "Well... It''s... it''s about your eyes..."


    "Who told you about it?" he asked firmly as if he could guess what I was about to say.


    "M-Mother," I said. "She told me about, um, cursed eyes."


    "So, you know all about it, huh?"


    I nodded. He startedughing all of a sudden. The sound of hisughter was not pleasant at all, rather, it was shivering. It was as if chills were spread throughout my body.


    "Dem?"


    "So, you hate me now?" he asked as he stoppedughing.


    "W-Why... why would I hate you?"


    "Of course, you would hate me. Demons are supposed to be hated after all," he grinned. "Don''t you know that cursed-eyed werewolves possess demonic power? Their nature is demonic. Why would someone like demons?"


    "But you''re not..."


    "Don''t say that I''m not like that! Don''t say I am not evil! I am not normal! What kind of normal person can read others'' minds?" he asked angrily, grabbing me by the shoulders. "And you know what? It''s all true!


    The things I said in your dream- they are all true! I do want to bind you to me forever! I want to lock you up! Tell me now- don''t you hate me now?"


    His eyes seemed to have locked me with his gaze. I could not move. I opened my mouth, but no words came out of my mouth. It was as if the words stuck in my throat.


    "Huh, I knew it! This is why I didn''t tell you about it. I didn''t tell you about my desires," he chuckled. "Because I thought you would hate me. Now, others are doing the same, aren''t they? I can''t even keep a secret, it seems."


    "Dem, I... I don''t hate you," I managed to mutter atst. "Before everything else, you''re my... husband. And it''s not like you hurt me or something like that... so, it''s fine even if you''re a demon.


    Perhaps I like to be with a demon."


    "You won''t take it back?" he asked anxiously.


    "No... No, I won''t," I smiled even though my lips trembled. I put my palm against his face, feeling the warmth of his skin. "I love you after all."


    He hugged me tightly. It was hard to breathe. But I did not stop him. If it reassured him, then it was fine. I did not want him to doubt my feelings after all this time when I finally realized them.

 Chapter 118: Her Sickness

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I could not believe Mother told her all about those things. Who knew what more that woman told her?


    I kept it a secret from her, lest she should hate me. But now it was all over. She told me she loved me, yet I could not calm down.


    I broke the hug and held her face with both of my hands. She looked very red as if she was breathless. Even her whole body was hot as if it was a fever.


    The doctor said that nothing major was wrong with her. But she told me not to do it with her tonight, even if she woke up and that she woulde to check up on her tomorrow morning. I could not even read her thoughts since she was wearing a silver essory.


    Silver was a dangerous weapon for werewolves and if the heart of a werewolf was pierced with a silver weapon, death was inevitable. And silver prevented all types of powers, even my mind reading did not work at the presence of silver.


    "You seem to have a fever," I said. "Want to lie down?"


    "Hmm," she nodded.


    She looked very innocent. I could not believe I yelled at her. When I was angry, it was hard to control myself, but to think that I lost it in front of her...


    "I''m sorry," I said.


    "... W-Why?"


    "I yelled at you," I said. "I''m really sorry. I shouldn''t have reacted like that."


    "It''s... alright. You were angry...," she muttered. "But I hope... you won''t be like that if possible."


    I was right. She was afraid. I did not know why I was not able to control myself at all. I knew I should not be like that with her, yet I could not control myself.


    "Lie down," I said and pushed her gently by her shoulders.


    "My whole body hurts," she mumbled.


    "Is that so? Want me to massage?" I asked.


    "No... I can''t tonight..."


    "I don''t mean that," I rified. "We can''t do that anyway tonight. The doctor told me not to."


    "Oh? But she said that nothing is wrong with me? Could it be that I''m too weak?" she asked.


    "Maybe," I said. "Your body is frail and weak. And your swordsmanship practice should be off for a few days."


    "Is it because you couldn''t find any other trainer yet?"


    ''No, it''s because I want you to go in front of other men as less as possible. It seems like most men fall for you as soon as they see you. Even the old librarian fell for you... I fired him though.''


    "I will find another trainer for you as soon as possible," I said.


    ''A woman... I need to find a woman.''


    "O-Ok," she mumbled.


    Her voice was trembling as well. Something was definitely wrong with her. I could not believe the doctor left her in this state and said that nothing was wrong.


    I stormed out of the room as soon as possible. I heard my wife calling after me, but it did not matter. I needed to find the doctor as soon as possible. How could I leave her at that state?


    "Call Emma Reerba as soon as possible and send her to my room."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    The servants left and I waited in front of my room. Even my head was hurting right now. Perhaps it was because I was worried about my wife.


    Emma Reerba was that bastard''s sister. He even did not go back home. Who knew where that piece of shit was? I would surely kill him the moment I would see him again. How dare he look that way towards my wife!


    "Dem..."


    "Don''t worry and lie down," I said. "Don''t get up and don''t talk too much. It looks like it hurts for you to talk as well."


    "But..."


    "The doctor ising here, so don''t move or talk much," I said. "Just lie down."


    She did not say anything again. I could hear her sharp breathing. For some reason, I could help but panic. What was happening to her?


    She had a weak body, but it was the first time I saw her like this. Was that because some blood left her body? But would the effect be like this?


    That time back at the magic tower when she started feeling sick, Luc was thinking something weird. I could not help but get angry and almost revealed the fact that I could read minds.


    How could she have ck mana inside her? She was not even a werewolf. There was no way that could be true.


    Luc was always suspicious about everything. He was right sometimes, but there were also times when he was wary of something for no reason. I liked the fact of being wary of most of the things since there could be traitors everywhere, but he was too much this time.


    My wife''s personal maid had somehow found out about her condition and came running. She looked like she could cry at any time.


    "Your Highness! How is Her Highness?" she asked as she gasped for breath. "Can I meet her? Please let me go to Her Highness."


    That maid had been clinging to her since the beginning and she was the most trustworthy one as well. Her thoughts were pure and full of concern for my wife as well.


    The moment I gave a small nod, she ran inside as fast as she could. I could hear her sobbing from the inside.


    "Your Highness, how are you feeling? Where does it hurt?"


    "I''m fine. Why are you crying?" Blue chuckled. "It''s just my whole body hurts a bit."


    ''I won''t mind killing His Highness if something happens to Her Highness. Her Highness is such an angel. Did His Highness yell at her again? He is good to her, but sometimes he is very mean to her. If it''s true that Her Highness is in this condition because of him, he can go to hell!''


    To be honest, I flinched hearing this. I had never heard anyone trash talk me for someone else. If it was some other time, she had to die for thinking about something like this. But since she said that out of concern for my wife, I forgave her. Rather, I was quite pleased. To think she would go against her king, her own kind for the queen who was also a human- it was pretty impressive.


    But was it true that I was mean to her? It was true that I yelled at her once or twice, but did it hurt her very much? I should refrain from getting angry at her for no reason as much as possible.


    "Your Highness, you''re such an angel. Nothing happens to an angel. So, you will get better soon too and then we will go out in the garden together to look for squirrels," Ruby said.


    "Haha, we found onest time, remember? It was so cute," Blue chuckled. The sound of herughter was blissful and calming. "But perhaps it did not like me much."


    ''I will just kill the squirrel. How dare it not like someone as beautiful and wonderful as my wife?'' I grumbled in my head.


    "Your Highness, if someone is bothering you, you can tell me," Ruby said in a determined tone. "I will beat them up or kill them if you wish so."


    "No one is bothering me."


    "Are you sure, Your Highness? Is it because of that Ezekiel? I warned him, yet he crossed the line. I would be d if His Highness ripped his head off," she grumbled. And I could not help but agree with her at this point.


    Blue did not say anything. I could hear her sharp breathing again. It seemed it was hard for her to breathe as well.


    The doctor arrived. She seemed like she was out of breath as she ran all the way here. That damn woman was wearing a silver essory again. Now I could not read her mind again.


    "What took you so long? I called you years ago!"


    "My apologies, Your Highness," she bowed, truly apologetic. "I came here as soon as possible. Where is Her Highness?"


    "In the bedroom," I said.


    As I tried to enter the room, she held her hand in front of me. I almost pped her hand away.


    "Your Highness, please stay outside. Let me check Her Highness first, then enter please," she said.


    My wife nodded at me and I was forced to back away. I went outside and the doctor closed the door in front of me. I could not help but worry.


    If something happened to her, I did not know what I would do. Perhaps I should just kill everyone who had seen her so I would be the only one to ever remember her face.

 Chapter 119: Pregnant?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I did not know why Demetrius was behaving like that. I wanted to ask him, but I could not. It was true that my body felt weaker than ever, but he still did not need to react like that. It was as if he was panicking.


    The doctor hade to our room. She told Dem to stay outside. Perhaps she had her reasons, so I also gave him a signal that it was alright. I knew he would never listen or else.


    "Mydy, I checked you up before as well," Emma Reerba, the doctor said. She was the sister of Ezekiel. Because of the incident with Ezekiel, it was kind of awkward to talk to her, at least I felt so. But she did not seem ufortable at all, rather she was talking just like before.


    "I heard," I said. It was pretty hard for me to talk as well. It was as if something was stuck in my throat, blocking the words.


    "Well, please lend me your ear, Your Highness," she said.


    "... W-Why?"


    "Please, I need to tell you something," she urged.


    I nodded and she came near me. I could feel her breath on my ear. She seemed to be getting as close as possible, as if she did not want anyone to know. Since Ruby was in the room and was a werewolf, she still would be perhaps able to hear it. But if Emma was this close, then Dem would not be able to hear it as he was outside the room. I was sure that he was standing as close to the door as possible.


    "Your Highness, your sickness is actually because..."


    "Because?"


    "...because you''re pregnant," she said.


    "..."


    "I thought it would be better if Your Highness heard it first. Well, I know it''s not my ce to say this, but still, I want Your Highness to know this. Actually, when I was checking Your Highness before, His Highness said that it''s fine as long as you''re okay and you are not with a child. Since Your Highness was unconscious, you did not hear this.


    That''s the moment I found out that Your Highness is actually pregnant. I could not tell His Highness about it. I mean, His Highness is not a normal person and I feared that if he found out, he would kill the child."


    It was true that Dem did not want a child and even if we had a child, he wanted it to be like me without his features. But how could someone decide how their child would be? It was not like I wanted a child this soon as well, but I could manage even if it was early. I thought it would not be a problem even if I got pregnant someday and he would be supportive.


    But after Emma said it, I could not help but worry if he would truly do something like this.


    There was a long silence. I did not know what to say or think. But then that question came to my mind.


    "But how... I''m a human, right? I heard it''s almost impossible for me to get pregnant with his child," I said. "Then how?"


    "Your Highness, it''s my first time meeting a human and also the first time checking up a human," she said. "It''s true that it''s almost impossible for humans to get pregnant with a werewolf''s child since the bodies aren''t quitepatible. I''m also surprised that Your Highness got pregnant this quick. I was worried that there wouldn''t be a child in years.


    But now I''m worried about apletely different thing."


    "Are... are you sure that I''m... I''m pregnant?" I asked.


    "Yes, Your Highness. It''s absolutely true," she nodded. She was still whispering in my ear while I was whispering as well. "And your body is this weak because of the child."


    She inhaled deeply before continuing, "Actually, the problem is not just with His Highness. It''s true that His Highness might want to kill the child, but not just because His Highness doesn''t want a child. To tell the truth, Your Highness''s health is failing because of the child. The child is going to be a werewolf as well.


    But it''s inside a human''s body, that''s why it''s affecting Your Highness''s health. And... if my prediction is right, there is a chance that Your Highness might not be able to stay alive, especially after Your Highness give birth to the child."


    "Huh?"


    "I''m sorry, Your Highness. I can... I can actually get rid of it if you want to," she said.


    "Get rid of it? The child?" I asked, shocked.


    "Y-Yes," she said. "I... I actually don''t want Your Highness to die. So, if you want to... I don''t care even if it''s a crime."


    "Let... let me think for some time," I mumbled. "I will tell you then."


    "Should I tell His Highness?"


    "N-No," I shook my head even though it hurt. "I will tell him."


    "Yes, Your Highness," she said.


    She pulled her face up. That was when I noticed that Ruby was in the room as well. I hadpletely forgotten about her as I heard something so shocking. Ruby had her palm tightly pressed on her lips as if she was refraining herself from screaming out loud.


    It was clear that she was shocked. But so was I. I did not know what to do. But whatever I needed to do, first I needed to think about it with a clear mind. I decided not to tell Dem just yet.


    Even if Dem did not kill the child because he did not want a kid, he would surely kill it the moment he found out that I could also die because of it. I did not want to die as well, but I was not okay with the idea of killing it as well. It was a child, something we both made. This face kept turning my thoughts around.


    But even though I nned it in my head that I would not tell Dem about it yet, my n failed as soon as the doctor left and he rushed inside the room. I hadpletely forgotten the fact that Dem could read minds. And the moment I realized it, it was toote.


    "What...," he mumbled. "Get out!" he yelled looking at Ruby.


    I knew it was over. He had already found out about it. There was no point in hiding it anymore. His pupils felt darker than ever and his eyes were slightly red.


    "Is that true?" he asked calmly. His voice was calmer than usual, but as cold as ice. It was as if he was suppressing from raising his voice.


    I nodded slightly and tried to get up. It was hard to move my body. That''s why even pulling my body up seemed almost impossible.


    He helped me sit and ce the pillow behind my back so I could lean against it. He sat on the bed beside me and took my hand in both of his hands and started rubbing it.


    "Dem..."


    "I don''t want to lose you. I won''t lose you no matter what," he said. "Even if it means killing it."


    "Dem..."


    "I don''t care! I don''t want anyone else! I only want and need you," he said. "So, don''t stop me."


    "Listen to me, Dem," I said. "Don''t think about something so absurd. Think it through, then decide. Emma said that I might die, but there is also a chance that I might live."


    "A chance?" heughed. "Do you think I will rx hearing that you can live while there is a chance that you can die as well?"


    "I''m sorry, but even if you hate me, I don''t care. I will kill it!" he said.


    "Dem! I said don''t say this!" I yelled. It was the first time I got angry at him after I came to this world. "Why don''t you even listen to me properly? You always just decide everything for yourself! Do you think just because I said I will be with you, you can do whatever you want?"


    He looked surprised. But I could not control myself. Sometimes he was sweet, but sometimes he was being too possessive. It was too much. At this moment, it was up to me too what to decide. It was not just him who could decide what to do with it, since it was both of our child.


    How could he say something like that just because he wanted me to live?


    "This is our child. It means, as much as it''s yours, it''s mine as well. So, don''t go decide everything by yourself. I epted your previous deeds, but that doesn''t mean I''m not going to say anything this time as well," I said.


    ''Yes, sometimes, even you need to know your ce. I might be your wife and ept your negative characteristics as well, but sometimes, you truly need to shut up.''

 Chapter 120: Please Listen To Me

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    In my life, I did not find any meaning in anything. I did not want anything. I became a king because I was supposed to. And I worked as a perfect king to support my kingdom because I was bored and there was nothing else to do.


    Then I found her. And I found a meaning to call my life ''life''. Since then, I wanted only one thing in my life and that was her. I wanted her all to myself, and I wanted to keep her somewhere where others could see her, but they could never touch her. Her love, her heart, her body, her everything- I craved them all.


    I liked it when she called my name, when she smiled sweetly at me, even when she did not do anything. I loved her and I wanted her and her only.


    What more did I ask for? For once I asked for something and still, there were obstacles. Why would she have to suffer for carrying my child? I did not want a child in the first ce, but I would have epted if she would just give birth to it and then be okay and stay with me just like before. But what could I do more now? What would I do if she had to die?


    There was no meaning in the world without her.


    She would not even let me kill it, the thing that was threatening her life. How could she do that to me? Did she not know what she was to me? Did she truly have no idea that there was no meaning of me living if she was not there?


    "So, listen to me, I won''t let you do anything to our child as long as I don''t agree with it," she said firmly.


    "A child? I don''t even want to call it a child! It''s a monster- a monster that''s killing you slowly!" I yelled.


    "You''re one too," she mumbled.


    I looked into her blue watery eyes. Tears were at the verge to fall from them. She looked so helpless and frail that I was afraid that if I held her tightly, she would break apart.


    I did not care if she called me a monster though a faint part of my heart wished she did not. But...


    "I am killing you?"


    "... E-Everything hurts... I don''t know what to do at all! I... It''s suffocating! I thought I would be okay even if you''re...


    like this...! But it hurts! And now... now I''m scared!" she cried.


    I had never seen her like this. And I never thought I would see her like that. It hurt more than I thought. My heart felt heavy. I wanted her, but did I want to see her like this?


    Would it be okay if I could let her go? If I let her leave me, would she be alright? Perhaps I knew the answer.


    But I was not ready to let her leave, I would never be.


    ''I''m sorry, but I can''t. I can''t let you leave at all. I can''t live without you, nor I want you to live a life where I''m missing.''


    ''I''m right here, please be happy with me. I will give you everything, but I can''t give you your freedom. Try to be happy, please... I will give you anything in this world, just be happy... with me...''


    ''Does it hurt you to be with me? I want to know, yet I can''t ask you. I''m afraid that you won''t say that you love me again.''


    "I always believed that I deserved it all. But then you came and told me that you will give me happiness. And I don''t deserve to have this fate, this sadness. Yet, now, I think I really do deserve it," she sobbed. "I... But I don''t want to leave you...


    I want to be with you until the day I die... For the first time, I loved someone and someone truly loved me, so... please let me savor it until the end and let me be happy."


    "You love me, but... taste the words before you say them," she added. "And listen to what I have to say... Please..."


    I hugged her tightly. Even though I knew she would break if I hugged her too tightly, yet I did so. I did not want her to hurt and I did not want her to leave me. What did I have to do then? Perhaps I needed to listen to her. If so, then I would surely find the best doctor in the world and not let her die.


    She did not have the right to leave me just when she captured my heart.


    "I can''t... I want to live, but I can''t let it die," she cried hugging me back tightly. "It''s... it''s our child... I can''t kill it..."


    "It''s okay. I understand," I said and rubbed her slender back soothingly.


    "You... you do?"


    "Yes," I said. "I won''t kill it. I will do as you say, so please don''t cry anymore. I will find the best doctor and find a cure to save the child while also ensuring your safety."


    "You will?" she asked in a teary voice.


    "Yes, of course. Didn''t I say that I will do anything for my wife?" I said. "I love you after all."


    ''And to keep you with me, I know I need to listen to you.''


    "I-I love you," she said.


    "I know," I said. ''And I love you so much that now it hurts.''


    I pulled back and picked her up in my arms, wrapping her in the nket. She did not ask anything, but rested her head against my chest. I could feel her warm breathing on me. It felt good and soothing. I wondered if she could hear my heartbeat that was perhaps louder than the wind tonight.


    I went out of our room with her in my arms. She was still in her nightwear, so I was d that I wrapped her in the nket. I did not want even the night air to touch her delicate skin.


    "I heard Blue is not okay. I''vee to meet her."


    "Go away, Mother," I said sternly.


    She nodded and backed away quickly. I was d that she knew when to back off. My wife held the front of my shirt in her grasp and pressed her lips against my chest.


    I climbed up the stairs and reached the roof. I opened the door with one hand while holding her with another. As soon as I opened the door, the cold wind fell on my skin. I was not wearing anything over my shirt and the moment she noticed it, she pulled the front of my shirt as if to attract my attention.


    I sat at one side with her still in my arms. She pulled her face up and looked at me with her blue eyes wide. She mumbled something, but I could not understand.


    "Yes?"


    "The... nket... Let''s wrap... it around us," she said again.


    "But I don''t need it," I said.


    She pouted and poked me on the chest in disagreement. I sighed and chuckled, wrapping it around the both of us. She snuggled closer to me and I locked both of my arms around her, pulling her as close as possible.


    ''Stay like this, stay where I can hold you like this always.''


    She looked ahead of us at the bluish-ck night sky. The stars were glistening in the sky. Was there were always these many stars in the sky? I had never known it.


    She smiled at the sky. It seemed she liked the beauty of the night sky. But I had no idea what was beautiful about it. Rather, I found the thing in my arms more beautiful and something worth looking at for eternity.


    "It''s... beautiful," she said. "I-I always loved it."


    "Yes, really beautiful," I said. ''But it''s you.''


    She was not crying anymore. There were still tear stains on her cheeks. Her lips looked redder than before, perhaps it was because she cried like that. And her nose was red.


    She leaned against my chest and yed with the stars with her hands. I did not know what she was doing, but she seemed to be enjoying it. It did not matter what she was doing as long as she enjoyed it. When it came to her, everything was okay and adorable.


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Look at that star... It''s blinking!" she eximed brightly. "I wonder if it''s Sirius..."


    "Sirius?"


    "It''s... the brightest star in the night sky and... about twice as massive as the sun," she said.


    ''But I think your eyes are shining more than the star...''


    [Sirius riseste in the dark, liquid sky


    On summer nights, star of stars,


    Orion''s Dog they call it, brightest


    Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat


    And fevers to suffering humanity.]


    [I don''t know what this is, but since it seems fun, I added it, lol.]

 Chapter 121: Why Did He Even Fall For Me?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The cold wind of the night was blocked by the nket and the warmth of him. His arms were wrapped around me securely. I wished I could stay like this always.


    I wondered if it was okay for me to make such a wish. After all, if we kept the child, perhaps I would die.


    The sky was beautiful. But the fact that I was with him like this was even more beautiful. Perhaps I knew what I was going to do very well.


    ''I don''t think I can abandon something you gave me. It''s our child after all. Let''s just hope that we will be alright...''


    But it was also worrying. If our child was born, for some reason, I could not think of him being the type to care for his own child. It was perhaps heartless of me to think so, but I could not think otherwise. He doted on me, but I wished he would do the same with our child too. I wanted him to love it as much as he loved me.


    I did not have the chance to get parental love. And I knew what it felt like to have bad parents. I did not want the same to happen to someone else. Be it my child or someone else''s, I did not wish for anyone to have that kind of fate.


    "Are you worried about something?" he asked.


    "N-No... It''s nothing like that."


    "I know I can be really paranoid and I''m like this most of the time. I just can''t control myself and I don''t know what I''m doing wrong," he said. "But still, if you''re worried about something, please tell me. I don''t want you to carry any burden alone."


    "... It''s just e-everything," I mumbled.


    "You want to keep it, right?" he asked.


    I nodded. "For real?" he again asked.


    "Yes," I replied.


    He rested his head on my back and sighed. "I will bring the best doctor for you. Nothing will happen to you."


    "A-And the child too..."


    "... Ah, yes, it too," he said, not so enthusiastically.


    It was not easy to change his mind. But I was hoping that by the time the child was born, he would change his view and he would care for it. It was not like I was fully sure that I would be a good mother. After all, I was only eighteen and did not know about a lot of things. Besides, it had been a bit more than two months since I got married. I wished I could have more time to prepare myself.


    But there was no point in thinking about the past now that it had happened.


    But there was one thing I was sure of- I could surely treat the child well. That was the best thing I would be able to do even though I had no experience.


    "Does your body hurt too much?" he asked.


    "No, it''s... a lot less now... I mean, it was like... squirming and hurting... like burning and pinching everywhere... But now, it''s a lot...


    less," I mumbled. "I''m sorry... You can''t even sleep... because of me..."


    "That''s what you''re worried about?" he chuckled. "I have slept enough when you were unconscious."


    ''Ah, yes, sitting beside the bed... You expect me to believe it?''


    "And besides, you should be worried about yourself now," he said.


    Now that I thought about it, he was actually the king. And I was the queen. Then our child must be the princess or prince, right?


    "Dem?"


    "Yeah?"


    "Our child... It''s going to be the prince or princess, huh?"


    "... Yes," he replied.


    "Then do we need to... I mean, it''s a big thing now, right?"


    "Yes, it is," he said. "It''s annoying that we need to share every freaking thing with the kingdom! We gotta dere this as well... I just hate it!"


    "W-When?" I asked.


    Dering this kind of news meant it was a must that the king and the queen were present. But I was nervous. I never liked the crowd. It was suffocating. To think I would have to stand in front of a huge crowd...


    "As soon as possible, but I want to ensure your safety first," he said. "I will get a good doctor first and then let him treat you. After it''s assured that you will be safe, we can dere it."


    "Um, we... both have to do so, right?"


    "Yes," he said. "But if you want to, you don''t have to..."


    "No, I-I will do it," I said quickly.


    He was always like this. He never let me do something that I did not like. It was kind of like a blessing that he was very considerate, but sometimes, he went overboard. He would even go against thousands of people if it was for something little that I did not want to do.


    "We... met M-Mother on the... way, right?" I asked. "What did... she say? I couldn''t...


    hear p-properly... D-Did she ask... for something?"


    "Oh, she wanted to see you," he replied. "She heard that you were sick."


    "Then... what did you say? I-I could meet her," I said.


    "Don''t push yourself hard," he said. "And besides, there are a lot more time when she can see you."


    "W-What did you... tell her?"


    "I told her to get out of the way," he grumbled. "You know, I don''t understand why someone goes to meet a sick person. I mean, honestly, it just adds to the burden. Can''t they understand that the best thing they can do is give them some space, especially when there is already someone reliable beside the person?"


    "Well, I think it''s their way to show that they care for the sick person and they are encouraging that person to get well soon," I said.


    "Ugh, bullshit! No matter what the reason is, I hate it," he muttered. "I think they can just take a peek and then leave as soon as possible."


    "I don''t think you will let anyone take even a peek," I said.


    "When you''re sick? Never! It''s annoying as fuck! And besides, why would more people do? They will only cause annoyance," he grumbled. "Doctors are needed to treat you and maids are required to take care of you.


    And I should be by your side since I''m your husband and more importantly, I love you. That''s enough people already."


    I sighed. There was no way I could make someone like him understand this. Hecked sympathy, so he did not know what these types of things meant. Sometimes I wished he could change a bit, but I also knew that it was almost impossible. He was only good to me, his wife. I wondered why he fell for me in the first ce.


    Was it my eyes? Or was it because I helped him and his sister? Who knew? Even he could not answer me properly. Perhaps it was a question that I could never get an answer to.


    But still, I could not get it out of my head. Just why did someone like him like me? We did not even have much of a simrity between us. There was only a part of our mind that was the same and that part was pretty dark.


    Then did I have any desirable characteristics? I wondered what that might be. When it came to him, he actually did not have much of a positive side to him. But I liked it when he was in his affectionate mode. Perhaps I liked him the way he was, without caring much of a single trait.


    Then did he like me for being smart? That was even not the question. The question was- Was I even smart?


    It was true that I could remember words greatly and could say the exact same thing without missing a single thing. But I did not think it would make me smart. It was like vomiting words.


    ''Ugh, I can''t think of anything else that can make him fall for me! Then what about just like that? I mean, what if he fell for me just like that? It can happen... So, it''s a sudden attraction, I guess.''


    "By the way, Dem... why did you... fall for me?" I asked, not being able to control myself.


    "I don''t know. It was love at first sight, I guess..."


    ''Love at first sight? Is it you? Is it my husband? Why is he saying these types of things? And that''s also with a straight face?''


    "Ah, yes..."


    "You don''t believe me?" he asked, hearing my unenthusiastic voice.


    "No, it''s not that... It''s just... It''s s-strange to... hear it... from you," I said.


    "Huh, then you don''t believe me?"


    "I do!" I said quickly. "Don''t say it like that... I-It makes... me look like... a bully."


    "Even if you are," he hugged me more tightly, "I love you anyway."


    "It''s just you, you know," he added. "I just love you."

 Chapter 122: Are Your Parents Human?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, please don''t move much."


    I was lying down on the bed while a new doctor was checking me. It had been a week since we found out that I was pregnant. Since then, Dem barely left the room. He even started working in our room and whenever I needed to move, he carried me. He did not let me walk at all.


    After that night''s talk, he did not say anything that would make me upset again. But sometimes, he was angry for no reason. I could understand why. But he was keeping everything to himself.


    "Your Highness is pregnant."


    "We know. And that''s not why I brought you here," Dem snapped. "Check on her health properly and make sure her life is not at risk."


    "Yes..."


    The doctor was a middle-aged man. His hands were even shaking. I had a feeling that it was because he was too scared of Dem who was ring at him.


    The doctor checked me for a while. He took a note of everything. It had been an hour or something when he was finished.


    "... M-My apologies, Your Highness... But I don''t think..."


    "This is what you''ve been waiting to say after checking her for hours," Dem said, more calmly than any of us would like.


    "My apo..."


    "Get out!"


    "Y-Yes..."


    The doctor left quickly. He seemed to be able to breathe when he stepped out of the room. I did not know people feared Dem that much. I mean, sometimes I was scared of him, but I did not feel the same most of the time and even if I was scared, it was surely not that much.


    "None of them are worthy enough! All of those fucking..."


    "It''s partly your fault as well. You were literally ring at them. All of the doctors were scared of you. This one was even shaking in fear," Luc grumbled.


    Luc had been with me for the whole week to trace the dark mage that we suspected to be around us. But he still had not found out anything. The only change that urred after Luc came was that he and Dem had been fighting almost all the time. They were arguing about almost everything since every single of their thoughts were pr opposite.


    I did not even have any strength left in me that I would stop them or say something. My throat hurt and because of that, I could not even talk properly.


    "What about you? Are you feeling a bit better? Or is it the same as before?" Dem asked.


    "Huh? Yeah... I''m f-feeling a bit... better," I said. It was obviously a lie. I could not even take any medicine since the werewolf''s medicine was not good for my body.


    But if I was weak, then Dem was even more worried and he would keep getting angry at whoever came his way except me. That was why, I wanted to make him feel better, even if it was just a bit. "You have work, don''t you? You''re supposed to go to the court today."


    Dem was supposed to go to the court about as a noble family went bankrupt. He was helping the noble family so he could get the elder daughter of that family to marry the duke of Lacuna to spy on him.


    "You''re not well," he said. "How can I leave you like this?"


    "Oh, please! Stop being disgustingly annoying," Luc grumbled. "Can''t you see I''m here? I will be with her all the time when you''re gone. You can leave."


    "Yes... Luc w-will be here," I said. "It''s... fine... if you go."


    He did not seem convinced enough, but he knew that I would keep nagging him until he left. It had been like this for the whole week.


    He pressed his palm over my forehead and sighed in relief. Perhaps I did not have a fever anymore. It was rare that my fever had calmed down this week.


    "Will you really be okay?" he asked.


    I nodded. "Y-Yes... Go."


    "Alright, I will leave her to you," Dem said, looking at Luc though it was more like ring. "Take care of her. And if something goes wrong, send me a letter immediately."


    "Don''t worry, just leave already," Luc said.


    "Don''t...," I said quickly as I found Dem trying to kick Luc for no reason. He was always so childish, yet if I told him that, he would get angry.


    Even after both Luc and I told him, Dem took thirty more minutes to leave. He kept asking if I would truly be alright. He even told me to stab Luc in the eye if he annoyed me.


    "Your husband doesn''t have any shame! How could he tell that to me and that''s also right to my face?" Luc grumbled.


    "Calm down... H-He is... just too... worried," I chuckled.


    "I know. And he has a reason too," he said as he sat down in the chair beside my bed. "That''s why I''m not arguing too much."


    ''If that''s not too much, then I wonder what that would be...''


    "Thank god, that freaking king is gone now," Luc said. "I wanted to talk to you alone for quite a while, but he did not let me. He thinks I''m thinking too much again."


    "What... is it?"


    I had a feeling all this while that Luc wanted to tell me something. But whenever he tried to, Dem kept interfering and he told Luc not to think about weird things. I had no idea what that meant. But perhaps, it had something to do with my illness.


    "First, can you tell me about your parents?"


    "My parents?" I asked, surprised.


    "Yes, your parents," he said. "It''s important for me to know to prove my suspicion. I hope I''m wrong though, if your husband knows about the whole thing, he would wish for it to be true since it can preserve your life."


    "W-What..."


    "Now tell me about your parents."


    "Um, there... is n-nothing special... I mean, my... m-mother''s name is... Charlie... and my f-father''s name is...


    Raphael."


    "Are they human?"


    "O-Of course... What else... will they b-be?"


    "Are you sure they are your parents? I mean, are you sure that they are the ones who made you?"


    Now that I thought about it, I heard that my mother cheated on my father with someone and because of that, I was born. That was why I did not look like Father. And Father even hated me for it and kept being violent towards me.


    "Did I heat a jackpot?" Luc smirked.


    "I... W-Well, I''m not s-sure, but... my b-brother told me... that my m-mother cheated on my... f-father with a-another man... and so, I''m that m-man''s child," I said.


    "I''m... not sure..."


    "Then I think I''m right," he smiled. "Then let me tell you this, it''s true."


    "Huh?"


    He brought his face close to my ear and whispered, "You''re the daughter of a mage, a dark mage, to be precise."


    "W-What... are you saying?" I asked. How could it even be true? I was sure that he was wrong.


    "Let me tell you clearly," he said and pulled back. "There are mages and werewolves. Mages are also werewolves. But what makes mages different from normal werewolves is that they have less werewolf power within them. They can''t even transform."


    "That m-mean... you... can''t..."


    "No, I can''t transform," he shook his head. "But still, we''re equal. Because, we, mages, can use magic. We are born with mana inside our bodies. We are rare and other werewolves can''t use it. And there are also two types of mages.


    Normal mages and dark mages. Dark mages use ck magic and they are born with ck mana that makes them much more powerful than normal mages and werewolves."


    "There are five kingdoms and five Alphas rule these kingdoms. Just like that, there are five magic towers in each kingdom that belong to those kingdoms. There are five masters who rule the magic towers. They contribute to the ruling of the kingdom. A master of the magic tower is equally powerful as an Alpha. But dark mages are different.


    They are super rare and one of them canpete against five Alphas or five masters of the magic towers."


    "It''s hard for a werewolf to conceive a werewolf''s child and it''s even harder, almost impossible, for a human to conceive an Alpha''s child. That''s because an Alpha has more werewolf characteristics than a normal werewolf and that''s what prevents a human from conceiving an Alpha''s child. But it''s not like it can''t happen. I mean, it happened in your case, right?"


    "But it''s not the same for a dark mage. Since a mage has lesser werewolf characteristics, a dark mage has even lesser. That''s why it''s not hard for a human to get pregnant with a ck mage''s child."


    "In conclusion, that''s how your mother got pregnant with you, a ck mage''s child," he said. "And I don''t think I''m wrong."

 Chapter 123: Cant Experience Jealousy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What are you thinking about?" Dem asked as we bothy on the bed at night.


    After what Luc told me in the morning, I could not rx. First of all, I was worried about a lot of things. And then Luc dumped all those information on me at once. It was hard to take everything in. Besides, epting the facts was even harder.


    It was not like he did not have a point. I did not know my true father. But how could my father be a mage? If he was a mage, then it meant that he was a werewolf as well, even though he had fewer werewolf characteristics. But I heard that only Alphas or those with Alpha blood can enter another world.


    "Dem, can... a mage enter... another world?"


    "No," he replied bluntly. "Why are you asking this?"


    "Just curious... I mean, t-they can... never?"


    "Well, not the mages of the present time. But the previous mages, like a very very long time ago and only ck mages," he said.


    "Oh... Can a m-mage, I mean... a ck mage l-live more than... No, what I m-mean is... How many years... can a m-mage live at m-most?" I asked.


    "Just like us, normal werewolves or humans," he said. "But legends say that very powerful mages can live up to hundreds years."


    "By p-powerful... you mean, the mages of a... long time ago?"


    "Yes, they were very powerful. But don''t believe in weird things. No matter how powerful a person is, how can they live that long?" he shrugged.


    How could I tell him that aftering here and living with werewolves, seeing magic, meeting a real magician, hearing strange things, nothing felt impossible anymore?


    "Did that punk give you weird ideas?" he asked, suddenly angry.


    "Ah, no... H-He didn''t... We were... just talking about... a lot of s-stuff since there was... nothing else to d-do," I said quickly.


    "I don''t trust that guy..."


    ''Huh, that''s a lie. If you didn''t trust him, you would never leave him with me.''


    "But... you trust m-me, right?" I said. No matter what, he would never admit that he actually trusted Luc. Perhaps it was how friends were supposed to be. Never telling each other the true feelings, but still, being together. Since I never had any friends, I never knew about this feeling.


    "Yes, but..."


    "Don''t... worry," I said and patted his head. He was lying on my chest again and rubbing my shoulder with his hand. It was how he always behaved aftering back from work. He said he was relieving stress this way. "So...


    h-how did... it go?"


    "It was alright. I provided them with some help," he said.


    "Y-You look... disappointed about... something," I said.


    After living with him, I could understand his expressions pretty clearly. Sometimes it felt like, I could read him well. But there were also times when he felt like apletely different person. I did not want to like him like that.


    "That woman, the daughter of that noble family, she is ugly," he said directly.


    "W-What... Why... are you saying i-it like... that? What if... it hurts her f-feelings?" I said as I pped him on the shoulder.


    "And besides, I... don''t think so... at all. S-She is quite... beautiful."


    "Nope, you''re more beautiful," he said. "Compared to you, she is like a weed."


    ''This guy... Is this how a doting husband supposed to be?''


    I could not agree with him at all. I had seen this woman''s portrait. She had long silver hair and brown eyes. She was really beautiful, kind of like a fairy. And it was also me who chose this woman to send to Lacuna. But to Dem, she was like a weed.


    I did not know if I was supposed to be happy or not that my husband only found me beautiful and did not even look at other women and also called them weed or annoying or disgusting.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter," he said. "As long as she manages to get married to the duke of Lacuna, it''s alright. Though I am unsure if the duke would like her because of her appearance..."


    "He will... like her," I said. I was sure about it since she was beautiful. It would be more surprising if the duke did not like her.


    "I don''t like her," he said. "I wouldn''t choose her."


    "Can you s-stop... it?"


    "Are you jealous?"


    ''Jealous, my ass! You''re literally bad mouthing her and I am the one shielding her!''


    Besides, if a woman talked to him, he would just shout at her even though it was not needed. And if they somehow managed to touch him, he would literally burn them. Perhaps I would need to step up to save that woman. I had already known that jealousy was not something for me to experience in this life.


    ''I pray for your safety, all the women that like my husband.''


    "By the way, does your body hurt very much?"


    "Just... a bit," I said.


    "Your ''just a bit'' means a lot," he said. "Last time you said this, I found you crying because of the pain."


    "It... was just t-that t-time," I protested.


    He sighed loudly. "I don''t understand what those doctors are doing."


    "They are... trying..."


    "Trying, my ass! Obviously, they are not trying enough!"


    "Don''t... shout..."


    "I''m sorry," he said quickly and did not shout again. But the way he was fisting his hands, it was clear that he was fuming from the inside.


    Dem had brought a lot of doctors within a week. But none of them could do anything. I did not me them. It was clear that they were trying enough. But who could stop my husband? He kept ming them and did not stop ring at them.


    He was actually the type to me others even though it was not their fault. But I could not me him for his behavior either. He must be too worried about me.


    "You know, I saw a cat today with the same eyes like yours," he said.


    "Is... that so?" I asked. "What... did you d-do then?"


    "I chased it away."


    "..."


    "Deep inside the forest, so it doesn''te out," he said. "What if someone falls in love with its eyes? Then it would mean they would fall in love with you as well. I don''t want that. Only I have the right."


    "So... c-childish..."


    "Yes, I am. So, keep me with you forever, and don''t leave me," he said and pressed his head hard against my chest.


    "I... I''m not... l-leaving..."


    "Yes, you can''t," he muttered. "I love you a lot."


    "M-Me too," I chuckled.


    When he was alone with me, he was very childish. It was hard to believe how much he changed when he was with others. Even though I had seen it with my eyes many times, I still could not believe it fully.


    "You sure you... don''t have s-split... personality?"


    "What? No. Why?"


    ''Because of my daily life experience.''


    These days, I could not get up from the bed at all. Someone needed to take care of me all the time. Since I was the queen, a lot of maids could take care of me. But the thing was only two persons ever took care of me. One was Ruby and the other one was my sweet husband. It was not like I wanted more maids.


    It was just, I did not know what to say when Dem would not let anyone near me and would take care of me all by himself. He gave me a bath and changed clothes for me. He even learned how to fix some of my dresses and how to make different hairstyles from Ruby. But he threatened her that if she told anyone about this, he would kill her. I told him it was unnecessary, but he did not listen.


    "Want me to give you a massage?" he asked.


    "No, I''m... fine," I said. I did not want to stress him more. He was already doing more than enough. How could I ask him for more? Even though he was my husband, I could not help but feel guilty.


    "You know you don''t have to feel guilty," he muttered as if he could read my mind.


    "I''m not..."


    "Let me give you a massage," he said as he got up.


    "Wha... No... It''s..."


    "Don''t talk," he said. He looked sad and angry at the same time. At these types of times, he was quite forceful. And when he looked at me like that, I could not help but get scared.


    "O-Ok..."


    His hands were expert as he started massaging my body. He pressed at the right ces. It felt good, really good.


    I felt drowsy. I felt guilty that I was using him.


    "You can sleep if you want to. Actually, I suggest you do so. It will be good for your health," he said.


    I closed my eyes. Sleep instantly pulled my consciousness and within a while, I was drifting of to a deep slumber.

 Chapter 124: Will I Be Considered A Dark Mage?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    These days it was hard to keep track of the time. Every day was the same. The sun rose and then it set again and darkness fell. It was the same. Dem had been keeping mepany as much as possible, but he had been very busy these days as well. Luc had been by my side, not just to catch the dark mage, but also to keep mepany so I would not get bored.


    The only thing that changed was that I could gradually feel my health falling.


    "It seems like Demetrius is putting up with the idea of having a kid because of you," Luc muttered.


    "It''s... not a l-lie," I said.


    "He doesn''t want his kid to look like his or get any of his characteristics," he said.


    "I k-know, but... it''s i-impossible... since it''s thew... of h-heredity," I said.


    "Who will tell that guy though?" Luc sighed.


    The banquet was only two weeks away. Dem had been telling me that I did not need to go. And to be honest, I did not think I would be able to go as well, given the condition of my health. I would perhaps fall dead before I reached there.


    "Dem... had been b-busy this week," I muttered.


    "He has found a doctor I heard. He said he will bring him tonight," Luc said. "It''s daytime, by the way, before you ask."


    "Oh..."


    "He didn''t tell you so you would not get worried at all," he said. "Don''t worry, you will get fine, especially if my theory is right."


    "You... don''t look... that g-good though..."


    "Well, even if my theory is right, a lot of werewolves will oppose it," he said.


    "W-What do you mean?" I asked.


    "The way to get you better is to awaken your magical power. It requires another mage, a powerful one," he exined. "The first time I noticed your ck mana was that night at the magic tower when I took your blood. I''m sure I''m not wrong, at least not at this. If your power is awakened, then your body will be able to manage the stress of pregnancy, and of course, you will be powerful.


    Even though your physical energy won''t increase that much, you will be powerful enough to keep up with werewolves. Since you will be able to use magic, you will be considered a mage as well though it''s the first time I''vee across a human mage both in literacy and real life."


    "Then if... by a-any chance... it''s true, w-will I... be c-considered a... dark mage?" I asked.


    I had no idea what was going on. But both Luc and I had been keeping it a secret from Demetrius. Since Luc left as soon as Dem came back, he could not even read his mind.


    "Yes, that''s right," he nodded. "Since dark mages are not weed in the werewolf world, there will be a lot of protesters. But if your husband hears about it, he won''t protest. After all, he will go at any length to save you, even if it meant to sell his own soul."


    "But... do... d-dark mages always... do bad t-things?"


    "Most of them do. Actually, I never heard of a dark mage who was a saint. It''s not like we''re saints. But they are the type to crave power," Luc said. "Of course, not everyone is the same."


    "Oh... I-I see..."


    Everyone hated dark mages. I had asked Ruby about it too and she said the same. I could understand why. But to think that I could have ck mana inside me, felt unbelievable. But Luc would not lie. He knew what he was saying and I trusted him.


    Yet, I could search for a possibility of him being wrong. Even though I would perhaps be safe if it was true, I still did not want it. I was not fully epted here, and if it was true, then perhaps I would not be epted at all. But... I did not want to feel not belong to somewhere...


    "Don''t think too much and stress yourself," Luc said. "Just rest for now. I will try to find out more about it."


    "I need to make sure that you actually have ck mana inside you. Then after talking to Demetrius about it, I will find someone who will be able to break the seal and awaken the power. Though I hate to admit it, someone else will be better than me," he added.


    "Should... I tell D-Dem about... it?" I asked.


    "Well, it''s not like I want to keep it a secret. He just freaks out when ites to you," he sighed. "But if you want to, you can tell him. He is your husband, after all."


    "O-Okay... then..."


    I was d that Luc told me that it was okay to tell Demetrius everything. It was true that he would start getting all anxious when he would know, but still, I did not like to hide it from him. He surely got a glimpse of it from reading Luc''s mind, but he did not believe it. If I told him, he would at least listen. And then, it was up to him if he would believe it or not.


    That night, just like Luc said, he brought a doctor with him. The doctor was pretty young and looked a bit like Maxen, my brother. For a moment, I was surprised. Perhaps it was because their hair and eye color and heights were the same. Perhaps he was a few years older than me.


    "Greetings, Your Highness," he bowed slightly and smiled and I noticed that his third tooth from the left side of the upper row had a little diamond on it. "I am Dimitri Enrique. Ah, you don''t have to say anything, Your Highness. Please rest."


    ''Tooth piercing- it''s my first time seeing it in person... I always was a bit curious about how it would look. It doesn''t look that bad, but I don''t think I''m a fan...''


    "So, does Your Highness''s body hurt to move?"


    I nodded. He asked me a few more questions and checked me for quite a while. Despite his age, he looked pretty serious about it and I had a feeling that he was better than all the other doctors who hade before. And moreover, he did not seem to be scared of Demetrius at all and did his work.


    For some reason, Demetrius did not seem to re at him as well, perhaps because he noticed his determined unfazed face.


    "It''s obviously because Your Highness is a human," he said. "I cannot treat it for sure and can guarantee Your Highness''s safety. But I can raise the chance of Your Highness''s getting better."


    "So, the solution won''t be long-termed?" Dem asked.


    "That is correct, Your Highness. But I can give medicines that Her Highness needs to take every once in a while that will help to get her better, but I cannot guarantee anything," he said, looking at Demetrius.


    "Do so," Dem said.


    I could see how anxious and worried Dem was. Dimitri talked to Dem about something that I did not hear since they went to the other side of the room. Dimitri was telling Dem about the medicines. That time, I noticed how tall Demetrius was. Ruby did not lie when she said that I looked very tiny beside him and it seemed like he could shield me from anything.


    Now that I thought of Ruby, I kind of felt bad. She even cried thest few days because she thought that I would not get better. Other than Dem, she was the one who was working very hard. She had been talking to me endlessly about various gossip and bringing me a lot of food. Since I did not have much of an appetite these days, I could not eat much of a thing.


    Yet, she worked very hard to bring all types of food so if I felt like eating something, I could get it right in front of me.


    I had read that pregnant women crave a lot of foods and weird foods as well sometimes. Sweets, such as ice cream and candy, dairies, such as cheese and sour cream starchy carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables weremon among pregnancy cravings. But for me, it was different. I did not feel like eating anything at all. All I wanted was to lie down and rx as much as possible and never get up.


    My favorite thing to do these days was to lie down on Dem''s chest and talk for hours every night about nothing in particr. It was nothing important, yet it was very special for me. I wondered if it was the same for me. Did he feelfortable like that as well? Because I truly did...


    We only talked these nights since we could not do it at all because of my health. But it did not feel bad just to talk. Even I did not know when I started to findfort in his simple words.

 Chapter 125: Get Better Soon

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    This time the doctor seemed more capable than the previous ones. At least, he could prescribe some medicines and give us some hope. Though it was not enough, I still decided to try everything so my wife would get better. If there was a chance, then I try everything for her to get better.


    And I also appreciated the doctor''s gaze towards her. He was just being professional and that was exactly what I wanted. The problem was most of the doctors were male and I did not like the way most of them looked at her. But thest one was good at being professional and Blue did not seem ufortable as well.


    "Can you get up a bit so I can feed you the medicine?" I asked.


    She nodded slightly. It seemed even just a simple move even made her whole body tremble. That was how weak she was...


    I helped her get up and she leaned against my shoulder. I helped her take the medicine. Her lips trembled slightly against my finger. If I had known that it would happen if she conceived my child, perhaps I would find any other way.


    "I-I have... s-something to... tell you," she mumbled.


    "What is it?" I asked and wrapped my arm around her. "Let me wrap the nket around you. It''s cold..."


    As I wrapped the nket around her, I could feel even more that she had gotten slender. I was always worried about her since she always looked weak and never ate enough though she said that it was enough for her. I always felt like she ate like a little bird. But now she was eating even less.


    "Luc... told me a-about... a few t-things," she said.


    "Luc? Did he tell you about something strange?" I asked. I did not need her to tell me to know what Luc might tell her. He surely said what he was thinking that night at the magic tower. Even though I told him not to do unnecessary things, he still told her this.


    "W-Well, he isn''t... all t-that wrong... He has a p-point..."


    "Did he tell you about all the dark mage things?" I asked.


    She nodded. "R-Remember... I told y-you that... my father is n-not... exactly my f-father?" she said. "I d-don''t really...


    look like t-them... so it h-has to be... true, r-right?"


    "I will beat him up," I muttered under my breath.


    "L-Listen to... me f-first...," she pped on my shoulder though it was more like the feel of wind on skin. "So, L-Luc told... me t-that h-he sensed... ck m-mana from me t-that... night.


    H-He is... s-suspecting..."


    "I will beat him to death."


    "D-Dem!"


    "Yes, love?"


    "You... you''re n-not... listening to m-me!"


    "I am," I said. "I understand what you mean. What else did he say?"


    Though I did not want to listen to what idiotic thing that punk had said, I did not want to upset my sweet wife. I liked it when she was angry since she looked adorable, but now that she was sick, I did not want to stress her out.


    "H-He said... that... well, it''s a-about... my recovery..."


    "What? What did he say?" I asked eagerly. Even though I sometimes hated his guts and his strange personality, if he could cure her, I would even listen to all his words.


    "C-Calm down...," she muttered. "W-Well, if I-I truly... have ck m-mana inside me... and if m-my power as... a dark mage is a-awakened, I-I will be... able to r-recover."


    "Will you be okay if I leave for a while now? I will leave your maid with you," I said.


    "W-Why?"


    "I will go talk to Luc and find out as much as possible about it," I said. "Why didn''t he tell me this before?"


    "I-Isn''t that... your fault?"


    "My?"


    "Y-You are the one... who read his m-mind and then you e-even... were angry a-at him... You k-kept telling... him not t-to think... about weird...


    t-things even t-though he was... right," she pouted. "You s-should''ve l-listened to h-him first... You are a-always like t-that with e-everyone... You even d-don''t... listen t-to me s-sometimes.


    Even a w-while... ago, you d-did not... listen t-to me properly... and was s-saying that you w-will... b-beat Luc up... You need to be a bit...


    more c-considerate o-of others a-and... listen t-to them p-properly."


    ''Is it just me or she isining more than normal? I wonder if it''s another effect of pregnancy...''


    "You d-don''t... love me a-anymore?"


    "Where did thate from?" I asked.


    "Y-You don''t l-listen... to me..."


    "But I listened to you, didn''t I? Or how would I find out about it? I can''t even read your mind because of the ne," I pointed out.


    She rubbed her index finger against her lips. "So, y-you listened... to me?"


    "Yes, I did," I nodded.


    "Oh... T-That means... you l-love me," she said.


    "That''s right."


    "Oh, ok t-then," she said and it seemed like she rxed all of a sudden.


    ''So cute...''


    Only if she was not sick, I could enjoy this moment fully. Though I did not want any kind, if it was with her, anything was okay. But I still did not know how to feel if our child be like me. One thing was sure- I would not be too fond of it.


    "I need to go now. You will be ok, right?"


    "N-No..."


    "What no?"


    "N-No..."


    "You don''t want me to leave?" I asked.


    "D-Don''t... l-leave..."


    I sighed. "Alright, will it be okay if I go after you sleep?"


    "B-But I... don''t w-want y-you to... leave m-me... You said you l-love me..."


    "Okay, I won''t leave. Is it okay now?" I asked.


    "Hmm...," she nodded.


    ''I''m sorry, but because I love you, I have to go. If it''s for you, I sometimes can''t listen to even you...''


    "Want to lie down?" I asked.


    "N-No...," she shook her head. "I w-want... you to t-take me in y-your arms... and stay like... t-that..."


    "Is that so? Then I will do as my wife wishes," I chuckled.


    I took her in my arms and sat on the bed, resting my head against the headrest. She snuggled close to me and closed her eyes. It seemed like she was listening to my heartbeat.


    None of us said anything. But the silence was not ufortable. It was filled with emotions. It had been like this for the past two weeks. It was as if she was rxed in the silence and I always looked forfort in it. With my sick wife in my arms, I just stared nkly at the ceiling, sighing, wondering when she would be able to smile brightly at me again.


    I had never known how much someone could be affected if someone else was sick. I always thought I would never feel something like this. But who knew that someday I would feel so helpless even though I was the king, the most powerful in the kingdom, for someone so little and fragile like a tiny bird?


    "Get better quickly, darling," I said as I hugged her. "And smile at me again."


    I had never felt sad. It was the first time. With her, almost everything was a first. She made me feel different. I wondered if I was the same. I did not let anyone else get her.


    I made sure she was mine and no one else got the chance to get closer to her or make her happy. It was a selfish desire of a selfish person. Her smile- I wanted to be the reason for it. I wanted her to be happy, but she needed to be happy with me. I wondered if her heart also stopped for a moment when I embraced her because she was so surprised and happy.


    Did her mind also get hazy when I was close to her? Did she want to touch me for no reason at all? And did she ever fear if we got separated? Because I did...


    Every time I would feel her close to me, I would fear what would happen if she looked at someone else and felt like he could be better than her husband. What if she would look at him the way she looked at me when she said she loved me? That look on her face- I wanted to be the sole person to be able to see it.


    There was only one thing I could wish for that her love for me would never fade away. I was not a good person, but I could make her happy. ''So please be satisfied with a bad person who can make you happy... Because if you don''t, perhaps I have to lock you up so you can''t leave and even if you hate me for it, I just want you to be close to me.''

 Chapter 126: Talking To Luc For A Solution

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Take care of her until Ie back. If she wakes up, which I doubt, tell her to not get up and lie down," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness," Ruby, the maid, said.


    My wife had fallen asleep after quite a while. She told me not to leave, but I had to. I needed to talk to Luc to know more about the situation.


    "Your Highness, there is a paper on the floor. Something is written on it," the maid said.


    "Give it to me."


    I sighed as I read the paper. Perhaps it was attached to the bottle of the medicine. While I was trying to feed her the medicine, the paper might have fallen somehow.


    This medicine can cause her to lose her senses for a while. Her Highness might act drunk. Since Her Highness is a human, the effect will be a bit strong, but this medicine won''t cause her much harm unlike most of our medicines since they are made for werewolves. Please take care of her after she drinks this.


    "What''s the point of knowing now?" I mumbled. "But she is cute when she is like that... Anyway, all that matters now is for her to get better."


    As I went out of our room, I found Mother in front of our room. She looked taken aback the moment I stepped out.


    "What are you doing here, Mother?" I asked.


    "Oh...! I was just... I''vee to check on Blue," she smiled.


    "Please refrain from doing so, Mother. She is sick and has just fallen asleep," I said. "And don''t visit her at all. She is not in the condition to utter even a single word. If you go to her, she will feel obligated to talk to you since she is like that... So, please don''t go to her.


    Let her get better first."


    "Just like she is your wife, she is my daughter-inw as well," Mother said. "I have the right to care for her."


    "Ha, Mother, I''m not talking about your right. I''m just saying this because it is connected to the health of my wife," I said. "Try to understand. She is not alright. So, please refrain from doing things like this again and you know, there is no meaning of this pointless argument."


    "I understand," she said. "I just wish for her to get better..."


    ''I hope she gets better soon. I can''t wait to talk to her like before again...''


    Even in her mind, she wished for the welfare of Blue. It was like this all the time. To be precise, I had never even found any of her thoughts that could anger me. It was something expected of Mother.


    But sometimes, I was surprised.


    I went to the magic tower. It seemed like Luc knew I wasing. Perhaps my wife told him that she was going to tell me about it.


    "You''re here," Luc said.


    "Yes. Now tell me about everything you told her and if it''s true, then what to do," I said.


    "You''re really impatient when ites to your wife. Well, it''s good to see you like this sometimes. I thought you were emotionless except being angry," he muttered. "Anyway, I want her to get better as well. So, let''s get to the point."


    "I think she has told you that I sensed some ck mana from her that night," he said.


    "Are you sure you''re not mistaken?" I asked.


    "I''m not... ck mana is very strong that even a normal mage can detect it even if just a little. I''m sure that I''m right."


    "So, you two even said that there might be a dark mage around and you said that you detected ck mana before as well. Was it her?"


    "No, it was different... The ck mana I detected from Blue is a power that hasn''t been awakened yet. But that time, the ck mana I detected was of an awakened dark mage. That''s why I was worried. An awakened dark mage is not just a simple matter, it''s dangerous."


    "Will she get better if her power is awakened?"


    "Yes, she will for sure," he nodded. "There is no doubt about this. She is basically sick now because she is a human and she has conceived a werewolf''s child, precisely saying- an Alpha''s child. I don''t understand why you didn''t find out about all this before marrying her."


    "Remember, it''s the first time a werewolf has married a human and made her his mate. Our world doesn''t know about humans much. Do you think I didn''t try to find out about as many things as possible beforehand? It''s just, no one knew much about anything and even if they had some theories, they were just theories. There were no proofs," I said.


    But I could not tell him one thing. If I knew beforehand that this would happen, I would just leave this world for good. I did not care about anything else as long as I could be with her. She was like the air I needed to breathe and she was the only thing I could not survive without.


    "Whatever. But she is the one suffering now," he said. "Anyway, before you get angry, listen to the whole thing. If her power is awakened, she will be able to safely give birth to your child and it will be easier for her to get pregnant in the future as well since she won''t be a full human anymore. Since she has human blood in herself, she can''t be a werewolf.


    But she can be a mage since mages have fewer werewolf tendencies. And having human blood caused her to have no werewolf tendencies and it will remain the same even after the power is awakened. She will be able to use magic power since she has ck mana."


    "But don''t forget that she will be considered a dark mage, and a human at that. Dark mages and humans, both are not weed in this world. She is now a human and she is not weed everywhere. Our kingdom has taken her as a queen and weed her as well because they trust you as a king even though you''re more like a tyrant. You can thank your skill for this. The subjects believe in you."


    "But the other kingdoms are not the same. Not everyone there will ept her. And if her power is awakened, she will be a human and a dark mage, two unweed beings in this world. You will be able to protect her then? What if four Alphas get on the same team and go against her? Will you be able to save your wife then?


    It''s true that she will get much power by then, but she is still a human and I don''t think her power will be something extreme. I fear it won''t even be enough to save herself. Humans are weak. Her human side will bring her down."


    "I don''t give a fuck about what the other kingdoms will do," I said. "I don''t even care if it causes an end to my kingdom. If she is safe, that''s all matters. I will just take her back to her world again. For now, I just want her to be safe."


    "You''re not a good king at all. You''re just being selfish. All you want is your wife, huh?"


    "Yes, all I want is her. You have known all the time, haven''t you? You''ve known that I have always been selfish."


    "Yeah, that''s why I can''t even get angry at you and I''m not even surprised," he chuckled. "Well, Blue is a good girl. She is very young and to be honest, she deserved better. Someone like you is not worthy of her. You''re trying to control her and have her all to yourself, even if it means locking her up."


    "It''s not healthy thinking. I think she knows about all this, but she still epted it. I can understand why. She never had a perfect family as well and doesn''t know what it means to have one. But she seems happy. So, I won''t butt in.


    But you have to change your twisted way of thinking. You''re just overly possessive and obsessive. I bet you can even kill your own mother for her... I won''t do it for you. But I will do it for her. I want her to get better too, so I will help in every way I can to awaken her power."


    He was not wrong at all. I was possessive and I wanted to control her. But I wanted her to be happy as well. Now, even I did not know what I was thinking. But in my mind, every one of my words made sense.


    But I was d that he would help me. Because if he had not, I would just force him to do so, in any means possible.

 Chapter 127: As Long As She Is Happy

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "So, what''s the first step?" I asked.


    "Firstly, I need to be sure about it. It''s not like I am not now, but I still want to check again her ck mana," Luc said. "For that, she needs to be at least a bit better than now. I need to cut a bit of her skin. But right now, she is so frail that I can''t bring myself to even think about doing so."


    It was true. Even I was afraid to touch her. It felt like she would break apart. She always looked frail. But this time, it was to the point that even if she gained ten more kg, it would perhaps not be enough.


    "Isn''t the new doctor the famous Doctor Dimitri?" he asked and I nodded. "I heard a lot about him. He is really young, perhaps even a year younger than us. He got famous this early and I heard his treatment is better than most doctors. It''s perhaps because he makes his medicines personally."


    "I checked them before feeding her though... Can''t trust anyone."


    "Of course, you did. I have known... It''s easy to guess, especially since it''s for your wife," he muttered. "By the way, what did he say? Can he cure her? Well, I know that he can''t since she is a human and there is actually no permanent way."


    "He said that he can cure her temporarily and she can get better if she takes the medicine regrly. But there is no guarantee," I said.


    "Then if she gets better even the slightest and I see that I can touch her without feeling guilty, I will proceed. And if it turns out to be true which I''m almost sure of, it will be the time to awaken her power," he said.


    "And judging your facial expression, it doesn''t seem like you can do so," I said.


    "I can''t," he said. "For this, you need to find a ck mage."


    "A ck mage...," I mumbled. "It can be managed. If she gets better before the banquet, then it can be done."


    "You mean, that mad old man?"


    I nodded. "He might be mad, but he knows his business well. And he is a natural traitor who can do anything as long as it''s fun for him. He once admitted that he wants to awaken a dark mage since he has never done it. He will dly do it," I said. "The advantages to working with a mad man..."


    "So, she will go to the banquet with you?"


    "If she gets better, of course."


    "For some reason, I think she will get better," he said. "Doctor Dimitri is kinda capable; at least, his poprity says so."


    "Hmm..."


    Luc sighed and walked towards the window. The only person I talked to a bit properly other than my wife was Luc. Since we grew up together and I hung out with him a lot, he knew a lot about me. He was trustworthy and knew how to grasp a situation quickly. It had been a long time since I talked to him for this long.


    "Don''t make your wife feel too anxious," he said as he leaned against the window frame.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "She is worried that you don''t a kid, yet you''re keeping up with her because it''s her and you love her. But when the child is born, you might not care for it," he said.


    ''Well, it''s not a lie fully. I don''t even know how to react.''


    "She is right, isn''t she?" Luc muttered.


    "She told you this?"


    "No, she was sleep talking..."


    ''Her sleep talking has gotten out of control. It''s all because of that fucking bastard Ezekiel. Because of him, she keeps talking about her thoughts in her sleep. It doesn''t matter if I''m with her and she does this. But it''s a problem when she is with others.''


    "Now you''re thinking about telling the doctor for a medicine for her sleep talking, aren''t you?" Luc asked. "You really try to control her..."


    "Yes, I do."


    "You admitted it so quickly as well? Can''t say I''m not impressed..."


    "So, what if that''s how I think? She wants to be happy and I promised to do so. It doesn''t matter what I think. As long as she is happy and alright, that''s all matters. It''s true that I want a lot of things that might not seem normal, but she said it''s okay to be myself as long as I don''t cross the line. And I''m careful not to cross it as well," I smiled bitterly.


    "So, keep yourself out of it. My wife has epted me and that''s all matters."


    ''I won''t be surprised if your wife dies because of you...''


    "Don''t cross the line, Luc. I won''t hear this a second time," I warned.


    The night air was fresh and cold. At least, it was to everyone else. But to me, it was heavy and gloomy. Nothing felt good at all. It was just like before when everything felt suffocating.


    What Luc thought could never be true. She could never die because of me. I tried to make her happy. Then was it because of my thoughts? But I could not change my way of thinking. It was how I always thought.


    I did not know how to think otherwise.


    I sighed. I decided not to care about what others say or think about our life. As long as my wife was happy, everything was alright. And she said that she felt safe with me. She could not say so if she did not actually feel it. In the beginning, it was true that she had lied to me that she liked to be with me.


    But it changed as well. Now, it was clear that she truly felt it. And that was all I needed to care about.


    It might seem odd about how I loved her so quickly. But then again, even I had no idea how it happened. It just did. Just like that.

 Chapter 128: [Bonus chapter] First Progress Is Holding A Glass

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, you can hold the ss by yourself!"


    ''Yes, yes, I can. But it''s so embarrassing now that you''re saying it like that...''


    "Calm... down, Ruby...," I sighed.


    The medicine truly worked. It had been two days since I had been taking the medicine. And I had been feeling a bit bettertely. And what I meant by better was that I could drink water by myself.


    ''Very well, huh?''


    "I should tell His Highness!" Ruby eximed.


    "Calm down..."


    "Your Highness can even talk almost properly!" Ruby eximed happily.


    It was true that my throat hurt less and I could move my body a bit. But she was making a huge fuss about every single thing. Now it was getting embarrassing. She was even screaming excitedly very loudly. What would others say if they heard that the queen had finally been able to hold a ss by herself and everyone was congratting her about it?


    Even thinking about it made me want to crawl inside a hole.


    "I will go and tell His Highness about it right now! Please wait one moment, Your Highness..."


    "Wai..."


    But before I could stop her, she was already out of sight. I let out a sigh. I would not be surprised if Demetrius came back running. It took a lot of effort to get him out of the room since he did not want to leave my side at all. But to do his work properly, it was important. I nagged him as much as possible and finally, he gave up after two days.


    I heard he talked to Luc about all the things as well. And he said that they had a n. But it could only proceed if I got better even just the slightest.


    "I heard you can hold a ss, love!"


    "Ah, you''ve ce..."


    I was right. Dem hade running. His reactions to every little thing were not even surprising anymore. I kind of felt like I knew what he was thinking.


    "Her Highness even talked without stuttering! And Her Highness said that her throat does not hurt as much as before," Ruby said from behind.


    She looked like a rabbit. It was hard to believe that she was a werewolf even though I knew she was. And she was way too adorable to even get angry at. In the end, I could not bring myself to even re at her.


    Before she was scared to even look at Demetrius; now she could even talk like that to him. Perhaps it was because she had seen Dem acting like a child with me. Though Dem was careful not to be like that in front of others, he did not mind Ruby since she was trustworthy and she was always with me as she was my personal maid.


    But it was a trouble for me since Ruby would bber about it all day and keep telling me how much Dem loved me.


    "Get out!" Dem suddenly barked at Ruby. None of us were surprised anymore. It wasmon for him to suddenly yell at her to get out. I told him a lot of times not to yell for no reason, but he never listened to me. Now I had given up.


    "Yes, Your Highness..."


    As Ruby went out of the room and closed the door on the way, Dem grabbed both of my hands as if seeing how much strength they had gotten.


    "Hey..."


    "You''re getting better...," he muttered.


    ''Am I really?''


    "... Yes..."


    I only could agree... because I did not want to see him sad. That look on his face these days, I did not forget it neither I wanted to see it again. It was painful to even look at him if he had that look. It was as if more than it was paining me, he was hurting more.


    "That''s good... If this keeps going on, there won''t be a problem. You will get better in no time," he said. "And we will be able to be like before."


    "Hmm...," I nodded.


    "We will go on a date then... and I will get you a lot more clothes..."


    ''There are already enough... You keep buying me tons of them...''


    "Dem... I don''t... need m-many things... if I g-get... better... J-Just make sure t-that...


    you a-at least care f-for our... child... T-That''s all I need..."


    "Our child?" he mumbled.


    "Yes... our c-child... Even if you d-don''t want... it, you have to c-care... It n-never wished to be... made," I said.


    "S-So, make sure... this... I don''t n-need anything e-else..."


    He nodded. "Alright... I will," he said a bit reluctantly.


    "It''s a promise that y-you made... to m-me. S-So, never... forget i-it..."


    "I won''t," he said and pressed his forehead against mine. "I will never forget it. Though I don''t know how to care for it, I will try with my all."


    "You care f-for me, right?" I said. "Just d-do the... same... for it..."


    "The same? You mean giving it as much love and care I give you?" he asked.


    "Y-Yes... It''s our... child...!"


    "But that is exclusively for you!" he protested.


    ''What''s up with that now?''


    "What do y-you mean...? There is n-nothing... exclusive a-about it... I mean, I would m-mind if you like some... other person... like t-that...


    But it''s a-about our child. Y-You should... love and c-care for it a-as well..."


    "... I will try..."


    I chuckled, though it still hurt my throat a bit. He was being really cute. I cupped his face and kissed him on the nose.


    ''So adorable...''


    "What''s up with that kiss now? On the nose?" he asked.


    "Y-You do it all... the time..."


    "That''s because you''re really cute. Everything about you is cute. Even your nose is cute," he said.


    "S-Same goes... for y-you... My h-husband is cute too..."


    "Again?"


    If I was not sick, he would surely do something indecent by now and call it punishment for calling him cute. I missed those times, but now, all that mattered was getting better... though I was not sure if I would ever be able to truly get better from this kind of sickness. Sometimes it felt like my breath would stop and I would die. It was scary.

 Chapter 129: Scared To Die

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    For the first time, I was scared that I would die. Before, I had never felt like this. I wanted to live, but I was never scared to die either. After all, death was a better option than all the things I faced in my family.


    I never could bring myself to kill myself. Perhaps it was because I had always been a coward. I was so much of a coward that I could not kill myself, neither could I live. It was always a state in the middle of living and death.


    ''Was I a zombie then without any thoughts of my own and was just living because that''s what I''m supposed to do? Only breathe and think nothing, like a body and mind without a soul...''


    But now, I was scared, scared to die. Every time I could not breathe, it felt like it was the end. But I did not want to see the end yet. I had finally been happy. Did I not deserve this much happiness? Or was my life always supposed to be filled with despair?


    But more importantly, I did not want to die because I did not want to see my husband sad. What would happen to him if I died? He looked like he loved me more than anything else in the world. I had always wanted to be loved. But if I knew that being loved would be like this, then perhaps I would have thought twice before wanting it. I did not want him to suffer because of me.


    So what if I died? There was never much value in my life. Then why now? Why did he have to love and care for me so much that I was afraid to die?


    These days I could feel that I was dying slowly. I had always wondered what it would feel like if I died slowly, but regrly, so one day my body would fall numb and I would go to another ce where I would not feel anything anymore and there would not be any more of those people who had always hurt me. Now I knew how it felt.


    It was as if I knew that I was going far, far away, but I could not do anything. Crying was no help at all as well. When I looked at my husband''s face filled with pain, I could not bring myself to shed even a single tear. I only smiled, as if I was trying tofort him even though I kind of knew that there was no happy ending waiting for us.


    If I could die slowly without him noticing, perhaps it would not hurt this much. I would leave silently.


    One night, when he thought that I was sleeping, I heard him saying, "I can never be satisfied with your ghost. If you leave me, I will leave this world too. There is no point of a world without my wife in it."


    I wanted to tell him that even if I left, there was a long way for him to go. He needed to keep on living. But for some reason, I could not. I could not even open my eyes. I still hated myself for it. Even now, I could not tell him that.


    I was such a coward...


    "Look at this flower."


    I nced at the ck rose andughed loudly. Dem had carried me to the garden as I got better slightly, but I knew that from the inside, I was fading away. But it was a secret between me and my soul.


    "You like ck roses...," he said.


    "Ha, yes, I l-love them..."


    ''But do you know why? Because a ck rose is the sign of death and mourning. I always wanted to die. It''s not just because of the color; I liked it because of the meaning.''


    But I did not want to see one now. Dem was not someone to think about something''s meaning beforehand. He perhaps did not know that I was thinking like this. But, I just wanted to throw that away. I did not want to die and the moment I saw it, I could not help imagine a picture of ck roses spread my dead body. In my mind, I looked like an angel, but a dead one apparently.


    "I don''t want it now..."


    "You idiot, Demetrius! Really, have some sense for god''s sake!" Luc yelled and threw the rose away. Perhaps it was then that Demetrius realized it.


    "I don''t..."


    "I want... to go back t-to my room," I said and leaned against his chest. It was not his fault. But still, I wished he did not do it.


    ''Just think a bit more before doing something, please. I beg of you...''


    "Alright," Dem said.


    "You need to be a bit more thoughtful, you idiot!" Luc grumbled.


    Dem did not say anything. Usually, he would talk back. But this time, it seemed like he felt guilty.


    "There is d-dukedom... as well?" I asked.


    "What?" he was surprised. I just wanted to clear the mood, so I asked whatever I could think of. "Yes, there is. But why are you asking this suddenly?"


    "I... can''t?"


    "It''s not like that... I expect you to be angry at me. I won''t be surprised," he muttered as he carried me to our room. I had even forgotten what it meant to walk with my own two feet.


    "Well, forget... it. I''m not... mad..."


    ''But I''m kinda sad...''


    "You''re not?" he asked.


    "No..."


    "... Ha, I am really unworthy, huh?" he sighed.


    "N-No..."


    ''You just don''t know how to respect people''s feelings.''


    Sometimes I thought that if he had not met me a long time ago and fell for me, perhaps he would have been the type to throw a woman away after being with her for a few days, even if the woman fell head over heels for him. As much as I loved him more because he waited for me, I could not help but think what kind of person he would have been if he had not met me. What if we met a bitter?


    Would he have fallen for me as well then? Or would he throw me away as well? I was being ridiculous, yet I could not help it.


    Perhaps he had always been like that. He never talked to anyone other than me properly. Even his mother was no exception. It was as if he had never learned it. When someone had not learned something that was supposed to be natural and spent twenty-four years of his life already, there was no way I could teach him that. I could only wish that he would improve, even if for a bit.


    "You can get angry," he said as he sat on the bed with me in his arms. "It was my fault. I didn''t think about it before."


    "I miss Ava...," I said.


    He sighed. "I will tell Evelyn toe back."


    "I just m-miss her... She is so little... and pure...," I murmured.


    When I talked to her, I did not have to think hard. It was very easy. And she was excited about every little thing I said. I could not help but crave that sweet and simple mind where everything was easy and beautiful. I wished I did not have to think so hard about life. It was hard.


    It had been two months that I had not seen her face. I only met her once for a few days, but I liked her a lot. Perhaps it was because she was more excited to meet me than I expected.


    When I first came here, I thought Dem was good with kids since he was very gentle with Ava. But I was wrong. After we got closer, he told me that he actually behaved that way so I would not hate him. He did not care much about Ava either and spent very little time with her. But one thing was sure- he did not ignore her.


    "If you tell her... toe back, she w-will?" I asked.


    "No," he shook his head. "But if you do, Evelyn will send her daughter back."


    "Oh... Then n-no need... I don''t want... to ruin their travel... I just missed h-her, that''s all," I said.


    "Nah, it''s not like that," he said. "They will be more than happy to send their daughter back. They can''t do as many things as they want because of their daughter. They will send her back if you want it. It won''t be a problem at all."


    "R-Really? Then I g-guess... it will be okay... I wonder if she will want something... Maybe a pet. Like an Aardvark?"


    "What''s an Aardvark?"


    "Well, it''s a mamma natice to Africa. You know Africa? It''s a continent, like North America, South America. I am from North America."


    "How many continents are there? Five, right?"


    "Yeah, you read about it?"


    "Well, kind of," he grinned.

 Chapter 130: Can Do Anything For Her

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Aardvark? Why?" I asked. I waspletely taken aback that she said this animal''s name.


    "I-I don''t know, cause... they''re cute...?" she mumbled.


    "Cute?" I knew she called weird things ''cute''. But to think she would call an Aardvark cute was still surprising.


    "Hmm, I saw... its picture o-once in a... book. Are there any... found here?"


    "No," I said quickly. And I was d that there were not any of that kind of animal here. Because if there were and if she wanted one, I would give her since I would do anything she wanted. But it would be very strange if she kept hugging that kind of thing and brings it on our bed. It was disgusting in every way possible.


    "Then... what would s-she... like?" she pouted. "I wish I could do something... to make her h-happy. I can''t even...


    cook. Neither... can I s-sew. She likes... poems, but I can''t write poems e-either. What should I do...


    then, Dem?"


    "You''re that worried about this simple thing?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Well, the best thing you can do is get better as soon as possible so she can talk to you. She likes to talk to you after all," I said. "What do you think of that?"


    "W-Will that... be enough?"


    "Of course," I nodded. "Just get better quickly."


    ''For me...''


    I wondered if she was pretending to be alright or she really was. I had done something wrong without thinking. If she was angry, I would understand.


    Why did I not think of a ck rose''s meaning before showing her that? I thought she would be happy as she liked them. But I did not know she would think about it that way.


    But now I regretted it.


    "I love you."


    "Why, so... suddenly?" she asked.


    "So, don''t abandon me," I said.


    "Huh? Yeah... I don''t want to...," she chuckled.


    I knew what she was thinking even without reading her mind. She was wondering again if she deserved all this. Because of her family, she had always abased herself. I wanted to tell her many times that she was worthy of it. But perhaps my words never reached the deepest wounded part of her heart.


    "You said it. Now you can never leave me," I said.


    "Mmm..."


    "You won''t, right?"


    "O-Okay..."


    Something about her tone was different. I knew why. Yet, I did not even know why I craved her affirmation so much.


    "You know, there... was a c-creepy guy...," she muttered.


    "A guy? Creepy? Who?" I asked.


    "He was a t-teacher... He wasn''t too... old and used t-to teach us... h-history," she said.


    "Then why is he a creep? Did he do something or say something to you?" I asked.


    "W-Well..."


    "Hm?"


    "M-My seatmate... was a girl named R-Rheya... One day, d-during his... ss, she had her... p-period... She didn''t n-notice...


    When I saw it, I t-told her... and I had an e-extra... pad that I g-gave her... That teacher... heard us perhaps... or he saw it a-as well..."


    ''Perhaps he didn''t say or do anything to her. If he had, I would just go and kill him...''


    "Rheya was really... abashed, so I helped... her and took her t-to the r-restroom. That teacher... always made me f-fell ufortable... I don''t know w-why.


    E-Everyone liked him a... lot. I think it''s b-because... he was h-handsome..."


    ''Did you just call another man handsome? In front of your husband? Even though you know how jealous I can get?''


    "Not as much as you... of c-course...," she added.


    My anger abated in a moment hearing this. Perhaps I was being childish about every little thing. But when it came to her, I could not help it at all.


    "T-Then... the next day, I went t-to his o-office... because I h-had forgotten to d-do my homework... Well, it''s b-because... Draven had beaten me u-up... so, I could not do a-anything..."


    ''That fucking bastard! He is in jail now, but I will just give order to my people there to kill that fucking trash!''


    "In his o-office, from h-his first drawer of t-the desk, s-something... was out slightly. I a-actually... came to h-his office again that... day sneakily... when he w-was not t-there...


    It turned out t-to be... the pad I gave R-Rheya... And it... was u-used..."


    ''Gross! What''s up with this creep?''


    "Twenty days...ter, Rheya left school..."


    "Why?"


    "No one knows..."


    "Is that so?"


    "Hmm," she nodded. "But at the s-same time, a ruined... dead body... of a g-girl was found... in the n-nearby s-ughterhouse..."


    "What?"


    "Yeah... I mean, c-can it happen that he k-killed her...? I mean, he collected... her p-pad as... well, so... he can..."


    "It can happen. Do you know his name?" I asked.


    "No..."


    ''I''m d you forgot about this freaking creepy bastard...!''


    "I don''t know why... I remembered i-it all o-of a sudden... and I wanted t-to tell... you..."


    "I am d that you told me. I like it when you share everything with me," I said as I rubbed my face against her nape.


    "Hmm... Am I s-supposed to be... traumatized b-by this incident?" she asked.


    "No... since you don''t... know about the whole thing for sure and besides, it''s not like you were close to her or something, right?"


    "Yeah, and I was wondering... if I was... abnormal... for not... being a-affected much... by this...," she muttered.


    "I don''t... know... how trauma... w-works... in the first p-ce..."


    "You don''t know?"


    ''Even when you''re already traumatized? Because of your family, you still cry in your sleep and scream. Your face bes all gloomy and scared whenever you think of those times. Yet you''re saying you don''t know?''


    "No... D-Do I?" she pouted.


    She surely did not know what was happening inside her mind, did she? It was not like I wanted her to know. I just wished she never knew that word in the first ce.


    "No, you don''t. You don''t need to," I said.


    "Hmm..."


    "What?"


    "Your face is so... smooth..."


    "Smooth? Is it because I don''t keep even a bit of facial hair?"


    "I g-guess... so," she mumbled.


    "You sound a bit... dejected... Would you have preferred if I kept beard or something?" I asked.


    "No... I mean, it''s... not fair... Your face is even... smoother than m-mine... and I''m a girl..."


    "Who said that?"


    "Me?"


    Iughed. She was being adorable again and she had not even taken the medicine that she would not be in her right sense.


    "But I think your face is softer," I said.


    "Is that... right?"


    "Of course," I said. "By the way, did that teacher do anything to you?"


    "No... He didn''t... After all, he resigned... after that incident..."


    ''Good.''


    "I wanna... sleep," she mumbled and snuggled against my chest.


    "Should I rub your forehead?" I asked.


    "No... I... I want you to t-touch my s-stomach..."


    "Your... Why?"


    "And rub the ce... I want you to d-do... so," she said.


    "... Alright," I said.


    I did not know why she wanted me to do so. I unbuttoned the front of her dress and put my hand inside. It had been a long time since I touched that ce. Since she was weak, we could do nothing like that.


    "Like this?"


    "Hmm..."


    She closed her eyes and leaned in my touch. That ce, her stomach... A life was growing there- a life that we made. But it did not matter.


    Even if I had to kill that life to save her, I would. But since she told me not to, I would hold back from doing anything. I did not want her to hate me.


    "You won''t do something... strange," she muttered as if she could read my mind as if she knew what I wanted. "You promised..."


    "... Yes, I won''t. I promised my wife after all," I said.


    Her body trembled, but she held onto me. I wished she could rely on me forever. I could save her from everything. But sometimes, I also felt helpless. Like this time- because I did not know what to do to make her better.


    "You''re a bit better than before. Luc wants to be sure, so..."


    "Can... hee here?"


    "Even if we have to go there, I won''t let you walk. I will carry you," I said.


    "No... It will be h-hard for... you to c-carry me... all the w-way... there... so..."


    "It''s alright. It won''t be okay if someone else knows about it. So, we have to go to the magic tower. And don''t worry, my wife. Your husband is not weak at all..."


    "And if it''s... t-true, then..."


    "Then your power as a dark mage will be awakened," I said.


    "But if I... be a d-dark mage..."


    "I don''t care. Even if everyone opposes you, I will ept you. And besides, it''s for your safety," I said. "I can do anything for that. Anything."

 Chapter 131: Can Take A Few Steps

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I want to try."


    "No, Your Highness. Absolutely not. Your Highness is not okay right now. You will fall down and hurt yourself," Ruby said firmly.


    Now I could sit down on my own and hold a ss or a few less heavy things. So, I decided to try to take one or two steps. Since my body did not hurt as much as before, I thought it would be okay to try it now.


    But no matter what I said, Ruby remained unchanged. She did not let me even stand. I tried to convince her, but she seemed as firm as Demetrius this time.


    "Your Highness, your body is weak. You cannot stand. Please try to understand," she said.


    "Just a bit. You can hold... me," I said. "Look..., my throat doesn''t... hurt much as w-well. I stutter very l-little now...


    And my body is w-well as well."


    "Still, Your Highness, it''s not enough recovery," she said. "His Highness told me not to let Your Highness move at all. I will do anything for you. You can ask me. But please, don''t push yourself."


    "Haa...," I sighed. "It''s really... frustrating to stay like this... all the time. And it''s been... more than t-two weeks already..."


    "When Your Highness will get better, you can be like before again."


    "Can I?"


    "Of course. Your Highness will surely get better," she said.


    I was wondering about this for a while, but she never mentioned that both the child and I would be alright. It was as if she knew that only one of us could be okay. But she hid it almost perfectly. Since I was sick and had nothing to do, I paid extra care while listening to others. Perhaps that was why I caught even the slightest meaning of someone''s words.


    Mother hade to visit me twice even though Dem told her not to. I told him that it was not a problem. But he did not listen to me and there was a quarrel between him and his mother. His mother never argued with him much. She agreed to whatever he said. But yesterday, for a moment, I felt like I saw anger in her eyes.


    It was for a moment, but then she smiled again. Perhaps it was just a mistake of my eyes.


    If she looked at me with those eyes, I would not be surprised. She could be angry at me because his son behaved like that because of me. But the strange thing was- she was not angry at me. It was like she was angry at Demetrius.


    "Do you want to eat something, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "No... I''m not h-hungry..."


    "But you haven''t eaten anything in the morning as well," she said.


    "I ate! A slice o-of... bread!" I protested.


    "But that''s not enough. Your Highness is not a kid. So, you need to eat more," she said.


    "Don''t wanna..."


    "If Your Highness doesn''t eat, I will call His Highness," she said.


    "I... I will eat..."


    Ruby brought me some vegetable soup and kind of forced me to have it. I did not have any appetite, but still, I would rather eat than have her call Dem. If Dem came here, he would feed me more.


    "Your Highness, don''t eat the broli only. Eat the carrots too," she said.


    "Carrots taste weird..."


    "I think it''s the other way around usually," she muttered.


    "Huh..."


    I hated carrots. They were very sweet and tasted strange. But I liked broli. Perhaps it was because of the bitter taste. It was not like I liked bitter things. Brolis were the only exception.


    After I finished the soup, I felt better than before. I should not have whined not to have it. Ruby looked at me with her eyes clearly saying- ''See? Told you!''


    "Now that I''m... strong again, h-help me... stand...," I said.


    "No, Your Highness."


    "Just a bit. I swear I won''t... do anything e-else..."


    "Your Highness..."


    "Come on..."


    "If Your Highness looks at me like that... it''s impossible to say no," she mumbled.


    "Hehe..."


    Ruby helped me stand up though she was reluctant. It was not as hard as I thought it would be. I did not have much of a hardship standing. I had confidence that I would be able to take a few steps. The medicine surely was effective even though the doctor said it was temporary.


    "See? I can... stand...," I said.


    "Do your legs hurt at all, Your Highness?"


    I shook my head. "Not really... though they are... a bit w-weak..."


    "Your Highness doesn''t need to push yourself just because His Highness said that you should get better as soon as possible," she said.


    "I am really... better though," I said. "It doesn''t m-matter what D-Demetrius says... but I can only a-act like... this when I''m r-really feeling... better.


    So, don''t... worry about m-me."


    "Your Highness is so frail. I am afraid that Your Highness is trying too hard..."


    I chuckled. "I am really a-alright; at least... better t-than before..."


    Ruby did not look fully convinced which I did not expect her to be as well. She was always like that. No matter how many times I said that I was alright, she never believed. Though I lied a few times not to worry Dem or her too much, this time I told the truth.


    "Help me... take a f-few steps..."


    Ruby held both of my hands and I tried to move my leg slightly. It was not too hard, but I had to go slow.


    ''It feels like I''m learning to walk for the first time...''


    "Gosh, it feels good... to be a-able to... stand...," I said.


    "Why isn''t Lord Lucing back yet?" she muttered. "He said he is going to look around for a bit. But he isn''t back yet."


    "Do you n-need him... for something?" I asked.


    "It''s not that. If Lord Luc was here, then I would be able to get some flowers for Your Highness."


    "Flowers? W-Why?" I asked, surprised.


    "Don''t you remember, Your Highness, that you asked for Iris," she said.


    "I did? I... forgot..."


    These days I had been forgetting things too. Dem said that the medicine I took at night always got me out of my senses. That was the reason I did not remember anything of the nighttime. But I started to forget things at other times as well.


    "Well, you should take... me to D-Dem''s study... I will stay t-there and you can g-go... to get some flowers," I said.


    "But, Your Highness should not walk that long way," she said.


    "What long w-way? It''s just... beside, I mean, almost beside... this room," I said.


    "What if His Highness gets angry?"


    "Why would... he get a-angry?" I asked. "This room f-feels... suffocating now. I need to... go out."


    "Alright," she sighed. "If Your Highness wants..."


    Ruby helped me take small steps out of the room. It was hard, but not too much. It was manageable.


    I was still in my nightgown. Since it was very not tight at all, I feltfortable. And besides, my stomach hurt as well. So, the baggier the cloth was, the morefortable I felt.


    "Babe? You''re... What are you doing here?"


    I thought Dem would be in his office. But I met him on the way. It seemed he wasing to our bedroom.


    "What''re you doing here?" he asked and held me carefully by my shoulders.


    "Can I get the flowers then, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "Yes, s-sure," I nodded.


    "What flowers?" Dem asked, looking at me.


    "For me."


    "Oh... But what are you doing here? You''re not supposed to leave the bed. You are weak," he said.


    "I''m not... I am better n-now... Look, I can take... a few s-steps as well," I said as I moved my legs to show him that I was not too weak.


    "But..."


    "I''m fine..."


    "Is that... You carry the dagger everywhere?" he asked, pointing at the side of my nightgown.


    There was a pocket there that I told my personal designer to make. I got pockets made in all of my dresses so I could carry some things with me. But in the case of fancy dresses, the pockets were hidden.


    "Hmm," I said. "You''re the o-one who... told me to do... so."


    "Well, I didn''t know you really would," he muttered.


    "Well... Dem, look out!"


    "What..."

 Chapter 132: What Happened?

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I did not know what happened. I could only see my wife''s hand moving faster than thunder and there was a clunk noise right beside my shoulder.


    And when I realized what happened, I did not know how to react. My whole life, I was called the best fighter. I had been the mad wolf of the battlefield. Because of being to too many wars, my senses were very strong and I could move faster than anything. But perhaps I was proven wrong just now.


    "What...," I mumbled as I looked around myself.


    My wife was on the ground, looking on the other side of the floor with a horror stuck face. Her hand was over her mouth and a knifey beside her.


    "How did you..."


    "I think... he is... d-dead," she mumbled. "Did... did I..."


    After a few seconds when I regained my senses, I called the guards. They had no idea what happened. I noticed that my beta was standing a few feet away from us. He was as shocked as everyone else. It seemed like he could not believe what he had just seen. Even though it happened right in front of my eyes, even I could not believe it.


    "How did you do it?" I asked as I bent in front of my wife who was looking around anxiously.


    "I... I thought it would hit you...," she muttered. "Are you... a-alright?"


    "I should be the one asking that. Jumping to act like that... What were you thinking?"


    "You didn''t... notice it... so, I thought..."


    I sighed. These days I could not focus on anything much since my mind was filled with her only. I could only think about what to do so she would get better quickly. Today, I was going to check on her again to make sure that she ate her food properly since she never ate much.


    While I was on my way, I found hering to my office with the help of her personal maid. It was all alright until that moment when she suddenly warned me. Perhaps because I was so focused on her that I did not realize that someone tried to attack me with a silver knife from the other side of the floor. But she saw it and leaped forward before I could understand and hit the knife with her dagger.


    In the split second the knife fell on the floor, she threw the dagger at that man which pierced through his left eye. He died on the spot since it was made of silver.


    I still could not get the scene out of my head. It was hard to believe. The beta stood behind us with his mouth open, looking at my wife.


    "I... I killed... him," she muttered shakily.


    "That''s not even the point. But how did you do it?"


    "I don''t... know. It was so... sudden..."


    "Are you alright, Your Highness?" the beta asked. It seemed he regained his senses as well.


    "Yes... I am," she replied.


    "It really happened...," he mumbled.


    "Who is that bastard?" I asked.


    "He is a knight. He was really bright, well, that doesn''t matter now," the beta said.


    "Why... why did he want to kill you," she asked, holding my arm.


    "It''s prettymon. Don''t worry about it. Though I think he is just another one who took some money from a noble or something," I said. "Let me take you to the bedroom. You pushed yourself hard again. What if that knife hurt you?


    Why did you have to be so reckless?"


    "But... I was just... trying to save you," she muttered.


    "Haa, and you did so as well," I sighed as I picked her up from the ground. It seemed she hurt her legs slightly as she moved too fast. I could not even scold her as much as I would like to. For some reason, I did not feel as angry as I should have.


    ''The queen is so cool. She is amazing. As expected of our queen...''


    The beta surely was praising her, a bit too much in his head. He had seen the whole thing. Though he seemed very serious all the time, he was actually the type to brag about some specific things like this. I was sure that by the next day, my wife was going to gain a lot more fans.


    "I really..."


    "You shouldn''t have barged in like that," I said.


    "But if I didn''t, then... you would h-have gotten... hurt," she said.


    "I can heal."


    "But it''s a s-silver... weapon, so... the mark would... remain and it would... give you a lot of... pain," she pointed out.


    "What about you? If you got hurt, then it would give a mark to you too. And I would not like that," I said.


    "And I wouldn''t... like if you... got a m-mark... as well."


    "Hmm..."


    "Are you angry?"


    "I am. I am angry very much," I said. "You know I don''t like it when you get hurt."


    "But you''re the one... who told me to... protect myself..."


    "You protected me though."


    "Yet... You''re my h-husband, so... I need to protect you... And I did well, right?"


    "That''s true. You actually did very well," I said and looked down at her pouted face. She was still in shock that she killed someone. But I could not say that she was too scared. It looked more like a surprise and nothing more.


    "But still, I killed..."


    "He is the one who is wrong. As you said, you saved me, right?" I asked and she nodded. "Then, it''s not wrong. You did well and the right thing."


    "I love you... I thought... I was really s-scared... And it was instinctive."


    "I''m alright. You saved me well," I said.


    "Hmm..."


    "Won''t you tell me about your day?" I asked, trying to shift the mood. These days, she had been telling me about literally everything. She even told me about what she did in a day and what she wanted to do and what she thought about. It was fun to listen to her. Perhaps it was because of the medicines. The effect might not just stay at night.


    "Well... I woke up... and then ate b-bread with you..."


    "Of course. You didn''t sleep muchst night and woke up before me." I said as I entered our room with her in my arms.


    "After that, I slept a b-bit more... Then when I woke up a-again, I drank s-some juice... and water..."


    "At the same time?"


    "Yeah, it''s good..."


    "Did you have mango juice again?" I asked.


    She nodded. "It''s the best one..."


    The only juice I ever saw her drinking was mango juice. No matter how many times I tried to make her try other types of juices as well, she never listened.


    "I take one sip of mango juice and... then o-one sip of... water," she said. "I call it ''M&W''. Kind of reminds me of M&Ms."


    "M&Ms... They are tasty. Aren''t they those colorful little button-type candies?"


    "Yeah... that''s right."


    "I had some..."


    "You like sweet things, don''t you?"


    "Kind of, not much..."


    "Well, then, I told Ruby that... I felt b-better and told her... to help m-me stand... But she refused. And she then... forced me to...


    have vegetable soup..."


    "She did the right thing. You don''t eat much," I said.


    "I do! A-Anyway, after I had... the soup, she helped me stand... And then, and then... I came here..."


    "I see," I said. "Where is Luc?"


    "He said... he needed to go for a bit. I don''t... know why," she said. "He said he will... be back soon..."


    "I see. Now lie down. I will see if you''re hurt," I said as I ced her on the bed.


    "I''m not..."


    "I want to check that myself," I said.


    I touched her legs and pressed her muscle slightly to see if she was hurt. I did not know why, but every time I touched her, an anxious feeling filled my mind. Every time I touched her, I always found myself wondering how long I would be able to hold her like this.


    I fell for her very fast, the moment I met her. I always thought it was impossible, but it happened to me as well. And every time I looked at her, I fell for her all over again.


    "Why are you... looking at me l-like that?" she asked.


    "I can''t?"


    "No, it''s not... that..."


    "Did you think I am still angry?" I asked and she gave a slight nod. "I was, but I''m not anymore. You shouldn''t take any risk, but even so, it was kind of cool of you."


    "R-Really?"


    "Yes. But I didn''t know you could throw a dagger that good..."


    "Well, I didn''t... know that myself as w-well...," she mumbled. "It just happened. I mean, it was... so sudden... that even I don''t know...


    how or what happened. All I know is... it just did..."

 Chapter 133: We Like Her Highness, The Queen

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The fact that I had killed a man seemed to bother me only. Dem, Ruby, even Luc seemed very chill about it. When Dem and Ruby did not agree with me, Luc would support me. But this time, even he said that it was no big deal. It seemed to kill someone was prettymon here.


    "Your Highness should not bother yourself with this matter. But Your Highness was really cool that time," Ruby said. She had been praising me again and again since that day.


    "You keep saying it...," I mumbled.


    "The beta told me everything! He said that it was the most amazing move he saw a woman doing," she eximed.


    "Did... did he tell everyone?" I asked.


    "I don''t know. The beta is a serious guy. But sometimes I don''t understand him," she said.


    ''It would be better if he doesn''t say this to anyone. It''s really weird hearing people keep saying it...''


    I had gotten better a lot in a few days. Though I could move my body a lot better than before, there was always a feeling that it would notst long. That feeling always held me back from enjoying my life even a bit.


    Dem said that we needed to go to the magic tower today. Since he had some work, Luc would take me there. I wished he would be by my side and if I told him that, he would surely be with me. But I did not want to hinder his work, so I did not say anything. Perhaps I would be fine on my own, at least this one time.


    "Are you ready to go?"


    "Oh, you''vee..."


    Luc had already arrived. I wore a in ck dress. I could not wear anything heavy since my body was weak. But even so, I had to wear some essories though they were light. Ruby said that as I was the queen, I needed to wear them all the time.


    Dem wanted to carry me to the magic tower. But he had some work and he could not be with us, so I needed to walk there. It was not like I did not like it. Actually, I wanted to walk as well. It was embarrassing to be carried all the time.


    "Wait a bit more, Lord Luc," Ruby said. "I will be done with Her Highness''s hair in a bit."


    "She isn''t going to a party for god''s sake," Luc muttered.


    ''I agree.''


    "But Her Highness needs to look elegant all the time. She is our queen after all," Ruby protested. "And besides, it''s just a simple bun."


    "A simple bun that takes one hour to make...," Luc mumbled.


    "You''re being inconsiderate, Lord Luc," Ruby said.


    "Just wait a few more... minutes, Luc. It will be d-done," I said. I was sure that if I did not step up, they would keep bickering at each other.


    Last night, Luc came to the bedroom again. He and Dem were talking about something. I was almost asleep. But that time I heard something strange.


    "Even if I have to abdicate, I will," Dem had said.


    I always knew that he did not like to be the king and he wanted to live a simple life. But I did not know that he seriously meant it and was even thinking about it. I did not hear the whole thing, so I did not know exactly what they were talking about. But I was sure that he was considering abdicating pretty seriously. The question was- why? Why would he want to step down?


    Just because he did not want it? I doubted it. Perhaps I would just ask him that.


    "You sure you''re better than before?" Luc asked as he took a seat in a chair a bit away from the dressing table, facing me.


    "Yeah, a lot better... actually," I said.


    "Your speech still stutters a bit," he said.


    "Hm, the doctor said it... will get b-better soon too," I said.


    "I see," he nodded. "By the way, your husband has sent me a letter threatening that if I cut too much of your skin, he will rip off my skin."


    "He d-did?"


    "Of course. You thought he wouldn''t? Someone like him?"


    "Well, that''s not... it. It''s quicker... than I expected," I said.


    "I thought the same. I expected the letter to arrive after we go to the magic tower. He has a good sense of timing," Luc chuckled.


    I could not help butugh as well. Dem''s over-protectiveness could be a bit too much sometimes, but it was kind of funny as well.


    "I have to admit that it''s kind of surprising to see Demetrius like this," Luc said.


    "I agree. His Highness had been always angry, so I thought that the only emotion His Highness could show is anger, no offense," Ruby said. "But he knows how tough as well."


    "Though it''s gross to see him like that, I am d that he is at least good to his wife. Well, he is too good actually," he said. "It doesn''t matter if he is lovey-dovey with his wife. But even if front of me, he dares to be indecent."


    "I am really s-sorry," I said, embarrassed.


    "It''s not your fault. It''s him," he said.


    "His Highness just shows his love for Her Highness. There is nothing wrong with that," Ruby protested. "I think Lord Luc is just sad that he doesn''t have anyone to be like that with. Why doesn''t the lord go out to find his mate?"


    "Ack, who said I want a mate? It''s a hassle," Luc grumbled.


    "A hassle?" Ruby barked.


    "Calm down...," I said.


    "My apologies, Your Highness," Ruby said. "It''s done, Your Highness. Does the bun look good?"


    "It''s great," I said. "By the way, where is that belt?"


    "The one you tie around your abdomen?" she asked. "Here."


    It was a thick belt that I wore around my abdomen. It relieved the pain surprisingly. Doctor Emma gave me that some days ago.


    After a while, I was ready to leave. I could walk pretty normally now, though there were times when I felt a sudden pain in my legs.


    "Do you need me to hold your hand or something?" Luc asked.


    "No, it''s alright..."


    "Well, then, feel free to hold onto me if needed," he said.


    "Yeah, s-sure," I smiled.


    As soon as we went down to the pce ground, I heard loud clunking noises. It had been noisier these days, especially the side where my room was. And it was only noisy when Dem was not present.


    "Well, take care..."


    "Huh?"


    I did not understand what Luc meant. But it did not take me long to get it. A little crowd of soldiers popped out of nowhere. It seemed like they were trying to say something. I had no idea what the soldiers had to do with me.


    "Your Highness...," one of them said.


    "Yes?"


    "Actually," he muttered, scratching his scalp, "we like Your Highness very much!"


    "Eh?"


    The soldiers were very big and it looked like all of them worked out a lot. In front of them, I looked very small. Even Luc looked kind of smaller than them. And now they were talking like this. I had no idea how to react.


    "We all heard about Your Highness''s act that day. The beta said that it was very cool."


    "As expected of Her Highness, the queen!"


    "Yes, His Highness surely would bring someone who is really amazing! Your Highness, you really are awesome!"


    "Um... Thank you...," I mumbled. I had surely turned red hearing their praising. I did not know that incident would lead to this.


    "We all were very eager to meet Your Highness. But since Your Highness was not well, we could not."


    "Yes. How are you now, Your Highness?"


    "I''m better than... before...," I said. "Thank you... for asking..."


    "Good to hear. Hope Your Highness gets better soon. Then Your Highness can spend some time with us," the soldier with dark brown hair said with a smile.


    There were four of them and though they had different facial expressions, it seemed they had good intentions. The one with dark brown hair smiled the most. The silver-haired one remained expressionless. The other two looked alike, though one was short and one was a bit tall.


    "Oh, we''re twins," one of the look-alikes said. "That''s my brother. Our heights are just different..."


    "Personalities too," the silver-haired knight murmured.


    "Well, that''s true."


    "She is too noisy. Shut up already," the tall one said.


    "She?" I muttered, surprised. I had no idea that it was a woman. Her hair was very short and looking at her body, she did not seem like a girl much.


    "Most mistake me for a boy," she said with a grin. "Well, my chest is very t like a boy''s and my hair is short. So, it happens..."

 Chapter 134: A Huge Coincidence

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I''m sorry," I said.


    "You don''t have to apologize, Your Highness," she said quickly. "It''s really alright."


    "We need to go now," Luc said. "You can bber to Her Highnesster."


    "We weren''t talking to you, Lord Luc," the dark brown-haired knight said.


    "Well, we really need... to go now," I said. "By the way, I c-couldn''t catch your names..."


    "Oh, right. I am Perita. And my brother is Azriel," she said. "He is Kade and the gloomy one is Christophen."


    "I see. Then I will... see you guyster," I said. "We''re in a hurry actually."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I wille to you to spend time with you," Perita said excitedly.


    "You can''t. You''re a Royal knight," Azriel said.


    "If Her Highness gives permission, I will be able to meet her," Perita pouted. "Are you my brother or not? Why do you always oppose me?"


    "Isn''t it because you''re always talking nonsense?" Azriel rolled his eyes.


    "Those two always fights," Kade said, grinning at me. "Your Highness, please, when you''re free, let us, at least, me to spend time with you. I will even help Your Highness with anything you need."


    I smiled. "I will make sure to meet you all," I said.


    It took Luc and me some time to finally reach the magic tower. Since Luc was the most powerful magician of the kingdom, Dem entrusted me to him. Luc seemed irritated with the soldiers, though I found them cute. If I could talk to them for a bit, I would. But Luc seemed to want to hurry, so I did not protest. But I would surely find them to spend some time with them.


    "They sure do like you," Luc said.


    "I am... surprised," I said.


    "I think the dagger incident got you a fan club," he said. "They looked truly excited to meet you. Well, I''m surprised too. I mean, how did you even throw it at the right space? It takes a lot of practice..."


    "It was a c-coincident," I said. "Even I was surprised..."


    "Didn''t your husband get angry? What am I even asking? It''s impossible for him to not get angry at this," he said. "After all, you just threw yourself."


    "Not as much... as I thought h-he would be," I said. That day, even I was surprised that he did not react much. He was surprised, but I expected him to be angry as well since he always hated it when I got hurt or even almost got hurt. But that time, he did not get angry much.


    "What? Really?" Luc eximed, surprised. I expected this kind of reaction. For someone who knew Dem well, they were supposed to react like that.


    I sighed and rubbed my ankle. I hurt my ankle a bit that time. It was not too much. That was why I did not tell Dem about this. He overreacted about every single thing.


    "Did you get hurt there?" he asked.


    "No... I''m fine. Let''s get... it is done now," I said.


    "Alright, then. Wait a bit," he said.


    I looked out the little window on my left side. It was surprising that Luc lived alone in the whole magic tower. The magic tower was a big ce. I was sure that at least a hundred people would be able to live there without any problem.


    Since he was the only one here, it was very peaceful and quiet. I always preferred quiet ces. But these days, I wanted to be in a peaceful and silent environment even more.


    "I don''t know why, but your personal maid seems to hate me," he said while looking for something in a cab.


    "Ruby?"


    "Yes, her..."


    Ruby''s behavior towards Luc surprised me a bit as well. She was a naturally excited person. But it was rare that she behaved rough with someone, or perhaps she always showed her excited side to me. But since the beginning, she did not talk well with Luc. She was always kind of shady towards him.


    "I don''t think... she hates you or s-something...," I said.


    "I can''t agree. She was literally ring at me," he said. "I was looking for a reason why she might do this. But well, I don''t think I have ever done anything wrong to her so she would hate me."


    "Um... I don''t know," I muttered.


    "Whatever. It''s not like I care or anything. But it''s kinda annoying to have a set of re on me for no reason or a reason that I don''t even know about."


    "I will talk to... her about it."


    "It doesn''t matter even if you don''t," he said. "I don''t care."


    It did not seem like he did not care. It was more like he was pretending not to care. Perhaps I should talk to Ruby and tell her not to be rude to Luc.


    "Here..."


    "What''s t-that?" I asked as I nced at the brown paper. The paper did not look like normal paper at all. It looked pretty old and it seemed if pulled with a bit of force, it would tear apart in a moment.


    "It''s something that we''re gonna use today," he said. "I made this. Isn''t it cool?"


    "Well, I g-guess... so..."


    "It''s a boring expression."


    "Do you want... me to jump... in surprise or something?"


    "... Anyway, give me your hand."


    I ced my hand on his left palm. He held my index finger and suddenly sliced it with the edge of the paper. A sharp but little pain rushed through me.


    "Paper cut! It''s gonna... hurt for days!"


    I preferred bigger injuries than paper cuts always. Paper cuts were very little that it was hardly visible, but it ached. What was even harder was the fact that I did not even know where it was hurting, but it still hurt.


    "Don''t worry. You won''t even be able to see it," he said.


    "That''s the p-problem! I won''t... be able to see it, but i-it will hurt!"


    "It''s not too much," he shrugged. "Don''t tell me you''re afraid of this little cut when you didn''t even flinch much when I cut your shoulder."


    "That was..."


    "You even threw a dagger at a man and he died," he added.


    "That was unintentional..."


    "Really? Is it something to be worried over?" he grumbled.


    "Well... Alright, it''s f-fine..."


    "Your husband won''t be able to tell me anything since he won''t even be able to see the cut. Anyway, why do you have so little blood? I think I have to cut a bit more?"


    Luc shed the paper on my finger at the exact same ce. It was brilliant to do so at the same ce without missing it. Perhaps because he was a werewolf, it was possible.


    A drop of blood fell on the paper and almost instantly, a ck thread spread throughout the paper and it turned ck.


    "What does this..."


    "Confirmed."


    "That I have..."


    "Yes, you do have ck mana inside you," he nodded.


    ''It''s like litmus paper.''


    "God, I''m not even surprised anymore. But no matter how I try to view it, it actually is a huge coincidence that''s impossible to ignore," he sighed.


    "W-What do you mean?" I asked.


    "Give me your ne," he said, ignoring my question.


    I took it off and handed him my ne. It was the first time I took it off after I put it on for the first time. My neck felt strange and empty without it. This was the very ne that prevented Demetrius from reading my mind.


    "What''re you... g-going to... do with it?" I asked.


    "The brightness... I''m gonna stop it from shining. Just why did I take your blood then?"


    I watched him cing the ne in a huge bowl filled with some kind of liquid. I did not bother to ask anything since he seemed very concentrated.


    "I will give it to you before the banquet," he said.


    "The b-banquet?" I asked, surprised. "Am I gonna... go there?"


    "Demetrius and I decided that if the result is positive and you get better a bit, then you will go to the banquet as well," he said.


    "But Dem hasn''t told me anything..."


    "Perhaps he was waiting to get the result," he said.


    "But why... do I have to go there?" I asked.


    "Well, to awaken your power as a dark mage."


    "Wha..."


    "Yes, it''s important," he said. "I can''t awaken your power. There is someone else who will be able to do it. Demetrius knows him."


    "I see... But... what did you mean by coincidence?" I asked. For some reason, I could not let it go. It seemed like a major face that would perhaps raise a few questions, yet I needed to know them.

 Chapter 135: Realizing The Coincidence

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What I mean by coincidence? Don''t you know yet? Can''t you think of any coincidence that doubts every single thing in your life?" Luc asked darkly.


    "Coincidence?" I mumbled. "A coincidence..."


    "Get it?"


    "No..."


    "Think," he said. "You know it too."


    I kind of abhorred my mind for not getting it. Luc did not seem like he was going to give me an answer.


    "Think about it after you go back," he said. "It all depends on how you will take it. And by the way, if anyone''s behavior seems aberrant to you, don''t forget to inform Demetrius. Not everyone wants well for you."


    "I see..."


    Luc escorted me back as well due to security reasons. I could not get what he told me off my mind. He was sure that I had ck mana inside me. But more than that fact, I was more surprised and intrigued when he said that there was a huge coincidence.


    "Your Highness, you got a bunch of letters again," Ruby said as soon as I went inside the room. Luc had already left. He said that he had things to do.


    "Again?"


    "They are more than twice of thest time," she said.


    Since I was the queen, I was considered a very powerful person. A lot of noble families kept sending me letters, inviting me to tea parties, and so on. I could not just go there all of a sudden and besides, Dem said that it was better to reject them all. We did not need any connection with any noble families that much since Dem had already made enough connections with other power sources.


    So, it was alright for me not to go there.


    "Ruby, untie my h-hair. It''s giving me a... headache," I said as I sat down on the stool in front of the mirror.


    "Was it too tight? I will remember to make it loose next time."


    As she untied my hair and brushed it gently, I sighed. I tried to think about what Luc meant by that. It was hard to guess something that I did not have any idea of, at least, I thought so.


    "Your Highness is famous among the knights as well," she said.


    "Is that... so?"


    "They were praising Your Highness a lot," she said. "And they were saying a lot of things..."


    "... I see...," I muttered. "Anyway, there is something... I wanted to ask you."


    "Yes, Your Highness?"


    "By any chance... do you hate Luc?" I asked.


    Since I told him that I would talk to Ruby about it, I could not just go back on my words. Besides, Ruby was not supposed to treat Luc like that for no reason at all.


    "No... It''s not like that..."


    "You were rude to him... and I heard that you were even... ring a-at him," I said. "Why?"


    "I don''t hate him. It''s just..."


    "Yes?"


    "I don''t know. I just get really hyped up when he is near. And I don''t know how to behave," she said awkwardly. "That''s why... I am sorry, Your Highness. I won''t do it anymore."


    ''Am I sensing a girl with her first-ever crush?''


    "I see... But remember not to... be like t-that again. Luc is the m-master of... the magic tower. He deserves to be respected," I said.


    I decided not to tell her anything since it was her job to recognize her feelings if she truly felt something romantic towards Luc. And Luc did not seem to understand as well. But it was amusing. I never thought that it was so much fun to see someone in love with a clueless person. I had no idea what it would feel like to be in love with someone like that.


    Perhaps it was amusing to watch, but kinda painful for the person in love since the other person could not recognize their feelings and always acted clueless. I would never know this as well since the person I was in love with fell in love with me first.


    I had read in books that there were also people who acted kinda ignorant and rude with their partners. I always wondered why. Why would someone be like that with the ones they loved? If the person I loved were like that with me, perhaps I would break off my rtionship. It never felt good to be ignored or being rude with.


    "Ow, it hurts..."


    "Oh, did I hurt Your Highness?" Ruby asked quickly. "I was just trying to remove the paint from Your Highness''s fingers..."


    "I got a paper cut...," I said.


    "I will be careful then, Your Highness," she said.


    Ruby prepared a hot bath for me tonight. I was surprised that I managed to go to the magic tower and return as well without falling down and now, I was even taking a bath. Even this simple thing felt like a dream. My throat hurt a lot less and my words almost did not stutter. I knew it was short-lived, yet I wanted to crave this normal life as much as possible.


    "You can g-go now," I said. "I want to stay... in the bath for a while..."


    "Will you be alright, Your Highness?"


    "Yes, you can go."


    I leaned behind and tried to rx, letting the hot water refresh my mind and body. "A coincidence..."


    "What? A coincidence?" I suddenly jumped up as realization hit me. I knew now what Luc meant by that. I indeed knew what the coincidence was.


    There were a lot of humans in my world. But everything happened to me. First of all, Evelyn, Demetrius''s sister, ended up going right into the city where I was. In the whole world, why did she end up there? She could go anywhere. It was as if it was nned.


    Then Demetrius went there as well and he met me there. King Ford also went there to kill me after he found out that Demetrius took an interest in me. But he could not since Dem stopped him. I found Dem and treated his wounds. He fell for me that time and decided to make me his bride.


    When I turned eighteen, as he wanted, he brought me here, in his world, and married me, making me his mate and the queen of Querencia. Then when he left for interrogation of the borders, I started having strange dreams. First of all, I found someone talking to me in my dream. But the other one was more different and kind of scary. It was Demetrius saying me scary stuff.


    I knew he was kind of obsessed with me and would do anything to keep me by his side. I also knew that he did not want me to know about these kinds of thoughts. But in that dream, he was saying those to me. I always felt like someone was trying to control my mind. That was why I asked Ezekiel whether it was possible for someone to control another person''s mind.


    That was when I found out about dark mages.


    Dark mages were different from normal mages since they had ck mana inside them. They were born with it and they were the descendants of the ck lord. With each passing generation, the amount of ck mana decreased and thus, their power also decreased. But they were still more powerful than normal mages and Alphas.


    Mages could detect manas and very powerful mages could detect ck mana as well. So, I went to tell Luc that he should be with me for a few days so he could find out if there was a dark mage around me who might be truly controlling my thoughts. He said that there was surely a dark mage around since he detected ck mana a few times before as well.


    And when he collected my blood, he noticed that I had ck mana inside me as well.


    That night, I fell sick. And I found out that I was pregnant. Since it was a werewolf''s child, precisely saying, an Alpha''s child, my life was in danger. There was a possibility that I could even die. I decided to keep it nheless. Dem found a doctor who could get me better, at least temporarily.


    And Luc said that if my power was awakened then, I would get better as well. And now, we were sure that I had ck mana inside me.


    And the most important fact was- having a dark mage by someone''s side was one of the most powerful things to have. Could it all be a coincidence? Or had someone nned it all from before?


    Why did it have to be me? If I was just a normal human with no power whatsoever, I would not doubt anything. But right now, I could help but think about Luc''s words. Dem... I trusted him. But something was wrong, definitely wrong.

 Chapter 136: Did He Know All Along?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius was eager to awaken my power as well. He always behaved as if he had never known the fact that I had ck mana inside me before. But how could I be sure? How could I find out that he did not know all this before and nned it all?


    The best way to keep me by his side would be marrying me and binding me in his love. But did he truly manipte me? I had no idea what to think anymore.


    But one this was clear- I needed to be wary of him no matter what. I had no idea what he was thinking.


    "Are you taking a bath?"


    I jumped up in surprise hearing the familiar masculine voice. I quickly covered myself with my hands as much as I could. My heart was beating faster and I was sure that I had started sweating as well.


    "Why? Why are you hiding yourself?" he asked. "I am your husband."


    I did not say anything, just looked down. He removed my hands from my front and kissed my palms. He pressed his palm over my forehead.


    "Is my hand too cold?" he asked. "You''re shivering the moment I touched you."


    "No... It''s n-not..."


    "Why are you alone? Where is your maid? You are sick. You shouldn''t be alone at all," he said and sat me back down in the tub.


    "I told... her to leave... since I w-wanted to be alone," I said.


    "Alone? Why?"


    "I just... wanted t-to..."


    "I don''t understand. Just a while ago, you were better than before. But your voice is cracking more than before now," he muttered as he clicked his tongue. "I think I should call the doctor now."


    As he tried to turn back, I quickly held his hand. I could not tell him that I did not have much of a problem in my throat. Rather, I was stuttering because I was scared and confused more than ever. After all, if he was truly deceiving me, then every sweet he said to me would be a lie and the feelings I had for him would have no meaning.


    "Don''t... I''m f-fine," I said. I tried as much as I could to control my voice.


    "You don''t look fine though..."


    "I am!"


    He sighed and looked away from me. I wondered if he suspected anything. But it seemed he was more focused on taking off his clothes than thinking about my unintentionally odd behavior.


    "Wha... What''re you d-doing?" I asked, surprised.


    "Taking my clothes off?"


    "I... I can see t-that. But w-why?"


    "Because I want to?"


    "I don''t... Why are you..."


    He chuckled and got in the tub with me. The tub in our room was pretty big that two persons could get in easily. I had always appreciated the big space. But for the first time, I wished it was not that big.


    "Why are you moving away, my wife?" he asked. "It''s not like this is the first time you''ve seen me naked or I have seen you naked. I understand that it''s the first time we got in the bath together. But you don''t have any reason to be that shy."


    ''I''m not shy. I''m scared.''


    "Come here," he said.


    "I... I am fine here... Ack!"


    I did not know he would do this. Perhaps he knew that I was reluctant, that was why he pulled me towards him all of a sudden that I stumbled on him.


    "You''re still as weak as ever," he muttered as he kissed my shoulder. "Why did the doctor even say that you got better a bit?"


    "I... g-got better than before," I said. "I really d-did..."


    "I will take your word on that then, for now, my darling wife. You went to the magic tower, didn''t you?"


    "I-I did..."


    "Tell me everything," he said.


    "H-How can... I talk in this position?"


    "In what position, my wife?"


    "I am literally o-on you... and you''re... um... licking m-my shoulder..."


    "I can''t?"


    "N-No... Wait until I g-get better..."


    He sighed. "Alright," he said a bit reluctantly. "Sit down between my legs."


    I did as he told me. I could hear his heartbeat behind me. Every time I was this close to him, I would feel veryfortable. But thatfort suddenly went far away and all I could feel was more confusion.


    "Now tell me," he said as he wrapped his strong arms around me as if shielding me.


    "He took my b-blood... just a bit... and well, it was proven right," I said. Even if I did not want to tell him this, I had no choice. If not from me, he would find it out from Luc. Luc might have helped me realize a few things; he still was loyal to his kingdom and the king.


    No matter what, he would not betray his kingdom. That was the type of person he was.


    "And then?"


    "And then, he took my neck... Eh?"


    "Yes?"


    ''The ne... I gave it to Luc. That means, all this time, Dem could read my mind... Shit!''


    I needed to get out of here. I did not care what the truth was. This time, all I wanted was to get away as soon as possible.


    I quickly slipped out of his arms and tried to get out of the tub in a rush. I did so as well, but since my body was kind of weak and the floor was slippery because of the water, I only remembered falling forward.


    A muscr arm held me by my waist and stopped the fall in the middle. But I would have preferred to fall down than get caught by him.


    "Haa, you seem to have forgotten the important part, my wife," he whispered in my ear. "The ne... How could you forget about it so easily?"


    I should have been more careful. Perhaps because I had been wearing it all the time, I got too used to it. I even thought I was wearing it when I had given it to Luc.


    "Let... me go..."


    "Let you go? Why would I?" he asked in a dark and deep tone that spread shiver on my skin.


    "You..."


    I struggled in his arm, but he did not seem to budge. He picked me up from the ground while holding me so tightly that it was hard for me to move my hands or legs.


    He ced me on the bed gently. I truly thought he was going to throw me on the bed. He was being much unexpected. Even his eyes did not show much anger.


    "You really..."


    "What?"


    "Did you know t-this all... along?" I asked.


    "No..."


    "No?"


    "You don''t believe me?" he asked.


    "Haa, how can I?" I mumbled. "Think of my... position right now. You can r-read all of my thoughts, and... I have no clue what you''re thinking."


    "I actually never knew about it before," he said calmly. "I know it''s strange and whatever you''re thinking has a point, but believe it or not, I truly never knew."


    "I don''t..."


    I did not know how to trust him this time. I thought I could, but it was harder than I thought. Even tears in my eyes were dry. It was as if along with my thoughts, my tears had been frozen as well.


    "Will you listen to me?" he asked.


    "Do I... have a choice?"


    "That''s true. Because even if you don''t want to, I will make you listen to me," he said. "I don''t want to have any kind of misunderstanding between us. I will even understand if you don''t believe me after hearing me out. But still, you need to know my side of the story."


    "A-Alright, I will... listen to you," I said. "What... What are you doing?"


    He tied my hands over my head with the headboard. Thanks to the excessive design of the headboard, it was easy to tie my hand with it.


    "The moment I will go to get a towel, you will run away," he said.


    ''Shit! Damn mind-reading ability!''


    "Where will you go?" he asked.


    I did not know where I would go. But still, I just wanted to get out of the room, out of his sight. Even just for a while, I wanted to be away from him.


    "Away..."


    "Away where?" he muttered. "Not that I need to know."


    "After all, the only ce you can be is here," he added as he brought his close to mine. "Didn''t I say it before? Well, even if I have to say it hundreds of times, it will be the same. I won''t let you leave. You have to be here, with me."


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?" he said. "You want me to tell you everything. Then as you wish, I will. After all, I can''t let my darling wife live in the darkness."

 Chapter 137: The Fight

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Actually, even I was surprised when she went there. I thought that she liked the ce or was confused, so she went there. That time, I never suspected anything. And when I went there, the moment I saw you, I was drawn to you. I don''t think it will be a lie if I say that it was not love," he said.


    It was not like I expected anything else. But hearing him say it was strange. I felt a sting in my heart. I was just wishing that even if it was not love that time, it should be now. Or I had no idea what I would do.


    "Oh, wait..."


    He went to the restroom and brought two towels. I tried to free my hand that he tied above my head, but it was too tight.


    "Don''t try. Or you will get marks," he said.


    "Where did y-you get the... rope in the f-first ce?" I asked.


    "It was under the bed, for emergency purposes," he replied.


    ''Emergency purposes?''


    He started wiping my body dry. Perhaps because I was naked, his touch felt very cold. He had already worn his robe. With one towel, he wrapped my body and wrapped my wet hair with the other one.


    "Anyway, it''s true that I wanted you. But I never knew why. It was as if I just wanted you without any reason, or perhaps there was a reason, I just did not know what. Then after you came here, well, the moment I first saw you that night; I think I truly fell for you that time. So, it was like love at second sight."


    "So, you don''t know why you wanted me?"


    "No, I did not. But don''t think I don''t love you now," he said. "It was a huge surprise when I heard that you have ck mana inside you."


    I had a lot of theories. And I had two options. One was to believe Demetrius and the other one was not to trust him.


    I had trusted him all this time. I thought he was not someone who would deceive me. But now I was confused.


    "Well, let''s say that... I trust you," I said. "Then tell me a f-few things. How... did you know where E-Evelyn went?"


    "How... Mother told me," he said. "Evelyn was with Mother before leaving. I think they were having tea in the garden since they love tea. And Evelyn was almost always with Mother before. She told her this."


    "Then why didn''t... Mother stop her?" I asked.


    "What happened was when Evelyn told Mother this, Mother told her not to do it. But she still sneaked out. Mother guessed what happened and went to me."


    "What about your... father? Where was he?"


    "He agreed with Mother and told me to go there," he said. "And besides, Father had something to do as well."


    ''If I was a mother, I wouldn''t tell my son to go to an unknown ce. And a proper father would not say so as well. Guess things are different here. Mother couldn''t possibly want to harm Dem and she said that Dem''s father was an okay father as well. Perhaps because he has Alpha blood inside him, his parents believed in his.''


    ''Yet, I don''t approve of this...''


    "I don''t get anything," I sighed. "Everything is strange..."


    "I agree. But I am not lying," he said.


    "Can... I talk to your s-sister?"


    "Evelyn? Why?"


    "I want to... talk to her... just a bit," I said.


    "So, you want to talk to her about this," he said. "Don''t reveal everything to her."


    "I won''t... But when can I meet h-her?"


    "She will be in the banquet as well," he said. "She and her husband will head there and you can meet her there. Ava will be there as well. You wanted to meet her as well."


    The situation was strange. If I trusted him, then it meant that he did not fall for me when he first met me. But he told me he did.


    "Then why did... you tell me that you f-fell for me at f-first sight?" I asked. Even a single remark affected my feelings.


    "It was because..."


    "You can''t say?"


    "It was because I didn''t know what else to say."


    "What... do you mean?"


    "Actually, I wanted you, but I didn''t know why. It was as if I was meant to have you without any particr reason. I waited for you for seven years. There was obviously a reason that time. But now, I can''t remember anything," he said. "Now it feels like I don''t even know what I wanted that time.


    What could I tell you? That I waited for you for seven years because of a reason that I don''t even know?"


    Seeing him so desperate was a rare sight. It did not seem like he was lying about this one. So, he had a reason to want me, but he now had no idea what it was. It was almost as if someone possessed his mind. And then stopped it all of a sudden and because of that, he did not remember what he wanted that time.


    "I just remember your face and the fact that I wanted you. I did not touch any other women because they disgusted me. Every single of them... I remembered almost everything about you. Then when I went to get you that night, it was as if I met you for the first time. That''s when I fell for you.


    And that''s also the time when I was confused why I wanted you before. I mean, I wanted you that time. But before that night, I could not find any reason to want you."


    If he was telling the truth, it could mean only one thing. He was possessed by something or someone and somehow, the night he met me, he could not be possessed again and he started to regain his original senses.


    "I don''t know about that..."


    "Know about... what?"


    "About what you''re thinking," he said. "How can someone possess me? I have never heard of something like this."


    Well, it could be possible. I had been seeing all kinds of strange things happening in this world. People could literally turn into wolves here, not that I had seen yet. And then there was magic, mind-reading ability, a ne that prevented mind reading and also could be used as a self-defense tool, dark mages, and so on. Nothing seemed impossible anymore.


    And I was pretty sure that I might be right with my assumptions.


    "I understand you, but... I don''t think you''re right about this," he said.


    "So, you''re saying... that you wanted me for n-no freaking reason?" I yelled. "Hah, cut it out! Honestly, are you... really trying to make me believe that? Even a k-kid won''t believe such...


    a thing! Really, I don''t even... know what to do or what... to think anymore? Do you have any i-idea how it feels like when... all these sorts of information d-dump on your head?


    When you brought me here, I had no idea... what to expect. T-That time, I thought I was like... a ve or something. Then you... were very kind to me and s-showed that you love me.


    What was I supposed to feel then, huh? I truly... fell in love with you. But now this! What the hell am I supposed t-to do? Ugh, I hate this!"


    He did not say anything. What did he even have to say? Even though I was beaten up in my family, at least, they never hid their true colors. But I did not understand him. Just when I thought I did, I was proven wrong.


    "Just... Just let me go...," I mumbled. "Let me... leave. I don''t want to be... loved anymore.


    I don''t need anything. Money, love, a-affection, a lover, a husband- I don''t need any of those. I just... don''t want to bear the weight o-of this pressure... It''s annoying and... painful."


    The tears did not stop now. It felt like my heart was breaking. "Please... I don''t want to be h-here anymore..."


    "Then was it a lie when you said that you would be with me forever?" he asked coldly.


    "That time I didn''t know... you were lying!"


    "I told you I''m not lying!" he yelled back.


    "Ha, I want to l-leave..."


    "Leave?" he muttered. "Leave?"


    "Dem..."


    "Then I should have just tied you down so you can never leave me," he said. "How can you even think of leaving? Just because you think I''m lying..."


    "Everything is p-pressuring me. This pregnancy and then all these... I really am tired," I said. "I just wanted a simple life..."


    "I told you to get rid of this thing, but you won''t listen!"


    "How can I know that... you''re not telling me to get rid of the... child so I live and can awaken m-my power safely?" I yelled.

 Chapter 138: The Fight (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "So, you think that way about me?" he chuckled bitterly. "Not that it can be helped. But, my wife, no matter what you''re thinking, I can''t let you go."


    I knew it. I should have known that when I entered this world and into his arms, there was no turning back. If only I knew the truth, I could have epted whatever came in my way. But now that I was in the dark, it was hard to stay somewhere without knowing everything. The stress was too much.


    "Haa, who would have thought that I would have to face this now," he grumbled. "Tsk, so annoying..."


    "And now my own wife is not trusting me," he added.


    Thinking rationally, there was no way I could trust him easily. No matter how I looked at it, the way he brought me here was forced. And he kept telling me not to leave him. I discovered a lot of new things about him here. And now, this... How could I even trust him?


    "Yes, I brought you here forcefully. But did I ever mistreat you?"


    How could I know that he was not mistreating me so I did not want to run away and he could have me by his side? If my power was awakened, having me by his side would benefit him greatly.


    "I hate this now! If I could make you read my mind somehow, I would. I have no idea how to make you trust me now!"


    I did not know what to do. The desperation in his voice was telling me that he was not lying. But my rationality was not letting me trust him.


    But either way, I knew one thing. No matter what the truth was, I had to be with him. He had already wrapped the threads of my life around his fingers. There was no way to escape.


    Nevertheless, I wanted to know the truth. If I found out he truly was not lying, I could try to be happy with him. And I wanted dearly that he was not lying.


    "I don''t care if you don''t trust me now, but be like before. Be with me as you used to be," he said.


    He brought his face close to me and rubbed his nose against mine. The masculine scent again filled my nostrils.


    His lips brushed against mine slightly before he took me in for a deep kiss. It did not taste like heaven and ecstasy as before; rather I could feel sadness and desperation.


    It had been more than two weeks since west kissed. Perhaps that was the reason, I craved it more. I did not know how much I missed it until I got the taste of his lips again.


    As his lips left mine, his hand touched the back of my neck and ran his fingers there. The sudden cold touch was making me shiver. His eyes did not leave mine as he kept giving me light touches.


    "You just have to listen to me. At least, for now, just abide by what I say," he said. "I will try to find everything out. Till then, stay with me and don''t try to run away."


    Both he and I knew that I did not have a choice. And even if I tried to run away, where would I go? He would find me eventually, even if he had to search the whole world.


    "Y-Yes...," I mumbled.


    He hugged me suddenly. My hands were tied up, so I could not move them. Even if there were lies around me, perhaps I would have wrapped my arms around him as well. For some reason, I could not just ignore his gestures of love. Maybe it was because of how much I loved him.


    "I want to make love to you," he whispered in my ear.


    "We c-can''t..."


    "It has been very long."


    "The doctor said n-not to..."


    He tightened his arms around me. He pulled back after a while and gave me a peck on my lips.


    "Sleep now," he said as he untied my hands.


    "W-Where are you..."


    "I have some work to do," he replied coldly. "Just sleep and try not to stress yourself by trying to do unnecessary things."


    ''He obviously means that there is no point in trying to escape since he will catch me no matter what.''


    "A-Alright..."


    My hands were aching a bit since they were tied a while ago. Iy on my side, with my back facing him. But I could feel his gaze on me.


    "Nah, I shouldn''t let you go just like this," he muttered and all of a sudden, turned me back so I was on my back.


    "What..."


    "I am just going to tire you down a bit," he said. "So, you can''t even think about running away because you''re too weak."


    "What do... you mean?" I asked.


    "I mean this...," he said as he put his hand inside the towel that was wrapped around me.


    "Dem... We''re not... supposed t-to..."


    "I am not going to make love to you," he said. "I''m just going to y a little bit, just enough to make you tired."


    "Huh? Ah... Wait..."


    "Wait? Don''t you know that your husband is not a patient man?" he muttered.


    His finger trailed on the skin of my inner thigh. I knew what he was nning, yet I could not do anything.


    "You seem to be tight... Is it because we haven''t done it in a while?" he said as he shoved a finger inside.


    "Huh..."


    He leaned over me and captured my lips with his while he added one more finger. I felt more sensitive than before. It was as if I could not breathe as he kept kissing me while his fingers were driving me out of my mind.


    "Ah... Haa...," I panted as he released my lips after the long kiss.


    "You''re moving your hips a lot," he said. "Is it that stimting?"


    "It''s... too..."


    "Too much?" he chuckled. "But you haven''te once yet."


    ''Isn''t that because you keep stopping the moment I am about toe?''


    "Is that right? Am I stopping the moment you''re about toe?"


    "You... ah... know t-that..."


    "That''s pretty mean of me," he muttered. "Then, should I make youe for real this time?"


    He took it too long. Though he said he would not stop, he still did. And I could not even say anything as I was drowned so much in pleasure.


    His seductive ck eyes drew me in and I felt myself falling deeper into them as a wave of intense pleasure ran through me. My legs were shaking fiercely, yet he did not stop. When I tried to stop his hands, he held both of my hands with his free left hand while the other one kept teasing me.


    "Your face is so red, my wife. It makes me want to push you more to your limits," he smirked.


    "You''re... t-teasing me..."


    "Am I? I wonder..."


    It did not seem like we fought a while ago. I felt connected to him just as all the time. I wished it was all a lie, and when I would wake up, all my confusion would go away.


    "A-Again?"


    I had already reached my climax, yet he did not stop. My toes were curled up tightly and I felt my toenails digging inside my flesh. My hips were thrusting against his fingers on their own. I did not want to, yet I could not stop it.


    He seemed pretty turned on as well. I could feel hisbored breathing as he hid his face on the side of my neck.


    "Yes, I am turned on, my wife. Isn''t it because of you?"


    "Dem, ah..."


    "I like it when you call my name and moan," he groaned. "This voice... it''s beautiful..."


    "Nngh, ahh..."


    "You''re beautiful, really beautiful," he muttered as he kissed me again. My moan was swallowed by him as I reached another intense climax.


    "Hah, it''s too... much," I panted. He bit on my lower lip and trailed his lips down to my throat. He filled the ce with little kisses.


    As he pulled back, I nced at him, too tired to move my muscles. He winked at me and licked his fingers that were pleasuring me a while ago. No matter how many times he did it, I could never get used to this sight. It should be forbidden for him to be this handsome while doing something so lewd...


    My eyes felt heavy. I could not close them; neither could I keep them open. He closed my eyelids with his hand and kissed me on the forehead.


    "Sleep, darling," he said. "Don''t worry. I will make sure that you know the truth."

 Chapter 139: Lucs Predictions

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "I expected you to call me," Luc said as he sat in the chair in front of me.


    "What are you talking to my wife about?" I asked.


    After she had fallen asleep, I had summoned Luc from the magic tower. I had no idea she was taking things that way.


    When I found out what she was thinking about, it was hard to control myself. I was angrier than ever. But the things she said- she had a point. And it was true that I did not bring her here because I was in love with her. I just had no idea why I wanted her that time.


    There was a nkness in my mind whenever I tried to think about what the reason might be. It was as if someone removed those thoughts of that time from my mind.


    "So, she realized it," Luc chuckled.


    "It''s no matter tough about," I said bitterly.


    "I can''t believe she told you those," he said.


    Of course, she did not tell me about it. But I could not tell him that. My wife was the only person who knew about my ability to read minds.


    "She didn''t tell you those, did she? I wonder how you found out."


    "That''s none of your business," I said. "Now tell me. What the hell are you putting in her head?"


    "I am not doing anything. I just helped her realize a few things," he shrugged.


    "Realize? It seems like you''re trying to break us apart."


    "Huh, break you apart?" Lucughed. "Don''t make meugh. I have no intention of breaking you apart. You''re my friend and she is someone I care about. And I am grateful that she could tame a beast like you. I would be stupid to try to break your rtionship.


    But it''s not like there aren''t people who are actively trying to do so."


    "What do you mean?"


    "First, tell me if it''s true."


    "What''s true?" I asked.


    "That you brought her here because you wanted her power."


    "I did not."


    "Is that so?" he chuckled. It was clear that he did not believe me at all.


    I sighed. "She doesn''t believe me as well."


    "You two fought?" he asked, but it seemed more like he was sure that we did. "Well, isn''t it your fault? Do you think this all coincidence will go past someone''s eyes? And it''s not normal either. Who will believe you?"


    "I know that it''s all fucked up. But the thing is, even I don''t know why I brought her here," I said.


    "Now you''re clearly messing with me. I don''t care if you mess with me. But you clearly made her cry again. She is your wife, for god''s sake!"


    "I know she is my wife! And I am not messing with her! I don''t even know what''s going on," I yelled. "Yes, I brought her here and for seven years, I waited for her. But when I went to her, I suddenly lost the reason to bring her. And when I saw her there, I just couldn''t take my eyes off.


    That''s the time I got a real reason to bring her."


    "It''s strange to hear this from you, but anyway, so what you mean is you fell for her that time and wanted to make her your mate?"


    "No," I said. "I wanted to make her my mate all those time. But that time, I didn''t have a reason, or perhaps, I had a reason, but I don''t know what."


    "That''s totally almost bullshit," he said. "But... What did Blue say about it?"


    "She doesn''t believe me. But she said that if I was telling the truth, then it seems that someone possessed my thoughts... That''s not possible, of course."


    "Heh, she is smarter than I thought," he smirked. "Actually, I predicted something like this when I found out that she had ck mana. I wanted to ask you myself if you remember the reason you wanted her. The fact that you fell for someone and waited for her for seven years was really strange and unbelievable. I always knew something was off. You''re more the type to make an abrupt decision.


    That''s why the fact that you saw her that night and brought her here to make your mate is believable. But not the other one. Something surely happened seven years ago."


    "I wanted to ask you this. But somehow, you found out about it from her," he added. "You didn''t yell at her, did you?"


    "So, what''s your theory?" I asked, ignoring his question.


    "So, you did! She is pregnant! You can''t just yell at her," he said. "Really? Why the hell did you even marry?"


    "I don''t need to hear that from someone like you," I grumbled.


    "Huh, someone like me? Look at who is talking... You can''t even take care of her. Anyway, even if I say things like this, you won''t listen to me," he muttered. "Anyway, what I suspect happened is that you truly were possessed or something like that."


    "That doesn''t make any sense."


    "Actually, trying to control someone''s thoughts is what a dark mage can do. It''s not your wife obviously, since her power isn''t awakened yet, and more importantly, why the hell would she even bother to do it when you are literally head over heels for her?"


    "Can it be the dark mage whose power you detected before?" I asked.


    "It might be," he said, thinking about something intently. "And I suspect that it is someone who is hiding their power almost perfectly. And there is almost no hole."


    "Almost?" I said. "You got an idea?"


    "Nah, not really. I think it''s someone we least expect. I think Blue thinks the same. Oddly enough, we think almost the same way. It would be good if we were siblings... Anyway, make sure that she is protected these days at all costs.


    I have two predictions- it''s someone who knows about her power and that''s also for a long time. And it''s a powerful dark mage. They manipted your thoughts and made you go there."


    "That mage surely yed with Evelyn''s mind as well and made her go where Blue was. And then you went to get her and met Blue. Since then, you wanted to bring her here and I think it''s because you wanted her power. Let''s be honest here- you actually like power a lot. And you will do anything to gain more.


    But after you met Blue, for some reason, that maniption did not work on you anymore and you forgot why you wanted her before."


    "And that dark mage wanted you to bring her here so they could use her power. Or so they could kill her after her power is awakened. So, there will be three teams. One- who will want to save her to use her power, all the time, before and after the awakening. Two- who will want to kill her before or after the awakening to save the world since they think that all dark mages are evil and too powerful.


    And three who want to save her before the awakening and then kill her after the awakening."


    "Because if a mage kills a dark mage after their power is bloomed, then that mage gets all the dark mage''s power," I finished for him.


    "Exactly. So, no matter what happens, what you choose, or what she chooses, she will always have enemies in this world. And you can''t even take her back to her world since she will most probably die if her power isn''t awakened. The only thing to do is to awake her power."


    If that was the case, then the only way to protect her was to be by her side. If her power was awakened, perhaps she would be able to protect herself most of the time. But I did not want that. If it was not for her life, I would rather not awaken her power. Because, if her power was awakened, she would be less dependent on me. I did not want that.


    I wanted her to be dependent on me as much as possible since in that case, she would not be able to even think of leaving me.


    "But are you really telling the truth that you did not bring her here for her power only?" Luc asked.


    "It''s true. I did not. If your assumptions are correct, then perhaps I wanted her for her power before. But not in my right senses, I ever wanted her for her power," I said. "I just wanted her because I liked her. It''s true that I am kind of obsessed with her, but it''s definitely not her power.


    Really, I don''t give a fuck about what she can do and what she can''t. All I want is for her to be with me."

 Chapter 140: Swollen Eyes

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, are you awake?"


    Hearing the familiar voice, I slowly opened my eyes and found Ruby''s face hovering over mine. My head felt lighter, but my throat hurt a bit. Perhaps it was because I yelled at Demetriusst night.


    "Your eyes are swollen, Your Highness," Ruby said. "And there are marks on your wrists... What happened? Are you alright?"


    "Y-Yes, I am... I want to t-take a bath...," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness. Can you walk?" she asked and helped me wear a robe.


    "Hmm..."


    "No need. You get out," he said, looking at Ruby. "I will take her."


    "Dem..."


    He touched the side of my face and rubbed his thumb over my left eye. "Did you cry in your sleep?"


    "I... don''t k-know..."


    He sighed and picked me up in bridal style from the bed. I did not protest. Though I was reluctant to believe him, I still craved his warmth. Perhaps I had gone crazy.


    He sat me on the stool beside the tub and started filling it with water. His face was filled with abject sadness, or was it my eyes'' deceiving? He put a few drops of sweet orange bath oil in the water.


    "Be careful," he said as he put me in the hot water of the bath.


    "I thought... you h-hated scented oils..."


    "I do," he said. "But I noticed that you like it. Besides, it''s alright to use them every few days."


    "I see..."


    As I slowly tried to rx in the bath, he brought another towel and soaked it in cold water. He sat beside the tub on the stool and pressed it over my eyes.


    "What are you... doing?"


    "It will reduce the puffiness," he replied. "Last night, I summoned Luc here, in my study, and that''s why I wasn''t in the room."


    "Why are you telling me t-this?" I asked.


    "... I don''t want to have any kind of confusion between us," he said. "I know that right now, things are a bit... difficult between us. But I will find out everything as soon as possible."


    I wished I could see the look on his face. Since he was holding the cold towel on my eyes, I could not see him. But I wished I knew the emotion his face held when he said this.


    "What did L-Luc say?"


    "He agrees with you."


    "What is this s-supposed to... mean?"


    "That someone might have manipted my thoughts."


    "A dark mage?"


    "Yes... We''re not sure," he said.


    "Well, a dark mage can... manipte... someone''s thoughts," I said. "But that doesn''t exin why they could not... do so again after you brought me h-here."


    "I know. Luc is trying to find out. And we need to be careful as well," he said. "If a word of this is out, then no matter what, there will be danger around you."


    "Like... people will try to kill me before... the awakening to stop me from being a dark mage... to maintain the power division. And some people will try to save me so they can use me," I said.


    "You talk just like Luc. He was right. It''s like you two are siblings," he mumbled. "Anyway, and there will be people, I mean, dark mages who will try to save you before your awakening and then try to kill you after your awakening."


    "W-Why?"


    "If a dark mage kills another dark mage, then that dark mage gets the power of the other one," he exined. "That''s why I said that your life will always be in danger."


    "By the way, do you have any kind of strange dreams anymore?" he asked.


    "N-No..."


    Now that I thought about it, it had been a while since I had those strange dreams. And I did not have any scary dreams anymore as well.


    "Hmm," he mumbled. "Here, open your eyes now. They are less swollen now."


    "It''s like I''m in... delusion...," I mumbled.


    "What do you mean?"


    "You''re so... good to me... and you look at me so lovingly... I can''t bring myself not to... trust y-you," I chuckled. "It looks like I am going c-crazy..."


    When I looked at his face, it clearly said that he did not mind me being in a delusion as long as I was by his side. That was what scared me. I wanted to stay with him, but I did not want to have any kind of lie between us.


    "By the way, how will we go to the... banquet? We were supposed to g-go by a carriage, right? But then..."


    "We will teleport," he replied.


    "T-Teleport? Is it like moving from one ce to another using psychokinesis?" I asked.


    "Yes, that''s right," he nodded.


    "But... but... how am I supposed to do so? I am not a m-mage... yet."


    "Luc will do it. Teleportation cannot be done by all the mages since it takes a lot of energy and mana. That''s why only high-level magicians can do it," he exined. "A mage can teleport others along with them as long as the other people are in direct contact with him. Holding hands or something like that will work."


    "Oh..."


    I leaned behind me and closed my eyes. Suddenly I heard him clicking his tongue. "Huh?"


    "It''s so hard... It''s even harder than that night..."


    "What''s hard? And t-that night? What do... you mean by that?"


    He did not say anything. Rather, he started to massage my hands gently. And that was the time I realized it.


    "What the... Why didn''t you tell me?"


    "You don''t have to worry. I am alright," he said.


    "That doesn''t make any s-sense! It surely hurt like hell, right?"


    "Calm down..."


    "How can I? You should have... Luc said that it hurt... like hell if a werewolf doesn''t do it with their mate on a full moon night," I said. "That was a week ago, right?"


    "Yes," he said. "But you were sick. How could I tell you?"


    "Then... what did you do?"


    "I took a potion that Luc gave me. It wasn''t that helpful, but it was enough to keep myself from breaking our room''s door... Hey, I am fine. You should worry about yourself now," he said and gently stroked the side of my face with the back of his hand.


    "It hurt like hell, huh?"


    "I told you I am fine," he said.


    "I''m sorry..."


    "Why?"


    "Because I could not... help you... I really am sorry," I said.


    "It''s not your fault that you couldn''t help. I have no reason to me you. And moreover, you''re in this condition because of me," he grumbled. "You can''t get pregnant by yourself, right?"


    "W-Well, you didn''t know...," I said. It was true that I was afraid to trust him. But not even for once, I thought about ming him for my condition. I was pregnant with his child, but none of us knew it would be bad for my health.


    "Haa, I managed to make sure that you''re not touched by anyone else, so I could have you all by myself. But look what happened now," he muttered. "I couldn''t ensure your safety, yet I can''t tell you to leave me. I can''t let you do so. It wouldn''t be a surprise if you refused to talk to me."


    "I told you to be your usual self even if you can''t trust me," he added. "But I didn''t think you would do so as well. I was sure that you would avoid me."


    "We live t-together... in the same room as well. How can I d-do so?"


    "If we weren''t in the same room, would you avoid me?"


    "If I could... then yeah," I replied. Avoiding was easier than hating. Even if I could avoid him, I was sure that there was no way I would be able to bring myself to hate someone like him who looked at me so lovingly as if I was the only thing he loved in the world. Sometimes it felt like even if he was deceiving me all this time, I would not be able to hate him even then.


    That was the very reason I hated falling in love but ended up deeply embraced by it as well.


    "I made that markst night on your chest," he mumbled and touched right over my right breast where there was a dark reddish sucking mark.


    "There is only you..."


    "I don''t like the tone of it," he said and rubbed over the mark. "Don''t say things like that when it''s so obvious. Of course, there is only me. There will be me only."


    "I didn''t mean to... make it sound like t-that..."


    "I know," he sighed. "I just hate everything that can lead to the topic of another man. It''s annoying to think of someone else touching you as I do."


    "You''re my h-husband, not someone else," I said.


    "Ugh, I hate it. Let''s not talk about it. I feel like my breath is about to stop," he grumbled.

 Chapter 141: Princess Laetitia

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What''s this, Ruby?"


    Ruby had a portrait in her hands that she had brought right now. We were going to leave for the banquet four dayster. Since we were going to teleport, it would take only a moment to reach there.


    In the case of Royal banquets, other Royals and important noble families usually arrive there two or three weeks before the banquet. But Dem said that he liked to arrive just in time. And moreover, since I was sick, we could not leave before as well. Even so, we were going there one week ago so Dem could make sure that my health was alright to join the banquet.


    It was all Dem''s n and he would not listen to me no matter what I said.


    "What are you doing? Isn''t... it heavy?" I asked.


    "It''s not. Though I might look weak, I actually have good stamina," Ruby said with a grin. "But we need to be quiet."


    "Why? You aren''t supposed to s-show me... this or something?"


    "It''s not like that. But if His Highness knows, he might get angry," she replied. "But I wanted to show this to Your Highness very bad. Since Your Highness is going to the banquet, I think it''s important for Your Highness to know a few things."


    "Alright, now will you turn it around? I can''t see anything if you hold it like that," I said.


    "Ah, yes..."


    As she turned the photo frame around, I saw a woman with light brown skin and ck silky hair. Her left eye was dark brown and the other one was golden. She looked like a goddess wearing a golden silk dress and a lot of gold essories.


    "She is... beautiful...," I mumbled.


    "Your Highness is more beautiful," Ruby said without missing the beat. "When Your Highness became our queen, there was a bet that if Your Highness is more beautiful or Princess Laetitia. And Your Highness is said to be more beautiful."


    ''Really? She clearly looks like a goddess...''


    "Anyway, as I said, she is Princess Laetitia. She is the only princess of Lacuna. Does Your Highness remember when I said that there was a princess who came here to seduce His Highness?"


    "It''s her?" I asked.


    "Yes," she nodded.


    Princess Laetitia did not look like someone who would stoop that low to make someone like her. I thought she was more the type to keep her head high. If that was the case, then perhaps I would have respected her.


    "Princess Laetitia came here and barged into His Highness''s room without permission. No one could stop her since she was the princess and she even got permission from His Highness''s mother."


    "Mother? But why would she do so?"


    "Her Highness could not say no since Princess Laetitia was a Royal Princess of Lacuna," she said. "But if Her Highness really tried, she could have, no offense. That''s why His Highness was really angry at Her Highness and yelled at her."


    "Then what happened?"


    "When His Highness returned to his room, the princess threw herself at him and she was also wearing very indecent clothes," she said.


    "T-Then...?"


    "His Highness pushed the princess away and when she tried to touch him again, he made the guards throw her right outside the pce. That was very shameful for the princess. I think that''s why Lacuna holds a grudge against His Highness. It''s clearly the princess''s fault, yet they behave as if they are the victims," she muttered.


    "I am telling this to Your Highness since the princess will be at the banquet. In case she tries to do something strange, I thought I should warn Your Highness. It''s said that she was crazily in love with His Highness."


    "I see... She is not even her ex... I don''t think she will do something... I mean, will she?"


    "Perhaps I don''t need to worry. I mean, His Highness would be with Your Highness all the time and no one needs to tell him that."


    "That''s t-true..."


    I did not know what I was supposed to feel hearing that an unbelievably beautiful woman was in love with my husband. I did not know if she liked him now. Strangely enough, I did not feel anything. Perhaps it was because even if her love was true, it was always one-sided. Everyone said that Dem had never shown any interest in anyone before me.


    Even though he pretended to sleep with other mistresses, most of the people in the pce knew it was not true. But no one ever questioned it. I even heard some maids saying that only Dem''s uncle and his family did not know the truth and he mainly did so to fool them. They were the ones who wanted to take his power the most after all. And any excuse could be deadly for him.


    Dem told me that he ordered five dresses for me in total and he was also the one to choose the one I would wear in the banquet. For some reason, he liked choosing my dresses. I did not care since anything was fine with me.


    "Your Highness, I better put this portrait away. What if His Highness gets angry?"


    "Alright, put it away," I said. "By the way, I will take a look at the dress I will wear at the banquet."


    "That one? It''s really gorgeous!" she eximed. "His Highness chose the best dress. Well, let''s not spoil the fun here. I will show Your Highness right after I put it away."


    By the way Ruby was saying, I was sure that Demetrius surely got something made really extravagant. Well, it did not matter to him since he was the king. He had the habit to spend a lot of money since he had a lot. But as I grew up in an environment where I never had enough money, I still could not get used to it.


    It was still daytime, so Dem was busy. Or he would surely spend his time in the bedroom. These days, he even had lunch with me.


    And besides, he got the idea that I might try to run away. That was why he did not want to keep me alone. He even assigned a knight to stand in front of the bedroom when he was not here. It was too much. But I had no say in this.


    "Your Highness!"


    Hearing the yful and cheerful voice, I looked beside me towards the door. It was the female knight that I had met that day on my way to the magic tower.


    "Perita?"


    "Your Highness remembers my name! Can Ie in?" she asked.


    "Yes, of course," I said.


    Perita had short golden hair just like her brother, Azriel. Only their heights were different. Another knight said that their personalities were different as well. I did not know about this one. I only knew that she was very cheerful and bubbly.


    "Is Your Highness sick? I thought you have gotten better," she said with a worried expression.


    "Ah, I''m alright... Just a bit weak," I said.


    She flopped on the bed in front of me and looked around the room with curious eyes. "Does Your Highness know why I am here?" she asked.


    "N-No..."


    "Well, His Highness assigned me Your Highness''s personal knight. Isn''t it cool? I get to spend time with Your Highness!" she eximed happily.


    "Is that so? I didn''t... know," I said. Demetrius had not told me anything about it. Perhaps he had decided in a hurry as well. I had a hunch that he would assign a female knight for me.


    Seemed like my suspicion was correct. But I was d that it was Perita. I always knew that we would get along.


    "His Highness called for me today and ordered me to be with Your Highness all the time. And guess what?"


    "What?"


    "I am going to the banquet as well!"


    "Oh, that''s good..."


    "I haven''t been in one before, so I am kinda curious," she said.


    "Well, it will b-be my first... banquet as well," I said.


    "Really? Then it will be both of our first banquet. But doesn''t Your Highness''s world have these types of banquets?"


    "These types of? No," I shook my head. "I didn''t know these... types of things existed now. In my world, there are... a lot of different things than here..."


    "Does Your Highness miss your world?"


    "Not really," I chuckled. After all, I did not have any good memory there. Perhaps I hadughed freely for the first time aftering here.


    Perita did not ask me about it anymore. She probably understood that I did not want to talk about it. I was d that she was considerate. That was one more reason that I would get along with her.

 Chapter 142: The Dresses

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Lady Perita. What are you doing here?" Ruby asked as she came back.


    "From today onwards, I am Her Highness''s personal knight," Perita said. "And just Perita is fine."


    Ruby looked at me with questioning eyes and I nodded in agreement. "That''s good," Ruby said. "It''s good that it''s a woman this time."


    Ruby was just like Demetrius when it came to things like that. She was as naggy as him and of course, as protective.


    "Will you take a look at the dress now?" Ruby asked.


    "Yes," I said. "I am kind of excited..."


    "Pleasee with me, Your Highness."


    Ruby led us out of the bedroom. Right beside the bedroom, there was a room where all my dresses and essories were stored. It was very big, almost like a ballroom. Our bedroom was no less than that as well.


    "What dress?" Perita asked.


    "The one I am wearing at the banquet," I replied.


    "Your Highness hasn''t seen it yet?" she asked, surprised.


    "His Highness chose it for Her Highness," Ruby said.


    "I see. But why?"


    I had no answer for that. I did not know why he liked to choose dresses for me. And I never gave it a thought since it did not matter much what I was wearing as long as it was something wearable.


    Ruby closed the door of the room behind us and led us in front of a dress that was covered with a ck cloth.


    "Are you ready, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "The way you''re saying it is making me n-nervous," I said.


    "I think the dress will take Your Highness''s breath away...," she muttered.


    With a quick move, she removed the cover from over the dress. And indeed, it was magnificent.


    It was a ck satin mermaid dress. The train was not too long, perhaps two feet from my feet. The bottom line of the train along with the long flowy sleeves was made of ck thick fur. The chest part of the dress was made of hard gold that would cover the breast areapletely and it was attached to a gold ne. There were gold strings attached from the waist side to the downer part as well.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?" Ruby asked excitedly.


    "Yeah, really beautiful...," I mumbled. I had to admit that Demetrius''s choices of fashion were really amazing.


    "Your Highness would look good in it," Perita said. "Though I don''t know what''s so good about wearing a dress, even I have to admit that it''s a good choice."


    "Do you want to see the other dresses as well, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "Now that I havee here, let''s see them," I said.


    The second dress was a ck chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was split from the side with a flowy downer part. There was a golden thick belt with little chains on the waistline. The border of the dress was made of ck silk. There was a golden royal cloak that was supposed to be worn over it.


    The third one was a ck silk A-line dress with a Queen Anne neckline. It had flowy long sleeves and on the shoulders, there were designs made with real gold. Around the waist, there was a simple golden belt without any design.


    The fourth dress was a ck taffeta dress. The front part waspletely covered and it had long ck tight sleeves. The downer part was split into four parts. The back part had an almost three feet long train. The front of the dress, the tip of the sleeves, and the split parts in the bottom had golden embroidery on them.


    The fifth dress was a ck ball gown with heavy designs on it. The downer part was split into two horizontal parts. It had ace straight neckline that had little golden pearls on it.


    I was afraid of wearing the fifth dress since it looked too heavy. I was worried that I would fall down if I wore it.


    "They really... are something," I muttered. "But I like the first and second dress."


    "All of them are beautiful! I can''t choose..."


    "Now that I see it, Your Highness''s dresses are all ck," Perita said.


    I noticed it too. Almost all the time, I wore ck dresses. Dem always wore ck as well and sometimes, they had a golden design on them.


    "It''s because our kingdom''s royal color is ck and golden," Ruby said.


    "Just because a kingdom''s royal color is ck and golden doesn''t mean that the king and queen have to wear ck only. The previous king and queen did not wear ck or golden only," Perita protested. "There must be other reasons..."


    I never asked that as well. Now I was wondering why he liked to wear ck so much that he even made me wear ck almost all the time.


    "Just what do you do with these many dresses, Your Highness?" Perita asked.


    "Her Highness is the queen. Of course, she needs many dresses," Ruby said.


    "There are more dresses than a person can ever wear in a lifetime," Perita muttered.


    "Well, if you think like that, then I... don''t need t-that many dresses, but... ording to other people''s vision, a queen... is supposed to wear new dresses... every single day a-along with various essories," I said.


    "Isn''t it tiring? Wearing thatplicated dresses? I would rather go around naked..."


    "Haha, well, it is...," I chuckled. "But what can I do?"


    "Let''s go out now," I said. "I don''t feel alright being here..."


    "Yes, Your Highness," Ruby nodded.


    Ruby locked the door as we went out. I looked around the ce. It had been more than two months, yet I still had not gotten used to how big the pce was. Each room was so big that it was hard to look around.


    "Your Highness, do you want to go for a walk?" Perita asked. "If you''re well, of course..."


    "But I am wearing my nightgown...," I said.


    "It''s alright. It looks like a dress anyway," she said.


    "No, it is not appropriate. Her Highness needs to change into something else," Ruby said, shaking her head.


    I agreed with Perita. This nightgown literally looked like a dress. Every single thing that Demetrius bought for me was costly. Even the nightgown would cost a fortune, I was sure.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "Ah, I greet His Majesty, the King," Perita bowed.


    "You don''t have a fever, do you? You moved as well. Are you feeling alright? What about your head? Does it hurt anymore? It''s better if you don''t move much," Dem said as he pressed his palm over my forehead.


    Perita had a funny look on her face. It looked like she could not believe what she was saying. But then again, she had gotten the answer to why I did not go out much.


    "I went... to see the d-dresses," I said.


    "Is that so? Do you like them?" he asked.


    "Hmm... I like the one that... you chose for me to wear a-at the banquet most," I said.


    "That''s my favorite too," he said. "As long as you like them, it''s alright... And by the way, the ball gown might look heavy, but it actually is not. Since you''re weak, I cannot make you wear something heavy."


    "I was going to... ask the same...," I said. "Well, aren''t... you busy?"


    "No. Why? You want me to be busy?"


    "N-No, it''s not... like that. Perita suggested that we should t-take a walk, so..."


    He sharpened his eyes and looked down at me as if observing my face. "No," he said. "You can''t go."


    "Why?"


    He did not say anything, rather held my hand and pulled me closer to him. "You can all go now," he said, looking at Perita and Ruby.


    They both bowed and left, but I saw Perita ncing at me as if to know what was going on.


    "You aren''t l-letting me... do anything," I said.


    "Isn''t it because I don''t know if you will run away or not the moment you get the chance?"


    "I won''t," I said. "And besides, how c-can I? I am... sick and can''t move much..."


    "I can''t afford to take the risk," he said.


    He picked me up from the ground all of a sudden and started walking. I thought he would take me to the bedroom, but to my surprise, he went the opposite way.


    "Where..."


    "Keep quiet."


    "Why would I? W-Where are you... taking me?" I asked.


    "Really? Can''t you trust me even for a moment? If you can''t trust your husband, who will you trust?"


    "You and I... b-both know why I can''t... trust you..."


    By the time I looked ahead of me, I saw that he was opening the library door. I had no idea why he brought me here.


    "Why are we here?" I asked.


    "I just want to spend some private time with my wife here, that''s why."

 Chapter 143: In The Library

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius ced me on the table, entering the library. I had no idea why he brought me here. And if I asked him, he would not give me a proper answer.


    "Why?"


    "Because I missed you," he said and hid his face in my chest.


    "But in the l-library... Why here?" I asked as I looked around to see if someone was there. It would be very embarrassing if someone saw us in this position.


    "The ce doesn''t matter."


    "But our bedroom was c-closer... Yet, you brought... me here..."


    "Hmm... I felt likeing here," he mumbled. "And you seemed like you wanted to ask me something."


    "You can c-clearly... read my mind," I said. "Why are you asking?"


    "On our wedding, you told me to pretend like I can''t read your mind, even if I can," he said.


    "You remember that?"


    "Of course," he said. "And besides, it hasn''t been long..."


    Now that I thought about it, it had been just a bit more than two months that I got married to him and it was also how long I had known him for. It was a very short time. And it would not be a surprise if someone did not believe the other person who they knew for this much time. Yet, I felt very wrong every time I suspected him.


    "Well, now that you''ve seen the dresses, if you don''t like any of them, we can get another one," he said.


    "No, they''re f-fine," I said quickly. I was sure that he was going to literally throw the dress out if I did not like any of them. It was a great waste since every one of them was very expensive. I did not want to waste that much money for no reason and more importantly, I did not dislike those dresses. "But I was wondering about s-something else...


    Why are all the dresses ck and sometimes with a bit of gold? Even your outfits are like that... Is it because the royal color of Q-Querencia is ck and... golden?"


    "It''s merely because you look good in ck," he replied nonchntly. "I always liked wearing ck since it suited me the most."


    ''Wrong, you look good in anything...''


    "Thank you. Anyway, and when I saw you, I had a feeling that you would look good in ck and I was right. Besides, it looks good when we two wear matching outfits."


    Since the moment I hade here, we had been wearing matching outfits all the time. I did not remember a single day when we were not matched. Even if it was a little thing, there were always simrities between our dress-ups. It was as if to let anyone know that we were rted.


    "But if you don''t like it..."


    "It''s alright. I like it," I said.


    "That''s good," he said as he rubbed his face on my chest. He liked to maintain skinship as much as possible all the time. Even without a reason, he would touch my hand or something. And after working for a long time oring back from a meeting, he would hide his face in my chest or cling to me.


    "By the way, why didn''t you t-tell me about assigning Perita, my personal knight?" I asked.


    "I was looking for a female knight for a while and then found out that she is best among them. Even the beta praised her. I heard she is very cheerful. So, I thought she would be able to keep you entertain," he said. "And it was a hasty decision to assign her after the beta told me this morning."


    "I see..."


    "Do you want me to change her? Or is she fine?"


    "She is g-great... I like her," I said. I truly enjoyed my time with Perita. She was the exact opposite of me but was really entertaining to be with. And moreover, I liked the fact she was quite chatty. Since I could not do many things these days, it was good to have someone to at least talk to.


    "You like her?"


    "Hmm."


    "More than me?"


    "What are you s-saying? How can you even say that? R-Really?"


    "Alright, alright, I understand," he said in a surrendering tone.


    "I still don''t understand why you brought me... in the library..."


    "Actually," he said as he pulled his face up and looked at me, "I wanted to give you a book."


    "A book?"


    "I wasn''t sure if you would really like it, so I wanted to show it to you first," he said.


    "What''s this... about?"


    "It''s actually a very controversial and forbidden book. Only a few people have this," he said. "But I thought that perhaps you should take a look at it."


    "Are you sure it''s not c-cursed or something... like that? I mean, what if I touch it and die? Or go paralyze or something?"


    "There is nothing called a real curse. Don''t worry. And if it would hurt you, I wouldn''t give it to you in the first ce. I have read it long ago. And now since you have a lot of questions about everything here, you can find out a lot of things if you read it. You''re bored as well."


    "That''s t-true... Well then, I will give it a try," I said. But I still did not know why he brought me here. His answers did not exin the real thing at all.


    "So, you still haven''t let it go..."


    "Why would... I?"


    "Actually, I want to be with you as much as possible. But these days, you''re almost always in the bedroom and it''s not like I want you to go outside either. It''s just... whenever I see the bed, I get aroused and want to do it with you. But now that your body is weak, we can''t. So, I decided to avoid the sight of bed as much as possible."


    "Where are you g-going to sleep... then? In the r-roof?"


    "I can manage that time only," he said. "Mornings are the hardest. Nights are kind of manageable. It''s more because of the medicine you take at night. You lose your senses and keep asking a lot of things. My time passes talking to you."


    I never remembered many things of the nighttime after taking the medicine. What if I kept saying strange things?


    "It doesn''t matter even if you say strange things. If it''s with me, it''s alright."


    I touched the side of his face and he leaned on my palm, closing his eyes. It seemed like I could feel his gentle look even when his eyes were closed. Sometimes I had no idea how to not trust him.


    "That day... when I was going to the m-magic tower with Luc, I met... four knights," I said. "Perita, her brother Azriel, Kade and Christophen."


    "You remember their names well," he muttered.


    "Do you k-know all of them?" I asked.


    "Yes,st time I went to inspect, they made an unnecessary fuss among them," he said. "Perita was fighting with her brother while that white-haired one watched and Kade encouraged them to fight more."


    "Pfft... R-Really? When was it?" Iughed.


    "Just a few days ago. I would have gotten their heads, but since they are good at what they do, I decided not to," he said casually.


    ''Their heads? Just for this? Isn''t it illegal?''


    "Illegal?" heughed. "Whatever I do is legal."


    ''So full of himself...''


    "You can do anything you want to. It will be a rule no matter what you do," he said.


    "I don''t need to do anything... Anyway, as I said, I met them that day. They were very... friendly..."


    "Then?"


    "I... I actually am thinking of g-going to... meet them..."


    "Meet them?" he suddenly said loudly, jerking up. "Why?"


    "Because... I want to..."


    "No."


    "Alright."


    "Huh?" he looked at me in surprise.


    "Give me that book... then. I will r-read it...," I said.


    Now it was not in my hand to do whatever I wanted. So, I better epted it as soon as possible, or it would make everything difficult for me.


    "I wille with you then," he said.


    "Yes?"


    "To... meet those knights for who knows why," he grumbled, looking away.


    "R-Really?"


    "But, you have to eat well and drink your juice. And also, a ss of milk..."


    "I hate milk..."


    "Why?"


    "It has a weird smell..."


    "The doctor said you have to drink it."


    "Don''t wanna..."


    "If you don''t, then you can''t go," he said. He talked as if he was talking to a child. But it was alright since he agreed. Perhaps I must drink milk today.


    "A small cup..."


    "Yes, yes, a small cup," he said and hugged me. I could hear his heart beating in a rhythm with mine. And I heard a mumble, "That time, I hated that look on your face."

 Chapter 144: A Queens Duty

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Tomorrow, we were going to Ataraxia for the banquet. Luc sent me a letter saying that the ne was ready. He asked if he should bring it here. I told him that I would go as it would be an excuse to get out of the pce for a while.


    Since he did not find any clue about who the dark mage was after being around me for quite a few days, Dem and I thought it would be better if he went back to the magic tower or it might raise suspicions.


    "Why does His Highness not let Your Highness go out?" Perita asked on our way to the magic tower.


    "Um... He is worried," I said.


    "Worried? But I am here," she said. "If His Highness did not trust in my ability, he would not have assigned me with this very important task- protecting Your Highness, the Queen."


    "Don''t think too much... about it, Perita. It''s a-alright," I said.


    "If Your Highness says so..."


    Dem did not want to let me go out today as well. But I made him agree and he said that he would meet me after a while on the pce ground since I wanted to meet the knights.


    "When Your Highness will go to meet the knights, I can brag a lot," she grinned. "Actually, they are envious of me because I am the one protecting Your Highness. Everyone wanted this position."


    I chuckled. Not a single moment with her was boring. I was d that she was my personal knight.


    "By the way, how old... are you, Perita?"


    "Twenty-two this year, Your Highness," she said.


    ''Four years older than me, then. She doesn''t seem so though...''


    "Perita, do you have a m-mate?" I asked.


    "Yes, I do," she replied.


    "Really? Who... is it?"


    "It''s Christophen."


    "That C-Christophen? White hair?"


    "Yes, he is the one."


    "But..."


    "I know what Your Highness is thinking," she chuckled. "We are mates, but we do not have any kind of romantic feeling towards each other. That''s why we nned not to let this mere bond take over our life decisions. We are going our own ways. I know that this bond makes it hard for us to like another person, but it is not a problem for us.


    Right now, my dream is to be a great knight and contribute to my kingdom. The same goes for Christophen."


    "That means you will... never marry?"


    "That is correct, Your Highness," she nodded. "It''s not a problem. I am d that my mate is someone who understands my situation and thinks the same way as me."


    ''So cool! Amazing!''


    "I see..."


    "I don''t know if I am wrong or right and I also know that I am in no position to say this, perhaps it''s because of the way I think, but I didn''t like it when His Highness did not let Your Highness take a walk in the garden."


    "It might be for a reason I don''t know," she added. "But His Highness could say it in a different manner. Rather, when His Highness said no, it felt more like he was trying to control Your Highness''s movements. I know I am wrong; of course, His Highness would not do something like that. But I could not just ept it. I am really sorry, Your Highness.


    I will take any punishment Your Highness gives me."


    "Raise your head, Perita," I said.


    "Yes..."


    "I like your view. Your thinking... is really praise-worthy. And I like your... independent nature," I said. "But in life, there is a line we s-should not cross.


    If we want to, we can take the line... as far as possible, but no matter what, we must... not cross it."


    I could not just tell her she was right and she should keep acting like that. I liked her attitude, but I needed to consider a few things before talking to someone or supporting someone. Before my right as a neutral person, I was the Queen of Querencia. If she was against the king in any way and if I supported a bright and determined person like her, it would mean I was raising a rebel.


    And as a Queen, I could not just let a person like her go against Dem. Even if she was on my side, if she started to hate Dem, then she would lose her interest in following me as well. I was not a charismatic person. The only ability I had was that I could think a situation through. As a Queen, I was at odds here. So, in every step, I needed to be as careful as possible.


    "The king respects me... as a person and never mistreats me. Every person... has at least a single fault, let it be in their personality or something else. We cannot just judge a p-person based on a single... thing.


    His Highness, the king, is a great leader... and he is doing a very good job as a king. So, isn''t better if the subject also keeps... supporting him?"


    "Yes, I understand, Your Highness. And my apologies for overstepping my boundaries," she said, bowing her head.


    "Perita is a great royal knight. I hope you know... what''s best for you and I also know that you will surely achieve your dream," I said. "Anyway, enough with the... heavy talk, let''s get going."


    I brought cookies for Luc again since he only stayed at the magic tower. He had a lot of work and did not go out much. And besides, it seemed that he liked cookies as well. That was why, this time, I made the servants get me all the best types of cookies.


    As we reached the magic tower, Luc opened the door earlier than I expected. Perhaps he was downstairs.


    "Why did your husband let youe here? I thought he would surely..." he asked as soon as we entered. "Oh, you havepany..."


    "Ah, this is my new... personal knight, P-Perita," I said.


    "I see," he muttered. "Oh, you brought me cookies? So cool..."


    Perita looked at me as if she was wondering if Luc was actually the magic tower. Even I had to admit that he was acting like a child, taking the boxes of cookies from Perita.


    "And the ne is now fixed, right?" I asked.


    "Yeah,e with me," he said.


    ''Ah, finally! Without the ne, I was like a naked soul to Demetrius. Finally, I can get my privacy back!''


    "What''s this ne for?" Perita asked.


    "For safety... purposes," I replied.


    "But I am with Your Highness to protect you," she said.


    "I know, but still, I can''t just rely... on someone forever. There might be times w-when I need to save myself," I said. "Don''t worry, I know you can save me well."


    "Really, Your Highness?"


    "Are you sure she is a knight?" Luc grumbled.


    "I can say the same about you," Perita snapped. "I have never met you before. If Her Highness was not with me, it''s impossible to know that you''re the master of the magic tower..."


    "Is that the tone you use to talk to the master of the magic tower? Did you forget your rank?"


    "Hey, hey... Quit it and let''s get doing what... we''re supposed to do," I said quickly. It was the benefit of being a queen. Any quarrel could be solved if I stepped in. Though I still did not fully get used to it, I was trying.


    "Yes, Your Highness, and I am truly sorry for misbehaving," Perita said.


    "I am sorry too," Luc said.


    "Alright, let''s go now," I said. "Oh, did you pierce... your ear? I didn''t see it before..."


    "Yeah, it''s new," he said, touching the helix of his right ear.


    Demetrius had his ears pierced as well and he wore earrings quite often. His ears were pierced from a lot of ces unlike me who had only the lobes pierced.


    "It happened partly because of you...," he muttered.


    "Because of me? I mean, you pierced... your ears because of me?" I asked, surprised. "I don''t understand..."


    "Actually, I tried to practice a different type of magic so I could see how much ck mana you have inside yourself. It would help me know what kind of mage you would be. What I mean, how powerful you would be. But it''s actually not possible. It''s theoretically possible, but not in reality. I tried nheless.


    And it was too much for me and when it happens, then it''s hard to control my real power. That''s why I needed to pierce. Piercing helps bncing. Mainly, any kind of scratch on the skin helps."


    "Ah, I see... But I didn''t tell you to do... so," I said.


    "Do you expect me to remain quiet when there is literally a human with ck mana in front of me? It''s the first time I heard of someone like this. I need to find out as much things as possible."

 Chapter 145: The Underground Dungeon

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I could not find Dem in front of the magic tower. But he clearly said that he would meet me here.


    "Should we head back then?" I muttered. "He said... he would be here, though..."


    Did he not want me to meet them? Was he using this way to not let me meet them? But I did not understand why. If my assumption was right, then it was very unfair for me.


    "Perhaps His Highness is busy," Perita muttered carefully though she did not look convinced herself. She was looking at me over and over again to see if I was alright.


    But of course, I was not alright. I did not like it at all. Everything needed to have a limit. His protectiveness and controlling attitude seemed to just increase more and more.


    "Are you alright, Your Highness?"


    "Yes... Let''s go back," I said.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright, Your Highness."


    "Please excuse me," Perita muttered as she took my hand and kissed the back of my hand. It would be a lie if I said that I was not surprised.


    "Your Highness, please don''t push yourself. If you want to feel like doing something, you can. Your Highness might need to act strong in front of the subject, but I hope Your Highness would not shut yourself in in front of me as well. Your Highness can show emotions," she said.


    I smiled. "I understand. Thank you," I said. "I will try to be free... with you."


    "I am d, Your Highness," she said. "I am a mere knight, but I will try to support Your Highness as much as I can. Even if everyone is against you, please let me be by your side."


    She knelt in knight''s style and bowed. I had seen knights do this when I first became the queen. But it was the first time that someone did it individually for me.


    "I hope you don''t go... back on your words, Perita," I said.


    "I won''t, Your Highness. Please let me serve you."


    "Then I will be in your care."


    Perita led me to the pce. Though Perita made me feel a bit better, I still was feeling heartbroken. I thought this time he would not behave like this. But it seemed I was very wrong.


    "Can you hear... something?" I asked, looking around.


    We were downstairs and it seemed like there was a faint sound of someone groaning in paining from somewhere.


    "Please do not pay any heed to that, Your Highness," she said.


    "W-Why? What''s that?" I asked. I had not heard this kind of sound before. Perhaps because I never took this path back to the bedroom. I had only taken a tour around the pce once, but I had not seen the whole pce. It was so big after all.


    There was no way I would be able to look around and know every single ce. I just knew about some of the important ces.


    "The sound... It''sing from that door...," I mumbled, pointing at the door in front of us. There were two guards there.


    As we approached the entrance, the guards bowed at me. Perita was fidgeting slightly. Now I could understand that there were a lot of things I did not know about.


    "What''s there?" I asked.


    "His Highness told us not to resolve anything regarding it to Your Highness," one of the guards said.


    "So, you are saying you won''t answer my questions? You are being rude to the queen?" I asked sternly.


    "No, that''s not what I meant, Your Highness. Please forgive me for my rudeness," he said quickly, bowing.


    "His Highness told us not to say it to Your Highness, that''s why...," the other guard said.


    "Alright, if you cannot tell me anything, then move. I will see it myself," I smiled. "His Highness told you not to say anything to me, but I can just look for myself, can''t I?"


    "Haven''t you heard Her Highness?" Perita barked. "Move and make the way for Her Highness."


    The guards moved and opened the door for us. Perita went to the front and I followed her. "Your Highness, I tried to stop you earlier as well. It''s just... I thought Your Highness would not like the sight, that''s why. But please forgive me if I was rude," Perita said.


    "What sight...?"


    Perita did not need to answer me to let me know. I had already found out the moment I stepped inside.


    There was a rotten smell and the path was dark. If I was right, it led to the underground dungeon of the pce.


    "Do you want to go further, Your Highness?" she asked.


    "Yes, let''s go..."


    After going down the stairs, I found out I was not wrong at all. It was indeed an underground dungeon where prisoners were kept captive.


    The sound of loud groans came from a further cell. I could not look around as it was not in a position to be called a sight anymore.


    I did not know why, but I could not help but get curious. I had never been here before. Though it was disgusting, I still wanted to take a look, just a single look.


    "Is someone being beaten up or s-something?" I asked.


    "The dungeon is for that purpose, Your Highness," Perita replied. "In the dungeon, the prisoners are kept for interrogation; some of them are waiting for the order- like what kind of punishment they will receive, or what will happen to them, and there are some for torture because of their deeds. His Highness sometimeses down himself to check on some certain captives."


    "Check on? What do you mean... by that?"


    "Well, what I mean is, sometimes His Highness also shows the prisoners hell," she said, hesitating a bit.


    "I... see," I mumbled.


    "I heard that the prime minister of Ataraxia has been caught."


    "Prime Minister of Ataraxia? We''re going to A-Ataraxia though..."


    "I mean, former prime minister," she said. "Actually, His Highness, King Demetrius was the reason he was exiled from his position. His Highness gathered evidence of him making a connection with Lacuna. Lacuna is a western country while Querencia and Ataraxia are both eastern countries, located on two sides of the east. The prime minister was nning on helping Lacuna take over Ataraxia.


    Werewolves of Lacuna are like beasts and I mean literally. They fight like monsters. If they tried, they had a huge chance to win against Ataraxia."


    "But it would affect the political and financial power of Querencia since Ataraxia is our neighbor. His Highness could not just sit still while it happened. And besides, Lacuna and Trouvaille are on the same sides in almost everything. Querencia and Trouvaille are enemies for lives. That''s why, if we give even a single chance to them, they might try to take over Trouvaille as well.


    If Lacuna could take over Ataraxia, then perhaps Lacuna and Trouvaille would bond and attack Querencia together. It''s true that our knights are very famous for their skills. But still, if two kingdoms attack us together, it will be difficult for us to win."


    "Knights usually have some unspoken rules that we follow. We usually don''t break those since it''s ustomed to our pride as knights. But as I said, Lacunas are like monsters. They don''t have much of a manner in the battlefield and aren''t afraid to pull out their dirty moves," she added, gritting her teeth. "Actually, I hate them more than I hate the werewolves of Trouvaille."


    I heard that most werewolves in Querencia hated Trouvaille since it was their biggest rival. And besides, the king of Trouvaille was said to be very sly.


    "No manners even as knights... Really?" she grumbled to herself.


    "So, why is he here now? I mean, if the prime minister of Ataraxia has been exiled, then even if he has to be punished, isn''t it supposed to be Ataraxia''s duty?"


    "That''s right, but the prime minister escaped the moment he heard that His Highness had sent enough evidence for him to get executed to Ataraxia. But His Highness knew this would happen and so, he had someone spy on him. His Highness was supposed to only know what he is going to do, but not catch him.


    But then, I don''t know what, but something happened and His Highness brought him here to interrogate himself."


    "Just interrogate?"


    "If His Highness decides to interrogate himself, it can mean only one thing," she said. "They just have to die."


    I shivered slightly. Though I knew that Demetrius did not fear killing anyone, I was a bit taken aback. Here, killing was nothing much. Living in my world made it hard for me to ept those things.

 Chapter 146: Scared, Yet I Want Him

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Aghhhhh!!!"


    "What? What was that?" I asked, looking around. "I think it hase from ahead. Let''s go."


    I pulled Perita''s hand before she could protest and advanced towards the origin of the scream.


    "Your Highness, please slow down. You''re with a child..."


    "Oh, right," I said but did not slow down much. But at that time, I had no idea what kind of horrifying sight I would see.


    "What...," I mumbled as my hands shot up over my mouth in shock. A head rolled and stopped right in front of me while a headless bodyy in front of us with blood gushing out from the neck making a pool of blood on the floor.


    "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Dem asked, phrasing every single word separately as if he was suppressing his anger.


    He had a blood-dipped sword in his left hand and there were a few drops of blood on his ice-cold face.


    "I heard a noise..."


    "A noise?" he muttered coldly. "And you''vee to investigate?"


    "Ah, y-yes..."


    "Perita!" he suddenly yelled.


    "Yes, Your Highness?" she bowed.


    "Why would you bring her to somewhere like this?" he asked. "Don''t you want to be a knight anymore?"


    "My apologies, Your Highness, if I have done something wrong. But my job is to serve Her Highness. It is my duty to obey Her Highness. And moreover, Her Highness did not get into any kind of danger nor I have brought her to somewhere dangerous," she said, looking down. "I am afraid I was merely doing my duty."


    "She is right... It''s not her fault," I said quickly. "I am the one... who asked Perita to bring... me here."


    "Is that so?" he asked dangerously, advancing towards me with slow and steady steps. The head was still in front of me. I was trying hard not to look at it, but wherever I looked, there was only blood.


    He kicked the head away and I gasped. "Are you scared?" he whispered into my ear.


    I could not bring myself to say anything or move. I was too horrified. Perhaps because I was pregnant, I was more horrified than I would be normally.


    Perita seemed to want to intervene. But she was just a knight. How could she even oppose the king? She already did once a while ago and it made Dem really angry. I had a feeling that if I was not here, perhaps he would ask her for a duel and give unreasonable conditions.


    "You don''t usually take this way to the bedroom. Why today?" he asked.


    "I was waiting for you... in front of the magic tower. You were supposed to go there," I said in a trembling voice.


    "Ah, I gotte... I had to take care of this thing here."


    ''Thing?''


    "I am sorry," he muttered. "But more than that, I hate the fact that you''re here."


    His voice was oddly calm and very cold. I felt like my knees would give away. It was mostly because of the dead body that was in front of me.


    Right before my knees gave away and I thought I would fall to the ground, he held me by the waist, stopping the fall midway.


    He picked me from the ground. I did not have much strength left to protest. These days, after being sick, it was as if I lost all the rights over my own body. Now all I could do was go along with whatever he was doing.


    "Perita, make sure no onees around the bedroom and if there is an emergency or something, inform the beta," he said.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    I had no idea why he said that. What was he going to do? He said that he would not hit me like my family. Then was it a lie?


    "You really are very disobedient," he muttered. "I did not know my wife could wander around like this. Ah, you got the ne back now. Should I break it and never let you wear it again?"


    "No... Don''t."


    "Alright," he said. "If my wife says so, how can I not listen?"


    I clutched the front of his outfit tightly. He was really angry. Though he was not yelling at me, I could feel that he was controlling himself.


    He kicked open the bedroom door and threw me on the bed. I gasped as I saw him closing the door with too much force than necessary.


    He took a towel and dampened it with the water from the jug that was kept on the bedside table. He did not seem to care as the water fell on the floor.


    I watched him as he skillfully cleaned the blood on his hands and face. The bloody sword was still in his hand. He threw it on the floor and it fell with a clunking noise that was too sharp for my ears.


    "You know, I like it when you say you love me. You even epted some of my twisted thoughts," he said with a disturbing grin. "But sometimes, I wish you were afraid of me. I wish you will be afraid so you won''t be able to run away from me because your knees would give away, just like now."


    ''Just like now? Yes, my knees gave away... And I hate it, I hate myself for it. Even if I had not left him, I wanted to stick to my ground. I don''t have to be strong physically, but mentally- I at least wanted to be able to hold onto my ground. But no matter how much I tried, it was me who gave up, every single time.


    I was always like this. I thought I was holding on well for the past eighteen years, but I was wrong. All I did was survive. I did not have much of a thought left of mine. No dreams, no desire, nothing- I did not have anything... When I am not even mentally strong, how the hell am I going to help this man get better?''


    "You hate me now, don''t you?"


    "No."


    "I told you that I kill others without a second thought, but that was one thing," he said. "Just words are not enough to scare someone. But now that you''ve witnessed the same thing I said, are you surprised? Shocked? Scared?"


    "Yeah, I am... surprised and scared...," I mumbled.


    "But I am afraid I can''t let you go," he chuckled. "No matter what, I can''t let you leave me."


    ''Ah, I have heard it a lot of times. It''s not a surprise to hear anymore. It''s not like I have much of a desire to leave. He did not hurt me, not a single time. He is always nice to me and treats me so lovingly that I sometimes forget all the tortures from my past. If only he is telling the truth that he didn''t bring me because of my power, I don''t have any n to leave him.''


    He got up on the bed and bent over me as I rested on my elbows. He kissed the side of my neck and licked the ce.


    "Hnn..."


    "I wrote a letter to the doctorst night," he said. "And he gave me a reply this morning."


    "A-About what?"


    "He said we can do it as long as we''re gentle," he said. "You''re getting better even if it''s temporary. That''s why it is doable now."


    ''Then, are we going to do it now? Is this what he means?''


    "If I say I want to make love to you now, will you tell me yes?"


    "What if I say... no?"


    "I will stop."


    That was something I knew without even asking. Dem liked to do it a lot and when he was angry, he was rougher than usual. But every time, he asked for my permission. Not even a single time, he did it when I was reluctant. If he wanted, he could and I would not be able to do anything since he could overpower me very easily. But he never once tried to do it.


    That was something I liked about him quite a lot.


    "No, let''s... do it," I mumbled. "I want it too. It''s been... long."


    "You know I won''t hurt you, right?" he whispered into my ear. "Even if you''re scared, please remember this. I don''t want to hurt you and I won''t. I can kill every single living being in the world, but I can''t hurt you. You''re too precious to me. So, please, at least, believe me when I say that I will cherish you."


    "I k-know..."


    Even if I was scared, I could not help but embrace this man. His masculine scent and the warmth that his arms offered rxed me. It was as if whenever he held me, a voice told, ''It''s alright. I will save you. You will be fine.''

 Chapter 147: Pushing Me To The Limits

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    He tore my dress again. He had the habit to do so as if he was running out of time and could not bear to wait a bit longer.


    Since it had been a few weeks, I did not have any bump on my stomach. I had yet to know what it would feel like. Now it did not feel like I was pregnant at all. Perhaps that was the reason I did not feel much of thing like any kind of connection with the child.


    I heard that pregnant women could feel something like feeling the child. But for me, it was nothing. Perhaps it would take a bit more time.


    "Ah..."


    He licked my neck and went down, biting the side of the undergarment. He pulled the ribbon connected to it with his teeth and the whole garment came undone.


    "You''re red again," he said. "And your nipples are perked up. Really beautiful..."


    For a moment, I wanted to lean into his touch only, forgetting about everything. I pulled my head up and kissed him on the lips. He was surprised but returned my kiss with the same passion if not more.


    His hands were gentle, but his lips were aggressive as if it was a war. He was showing his moves like a skilled knight dancing with his sword.


    As the long wet kiss ended, he gave me a peck on the lips, so sweet and soft as if indicating how much he loved me. I was telling my mind not to trust him, but just as I expected, it was impossible. With every gentle move, he yed with my thoughts.


    He took a nipple in his mouth while his hand went down to y with the wetness. Not just my body, my soul seemed to melt into his touch as well. I could only try to stay sane in the intense and slow pleasure.


    "Huh... uh..."


    "You can make as much noise as you can. No one wille to disturb us," he said. So, this was what he meant when he told Perita not to let anyonee near the room and if there was an emergency, she should inform the beta. "I really love you, all of you, everything about you. Your voice, your face, your eyes, your body, your mind, everything."


    Every single time he said those loving gestures, I was reminded once again that I was never loved before. It was the first time someone made me feel like this, someone cared for me so much and showed me what love was.


    He always took a very long time in forey. It was supposed to get me ready for the main event, but he seemed to like teasing me that way. Even now, his fingers were stimting me relentlessly.


    "Ah... huh! Umm... Dem..."


    "Rx, darling," he said in a cold voice. "Let me empty your thoughts and fill you up with me, me only. Let me worship every part of you."


    He diverted his attention from my chest and kissed my stomach. He did not do it because he was grateful that I was pregnant. Rather, as he said, he was just worshipping my body like any other time.


    "Ah... I am..."


    "No, you can''t."


    "W-Why not?" I asked desperately. My body was shaking fiercely and I could barely keep my thoughts straight.


    "Because I said no," he said. "Hang in there for a while."


    He pulled his fingers out and licked them while his other hand worked on taking his pants off. I wished he took off his entire outfit. I hated it when it was just me who waspletely naked.


    "Take... them all off," I managed to mutter.


    "Yes?"


    "Take all of those... off," I said. "I don''t want to be the only one... naked."


    He smirked and nodded, doing as I said. The earring shone on his left ear in the light that made me avert my gaze from his body. It was still daytime. Doing it at this time made me feel guilty for some reason. It was as if I was disobeying the rules of nature.


    "Open your legs a bit more," he said.


    "You can''t do it... too hard..."


    "I know. I am trying to control myself," he said knowingly. I opened my legs a bit more for him, but he perhaps did not find it enough since he parted them further before pushing inside me.


    "Eek! Ahh!"


    "Did you juste from me entering?" he smirked.


    "Huh... Don''t push too... ah... much," I mumbled.


    "Is it okay?" he asked, thrusting again. He was not being as rough as before, but he was not exactly being gentle as well. I was having a hard time pointing to the part specifically, so I decided to go along with it until it would be too much.


    "Hmm..."


    "Don''t stiffen up. Loosen up like you always do," he said. "It''s getting harder for me to move if you clench so tightly."


    Perhaps because it had been a long time since west did it, I was being different. And besides, I seemed to be more sensitive than usual.


    "Ah... uh... nngh..."


    "Hnn, you feel really good," he groaned in my ear, licking and biting the earlobe.


    "Huh... it''s really..."


    "It''s not too much," he said, cutting me off. "I have only begun."


    He started going slower. He could not enter fully inside since it might hurt me. It was just a bit more than half. I knew it was not enough for him, but I could not tell him to do it like usual.


    My back arched as I got the sense of a climax hitting. He did not stop even for a moment as I was going insane. He pulled out seeing me panting furiously, but it was still hard.


    I got up with much difficulty and touched it with my hands. "Blue...?"


    "Let me do it with my... mouth," I said.


    He did not refuse. I opened my mouth and took it in as much as I could. I had done it before, so now I could not even call myself inexperienced. I needed to do as well as I could.


    It was wet and slippery, unlike before. I had to admit that it felt a bit different, but I liked doing it for him. I licked the length up and down. My excitement only grew as I heard him groaning, holding my hair.


    "Mmm..."


    "Hnn... You''re doing well," he muttered huskily.


    I was less ashamed when I was naked in front of him now. It would be surprising if I still was self-conscious in front of him since we had been married for more than two months. I could feel his sharp and burning gaze on me as I sucked him carefully. I had a feeling that I was getting better at it.


    A flood of hot salty filled my mouth. He suddenly grabbed my face and made me look at him. "Swallow it all. Don''t spill," he said.


    He did not have to tell me. It already went through my throat. I barely got any time to think of doing anything.


    He bit the side of his lips and blood tickled out in drops. I quickly got up and touched his lips with my fingers. He was looking at me intently with his coal-like eyes.


    I pressed my lips on his and sucked on them, tasting the saltiness of his blood. He grabbed my bottom with both of his hands and suddenly pushed inside.


    "Huh..."


    "Just a bit... A bit only," he said in a deep voice. "Keep kissing me."


    He was thrusting up and down very slowly. I did not know if it was him being considerate or teasing me. But all I could say was, his moves were stirring me up from the inside and driving me crazy.


    I was kissing his lips as if it was a sweet candy. I did not like sweets. But this time, I craved more of the sweet he had to offer. The taste was painfully desirable after all.


    "Ah... Dem, hnn!"


    "Really, I really want to pound into you too much that you will lose all of your senses," he groaned.


    "Don''t..."


    "I won''t," he said. "I''m just saying..."


    It did not seem like he was just saying at all. But I could only take his word on this one. The ne I was wearing was bouncing with each move. He took the locket in his mouth and chewed on it, looking at me as his hips kept moving.


    ''Unbelievable! He is so handsome...!''


    "Huh... ah! Uhh... Nngh..."


    I kissed him again. Though I was the one starting it, he took the lead in a moment, invading my mouth with his tongue, biting and nibbling. The taste of blood filled both of our mouths.


    While he relentlessly pushed me to my limits with his slow and calcted moves, I could only taste heaven.

 Chapter 148: The Talk About Parenting

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Get up."


    "Hmm?" I mumbled in my sleep.


    "It''s lunchtime. You need to eat."


    "Don''t wanna..."


    "Come on, get up now."


    I felt a tongue licking my ear. It was ticklish. I quickly opened my eyes, only to find my husband looking at me. But his face was not as yful as always, rather it was quite serious.


    My lower body hurt a bit, but it was not as much as usual times after we did it. I was still naked. I wrapped the nket around me and tried to sit.


    "Be careful," he said.


    I wanted to ask him a lot of things, but I could not bring myself to say a single thing. I watched him as he took the te arranged for me and cut the meat into fine pieces.


    "Here, open your mouth," he said, nudging my lips with the piece of meat on the fork.


    I opened my mouth and tasted the soft and slightly spicy texture of the meat. He cut the pieces in the right size just like I always liked. It seemed he was pretty observant.


    "Is it okay?" he asked.


    "Hmm, it''s good," I said. Thankfully, my throat did not hurt anymore. And my words did not stutter. Though the effect of the medicine was supposed to be temporary, I was holding onto hope.


    None of us said anything for a while. He just fed me and I ate without a word. He said he had his lunch a while ago. But that was all we talked about.


    "He was the former prime minister of Ataraxia," he said after a while.


    "I know."


    "You do?"


    "Perita told me," I said. "And she also told me that why you sent evidence of him siding with Lacuna to Ataraxia."


    "So, you know about it," he muttered. "But you don''t know why I brought him here in a hurry, do you?"


    "No," I shook my head. "Perita told me that you were nning on keeping an eye on him only, to see what he is up to or who he goes to."


    "Yeah, that was the n. But he did something that cannot be ignored."


    ''Did something that cannot be ignored? Why do I feel like it has something to do with me?''


    "He tried to poison you several times," he said.


    "P-Poison me?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "Though we haven''t announced your pregnancy publicly yet, that pain in the ass found out somehow. And that''s the reason, he tried to poison you. And I think he is still siding with Lacuna."


    We were supposed to announce my pregnancy publicly, but because of my health, we could not do so. And now, we were nning to do so aftering back from the banquet if my health was still alright.


    "I could not just let this kind of thing slide," he muttered, gritting his teeth. "That fucking bastard... How dare he?!"


    So, he did it for me after all? But still, the way he killed him and then kicked his head away, it was scary. No matter what the reason was, it was actually pretty disturbing.


    "It was scary?"


    "Hmm...," I nodded slightly.


    "I am sorry you had to see it. I didn''t want you to see that kind of thing this early. And besides, these days, you''re more sensitive than usual," he said sulkily. "That''s why I told the guards not to let you enter."


    "You could have just told... me," I said.


    "I will from next time," he said. "It seems like you want to talk to me about something."


    "Yeah, two things..."


    "Tell me."


    "First of all, I want to meet the knights."


    "Okay, we will," he said. "It took a lot of time than I thought to interrogate him."


    "And the second thing is, well, I heard about Princess Laetitia."


    "Princess Laetitia?"


    "Hmm... The princess of Lacuna," I said. "I heard that she is the one who hade here to convince you to marry her. I heard it''s more like seducing."


    "Are you mad?"


    "Why would I be? I just said that I heard about it," I said. "It''s my first time hearing about someone who loved my husband so much. And besides, she looks like a goddess, really beautiful."


    "You''re more beautiful," he said without hesitating.


    ''Ruby said the same thing.''


    "And her eyes are very pretty as well."


    "No, yours are prettier," he said without any hesitation again.


    "Her skin looks very smooth as well."


    "Yours is smoother," he said. "That said, where did you even see her?"


    "I saw her painting," I said.


    "Painting? Where?"


    "That''s not something you should ask. I live here, so it''s likely of me to know and see a few things. It''s hard to say something how, where."


    "Are you sure you''re not angry?"


    "I don''t have any reason to. First of all, we were not married back then. Secondly, you haven''t done anything with her, rather you threw her out," I said. "That was pretty mean of you to do that to a princess."


    "Who cares? She is shameless. After I rejected her so many times, why the hell would he cling to me? It''s annoying and disgusting as fuck!"


    "I see..."


    "I love only you."


    "I know. Me too," I said.


    "By the way, do you find anyone strange around you? Like their behavior?"


    "Um... Not really?"


    "Then tell me this. What do you think of people who only think well about you? I mean, not a single bad thought."


    "Is there someone like this?"


    "I am," he said. "But it''s not about me. Perhaps I am thinking too much. Don''t worry about it. It''s fine."


    "If you say so..."


    "We''re leaving tomorrow. You will get some maids there as well. If you want to, we can take your personal maid with us."


    "Ruby? She will be happy!" I said. "Then should I tell her that she shoulde with us?"


    "What ''tell''? Order her," he said. "You''re the queen. Everyone has to listen to you."


    "But why would I force her if she doesn''t want to?"


    "Really? You''re too warm-hearted, my wife," he muttered.


    After he was finished feeding me, he wiped my lips and made me drink a whole ss of water.


    "I wanted to make love to you more. We only did it twice," he said. "But you lost consciousness."


    "Ah, perhaps I was... tired."


    "This pregnancy made you really tired. I don''t understand why the hell do you have to bear this kind of consequence for another life."


    "You mean the child?"


    "Yes, that''s what I mean! I mean, why do women have to give birth?"


    "Then how will people get their offspring?"


    "I don''t need one."


    "You don''t, but it''s the rule of the world. If there is no descendant, then one day, the whole poption will die."


    "Who cares?"


    ''I give up. This guy... I can''t even make him understand...''


    "Really? I hate it so much," he said as he rubbed his face on my chest.


    ''Again, rubbing his face on my chest... Does he like it this much? He looks very cute though...''


    "Don''t say ''hate''," I said.


    "It''s not like you want to be a mother as well. Besides, you are very young. Why don''t you just let me..."


    "No," I said bluntly. "We talked about this."


    "Why are you so persistent on keeping it? I don''t understand..."


    I could not help but get angry again. Whenever he said this kind of thing, I hated it. Why did he have to be so insensitive about some things?


    "Of course, you don''t understand. Or, you wouldn''t talk like this," I said.


    "Having kids is a hassle," he said. "Parents can''t even take care of them. Then why have them? Your parents couldn''t take care of you. They abused you, physically and mentally. Do you think it''s okay?


    Can''t you see what they have done to you? You haven''t gotten over it yet. Not that I expect you to. It''s impossible to get over something like this so soon."


    "You mean that we won''t be good parents?"


    "I don''t doubt that you will be a good mother. But I am talking about me," he said. "I won''t be a good parent. You see, I feel not even a single attachment to it. How do you expect me to even care for it?"


    ''It''s not like I expect anything from you. I just believe that you won''t mistreat the child. At least, if I say so, you will try to love it.''


    "What exactly are you worried about?" I asked. "I don''t think you''re actually worrying about yourself not being a good parent. I think it''s something else. If you don''t tell me clearly, how will I know?"


    He sighed. "It''s about my parents."


    I was intrigued and kind of excited too.

 Chapter 149: The Truth Behind His Parents Marriage

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    After she had seen me killing someone, I thought she would hate me and get scared of me. Thankfully, her reaction was not too extreme. I was scared that she would want to leave me.


    Right now, I was pretty angry about the whole pregnancy thing. Why did we have to have a child? If we were not ready, there was nothing wrong with not having it. Even if she got pregnant, it would not be a bad thing if we just aborted it. But she was against it wholeheartedly.


    I knew what could happen if a child suddenly came. And if somehow we did not manage to be good parents, it would only affect the child. It was not like I cared much about it, but still, I did not want it to happen.


    "Your parents?" she asked, shocked.


    I nodded. "Why are you so shocked? I don''t remember talking to you about their marriage life."


    "But... but..."


    "But?"


    "There was no problem between your parents, right?"


    "What do you mean?" I asked, shocked.


    "Uh, when you left, your mother told me about how your parents met and stuff like that."


    "What did she tell you?"


    "Well, that your father was a yboy," she said, hesitating a bit. "She told me about cursed eyes and then about your childhood."


    "Tell me everything," I said.


    "Your father''s name was Ajax. And that time, he was the king of Querencia while your mother was amoner in Mazazine. It was twenty-four years ago."


    ''That was the time when my parents got married- twenty-four years ago.''


    "There was a war between the two kingdoms. And your father was a tyrant. He was called the mad dog of the battlefield."


    "That''s true."


    "Your mother was working as a doctor that time. She used to live with her uncle who adopted her when she was four. And also, your mother never knew who her real parents were. Anyway, so, during the war, Mother apanied her cousin to the camp to help the soldiers. That time, one night, she met your father.


    I think your father fell in love with your mother that time and so, he put a ring on your mother''s ring finger that she could not take off. Later, after the war, he came to take her with him and married her. He also broke his harem so he could be devoted to his wife only."


    "That''s what Mother told you?" I asked.


    "Yes. Why are you reacting... like that?"


    ''Of course, I am reacting like this. As far as I can remember, the rtionship between my parents was never good.''


    "I don''t know why Mother told you that. But my parents'' rtionship was not good," I said.


    "What? But..."


    "It''s true that my father was the king of Querencia and my mother was amoner in Mazazine. But my father never loved my mother."


    "Eh...?"


    "Actually, my father wanted my mother because she had ck eyes. You know, ck eyes are called cursed eyes. Women might have less chance to have some ability, but if she gave birth to a son with ck eyes, then he would surely have some strange but helpful abilities. That''s why my father forced my mother toe with him and marry him. None of them ever loved each other. And the harem thing...


    It was to fool my mother. He still slept with other women," I said. "In front of others, they were a perfect couple. I have no idea what Mother is thinking. I think as the days passed, she started to confuse imagination and reality. She started acting as if she always loved Father and Father loved her as well.


    It got to the point that none of us dared to correct her. Once Evelyn tried, she threw a tantrum."


    "So, that''s why she said it," she mumbled.


    "Yes," I said. "Father did not actually care for us. He only married Mother because he wanted more power. I don''t really remember many things from my childhood, but I know that he never spent any extra time with us."


    "Mother is not mentally stable when ites to any talk of the past or Father," I added. "But it is the kind of condition where you can''t tell the patient that something is wrong with them. You need to treat them the same like they are normal. That''s why you never found out about it. I actually don''t like my father. If I correctly say, I hate his guts.


    It''s not like I love Mother or something, but I respect her. Mother failed to take care of Evelyn and me as well. That''s why I can''t bring myself to love her as well. And perhaps because of my familial situation, I could not get attached to anyone."


    "I see... It''s the reason you don''t want a child, right?"


    "Well, it''s part of that," I said. "I don''t want to have a child who would have the same personality as me or my ck eyes. If it bes like you, that''s no problem."


    To be honest, I hated myself. I liked nothing about myself. Who knew why, but I could not bring myself to want a child with the same traits as me?


    "I really... didn''t expect this," she murmured. "I thought you had a great family."


    "I know. I am sorry for not telling you sooner."


    "No, I am thankful that you told me," she said, holding my hand.


    But what I did not understand was why Mother would tell my wife about this thing. Did she think my wife and I had a good rtionship between us and so she wanted to share her story as well? It was true that we had a great rtionship. Though we had our problems, everyone around us knew that we were match-made in heaven. But Mother was not the type to talk about this to anyone.


    And besides, she always tried to get close to Blue when she did not even talk to her own daughter much.


    "But you''re not your father or mother," she said, looking directly into my eyes. "You''re Demetrius, apletely different person."


    "How are you so sure that I am different? You''re the one who thinks that I brought you here for power," I said.


    "I know that I can''t trust you right now. Just think about it- who will believe it if you say that you wanted someone for a reason even you don''t know? I mean, really? Believing this is out of the question. But as far as I can see living with you, I don''t think you''re like your father. If that was true, you wouldn''t think what your father did was wrong.


    Rather, you would argue that he was right. But you didn''t do it, did you? That''s why I don''t think you''re like him. You''re different, Dem."


    ''Haa, even if you say it, I can''t try to believe it.''


    "But I love you," she said. "I love you a lot. I guess it''s enough for now. So, let''s not think about unnecessary things. It will only burden us. And again, thanks for telling me."


    "Yeah..."


    I kissed her on the forehead and got up from the bed. I brought ab from the dressing table and came back again.


    "Are you going to braid my hair?" she asked.


    "Yes, turn around a bit."


    Whilebing her hair, I noticed that it grew longer. Her hair was really beautiful, straight and ck with hints of brown in it. It was not particrly dense, but it was not less thick as well, just perfect.


    "I think I should cut my hair a bit," she said. "It''s giving me a headache."


    "Then aftering back from the banquet... Will that be okay?"


    "Yeah, sure..."


    As I braided her hair, I noticed some red marks on her back. I made them just a while ago. She looked very vulnerable with them.


    I kissed her on the back over the marks. I did not know why, but I felt very proud thinking I could touch her anywhere I wanted. Every single ce of her body, I knew about them all.


    "Dem..."


    "I love you," I muttered.


    "Haha, what''s with that all of a sudden?" she chuckled.


    "I want to tell you a million times that I love you," I said. "I really love you. I love you a lot."

 Chapter 150: What It Means To Be Strong

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had no idea that he had that kind of family. When his mother told me about his father, I thought she was really happy. But I had no idea it was all a delusion.


    "Your Highness! Are you alright?"


    I looked towards the door hearing Perita''s voice. Ruby was massaging my shoulders. I did not get down from the bed at all since I was toozy.


    "Oh, Perita! Ruby is giving me a massage," I said. "My shoulders are kinda stiff."


    Perita sat in front of me on the bed and started massaging my palms. Her hands were not soft like usual girls, rather they felt very strong.


    ''So cool...''


    "Does it feel good doing it?" Perita asked.


    "Doing what?" I asked.


    "Uh, having sex?"


    I was flushed red, hearing it. Ruby wasughing as well. But Perita had a serious look on her face.


    "Yeah, it''s good," I said. "But I prefer calling it making love."


    "Aren''t they the same thing?" she asked.


    "If you think about the task, yeah, it''s the same," I said. "But well, you can have sex with anyone. It can be a one-night stand as well. But you can make love to someone only if you love them."


    It was very difficult to describe. While making love, along with two bodies, two souls connected as well. The mixed heartbeat, the sweaty bodies, the sweet whispers, and thebored breathing- everything felt divine. Anyone could have sex with someone to satisfy their physical needs. But making love was possible when there was a mental connection along with the physical.


    "Then does Your Highness feel like doing it?" Perita asked.


    "Why is Perita asking such indecent questions to Her Highness?" Ruby asked a bit angrily.


    "It''s alright. I don''t mind answering," I said. "Well, yeah, I do. That''s why I do it."


    "So, Your Highness does it because you feel like it? Then what about when His Highness would feel like it, but Your Highness won''t?"


    "It depends on the situation. If I really can''t, perhaps I will help him in another way or something. Or perhaps I will try to do it," I said. "The same goes for him."


    ''Though it never happened before that I wanted to do it and he didn''t... He always wants to do it.''


    "But why does Your Highness want to do it?"


    "Isn''t it natural to want to do it with the person I love?"


    "Then perhaps I am the abnormal one," she sighed.


    "Why are you saying that?" I asked.


    "I don''t know... I can''t feel that way towards anyone and I find it... gross," she mumbled.


    "Gross?" Ruby muttered, surprised.


    "Yeah, it''s like... too gross."


    "Well, it''s actually pretty rare that anyone would feel this way. But you don''t have to call yourself abnormal for that. It''s not an obligation. If you want to do it, it''s your choice and if you don''t, that''s your choice as well. So, just chill, Perita. It''s fine," I said.


    "Just enjoy yourself and do what you like."


    "Your Highness!" Perita suddenly hugged me. "You''re amazing!"


    Ruby chuckled from behind as well. "By the way, I think His Highness''s braiding skill is improving more and more. Today''s one is better than I do," she said.


    "His Highness braided Her Highness''s hair?" Perita asked, touching the braid in surprise.


    "Yes, he does it a lot," Ruby said. "His Highness made me teach him how to braid hair, so he could braid Her Highness''s hair."


    "Does His Highness like Her Highness''s hair?" Perita asked.


    ''He just loves touching me, that''s all. Well, perhaps he does like my hair... I remember him mentioning this once.''


    "Well, yes...," I muttered. "Anyway, Dem said that I should get ready by five, so we can go to meet the knights."


    "Finally, the time to brag hase," Perita muttered proudly.


    "Right? I brag about my position to other maids as well," Ruby said. Perhaps it was the first time they truly agreed on something. "I suggest you make a sketch of their faces when you tell them about your exclusive position."


    They were both too happy to work exclusively under me. It felt very unreal to me. For someone like me, why would they be so happy? I could not even do a remarkable job as the queen.


    I was always sick, these days as well. But they behaved as if I was the best queen possible. Sometimes, I felt guilty for no reason at all. It was as if I was taking credit for something I had not even done.


    Ruby helped me get ready. I wore a ck dress with acy front and a boat neck. It was tight around my waist with a flowy downer part.


    "It has diamonds as well...," I sighed. "It''s not needed though..."


    "But it looks beautiful," Ruby said. "That''s all matters, Your Highness."


    "I agree with Her Highness. It''s excessive and unnecessary," Perita nodded.


    "Right? I know, right?" I said eagerly, looking at her. "It''s totally excessive and a waste of money."


    "But Your Highness and His Highness have a lot of money. It doesn''t matter if it''s spent on this puny thing," Ruby said.


    ''Puny? A good one, Ruby! The joke was amazing... But the most amazing joke is that she is not even joking...''


    "Perita, what if I cut my hair that much?" I asked. "Like your hair?"


    "Your Highness can do it!" she eximed excitedly. "I can guarantee fullfort and no need to pay extra attention to hair! That''s why I keep my hair like this. It''s reallyfortable and amazing."


    "No, Your Highness. Please don''t cut your hair like this," Ruby said.


    "But it''s cool. Perita looks really cool and powerful," I said. "I don''t know if I will look as good as her. But at least, I will feel cool."


    "But a queen with short hair...," Ruby mumbled.


    "... is still a queen," Perita finished for her. "I suggest Your Highness do whatever Your Highness wants to. It''s Your Highness''s life, so you have the full right to live as you desire. Besides, we live only once, right? So, we better live life to the fullest while we still have time."


    I actually quite liked Perita''s spirit a lot. She was the definition of a strong and independent woman who did not give a damn about anyone else. She did her duty well and followed her dreams unlike me who did not have much of a dream. Looking at her sometimes made me feel useless. She was very cool and even her thoughts were amazing. She stated her doubts or thoughts without hesitation.


    That was the thing I liked most about her.


    I wished I could be at least half as strong as her. I was too vulnerable and needed constant care.


    "Perita, when I get better, I mean, if I get better, you will teach me swordsmanship," I said. I could not change who I was, nor could I reminisce about the past or be sad because I was like the way I was. But I surely could improve. And that was what I was going to try. The moment I would feel proud of myself, that would be the time I would be a real woman.


    "Me?" Perita asked, pointing a finger at herself.


    "Of course," I said determinedly. "You will teach me as strictly as possible and turn me into a strong woman."


    "But Your Highness is already very strong," she said. "Don''t make that face, Your Highness. I am not lying. Being strong doesn''t mean physically only. Your Highness is mentally strong and can hold on pretty well. I heard that in the human world, killing someone is a crime.


    And if someone is not pretty unfortunate, they never witness someone getting killed. For someone who has never seen it, Your Highness held up pretty well today. I thought Your Highness would faint or scream. But even now, it doesn''t seem like Your Highness is too scared."


    ''It''s true that I was scared that time. But yeah, for some reason, I am not as scared as before.''


    "And normal people would get scared or cry senseless hearing that there is a high chance that they might die. But Your Highness is not reacting like that at all. Rather, you''re more absorbed in living each day. I can''t help but respect Your Highness about this," she said.


    Not many people knew about my pregnancy. Dem knew because he was my husband. He would obviously know. But Mother did not know. Dem said that it would be better if we told herter. For some reason, he was reluctant to let her know.


    Evelyn, Demetrius''s sister, did not know as well. She was away with her family, traveling. Luc knew because he was part of our private circle and he was also a very important person who knew about the whole situation besides Dem and me. Ruby was my personal maid, so she knew about it and she took care of me remembering that as well. The Imperial doctor and some other doctors knew.


    But Dem made sure that the information was not leaked. I did not know how he was going to do it, but he told me to trust him about this one. And Perita knew since she was my personal knight.


    But hearing her praise me actually made me feel a bit better.

 Chapter 151: Meeting The Knights

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ah, both His Highness and Her Highness are here."


    I heard the knights murmuring among themselves. All of them greeted us at once. Because of Demetrius, who was walking beside me with a very strict look on his face, the knights were fidgeting.


    "Look here, you morons! I am Her Highness''s personal knight!" Perita eximed very loudly, looking at her brother and the other two knights I met the other day.


    Perhaps Perita was the only exception who did not care whether the king was there or not. She always thought of me as her master and she listened to me the most. To be precise, she only cared about what I would think, not what Dem would think.


    "Calm down, Perita," I said while she was holding her chest up in pride with a bright red look on her face. "She is cute, huh?" I muttered, looking at Dem.


    "Cute, my ass!"


    "Hey, you are too mean," I nudged him with my elbow.


    "Do what you want. I will wait here," he said.


    Perhaps because Dem was looking away, the knights did not seem as ufortable as before. Perita introduced me to some of them though I did not need any kind of introduction.


    "Your Highness, look at that guy''s hair. He hasn''t showered in three years," Kadeughed, pointing at a guy''s hair which looked very dry and tangled.


    "Shower is only a material thing that''s not really necessary," he said in his defense.


    "He is so gross. He smells," Perita said. "Don''te near Her Highness, you idiot!"


    "You''re too loud, Perita," Azriel said. He was the one who always told Perita off. Perhaps because he was her brother, he liked to do so.


    "I don''t understand why Her Highness would choose Perita as her personal knight. I could do a better job," Kade said sulkily.


    "Don''t ya try to take me down, you brat!" Perita pped him at the back of his head. "Her Highness knows that I am good at my job."


    ''Well, it''s not me who chose her in the first ce... Not that I can say it now...''


    The knights were kind of surrounding me, making jokes andughing. Dem was looking at from a side while themander stood beside him. I had seen themander once before and exchanged greetings with her, nothing more.


    She was in her fifties but still was as fit as ever. I envied her as well. She was very cool and always walked with her head high. If someone saw her, it would be natural to like her.


    "Her Highness is famous among the knights," I heard themander saying to Dem. "The knights are basically crazy about Her Highness. I think it''s after that throwing dagger incident that Her Highness got this famous. Everyone respects her and talks about her as if she is the best person ever. I also quite like Her Highness. She is very respectable."


    It was very embarrassing hearing someone else praising me to Dem right in front of me. Perhaps they thought I had not heard.


    The time I spent with the knights was fun. One of the knights gave me a flower made with thorns. It was a rose.


    "What''s that?" Dem asked, looking at the flower in my hand as we were on our way back.


    "Ah, a knight gave me. It''s a rose made with thorns," I said. "Isn''t it beautiful?"


    "A knight made it?"


    "Malek made it. He is good at making different artifacts with thorns," Perita said. "It''s his hobby."


    "Malek?" I muttered. "I couldn''t catch his name because of the noise."


    "Knights are mostly very loud, Your Highness. Christophen is one of the exceptions," she said.


    "Yeah, he is really quiet," I nodded. "I guess he likes to be like that."


    "Probably," she said. "It''s hard to understand that guy."


    "Yeah, but he is the one who told me that you were a good choice as a personal knight," I said.


    "When did he do that?" she asked, surprised.


    "He whispered into my ear," I said.


    "Whispered?" Dem muttered, looking at me.


    "Yeah..."


    Perhaps I should not have phrased it like that which I understood a whileter after returning to our room.


    "We did it just this morning," I said, as he kept kissing my neck as his hands roamed over my body.


    "I know..."


    "I can''t. I am too weak now," I said.


    "Not even once?"


    "No...," I said. "Not even once. I just can''t..."


    "Alright then," he said in a disappointed tone.


    "What''s wrong with you? You''re being different all of a sudden..."


    "I hate it when you''re close with other men," he said bluntly.


    "Huh? But I kept a reasonable distance," I said.


    "I know... I just... I am sorry," he muttered, hugging me from behind.


    ''His insecurities are really worrying...''


    "Dem, I understand that you''re my husband. But still, you can''t be like this all the time," I said. You should sometimes see the boundary."


    "Are you mad?"


    "A bit," I said.


    Sometimes his actions truly made me angry. I knew what he was like, but even he needed to understand a few things. I was his wife, not his toy. He could not just try to control my acts. And it was not like I was flirting with a man or being too clingy. I kept my reasonable distance while being friendly.


    "I was wondering about a thing..."


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "The kid... If it''s a girl, what will be her name?"


    "I don''t care. Anything is fine," he said and I red at him. "Well, something meaningful..."


    "It''s alright, you don''t have to think about it," I muttered.


    "I didn''t mean it," he said quickly. "I am just not good with names."


    "That''s why I said it''s alright. I will find something," I said. What if I did not live for long? I needed to find a name for the child as soon as possible. I could not rely on Dem about this.


    Sometimes I would lose the ability to argue as well. It was very tiring these days. So, I decided to give up as soon as possible.


    I had no idea which part of him to me. He was careless about everything except me and his duties. I did not want him to be like this at all. At least, he should try to change, just a bit. But I never saw him trying at all.


    "If you''re angry at me, you can yell. Don''t keep it in yourself," he muttered.


    "I am tired..."


    "Then I will leave you alone for a while," he said and gave me a peck on the lips. Perhaps he left for his study.


    I sighed and took off my dress. I hopped on the bed wearing nothing but my underthings. The book that Dem gave me that day was on the table.


    I did not know what could be in the book that he wanted me to read it. But I decided to give it a shot anyway.


    The Werewolves


    There were two worlds connected by three passageways. Humans, a being that cannot shapeshift into another animal, popted one world. They do not possess any kind of power. They are, in a word, weak. As centuries passed, their appearance changed for the better and it will keep changing as well.


    There were the moon goddess and the ck lord in the other world. Two diametrically opposed beings who both imed to be gods.


    They fell in love and created werewolves, a different being that resembled humans, but could shapeshift into werewolves. The appearance of werewolves, like that of humans, evolved over time. They became less like werewolves and more like humans over time, but they retained werewolf characteristics.


    And the most powerful werewolves are referred to as Alphas. There have always been five Alphas who have established five kingdoms around the world: Lacuna, Querencia, Mazazine, Trouvaille, and Ataraxia. As kings, the five Alphas ruled the five kingdoms. Their ancestors have Alpha blood coursing through their veins.


    Unlike humans, who can have any human as a lover, werewolves can only be with one other werewolf. They are referred to as mates. A werewolf can only have one mate, and if that mate dies, the werewolf bes weak. The mate bond can be fulfilled by marriage where they bite into each other''s skin, marking them, and then they have to share a night and mate until the sun rises.


    If two werewolves who are mates do not do this, they will not experience the effects of a mated werewolf, such as full moons and power loss after the mate dies.


    The moon goddess chooses the mate for a werewolf. But Alphas can choose their mate. The mate can be human as well.

 Chapter 152: The Blank Page Of The Book

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ah, I know this all. Well, let''s see next," I muttered as I turned the page.


    There has been no Alpha who has chosen a human as their mate so far. As a result, it is unclear what effect being an Alpha''s mate will have on a human.


    "So, that''s why Dem did not know that conceiving his child would affect me like this...," I muttered to myself.


    If her mate is a normal werewolf and not an Alpha, a werewolf female can easily conceive her mate''s child. However, it is difficult for a female to conceive an Alpha''s child unless she also carries Alpha blood. ording to the results of the current examination, it is even more difficult, if not impossible, for a human to conceive an Alpha''s child.


    Only a small percentage of werewolves are born with mana. The ones born with mana have fewer werewolf characteristics. They are unable to transform into wolves and have fewer senses than werewolves. When their magical abilities are awakened, they will be able to use them. They must, however, practice in order to use their power.


    Since the beginning, there have been five mages who are the most powerful among other mages, much like Alphas. They are referred to as the master. In each kingdom, they maintain a magic tower. The master of the magic tower is chosen through the voting of all other mages of a kingdom. They choose the most powerful mage as the master of the magic tower.


    Only the master of the magic tower has the ability to awaken a mage''s power. A master of the magic tower has the same level of power as an Alpha.


    When the ck lord became enamored with power, he betrayed the moon goddess. There was a war between them. But none of them were victorious. The moon goddess and the ck lord parted ways, the moon, and the underground.


    ording to legend, as a result of the war, a few werewolves gained the power of the ck lord and developed dark energy within them. It''s known as ''ck mana.''


    They are mages as well, but they are known as dark mages. The amount of ck mana in a dark mage''s descendants decreases with each generation. Nheless, they are more powerful than ordinary mages and Alphas.


    A very powerful dark mage can be as powerful as five Alphas or five masters of the magic towers.


    Dark mages were not weed due to their extreme power, and they were mostly executed before even awakening their power. Because a dark mage is so powerful, even a weak mage can detect ck mana within them. Dark mages, on the other hand, are capable of concealing the presence of ck mana, making it difficult to track them down.


    The Alpha and his descendants in Querencia have ck hair and pale skin. The majority of werewolves in Querencia have pale skin. All werewolves in Lacuna have light brown skin and dark hair. The Alpha and Alpha''s descendants have silver hair and blue eyes in Ataraxia, while they have blond hair and golden eyes in Trouvaille. The majority of the werewolves in Mazazine have red hair.


    ck eyes are extremely rare, but the majority of werewolves with ck eyes can be found in Mazazine. ck eyes are referred to as cursed eyes. Female werewolves with ck eyes may or may not have much power, but male werewolves with ck eyes would undoubtedly have dark power. It is unknown what kind of power they have, but they are referred to as demonic abilities.


    As a result, ck eyes are not well received and are regarded as a bad omen.


    The following page was nk. But then there was more writing after that page. If someone read them all at once, it did not appear that anything was missing. But when I tried to read it again to make sure there was not anything missing, it felt like there was.


    "What the? Does Dem know about this?"


    It was getting interesting. Why did there have to be a nk page right here? As I tried to show my frustration on the book by turning pages very fast, two drops of blood fell on the page.


    I covered my face with my palm. My nose was bleeding. "What..."


    It did not happen before. It was not like someone hurt me or something; neither had I got hurt on my nose. Was it because of dry air?


    ''I heard dry air can cause nose bleed... But it''s not that hot today.''


    "Eh...?"


    I had not noticed it before, but as soon as the drops of blood fell on the page, writings started to appear on it.


    "EEK! What the hell?" I screamed, hurling the book to the floor and stomping on it several times. Fortunately, I did not scream so loudly that Dem could hear me. "I was dreaming... Haha, it was a hallucination. It has to be, haha..."


    With shaky hands, I opened the book again and went to the page where the writings appeared suddenly.


    "Haa... it''s real...," I mumbled as I ran my fingers over the words.


    What should I do? Should I throw the book away? No, perhaps I would just ask Luc or Dem about thister. So scary...


    Wee, dark mage. The book''s power can only be unleashed by a dark mage. A dark mage is said to be a cursed being, but they are unaware of a dark mage''s power. As a result, I, a fellow dark mage, have decided to ce some very important and hidden information here for the sole benefit of dark mages.


    ck-eyed werewolves have some unusual abilities, such as the ability to read minds and control darkness. The most dangerous thing they can do is absorb another dark mage''s power by killing the dark mage.


    But it can only be done by a ck-eyed werewolf who does not have any other ability. Since every male ck-eyed werewolf has some kind of ability, it is not possible for them. But the female werewolves with ck eyes who do not possess any kind of demonic ability can achieve a dark mage''s power and use it.


    I am writing this to warn the dark mages who are reading this to be aware of ck-eyed female werewolves. It is better to get rid of them before they get a chance. Because power can blind anyone and anyone can betray you.


    "ck-eyed female werewolf? The only person I know who is like this is Mother... But Mother would not do it. I mean, it''s true that she is mentally unstable when ites to her past, but she can''t possibly do it," I said to myself. "If it was Mother, then it would fit all the puzzle pieces together. But I can''t bring myself not to trust her.


    I mean, she is Demetrius''s mother after all."


    Most werewolves are unaware that a dark mage''s power can only be unleashed by a dark mage. The more ck mana a dark mage has, the more difficult it is to awaken their power. In that case, a dark mage who is more powerful than them can only awaken their power.


    However, other dark mages who are less powerful than them or normal mages can sometimes awaken a small portion of a dark mage''s power.


    "Luc knows partly about this," I muttered. He said that a powerful mage was needed to awaken my power. But he did not mention a dark mage. Perhaps he did not know that a dark mage was required and a normal mage would not work no matter how powerful they were.


    As soon as I finished reading the page, the words disappeared and it was once again a ck page. I even shook the book for some reason, perhaps in the hope for the words to reappear.


    The book was helpful in some ways and I got some clues as well. But the clues were leading to the wrong person.


    I did not know how much time had passed since I was absorbed in reading and thinking about what I read. With my photographic memory, I remembered every single word. It would not be hard to describe it all to Luc and Dem. Luc was a better option to talk to since he knew much more about it than Dem. But I always talked to Dem about everything. It never felt right if I hid something from him.


    But how was I even going to say that I suspected her mother for a while? Dem was not particrly fond of his mother and if I said so, he would possibly interrogate her as well. But what if I was wrong? There was a chance of that as well. In that case, I would be the reason for their rtionship to break.

 Chapter 153: The Suggestions Of The Doctor

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I put the book on the table and sighed loudly. There were no more important facts other than the things I read. And there were also no more nk pages.


    I felt oddly lightheaded. But my head was full of questions.


    "What''s... What''s going on? Why is your nose bleeding?"


    I looked towards the door, hearing Dem''s concerned tone. He quickly grabbed his handkerchief and pressed it against my nose to stop the bleeding. I did not notice it was still bleeding and now that I looked down at me, I saw that the chest area of my underthings was bloody as well.


    ''Just why is my nose bleeding this much? I didn''t even do anything. I didn''t even stress myself.''


    "Why aren''t you saying anything? What happened?" he asked. "I just left you for a while... And this happened. Really? What were you doing?


    Did something do something ot you?"


    "I don''t know. It just started bleeding," I said. "It doesn''t hurt. There is no need to freak out."


    "What do you mean? Your nose is literally bleeding."


    ''You didn''t blink even one time parting that man''s body and head in the dungeon. But when your wife just gets a simple nosebleed, you''re freaking out. Even now, I have no idea whether to be happy or not.''


    "I am fine, Dem..."


    "Did something happen?" he asked. "Did you get any kind of injury? Are you stressed too much?"


    I sighed. I tried telling him a few times that I was alright. But he did not listen. He even called for a doctor after that and kept the handkerchief pressed against my nose even though the bleeding stopped. He never listened. He was overprotective.


    But then again, I sometimes liked that part of him.


    "Did Your Highness push yourself hard?" Doctor Dimitri asked.


    "Not really?" I mumbled.


    "Her Highness is eating better than before these days. She hasn''t even refused to drink milk for the past two days. But Her Highness has been a bit sad," Ruby said.


    "She was angry," Demetrius added.


    "I don''t see any kind of problem with Her Highness''s health. Perhaps it''s because Her Highness is stressed," the doctor said. "Stress can cause nosebleeds. But it''s not a big deal."


    "It is!" Dem said, adding too much force into it.


    "I suggest that Your Highness should ease up a bit," the doctor said, looking at me. "Please don''t think about anything too much. If there is a problem, please share it with someone trustworthy, so it won''t be a pressure for you. Any form of physical activity can be good medicine to relieve stress. But since Your Highness is weak and pregnant, the number of physical activities should be limited."


    "Is swordsmanship alright?" Perita asked. "Her Highness wants to learn it."


    "I think if her health gets a bit better than now, then it would be alright. But Your Highness must not push yourself hard no matter what," he said. "But for now, please refrain from heavy physical activities. Mating is fine once in a while."


    "What''s once in a while?" Dem asked. It seemed this thing piqued his interest while I was bright red. I still could not get used to their free talking about these kinds of things.


    "Once or twice a week," the doctor said. "But not more than once at a time."


    I nced at them and gave him a look that said, "We did it twice today. Remember what the doctor is saying."


    "Diet is very important. I will write a diet n for Her Highness. It should be followed strictly; especially the vegetables and fruits should not be excluded in any way," he said. "By the way, does Your Highness drink coffee?"


    "No," I shook my head. "I drink tea."


    "I see... How many times a day?"


    "Once or twice, I guess."


    "Not more than that?"


    "No."


    "Then it''s alright. Even if Your Highness feels like it, refrain from drinking too much tea or coffee, especially coffee. Having too much coffee during pregnancy may not be healthy. And drinking alcohol is out of the question. It increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and the child having a low birth weight. In one word, it''s dangerous for both of you.


    It can also affect the child after they are born."


    "It doesn''t seem like Your Highness smokes," he said.


    "I don''t," I confirmed.


    "That''s good. Please don''t even start this habit, especially during pregnancy," he said. "And also, keep yourself away from someone who is smoking. Secondhand smoking is bad for both Your Highness and the child."


    "I will keep that in mind," Dem said.


    ''Huh? He smokes?''


    "You smoke?" I found myself asking before I could think if I should ask him or not right now.


    "Not often," Dem replied. "Don''t worry, I won''t smoke in front of you."


    I had no idea he smoked. There was no sign of that. It was not like I hated someone who smoked. Rather, I was a bit sad that I did not know this thing about him.


    "Your Highness can meditate as well," the doctor said. "During meditation, you can focus on something that''s most likely won''t stress you out. Your Highness can take instruction from a mediator."


    "I will arrange a private mediator for her then," Dem muttered.


    ''Well, it seems like I don''t have a say in this,'' I thought hearing Dem''s dismissive voice.


    "That''s good. And Your Highness should have more of a free mind andugh more. Laughing can make you feel better and Your Highness will less likely feel stressed."


    "I will make Her Highnessugh more," Perita said in a determined tone.


    "Me too," Ruby said. "Don''t worry, Your Highness. I will bring all the funniest gossip for you."


    ''These two...''


    "And talk to others as much as possible. What I mean is, connect with others. And get enough sleep. Take rest once in every while," the doctor said. "Your Highness can also write down your thoughts in a diary or something."


    "No!" I said firmly.


    "Ah, Your Highness hates it this much?" he chuckled.


    "Yes, it is very annoying. Whenever I try to write down something, I tend to overthink about what to include and what to not. I know, it''s just supposed to be my regr thoughts without much thinking, but I think this kind of thing is impossible for me," I said.


    "Then, I suppose this is out of the list. Well, then please follow the suggestions I gave. The diet n is the most important one. Do not skip a meal, even if Your Highness feels like not eating anything," he said.


    After that, Doctor Dimitri wrote a diet n for me and gave it to Ruby. Ruby wrote it down again in five more papers in case one was lost. Then she ran out of the room to give the cook one of those papers.


    Perita was also talking about her ns to the doctor, asking if they were alright. And Demetrius seemed to be deep in thought.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked, pulling the edge of his sleeve. He was standing right beside me as I was sitting on the bed.


    "Do you think it''s because we did it twice today?" he asked in a low whisper.


    "Ahaha, not really," I shrugged and chuckled.


    "But I think I am right."


    "Don''t overthink. The doctor told me not to overthink, but it seems like you''re the one actually overthinking."


    "You know, I will work harder not to make you angry. I know I am not that much of a good husband, but I will try for you," he said. "I am kinda insensitive. Because of that, I hurt your feelings sometimes. I still don''t know much about how to fix it, but tell me off or hit me if I am wrong."


    "Don''t say ''hit''. I hate it," I said.


    "Ah, sorry," he said quickly. "You''re not angry, are you?"


    "No, I am not," Iughed.


    The hardest part about insensitive people was that they did not know that they were hurting the other person''s feelings. They did not know what they were doing wrong. Since the beginning, I had known that my husband was like that as well, and because of that, it was true that I was hurt a few times. But I was d that he was trying.


    His determined eyes and eager voice to get better seemed to warm my heart up.

 Chapter 154: The Mysterious Voice

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    That night, Demetrius kept an eye on me all the time. He thought I was sleeping. I could not believe he was staring at my sleeping face that long.


    He was checking my temperature every once in a while and also kissing my forehead. He even gave some pecks on my lips.


    I had no idea when I fell asleep even when he was being like that. When I woke up in the morning, almost everyone was very busy.


    Maids were running around, packing my dresses and essories. Ruby was yelling on top of her voice, giving instructions. I heard my dresses would arriveter since it would take two carriages to take them to the pce of Ataraxia. They would take the shortcut, so it would take less time than it would if taken the front way.


    Dem said he would have taken the shortcut too if he was alone. But since I was with him, he did not want to risk. I heard there were some monstrous animals in that way. Ten top-rated knights were assigned to protect my dresses.


    ''It sounds really weird... I mean, what are the monsters going to do with my dresses? It''s not like they would wear it or give it to their wife or something...''


    Perita came running to me once, showed me some strange and funny moves. Because of that, I hadughed for like ten minutes. She left again, saying that Dem would personally check if her sword was sharp enough. And she needed to pack her bag as well.


    Perita said she did not need anything to take there, but I told her to at least take some nightwear and normal clothes, so it would not make people suspicious. Walking with a knight beside would surely draw too much attention.


    Dem was actively looking for a mediator. Even if he found one, I would not be able to get in touch with them right away since we were going to Ataraxia today.


    The cook personally came to me this morning and told me about how tasty he was going to make the foods. He was a pretty amazing and cheerful guy. But it seemed he cried a lot too. I heard he even cried when he heard that I was sick. He thought that I was sick eating his food. I had to tell him myself that it was not the case for him to calm down finally.


    Luc sent me a letter asking if I had been feeling strangetely. I told him about the nosebleed. He had not sent a reply yet, so I did not know what he thought about this. Luc had the appearance of a very innocent boy and he looked younger than he actually was. He even appeared younger than me. He had curly brown hair and almost matching brown eyes.


    Luc did not care about appearance, so he always wore a robe. I had seen in movies that wizards wore that kind of robes. Seeing that in real life was kind of exciting.


    "Your Highness, His Highness told me to ask you if you are bored," a maid, no less than fifteen, asked me. She was panting as if she had been running for a while.


    "No, I am not," I said.


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I am. I am not bored at all," I said. Rather, I was feeling a bit for all those who were working. They were working very hard, yet I could not do anything.


    I asked one of the maids if I could help, even just a bit. And she literally bowed her head and kept saying, "Did I do something wrong, Your Highness? If I have, please punish me. I will ept any kind of punishment you give me."


    After that shocking incident, I did not try to help again.


    "Don''t they need to take a bit of rest? Jeez, I am really envious of their stamina," I muttered to myself as I saw the maidsing in and out of the room hurriedly with focused faces.


    I stood up slowly and walked around the room with slow paces. These maids knew that I was sick, but they did not know that I was pregnant. One day, they would find out. Who knew which one of them would try to kill me?


    Not all of the werewolves in Querencia wanted Demetrius as their king. But no one could oppose him. He was even hated by some because of his ck eyes. It would be no surprise if even the workers inside the pce hated him. Hearing that Dem was going to have a descendant, they would try to do something for sure.


    My guess was- I was not attacked because I was a human. They perhaps knew that it was almost impossible for me to conceive his child. Though I heard that I was almost poisoned a few times, since Dem put the securities around me too high, they were caught...


    "Haa...," I sighed deeply. I opened the door of the balcony and nced down. Dem did not let mee to the balcony much. He said it was dangerous. To be precise, I only got permission toe here this week, after the balcony was reconstructed.


    The balcony was spacious, as expected of the bedroom of the royal couple. It was veryvishly decorated in ck and golden, just like our room.


    "Ah, Mother...," I muttered as I saw Mother taking a walk in the garden with her maids. Since yesterday, I had been feeling uneasy. I did not want to suspect Mother, but I was not sure that I would be able to be as easygoing as I used to be with her before. I did not tell anyone about the incident yet.


    Though I thought about doing so, Dem kept nagging yesterday that I should rest and talk less, at least for that day. He seemed to be genuinely worried.


    I had been feeling a bit of uneasiness since yesterday. It was not about Mother. But I always felt that I could sense something around me. It was as if a shadow was creeping slowly.


    "My daughter..."


    "Huh?"


    "You are finally here."


    I did not know what it was. But with my experience in life, I knew that unfamiliar things mostly meant danger. Perhaps it was out of habit that hearing the deep and almost unclear voice, I started to beat the air around me with a chair.


    There was nothing. Not like I expected anything in the first ce... But what was it? It was as if a voice into thin air. I was sure that I did not hear wrong or imagined it. How could I even imagine such a thing?


    And that voice was saying ''my daughter'' and it was a man. He surely meant me since I was the only one standing here. My damned father could not be it. He was in another world after all and besides, how could he even do it? He was a human. Then was it my real father?


    Luc said that my real father must be a dark mage.


    "Tsk, I leave you for a moment and you keep pushing yourself hard," Dem muttered,ing from behind, taking the chair from my hands. "Really? What are you doing? If there is some kind of fly or something, ask the maids... What''s with that look?"


    "I heard a voice...," I murmured, clutching onto the hem of his suit.


    "A voice? There is no one here though...," he said, but after seeing the look on my face, he added, "You mean, out of thin air?"


    "I can guarantee you that I wasn''t hallucinating or dreaming or anything like that. I was in my right mine, I swear. Like, I can even repeat our wedding vows right now though I don''t understand the meaning..."


    "It''s alright. I understand."


    "You sure? You don''t think I am crazy or something?"


    "Not really. Nothing surprises me anymore," he said.


    ''I agree. It''s kind of the same for me.''


    Dem looked around and then nced down at me again. "Tell me more about it," he said.


    "Well, it was a man''s voice, kinda deep and unclear. But I understood. He was calling me his daughter. He said that I am finally here," I said. "You think it''s my real father? Luc said that he is a dark mage."


    "It refers to that," he said. "Why would that freaky man reach out to you? I will crack his bones and slump him in mud if he tries to do anything funny. I won''t forgive him even if he is your father. So far, it seems he is shady whoever it is."


    I thought that the person who actually made me was kind of suspicious without even meeting him. But to think Dem would put it that way...


    I hugged him tightly.


    "Darling?"


    "I love you, really. You know, I don''t think I care about anything anymore. You can betray me, but I will trust you from now on. I can''t bring myself to think that you''re lying, even if you are. So, I think I am ready to go down as well."

 Chapter 155: The Doctor’s Advice

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I only found out that I was being insensitive after my wife got sad hearing my words. I hated myself for it. If I had been just a little more considerate, perhaps I would not have hurt her feelings. I even made her angry.


    When I saw that she got a nosebleed, I thought she somehow fell or hurt herself. But when she said it was nothing like that, I immediately thought that because I made her angry, it happened. Perhaps she was pushing herself too hard.


    Though she told me not to, again and again, I called the doctor. Doctor Dimitri was pretty young, but I trusted his judgment. At first, I thought because he was young, he would not be too professional. But he proved me wrong. Every single of his actions and words were professional. He looked at Blue as a patient only, not something else.


    It rxed me a bit as well.


    As he gave her instructions about what she should do and what she should not, I tried to memorize all of them. After all, there should not be any kind ofcking when it came to her.


    The doctor met me again at my office. "Actually, I could not say this in front of Her Highness... Well, I have been checking Her Highness''s health for weeks. There is one thing I am sure of- Your Highness does have pretty good stamina. So, I think even one time at once is a bit too much. So, I think it would be better if His Highness tries to finish a bit early.


    Her Highness should not know this, since it can worry her. She can think that because of her, Your Highness is not satisfied. And because Her Highness is with a child, her emotions can be very unpredictable. That''s why I couldn''t tell anything at that time. I hope Your Highness understands."


    "I see...," I said. I waited for her before too. It would not matter if I did not do it for a while though it would be hard. Her health was the first thing. If she got better properly, we would be able to do it a lot then. "I understand.


    Anything else I need to take care of?"


    "Her Highness may act out of character. She has not perhaps shown any sign of that. But it can happen. It''s not like it will surely, but there is a possibility. In that case, Your Highness should be patient. Even if Her Highness throws a tantrum, please try to bear it with her without getting angry."


    ''If she meaninglessly throws a tantrum, I would like to see it. I bet she is gonna be cute...''


    "Because if Your Highnessshes back at her, Her Highness might feel down. Right now, besides her physical health, her mental health is very important too. I have noticed before too, that Her Highness tends to overthink. It''s like something is giving her pressure all the time. That''s why Your Highness should work hard as well to make sure Her Highness does not worry about many things," he said.


    "Her Highness even might want to cry and that''s also for no reason. In that case, lend her a shoulder and be patient. If she needs any kind of affirmation, please give her that. And if there is any form of difficulty, contact me. Her condition may worsen at any moment. So, it''s better to do something as soon as possible before something bad happens."


    "And even if nothing goes wrong with her health, mentally and physically, it is better for me to check on Her Highness. To reduce her stress, Your Highness should do everything possible. Since Your Highness cares for Her Highness deeply, reducing her stress also should be part of the care," he added.


    That night, she fell asleep, but I could not sleep at all. I was thinking about what the doctor had said. I was nning in my head what I should do.


    Looking at her sleeping face always helped me rx. The feeling was very blissful every time I looked at my wife''s beautiful calm face. And whenever I looked at her, I wanted to touch her, kiss her, and shower her with affection.


    The next morning, I was making arrangements so she would not have any kind of trouble after going to Ataraxia. I did not want to take her there, but it was important to awaken her power.


    I had taken care of other things before. So, now I only wanted to focus on the things concerning her.


    "Ask Her Highness, the Queen, if she is bored," I asked a maid. Just like the doctor instructed, I was trying to make sure that she was not bored.


    The maid came back pretty quickly. "Her Highness said she is not bored at all."


    "I see... Anything else?"


    "Also Her Highness asked a maid if she needed any help."


    ''As expected of my sweet-hearted wife... She might have felt bad that everyone is working, but not her. She doesn''t understand that the thing she now needs to focus on now is to get better.''


    I did not need to ask to know what happened next. The maid surely asked for her forgiveness, thinking that she had done something wrong and the queen was angry. I chuckled. I wished I could see what kind of face my little wife made.


    After my work was managed, I headed to the bedroom to see what she was doing. But what I found her doing was not something I thought she would be doing.


    She was holding a chair up with both of her hands and swinging it to her sides on the balcony. She looked scared as if she had seen something shocking.


    "Tsk, I leave you for a moment and you keep pushing yourself hard," I muttered, taking the chair with her hands and putting it down. "Really? What are you doing? If there is some kind of fly or something, ask the maids... What''s with that look?"


    I did not understand why she had to try to do everything on her own. How many times did I have to remind her that she was the queen? She could ask anyone to do something and they had no choice but to oblige.


    "I heard a voice...," she mumbled, clutching the front of my outfit.


    "A voice? There is no one here, though...," I said, looking around to make sure that there was no one actually there though I knew that there was not. But then a thought came to me. What if it was the dark mage that was lurking around? And besides, my wife was not someone to talk nonsense about something like this. The look on her face clearly said that she was not joking.


    "You mean, out of thin air?"


    "I can guarantee you that I wasn''t hallucinating or dreaming or anything like that. I was in my right mine, I swear. Like, I can even repeat our wedding vows right now though I don''t understand the meaning...," she said quickly.


    "It''s alright. I understand," I said reassuringly.


    "You sure? You don''t think I am crazy or something?"


    There was no reason for me not to trust her. And besides, it was not like anything was impossible these days.


    "Not really. Nothing surprises me anymore," I muttered and looked around once more. "Tell me more about it."


    "Well, it was a man''s voice, kinda deep and unclear. But I understood. He was calling me his daughter. He said that I am finally here," she said. "You think it''s my real father? Luc said that he is a dark mage."


    If someone was calling her ''daughter'', then it was her father for sure. He was a dark mage though we did not know who he was or where he was. We had no idea how powerful he was, but now that he managed to even contact my wife like this, then he surely was quite a powerful dark mage.


    "It refers to that," I said. "Why would that freaky man reach out to you? I will crack his bones and slump him in mud if he tries to do anything funny. I won''t forgive him even if he is your father. So far, it seems he is shady whoever it is."


    I meant every single word I said. It did not matter who he was. I did not have any business with him as long as he did not bother my wife. But if he did, no matter how powerful he was, he needed to face me.


    She suddenly hugged me. "Darling?"


    "I love you, really. You know, I don''t think I care about anything anymore. You can betray me, but I will trust you from now on. I can''t bring myself to think that you''re lying, even if you are. So, I think I am ready to go down as well."

 Chapter 156: Won’t Give Up

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I did not know what to say to her. I did not have any proof to make her believe my words. She had all the right to suspect me. If I was in her position, I would have done the same. Yet, she said it did not matter anymore. Even if I betrayed her, she wanted to trust me.


    My heart broke hearing her words. Our rtionship- I did not want it to be like this. My wife was my everything. What was I even going to do if she thought that way? There was no way I would betray her. No matter what it was for, she was not going to be someone I would ever betray.


    "Then stay with me," I said. I knew I should have said something more. I should have told her that I would not betray her. But for some reason, I could not just say it.


    "Yeah," she mumbled.


    I knew that I was a morally questionable guy. But even then, I had some morals that I followed. Like even if I would force her to be with me even if she ever did not want to, I would not use my force on her if she said no. When I was angry, I sometimes did try to do it with her, more than usual. But whenever she said no, I stopped. And there was another thing I followed.


    I would not betray someone I loved.


    Since I loved truly only one person, I would not betray her no matter what. In my mind, I could convince myself that I would not. But I could not tell her that. If words were not the answer, I would make her believe this with my action. I hated to be in doubt.


    I wanted her to be with me knowing perfectly that her husband was trustworthy and would do anything to protect her, and that even if the world was against her, her husband would even destroy the world for her. Because that was exactly what I would do.


    "Ahem!"


    Hearing someone cough, she pushed me away quickly. "Ruby? Yes?" she said, far too loudly than necessary.


    I had to hold back myugh with much difficulty seeing her so flushed that her face and upper chest were bright red.


    "My apologies for disturbing you, but I actually need to know if Her Highness wants to take the strange nightwear," Ruby said.


    She was talking about the shorts and the t-shirt that she came here wearing. She had been using that to wear at night since they were veryfortable. Ruby had been calling them strange, no matter how many times my wife corrected her.


    "Yes," she nodded.


    "Well, then I will leave. Please feel free to continue."


    My little shy wife covered her face with her palms. It had been more than two months since we were married. Yet, she was very shy. I wondered how long it would take for her to ease uppletely.


    "You don''t have to be that shy," I said, trying to remove her hands from her face.


    "I am not shy!" she said boldly even though her ears were full red.


    Every time I looked at her petite body, I always thought about one thing. This body was hurt by her family. They tortured her, hit her. I wondered how much she cried that time, how much it hurt her. It must have hurt a lot.


    I hugged her and kissed her shoulder. ''You did well, really well. You held up well, darling.''


    "Dem? Why suddenly...?"


    "Can''t I hug my wife?"


    "For no reason?"


    "Hmm, for no reason," I mumbled. "I love my wife so much that I want to hug you, kiss you all the time. I want to touch you always."


    "... You really do not care about anything else, do you?"


    "No?"


    She chuckled and in the hug, wrapped her legs around me. She had never done it before. I was kind of taken aback. But this sweet gesture was too sweet for me. Yet, I craved more.


    "So, you want to be spoiled now?"


    "You always spoil me all the time," she muttered as I pulled her up.


    "Well, it''s my hobby," I said. "By the way, aren''t you shy anymore? The maids are still here."


    "Since you said you don''t care about anything else, I decided not to as well. At least, for once," she muttered.


    "That''s good," I chuckled and kissed her on the side of her neck. Her natural scent was better than anything else. I was very d that I was the only one who could take this scent.


    No werewolves could get the scent of an Alpha. And as she was my mate, no one could smell her as well.


    "You smell as good as always," I muttered.


    "I didn''t use any scent though..."


    "I like your natural scent the most," I said. "It''s something I can''t even name. But it''s really amazing."


    "It''s the first time I heard this, you know," she said.


    "Of course! I am the first one who has ever held you like this and can take your scent like this."


    "Yes, yes, I know."


    I carried her like that in our room. The maids nced at us once and then quickly looked away. Most of them were beet red as if they had seen something they should not have. But it was normal, was it not? Blue and I were husband and wife after all. It was very normal that we would act intimate.


    Though my wife had been daring for a moment, I could see how red she was. But she was adamant not to give up. It was adorable. Her trying so hard was really pleasing to watch.


    "If you don''t give up, I will carry you like this around the pce."


    "What...?"


    "It''s true."


    "I-I won''t give up," she said shakily. "You can do whatever you want to."


    "Then, I will dly ept this."

 Chapter 157: [Bonus chapter] The Chaotic Bath

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Though I said that I would not give up after a while I felt like I should have. I was not the daring type of person or someone who was okay with showing public disys of affection. Yet, now that I tried it, I was reminded once again how hard it was.


    "So, where should we go first?" he asked yfully.


    "You said around the pce. Are you shy now?"


    "Me? Shy? You bet!"


    As he said, he went to his study. He did not put me down at all. And it did not even seem like he was the least bit tired of carrying me. His arms were too strong.


    I felt pampered.


    As he said, he took me to every single ce in the pce, even in the kitchen. Everyone was shocked. The shocked looks I witnessed on my way made me shy even more. It was embarrassing, but I was determined.


    But I did not tell him so. I did not want to give up. It was very childish. But I could not say that I was not enjoying it either.


    "What about going to the garden?"


    "No! You said inside the pce?"


    "I meant, pce ground," he shrugged.


    ''This mischievous...''


    "Then we can even visit the knights," he smirked, "like this."


    "No! I give up! I give up!" I dered and got down even before he could put me down gently. Going to the knights like this was just way too much.


    "No need to get too worked up, sweetheart. I wouldn''t do it."


    It did not seem like he would not do it. Rather, he seemed pretty excited a while ago about this. If I had not stopped it, he surely thought of doing it.


    I eyed him suspiciously. He raised his eyebrow yfully. If I said something now, he would surely tease me in some way.


    "Why aren''t you saying anything, my wife?"


    "Is there anything to say?"


    "Is it because you''re too shy that you lost your words?"


    ''Haa, now even though I didn''t say anything, he teased me again... Jeez!''


    "I am not!"


    "Then why don''t we go to the knights like that?" he asked, smirking.


    "... Stop teasing me," I said, hiding my face in his chest.


    "Haha, alright. I won''t tease you anymore."


    I went back for a bath. Today, seven maids were taking care of me. Usually, it was just Ruby. There were actually two personal maids for me, but for some reason, it ended up only with Ruby.


    It was pretty strange that only one maid was around the queen. But Demetrius suspected everyone and did not trust anyone much. Ruby gained his trust in a weird way, but because of that, she could be around me. I knew why he was behaving like that. After all, he could read minds. He knew what someone was up to.


    "What scent should we use today, Your Highness?"


    I usually used rose oil or did not use anything at all. Dem did not like the smell of scented bath oils. And it was not like I had to use it too. But sometimes, Ruby nagged. So, I would choose rose oils.


    "Vetiver," I said. I chose something different this time. Thankfully, the names of the nts were not different here. So, I did not have any problem.


    ''I read vetiver is good for relieving stress. Who knows? I might have been stressedtely.''


    "By the way, I don''t remember us having vetiver," I muttered. "Is it newly imported? As far I know, it is not produced in Querencia."


    "Yes, Your Highness. It is from Lacuna," one of the maids said. "We are importing vetiver a lot, starting this month. There is a rumor that it was His Highness''s direct order."


    "I see..."


    "Your Highness, please lend me your ear," Ruby whispered. "Actually, His Highness did it after the imperial doctor told him that it might be good for Your Highness."


    "Eh...?"


    It could not be true, could it? It seemed like he was doing it because it would sell well in our kingdom. Perhaps Ruby was wrong. Or was she?


    "Your Highness has very soft skin."


    "Yes, Her Highness has beautiful hair as well."


    "Her Highness would look good in anything. But of course, ck and golden suit Her Highness the most."


    "When Her Highness wore that light blue dress two months ago, it looked very good too."


    "Did you see the new dresses? They are too beautiful."


    "Yes, I like the one Her Highness is going to wear at the banquet. It will look amazing on Her Highness."


    I could only hear them chatting about me and my dresses endlessly. If I was not the queen, they would not perhaps give a damn about me. I did not have much of a charm as a person. It was not about beauty. There was nothing in particr that I could do, except one thing- I could remember anything I read. This ability was tiring.


    It helped me these days when I took care of a few things in the castle. I could remember the amount of money spent on every single thing which worked as an advantage. I wondered if I would be able to gain some kind of power that at least would be enough to make me useful.


    I had no intention of gaining any kind of power. But if I coulde to use to this kingdom, perhaps it would not be a bad thing.


    I wondered if I would be able to awaken my power safely. What if the dark mage Demetrius knew of was not strong enough? After all, Dem said that my father might be a powerful dark mage since he managed to contact me like that. I had a suspicion too. But now everything depended on how much ck mana I had in my body. The greater the amount was, the harder it would be to awaken my power.


    ''I just wish for everything to go smoothly.''

 Chapter 158: The Feeling Of Missing Something

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    That night, we were supposed to leave for Ataraxia. I took care of everything and then went to Mother''s room.


    Before I could knock on the door, a maid opened it. Perhaps she was going out.


    "Gah! Your Highness!"


    "Demetrius?" Mother muttered, surprised.


    "May Ie in, Mother?" I asked.


    "Yes, of course."


    "Mother, have you prepared everything you need?" I asked.


    "Yes, I have. And why are you standing? Take a seat," she said.


    "No need. I won''t stay for long."


    "Demetrius, you are my son. You weren''t like this before. You would talk to me more and be friendly with me. Our rtionship was not like mother and son''s only, we were like friends. You would share everything with me," she said. "You were not like this even when you first brought Blue here.


    But right after you got married, you have be very cold. Have I done something wrong?"


    ''That is something I am worried about as well. But I think our worries are different in a way though the route is the same.''


    Mother was not a good parent. She failed to perform her duties as a parent because she was so much in despair with the thought that she had to marry Father. She used to ignore both Evelyn and me when we were little. But then, some of my memories were hazy and I did not remember how she was with us then.


    Because of my mother''s behavior, my rtionship with her was never close, at least, that was how it was supposed to be. But I clearly remembered talking to her in a very friendly way just a few months ago which was very out of my character and I would never do that.


    Then, was someone controlling me back then too? Then why would they not be able to control my thoughts now?


    "Mother, please drop that kind of topic," I said. There was no point in telling her or trying to make her understand. I did not really care what she thought. She failed as a mother and now, she was asking why I was not being friendly with her? What a joke!


    "If I have done something wrong, you can tell me," she said and suddenly, tears started to fall from her eyes.


    ''Oh, really? What the hell?''


    "Mother, I don''t have much time. I just wanted to ask you if you have prepared everything," I said tiredly. "Now that my work here is done, I would like to go now."


    As I turned back to leave, Mother suddenly grabbed my hand. She hugged me and started crying even more.


    "Mother, I need to leave now," I said.


    "Where will you go now? Can''t you spend some time with your own mother? Just a bit?"


    "Mother, I understand what you''re saying. But don''t cross a line that you had drawn in the first ce," I said.


    "What... what do you mean?"


    "Do I really have to say it out loud? You have always distanced yourself from Evelyn and me since we were little. Now you are saying that you want me to spend time with you?"


    "I know I was wrong to do so... But... but... you have been spending time with me before."


    "That was all the time you came to me."


    ''And I have no idea why I behaved like that.''


    "And now, even if I go to talk to you, you don''t spend any time with me. I know I have done wrong. But can''t you forgive your mother?"


    "No, I am afraid I cannot," I said.


    "Now all you do is spend time with your wife. It''s not like I don''t like Blue or wish any bad for her. But isn''t it a little too much to spend this much time with your wife?"


    "I don''t care if it''s too much or not. I will do what I want. My wife- I like to spend time with her. And what I do with my wife, how much time I spend with her- these all are my and my wife''s business. It''s better to stay out of it."


    "If you show this much affection to your wife, what will others say? You''re a king, Demetrius. I understand that you love your wife. But it''s too much. You should..."


    "I don''t need to hear that from you," I said, cutting her off and then I looked at one of her maids. "Take Mother away. And Mother, please stay out of the things between my wife and me. My wife is sick now. She needs proper care and attention. Even if she was not sick, I would give her this much attention."


    "Your father loved me too, a lot. But then, he was murdered!"


    "So, you mean, just because I love my wife, I will be murdered?"


    "I don''t mean that..."


    "Just quit it, really. It''s too much," I said. "I will leave now. Please get ready and once again, make sure you got everything handled."


    The death of Father was a surprise to us. At first, everyone thought he died normally. But we suspected something was wrong since he was not sick at all. After some investigations, it was found that he was actually killed, but it was thoughtfully nned that almost no one noticed it.


    Father was found dead one morning. The doctors along with others assumed that he died in his sleep. He was not too old to die like that and that was also without having any kind of health problems.


    But I suspected that his death was not normal. With further inspections, it was found out that he was killed by a poison that disappears after the person was dead. It would kill the person from within without showing any kind of symptoms which made it impossible to know whether the person was poisoned or not.


    I left Mother''s room. Perhaps I should not have gone to her myself. Every time, I went to her, I had this strange feeling of a part being missing from my life. It was very ufortable. But the most ufortable fact was that I did not even know which part was missing.


    Because I did not know what was missing, I could not even try to remember. It was like nothing was missing, but if I thought about it for a while, it could be realized. And I was sure that something was very wrong.


    "What''s wrong? What are you thinking about?"


    I looked at my side feeling the touch of a soft hand on my arm. I did not even realize that I hade to my wife''s dress storing room. Perhaps I just followed the sweet scent of hers to rx my mind.


    "It''s nothing," I said, trying to smile a bit.


    "It''s alright if you don''t want to talk about it," she said reassuringly. "I heard you went to meet Mother."


    "Yes, I went to see if she had gotten everything ready," I said.


    "I see...," she muttered. "I was just checking what the maids were doing. Sitting on the bed for too long hurts my back."


    "Just don''t move too much. This much is not too much I guess, but don''t push yourself."


    "I won''t."


    There was a pause. I wanted to talk to her, to tell her what was on my mind. But I just could not get started.


    "Dem."


    "Hm?"


    "Can we take a little walk?" she asked.


    I was taken aback by her sudden request. I gave a nod. She seemed to be thinking about something as well. At times like this, I always wanted to rip that ne off so I could find out what was going on in her head.


    The cold air fell against our skins. She shivered slightly and I quickly wrapped my coat around her.


    There was a sweet scent in the air of the flowers and the fresh leaves. But the sweetest of them was her scent, that captivating one.


    "Did it ever happen to you that you feel like missing a part of your memory but you don''t even know what is it that you''re missing?" I asked. Perhaps it was because the air was refreshing, or the atmosphere was calm, I regained the strength to talk to her.


    Did she know how I was feeling that time? Was that why she wanted to take a walk in the garden?


    "Not really," she said. "You used something to make me forget about the time when I helped you. But I don''t feel anything like that. It''s like that memory never existed. So, there is no odd feeling."


    "I know what you''re talking about," she added. "It''s about Mother, isn''t it? Like whenever you go to her, you feel like it was not like this before, right?"


    "How do you know that?"


    "I can see, Dem," she said calmly. "I was wondering about this before too. Things are quite strange if I say correctly."

 Chapter 159: A World Without Me

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    When he came to my dress storing room, I was caught off guard. When I asked Ruby where he was, she said that he went to meet his mother. But when he came back, he looked like he was confused about something.


    Perhaps I knew what he was thinking about so intently.


    I took him to the garden because whenever I felt the night air against my skin, I would feel like all my worries going away.


    "What do you mean things have been strange?" he asked.


    "You know, when I first came here, I thought you and your mother had a very good rtionship. You were friendly with her. But it was not the same after some time passed. As the days passed, it seemed you were distancing yourself from her. I even wondered a few times if it has something to do with me. But I think not."


    "It''s not even supposed to be like this," he said. "I am not supposed to have a good rtionship with her. I mean, I told you what kind of mother she was. Since the beginning, I respected her, but I never loved her. I didn''t even feel any kind of attachment with her. But I clearly remember talking to her as if I loved her so much and we were very close.


    Now that I think about it, there is no reason for me to behave like that."


    "None Evelyn or I got the love of our parents. Father was very distant and once came to us to check our progress on learning what someone with Alpha blood needed to learn," he added.


    "I see... I understand how you feel. You know, I don''t think everything is normal. I mean, why would you feel like you''re missing a part of your life? Or why would you behave differently with your mother all of a sudden? These are all very strange."


    "Do you think what Luc said might be true?"


    "It might be. And well, I have something to tell you as well."


    "What is it?"


    "Actually, the book you gave me. Do you know that there is a nk page in it?"


    "A nk page? Yeah, I know. It''s a rare book and there are very few editions of it. But in all of them, there are a few nk pages," he said.


    ''So there are more nk pages? I read only that far, so I came across one only.''


    "Do you know why?" I asked.


    "I don''t think it''s much of a concern. After noticing it first, I got it checked by Luc. But he said that there is no trace of any kind of magic. It might just be some kind of mistake, I think."


    ''Because the magic used by dark mages can be hidden, Luc did not notice anything. It surely is a job done by a very powerful dark mage.''


    "I don''t think that''s the case only," I said. "Actually, when I was reading, I came across the very first nk page. If you read that part, you wouldn''t feel like something is missing. But something is. If you read it a few times more attentively, you can feel that some kind of information iscking. I felt that way too.


    I don''t know what happened or why it happened, but my nose started bleeding. It seemed like I was much stressed all of a sudden like something was pulling my energy. When a few drops of blood fell on the nk page, words started to appear."


    "What?"


    "Yeah," I nodded. "I wanted to tell you that time. But you brought the doctor before listening to me, so I couldn''t tell you. Then you didn''t even let me talk because the doctor told me to rest. It said, ''Wee, dark mage. The book''s power can only be unleashed by a dark mage.


    A dark mage is said to be a cursed being, but they are unaware of a dark mage''s power. As a result, I, a fellow dark mage, have decided to ce some very important and hidden information here for the sole benefit of dark mages.''."


    "ck-eyed werewolves have some unusual abilities, such as the ability to read minds and control darkness. The most dangerous thing they can do is absorb another dark mage''s power by killing the dark mage. But it can only be done by a ck-eyed werewolf who does not have any other ability. Since every male ck-eyed werewolf has some kind of ability, it is not possible for them."


    "But the female werewolves with ck eyes who do not possess any kind of demonic ability can achieve a dark mage''s power and use it. I am writing this to warn the dark mages who are reading this to be aware of ck-eyed female werewolves. It is better to get rid of them before they get a chance. Because power can blind anyone and anyone can betray you.


    Most werewolves are unaware that a dark mage''s power can only be unleashed by a dark mage."


    "The more ck mana a dark mage has, the more difficult it is to awaken their power. In that case, a dark mage who is more powerful than them can only awaken their power. However, other dark mages who are less powerful than them or normal mages can sometimes awaken a small portion of a dark mage''s power."


    "What the... That''s pretty... Then it means if someone reads this book, they might know what kind of power ck-eyed werewolves have. That''s really a problem. And controlling darkness? I can''t control darkness though..."


    "I think it means that one can control darkness while the other one can read minds. It doesn''t mean the same person."


    "But what''s up with it that they can absorb another dark mage''s power by killing that dark mage? And only females can do it because they sometimes don''t have any kind of ability even though they are born with ck eyes. Then they can use that dark mage''s powers. It''s really... But whatever it is, don''t go near that book anymore."


    "Eh? Why not?"


    "It said that only a dark mage can unleash the book''s power. For that, that dark mage has to use their power. Your powers aren''t even awakened yet. Perhaps because Luc tried, it''s awakened just a bit and because of that, you could unleash the book''s power. And because of that, since you''re not fully awakened, you couldn''t control it and your nose started bleeding.


    It''s dangerous for you to push yourself, even if you were not aware. So, it''s better not to go near that book for the time being."


    "Dem..."


    "I am telling you. Listen to me," he said strictly.


    "Alright," I sighed. "I won''t go near it anymore."


    ''Well, I still packed it with me though...''


    "And for what you read, it said that as a dark mage, you need to be careful of ck-eyed female werewolves."


    "You don''t mean..."


    "Yes. No matter who is she is, you can''t get too close to her. I know she is my mother, but still, keep your distance."


    "But if she had to do something, she could have done it when you were away for a whole month."


    "I know. But still, just keep your distance from her and all other ck-eyed werewolves, if you meet one at the banquet. And I am not sure how much ck mana you have. But I think that you have a lot since your father managed to reach you like that. So, we have to see if the dark mage I arranged can awaken your power or not. If not, then we have to look for another dark mage."


    He sounded very anxious. I knew why. If my power was not awakened, there was a chance that I might die since I was pregnant with an Alpha''s child. And I knew very correctly that Dem would do anything to keep that from happening, even if it meant to kill someone.


    His love was excessive, really excessive.


    He gave me love even when I was not craving it. He loved me so dearly that I never felt that it was not enough. So, I tried to give him as much love as I could, so he would not feel like it was not enough. I was trying. I wanted to make sure that he would be alright even after I left.


    Perhaps I should just try to talk to him about it little by little and make him understand that a world without me was still worth living in.

 Chapter 160: Teleporting To Ataraxia

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Did Mother say that?"


    "Yes, she will take the carriage," Dem replied. Mother suddenly sent a word saying that she was not going teleport and that she would ride a carriage. "She will take the shortcut along with other soldiers."


    "I am d. The fewer people to teleport, the less power I have to use," Luc said.


    Though Dem and Luc looked very normal about it, I was kind of worried about teleporting. I was worried that what if part of me was teleported, like half of me would teleport.


    Ruby was kind of anxious, but she did not have the same type of fear as me. And as for Perita, she was excited. It was their first time to teleport as well.


    "Don''t worry. You won''t even feel anything," Luc said. "Well, you might feel like your head is spinning after reaching there. But you''re gonna sleep there anyway. It''s nighttime there too, just two hours ahead of us."


    Luc told us to connect to him by holding hands. Dem held my hand and Luc''s hand, which was like barely touching him. Perita held my other hand and Ruby held Luc''s and Perita''s hand. Ruby looked a bit ufortable, holding Luc''s hand and her face was very red.


    "Seriously? Just what''s wrong with holding my hand?" Luc barked at Dem who just shrugged.


    "Skin to skin contact is disgusting," he said.


    "Skin to skin contact? You''re holding your wife''s hand so tightly that it doesn''t seem like you will let go at all," Luc said, pointing at our entwined hands with his eyes.


    "That''s cause she is my wife and an exception," Dem replied. "Don''t make things troublesome and just do it already."


    Luc muttered something under his breath, perhaps cursed at Dem, and then closed his eyes. Everyone closed their eyes as well, perhaps following Luc, except me and Dem.


    A bluish aura spread around us creating a circle in the air. The color was captivating.


    "It''s the color of your eyes," Dem whispered into my ear. "It''s beautiful."


    Before I could see more of it, there was this feeling of being pushing my body through a storm.


    "Huh...," I almost fell to the ground by the time the feeling stopped if it was not Dem who caught me quickly. The ground was different. We had reached Ataraxia already.


    "Ah, greetings, King and Queen of Ataraxia."


    Hearing the deep voice, I looked up and found an old man with a long beard beaming at us. I had seen his portrait before. He was the king of Ataraxia.


    "Greetings, King of Ataraxia," I said formally and Dem just nodded a bit.


    "My, my... The Queen of Querencia sure is very graceful," he beamed and kissed the back of my left hand. "Wee to Ataraxia. Hope you have a pleasant stay."


    Beforeing here, I had been taking etiquette lessons and learning the basic things about everything. Since I was sick most of the time, Dem could not bring an instructor for me. I just learned everything from books that were made for kids of the Royal family and Ruby helped me as well.


    She brought the portraits of important members of the political world and told me all the important things about them.


    But what I hated the most was the way to address other kings and queens. Like I had to address the king of Ataraxia, saying ''King Of Ataraxia''. The same went for other kings and queens. It was very tiring to say it all the time I needed to talk to him.


    The king himself showed us our bedroom. I heard that Dem was feared a lot and that was the reason, even the king of Ataraxia was very careful as to how to treat him.


    On the way, we met the Queen as well. She was actuallying to greet us as well. She had golden hair and green eyes, while the king had silver hair and blue eyes. Compared to Mother, she was not that beautiful, but her moves were very elegant.


    "Are you feeling dizzy now as well?" Dem asked, as we finally got to go to our room. It was huge. A living room and a bedroom were attached together and both of them were enormous along with a huge bath. Well, our bedroom at the Querencia Pce was the same.


    "Hmm... I think it''s because I am sick, I am feeling dizzier," I said. "And I feel..."


    "What''s wrong?" he quickly asked, seeing me pressing my palm over my mouth in a panic.


    "Toilet...," I managed to mumble.


    Dem quickly picked me up and took me to the toilet. I bent over the basin as soon as he put me down.


    I did not want him to see this disgusting sight. ''Just get out of here. Seriously!''


    But he did not go out. He tied my hair in a bun so it would not fall on my face and gently rubbed my forehead, pressing his palm against it.


    "Thankfully, I made you eat beforeing here," he muttered.


    I let everything out that I had eaten beforeing here. "You... You should have stayed outside. It''s disgusting... and smelly..."


    "I don''t care," he shrugged and helped me clean my face.


    ''This guy...''


    "I feel less dizzy," I said. "But I think I need to lie down."


    "It''s fine. Take some rest. I will tell the maids to clean it up," he said.


    "But the Queen said that our servings are prepared," I said. "Won''t it be disrespectful if I don''te down?"


    "It''s fine," he said. "You are sick. Your healthes first. Just don''t think about anything and lie down. I will get your food here."


    I could not say anything else. I truly was not feeling okay. But I also did not likeying down all the time.


    I closed my eyes and tried to rx. Teleportation was harder than I thought it would be. Perhaps because I was sick, the effect was too much for me.


    "Are you alright, Your Highness? His Highness told me that you are not feeling okay," Ruby eximed as she came hurriedly.


    The maids the pce of Ataraxia assigned me were working silently. They asked me if I needed anything though... But I said no. I just wanted to rest.


    "Hmm... My head hurts a bit."


    "Did you take the medicines?"


    "Dem gave them to me in time," I replied. With a husband like Dem and a maid like Ruby around, I did not need to worry about anything. Even when I told them not to, they kept taking care of me as if I could not do anything on my own. Sometimes it was good, but sometimes it was excessive.


    "Then is it because of the teleportation? I mean, I felt a bit dizzy too, but that''s just for a while. I think it''s because Your Highness''s health is weak, you are feeling like this," she said. "Should I massage Your Highness''s forehead?"


    "That would be great."


    "I think His Highness made the best decision," she muttered as she began to gently massage my forehead.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "His Highness made sure that no one will disturb Your Highness all this time," she said. "I think His Highness told the King of Ataraxia himself about this."


    "I see..."


    "And also, kings and queens usually stay in two different bedrooms. Since His Highness knew that they would arrange two different rooms for you, he sent a letter before saying that there should be only one room for Your Highness and His Highness."


    "But why do they stay in two different rooms? Is it because they have their own harems?"


    "I think it''s mostly because of privacy reasons. Kings and Queens, mostly marry due to political reasons. Because of that, they bear none to little romantic feelings towards each other. The harem is also a part of the whole thing."


    "I don''t think I like it. I don''t like the idea of marrying someone without loving them?"


    It was true that I was married like that as well, but we never stayed in different rooms and Dem apanied me more than enough. And I could not help falling for him. Actually, both of us actively tried to talk to each other and improve our rtionship. Though we had our problems, we were very close and talked to each other about everything.


    "I don''t like it as well. I am the one lover or one spouse at once type," Ruby said. "I mean, just because you''re a Royal doesn''t mean you have so high of sexual desires that you need to do it with more than one person. I don''t mean to be rude, Your Highness."


    Ruby was talking in hushed tones lest others should hear it. I chuckled hearing her say it with that tone. It seemed like she definitely despised it.


    I was d that my husband was not that type. If he was, I would surely never love him and leave him one way or another. Because no matter how much he loved me, if he did it with other women, that was a big no for me.

 Chapter 161: Prince Caius

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Seriously? It seems really odd right now," I muttered as I looked around at the maids gathering around us while Dem fed me.


    They were really surprised that the king himself was feeding his wife. And that was also in front of them.


    Unlike at our pce, the maids were supposed to be with us all the time to serve us. Dem did not say no, since I was sick. And it was necessary for us not to say no as well to maintain our position. We needed to try to behave like other kings and queens in some cases. Or someone might take a bit more than necessary interest in us.


    "What? Isn''t the food to your liking?" he asked. "Should I dump it on..."


    "No, just don''t!" I said quickly. "I am notining about the food. What I mean is this. What are you doing? And that''s also in front of others?"


    "You''re sick. I told you not to do anything else. And it''s necessary for you not to move. Just rx and have the food."


    "Ruby can do this."


    "No. She spilled food on you the other day."


    "That was one drop of soup!"


    "And you had to change your clothes then! It takes too much effort to change clothes. You should move as less as possible."


    That time, I did not want to change clothes just for one drop of soup. But Ruby nagged about it and made me change. And my too caring husband lectured Ruby a lot about it and did not let her feed me again.


    "Dem..."


    "Are you embarrassed that I am feeding you?" he asked sulkily.


    "Of course not! That''s not what I meant!"


    "Then don''t make a fuss and eat quietly," he said.


    This was one of his techniques to make me listen to him. When he looked at me so pitifully and said those things, I could not help listening to him.


    ''Next time, I won''t let him fool me like that!''


    The next morning, as I expected, there was only one thing everyone was talking about- ''The rtionship between the king and queen is heaven-made.''


    There was even an article in the newspaper saying that some maids witnessed the king of Querencia feeding the queen. There were additional things as well like he even carried me.


    "I knew this would happen," I sighed as I read the newspaper that Ruby brought.


    In Querencia, Dem always managed to prevent news from going outside. But it was impossible to do so here. That was the reason I told him not to behave like that.


    "Where is Dem, by the way? Does he know about this?" I asked.


    "His Highness is perhaps talking to the king. I saw him going that way," Perita replied.


    "I see..."


    "Your Highness, want to take a look around?" she asked.


    "Hmm, my body doesn''t hurt much. Perhaps I should move around a bit," I muttered. "Want toe along, Ruby?"


    "No... Well..."


    "Yes?"


    "Actually, I noticed that Lord Luc is having a hard time unpacking. So, I wanted to..."


    "It''s alright. Go ahead," I said, shaking my hands quickly. "And make sure to take some rest as well."


    "Yes, Your Highness. Thank you."


    "Haha, it''s nothing," I grinned. I was pretty excited to see some improvement between them. I had no idea it was so fun to see someone trying hard in love.


    The maids of Ataraxia helped me get ready. They seemed to be quite baffled after seeing my dresses. Perhaps they were more expensive than the ones the Royals wore here. After all, Dem was prettyvish when it came to these kinds of things.


    They could not say such things since it might lower their Queen''s pride. But they were pretty excited to get me ready, especially because the things were very costly and beautiful.


    I kind of felt like saying, "That''s my husband''s choice, ya'' all!"


    I wore a ck dress with short sleeves that were shaped like feathers on the shoulder. It was hotter in Ataraxia than Querencia. That was the reason I wore a short-sleeved dress. But I still had to wear something ck since it represented our kingdom.


    "Your Highness looked pretty happy when Ruby said she wanted to help Lord Luc," Perita said. "But isn''t it a personal maid''s duty to help the Queen first?"


    "It is, but I gave Ruby the day off," I said. "She works really hard. I can''t do anything by myself. She has to do everything for me and she takes care of me all the time. She deserves a break. And what she does in her free time is none of my business as long as she doesn''t do something she should not.


    So, it''s fine."


    "I thought she hates Lord Luc."


    ''No, she likes him... She is just not epting it and our Luc is not even noticing it.''


    "Don''t worry about them. Let them deal with their own hate or like or whatever situation."


    There was even sunscreen in this world. It worked very well and there was no toxic substance in it. Before I left, Ruby applied sunscreen on my skin and also told me still not to walk under the sun for too long. She even suggested that I should take an umbre, but I said that I would just be back quickly.


    "There are a lot of flowers here," Perita said. "That flower... Isn''t that the one Your Highness asked me about that day?"


    A huge flower was stored inside a ss box. The nt itself was almost 13 feet tall. "It''s a corpse lily," I said. I saw it in a book in the library and asked Perita about it. But she said that there was no such flower in Querencia.


    "Why is it inside a greenhouse? I mean, only that?"


    "It has a stinking smell, especially to us. It actually smells like rotten fish, I mean, that''s what the book says at least. But this scent is pretty attractive to carrion flies."


    "Does Your Highness''s world have this kind of flower as well?"


    "Yeah, I haven''t seen one though..."


    Perita and I took a walk around the garden. Here, there was a willow tree as well, just like the one we had in Querencia. Dem said that there were one in every five kingdoms and there was a saying that it could connect to the moon goddess.


    I always had an uneasy feeling whenever I went near it. I had no idea why, but I always felt like I should not be near it.


    Was it because I was a descendant of the ck lord who was the enemy of the mood goddess?


    "The willow tree is really beautiful, isn''t it, Your Highness?" Perita muttered, observing it intently. Perhaps she liked it. Dem liked it too, but I did not see anything to like about it. Perhaps because I always felt uneasy whenever I went near it, I could not bring myself to like it, even just a bit.


    "Yeah, it''s beautiful," I mumbled. ''But I don''t like it at all.''


    We walked around a bit more. There was a man with silver hair riding a brown horse. I saw his portrait before. He was the second prince of Ataraxia, Prince Caius.


    "Greetings, Your Highness, Queen Of Querencia," he bowed as he got down from the horse, noticing me. "My apologies for beingte. I was awayst night since an emergency took ce and I could not greet Your Highness, the Queen of Querencia sooner."


    I was a rank higher than him since I was a queen and he was a prince. So, even though I could call him by his name, he could not do the same.


    "Good day, Prince Caius," I said. "I was taking a stroll in the garden. Ataraxia indeed has a very beautiful garden."


    "I am d that the Queen likes it," he said. "Ah, there is a petal on Your Highness."


    "Where?" I asked.


    "Right there, tangled in Your Highness''s hair," he said, pointing towards my braided hair. Perita got the petal for me. It was a rose petal. Who knew when it got tangled in my hair?


    "Thank you, Prince Caius."


    "It is alright," he smiled. "By the way, can Your Highness ride a horse?"


    "No, I am not good at it," I said.


    "I see. I heard Your Highness is ill. Perhaps that''s why," he said. "Is Your Highness better than before now?"


    "Yes, I am fine now. Thank you for your concern."


    "Then mind if we take a stroll together? I am actually quite interested in Your Highness. Please don''t take it in any bad way. What I mean is, it is my first time meeting a human. That''s all. But Your Highness looks just like us."


    "Yes, that is true."

 Chapter 162: The Stroll With Prince Caius

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Prince Caius had silver hair and blue eyes. But the color of his blue eyes was different than mine. While mine were baby blue, his were electric blue.


    "I heard about Your Highness''s beauty. And now that I have seen Your Highness myself, I truly am mesmerized."


    "I am ttered," I smiled.


    One of the rules to follow while talking to a Royal or noble member was to smile no matter what. Not only did it hide what I was truly thinking, but it also helped ovee a lot of situations.


    "Can I ask Your Highness something if you don''t mind?" he asked.


    "Yes?"


    "What exactly is this illness that Your Highness is suffering from? Actually, I am pretty worried about Your Highness''s health, that''s why if I find out about it, perhaps I will be able to see more into it. After all, we need to do everything we can for Your Highness to get better," he said.


    "Thank you for your concern, Prince Caius. But His Majesty and my husband, King Demetrius is taking good care of me. There is no need to worry," I said. "But I appreciate that the prince is worried about me."


    "Ah, yes. His Highness is of course taking very good care of Your Highness," he said. Even though he just failed to know about my illness, he did not show any sign of disappointment. It showed how experienced he was in dealing with these kinds of things. I needed to be careful while talking to this person. "I am quite surprised.


    No offense, but His Highness never showed any interest in any women before."


    "Isn''t that because he had someone in mind already?" I said without missing the beat.


    "Oh, yes, that might be true," he chuckled.


    ''Might be?''


    "Well, it is none of my business. Sorry for crossing my boundaries, Your Highness," he said.


    "It''s alright. We are naturally curious after all," I smiled. "Oh, that... Are you hurt, Prince Caius?"


    "It is just a scratch. My horse went slightly out of control and my palms got scratched because of holding the rope too tightly," he said.


    "But it is bleeding," I said. "Perhaps it will heal, but let me... Please give me your hands."


    He was surprised but ced his hands on mine and I wrapped two of my handkerchiefs around his palms. Thankfully, Ruby always gave me more handkerchiefs than necessary. She was pretty serious when it came to cleanliness.


    "There! No dirt will be able to get into the wounds and it will heal sooner," I said.


    "Thank you. I will return these handkerchiefs soon."


    "No need, Prince Caius. They are just little things. Please do not think much about them," I shrugged.


    I had no intention of helping him. But as a queen, it was important to maintain a good rtionship with someone of high rank as him.


    As far I understood, Prince Caius was a slightly cunning man who tried to learn about important things whenever he got the chance. And he could maintain his facial expressions and the tone of his voice very well. But he was not skilled enough. Or he was just pretending to be slightly naive to fool me. I could not judge his character just yet. It would take a bit more time for that.


    "The weather is getting hotter. Perhaps it would be better to head back," he said and I nodded. "Please allow me to escort Your Highness back."


    He offered me his arm and I slipped my hand through it. It was a basic courtesy to not reject a Royal, but sometimes, if they were rude, it could be refused. But since he was not rude to me at all, I did not have any reason to refuse him.


    "I know it is too much to ask, but Your Highness does not need to be so formal with me," he said. "I would like to be friends with Your Highness too, if it is not too much to ask."


    "I appreciate the thought, but I am morefortable this way," I said.


    Being on good terms with him was one thing, but being friendly was another. There was no way I was going to be getting close to anyone other than Dem. He said that it was hard, almost impossible to trust them.


    Prince Caius chatted with me about small things and finally, we reached my room. "So, you are here?"


    Dem was waiting at the doorway with an angry look on his face. He always had that face on whenever he was not alone with me. I heard others saying as well that Demetrius was the angriest and the bitterest of all the kings. But he was also the most handsome and youngest one.


    "Ah, you are here. Prince Caius escorted me back to my room," I said and smiled, though I could feel Dem''s anger. He was looking at somewhere. I followed his eyes and noticed that he was looking at my hand that was slipped through Prince Caius''s arm.


    "Good day, Your Highness, the King of Querencia," Prince Caius said, bowing just a little.


    Dem barely gave a nod, still ring at my hand. "Thank you, Prince Caius, for escorting me back. I would like to take a rest now."


    "It was my pleasure, Your Highness. And thank you for noticing my wounds," Prince Caius said and kissed the back of my hand. "Please take some rest and if anything is wrong, please do not forget to send a word to me. I am looking forward to spending more time with you."


    "Certainly, Prince Caius. I am looking forward to it as well," I said.


    "You should go to your room and rest, Perita," I said as Prince Caius left. "Take a cold bath if possible. It was really hot outside."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Dem... Don''t," I said. I knew what he was thinking without even him telling me. I went inside our room and he closed the door from inside, following me in.


    "You seem to have gotten very close to him within a very short time," he said.


    I knew he was going to say it. He always behaved like that when he saw me getting a bit close to someone, male or female. He did not do it much these days after I tried to talk to him though...


    "I was just taking a walk in the garden and then I saw him. I could not just avoid him, right?"


    "You could. It doesn''t matter. If anyone says something about it, I will take care of it."


    ''There he goes again.''


    "Seriously...? And besides, he came to me first. We talked a bit. I don''t what kind of person he exactly is, but I think he is a slightly cunning person. He asked about my illness as if he was worried about me. I said that you were taking care of me enough and he doesn''t need to think much about it.


    Then I noticed some scratches on his palms. He said that his horse behaved a bit crazily and because of that, he got those scratches trying to hold the ropes tightly. That''s why I wrapped my handkerchiefs around his palms."


    "You did?"


    "Yes... Ruby said it''s important to leave a good impression on them so we can be on good terms, not friendly though," I said. "And then he offered to escort me back. And here we are."


    "... I see..."


    "You are angry."


    "Yes, I am."


    "Dem, I told you, it''s not like..."


    "I know. I understand that you had to. But I just can''t control my feelings. I simply despise it when some other men touch you. Luc is one thing, but not any other man. That''s why I even assigned a female knight for you.


    I just can''t... I am not telling you to stop doing what you are doing because you are not wrong. But I don''t even know how to not feel that way."


    He looked anxious and was gritting his teeth while his hands were fisted tightly. I held his hand and rubbed my fingers on his fist.


    I did not know why he thought like that or what was going through his head right now. But I tried to soothe him and reassure him that I was his wife and I would not do anything horrible. I had no idea how to make him understand that his concerns were baseless. So, the only thing I could do was give him my words and try as much as I could to show him that I meant what I said.


    "Dem, it''s alright. I understand that you are ufortable. So, I will try as much as I can to not make you feel that way. But be assured," I said. "I only see you with my eyes. And I am only for you."

 Chapter 163: A Bath In The Rain

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    We were supposed to stay at the main pce. But after three days, Dem told the king and queen that it was bothersome to stay at the main pce since there were too many people around. Then the king arranged one of the side pces for us.


    Though Dem was very rude and should not have said that, I still had to admit that it was better to stay at a side pce than the main pce.


    I heard other kings and queens had arrived even before us except King Ford of Trouvaille. The king and queen of Mazazine were staying at the main pce, but the king of Lacuna was residing at one of the side pces just like us. I heard he was staying at the pce beside us. But I had not gotten a glimpse of him yet.


    "I heard King Ford is going to arrive this afternoon," Ruby said. "It''s just a rumor. I am not sure."


    "It''s fine. It doesn''t concern us when he is going to arrive anyway," I said.


    Demetrius said he woulde back at night since he was discussing something with the king and the new prime minister of Ataraxia. Perhaps it was about the previous prime minister. Then he would also have a little meeting with the king of Lacuna. It surely was about the sea border of Lacuna and Querencia.


    I had not learned everything yet, but I surely had improved than before and knew some of the political matters and how to deal with them. Dem was my personal tutor for it. Every night, he would tell me about these things. In the way he talked, it was clear that he was a great king and knew how to deal with any kind of conflict.


    Of course, his ways were not that moral; rather they were tricky but effective.


    I offered Ruby and Perita to have lunch with me. It was boring to eat alone.


    The weather surprisingly started to get worse even though it was sunny in the morning.


    "I think it will rain," Perita said.


    "Yeah," Ruby nodded. "At least, it will cool down the weather a bit."


    "What''s wrong, Your Highness? Are you thinking about something?" Perita asked.


    "No... It''s nothing."


    These days, I had been hearing a strange voice. It was the same voice that called me ''daughter'' the other day. Dem and I thought that it was my real father. Dem informed Luc about it and Luc had locked himself up in his room and we did not hear a word from him again.


    But it was all in my dream now. When I woke up, I did not remember what that voice said anymore. Trying to remember it made me exhausted and it got to the point that I could barely think about anything else.


    Every time I heard that voice in my dream, I would wake up, gasping and trembling. Dem would hug me and soothe me until I fully calmed down. But I could not remember even a single word.


    "Ah, it started raining," Ruby said.


    The rain was quite heavy. Ruby kept the windows slightly open so cold air coulde through the window.


    After lunch, I stood near the window, feeling the cold and refreshing wind. I held my hand out and drops of rainwater fell on it.


    I had sent Ruby to Luc to find out what that guy was up to. He at least should send me a word. It seemed like he was dead, but I was sure that he was perhaps absorbed in reading the new books he found in the magic tower of Ataraxia. Of course, he was not allowed to read all of them, but only the regr ones. He still was excited about it.


    I sent Perita to take some rest. She kept being with me all the time. But she needed rest as well.


    Actually, I wanted to be alone for a while as well. It was very tiring to be with someone all the time. It was not like I hated being with Perita or Ruby. But I still craved some alone time.


    "The roof- can I go there?" I asked one of the maids that the queen of Ataraxia assigned for me.


    "Yes, Your Highness... But it''s raining," she said.


    "That''s why I want to go there. You don''t have toe with me. I will be back soon," I said.


    They had no obligation to go with me everywhere. And I did not want to take any of them with me as well.


    I climbed up the stairs slowly and reached the door of the roof. I pushed it open and stood in the front, staring at the rain falling without stopping.


    The sound of the water dropping on the floor was very pleasant and the scent of fresh rain was refreshing. I stepped under the rainwater, letting it wash over me. I shivered every time the drops of water fell on my skin.


    "Haa, it feels good...," I muttered as I closed my eyes and felt the rainwater falling on my face.


    The rain was not stopping. And I did not go back either. I liked it here, enjoying a bath in the rain.


    How long had it been since I did this? When I was little, sometimes I used to do it. Then I lost all my motivation and did not feel like doing anything except breathing.


    Now that I was under the rain again, I felt like a child again, that child who once had dreams.


    "I don''t even know what''s missing in my life. I feel so drained... Is something wrong with me?" I mumbled. "I don''t know... I don''t know anymore..."


    No matter how much love I received, there were times when my heart felt heavy. It as if it was tied very tightly and I could not even find the string to loosen it up. Sometimes, it was painful and I felt like tearing apart.


    What was wrong with me? I had everything- love, money, servants... everything, but still, something was missing and I had no idea what.


    I was wearing my ck nightgown. Since I was inside all the time, I did not bother to change. The pce we were staying at was the third in line among the side pces. The king of Lacuna was staying at the one on our left and it was right beside that Royal pce. The pce on our right was vacant.


    It perhaps had been two hours. The rain did not show any sign of stopping. I picked a red rose from the nearby tree and shredded its petals one by one and threw them in the water on the floor. Even doing this little thing was quite fun.


    "The white ones look good too, on your left."


    "Ah, right...," I nodded and took a white rose as well. I shredded its petals as well. I threw them in the water as well. "Wow, it looks really beautiful."


    "Right?"


    That was when it hit me. "Huh? Who...?" I mumbled and looked ahead of me.


    A pair of glowing yellow eyes were looking at me. He had blond hair and was wearing a normal suit that Dem sometimes wore while he was rxing.


    ''This man...''


    "I did not know the Queen of Querencia likes rain," he smiled.


    "I enjoy it every now and then, King Ford," I said.


    "I enjoy it too. The sound and the scent... It is refreshing," he said.


    "Yes, that is true."


    It seemed he was standing under the rain as well. Perhaps he hadeter than me and I was so absorbed in enjoying the rain that I did not even notice him.


    King Ford, despite the rumors, did not look scary. He was very good-looking and had a gentle smile.


    ''But of course, my husband is the best looking. No one canpete with him.''


    "Oh, a cat," he muttered and grabbed the white kitty that was walking on the railing.


    "It likes you," I said.


    The cat had already started to snuggle in his arms and rub his head against him. It seemed prettyfortable there.


    "It seems so... Do you perhaps like cats too?"


    "Yes, they are cute...," I said and quickly realized how I behaved. "Ahem! What I mean is I like them sometimes."


    "Haha, I understand that you are a queen. But well, it''s quite hard to try to be so upfront all the time. I know it too well since I am a king. It''s tiring. That''s why I try to rx every once in a while," he said. "If you feel ufortable, I will not tell you to be informal with me and I will not be so as well."


    "It is alright, I guess," I said.


    "Then let''s be on good terms, Queen of Querencia."

 Chapter 164: Its Rare To See Him Relax

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    When I returned being all soaked, Ruby seemed to have a mini heart attack. She thought I was sitting under the shed on the roof and since I said that no one shoulde with me, she did not go either.


    "Your Highness, what...? How?" she muttered as she looked up and down at me.


    "Well, I just took a bath in the rain," I said.


    "A bath in the rain? So suddenly?"


    "Yup, I felt like it."


    "Has Your Highness enjoyed it?" she asked.


    "Yeah... It felt really good and refreshing," I nodded.


    "Then it is fine, I guess. I mean, as long as Your Highness does not fall sick, it is alright," she said.


    Ruby gave me a hot water bath again. I was pretty surprised when I came here and saw hot water. I thought they heated that much water at first. But then I noticed that there were two different taps; one was for hot water and the other one was for cold water. Later, I found out that it was magic and these kinds of things were created by Luc.


    "What do you think of King Ford, Ruby?"


    "King Ford? Why so suddenly?" she asked as she wiped my wet hair.


    "Just tell me."


    "He is a maniptive person and extremely cunning," she said. "It''s better not to get involved with such a person."


    "Have you ever met him?"


    "Well, I saw him once. Of course, he has an angelic appearance, but... he truly is dangerous."


    ''Now that I think about it, there is not much of a difference between Dem and him as a king. Both of them are cunning and they y dirty tricks. And both of them managed to rule greatly. The only difference between them was that one of them had an angelic appearance, and the other of them looked very dangerous. But other than that, they were the same.


    Because Trouvaille was a rival kingdom of Querencia, most werewolves of Querencia hate him.''


    I talked to King Ford for a while. I was quite good at judging a person and after talking to King Ford for a while, I understood a few things.


    He knew something about us, some kind of secret perhaps. When he was saying that he wanted to be on friendly terms, he was giving that kind of hint. And if I was right, the next time I would meet him alone or he would make it happen that I somehow ended up meeting him alone, he was going to tell me what he knew.


    But what was more surprising was that I did not feel like he wanted to threaten me or something. Rather, it felt like he truly wanted to be on friendly terms with me.


    But I could not say anything for sure. It was just what I thought. I needed to wait to see if I was right or not.


    That night, Dem came back just in time for dinner. I was waiting for him. He looked exhausted. After all, he had to go to meeting all day long.


    He freshened up a bit while I waited for him in the dining room. "Did you wait long?" he asked as he came back. His ck hair was still damp and a few drops of water fell on the loose white shirt he was wearing.


    "No, you were really quick," I said. "You are wearing white today."


    "Yeah, it''s really hot today," he said.


    "Still, we wear ck outside."


    "That''s true. Showing off the royal color all the time is kinda fun."


    ''Fun?''


    "What did you do all day?" he asked. "Were you bored?"


    "No, I woke upte and then had pork ribs for breakfast."


    "Pork ribs for breakfast?" he asked, surprised.


    "I felt like it all of a sudden," I muttered. "I ate a lot."


    "Is that so? That''s good. Then what did you do?"


    "I walked around the bedroom and then before I knew it, it was time for lunch. I asked Perita and Ruby to eat with me. It started raining too, then."


    "Yeah, it was raining pretty heavily. But it cooled down the weather a bit. Though I still think it''s really hot."


    "Then I went to the roof and took a bath in the rain."


    "What? Really? But you are sick."


    "I am fine. Look! I didn''t have a fever then. And not even now," I said, grinning. "It''s been a long time since I did it, so I was kinda excited."


    "Did you go alone?"


    "Uh-huh," I said. "I wanted to enjoy some alone time."


    "But, darling, you need to be careful. I understand that you want alone time, but still, keep your personal maid with you at least. I will ask her to pretend to be invisible."


    "What are you saying? It doesn''t make any sense."


    "... Just be careful," he said.


    "I know. I am careful," I said.


    ''Should I tell him that I met King Ford today? He hates King Ford.''


    "I met King Ford today," I said. There was no point in hiding it from him. Rather, if I hid it, it might raiseplications in our rtionship for no reason.


    "King Ford, you say?" he asked as his fork stopped just an inch away from his mouth.


    "Yes," I said.


    "When?"


    "When I was taking a bath in the rain," I said and quickly added, "I was not naked! Jeez! What are you even thinking?"


    "I haven''t said anything."


    "Your eyes did," I muttered.


    "Then what happened?"


    "He was actually enjoying the rain as well," I said. "I did not notice him before. Anyway, we talked for a bit then."


    "I see..."


    "I know what you are thinking. But don''t worry. I kept my distance. And he did not do anything inappropriate either. He was quite easy-going."


    "Easy-going?" he raised his eyebrow.


    "Yeah, like quite friendly," I said. "We talked just a bit and then I came back. I napped again and woke upte in the evening."


    "What did you two talk about?" he asked. I knew he was going to hold onto that part only.


    "Just this and that, not much. He said that it''s quite hard to behave all formally all the time. He also said that he likes rain and so he was taking a bath in the rain just like me. You know he is in the pce on our right."


    "Yes, I heard so," he said.


    "That''s how we were able to talk like that," I said. "I came back very quickly, so we did not talk much."


    "Hmm..."


    "You know that I am keeping my distance, right?"


    "Yes, I know. I believe you," he said. "Don''t worry. I am not worried about it at all. It''s just a matter of your safety."


    ''It doesn''t seem like that case to me though...''


    Dem was someone who got easily jealous. He was very protective and kinda possessive. But he was trying not to cross the line. But what he was thinking was really obvious in both his actions and facial expressions.


    He was usually very clingy and liked skin-to-skin contact a lot. And when he was jealous, he would do it even more and would not let me go at all.


    That night, just like I expected, he was hugging me for no reason and it had been a while, but he was not letting me go.


    "Dem... What are you doing?" I asked tiredly.


    "I am hugging my wife," he said.


    "Really? You have been hugging for fifteen minutes."


    "So what? It''s not enough."


    ''So childish...''


    "Dem, it''s hard to breathe."


    "Ah, sorry," he said, letting go quickly. He was very serious about me and when I said I had the slightest hardship in any way, he would do anything to fix it.


    "You said you had a rough day. Let me massage your shoulders," I said.


    "Well, it''s not a bad thing," he said. "Should I take the shirt off?"


    "Yeah, and besides, it''s quite hot too. I wore a very thin nightgown as well."


    "Quite hot? You mean the weather?"


    "Yes. Or what would I even mean?"


    "It has double meanings, so..."


    He took off the shirt and I climbed up on the bed behind him. His shoulders were broad and athletic. Actually, his whole body was just perfect, as if a beautiful piece of art.


    I started massaging his firm muscles. My hand felt too soft against his hard shoulders. And no matter how hard I pressed, it did not seem like he felt any pain.


    "Is it okay?"


    "Hmm, it''s fine."


    He had his eyes closed while his lips were formed into a satisfied smile. He looked very rxed. It was a rare sight to see him enjoying some free time and rxing without thinking about anything else.


    And he improved his thinking and behavior as well. He surprisingly did not take the matter with King Ford too far.

 Chapter 165: The Confusing Past

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I watched her sleeping peacefully beside me. But I was wide awake. If she thought that the fact that she talked to King Ford alone did not bother me much, she was wrong. I just was not saying many things so she would not think that I felt that way. I was jealous, but I was worried as well.


    I had no idea what he was nning. King Ford was young and a very great king. He knew how to rule a kingdom properly and he was very cunning. His methods were truly impressive and I respected his abilities as a king. But that did not mean I did not hate him as a person. It was just normal to hate a rival King.


    Who would not do it?


    He was also the one who tried to hurt my wife a few years ago. For that, he even went into another world. I could not think of him as someone who would not try to hurt my precious wife again. He had no reason to suddenly start to be her well-wisher.


    "Mm... You aren''t sleeping?" she mumbled, opening her eyes slowly and yawning.


    "You should sleep. It''s midnight," I said.


    "Hnn...," she got up even though I told her not to. She climbed on myp and ced her head against my chest. "You should sleep too. You had a rough time."


    "Don''t worry about me. Your husband is not weak, my wife."


    "Does being weak or strong have anything to do with me worrying about my husband? I just don''t want you to push yourself. If you have any problems, I might not be of great help, but you still can talk to me. It''s not alright to keep everything to yourself."


    "I see... If I say that everything of my past seems like a lie to me, would you believe me?"


    "Yes... I will. Because you have a reason to say so and it is also possible that something might have happened."


    "I hate King Ford," I said. "Because he wanted to kill you. Even a few days ago, that memory was fresh and I had no doubt about it. But now... Something feels off. And I feel like I am wrong.


    There are parts of the story that I don''t remember, or just my point of view of the story is messed up."


    "Like you feel like you are not sure whether the things you think happened in your past actually happened in the way you think they did?"


    "That''s unnecessarily to the point," I said. "But that''s exactly how I feel."


    "Luc said it''s not impossible to happen. Let''s just rely on him for now and also try to find out as much as we can about it," she said.


    Iughed. "You actually are quite special. You know, if I was at your ce and someone told me the things I am saying now, I wouldn''t believe them. But you trust me. I don''t even know what to say now."


    "I told you, I don''t care about anything else. I trust you because I want to. And it''s not like what you are saying ispletely baseless. Well, it''s kinda hard to believe if you think rationally, but I can''t think like that anymore. Magic, werewolves- there are a lot of things in this world that I had never thought existed. And nothing is actually impossible here.


    So, there is no need for me to not trust you when I don''t even know what exactly the truth is. You can lie to me, but I am hoping that you are not."


    "I am not," I said. "But is me saying this enough for you to trust me?"


    "Yes," she smiled. "I trust you, so just say that you''re telling the truth. It''s fine."


    I was telling the truth. I almost never lied to her. My past just seemed to be full of some incidents that I surely knew of, but I could not remember now. I was involved in them, but still, a lot of parts were missing from my memory.


    Everything was strange. But I was d that I at least had her by my side. She trusted me fully. Of course, I would not betray her even though she said that it was okay if I did so. I just wanted to make her believe that she was someone who held the most importance in my life and there was no way I would deceive her. It did not matter even if she had a lot of ck mana inside her.


    I only wanted her because I loved her, not because of her power.


    "Why don''t you go to sleep, sweetheart? You should take as much rest as possible," I said.


    "But you are not sleeping."


    I sighed. My wife could be quite stubborn sometimes. "Well then, you leave me no choice," I said.


    "Huh? What?" she looked at me, puzzled.


    I smirked at her and kissed her on the lips. If she did not want to sleep, then I just needed to make her sleep, right?


    "Mm... Dem?"


    "Yes?"


    "All of a sudden?"


    "It''s not wrong, is it? I just feel like loving you lots," I said and kissed her neck. "Of course, we won''t go all the way. But there is nothing wrong with ying a bit, right?"


    As my lips trailed down her slender throat, my hands grabbed her full bottoms. I squeezed her bottoms and she let out a loud moan.


    "Huh...?!"


    "You are trembling," I muttered as my fingers rubbed her over the undergarments.


    "Nngh!" she squirmed and pressed her face hard against my chest. "Hnn..."


    "You are really wet, my darling wife."


    "Don''t... ah... say such things..."


    I slid my finger inside her from the side of her undergarment and she gasped. "Ah! Dem! Don''t push... too hard!"


    "This much is not going to affect your health," I said. "I talked to the doctor."


    "About... this?"


    "Of course. It''s really important."

 Chapter 166: A Letter To King Ford

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    My whole body was on fire and I only could hide my face in his chest, hugging him tightly. I had no idea why he was doing that all of a sudden, but I could not say that I hated him. Because I never hated it when he did it.


    "Dem... ah!"


    His fingers relentlessly stimted me up and took me to the height of pleasures several times before I could not keep up anymore. My eyelids grew heavy and I could not keep my eyes open anymore. Before I knew it, I had already gone into the world of deep slumber.


    In the morning, I woke up hearing Perita''s voice. "The nerve of that woman! No matter who she is, how dare she talk like that about our queen?!!"


    "... Perita? What''s wrong?" I mumbled, sitting up.


    "I told you not to yell, yet you did and woke Her Highness up!" Ruby snapped at her. "Just calm down, seriously!"


    "Are you alright, Your Highness? Are you feeling better?" Ruby asked me, changing her tonepletely.


    "Hmm... I don''t remember saying that I was not feeling better. I had a good night''s sleep..."


    ''That guy! Now I know why he did that, that sly wolf! He pleasured me so I would fall asleep faster even if I did not want to! I won''t let him get me the next time! Really? That guy really is something!''


    "By the way, why were you yelling, Perita?" I asked.


    "It''s nothing important, Your Highness," Ruby said. "At least, Your Highness does not need to concern yourself with it."


    "But I want to know," I said. "Tell me, Perita."


    "The Queen of Mazazine, that woman- I heard her talking to King Ford. She was saying that Your Highness does not deserve to be the queen of Querencia because Your Highness is a human," Perita said angrily. "How dare she?! I wanted to step up, but then King Ford stopped her. He said that it is very rude of her to talk like that about another queen who is of the same rank as her.


    And he also said that no matter what the queen''s species is, she is still a queen. I think I can respect King Ford a bit more than normal now."


    ''King Ford again... What is this guy thinking? Of course, he knows that the news will reach my ears.''


    "First of all, Perita, the Queen of Mazazine is a queen. No matter what she does, until she confronts me directly, you have no right to confront her about something," I said. "Remember your position. You are a knight. You are not to behave as you please. So, make sure to remember this and not act on a whim just because you feel like it.


    Make sure I don''t have to repeat myself."


    "My apologies, Your Highness. I will not do it again," Perita said. "Please forgive me this time."


    "As long as you are truly sorry and remember not to even think of doing anything like this again, you are forgiven."


    "I will not, Your Highness. Thank you for forgiving me," she bowed.


    "Alright, raise your head."


    I knew that something like this would happen. Not everyone would ept a human between them, let alone a queen who was a human. Since I had always predicted this kind of thing, it did not bother me much.


    But I did not think King Ford would defend me publicly. He was making me more curious as to what he was nning. Words traveled very fast, especially when it came to anything to do with the Royals. And King Ford was surely aware of it. He knew that I would hear about this.


    But what bothered me was the fact that if he defended me to show that he was on our side and truly wanted to be on friendly terms, or because he felt like it.


    If I somehow let it slip that I knew about the incident, it would mean that I needed to thank him privately. He might have done it for that as well, to make an opportunity to meet me privately.


    "Perita, you said you heard them talking. But did they see you?"


    "I was returning after practicing with themander of Ataraxia. And we were just a few feet away from them. They surely saw us."


    Then I had no choice but to thank him. Everyone knew that Perita was my personal knight. If King Ford saw Perita there, he knew that I had found out about it. And if I did not thank him even now and pretended not to know, it would be the same as disrespecting him.


    ''Seriously, so troublesome! These rules of the Royals... Ugh!''


    "Ruby, grab me a parchment and a quill," I said.


    Ruby handed me parchment and a quill. After a lot of practicing, I now knew how to write with quills. For someone like me who was ustomed to using pens only, it was pretty hard to learn to use quills. But I got used to it.


    I wrote a letter, keeping the parchment on the bedside table, and handed it to Ruby. "Put it in an envelope and seal it with my Royal stamp."


    Both the king and queen of a kingdom had their personal Royal seals that they used for personal purposes. And there was another seal that was called the Alpha seal which was used for the matters involved with the kingdom, not personal. It could be used by both the king and queen, but on both of their agreements and there needed to be evidence that both of them agreed to it.


    It was perhaps the second or third time that I was using my Royal seal. Since I did not interact with others much, I did not need to use it.


    "Now, give that envelope to Perita," I said. "And, Perita, give it to King Ford. What I mean is, hand it to him yourself."

 Chapter 167: Poison In The Tea

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, His Highness, the King of Trouvaille sent this reply," Perita said, handing me a royal blue envelope. "He wrote it right then. Can you believe it? Isn''t it strange?"


    "I see..."


    He sent a reply right away? I did not expect it. King Ford seemed to be quicker to act than I thought.


    There was only one line- Of course; I will surely stand up for someone of my own kind, especially knowing that you and I can be great partners- don''t think anything bad because I have no interest in someone who is married, at least, not romantically.


    "Are you sure this one is meant for me?" I asked. I was very confused about what he meant.


    "Yes, Your Highness. The king also said that if Your Highness thinks that this is not meant for you, then please be assured, because it is," Perita replied.


    "Hmm... Why be so confusing if you knew?" I muttered under my breath.


    Now being confusing meant one thing- he was being mysterious and wanted me to be curious about what he meant. And I would only find out if we met. So, all his actions were leading to one thing- he wanted to meet me.


    ''But I''m not curious?''


    Actually, I did not care much about what he wanted. Why would he want to be friends with me? And that was also to an extensive level it seemed. He was an enemy of Demetrius, which meant he was an enemy of mine as well. If he let his guard down around me, I might betray him. And besides, I was just a human.


    Why would he want to be friends with a human? And why would he say that we were the same kind?


    Not to forget, he also tried to kill me. At least, Dem said so. Then again, Dem said that he was not sure that what he thought happened in his past actually happened the way he thought it did. I was kind of sure now that there might be something more going on and there was a mastermind behind it all. A dark mage definitely manipted Dem''s thoughts and perhaps for a long time as well.


    I sighed. There were a lot of things to think about. And every time I tried to think deeply, my head would hurt. I decided to give it a break.


    "Get me some tea, Ruby," I said. "And Perita, take the letter on the table and give it to the queen of Ataraxia. Personally, of course. They would let you in if you show them my seal."


    When Perita went to King Ford, I wrote another letter meant for the queen of Ataraxia. It happened right that time and I could not just ignore it.


    A maid brought me a cup of ck tea this morning, the one I liked, even though I did not order her. It was right after Perita left. She was nervous and was sweating quite a bit. So, I suspected that she had done something with the tea. And besides, I was never going to drink something someone gave me all of a sudden even though I did not ask for it.


    I told her to drink it herself. She kept refusing and when Ruby tried to force her to drink it, she started crying, saying that she made a grave mistake. That maid confessed everything.


    She had poisoned the tea.


    It was the first time that I found someone poisoning me. I heard before that I was almost poisoned a few times, but I did not have to face them myself since Dem took care of them without getting me involved.


    I tried to remain as calm as possible even though my mind was screaming, "What the hell? She tried to poison me! That means, she tried to kill me! For real!"


    When I asked her who sent her, she said that someone wearing a white hooded cloak told her to do it or they would kill her family. It was a woman, she said. White was the royal color of Ataraxia. The person surely would not be dumb enough to reveal where she came from. It was either intentional and she wanted me to know that she was from Ataraxia for some reason. Or she was trying to deceive me.


    Or perhaps she actually was dumb and did not know that I would survive.


    I sent a letter to the queen of Ataraxia stating what happened since I was a guest and this kind of thing happened when I was invited here. And I also sent a letter to Dem by another maid.


    "Really? I can''t rx for real not even for once," I sighed.


    I heard loud boot noises as if someone was running this way. Well, I was not even surprised, nor did I have to ask to know who it was.


    "Who the fuck tried to do it? Are you alright?" Dem asked breathlessly, opening the door loudly.


    He grabbed my face and then checked my mouth and my entire body to make sure that nothing happened.


    "You haven''t drunk even a drop of it, right?" he asked, panting since he came running. There were drops of sweat on his forehead and his face was filled with worry and anger.


    "I haven''t," I shook my head and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the sleeve of my nightgown. "I suspected her before. And why the hell would I even drink it? I don''t even know her and I haven''t even asked for it. I may be a bit dumb, but I know this much. So, don''t worry and take a deep breath.


    I am alright."


    He sighed in relief and leaned against my hand that was on his face. "You are not dumb. Have you ever heard of a dumb person doing this much?" he muttered. "At least, you are able to save yourself in some cases."

 Chapter 168: The Maid

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I was in a meeting with all the kings of the five kingdoms. After a while, a letter from my wife arrived. A maid of Ataraxia brought it.


    "Her Highness, the Queen of Querencia, said that it is very important and to give it to Your Highness as soon as possible," the maid had said.


    I am sorry if you are doing something important, but I thought that I should let you know this. Actually, this morning, a maid poisoned my tea. What I mean is, it happened just a few minutes ago. I didn''t take even a sip of it though. So, don''t freak out.


    I could not even finish reading thest sentence when I was already bolting towards the pce she was in. Someone tried to poison her when I was not there?


    ''How dare they?!''


    And when I came to my wife finally, she was fine. I checked her fully and it did not seem she drank any of it. Even though she said that she did not drink the tea in the letter, I could only rx after I checked it myself.


    "It''s alright. I am fine," she said with a little smile.


    ''How can you smile like that right now?''


    "Where is that freaking maid?" I asked angrily.


    "She is in another room," she said. "Tied down. Ruby is guarding her. Ruby is quite good at holding someone down. I was surprised."


    "I will see her myself. And what''s this tea?"


    "Ah, Ruby made it for me just a while ago," she said. "Don''t worry. Ruby made it only. No one else."


    Ruby, her personal maid, was trustworthy. Or I would never let her be my wife''s personal maid.


    "Let me take a sip of the tea," I said.


    She sighed and pressed the cup against my lips. I took a sip. I knew it was not poisoned, but I still was worried. Only after taking a sip and making sure of it myself, I could calm down.


    "I think it''s alright," I muttered.


    "Told you so... Are you going to her now?"


    "Yes. You take a rest."


    She ignored me and stood up, on the contrary. "What do you think you are doing?" I asked, surprised.


    "I aming with you," she said. "Besides, I have to talk to you too. Oh, and where were you when I sent you that letter? You weren''t busy, right? If you have to go back..."


    "No, it''s fine. I wasn''t busy," I said. After all, my wife was more important than a silly meeting.


    She held my hand and led me to the room where she kept the maid. I nced sideways at the woman leading me. She truly looked like a queen.


    "A lot of things happened in the morning. After you are done with the maid, I will tell you," she said, looking forward while I was observing her face. When did it happen that I truly fell for her?


    There was one thing I was sure of- I did not want her because I loved her seven years ago. I wanted her for something else. Though I did not know what it was, it surely was not love. And then when I again met her and she saved my life, I perhaps started to like her. But I truly fell for her when I met her that night and brought her into my world.


    Her behavior, facial expressions, words- everything made me crave her more. And now I had fallen for her in a way that there was no turning back.


    It was after our marriage that I realized that I would not be able to let her go. Before that time, everything happened, everything I said was because of some kind of illusion. And that illusion had started to disappear and now, everything seemed real unlike before, when everything felt like to be controlled by someone.


    I was not a moral person. But still, when I was loyal to someone, I would never betray that person and go to another one. I had chosen her as my bride a long time ago for some reason that I did not remember. But I knew that I did not betray her because I wanted only her. Even if I did not love her at that time, I was loyal to her.


    Because I made sure that no boys could get near her, then why would I go near other women? And besides, I never felt anything for anyone before anyway.


    She opened the door and I found a maid with red hair tied down with my wife''s personal maid standing beside her.


    "Your Highness," Ruby bowed. "She said the same thing again."


    "Same thing?" I asked.


    "I see...," my wife said and then looked at me. "Actually, when I asked her before, she said that someone wearing a white hooded cloak came to her and told her to do it, or that person would harm her family. And apparently, that person was a woman."


    Even if she did not tell me, I had suspected it was a woman. Poison was known as a woman''s weapon. Mostly women used it.


    "White cloak, you said?"


    "I know what you are thinking," Blue nodded. "Ask her again if you want to."


    I interrogated the maid a few times, but every time she said the same thing. I could not kill her myself. It was not because she was the maid of Ataraxia, but because my darling wife was right beside me. She had seen me killing before and I knew what kind of effect it had on her. I did not want to see that look on her face again when she looked at me in terror and shock.


    I let the king of Ataraxia take care of the matter. His knights took the maid away to lock her up in prison for the time being until the testimony. I honestly wanted to deal with her myself, but it was a matter of Ataraxia.

 Chapter 169: The Discussion

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Come with me somewhere else," she said. "I want to tell you everything in detail."


    This was something I wanted as well.


    "Yes, we need to talk as well," I nodded.


    We went to the roof, where she came here alone yesterday, and took a bath in the rain. I wished I could see her like that. But King Ford had seen her like that, in a nightgown and wringing wet.


    Seeing a woman like that, and who was also as beautiful as her, what kind of thought did that guy have?


    I shook my head and tried to get that thought out of my head. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. If I got angry now, it would be hard to focus on the present matter in hand.


    "So, white cloak... We both are thinking the same thing, aren''t we?" she said, leaning against the railing.


    "White is the royal color of Ataraxia. So, wearing white will normally mean that the woman is from Ataraxia. And then again, she can wear it normally, without thinking about anything else. A regr woman would not want to kill you. Why would she bother? She is someone from the Royal family or someone working for the Royal family.


    Or she is from another kingdom but wanted to make it look like someone from Ataraxia did it. Or perhaps she is pure dumb and did not even predict that you will stay alive," I said.


    "Right? That''s exactly what I thought," she said, her blue eyes shining brightly. Whenever I looked into those eyes, I would feel alive again. "I don''t think there is a way to know who it is for now."


    "Hmm," I murmured. "But we have to be careful."


    "I was careful, right?"


    "Yes, you were," I said. "But we need to be more careful. Keep your eyes on everything and if you find anything abnormal, inform me right away. I''m d you sent me a letter right away."


    "And I wanted to tell you something else as well..."


    "Yes?"


    "Well, this morning... Perita told me that she heard the Queen of Mazazine saying bad things about me like I am not worthy to be the Queen of Querencia and stuff like that, you know."


    "Should I take steps to teach that woman..."


    "Jeez, no! Listen up first," she said quickly. "So, Perita also heard someone defending me. Can you guess who?"


    "Another Queen?"


    She shook her head. "King Ford."


    "Are you saying that he did it for...?"


    "I have my suspicions. First of all, he can do it to show that he is on our side and wants to be on friendly terms with us. But Trouvaille cannot be allies officially because of the geographical positions. We are onpletely opposite sides. Then he means privately if I am right. Or perhaps he did it just because he wanted to."


    "The first one- that''s why he did it. He is not someone to do it just because he wanted to," I said.


    "Yes, I think so too. And then, he knew Perita was there."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes," she gave a nod. "Perita was returning after dueling with themander of Ataraxia knights. She is positive that both of them noticed her."


    "It means you have to thank him," I said. "You don''t have to do it if you don''t want to. I will take care of it."


    "I have done it already."


    "Already? You went to meet him?"


    "No. I sent a letter through Perita."


    "That was a good thing to do. You should not meet him, alone or not," I said. It was not just because he was King Ford, but also because I did not like her meeting unknown people much; men or women, especially men.


    "He sent me a reply as well. Perita said he wrote it right then."


    ''Right then? That quick? Usually, kings and queens take at least half a day to send a reply to another king or queen.''


    "I was surprised too," she said. "He said- Of course; I will surely stand up for someone of my own kind, especially knowing that you and I can be great partners- don''t think anything bad because I have no interest in someone who is married, at least, not romantically."


    ''I like the sound of thest part.''


    "Own kind? What did he mean by that?"


    "I don''t know. I am a human and he is a werewolf. How can we be the same kind?"


    "Own kind... Perhaps he knows that you are a dark mage," I said.


    "How will he...? Only Luc, you, and I know about it. And none of us would spread a single word outside," she said.


    "Remember I told you that Trouvaille has great spies?"


    "Even so, it''s impossible for them to find out. When we talked with Luc, he always shielded the ce with his magic so none of the words we spoke would go out that barrier. And our bedroom... it''s soundproof. And Dem, who would dare to sneak on the king and the queen in their freaking bedroom?"


    She had a point. Then how would King Ford even find out about it? My wife''s situation was kept a secret and there was no way it would slip out of any of our'' mouths.


    "Well, then, let''s say he meant the matter of me being a dark mage. But what about him? An Alpha cannot be a dark mage," she said.


    "I know about it too," I said. "But I once heard a rumor of finding traces of the usage of ck mana inside the pce of Trouvaille. And King Ford is the only one alive in the Trouvaille imperial family."


    "It must be someone else. Because King Ford is an Alpha. He cannot possibly... unless..."


    "Unless..."


    "I am thinking too far. I think my mind just wanders on its own these days," she sighed.


    "Just tell me about it."

 Chapter 170: The Possibility

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    These days, I seemed to even think that the impossible could be possible. My imagination kept going higher. Sometimes, due to that, I thought of some very strange possibilities.


    "Well... I read in the book... I am talking about that nk page. I read that the ck-eyed female werewolves can possess some kind of power that will enable them to absorb a dark mage''s power if she can kill that dark mage," I said.


    "I am not sure and I don''t know much about King Ford, but there is a possibility that it might be true. You see, if his mother had ck eyes, then she perhaps had killed a dark mage and absorbed their power. Because of that, she might not be a dark mage descendant, but she still could possess the power of a dark mage."


    "This means ck mana would flow inside her body just like a dark mage''s. I heard that King Ford''s mother, the previous queen of Trouvaille was not from any Royal family. That means, she did not have Alpha blood flowing inside her. And I saw her portrait as well. She had ck eyes. She was from Mazazine, just like your mother."


    "A dark mage''s child will also have ck mana inside them because the dark mage has ck mana inside them. And if his mother had ck mana inside her, then it is possible for King Ford to have ck mana inside him as well. I know I am thinking too much. I just can''t let go of any possibility, you see."


    "You..."


    "Hm?"


    "You are a genius," he said.


    "What?"


    "It can be true. There is a huge possibility that it might be true," he said. "What you said is right. His mother indeed had ck eyes and as per the book, there is a huge chance that she killed a dark mage and acquired their power."


    Thankfully, Dem did not think I was bbering nonsense. I was kind of worried that I was just overthinking things.


    "If I am right, then it describes everything," I said. "A dark mage can detect another dark mage. At this moment, my power is not fully awakened, but perhaps because of Luc''s trying, it is partially awakened. That''s why I managed to awaken the book''s power that day. Since I don''t have any training on how to hide this small amount of power that''s awakened, perhaps he found it out."


    "Yes, it can happen," he nodded. "Now there is one thing we must do."


    "Yes?"


    "We have to meet him."


    "King Ford?"


    "Yes," he said. "If he knows about it, then we have no choice but to negotiate with him. And ask him what he wants. But first of all, we have to make sure if he truly knows."


    "Then when are we going to meet him?"


    "Though I don''t want you to meet him, we don''t have a choice," he sighed. "I will send him a letter now and then let''s see what he says."


    "Alright," I nodded.


    The wind was pleasant. But there was again an unpleasant feeling. It was as if I was being warned that something bad was going to happen very soon.


    ''I''m just tired, perhaps.''


    These days, I did not have much strength left inside me. All the time, I would feel fatigued. I could not stay up and walk around for a long time. I had to take a rest every once in a while. Even resting felt tiring now. I wondered when I would be able to return back to normal, or if I would ever be able to be normal.


    Dem never mentioned it again. He pretended as if I was not pregnant in the first ce. And I knew why.


    Because whenever he thought of the fact that I was with his child, he was reminded that I might die because of it. But every night when I closed my eyes, I sometimes heard him whispering that I was going to be alright, he would not let anything happen to me. Sometimes, my heart would break hearing his almost devastated tone.


    How much did this man love me to say those words with that heartbreaking voice?


    "Want to go back?" he asked.


    "Hmm...," I mumbled and nodded at him. I took ast look around the roof and then returned with him.


    ''What''s this strange feeling now? I feel like... someone is watching me...''


    "What''s wrong?" he asked.


    "Nothing... Just tired," I said. I did not want to worry him anymore now. And I was not sure if someone was watching me. It was just a feeling.


    "Take some rest then. Then have your lunch. I won''t be able to have lunch with you," he said. "I have some work to do."


    "It''s fine. Don''t worry about me," I gave him a weak smile. "Just do what you have to."


    "Hey, keep talking to me, alright?" he muttered, touching my cheek. "If anything is wrong, just tell me. Don''t keep it to yourself. I don''t my wife to pressure yourself."


    "I won''t. I will talk to you," I reassured him.


    He sighed and kissed me on the forehead and then on the lips. The touch of his lips was very gentle as if he was scared that if he kissed me too hard, I would get hurt.


    "Dem..."


    "I will leave," he said abruptly, turning his face away. His ears were red and his hands were fisted tightly as if he was suppressing something. "Take care of yourself."


    "I will...," I said and just the moment he was going to leave, I held his hand and pulled him towards me. He seemed taken aback. "I will wait for you tonight. I want to satisfy your big man with all I can."


    He looked back at me sharply. His face was red and his eyes were glowing dangerously. "I wille back as soon as possible then."


    I knew he would be back soon. He was just too eager.

 Chapter 171: Where To Go

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The rest of the day was oddly eventless. And I did not feel like someone was watching me anymore.


    Time was passing too well and I was in a rather good mood which was very rare since all I did these days was worry about every single thing.


    ''What the hell? Why am I feeling good all of a sudden? Now I have a bad feeling about feeling this good...''


    "Your Highness is eating well today," Ruby said, during dinner. "It''s a good thing. If Your Highness keeps eating properly, you will get better soon."


    "Yeah, that''s right," I said. There was no point in arguing with her about this. This was something that both Demetrius and Ruby were hyped about. "By the way, do you have any kind of uneasy feeling?"


    "No... Why is Your Highness asking this?"


    "Well... Everything is going too well."


    "I don''t think so," she said. "This morning, Your Highness had to thank King Ford. Nothinges good from getting involved with other kings and queens. And then, that disgrace of red hair maid poisoned Your Highness''s tea. His Highness came running and was really worried. And not to be offensive, but Perita is getting on my nerves with her shouting.


    I don''t think anything is going well."


    Perita had gone to give the queen of Ataraxia a letter. But Dem managed to take care of the matter faster by involving the king of Ataraxia. That was why, I sent another letter to the queen saying that she did not need to take steps, but she needed to tell her maids to be careful.


    I was restless the whole noon, but now I was feeling refreshed. Perhaps it was because of the massage Ruby gave me. She was quite good at it.


    Ruby and Perita did not get along well. They did not argue, but I knew that Ruby did not like Perita for some reason. Perhaps it was because Perita was a bit noisy.


    "I understand you are not that fond of her, but try to get along," I said.


    "She gets on my nerves!"


    "She is just very enthusiastic about everything."


    "I still don''t like her," she pouted.


    "There, there, I understand," I chuckled, patting her head. "But still, try to get along with her, okay?"


    "I will do it, only because Your Highness wants me to," she mumbled.


    "That''s good," I said.


    I had three people surrounding me like shadows. One was my husband Demetrius who was overprotective, possessive, and dangerous. The second was Ruby, my personal maid. She nagged me about everything, took care of me all the time, did not let me do anything, and liked it when I ate as much food as she wanted me to. And thest one was Perita. She was my personal knight and a very energetic woman.


    But all of them were sometimes like puppies. Dem liked to snuggle close to me and cuddle with me. That time, he looked very adorable. Ruby was tough, but she also was like that. She liked it the most when I patted her head. And Perita liked it when I agreed with her odd requests and did as she wished.


    They were reliable as well as very fun to be around.


    And there was another person- Luc. He was the master of the magic tower of Querencia and Demetrius''s best friend. He was my friend now as well and he and I were very close. Luc was someone who could think a situation through and our thoughts were quite simr. He did not like moving around much. The only thing he liked was reading books and spouting strange facts about Demetrius.


    That was the reason he and Dem got into fights quite a lot. But in one word, Luc was quite amazing.


    In this unknown world, I was d to have them by my side. And I knew I could rely on them, especially my husband.


    "Shouldn''t Your Highness go to sleep now?" Perita asked after I washed up, having my dinner. "Your Highness is weak. It''s better to sleep early."


    "Well, I am going to wait for Dem."


    "But His Highness might bete."


    "It doesn''t matter. Besides, I slept a lot in the afternoon. I only keep sleeping," I said. "You should return to your room and have dinner. Then go to sleep. You are working too hard."


    "Your Highness is too generous," she said. "Are you sure that you don''t need anything else?"


    "I am alright. You can rest now," I smiled.


    I was waiting for Demetrius, leaning against the window. Since it was hot, I sat beside the window to get some wind. And besides, the night air was pretty refreshing as well.


    A pair of glowing yellow eyes, or were they golden? Someone was hovering over me and saying something, but I could not hear anything. And then the voice became clear slowly.


    "I cannot take you away from here. He is already here. But I have awakened a bit of your power. Hope it will help you, at least, enough so you can survive. Remember, he wants you for your power. But he is also being yed by someone.


    Someone is messing with his mind. You cannot escape from him, even if I help you. So, there is no point in trying that. The only thing you can do now is survive."


    "Who...? Who are you?" I asked.


    "I am someone who wants to help you," he said. "We are the same kind after all."


    I jerked awake, sweating profusely. This voice... those eyes... I knew what happened. I knew who it was.


    My mind was in chaos. But within the chaos, I somehow knew what was going on. I did not know what I was doing anymore or what time it was. It was as if my body moved on its own and before I knew it, I was running down the stairs as fast as I could.


    I knew where I had to go.

 Chapter 172: The Truth

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I knocked on the door, panting crazily. My body was weak. But I could not slow down at all. I knew I had toe here. I needed to talk to him. I needed to know, not just one thing, but plenty of things.


    I had questions that required answers.


    Because perhaps I knew why Demetrius wanted me at first and why he did not remember it now.


    "You are here earlier than I expected," he smiled, opening the door.


    "King Ford," I said, trying to catch my breath. "You opened the door yourself. Were you expecting me?"


    "Who knows?" he chuckled and helped me stand. Because of the running, my already weak body was weaker. And because I was wearing a dress, it was even harder to run.


    He led me to a nearby room. No one else was there. It was better this way. I wanted to talk to him in private as well.


    "You..."


    "Drink some water first and catch your breath. I am not going away," he said and poured me a ss of water. "It''s not poisoned. You and I both know it well."


    I drank the water and tried to catch my breath. It took me a few minutes to calm down fully, catching my breath.


    "You are a dark mage," I finally said.


    I did not need any more proof. Because I was sure of it. He was the one I saw in that dream after all. Perhaps it was not a dream. It was a fragment of my past that was removed by the potion Dem fed me that day.


    "Ah, so you have figured it out," he said and sat down on the couch in front of me.


    "Your mother was a ck-eyed female werewolf who did not have any other demonic ability. That''s why, if she killed a dark mage, she could absorb their power. And that''s what she did. After you were born, you were born with ck mana inside you, right?"


    "That''s right. I am surprised you figured it all out yourself."


    "And you... you went to my world, not to kill me. Rather, you went there for something else, but ended up awakening a bit of my power," I said. "Tell me. What the hell is going on?"


    He let out a chuckle and entwined his hands. His golden eyes met mine, the same ones that I saw in that dream.


    "Let me tell you from the beginning," he said. "I have always known about my power as a dark mage. My mother- she was a greedy woman. When I was five years old, my power as a dark mage was awakened. The dark mage who awakened my power was a very powerful dark mage. He just had to touch me once.


    At that time, I did not know how powerful he was. I thought every dark mage could do it just like that. But actually, awakening a dark mage''s power is not simple. Even though I am not that powerful, still awakening my power would require some rituals. But he did not need any of that. Later I understood how powerful he was.


    I know what you are going to ask. But I don''t know who it was. I don''t remember his face. It was a very long time ago. I don''t know his name as well. But there is one thing- he had blue eyes, just like yours."


    "You probably heard that the spies of Trouvaille are quite skilled, right?" he asked and I nodded. "My spies reported to me about this. King Demetrius, your husband did not have a good rtionship with his family. The only person he was close with was Luc. But suddenly, when he was sixteen, his behavior towards his mother started to change. It was as if they were friendly from the beginning.


    I was surprised and sent more spies. After that, I found out that he was looking for a human girl who had ck mana inside her in another world. Apparently, he wanted that girl to make Querencia a powerful kingdom."


    ''Haa, I knew it... I knew it even before he said it... But why does my heart stink so much? Is it because what I feared is actually the truth? I knew he did not love me seven years ago, he said so as well. But I did not want to know that he wanted me for power...


    It hurts... This word- power- it hurts to hear it.''


    "Are you alright...?" he asked, worried.


    "... P-Please... continue...," I mumbled in a shaky voice.


    "This strange attitude of him increased over a year. And then, suddenly I heard that his sister, Evelyn Easton, went into the other world and then he went to save her. At that time, I could not do anything. But I knew that somehow, it happened so he could see you."


    "I helped Evelyn that time. I mean, I helped a reddish wolf, and then Demetrius told me that it was actually Evelyn."


    "You are going to be very shocked now," he chuckled bitterly. "Actually, that time, Evelyn did not leave the pce in the first ce."


    "W-What...?"


    "Yes, she did not leave the pce. Someone fed her some kind of potion and because of that, she was unconscious. My spies saw some knights taking her to a forest house, made for mating. But the members of the Royal family, every single one of them knew that Evelyn had gone into another world. Actually, it was the doing of someone from the Royal family. To be precise, it was your husband.


    He did so, so he could see you with the excuse of saving Evelyn. And the wolf you saved? It was easy. Your husband just had to attack one and make it look like an ident, so your kind heart would lead you to help it, only to make a path for him to make sure that you really were a dark mage."

 Chapter 173: The Truth (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Two people in the room, sitting across each other and talking- it was a normal thing. I did not know what King Ford was feeling, but my heart was breaking. Every time I heard those words, those words that indicated how my husband deceived me seven years ago, my heart would ache.


    "He made sure you had ck mana inside you, perhaps using some kind of magical artifact," he said. "Then he came back again. That was the time, he decided that you would be his bride."


    "If he decided it back then, seven years ago, then he did it because he wanted my power, right?"


    "Yes, that''s right."


    "Then why didn''t he take any other woman? It isn''t like he loved me. Then why did he not touch anyone else?"


    "King Demetrius Easton is someone who does not feel any kind of emotions other than anger, irritation, and madness. At least, that''s how he was. And he is also someone who is loyal to his ownws. He is not the type to y around with women. He thought that if he had already chosen you as his bride, no matter for what reason, he would only have you," he said.


    "And then five years ago, I finally managed to get ready to go to you in the other world. But yes, you are right. I did not go there to kill you. I wanted to bring you here with me."


    "Why?"


    "If King Demetrius had you and got your power awakened, then it would mean a great deal for Querencia. Querencia would be a more powerful kingdom than Trouvaille. As a king, I could not let it happen. You see, I have be a king at a very early age. So, I had to think about my kingdom. So, I wanted to bring you with me.


    To be precise, I wanted to make you my bride. There were obviously no feelings involved. I wanted you for power. But when I reached there, I was a bitte. King Demetrius already found out about it. I knew he was going to try to take me down as soon as possible.


    It was clear that I would not be able to take you as my bride. So, I did something else."


    "But do you know why I did that?" he asked, looking at me with a mischievous grin.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "You see, your husband was not doing it because he wanted to. Think about it. How will someone like him know about your existence? He is an Alpha and he does not have any ck mana inside him. There is no way for him to find out about you."


    "Then how...?" I asked. I was desperate to find a reason that would make Dem seem that he did not do it on purpose. I did not want to hear that he wanted to deceive me on his own.


    "Actually, it was all nned since the beginning. And I found some forbidden documents that are evidence that your birth was actually nned, so was your fate."


    "What... do you mean?"


    "You see, there was a test eighteen years ago. It was to see that the child of a werewolf and a dark mage or a human and a dark mage is more powerful. And your mother was chosen for this test as well. Thus, you were born. And it is found out that the child of a human and a dark mage has more ck mana inside them than the child of a werewolf and a dark mage has."


    "Thus, you were targeted from an early age. King Demetrius was not the one who did this experiment. It was a dark mage or a group of dark mages. Among them, there is your father who led this. They nned it all and manipted King Demetrius''s thoughts. It was not just one dark mage''s doing.


    Messing up someone''s thoughts that much is impossible for a dark mage unless they are really powerful. My suspicion is that there was more than one dark mage who did it. They wanted King Demetrius to have you as his bride. They wanted to manipte King Demetrius''s mind all the time until your power is awakened. And that''s why I flipped down their n."


    "They could manipte King Demetrius''s thoughts until your power was awakened. That''s because if you be his mate, then it is not just a physical bond that will be formed between you two. There will be an emotional bond as well. If your power is awakened, then it will prevent them from using him anymore and he won''t be controlled anymore," he continued.


    "That''s why, when I saw that I would not be able to make you my bride, I decided to at least awaken your power just enough so you can prevent others from controlling your thoughts and King Demetrius''s. Then both of you will be able to use your own judgment. I could awaken just a bit of your power. So, when King Demetrius met you again five years ago, your power was already awakened a bit.


    That time, he surely felt nkness in his head as because of you, he could not be controlled by other dark mage''s fully. But it was not enough."


    "He gave me a potion that time. Because of that, I don''t remember anything of that day. At least, that is what was supposed to be. Then why did I suddenly remember the moment when you awakened my power?" I asked.


    "He did not know that I awakened your power. He doesn''t know now as well. I know what you are thinking. His mind-reading ability, right?"


    "You..."


    "I know it well," he chuckled. "You see, I am a dark mage. I have my ways to find out about a few things. And I can even make him read my mind in a way that he would only read the thoughts I want him to. He would never be able to know what I do not want him to. Dark mages are not called dangerous for no reason, you know.


    So, because he did not know that I awakened a bit of your power, he fed you that potion so you would forget about your encounter with him. That potion made you forget about our encounter as well. But not fully. That''s why you remembered it. Perhaps you were thinking too hard about it. Though you are never going to remember the part when you met him..."


    "So, what you mean is, because my power is awakened a bit, after our marriage, Dem could not be controlled as before?"


    "That''s right," he nodded. "It happened right after the first night of your marriage when the mating process was fulfilled. He forgot what happened before, he literally forgot about everything that happened to him. He got confused and slowly, his thoughts stumbled over one another. Now that''s the reason he doesn''t remember why he brought you here in the first ce. He is not controlled anymore.


    So, whatever he is doing now, he is doing them on his own ord. I think now, he is an idiot as well."


    "What do you mean?"


    "He fell madly in love with you and if he could, he would rather not awaken your power since dark mages are not weed here," he chuckled bitterly. "Love can make someone a fool it seems."


    "So, Dem was fooled as well."


    "He wasn''t basically fooled. King Demetrius is a cunning person. But even he had nothing to do when a dark mage was messing with his mind. And as I said, there might have been more than one dark mage. He was controlled, his thoughts were manipted," he said. "I can understand what you were worried about.


    Let me tell you this then. King Demetrius is a power-hungry Alpha. But now, youe first. He did not even remember the fact that you are a dark mage, yet he wants you. Don''t worry. He is not lying."


    I knew he was not lying. After King Ford told me everything, things became a lot clearer. But there were still a lot of questions.


    Who were the dark mages that controlled his thoughts? And if the dark mages wanted me, then they surely knew what was going on with me right now?


    "I managed to ruin the dark mages'' n that time by awakening a bit of your power. But now, if we want to stop them, your power needs to be awakened fully. Of course, you are going to awaken your power anyway, since you are pregnant."


    "How...?"


    "How do I know?" he smirked. "No, it was not my spies. I found out about it myself after putting the puzzle pieces together. I am very good at guessing, you know."

 Chapter 174: The Black Eyed Child

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Now I knew how I managed to unveil that book''s power at that time. Since King Ford awakened a bit of my power, I could use that much power without even knowing.


    And I was d that Dem did not do it because he was in his right mind. He was a victim as well, just like me.


    "And don''t call me King Ford. I do not mean to harm you. Actually, I have no reason to do so," he said. "What will I gain by interfering between you and your husband? I just want to take down the dark mages who are nning all this. Their n failed, so they will try again.


    What they want is to take over the kingdoms one by one. As a king, I cannot let that happen to my kingdom. To be frank, I don''t care about other kingdoms. But since if I want to save my kingdom, I need to get rid of the dark mages, I guess I will be helping other kingdoms as well. Ah, yes, I haven''t told you what to call me. Call me Evan.


    It''s my actual name. Is it too much to ask?"


    "No, it''s fine," I muttered. "Evan, it is then. You should call me Blue then."


    "Well, I guess we will havepany in a moment."


    "Huh?"


    "Your husband is here. This door will burst open in... three, two, one..."


    Just as he said, the door burst open and an angry Demetrius was seen in the doorway. His anger was bestowed on both me and King Ford. But this time, I was not scared.


    "What. Are. You. Doing. Here?" he asked, looking at me, pronouncing each word carefully.


    "Dem, it''s a good thing you came. You need to hear it as well," I said and looked at King Ford. "Do you mind telling him, Evan?"


    "Yes, of course. Please take a seat, King Demetrius. I''m afraid it will take a bit of time to exin everything."


    It took three hours to exin everything to Dem. Evan had a point. There was no reason not to trust him.


    "Even if you can''t trust me, there is a way to prove that I am telling the truth," Evan said. "Give me your hand, Blue."


    Dem did not like it when I ced my hand on Evan''s palm. I decided to ignore that for now. Right now, more than his anger, knowing the truth was more important.


    "Try to rx and focus on finding out if I am telling the truth," Evan said.


    "How am I supposed to do that?" I asked.


    "Just think about, rxing your body and mind," he said.


    I tried to do as he said. I had no idea if it was working, but suddenly there was some kind of ck dust around our twined hands.


    "ck represents positive in case of dark mages," he said. "If it was white, then it would mean negative. Blue''s power is awakened enough to do this kind of simple thing. Since I am much less powerful than her, it''s quite easy for her. Now that the dust is ck, it means I am telling the truth. You can even ask the master of the magic tower of Querencia."


    "I understand," Dem said, standing up and taking my hand in his hand. "But why are you calling the queen of Querencia by her name?"


    "She allowed it," Evan said. "I told her to call me by name as well. You can do so as well. If we are to work together, I would rather want us be a bit less formal. Showing formality takes some unnecessary time as well. I would like to use that time for something important."


    Dem and Evan were talking more about something, perhaps arguing. I felt my eyelids growing heavy. There was a pain in my heart as well, just a faint uneasy feeling.


    "Are you alright?" I heard a voice.


    "... Huh?"


    "Hey, babe... Are you okay? What''s wrong?" Dem asked.


    "The... restroom... Take me to the... restroom," I managed to mumble.


    "This way... Show the Queen the restroom," Evan ordered one of his servants.


    Dem helped me walk and took me to the restroom. I quickly crouched over the toilet and let it all out.


    "Go out..."


    This time, just likest time, he did not listen. He pulled my hair back and stayed with me. My throat was burning. I coughed up a bit of blood as well this time. It was not much, but enough for Demetrius to freak out and make it look like a big deal. Perhaps it was, but I did not feel anything.


    "I have called for the doctor. He wille soon," Dem said. I was still in the restroom, sitting on the floor because I was too tired to pull myself up. I had cleaned my face and Dem wiped my face with a towel.


    Who was this doctor now? If he called a doctor here, they would find out I was pregnant. I wanted to tell him this, but I could not. Rather, I found myself mumbling, "Sleepy... I want to sleep."


    A pair of strong arms picked me up. The familiar masculine scent filled my nostrils. I snuggled closer to him, feeling safer than ever. If what Evan said was true, then Dem was deceiving me when he was not in his right mind. But what if he was not right? What if Dem did it because he wanted to and that was also being in his right mind?


    It did not matter anymore. I had told him that I would trust him, even if he betrayed me. Perhaps I was so madly in love that I forgot my rationality. I did not care anymore. I just wanted to believe the man I loved this much.


    I closed my eyes, feeling rxed in his arms. He was going somewhere. I did not know where, nor did I care. I was going to be alright as long as I could be with him.


    It was a dark room. It took me a while to recognize this room. Our bedroom at our pce- how did Ie here? I was at Ataraxia. Did we teleport again because I was sick? Did Dem do this?


    I heard a crying sound. A baby was crying. I tried to move but felt my body aching badly. "What''s going on?" I muttered.


    "Your Highness..."


    "Ruby! How am I here?" I asked, looking at her. Her face was drained. But what shocked me more was the thing in her arms. No, it was not a thing. It was a child whose cry I heard.


    "Who... Whose child is that?"


    "It''s the prince, Your Highness. It''s the child Your Highness gave birth to," she said.


    "What?"


    I was not even one month pregnant. How could I give birth to a child all of a sudden? What kind of sorcery was it?


    "It''s not my child," I said. "What are you saying? I am not even a month... Tell me clearly who this is."


    There were other maids in the room as well. They were all looking at me as if I had lost my mind. How was I even going to make them understand that I was telling the truth? I had no idea what was going on.


    "Let me... hold the child," I said. I did not even know why I did that.


    Ruby ced the child carefully in my arms. A boy with ck hair was sleeping peacefully. Just a minute ago, he was crying. His fluffy cheeks were tear-stained and red.


    ''So adorable...!''


    I touched the side of his cheek and he opened his eyes suddenly. I was surprised. Not because of his sudden move, but after seeing his eyes. He had ck eyes, just like Demetrius. Now that I looked at him closely, he looked just like Demetrius. I did not see any difference between their faces.


    He was like a baby version of Demetrius.


    But I was scared. These eyes- what would Demetrius say? But more importantly, how did I even give birth to a child without even being pregnant for one month?


    The door of the bedroom burst open. I jumped up in surprise along with the maids. My husband, wearing his armor andpletely soaked in blood came rushing toward me. He did not even nce once at the boy in my arms as he kissed me and filled me with his love.


    After a while when he was finished kissing me, he nced at the child. His eyes showed no sign of affection, only disgust. That look- I hated it. And I was afraid of it.


    "This child... He has ck eyes," he said, gritting his teeth.


    I gave a nod and did not say anything. I was afraid of saying anything. So what if this child had ck eyes? He was still ours.

 Chapter 175: It Was Just A Dream

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "He is beautiful," I muttered.


    "Give him to me," Dem said sternly.


    "W-What?"


    "I said give him to me."


    He could not want to hold the child because he felt some kind of affection towards it. There was surely something else that was in his mind.


    "Why?" I asked, looking at him carefully.


    He snatched the child away from me, despite my efforts. I was too weak to stop him, but I still tried all I could, only to fail.


    "Don''t hold him like that. He will get hurt," I cried. "Your grip... Loosen your g-grip..."


    "I told you I don''t want a ck-eyed child," he muttered angrily. "It is not on you who you will give birth to. But I have decided that it won''t be my child."


    "What are you saying?" I asked, sobbing.


    He did not look at me even for once as he started to leave the room. "Don''t... Where are you taking him? Don''t. You are not going to kill him, are you?"


    "That''s exactly what I am going to do," he said, without looking at me and not stopping in his pace.


    "Don''t... Please don''t! Don''t kill him! Give him to me... please... Dem, please...


    Don''t leave!"


    I cried, I begged. But he did not listen. He took the child away with that disgusted look on his face. I tried to stand up, but due to my weak body, I ended up falling down as my knees gave away. Ruby held me quickly and tried to calm me down. She was saying something, but I could not hear anything.


    I only remembered screaming... and crying... and begging.


    "No! Don''t take him away!" I yelled, only to realize that I was on a bed. I was sweating profusely and my hands were shaking violently.


    "What''s wrong? Are you alright?"


    I looked at my husband in front of me, his eyes soft and there was a worried expression on his face. But...


    "Don''t touch me!" I snatched my hand away from him.


    "Blue...," he muttered, shocked.


    "Where is he?"


    "What are you saying? Who are you talking about?"


    "The child... Our child... Where is he? Did... did you kill him?"


    "Our child?"


    "You didn''t kill him, right? You didn''t, right? Even if he has ck eyes... You didn''t... Tell me you didn''t kill him... Please," I cried.


    Tears were pouring down my cheeks and my heart was breaking. I just needed to know that child was alive.


    "Hey, calm down..."


    "What did you do to him? Tell me! What did you do to him?!" I yelled.


    "Calm down!" he yelled back. "Child! What child? You aren''t even a month pregnant! How can you give birth to a child?"


    "I haven''t...?"


    "No," he shook his head and sighed. "It was just a bad dream."


    "A bad dream...," I panted. He got me a ss of water and I drank it quickly. My heart was still beating faster and it was hard to breathe.


    I looked around the room. We were still at Ataraxia. It was our bedroom of the pce where we were staying. It was just a dream after all, no, a nightmare.


    But even if it was a nightmare, it was not baseless. I had my suspicion that Dem was the type of person to do something like that.


    "Haa...," I breathed heavily.


    "Lie down," he said. "You need rest."


    I nced at him once. His face showed warmth, his brows were wrinkled with worries; I saw this very face making a scary look as he disgustedly looked at the child.


    It happened again. Tears started to fall again. I did not want to cry, yet I could not help myself. What was wrong with me? My heart felt heavy, but I wanted to stay strong. I did not want to shed tears.


    But perhaps because that innocent face of the boy was engraved in my mind, I could not bring myself to forget what Dem did, even if it was in a dream only.


    His hand shot out on its own to touch my wipe my tears, but he stopped just an inch away. His ck eyes met mine and he asked, almost silently, "Can I touch you?"


    "... Yes..."


    He wiped my tears with his thumbs, gently pressing them over my skin as if he was afraid that I would get hurt. I held his left hand and leaned my face against it.


    "When we will have a child, you... won''t kill it, right?" I said. "You said you won''t."


    "I won''t," he nodded. "Is it what you saw in your dream?"


    "Hmm... Even if it has ck eyes, right?"


    "... That''s right."


    That pause frightened me. I held his hand even tighter. "You won''t! You won''t kill it!"


    "Yes, I won''t. Don''t get so worked up, sweetheart. I won''t kill it," he said quickly and patted my head with the other hand.


    "I am... scared..."


    "Do you want me to hug you?"


    "Yes... Make it all go away," I mumbled. "I am scared, I really am..."


    He climbed on the bed and hugged me, pulling me on hisp. I felt safer than before. This man- if I could change him just a bit, it would be fine.


    ''That''s right... Just a bit, I need to change him just a bit. We will be okay then... Only a bit... I have to try harder to change his views.''


    But no matter how hard I would try, it was him who needed to take steps to change his views. If he did not want to, there was nothing I could do.


    He rubbed my back gently. It was dark outside. But when we were at King Ford''s ce, it was almost morning.


    "You were unconscious for two days," he said as if he knew what I was thinking. "I was really worried. I thought..."


    "Two days?"


    "Yes. Two whole days," he said. "Luc brought Doctor Dimitri."


    "He used teleportation?"


    "Hmm... There was no other way to bring him as soon as possible."


    "But... but teleportation takes a lot of energy. Is Luc alright?"


    "... Don''t you dare worry about others when you are this weak," he said angrily. But he was controlling himself so he would not raise his voice. "And Luc is alright. Just don''t worry about anything else. Focus on getting better only."


    "Uh-huh..."


    "The doctor said that it''s because you pushed yourself too much. You coughed up blood because your body was too weak," he said. "And more importantly, it''s because of your mental health."


    "Mental health?"


    "Yes. You are overthinking things and pressing yourself emotionally. It''s having an adverse effect on both your body and mind," he said. "... I know I am not good enough. But still, please try to share your thoughts with me.


    Don''t push yourself too hard. I don''t want you to be like that. You have a husband. At least, try to talk to me. I will try to understand you. Don''t keep everything to yourself."


    What could I even do? There were a lot of things I was worried about. It was not hard to tell him about it. But the hardest part was- I could not describe them in words. How I was feeling, what was going on in my head- they were hard to describe.


    "I understand... I will try to talk to you," I muttered. That was all I could say for now. Even though I was not sure if I would be able to do it, I wanted to reassure him so he would not worry. "These two days... Haa, I messed everything up, didn''t I?"


    "Why would you say that? You are trying your best, darling. It''s just that you are sick right now. That''s why... All you can do is not push yourself hard," he said. "Doctor Dimitri is staying at this pce now so he can check up on you frequently.


    Thankfully, I had told him beforeing here that we might need him anytime so he could prepare himself."


    "You did?"


    When it came to me, Demetrius was very caring and attentive. He took care of everything for me and made sure I would not have any trouble. He was a perfect husband, but then, there was a twist... Just a little one, but it was enough to worry me.


    "Of course. I need to get everything ready," he said as if it was the most obvious thing to do.


    "Hmm..."


    I hugged him tighter and tightened my legs around his waist. It seemed he was the base I was holding onto.


    We remained like that for a long time. None of us said anything. There was a thing that we needed to talk about- the past. But none of us mentioned it. It was as if we silently agreed that we talked enough about it in the presence of King Ford. We would not talk about it again.

 Chapter 176: Worried

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had no idea when I fell asleepst night in Dem''s arms. His embrace was warm as always. When I woke up, it was almost ten in the morning.


    "It''s okay if Your Highness wants to sleep some more," Ruby said. Ruby''s eyes were puffy. It seemed she did not sleep enough.


    "Did you not sleep, Ruby?" I asked.


    "Oh, it''s nothing, Your Highness," she said quickly with a frail smile. "Please do not worry about me."


    I knew what happened. Ruby thought something serious happened to me and surely cried a lot. She did sost time as well. And she surely spent the whole time taking care of me without resting.


    "Ruby, don''t push yourself too much. You need to take care of yourself as well," I said.


    Ruby bit her lower lip as if she was suppressing something and then suddenly bent on her knees by the bedside. Sheid her head on myp and started crying suddenly.


    "I thought... I thought I would not see Your Highness again!" she cried. "I was scared..."


    "Shh, it''s alright. I am fine, right? I am right here with you. So, don''t cry," I said, gently patting her head.


    "Your Highness was not waking up. His Highness did not leave this room for two days. I told His Highness to take some rest, but he did not listen," she sobbed.


    Dem stayed here with me for two days? No wonder he looked as if he had not closed his eyes for a long time.


    "We all were worried. Lord Luc brought Doctor Dimitri within ten minutes. All of them tried their hardest... Doctor Dimitri said..."


    "What did he say?"


    "He said that Your Highness might not wake up," she sobbed. "... It was very... His Highness went to kill the doctor, but Lord Luc stopped him. I really thought..."


    "Hey, it''s alright now. Everything is fine. Calm down, Ruby," Iforted her. She was crying even more. Looking at her like this, my heart ached.


    But I was surprised as well. I had never thought someone would cry for me because they were afraid that I would leave them.


    It took a while for Ruby to calm down. She wailed for a long time. It looked like she truly was scared that I would never wake up.


    But strangely, I did not feel anything.


    Death sometimes felt terrifying. But other times, it did not feel much of a thing. It felt very natural and I was not scared.


    Strange.


    "Your Highness will take care of your health now. And you should not worry about other things. Please just focus on getting better, Your Highness," Ruby said.


    "Yes," I nodded. "I will. Now, don''t cry anymore, alright?"


    "Hmm... Yes..."


    Perita came to meet me as well. She looked very relieved when she found me speakingfortably. She had to leave soon as Dem ordered for her to roam around the pce and check everything herself. Dem suspected that someone was following me.


    I wondered if he felt the presence of someone as well. I felt like that too a few days ago. But I could not tell him that. He surely felt something as well, or he would not know about it.


    "You are awake. How are you feeling?" Luc asked.


    I did not even notice himing in since I was focused on petting the cat Perita brought for me. She said that it was Dem''s order. Dem did not like cats or other animals much and he hated it more if I wanted to touch them.


    But he was now the one who ordered this. I wondered if it was to make me feel better. He was right. The cat''spany, indeed, made me feel good.


    "Ah, yes, I am feeling okay now," I smiled. "Thanks to you, I could be checked by the doctor soon."


    "Well, it took a lot of energy to teleport without resting enough. That''s why you need to pay a price," he said.


    "What price?"


    "Get me some magical books from King Ford," he whispered.


    "Eh?"


    "Demetrius told me everything about what happened. And that guy has a point actually and I trust him. There is no reason not to trust him. What he said is not baseless. And besides, he proved it as well by using your power," he said. "You see, you are more powerful than him.


    That''s why he could awaken just a bit of your power. And those who are more powerful among mages can see if the other mage is telling the truth or not in that way. It''s quite hard to describe since it''s mostly done using your mind. In our cases, the dust will be white if the result is positive and ck if the result is negative. It''s the opposite for dark mages.


    In their case, ck is for positive and white is for negative."


    "I see..."


    "So, King Ford is a dark mage and for now, he is our ally. Then ask him for some books. I want to read a few books about dark mages. They are quite mysterious beings after all. I know he won''t give me the books that hold their secrets, but the normal ones will do. Ask him for me, alright?"


    I sighed and chuckled. "Alright, I will."


    "... Really? I missed you," he said and hugged me suddenly.


    "Yes, I heard you all tried your best," I said and hugged him back.


    It felt kind of good that so many people were worried about me. It was the first time I received this kind of attention and love from others. This unfamiliar feeling almost overwhelmed me.


    Doctor Dimitri checked me up again after that. He said that he checked me upst night as well.


    "But when?" I asked.


    "After Your Highness fell asleep, His Highness summoned me and said that you had woken up," he said. "Your Highness has the same problem again. Someone, anyone will do. Isn''t there anyone who Your Highness can talk to about everything?"


    "... I will try to talk to others," I said.


    "No, that is not what I mean, Your Highness," he shook his head gently. "Your Highness, we can talk to anyone if we want to. We do not need to be toofortable with them for that. But sometimes even if we arefortable, we cannot share everything with them. Right now, what Your Highness needs is someone to talk to about every little thing. Your Highness understands what I am saying, right?"


    "Yes...," I gave a nod. "But you also know what kind of situation I am in."


    It was not a question. It would be strange if he did not know. I was a queen. A queen was not supposed to have someone so close to her with whom she could share everything. A queen was not usually close to the king as well. They were married for political reasons mostly.


    And besides, kings and queens had their harems and spent time together only when it was a must.


    Dem''s and my marriage was not like that. We loved each other and we did not have any harem. Even the thought of it was disturbing. But even so, it was not possible to share every single thing with him.


    A loving husband and a friend to talk to were different. It was very rare that they would be the same.


    And everyone knew what kind of person Demetrius was. Even though if someone did not spend much time with him, they would instantly know that he was the type to control. He was a very caring husband, but he was also very possessive.


    And sometimes, it was unhealthy.


    "Yes, I know very well," the doctor said. "Your Highness, do you know how some kids cure their boredom without moving?"


    "... Kids?"


    "Yes," he said. "They talk. If they cannot choose a particr person they can trust, they choose an object or an animal."


    "Are you saying...?"


    What he said made sense. It did not have to be a particr person. Anything was fine- an object or an animal.


    "Yes, that is what I mean."


    "Then... this cat... Will it be okay?"


    "As long as Your Highness thinks you can befortable talking to it, it''s fine. Your Highness just needs to let your heart out," he said.


    ''Let my heart out? Is it possible?''


    I looked at the cat on myp. It was sleeping peacefully. It was true that sometimes I felt very stuffy inside. Perhaps it was because I was keeping my thoughts to myself and pressured myself unnecessarily. Then should I try getting close to this cat and talk to it?


    "Will you be my best friend then, little kitty? Let''s try to get along, okay?"

 Chapter 177: Sapphire, The Cat

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    After finishing the pent-up work, I returned to our bedroom. Since I did not get out of the bedroom for two days, there was quite a load of work. Though I tried to finish them as soon as possible, it still took me a long time.


    A lot of things were going on. That night, when I had returned, I found out that my wife was not in the pce. I quickly followed her scent and then found her at King Ford''s pce. Despite my warning, she had gone there. At that time, I had no idea what was going on. It was after King Ford described everything to me that I understood the situation.


    But even before I could think about it all, she got sick. I panicked. I was scared that she might leave me forever.


    She did not wake up in two days. I had no idea what to do. It was like I was losing my mind.


    I did not leave her side at all. What if she had woken up and was scared? What if she had asked for something and I was not there to give it to her?


    I was scared that she might turn into dust when I would close my eyes.


    And when she opened her eyes, her eyes were filled with terror. I could haveforted her. But she was scared of not any other things, rather me.


    That look on her face when she looked at me, made me uneasy. I was disgusted at myself without any reason. The fact that she made that face because of me was enough as a reason.


    "So, I like the color ck too, especially the ckish-blue color of the night. It''s really beautiful, right? You must have seen it, right?"


    My darling wife was so busy talking to the little cat that she did not even notice meing in. Her maid was watching her with a smile. When she noticed me, she bowed and left.


    "I heard Dem stayed by my side for two days. You know Dem? He is my husband. We have been married for almost three months now. He is working now. I wish he would take some rest," she said, holding the cat in front of her with both of her hands.


    ''You are worried about me now when you are in this condition? What am I going to do with my sweet little wife?''


    "Ruby was worried too. She cried a lot. It feels strange, you know. I never have even dreamed of someone being worried for me. Now, these people are behaving as if if I die, they will lose someone important. Is it because I am the Queen?


    Or do they truly love me?"


    I was about to correct her but refrained myself from doing so. The doctor told her to talk to someone or something. I must not interfere.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter. My husband surely loves me. That''s all matters for now," she said with a smile.


    Her back was towards me as she was facing the window. I could not help but chuckle silently. I sat in a chair silently and listened to her chatting relentlessly to the cat.


    It was wrong. I knew I should have left. But I could not. Seeing her smile like that, I could not bring myself to deliberately miss this chance to observe her.


    "I saw a bluebird today. Ruby said its feather had the same color as my eyes. Perhaps she was right. In that case, the color of my eyes must be quite pretty. But when I look in the mirror, I don''t feel like I am seeing something beautiful. It seems pretty normal to me.


    Is it because it''s me I am seeing?"


    What was she even saying? She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Not that I could say it right now even if I wanted to...


    "I wonder what Dem would look like if he were a woman... Bet he would look smoking hot..."


    ''Don''t even think about something as heinous as that...''


    "Well, I prefer his male version though... He could be my husband that way after all," she added. "By the way, I haven''t given you a name yet. What should I call you?"


    "Your eyes are green and they are glowing brightly. They look like sapphires," she said, stroking the cat''s fur. "Should I name you ''Sapphire'' then? Do you like it?"


    "My little Sapphire!" she giggled. "I think you are a month''s old. That''s good. I will raise you well."


    If it was a normal time, I would not like her raising a cat, especially, taking it on our bed. But she needed it right now. Her recovery was what mattered. And I had promised I would do anything it would take so she could recover as soon as possible.


    I sat there for some time more. She was talking to the cat without looking anywhere else. Even though I could not say her face, her voice said that she was rxed. Two hours passed. The time for our dinner had already passed and I did not bother to remind her as well because she was being so cute.


    She yawned suddenly. I could not dy it anymore. What if she fell asleep without eating? I went out of the room without making a noise and told the maids to bring our dinner to our bedroom.


    I knocked on the door. She nced at me and gave me a little smile. "You havee back just now?"


    "Yes," I lied. "It''s time to have your dinner."


    "This soon?" she asked and then looked outside the window. Her mouth fell open in shock. "It has been that long?"


    I nodded. "... Do you want to hold that sleeping cat still now? I mean, won''t it be convenient to ce it somewhere?"


    "I told Ruby to prepare a little bed for it. Perita said that she can do it instead," she said. "So, she will bring a little bed tomorrow, I guess. Till then... Where to put her?"


    "Tell your maid to take care of it for now."


    "Alright! Ruby! Can you take care of Sapphire for tonight?" she asked, looking at her maid expectantly. My little wife perhaps had forgotten that she was the queen and she just needed to order her, not ask her if she could do it.


    "Sure, Your Highness," Ruby said and took the cat from her. "I think this cat likes Your Highness a lot. She has woken up and is even trying to get away from me."


    "Rub her behind the ears," Blue said. "She likes it."


    I sent everyone back. I did not like others being near us when we were alone. "You don''t have to get down. I will feed you," I said.


    She was so weak that I was afraid that if she moved a bit more, she might fall down. If only my delicate wife would get better, I could rx just a bit.


    "But I am not that sick...," she said, tilting her head slightly.


    "Can''t I take care of my dear wife just because I want to? Do I have to take care of you only when you are sick? You hurt my feelings, my wife."


    "Ah, I don''t mean it that way..."


    "Then won''t you let me feed you? Or do you hate it when I feed you?"


    "... Alright, you can feed me. Don''t make that face. I feel like a bully," she mumbled.


    It was a tactic that I learned after spending two months with my wife. If I acted a bit pitiful, she would give up and listen to me. It was a mischievous act, but it was sometimes fun.


    I took her te and climbed on the bed. Her lips were pouted again as she was a looking out the window. I had noticed this lot of times- her lips were always pouted when she was rxing, not caring about anything else. It was adorable. And when she was like this, I could rx a bit as well thinking that nothing was bothering her.


    "Open your mouth, honey," I said, poking her pouted lips with the spoon.


    "Is it celery soup?"


    "Hmm. I heard you wanted to eat it," I said.


    "Yes. I suddenly thought of it and craved it. I notified the cook then. She said it''s easy to make," she said. "Did they make chicken and gravy too?"


    "They did. You want to try it now?"


    "No, I will have the soup first."


    Even the way she ate was adorable. She took very little food in her mouth and chewed on it. She looked like a little bird that way.


    I chuckled, looking at her chewing on her little food as if her mouth was full. "I think my wife is not just a human, rather a hummingbird as well."

 Chapter 178: I Will Protect You, Little Baby

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had been taken care of as if I was so delicate that I would break apart at any moment. Dem had to work all day, but he always joined me for dinner. Precisely saying, he fed me dinner every night even though I told him not to. He would look at me in a way that it was hard to refuse him.


    Ruby had been walking around the room all the time and kept massaging my hands, legs, and shoulders even when I told her that I was fine. She actually did not leave my side at all as if she was scared that I would disappear.


    Perita made a bed for Sapphire using foam, cotton, and fabric. I had no idea where she learned to make something like that, but it was beautiful. Sapphire liked it too. Her bed was ced on the floor of the bedroom. Dem did not like it in our room, but he did not object. I asked him to make sure that he was okay with it.


    Though his eyes showed clear disgust, he said it was fine. Perhaps it was for my sake.


    Luc came to visit me a few times. He liked cookies, so he always had a pouch with him in which he kept some cookies. I had given him that after finding out from Dem that Luc liked cookies. Today, he even shared some cookies with me which was very rare because he usually was protective of his cookies and liked to eat alone. It was childish but cute.


    Doctor Dimitri''s checking my health up was a regr thing. It had been more than a week already since I had woken up. But their concern regarding me was not less in any way.


    "I think Sapphire is helping, Your Highness. You truly seem to enjoy talking to her," the doctor said as he came to check me up again. It was morning and I was still sleepy. Perhaps because I did not get out of the room these days at all, I becamezier. Sapphire woke me up by jumping on my face this morning. Or I would have slept for a long time.


    "She is funny. I like the way she moves her paws... Cute..."


    "I even heard that Your Highness is eating rather well these days," he said with a satisfied smile. "That''s a good thing. Having the perfect amount of food is very important for Your Highness right now."


    "I vomited three mornings at a stretch," I said.


    "That''s natural since Your Highness is pregnant. Please do not worry about it. If you have any other difort, please feel free to let me know."


    "My back hurts..."


    "That''s because Your Highness is staying in bed only. But Your Highness should not move much as well since your body is weak. So, I will give an ointment that''s good for back pain."


    "And Dem doesn''t sleep..."


    "... What Your Highness means is His Highness does not sleep at night?" he asked, surprised.


    "Uh-huh," I nodded. "He keeps looking at me. He thinks I am sleeping, but I actually know the whole thing. It''s not like he disturbs me, but he just keeps looking at me. This is more disturbing. He would rather talk to me at night than do that."


    "I think His Highness wants to make sure that Your Highness is alright and does not have any difort."


    I knew that was the case. But Dem was working all day, then if he did not sleep at night as well, he would fall sick at any time. He did not listen to me. Whenever I told him that he needed to rest as well, or he would get sick, he would shrug and say that he was not weak at all and I did not need to worry about him.


    ''How can I not? He is my husband...''


    "If Your Highness is worried too much, I will talk to His Highness about it," he said.


    "Then can you convince him to take some rest? Like, tell him that I am worried about him and if he doesn''t take enough rest, I will worry more. And worrying too much is bad for my current health condition," I said. I felt a bit guilty that I was nning to deceive Dem, but it was for his own good.


    "It''s true. Worrying too much is truly bad for Your Highness''s health."


    "Oh, then you can tell him that, right?"


    "Yes, I can do this," he chuckled. "Do not worry, Your Highness. Just take care of yourself. I will talk to His Highness."


    After that, Doctor Dimitri gave me some advice about what to do, what to eat, and so on. But he was pretty satisfied that I had gotten better in the past few days.


    Though Dem trusted King Ford''s words, he did not let him visit me. But King Ford still visited me once somehow. Ruby told me all of these.


    I could not spend much time with Dem these days because he was so busy and came back at night. He would feed me and then we would fall asleep. We could even talk as much as before because the medicine I took made me feel sleepy. It was the same medicine that made me act like a drunken person for a while.


    "This doctor is pretty responsible," Ruby said. "Doctor Emma is good too, but I think Doctor Dimitri is more talented."


    "Emma is the Imperial doctor. But Doctor Dimitri does not belong to any kingdom. He likes to treat werewolves from every kingdom. He said that he treats only when he finds a case interesting," I said. "I am the first human he met. That''s why he is spending this much time treating me.


    And of course, someone threatened him as well."


    "He is very professional too," Ruby said.


    She had a thing for handsome men. But I knew she liked someone. To conceal that fact, she was trying to behave as usual. Perhaps she did not realize that I already knew.


    "Let''s not talk about him anymore. If you are interested, you can ask him about himself," I said, waving my hand. "Rather, get some milk for Sapphire. It''s time for her food."


    "Yes, Your Highness," Ruby bowed and left.


    "You will get your milk in a while," I said and rubbed behind the cat''s ear. She liked it when I did that. Her fur was white and her eyes were green. To be precise, she was true beauty. "Aww, how can someone be so cute?"


    "You are my family now, right, Sapphire? I can be your elder sister... Eh? That''s... Then I can be your mommy, right? Dem can be your daddy?


    It won''t be a bad thing. I will take care of you well," I said. "Dem is not as cold as he looks. He will love you too. Just you wait... Then you will get a brother or sister as well."


    In my dream, I had a baby boy. That dream was scary. Perhaps because I was overthinking things, I had that kind of dream. Every time I remembered it, my body would freeze up in fear. So, I tried not to think about it as much as possible.


    "Perhaps it will be a brother... Anyway, it doesn''t matter. As long as the child is safe, boy or girl doesn''t matter. I don''t have any preference as well," I shrugged. "After your brother or sister is born, I perhaps won''t be here to hold you. But you will grow up a lot by then, right?


    You can take care of your sibling along with your daddy."


    Strangely, death did not seem hard at all. Yes, I was a bit sad that if I died, I would have to leave Dem. But I was not scared. If it happened, I was kind of sure that I would be able to ept it quite easily.


    "Do you know where the baby is? It is inside my tummy. I am really young, so I did not want one right away. But perhaps it won''t be a bad thing, right? You will get a sibling after all?"


    I did not mind dying. Death was an inevitable thing for everyone. In my case, perhaps I would face it a bit earlier than others. But the only thing I wanted was for my child to be treated fairly. Emotional abuse, physical abuse- I faced them all. I knew too well what they could do to someone.


    It would keep someone alive while sucking their soul away.


    I did not want someone else to face those nightmares as I did. It was hard and I only survived. I lose my willpower, the ability to dream. I became a living corpse.


    "Don''t worry, little baby. I won''t let it happen to you too. I will save you even if I can''t be with you. I will make sure you are treated well."

 Chapter 179: Sick In The Head

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness can stand up now!" Ruby eximed as she assisted me, getting me on my feet.


    "I don''t wanna though...," I mumbled.


    Sapphire was on my head, rubbing her head against my hair. Her fluffy tail kept falling on my nose.


    "The doctor said it''s time for Your Highness to try to move your body," she said.


    "But Sapphire and I don''t want to move. We want to stay in bed only," I protested.


    Even a few days ago, they kept telling me to rest. And now they were telling me to move when I got ustomed to resting?


    "Your Highness, please try to understand..."


    "Ugh, alright," I grumbled.


    "Please hold my hand. Should I call Perita as well?"


    "No, it''s fine," I said. Perita was a bit noisy. My little Sapphire was scared of her and whenever Perita came to my room, Sapphire would hide under the bed and would note out.


    Ruby helped me walk around the room. It had been two weeks since I had been unconscious for two days. I was improving, slowly but effectively. But now I did not want to move at all. I only wanted toze around and talk to Sapphire.


    "I feel nauseous again, Ruby..."


    "Ack! What to do? Let''s go to the restroom quickly, Your Highness!" Ruby panicked.


    Ruby quickly led me to the restroom. It was amon thing now. I had toe here so many times that I even knew how many steps it would take to reach the restroom from my bed.


    "Get down, Sapphire," I said, urging her to get down my head.


    Ruby tried to take her away, but she held my hair with her paws. She got way too attached to me. She did not like to part with me, even for a moment.


    "She won''t get off... Ah, Your..."


    "Ruby?" I muttered, hearing her shocked voice.


    "How troublesome..."


    The cat was easily taken off my head this time. But it was not Ruby who did it. "Dem...?"


    Did he always have toe here when I was in this kind of pathetic situation? It had been more than six times that he had witnessed me vomiting. And no matter how many times I told him to get out, he just would not.


    I could not protest much since I was already throwing everything off. Just like every other time, Dem held my hair back with his hand.


    "Ugh..."


    "Where does it hurt, baby?" he asked.


    "My throat... It stings..."


    "It''s probably because you are throwing up quite often," he muttered.


    "I will get some hot water for Your Highness," Ruby said and I heard footsteps walking away.


    "Hehe, Sapphire... likes you," I grinned.


    Though Dem held Sapphire clumsily, she still snuggled in his arms. Dem''s face did not look amused, but I found the whole scene pretty cute.


    "What are you saying all of a sudden? It''s not time to talk about silly things," he muttered, a little uneasily. "You washed your mouth, right?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Then wipe your face with the towel."


    "Ok..."


    Dem helped me go back to my bed. I sat down and Sapphire jumped on myp. She was truly very clingy, but it was cute.


    Ruby had already brought hot water for me and milk for Sapphire. I took the ss from her and she ced the bowl containing milk on the floor. Sapphire jumped off myp quickly. It seemed she was a milk lover.


    "Drink the water slowly," Dem said. "I will wash my hands."


    "Why?"


    "... I held the cat."


    "..."


    At least, he did not take a shower now after holding the cat. It was an improvement, I would say.


    "You know, I got twenty letters again this morning," I said after Dem came back from the restroom.


    "Is that so?"


    "Uh-huh," I nodded. I had been getting invitations for tea parties a lot. Even if they did not like me, they still would try to get close to me since I was the Queen of Querencia. "And one of them is from..."


    "From who?"


    "Princess Laetitia," I replied.


    She was the princess of Lacuna. I heard she had a huge crush on my husband and persuaded him, but failed gravely. Dem threw her out of the pce of Querencia and also forbade her from entering Querencia again.


    She was known for her beauty. Ruby had shown me her portrait. She was beautiful like a goddess.


    "Did you decline?" he asked.


    "Yes, I did. I declined all of them."


    For now, it was better to not get close to anyone. Anyone could have malicious thoughts. I did not have the intention of making a friend on to get betrayed in the end. I would rather not have any friends. Besides, I had enough people on my side now. I did not need anyone else.


    "That''s good. It''s better not to go to any of the tea parties," he said.


    It was a very important task for a queen to attend tea parties and other gatherings. But Dem extremely opposed it and I did not like to do it as well. It was mostly because I would be a target in most of them since I was a human.


    "I know," I said. "Isn''t that why I have been declining every single of them? But I think I should ept at least one these days."


    "Absolutely not!" he shook his head fiercely. "You are sick now. Your body is sick. But more importantly, they are sick as well. I can''t let you mix with other sick people except me."


    "Eh? What are you saying? I don''t understand..."


    "You see, they are sick in the head. I am sick in the head too, but I know what is good for my wife. As you told me, I am not crossing the line; at least, I am trying not to. But will they do the same? They will try to harm you. And I can''t let that happen."


    He said he was sick in the head? Well, it was true that Dem thought quite differently than normal people. They were somewhat twisted sometimes, but I would not call him sick in the head for that. At least, as far as I had seen, it was not that serious yet.


    "Dem, don''t put yourself on the same level as them. You are different," I said.


    "Ah, my sweet wife at least thinks I am different," he chuckled. "But different in which way?"


    "What I mean is, you are better than them. And because you are better than them, you take care of me and love me this much."


    "Haa, my wife does not seem to understand," he sighed and bent down, bringing his face closer to mine.


    "W-What...?"


    "You see, even a beast can choose who they want to protect. No matter how sick they are in the head, they may have someone they want to protect and someone they want to remove from their way. In their case, you are the one they want to remove. But in my case, my wife is the one I want to protect because I care about you, and I love you.


    And to be honest, everyone else is the ones I want to get rid of."


    "Everyone else?"


    "Of course," he nodded with a dangerous smirk. "I just hate everyone else. And if you want to, I can get rid of them."


    "Even your sister and her family? Your mother?"


    "Do you want me to?"


    "Dem!" I yelled, holding his face with both of my hands while the ss slipped out of my grasp. "You can''t think like that! I was only... Just because I want to, you can''t do everything. Why would you want to get rid of your mother? Your sister?


    Her husband? And what about little Ava? You can''t..."


    He just shrugged andughed. I was scared. He was not serious, was he? I knew the answer, yet I could not believe it.


    He did not like his mother, but it could not be so excessive that he would want to get rid of her if I told him to, right? And his sister did not even do anything wrong. Her husband was very gentle and he was a very good person. Their daughter Ava had turned five this month.


    I knew he loved me the most. But that did not mean he could think like that. Was this what he meant when he said he was sick in the head?


    "Anyway, let''s forget that," he said. That scary smile was reced with a gentle one. "Do you want to have some milkshake now? You wanted itst time after you threw off."


    "Forget that...?"


    I only could focus on the first part. Just how far did his twisted thoughts go?

 Chapter 180: Abnormal Thoughts

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "How can you tell me to forget that?" I asked in utter disbelief. "They... they are your family."


    How could he even say that he could kill them for me? Even though I knew what kind of person he was, it was still too much.


    "You are my family," he said.


    "Me?"


    But I was not his family all the time. Even just two months ago, I was not his wife. They were his family, then and even now.


    "Dem, they are your family too. It''s not just me. I was not your wife all the time," I said. "What about the past? They were the ones who were with you, not me."


    "Sweetheart, just because we share the same name and blood does not mean we are family."


    "Huh?"


    "Family means boding. It is a special bond. But, you see, I never shared this bond with anyone else other than you. My mother- I told you how she was. To be honest, I never felt anything towards her. I was never close to my sister either," he said.


    "That''s why I said it. Nothing and no one matters other than you."


    "It''s... not a good thing."


    "Isn''t that why I said I am sick in the head, my wife?" he chuckled.


    "... I want a chocte milkshake."


    "All right, I''ll have your maid get it for you."


    I did not want to continue that conversation any longer. His thoughts were far from normal. Fortunately, Ruby was not present. She always left when it was just Dem and me because Dem did not like others around us much. If Ruby heard those, who knew what she would think? And moreover, if Ruby thought about something bad, Dem would read her thoughts and get angry.


    Sapphire rubbed her cheek against my chest. She enjoyed doing it a lot. Well, there was another person who enjoyed doing it, and he was now ring at the cat.


    "Why are you letting her do it?" Dem asked angrily.


    "She''s a cat," I rified. "Ah, Ruby, thank you."


    Ruby had already brought my chocte milkshake. She first tested it with a potion to see if it was poisoned or not, and then brought it to me. Luc concocted the potion and demonstrated how to test any food with it to her.


    "That damned cat is touching weird ces," he grumbled.


    "Why are you being like that to my Sapphire?"


    "... To your Sapphire? You don''t even call me that lovingly."


    "What are you saying? I do!" I protested. "Don''t I call you lovingly too, my darling Dem?"


    Dem''s face turned bright red in the blink of an eye. I did not think he would have that kind of reaction.


    "Pfft... My apologies," Ruby said quickly, controlling herughter. "I will... I will leave. Please summon me if you need anything, Your Highness."


    "Hahaha, you''re blushing! Are you really that embarrassed?" I burst outughing.


    He was the one who teased me the majority of the time. It felt good to do the same to him. His reactions were also amusing. I had no idea such a handsome and cold man could make such endearing faces.


    Perhaps I should do it more frequently from now on.


    "Aww, look at my beautiful husband! So cute...!"


    "I have some work to do. I will leave now," he said tly as he stood up. He usually tried to do perverted things at times like this, but since I was sick now, he could not do so. Perhaps he was attempting to flee to hide his embarrassment.


    "Why? No, don''t go."


    "You are being naughty right now. If you don''t stop, I will leave."


    "Okay, I will stop," I said, "beautiful."


    "That''s it! I am leaving."


    "Why? You call me that too," I said.


    "Yes, but when you call me those, it''s different," he grumbled, ncing at me sideways. "It makes me want to eat you."


    "Eh?"


    He did not wait anymore. He went out of the room while my face had burned up. Just when I thought I won, he again made me blush.


    "Jeez, this guy..."


    I tried to forget what he had just said. That was a disturbing thought. The sooner I could forget about it, the better. I just wished that after our child was born, he would love it, or at the very least, care for it, and not talk like that about it.


    ''He won''t, will he? If I tell him, he will listen to me. He has to...''


    "Haa...," I sighed. Sapphire had also dozed off on myp. To calm myself down, I drank the rest of the chocte milkshake.


    There were no electronic devices here. But we still got plenty of things, like ice, and hot water. They were all made by magic. And it was not difficult magic either. So, even ordinary mages could create ice and hot water, among other things. That was the reason, having milkshakes, ice creams, or taking a bath in hot water was not hard.


    "Your Highness, you have a visitor," Ruby said as she knocked on the door.


    "I haven''t heard about anyone before though. It''s an uninvited guest. Why did you let them into the pce?"


    "It''s the first prince of Ataraxia, Your Highness."


    "Hecks manners," I grumbled. "Tell him I am resting."


    "He stated that he wishes to ascertain Your Highness''s well-being. I must say, he is quite adamant. Should I then tell him to leave?"


    "Ugh... It''s fine. I will meet him," I said.


    I had not met the first prince of Ataraxia before. He was away for some reason, I heard. But did he juste to see if I was okay after hearing I was sick? Despite Dem''s efforts, word of my illness spread quickly, and everyone knew I was sick. They just did not know the cause.


    But to think the crown prince of Ataraxia woulde to see me himself, it was pretty strange.


    Rubybed my hair and tied it in a loose ponytail behind my back. I did not bother changing since he knew I was sick, I needed to look sick. Or perhaps he would even ask me for a stroll with him in the garden which would be bothersome.


    "Please wrap this nket around yourself, Your Highness."


    Ruby escorted me from my bedroom and downstairs into the living room. Sapphire was sleeping in my arms. I kept her close to me because the feel of her fur in my arms seemed to soothe m


    I purposefully squandered some time. He did not notify me beforehand that he wasing. Why would I go out of my way to meet him in time?


    "I greet Your Highness, the Queen of Querencia," stood up and greeted me as soon as I entered the room. He had the same silver hair and blue eyes as Prince Caius, Ataraxia''s second and youngest prince.


    "Crown Prince Carey," I said.


    ''Howe his name appears to be a girl''s name? Or is it just me?''


    "Please ept my apologies foring uninvited," he said. "However, when I heard Your Highness was ill, I could not stop myself froming here as soon as possible."


    "So, the crown prince is aware that this rash action was not something you should have done. I cannot say it is alright because it has caused me some inconveniences," I said. "But for now, I can bear with it if the crown prince makes sure not to do something like this again."


    "Indeed, Your Highness. I will keep in mind not to do something insolent again," he said, but his eyes did not say he was apologetic at all.


    ''I have been so rude, yet he is not leaving. No wonder Ruby said he was very persistent.''


    "But the reason I''m checking on Your Highness is because," looking sharply at me, "I heard a maid of Ataraxia did something to Your Highness''s drink recently."


    "Your Highness is a guest of Ataraxia. I cannot let it slide," he added. "Ah, why are you still standing there, Your Highness? Please take a seat."


    I sighed and took a seat in front of him. "Does the crown prince prefer tea or coffee?" I asked. Even if he came uninvited, it wasmon courtesy to offer him some refreshments.


    "Anything is fine," he said.


    "Well then, get us some tea, Ruby," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    After Ruby left, I exhaled sharply and tried to adjust to his ufortable gaze. I did not like the way he was looking at me. But for the time being, I tried not to care.


    "Regarding the maid incident, does the crown prince not know that she is now imprisoned? The King and Queen of Ataraxia have taken care of this," I exined. "Or is it something like, what we call, an excuse?"

 Chapter 181: Crown Prince Carey

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "An excuse?" he repeated.


    "Yes," I said, nodding. "Oh, silly me! What am I even saying? Why would Crown Prince Carey make an excuse to meet the Queen of Querencia? Perhaps because I am sick, I am assuming unnecessary things."


    I had a feeling that he wanted to meet me for some reason. But I could not figure out why. I needed to be careful dealing with him.


    "Ah, is that so?" he chuckled. "But what if I say it actually was an excuse?"


    ''Pardon?''


    "Ah, it appears the queen is taken aback," he chuckled. "Haha, please do not make that face. I was merely joking."


    ''It did not seem that way though...''


    "Crown prince, in case you might not know this, but I am not interested in any jokes right now," I said. "So, I suggest you tell me what you truly want."


    "Please do not get angry, Your Highness. I merely wanted to meet the queen of Querencia," he said. "It is to greet Your Highness because I was unable to do so earlier."


    "I see..."


    Ruby had brought us tea and some snacks. I had intended to kick him out after he finished his tea. I did not like spending time with him, mostly because of the way he looked at me.


    "So, how is Your Highness feeling right now? Is your health alright?"


    "Yes, I am better than before now. Thank you for your concern," I said.


    "Since Your Highness is very secretive, I would rather not ask about your illness," he said. "But it''s not like I am not curious."


    "Of course. Living beings are curious, indeed," I said. "And the crown prince is right. I like to be secretive. What can I do? I can''t be the prey of snakes, can I?"


    "Yes, that''s true. Snakes are dangerous," heughed. "However, a wolf, in my opinion, is more dangerous. Isn''t Your Highness, Queen of Querencia, of the same mind?"


    "Not really," I said as I sipped my tea. "I''m afraid I''ll side with the poisonous one. And, as you can see, being a snake does not imply having a snake''s body. If their thoughts and actions are venomous enough, any living being can be a snake."


    "... Your Highness appears to be quite ambitious."


    This remark might seem too random, but it was not. ''Snakes are selfish. They will go to any length for their own benefit. And they won''t bother biting the neck of their owner or the person who has been caring for them for years. A snake''s other distinguishing feature is that it is ambitious. Snakes are all self-centered and ambitious individuals.


    And they rarely lose anything because they are extremely cunning and maniptive.''


    When he said I was ambitious, he meant I was like a snake. He might think so because I appeared sharp and a little evasive with my words. But it was not who I was. A snake was not something I could never be.


    I was not as astute as to be the possessor of this trait. It was a negative trait, but it was a very powerful one for sess. If I were a snake, I would have done something different with my life by now.


    And I would not have bothered to keep my unborn child alive, so I could live.


    "Yes, perhaps ording to the crown prince, I am," I smiled. "However, I would not refer to myself as such. If I had to call myself something, I would call myself a hummingbird."


    "A hummingbird?"


    "Yes."


    "But why?"


    ''Because my husband told me that I am like a hummingbird...''


    "Because, well, why not?"


    I went to give Sapphire a bath after the crown prince had left. She did not like anyone else giving her baths, so I had to do it. Though most cats did not like taking baths, Sapphire did not mind it as long as I was the one giving her the baths.


    "Crown Prince Carey squandered a lot of Your Highness''s time," Rubyined. "I can''t bear the sight of him. Did Your Highness notice his tenacity? He also showed up uninvited. He has no right to do so, regardless of who he is. It''s tant disrespect for Your Highness. He may have assumed that because Your Highness is a human, you would be very gentle with him.


    It''s a good thing Your Highness showed him his ce. And I also don''t like the way he was looking at Your Highness. It''s the gaze of a sly person, Your Highness."


    I also did not like the way he was looking at me. It made me uneasy, and I always felt like there was something on my body that was causing him to look at me in that way.


    "I don''t think I like him either," I admitted. "Anyway, I was wary of him. So, it''s alright."


    "Was the second prince like this as well, Your Highness?"


    "Prince Caius? Well, he was not like him, but none of them can be considered someone to be on good terms with. Prince Caius is a maniptive person in training. He is not good at it, but not particrly bad as well. If he tries harder, he will get better at it. It''s a negative trait, though.


    And Prince Carey is different. While Prince Caius tries to attack secretly, Prince Carey is upfront with his attacks. He is too direct."


    But if I thought carefully, I was kind of sure that Prince Carey was better at deceiving others than Prince Caius. He had his way and if I was not careful, I might end up deceived as well.


    "I''m sure His Highness has no idea that Crown Prince Carey hase to meet Your Highness," Ruby said.


    "Of course. Or he would havee back running," I muttered. Dem was the type of person who would drop everything he was doing to make sure I was not talking to another man. And I knew exactly what his reaction would be when I would tell him about it.


    "Your Highness, can I say something?"


    "Yes?"


    "Your Highness and His Highness have a one-of-a-kind rtionship. I don''t mean it in any disrespectful way, Your Highness, and I''m not trying to be impolite either," she stated. "But it always seems pretty different than normal to me."


    Of course, our rtionship was different. Our marriage was not loveless like most political marriages. Ours was not a political marriage either. We were both in love with each other. So, our lives were filled with love and care for each other.


    But our rtionship was not simr to a rtionship where the couple was in love with each other. We were different than them as well. It was because of the two of us.


    I had an unusual background. And it was the kind of past that would never leave me alone. I had to suffer my entire life just because I ended up in that family. Because of my past, I had faced some issues and I still was. All my life, I would face a lot of difficulties because of my past as well. Those scars left in my heart hurt after all.


    And Dem had an unusual way of thinking. He loved me, but his love knew no bounds. It was genuine, but too much.


    Since neither of our situations was typical, neither was our rtionship. Because of his nature, there were times when I was afraid of him. But I was attempting to adapt to it as quickly as possible.


    "Yes, it is unique," I agreed, "but we love each other. That''s all matters."


    Getting married to someone who adored me was something I never imagined happening to me. So, for the time being, I was content with what I had.


    "That is true. No one canpete with His Highness''s love for Your Highness," Ruby chuckled. "It is like a fairy tale love story."


    To Ruby, who did not know our situation well, our love story was like a fairy tale. But we knew- it was a fairy tale with many twists and turns, more so than a thriller at this point.


    I wiped Sapphire down, and Ruby brought her some food. I watched her eat while lying on my stomach on the bed. I wanted to keep kissing her because she was so small and adorable. Dem would make an odd expression whenever he caught me kissing her. I wondered why he did not feel that way towards Sapphire. Sapphire was very cute, but whenever I said that to Dem, he would say, "I prefer my wife.


    You are cuter."


    And I had given up arguing about it now. ''Haa, it seems my husband can only see me with his eyes.''

 Chapter 182: Getting Ready For The Banquet

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The banquet date was getting closer. And now, tonight was the banquet. Mother had arrived two days before along with my dresses. She was staying at the pce we were in.


    The banquet was supposed to take ce a few days ago, but it was postponed for unknown reasons. The main pce''s servants were extremely busy. Dem was correct. It was a wise choice to stay in a different pce rather than the main one.


    Luc was going to join the banquet as well, even though he did not want to. Dem said that Luc needed to be around me for my safety.


    "It won''t be too boring, Luc," I said, patting his arm as he sat beside me in my room, furious, while the maidsbed my hair.


    Dem was taking a shower after running around all day. It was unusual for the master of the magical tower to enter the king''s and queen''s bed chambers, but Luc was a friend of ours. So, it did not matter. But the maids did not know this and were very surprised.


    "You don''t know," he grumbled. "These kinds of gatherings are always dangerously boring."


    "The food will be delicious. At least, you can try different kinds of food," I said. Luc liked food too much. So, only that could lure him into doing something.


    "Well, perhaps...," he murmured.


    Perita was not going to be with me since she was not invited. Only the king, the queen and the master of the magic tower were invited. There were times when knights escorted the king or queen, but only when they were not married. They could also go by themselves. It was their decision.


    "Ugh, what are you doing in our room?" Dem asked, disgustedly, as he got out of the bathroom.


    "You sure take a long time to shower," Luc remarked bitterly.


    "... Just leave. You are vexing. You''re bothering my wife yet again, aren''t you?"


    "Wow, Luc, you also have some silver strands in your hair," I eximed. "I''d never noticed them before. Were you born with those? Or did you dye?"


    "I was born with those," he said.


    ''So, that''s why Dem calls him silver punk. I thought it was for no reason...''


    "They are kinda unique," I muttered and nced at Ruby. She was blushing furiously, but oddly, no one noticed it.


    ''Oh my, is that how I look whenever I think of Dem or hear something about him?''


    Luc was forced to return by Dem. Dem also went to get ready. After the maids of Ataraxia saw the dress that I was going to wear tonight, they were squeaking like little birds.


    It was a ck mermaid satin dress with a short train, a ck furry bottom line, and sleeves with a gold chest part attached to a gold ne. Gold strings were also attached from the waist to the lower part.


    Dem chose it for me along with the other dresses. The gown itself was stunning. But I was not sure how I would look in it. Perhaps it was because I was not too confident in my looks.


    "Oh my goodness, Your Highness! You look stunning!" Ruby eximed as they finally managed to put it on me properly. It took a whole hour just to put it on, especially because the chest part was made of hard gold and it was attached to the ne.


    But more than beauty, I appreciated thefort of wearing this dress the most. The fabric was not normal. At first nce, I thought it was just satin. But it was after wearing it that I realized it had a feature that cooled my body from within. No wonder Dem was smirking when I said I would get sweaty wearing it.


    "Wow, so cool!" I muttered.


    "Right? It''s amazing! Your Highness looks stunning in it!" Ruby eximed.


    "I am not talking about that. It''s reallyfortable inside," I said. "By the way, my chest doesn''t look bizarre, right? I mean, it''s literally gold..."


    "Your Highness, the gold part is on top of the fabric. You don''t have to be concerned about them peering," she said as if she knew what I was concerned about. "Your Highness, just look in the mirror. You look truly amazing."


    As she said, I nced into the mirror. Well, perhaps I looked a little different. They twisted my hair into a bun. I was wearing a hairpin made of gold and ck feathers.


    And finally, it was time for the tiara.


    "The tiara," Ruby muttered. "I should call His Highness."


    "Why? Is there something wrong?" I asked worriedly.


    "No, there is nothing wrong. Your Highness is ready. I think I should call His Highness now," she said. "Please wait here, Your Highness."


    Ruby left hurriedly without saying anything else. I had no idea why she needed to call Demetrius. I thought we were going to meet downstairs.


    "Your Highness is truly beautiful. It was an honor to serve you," one of the maids said and bowed.


    Even though I heard this kind of thing quite a lot, I still had not gotten used to it. It still made me slightly ufortable, but I had learned how to remain calm at least.


    "Yes, I had seen Your Highness'' portrait before, but Your Highness'' beauty still astounded me..."


    "What are you saying?" another maid yelled at her. "How can we see Your Highness''s portrait before?"


    They were most likely discussing my portrait, which had been stolen from the pce of Querencia a month before. Dem informed me of it. He imed that it was stolen by a member of the Ataraxia royal family. The maids, perhaps, knew that they were not supposed to talk about it. But it seemed they did not know that the portrait was actually stolen.


    And I could not let this opportunity slide.


    "Ah, the portrait..." I said with a smile. "Wasn''t that the one I sent a month ago?"


    "Your Highness sent it?" the maid with golden hair asked, surprised.


    "Oh, yes... I could not ignore his request, could I?"


    ''Dem also told me it was undoubtedly a man. I can use it now.''


    "So, it was Your Highness who sent the portrait to His Highness, the Crown Prince," she eximed, relieved. "I, too, was wondering how His Highness would obtain Your Highness'' portrait. I had the impression it had been sent by Your Highness or His Highness, King Demetrius. It seems I was right."


    ''So it was the crown prince... Why the hell would he steal my portrait? It''s kinda creepy...''


    I heard a soft knock on the door. It was Demetrius. But why was he knocking? It was unusual to see him do something like this when he usually just barged in.


    "Ah, you all worked very hard today. You can leave now," I said and smiled at them.


    They bowed and left. I was thinking why the crown prince would do that. He was intriguing in a negative way. And his actions were making me worry a bit.


    "..."


    "Did you say something?" I asked, looking at him.


    "... Stunning..."


    "Hmm?"


    "You look stunning," he said, ncing up and down at me. "I knew this dress would be a perfect choice. But now, I think this dress did not enchant your beauty, rather you enchanted its beauty."


    "... Where did you learn to talk like that?" I muttered, flushed.


    "I am merely telling the truth. You look just perfect tonight, my love."


    "You look great too," I said. "My perfect king."


    "Well, it is pretty hard to receive apliment from my wife. I am d you like my look."


    "That''s not true," I muttered. "You justpliment me way too much about every single thing. Evenst week, youplimented me just because I can touch my nose with the tip of my tongue. So, my number ofpliments seems so little to you."


    "That''s a rare thing to be able to do," he said. "I can''t do that. And I haven''t seen anyone who can do it either."


    "I know it''s rare, but it''s not something to beplimented about."


    "Why not? You looked so cute..."


    "Ugh, really...? Anyway, I have something to tell you."


    "I read their minds a little," he said, grabbing my arm and assisting me in sitting on the stool in front of the mirror. "Does it have anything to do with the stolen portrait?"


    "Yes, the crown prince of Ataraxia is the one who did it," I said.


    "Hmm... I thought the second prince did it. I think it''s because of the crown prince''s appearance that I did not suspect him."


    "I know, right? It''s because of his sses, right? Sometimes when you suspect him, you feel like you are the stupid one for suspecting him, isn''t that how you felt?"


    "Yeah, those damn sses...," he grumbled. "Anyway, let me put the tiara on you."


    ''Now I know why Ruby called Dem...''

 Chapter 183: The Family Gathering Before The Banquet

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Right, the tiara..."


    He took out the tiara''s jewel-encrusted box and opened it. The tiara was made of gold, and it was adorned with deep ck gemstones. Dem imed that those stones were extremely valuable and could only be found in Querencia.


    He ced the tiara on my head and to be honest, for a moment, I thought I was a different person.


    It was not the first time he did it. When I was crowned the Queen of Querencia, he did it then as well. But I took it off almost right away because Dem said I did not need to wear it all the time since it was just for formality to wear it sometimes.


    The king and queen''s crowns had always been the same since the beginning. It was amazing how beautiful and new the crowns still looked.


    "Ah, you... you truly do look like a queen," he muttered as he rested his chin on my shoulder.


    "Yeah... I''m surprised...," I murmured.


    "Why do you look surprised? You should know about your beauty. I am your husband and I know about your beauty. I know how gorgeous you are. Yet, I still get surprised every time I see you. You are just too beautiful," he said.


    "Can''t I get surprised too if you can?"


    "Nope. You need to be more confident, so no matter what, you can think that you are the best-looking person alive."


    "Jeez, it''s easy for you to say because you have that level of confidence," I said. "You are really handsome and it''s not a lie either that you are the most good-looking person. But it''s not the same for me."


    "Who said that?"


    "Me..."


    "Really?" he chuckled. "Just admit it."


    "Admit what?"


    "You''re the most beautiful woman ever."


    "... Let''s just go."


    "You won''t admit it?"


    "... Let''s go."


    I decided not to bring this kind of thing in front of him again. I had suffered enough embarrassment talking to him like this.


    Dem assisted me in standing up, despite the fact that I was capable of doing so on my own. He had been helping me with everything from the moment I had gotten sick.


    "Look at me," he said.


    "Hm? Mm..."


    He suddenly kissed me. Though he was very clingy and liked to kiss and touch me often, I still did not expect it. But it would be a lie if I said I did not like it.


    "You... ruined my lipstick," I said as the long kiss finally ended.


    "I don''t think I am sorry," he smirked.


    "I knew it! You are always like this," I muttered.


    ''Well, I''m not going to put on lipstick again. It doesn''t feel bad that you were thest person to touch my lips tonight...''


    We met Mother on the way. She was wearing a ck gown as well. She smiled at us when she saw us. But it was not just Mother there.


    "Blue!"


    "Ava...?"


    The little girl literally jumped on me. I did not expect it at all and almost fell, but Dem had his grasp around my waist for quite a while which I had not noticed.


    "Don''t jump on your aunt, Ava," Dem said. "She will get hurt."


    "Did you miss me, Blue?" Ava asked, ignoring Dem. She had grown up a bit and her voice seemed clearer than before. Even though it had been two months since I had seen her, it felt like I had seen her for the first time in a long time.


    "Ava, why are you addressing your aunt by name? It''s not appropriate," Evelyn scolded her.


    "It''s alright. I told her to call me by my name anyway," I smiled. "How have you all been?"


    "Eh, we traveled a lot. My limbs are hurting. The banquet is what we needed right now," Evelyn said. "Right, honey?"


    She nudged her husband on the arm who chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. They were a happy couple. The moment I had seen them, I knew that they were very happy with each other.


    "I missed you a lot, little Ava," I said, kissing Ava on the forehead. "Did you miss me too?"


    "Don''t try to pick her up. Remember your health condition," Dem muttered.


    "I missed you too. But are you sick, Blue?" Ava asked.


    ''Oh my gosh, she''s so cute! Ack! The way her tiny lips move when she says those big words! How adorable!''


    "Just a little. But your uncle is taking care of me. So, I will get better very soon," I said.


    ''And if everything goes well, you might even get to meet your cousin.''


    "Uncle is taking care of you? But isn''t Uncle Demetrius selfish?" Ava muttered, confused. "He doesn''t take care of anyone else."


    "Pfft...!" Even though I did not want to, it was hard not tough. Especially, Dem''s face looked so drained and funny...


    "Hahaha, I''m surprised our Blue was able to tame this narcissistic werewolf!" Evelyn burst outughing. "Well done, Blue! He now resembles a well-trained puppy, haha!"


    "Don''t talk about Demetrius like that," her husband chuckled. "What will others say if you talk like that about the king?"


    "It''s fine. Even if our Demetrius is selfish, he is good to his wife. That''s all matters," Mother said.


    This moment was perfect. It was just how a family was supposed to be. Everyone was smiling, but...


    I felt uneasy.


    And it was not just me. I noticed Demetrius''s face as well. He appeared to be feeling uneasy as well. Was it because we suspected something was wrong with his past and he was missing a significant portion of it?


    I did not know how Dem truly was feeling, but I felt like someone was trying to y with my mind. It was just like the time when I had started to have weird dreams.


    ''Can''t I be happy and rx? Just this once? Why? Why does this uneasy feeling attack me again now?''


    "It''s time already," Dem said. "Ava, go to your mother."


    "Alright, Uncle Dem. Take care of my Blue for me, okay?" she said, pouting.


    "... Your Blue?" I heard Dem mumbling. "When did she be your Blue?"


    "She was always my Blue," Ava said.


    "Oh my god!" Evelyn startedughing again. "I didn''t think... Demetrius is now fighting Ava for Blue as well? I didn''t think I''d be alive to see this day!"


    "Come to Father, Ava," Merrick, Evelyn''s husband, and Ava''s father, said as he knelt down. "We need to join the banquet now, right?"


    "Alright! Blue, we will talkter, okay?" she said, holding out her pinky finger towards me.


    I smiled as I locked my pinky finger with hers. "Of course, we''ll talkter."


    "It''s a promise!" she eximed loudly, her blue eyes gleaming with determination and eagerness.


    "Yes, it is," I replied with a chuckle.


    "She''s really cute, isn''t she?" I eximed to Dem as we approached the main pce''s entrance.


    "You''re cuter," he said casually.


    "Stop joking, really! Did you see how her little lips move when she talks?"


    "I prefer..."


    "Don''t say it!" I pressed my palm over his lips.


    "It appears that the King and Queen of Querencia are very close."


    Hearing the unfamiliar voice, I looked ahead of us. It was a woman with red hair and green eyes. Beside her, there was a man with red hair as well, but his eyes were red as well.


    ''Red eyes exist here, whoa!''


    She was perhaps thirty and the man was a bit older than her. They were dressed in purple Royal attire. The neckline of her dress was embellished with silver-colored ornaments. Of course, they were not real silver since silver was considered a cursed object in the world of werewolves, and it was lethal to them.


    It was not hard to know who they were. Red hair was mostlymon in Mazazine and purple was the royal color of Mazazine. And besides, I had seen their portraits before.


    ''ck and golden were the royal colors of Querencia, royal blue was the royal color of Trouvaille, golden was the royal color of Lacuna, purple was the royal color of Mazazine and white was the royal color of Ataraxia.''


    "King and Queen of Mazazine," Demetrius said. Despite his straight face andck of difort, his voice betrayed him, or he sounded harsh on purpose.


    "Oh my, is the King of Querencia not going topliment my looks?" she eximed, her palm covering half of her face for some reason. "Or, will the Queen of Querencia mind if the King of Querencia does so? After all, it is heard that the King and the Queen of Querencia only like to keep each other for themselves."


    ''She is definitely trying to bring up the fact that we don''t have any harem of our own and only have one partner. It''s not usual for kings and queens.''


    "That''s right, Queen of Mazazine. I am only for my wife, the Queen of Querencia, just the way she is only for me," Dem smiled proudly while her face turned bitter in a moment.

 Chapter 184: The Banquet

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The Queen of Mazazine quickly recovered and fixed her expression. She gave me a friendly smile as she looked at me. But I found this friendly smile almost as venomous as snake venom.


    "Ah, the Queen of Querencia is looking particrly lovely tonight. It''s no surprise that so many people are staring at the queen," she said.


    ''Ugh, they''re not looking because I''m beautiful. More than half of them are intrigued by the human who became King Demetrius'' queen. And she''s just reminding me of the same thing, that I''m a human. And her looks are saying that I am a stranger in their world who should not be here.''


    "The Queen of Mazazine is also very attractive. Those who assisted in preparing the Queen must be very talented, and the Queen''s natural beauty must also be admirable," I smiled.


    "Ha, yes, they are very talented," she said.


    "Of course. Or how can making a vile facial expression make someone look so lovely?" I smiled once more. "I think I need to find a good make-up artist who can also do that for me. After all, a more experienced queen showed me just now that it''s very necessary. I am grateful for the assistance of the Queen of Mazazine.


    Or I''d have no idea that making obnoxious facial expressions for no reason and bickering for self-satisfaction are so important."


    Her hands were trembling and her face was red. Perhaps the King and Queen of Mazazine had a strained rtionship. He appeared to have left her to deal with her conflicts and problems.


    "You are really... crossing the limit, Queen of Querencia," she muttered, gritting her teeth. Her voice was trembling as if she was trying to keep it together.


    Dem tried to say something, but I pressed his arm, motioning him not to say anything. It was my problem. I needed to deal with it.


    "Oh my," I said, covering my mouth with my hand. "Please ept my apologies. Since I have been resting in bed because of my health, I seem to have forgotten that the Queen of Mazazine has a limit. I keepparing the Queen of Mazazine to me. What can I say? My husband never mentioned anything about limitations."


    "You..."


    "My queen, why don''t we enter now?" the King of Mazazine finally said. It seemed he wanted to get away as soon as possible. "And the King and the Queen of Querencia need to enter the banquet as well."


    "Pfft..."


    "Stopughing," I said as I nudge Dem with my elbow. He was literally shaking beside me. While I was wondering if I had been too rude, he appeared to be enjoying the situation.


    Evelyn wasughing behind us as well. Her husband seemed to be trying to calm her down. Even Ava knew that it was no time tough. But these two siblings did not care about the situation at all.


    "My wife is really... My stomach... Haha, I feel like my stomach is going to burst fromughing," Dem mumbled between fits ofughter, while I had no idea what was so amusing. "The nasty facial expression, haha... I really like the limit part."


    ''Of course, you do since you are in that part...''


    "Will you stop?" I grumbled.


    "The King and Queen of Querencia have arrived!"


    The huge door opened in front of us. The brilliant golden light almost blinded me. I could hear gasping and murmurs.


    When everyone was eager to take a look at us and I was so nervous, my dear husband was still shaking withughter. I had no idea what to do in this situation. He seemed to barely be able to breathe because of how hard he wasughing. The same case was with Evelyn.


    "I can''t... I still remember how bitter she looked, pfft!


    "Dem! You... They are staring at us..."


    "Oh my goodness, is that King Demetrius reallyughing? It''s the first time I''ve seen him without a poker face."


    "Indeed. And look, he is clutching the Queen''s hand tightly."


    "The rumors seem to be true that King Demetrius is madly in love with the Queen."


    Hearing the murmurs around us, I became even more nervous. Did they not realize that everyone could hear them? They were not being particrly quiet about it. Rather, it seemed they wanted everyone to hear.


    Dem did not seem to care about it at all. Rather, he was stillughing over what happened a while ago.


    He was ustomed to being in the center of the spotlight. However, it was not the same for me. Even when I was crowned the Queen of Querencia, I did not feel this uneasy. Now there were more eyes on me. It made me feel very ufortable.


    We greeted the King and Queen of Ataraxia. There were five banquets held a year. Each kingdom held one banquet. I heard the banquets had already been held in the other four kingdoms. It was the final one of the year. Since I was not here before, I could not join them.


    To be honest, I was relieved that I did not have to join the other banquets. One was stressing enough.


    "Ah, Luc is here," I said, noticing Luc, who was drinking indifferently while surrounded by a swarm of women.


    He did not seem to bat them an eye. Luc was very good-looking. If I had to rate, he would be third after Demetrius and King Ford when it came to handsomeness. So, it was natural that women would have a crush on him.


    "Jeez, how are you even walking around in that?" Luc grumbled as he approached us. "Is that thing around your neck connected to your dress? How did you even put it on?"


    The women looked very displeased that Luc did not care about them and rather, started talking to Dem and me. But I did not understand why they looked so surprised. We were the king and the queen of Querencia and Luc was the master of the magic of Querencia. It was natural that we would talk.


    "Why are you interested in my wife''s clothing?" Dem snapped.


    "I am merely asking. Are you jealous about that too?"


    "I don''t even count you as a threat, you silver punk!"


    "My god, we are at the banquet! Why are you two fighting here?" I said. Whenever these two were together, they would argue and that was also for no reason. And I had to stop them every single time.


    "He started it!" Luc said.


    "Huh! My wife knows who started it," Dem smirked. "She also knows you are just bluffing."


    "Dem... You''re no longer a child," I said, patting her on the arm. "And Luc, you can''t act like that either. Behave yourselves, you two."


    "Yes, Ma''am," Luc responded.


    "OK, I''m not going to waste my time with this childish bastard too," Dem said.


    "Dem, don''t be mean," I said. "You said you have some work. I will be fine with Luc. You can go."


    "It appears that my wife wants me to leave as soon as possible," he muttered.


    "No, I don''t mean that... You are the one who said that you have to... You can stay with me if you want to...," I said quickly.


    He just chuckled. A song started. The melody was sweet. I had not heard such a beautiful tune. It was truly breathtaking.


    "Before I leave, I have one more wish," he said, abruptly bending his shoulders and asking for my hand.


    "Can I have this dance, my queen?"


    ''Oh my god! I can''t breathe... It looks like a scene from a fairy tale! I should tell Ruby about this! Well, for now, let''s calm down...''


    "... Yes," I mumbled and gave a nod, cing my hand in his.


    Despite what was going on in my mind, I managed to remain calm. But my face surely turnedpletely red.


    "I will drink some more until youe back," Luc said. "Then we will taste the lemon cake together."


    "Alright," I nodded.


    Dem led me among the other couples. Everyone was keeping a distance from us since we were the King and the Queen.


    I learned how to dance by observing. Since my body was weak, I could not move much and I could not learn as well. Hearing this, Perita told the knights about it and it turned out Kade was very good at dancing. He had told me that his parents were good at dancing and he had witnessed them dancing a lot of times. He learned dancing from them.


    Ruby knew how to dance as well. Both of them danced for hours for me so I could grasp the basic movements.


    I was confident that I would be able to dance well enough not to embarrass myself because of them. All I had to do now was give it my all and make those two proud since they had done so much for me.

 Chapter 185: [Bonus chapter] The Banquet (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The music was coursing through my veins. And his hands were wrapped around my waist, leading me to step by step.


    "You can follow my steps if you face any difficulty," he said.


    But I did not face any difficulty and neither had I thought I would for now. The steps were clear and I knew where to put my feet.


    "Wow! You are doing really well, but I never knew you can dance," he said.


    "I didn''t know I can too, until now," I said. "You are doing really well too."


    "Mother taught me. I used to dance with Evelyn during different events," he said. "I am not particrly fond of dancing. But it''s great to do it with you."


    "Hmm... Same for me," I admitted. "It''s great to dance with you. By the way, thatdy over there is staring at you, and the wine is dripping from her ss, yet she hasn''t noticed it yet."


    "Where?"


    "On our right, there," I said, pointing at the woman with my eyes.


    "Ah, yeah, I can see her," he said. "Are you jealous?"


    "No?"


    He looked at my face as if he was trying to see if I was telling the truth or not. "You really are not jealous," he sighed. "Aren''t you my wife? Shouldn''t you be jealous that some random woman is gawking at your husband?"


    "I can understand her. You are really handsome. It''s natural that she is blinded by your looks. But well, it''s really rude and indecent to gawk at someone''s husband," I said. "Anyway, I don''t have any reason to be jealous. It''s not like you are gawking at her.


    And besides, even if she came near you, there is a possibility you would be very rude to her. So, I am more worried about that woman. Let''s hope she doesn''t approach you."


    "Pfft... "You may be the first woman to say that about someone interested in your husband," heughed.


    "Well, what can I do? I got a very different kind of husband after all," I said.


    "I can''t argue with that," he said with a chuckle.


    "Oh, Evelyn and Merrick... What are they doing over there? Is Evelyn arguing with that woman?"


    Evelyn and Merrick were gathered in the far corner of the room. Evelyn appeared to be arguing angrily with someone while little Ava was in her father''s arms. She was in a good mood even just a short time ago.


    "She is arguing with that woman," Dem said.


    "How do you know that...? Ah, werewolves have an extraordinary hearing... But what are they arguing about?"


    "That woman over there said something to Ava."


    "What did she say? Was she rude?"


    "Kind of," he said. "You see, people here would try to target us in any way they could. Sometimes it''s because of something personal, and other times it''s because of something else. They won''t even leave a child alone. That''s why Evelyn is mad."


    "Really? How can that woman say something rude to our cute little Ava? Evelyn should p that woman," I grumbled.


    "Don''t worry. Evelyn is not the type to sit still. My sister quite resembles my personality from some points," he smirked. "She will do well."


    The way Dem said it, it did not seem he was merely joking. And within a moment, I saw Evelyn pping that woman. Not many people cared though.


    "Wow..."


    "That''s what I meant," Dem said knowingly. "Don''t worry. That woman won''t be able to do anything to you."


    "Why the hell would I be worried about something like that? I am just surprised... Evelyn seems very cheerful and she smiles almost all the time. I did not know she has that side to her," I said.


    ''Now that I think about it, Dem appears cold and indifferent, but when we''re alone, he''s very clingy and cute. Evelyn might be the same way. Both of them have different sides to them that''s hard to expect.''


    The song was over. Dancing felt so natural that I was naturally conversing with Dem while dancing. And I enjoyed it as well. But because of my weak body, I was tired just after dancing in two songs.


    "Are you okay?" he asked.


    "I will take a break," I said. "My body feels weak again."


    "Alright, let''s go to that silver punk," he said. "I will go and do my work too. You will be okay with him, right?"


    "Hmm, don''t worry about me."


    Dem led me to where Luc was. Luc had drunk at least three sses already. But he did not seem drunk at all. Just like before, he was surrounded by women. But he did not care about them at all and came towards us when he noticed us.


    "You danced quite well for someone who has never danced before," Lucmented.


    "How do you know she has never danced before?" Dem asked.


    "Obviously, Blue told me," Luc said with a shrug.


    They were arguing for no reason again. But I was watching Evelyn. She was drinking andughing with her husband while Ava went to y with some other kids. It did not look like Evelyn got into a fight just a while ago.


    "Sweetheart, what''s wrong?" Dem asked.


    "Nothing," I said.


    "Good then," he said and gave me a peck on the lips. "You will be fine, right?"


    "Knock it off, really!" Luc grumbled.


    "I will be fine," I said. "You can go now. I will be with Luc the entire time."


    "You have the dagger with you, right?"


    "Yeah, I carry it everywhere," I replied, nodding. "You don''t have to be concerned about me. Just do what you need to do."


    He kissed me again, right in front of everyone, and then left. He said he was going to talk to the Duke of Ataraxia and Trouvaille about something. King Ford and the King of Ataraxia were going to be present there as well.


    Despite the fact that I had been Queen of Querencia for two months, I had yet to meet the Duke of Querencia. Ruby said it was not a big deal since if I began to work fully as the Queen, I would be able to meet all the important people of Querencia.


    "Are you worried about something?" Luc asked.


    "No," I shook my head. "Let''s taste some lemon cake first. You waited for me, right?"


    "I did. Come on."


    The banquet''s food was exquisite. Luc imed to have had a taste of Ataraxia''s Royal Pce''s lemon cake, which he described as "amazing." I trusted Luc''s judgment most of the time, so I was eager to try it.


    And just like he said, it was really amazing. The scent of lemon was the specialty of the cake. It was not too moist, but not too hard as well.


    "Wow, it really is good," I said.


    "Right? I told you!" Luc eximed bashfully.


    But I could not enjoy it as much as I wanted to. There was an uneasy feeling. Since the evening, it had been the same. It felt as if I was hearing an unknown voice but had no idea what it was saying.


    I had the impression that there was another part of myself somece else, and that I was hearing what that part of me was hearing.


    But how could that happen? I was right here. How could I be somewhere else? It had to be impossible, right?


    "Hey, you don''t look so good. If you have something bothering you, you can tell me," Luc said. "Or do you feel any pain in your stomach or something?"


    "Actually, I''m just feeling a little uneasy," I said. "I''m not sure what it is, but it feels as if I''m invading someone else''s privacy."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s as if I''m hearing something that someone else is supposed to hear. It''s unclear, but I asionally feel like I''m in someone else''s body somewhere else, experiencing what that person is feeling," I exined.


    "That''s pretty messed up."


    "You''ve never heard of something like this before, have you?"


    "No, I haven''t," he said. "But if you are experiencing it now, I might need to look into the matter. There must be something serious going on."


    "And I am having strange dreams," I said. "But the problem is I don''t remember them afterward, but I just know that it was something strange."


    "Is it about your past...? It can happen since you are..."


    "No, they are normal. But the ones I have now are different. They are not scary, but I have a feeling that if I can remember them, I will find out something about the situation," I said. "It''s like a mystery uncovered in front of me, yet blurry."

 Chapter 186: The Banquet (3)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "And then there''s this unsettling sensation of being watched," I sighed. "Really? I can''t even enjoy my life now."


    "Blue," Luc said. "I know it''s difficult to hear, but have you ever lived a life where you didn''t have to worry about anything, where you weren''t treated unfairly, and where you were truly free?"


    "Not worry about anything... not being treated harshly... and be free...," I mumbled.


    The answer was clear. When I used to live with my parents and brothers, I was not treated with love. It had been like this for seventeen years and three hundred and sixty-three days. After I got married, everything changed. My husband showered me with love with only one condition- no matter what, I must never leave him.


    My life was no longer as it had been. I was not beaten up and no one said anything harsh to me. But I was forbidden from growing my wings. So, freedom was not something I could ever get. But I liked the cage.


    At least, that''s what I used to think. But every now and then, I wondered what true freedom would feel like.


    "You don''t have to answer," Luc said. "I understand. But what are you saying about being watched?"


    "I''m not sure, it just feels like it," I exined. "It''s as if someone is watching my every step. It''s a little creepy, you know."


    "It might be your father. Remember when you heard that voice?"


    "On the balcony? Yeah... He was calling me his daughter," I said.


    "That''s why I''m saying it might be him. Or who would be anyway?"


    Luc and I could not talk much about it there since anyone could hear us. It would be a tremendous problem if anyone discovered I was a dark mage.


    "Why does your husband have to leave during the banquet? I mean, he could talk to them another time," Luc grumbled.


    "Was there anything else you needed to do?" I inquired.


    "Well, if he could stay by your side now, I would not have toe and could sleep," he said.


    "Haha, you know you can''t stay in your tower forever. You should get out more," I said. "And Dem, well, he wants to return to Querencia as soon as possible." He intended to return as soon as the banquet concluded. I told him it would be impolite and that we should wait until the next morning. That''s why he rmended holding the meeting during the banquet.


    No one could refuse because he was prepared with some reasons."


    "It''s no surprise he''d been running around. It''s difficult to be king, haa. It''s not like my work is any less. But at least, I can sit my ass down in my tower all the time while working."


    "Yeah, he works really hard," I chuckled.


    Since our marriage, I hardly saw him resting. He was always working. When I would tell him to rest, he would just smile at me and cuddle with me. But he never truly rested. I was worried about him. I wished he would at least take a short break.


    "I couldn''t ask you previously since you were sick, but how is your marriage going now? I mean, after King Ford dropped the bomb..."


    "... It''s the same."


    "The same?"


    "Hm, nothing has changed. None of us mentioned it. I actually don''t want to talk to him about it until I know the whole thing. Evan, I mean, King Ford said that he will keep everything a secret just like he did all those years. We are behaving as usual. At least, until we know the whole thing, we won''t talk about it.


    It''s our unspoken agreement. So, you better not mention it when Dem and I are together. It''s fine to talk about it when we are not together though."


    "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind," he said, nodding. "... It appears that married life is more difficult than I imagined."


    "Marriage life, you say? It seems you are thinking about it these days," I grinned. "Do you have someone in mind?"


    "Heh, it''s not like that. But you see, I think I have found my mate."


    "... It''s Ruby, isn''t it?"


    "... How do you know that?"


    "I just do."


    "Were you spying on me?"


    "You are asking that to someone who has to rest in bed almost all the time?" I jeered. "And besides, how will I spy on you?"


    "Then are you a psychic?"


    "Just say that I am right," I shrugged.


    "You are not wrong."


    ''Yes! I knew it! Ruby would not like him out of nowhere for no reason!''


    "So, what are you nning now? Have you talked to her?" I asked.


    "No... But I am nning on talking to her soon."


    Except for Alphas, werewolves normally found their mates after they reached the age of eighteen. Alphas had the ability to pick their own mates. However, even after they turned eighteen, some werewolves could not find their mates. It was possible to not find a mate at all in a lifetime.


    And now, Luc found his mate when he was twenty-four. Dem never had a fated mate because he was an Alpha. Rather, he chose me to be his fate. It meant, our love was never fated. It was more of a coincidence that I became his wife, as we married as a result of others'' conspiracies. But our love was real.


    "Was that why you were so interested in our marriage?" I asked. "I had my suspicions as well. But I didn''t think you truly have found your mate."


    Dem had the ability to read his mind. He had to have known all along. But, because Dem was indifferent to practically everything except me, he probably did not think I would be excited to know this. That should be the reason that he did not tell me before.


    "Are you nning to get married then?"


    "You look surprised," he said.


    "No matter how I look at you, you don''t seem to be the type of person to get married. And it''s not like you have feelings for Ruby, right?"


    "I don''t," he confessed. "But, you see, most werewolves, especially female werewolves, fantasize about finding mates. They fantasize about a lovely wedded life. I never intended to marry since it seemed like a burden to me, and I always thought that having a wife would interfere with my work. In other words, my mindset makes me unfit to be someone''s mate.


    But I don''t want my mate to suffer because of me. I may not be the most loving spouse, but I will make every effort to make her happy and to be a devoted husband."


    ''Wow, as expected of Luc... He is really mature and thinks rationally. Though I am not sure if he will ever fall in love with Ruby, I at least know that he will make her happy and respect her. Luc won''t betray her as well.''


    "Then you should talk to her about it as soon as possible. How do you exactly know that she is your mate?"


    "It''s an unnecessarily strange feeling. What I mean is, you feel like you are drowning, yes, that''s how I felt," he said. "You will feel it the first time you meet your mate."


    "Then did you know it since the beginning? But you didn''t say anything..."


    "I saw her for the first time after I went to the pce to look for the dark mage. But that time, I didn''t know I would feel like I am underwater and suffocating when I will find my mate. And besides, she was always ring at me. I thought I felt like that because of her behavior. Then that feeling was unreasonably increasing, so I studied a bit about the whole thing and asked others.


    That''s when I found out about it."


    "I see... Ruby must know this too then, right?"


    "Of course, if she is not like me who does not have much knowledge about things like this. I only havemon sense and knowledge about magic."


    Should I ask Ruby about it? No, perhaps I should not meddle. These two were adults. They would figure everything out just fine. But I was going to support them as much as possible.


    It would be fantastic if Luc too fell for Ruby. Ruby was an amazing person. Anyone would be blessed to have someone like her as his mate. And Luc was not a bad person either. Even though he was not romantic, he was considerate and understanding. They would make an excellent couple.


    I had not told anyone this, but I was secretly nning on making Luc my child''s godfather. I had a feeling that he would be the best person for it.

 Chapter 187: The Banquet (4)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Evelyn and Merrick were dancing, Mother was chatting with a noble woman, little Ava was nowhere to be seen and Demetrius went for some work.


    I was resting in a chair. Prince Caius, Crown Prince Carey offered me to dance with them and I could not refuse since most people were eyeing us with expectation. Now I was exhausted.


    "Are you alright?" Luc asked.


    "... Do I look like I am?"


    "Not really. You look like you have gotten out of a tomb."


    "That''s how I am feeling."


    "Ah, the Queen of Querencia... and the master of the magic tower of Querencia, I greet you both."


    Both Luc and I looked at the direction where that voice came from and came face to face with a man with light brown skin and ck hair. He had a rather great face and he was too muscr, but of the same height as Demetrius.


    "King of Lacuna, it''s a pleasure to meet you," I said. "Please forgive me, but I might need to keep sitting down."


    "It''s alright. I understand. The Queen has danced for a long time after all," he said. "I was going to ask the Queen for a dance if you were alright. But it seems I won''t be so fortunate."


    "Let us save it for the next time, King of Lacuna."


    "Yes, it seems we have to do that," he chuckled. "Will you mind if I take a seat next to you?"


    "It''s fine," I smiled.


    He sat down and Luc raised his eye brow. He was standing beside me with a wine ss in his hand. It had been quite a long time that he had been drinking for. I wondered if he would be alright. Perhaps he had great alcohol tolerance since he did not seem affected at all.


    "I heard about the Queen a lot and now that I am seeing you, I am quite taken aback by your beauty. The Queen truly is magnificent," he said.


    "Thank you," I said. "The King of Lacuna also seems to have a great sense of style."


    "Haha, the Queen is too kind," he chuckled. "But I won''t refuse yourpliment. Some women cry their eyes out just to have a night with me."


    "I see..."


    Luc''s face was telling me he was totally disgusted, but he also knew that it was the King of Lacuna''s normal behavior. Ruby also told me that the King of Lacuna was quite arrogant. She had not seen him herself, but she heard rumors.


    "Well, it''s not like the Queen will also be interested in me, right?"


    "I won''t," I said sternly. "Haha, how funny! I was thinking of chatting more with the King of Lacuna since I thought you were respectable with your words. But it seems I cannot fulfill that wish of mine. Anyway, I would like to get some fresh air now, King of Lacuna. Let''s talk some time else when both of our words arepatible enough to chat."


    Before he could say anything else, I left. I did not want to talk to him anymore. I did not understand why every single of them had to be like this. It was like a sin to even think of talking to any of them nicely.


    "That guy is a yboy. And women like his appearance. Most noble women literally throw themselves at him. There is a rumor that even the Queen of Mazazine had slept with him. Perhaps that''s why he thought you would want the same," Luc said as we got out of the banquet and in the garden.


    "Oh my god! He is so arrogant! And what kind of insolent behavior is that? I am married!"


    "The Queen of Mazazine is married too," Luc pointed out.


    "Well, it''s true," I mumbled. "She has a harem. But isn''t it really disrespectful to sleep with someone else that is not your partner and not part of your harem either?"


    "Well, not everyone shares the same concept as you," Luc chuckled bitterly. "I actually hate this too. I am one partner at a time type. Like really? How many people do you need to do it with? Isn''t one enough?


    It''s not like you are many in one person''s body? So, why do you need too many? Sometimes they behave like chicken in heat!"


    "... You and I usually share the same thoughts. Wanna be my brother?"


    "Demetrius said it too and I feel like that too. We are more like siblings even though we are not rted and have never seen each other before till you married."


    "Right? Isn''t it crazy? We don''t even look like each other and there is no way we would be rted," I said. "I have never seen someone else with so much simr thoughts as mine..."


    "It''s kinda oddly creepy. But it''s also satisfying finding someone so simr to you," he said.


    "Exactly! I was thinking the same thing, haha!"


    "Should I tell my father to adopt you? He always wanted a daughter..."


    "What...? It surely... Huh? What was that? The sound..."


    I looked behind me hearing the loud noise. It sounded like someone fell from a high ce.


    Luc grasped my arm and pulled me behind him. "Stay close to me," he said.


    I followed Luc closely to the direction of the noise. It took us a moment to notice a woman on the ground. Her head was hurt and it was bleeding profusely.


    "Oh my...! She is bleeding badly!" I eximed in panic. "We need to stop the bleeding!"


    I tried to go to the woman, but Luc stopped me, grabbing my arm. He shook his head and said, "I will check her. What if she is dangerous? Your husband will throw me out of my tower if he sees even a scratch on you."


    "But she is injured! How can she be dangerous?"


    "Blue, be wary of everything," he said sternly.


    I could not argue anymore. I stood back as he bent down and examined that woman. "She fell from the second floor balcony," he said. "Can you see anyone there or near?"


    "Not really," I said. "It''s a dark room, it seems."


    "Hmm... We need to take her to a doctor if we want her to live," he said.


    Even though he was a magician, he could not heal her. Mages did not have the ability to heal wounds. They could only temporarily stop bleeding, but to heal the wounds, they needed the help of doctors. Werewolves could heal themselves when they were hurt. Doctors could not heal themselves as well. They could only help with the healing process so it would be fast.


    "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go," I said quickly.


    "Why? We don''t even know her."


    "So?"


    "So?" he repeated. "Why do we need to save her? It''s not like she is of any importance..."


    "Luc! Just because we don''t know her doesn''t mean we can''t save her either. And you don''t always need a reason to save someone. Sometimes, it''s just instinctive," I said.


    "Haa, such a hassle...," he sighed. "... I informed your husband. He will inform the King of Ataraxia. Then they will send a doctor soon. Let''s wait here for now.


    I will try to stop the bleeding. You better stay near me..."


    Luc was very focused as he kept his eye on her wound, pressing the index and middle finger of his right hand on her wound. He waspletely absorbed in it. I tried to talk to him, but then stopped since it seemed like he needed to focus.


    I leaned against the tree behind me. For some reason, I was not as scared as I thought I would be. I kind of took the whole thing naturally.


    Was it because I had killed someone before? Or because I had seen my husband parting someone''s head and body?


    While I was thinking about all these and waiting for the doctor, a palm suddenly covered my mouth and nose. I tried to make a sound, but my body felt numb and I could not utter a single thing. There was something on his palm for sure. Not on his palms exactly, but on the glove he was wearing.


    That person pulled me back and Luc was so focused on stopping that woman''s blood that he did not notice anything. I had heard about it before too that when mages used their magic, they initially lost the ability to focus on other things much as they had to focus properly to use their magic.


    It was a man for sure. He picked me up from the ground and mumbled something. He was not alone, but I could not see his face or the face of his acquaintance since my vision had gotten blurry. It must be another effect of the thing on his glove.


    My eyelids grew heavy and before I knew it, my eyes closed themselves without my consent.

 Chapter 188: Saving Myself

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Huh!"


    I jerked awake as a jar of water sshed on my face. It took me a while to understand the situation.


    I had been with Luc. But then we found a woman who fell or jumped from the second floor. So, Luc was stopping her blood from flowing out. That was the time when someone pressed something against my nose and I fell unconscious.


    "Ah, Sister-inw, you are awake. Or should I say ''Your Highness''?"


    ''Isaac?''


    "Lord Isaac?"


    "Are you surprised, Your Highness?" heughed disgustingly. "Well, I suppose it was a shock for you. I have to admit it was pretty hard to get you alone. Your husband has been taking care of your safety pretty hard, after all."


    "Untie me," I said.


    I was tied with a rope against a tree. The knot was pretty tight. I could not even move my hands.


    I could not see anyone else other than Isaac. But I was sure that there was someone else as well. I had heard two people talking before.


    "How can I do that? I haven''t tied you up to untie you," he muttered.


    "Lord Isaac, please stop with this act and let''s do what we need to do," another person said.


    I knew who it was. It had been quite a while since I hadst seen him, but I did not fail to recognize his voice.


    "Greetings, Your Highness, Queen of Querencia," he said, bowing a little. "It''s been a while."


    "You... You are with him?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "But you were my personal guard before. How could you do that?"


    "I do not intend to hurt you, Your Highness. I am merely making sure Your Highness is safe and lives a long life," he said.


    "By tying me up? Are you nuts?" I yelled. "I am telling you- untie me."


    "I will," he said. "But please bear with it for a little while."


    "Bear with what?" I asked. "Ezekiel, I am telling you..."


    "Will you get it over with quickly? We don''t have much time," Isaac barked.


    "Get over with what?" I asked.


    "Please go outside for a while, Lord Isaac. I will do it," Ezekiel said.


    "Someone tell me! What are you nning?" I yelled.


    Isaac hated me with all his might. And it would be no surprise if he wanted to kill me. But I heard Ezekiel liked me. I knew the feelings he had for me were wrong. But would he kill me if he liked me? Or was he the type of person who said that ''If I can''t have you, no one can''?"


    Isaac went out, mumbling something under his breath. I noticed that I was in a forest cabin. It was very little. There was only one room and no window and only one door. There was not much of a thing there as well.


    The tree was actually inside the cabin that went out through the roof. The cabin was made that way that the tree would be inside.


    "I believe Your Highness knows about what I feel about you well," Ezekiel said as he bent down in front of me.


    "Untie me," I said.


    He sighed loudly. "I don''t understand. What does Your Highness even see in that man? He is clearly locking you up! Please open your eyes, Your Highness. That man is no good for someone like you.


    You deserve better."


    "Then what you mean is I deserve you?" I asked. "If he is bad, then you think you are any good? Do you think what you are doing is good?"


    "I don''t mean that..."


    "I thought you were a responsible person, but it seems I was wrong. You are making all sorts of strange decisions here. And you are advising me who I should be with and lecturing me that my husband is no good?" I chuckled bitterly.


    "Listen here then. Let''s say my husband is not good for me and he is not someone I should be with. And I am too blind to notice it. But what''s that to you? Who are you to interfere that should concern me and my husband only? If you actually want me to open my eyes, all you can do is try to suggest me.


    But nothing more than that. It''s my life. So, it''s my job to decide who I would be with."


    "If I decide to be with a man who is amazing and praiseworthy, then it''s my decision. And even if I decide to be with a man who has no morals and is not really a good person, that''s my decision as well. The best you can do is talk to me. But the final decision is always mine- good or bad. I don''t understand how deeply you have fallen for me that you are so blind that you cannot see it.


    Or are you trying to hide your dark desire to have a married woman with this silly excuse?"


    "It''s Your Highness who does not understand," he said. "I know it''s not a moral thing to fall for a married woman. But how can I decide who I will fall for? The person I have fallen for turned out to be a married woman. What can I do about it?"


    If he fell for me without knowing that I was married and then found out that I was married, that was one thing. But he knew that I was married. Yet, he developed those feelings for me. How did he still manage to say such things with a straight face? I felt disgusted just by thinking about it.


    "And now, Your Highness is pregnant with that bastard''s child."


    "You...! What are you saying?"


    ''How does he know this? Did, Emma, his sister tell him about it?''


    "It''s not a child. It''s more like a monster. It''s killing Your Highness from within. Though the doctors are saying that there is a chance that Your Highness might lose your life, I am sure that Your Highness will not live if you manage to give birth to it."


    "It''s my problem! Stay out of it!" I yelled. "And I am not pregnant, okay? You are misunderstanding. I am merely sick because I was taking too many pregnancy-preventing pills. You heard everything wrong."


    I thought it would be better not to admit it. What if he had some devious n in mind that would harm my child? Right now, it was hard not to think of every possible scenario.


    "You are not pregnant?" he clicked his tongue and pressed his palm over my stomach. "There is a life growing inside. Even if you tell me it''s not true, it won''t make a difference. It''s the truth."


    "I told you it''s not true! And get your filthy hand off me!"


    He moved his hand away. "It will start working in a moment."


    "What will start working?" I asked.


    "You will see. You might hate me, but remember, I am doing this for you."


    "Listen here- I don''t need you to do anything for me. So, stop doing things and saying that you are doing them for me. The best thing you can do for me now is let me go."


    "I know I can''t have you. But at least, I will make sure you live well," he muttered, ignoring me. Now it was getting creepy.


    "Agh, my hands are aching... Please untie me," I mumbled, pretending to cry. I had a feeling that if I stayed here much longer, something horrible was going to happen. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible.


    My attempt seemed to work. He sighed and started untying my hand. My heart was hammering crazily in my chest as I was waiting for the chance to attack.


    I was no Cindere. And I did not have a Prince Charming. My husband was more like a viin who had almost no morals but loved me more than anything else. But that did not mean he would be always there to save me. Even if he wanted, sometimes he still could not be there for me.


    In the end, it was me who needed to save myself.


    As soon as my right hand was free, I grabbed the handle of the dagger that was under my dress and pulled it out as soon as possible. Since the dress had a hidden pocket, it was easy to grab it quickly. Before he could understand, I stabbed him on the shoulder and then again stabbed him right beside his stomach.


    He groaned in pain and moved back. I used the chance and cut the ropepletely off that was used to tie me up. I made a run towards the door which was opened loudly by Isaac who hade to check what was wrong.


    And it was my only chance to escape.

 Chapter 189: The Sudden Pain In The Stomach

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What did you do, you bi...?"


    Isaac could not finish since I hit him between his legs with my leg. It was a kick that Perita taught me. Perita taught me how to kick. She said it was a good idea to get rid of men who stood with their legs a little further apart.


    Isaac screamed in agony and knelt on his knees. I noticed Ezekiel getting up, so I quickly started running.


    My clothes, as well as my arms, were sttered with blood. It was not my blood, but it still made me a bit nauseous.


    But along the way, I almost ran into something, or so I thought until it grabbed me by the waist and shoved me into someone''s arms.


    It took me some time to figure out what was going on. It was a massive beast. It had dark ck fur and dark ck eyes. And it was enormous in size and frightening in appearance.


    But, if I had to choose, I would say a spider was more terrifying looking than it.


    That animal was the thing that threw me in Luc''s arms. He caught me quickly and carefully so I would not get hurt.


    "Are you alright?" he asked.


    "That...? Is that...?"


    "Yes, that''s him. That''s your husband. But are you alright? You..."


    "I am alrig... Ugh...!"


    "What''s wrong? What''s going on?"


    My stomach had suddenly begun to ache. It was not like normal times when I would get simple cramps. Rather, this time, the pain was excruciating. It was like the skin of my stomach was tearing apart from within and there was a burning pain.


    "Blue! Talk to me! What''s wrong?" Luc asked again.


    "It hurts my l-lower... stomach!" I sobbed. "Oh, it aches so bad...!"


    "Your lower stomach hurts? Is it too bad? Ah, it looks too bad... Damn it! I will take you to the doctor now. I will teleport," he said and held me in his arms.


    "Hold on, okay? We will be there soon."


    The dizzy feeling was there again. I closed my eyes and braced my stomach with both hands. The pain was getting worse.


    The pain was only in my stomach and lower parts and it was unbearable. After experiencing so many beatings in my family, I could deal with pain very well. But this time, it was just too much. I felt like I could not breathe, and every time I tried to take a breath, my stomach tore apart.


    "What the...? Lord Luc? And... Her Highness! What happened to Her Highness?" Ruby asked in a terrified voice.


    "Doctor Dimitri! Get Doctor Dimitri now! Quick!" Luc eximed.


    "Y-Yes..."


    "Hold on, alright?" Luc muttered, rubbing my forehead while I cried in pain. The pain was increasing very quickly. I had a feeling that if it kept increasing at this rate, perhaps I would just die. "You will get better soon..."


    "It hurts... hic... It hurts so bad..."


    "Why isn''t the doctor here yet? Damn it!"


    "What happened?" Doctor Dimitri came rushing. Ruby did call him as soon as she could.


    "Her lower stomach hurts," Luc exined. "Judging her expression, I think it hurts like hell."


    "Suddenly?" the doctor asked.


    "Suddenly, right?" Luc asked, looking at me.


    "Yeah... Ugh, it hurts..."


    The pain was beyond my ability to bear. It was so much that I did not even notice when I had started to scream in pain.


    "Please do something, Doctor! Her Highness is hurting!" Ruby pleaded, panicking.


    "Is it possible to go back now, Lord Luc?" the doctor asked.


    "Back? Back to where? Querencia?"


    "Yes..."


    "Is it necessary?" Luc asked.


    "I''m afraid so."


    "... Alright," Luc sighed. "I will teleport the doctor, Blue and Ruby now. Then I wille back again to wait for His Highness, King Demetrius toe back."


    "What about Perita? She guards Her Highness...," Ruby said.


    "Ugh, I forgot about her. Tell her toe here right now," he grumbled.


    Ruby quickly exited the room. Except for the doctor, everyone was in a state of panic. He appeared to be aware of what was going on. He kept massaging my lower stomach with a solemn expression on his face.


    But something made me feel that he knew it was going to hurt.


    Ruby came back with Perita very quickly who was asking questions very loudly. Ruby was very angry and told her to shut up using very badnguage. It was my first time hearing Ruby use such a word. She must be very worried about me.


    "I will take her. Stand in a circle or somehow connect to each other," Luc said. "Quickly! Don''t waste any more time."


    Luc picked me up in his arms again. He was stronger than I thought as he was able to pick me up effortlessly. But I knew he was going to mock meter by saying that carrying me hurt his back because I was so heavy.


    ''Ugh, again that dizziness... I hate it! It makes me feel nauseous. And now, even my stomach is hurting...''


    We were back in our room again. Luc ced me on the bed and said something to others. But I could not hear anything. The pain had gotten worse.


    I could not hold back my screams anymore. I heard childbirth hurt a lot. But I was sure that it was worse than that. It surely was worse than any kind of pain.


    It also did not appear to be a simple cramp. It had never hurt so much before. Was that what Ezekiel was referring to? He was saying that it would start working soon. Did he feed me something when I was unconscious?


    I could not think straight anymore. The pain had taken over not only my body, but also my mind. I only wanted for it to stop. It was as if I was willing to sell my soul to alleviate the pain.


    "Your Highness, it will be fine soon," Ruby said as she rubbed my hand.


    ''Alright soon? I don''t think that''s the case. I mean, look at the doctor''s face... Everything is just clear!''


    "Listen, I''ll go back, and when your husband returns, I''ll bring him here," Luc said, bringing his face close to mine so I could hear him. "Listen to the doctor and drink whatever he gives you, all right? Just hold on a bit more."


    ''Whatever the doctor gives me? So, Luc knows that the doctor is going to give me something... Only I don''t know?''


    "O-Ok... Tell him not to w-worry... I am f-fine..."


    Luc chuckled bitterly. "You are fine? And even if I tell him that, you think he will believe me? You are saying this perhaps because you haven''t seen how he reacted when he heard that you could not be found."


    Luc told Ruby to take good care of me and then left. I still had not gotten used to seeing someone vanish in the thin air right in front of me.


    Despite the fact that my stomach was twisting from the inside, I was concerned about my husband. What if he had gotten hurt? And what was he going to do if he saw me in this state?


    I knew very well how crazy he was about me. If he had seen me being in pain like this, I did not have to see it myself to know what was going to happen.


    "Your Highness, please take this medicine. Drink the whole thing. It won''t taste good, but please try not to spill it," the doctor said as he handed Ruby a cup to feed me. "I''ll be honest. The pain will not go away, but if you take this medicine, Your Highness will be forced to sleep. What I mean is, no matter what medicine I give you, the pain just won''t go away.


    So, I have to use this method."


    "Yes, give that quickly!" I said eagerly. "It hurts... I just... want it to go away..."


    "Open your mouth a bit then, Your Highness," Ruby said. "I will help you drink it."


    She slowly poured the medicine into my mouth. The doctor was not kidding about the taste. It was utterly repulsive and bitter.


    As soon as I took the medicine, my eyelids felt heavy. As the doctor said, the pain did not decrease at all. I wanted to ask what exactly happened to me that even he could not give me anything that could decrease the pain.


    But in the end, I could not ask anything. I remembered reminding Ruby to tell Dem when he woulde that my condition was not that bad and he did not need to worry about me too much. And he should rest as well, and more importantly, what happened to me was not the fault of anyone other than Ezekiel and Isaac. He should not get angry at them, because both Doctor Dimitri and Luc gave their best.

 Chapter 190: Forced Miscarriage

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Right when I heard that she could not be found, I left the meeting hastily. It was shortly after Luc told me in his mind that they needed a doctor because they discovered an injured woman in the garden.


    When she went missing, I was even more concerned because the garden was surrounded by a forest, and there was no way she could have wandered off on her own. My wife was not the type to go somewhere at random.


    "Where is she?" I asked as soon as I reached where Luc was.


    "She was here just a moment ago. This woman here is bleeding. So, she told me to do something about it. I was just trying to stop her bleeding, but then when I looked back again, she was not here. I can''t even get her smell. Or I could follow her," he said.


    "Damn it!" I muttered and transformed into my wolf quickly.


    It was not because I was angry or because I wanted to. But I could get her scent and it was not just her. There was two male werewolves'' scent as well. No wonder they took her away for some reason.


    I would not have brought her here if it was not to awaken her power. Awakening her power was important to make sure the pregnancy would not risk her life. I nned to bring the dark mage to our room in secret tonight and have him try to awaken her power. The dark mage was here in Ataraxia.


    He was a political member, so if I summoned him to my kingdom, someone would undoubtedly find out, raising suspicions. That was why I wanted to meet him here, but it all was in vain now.


    I sprinted off in the direction of her scent. Right then, I saw her running this way as well. Did she manage to defeat them?


    ''My weak wife? But she is so fragile and weak now... How did she even...?''


    While I was thinking about how she did it, I noticed the bloody dagger in her hand. She surely managed to muster the use of the dagger. It was a good decision to give her that.


    I was so fast that she did not even notice me. Now that I saw it myself that she was safe, I decided to check her moreter and deal with those bastards first. Or they might sneak away.


    "Take care of her," I said through my mind to Luc. "If she goes missing again, I will make sure you go missing as well, forever."


    "Jeez, just go already."


    But I did not expect to see my very familiar two bastards there. Because both Isaac and Ezekiel were both from my kingdom, I was able tomunicate with them using my mind.


    "Perhaps you two seek death a lot, huh? You even had the audacity to touch my wife... It''s no surprise you two wished for death!"


    Ezekiel was stabbed in the shoulder and his stomach. How many times did I tell her to stab someone in the eyes? That was the most effective ce. If she had the chance to stab him twice, she surely could stab him in the eyes as well. But, perhaps because she feared it would be too cruel, she did not do it.


    ''You are too kind, my wife...''


    Both of them turned into their wolf form as well, knowing perfectly that they stood no chance against me in their human form. But did they actually think they stand a chance against me in their wolf form?


    "You don''t even deserve her. You have kidnapped her, locked her up, and even impregnated her," Ezekiel said.


    "What''s that got to do with you, you fucking bastard?" I snapped.


    "I love her. I could make her happy," he said.


    "You..."


    He should not have provoked me that time. Or perhaps I would have given him a less painful death.


    "Huh... You think killing me will help your wife feel better?" Isaac panted as blood dripped from the huge scratch on his neck.


    The lifeless body of Ezekiel remained on the side. I had never felt so much satisfaction in killing someone before.


    "What did you do to her?" I asked.


    I would not have bothered talking to them. But I needed to know why they brought my wife here. There was no visible scratch on her body as per what I had seen. And I could not understand many things from reading their minds as well. I needed to hear it from their mouths.


    "Heh, what I did do to her? Nothing! I just wanted to make you heirless!" he smirked. Even in his wolf form, the smirk was clear.


    ''As if I am dying to have an heir... But did he hurt my wife?''


    "What?"


    "That guy is madly in love with her. He wanted her to live, even if it meant sacrificing his life. He did not care about anything else if she was alright. And I need to make you heirless. That''s why we joined forces and nned everything together to get it done."


    I knew what I needed to know. There was no need for him anymore. I had wanted to kill him for a long time. Finally, I got the chance.


    After taking care of the trash, I went back to the pce of Ataraxia where we were staying. I could not get her scent anymore. There was a faint trace of her scent there, but that was because she had been here before.


    Without a word asking or answering, Luc teleported me back to my bedroom in Querencia. My n failed. I could not awaken my wife''s power.


    But the most important thing to worry about right now was what kind of medicine they gave her.


    "You have a lot to know," Luc said.


    "Is her life in danger now?"


    "No," Luc said. "She is fine."


    "Then I will take a quick shower and wear something. I am fucking naked...," I muttered. "And you, take care of this cat."


    I gave Ruby the cat that was sleeping. Though I could not bear the sight of the cat, it still liked me for some reason.


    After taking the shower, I calmed down a bit more than before. Luc was still there and my wife''s maid was rubbing her hands while my wife was calmly sleeping on the bed. She was wearing her nightgown and looked very rxed.


    "The doctor exined everything to Ruby and she said everything to me. Will you listen to it now?" Luc asked.


    "Yeah, tell me," I nodded, sitting on the bed beside Blue.


    "She has been given a medicine. It''s a strong medicine that caused her really bad stomach ache..."


    "What? She was hurting?" I asked. More than shocked, I was angry. I should have killed them even more painfully.


    "Yes... It was quite a lot. She was crying and screaming," Luc said. "When I took her to the doctor, he said that there is no way to lessen the pain. That''s why he told me to bring her here so even if she screams in pain, the people there won''t find out about it. It seems quite some people know about her pregnancy.


    But we still needed to be careful so others would not find out. Well, it''s not like it matters right now."


    "... Tell me clearly," I said even though I kind of knew what happened.


    "The medicine- it forced a miscarriage," he muttered in a low tone. "That''s why she suffered from severe stomach pain."


    "Her Highness bled a bit as well. I cleaned her up and changed her dress. Her Highness does not know since the doctor gave her a medicine that forced her to lose consciousness. He said she will sleep for a day, at least."


    "So, she is not pregnant anymore?"


    "No..."


    "I know what you are thinking," Luc said. "You are right. Her life is not in danger in more. The medicine only caused the miscarriage. It was a special medicine because it would not put her life in danger, only caused her pain. Her life was in danger because of the child.


    Since it was a werewolf''s, precisely saying, an Alpha''s child, it was harming her health and there was a possibility that she would lose her life. But now, since she is not pregnant anymore, she is fine now and her life is not at risk at all."


    I was relieved that her life was not in danger anymore and that she would not leave me. But she had suffered a lot alone. I wished I could be with her. If I could take all her pain, I would do so without hesitation.


    I was also worried about how she would react after hearing the news. She was adamant about keeping the child. She was already traumatized because of her family. I did not want her to be burdened with that kind of feeling again.

 Chapter 191: The Dry Feeling

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    My head hurt a lot when I woke up. My stomach was not as sore as it had been, but I could not still move around freely. Everything felt ufortable. My own body felt foreign, as if it was not my body at all.


    The room was pitch-ck. But that did not make it hard for me to know where I was. I was back in Querencia, in my bedroom.


    "You need to eat something."


    I was not even the least surprised to find my husband sitting beside me, rubbing my forehead. I somehow knew he would be here, just like always.


    "Ok...," I mumbled as I snuggled up to him.


    He used the bell in our room to summon the maids. He imed it was verymon in a noble''s bedroom, but he despised it and did not have one in his. Besides, he said that he could call them with his mind anyway. But now, since I was here and I could notmunicate with my mind like them, he installed it back again.


    Two maids along with Ruby came running. "Ah, Your Highness is awake," Ruby said breathlessly.


    "Bring her dinner here," Dem said.


    "Yes, Your Highness..."


    "Dinner?" I repeated, looking at him. It was nighttime when I fell unconscious after taking the medicine the doctor had given me because he could not lessen the pain in my stomach. But how was now nighttime too?


    "You were out for three days," he exined. "The doctor predicted that you would be unconscious for at least one day, but you have only just awoken three dayster."


    "Ah, I see...," I muttered. "But what happened to me? And what about those two? Did you catch them?"


    "I handled everything. You don''t need to be concerned," he said.


    "... And what happened to me?"


    "... You are safe now."


    To be honest, I did not need to ask him to know what happened to me. That kind of stomach pain- I would be stupid to not know the reason. Still, I wished someone would tell me I was mistaken.


    "The..."


    "You had a miscarriage," he said. "It was forced. They gave you some kind of medicine that caused it."


    "... I see..."


    I did not know what to feel. I had never seen the child and I was only one month pregnant. There was not much of an attachment that formed between us. But I felt nkness inside me hearing it.


    The feeling was dry and shallow, but it was enough to confuse me. I sighed and hugged him tighter, searching for sce in his warmth.


    "... Do you want to hear what the doctor said?"


    "Hmm..."


    "He said you might have cramping pains like you did during pregnancy. And, just like menstruation, you will bleed..."


    "Eh?"


    "However, it will gradually lighten and stop within two weeks. I mean, if everything goes as it should."


    "Okay... But two weeks..."


    Dem and I were pretty frank with literally everything. Unlike some men, he was well-versed in the subject of menstruation. He said he learned about it from a book. Perhaps that was why he had that look on his face that said he understood my frustration.


    "I heard your stomach hurt a lot," he said. "I am sorry. I waste."


    "It''s fine... You needed to take care of them," I said. "That said, where are they?"


    "Ah... Your food is here," he said, not answering me.


    He assisted me in sitting and motioned for the maids to leave as soon as they ced the food on the side table.


    "You... You killed them, didn''t you?"


    "... I did."


    I inhaled sharply. I never imagined living with someone who would kill others and then talk about it as if he were talking about killing bugs. He was a cold-blooded murderer. He could have just captured them and locked them up in the prison. Instead, he chose to deal with it on his own.


    Sometimes I was scared to be under the shade of someone like him.


    ''Will I be able to shine on my own if I awaken my power? Will I be able to be someone who does not need others? In that case, I will dly awaken my power. I don''t want to be with him because I need protection. Rather, I want to be with him because I want to and because I love him. We need to be equal in power so he can''t say anymore that I need him to survive.


    Right now, he is convinced that the outside world is dangerous for me and that I am powerless to protect myself. Because of that, I am the safest when I am with him and I can''t survive without him. I did not want to live without him, but I, at least, wanted to be able to survive on my own.''


    I was served a very thin soup with soft bread. They surely made it keeping in mind that I had trouble swallowing.


    "I would like to wash my mouth and face first," I said.


    "Alright," he nodded as he slid down the bed.


    He spread his arms and motioned for me toe to him so he could carry me. Even though my heart was very dry, I could not help butugh a bit as I slowly made my way to him.


    He carried me to the restroom and helped me wash up. It was a bit hard to stand, so he did not pull his arm away that was around my waist.


    "Does your stomach hurt?" he asked.


    "Not really... I mean, it feels like something happened there a while ago and now I am feeling the aftermath of that. But it''s not hurting like then now," I said, wiping my face with a towel.


    "If you feel any pain, anywhere, don''t hesitate to tell me. I will call the doctor right away," he said.


    "Okay..."


    "And I have brought your cat as well."


    "Sapphire?"


    "Yeah, that one... It is with your maid now."


    "She, not it... She is a girl," I corrected him, knowing full well that he would refer to her as ''it'' again.


    "Yes, yes...," he said, shrugging. "By the way, I don''t understand why you call it sapphire. You said it was because her eyes are green. But wouldn''t it be better if you referred to her as Emerald or something? Typically, sapphires are blue."


    "Sapphires can also be green. Her eyes are more akin to green sapphires than emeralds. I mean, I think they look more like green sapphires, which is why..."


    "You took your time naming it."


    "Her," I corrected again.


    If it were normal time, I would be able to enjoy this moment with Dem. But my heart was now heavy. Though I was not crying, I was still kind of broken on the inside. The feeling was indescribable and painful in a different way.


    Since I was not pregnant anymore, my life was not in danger anymore. It was obvious to me without anyone having to tell me. Otherwise, my husband would not have sat still and would have grabbed the cors of many doctors and brought them here by now.


    Even though my life was not in danger, I still hated the fact that I had to lose my child. I had not gotten attached to it much, yet I felt like this. Now I truly understood how mothers felt losing their children.


    He carried me back and gently ced me on the bed. His touch was light and gentle. I was brought back to our first night together. Since then, his touch had been mostly gentle, as if he was touching something very precious to him. At that time I did not know how he felt toward me. If I had known, I might have been able to understand him sooner.


    He sat in front of me and started feeding me slowly. I did not say anything and ate quietly. His eyes were gentle every time he nced at me. It made my heart ache.


    This person''s mind was controlled for seven years. It was no joke. I wondered if it was the reason for his personality to be like this now. He had been through a lot. While I was abused physically, he was being controlled mentally. He suffered no less than me.


    Now I could not even me him for his personality to turn out to be like this. I had been trying to make him better step by step. The progress was very slow, but he surely improved. That was my constion now.


    What could I even do more? I fell in love with a sick man, after all.

 Chapter 192: Has My Wife Lost Her Mind?

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Blue''s health was getting better very soon. We were supposed to awaken her power to get her better since she was pregnant. Now that was not the case and her life was not in danger. So, I put the n to awaken her power on hold.


    She did not need to awaken her power at all. I would always be with her. So, I could always save her. And, besides, awakening her power would only endanger her life because most werewolves despised dark mages and would want to kill or use her.


    It had been three weeks since that night. She was able to walk properly now and did not have any trouble breathing as well. She had been oddly quiet for two weeks. But now she was conversing with others in the same way she had before. Though she had not yet returned to her normal self, I was hopeful that she would do so soon.


    She had begun to look after some pce documents. I told her she needed to rest, but she refused. She seemed to be trying to prove that she, too, belonged here and that she was not useless. I had never thought of her in that light and had always advised her not to push herself. It was, however, just one of her insecurities.


    The doctor told me to let her do what she wanted, so I did not tell her anything elseter.


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Take a look at this. Do I look okay?"


    She was dressed in a shirt and pants and stood in front of me. It was the same outfit she used to practice swordsmanship in. Her hair was also braided. Last week, she had cut her hair a bit just like she wanted.


    "... Where are you going?" I asked.


    I was working in my study. She suddenly barged in. It seemed she ran in here since I could not even get the chance to know that she was here before she barged in.


    "I asked Perita to teach me swordsmanship. I learned for about one month only. She said it will take time if I want to get better at it," she said with a smile. "Last week, my period stopped. So I can move more freely now."


    "Are you going now?"


    "Yeah... I wanted to show you my outfit. Do you notice any difference?"


    "That cat''s in your back pocket," I pointed out. "And... you wore a green sapphire ring matching its... I mean, her eyes. You even attempted to embroider the face of the cat on the front of your shirt."


    "Yeah... it''s not that good," she grumbled glumly. "It looks more like a fish... the total opposite..."


    "You tried, hun," I said. "And besides, it looks good too."


    "You are just trying to make me feel better."


    Well, everything she did was cute. It did not matter whether it looked like a cat or a fish. It was cute nheless.


    "Come here," I said.


    "Why?"


    "You don''t need a reason toe to your husband."


    "That''s true...," she mumbled, taking slow steps towards me.


    We did not get intimate for a long time. It was primarily for her health, but there was also a risk of her bing pregnant again if we went ahead with it. None of us initiated it anyway. I was holding back, thinking of her situation. I wanted to give her some time to gather herself together.


    The full moon was approaching as well. But I did not want to force her to sleep with me if she did not want to even then. It would hurt me quite a lot, but it was okay. If it was for her, I could do anything.


    I wished she did not know about the full moon. I would remind others around her not to tell her about it as well. Or she would definitelye to me so I would not feel any pain even if she did not like it.


    I spread my arms and she sat on myp, cing her head against my chest. Her scent seemed to rx me, as it always did. Of course, there were times when her scent made me feel restless and crazy as if I wanted to eat her up.


    "Why aren''t you beingfortable?"


    "Sapphire is in my back pocket. She will get hurt..."


    "Get it... her out then," I said.


    "Okay...," she mumbled as she took the cat from her back pocket and ced it on the table.


    The cat strangely listened to Blue a lot and never did anything she did not want her to do. And more surprisingly, the cat even liked to snuggle up against me. I did not like this act much, but since my wife loved the cat and would be upset if I refused, I put up with it.


    "Ah, she wants to get on myp," she chuckled. "She is really cute, isn''t she?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Your reaction is dry..."


    "That''s cause you are cuter than the cat. So, it''s hard for me to call it... her cute."


    Her ears turned red as she ignored me and took the cat into her arms. These days, the cat was constantly interfering with our quality time.


    The cat touched me with her paw and scratched gently over my sleeve for no reason, meowing. "Aww, you like Daddy a lot?"


    ''Ugh, I don''t want to be this thing''s daddy or something. But, since she refers to herself as the mommy, I''d rather be the daddy than anyone else...''


    "By the way," she muttered, scratching the cat behind her ear, "Perita also told me that she will get someone to help me with the dagger as well."


    "Like train you with it?"


    "Uh-huh," she said, nodding. "You know, I need to get better at using it. I mean, up until now, I used it without knowing how to use it properly. I was lucky. But not every time, luck is going to be on my side. So, I think it''s better to learn it as soon as possible..."


    "Alright, you can do whatever you want to."


    "I can?"


    "Yeah, it''s your choice," I said.


    She nodded and kissed and nibbled me on the neck suddenly. I was shocked. She liked to snuggle in my arms, but she rarely initiated a daring move.


    "Babe?"


    "Hm?"


    "What are you doing?"


    "Nothing... It just looked tasty..."


    "What...?"


    "I will leave then. You can do your work now," she said and got up normally. She gave me a peck on the lips. "Bye. You said you will have lunch with me. Don''t forget that and finish your work by then.


    I will be waiting."


    "... Yes..."


    "Bye," she smiled and waved at me. She even made the cat wave at me with her paw.


    "Yeah, bye...," I mumbled, waving back while I was still in a daze.


    "What just happened...?"


    I clearly remembered that she even rubbed her palm on my chest in a seductive kind of way. But she was not like this at all. Now it was a matter to think about.


    "Call Doctor Dimitri and send him to my study right now," I ordered a servant in my head.


    Doctor Dimitri was interested in Blue because she was a human. He was eager to treat her as well. I took the chance and made him her personal doctor. He only could treat her now.


    The previous Imperial doctor was suspended. She was Ezekiel''s older sister. She admitted that she was the one who told Ezekiel about my wife''s pregnancy even though it was supposed to be a secret. I wanted to execute her, but my wife told me not to do so.


    Rather, she wanted to be in charge of her punishment and decided to suspend her and ban her from getting any other job in any hospital in the kingdom. She was even forbidden to get the pass to leave the kingdom.


    Though I would rather finish her life than give her a chance, I still did not hate my wife''s decision. Blue did not kill her, but she did not give her a chance to prove herself again either. It was not bad.


    "Your Highness, Doctor Dimitri is here."


    "Send him in."


    "Your Highness," the doctor bowed. "You called for me?"


    "Yes," I said. "Please take a seat."


    He looked at me as if I had said something I never did. Well, it was true that I said this to someone for the first time other than my wife. It was because of her- she told me that it was important to respect those who helped you, at least. And she even made me promise her that I would do so.


    Now I had no choice but to act like that. It did not feel that good. But at least, I could tell her that I listened to her today.


    "I will be frank," I said as the doctor took a seat in front of me. "Has my wife lost her mind?"


    "Pfft..."

 Chapter 193: Learning Swordsmanship Again

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness! You are here!" Perita eximed as I approached the pce grounds where she nned to train me.


    My body felt healthier than before, and I was able to move more freely. I was trying very hard to not be sad all the time about what happened and I wanted to move on.


    Dem and I never discussed the fact that we had lost our child. It was as if he was afraid of saying something wrong lest he should hurt me. I did not say anything either. Because every time I thought about it, my heart would hurt.


    Perita was the one who suggested to me that I should start learning swordsmanship again. It would take my mind off things and allow me to get better faster.


    Ruby had also been trying to cheer me up. She did not talk much about it either and tried to behave like previous times when she used to tell me about thetest gossip.


    I could not visit Luc since both Dem and I decided to give him some time to rest. He had worked very hard. Dem was very angry at him that he could not protect me and even Luc said that he deserved any kind of punishment. But I managed to stop Dem and reminded him that Luc tried his best and it was partly my fault as well since I was the one who told Luc to stop that woman''s bleeding.


    After quite a while, he, atst, agreed not to punish him.


    "Ruby, can you hold Sapphire?"


    Ruby was here as well with some towels and water for me. Despite my protests that there was no need, she persisted, iming that I should be more cautious about my health.


    This morning, I went to Dem''s study. Though I told him that I wanted to show him my outfit, I actually went there to meet him. I just missed him a lot.


    I had my period for two weeks after the miscarriage. So, we could not get intimate and besides, I was not mentally ready as well. But after that, we still did not do it. It was because I could get pregnant again.


    It would be a lie if I said I did not miss his warm touch. I wanted to do it with him, but I knew he would say no if I asked for it since he was too worried about me.


    "Sapphy,e here!" Ruby muttered sweetly as she took Sapphire in her arms. "Has Your Highness met His Highness beforeing here?"


    "Yeah..."


    "Did His Highness not want toe here? It''s pretty unusual..."


    Almost everyone was aware of Dem and my good rtionship. But Ruby knew better than anyone else how much Dem actually doted on me. She could even predict Dem''s actions without even seeing them.


    "He has work to do," I exined, blushing slightly. "And... he''s a little surprised about something... Even I am... I was suddenly too brave..."


    "Yes?"


    "Nothing... Don''t mind me," I quickly said, shaking my head.


    I hade here to practice. What was I doing? Fantasizing about my husband? "Let''s start now, shall we?"


    Perita first demonstrated a few moves to me. She said it would help me realize how much I had learned.


    "I recognize all of the ones you''re showing me right now. Aren''t those the moves of the first phase?" I asked.


    "Yes... Please watch until the end of the first phase first and then tell me if there is any move that Your Highness has not learned. Then I''ll have a general idea of Your Highness''s progress," she stated.


    "Alright..."


    Lessons in swordsmanship were divided into five phases. The basic moves were covered in the first phase. To be qualified as a sword master, the five phases had to bepleted. Each phase was divided into three divisions. The first division of a phase was the easiest one and then it would get harder with each division as we moved forward.


    As far as I recalled, Ipleted the first phase. Ezekiel stated that I finished them quickly for a beginner. He was just exaggerating for sure.


    "I know them all," I said.


    "I have shown Your Highness all the moves of the three divisions of the first phase. Are you sure you know them all?" she asked. "I heard Your Highness has only trained for a month. The first phase usually takes two to three months toplete.


    "Yeah, positive... Should I show you then?"


    "Yes, that would be great."


    I showed her the first phase. Because of my memory, even though I had not practiced in a month, I remembered the techniques. This time, I could not help but feel grateful for my ability.


    "Wow, Your Highness! You are pretty good at this!" Perita eximed.


    I had learned the first phase pretty well. Perhaps it was because Ezekiel taught me twice a day, despite how exhausting it was. I was confident as well that I would be able to do it well.


    "Yeah! That was so cool!" Ruby eximed.


    "You guys are making me blush...," I mumbled.


    "No, seriously! It took me a month and a half to learn the first phase," Perita said. "Your Highness, it seems you can remember techniques pretty well."


    "Her Highness can remember anything she hears or reads or sees," Ruby said. "Perhaps that''s why..."


    "Is that so? Then it can be used to Your Highness'' advantage," Perita said. "Now that I know Your Highness has a good grasp on the first phase, I''ll move on to the first division of the second phase. If I am correct, if Your Highness practices three hours per day, the second phase will bepleted in a little more than a month."


    "But I have to get one thing straight first. No matter how much Your Highness learns swordsmanship, you cannot win against a knight," she added. "It''s possible to win against someone who does not know swordsmanship or fighting. But knights know swordsmanship and since they are werewolves, they are at advantage here."


    "I know..."


    "So, my n is to first teach Your Highness the five phases, but with a focus on techniques rather than physical strength. Werewolves rely more on physical strength, but Your Highness is incapable of doing so. So, my advice is to concentrate on the techniques and learn them as thoroughly as possible. Your Highness should learn them from the ground up.


    After learning the five phases, it is a good idea to learn some basic tricks from someone who has been to war before. We already have that person, so we''ll concentrate on the five phases for the time being."


    "Wow, Perita is unusually serious about swordsmanship," Ruby mumbled as she handed me a towel. "It''s strange to see her like this, but I feel like respecting her a lot all of a sudden. I think it was a good decision to give her this duty."


    "Ruby... I told you not to..."


    "My apologies, Your Highness. I won''t do it again," she said quickly.


    "Alright, Perita, shall we start today?"


    "Let us not rush, Your Highness. Even if we take our time, Your Highness will finish the second phase in less than forty days. So, today, we will practice only some points. Please watch carefully first, Your Highness."


    Perita was truly incredible with her sword. Despite the fact that werewolves typically relied on their strength and fought like devils, she showed me how to practice knowing the rules first and using tricks so I would not have to depend on my strength.


    "Ah, that move... Do I have to bend on my knees a bit for that?" I asked.


    "Yes, it is important because this move requires you to put pressure on your legs." If the person fighting you tries to swing from above, you can dive quickly and sh them in the stomach. It''s a simple move that they''ll anticipate. And, besides, they will be wearing armor. Because Your Highness is not physically capable of fighting werewolves, stabbing them would be nearly impossible.


    So, I propose that Your Highness stage a move in which you appear to be aiming for their stomach. Even though they know Your Highness won''t be able to stab them, they will still try to block it with the body of their sword out of habit. You''ll take advantage of the opportunity and strike their throat as quickly as lightning. That''s the trick of this move."


    "Every move has a couple of tricks. This is not something that many werewolves are taught. Only a few werewolves who are not physically strong enough or who are overly skilled use this move. In Your Highness''s case, you have to pay undivided attention to learn these moves," she added. "These tricks will be Your Highness''s actual assets, not real techniques.


    However, in order to predict their moves, you must first learn the techniques."

 Chapter 194: Love After Marriage

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I returned to my room with Ruby after the swordsmanship lesson. We were taking care not to wake Sapphire, who had fallen asleep in her arms. She was so cute when she slept that it was impossible not to be careful.


    It was funny how we pretended that Sapphire was a little kid without even discussing it.


    "Your Highness truly learns very quickly," she said in a low voice. "I think if Your Highness practices every day, you will be very great at wielding a sword."


    "I don''t have to be perfect, but I do need to be able to save myself. It doesn''t feel good to have to rely on someone all the time," I said. "Ack, I am sweating like hell!"


    "I''ll get the bath ready," she said. "Let me first put Sapphire in her bed."


    Sapphire slept on the bed Perita had made for her. It was tiny and cute. Sapphire really liked the bed, so I decided to improve it a little so she could be morefortable.


    Sapphire slept in our bedroom as she did not like to part from me much. I did not mind her being in the bedroom. I would not even mind if she slept on the bed with me. But Demetrius minded a lot. He did not want asional meowing at night, or a cat climbing on him in the middle of the night. So, I did not stop him when he tried to get her out of the room and shift her to a different room.


    He even did it, but the night he did it two weeks ago, we found Sapphire in the middle of the night on our bed. She entered our room through the window.


    Dem was shocked when he discovered a cat on his chest in the middle of the night. If it had not been for me, he would have thrown her out of the window for sure.


    To say the least, Dem was more than shocked. He would not admit he was scared.


    After that incident, he decided that letting her stay in our room was preferable to having her enter our room in the middle of the night. I could not sleep with the windows closed, so he could not even close the window to stop the cat. And I did not let him close the window of the cat''s room as well since Sapphire liked to sleep beside an open window.


    He had no choice but to let Sapphire sleep in our room on the condition that she sleep by the window and not move throughout the night.


    It was not a problem since Sapphire slept quite peacefully without moving when I was near. Because we were in the same room, she slept soundly all night.


    Ruby went to prepare my bath after putting Sapphire to bed. It was almost lunchtime, so I decided to take a quick bath. Every time I intended to take a quick bath, it ended up taking at least an hour. What could I possibly do? The baths were far too soothing.


    "Your Highness, which bath oil would you like to use today?"


    "Rose," I replied.


    Rose oil had a mild fragrance. Dem did not like bath oils much, so I did not use them with every bath. But every now and then, it was fine. And when I used them, I usually used rose oil. It was mostly because the scent was not too deep.


    "Your bath is ready, Your Highness."


    "Alright... You can wait outside," I said while taking off my sweaty clothes in the restroom.


    "No, thest time I did, Your Highness fell asleep in the bath," she said, shaking her head. "Your Highness then got a headache from staying in the water for too long."


    "Heh, alright... You can stay," I said, giving up.


    When it came to Ruby and Demetrius, it was better to give up. They both knew how to get their way, and whenever I tried to stand firm, they would nag me until I relented.


    "By the way, Ruby, I told you all about my life. Now I want to hear about yours," I said as I stepped into the tub.


    "My life? There is not much to hear though...," she said as she started washing my hair with soap.


    ''Liar! I know Luc told you about the mate situation! He wrote me a letter two days ago, saying that he finally said it when Ruby went to deliver the cookies I had sent for him.''


    "Come on, tell me. We are more like friends at this point," I urged.


    "Friends?" she chuckled. "Your Highness may be the only queen who has ever called a maid a friend."


    "What''s wrong with that? Anyone can be a friend...," I said. "Anyway, tell me."


    "... Your Highness knows that Lord Luc is my mate, right? Isn''t that why you are asking?" she asked. I had to admit Ruby was pretty quick-witted.


    "That''s one of the reasons. And I am interested in your life as well."


    "Well, then, I will tell Your Highness about the whole mate thing... Actually, I found out that Lord Luc is my mate when I first met him. But I was not sure that time. It was after I actually developed feelings for him that I realized that he is my mate. I knew all about how a werewolf feels when they find their mate. But when it came to me, I could not even understand.


    I had a feeling that he is my mate, but I deliberately kept ignoring the signs. But well, it can''t go on like this. So, I wanted to face him and tell him about it. Lord Luc was not showing any sign that he knew that we are mates as well. I thought that he did not want to have a mate or did not want to take me as a mate. So, he was acting normal.


    I mean, if we do not marry, we are going to be mates in name only. And we can''t also have other people as well. But when Lord Luc told me that he actually did not know that I am his mate, it was pretty surprising. I did not know he knew almost nothing about it."


    "Yeah... He knows the most about magic," Iughed. "Other things are insignificant to him."


    "Then he told me that he now knows that I am his mate and wants to marry me."


    "That''s great!"


    "Well, I like him as well, so it''s a good thing that he wants to marry me. But he also told me a few things..."


    ''There we go- the conditions...''


    "He said that he does not feel anything romantic towards me. But he will be a loyal husband and will try to do a good job as a husband. And he also said that he will actively try to make this marriage work," she said.


    Her voice showed a bit of confusion. I knew what she was worried about. She did not know if she wanted to be in a loveless marriage or not.


    But it was her only chance to start her own family. Alphas could take other romantic partners by taking some kind of potion. But it only worked on Alphas. As a result, normal werewolves, such as Ruby, could only be with their mate. She would be unable to marry anyone else if she did not marry Luc. The same was true for Luc.


    Luc, on the other hand, was uninterested in marriage. He was only doing it for Ruby.


    "What did you say then?" I asked.


    "I told him that I will think about it and give him my reply in a week," she said. "To be honest, I don''t know what to do. I don''t want to be in a loveless marriage."


    I knew how badly Ruby wanted a family of her own. She always told me that she wanted a loving husband and then wanted to have lots of kids. She wanted her house to be full and lively.


    "Why don''t you give it a try?"


    "Huh?"


    "I mean, go marry him. It''s not like Luc is a bad person. He will be a faithful husband who respects you. And you are a wonderful person as well. Even if it''s a hasty marriage, you two will be happy. Who can say?


    He might fall in love with you as well. We don''t always marry after falling in love with each other, you see. Love can happen after marriage, too," I said.


    Love after marriage- it was the same for Dem and me. Dem actually fell for me after our marriage since, before that, his mind had been messed with for seven years. I also fell in love with him after our marriage. To be precise, I met him two days before our wedding. I actually met him seven years ago, but since I did not have that memory because of the potion he gave me, it was not counted.

 Chapter 195: Give It A Shot

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "But isn''t it just a possibility?" Ruby stated. "I mean, there''s a chance he''ll fall for me after our marriage, but there''s also a chance he won''t. What will I do then?"


    "Ruby, you''ve always expressed a desire to start your own family. Don''t you think it''s a chance? So, what if you marry someone who will not love you? He will, at the very least, respect you. And there is no way you won''t be happy either. You know, sometimes we just have to be brave," I said. "But, at the end of the day, it''s your life.


    You must make your own choice. I can only advise you, and my advice is to give it a shot. Isn''t it better than having nothing? No family or a family with a loyal husband who may not love you as much as a loving husband¡ªthetter is a better option in my opinion. However, you have the final say. I will support your decision."


    I also wanted to say that at least she had a choice. She could marry him if she wanted and if she did not want to, she did not have to marry him. I was not given this choice. I was always led by someone. It was not like I let them lead me easily, but they made me follow them. I always had this regret that I never could lead myself in my own life.


    Was this not why I was trying to be independent? If things kept going like this, I would be thought of as more of a doll than a human. It would be as if I did not have the ability to think at all.


    "Then I will carefully consider what Your Highness said. Your Highness will be the first to learn of my decision," she said.


    "Alright. I will wait to hear it," I said with a smile.


    Ruby gave me a massage in the bath. Perhaps because I moved like this after a long time, my body was sore. It was like the aftermath of exercising for the first time.


    "Your Highness will be having lunch with His Highness after a long time. Then you should wear something fancy," she said.


    "Fancy? I wear fancy dresses every single day," I said. "Even my nightgown is the type that I can wear all the time."


    "I mean, a little fancier than usual," she exined. "I believe the new blush pink dress will suffice."


    "Blush pink? I didn''t see it..."


    "It''s a gift from Crown Prince Carey," she said. "It''s not like Your Highness has to wear ck all the time. And the fabric is very expensive and of high quality, so I believe it is appropriate for Your Highness to wear it."


    "Has it been checked properly?" I asked.


    "Yes, Lord Luc checked it himself. There is no kind of magical artifact in it. Your Highness''s personal tailor checked it as well. She reported that everything is alright. I checked the report myself, Your Highness."


    "Alright then... But wait... It''s a gift from Prince Carey," I muttered. "Will it be alright if I wear it for Demetrius? I mean..."


    "Well, His Highness is a jealous person, but I suppose he won''t be upset over a gift..."


    "Whatever. Let''s just put it on. After all, it is a dress. He has nothing to be upset about. I''ll try it on first to see if it''s to my liking..."


    "Alright," she nodded.


    "How is little Ava? I heard she''d hurt her little finger..."


    This morning, Evelyn, her husband, and their daughter Ava returned from Ataraxia. I wanted to greet them, but I heard that they were too stressed. So, I decided to greet themter.


    After the banquet, some members of the Royal families of the five kingdoms preferred to stay for a few days longer and participate in various events.


    Dem hated the idea and wanted toe back as soon the banquet ended. Well, because of some inconvenience, we had toe back even before the banquet ended. Because of that, I could not even meet the dark mage who was supposed to try to awaken my power.


    "The littledy is probably sleeping right now. She likes to nap at this time of day. Your Highness could meet all of them during lunch, but Lady Evelyn and Lord Merrick have nned to go out for lunch along with the littledy. They like to go out a lot after all. And Her Highness, the former Queen also went to join Countess Reba''s invitation."


    "Ah, I see... Then it''ll just be Dem and me," I mumbled.


    The Royal dining room was enormous. Since we were the king and queen, we sat at two corners. The room was quiet, so it was not hard to talk to him like that. But the vastness of the space always made me uneasy. That was the reason I ate mostly in the bedroom with the excuse of being sick.


    "Does Your Highness dislike spending time with His Highness? That, I don''t believe is the case..."


    "No, that is not the case! I just... don''t like the open space," I mumbled. "Anyway... I''ll get ready right now. I''ve been in the tub for far too long."


    After wiping my body dry, I wore my bathrobe and went back to the room. Ruby brought the dress that Crown Prince Carey gifted me.


    It was a blush pink V-neck one-leg cut gown. The fabric was a cross between silk and chiffon. It appeared to be chiffon, but it had a silky feel to it. It was a well-known fabric that could only be found in Ataraxia. I read about these things in Mother''s rmended books, which would help me learn about other kingdoms'' cultures.


    "Wow, this fabric- this is the first time I''ve seen one," Ruby eximed. "It''s really famous. Ataraxia does not even export it."


    "Hmm, I wonder why he would give me a gift. Is it because I am the Queen of Querencia?"


    "Yes. Anyone would want to be on good terms with any king or queen. So, it''s normal."


    "Ah, we also sent something to the King and Queen of Ataraxia. I didn''t choose the gift, Dem did, so I don''t remember. I guess it''s something like that..."


    The dress was really beautiful. I decided to wear it today. It had been quite a while since I wore something other than blush pink.


    "Wow! Your Highness looks really beautiful!" Ruby eximed, pressing her palm over her lips.


    "... Did my chest grow a bit...?"


    "I think so too," Ruby said. "The difference is too little... Actually, that day, I heard His Highness asking the doctor..."


    "What did he ask the doctor this time?"


    "His Highness asked if breasts can grow after the age of eighteen. I mean, His Highness was worried that it might be a disease or something..."


    "It was two days ago, wasn''t it?" I asked.


    "Yes... But how does Your Highness know?"


    "I knew it!"


    Two days ago, I had been taking a bath that time. When Dem came, I told him to help me stand up since my bottom felt sore after sitting for too long in the bathtub. That time, I identally tumbled on his chest and my naked chest got pressed against him. I had no idea he would be able to remember my chest size just by that and also find out that they had grown a bit.


    "Oh my goodness... What did the doctor think? Dem keeps asking such strange questions..."


    "His Highness was only concerned about Your Highness," she chuckled. "Well, the doctor said it''s possible. So it''s all right."


    "Anyway, I should go quickly. It''s time," I said.


    "Your Highness, wear some essories," she said. "Don''t try to run away."


    She knew I was hurrying because I did not want to wear the essories. No matter how much I tried, I never could get away without have to wear them. Ruby always caught me and made me wear at least two pieces of jewelry.


    "These rose quartz earring and ne willplement the dress nicely. The ne is nothing more than a simple ne. It''s not at all heavy. The earring is a little heavy, but not overpowering. Your Highness will befortable wearing them," she said.


    I sighed. "I don''t wanna wear anything else. No rings... no bracelet or whatsoever."


    "Alright, this simple look is good on Your Highness anyway. The makeup is light as well. It will do."


    Demetrius, too, preferred minimal makeup. He alwaysmented on how much he liked my natural face. I had no idea what was so attractive about my face, but for his sake, I wore less makeup. Besides, I preferred light makeup as well.


    "I will go then. Where is Perita?"


    "She is waiting outside to escort Your Highness."


    "Well, then I will go now. And take care of Sapphire. She is sleeping too much these days, don''t you think?"

 Chapter 196: Having Lunch Together

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Ah, you''re already here," I said as I entered the dining room and found my wife waiting for me. "I got a bitte... I am sorry."


    She was dressed in a pink gown. Her skin toneplimented it perfectly, and she looked stunning in it. But the fabric- it was surely not from here.


    I knew a lot about fabrics because I chose my own as well as the fabrics for my wife''s dresses. That was why it did not take me long to notice which fabric it was. It was called ''May Bane'' It was named after the woman who invented the method for producing this fabric.


    "It''s alright. I got here just now as well," she smiled. "The bath took a bit long..."


    "... This dress suits you. You look lovely," I said.


    "Thank you...," she blushed.


    I wondered if she bought it from Ataraxia. But she did not mention anything to me. She usually talked about everything to me, just like I did with her. It was our rule to share every single piece of information.


    I did not ask her anything about it. Rather, I decided to get to eating since she must be hungry. After all, she practiced for a long time. I could not watch her practicing because of two things. First of all, I was talking to the doctor. And then, Kenzo, the beta brought some reports that needed to be taken care of immediately.


    "The steak is good...," she mumbled with a satisfied face.


    I always felt contented and relieved when she liked the food. She never ate enough, so I was always worried. Every time she finished the food properly, I gave the chef a bonus.


    "Yeah, it''s good," I said.


    ''I think I should give the chef a bonus.''


    "By the way, how was your training today? You didn''t push yourself too much, did you?" I asked.


    "No, I did not. It was actually pretty fun. Though it''s a bit tiring, it''s still amazing and I like it. When Ezekiel was teaching me, I hadpleted the first phasepletely."


    Hearing that bastard''s namee out of her mouth made me want to bring him back from death and kill him again. I should not have let her get involved with him. And because that bastard was always wearing a silver essory, I could not read his mindpletely. His thoughts were always hazy. Later I found out the reason- it was because the silver was not pure.


    So, it could block his thoughts partially only. And the thoughts that he did not let anyone hear were the ones I could not read.


    "I showed her the first phase and she said I did well. So, now, she started with the first division of the second phase," she said.


    It was not easy toplete the first phase in a month. But she did it anyway. Even I was taken aback.


    "You did well. I am proud of you," I said with a smile.


    "... Thanks... But I will try harder so that one day I can protect myself without anyone''s help," she said firmly.


    "You know, I am always going to be there to protect you," I said.


    "Why would I rely on you all the time? It is important for me to be able to protect myself properly as well," she said.


    How could I say I did not want that? I was afraid that if she learned to survive without me, she was going to leave me one day. What would happen to me then? How would I live without her?


    "It will be good for both of us. In the future, if we expand our family, both of us will be able to protect our family together," she added.


    ''Ah, so you are not nning to leave me...? That''s good then... I will ept whatever you do, if only you stay by my side.''


    Even in the future, I did not want to expand our family. It would be better if it was just the two of us. But for her, perhaps I would have to change my n a bit.


    "All right, just don''t push yourself too hard," I said, taking a forkful of meat. "I don''t like it when you''re sick and in pain. I can''t take away your pain. So it''s difficult to watch you like that."


    "I won''t push myself too hard," she said. "I will practice three to four hours a day, then I will rest. Is that okay?"


    "... Okay. Just keep in mind what I said."


    Even without training, she was good at protecting herself. It was like she was born to hold a weapon in her hand. The way she protected me that one time, the way she got away from two strong werewolves all by herself- it was impressive to think that a mere human did it.


    If she practiced swordsmanship and then awakened her power as well, she would be one of the most powerful people in the whole world. It would be no surprise if she would surpass me and could threaten two or three Alphas at the same time.


    "Try the sd too," I said. "And drink some water first."


    "Hmm...," she mumbled as she sipped her water slowly. "Did you meet Mother, Evelyn, Merrick, and Ava?"


    "No, I was busy."


    "I wanted to greet them," she said, "but I heard they were too tired."


    It was not like they were too tired. It was just they arrived too early in the morning and I wanted my wife to sleep a bit more. So, I made them say it. Not that I could tell her that...


    "You can meet themter," I said, clearing my throat.


    "Yeah... And little Ava hurt her little finger."


    "She did?"


    "Hmm, Ruby told me about it," she gave a nod. "She said Ava tripped over and fell and hurt her little finger.


    I had no idea she would even fret over a matter like this. But the more I saw her, the more amused I got. She was adorable.


    "They have gone out, I heard. I will meet her as soon as shees back," she said. "I miss her, you know."


    "Don''t you miss me?"


    "We are together all the time, Dem..."


    "Yeah, but it kinda hurts my feeling that you miss everyone else other than me."


    "You... you are really..."


    "Yes?"


    "Nothing. Let''s just eat," she mumbled, looking down and pretending to concentrate on her food as her face turned as red as a tomato.


    I chuckled in amusement. It was great to tease her, especially her reaction was worthy to watch.


    "I talked to Ruby today," she said after a while. She seemed to recover from her shyness.


    "Hm, about what?"


    "You knew that Luc and Ruby are mates, right?"


    "Yeah, why?"


    "Why?" she repeated. "Why didn''t you tell me then?"


    "It was not important," I shrugged. "Or, was it?"


    "... Luc is our friend, and Ruby is someone very close to me as well. It is important," she said.


    Well, it was true that those two were among our close circle. But I still could not see how the fact that they were mates could be important. It was their business after all. What would we know knowing it?


    I did not tell her thinking that it was not important as well. But now looking at her face, I had a feeling that perhaps I should have told her about it.


    "So, you talked about her and Luc?"


    "Yeah," she nodded. "Luc said he wants to marry her."


    "Luc and marriage?" I almost choked on my drink. "I haven''t met him for a long time, so I didn''t know... But marriage? If you said Luc wants to expand the height of the magic tower that would be believable."


    "Luc is a responsible guy. He is doing it for Ruby, considering Ruby''s feelings," she said. "You know how she feels about Luc, right?"


    "I think she feels something weird about him..."


    "She likes him! Jeez!"


    Since there was no one in the room, we could discuss freely. Or my wife would never bring something like this in front of others. All the servants were to leave the room when it was just my wife and me.


    "She likes him? Luc? That silver punk? What does she see in him? He is ugly and he has a nasty personality!"


    "What are you saying? Luc is the second most handsome person I have seen in Querencia. Even though I haven''t met that many people, I still know that he is good-looking. Even at the banquet, he was surrounded bydies. And nasty personality? He is a very considerate person," she said.


    "Handsome...?" I mumbled. "Second most handsome?"


    That was the part that hit me hard.

 Chapter 197: Seduction

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What do you mean by that?" he asked.


    "What I mean?"


    "You said Luc is the second most handsome man you have seen in Querencia," he said. "Then who is the first?"


    "You, or who?" I shrugged.


    Was it not obvious? He was someone who was well aware of his own attractiveness. I did not think he would even ask me this.


    "Ah, that''s right. It''s me," he chuckled.


    He was behaving like a child right now. But it was kind of endearing. I wondered if he was anxious that I would say it was not him. I wished I had teased him a little more.


    After our dinner, the servants started to clean the ce up. Dem usually worked all the time, except for the nights. So, we rarely had dinner or breakfast together. He must have a lot of work to do now as well. So, I did not want to hold him back anymore. He was sparing enough time for me already.


    "I will go back now. You must have a lot of work to do," I said as I went up to him who was still in his seat.


    "Why? You don''t want to spend time with me?" he asked sulkily.


    "It''s not like that at all. I mean, you usually work at this hour, so I figured..."


    "Ah, that''s right..."


    I bent my back a bit and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was supposed to be a goodbye kiss. But the moment, I tried to leave, he held my hand.


    "What are you doing?" he asked.


    "... N-Nothing... I was just leaving."


    "You were leaving? But the kiss...?"


    "It''s a goodbye kiss."


    "But it appears to me to be more of a seduction... Even if you don''t realize it, you''re seducing me," he said. "Are you not?"


    I averted my gaze from him. He sighed and loosened his grasp on my hand.


    "... I am."


    "What?"


    He tightened his grip on my hand once more. I returned his surprised look and mumbled, "I am seducing you. You are my husband, and you are someone I love. I long for your touch. I know you are thinking about me and so you haven''t made any move on me. But I actually want you to touch me."


    There was a dead silence. There were servants in the room. I hadpletely forgotten about them. They had gonepletely silent as well.


    He abruptly stood up, and before I knew it, he was pulling me along with him. I did not try to stop him as well. It was embarrassing to behave like that when the servants were watching, but I still did not want to stop him as well.


    It did not take long for us to reach our bedroom. He opened the door without a word and pulled me inside with him.


    "Your Highness..."


    "Take the cat and get out," he barked.


    Ruby looked between us for a second and quickly grabbed Sapphire and almost ran out. She was definitely going to giggle a lot in front of me.


    Dem shut the door, trapping me between him and the door. I inhaled sharply as my back touched the door.


    "You meant that?" he asked. His breathing was heavy as if he was controlling himself.


    "Yes... I did mean every single word I said," I said, looking straight into his eyes.


    "You might get pregnant again. Your life will be in danger," he said. "We can''t do it..."


    It was clear he wanted to do it. But I also knew that he was not going to because he did not want my life to be in danger.


    "I know," I said slowly. "But at least, touch me and... let me touch you."


    "..."


    When he was not saying anything, I looked up at him in confusion. But the moment I looked up, he grabbed my face with both of his hands and pulled me in for a deep kiss.


    Every time he kissed me, it reminded me of our first kiss. The same taste, the same sensation, the same beating of our hearts- everything was the same.


    I could not get enough of the taste. I grabbed the front of his shirt and drew him closer to me, as if I wanted to taste more of his lips. He was not slow as well. His hand slid down and pinched my skin at the waist.


    "Mm..."


    The kiss was a lot longer than usual. It was clear in the way he was moving his lips against mine how much he missed me. It was like he was trying to take as much of me as possible.


    Our eyes did not have enough time to exchange kisses between them since we were too fast. All I wanted was to touch him and for him to touch me. It was no surprise he wanted the same as he started taking the dress off.


    He was in a hurry but took his time to take the dress off. Perhaps he thought that I would get upset if he tore it.


    "Dem..."


    "You really are okay, right? Never mind, you look like you want me to touch you..."


    "Yeah, touch me..."


    While his fingers worked quickly to unbutton his formal attire, he began kissing my exposed parts. I wondered if it was okay to be so careless about something so expensive, but he did not seem to care.


    Surprising him, I started taking my remaining clothes off. It was just my underthings that were connected to each other by a single string. Ruby made me wear it for some reason. Did she know that something like this would happen? Was that why she made me wear the underthings that could be taken off quickly?


    "You really missed me, didn''t you?" he chuckled.


    "Yeah... I did."


    "I love you," he murmured, licking my right ear.


    "Me too," I whispered. "I love you too, Habibi."


    He took his time to kiss my throat and ears. Then he focused on my chest. He kissed the middle of my breasts while his hand fondled my breast like dough. I suddenly remembered our wedding night. I evenughed that time when he was fondling my breast as if it was dough. Thinking back, it was strange of me tough at such a time.


    Perhaps because I was nervous, I did such a weird thing.


    "Hnn..."


    He put my nipple in his mouth and began sucking it, asionally biting and nibbling. Electricity jolted through my veins every time his tongue swirled over the bud.


    "Dem... Ah..."


    "I missed this moaning..."


    His fingers trailed down my thighs and began rubbing against the sensitive area.


    "Ahh... Huh..."


    I seemed to be more sensitive than usual. Perhaps it was because we did not do it in a long time. It was not like we were going to go all the way today as well, but at least, I would be able to touch him and get touched by him. It was enough for now.


    He left the nipple and focused on the other one. The one he just left was dripping with saliva and had a massive sucking mark around it.


    "Hmm... uh..."


    He did not enter his fingers, rather kept circling the ce while pinching slightly.


    "Ah! Dem..."


    He kept rubbing the ce while sucking my nipple until I reached a powerful orgasm, shaking my whole body.


    "Ahh! Huh... uhh!"


    "Your orgasm face is beautiful," he smirked and kissed me on the lips as he started to rub the ce again. I was still sensitive from the orgasm, but he did not seem to care at all.


    "Mm... Hnn..."


    He chuckled in the kiss as I was squirming under him. He drew back and began to lightly touch my stomach and breasts while keeping his eyes on me as if observing my reaction.


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Ah... I am still s-sensitive..."


    "I know."


    "Then..."


    "Because I want to drive you crazy," he smirked.


    It was not long until another climax hit me. This was even more intense than before. He tried to touch me again, but I grabbed his hand and stopped him.


    "No! It''s my turn to touch you," I said. "I want you to feel good too."


    His eyes erged and he was looking at me like he was too shocked.


    "You are acting very brave today," he said.


    "You hate it?"


    "Of course not... Rather, I am enjoying this part of you as well," he chuckled. "Well, then I won''t tell you anything today. You can touch me as you please. I will wait for you to make me feel good."


    "Alright! Leave it to me!" I eximed determinedly.


    After doing it so many times with him, I was pretty confident in my skills. Back then, I had no idea what was going on. But now, I knew exactly what I wanted and what I was doing.

 Chapter 198: I Want My Baby

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    It waste afternoon. She was sleeping, her head resting on my chest. I did not go to work since she was sleeping so peacefully. I did not want to ruin her sleep.


    It surprised me to see her act so bravely while clearly stating that she wanted to do it with me. But for now, it was impossible since there was a chance that she could get pregnant again. If she became pregnant, her life would be jeopardized until her power was awakened. I did not want to risk her life in any way. It was not like I was nning to never do it with her again.


    I was thinking of talking to her about it properly.


    "Haa..."


    She started moving and gasping all of a sudden. It was like she could not breathe. She was sweating and her hands were trembling as she clung to me.


    "Babe! What''s wrong?"


    Was she having a bad dream? It was nothing out of the ordinary for her. However, she had not had a nightmare in three weeks.


    "Dem..."


    "I am here... It''s alright, I am here."


    "I want my baby..."


    ''Haa, what an idiot I was to think she would get over it so quickly! Just because she did not cry or say anything does not mean she was not affected at all.''


    "It was so little... I loved it..."


    I could not say a single thing. I did not know how tofort her. All I could offer her was my silence.


    "Mommy could not save you... I am sorry... I did not try hard enough..."


    "... It''s not your fault," I whispered.


    "I''m sorry, I''m really sorry," she sobbed.


    Her voice was breaking, and seeing her like this broke my heart. I had no idea how she was feeling. I did not know how she could love it so much. But I could tell she was in a lot of pain. It was clear from the way she was crying and apologizing over and over.


    I wished I could love that child enough to understand her anguish. I had no idea why I could not feel anything for it, but for the first time, I wished I could.


    "I am... really... pathetic...," she sobbed. "It was my job to protect my baby... but I failed..."


    "It''s not your fault, sweetie," I assured her as I drew her into my embrace. "You gave it your all."


    She had woken up already. But she was crying even more. She hugged me tightly and her crying only kept growing.


    "Think about it for a moment. When you were pregnant with that... our child, your life was in danger. Even though you were aware of this, you decided to keep it because it was our child and you loved it. How many people do you believe will choose the life of an unborn child over their own? It took a lot of guts for you to do that.


    No matter how many times I tried to persuade you to get rid of it, you were steadfast in your decision. You did not care about your life at all. You just wanted to save that child. Then when those two bastards took you away, you still managed to get away from them. You could have saved your child if it hadn''t been for their malicious act.


    And they gave you that potion while you were unconscious, sweetie. There was nothing else you could do. You tried enough, more than enough. No one could have done a better job than you. So, don''t me yourself."


    I did not know how much I seeded inforting her. But she stopped crying a bit though her hups did not stop.


    "You know, our child might not be here, but it is in your heart. It will remain there all the time, right? All you can do now is continue to live and be brave. It will want its mommy to do so as well. You should try to be happy. That...


    our child will be happy if its mommy is happy. So, smile all the time and be happy. Our child will be watching you as well. It won''t want its mommy to be sad, right? After all, none of us wants to see our loved ones sad."


    "The baby loves me?"


    "Of course. You gave it so much love. How can it not love you?"


    "I thought our baby was disappointed in me because I failed as a..."


    "You did not fail as a mother. You did well. Our baby knows this as well. And it loves you a lot. You should not be sad. If our baby sees you sad, it will be sad as well."


    "But... I''m attempting to move on, to be happy... It''s just... every time I smile, I remember my baby''s face from my dream... And I can''t help but think it''s entirely my fault that I lost my baby..."


    In her dream, I took the child away from her to kill it because it had ck eyes. Even though I did not like the child much and did not want it to have ck eyes, I would not go as far as killing it just because it had ck eyes. Even a demon like myself had a conscience.


    But I could not tell her anything. Would she believe me if I said I would not have killed it like that, snatching it from her arms? That was just too much.


    I gently rubbed her back without a word. She cried silently. It was painful to see her like that. My beautiful and smiling wife to be in this state- it was truly heartbreaking.


    "Dem... We won''t have a child soon. But we will surely have a beautiful childter, okay?"


    "..."


    "I want a baby. I want to take care of it. Well, I can''t turn the time, but I can try to do better in the future. I want to be a good mother who my child can rely on more than anyone else. I will love it a lot and make sure my baby gets what it wants..."


    "... Yes," I said finally. "We will have a child and take care of it... together."


    "Together, right? You promise me, right?"


    "Yes, I promise," I said. "We will take care of it."


    ''For you, I will try to love it. I don''t know if it''s possible, but I promise I will try with all my heart. For you, I can do anything.''


    "I have changed my mind. Even if our future child has ck eyes, I will ept it," I said. "I will try to love it because it''s proof that we love each other so much. I am not sure if I will do okay. So, you will be there to guide me, won''t you?"


    "Yeah... I will be."


    She fell asleep after a while again. I carefully ced her on the bed and wrapped her in the nket. I moved slowly down the bed so she would not get up.


    I opened the door of the balcony and stepped outside, wearing my robe. It was dark outside now. I lit a cigar and blew the smoke into the air while resting my elbows on the railing.


    "Should I try to be a bit more human?" I mumbled. "Haa, I am a werewolf, an Alpha... yet I am thinking about trying to behave like a human... But now that I think about it, it won''t be a bad thing to have a bit more sympathy inside me. I wonder why I turned out to be like this- so emotionless and like a fucking bastard who does not care about anything.


    The only thing that concerns me is the things regarding my wife."


    I thought she would be happy if I loved her unconditionally. No, it was a lie that I kept telling myself so I would not feel guilty about binding her to me in the name of giving her love. I was just a sly bastard who was obsessed with her and wanted all of her.


    I knew how wrong I was. But I never epted it myself. Was it because I had not been in my right mind for the past seven years? If that was the case, then those who ruined me could fuck off. Because of them, I was in a state like this. Just what did they want?


    Everything was annoying. If I could get the mastermind of the n, I would just ruin the face of that person.


    Now that I thought about it, I had the suspicion that it was someone who was rted to Blue''s father or her father himself. He was a dark mage after all and a powerful one at that.

 Chapter 199: Things To Do

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I thought I would not break down in front of him and would be able to move on quickly. But I was wrong. It was not easy to forget.


    Dem''s words yesterday surprised me. He had been very considerate and stated that we would have a child in the future and that he would try to love it. He even promised it to me. I wished he would keep his word.


    This morning, I was nning to go to the magic tower. I needed to speak with Luc about something important. Perita was going to apany me. I had already told Dem about it the night before. He never stopped me from going to see Luc. Perhaps it was because Luc was our friend and he trusted him a lot, though he never admitted it.


    Dem and I usually talked about private stuff in front of only a few people like Perita, Ruby, and the beta Kenzo other than Luc. But they were not supposed to ask any more than that. And when I went to Luc, Perita always heard us talking about dark mages and ck mana. But she never could question it and never tell anyone about that. They were supposed to be punished if the word leaked from them.


    So, I could always take Perita with me. It was a good thing because Dem could not possibly apany me all the time.


    "Your Highness, are you ready to go?"


    "Why are you in such a hurry? I am painting Her Highness''s nails. It will take a while," Ruby barked.


    Just as I expected, she was giggling a lot when she came into my room yesterday in the evening. But when she noticed that I was in a bad mood, she stopped quickly. She always seemed to know what happened to me. So, she was the one who couldfort me in the most urate way.


    She was in a bad mood today. It was mostly because I had cried a lotst night and refused to tell her why this morning. She already knew it, but she wanted to hear it from me.


    Even though Ruby had done everything she could to reduce the puffiness, my eyes were still a little puffy. She gently pressed a towel soaked in cold water under and around my eyes, then ced cucumber slices on my eyes. I told her that it would not help much, yet she did it. She even massaged the area around my eyes.


    However, the puffiness did not go awaypletely, and anyone who looked at me closely would notice that I had cried. Because of my mood, I could not even meet Mother, Evelyn, Merrick, and Ava.


    Dem told them that I was sick. Though they did not mind, I still wanted to meet them as soon as possible. Well, Evelyn tried to sneak into my room to meet me because Dem was not letting her. But she got caught by Dem.


    "Why do you have to paint Her Highness''s nails right now? Her Highness is not going to a party," Perita grumbled.


    "... You won''t understand," Ruby muttered under her breath. "By the way, Your Highness, Lady Ava cried to meet you this morning."


    "What? Really?"


    "Yes, and His Highness told her something as well, so she cried even more."


    "I think he tried to calm her down, but it backfired," I mumbled. "Then change of n- I will meet Ava first, then I will go to Luc."


    I loved Ava a lot. She was such a cute little girl. She was smarter than her age and also liked me a lot. So, it was great to hang out with her.


    "I heard Lady Evelyn will be staying here for a month this time. Then Lady Evelyn and Lord Merrick will go to travel again. I am not sure if they will take Lady Ava with them as well," Ruby said.


    "I will keep Ava with me. Dem said they will listen and like it as well if I want Ava to stay with me. Then they will be able to enjoy their journey to the fullest. And besides, Ava likes to stay with me as well. It won''t be a problem," I said. "...


    Well, isn''t Sapphire sleeping for a bit too long? She has not budged for a while..."


    I nced at Sapphire. She had been tired these days a lot and kept sleeping almost all the time. I wondered if she was alright.


    "Perita, can you bring Sapphire to me?"


    "But she hates me, Your Highness," Perita said.


    "She is sleeping. She won''t know..."


    Perita carried Sapphire to me with care. I examined her while holding her in my arms. She opened her eyes slightly, but she still appeared tired. She snuggled back into my arms and closed her eyes once more.


    "What''s wrong with her? She doesn''t have a fever or something, right?" I mumbled.


    "Should I take her to Doctor Bernard?" Ruby asked.


    Doctor Bernard was in charge of the health of the Imperial Pce''s horses. In a nutshell, he was a veterinarian. He was a veterinarian in one word. I had not met him yet, just heard of him.


    "I will take her there. Luc is probably sleeping now. He likes to sleep in the morning. I will just go to him after a few hours then," I said.


    "Then Your Highness has a busy day ahead of you today. You will first meet Lady Ava, then take Sapphire to Doctor Bernard, and finally to the magical tower. Your Highness is also scheduled to dine with Her Highness, the former Queen. Your Highness also is supposed to have tea with Lady Evelyn in the afternoon. In the evening. Your Highness will take care of the remaining documents in the evening.


    Then you have a dinner reservation with His Highness at the well-known Moonlight Diner. Oh my goodness, there are so many things to do..."


    "Haha, don''t worry. It won''t be that hard," Iughed and Ruby sighed.


    I had already finished my swordsmanship practice. So, it was out of the to-do list. I had gone to practice at five in the morning and practiced for three hours. It was tiring to wake up that early in the morning. But I was determined to do it.


    Dem was worried that I was pushing myself too hard. But I managed to convince him in the end. He was the one who woke me up this morning.


    Dem practiced with his soldiers in the morning and alone in the evening. We never crossed paths unless I went there to watch him. I never went to watch him in the morning because he was surrounded by soldiers. But sometimes, I would go to watch him in the evening.


    After Ruby was finished with the nails on my left hand, I waited a bit for the paint to dry. The paint dried pretty quickly. It was perhaps because of the ingredients used to make it.


    I ced the formal coat over my shoulders. It was a ck coat with golden patterns. The same type of coat Demetrius wore as well.


    I left for Ava''s room with Sapphire in my arms. Sapphire was wearing a ck dress with golden patterns as well, matching my outfit. I had got them made by my personal tailor. Sapphire even had a small ck and gold bow on her head.


    "Your Highness takes care of the cat as if she is a child," Perita muttered.


    "I know, right?" I chuckled.


    Ava''s room was on the first floor. I made my way to her room. Her nanny was walking around the room with a sulky expression.


    "Your Highness!" she almost jumped up in surprise. "I didn''t expect..."


    "I havee to meet Ava," I said. "Is she in there?"


    "... Uh... Lady Ava is actually not eating anything..."


    "Why? What happened?" I asked.


    "Well, it''s just... Lady Ava wanted to meet Your Highness, but His Highness said that you were sick. His voice was a bit harsh, so Lady Ava cried... Now she is hiding under the nket and is refusing to eat anything. Her breakfast is still in her room..."


    "Ah, I see... I will go talk to her then," I said.


    "Alright, Your Highness," she bowed and opened the door for me.


    "I told you I won''t eat anything! I don''t want anything, nanny! Don''t force me...!" Ava yelled in her high-pitched voice from under her nket.


    "It''s not..."


    I motioned her nanny not to say anything. I slowly made my way to her bed and sat down beside her.


    "I told you I don''t want to...," she yelled, tossing her nket away from her face.. The moment she met me there instead of her nanny, she stopped midway.


    Her eyes were swollen and red. It was clear that she had cried for a long time. It broke my heart to see such a sweet child make that face.

 Chapter 200: Meeting Ava

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Blue," she murmured slowly.


    "Why did you cry, sweetie?" I asked gently, touching her scarlet cheek with the palm of my right hand.


    She sniffed and then hugged me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed once more. Now I truly felt guilty. I should have met her. I was afraid that if I went to meet them with swollen eyes, they would question me and suspect something was wrong.


    Actually, even though they were Demetrius''s family, they sometimes suspected that Dem was crossing the line. After all, they had an idea of Dem''s personality. So, I thought that if they somehow noticed that I was crying, they would suspect that Dem had done something to make me cry. Well, it was not his fault that I cried. I cried because I had lost my child.


    Why would he have to look bad for no reason?


    My eyes were still a little puffy. However, because the puffiness was not excessive, they would improve by lunchtime.


    "I went... hic... to meet you... but no one... hic... let me," she sobbed, hugging me tightly.


    "They said that you... don''t want to meet me... hic..."


    "I would never! I always love to be with little Ava. Then why would I ever not want to meet you?" I said quickly. "Who told you this, sweetie?"


    "Grandma did," she replied, sobbing. "She said... hic... you don''t want to meet anyone right now... for some reason... I thought you hate me...


    Uncle Dem said... that you are sick..."


    "What your uncle said is true. I was sick," I said. "That''s why I could not meet you."


    "Is that... right?"


    "Of course!"


    "... But I yelled... at Uncle Dem... and got angry with him... He must think that... I am a bad...


    girl..."


    "That''s not going to happen, Ava. Your uncle and I both know what a nice girl you are," I said softly. "He''s not going to think you''re a bad girl. It''s never going to happen. If you apologize, he will surely forgive you. So, you better stop crying, sweetie.


    I havee to meet you, right? We will spend the whole day together if you want to. Stop crying, there, there..."


    I wiped her tears with my hand. Her face was puffy, but she had finally calmed down now. She looked at my other hand and her pupils dted in surprise.


    "That... A cat?"


    "Yes," I replied with a smile. "Her name is Sapphire."


    "Sapphire?"


    "Yeah..."


    "Why is she sleeping now? It''s daytime..."


    "Well, she has been sleeping a lot these days. I will take her to Doctor Bernard today."


    "Really? What happened to her?"


    "I''m not sure... However, I believe she has a fever," I exined.


    "A fever?" she mumbled. "Fevers are dangerous. One time I had a fever, I had to rest for ten days. Mother said it was a very hard time."


    "Is that so? It really must have been hard," I muttered. "That''s why I am taking her to the doctor."


    "But why are you the one taking her? The maids can take her there..."


    "Yes, they can. But there are some things that I prefer doing by myself."


    "Like important things?"


    "Yeah, important things..."


    "I know, right?" she grinned. "I like to take care of my dolls alone as well. They like it when I am the one taking care of them, so I don''t let anyone else go near them. They are my important things."


    "Oh, that''s great..."


    "Mother said Uncle Dem likes to take care of you himself as well because you are Uncle Dem''s most favorite and important person," she smiled happily. "Father said- when ites to someone''s loved one, they want to take care of them themselves."


    "Your father is right. We all love to take care of our loved ones," I said. "You know I want to take care of you too."


    "But why?"


    "Because I love you. You are my little Ava and I love you a lot," I said with a smile.


    "Really?"


    "Of course! I love you so so much!"


    "I love you too, Blue!" she eximed.


    She was grinning revealing all of her front teeth. Her teeth were very small in size like a rat''s. They were little and adorable.


    "Wow, that''s really amazing. I was wondering if little Ava truly loves me," I said.


    "Why? Isn''t my love for you open?"


    "Who knows? Or why would little Ava not have breakfast yet? I thought little Ava hates me so much that she does not want to have breakfast because she knows that I will get sad if I hear about it...," I muttered sulkily.


    "No, that''s not it... Nanny, give me the breakfast quickly. I will finish it now...," Ava said quickly.


    I smiled inwardly. My tactic worked. I did not know Ava liked me this much that she would listen to every word of mine.


    "Just like you said before, will you let me stay with you today?" Ava asked while eating her bread quickly.


    "Eat slowly. Don''t just eat the bread. Drink the milk as well... And yeah, I havee here to get you in the first ce. You cane with me to the doctor and then to the magic tower. You sure you won''t be bored?"


    "Of course not! When I am with Blur, I can never be bored!"


    She began eating more slowly after I told her. I was observing her while pondering a question in my mind.


    Why would Mother tell her that? Dem told me that he told Mother that I was sick. Then why would she lie to Ava?


    Even though I was a bit wary of Mother, I never misbehaved with her and never let her see that I was wary of her much. It was not like we were in a bad rtionship either. But now, I was worried that something was wrong.


    First of all, Dem suspected his own mother of possessing dark mage power, which she must have obtained by killing a dark mage because she had the ability to do so due to having ck eyes. I was not sure, but I could notpletely disagree either. But Dem also said that Mother never had a single bad thought about us. Then again, dark mages could control their thoughts just as we saw in Evan''s case.


    I was confused. And now everything was getting murkier. Ava tapped me on the arm, jolting me back to reality.


    "Yes?"


    "I am finished. Can I get ready now?" she asked.


    Her voice was so sweet and innocent that I felt like I was melting. Iposed myself quickly since I could not behave like that being her aunt. What would she learn?


    "Did you drink water?"


    "Yep! The whole ss!"


    "Good girl!" I said, patting her gently on the head. "Then go and get ready. I will be waiting."


    Her nanny took her to get her ready. She wore a golden dress with ck butterflies. It seemed like she chose it to match my dress. My dress had little butterflies as well though the dress was ck and the butterflies were golden while her dress was golden and the butterflies were ck.


    Her nanny tied her hair in a braid. Perhaps it was also to match my hairstyle. My ribbon was golden while her ribbon was ck. She seemed quite happy to match my attire.


    "Are you ready to go then?" I asked.


    "Yes!"


    "By the way, you look really cute and lovely," I said.


    "Thank you...," she mumbled, blushing. "You look beautiful too. Everyone calls you beautiful."


    "Everyone? But they also say that you are the loveliest."


    "They say I am the cutest!"


    "That''s right! My Ava is the most adorable and perfect girl!"


    Ava''s mother, Evelyn did not change her family name. However, because she no longer fully belonged to the Imperial family as a result of her marriage to Merrick, her daughter did not receive the title of princess. It also sparked debate when Evelyn continued to spend the majority of her time at the Querencia Imperial Pce after her marriage. But Dem shut everyone down.


    Ava held my hand and we went out together with Perita leading us. It was quite sunny outside, the perfect weather for practice. It was something the knights said. But I preferred the gloomy weather when it felt like it could start raining at any moment but never did. That time, the mood for practice would increase since it would be less hot.


    "The weather is nice, isn''t it, Your Highness?" Perita said with her usual grin.


    "Yeah, not bad..."


    "It''s too hot!" Ava groaned.


    If it was not for the magical bodywear that I was wearing inside, I would have been fried under the sun by now. And I was wearing sunscreen as well. Surprisingly, this world had sunscreen though it was made differently than my world.

 Chapter 201: Asking For Lucs Help

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "She has a fever," Doctor Bernard said after checking Sapphire.


    Doctor Bernard was a middle-aged man with a short beard. But he did not look his age at all. If it was not for Ruby, who had told me all about him beforehand, I would not have thought that he was more than twenty-five. He had snow-white hair that matched his pale skin. Even his eyes were silver, kind of whitish.


    I had sent him a letter in advance informing him that I would be dropping by. But he was surprised that I was so concerned about a cat. I had noticed it before too- here, most people did not have any pets and behaved as if we were not supposed to have them.


    "I had a feeling this was going to be the case as well. She hasn''t been eating muchtely, after all. She even turned down milk. That''s her favorite food. She has been sleeping a lot and looked quite weak all the time."


    "Did she vomit?"


    "No... She did not. She just has been too calm these days and rejected her food."


    "Ah, I see... She has a fever without a doubt. So, I''ll give her some medication. Please make sure she gets them on a regr basis," he said. "She must stay hydrated at all times. I''ll recheck the temperature in two days.


    I''ll give her something stronger if the fever doesn''t go away."


    "Yes, thank you," I said.


    "Your Highness does not have to thank me. I am grateful that I could be of help to Your Highness," he bowed.


    We did not stay with Doctor Bernard much longer. Ava hated needles, and there were far too many of them on his table. As a result, we left even earlier than nned.


    "Doctor Bernard frightens me every time. I mean, he''s 46 years old, but look at his face..." Perita grumbled. "There isn''t a single wrinkle on his face. How can someone age in such a way?"


    "I kinda want to age like that as well," I mumbled.


    "Blue, are we going to the magic tower now?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "Do your legs hurt? Perita can carry you..."


    I could have offered to carry her myself, but Dem had warned me not to do so. Ava was not that heavy, but he kept telling me not to even attempt to carry her.


    "No, I am fine," she said, shaking her head a bit. "It''s just too sunny today."


    Ava had not yet reached the age where she could wear temperature-regting clothing. It was designed for people over the age of ten. Children were not suitable for using it because the mana used in it may hurt their bodies if they did not have mana within them.


    The quantity of mana utilized to create temperature regting clothing was very small, thus it did not harm individuals over the age of ten. Even this small amount of mana, however, was hazardous to children under the age of ten.


    "Let''s go to the magic tower quickly then. We can rest there," I said.


    Luc opened the door of the magic tower pretty quickly, surprising me. I assumed he was still sleeping. He got a long vacation. But right now, he looked pretty tired. It was as if he had been awake all night.


    "Wow... Can''t say I am not surprised," I said.


    "It''s because of you!" he said loudly. "Ah, the littledy is here as well."


    "Let us in. I need to talk to you."


    Luc brought us to the chamber where I sat every time I visited the magic tower. As usual, I had brought cookies for him. Perita was carrying them.


    "You have the cat with you... What happened to it?"


    "Use ''she''. She is a girl," I said. "Well, she has a fever. I havee straight here after visiting Doctor Bernard. The fever is not that bad for now. So, we are hoping she will get better soon."


    "Ah, I see. You appear to be closer to this cat than you are to your husband. She has to get better."


    "Jeez, stop bbering..."


    It would be easy to converse with Luc if there was only Perita in the room. But Ava was also present. And what I was going to talk about, she was not supposed to hear about it. I brought her here since she was feeling down. It was a rash decision. But now I needed to send her away for a bit.


    "Ava," I said. "I need to talk to Luc for a moment. Can I rely on you to take care of Sapphire for me?"


    "Can I?" she asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.


    "Of course, I think you can take care of her properly. She might wake up if we talk too much in front of her. Can you take her to another room? Perita will go with you as well," I said.


    "Hm, okay! I will take care of her. Don''t worry, Bl... Aunt."


    She was not supposed to call me by my name in the presence of others. Only the people who were really close to us were okay. But Ava did not know that Luc was among our close friends'' circle.


    "Good girl," I said as I ced Sapphire in her arms who was not sleeping but was not fully awake either. "Perita, take care of them and take her to another room."


    "The room ahead of this one is good. Take her there," Luc said.


    After Perita took Ava away, Luc looked straight at me. He had bags under his eyes like he did not sleep in days.


    "So, what''s the matter?" he asked. "It''s about the full moon, right?"


    "Yeah... The full moon is too near. And well, we actually... have not done it since then."


    "It''s been three weeks," he said.


    I gave a nod. "He said he is not nning on doing it any time soon. Perhaps he thinks that I don''t remember that the full moon is near. He hasn''t mentioned anything about it as well. I think he is nning on taking the same potion again that you gave himst time. It still hurts him, right?"


    "That''s true. But it''s a bit less."


    "I know perfectly well what you mean by ''a bit less''. But I don''t want him to suffer like that. So, I am gonna ask you for help," I said.


    "What help? Though I have an idea of what you are going to ask me, since I don''t think it''s a good idea, I will just wait for you to say it."


    "You know the dark mage who Dem had prepared to awaken my power, don''t you?"


    "I do... He is actually the duke of Ataraxia..."


    "What? The duke?" I eximed.


    Why would the Duke of Ataraxia help us? More importantly, I had no idea that the duke of Ataraxia was a dark mage.


    "Yeah... Well, you should be shocked. A dark mage can be anyone. They can blend in easily since they can hide their power better so you would not even know that they are dark mages. You see, dark mages can''t turn into werewolves, just like normal mages. And the duke of Ataraxia has not turned into a wolf ever as well with the excuse of being too good with a sword to ever need to turn."


    "But if he is a dark mage, it means he is much stronger than Alphas... Then why isn''t he trying to...?"


    "I know. Dark mages, like normal mages, have a power range based on the quantity of mana they have within themselves. There are three ranges for regr mages. The magical tower''s masters are from the first range." "


    If we consider the entire body to be one hundred percent, the mages in the first range have eighty percent mana in them. The second ranged mages have more than fifty percent but less than seventy percent mana; whereas the third ranged werewolves have less than fifty percent mana. Dark mages, on the other hand, are far too powerful."


    "As a result, their division is different. They are ssified into five ranges. The quantity of mana in the fifth range is less than twenty percent; the amount of mana in the fourth range is less than thirty percent but more than twenty percent, and the amount of mana in the third range is less than sixty percent but more than thirty percent.


    The amount of mana in the second range is less than eighty percent but greater than sixty percent. And the amount of mana in the first ranged ones is... more than ny-five percent."


    "That''s quite a lot... You should realize that the potency of ck mana diminishes with each generation. Most dark mages are now in the fourth or fifth range. So, they don''t have enough power to take over other werewolves, which they would have done already if they could. But they are still not weed. So, they hide their power and live as normal werewolves."


    "I see... Then can you let me meet him?"


    "Meet who? The Duke of Ataraxia?" he asked.


    "Yeah... Please, I need to meet him and get him to..."


    "I know. Awaken your power just a bit so you can use the medicines of the werewolves. I mean, you need to take the pregnancy-preventing pills after all. And that''s when you can help Demetrius on the full moon night."

 Chapter 202: Planning To Awaken My Power

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    It was not a surprise that Luc knew what I wanted. His and my thinking were the same most of the time.


    I wanted him to teleport and somehow bring the Duke of Ataraxia here or take me there. Since the Duke of Ataraxia was a dark mage, I needed him to try to awaken my power. I had a feeling that he would not be able to awaken my power fully. But I was hoping that he could awaken at least just a bit of my power so I could take werewolf medicines.


    Since the full moon was near, I needed to take pregnancy preventing pills. And moreover, it was not like Dem and I would never do it again.


    "Your husband doesn''t know about it, right?" Luc asked.


    "No," I shook my head. "He only knows that I havee to meet you. But he doesn''t know why. I mean, he won''t let me if he knows. I don''t know what he is nning. I mean, he can''t be nning to never do it again, right?"


    "Judging Demetrius''s character, he is a horny dude even though he might not seem so," Luc muttered under his breath.


    "Pfft...," I burst outughing. "My god..."


    "It''s true, isn''t it? I don''t have to see to know..."


    "... It''s not a lie... Anyway, will you help me?"


    Even without asking him, I knew that he was going to help me. Though he never admitted it, he cared for Demetrius since they were best friends. He would do anything to help him.


    "Then we have to do it as soon as possible," he said.


    "Thank you," I said.


    "You don''t have to thank me. You are my friend. I will do it to help you, not that bastard..."


    "Yeah, yeah..."


    "I can go now."


    "No. Not now. I have to have lunch with Mother. She invited me herself. It''s the first time, so I can''t refuse."


    "What''s wrong with refusing? Just tell her you can''t join her today. It''s no biggy," he shrugged.


    "It is! You don''t understand... You are talking just like Dem," I said. "Anyway, today won''t do. After having lunch with Mother, I have to take a rest. Then I have to join Evelyn''s tea invitation in the afternoon.


    After that, I have to work. And at night, I have a dinner date with Demetrius."


    "Are those even important? The only thing important is the moment when you have to work. Other times, they are just useless.


    "I am free tomorrow," I said, ignoring him. "Tomorrow evening. Dem will go out to investigate Baron Gustav''s weapons smuggling. I cane here at that time. He will be backte or might not evene back that night. So, there won''t be any problem."


    "Alright then. Tomorrow evening it is. Don''t forget the timing," he said.


    "Yeah, I won''t forget. Anyway, what about you and Ruby? What''s the situation between you two now?"


    "I proposed to her. You know about it."


    "Yeah, you wrote me a letter. Ruby told me this as well."


    "She has not given me a reply yet."


    "She will soon, I guess. I mean, she told me that she will."


    "Yeah... What do you think her response will be?" he asked.


    "Who knows? Let''s just wait until she says it herself," I said.


    I actually knew what her answer would be. It was pretty clear. But I decided not to tell him that. He seriously seemed like he had no idea what she would say. It was better if he heard the result directly from her.


    After chatting a bit more with Luc about insignificant things, we returned to the pce again. Ava seemed to like Sapphire a lot. She had been smiling a lot at Sapphire.


    "You know, you cane to my room to meet her at any time," I said.


    "But Uncle Dem said it''s not okay to get inside a couple''s bedroom," she replied innocently.


    "Eh?"


    "I don''t know why Uncle Dem said it. But he did. Mother said Uncle Dem and you are the only couple who needed the most privacy and then sheughed. I don''t understand... Do Blue and Uncle Dem do something in secret that others can''t see?"


    "Pfft... oh my god!" Perita startedughing, shaking furiously.


    "Um... It''s... We..."


    I waspletely taken aback. Kids'' innocence was truly a dangerous thing. It was a fortunate thing that she said it only in front of me. What if others were near and heard it? I would not be able to show my face to others again.


    "Is it something I cannot know?" she asked sulkily.


    "Actually, we rx... Yeah, we rx. Couples like to rx together and talk among themselves. It''s something that no one else can hear. That''s why they need privacy. It''s the same reason your uncle and I need privacy," I said, feeling a bit proud foring up with something.


    "Only to talk?"


    "Yes, among other things... Anyway, is Sapphire still sleeping?"


    "Yes. You can take her now," she said. Thankfully, she took the bait and I finally managed to change the subject.


    After Ava left, I took my dress off quickly and went to take a quick shower. Even though my body was not, my face was sweaty. Because of the temperature-shifting clothing, I did not get sweaty and felt much heat. But my face and arms were burning.


    I told Ruby to go out. I wanted some privacy. Sometimes, it felt great to be by myself and enjoy some free time.


    As I stood under the water, many thoughts came back to me just like always. Was Mother really the one who did it all? But why would he go against his own son and mess with his mind? It was not like he was not her real son. Demetrius told me clearly that it was not the case and she was her biological mother. They always had a bad rtionship, but it was not to the point that she would harm her own son.


    She was notpletely okay. She had a belief that her husband was a loving person and they were so in love with each other. But it was not the case. Dem told me that she and his father did not have a good rtionship since his father forced her to marry him. Why would someone be happy in a forced rtionship especially when they did not match at all?


    "Haa, my mind is a mess... Mother would not do it, would she? Should I try to ask her something during lunch?" I muttered to myself.


    Even if Mother did it, she did a great job hiding it. No one ever suspected her. She had always been out of the list until I found the nk page of the book Dem gave me and then somehow unveiled the book''s secret. That was the moment I found out that the female werewolves with ck eyes who did not have any special power could absorb a dark mage''s power by killing them.


    She came into our suspicion list after that.


    Actually, after that time, I was a bit afraid to be with Mother alone. It was not like this before. Before when I did not know about any of those things and my life was much easier, I was veryfortable with Mother. We could talk for hours. I quite liked her actually, mostly because she was the first person to show me motherly love. I did not feel any kind of danger when I was with her.


    So, I wished so bad that she was not the person who was behind it.


    We did not have any proof or anything. So, we could not do anything about it as well even though we suspected her.


    Dem knew that I was going to have lunch with Mother. He was not that worried because it was in the main pce and no one could do anything to me here.


    Though only the king and queen shared the main pce usually, Mother also lived with us here. Evelyn came to the main pce whenever she was staying here as well. It was mostly because no one ever had a proper conversation about the fact that they were supposed to live in separate pces. No one just cared.


    It showed clearly how much distance they had between themselves.

 Chapter 203: Lunch With Mother

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Before I could even breathe after the shower, it was time for lunch. I was more nervous than I thought I would be. Ruby knew that I was notfortable with Mother these days since she heard some of our conversations. So, she kept telling me that it would be alright.


    "Your Highness, it''s just a simple lunch. You don''t have to worry so much," Ruby said as she was making a low bun with my hair.


    "I am not worrying. You are the one who is making me nervous by talking as if it''s a big deal," I said.


    "It''s because Your Highness is biting your upper lip a lot. You do this when you are anxious about something," she pointed out.


    Was this why Dem always knew whenever I was anxious? And I was wondering how he always knew every time I was nervous or worried.


    I wore the ck chiffon dress that Dem had chosen for me more than a month ago. I did not get the chance to wear this one before. The dress had a sweetheart neckline and it was split from the side with a flowy downer part. The waistline was decorated with a golden thick belt with little chains. The border was made of ck silk. I wore the golden royal cloak over it.


    It was too much just for a lunch. But since I was the Queen, I always was supposed to wear extravagant things even though it was not muchfortable.


    Ruby decorated my bun with a gold pin matching my golden cloak. It was shaped like a hoatzin''s tail. The style was unique, but it was beautiful.


    Perita escorted me to the dining room. Mother was already there. She smiled at me the moment I entered. She was standing there for me toe since she could not sit down before me. I sat down at one corner of the table and she sat on my right side. If it was me and Dem, we would have sat at two corners of the table.


    But Mother was not supposed to sit there since it was Dem''s ce and only he had the right to sit there.


    There was another dining room where I had lunch with Dem''s family for the first time. It was more like a ce for informal meetings. So, no one maintained their sitting ces there.


    "Thank you for epting my invitation," Mother said with a smile. "I know you are busy. But I still wanted to spend some time with you since we could not do so for a long time."


    "That''s right. The workload is increasing more and more, but I had some time today in hand," I said. "By the way, Mother, you look beautiful today. The scent is different as well today."


    "Yes, I used basil oil today. I had a cold. It was flu. Not so serious, but it was giving me trouble. Besides, I had been facing e problems as well. One of my maids suggested that using basil oil might help.


    It did! I have been using it for two weeks now."


    ''But I heard that basil oil can''t cure e, but it can reduce this skin issue...''


    "I see..."


    "I can''t get your scent. So, I don''t know... Don''t you use any scented oils?"


    "Not often. Sometimes if I feel like it, I use rose oil."


    "Ah, I see... Is it because you don''t like it?"


    "It''s not like that. Dem doesn''t like the scent of oils much... And besides, since it''s not like I have to use them, I rarely use scented oils," I said.


    Our small talk did not seem awkward at all. It was moving wlessly. For my part, it waspletely an act. Because from the inside, I was very nervous. Perhaps I was getting better and better at acting. I did not know if it was the same for Mother.


    It felt like she was not acting, rather all of these were pure. But I could not say anything for sure. Everything was confusing after all.


    The food was served. The items were asvish as always. But no matter how great the food was, I never could eat to my heart''s content, or perhaps the content of my heart had turned smaller after having so little food for so many years. These foods did not excite me as much as I thought they would. Every single day, I was served amazing food items here. I could have anything I wanted.


    But I never could enjoy them. They were sometimes average and sometimes tasteless. It was like I was eating only because I need to eat in order to live.


    "Isn''t the food to your liking?" she asked.


    "No, it''s great," I said, faking a smile. "My throat hurts a bit. That''s why it''s a bit hard to swallow..."


    "Oh my, how unfortunate! Should I tell the maids to bring hot tea for you?"


    "No, that''s alright. I had some this morning as well. I don''t really drink tea more than two times a day. Since I will be having tea with Evelyn this afternoon, it''s better not to have tea now."


    It was a lie that my throat was hurting. But since I blurted it out, I needed to y it right. Or she might suspect.


    "Then make sure to have some warm honey waterter at least," she said.


    "Yes, I will. Thank you for worrying about me," I smiled.


    "You need to take care of your health now. You were sick even a few days ago. So, make sure to stay healthy. The full moon is near as well. After all, the full moon night is very important for Dem and you. For that time, you need to keep yourself healthy," she said.


    "Yes, I know...," I mumbled.


    I knew clearly what I needed to do for the full moon night. Was it not why I was nning to have my power awaken just enough so I could at least take pregnancy-preventing pills?


    But why was she telling me this? She did not have anything to gain from this, right? Or was I missing something?


    The rest of the lunch was just like the beginning. It was full of little and not so important chats. She did not get in too deep into any questions. She asked about my sickness as well, but when I said it was because I was too tired and I had a bad fever, she did not ask anything further. Her normal behavior was confusing me even more. I had no idea what to do now.


    I was about to return to the bedroom when I thought of something else. I wondered if Dem came back. He had gone out to break the duke''s nose. At least, that was what he said he was going to do. He talked like that a lot. I stopped asking him what he meant as well because every time I asked him, he would smile like a maniac as if he meant what he was saying.


    But it could not be true, right? How could he break the duke''s nose? Or could he?


    "Oh, Your Highness," the beta, Kenzo bowed as he got out of Demetrius''s office.


    "Is Demetrius inside?" I asked.


    "Yes, His Highness hase back just now," he said, a bit tiredly.


    "His Highness is in a very bad mood," he added in a low voice.


    "I see... Thank you for letting me know," I smiled.


    "Your Highness is too gentle and humble..."


    I wondered if it was alright to go in right now. Kenzo said Dem was angry. He was quite scary when he was angry. Should I return to my room now and meet himter after he had calmed down?


    After a few seconds of pondering about it in my head, I decided to go back to my room for now.


    ''Yeah, that''s a better thing to do.''


    The moment I tried to move away, I heard a loud noise. It was the sound of breaking sses.


    ''Is he hurt?''


    I could not stop myself. I quickly pushed the door open and ran inside, only to find the ss of the window broken and continuous drops of blood falling on the floor from Demetrius''s right fist. Between the middle and index fingers of his left hand, he was holding a cigar.


    I was shocked to see the sight. I quickly ran to him and held his bleeding fist with both of my hands. The wound was deeper than I thought it was.


    "Why? Why would you do that?" I asked desperately. "I understand you are angry. But what''s with hurting yourself? If you want to break the ss, break it with something else, not your fist!"

 Chapter 204: The Banned Aphrodisiac

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "It''s bleeding...," she mumbled, covering the wound with her handkerchief.


    I only observed her face and was quite amused seeing how worried she was for me. She did not even notice me staring at her as she kept talking and bandaging my fist with her handkerchief, but kept failing.


    "Why aren''t you saying anything? How to stop the bleeding...?"


    "Don''t do this."


    "What...?"


    "You don''t have to do this," I said calmly. "Leave it. It will heal on its own."


    "But... the blood... It''s bleeding a lot..."


    "It''s not a lot."


    She did not listen to me, but rather kept on gently wiping the blood. I went to meet the duke when I found out that he caught someone who was keeping an eye on my wife with the help of a mage. Luc had not been around her these days since we gave him a vacation. That was why we could not even know that someone was spying on us.


    The person who was keeping an eye on her turned out to be my uncle. It was because he wanted to do something to us since he suspected that I killed his son. Well, I did kill his son, Isaac. But it was not like I did it without a reason. He made a grave mistake.


    That bastard uncle of mine was not just someone who wanted to revenge for his son. He even was a pervert. He kept talking about how much he had seen of my wife''s naked body when she was in the shower.


    ''That disgusting fat asshole!''


    In the heat of the moment, I killed him in a sh with my sword. But I still could not calm down. Even if I stabbed him hundreds of times, I would not be able to calm down.


    She was attentively trying to bandage the wound again after failing several times. I touched below her chin with my finger and held her face up. She looked at me with her lips pouted. She always did that when she was confused.


    Keeping my eyes on her, I dropped the cigar on the floor and put out the fire with my boot. Her blue eyes looked even more confused and surprising, but daring.


    "Dem... The blood..."


    Her expression was so endearing that I could not control myself anymore. I bent my neck and pressed my lips on her pink ones. She was taken aback and could not bnce herself. She surely did not expect it at all. But I caught her in time before she could fall and pressed her gently against my table.


    How could some other man see her body? Only I had the right to see her, touch her and taste her. Even the thought of someone else seeing her the way only I could see her made me angrier.


    "Haa..."


    I picked her up and ced her on the table while not stopping kissing her. She grabbed the front of my shirt tightly as her whole body was shaking. Her reaction was stronger than usual.


    It was kind of like she had an aphrodisiac.


    I pulled away, giving her a chance to breathe. Her face looked red and she was panting. Just as I thought, she had an aphrodisiac.


    "Why did you have an aphrodisiac?" I asked.


    "... What?"


    "I asked why. Or did someone feed you?"


    "I... don''t know... Ha, my body... It feels so hot..."


    So, someone did feed her. But why would someone give her aphrodisiac? It was not like she was going to go near any men and they could take advantage of her. It kind of felt like someone knew that she was going to be near me only and wanted us to have sex.


    ''What kind of baseless intention is that? How would someone else know in the first ce that we don''t have sex these days? And why would someone care about our sex life? There must be some other reason.''


    "Dem... It wasn''t like this before... But now, my body..."


    "It''s alright. I will make you feel okay," I said.


    "Your hand... B-Bandage it..."


    "You did well," I said. "And besides, it''s almost healed. Don''t worry."


    She tried to say something else as well. But I did not give her the chance and kissed her. Even though it was her who took the aphrodisiac, I felt like it was me who was more aroused. We did not do it in a long time. It was impossible just to think of keeping my hands off her for that long. But I made myself not to touch her because her life was more important.


    If it was an aphrodisiac, then if I made her climax once or twice, it would wear off. We did not have to go all the way. But what would happen after that? Were we never going to do it again?


    ''Ugh, let''s not think of that now. I should focus on the current situation now.''


    I decided to touch her as less as possible. Or I would want her even more and it would be very hard for me.


    I pulled her dress up to her thighs. Her coat had already fallen to the ground. I had not noticed it before, but she looked amazing today.


    I found her panty as soon as possible and started rubbing over it. She moaned in the kiss and bit on my lips. I restrained myself from doing something I should not.


    My lips left hers and I bent in front of her, holding her thighs with both of my hands. She bit on her bottom lip and kept her eyes on me. The lewd face she was making was driving me out of my mind. How was I even going to hold back in a situation like this?


    I ripped the panty and threw it aside and licked the ce. She moaned loudly and held my hair with her hand.


    Every time my tongue swirled over her bud, her entire body shook as cries of pleasure left her mouth.


    "Ah... Mm..."


    I knew every single part of her, where she felt good, how she preferred to be touched. I even knew what her reaction would be if I touched a particr ce.


    "Dem... huh..."


    She moved her hips uncontrobly. Every time I watched her reaction, I felt satisfied and it turned me on even more. I wanted to do bad things to her. I wanted to break every single barrier that was between us. Holding back was just too hard, even harder than I expected.


    "Not so... Your... um..."


    I was the one touching her, but in my mind, I was thinking about what her reaction would be if someone else touched her. Would she moan like this? Would she move her body like this? More importantly, would she let him touch her like this?


    My head started boiling with anger. I started sucking her aggressively. She raised her hips as seductive moans slipped through her lips.


    "Ahh! Uh... huh..."


    ''No one can touch her other than me! No one can see her like this! It''s just me! It always has to be me! There is never going to be a time when she will be with another man other than me! Actually, she can only be with me, she has to stay with me!


    I never had anyone who I could call my own. But now that I have someone like that, I cannot let that person go no matter what. I will have her and keep her with me, like a bird that cannot get out of its cage... Yes, that is what she is going to be.''


    It did not take long for her to reach a climax. But her condition did not improve. She looked to be still in heat. And it was worse than before.


    Now I was truly worried. What kind of aphrodisiac did she take? The effect of an aphrodisiac usually wore off after reaching a climax once or twice. The strongest one took more time to wear off, but it would also not be more than three hours. The most important thing about aphrodisiacs was that the effect kept decreasing with time. But this time, it was different.


    It looked like the effect was getting stronger.


    It was not impossible. But that kind of aphrodisiac was illegal. I banned them five years ago. These types of aphrodisiacs were bad for health. If not taken care of properly, they harmed the person''s health, and one even developed a chronic illness. And it was made for women only.


    After observing her, it was clear that she had taken that aphrodisiac.


    This aphrodisiac gained fame very quickly among couples because the effect wore off only if the mate of the woman ejacted inside her. At that time, they did not know what it was doing to the women. They bought it because they thought it was romantic.


    But in reality, it was not. It was dangerous and harmful.

 Chapter 205: After A Long Time

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I was fine, even just a while ago. I started feeling weird after entering Dem''s study. My body started feeling hot. But it was not too much even then.


    After a while, it started growing. When Dem kissed me, it started growing even rapidly. It was like I needed him to touch me. But when he touched me and made me feel better, the feeling only got worse.


    "I want to tell you something. I know you are not feeling okay. But I need you to listen to me and understand," he said. "Can you do that for me?"


    "... Yeah..."


    "Someone gave you an aphrodisiac. It''s not a regr one. It''s not like the one that you took that night. This one ispletely different. This aphrodisiac is actually a forbidden one because it is dangerous to one''s health. It is made for women only and the effect will only wear off when her mate ejactes inside her.


    It sounds ridiculous, but it''s the truth," he said.


    I could not hear clearly what he was saying. It was like my senses were going numb. But I heard enough to get a glimpse of what he meant.


    "If I don''t do it, you have to suffer and there is a chance that you will get a chronic disease. I cannot let that happen to you. You know that, right? So, we have to..."


    "I understand. Just do it...," I said, holding his hands with both of my hands. "I just want this feeling to go away... So, please..."


    I touched the side of his neck gently. His skin was hot, or perhaps my hand was hotter- I could not understand. I trailed my fingers on his skin shallowly until they reached the cor of his shirt.


    He took a deep breath as if waiting to see what I was doing. I grabbed his cors with both of my hands and pulled him towards me. Our lips almost met, but I moved my head and kissed his neck instead. I licked and nibbled slightly while his grasp around my waist tightened.


    I needed him to do it as soon as possible, but I also wanted to touch him, tease him. But before I could do that, he suddenly pulled me back by my shoulders and started kissing me aggressively. If it was not for his hand around my waist, I would have fallen backward.


    "Mm..."


    He parted my legs very quickly as if he could not wait. I did not need to get ready any more, since I already was more than ready.


    "I can''t wait," he said with our heads pressed together as his lips left mine. "And I won''t be gentle."


    "It''s fine... Just... do it," I said, breathing heavily.


    He unbuckled while leaving little kisses all over my neck. Every kiss, every touch was making me crave more. They were making me greedier.


    He whispered something into my ear. But I could not hear him. My mind was going nk. In the midst of that void, I found him suddenly pushing his hips.


    "Ahh! Ha..."


    It had been a very long time. And I had taken an aphrodisiac somehow. Perhaps because of that, I felt like this time was different than all other times we did it.


    "Haa...," he groaned. It must be the same for him. After all, it was hard to hold back around each other when we loved each other that much.


    Just like he said, he was not gentle right from the beginning. His hips were moving like crazy. I could not control my moans at all. It was like I was getting just what I was waiting for.


    "Ah! Uh! Hnn..."


    He kissed the exposed part over my chest. He could not touch my chest since the dress had a sweetheart neckline and the fabric was a bit hard.


    "You shouldn''t have worn this dress today," he grumbled. "It''s not that you don''t look beautiful. You always look gorgeous. But I can''t touch your breasts..."


    He was talking as if he was truly sad about something like this. Well, I would have liked it if he touched me there as well, but I was not particrly sad about it.


    "Don''t talk like that... ah! Dem..."


    "Is it too fast?" he asked as he found me gasping badly.


    "No... Do it more... and drive me... out of my mind... I want all of you," I said.


    "Ha! My wife has gotten bolder," he smirked and mmed harder inside me. I felt like my body was tearing apart, but I did not want him to stop. I just wanted him to tear me apart, so he could sew me back together again. "You manage to surprise me a lot. But I like every part of you."


    "Ahh! Nngh... uh!"


    I wrapped my arms around his nape and hugged him tightly as if he was my bnce. His moves were far from gentle. I did not have anyints since I was the one asked for this. Well, he did not have the word ''gentle'' in his dictionary in the first ce. He had two options- rough or rougher?


    "You know, the door is unlocked," he said suddenly, chuckling.


    "Huh?"


    "And we are doing such a thing here, in my study. What if someonees in?"


    "No... C-Close the door... huh..."


    "But if I go to close the door, I have to pull it out, which means I have to stop. But now, you want me to fuck you hard and drive you out of your mind. You don''t want me to stop, do you?"


    "No, I don''t..."


    "Then how can I close the door?"


    "Ah... I-I don''t know... But... uh... do something..."


    "Do what?" he asked.


    He was surely enjoying this. But how could he be so calm, knowing that the door was open and we were having sex in his study? What if someone walked in? They could not hear what was going on since the room was soundproof. They would not know that we were doing it unless they walked in. There was a huge chance of it happening.


    It was true that he had an extraordinary hearing and could read people''s minds. He also could know if someone wasing in. But what if someone ran in here? Even if he had the time to warn me about it, how would we fix ourselves?


    Now I was truly getting anxious about someone walking in. What if Ava ran inside? I did not want to ruin her childhood.


    "Dem... The door... Ahh!"


    "Are you worried about that?" he asked.


    He was the one who always said that he did not want others to see me like this and only he could see me like this. But how could the same person be so carefree about this?


    "Yes... What if someone...?"


    "Then why don''t you pray that no onees in?"


    "But... I am... ah... not even religious... God won''t listen to me..."


    "Then it can''t be helped."


    "Don''t be so... uh! Not so suddenly...! It''s too fast...! Ah! Uhh!


    Dem, wait... uh! Hnn... Huh..."


    He grabbed me from the bottom and picked me up from the table. I held him even more tightly as he started pounding inside me from the bottom.


    "Dem... the door... Ah! Ahh! Please... uhh..."


    "You like it, don''t you?"


    "Yes, but..."


    "I think because the door is unlocked, you are even more aroused. Just look at you making such a lewd face," he smirked.


    "Don''t say things... like this... hnn... ahh... Dem..."


    "When you are like this, I can''t control myself. I held back a lot... It''s just too much torture."


    "I know... But at least... ah... close the freaking... door... I am worried..."


    "Don''t worry about that."


    "If you didn''t want me... to worry about that, then... ah... why would you tell me in the first ce? Now I can''t..."


    "If you can''t focus, I will dly make you," he said.


    It was not hard to understand what he meant, because he did not just say it, but rather showed it just in the proper way.


    I did not know when it ended, but by the time it did, I almost lost myself. It was just too intense and amazing. Sometimes, too good things could be dangerous.


    "I will take you to the bedroom," he said.


    "You are a bully... The door was open all the time... It... Anyone could havee in," I said.


    "But no one did," he said.


    "They could!"


    "No, no one could. You know, I can hear better than other werewolves since I am an Alpha. And I can alsomunicate with them using my mind. If someone came this way, I would have just told them not toe in," he said. "My wife, do you think I will let anyone else see you like this?"

 Chapter 206: Confronting Mother

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Sleep for a while," I said as I undressed her and ced her on the bed. I wrapped her in the nket.


    "But..."


    "But?"


    "I have to go to have tea with Evelyn in the afternoon," she said.


    "Really? It''s not an obligation, Blue! You don''t have to force yourself to do it," I said.


    "But nobledies do this. I mean, I heard it''s disrespectful to reject certain people''s invitations," she muttered.


    "I don''t fucking care if it''s disrespectful or not! Just do what you want to. You are the queen, after all. If you want me to, I will send a letter to Evelyn."


    "Then can you tell her yourself? I mean, sending a letter is a bit... when she is right in the pce."


    "... Alright," I sighed. "I will let her know myself. Then will you sleep now?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Not ''hmm''. Tell me clearly."


    "I will..."


    "Good. You need to sleep some. I will get the doctorter to check your body," I said.


    "I still don''t understand what the point of undressing me is..."


    "In this way, you can rest better. You can move better and freely. That dress looks like it''s hard to move in it."


    "It is a bit... But I could at least wear a nightgown or something..."


    "No need. It''s just me who wille in and perhaps your maid. So, you can rest asfortably as possible."


    "Okay..."


    She sighed and closed her eyes. I kissed her on the forehead and stood up. I closed the curtains so she could rest peacefully. Her cat meowed at me. She was in her bed that was ced right beside the window.


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Why was there blood on your face? Why were you angry? Can I know?"


    "... I killed someone."


    "... Who?"


    "My uncle," I replied.


    "Uncle Vector...," she mumbled. "What did he do?"


    "Hemitted a sin. I can''t forgive him in any way," I said. "Is it okay if I tell you all about itter? I have something to do now. I promise I will tell you after Ie back."


    "Uhm... Okay."


    I looked down at the cat once and turned away. The moment I opened the door a bit, she called my name gently.


    "Dem, it was my first time seeing you smoking. I don''t know why, but I felt strange. It''s not like I am against it since it''s your choice. But I was a bit scared for some reason," she mumbled. "Am I weird for getting scared seeing my husband smoking?"


    I wanted to say that she was not scared because she saw me smoking. Rather, she was scared because I was angry. I knew very well that she was frightened whenever she saw me angry. Was it because I looked scary when I was angry? Even I knew this. In the mirror, I looked like a demon.


    I wondered if I was the same in her eyes.


    "Sleep, darling. I will wake you up when Ie back," I said and went out without wasting any more time. If she had something else to say, I did not want to hear that. I was afraid that the next thing she was going to say would be the fact that I looked like a demon. It was fine if anyone else said that. But I did not want to hear it from her.


    She had lunch with Mother today. Even if it was Mother who fed her aphrodisiac, she would never do it at a time like this where she would be the first suspect.


    I went to meet the maids who served them. I did not ask them anything, rather walked around in a way they would not see me. Since they did not get my scent, it was quite easy.


    "Her Highness, the Queen eats very little, doesn''t she? I wonder if it''s to maintain her figure."


    "I heard Her Highness is sick. The cook says so as well. He has been trying so hard to please Her Highness."


    "Is it because Her Highness thinks the food is not good enough?"


    I nced once to see the maid''s face who said it so I could fire her. My wife was not eating little because she did not like the food. She always praised the cook and sent him letters often just to show gratitude. I had never seen anyone as humble as her. Though I never really understood the importance of being humble, I respected her opinions and behavior.


    She did not eat much which I suspected was because she did not have the habit. From what I had heard, she never got enough food and most of the time, she had to eat leftovers. Right now, she was the Queen and she got the best food possible. She could have anything she wanted. But she could not let go of her past habit. She was improving for sure, but it was a slow process.


    I was d that she was trying to let the past go. It was impossible to let it gopletely, but at the very least, she was trying.


    "No, that can''t be! Her Highness is very humble. She always treats everyone greatly. She is a lot better than the previous queen. Remember, the previous queen used to throw things at the maids. My mother was her maid.


    The previous queen pped my mother just because she was angry."


    It was not a surprise. Mother used to do that. It was true that now she was like a new person, but I always had a suspicion that she did not change; rather she was only using her brain more to manipte those around her.


    "It''s true... But shhh, don''t talk loudly like this. Anyone can hear you. It will be dangerous for you to live if someone hears you. Anyway, has Her Highness, the Queen finished her warm honey water?"


    "Yes. Her Highness finished it right after her lunch."


    "That''s good. Her throat hurts after all. I hope she gets better soon."


    ''Honey water? But her throat doesn''t hurt. Or she would have told me. I ask her every single time I see her, to make sure she is alright.''


    So, she had honey water for some reason after lunch. If it was her who ordered it, then there was no way Mother could put aphrodisiac in that drink unless she told someone else to do it. But this time, I felt like it was not Mother who did it. Perhaps someone else was trying to make it look like it was Mother.


    "But I don''t understand why Sally brought Her Highness''s drink rather than the cook. He was supposed to make it, right?"


    "I did not ask her anything since she is the previous queen''s maid. But it was weird."


    "It doesn''t matter, I guess. Her Highness and the previous queen have a great rtionship after all."


    I did not wait there anymore and stormed towards Mother''s room. Was I wrong to think that it might not be her?


    When I reached near her room, I found out that she was not in there. I did not get her scent there. So, I tried to concentrate and as soon as I got her scent, I headed that way.


    She was in the garden, taking a stroll. "Mother," I called.


    "Demetrius... Have youe to take a stroll as well?"


    "No," I said. "I havee to talk to you. Send your maids away."


    "... Alright," she nodded. "You all can go away. It seems my sweet child wants to chat with his mother."


    ''Sweet child? My ass!''


    "Should we talk over a cup of tea?" she asked, smiling.


    "No," I smiled bitterly. "None of us wants to have some broken cups right now, right? My wife told me not to hurt myself and go near sharp objects unnecessarily."


    Mother looked ufortable but maintained her smile. It was shocking to think how much practice she needed to be this good at faking a smile. It almost looked natural.


    "Let me get to the point. What did you mix in Blue''s drink?"


    "Mix in her drink? What drink? She didn''t drink wine."


    "I am not talking about wine. She drank warm honey water after lunch because her throat was hurting. What did you mix in it? No, precisely saying, what did you tell your maid to mix in it?"


    "My maid?"


    "Yes, do I have to help you recall her name as well now? Well then, her name is Sally. Do you remember something now?"


    "Why would I ask Sally to mix something to Blue''s drink? Blue is my lovely daughter-inw. I love her just as much as I love my daughter. Why would I do something like that?"


    ''That''s the problem. You love her as much as you love your daughter. But you don''t love your daughter at all.''

 Chapter 207: Confronting Mother (2)

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Mother, I don''t have any time to y," I said warningly. "If it was not your order, then why would your maid mix something to my wife''s drink? She is not a random person who is that maid''s enemy. She is the freaking Queen!"


    "I know she is your wife and everything and you love her a lot. But isn''t it just too much? You are behaving like only she is your family and no one else is. You are even ming your own Mother for her? It''s not like I hate Blue. I like her a lot.


    I want the best for her. But does she want you to behave like this too? I understand you love her more than any of us..."


    "No, you are wrong," I interrupted. "I love her and only her. I don''t care about anyone else. Tell me. Why should I care for you all? Who are you to me?"


    "What... Demetrius, I am your mother," she said as tears began to roll down her cheeks.


    "Mother? Haa! I wish you truly were... I would have loved you as my mother if you were not a mother who only gave birth to me. Just think about what you have done in the past. Have you ever loved me in the first ce?


    You were just too busy hating on Father. None of you deserved to be parents. Why would I love you when all you did in the past was ignore me? I had Father, you, and Evelyn in my family. Father never loved me or Evelyn. He only kept an eye on us to make sure we were worthy to be his heir.


    You never gave us your attention and even kept Evelyn and me separated saying that siblings should not grow up together because we might weaken ourselves if we got attached too much. Forget you and Father; did you ever give me a chance to at least grow close to my sister? Now, don''t your acts describe why I consider only my wife as my family?"


    "I know I have been an idiot in the past for god knows why, but it''s not true that I don''t love you. I love both Evelyn and you a lot. It''s true that I have hurt you in the past, but can''t you forgive me?"


    "Forgive?" I chuckled bitterly. "Don''t make meugh. Don''t ask me for forgiveness when you know that you are not worthy of it. If you behaved like that after I became an adult, I would not have behaved like this today. But you mistreated me since I was a child. Seriously, your asking for forgiveness sounds just too fake."


    "How can you talk like that to your mother? I haven''t taught you that!"


    "Pfft! My dear mother, you have never taught me anything in the first ce. You see, sometimes I wonder if it''s the reason I''m sick in the head."


    I wondered if Father was like me. He was called a tyrant. Well, I was called the same. He had a wife and I had a wife as well. But he slept with others as well. It was different for me since I only wanted my wife.


    I was oddly obsessed with her. It got to the point that there was no turning back for me. I only wanted her, I saw only her with my eyes and I liked to make sure that she was mine and mine only.


    Perhaps it was just me in my family who was like this. I was sick, I knew it. But I could not cure my problem. With each passing day, my obsession with my wife only grew. Sometimes, I wanted to tie her down and lock her up, so only I could see her and she could not run away.


    "Mother, I will ask two times only. Answer me. Why did you mix that thing in my wife''s drink?"


    "I don''t even know what was mixed in her drink," she said.


    "Aphrodisiac," I said. "The same aphrodisiac that I banned a few years ago. I wonder how you got that in hand. I remember destroying the factories."


    "Demetrius, I really have not done anything! What do you want me to say now? I am telling you the truth!"


    "What''s the point of this, Demetrius?" Evelyn asked.


    She was taking a walk as well with her daughter and husband. "Why are you yelling right here? There are far too many ears. You want everyone to know about the things going on inside our family?"


    "Mother, I am telling you. Don''t make me angrier!" I said, ignoring her.


    There was no one around here. The ce where we were was only avable for the Royal family members. How could someone else be here except the gardener?


    "I told you I haven''t done this!" Mother cried. "Look, Evelyn. Just hear what your brother is saying... He is using me of giving Blue the forbidden aphrodisiac!"


    "What is apro... apro...?" Ava asked her father.


    "The forbidden aphrodisiac? Isn''t it really harmful that can cause chronic disease if their mates don''t finish inside them?"


    "Don''t say such things aloud!" Merrick eximed. He had always been the shy type, kind of like my wife. Since Evelyn was my sister, it was not hard to understand that she was the aggressive type like me. "Ava is here too!"


    "She doesn''t understand," Evelyn chuckled. "You are saying this because you are shy."


    "I am not!" he eximed, turning bright red.


    "Stop this act, really!" I sighed.


    "Yeah, right... But why would Mother do that? And is Blue okay now? When did it happen?" Evelyn asked.


    "It happened right after lunch. She went to my office and I found out about it. I took care of it. But she doesn''t know who gave her that."


    "And she had lunch with Mother today," Evelyn said.


    "Is Blue sick?" Ava asked.


    "She is okay now," Merrick replied to his daughter in a low voice. "You don''t have to worry."


    "But how are you so sure that Mother did it?" Evelyn asked me.


    There were a lot of things that they did not know. They were secrets. I could not tell them that. But if they knew, they would think the same.


    I nced at her and started for a while. She stared back and nodded after a while. She knew what kind of person Mother was. Both of us knew this from our childhood. Even though she did not know the whole thing, she was not someone to believe Mother. Perhaps she did not hate her as much as I did, she did not like her as well.


    "I will interrogate the maid named Sally. Mother, you should not live in the main pce anymore. Take one of the side pces and take your maids there."


    "How can you do that to me? To your own mother? Is that why I gave birth to you?"


    "Father made me because he wanted someone with ck eyes. He knew ck-eyed werewolves were like demons. Well, now I am a demon. I fulfilled what Father wanted. I guess you are right. This is why you gave birth to me," Iughed.


    "Mother, it''s better not to make a scene here. Even if you did not do it, you should stay at a side pce," Evelyn said. "It''s better this way. We will move to a side pce as well."


    Evelyn was trying to smooth this matter as quickly as possible. It would not be a bad thing if they moved to a side pce as well. After all, that was how everything was supposed to be.


    "You all are crazy! Well then, I will leave! Is that what you all want?"


    "Yeah...," I gave a nod. "I don''t know what others want. But that''s what I want."


    Mother left hurriedly, crying continuously. I did not feel anything, no remorse, nothing. I never felt anything when others were crying. But it was not the same for my wife. I hated her tears. I did not like to see them.


    But sometimes, I was d that she would shed tears in front of me since it showed that she could show her real self to me.


    "Ugh, fuck it! Everything is so fucking messy!" Evelyn grumbled.


    "Stop cursing in front of a child," I said.


    "Eh? Since when did you start to be careful while cursing?"


    "He is right, Eve. Ava is here," Merrick said.


    It was not like I was like this forever. I cursed a lot without caring who was near. But my wife told me not to curse in front of kids. Well, I could not just ignore her words, right?

 Chapter 208: The Talk About What Happened

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Wake up, sweetheart, and drink this medicine."


    "My butt hurts...," I mumbled.


    "... It must be because you were sitting on top of the table... That position surely was notfortable for you."


    "Dem...?"


    "What? You didn''t even notice it was me?"


    "Ah, I thought..."


    Usually, it was Ruby who woke me up these days. So, I did not expect it to be him. I hadpletely forgotten that he had told me that he would wake me up when he woulde back.


    "What''s this medicine?" I asked, taking a little Chianti-shaped ss bottle from him.


    "The doctor checked you up when you were sleeping. He said everything is alright, but you will feel better if you take this medicine."


    The moment I opened the lid, a medicine-type odor spread throughout the room. "Ehh, the smell is not the best..."


    "Not the best? It''s the worst smell ever," he grumbled. "Are you sure you can drink that? Or should I tell the doctor to change it or something?"


    "No, it''s fine. I will manage," I mumbled.


    I closed my eyes and pressed my nose with one hand as I quickly drank the whole thing in one go. The taste was terrible as well.


    "Yuck!"


    "You did well," he said as he took the bottle for me and patted my head. "I don''t even need to taste it to know how bad its taste is. But you really did amazing."


    "You are talking as if I have aplished something great," I muttered.


    He chuckled and hugged me. His hand around my waist shook a bit. Even though he was trying not to show it, it was clear that he had got a big scare. He pulled back after a while and cupped my face in his palms.


    "Baby, will you tell me everything that happened today? I want to hear every single thing," he said.


    So, he had not found the person who fed me an aphrodisiac yet.


    "I went to practice this morning when you woke me up. Then I practiced for three hours and a few minutes more I guess. Then I came back and bathed. Sapphire is sick. So, I wanted to take her to Doctor Bernard."


    "You went to Doctor Bernard today?"


    "Hmm... Ruby wanted to take her there, but I said I will do it."


    "Why do you have to do it? Your maids are there for a reason."


    "But Sapphire might get scared, so I thought... It''s not wrong, right?"


    "... It''s not wrong, I just... It''s nothing. Continue."


    "Then I heard that Ava was crying because she wanted to meet me."


    "Yes, she came to me and asked to meet you. But I told her no and said that you were sick. Then she said something which I did not understand since her words are not that clear."


    "Her words are clearer than kids her age. Anyway, hearing that, I decided to go meet Ava. I thought she might be too sad. If I knew, I would have met her earlier. After going to her room, I found out that she refused breakfast as well."


    "She did that? Well, isn''t it too extreme?"


    "She is just a kid! I spent some time with her, made her have her breakfast, and then went to Doctor Bernard. She went with me as well."


    "When did youe back?"


    "What are you nning to do about the pregnancy thing? I mean, we have done it. I can get pregnant... I can''t even take the medicine."


    "Answer me first."


    "If I want to answer you, you need to tell me this first," I said.


    "... Why?"


    "Please tell me."


    "Ha, alright," he sighed. "Doctor Dimitri made a medicine exclusively for you. I have told him a long time ago. He had been working on that this whole time. He thinks it will work without doing any harm to you. But we are not sure.


    So, awakening your power is very important. It perhaps will be very hard to find someone who can awaken your powerpletely. So, I am nning on talking to Luc so he can bring the duke of Ataraxia here so he can at least awaken just a bit of your power so you can take pregnancy preventing pills."


    "Have you talked to Luc?"


    "No, I will after a while," he said.


    "You don''t have to."


    "You went to Luc after meeting with Doctor Bernard?"


    "Uh-huh," I gave a nod. "I said the same thing you said just now."


    "Why would you do that? Because you were desperate?"


    "... I was..."


    "..."


    I looked down on myp, blushing furiously. "It''s the truth," I mumbled. "I missed you so much, I did not want to spend my days without touching my own husband. It was suffocating."


    "You actually did this because the full moon is near, didn''t you?" he asked.


    "It''s the main reason. But I wanted to do it with you as well," I said. "I don''t know if I am being indecent or something, but I truly wanted to... feel you."


    He fisted his hands and gave me a peck on the lips. His body was stiff as if he was controlling himself.


    "If we can have your power awakened a bit, I will make sure to satisfy you fully. I can''t keep my wife hungry for anything, can I?"


    "... Even if my power is not awakened, you will spend the full moon night with me without being stubborn," I said.


    "We will talk about itter."


    "Dem..."


    "Later. Let''s focus on the present for now."


    He was avoiding it again. I did not want to tell him that Luc and I nned to awaken my power. But Dem wanted to talk to Luc about the same thing as well. If he went to Luc, he would find out about what Luc and I were nning. I thought it was better to tell him myself about it rather than him finding out about it by reading Luc''s mind since Luc would not tell him about our n.


    "What did you do after talking to Luc?" he asked.


    "I came back and sent Ava to her room, then went to take a shower. After that, it was lunchtime. I had lunch with Mother."


    "What happened during lunch?"


    "We ate and talked a bit. I could not eat much. So, she asked if the food was not okay. I lied that my throat hurt."


    "So, that''s why you said that... I knew that your throat was not hurting, so I was surprised when Mother told me this."


    "Mother? You went to meet Mother?"


    "Tell me what else happened first."


    "Well, after that, she suggested that I should have some tea. But I refused, saying that I have tea twice a day only. Then she told me that some warm honey water will be good for my throat. I had to have some warm honey water since she was telling me so much. Then, I decided to see if you havee back. I mean, I wanted to see you a lil bit...


    The beta wasing out of your study. He told me that you were inside after I asked him and said that... you were in a foul mood," I said. "I thought it would be best not to visit you then since most people did not like other people near him when they were angry. I wanted to give you some time. But I heard a loud noise all of a sudden.


    I thought you were hurt, so I quickly went in. Then I saw you like that..."


    "I was a bit angry," he muttered.


    "Why?"


    "I will tell you this after you finish."


    "Okay then... Well, you know what happened next. I bandaged your hand, at least, tried to. And you suddenly... did that..."


    "Kissed you?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Then you started feeling weird?"


    "Yeah. I was surprised. I was fine even just a while ago. But after I went into your room, I started feeling like my body was heating up. I did not think anything of it. I mean, I thought it was just a fever.


    But then, it started getting worse."


    "Do you remember what I said that time?"


    "About the banned aphrodisiac? Yeah, I do," I said. "It is hazardous to one''s health. It is only intended for females, and the effect will wear off when her mate ejactes inside her. It sounds funny, but dangerous."


    "That''s because it is," he said firmly. "It''s just something that should never have been made. That''s why I banned it. But someone got it somehow and mixed it in your drink."


    "In my drink? You mean the honey water?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "I questioned the maid who gave your drink to the maids who served you lunch."


    "Didn''t the cook make it?"


    "He did. But there was water on the floor and he tripped and fell, hurting his leg badly. That maid came forward and offered to make the honey water instead of him."

 Chapter 209: The Talk About What Happened (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "The maid''s name is Sally," he said. "She is Mother''s maid. I heard other maids talking and found out that she was the one who made honey water and handed it to the other maid. When I asked her what happened, first she gave this weird excuse. She said that the cook slipped and fell since some water was on the floor for some unknown reason. And then she made the honey water to help him.


    Well, she can''t even lie well. When I started asking her more, she suddenly started acting weird, like moving her head and body strangely, screaming for no reason, and then..."


    "Then?"


    "She died."


    "Eh?"


    "She died," he repeated. "That''s what happened. "Ridiculous, ain''t it?"


    "She died? Just like that? I mean, there should be a limit to ridiculous things too, right? But what''s this? Did you make the doctor check her up?"


    "The new Imperial Doctor checked her up. He said nothing is wrong with her. She died because her heart stopped."


    "For no reason?"


    "That''s what the doctor said."


    "I sent a word to Luc as well. He is probably already there to check her dead body. He can see if any magic had been used. You see, if someone uses magic, traces of mana remain in the air. He can know since he is a mage. I came here with your doctor so he could check you, so I could not be there."


    ''You always do that. For me, you leave everything behind. What kind of king would leave his duty just to be with his wife?''


    "You know, you can go there..."


    "I don''t want to. Luc will just write a report to me," he said.


    "But I am fine now."


    "Can''t I be with you?"


    "It''s not like that. I just don''t think it is right to prioritize me all the time, even above your duties as a king."


    "My wife, how many times do I have to tell you this?" he mumbled, rubbing the side of my neck. "I don''t care about anything or anyone else other than you. It''s just you, only you. My duty as a king is nothingpared to my duty as a husband. I like to prioritize my wife more than anything else. You don''t have to feel guilty since it''s my choice."


    His hand felt cold against my skin. His words were not that warm either. In his mind, it was just me. But the way he said it was a bit scary. His voice was cold whenever he talked like that, making me tremble.


    I was wearing a thin gown. Perhaps Ruby put it on me when the doctor came to check me. I was so deeply asleep that I did not even notice. After marrying Dem, my sleep had oddly be deep. Before, I would wake up at the slightest noise. But now, I did not even wake up when someone put a dress on me.


    "What are you thinking?" he asked.


    "... Why do you think that something was in the drink and not in the food?"


    "If Mother did that, she would not mix something in the food. She is not an idiot. Actually, I think that Mother did not do it. But someone else is trying to make it look this way. It''s not that I trust Mother. She is still someone we need to be shady with, but this time, I have a feeling that it''s not her."


    "Yes, I think so too. I mean, why would she do it like this when she will clearly be the first suspicion?" I said. "But I can''t think of anyone else who can do this."


    "Yes, me too. Let''s see Luc''s report. Then perhaps we will find out something."


    "By the way, what did you say to Mother?"


    "Nothing much, I just had a heart-to-heart talk with her," he chuckled bitterly.


    ''Heart to heart talk? Did you yell at her?''


    Judging Dem''s character, it was not impossible. But I was worried that he went overboard. What if we found out that Mother never did anything like this? Even though Dem would not feel anything about it, Mother would be sad. I was in the same boat as him with the decision of not trusting Mother, but I did not want to be rude to her without knowing the truth. It was just not right.


    I would not feel good if my child behaved like that with me. Mother must be the same. But it was impossible to reason with Dem. He just did not care.


    "I sent her to a side pce. Evelyn said her family was going to move to a side pce as well. It''s for the best. I should have done it sooner. That''s how things are supposed to be anyway," he said.


    "Mother agreed?"


    "Yes," he gave a nod. "It wasn''t a suggestion, my darling wife. It was an order of the king."


    ''Giving an order to his own mother? I... have no idea how to feel about this.''


    "But Dem..."


    "It''s done. I am not doing otherwise," he said, cutting me off.


    "I see..."


    It was always like this. I could not change him much. He sometimes behaved as if he would listen to anything I would say. It was true that he listened to my requests and words, but there were some particr ces where he only listened to himself and did things his own way.


    Or how could he kill his own uncle just like that? He also talked about it as if he had killed a bug that had been disturbing him.


    "Will... will you tell me now what happened? Why were you angry? And about your... uncle?"


    "... You really want to know?" he asked and I nodded quickly. "I guess I have no choice but to tell you."


    "Today, I needed to go to the duke because that punk said he got someone for me. I thought it was one of his useless works since thest time he called me like this, he showed me the bastard who was behind the women selling incident."


    "He did a good job though... Why are you mad at him?"


    "He left him for me to kill. I clearly told him to take care of that piece of shit himself," he grumbled though I did not know what was there to be angry about. "I thought he has done something like that this time as well. But after I went there, I found out that it was my dear uncle."


    "Uncle? The duke caught him?"


    "Yes. That bastard uncle of mine was keeping an eye on you with the help of a mage! Well, he wanted to take revenge for his son''s death. But this guy is a pervert as well just like my father! Those two fucking assholes... He is married for god''s sake!


    And married or not, it''s not okay to stalk someone, really!"


    Dem had a questionable personality with some questionable characteristics. But even so, he had some principles that he always followed. One of them was- he did not like to stalk someone if it was not for work. He even hated those who stalked others because they were obsessed with them or liked them.


    "What do you mean by ''kept an eye on me''? It''s not like I do anything that can help him..."


    "He watched you doing everything. What I mean is, he even watched you having a shower, naked... He was telling me about it like a fucking creep!"


    "What...? Ew! That''s gross!" I eximed in disgust.


    I knew that Uncle Vector was not a good person. But I did not think he was like this. Well, perhaps I should have understood this after seeing his son''s personality.


    ''The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree after all.''


    It was clear why Dem killed him. He said countless times when we were doing it that he did not want anyone else to see me like this and would never let me be with someone else other than him. I did not have to ask him anymore why he did it and why he was in a bad mood.


    I sighed and looked away. He leaned his head on my chest and hugged me. He liked to do it a lot.


    "Are you scared of me?" he asked.


    "... I don''t know."


    No matter how much I tried, I always got scared whenever I saw him angry. It was mostly because of the cold look in his ck eyes. They made me shiver for some reason even if the anger was not directed at me.


    "I won''t hurt you. No matter what I do with others, you are someone who I will never hurt. You are my precious wife after all."

 Chapter 210: Cant Let It Go

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Our tonight''s date was canceled. Dem said it was good for me to stay in my room and rest. I insisted, but he did not listen just like always.


    I started to review some documents in the meantime. Dem had gone out for a while, perhaps to meet Luc. He said something, but Sapphire was meowing too much so I could not focus.


    "Your Highness, shouldn''t you take some rest?" Ruby said. "You have been working for three hours now."


    "Dem works six to seven hours at a stretch. And I only worked for three hours," I said.


    "His Highness has got ustomed to it. But Your Highness should take things slow," she pointed out.


    "Ruby, go out and y."


    "Your Highness is not listening to me."


    "Why don''t you stop bothering me and think about what you are gonna say to Luc? You have to give him an answer, right? You can''t make him wait too much. It''s not okay for him," I said.


    "That''s true..."


    "Then go out and think about it in your room."


    "Your Highness has to promise me not to push yourself," she urged.


    "Ha, alright," I sighed. "I promise. Now go."


    Ruby left after nagging a bit more. She was more like a friend at this point. I sometimes wished she could call me by my name like a friend. But I could not give her that right, even if I wanted to. It was because there was a boundary that a Queen could not cross.


    I was d that at least Luc could call me by my name. He even called Demetrius by his name. It was perhaps not just because he was our friend; rather he was in the same position as us. We were the king and the queen, while he was the master of the magic tower. They were equal.


    Sapphire was on my chest, ything with her paw. She was surprisingly feeling a lot better after I fed her the medicine and some water in the afternoon. If her recovery was this quick, then I would not have to worry anymore.


    "You also like to rub your face against my chest, huh?" I muttered, stroking her furs. "You know, your daddy likes it too. I don''t know why, but he says that it calms him down. Is it the same for you?"


    "Would my child also like it if it was born?"


    ''Haa, again! Why? Why can''t I just let it go? Every single time, I remember that face from my dream... and my whole body stops... I can''t breathe...


    I feel guilty! Dem told me it''s not my fault and I should not feel guilty, but I can''t help it. If only I was a bit more careful...''


    "My heart hurts... You know, Sapphire, this time I truly wish that if only I could turn back time, I would definitely save my child. I did not want to be a mother this quickly, but I hated losing my little baby. I just... sound so crazy, huh?"


    "Let''s stop thinking about these things. My baby will feel bad if I am sad, so... It''s hard to be happy these days, but I will try."


    Sapphire meowed and pressed her paw on my face. Sometimes, I had the feeling that she understood every single word I was saying.


    "Are youforting me, little Sapphy? That''s so sweet of you...," I smiled, stroking behind her ear.


    Now that I thought about it, Sapphire never actually scratched me, not even once. It was kind of impossible to even think about because every cat owner was scratched or bitten at least once by their cat.


    Sapphire was a very calm cat. At least, that was how she was with me. But she had scratched Ruby whenever she was mad and bit Perita a lot of times. She even scratched Luc when he tried to hold her once. He never tried to touch her again. She also scratched Dem once, but that scratch was very littlepared to what she did to others.


    Dem wanted to throw her out of the window, but he stopped because of me.


    But strangely, all these things happened when I was not near. I had never seen her biting or scratching anyone. She was kind of well behaved in front of me.


    "Sapphire, even though no oneins other than Demetrius and Luc, you still have to behave. You bit Doctor Dimitri and Perita. Then you scratched Ruby and Luc. You also scratched Demetrius a bit when he tried to get you off his chest. Just because you are cute, you can''t get away with everything. What will others say if you keep misbehaving?


    That the Queen''s cat is always misbehaving? How will I feel then? You have to behave yourself and if you don''t, I won''t let you in my room anymore, okay?"


    Sapphire nudged against my chest again. I did not know if she understood me or not. She was just a cat after all. But treating her like a child had been a regr thing for me.


    It was like I was looking for someone in her.


    "I wonder when Dem wille back. I wish he isn''t doing anything crazy again," I muttered to myself.


    He was cruel and merciless. To him, killing was the same as cleaning. I heard these kinds of things so much that they did not feel strange anymore even though it was scary. I wished he did not behave like that and tried to be a bit normal. But these days, I started to understand that asking him to be normal was like asking a lion to pet a calf.


    Although he was very rude to others and did not care about anyone, he was not like that with me. He rarely got angry at me and yelled at me. But when he was angry, it was frightening. It was like my whole body would freeze up. And when he yelled, it was even scarier.


    But I loved him. It was stupid of me to fall for someone like him who was like a walking red g. It was not like I could help it. I tried not to because I did not want to get hurt. But in the end, I fell into the trap that I wanted to avoid so much.


    I tried to focus on the documents again. The number of fields that I took care of increased. It was going to increase more and more. If I said it was not tiring, it would be a huge lie. Dem said that if I did not want to, I did not have to do anything. But in that case, he would have to do everything.


    He did not mention it, but it was obvious. I did not want him to work only. So, I decided to take care of as many things as I could.


    I needed an office now as well. Dem offered me to use his office temporarily, but I refused. I was sure that I would not be able to work even just a bit if I was in the same room with him.


    My office was going to be the room in the opposite direction of Dem''s office. It was a bit far, but that room was the best one. It was just as huge as Dem''s office. Dem even hired a designer to decorate my office as well. It was supposed to be done within this week.


    "Ugh, my back hurts," I grumbled, stretching. "It must be because I have been sitting like this for four hours now."


    Sapphire liked to stay with me, unlike other cats that did not like to snuggle with a person for too long. She liked to lie on my chest or rub her face against me. I did not find it annoying. It was a warm andforting feeling.


    I stood up, cing the papers carefully on the bed while taking Sapphire in my arms. I ced her on my shoulder and stretched my back. My whole body was kind of sore. It was not just because I was sitting for too long, but also because of what I did with Dem in his study.


    I paced around the room a bit and then went to the balcony. The cold air felt very fresh and calming.


    "You like the sky too, don''t you? That''s why you like it when the window is open just like me," I said, rubbing my face against Sapphire who was on my right shoulder.


    The sky was clear. The bluish-ck color of the night sky looked as beautiful as always. I liked this color a lot. It was oddly satisfying.


    How long had it been that no one raised their hand on me? It had been perhaps a bit more than four months. After that night when I was rescued and tied down at the same time, everything had been different.

 Chapter 211: A Strange Voice Again

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ah, Dem... He looks even more handsome when he walks, huh? Well, he always looks just too handsome," I muttered as I saw Dem walking in the garden.


    He wasing back from the magic tower it seemed. I was on the balcony with Sapphire. My back was hurting, so I wanted to move a bit.


    I thought Dem did not notice me, but he suddenly looked up. It seemed very natural when he did that as if he was used to it. Was it his habit to nce at the balcony every time he passed by?


    I smiled and waved at him. He smiled back at me. He looked so handsome that I blushed almost immediately.


    Dem had a great sense of style. He styled his own outfits and they were just fabulous. He had his ears pierced from several ces and wore usually two earrings. After seeing my husband looking so great with his ears pierced like that, I had been a fan of this. He almost always wore hand gloves. It was because everything was disgusting, ording to him.


    He also wore several rings on his fingers. His attire was always ck. It was not just because the royal color of Querencia was ck and golden, but also because it was his personal preference.


    I did not know much about styles. I, at least, did not have any practical knowledge. All I knew were the things that I learned from books.


    "Who are you looking at? Your husband?" a voice as cold as ice, suddenly asked me.


    "Who?"


    I looked around quickly to see who it was. But I could not see anyone. Sapphire looked tense as well. Did she hear the voice as well?


    "Is he really your husband? Or someone who has kept you his captive? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with him? If I ask you this, you will say yes, won''t you? But think about what your heart truly wants. Is this what you want?


    Or do you want to fly in the sky?"


    ''Fly in the sky? Are you asking if I want to be free? Eh...? Why am I thinking about what this weird voice is asking me? Am I crazy?''


    "I know what you want deep inside. You just need to realize that yourself. When you make up your mind, I will be here, lending you a helping hand. I will make you wings so you can fly freely."


    "Who are you?" I asked, looking around continuously.


    But there was no answer. A hand suddenly grabbed me from around the waist. I jumped up in surprise as well as Sapphire.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Dem! It''s you!" I gasped while bncing Sapphire in my arms since she was about to fall because of my sudden movement.


    "You looked like you were scared," he said. "So, I came quickly. You didn''t even notice meing here. And you look so pale. What''s wrong, sweetie?"


    "A voice... I heard a voice..."


    "Like thest time? Was it your father?"


    "I don''t know... Perhaps it was. The voice was a bit... heavy and kinda... I don''t know how to describe it. It was strange and hard to recognize."


    "What did the voice say?"


    ''What did the voice say? I... Should I tell him this? For some reason, I feel like I should not...''


    "... Strange things. You know, just saying that I need to do this and that, and this is what I really want... Stuff like that, you know. I don''t think we have to worry about things like that."


    He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why? Why are you hiding it from me?"


    I looked away, rubbing my fingers over his shirt. "... It''s alright. I am fine the way everything is. I don''t need to see the sky. It''s fine, it truly is.


    I really don''t need wings."


    It was something I always told myself, ignoring the words of my heart that sometimes reminded me that even someone like me wanted to spread wings and fly in the sky, and taste freedom.


    He suddenly hugged me tightly. Sapphire jumped from my arms on the floor. His embrace was very tight as if he did not want to let me go. He did not ask me about anything else. But his action showed everything. He did not have to ask me to know what that voice told me.


    His tight embrace made it clear that he was never letting me go; no matter what, I needed to be with him.


    "Dem, you had already reserved the restaurant for us, right?" I asked.


    He had not let go of me yet. I did not try either. He had abandonment issues, mostly because he did not have anyone who loved him before. So, I wanted him to feelfortable and rxed. I did not want to worry him.


    "I did," he replied after a while.


    "Then is it okay for us to not go there? I mean, the reservation there is kind of expensive," I said.


    We were the King and the Queen, so we had a lot of money. But I still had not gotten used to spending it as I pleased. It was because I had almost no money even a few months ago. I could not eat or buy anything. Now whenever I would see Dem spending too much money, for some reason, I would get anxious.


    "It doesn''t matter. We will just go there some time else," he said. "And money is not a fact. I have lots."


    "Hmm..."


    "This balcony is like a cursed ce. I mean, just think about it- you heard that fucking voice twice. And both of the times were when you were on the balcony," he said.


    "It''s just a coincidence. Don''t get so worked up," I said.


    He had finally pulled back from the long hug. "I don''t think anything is a coincidence anymore. A great example is our life. At first, we thought that I fell in love with a freaking minor a long time ago and that''s why I married youter. It was kind of a coincidence; at least that was what we thought.


    But now, the truth is I fell for you after our marriage and that meeting of ours was nned by others. There is nothing called coincidence anymore."


    "I suppose you are right on that point. But this time, I truly think it''s a coincidence. Luc can block dark magic and because of that, that mage, whoever that is, can''t contact me when I am inside. It''s not that, you know it too."


    He did not say anything. He took a look around and then at Sapphire who was chewing on something from the floor.


    "When I came, the cat had the same expression as you. It was like she felt or heard something strange just like you," he said.


    "Ah, you noticed it too... Actually, when the voice started talking, Sapphire started turning her head around as well. She must have heard the voice because she looked very anxious and kept ncing around."


    "But how can a cat hear it? It was supposed to be for you," he said.


    "Should I send a letter to Luc?"


    "That silver punk again... Well, we don''t have a choice. He knows the stuff rted to magic. We can''t read that, you know. Only those born with mana can read the magical books," he said. "But I wish I could so you won''t have to go to that punk to know about these kinds of things."


    "Then it''s a good thing that he is our friend. We don''t have to visit him formally as a King or a Queen visiting the master of the magic tower," I said. "We can just visit him whenever we want to with a short notice or no notice at all."


    "That''s a bit true..."


    "A bit? That''s the truth! Really...! Why is it hard for you to say that he is your friend?"


    "... He is actually, but..."


    "But?"


    "But if I say that he is my friend, then he would grin like a fool and that pisses me off!"


    ''Just because of that? Is that even a reason?''


    Perhaps that was how friendship worked. I never had a friend before, so I did not. At least, Dem could get the taste of having a friend since childhood whom he could depend on and talk freely to even though he would never admit it. Now I had friends as well, especially Luc and Ruby were very close to me. Perita was close to me as well, but not as much as them.


    It was another reason that I wanted Luc and Ruby to marry. It would be great if Luc also fell for Ruby. Then we could get even closer.

 Chapter 212: The Problem

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    The room was dark. Only a candle was burning on a table. The ce was not familiar. But it had a smell that I found very used to. I was sitting on a bed, shirtless.


    "Were you waiting for too long?"


    Hearing the sweet voice, I turned around. A beautiful woman stood there, wearing a short silk nightgown. I gaped at the woman who I loved more than anything or anyone else. That face, those blue eyes- they were enthralling.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look... bad?" she mumbled worriedly, looking down at her body shyly.


    I chuckled and got down from the bed. I did not care where we were, or how we came here. The only thing that mattered was what was in front of me. I could not possibly let the moment go when my beautiful wife was standing in front of me, inviting me to devour her.


    I pulled her arm and she tumbled over me. I kissed her on the neck while touching her waist lightly.


    "You are really beautiful," I said. "It looks like you keep glowing every day."


    She pouted and looked at me, cing her hands on my shoulders. "You keep saying that. But it''s actually a lie, isn''t it? I look the same. I look at myself every day in the mirror."


    ''Haa, if only you could see what I see...''


    "The way I look at you- doesn''t it answer your question? In my eyes, you are the most beautiful person, both inside and out," I said.


    "Hm... Is that so?"


    "Yes... But I don''t understand one thing."


    "What?"


    "Why are you tempting me? If you keep doing that, I won''t be able to hold myself back," I said. "But we can''t do it. That one time before was an emergency. Until your power is awakened, we should not do it."


    "But... my power is awakened," she said. "He awakened my power..."


    "What? What are you talking about? Who awakened your power?" I asked, dumbfounded.


    "Um... I can''t tell you anymore."


    "What? Don''t stop in the middle!"


    She shook her head and suddenly kissed me. I still got surprised every time she was the one to start the kiss. My mind became clouded and I forgot the fact that I needed to know something from her. Rather, I started kissing her with the same might like her, if not more.


    She had the power to control me, to drive my mind somewhere else just by touching me. She was dangerous to me and she was someone who I did not want to let go of no matter what.


    "You..."


    "I want to touch you," she said.


    Without waiting for my reply, she bent in front of me. She unzipped my pants slowly and took it out. She looked more confident than before. I liked that look in her eyes. It was filled with shyness and confidence at the same time.


    Suddenly there was a ck smoke around her. It was like the smoke was surrounding both of us.


    She nced up at me and smiled as if she was in pain. "I tried to... please you... so you won''t hate me."


    "Hate you? Why would I hate you?"


    "This... It shows what I truly am... This power- it''s too much and dangerous and more importantly, I can''t control it yet... What if I end up hurting everyone?"


    "Darling..."


    "I just... wanted to love you and live with you. But I can''t..."


    "What do you mean you can''t? You have to stay with me!" I yelled.


    The next thing I knew, I was on a bed again. But this time, it was our bed in the bedroom. My wife was sleeping beside me with her arms and legs on me.


    It was almost morning. Because I sat all of a sudden, my head was hurting. It was a dream. But what kind of weird dream was that?


    ''Why would I ever hate my wife? It doesn''t matter if her power is awakened or not, I will always love her. And it doesn''t matter what she bes after awakening her power. She will always remain my wife, my Blue...''


    That was one thing, but there was another problem now. I looked at the front directly at the problem that I needed to take care of now.


    "Why? Why now? Because she touched me a little in the dream, I got... Shit!"


    It was not the first time she touched me in my dream. I had all sorts of lewd dreams about her. I always managed to slip out of the bed and go to the bathroom to take care of it. But this time, she was hugging me a bit too tightly. If I moved a little, she would wake up and see me in this state.


    "Mm..."


    "Shit!"


    "Dem... Why are you not... sleeping?"


    ''I didn''t even have to move much to wake her up...''


    "Don''t worry about me. You can go to sleep," I said.


    "But why are you sitting...?" she mumbled and moved her leg. "What...? Why is it...?"


    ''Now she has seen it!''


    She nced up at me, confused. "Why...? I mean, out of nowhere? It''s not like... Does it happen for no reason?"


    "It''s because of you," I said.


    "Me? But I didn''t even... I was only sleeping. I can assure you I did not touch you when you were sleeping. I am not that kind of person," she said.


    "I know. I wouldn''t touch you when you are sleeping as well. It''s not like I would mind if you touch me even when I am sleeping though. But it did not happen because you touched me."


    "Then?"


    "You were in my dream, doing lewd things. I could not help but get excited?"


    "In your dream? You were dreaming of us doing it?"


    "Yes, this and that... You were very lewd and were eating me up. I could not even move."


    ''It''s not fully true, but it''s not a lie either. She initiated it, but she is not someone to take control, and more importantly, I like to take control and drive her crazy because that drives me crazy as well.''


    "No, I did not!"


    "How do you know that? I am the victim here... Look at my state now. I am in pain..."


    "Uh... What should I do then?"


    "What do you think?" I smirked.


    She gulped and sat. She nced at me shyly and then looked down at the real problem. Taking a deep breath, she climbed on my legs.


    "Then I will try my best," she said.


    ***


    The start of the day was great. It indicated that I was going to have a good day. But that dream made me a bit uneasy.


    I was not the type of person to fret over a simple dream since dreams were not real in the first ce. But this time, I took some time to think about it. Would she truly want to leave me just because she thought I would not want her after she awakened her power?


    If it was true, then it made one thing very clear- she did not think that I wanted her for power and believed mepletely that I wanted her because I loved her. Because of that, she also thought that I would hate her because very powerful dark mages werepared to monsters and heinous creatures.


    It was true that I did not want her for power and loved her. But that did not mean, I would hate her just because she was a very powerful dark mage. I would always want her no matter what.


    I put on my long ck coat and got ready for work. She was lying in the bed on her stomach, half asleep.


    "Babe?"


    "Hmm?"


    "If you go somewhere or decide to go somewhere, let me know first, okay?" I said.


    "Hm... okay," she mumbled, without opening her eyes.


    It did not seem like she heard entirely what I said. So, I wrote the same thing on a piece of paper and left it on the bedside table.


    After having that dream, my fear of her leaving me seemed to have increased. What if she suddenly disappeared?


    I never followed her or assigned someone to follow her every move since it was disgusting to even think about. But what if she took the opportunity to leave me? Or what if someone tried to lure her and get her to leave me just like that voice tried the previous day?


    She kept saying that she would not leave me and she did not need any freedom. But I knew that deep down, it was not the case. What if she realized it someday?


    I could not let her do that. I would shower her with love as much as I could and give her everything she needed and did not need so she would never even think of leaving me.

 Chapter 213: Transferring Black Mana Inside The Cat

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Perita escorted me to Luc''s magic tower. I had sent a letter to Dem saying that I was going to go to Luc.


    "Perita, what happened to your face?" I asked, touching the side of her cheek where there was a huge cut. She had put a band-aid on it. The band-aid was transparent, so the cut was clear.


    "I got it while practicing," she said.


    "Doesn''t it hurt?"


    "Well, a bit... But it will heal soon. Your Highness does not have to worry about it," she grinned.


    ''The cut is pretty deep...''


    "I heard that the cut caused by silver doesn''t heal. Is that true?" I asked after a while.


    "Yes," she nodded. "They are deadly for us. It''s fine if we get cut by any other metal other than silver. They heal. But it''s different when ites to silver. They never heal.


    In the wars, we use silver weapons."


    Dem had gone to five wars until now. But there was no mark on his entire body. How great of a fighter he was that he did not get even a single scratch?


    "Your Highness must be thinking about His Highness," she muttered knowingly. "His Highness is a great fighter. His fighting techniques are very unique. Since he hates to get too close to someone physically, he keeps his distance from his enemies even when fighting. It''s like His Highness can predict their next moves all the time."


    ''Ah, Ipletely forgot that he can read minds. It''s possible if he knows what his opponent''s next move is. But it still takes great skill to not get even a single scratch.''


    "Yes, he is a great fighter. I hear it from everyone," I smiled. But I did not want to see him fighting. I wished he never had to go to war or fight someone again. I was scared. What if something happened to him?


    I brought Sapphire with me since I decided to have her checked by Luc as well. I needed to make sure that she was alright. It did not matter how she managed to hear that voice as well. I just wanted to know that it did not harm her.


    "Your Highness, is having a cat fun?" Perita asked.


    "Uhm, kind of," I said. "Why are you asking? Are you nning to have one as well?"


    More than fun, having Sapphire made me feel rxed and I could talk to her without having to worry about anything.


    "Why? Why did you have to hear the voice too, Sapphy? I am worried for you now. It was alright if it was just me," I mumbled, rubbing her back. "At least, judging your reaction, it seems you heard the voice. I hope I am wrong in a way, you know.


    But it''s hard to think that way as it''s literally clear."


    "What voice, Your Highness?" Perita asked.


    "It''s a secret. I am sorry, I can''t tell you about this," I said.


    "Ah, I see... But I hope everything will be alright."


    "Yeah... Me too."


    The door of the magic tower was already open. Luc must have kept it open since I had sent him a letter beforehandst night.


    The pce was surrounded by twoirs of magical barriers. The magic tower had one more barrier around it. It was established in a vast space and the tower was surrounded by odd-looking nts and a feeling of silence.


    The Alpha and his mate could get past the magical barrier without any problem. Because of that, I did not need Luc to open the barrier for me to enter. And those who were with me could also enter the magic tower.


    "I have been waiting. Did you bring the cat...? Ah, you did..."


    "Luc, next time, use magic so I don''t have to climb the stairs. It''s dangerously tiring," I panted.


    "You are practicing swordsmanship, I heard," he said. "What''s the point of doing that if you can''t climb these many stairs only?"


    "Huh, they are not less... We are on the fifteenth floor, for god''s sake!"


    "Well, I guess it was a bit tiring..."


    "I don''t care if it''s a bit tiring. Next time, use magic."


    "Alright," he nodded nonchntly. "Now,e and sit down. Oh, you already did... So, tell me what happened. Perita can wait outside."


    "I heard a voicest night again," I said after Perita left. "It was perhaps nine or a bit more than that. It was when Dem came back after meeting you."


    "So, he was there when you heard the voice? Why would the voice talk to you when that jerk is near?"


    "No, I was on the balcony and he was in the garden."


    "So, you were having this romantic little silly waving thing with your husband when you heard the voice?"


    "Don''t make it sound weird... Well, it was kind of like that. The voice was not like the voice I heard the first time. I mean, at that time, the voice was masculine and he even called me his daughter. So, we assumed it was my father. I mean, who else will call me his daughter?


    But this time, the voice was just too unclear. It was even hard to understand if it was a man or a woman. Dem saw that I was looking around, so he came to the balcony quickly. Then I did not hear the voice again," I described. "When I heard the voice, Sapphire was also looking around anxiously. Every time, the voice said something, Sapphire looked frightened and rmed.


    I am sure that she heard it as well."


    "Perhaps she did it because you did it?"


    "She is not a monkey. Monkeys usually mimic."


    "Then you are saying that you are sure that she heard it as well?"


    "Uh-huh," I said. "Want to check her?"


    "That''s why I told you to bring her," he said while I handed Sapphire over to him.


    "Don''t scratch or bite him Sapphire. He is trying to help," I said warningly to Sapphire who only meowed.


    "She is a violent one. Last time, she scratched the hell out of my arm. Where did your husband even find someone like him all of a sudden?"


    "He came across her while going out back in Ataraxia," I said. "She scratched Dem as well. He tried to throw her out of the window."


    "That''s great. At least, this cat knows that guy is no good."


    I still did not understand why Dem and Luc behaved like that if they were friends. It was like they liked to make fun of and mock each other as much as possible about every single thing.


    He touched Sapphire a bit and stroked her fur. I had no idea what he was doing. Perhaps it was his way to examine her.


    "I can feel a bit of ck mana from her," he said finally after a while.


    "Huh?"


    "It seems like she is a bearer of ck mana as well. But other animals don''t have mana in them. But I know what happened," he said. "You transferred just a little bit of your power in her."


    "No, I didn''t..."


    "You don''t know that. You did so unconsciously," he said. "Kids of a mage born with mana in them because they are rted to them directly. But it did not happen like that for this cat. You are very close to this cat, aren''t you?"


    "That''s true..."


    "Then it exins. You made a mental connection with her. The connection is just too strong. Because of that, you unconsciously gave her some of your power. Tell me something. Isn''t she too loyal to you?"


    "Yeah... She only listens to me."


    "It''s not just because she likes you or she is your cat. It''s because you have made a great mental connection that only got stronger after you gave her a bit of your power. That''s why she listens to you only and is very close to you. She could hear that voice because of this as well. If I am right, she also can track mana," he said.


    "It''s still a bit hard to believe you got this close to a cat though..."


    It might be hard to believe for him, but I knew it was possible. At that time, I was suffering mentally. I needed someone to talk to, to help me get through it. I could not talk about everything to Dem or Ruby or anyone else. It was Sapphire who helped me that time. That was the reason, I got so close to her.


    I just wanted someone to take my pain away and make me feel better. It did not matter if it was a mere cat. Anyone or anything would do.

 Chapter 214: [Bonus chapter] Thinking Of Someone As Enemy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I was a bit worried after hearing that I had transferred a bit of my power to Sapphire. What if she got in trouble because of me? She was not just a cat to me; she was someone who helped me get better. I would not be able to bear losing her.


    "Don''t worry about the cat much. Worry about yourself and be careful. Not many people are trustworthy," he said. "Anyway, what did the voice say?"


    "Nothing much," I said. "Just the same kind of stuff..."


    He eyed me as if he did not believe me. It did not matter. I could not just tell him what that voice said. If I did, he would find out about Dem''s nature more. Luc had an idea about Dem''s nature, but he never truly knew it.


    "So, the maid that gave you the aphrodisiac- I reported about her to your husband. Has he told you?"


    "No... He hasn''t..."


    "I told him about itst night when he came here to talk about awakening your power. You both are in the same boat about it now, huh? Anyway, that maid- I found traces of ck mana in her heart. She has died because her heart stopped. What I mean is, that her heart had been stopped. It was a dark mage''s work.


    The ck mana could notpletely disappear since I checked her body almost immediately."


    Usually, Dem told me about everything. Perhaps he could not tell me about it since I was a bit freaked out after hearing the voice and I fell asleep right after having some soup. I could not even have a proper dinner because I did not have much of an appetite.


    And in the morning, we did this and that. I fell asleep after that again since Dem yed with me a little. There was no time for us to talk.


    "I see..."


    "Do you know why you were given an aphrodisiac out of all things?"


    "I have a theory..."


    "We usually think about the same thing at the same time. I want to hear your theory first," he said.


    "Well, it seems that someone was trying to make Dem and I have sex. It sounds weird, but I think this is exactly what they wanted. That person surely knows that we did not do it in a very long time. So, they gave me that banned aphrodisiac so we would have no choice but to have sex since the effect won''tpletely go away until you know what.


    And if we do that, Dem and I will actively try to awaken my power so I can take pregnancy-preventing pills again because none of us want a kid right now. We will proceed with the n that we left behind. So, my theory is that person wants us to awaken my power, at least, try to as soon as possible," I said.


    "I was right then. I was thinking the exact same thing," he chuckled. "And another part of my theory is that dark mage wants you to find him yourself."


    "I haven''t thought about this part. What do you mean?"


    "He or she, whoever that dark mage is, knows that you have a huge amount of ck mana. Well, at least, my guess is that the amount is very big since even King Ford could not awaken your power and he does not have very little ck mana. That dark mage knows that only a very powerful dark mage can awaken your power fully. And that dark mage is very powerful and we have got many proofs of that.


    I have a feeling that he showed it on his own ord to let you know how powerful he is and that he can awaken your power. So, you should find him- that''s what he wants."


    If it was true, then almost everything was clear. From the beginning, the dark mage wanted me. I had a feeling that it was my biological father who I had never seen before. But there was one thing I did not understand. If he wanted me, then why did he not bring me here himself? Why did he have to use Demetrius?


    I actually wished he had not. After all, he was now in this state because of how his mind was messed with for seven long years. If it was me, I would have gone mad by now.


    "There is a chance that it''s your father," Luc said as if he knew what I was thinking about. "To be honest, I am kinda sure that it''s him. He is the one who did the experiment eighteen years ago and made you. But why did he use Demetrius? He could have brought you here himself."


    "Right? I was thinking the exact same thing. He did not need to use Demetrius at all unless..."


    "Unless?"


    "... unless he wants to take over the kingdoms one by one," I muttered.


    "There is a possibility. But if we think that way, we have to make a person enemy without knowing the truth," he said cautiously.


    "Yes," I nodded. "That''s why we can''t believe that theory yet, but we are not gonna let it go as well. We have to keep it in mind because it can be true. He needed to make me an Alpha''s mate controlling his mind. And that is Demetrius. He needed a reason to choose Demetrius as well.


    This is the part where we have to make that person our enemy- Mother."


    "If Mother was with him, then he would automatically choose Demetrius. Evan''s mother was a ck-eyed female werewolf as well. Evan said that his mother was with my father. But that dark mage, I mean, my father did not choose him because they could not control Evan''s mind since he was also a dark mage.


    Evan also said that he thinks the dark mage or group of dark mages wants to take over the kingdoms one by one. This exins most of the things," I added.


    "If only we find out if the previous Queen is behind it as well, then everything will be clear. Well, not everything... but most of the things," he said.


    I could not spend much more time with Luc. I returned very quickly after that without even having cookies with him like I usually did. This morning, I had practiced as usual with Perita before visiting the magic tower. Swordsmanship was not boring, but it was not that fun either. Still, I was doing it so I could save myselfter without anyone''s help.


    "Where are we going to go now, Your Highness?" Perita asked.


    "Let''s go to the pce where Evelyn is staying with her family," I said.


    Evelyn moved overnight to a side pcest night. Everything happened so fast that I did not even know. It was undoubtedly Dem''s doing. Mother moved as well.


    "I was wondering why Lady Evelyn and Her Highness, the previous Queen were staying at the main pce. I thought they would move to a side pce or something at least after His Highness gets married. But it did not happen," Perita said. "I am d it happened now."


    "Why?" I asked.


    "Well, Imperial Pce is actually a dangerous pce where there is always a war. This war is different than a normal war. Here, even family members try to harm others. I don''t mean to be rude, but it''s the truth. I understand that Your Highness is close with the Imperial family members of Querencia, but it is still a good idea to keep a reasonable distance from them."


    I did not say anything. She was not entirely wrong. Imperial Pce was indeed a hazardous ce. After all, Demetrius suspected even his own mother to be against us.


    Dem did not feel any connection with his mother. Their rtionship was not even fragile; it was already broken beyond repair. Dem expressed many times that he wished he had a normal and loving family. He wished his mother had taken care of him when he was a child. I could not even console him. I did not know how to do so when it came to the matter of a perfect family.


    There was no way for me to know what family truly meant. I had a family in name only. In reality, it had never been a family. It was hell.


    Even the family I had now was not perfect. But at least, I had someone who loved me more than anyone else.

 Chapter 215: Tea With Evelyn

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Blue!" Evelyn eximed in surprise when she saw me. After the butler of the side pce informed her, she came to escort me herself. "How have you been? I heard you were not feeling okay. Demetrius told me this yesterday..."


    She hugged me for a long time and then pulled back. It seemed she was truly worried about me. Neither Dem nor I ever thought of Evelyn as someone who would betray us. Dem said he did not hate her or distrust her, but he also said that he did not think of her as his family either. But I did. She was like an elder sister to me.


    She even asked me if Dem had forcibly brought me here when we first met. I still remembered every word she said that time. She was also the first person to tell me how Dem truly felt about me when I was so confused.


    ''Oh, Blue, you have already got a family. I know my brother. You might not believe this, but you are the person he cares about the most, more than anyone else. He will stand up to anyone for you. You might think that as we are his family, he is very close to us. But that''s not the case.


    If there is a fire and he can only save one person, he will choose you without any kind of hesitation. Do you know why? Because he wants you. He feels some kind of pull towards you. Wolves are hungry, Blue. And the Alphas are even hungrier.


    They get what they want and when they get it, they make sure to take care of it and let no one elsee in between the Alpha and his precious thing. My brother might look very frightening and I won''t lie, he actually is like that. But to you, he is softer than cotton.


    All you have to do is be his only and gain his trust, be with him, and then, he will give the world to you and protect you from whateveres in the way.''


    It helped me a lot that time. Though I could not trust everything she said, it stillforted me a bit. Later, I found out that she was right all along.


    He was crazily in love with me. And if there was a fire, he would truly save me if he could save one person. But if he could not save anyone, I had a feeling that he would just kill others who were alive. It was a dangerous thought. But it undoubtedly was something someone like him could do.


    Even the thought made me shiver from head to toe.


    When I was not answering Evelyn''s question, she said, "I know about the aphrodisiac. You can talk to me."


    "Let''s go somewhere else first. We can have some tea now since we could not do so yesterday," she added, pulling me with her by my hand.


    While Demetrius looked like their mother, Evelyn looked more like their father. I saw a few portraits of the previous king, King Ajax, the father of Demetrius and Evelyn. Demetrius had their father''s hair but looked exactly like their mother. He even got his mother''s eyes. On the other hand, Evelyn had their mother''s hair but looked like their father.


    But both Demetrius and Evelyn had a simr expressions on their faces and their personalities were the same as well.


    "Take a seat, Blue," she said.


    Perita helped me sit. I almost got used to taking help to even just sit. Everyone helped me do everything. It was nothing new anymore.


    "Dem told you yesterday why I could note, right?"


    "Yes," she nodded while motioning her maids to get us tea and refreshments. "He told me himself. The way he talked was kinda gross, you know. He said, ''My wife is sick. So, she can''te today. She said she is sorry.'' Then he added, ''Don''t disturb her.


    She will let you know when she can.'' The second part was more like him. But the first part was too gentle. It was weird and gross. I was thinking where did my brother go and what happened to him."


    I could not help but chuckle. I told Dem to tell Evelyn this himself because I did not want to send her a letter when she was in the main pce. It felt kind of rude.


    "The maid, Sally- she is dead," she said.


    "Yes, I know," I said. "Dem was questioning her when she suddenly died just like that."


    "Who knows what happened? Luc checked her, I heard," she said.


    "Yes, I heard he reported everything to Demetrius," I said.


    "A secret matter?"


    "Yes..."


    "I see. It doesn''t matter. I hate political matters anyway. That''s why I rejected the crown when Demetrius offered it to me. None of us wants to be a ruler, but I was the first one to reject. So, he had to be the king," she said, smiling gently.


    "Ruling is hard. I despise it. Traveling is more fun. You don''t have to worry about anything and can have fun to your heart''s content."


    "It''s great to do what you like," I chuckled tiredly.


    I felt bad for Dem. He did not even want to be the king, yet he had to. Every night when he came back, he would have a tired and sad expression on his face as if he was forced to do all these. He even told me before that he wanted a normal family without all this chaos.


    "That aphrodisiac... Thank god, Demetrius was near. Or, who knows what might have happened? It''s dangerous," she said.


    "Yeah... It was just too intense and well, I don''t want to take that kind of thing again," I said. I had taken aphrodisiac before too. But this one was too intense and made me feel like I was going to die if Dem did not do it with me right then.


    "It''s forbidden and the making of this aphrodisiac has been banned a long time ago. Some bastards, perhaps still are making it and selling it. But what I don''t understand is why someone would give you an aphrodisiac out of all things. If it was a poison, then it would be believable. But aphrodisiac? Really?"


    Evelyn wondered why someone gave me an aphrodisiac. I wondered about that too. Now, I had a rough idea of why they gave it to me.


    "Yes, we are trying to find out more about it," I said. I had no idea if it was intentional or not, but my tone would be less informal whenever I talked to someone else other than Dem, Luc, Ruby, Perita, and Doctor Dimitri. "I will let you know when we find out."


    "Yes, that''s a good idea... Blue, you know, you don''t have to be formal with me," she said, smiling a bit.


    I did not want to be formal with her as well. But it was not intentional. Being too friendly felt a bit ufortable for some reason. Was it because I did not see her in a long time?


    "I am sorry. I just can''t help it," I said.


    "I can understand you actually. When I used to take etiquette lessons, it was very hard to talk to people, switching between informal and formal tones. Don''t worry, you will get used to it eventually," she said. "After that, I wish you will be less formal with me."


    "Ah, yes, I will try..."


    "I want to talk to you about a lot of things. I wish you will have lunch with me today," she said.


    Seeing me surprised, she quickly added, "Don''t worry, I will have the food checked right in front of your guard. There won''t be any problem."


    "Please don''t get so worked up. I will be d to have lunch with you as well," I chuckled. "Thank you for your invitation."


    "You are too kind. But I''m d you epted."


    Tea was served with macarons and other cookies. I liked macarons the most among cookies. So, I was quite happy that she served it.


    "The macarons are amazing," I said. "I think they taste slightly different than the ones the Imperial cook makes. But it''s good too."


    "The new cook that I hired made it," she said. "Her cooking is great, but she tends to use lemon juice in almost everything. But the food still tastes good, so it''s alright."


    "I see...."


    "By the way, how is your married life going?"


    "Everything is going well," I said.


    "Well, then let''s have a girl''s talk. How many times do you have sex in a week?"


    ''Zero to one... This week, we have done it once. But we did not do it at all for the past few weeks.... Not that I can tell her that.''


    "Every day if I don''t have my period," I replied. It was not entirely a lie. If everything was going normally, we would have done the same. We used to do it every day before as well.


    "Wow, that''s cool! We do it every day too!" she grinned proudly. "Our room is a bit away from Ava''s, so we don''t have any problem having sex. I can tell you this freely now because Merrick isn''t here. He is very shy, you know."

 Chapter 216: Tea With Evelyn (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "So, how many times do you go at it at a time?" she asked.


    I was mortified. I had no idea she could talk about these kinds of things so freely. Now, I could see that she was definitely Demetrius''s sister.


    "Are you shy? There is no need to be shy," she grinned. "It''s a very natural thing. Sex is something very normal for couples. So, why don''t we stop being shy about it? I actually don''t see what''s there to be shy about.


    I mean, yes, we have sex and it''s a very intimate task. So what? It''s not something to be shy about, right?"


    "Well... I am actually a bit reserved about these kinds of things," I said.


    "Oh my, you are just like Merrick!" she eximed. "He is very shy about these kinds of things as well."


    She did not need to tell me that. It was pretty obvious. And I did not even need to see or hear to know that she talked very shamelessly to her husband just like Demetrius did to me.


    "Do you want to know when we first met?"


    "Hm? Yes, I would like to know," I said.


    "We met while traveling. We met near a waterfall actually. Since I have Alpha blood inside me, I could choose my own mate. I was eighteen. I actually never thought of marrying since if I got married, I would have to settle down. At that time, I thought it would be impossible for me to travel as much as I would like to if I married or dated anyone.


    But I was a bit wild type of woman, you know. I mean, I used to y around, but no strings attached. Merrick was the exact opposite. When we met, I suggested that we travel together for a while since we were nning to travel to the same ces."


    "I was the one who suggested that we have sex since both of us were single. But he refused immediately and told me that he only wants to do it with his mate. He was amoner. So, he would eventually find his mate. But it was not the same for me. I did not feel much for him at that time.


    After he rejected me, I did not push him anymore since I am not that type of person. Then one night, there was a party where we joined. It was avable for everyone. I hid my identity, so no one knew that I was a Royal, not even Merrick. There, one woman was flirting with him and ended up kissing him. He did not give consent though.


    I was so angry that I ended up leaving the party immediately. When he followed me, I cried and confessed to him. I had never felt that pathetic and hurt before."


    "He did not believe mepletely and asked again and again if I was truly in love with him or I was just ying with him. It was not a lie obviously. It was the first time I told someone I loved him. He also confessed that he fell in love with him. I also said that I could take him as my mate since I had Alpha blood in me. Then we got married.


    We had sex for the first time after we got married. It was his first time."


    "It sounds amazing actually. Meeting your loved one like this- it''s quite fantastic," I said.


    "Yeah... I know. By the way, have you heard about my father?" she asked suddenly. "I mean, what kind of person he was? And the fact that Mother has mental illness regarding her past?"


    "Yes, I know about it," I nodded. "Demetrius told me everything."


    "Then you also might know that my father was someone who liked to y around with women... I was like that too. I yed around with men. But he cheated on Mother after getting married. That was so fucked up! That''s the point where I am different than him.


    I mean, I did that before marriage and I was not cheating on anyone or had sex with someone who was married or had a lover. After marriage, I never even thought of anyone other than my husband. Actually, there isn''t anyone to think about since I never loved anyone before."


    "It''s different for Demetrius and you, right? He is not like me or Father. He literally hated physical contact with anyone. You know, when we were little, he never let anyone touch him. I think I only saw Luc punching him. He was the only person who could touch him.


    It''s perhaps because they were best friends. Since Demetrius just hated everyone, he did not date anyone nor had any women. Of course, he made sure that others knew that he had mistresses. It was just a pretend and all of the members of the pce knew about it. It was mainly to fool Uncle. He knew that Demetrius was lying, but he did not have any proof.


    I think Demetrius''s first time was with you, right?"


    "Yeah," I nodded shyly.


    "And yours?"


    "It was with him," I said. "Both of our first times were on our wedding night."


    "That''s great. I think it is one of the reasons the bond between you two is greater than most couples. Actually, I know a bit about my brother''s personality. We don''t have much of a good rtionship, but I still know some things about him. He is very... brutal...


    He kills someone without blinking an eye. Well, I can do that too, so it''s not much of a thing, I guess. But it''s not the same for you. I heard, in your world, things don''t happen like this."


    "That''s true. It''s a lot different there," I said.


    "And he can be very extreme about certain things... Let me be frank- he is obsessed with you, isn''t he?"


    ''Eh? How...? How does she know that? Dem said he was not close with his sister...''


    "It''s not healthy obviously and he surely tries to restrict you from doing a lot of things. Even if he has not gone too far, he will soon. I know you are not going to admit it. But I know it''s true regardless of what you are going to say. I am not in the same boat with him about it. It''s not alright.


    But he is someone you can''t get rid of no matter what if you get tangled with him once. It''s impossible for you to be apart from him. You also love him. But all I want to tell you is that you can talk to me if you need someone to lend you an ear. No, I will lend you two of my ears and listen to everything you have to say. Think of me as your older sister.


    I already think of you as my younger sister. So,e to me if you have any problems. I will help you no matter what."


    Talking to Evelyn made me surprised. She was easy to talk to and she actually knew about Demetrius''s personality more than I thought. But I still could not open up to her. I was scared that she might betray me. I barely talked to anyone about Dem''s personality, his obsessive and dangerous nature, and his desires. Now that I thought about it, I had never actually told anyone about it.


    I decided not to tell her anything now. But if someday I needed any advice, I would surelye to her.


    I sent a letter to Demetrius through a maid saying that I was going to have lunch with Evelyn. He told me to tell him beforehand when I was going to do something. His abandonment issues perhaps started to affect him again.


    I had a feeling that something happened in his dreamst night. He had been acting this way after this morning. He also got an erection out of nowhere, not that I was worried about that.


    He had left me a note on the bedside table this morning. On that note, he reminded me to tell him before doing something. I had been suspecting that he was worried that I would leave him.


    It was no surprise anymore when he would hug me tightly and tell me not to leave him again and again in his sleep. I always tried to reassure him again and again, but it did not help. He always believed that I would leave him someday.


    ''What do I have to do to make you believe that I won''t leave you?''


    It made me sad every time he behaved like that. It was like his mind was ruined and he was holding onto me only. It made me want to embrace him and love him so much that he would never think that I would leave him.

 Chapter 217: Worried About Leaving

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "So, you talked to Luc and had tea and lunch with Evelyn?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "Why are you inspecting me like that? It''s not like I am doing something I am not supposed to do. And moreover, both ces are inside the pce ground."


    I was sitting on Dem''sp who was sitting in his chair in his study. I came straight to him aftering back from the side pce. It was not like he called for me, rather I wanted to meet him. I wanted to say a quick hi and then go back to my room. But I did not know he would make me sit on hisp.


    "I know...," he murmured, rubbing his smooth cheek against my back. "I am just..."


    "Worried? About what? I told you I am not leaving you..."


    ''It''s not like I can either even if I try. It''s not like I am nning to though...''


    He did not say anything, only squeezed me tightly. How could I make him believe me? I had tried everything I could, yet he was always worried about me leaving him.


    "Dem, why? Why are you suddenly being like this? Did I do something to make you feel this way? If


    I did, then why don''t you tell me? I won''t do something that will make you feel this way, because it hurts me every time you are like this," I said.


    "No, you did not do anything... It''s just... I am always scared that you will leave me one day. I don''t know why... I can''t me you for anything at all. You are doing everything thinking about me.


    You don''t get close to any men much. Well, you are close with Luc but you two are more like siblings. And I actually don''t mind it as well. It''s just Luc after all though I am still a bit jealous sometimes... You don''t want to go outside the pce ground as well just like I said. You are not doing anything wrong...


    It''s me... It''s just my sick mind!"


    He hugged me even more tightly and his breathing was deep. It was like he was in pain. "Dem... Don''t... don''t push yourself like this... I am not leaving, so don''t think about these kinds of things..."


    "I can''t help it!" he yelled and I flinched. "I am sorry... I didn''t mean to..."


    "... I am sorry..."


    "Why?"


    "I don''t know... I will go back to my room..."


    He did not stop me when I stood up, but held my hand when I tried to take a step. "It''s me who should apologize, not you," he said gently. "I don''t want you to say sorry for no reason. You should get mad at me for behaving like that. I won''t me you for that. Just don''t...


    put yourself down..."


    "Y-Yes..."


    It was always like this. I had ustomed to saying sorry even when it was not my fault in my family. I always had to take the me. Even now, I could not give this habit uppletely. Dem had be angry at me because of that once before as well. Thankfully, this time, he did not yell again.


    "Blue, look at me," he said.


    I turned back and looked into his pitch-ck eyes. They were gentle and filled with a strange look which was very hard to understand.


    "Come here."


    He pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arm around my waist. His breath fell right onto my chest because of how close we were.


    "I am not a good person and I don''t think I can ever be even if I try. It''s just... I have ustomed to be me even though it''s not normal to be like this. Actually, being abnormal me has be normal for me. I think in a strange way as well. I don''t think it''s strange.


    I mean, to me, it''s normal. But every other person thinks differently than me. So, it''s not hard to understand that I am the abnormal one. I have always known this. But I have never thought of changing myself. I was better the way I was.


    Then you came along. For you, I was ready to change myself. I have been trying to change myself, I still am. But..."


    He looked desperate. It was like he was trying to make me understand something, but could not.


    "It''s alright," I said, pressing my index finger on his lips. "You don''t have to say anymore. I understand..."


    "You don''t! You are just trying to calm me down!"


    "I am not... I understand... It''s not that... hard... I know what you mean, so don''t push yourself. I love you and I won''t leave you, so you can rx.


    You don''t have to worry for no reason..."


    We were interrupted by the beta. Dem knew the beta was waiting in front of the door, but he told him with his mind not to enter. When I heard a boot noise, I asked him if someone was there. That was the time he told me that the beta was waiting. I could not believe he made the beta wait just because we were talking. We stayed in the same room, so we could talkter anyway.


    Dem just always prioritized me over every single thing.


    "What''s wrong, your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "It''s nothing. I''m just a bit worried," I replied.


    "May I ask about what? I hope it''s not too much. I just don''t want your Highness to worry too much," she said.


    "... How would you feel if someone loved you way too much? You love that person as well, but that person is constantly worried about you leaving and the situation is quite extreme...- how would you feel about it?"


    "Actually, Your Highness, I am into this kind of stuff. I mean, I always wanted someone to love me more than anyone and anything else. I don''t know if it''s me being weird, but I always wanted this..."


    "So, what you mean is you always wanted someone to go obsessed with you?" I asked, surprised. It was true that I also wanted someone to love me and care for me. But I never wanted to be someone to be obsessed with. It was partly because I could give that much love to someone no matter how much I tried. It was just too much.


    "Not necessarily obsessed, but well, I just wanted someone to love me too much," she mumbled.


    "It''s not something I can get right now, of course. But I always wanted this... It just will always be my fantasy."


    ''So, people want this kind of thing as well... I am surprised... I thought everyone would want to avoid to be obsessed with. Am I feeling like this because I never thought of this, yet I got someone who was obsessed with me? There is no denying that Dem loved me a lot. When ites to me, his love is pure.


    But the way he expresses it is sometimes kind of twisted and scary. I don''t know if I ever will get used to this, but I''m trying. It''s a bit hard to ept these kinds of things. This kind of unconditional love- it''s all new for me.''


    Talking to Ruby did not help much. I thought she would be able to say something about it, but her thoughts were strange.


    "Your Highness, you better take a bath since you could not before. Shall I prepare the bath then?"


    "Hm, okay..."


    "And Your Highness... I have something to say to you," Ruby said.


    "What is it?" I asked. Her voice made me wonder if something was wrong.


    "Actually..."


    "Yes?"


    "I am nning to ept Lord Luc''s proposal," she blurted out. "I have been thinking about this for a while and I think I should not make him wait anymore. And besides, I actually want to get married even if it''s not out of love. Just like Your Highness said, perhaps he will one day fall in love with me."


    "So, you have not told him yet?"


    "No, I wanted Your Highness to know first. Your Highness has been helping me the most. The things Your Highness told me that day was all true, so I thought that perhaps I should give it a go."


    "That''s right. I think it''s better to try than not trying at all. After all, there is a chance that he will fall in love with you someday," I said. "Don''t worry too much, Ruby. I am always with you no matter what you choose. And Luc is a great person.


    He will be the best husband."


    I knew Ruby was going to ept his proposal someday. I was d that she epted this very quickly. After all, it was going to be a great thing if Luc and she got married.

 Chapter 218: Not Interested

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Demetrius came back to the bedroom that evening. I was signing a few papers when the door suddenly burst open and he came in.


    "Ah, Dem... You are early tonight...," I said, looking up from the documents.


    "Actually, the Duke of Ataraxia wille tonight," he said. "Luc sent me a letter just a while ago. I was in the middle of a meeting, so I came back as soon as possible to tell you this. He contacted him this afternoon and the duke said he cane tonight."


    "Why do I feel like that''s not the whole case?" I asked, eyeing him.


    "... You always see through me," he sighed guiltily. "Well, it''s not like I did something huge. I just ckmailed him a bit."


    "ckmailed?" I repeated. "Why would you ckmail him?"


    "If I told him toe just like that, he would not. So, I threatened him a bit so he can''t refuse and does as I tell him to."


    "What did you even ckmail him with?"


    "My dear wife, your husband is always prepared," he smirked. "I always make sure that I have enough things to threaten someone anytime in case I need them to do something for me."


    "Isn''t it kind of... evil?"


    "Well, perhaps it is, but who cares?" he shrugged. "If I need to do something, I will do it in any way possible. It does not matter if the technique is evil or not."


    I should have understood this. It was not like I was surprised. He was the type of person to talk and do things like that.


    "By the way, he wille to this midnight," he said. "Is that time oaky for you? Or should I tell him toeter or something?"


    "No, it''s fine," I quickly said.


    I wondered how much of my power the duke of Ataraxia would be able to awaken. I was kind of sure that he would not be able to awaken my power fully. It got to the point that I did not even hope. I just knew that he would not be able to.


    What Luc told me that day made sense and could be true. Perhaps my biological father or whoever that person was, wanted me to find them because they knew that no one else would be able to awaken my power. If that was the case, then it was a problem.


    For now, I was fine with my power awakened just enough so I could at least take pregnancy preventing pills. The full moon was tomorrow. So, it was important to have my power partially awakened tonight.


    I usually worked on the bed since it was much morefortable. I could work faster than before, so I could finish more work in a certain period.


    It was not until Dem climbed on the bed and hugged me that I noticed that he had already taken his clothes off. He was only wearing his underwear. He usually slept in his robe or underwear since it was much morefortable for him. But he was not going to sleep now, was he?


    "What...?"


    "You are always working. Focus on me..."


    "Dem, you are the one who works the most. I do almost nothing every day," I said. "I only work in the evening or at night."


    "Really? But you work no less too...," he mumbled, snuggling close to me. He was rubbing his face against my chest again.


    I pulled the papers up from under his head and started reading them again while running fingers through his hair. There were not many of them left. Dem did not disturb me at all while I finished checking the rest of the documents and signing them. Since I did not need to write anything today, only needed to read them and sign, it was not a problem to do so in this position.


    "Finished?"


    "Yeah."


    "Finally!"


    "You were behaving yourself," I chuckled. "I am surprised..."


    "I was good. Then why don''t you reward me?" he muttered, looking at me.


    Iughed and pressed my lips on his. Perhaps he did not think I would do it right away because he seemed taken aback. The kiss ended pretty fast. None of us wanted to borate it since in that case, it would be hard to control ourselves. At least, until I could take pregnancy preventing pills again, we were not supposed to do it.


    "It''s hard, isn''t it?" he sighed.


    "It is...," I agreed. "Just wait a bit more."


    "I know... After all, that''s what I''m doing now."


    It was clear how hard it was for him to hold back. Even I was feeling it. But there was nothing we could do for now. All we could do was wait.


    "By the way, what did you and Evelyn talked about?" he asked. And I was wondering why he had not asked me this yet. He was the type to ask about every single thing I did each day.


    "Well, Evelyn told me about how she and Merrick met. Do you know about it?"


    "No, I don''t," he replied. "I never asked her. I mean, we are not that close to talk about these kinds of things, you know."


    ''But she''s your sister...! ''


    "She and Merrick met when they were traveling. They met near a waterfall," I said. I told Dem about how Evelyn and Merrick met. He did not seem that interested, but he listened to me.


    He did not do it because he did not want to make me or his sister feel bad. It was because he needed to know if Evelyn told me something that would make me want to turn my back on him.


    "Dem, aren''t you interested at all in your sister''s life? I mean, she is your sister. Usually, a brother is interested in his sister''s life just as a sister is interested in her brother''s life," I said.


    "But I am not interested. If I don''t count her as my family, then why should I be interested in her life? I just never was interested in her or anyone else. I don''t know why, but I just don''t care."


    "I see... I can''t change that, I guess. But I wish you will try to interact with her a bit," I said.


    "My wife, don''t tell me to do this kind of things. I will do anything for you, but not this. I just don''t want to get involved with any of them. So don''t tell me to do this."


    "Ah, okay... I don''t want to force you," I said. "But would it be alright if I tell you a bit about her every now and then?"


    "Why?"


    "I''m not telling you to do anything. I''m saying that I will only talk to you about her and her family. So please just listen to me this time. You said it''s fine if I don''t tell you to do anything. You only have to listen to me, that''s all. Is that okay?"


    He sighed. "If you want that then it''s fine," he said. "I will only have to listen to you, right?"


    "Yes, that''s all I want," I said.


    Dem and I talked about normal things like we always used to do. It was a rxing moment. Though I was a bit worried about awakening my power, I still managed to calm down talking to him. He always had that kind of effect on me. It was like his voice could calm me down.


    We had dinner together. Dem did not have much work to do, or at least, that was what he told me. Sometimes, he lied about it just to spend some time with me. I told him not to do that and he also said he would not. But I had a feeling that he still did so.


    "Ruby agreed to ept Luc''s proposal," I said while Dem was tying the ribbons of my gown on my back.


    I was wearing a in ck gown. If it was just Luc, then I would wear the nightgown. But since the duke of Ataraxia was going to be there as well, I decided to wear a gown.


    "Why?" he asked.


    "What ''why''?"


    "Why would she ept his proposal? He is ugly! He doesn''t know anything about married life," he said


    "No one knows much about married life without getting married," I pointed out. "You didn''t know much before marrying me as well. It''s the same for him."


    "But what''s she going to do about him being ugly?"


    "Luc is not ugly... Jeez! You only think you are handsome, don''t you?"


    "Of course," he replied nonchntly. "I am the most handsome man you will ever meet just like you are most beautiful woman anyone can meet."


    I blushed. Even though I could not argue about him being the most handsome man since I believed so as well, my part was definitely not true. He was saying that just because he loved me. It was the same all the time. He always said the same thing. Original content from M-VL-e

 Chapter 219: Awakening Her Power Partially

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    Luc had already brought the Duke of Ataraxia in the magic tower. I came with my wife here since I could not let here alone. It would be a lie if I said I was not worried.


    "Is there a possibility of something going wrong?" I asked.


    "No, Your Highness," the duke replied. "If everything goes well, I would be able to awaken Her Highness''s power."


    "Have you ever done it before?" Luc asked.


    "Yes, twice," he nodded.


    ''But I am sure you won''t be able to awaken her powerpletely. She definitely is a very powerful dark mage. The amount of ck mana in her should be quite a lot,'' Luc thought.


    So, Luc did not tell him about it yet. If he decided that, perhaps it was a good thing not to tell him about it. Luc said beforehand that there was no risk anyway. Either her power would be awakened fully, or her power would awaken partially or it would not awaken at all. Luc was sure that the first part would not happen.


    No matter what was going to happen, it would not affect her health. So, I was fine with proceeding the n.


    I looked at my wife and asked her with my eyes if she was okay with it. She gave me a nod. These days, I did not even need words to ask or say something to her. She always knew what I mean just by looking at me.


    "Your Highness, please rx. Don''t think about anything too much. You just have to rx and let it all go. To awaken your power, it is very important," he said.


    "Yes, I''m trying," she murmured. She seemed a bit nervous, but she was holding up.


    "Will you stop eyeing her like that?" Luc nudged me with his elbow.


    "I am not eyeing her," I said. "I am just watching."


    "Yes, yes, I forgot the way you watch your wife when she is beside another man is kinda weird," he chuckled bitterly. "Honestly, she''s not cheating on you, for God''s sake. I think you should stop doing that. You are just... It will make her ufortable. You know, whenever she talks to me, she talks as if she loves you so much.


    And just turned that you love her and care for her. But you have to be a bit easygoing about a few things as well."


    "I don''t want to hear that from someone who does not know anything about marriage life," I snapped.


    Luc muttered something under his breath and in his head, he was cursing at me. It did not matter. It never mattered what someone else was saying.


    "Your Highness, please give me your hand," the duke said.


    She ced her right hand on his extended hand. I did not like others touching her. But I did not say anything since it was important now.


    "Honestly, you are really something...," Luc grumbled when he saw me eyeing them intently.


    "You will understand. You are marrying soon as well," I said.


    "Impossible. No one can ever be like you. It''s not normal," he said. "It''s like you''re obsessed with her."


    ''I am.''


    "It''s unhealthy," he added.


    I did not say anything, but chuckled. It was not like I did not know it was unhealthy. But even if it was unhealthy, it was fine. I was not hurting her after all. I only loved her. Perhaps my love was too much, but I did not want anything bad to happen to her, ever.


    She would be the safest with me. She also said that it was fine even if I loved her too much.


    As long as it was fine with her, I was going to shower her with love. I would never let her experience pain when she was with me. At least, that was what I was trying.


    "She doesn''t seem to have a choice."


    "Why do you care so much?"


    "You are my friend and she is my friend''s wife. Of course, I care! It''s not like I care about random people. I am just worried that you will end up hurting her badly."


    "I don''t hurt her," I said. "I will never."


    "Hurting does not mean giving physical pain only, you know. Someone can be hurt mentally as well. Sometimes, the scars that are in your mind can hurt more than physical pain," he said. "Just remember this. Love her, but make sure you don''t hurt her in the process."


    Was I hurting her mentally? Was I giving her pain? Sometimes, she made me feel that way even though she did not want to. But I never thought that it was true. What if what Luc said was true? If that was the case, then what should I do?


    I could not even think of loving her any less.


    "Dem!"


    Hearing my wife''s voice, I was jolted out of my thoughts. I looked at her and found her looking at me anxiously.


    "You were not answering," she said. "It''s done."


    "What''s done?"


    Enjoy stories on m_v lemp-yr


    "Where were you?" Luc grumbled.


    "Her Highness has a lot more mana inside her than me. I tried with all I could. I could awaken just a bit of you her power," he said.


    "I will check if it''s enough for her to take her pills again," Luc said. "The duke of Ataraxia can do no more."


    "Thank you, Duke," my wife said. "You helped a lot."


    "It''s my pleasure, Your Highness, Queen of Querencia," he said, kissing her left hand. "You are very humble and kind. I wish you all the best in your life."


    "The duke can leave now," I said, getting annoyed. Did he have to get so touchy with my wife? "You have some work to do, don''t you?"


    "Ah, I do...," he muttered. "I will take my leave then."


    He teleported after saying more unnecessary things to my wife. What was the need to be so friendly with another kingdom''s queen? He just needed to do his job and leave.


    "You should take some rest now," Luc said to Blue. "You better go back and sleep. I will check you tomorrow morning. Don''t disturb her tonight, Demetrius."


    "I won''t!"


    "Are you feeling bad or something?" I asked my wife, ignoring that silver punk.


    "No, I''m fine... I feel a bit lighter than before, but not in a bad way," she said, clutching my hand tightly. "By the way, when are you going to hold your wedding, Luc?"


    "Do I have to? I mean, she came to me this evening and told me yes. So, all we have to do is register our name, right? A wedding ceremony is not necessary, in my opinion. It''s just a waste of time. Well, we need to bite into each other''s skins in order to start the mating bond.


    But we can do thatter as well," he said.


    "What do you mean? Ha, you don''t understand...," she sighed. "I told you before too. Ruby is someone who always wanted to have a lover and a family. She has all these dreams as well where she is treated like a princess. If I did not have a wedding ceremony, I would not have minded because I never dreamt of it in the first ce.


    But it''s different for her. She might agree to whatever you will say, but she actually won''t be happy. It''s not like you don''t have any money. Kings, Queens and the masters of the magic towers have lots of money. You can easily hold a wedding ceremony. If not for you, do it for your future wife."


    I wanted to ask her why she cared so much for them. It was their life. They could do whatever they wanted. Was it how people were normally supposed to behave and I was just thinking in an odd way?


    "Are you sure I should do it?" Luc asked. He seemed to trust Blue a lot.


    "Yes! You definitely should! You said you are marrying to make her happy, right? Then do it to make her happy as well. Make sure she is treated like a princess just the way she wants to. Ruby is very prideful, but she is also considerate.


    She doesn''t like to ask for much things. I know it because I have been with her for almost four months. She works for me all the time, but never asks for a bonus. If only I give her a bonus, she will take it. She just never asks for it," she said. "That''s the type of person she is.


    Make sure to treat her well. I am sure you don''t know much about marriage life and stuff like that. So, right before the time when you decide to hold your wedding ceremony, you will meet me. I will tell you some necessary factors that you need to remember."

 Chapter 220: Father And Brother?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    That night, aftering back, I fell asleep right away. I was tired for some reason, even though I did not do much. My head hurt a bit as well. So, Dem massaged my forehead until I fell asleep.


    I told him that he did not need to do it since he needed rest as well. But he was adamant, just like always.


    A scene appeared before me. Unlike other times, I knew that it was a dream and that I was sleeping.


    A man wearing a blue long hooded cloak stood in the middle of a dark room lit only by a few candles. The light from the candles hurt my eyes a bit.


    "Father, she will note to us now. Neither she nor King Demetrius is nning to awaken her power fully. Now, that bastard duke of Ataraxia awakened her power partially. She can take pregnancy-preventing pills and for now, that''s all they want. But you still are rxed."


    I was surprised. I was talking, but the voice was not mine nor the words. It was like I was in someone else''s body, but could not do anything other than be like a spirit inside him. I could not do anything in this body. I could only see the things this person was seeing, look where the person was looking and move when the person was moving. It was like experiencing whatever he was experiencing.


    The man wearing a blue cloak chuckled and looked at me. "Do not worry, my son. She wille to me. We just have to be patient, that''s all," he said.


    "I can''t believe our n failed like that," the other person said. I was inside his body. It looked like this person was the son of the person in front of me. I could not see his face since he wore a mask that covered his facepletely except his eyes.


    "It is because her power was awakened a bit before she came to this world and married Demetrius," the father said. "I still don''t know who awakened her power that time. I suspect it was King Ford since he went to the other world and now, he is quite close to Blue."


    ''Is he stalking me? Creepy!''


    "King Ford has always been against us," the son said. "Does he think we will take his kingdom someday betraying him?"


    "He is not wrongpletely. He even killed his own mother... Now, we have to work harder since our ns failed. She is my daughter. I have an idea what she will do."


    ''He is my father? Then the other person is my brother or something?''


    "I don''t know how you are thinking that you have an idea about what she is thinking. I thought we will be thinking the same way since we are twins. But some of our thoughts are different, it seems. But we both have an extraordinary memory."


    ''What...? What is he saying? Twin? My twin? He is my twin brother? Then our parents are the same?


    And he also has that kind of memory just like me?''


    I wanted to hear more of what they were saying. I had no idea how I was seeing this, but I wanted to see more. It was like I was experiencing someone else''s life.


    But to my disappointment, I woke up before I could see or hear anything else. I woke up in a hurry, so my head started hurting.


    "Are you alright?" Dem asked. "What''s wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"


    "... It''s... It was a weird dream. I..."


    He quickly gave me a ss of water without asking anything. As I drank the water, he patted me on the back gently.


    "Have you calmed down a bit?"


    "Hmm... I actually... saw my father... my real father..."


    "In your dream? But you have never met him before," he said.


    "That''s right. It was like I was experiencing someone else''s life. I was seeing what he was seeing," I said. "I heard them talking. They were saying some surprising things... Let me tell you from the beginning."


    "So, it was a dark room. I mean, there were some candles there, but well, I don''t think they actually did much to the darkness. There was a man in the middle of the room. He was wearing a blue hooded cloak and a mask that covered his facepletely. I could see his eyes only. As I said, it was like I was in someone else''s body, but I could not do anything. New chapters at m v|le|mp|yr


    I was doing whatever that person was doing. Apparently, it seemed they were son and father. The person in front of me was his father."


    I told Dem exactly what happened in the dream. He listened as attentively as always. After I was finished, he did not say anything for a while as if thinking about something intently.


    "Your mother''s eye color- what is it?"


    "Dark brown," I replied.


    "And hair color?"


    "Red..."


    "And the man you think is your father and you saw in your dream has dark brown eyes. You could not see his hair because of the cloak. But you can''t have blue eyes out of nowhere, right?"


    "It''s possible scientifically... But if both parents have dark brown eyes, then it''s most likely that their children also will have brown eyes," I said.


    "It''s not just that. Remember what that bastard king of Trouvaille said? He said that the person who awakened his power had blue eyes and we were guessing that''s your father."


    "Is it possible to change eye color to your will if you are a mage?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "I think he changed his eye color. You said he was wearing a hooded cloak and a mask- it means he went somewhere and did not want anyone to even guess who he might be. I also think it''s not just a dream. It truly happened. If that guy is your twin brother, perhaps because of the ck mana, you two have a bond.


    Because your power is awakened more, you could use that bond unintentionally."


    "Mother never told me I have a twin brother... It was just me who was born that time, at least that is what I know..."


    "For now, I cannot say anything. I do not know anything about it after all. But I have a feeling that it''s true and the incident you saw today took ce in reality."


    Luc was right it seemed. He also guessed that the dark mage wanted me toe to them to awaken my power. In my dream, I heard the same thing.


    "I am sure of one thing now- King Ford was not lying to us," he said.


    "I believed him all the time though... I mean, I did not think of any reason for him to lie to us," I said.


    He eyed me as if I had said something wrong. "It hurts me a bit to hear you say that. Back then, you could not even believe me, but you believed him even though you had met him for the first time."


    "Ah, it''s not like that...," I said quickly. "I believed him because everything seemed a bit clear. But in your case, you were saying that you did not even know why you wanted me. It was confusing, Dem. If someone said that to you, you would not be able to believe that either."


    The dream or whatever it was confused me. And Dem was behaving oddly as well. I wondered if he was angry because I did not trust him when I trusted King Ford just after meeting him once. He should understand my situation. I wanted to trust him all that time, but I could not. And when I decided to trust him, I had already decided to let everything go and trust him even if he ended up betraying me.


    He did not talk to me much after that. He went to work and I slept some more while waiting for Luc toe. Luc said he was going to visit me here; I did not need to go to the magic tower.


    "Your Highness, did you and His Highness fight?" Ruby asked as she was organizing the books that I was reading these days while I was lying on the bed on my stomach cing my elbows on the pillow.


    "Why are you asking that?" I asked.


    "Well, His Highness is in a bad mood. He has been yelling at the beta and some other knights," she said. "He usually does that when he is in a bad mood."


    ''Really? Isn''t he overreacting now?''

 Chapter 221: Discussing Ruby And Lucs Marriage

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Luc came this morning. He checked me to see if I truly could take the pills now. In my dream, I heard that I could. So, I had a feeling that it was true.


    "You can take them now," he said, after checking everything thoroughly. "Your husband will surely be the happiest, that horny..."


    "What are you saying? We are married. It''s natural for him to want it," I said. And it was not just him who wanted it. "You will find out soon since you are marrying."


    "By the way, congrattions, you two. I wanted to congratte both of you at the same time," I said. Ruby stiffened up hearing it. She was cleaning the couch in the bedroom for the fifth time today. I could see her ears turning red.


    "Thank you, Your Highness," she mumbled.


    "Luc, you are supposed to say ''thank you'' when someone congrattes you for something," I said. "Come on, practice saying so to me. You have to say it lots of times after all."


    "Thank you, I guess," he murmured.


    "Cut that ''I guess''. There is no guessing in thanking someone. You thank for real, or you don''t thank at all," I said. "That said, did you two discuss the date?"


    "No... I told youst night that we did not. Why are you saying that now?"


    "Lord Luc can proceed with his previous n. I don''t need a wedding ceremony anyway," Ruby said, without looking this way.


    "You even mentioned it in front of her?" I asked Luc with my eyes.


    "I perhaps said it once or something somehow," he seemed to be saying with his eyes.


    "Then tell her you also want to have a wedding ceremony," I urged him with my eyes.


    "But I don''t want it. I am doing it for her sake," he said with his eyes.


    "But you are not supposed to say that! Tell her that you want it as well!"


    He sighed and looked at her who was still looking the other way. "I actually want to have a wedding ceremony. I mean, we are marrying once, right? So, it''s better to do it in a grand way, when we still have time. What do you think? If you don''t want to, we don''t have to..."


    "No! I would love to..."


    "Yes?"


    "I would love to have a wedding ceremony as well," she said.


    ''Cool!''


    Luc nced at me and I nodded at him. I wished they would open up to each other more and try to get along properly. I was hoping that it would happen after their wedding.


    Luc left after describing everything to me. I also told him all about the dream I hadst night. He thought the same as Demetrius. Both of them thought that it was not just a dream, rather I truly saw a part of my brother''s experience.


    "Your Highness, no disrespect intended, but have you told Lord Luc to do these things for me?" Ruby asked almost right after Luc left.


    "No," I replied nonchntly. "It''s none of my business what you two do. You both are adults, so it would be wrong of me to meddle. Isn''t that right?"


    "It''s not like that... I would not mind Your Highness expressing your opinions about us," she said quickly. "I was just worried that Lord Luc was doing something that he did not want to."


    "Don''t worry, don''t worry. Luc is not someone to do something that he does not want to do," I said.


    "So, you don''t have to worry at all. Just prepare yourself to get married, that''s all. Mental preparation is very important after all."


    Mental preparation was something I could do before my wedding. It was a very hasty situation where I did not have any say about anything. Even though it sounded very bad, my marriage was forced. Nothing would have happened even if I said no., I just had to marry Demetrius no matter what.


    It was not like I regretted my marriage since I came to love my husband and found a husband who loved me very much as well.


    But I wished that I could choose him on my own, without being forced to choose him.


    Well, if I spoke honestly, then I would not have chosen Demetrius if I had not fallen for him madly. He was handsome, but his personality was morally questionable. He was scary sometimes and the things he said and did were scary as well. But now that I was with him, I was trying as hard as I could to make our marriage work without any problem.


    "Yes, that is true...," she said.


    "You can stop working, for now, Ruby. Take a seat," I said. "You have been very focused on cleaning the couch since morning, even though it''s not your job."


    Cleaning all the furniture and rooms was part of other maids'' work. Ruby only needed to be with me and take care of me. Still, to hide her flushed face, she chose to clean the couch since morning and it was just too clear.


    "I was just..."


    "It''s okay. You don''t have to exin anything," I said. "Come on. Sit down."


    Ruby sat down on the bed in front of me. She looked a bit confused. I wondered if it would have been the same for me if the situation was normal. Back then, I just did not know what to do or think and I was scared. I had the constant fear that he would hit me or hurt me because that was what I was expecting.


    "You can tell me what you are worried about," I said.


    "I am just worried about everything actually," she said. "What if Lord Luc says no at thest moment?"


    "Why would he do that?" I asked.


    "He is the master of the magic tower. He holds a lot of power and is a very renowned and respected person. But I... I am just a maid..."


    It was true that a lot of people were going to be surprised when they would find out that Ruby and Luc were mates. People would look down on Ruby just because she was a maid. I could even think of some situations that were going to take ce. But Demetrius and I supported the marriage. Well, Dem did not care, but he said he was going to support it after I told him.


    I had a feeling that even if I did not tell him to, he was going to support it anyway since it was Luc''s marriage.


    Since Dem and I were the king and the queen, we could shut people''s mouths. And if we attended Luc''s wedding, then we would publicly support the wedding. No one would dare to say anything opposing it in public anymore.


    "Ruby, it''s not where wee from that matters. What matters the most is what we want to be," I said, resting my hand on her shoulder. "You don''t have to care about anything. Besides, it''s not like you are actually amoner. It would not have mattered even if you were. Luc would still want to marry you and we would support your marriage."


    "It does not matter much even if I am a noble. I am from a fallen noble family after all," she mumbled. "We have nothing."


    Ruby was the daughter of a count. But they went bankrupt and lost everything overnight fifteen years ago. In this world, only status did not matter. Money was an important thing as well.


    Ruby had to be an Imperial maid to help her family. After I became the Queen, I started to bear the expenses of her family so she could use all of her ie for herself. She refused a lot of times, but I forced her to agree. Read further on m_vl em,pyr


    To make sure that her reputation was not hindered in any way, I would just have to help the count''s family rise again. I had nned to do it anyway. I was going to give them enough money to rise to their position again and make it look like they earned it. Because if I helped them publicly, people would not take it lightly. So, I needed to do everything in secret.


    Luc did not care much about public opinion. He had no idea what public opinion meant for Ruby. Ruby would get hurt if she was targeted. So, I took it on myself to help her get through it.


    "I am going to help your family, get your position back," I said. "I will meet them soon. After you and Luc fix the date, I will meet your family as soon as I can. It should be kept a secret. Do not tell anyone about it. After that, it will be only a matter of time before I can make everything work.


    So, you just rx and get ready to marry."

 Chapter 222: Drinking On The Full Moon Night

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The night came very quickly it seemed. Tonight was the full moon night. Demetrius still had note back. I looked for him in his office, but he was not there. The beta could not tell me anything as well.


    ''But he promised... He said he wille back tonight and won''t rely on the potion. It will hurt him if he doesn''t do it with me.''


    Dem was always worried about me. During full moon nights, werewolves lose their thinking abilities. They became like animals in heat. So, they usually went overboard as well. Last time when we did it on a full moon night, Dem lost himself and ended up being too rough. But I told him that it was fine and he also promised this time that he woulde to me.


    I even got my power awakened a bit for that.


    Ruby had found her mate, but since Luc and she had not fulfilled the mate bond between them, they would not feel the effect of the full moon. The mate bond would be fulfilled after they bit into each other''s skins and then spend a night together. They also needed to mate until the sun rose, or the bond would notplete.


    "Your Highness should sit down. You have been pacing around the room all this time," she said.


    "Ruby, is there a way to make your husband listen to you when they are stubborn?" I asked.


    "His Highness wille back soon. Your Highness should not worry too much," she said.


    "That guy... He is too stubborn. I swear to God if he..."


    "Alright, Ruby, get me some wine," I said, looking at her.


    "Wine? Your Highness is not good with alcohol. Last time, you drank..."


    "That was one of the darkest periods of my life," I said, shaking my hands. "I won''t drink too much anyway. It''s just to pass time."


    "Rather than doing that, Your Highness can y a board game with me..."


    "No! I want to drink! Come on, bring me..."


    "Alright," she sighed and got up.


    "No, wait...," I stopped her before she could leave.


    "Your Highness has changed your mind?" she asked happily.


    "You can leave. I don''t need wine now," I said.


    "Will Your Highness be alright alone?"


    "Yes, don''t worry. You can go and rest now," I said.


    "Your Highness is not going to do something strange, right?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.


    "Of course not. What will I even do?" Iughed.


    Ruby left after looking at me suspiciously for some time. I kept the door open in case Dem came back.


    I went to the other side of the huge room and opened a cab that was across the room. Dem kept his wine collection there. They were a bit strong he said. He never told me not to touch it, so it should be okay to drink it instead of the regr ones.


    Ruby had perhaps forgotten about it or did not think I would do it. Or, she would never leave me alone if I did not say it in an ordering tone. I usually did not use that kind of tone with her since she was more like a friend to me.


    I brought out a ss and a bottle of wine. Dem sometimes drank them, especially when he wanted to rx. I drank wine only once at the festival and was taken advantage of by Ezekiel. Something more would have perhaps happened if Demetrius had note back at the right time. After that, I never drank wine again. Dem said it was okay if I drank, but I was allowed to drink in front of him only.


    Now, it was not like someone was nearby. I was alone and no one woulde to the bedroom other than Demetrius. Even Ruby would note tonight. It would be fine.


    I filled my ss and took a sip with shaky hands. ''Wow, the taste is better than I thought it would be. I have forgotten the taste since it was quite a long time ago. It''s really sweet and there is this tingly feeling on my tongue...''


    After drinking one ss, my head felt lighter and I felt like I could do anything right now. There was nothing to worry about. The sudden lightheartedness inside me encouraged me to drink one more ss.


    "If I knew it tastes this good, I would have tried earlier," I muttered to myself. "Well, since I was pregnant, I could not try it before. So, now, I am going to drink lots every day."


    I filled my ss for the third time. But the moment it was going to touch my lips, a hand stopped me.


    "That''s enough. Three sses will be too much for you."


    "Dem! You havee back!" I eximed and hugged him. I had forgotten that the ss was still in my hands. Because I moved so hastily, wine fell on his hand and my white nightgown.


    "Eh! I got wet...," I mumbled, looking down at myself.


    "What you are saying has two meanings, you know," he said.


    "Hmm? I don''t know... Anyway, you better clean your hand and I will just..."


    I took the nightgown off without thinking twice and threw it on the floor. He gaped at me. He looked shocked.


    "You are drunk," he said.


    "I am not! I am just wet, so I took it off..."


    "Wet, huh?" he chuckled bitterly. "I am holding back a lot right now to give you some time to get ready, yet my darling wife is..."


    "What are you saying? And why haven''t you cleaned your hand yet?"


    "Clean my hand, huh?" he mumbled. "It''s your fault that wine fell on my hand."


    "Yes... And I am sorry..."


    "It won''t work. A simple apology is something that can be made at any time. I need more."


    "More?"


    "Yes," he smirked. "Why don''t you clean my hand?"


    "Ah, that''s right... I will clean your hand. Just you wait here, I will get a wet towel."


    The moment I started to run towards the restroom, he held my hand and stopped me. "No, use another way."


    "Another way?" I mumbled, confused.


    "Yes. Can you think of any other way?" he smirked.


    "Um... Perhaps this way..."


    I started licking his hand. His hand shook in my hands. The wine seemed to taste even better this way.


    "You really... change into apletely different person when you are drunk..."


    "Isn''t this the right way? Or should I...?"


    "No, I like it... I like this way," he said. "So, do it more and clean my hand properly."


    I did the same thing again. Every time I licked each of his fingers, he trembled slightly. The room was quiet. So, I could hear his heart beating like drums as well as mine.


    "There! Perfectly clean!" I grinned.


    "Tsk!" he clicked his tongue and suddenly grabbed me from below my armpits and pulled me up.


    I rested my hands on his shoulders and looked at him in surprise. "Ah, your earring... It seems a bit loose..."


    "Fix it for me," he said huskily.


    As I bent to fix his earring, I felt his breath right on my neck. Before I knew it, he suddenly bit the skin of my neck.


    "Hnn... Agh!"


    "Did you fix it?"


    "I am... doing it..."


    "Yes, do it," he said while licking the ce where he bit.


    "My... hands are shaking..."


    "Come on," he said.


    "Don''t tease me then. I will fix it quickly..."


    "Alright," he nodded when I red at him.


    I fixed his earring, but right when I was finished, he started nibbling on my chest. If it was not for him, I would not have noticed that I waspletely naked. I had taken off my nightgown, but I had forgotten about thatpletely.


    "My..."


    "Did you see how excited I am for you?"


    "I..."


    "Yes?"


    "I will take responsibility," I said. "So, um, you can get on the bed with me and let me... take care of you. Will that be enough?"


    He looked at me for a while dumbfoundedly, then startedughing loudly. Hisugh was usually a bit scary, but this time, it did not seem so to me. Rather, I found it very beautiful and cute.


    "You really are something..."


    He suddenly threw me on the bed and climbed on top of me. He was sweating as if he was in pain. I grabbed his face with both of my hands and kissed him deeply. We pulled back only when I was out of breathpletely.


    "Hey, don''t drink wine again when I am not around, okay?"


    "Why not?"


    "Because you get bolder when you drink. I am worried that if someone else is in front of you, you will do the same thing you are doing to me," he said.


    "That would never happen! I have only one husband and that''s you! I will do it with you only, forever!"

 Chapter 223: Black Stone

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    When I woke up, it was early in the morning. I did not remember when I fell asleep. Actually, I did not remember many things fromst night after we had started. But I remembered when I entered the room and found my wife drinking.


    I moved a bit and my hand touched the shoulder of my sleeping wife. I slowed my movement so she would not wake up and rolled on my side to face her.


    The nket was up to her chest while her shoulder and most parts of her back were exposed. The exposed parts had red marks on them.


    She looked like she was sleeping very deeply. I would feel like I had done something wrong if I somehow woke her up right now. She could not sleep because of me after all.


    I touched her cheek with my knuckles gently. "Beautiful... Really beautiful..."


    The ne that she always wore which prevented me from reading her mind looked very peculiar on her naked body. I touched the heart-shaped stone and rubbed it with my fingers. For some reason, I got the sudden idea to destroy it and make her wear a fake one without telling her. In that way, I could read all her thoughts.


    ''What the? What am I thinking? Have I lost my mind? She will hate me if I do that. I would never do something that she will hate me for, at least, not for now. Why was I even thinking about something like that?''


    I let the ne go and hugged her tightly. Since she was sleeping deeply, she did not even budge.


    I did not even notice when I fell asleep again. When I was asleep, I could rx- that was how it was before. But now, it seemed I could not even rx when I was sleeping. If my weird thoughts could not wake me up, they would haunt me in my dreams. Because of that, I would see strange dreams. All of them were about the thing I feared the most and that was my wife leaving me.


    When I woke up again, it was veryte. My wife had snuggled even closer to me. She was hugging me very tightly.


    "I''m sorry. Did I wake you?" she asked guiltily. "I just wanted to hug you..."


    ''She can''t still be drunk, right?''


    "You did not," I said, cing a strand of hair behind her ear that was on her face. "When did you wake up?"


    "Just now...," she mumbled. She seemed to be her usual self now as she was blushing furiously while looking away so she would not meet my eyes. But every now and then, she turned bold and surprised me.


    "Why do you look that way?"


    "... Are you angry at me? I drank your wine without asking you. I am sorry..."


    "Why are you sorry? What is mine is yours as well. You can have anything at anything that''s mine. You don''t have to ask me or say sorry. It''s yours also anyway. But sweetie, don''t drink when I am not present.


    You have a very low alcohol resistance. I am worried."


    "I don''t usually drink... I thought you were noting to the bedroom, so I was a bit..."


    Actually, I thought of noting once. But then, I thought that she would hate me if I did that. So, I came. It was not like I did not want to do it with her. But since on full moon nights, werewolves lost their senses, I was worried that I would hurt her unconsciously.


    "I promised you. I won''t break my promise," I said.


    "Hmm... I was just worried for no reason, then," she muttered.


    "Did you have any dreamsst night?" I asked.


    "No, I did not get the time to," she replied, while her face turned even redder. "I don''t remember when I fell asleep. But when I wasst conscious, it was almost morning."


    "Did I hurt you in any wayst night?"


    "No!" she shook her head furiously. "You were very careful. But I noticed something."


    "What?"


    "You always do it in a... um... particr position on a full moon night."


    "A particr position. Let me guess... Is it doggystyle?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Pfft, I knew it! Even though I don''t remember, it''s not hard to guess. You see, wolves like to take control. In that position, it''s easy to dominate. That''s why I thought that might be it. We usually do it in whatever positiones to mind and the mood says."


    I liked to take control almost all the time. It was just something I had known since the first time we did it. Actually, I liked to take control of every single thing. Perhaps it was just in my veins.


    "Don''t you like it when we do it in that position?" I asked even though I knew the truth.


    "It''s not like I don''t like it. I was just saying that you do it in that particr position on a full moon night."


    "So, you like it?"


    "Mm... I do..."


    "Is that your favorite position?"


    "Why are we talking about it now?" she eximed.


    "You are the one who started it, Honey," I said nonchntly.


    "I know, but..."


    "Then why don''t you answer me? What is your favorite position?"


    "... I don''t know..."


    "Come on. Tell me. What''s there to be shy about? We did itst night too," I said.


    "... It''s..."


    "Yes? I can''t hear you."


    "When I had my palms against the wall and we did it, I liked it!" she blurted out, closing her eyes while her face and ears were burning.


    "Yeah, I liked it too. Should we try it again? That position is kindafortable too," I said seriously. "It''s a bit hard to kiss you that way, but we can always find a way. I can touch you perfectly in that position as well. That one is just perfect.


    Let''s do it tonight."


    "You are really..."


    "By the way, my favorite position is every single one of them as long as I can do it with you. I mean, I just need to touch you, kiss you, and stick it inside you. As long as I can do all of them, any position is alright and perfect."


    "Luc wasn''t wrong then when he called you horny," she muttered.


    "He did? He doesn''t even know anything about me," I shrugged.


    "He guessed... And he is right..."


    "Well, I have my needs. You like it too. So, it''s fine if I am horny," I said and gave her a peck on the lips.


    It was fun and rxing whenever I was with her. If I only talked to her for a bit, I would feel refreshed. I could talk to her and be with her for eternity without getting bored.


    "I have been thinking about somethingtely...," she said suddenly.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "There were moon goddess and ck lord, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Why is he called ck lord? It sounds racist," she said.


    "Well, it''s because of his heart," I replied.


    "His heart? Is it ck or something? Just because of that?"


    "No, it''s not just that. Legends say his heart was made of a stone which is called ck stone. This stone is very rare and some say it is very special as well since this stone contains a bit of ck mana. Since his heart ispletely made of this stone, his heart itself contains a huge amount of ck mana. The stone is called ck stone because it is only ck with no hint of any other color.


    If you want to see pure ck, you can take it as an example," he said. "And why are you calling it racist?"


    "I am d that it''s because of this reason. I was worried... I mean, in my country and some other countries as well, some weird people say weird stuff about ck people. Like, sometimes it''s automatically assumed that ck is evil and white is pure."


    "Whoa, that''s weird. We don''t judge people by their color here. Why would someone do that?"


    "Right? That''s so freaking weird! It''s one of the things I hate the most," she said.


    "Haha, you got so worked up," I chuckled.


    "Hmph, are you making fun of me?"


    "I would never dare," I said. "Ah, the view is nice..."


    "What view?" she mumbled and looked down only to find out that her chest waspletely exposed. She quickly tried to hide herself with the nket, but I caught it so she would not be able to do it.


    "Why are you...? Give it to me!"


    I pushed her down by the shoulders and got on top of her. "Why? I don''t want my wife to hide herself," I smirked. "After all, I can''t let you stop me from seeing such a beautiful sight, right?"

 Chapter 224: The Decision To Help Ruby

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, you skipped your training for two days. One more day is not allowed," Perita said strictly. "Your Highness is the one who told me to force you to practice even if you try to ck off."


    "But Her Highness wants to take a little break. It''s not wrong, right?" Ruby argued.


    "It is wrong."


    "Her Highness had a rough nightst night," Ruby said. "I don''t think she can move much."


    "Jeez, Ruby... It sounds weird," I mumbled. It had been one day after the full moon. Even after the full moon night, Demetrius and I did it as much as we pleased. Last night, just like we used to do it before, we did it. It was fun.


    The whole pce seemed to know about it.


    Not many of them knew that I was pregnant. But they knew that I was sick and because of that, Demetrius and I could not do it for a long time. And now, they knew that we started doing it again. Because of that, they even gave us cake during thete breakfast yesterday.


    "It''s alright. I will practice today," I said sulkily.


    Since I took a break for two days, I seemed to getzy. Ruby helped me get ready. I told her not to apply any makeup on my face since I was going to get sweaty anyway.


    "At least, let me make a proper braid," Ruby insisted.


    "You don''t need to. Just make a simple one," I said. "And you know, you don''t have to work for me anymore. Take a break. Others will do everything."


    "No," she declined firmly.


    I told her that she did not need to be my personal maid anymore since she was going to marry Luc soon. But she did not listen to me for unknown reasons. I was clearly doing it for herself.


    She made a French braid with my hair. It was not just that. There were little clips with diamonds hiding here and there within my hair.


    "Prepare something for me to eat after I finish practicing," I said. "Then I will go to meet your family. You wille with me."


    "Is it nece...?"


    "Don''t argue with me," I said. "I told you a lot of times not to argue about this. I have already decided."


    "Why is Your Highness going to meet Ruby''s family?" Perita asked.


    "I have some work there. You will be escorting me, so you will find out soon," I said.


    I had told Demetrius that I was going to meet Ruby''s familyst night. He did not disagree, so it was fine. It would also be my first time to go out of the pce ground after the festival. Going to Ataraxia did not count since we just teleported from here to there and could not see much of a thing on the way.


    I was a bit surprised to see that Demetrius did not say anything about it. I thought he would make a fuss. Perhaps he was getting better.


    "Perita, what do you think of nobles in general?"


    Experience new worlds on M-VL-em|p,yr


    "They are all the same. I have met them many times though I did not interact with them much since I have no need to do that. But all of them seem the same to me for some reason," she said. "Of course, Your Highness is very different. Your Highness is kind and gentle, not arrogant like most of them. Lady Evelyn is quite friendly too, but not as much as Your Highness."


    "You think I am too kind-hearted? Like people will use me like a doormat?"


    "That''s never going to happen, Your Highness," she said sternly. "Even though Your Highness is kind, you keep your distance from everyone to let them know their ce. Your Highness also stood up to the ones who tried to take you down. So, no one thinks of you as a doormat. No one ever will think that way. They just can''t."


    Everyone I knew called me kind. But why did they do that? I could give examples of the times when I was rude. I even shouted at the maids one day because I had a headache and it was not going down at all. I was just in a bad mood that day. But it was no excuse for my behavior.


    I thought they were going to be angry even though they would not show it. So, I said sorry to them, but they just shrugged and said that it was nothing and not everyone had a good day all the time.


    The training was as hard as usual and it was not fun as well. I was just doing it because I promised myself that I would not rely on someone to save my life. If my power was not awakened fully, then I would have to rely on my swordsmanship skills to save my life. It was better to learn it without waiting for my power to be awakened someday.


    Besides, I was not sure if someone would actually be able to awaken my power. Dem and I also did not want to awaken my power since it would make a full dark mage and dark mages were not weed in this world.


    "My legs are shaking," I mumbled after the training was finally over. Were my legs being like this because ofst night? Dem and I tried my favorite position against night, so he went overboard. Well, he actually went overboard all the time no matter what.


    "I can carry Your Highness," Perita said.


    "Haha, no need. But thanks for trying to help," I chuckled.


    For some reason, I looked straight up towards Dem''s office. And my intuition was right. He was standing there looking straight at me.


    How long had he been there? I did not notice him at all. "What is His Highness doing there?" Parita asked. "I did not notice him before. How did Your Highness even know that His Highness is there?"


    "I just felt like it," I murmured the reply.


    Dem mouthed something and it was not hard to understand at all. "Come to my study."


    "Okay," I mouthed back. "Perita, you can clean up now. I will go meet the king for a bit."


    "Yes, Your Highness," she bowed.


    I quickly returned to the pce. These days, I had the constant feeling that someone was following me and observing me. It was after that dream the other night. It was clear that my father and brother were observing my every move, but I had no idea how. Dem had doubled the security around here. He even assigned some mages so they could detect ck mana.


    There was no unusual report yet.


    I looked back several to make sure that no one was actually around. Then I quickly went to Dem''s study.


    "You are done with your practice, right?" he asked.


    "Yes," I nodded.


    "Are you going to go to meet your maid''s family?"


    "That''s the n," I said.


    "Do you have to?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s her business to deal with you. Do you have to do it for her?" he asked.


    I gritted my teeth. "I decided that I will help her. She has been with me all the time and helped me a lot."


    "That''s her job," he said.


    "So what? Not everyone does their job correctly. She did more than her job," I said, controlling my voice. "She is more like a friend to me."


    "A maid can''t be a Queen''s friend, my wife," he said.


    "...You did not disagreest night," I said. "Are you going back on your word now? It doesn''t look like you don''t want me to be her friend. That''s not exactly what you oppose, right?"


    "Are you afraid I will run away if I get out of the pce ground?" I asked, leaning toward him, cing my palms on the table. "You are, aren''t you?"


    "It''s not..."


    "You are lying," I said calmly. "How? How can I make you believe me? You don''t believe me no matter what I say... How many times do I have to say the same thing? What do you want me to do?"


    "... Take another knight with you," he said.


    It was not difficult to understand the meaning of his suggestion. It was not like he thought that Perita was not enough. But he wanted me to take another knight so that knight could keep an eye on me so I would not run away. Even though I told him so many times, he never trusted me when it came to this.


    "Why don''t youe with me?"


    "I have a meeting. It can''t be postponed," he said. "Or I would have done so."

 Chapter 225: The Carriage Ride

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I am Calix Elver. I will be guarding Your Highness today," a boy no more than sixteen said, bowing. There was no way he was going to be more than sixteen.


    "Come back as soon as you are done," Demetrius said. "I don''t mind you looking around. It''s just you don''t know the ways much..."


    "I understand," I said. "I wille back soon. But..."


    "What?"


    "Calix- how old is he?"


    "How old are you? Sixteen?" Dem asked, looking at him.


    "Yes, Your Highness," he replied.


    "Why is a sixteen-year-old here?" I asked. "He... He is not eighteen yet. But why is he in the knights'' squad? He should still be training or something."


    "If Your Highness is worried about my skill, I can guarantee you that I can protect you very well," Calix said.


    I sighed. "I am not worried about your ability. It''s just... If you are not eighteen, you should not be doing such things."


    "We can talk about itter," Dem said.


    I red at him. "Get me someone else," I said. "And you better have an exnation why a sixteen-year-old is already a knight. No matter how skilled someone is, sixteen is not an age when you should do this. He is a kid, for god''s sake!"


    Calix turned red hearing me say that out loud. Perhaps I was hurting his feelings right now, but it was not intentional. If a sixteen-year-old was a knight, then it meant he also went to wars. And in wars, it did not matter how old someone was. All they cared about was winning. I could not even think of a sixteen-year-old going to such ces just because they were skilled.


    It was not just physical strength; it was about their emotional health. How was a kid going to grow up witnessing killing at such an age?


    Everyone was surprised seeing me like this since most of the time, I did not even talk too loudly, but I literally yelled and that was also at their king. But before he was a king, he was my husband. And I needed to tell him off if he was wrong.


    "Ha, alright," Dem sighed. "Bring me Abel."


    Some servants quickly went to get Abel and came back with him. He was in his twenties it seemed. He sported light golden blond hair with forest green eyes.


    "Guard the Queen and make sure she is safe," Dem said. "Don''t leave her side."


    "... Yes, Your Highness."


    He looked like he did not expect it at all. He seemed to be an adult, so it was no problem for him if he was the one to guard me.


    "I will be leaving them," I said as Dem helped me in the carriage. He looked like he did not want to let me go. It was not like I was leaving forever and that was exactly what he was afraid of even though I had told him countless times that I was not going to leave his side.


    "Come back as soon as possible," he whispered into my ear.


    "Yes, I will," I nodded.


    The carriage started. I looked out the window and watched Dem looking at me. Did he have to have that look on his face that made me think that I was doing something wrong?


    Abel was riding with the coachman while Perita and Ruby were riding with me. Perita was looking at me in a weird way while Ruby had a straight face as she almost all the time did when she was with Perita. I still did not understand much why she did not like Perita.


    "Why did Your Highness stop Calix?" Perita asked. "He is a great knight even though he is young. His Highness found him on a battlefield three years ago and after seeing him fighting for his life there, he brought him back and trained him. Calix was blessed in swordsmanship and so he finished his lessons pretty early and got a good ce in the Imperial knight squad.


    He even had been to war and he was also in the first line squad."


    "No wonder," I mumbled. "I have to talk to Demetrius about this after I go back."


    "But why?" Perita asked.


    "Well, isn''t it obvious? Sir Calix is only sixteen. No matter how blessed someone is in swordsmanship, sixteen is not an age when someone should take part in wars. Ourw also says that someone is qualified to join the knights'' squad after eighteen," Ruby said.


    "But Calix is a special case," Perita argued. "His Highness, the King, himself gave him permission and chose him."


    "That''s why Her Highness will talk to His Highness so this kind of thing does not happen again," Ruby said. "Please ask no more, Perita. Her Highness is resting, so let her do so."


    I leaned on Ruby''s shoulder who was sitting beside me. I was feeling awful because my head was filled with thoughts. But more than that, I was disappointed by the carriage ride.


    I thought it was going to be fun. But not long after, I was proven wrong. The carriage ride was notfortable at all. My waist felt like it was going to break. If my bottom and the seat became one, I would not be surprised.


    "Your Highness must be tired," Ruby said. "You came right after practicing and could not even rest. Your Highness really needed not to help me this much..."


    "It''s nothing," I said. "I just have a headache, that''s all."


    "Is it because of the bun? Is it too tight?"


    Ruby had tied my hair in a French twist bun. It was not too tight. I would rather say it was much morefortable than some of the other hairstyles that she did. It was not called French twist here though. They called it something else, but I did not bother to remember.


    I was wearing a ck gown as usual and it was also toovish. It was nothing abnormal anymore. I had somewhat gotten used to it as well.


    "No, the bun is okay. I don''t know. I am just tired," I mumbled.


    "Your Highness can sleep if you want to," she said. "I will wake you up when we reach there."


    I could not sleep wellst night. The workload had increased and so did the special exercise with Dem. It was not like I was happy that we could get intimate again. I just still could not suit the new routine. It would take me a while since I always took a while to get used to things.


    "Are you a virgin, Ruby?"


    "Pfft... Why is Your Highness asking that?" Ruby asked.


    "Just tell me. Are you?"


    "Yes... Well, I could not find my dream guy, so I did not do it," she said.


    That was a worrying thing. Luc was a virgin too. So, none of them had any experience when it came to these kinds of things. It was true that Dem and I were virgins before our wedding as well. But at least, Dem studied a lot about it and was truly enthusiastic though it was not the same case for Luc. He was not interested in anything like this.


    And that was the problem. I should tell Dem to talk to Luc about it and give him advice about what to do and what to not do since Luc was not someone who was going to even try to learn it in any way.


    "Don''t worry, Ruby. You will have a great wedding night. Trust me," I said determinedly.


    "What is Your Highness talking about all of a sudden?" she asked, turningpletely red.


    "You know about sex, right? If you have any hardship, ask me about it. It is a field I know a bit about," I said. "I will tell you all I know, so you can get help for your wedding night."


    It had been a long time since Ruby had been my personal maid, so I did not feel much shy around her anymore. We had gotten very close as well. Perita and I had not reached that level yet, but we were a bit close too.


    "Your Highness is really something," she chuckled. "No Queen would go this far to help a mere maid."


    "You keep saying that. I told you it''s nothing. We are more like friends at this point after all," I said.


    "So, don''t worry, and let me help you as a friend."


    "Your Highness wanna have some peanuts?" Perita asked.


    "Where did you get them?" I asked as I took a few peanuts from a pouch that she offered.


    "I carry them with me all the time," she said. "Ruby, have some too."


    My arms felt a bit empty since Sapphire was not with me. Ava had been taking her to y with her these days. She seemed to like Sapphire a lot so I did not stop her. And besides, I could not y with Sapphire enough. She might get bored.

 Chapter 226: Meeting Rubys Family

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "You did not need to do all this," I said.


    Since they knew I was going toe here, they had prepared too many food items for me. It was very ufortable. I even mentioned in the letter that they did not need to do anything.


    "It''s not much, Your Highness. We are very d that Your Highness hase to meet us."


    It was Ruby''s mother. She had red hair just like Ruby. Her father was standing beside her. He had red hair as well. Well, I predicted so too since kids whose both parents had red hair were born with red hair usually. Ruby''s older brother was here as well.


    He was of Demetrius''s age. He had red hair as well.


    They were living in the same mansion as they used to when they had the reputation. It was their family mansion, so they did not need to leave. But their financial condition was not good at all.


    "I will have these cookies then," I said. "Please take a seat, Count and Countess. I will get straight to the point actually since I don''t have much time in hand."


    "I am here to talk about Ruby''s marriage with the master of the magic tower Luc Edmund," I said.


    "Ruby told us about it," her father, the Count said. "But I am not sure about what to do. Ruby is currently working as Your Highness''s personal maid. Of course, it is very fortunate that she got that position, thanks to His Highness and Your Highness. But the position of the master of the magic tower is equal to Your Highness and His Highness''s position. How can someone like my daughter marry him?"


    "They are mates," I said. "It''s not like they do not desire to get married ever. The Count also must know that except for an Alpha, everyone has to either get married to their mate or not get married ever. Both Ruby and the master of the magic tower desire to get married. Since it is their life and their decision, we can do nothing but ept it."


    "I understand, but..."


    "I know what the Count is worried about. That''s why I have personallye here to talk about it," I said. "Ruby is a nobledy but from a fallen noble family. Status is important, but money is more important. You can buy status with money as well. That''s why I want to help the Count''s family pay off your debts."


    "What...?"


    "You heard me."


    "But how... how can we ept such a thing from Your Highness, the Queen?" the Count said desperately. "My apologies, but we cannot ept this."


    I knew they were going to refuse. So, I hade prepared. "I did not say I am going to pay off the debts just like this," I said. "In exchange, I want a few things."


    "Yes...?"


    "I will help the Count to do your business just like before. I will give the Count a few pieces ofnds. So, first of all, I want the Count to pay 35% tax for three years. Before, you used to pay 32%. I have increased the amount. You will be able to pay me off a bit with this.


    Of course, that won''t be all," I said. "Your son was the ranked first student in the academy, I heard."


    "Yes, he was. He had a great future ahead of him. But because we went bankrupt, he could not fulfill his dream. I failed as a father," he said.


    "Don''t put yourself down, honey. You tried," the Countess said, patting him on the arm gently.


    "I have a job offer for your son," I said. "I happen to be looking for an assistant. My workload is a bit too much these days and it will increase more in the near future. I cannot handle them alone. So, I am looking for someone who I can share my work with. The academy referenced your son."


    "Your Highness''s assistant?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "What do you think, Reece? Do you think you will do a good job as my assistant?"


    It was true that my workload was increasing. But I did not an assistant right now. It was something I nned to say if the Count insisted on paying the debt offter. Even with the Count''s ie, it was not possible to pay me fully. So, I decided to take Ruby''s brother as my assistant as well. I had done a bit of background check on him and found out that he was a great student back at the academy.


    "I would love to! But... that won''t pay the debt off, Your Highness," Reece, Ruby''s elder brother said.


    "That will. For three years, you will get 50% of your ie. The other 50% will be used to pay the debt off," I said. "In that way, the remaining debt will be paid off as well. The Count''s family and I will owe each other nothing after three years. What do you say?"


    "But what will Your Highness gain from this?" the Count asked.


    "An assistant and by this, I will be able to pay a friend off a bit for what she has done for me," I said. "Can I think now that the Count agrees?"


    "... Yes, Your Highness. We are very grateful to you. This debt cannot be paid just with money. You are helping us a lot," the Count said, bowing.


    "Thank you, Your Highness. We owe you a lot," the Countess bowed.


    "It''s alright. Let''s now enjoy the sweets," I said. "Ruby, Perita, and Reece should join us too."


    We talked and had sweets and tea. It was almost time for lunch when I decided to leave. The Countess did not want me to leave and invited me for lunch. But I refused.


    "His Majesty, the King is waiting for me to return. I cannot make His Majesty wait," I said. "I will have to refuse today, but someday, we will spend more time together."


    "I... I will invite Your Highness to our mansion," the Countess said. "Can I think that Your Highness will ept my invitation?"


    "Of course," I smiled. "I will definitely ept the Countess''s invitation."


    "And Reece, you shalle to the Imperial Pce with the permission paper I gave you. Just show it to the guard. He will let you enter then," I added, looking at Reece.


    "Yes, Your Highness. Thank you so much," he said.


    The countess even cried. Ruby remained quiet all the time. She was the type not to ask much for help. That was why she did not want me to help her. But I insisted. She also knew that she would need my help anyway.


    That was the reason she did not be too stubborn.


    And it was not like I was helping them for free. They were going to pay me back within three years anyway.


    The amount I was giving them was pretty big. But it was nothing for me. I had the same amount of money as Demetrius, the King of Querencia. He and I were the richest people in the whole kingdom. We actually had even more money than most kings and queens because we had too many side businesses using other names. Dem suggested that I started side businesses as well.


    So, I started investing in different businesses as well and sponsored them using the Royal family name. No one knew it was me who was the owner of the business; they knew that the owner was close to me and that was why I let the owner use my name to promote the business. Since they knew that I was the one sponsoring these businesses, they were naturally drawn to them.


    Because of these side businesses, we made too much money.


    I donated lots to schools and charities as well. But Dem and I never donated any to the temples. The priests were actually a bunch of frauds. They did not use the money to give to the poor. Rather, they used it for their own selves only.


    Dem did not have a good rtionship with the temple. Even just recently, he tried to punch the head priest because he was pissing Dem off with his words. Thankfully, I was there to stop him. It was a good thing that Dem listened to me rather well.


    "Should we go back now, Your Highness?" Ruby asked.


    "You can spend the day with your..."


    "No, I will go back with Your Highness," Ruby said, cutting me off.


    "Alright," I sighed. "Let''s go back then."


    We were back for a waist-breaking ride again. Teleportation was a lot better than this even though that caused a bit of dizziness. At least, my waist would stay in perfect shape.


    "So, that''s why Your Highness came to meet Ruby''s family. I was wondering why," Perita said. "Your Highness is very kind. It''s my first time seeing a Queen, like Your Highness."

 Chapter 227: The Man From The Dream

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness is helping me too much," Ruby said.


    "I am not doing anything for free," I said.


    "It''s just one of Your Highness''s ns so my father cannot refuse. You are not taking any profit either. You are just taking what you have given and it''s just perfectly calcted. I have no idea how long Your Highness has been nning this."


    "I don''t need any profit. I am the Queen, so I have a lot of money. Or did you think I am a beggar?"


    "I am not saying that..."


    "Then let''s not talk about it anymore. I am doing what I want to," I said, ending the conversation for good. "Let''s just rx. Ah, what am I saying? The carriage ride is really something... My waist is breaking apart..."


    "Should I open the curtains a bit?" Perita asked. "At least, Your Highness can look outside a bit."


    "Yeah, do so."


    Perita opened the curtains and the moment I looked outside, I saw a strange figure. "Wait! Stop the carriage!"


    "Your Highness?"


    The carriage was stopped. I looked out very carefully. He was still there. He was wearing a blue cloak and a mask that covered his whole face. It was the same man from my dream who called me his daughter. But one thing surprised me.


    His eye color was baby blue, just like mine while in the dream, his eye color was dark brown. Dem mentioned that mages could change their eye color if they wanted to.


    "What''s wrong, Your Highness?"


    "That man over there...," I mumbled, pointing towards him with my finger.


    "Who is there?" Perita asked. "The one wearing that green suit?"


    "No, the one in a blue cloak. He is wearing a mask," I said.


    "What...?"


    "What''s wrong, Your Highness?" Abel asked, opening the carriage door.


    "Sir Abel..."


    "Please call me Abel."


    "Yes, Abel. That man, can you bring him here for me? He is wearing a blue cloak and a mask."


    "Who?"


    "Look behind you. He is right beside that beggar..."


    "But, Your Highness...," Perita started.


    "There is no one like that there. There is no one next to the beggar," Abel said.


    "What...? What are you saying? He is looking at me!" I said loudly.


    "Your Highness, there is really no one there," Abel said calmly. "Perhaps you are too tired."


    "Ruby can''t see it too?" I asked, ncing at Ruby who shook her head. I sighed. "... Start the carriage."


    I wanted to see that man and talk to him. But I did not get down the carriage. It seemed only I could see him. There was no guarantee if he had a good intention or not. What if he harmed me or tried to take me away?


    As the carriage passed by, he kept his eyes on me. His eyes were so simr to mine that it was like looking at my eyes in the mirror.


    "Your Highness, take a rest. You can rest your head on my shoulder," Ruby said. "I will wake you up when we reach the pce."


    "Hmm... Give some of the cakes to Abel. He did not enter with us," I said.


    "Yes, I will. Please rest," Perita said.


    I did not know when I fell asleep or when we reached the pce. I woke up a bit when I felt a strong pair of arms carrying me.


    "Hm? Demetrius?"


    "Dem, not Demetrius," he said.


    "Ah, right... Dem... When...?"


    "You were sleeping. I could not bring myself to wake you up," he said.


    "You should have... It''s alright, you can put me down," I said.


    He did not say anything and did not put me down. He was holding me very tightly. Since he did not have any intention of putting me down, I wrapped my arm around his nape and rested my head against his firm chest.


    "Today''s meeting was about you. The people who did not agree with you being the Queen, I had to shut them down and that''s what today''s meeting was about. I could not dy it in any way," he said.


    And I was wondering why he did not go with me. He usually left everything if I wanted him to do something for me or be with me. So, I always refrained from asking him for something when he had work in hand. Since it was a meeting that was about me, he could note with me. He was always like that- prioritizing me above everything else.


    "I wish I could go with you. But it''s alright now. You are back."


    ''Were you worried that I won''te back? I don''t even have the energy to argue about it anymore. I have tried my best to tell you that I am not leaving you, but you just don''t believe me... I am tired now.''


    "Have you had lunch?" I asked.


    "No."


    "Were you waiting for me?"


    "No, I was busy," he said.


    "I told you not to wait for me," I said.


    "I told you I was not waiting. The work was just too much," he said.


    "Have your food in time. You work too hard every day. You need energy," I said.


    "I was not waiting for you."


    "Yeah, yeah... I will wash upter. I am hungry as well. Let''s have our lunch first."


    "Do you want to have lunch in the dining room? Or in our room?"


    "Let''s go to our room," I said.


    Dem carried me to our bedroom and ced me on the couch. I still had not fully gotten used to how big our bedroom was.


    "Aren''t you going to ask me how it went?" I asked.


    "I am not interested in things regarding other people," he shrugged. "Bring our lunch here."


    "... Are you interested in me only?"


    "Yes," he replied without waiting. "I told you. It''s just you."


    "Are you okay with this? Because it''s not normal..."


    "Yeah, I am fine with the way things are," he said. "Wine?"


    "Just one ss."


    If he did not want to know, then it was not my job to force him to listen to me. I thought he would want to know more about it since it was the first time, I was doing things alone. I just thought that he was worried that I would do things wrong and ruin both his and my reputation. But he did not seem to care about any of that and trusted me.


    "After lunch, I want to meet the designer who designed my office," I said.


    "Why?"


    "I need her to do something for me," I said.


    "Meet her in the evening," he said. "It''s not that urgent, right?"


    "It''s kinda urgent. But why in the evening? I am free after this. I will have to work in the evening," I said.


    "Haa, alright," he sighed.


    "Dem, what''s wrong? You are saying anything clearly. Do you want me to stay with you after lunch?"


    "Will you do so if I ask you to?"


    "Well, it''s not like I have too many works. So, I guess I will be spending time with you instead. Are you sure you are free?"


    "Of course. I do my work very quickly, my darling wife."


    I was worried about Dem''s health. He was working a lot. I was worried that he was stressing himself out. I was helping him as much as I could since I had started learning as well. Because of my memory, it was easy to learn things.


    Dem did not have any assistants because he did not trust anyone. He would rather do everything alone even though it was too much. That was one of the reasons I was working hard so I could help him as much as I could. Since it was just the two of us, the work was just too much to handle. Perhaps having an assistant was not a bad idea.


    "Want to have lunch on the balcony? We never had our lunch there," Dem said.


    "We had dinner there," I said.


    "It''s not the same thing. Are you going to refuse?"


    "I didn''t say that," I chuckled. "Let''s do it."


    I thought Dem just wanted to talk to me after lunch. That was why he did not want to let me go. But I should have known that my husband was not someone who would stop me just to talk.


    It did not matter if it was nighttime or daytime. He just never seemed to get enough of me. Well, I could not me him. I could never get enough of him either. Perhaps it was the power of love that just knew no bound.

 Chapter 228: Can I Trust You?

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Not anymore..."


    "Just one more round?" I begged.


    "No... My body hurts. We did it three times already," she said, covering herself with the nket. "Are three times not enough for now? We will do it again at night anyway. It''s noon, honestly!"


    "Ha, okay," I sighed and sat up. "We are doing it at least four times tonight." Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr


    "... Hmm..."


    "By the way, what were you trying to say before? About a man or something..."


    "You didn''t let me start properly," she grumbled. "Well, I saw a man today on the street."


    "You got down from the carriage?" I asked.


    I clearly stated that she should not get down from the carriage unless she reached the Count''s mansion or came back to the pce. I was not just worried about her running away. She could be in danger if she got down no matter how many knights were with her since it seemed dark mages were after her. No matter how powerful knights were, they could not match up to the power of dark mages.


    "No, I did not," she replied and I calmed down. "We were in the carriage and then Perita opened the curtains since I was not feeling that good. That''s the moment I saw him, my father from the dream. This time, he had blue eyes just like mine."


    "I stopped the carriage to see him properly. But the surprising thing is that no one other than me could see him," she added. "I asked Abel to bring that man to me. But he could not even see him. Ruby and Perita could not see him either. I did not get down the carriage since I did not know his intention.


    When we were going away, he kept looking at me."


    "Are you sure it''s that man from your dream? You said he was wearing a hooded cloak and a mask that covered his whole face except his eyes," I said.


    "No, it was him," she said strongly. "I am sure! He was wearing a hooded cloak and a mask this time as well. I am not wrong! Trust me, it was him!"


    "I understand, honey," I held her shoulders and pushed her back down as she got too overwhelmed. "It''s not like I don''t trust you. I was just trying to make sure that you are right about what you saw. I can think of a reason for the change of eye color actually."


    "What is it?" she asked eagerly.


    She was lying on her side holding a fluffy pillow tightly while I was sitting beside her. Every time she looked so cute, I got the urge to touch her. The main problem was- she always looked cute. I sped my palms together to stop myself from touching her all the time.


    "If he is really your biological father, then he surely has blue eyes. This time, he knew that you will see him or he knew you will go that way. That''s why he made sure he shows you his real eye color so you get an idea that he is your father. You see, a person will naturally get curious and will want to know who their real father is and want to meet him.


    Well, it''spletely strange since I won''t feel that way. Anyway, he thought that you would try to meet him if he showed up out of nowhere and intrigued you. He is sure that you have a feeling that your father is behind it all," I exined.


    "And about the dream- I think it was not intentional. Luc wrote me in a letter that he has never heard of a case where a twin can experience what the other twin is experiencing through a dream. It''s unknown, but it''s obviously not impossible since it happened to you. So, I think that dream is something your father doesn''t know about.


    If he knew, he would have made sure to say things that will make you curious and you will want to meet him. He did not have blue eyes at that time because he perhaps went somewhere hiding his identity as much as possible. He did not bother to change it back that time."


    "Well, there is a possibility," she mumbled. "Honestly, it''s too much. What does he even want? He wants me to join him? Then what? It''s not like he wants to have a father-daughter rtionship with me."


    "He just wants to use you," I said. "Don''t fall for any of his tricks. He will just use you. He will manipte you. Well, it''s not like you are falling for his tricks anyway. You did not even get down the carriage.


    I think he wanted you to get down the carriage and try to meet him since only you can see him. Or perhaps he just wanted to intrigue you and give you a sign or something."


    "Hmm..."


    She touched my bare back unconsciously and started tracing her finger up and down, drawing something there with her finger. I looked at her in surprise at her bold move and found her thinking about something deeply.


    "Dem, I can really trust you, right?" she asked.


    "Of course," I replied.


    "You are telling the truth?"


    "I am."


    "You don''t want me for power, right? You want me because you love me, don''t you?"


    "Yes," I said without pausing. "I love you and that''s why I want you. I don''t want to live without you. It doesn''t matter if you are a dark mage or not, if your power is awakened or not, I will love you and want you regardless."


    "That''s good," she smiled as if she was in pain. "I don''t want to be the trophy of the game of power."


    Her smile made my heart ache. I hated that smile from the beginning. I wanted her to smile because she was happy, not like she was losing all her hopes.


    She sat down and hugged me around my shoulder. She rested her head on my shoulder. "Love me forever, okay? I think I am being too greedy, but I can''t help it. I need your love, your affirmation, everything. Well, it would be a good thing if you were not in love with me to the point of obsession.


    But as long as you don''t cross the line, it''s fine. I just want you to always make sure that you are in love with me and that you don''t want me because of my power. At least you... you should be with me for real."


    "Baby, you know, I am always going to be with you. You should not worry about it at all since I am the one worried that you will leave me. Even if you don''t tell me, I will stick to you forever. I am not leaving you, and neither I am letting you leave me. That''s the type of husband I am."


    "Mm, you better be telling the truth," she mumbled.


    "I am," I said. "Honey, why don''t you sit on myp? You can hug me better that way."


    Without a word, she wrapped the nket around herself and tied it to her chest. Then, she climbed on myp and hugged me tightly, cing her legs on either side of mine. When did she learn to be so bold? These days, my wife was surprising me a lot.


    "I want to go out tonight," she said. "Let''s go on a date."


    It was the first time she demanded something. I chuckled. I wished she would be like this more and ask for more things since I was going to give her everything she wanted.


    "Sure. Let''s go on a date."


    "I want to go to that restaurant that you once reserved for our date but we could not go," she said.


    "Is it possible?"


    "Of course. Anything you want is possible," I said.


    "Thank you."


    "I told you not to thank me for trivial things. I think I told you this when we first met as well," I said.


    "Yeah," sheughed. "You were like- don''t thank me for such little things, my bride, or you will get tired of thanking me. I was kind of scared that time. Now that I think about it, it''s kinda funny. Rather than a wolf, most of the time, you are like a little kitty who wants attention. My little kitty!"


    "..."


    ''What exactly is going on? Have I heard it wrong? Have I finally gone mad or is it my wife who has lost her mind? Who will ever call me a kitty? And little? I am more like a statue at this point...


    Has she lost her point of understanding heights? Should I take her to the doctor? Litle kitty- it''s too much...''


    "Babe, sleep," I said.


    "Yes? Why?"


    "Sleep and wake up only after you have cleaned your mind. You seem to be saying baseless things right now," I said.


    ''Please sleep and never say such things again, I beg of you.''

 Chapter 229: A Date

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, please let me tie your hair. Do not move so much," Ruby said as she was tying my hair.


    I was getting ready for my date with Dem. I wanted to take my mind off things and rx. Besides, it had been a long time since we went on a date.


    "Make a braid," I said.


    "I always make braids when Your Highness spends time with His Highness," she said. "His Highness likes braids after all."


    Ruby made a side rope braid with my hair. I was surprised at how good Ruby was at almost everything. She could do anything, unlike me who knew to do nothing much. Well, I did not need to do many things now anyway.


    "What will Your Highness do without me? Who will take care of Your Highness?" Ruby said as she was finished with my hair and started putting ornaments on me. "I am really worried. Your Highness, please let me choose your next personal maid. You can give me a list of the people who can be your personal maid and then I will choose someone since I know all of their capabilities."


    "You are worrying too much, Ruby. Okay, you can choose my personal maid. No, rather than that, I will have a few maids this time."


    "Right," she nodded. "I think that''s a good idea since one maid won''t be able to take care of Your Highness properly. I will choose them, then."


    "Alright," I said.


    Actually, I was nning on taking a personal maid. But it was not going to be right away. A personal maid was going to be someone who was trustworthy. For that, I needed to spend some time with that person first before making her my personal maid, or know a bit about her at least that would make sure that she was trustworthy.


    "Baby, are you done?"


    My cheeks heated up as soon as Dem asked it. He came in without knocking first as always. I told him many times not to call me these kinds of things when someone was around. But he almost never listened.


    "I just need to tie the ribbon of Her Highness''s dress. Then she will be ready," Ruby said.


    Ruby had gotten used to witnessing Dem being very affectionate to me. At first, she used to get embarrassed. But now it was a normal thing for her.


    Dem pulled my cheek as if I was a baby. "Why are you so cute? You seem to get cuter every day. This hairstyle looks good on you and also matches your dress. It kinda matches your personality as well. Your nails look good too.


    Did you paint it? It looks natural."


    "I painted Her Highness''s nail with a natural color because the stone in the brooch of Her Highness''s dress is of the same color," Ruby replied.


    "Are you done, Ruby?" I asked tiredly.


    "Should I make a butterfly with the ribbon?" she mumbled.


    "... Anything is fine. Honestly, why are you even thinking about something like that?" I sighed.


    After Ruby was finally done with my makeup, it was time for us to go. Even though I knew that we were going to ride by carriage, I was still saddened at the sight of it. I preferred a horse ride. But in that way, my dress would get wrinkled. And besides, Dem and I would have to ride the same horse since I could not ride a horse by myself.


    Perita told me she was going to teach me how to ride a horse as well after a few days. I was a bit excited about it.


    Dem offered me his hand and helped me get into the carriage. He sat beside me as the coachman closed the door.


    "Should I draw the curtains? I don''t think that man will appear again. I have a feeling that he doesn''t want you to see him when I am with you," he said. "It''s not like he is afraid of me since he is a dark mage. He is more powerful. But perhaps he knows that it''s better not to get me involved for some reason."


    "I guess so... And no, don''t draw the curtains. I want to see outside," I said.


    It was different seeing the outside than it was during the daytime. The stores looked even more beautiful now. When we crossed the famous water fountain, I saw couples, kissing and praying.


    "Couples pray and throw a gold coin in here. It is said that if they do it, their love will remain like the first time they met and never break apart," Dem said, leaning close to me as I was looking outside the window. "It''s just a belief and it makes them happy even though it has no base. You know what happens to the coins?"


    "What?"


    "They are collected and then given to orphanages," he said.


    "Orphanages?" I repeated, surprised.


    "It''s my n. I mean, the water needs to be cleaned to enhance the beauty. Before, the coins were given to the workers who clean the water. They actually used to steal most of the coins. A gold coin is not less at all, I mean, to most people. So, I nned on giving those coins to orphanages.


    So, when the water is cleaned, the beta stands here all the time to make sure not a single coin is taken away. The fountain has a magic barrier around it that cannot be seen with naked eyes. It prevents anyone from falling in the water or touching the water. When the water needs to be cleaned, an Imperial mage breaks the barrier."


    "Why do you call it cleaning when they are just taking the coins away? You make it seem like they are cleaning dirty water..."


    "It''s the same thing. That much coin is the same as dirt," he shrugged.


    ''Ah, I forgot how rich he is and how much he likes to spend money. These gold coins are surely like dirt to him.''


    "The air is quite chilly. You sure you aren''t cold?" he asked.


    "No, I am fine. Ruby gave me a coat in case I am cold. I will just wear it if I need to," I said.


    We were going in a different way. Or I would have shown Dem the ce where I had seen that dark mage. I could not call him my father easily because I felt uneasy whenever I did that.


    "That''s the central clock tower," Dem said, pointing towards a huge tower with a clock on top of it. I was surprised that there were clock towers here as well. "You can go up there, but you have to climb all the way up. The clock tower has a magic barrier as well that prevents anyone from using magic inside and a few feet around the tower."


    "I see... It seems it''s a famous spot. A lot of people are climbing the tower even though it''s that tall," I said.


    "Yeah. They feel a sense of aplishment when they finish. Not everyone can enter the tower though. You need a reservation and ticket to visit it."


    "Is it also a way to earn more?"


    "Of course. It''s only natural to use what we have to make more money."


    His morals were really questionable. Well, I could not me himpletely since I had started to feel that way as well after I started dealing with paperwork.


    "By the way, why didn''t you meet the designer?" he asked.


    "Well, I wrote her a letter and told her to meet me tomorrow. I had too much work in hand. So, I could not meet her," I said.


    "I told you that you don''t have to push yourself. Just do as much as you can. I will take care of the rest," he said.


    "I am taking care of ten percent of the work only. You deal with the other ny percent," I pointed out. "You work more."


    I was nning on taking twenty percent of the work by next month. It was not hard since I could learn quickly because of my photographic memory.


    "It''s surprising how fast you learn. People need training for years before they can handle these kinds of work. But it took you less than a month only."


    "I guess it''s because of my memory... Talking about my memory, my brother from that dream also has this kind of memory. You think there is a reason we both have this kind of memory? Is it because we both are the children of a human and a dark mage? Besides having more ck mana, perhaps we also have a photographic memory because of this?"


    Why did I not think about it before? Even for a photographic memory, my memory was just too abnormal. It must be the reason.

 Chapter 230: The New Office

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Our date went pretty smoothly. After returning, it was just as usual. As expected, I could not sleep that night.


    The next morning, my office was already finished. It was done before I thought it would be. The workers surely worked very hard. I had a feeling that Dem was giving them pressure since when I asked him when my office would be ready, he said that as soon as possible with so much confidence.


    "Doesn''t Your Highness want to see your new office?" Ruby asked.


    "I will go after practicing," I said.


    I was almost done with my swordsmanship training when Ruby called me. She was there as well with my towels.


    "Your Highness!"


    "Yes?" I asked, looking back at her. "Ah, Reece..."


    "I did not have anything to do this morning. So, I thought of meeting Your Highness just like you said," he mumbled.


    "That''s great!" I smiled. "I am done with my training anyway. Ruby, lead Reece to my office. I will be there in a moment."


    "Please take your time, Your Highness," Reece said.


    "He is fast," Perita said.


    "Let''s end this here for today," I said. "Take me to my room. I will freshen up a bit. At least, I need to change my clothes. I am sweaty as hell..."


    I washed up a bit and then wore a white gown. Because it was too hot today and I was not going out, I did not wear ck.


    "Shouldn''t Your Highness at least dry your hair?" Ruby asked.


    "No, it''s fine," I said. "By the way, I am quite excited to see the office."


    "It''s really magnificent! Your Highness will love it," she said.


    Ruby led me to my office. But she was surprised for not getting the reaction she wanted from me. Rather than being happy, I was shocked. Why was it so big? I had a feeling that it was a bit bigger than Demetrius''s office as well which was quiterge as well.


    I decided to ignore thevish decoration and made my way to my chair. Even the chair was made of the most expensive and luxurious leather. The whole office was decorated in ck and golden color. On the table, there were ck roses in a gold vase. Even the pens were made of gold and had my name and signature on them.


    "Jesus, lord...," I sighed.


    Thankfully, there was no portrait of mine in this room. I was not so confident about my looks that I would be able to have my portrait in my office.


    "Why are you standing there, Reece? Please sit down," I said.


    "Yes, thank you, Your Highness."


    ''Why are you thanking me?''


    "Alright, so let us discuss everything regarding your job as my assistant," I said. I brought out a file and took out some documents. "Your academic results are quite extraordinary. You got over ny-seven percent in every single subject during your seven years in the academy. That''s really amazing!"


    Kids could for seven years from age eleven to age eighteen at the academy. They did not need toe from a noble family to go there. Anyone could go there, but they needed to give a test for it. Those who passed the test were permitted to study at the academy.


    "I tried my best," he murmured, turning red. At this point, the color of his face was the same as his hair.


    Getting ny-seven percent marks in the academy was really an extraordinary thing. He surely was a genius. Even the top students could not usually pass ny-two percent, yet Reece never went below ny-seven percent in all the years he had been there. It was a record in the academy''s history.


    With this kind of academic education, Reece could get any job he desired in his field. But a lot of people went against the Count''s family and wanted them to fall. If too many nobles opposed a family, then it was hard for any of that family members to get a decent job.


    "So, let''s not dy any more. Can you start working after a week?" I asked.


    "After a week?"


    "Yes. Can you?"


    "S-Sure, I can," he said. He seemed as if he did not expect me to tell him to start working just after a week. I actually wanted to make sure that Ruby''s family knew that I was keeping my word.


    "Okay, then," I said. "During this week, check this document. It''s a demo document for you to check. After this week when you wille again, show me the corrected version of it. Can you do that?"


    "Yes, I can," he said confidently as he took the big file from me.


    "Good," I smiled. "Also, these two books- read them. You will get all the necessary information you need to know to work as my assistant. Is it too much for you?"


    "Not at all, Your Highness. I can do this much," he said.


    "Great. Then I will meet you after this week again. Don''t lose the permission paper I gave you," I said. "I will get your identification card ready within this week. You can just show it to the guards then."


    "Yes."


    "You can leave now. Ande at nine am next time," I said.


    "Alright. I will take my leave then, Your Highness," he bowed and left.


    I sighed and leaned against the chair. "Where is the king, Perita?" I asked.


    She had been standing by my side all the time. She was supposed to do so when someone was present. But now that no one else was in the office other than the two of us, she took a seat.


    "His Highness has gone out. He handed me this letter to give to Your Highness. Since Your Highness was talking to Lord Reece, I thought it would be a good idea to tell youter," she said and handed me an envelope.


    "It doesn''t matter what I am doing. If Demetrius sends a word for me, then let me know quickly," I said.


    "I will keep that in mind, Your Highness."


    I opened the envelope by tearing it apart. Ruby told me that it was not okay for me to behave like that. She said that a Queen always behaved gracefully. But since no one was here other than Perita, it was fine to tear open an envelope, right?


    I am going out to investigate a few things. I will be backte tonight. Do not wait up and eat your dinner in time. And I heard your office is finished. Do you like it? Well, you can tell meter anyway.


    Love you.


    Dem sent me notes a few times whenever he needed to leave to do something. I had collected them all in an album for some reason. It should not be something special, but to me, it was.


    "He has gone out for work... I was going to go to his office and tell him about my new assistant," I mumbled. I could not tell him the other day since he clearly was not interested. Even though he told me he was not interested in these kinds of matters, I still wanted to tell him about Reece being my assistant since I had a feeling that I should. "Alright, Perita, the designer- bring her to me."


    "Should I kidnap her?"


    "What are you saying? No, of course not. She should be here already since it''s already time. In my letter that I sent her yesterday, I told her to meet me at this time," I said. "Take a look outside. The guards might have made her stay in another room since I told them not to disturb me."


    I had forgotten for a moment that the designer was going toe here. So, I had told the guards that I was not avable for the time being and that if anyone came to meet me with my permission paper, they should wait.


    ''I am really something...''


    Perita went out to take a look. And I was right. The designer was surely taken to another room to wait. She had waited for thirty minutes. It had not been long since Reece left. It was a good thing I remembered first.


    I actually did not think Reece woulde this soon. That was the reason my routine was messed up a bit and I had forgotten about the designer.


    "I greet Your Majesty, the Queen," she bowed.


    "Raise your head and take a seat please," I said.


    "Yes..."


    "I believe it is the first time we are meeting, is that right?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty. It is my honor to be able to meet Your Majesty."


    "Ms. Noah. I like the office you designed for me. Everything has been extraordinary and I could not have asked for anything better," I said.


    "Thank you, Your Majesty. I am d Your Majesty likes it."


    "So, I have a new job for you. It will be a bit tough since the time will be less," I said.


    "Please tell me what I have to do."


    "You have to prepare another office for me. And that''s also in seven days."

 Chapter 231: Mothers Sudden Visit

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "In seven days? Isn''t the time too short?"


    "The time indeed is short. The office does not need to be asvish as mine or the King''s. It just needs to be a basic office room with the perfect amount of luxury, not excessive and not less. It does not need to berge. You have to make it for my assistant. His favorite color is red, by the way," I said.


    I had asked Ruby about her brother''s favorite color since most people worked the best when their favorite things were nearby. I liked the color ck, so I liked to be surrounded by this color. Well, I liked this color, but perhaps it was not my favorite. I did not have a favorite color actually.


    "I know the time is short. But I know the capability of Ms. Noah. Or I would not meet up with Ms. Noah out of all the interior designers in our kingdom. I have high hopes for you," I said.


    Her eyes brightened up and her cheeks flushed. "Then I... I will try my best."


    "Of course," I said. "I need the office room to bepleted in seven days. On the eighth day, my assistant will start working."


    "Yes, Your Majesty. I will get it done in seven days," she said determinedly.


    Just thinking about how much work she would have to do in the next seven days made me sweat.


    ''I better give her a good sry.''


    "Haha, now that everything is settled, I better get back to work," I muttered to myself as the designer left.


    Working was not hard, but it was not easy either. But I seemed to have gotten better and I was kind of positive that I would be able to take twenty percent of the whole work in a month. And if Reece managed to help me enough, perhaps I could take at least twenty-five percent.


    Dem still would need to work more than me. But there was nothing I could do about it. I was trying to learn as soon as possible. I was notgging at all. But until I could help him by taking fifty percent of his work, he needed to wait.


    I did not leave the office even when it was lunchtime. Even though I was taking care of just a bit of workpared to Dem, it was still too much and took a lot of time. Besides taking care of the documents, I was also reading a lot of books so I could learn more things quickly.


    Ruby brought my lunch to the office and fed me. I had colcannon potatoes, roasted carrots, and caramelized mushrooms and onions.


    "Your Highness is working too hard. But you have to take care of your health as well and have your meal in time," Ruby said as she wiped my face with a napkin after lunch.


    "What are you here for then? You will take care of me," I grinned.


    "Ha, I wish I could take care of Your Highness forever," she sighed. "Should I just cancel my wedding with Lord Luc? I am happy to be with Your Highness as well."


    "Really, stop joking around," I chuckled. "Anyway, tell the chef that I want to have crispy fish and chips, potato dumplings, and sparkling peach bellinis."


    "Will that be enough? Shouldn''t Your Highness have something grander?"


    "It''s more than enough."


    "The chef always says that Your Highness asks for so little food. The chef will be happy as well if Your Highness wishes for something more."


    "Just go already. You guys always nag me about food."


    "That''s because Your Highness eats so little food," she said. "I think Your Highness is like a little bird."


    ''Is it just a coincidence that Ruby and Demetrius are kinda same? Even their thoughts are simr...''


    "What kind of bird? A little bird that eats very little, keeps its mouth working taking so little food in its mouth... What kind of bird it is?"


    "You don''t have to think so hard about something like that. You better take a break after passing my work to the chef," I said. "Perita, get Ruby out of here and you take a break too."


    "The bird..."


    Ruby kept trying to find the name of a bird that matched me while Perita started pushing her out while she got out of the room as well. I chuckled.


    It seemed I could be a bit happy now.


    After I finished checking the kitchen expenses, I started reading a few books about the political status of Querencia. I understood it quite a bit now.


    ''Why is this not hard? Is it because I can remember everything I read and all the information alsoe to use?''


    Actually, after finding out that someone else also had this kind of memory as me, I felt less burdened by it. Now I thought that if I was suffering, then he was feeling the same thing. I was trying to embrace my ability and use it to help Dem now.


    It was a bitter than afternoon when there was a knock on the door. "May Ie in, Your Highness?"


    "Yes,e in."


    "Your Highness, Her Highness, the former Queen, hase to meet you," the guard said.


    "Mother...? Why?"


    "Her Highness did not say anything. She just said that she wants to meet you. Should I tell her that you are busy?" he said, looking at the pile of books on the table.


    "... No, it''s fine. Let her in," I said.


    "Ah, Blue! How have you been?" Mother asked brightly as soon as she entered.


    Only on m v|le|mp|yr


    "I have been well. What about you?" I smiled, a bit tiredly.


    "I am fine too. Oh no, it seems I havee at the wrong time. You were working."


    "It''s fine. I was about to take a break anyway," I said. "Please take a seat."


    She sat on the couch and her maid ced a basket on the coffee table. "I have brought some snacks for you. Come and have a bite."


    I stood up and stretched my hands a bit and then made my way to the couch. "I appreciate your good intention, but I actually don''t like sweets," I said as I sat down.


    "I know. That''s why I have brought some savory snacks for you," she chuckled and removed the towel from over the basket. It was filled with different types of snacks. There were buffalo dip, a mixture of different types of crunchy snacks which was called Texas Trash in my world, potato chips, hummus, potato wedges, chips, and guacamole.


    I had no idea why she suddenly came to meet me and brought all these food items for me.


    "... There are a lot of things...," I mumbled.


    "Come on. I wanted to spend some time with my daughter-inw. So, I brought these along so we can enjoy them together. Perhaps you don''t like them...?"


    "It''s not that. I do like them. I would also like to spend time with Mother," I said. I looked at the clock and pressed my palm over my mouth. "Oh my! It has been that long.


    I forgot to take my medicine..."


    "You have to take medicine?"


    "Ah, yes... I get tired easily these days, so my doctor prescribed me some medicines. I forgot to take mine today. Just wait a bit."


    I quickly went to my table and opened the first drawer. Ruby had already organized my things here. I took out a little bottle and opened the lid. I put six drops of the liquid in my mouth.


    In reality, it was not medicine. It was a potion that prevented any poison from working. Dem had given this to me a long time ago when Lady Caerlion, Isaac''s mother, invited me for tea. We had a feeling that she would mix something with my tea, so I had drunk the antidote beforehand.


    Now we could not trust Mother as well. So, I decided to take the antidote so nothing bad would happen.


    This antidote was very rare and expensive. It took one year to make half a liter. And besides, the ingredients were rare as well. One drop was enough for normal poisons. In case of strong poisons, five drops would do. I did not know what kind of poison could be in food.


    So, Dem always suggested that I have six drops of the potion, just to be safe.


    ''Well, there is nothing wrong with being cautious, right? The time is not good right now. Anyone can be against us and it''s not like Mother is out of the list. So, I better remain cautious all the time.''

 Chapter 232 : A Killing Innateness And That Mans Words

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I had just a bit of everything that Mother brought for me. We chatted a little as well. But something was wrong. I had a feeling that she did note here just to hang out with me.


    "Mother, actually I would like to ask you if you need something from me," I said as I could not take it anymore.


    "... Ah, it''s nothing much. I actually wanted to ask you about Demetrius. But it''s not my main purpose, of course," she said.


    "About Demetrius?"


    "My son is always wary of me. He doesn''te to meet me and if Ie to meet him, he doesn''t meet me. I am always worried about him. I just wish to get closer to him. That''s why I want to ask for your help. Will you please help me get closer to my son?"


    I gritted my teeth. She was the one who abandoned him when he was so little. She was the one who made him feel insecure and ruined his mental health. And now she was saying that she wanted to get closer to her son and he was ignoring her? Did she not know anything?


    ''I can''t believe people can think like this as well. What does she expect him to do? Love her all of a sudden when she did not love her at all? She made him feel miserable. It was one of the reasons for his obsessive nature. He wants to make something his because he never had anything that actually belonged to him.


    This is what she made him feel. His father and mother made him like this. And now she is asking for this?''


    I was so angry that my hands were trembling and I felt my body heating up from the inside.


    Should I just kill her?


    "Blue! What''s wrong?"


    I was forced out of my thoughts the moment Mother touched my hand. I panted and looked around.


    What was I thinking? That kind of killing innateness- I had never felt that way before no matter how angry I was.


    "Are you alright?"


    "Leave..."


    "What?"


    "Leave right now!"


    "Blue, if anything is wrong, please tell me."


    "Nothing is wrong. Please leave. I am begging you," I said.


    "Ah, alright... Take care of yourself..."


    I grabbed the bottle from the coffee table and drank the whole water. I was sweating and my hands were trembling. It was not because I was angry. It was because I was scared, scared of myself.


    "Huh..."


    I was fine now. But for a moment back then, it was like I had lost myself and my senses were going in a strange direction. I should have felt that it was not normal. But the scariest thing was that time, that kind of innate felt very natural.


    I stayed there for a long time. I did not even know when I had fallen asleep. Perhaps I was too exhausted that I fell asleep just like that.


    There was a ray of ck light. How could light be ck? I did not know, but it was like I was seeing it. Perhaps it was just my imagination.


    I heard a voice. It was a man and he was saying something. I had heard this voice before, but I still could not recognize it. It was like I had lost my sense of thinking about something.


    "It''s okay, you know. It''s okay to embrace what you are born with. There is nothing wrong with using what you have. You are born for this. So, it is only natural that you will feel like that."


    ''Who...?''


    I wanted to ask who it was and what he meant. Why was he with me? But nothing came out of my throat. Was it a dream? But even if it was a dream, why could I not say anything?


    "It''s okay. Everything is okay. I will make sure you live for what you are born for. That husband of yours will never be able to make you truly happy. He wants to lock you up. He wants to own you.


    More than that, he does not want that your power is fully awakened. Because if that happens, you won''t rely on him much and you will be able to leave him whenever you want to. But I want the best for you. I know deep inside you crave freedom. Freedom is more valuable than love. You will understand it sooner orter if only you let your heart open.


    Think about what you really want."


    ''Get out of my head! Stop it!''


    "Once your power is fully awakened, you will be able to leave him. You can do even a better thing. If he tries to stop you, you can just get rid of him. You can kill him. It''s alright. He is keeping you locked here anyway."


    ''Shut up!''


    ''Why can''t I speak? I want to yell at him! I want to hit his head! He is messing with me... I can''t even see his face! Who is this?


    I hate this... I hate everything... Away... I want to go away from this man. I don''t know if it''s a dream or not. If it is, then I want to wake up.


    Please... let me wake up...!''


    His words were disgusting. I knew he was wrong. I was trying not to be affected by his words. It was like he was trying to y with my mind and turn me into his puppet, just like Demetrius said.


    ''Wait... What? Demetrius said... He said this about my father who appeared once in my dream and then another time when I was in the carriage. What if it''s him? After all, his words suggest that he is telling me to awaken my power.


    And we think that he could awaken my power since I have too much ck mana in me... It can be him, the person who appeared in my dream just now. He knows about my birth. He knows that I am the result of an experiment. Isn''t it because he is the one who has performed the experiment? He knows about Dem''s personality problem as well.


    He is now trying to get me against him and make Dem look like the viin here. I know what Dem wants. If he has been hiding it from me, then I would perhaps think about what this man said in my dream. But Dem did not hide it. He told me everything and wants to get better. I know Dem wants to lock me up.


    But is this man any different? Doesn''t he want to use me as well?''


    "Shut it!"


    When I finally managed to let out my voice, I found myself waking up and sweating profusely. I was on the couch where I had fallen asleep.


    I heard a noise in front of me and I looked straight. It was Sapphire. She had jumped in surprise as I suddenly made a noise like that and a book fell from my table.


    "Sapphire... When did youe? No, it doesn''t matter. Come here, Sapphy. I want to hold you because... I am scared..."


    Sapphire always listened to me well and liked me. She quickly came to me and jumped on myp. I hugged her tightly and kissed her head.


    "Did you have fun with Ava? She likes you and you seem to like her too. I think I should gift her a cat for her birthday. What do you think? You can choose the cat with me?"


    "You know I am under a lot of pressure these days. Work is fine, but these dreams... They are freaking me out. Then that man who is supposed to be my father or whatever appeared before me again yesterday. He wears a mask, so I can''t see his face... Then a man is saying weird stuff to me in my dream.


    He is trying to get me against Dem... And today, I got that dangerous thought of killing someone just because I was angry... I don''t know what to do. I am scared. What do you think I should do, Sapphire?"


    Sapphire snuggled closer to me and kept on putting her paw on my hand. She was maybe trying tofort me.


    "Thank you... Thank you forforting me. It''s strange how calm I feel when I am with you. Is it because we have a mental connection between us? I guess the connection is stronger than I thought it was."


    "Should I walk a bit more now? Thankfully, no one was in this room, so they did not see me in that way... I was being strange, almost like an animal. I don''t know if it''s a matter to worry about, but I am worried. Anyway, let''s just get back to work. I will give you milk then."

 Chapter 233 : No More Exception

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    That day, I came back at midnight. My wife had fallen asleep in a chair by the window with the cat on herp. It was like she was very peaceful.


    "At least, wrap a nket around yourself. You will catch a cold. You are too careless," I muttered as I wrapped a nket around her.


    The cat woke up the moment I came in. I did not feel good about my wife having a mental connection with this cat out of everything else. I had a mental connection with her as well after our marriage since I made her my mate. But I still did not like her having a connection with this cat much.


    At least, the cat was making her feel good sometimes. So, I decided not to do anything and try not to throw the cat away.


    The oddest thing was that the cat liked me for some reason even though I did not like it at all. The cat touched my hand with her paw while meowing. She had scratched me once before though. It did not matter since she was good to my wife. That was enough.


    "Why do you keep on touching me? Honestly..."


    I picked the cat up and held it in front of me. Blue was right. She had eyes like green sapphires. They shone brightly in the moonlight.


    "Well, you are not ugly and you behave quite well as well. But that doesn''t mean I like you," I said and the cat meowed.


    I ced the cat in her small bed that was in front of the chair beside the window. Then I went to wash my hands. After I came back, I found my wife sleeping just like before.


    "You are working really hard these days. I am worried in case you are pushing yourself too hard," I mumbled as I carried her to bed.


    There was the sudden news of a group of rebellions. The duke sent me a letter that he had caught a few young boys who were making a fuss in the market area and trying to get people against the current rulers, me and Blue. It was not much of a thing since this kind of thing was verymon. But the duke''s people found out that they had a connection with Lacuna.


    Even my spies said the same thing that Lacuna was perhaps trying to get the people of Querencia against us and then start a war.


    It was very sudden. It was kind of like someone was luring the King of Lacuna from behind so he would go against Querencia suddenly. Even after knowing that our force was stronger than Lacuna, he was going this far. He was either being an idiot, or he had some other n.


    "Huh..."


    I looked down at my wife who made a small noise in her sleep and started moving a bit. I touched her forehead with my palm.


    ''Is she having a nightmare or something? It''s not rare. Even I have weird dreams these days as well. They can''t be called dreams at all. They are like nightmares. She leaving me is like a nightmare.''


    "It''s alright, baby. I am here. I am with you. So, don''t worry and sleep. I will drive your nightmares away. If that guy appeared in your dream again, just grab his neck and smash his head against the floor or something.


    He is pissing me off, that damn guy!"


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Mm... I don''t want to leave you."


    My heart clenched. I gritted my teeth and asked, "Why are you saying this? You don''t have to leave me in the first ce. I don''t want you to leave me."


    ''I won''t let you leave me.''


    "I love you..."


    "Me too. I love you too," I said and kissed her on the forehead. She was sleep-talking again. It was after a long time that she sleep-talked again.


    She had gone quiet all of a sudden and just when I thought she was sleeping soundly again, she suddenly got up.


    "What the...? Don''t get up so hastily, you will get a bad headache... You already got it, right?"


    She pouted and looked at me. It was more like a re. Just as always, she looked very cute when she was angry.


    "I told you to have an exnation ready for me about Calix," she said. Check back at m-v le-mpyr for more


    I thought she had forgotten about it. So, I did not bring it up either. I still did not understand why she was behaving that way about it.


    "You are the one who did not ask me again."


    "Aftering back yesterday, I had lunch and then you did not give me any time to do anything else. Then I met again when we went on a date. We were having a good time, so I forgot about it. At night, it was the same as every other night. I could not meet you this morning since you went to train your knights and after that, I went to practice. Now, I am meeting you for the first time today," she said.


    "That''s why I could not ask you. You didn''t mention it either. Well, it''s alright. Now tell me. Why did you do this?"


    "Do what? Appoint him as a knight?"


    "Yes. He is sixteen, Dem. He is a kid."


    "He is an extraordinary swords-master," I pointed out. "It would be a waste to leave his talent just as it is without helping him use it."


    "... You don''t understand. I did not say that you should have left his talent just like that. Of course, that was not going to happen. He should still be training. No matter how good he is at wielding a sword, it''s not okay for him to be an official knight at this age.


    He has been to wars before, right?"


    "That''s where I found him."


    "Perita told me. Thew says that only after eighteen, does one be fit to be a knight."


    "I am the King. I can easily make an exception."


    She sighed and touched my face gently with her palm. "Honey, you don''t understand. Alright, let me tell you this," she said calmly. "Most people do not mature before eighteen. Even after eighteen, some people do not mature. In any case, it doesn''t matter if the person has matured or not, sixteen is the age for teenagers.


    It''s not a time when they should join wars. I understand that he is very blessed in swordsmanship. But it is no reason for him to be a knight. His mentality is still the mentality of sixteen years old. If it''s not, then it means his mind is ruined. It''s not alright.


    For him to grow up as a fine man, he needs to cherish his life ording to his age."


    "You understand what it means to face something you are not supposed to at an early age?" she asked, looking deep into my eyes.


    "I do...," I mumbled.


    "It affects your mentality. Your past did affect your mentality. Your insecurity, nature- your past yed a huge part in it. No one deserves to have a bad childhood. At least, until they grow up, one should have a good life. After that, they can decide what they want to do with their life.


    Kids can skip grades because they are extraordinary. But it''s different for Calix''s case. Skipping grades doesn''t involve the kids with blood, and violence, right? That''s why I oppose your decision to make Calix a knight. I know it''s toote to change it. But you can still do something if you are willing to."


    After she told me, I understood why she did not like my decision. I did not think about anything like this. I saw that he was very good at fighting, so I made him a knight. If I knew that it would disappoint my wife, I would not have done it.


    "What can I do?" I asked.


    ''It''s fine. If it''s for her, I will do anything. Though I still don''t think it''s too wrong, I will just listen to her. It will make her feel better.''


    "Even if there is a war anytime, don''t let Calix join until he is eighteen. Unless it''s an emergency, don''t let him join. He can still be a knight and don''t let him know that you decided this. It will hurt his feelings. He will still be a knight, but won''t join any war. One person won''t make much of a difference, right?"


    "It can be done," I said.


    "Good. And also, promise me that there won''t be any more exceptions. If someone is too good at swordsmanship, they will still be practicing. Only after they are eighteen, they can be a knight. Promise me this."


    "Alright, I promise," I said, holding her hand. "There won''t be any more exceptions."

 Chapter 234: Taking The Lead

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "You promised, alright? You need to keep your promise," I said.


    "Don''t worry. I will keep my promise. I always listen to my lovely wife, don''t I?" he chuckled and kissed my palm that was against his cheek.


    ''Not always. There are times when you listen to no one but yourself.''


    "I... I have something else to tell you as well," I muttered.


    "Yes?"


    "Uh... Actually, when I was working this afternoon in my office, Mother came," I said.


    "Mother? Why? Without letting you know first?"


    "It was sudden. It turned out she hade to have snacks with me. She brought those savory snacks since I don''t like sweets much."


    "Did you take the antidote first?"


    "I did... But well... I had a feeling that she did note just to hang out with me. So, I asked her directly even though it was a bit disrespectful. She said that she wanted my help so she could reconcile her rtionship with you. I...


    I got really angry hearing this. I mean, she was never been there for you. She abandoned you when you were little. And now suddenly she wants to be your real mother? What kind of rubbish is this?! I don''t know what happened after that...


    But I started having a very bad tendency..."


    I could not tell him that I wanted to kill her right there at that moment. I was worried that he would feel disgusted by me. A part of me was saying that he would not. But the other part of me was not so sure.


    "Then I told her to leave as soon as possible because I was just too... angry..."


    "It''s alright, baby. Don''t be too hard on yourself. It''s not like you didn''t have a reason to be angry. Actually, I am happy that you got angry for my sake. I did not know it feels so good to know that someone has your back, especially if that person is someone dear. I should thank you for making me feel this way."


    "Jeez... Don''t be like that. It was nothing...," I mumbled. "Anyway, I also had a dream."


    "A dream? When? That damned bastard appeared again?"


    "After Mother left, I slept a bit. It was then. And well, someone was in my dream, saying random things, but I don''t know who it was. I could not recognize the voice. That time, it felt like I knew the voice, but I could not recognize it. But now, I don''t even remember the sound."


    "What did he say?"


    "Well, just the stuff he did before... The same thing, you know," I said. I did not tell him the details because he would feel insecure again. "You don''t have to worry at all."


    He did not seem convinced. I could think of only one way to make him focus on something else. I suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. He was taken aback but still managed to kiss me back just as passionately.


    "Why are you so aggressive tonight?"


    "Who knows?"


    "I thought you needed rest."


    "In that case, should we stop?"


    "Did I say that I will let you rest?" he smirked and pushed me onto the bed with him on top.


    "Ah...," I moaned as he kissed my neck. "Have you eaten?"


    "I have eaten out," he said. "With the duke. Don''t worry."


    "Hnn, that''s good then... Uh!"


    "You seem like you still have something to tell me. Your face says so."


    "Ah... Well, I got an assistant," I said. "I thought it would be a good thing to have one... It''s okay, right?"


    "Of course. Anything is fine," he said. "Now, let''s focus on what we are supposed to do. You provoked me, after all."


    "I didn''t say I won''t do it."


    My nightgown was easy to take off. It was his outfit that was a bit hard to take off since he was in his formal attire. It took time to wear it as well.


    I took my nightgown off myself, surprising him. It was him most of the time who took the lead and was more active. I still was shy around him, so I did not do it often. But I needed to take the lead sometimes as well.


    I kissed his neck, licking and nibbling as well. He groaned and wrapped his arms around my waist tightly.


    "I want to touch you," I whispered into his ear.


    Without a word, he flipped us over so I was on top of him and he was under me. "Now touch me all you want," he smirked. "Do whatever you want to do with me."


    I gulped and started taking his upper attire off. It was hard, but I could do it now since I had helped him get ready a few times. As soon as it was taken off, his athletic body came into view. The sinful sight seemed to get me thirsty for something.


    I traced my index finger over his muscr torso. His breathing sharpened under my touch. And he was getting excited. I could feel it under me.


    "Your shoulders are broad... and your waist is small...," I mumbled.


    "You noticed only today?"


    "No...," I muttered and kissed his lips.


    His lips were sweet. Perhaps his lips were one of the few sweet things that I craved. Taking little breaks to breathe, I kissed his lips again and again until I was satisfied. It was hard to satisfy myself when those kisses were so addictive.


    I started kissing his neck and went down to kiss all over his torso while my fingers traced his body. I could hear his loud heartbeat that seemed to call my name.


    I touched his nipple with my finger. He jerked up and held my hand. "Pfft... You are really sensitive there..."


    "Don''t touch there," he said huskily.


    "Why not?"


    ''It''s surely because he is too sensitive there. I had never touched his nipple like this. If I knew I would get this reaction, I would have done so before.''


    "Just don''t."


    "You said I can do anything I want to do with you. Was that a lie? Or do you hate it when I touch you?" I asked sulkily.


    "I don''t... Alright," he sighed. "You can touch me as you want to."


    As he withdrew his hand, I touched his nipple again. It was truly a sensitive ce. So, it was not just women who felt like this when their nipples were touched.


    Getting the kind of response I wanted, I ran my hand over his nipple while kissing his torso. After I had enough fun ying with him, I decided to focus on something else.


    I slowly took off his downer attire. Just as expected, he was quite aroused. Dem did not have any shame to get naked in front of me. Whenever he used to look at my body as if inspecting it, I would feel shy and get the need to hide myself. But it was different for him. Even though I was looking at his body like that, he did not care.


    He did not feel shy at all. Rather, it seemed he was enjoying himself.


    I touched the tip. The liquid on the tip helped me rub. It was hot and firm just as always. Though I still got a bit surprised seeing the size of it, I managed to remain calm. No matter how many times we did it, I was sure that I would never get used to the size. It was just not normal.


    I moved my hand up and down, sometimes slowly, sometimes rapidly, and sometimes using a bit force. I knew all the right ways to do it, thanks to my practice.


    "Is this okay?" I asked.


    "Yeah...," he replied hoarsely. "It feels good..."


    The painful look on his face that was caused by the sweet pain made my body feel hot. It was not enough.


    I wanted to feel good too.


    "I guess I can''t wait," I whispered into his ear and gave him a peck on his lips.


    "Then do it yourself," he said. "Take what you want."


    I climbed on top of him and positioned myself. I had no idea why I was behaving so bravely tonight, but I was far too hungry to think about that right now.


    In a moment, I pushed myself down only to be filled with himpletely. "Huh...," I gasped.


    "Move by yourself too. I want to see it."


    I pulled up and then brought myself down again and again without stopping and without taking his help.


    "Ah! Uhh! Huh..."


    "I like this view," he smirked. "You are truly beautiful."


    "Ah... Do you feel good too?"


    "I do. You are doing amazing."


    "Ahh! Dem... I am gonna..."


    "No, you can''t."


    "W-What?"


    "I said no. Hold on and keep moving," he said. Whenever he talked like that, I could not refuse. Perhaps I wanted to push myself beyond my limits as well.

 Chapter 235: Reece

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Dem and I could not see each other much after that night. He had be very busy since there was a rumor of Lacuna trying to stir up a rebellion in Querencia. Dem had to stay out most of the time. Because of that, we could barely see or talk to each other.


    I started working more, so I did not get the chance to miss him much as well. A week passed like that. Sometimes, he came back at night even though he was busy. We did not talk then, only embraced each other.


    But he did note back even at night thest three days. He sent me a letter saying that he needed to do some work and would be able toe back after three days. Today, he was supposed toe back. Unfortunately, I was going to be too busy today.


    Ms. Noah, the designer, kept her work and finished the office within six days. I gave her a bonus for finishing her task one day prior. The major color of the office was red, just like I had told her. But it did not mean that red was excessive. There was a perfect amount of redness along with ck and gold.


    "It''s too good, Your Highness. My brother doesn''t deserve this," Ruby mumbled.


    "You and I both know that it''s a lie," I said. She did not say anything, just looked around. "It''s almost time for him to arrive, right? Anyway, I will be in my office. If Reecees, tell him toe to my office."


    "Your Highness skipped your swordsmanship lesson again," Perita said and I looked away guiltily.


    "Well...," I mumbled.


    I did not know Perita could nag like this as well. I thought she was the type to chill. But when it came to swordsmanship, she was oddly serious, perhaps because she was a knight.


    "Your Highness should not skip more lessons. I understand that Your Highness is a fast learner, but you still need to practice, especially when you have to focus on the techniques more than physical strength," Perita said.


    Ruby nced at me sideways. Her eyes clearly said, "She is really serious about swordsmanship. She can nag no less when ites to swordsmanship."


    "Alright, I won''t miss another lesson again," I said. "I was just tired... Anyway, I won''t miss again."


    "That''s good then if Your Highness can maintain your routine," Perita said.


    "Ah, right, I know."


    I returned to my office and started working with a cup of tea. Ruby made the best tea ever. Something about her tea was different than the time when someone else made it. So, I always preferred it when she made the tea for me.


    "Listen to me, Ruby. After you get married, you have toe to visit me with Luc so we can all have the tea you brew. Or, I can go to the magic tower with Demetrius to have this tea and hang out. We have to meet regrly, okay?"


    "Alright," she chuckled. "Your Highness and I will meet regrly for sure."


    I worked until nine when Reece came. He came just in time. Both Ruby and he seemed to have a good sense of timing and were very punctual.


    "Good morning, Your Highness," Reece greeted and bowed.


    "Good morning. Did you finish correcting the documents?"


    "Yes, I did. Here and these are the books Your Highness gave me," he said, cing two books and a file on the table.


    "Uhm, take a seat," I said as I took the file.


    I checked the documents a bit. At a nce, it seemed everything was alright. But I needed to check a bit more.


    "Alright, so, as I said, you are going to start working from today. Perita, give Reece his identification card. You are officially an Imperial employee now. I should get something straight first," I said. "You are someone who is going to work directly with me. So, whatever we discuss here, it can be anything, do not let it spill in any kind of situation.


    Everything has to be a secret. Starting from next month, or perhaps sooner, I will be joining meetings and other events. As my assistant, you perhaps will need to be with me. So, I need to be able to trust youpletely. Can I have your word, Reece?"


    "Of course, Your Highness. I will be very loyal and will never tell anyone about any of our work or conversation or anything."


    "Good. But words alone can never suffice, right?" I chuckled. "So, I need you to sign this official magical contract. Do not take it in any wrong way. Every employee other than maids and servants has to sign a magical contract with either the King or the Queen or their representatives. Since you are going to be an Imperial employee as well, you need to sign it as well."


    "I understand, Your Highness. Then, please excuse me...," he said and took the magical contract in his hand.


    He read it thoroughly and then signed the contract paper. A magical contract was a bind between two parties that could not be broken if a party did not desire death. All the magical contract papers were checked thoroughly by the master of the magic tower, Luc. So, a magical contract could be trusted entirely.


    "Great! Now, let me tell you about your work briefly. I will help you understand for now. You have to get used to your work in a week. Is that alright?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Take a seat then. Don''t just stand there. And whenever youe to my office, if there is no one else, then you will take a seat right then. You don''t need to ask my permission for that," I said.


    "Alright. Let''s begin then."


    I described everything to Reece thoroughly. Reece understood pretty quickly. It was expected of someone as talented as him. I was sure that it would take him less than a week to adjust to the work.


    "So, do you understand what I have just said?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. Your exnation was easy to understand," he said.


    ''It''s just you are a genius.''


    "You might not have any problem right now. But while working, if you face any difficulties, feel free to ask me," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "That''s everything then. Start with calcting the sry of the Imperial employees and the knights. You can take your time, but it has to be correct. Come to my office to get it checked after you are done," I exined. "Perita, take Reece to his office."


    "I will take my leave then, Your Highness."


    "Yes..."


    I worked for two hours at a stretch. Dem said he was going toe back. But when was he going toe back? I missed him. I had not seen him for three days after all.


    Back then, he had been away for a month. It was a long time. But I missed him, even more, this time even though he was away for only three days. It was perhaps because we had gotten too attached to each other.


    I focused on my work so I would forget about him for a while. The process worked. Dem did note to my mind for a long time.


    One document was about the young boys and girls who were involved in the recent rebellion attempt. They were all aged between twelve to seventeen or eighteen. Dem and the duke suspected that Lacuna was behind it all and the King of Lacuna was luring them in a way. Dem could not read their mind for some reason. They were kept captive for further questioning.


    Dem was worried about the fact that he could not read their mind. He had been searching for answers, but could not find anything. It was just like the time when Mother''s maid Sally mixed an aphrodisiac in my honey water. He could not read her mind at that time. Well, it was because a dark mage used their magic on her. Luc had found traces of ck mana in her heart.


    But this time, why could Dem not read the teenager''s thoughts? It was not like a dark mage would target them.


    Dem and the duke suspected that Lacuna was behind it because our spies brought us information about the King bringing up the topic of starting a war with Querencia recently in a meeting. He would not say that for no reason. He surely had a n, or suddenly bringing up the thought of attacking another kingdom was too strange.


    Sapphire jumped through the window suddenly and climbed on my table. I was a bit surprised.


    "What are you doing, Sapphire? Are you bored?" I smiled and rubbed her back.


    Suddenly, I noticed a ck string around her as if creating a barrier of strings around her.


    "What...?"

 Chapter 236: Not A Typical Couple

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I was too busy these days. I came back to the pce after three days. Before I used to stay out for a long time and it was nothing. But now, I could not do so. I had a wife who missed me. And more importantly, I missed her.


    I had caught the young boys and girl and imprisoned them for now. I could not read their minds for some reason. Because of that, I was stressed. Since I was used to reading almost everyone''s minds, the sudden change frustrated me a bit.


    My wife reminded me again and again not to torture anyone without knowing the truth and told me to imprison the rebels for now before further questioning.


    Now I just wanted to go and hug my wife without thinking about anything else. I could not feel her warmth for three whole days. Now, I craved her touch and warmth.


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    She must be in her office now. She had been working very hard these days. I was worried that she would fall sick because of pushing herself too much. It was clear that she was doing it for my sake even though she did not admit it.


    As I was about to enter, I saw a man with red hair, perhaps of my age, leaving the office. I had not seen him before. I could remember people''s faces pretty well. But I surely had not seen him before. Something about his face was familiar though.


    "Oh, Your Majesty... I greet Your Majesty, the King," he bowed as soon as he noticed me. "I am Reece Albertine."


    "Albertine... The Count''s family''s elder son," I muttered to myself. "So, what are you doing here?"


    "I just got some documents checked by Her Highness, the Queen."


    I did not need to ask him why, since I read his mind already. He was my wife''s assistant. Why did I not hear about it before?


    "Alright, you can go," I said.


    "Yes...," he bowed and left.


    I walked into my wife''s office. She was so engrossed in work that she did not notice me. She was wearing a golden frock and her hair was tied in pigtails.


    I watched her for a while as she wrote on a paper without looking anywhere else. She looked very cute today. It was not a Queen''s appearance, but it did not matter since she was not going out. She only needed to wear formal clothes when she would go to an official program. Well, I actually did not care even if she wore informal clothes in those programs. She looked cute either way after all.


    Her cat was on her table, sleepingfortably on a pile of papers. I heard Ava took the cat to y with her for a few days. But the cat always sneaked out and came to Blue. It was surprising how the cat always managed to find her. It was perhaps because the cat could sense Blue''s ck mana.


    Blue yawned and leaned back against her chair, stretching her back and hands. That was the moment she noticed me finally.


    "Dem...? When did you...?"


    "It''s been a while."


    "Why didn''t you make a sound?" she asked as she quickly got up from her seat and started walking towards me.


    "You were working so attentively that I could not bring myself to disturb you."


    "That would not be disturbing...," she mumbled and hugged me.


    "Did you miss me?" I asked as I hugged her back and rubbed my hand on her back. She looked so adorable that it was a bit hard for me to keep my thoughts straight. But before doing anything, I needed to know something first.


    "A lot... I thought you would note back even today. But I understand that you are busy."


    "I said I will. I always keep my word."


    "Hmm..."


    "You are working pretty well. You got everything managed," I said.


    "I am trying. Everyone is helping, so..."


    "You even found an assistant. It seems you are doing well."


    She pulled back and looked at me suspiciously. "Why did you say it that way?"


    "You did not tell me about it before."


    "What are you saying? I did!"


    "When?"


    "Seven days ago. I told you that I got an assistant that night," she said.


    "But you did not tell me it''s Reece Albertine," I said.


    "That''s because you said you were not interested in hearing anything about how I was helping Ruby''s family."


    ''I did say that... Damn it! From now on, I will hear about every single thing.''


    "You should have at least mentioned that it''s a guy," I said.


    "What would you have done then?"


    "What?"


    "Would you have done something to change my mind?"


    "..."


    "Haa," she sighed and touched my face affectionately. "Hey, look, we live in a world that''s full of men and women and other people. We cannot live alone. In this world, we find love. But that does not mean we cannot be near another person of the same gender as our significant other. Love means trust.


    We just have to be faithful to the one we love. That''s all. For me, being near another man does not mean anything. Reece is my assistant. He works under me. That''s all.


    But you- you are my husband and the person I love the most. Nothing will change that. How can I ever look at another person the way I look at you? You said you trust me, Dem... If you still cannot believe me, I will take the ne off so you can read my mind. My power is not awakened fully and I cannot use the power that''s awakened.


    So, I cannot hide my real thoughts from you. You can read my mind thoroughly and see for yourself."


    She attempted to take her ne off, but I held her hand and stopped her. I had relied on my ability to read minds all my life. But it was the same for her. I trusted her and I wanted to keep on doing so.


    "It''s alright. I trust you," I said. "I was just a bit..."


    "It''s okay. You don''t have to exin," she smiled and entwined our fingers. "I am d that you talked to me openly about it. In this way, there won''t be any misunderstanding between us. From now on, I will tell you about everything I do in case you are worried. You won''t have to feel like you are wrong if you start telling me everything you do as well.


    I am actually not that worried, but I will love to hear about your day, your work, and everything. We are not a typical couple. But we can make it work together, can''t we?"


    I brought up our entwined hands and kissed hers gently. "Yes, we can make it work. We surely will," I smiled.


    She was going out of her way just so I would not be worried. I knew I was being too obsessive and possessive. It was not intentional. It happened just like that. I wanted to change, at least a bit. Sometimes I wanted to make her feel like we were just another normal couple.


    But sometimes, I wanted to own her. It was like there were two parts of me in my head. The strangest thing was I epted both parts of myself until I married her. After marrying her, I did not want to show her the twisted side of me that always managed toe out no matter how hard I tried to hide it.


    But now she knew. She knew everything about me. Yet, she epted me and offered me her hand. No matter how many times I went overboard with a little thing, she still did not say she hated me. She wanted to help and she was trying. I was grateful to her.


    But sometimes, I felt pity for her.


    ''After all, trying to change a monster is useless most of the time. The nature of the monster remains. Perhaps the monster will just pretend to be good, but from the inside, it''s still dark and twisted.''


    "What are you thinking about?" she asked and I was brought back to reality.


    "It''s nothing..."


    "If you say so. Anyway, you must be tired. Have you had your lunch?"


    "No, I was busy."


    ''Rather than being busy, I wanted to see if you had lunch, so if you had not, we can have lunch together.''


    "I see... I have not had my lunch as well. Then let''s have lunch together first," she said. "I told the chef to make Lemon & Dill Shrimp Sandwiches along with other dishes. Ruby rmended it. So, I thought of trying."


    "That''s good... By the way, after lunch, can you spend some time with me?"


    She looked down and blushed, then nodded slightly.

 Chapter 237: To Not Have That Dream Again

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The seven days Dem was not here, all of those days when I slept, I heard a voice. That voice kept telling me the same thing it did before. Just like before, I could not recognize the voice. But I had a feeling that it was that dark mage and my biological father.


    He kept telling me that if I awakened my power fully, I would be able to leave Dem who had confined me within this pce. It was not how I thought of Dem. I did not want to leave. Then why was he doing that? It was like he was trying to change my decision by repeating the same thing over and over again. It would be a lie if I said it did not affect me at all.


    ''Even if you don''t believe something, if that thing is repeatedly said it to you, you gradually get confused. It''s the same for me. I am getting confused even though I am trying to stand firm in what I believed.''


    I also noticed something else. I could hear that voice in my dream and only when I was alone in a room. The times when Dem was with me at night, I did not have that kind of dream. I had nightmares about my family, but they weremon. But when he left and I needed to sleep alone in the bedroom, I heard that voice again. I thought it happened when I was in the bedroom only.


    So, I tried sleeping in my office. But it was the same if I was alone.


    Then I asked Ruby to be with me at night. She slept on the couch in my bedroom. That night, I did not hear the voice again.


    Dem needed to leave frequently these days. It had been two weeks since he started to go out more often than usual. And these two weeks, I had been experimenting with sleeping in a lot of ces, just to see if I still had that dream or not.


    Dem was getting ready to leave. It was five in the morning. I was lying on the bed; half awake and half sleepy. I always had very little energy in the morning.


    "Sleep. You could not sleepst night," he said as he put on his gloves. I had never seen Dem touching anyone without his gloves except me. He said that direct touch was disgusting if it was not me.


    It was not like I had any nightmaresst night. I could not sleep because someone kept me busy all night.


    "Dem..."


    "Yes?"


    "Do you have to go?"


    "Do you want me to stay?"


    ''If I say yes, he will stay even though his work is important. I want him to stay, but I cannot just say that. He is a king and he needs to take care of a lot of things other than spending time with his wife.''


    "No..."


    "If you want to, I will stay," he said.


    "Will you stay out tonight?"


    "I think so," he replied. "Baby, is something wrong?"


    He walked over towards me and touched my cheek with his knuckle. "Tell me if something is wrong. You have been downtely."


    "... Can Ie with you?"


    "What?"


    "Can I?"


    "Why?"


    "I... I cannot sleep. If I am not with you, I just get scared and..."


    "I won''t sleep tonight. I have work to do. It''s not like I don''t want to take you with me. You will get tired," he said.


    "It''s better than having nightmares," I said.


    ''It''s a lot better than hearing that voice...''


    He sighed. "Are you sure?"


    "Uhm," I nodded.


    "Alright then..."


    "Thank you," I grinned and left the bed quickly. I saw his extended hand in the direction where I was just a while ago and he had a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Hmm? What are you doing?"


    "Nothing...," he grumbled as he withdrew his hand. "I just wanted to kiss a person very dear to me who suddenly is very fast at moving."


    "Don''t be like that. I need to get ready," I said. I sighed and chuckled as I saw his sulky face.


    Shocking him, I quickly ran to him and gave him a peck on the lips before running to the washroom.


    Dem had to go to his office while Ruby helped me get ready. She could sleep a bit more than other maids since I always got upte and she did not have many things to do if I was not up. But today, she could not sleep since I got up so early.


    "Why is Your Highness even going with His Highness? Well, since Your Highness is the Queen, you need to go to different ces. But isn''t it too soon?"


    "I just... want to be with him," I mumbled. "And besides, I need to learn a lot of things as well. It will help me in the future if I learn everything quickly."


    "Your Highness is a fast learner. You will learn everything in no time," she said.


    ''You guys think too highly of me.''


    "Will Perita go with Your Highness?"


    "No. There will be other knights with Demetrius anyway," I said. And besides, I did not think I needed to have a knight with me if I was with my husband.


    I wore a ck simple gown and Ruby tied my hair in a side braid ponytail. I did not wear anyvish ornaments or clothing since we needed to attract as less attention as possible. Not many people knew the face of the King and the Queen. So, if we were careful enough, it would be alright.


    "Your Highness always looks beautiful no matter what you wear," Ruby said.


    "You are exaggerating," I said.


    "I am not! Your Highness can ask His Highness!"


    "... No need..."


    If I asked Dem, my ears would start bleeding, hearing so manypliments. In his eyes, I was the most beautiful woman. I had my doubts that he even looked at other women properly. As a husband, he was, without a doubt, loyal. His loyalty was extreme actually.


    "Ruby, has Luc gone to meet your family? He said he will as soon as possible..."


    "Lord Luc has met them yesterday. I could not tell Your Highness since you were very busy. He has officially asked for my hand in marriage," she said.


    "So, the date is fixed now?" I asked.


    "Not yet... But everyone agreed that it should be done within next month," she said. "And, Father asked if Reece is doing a good job?"


    "He is amazing! He works really quickly!" I said. "I was surprised when he finished making the finance report in just a few hours. Financial management is the hardest job, at least for me. But he did that in no time. He does every single thing very fast.


    Thank God, I caught him before anyone could make him work for them. I am lucky actually. I think the Count sent me a letter as well. Reece is supposed to take care of those things. He told me that and left the letter on my tablest night. I forgot to read it since Dem came..."


    "It seems Your Highness is satisfied with my brother. I am d," she chuckled.


    It did not take long to get ready since Ruby did not have to do much. The makeup she applied was very light as well.


    Dem said that he would wait for me outside. He was taking a few of his knights and the beta with him. And we were going to ride horses.


    Perita started to teach me horse riding five days ago. I got my own horse, thanks to my husband who prepared one right away exclusively for me when he found out that I was interested in horse riding. The color of my horse was a bit bluish. Dem asked me which color I wanted and I said that whatever he chose was fine since it did not really matter. A horse was just a horse after all.


    So, he chose that one for me.


    I could ride my horse a bit. But I was not sure if I could run the horse as well. That would be scary.


    Perita showed me a few times and I managed to do it once as well. But I was not confident if I would be able to do it again even though Perita said that it would turn out okay naturally.


    "Ruby, can you ride a horse?" I asked.


    "No, but my brother can. Why?"


    "Just asking... I wanted to know your feeling about running around with a horse..."


    "It seems a bit fun, but I think it''s dangerous as well."


    ''Your thoughts are not helping at all, Ruby.''


    I left a letter for Reece to Ruby. In the letter, I told him that I would not be around for a day or more and he should take care of all the documents as much as he could and then leave them for me to check again.


    ''Wish I don''t have that dream, no, nightmare again.''

 Chapter 238: The Mission

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Are you doing okay?" Dem asked as we rode our horses side by side.


    "Yeah... It''s easier than I thought. By the way, why are we taking this route? It''s inside a forest... Is it to avoid attraction or something?"


    "Yeah, and we have news that there are a group of rebels in the forest. They have captured two of our knights. They do not know that we found out about it," he said and grinned in an evil sort of way. "I will show them hell today."


    I gulped and looked away. "Your Highness should not worry since we will not let anything happen to you," a knight said from my left side.


    "Yes, I know that. I am not worried about my safety," I said, smiling a little.


    Dem was talking to the beta. I did not pay much attention to that and looked around. "There are a lot of animals here, huh?"


    "Yes. We are going deeper into the forest. For now, there are small animals around. But the deeper we get, the more dangerous animals there are," the knight said.


    "I see... By the way, what''s your name?"


    "I am Rhett, Your Highness."


    "So, Rhett, how much do you know about Calix?"


    "Calix? He is the youngest among us, but really amazing. He has got a natural talent for swordsmanship. I don''t know much about him since we are not that close. Julius might know more about him since he is his room partner and his best friend."


    "Julius is not with us today, is he?"


    "No, he is not. He is not selected for today''s mission," he replied.


    "Hmm..."


    I needed to meet Julius after I would go back. There were a few things I needed to know from him about Calix. No one knew a knight better than a fellow knight, even better if it was that knight''s friend. It was the same for everyone.


    "Can I ask something, Your Highness?"


    "Yes?"


    "What happened to Your Highness''s arm? There is a bluish mark...," Rhett asked.


    "... I hit my arm on the bedside table. I had a nightmare, so I woke up hastily and moved quickly. In the process, I hit my hand," I said.


    "Your Highness should apply ointment on it. It surely hurts..."


    "My arm is a bit hard to move. But it''s not as bad as it seems," I said. "Thanks for worrying."


    Ruby applied makeup on it to conceal the mark, but I rubbed the ce unconsciously, rubbing the makeup off as well.


    I did not lie to Rhettpletely. But I did not tell the truth either. It happened a few nights ago when I was sleeping. I heard that voice again and even after I woke up, that voice was still ringing in my head. I thought I was still dreaming, so I hit my arm to see if I was dreaming or not. After doing that, I realized that I could just pinch myself.


    But I was not in my right mind, just like every other night when I heard that voice when I slept.


    Dem asked me about it too and I told him the same thing I told Rhett. I could not tell him the truth because in that case, I needed to tell him about what that voice said. Dem was already very insecure. He always thought that I would leave him. I feared that if he found out that the voice was telling me those things all the time, then perhaps he would tie me up for real.


    I did not usually keep anything from him. I felt a bit bad that I was keeping him in the dark about it. But I had no choice. I did not want him to lose his mindpletely, feel insecure more, and perhaps do something dangerous because of it.


    Dem eyed me sideways and then told something to the beta before he gave me a sudden kiss on the cheek. It was very sudden. My face burned up and I red at him. I told him many times not to do this in front of others. I did not hate it though.


    "Does your arm hurt?" he asked.


    "No..."


    "You should have shown it to the doctor," he said.


    "It''s fine. The bruise will go away soon," I shrugged.


    In reality, I did not show it to Doctor Dimitri because I had a feeling that he would find out that I was lying. He was very observant, after all.


    He did not say anything, just kept his eye on the bruise for a long time. We did not talk much on the way.


    Content from m-vl|em|p,yr


    We had reached deeper into the forest. Suddenly, all the knights started talking to each other through their minds and eyes. I could not join their conversation since I was not a werewolf and could notmunicate with my mind. But I knew right away when they started giving each other signals since they were looking at each other a lot and looked cautious all of a sudden.


    Dem stopped my horse and looked around, before pointing towards us with his index finger. Within a second, the knights marched ahead and I saw them capturing some young boys and girls. They did not expect it.


    Even though werewolves had an extraordinary hearing, since the knights had the training to move without making much of a noise, they still got confused a lot. Among them, Dem could move even more silently.


    The boys and girls were fighting back as well. I saw a girl no more than fifteen hitting one of the knights with an ax. The cut was not too deep and the knight tackled her down pretty quickly.


    "Is it enjoyable, my wife?" Dem whispered into my ear.


    "Huh? No..."


    "But you seem to enjoy it."


    "I am just watching," I said.


    The boys and girls were gathered around a fire and they seemed to have been discussing something until we came. No matter how confident and determined they were, they could not possibly stand a chance against our well-trained knights.


    The knights tied their hands and mouths up since they were swearing and shouting. I sighed and looked away. The knights did not torture them and went easy on them, but that did not make me feel any better. But it just had to be done. There was nothing I could do in this situation.


    "Do not think too much. It''s only natural. Do not pity them," Dem said. "They are the ones who went against you and me."


    "What are you going to do now?" I asked.


    "We will take them to the duchy residence. The other rebels are there for questioning as well," he replied. "The duke requested to y a huge part in this investigation."


    "Why?"


    "It''s because I helped him win a very important case against his ex-wife."


    "The duke was married?"


    "Long story. I will tell you on the way," he smiled.


    On the way, he surely did tell me a lot. We took a shortcut and reached the duchy through the forest. The duke already knew about it and made the way clear for us.


    So, the reason why the duke wanted to do the investigation himself was because Dem helped him win a case against his ex-wife about sexual abuse. His ex-wife was a countess and she sexually abused the duke''s sister and also almost got her raped by some men. His sistertermitted suicide.


    I felt very bad for the duke and his sister. No one deserved something like this. The duke married again this year, and his wife was a distant rtive of Demetrius and from a not-so-well-known noble family.


    Dem did not know her enough though and could not say much about the rtionship between them. He got confused and said that the whole family tree thing was not his thing.


    "I think she will be my aunt or something... I don''t know actually... Or perhaps niece..."


    "You don''t have to think about it. I understand enough," I said.


    "I wanted to give you a good exnation...," he mumbled sulkily and the knight beside him looked at Dem with a shocked expression on his face. Perhaps it was the first time he had seen their king make such an expression.


    "It''s alright, Dem. You told me enough," I said, patting him on the arm.


    While talking to Dem, I tried as much as I could to avoid looking at the captures who were walking behind us, tied with ropes.

 Chapter 239: [Bonus chapter] The Duchy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Majesty, the Queen," the duke bowed. "I am very grateful that Your Majesty hase to the duchy."


    "It''s great meeting you, Duke," I said.


    "I should be the one grateful."


    Dem helped me get down from the horse and rubbed some dirt off my face. "How did you get dirt on your face? You were on the horse the whole time," he muttered.


    "Your Majesty must be tired. I have prepared a room for Your Majesty. You can rest there," the duke said.


    "What...?"


    I looked at Dem getting surprised. He said that we were going to stay out the whole time, even at night.


    "I have made a change of n," he said. "You and I will be staying the night here and work only during the daytime. It will take two days instead of one to finish everything. But it''s alright."


    ''Really? You changed your n because of me?''


    The knights were pretty happy to be able to take a break. I sighed and followed the duke inside. The duke''s knights took the rebels away and locked them up.


    It was my first time visiting the Querencia duchy. The area was huge, but not as vast as the Imperial Pce. There was a rule that no one in the kingdom could own morend than the area of the Imperial Pce. No one actually needed to since the area of the Imperial Pce was just toorge.


    "Where is the duchess?" the duke asked his butler. "She was supposed to be here... Ah, there she is..."


    I looked in the direction the duke was looking and found a woman with ck hair and blue eyes,ing down the stairs with slow but impatient movements. Her blue eyes were not like mine, rather the color was a bit too deep, just like Evelyn''s and Ava''s eyes. She had most of the features of Demetrius''s father, King Axel. Her face was round and her face showed that she had a lot of energy.


    "I greet His Royal Majesty, the King, and Her Majesty, the Queen," she greeted. "We are very grateful to be your very obedient servants."


    "It must be a hassle since we visited all of a sudden," I said.


    "It''s alright, Your Majesty. We are grateful that both Your Majesty and His Majesty havee to the duchy," she said.


    The duchess looked at her servants and told them to show us our room. Dem was going to stay with me for a while and then question the rebels.


    "Your Majesty can wash up. Breakfast is already prepared. It will be served soon," she said.


    "Yes, thank you," I smiled.


    It did not matter who I thanked, they always said that I did not need to thank them and it was their duty. The duchess was no different. I understood that they said that because I was their Queen. But I was afraid that if this went on, perhaps I would someday forget appreciating someone''s hard work and think that it was natural for them to serve me. That would be very wrong if it happened.


    I was trying very hard so I did not lose my true self no matter what my status was right now.


    I was not born a Queen, after all, just a normal human being.


    "You want to take a bath?" Dem asked as he sent the maids away and closed the door.


    "You do?"


    "No, I don''t need one. I will take one at night since I might be a bit dirty aftering back," he said.


    What he meant by dirty was that he might have to take care of some trash, in his words. I had seen him like that twice. Once was when he killed the former prime minister of Ataraxia in front of me. And the other time was in my dream when he took my baby boy from me because the boy had ck eyes like him.


    Other times, Ruby told me that Dem came back covered in blood sometimes. But he never came to our bedroom like that. He always took a shower in another room and then came back.


    I never asked him about it. I did not want to mention it, at least not now. These days, I was getting used to these kinds of things. At this rate, I had no doubt that one day, I would not mind any of the things going on.


    "I will take a bath then," I said.


    "I will wash you up," he said. "Why are you looking at me like that? It''s not like I have anything else to do now. Besides, it''s very normal for a husband to give his wife a bath, right?"


    "We did it a lotst night," I said.


    "We do it a lot whenever we can. It screams a great rtionship between a husband and a wife. I don''t want my wife to ever forget any part of me," he said and started taking my hair essories off.


    "How can I forget any part of you? I am your wife and I am going to be with you after all," I said.


    "That''s right," he smirked and kissed my cheek. "You are going to be with me."


    "Let''s not do it today," I said. "I have a bad feeling today."


    "Bad feeling?"


    "Like I am going to have my period... I can guess that," I said.


    "Alright then. You won''t befortable, so let''s not do it. But I will still give you a bath."


    I was getting used to being naked around Dem now. I was less shy. It was strange of me to still be shy around my husband even though we had been married for quite a while now. Perhaps I progressed slowly in some things.


    As I sat in the slightly warm water of the tub, Dem started washing my hands with soap. His moves were experienced. His hands were very hard and rough, but he was touching me softly. Sometimes I wondered how those hands could embrace me so softly. It must be the power of love and care.


    "You have been down these days. Is it because of those dreams, no, nightmares?" he asked.


    "Hmm... They are draining the energy out of me and filling my mind with nonsense," I said.


    He did not say anything. His face showed that he understood what I meant. "Are you having nightmares too?" I asked. "You don''t look so good these days either."


    He gave a nod. "They are disturbing...," he said. "I won''t lie- I am a disturbing person too. My personality, my activities- they are all disturbing. But even so, someone like me found those dreams disturbing. They are all about the thing I fear the most."


    ''They are about me leaving.''


    "They are just dreams. Dreams won''t be realities," I said.


    He did not say anything again. It was like he was not sure if those dreams would note true. But I knew that they would not. I did not want to leave him and if I was in my right mind, I would not.


    "Dem, do you see any change in me?" I asked after a while.


    "You have be bolder," he replied without thinking even for a second. "And you have been working more these days. You think even more than before and sometimes, you look into the air as if you are confused."


    "Nothing escapes your eyes," I chuckled. "Ruby also told me this. Luc told me that I have gotten bolder while talking. Perita said that I fight with more confidence now. Reece said that I have been working more than before. I can also feel that something has changed in me.


    I just don''t know if it''s for better or not..."


    "It''s a good thing if you be bolder since you are a queen. But you should not work more than you can. You might think that you can, but it''s bad for your health."


    "You work a lot too, all the time," I pointed out.


    "But I don''t want you to do the same and get sick. I am d that you have more confidence now. You know, you can do anything. But I just don''t want you to go out of your way to match something," he said.


    "I am not. That''s the weird thing. I am changing just like that," I said.


    ''Even my thoughts are changing. It was after that day when I felt the urge to kill that woman, Dem''s mother, right there. It was also after that day that I stopped looking at her as Dem''s mother. She was just a woman to me, a woman who I did not like. Because he has made Dem like this. She has messe with his thoughts since he was a child.


    Redemption is not possible in her case.''

 Chapter 240: The Duchess Iris

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The duchess talked a lot. So, the breakfast was very lively. I saw the duke ncing at the duchess a lot of times. There was no doubt that he loved her a lot.


    "Actually, His Majesty and I are rtives," she said. "My father is His Majesty''s grandfather''s cousin''s son. In that way, I think I am His Majesty''s aunt though I don''t want to be called that."


    "I would not call the duchess that either," Dem grumbled.


    "Haha, I know that," sheughed it off. "I was very excited when I heard that Her Majesty ising here today. I had a feeling that His Majesty did not know our family history properly. So, I wanted to share this fact with Her Majesty."


    "That''s good. I heard that the duchess and my husband are rtives, but did not know the detail," I said.


    "I also want to show Your Majesty a lot of things. There are a lot of things to discuss between women. I hope Your Majesty will spare me some of your time."


    "Of course. I would like to spend time with the duchess as well," I smiled.


    Dem did not talk much except if it was important. He was always like this when others were around. His talkative self would reveal only in front of me.


    "Eat up well," Dem said. "You are always eating less. You are not feeling well these days after all."


    "I eat as much as I can," I said, defending myself.


    "That''s not enough. Even if you don''t feel like it, eat a bit more."


    "I also think Your Majesty should eat a bit more," the duchess said. "Your Majesty is so thin..."


    After breakfast, Dem went to the underground cells of the duchy with the duke. Dem did not take me with them since my neck was hurting a bit. I told him it was fine, but he did not notice. Moreover, it seemed to me that he did not want to take me there in the first ce and was just looking for an excuse to make me stay here since he could not tell me ''no'' right to my face.


    "Your Majesty, do you want to go to the garden room?" the duchess asked.


    "The garden room?" I repeated.


    "Yes. We have an indoor garden. We can sit and chat there," she said cheerfully.


    "Sure. I would love to," I said.


    The garden was built inside a huge hall room. There were a variety of flowers, but not as much as in the garden of the Imperial Pce. But something about this ce made it look more beautiful than all other gardens I had seen.


    "It''s beautiful...," I said.


    "Right? It was designed by the duke''s sister, my sister-inw. She liked flowers. Can Your Majesty see the vacant ce in the middle? It''s because she liked to dance there. There was a piano here as well, but I got rid of it since it was broken beyond repair.


    I have ordered to make another piano, just like the previous one. The piano is a very important part of this ce, after all," she said.


    "Yes, a piano will suit this ce well. It''s sometimes important to keep the things to bring up memories," I said.


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    "Your Majesty, actually, I want to be frank about something," she said.


    "Yes?"


    "I want to be friends with Your Majesty."


    "..."


    I thought it was something serious. I had to admit that she surprised me with this. Besides, her desire to be friends with the Queen herself was pretty admirable since no one ever asked to be friends with me before.


    "Did I make Your Majesty ufortable? My apologies if that''s the case. Actually, I have seen Your Majesty for the first time in the banquetst month."


    I heard that the duke and the duchess had been to the banquet, but I had not met them there since I did not stay for long. It was also because of Dem who did not fail to keep everyone away from me.


    "And I happened to see the little fight between the Queen of Mazazine and Your Majesty. Your Majesty was very badass, sorry for my rude word. Since then, I wanted to be friends with Your Majesty. I requested a personal visit too, but it was declined by His Majesty three weeks ago."


    "I was sick that time. That''s why, the duchess''s request was declined," I said.


    "I heard it from the duke too," she said. "Because of that, I did not send another request recently. I was going to soon though... But then I heard that Your Majesty will visit the duchy. I was very excited. So, if possible, can Your Majesty and I be friends?


    Like real friends?"


    There were a few people who Dem said that I could trust and be close to. Among them, there was Evelyn, Ava, Perita, Ruby, Luc, Kenjo, Doctor Dimitri, the duke, and the duchess. There was no reason for me to decline this.


    "Sure. We can definitely be friends," I said.


    "Then, Your Majesty should call me by my name. I am Iris. It''s my nickname."


    "Alright, Iris," I chuckled. "Actually, you can call me by my name too."


    "But, Your Majesty, how can I..."


    "It will be a secret between us," I said.


    Even if someone found out that the duchess was calling me by my name, it would not be a huge problem. That was why it was fine if she called my name. But it was not the same for Ruby. She was a maid and even if I thought of her as my friend, she would still be considered a maid. Because of that, I could not tell her to call me by my name even if I wanted to.


    It was also doubtful if Ruby would call me by my name even if I told her to.


    "Alright then... Blue, is that okay?"


    "Yeah," I grinned.


    Iris and I chatted a lot, sitting in the garden room. She was very cheerful and liked to talk a lot. Her face resembled Dem a bit. It must be because they were rted.


    "By the way, how old are you, Iris?" I asked.


    "I am twenty. And you are eighteen, right?" she asked and I nodded. "You are very young. It''s very admirable how you are handling the job of a Queen at such a young age, especially when you came to this world just a few months ago. Everyone is praising your abilities."


    It was true that I had been managing some important work, but I never thought that it was something to be praised about. Well, Dem praised me every single hour of the day. He liked to praise me for every little thing even though it was not necessary. I had gotten used to it. But this time, even others were praising me. It was a bit embarrassing to hear someone say it right in front of me.


    "It''s nothing. I have been giving my best to help Dem," I said. "He works too hard. I am worried."


    "Blue surely loves His Majesty," she chuckled and I blushed. "It''s a good thing if there is love in a marriage."


    "You and the duke look like you two are greatly in love with each other as well," I said. "You must be living an amazing marriage life as well."


    "Well, our marriage is life is good. We were best friends. We had always been just friends. So, when he got married to the previous duchess, I did not feel bad, rather I cheered for him. But then, he got suspicious and wrote me a letter about his suspicions about the previous duchess.


    Since I had a friend in the investigation department, I told him to secretly investigate this matter and the duke agreed. Then he found clues and sent them to His Majesty, King Demetrius, rather than to the duke. He is very loyal to the king and he also works for the Royal Pce.


    So, he already had a contract signed with them that he had to report every single detail of every case he had taken, official or unofficial. When His Majesty got involved, he actively helped the duke. With His Majesty''s help, it was easier to prove the previous duchess guilty and even her strong family background could not help. Of course, His Majesty did it so the duke will be indebted to him.


    I don''t me him since it''s the way politics work. After that, the duke needed a wife since he doesn''t have an heir and my family was also pestering me to get married. He and I went to drink one night and then I joked that perhaps we should just get married. At least, we won''t trouble each other and be toxic while we also can ovee our problems.


    I was just joking, but I did not know he would take it seriously."

 Chapter 241: Dangerous Desire, Cannot Abandon It

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "You look happy," I said as I entered the room the duke prepared for me and my wife.


    "I am actually," she turned around and smiled, but her face turned gloomy again in a moment. "Blood..."


    "It''s not mine. As I anticipated, I needed to take care of trash," I said and rubbed my forehead.


    "... But your attire is ripped a bit from the front..."


    "There was a mad bastard," I grumbled. "Don''t worry, I am not hurt."


    She just shook her head a bit and then got down from the frame of the window where she was sitting. With steady and quick steps, she came in front of me and touched the front of my attire where it was ripped. As if she knew, she touched over the little cut I got and red at me.


    Did she forget that I could heal? Or was she worried that it might have hurt me when that bastard attacked me?


    "Sit down. I will take care of it," she said and I could not help but obey. Actually, I wanted to see what she was nning to do. It was kind of adorable.


    I sat down on the bed and she ran to the restroom and came back with a wet towel. She also brought a bandage and ointment. I did not need those, yet I did not say anything. It was amusing to see her taking care of me.


    She took my upper attire off and touched the cut with the wet towel. She was pressing it gently over the wound so I would not get hurt.


    "You can press it a little harder if you want to. It doesn''t hurt," I said.


    "You always say that. Even now, you said you did not get hurt. Then how will you exin this?"


    ''Now, how can I say that I did not even notice that I was cut a bit?''


    She carefully cleaned the ce and put on some ointment. Ointments usually helped to speed up the healing. I usually did not use them if it was not absolutely necessary. I would never even think about using it for such a small cut. But after getting married, my wife took care of me for every little thing as if it would end my life.


    The way she was looking at the cut seemed like it was something huge and I was bleeding to death.


    "I am sorry. I will take care of myself from now on. So, don''t make that face. It hurts me to see you like that," I said, touching her face with my hand.


    "Hmm..."


    "I seem to have ruined your mood aftering here. You were in a good mood..."


    "No, you did not. I am just a bit sad that you got hurt..."


    "Babe, it''s nothing. Your husband is not weak."


    "Okay, so be careful from now on, okay?"


    "Alright, I promise," I chuckled. "I will be careful for my wife. If I get hurt, you might leave me because I am weak."


    "What are you saying? It''s not like that."


    "I am just kidding..."


    She nced at me once before looking at the wound back again. It perhaps had started to heal already.


    "So, won''t you tell me why you were so happy today?" I asked.


    "Um, I made a friend."


    "Who? The duchess?"


    "Hmm," she nodded. "How do you know that? Did you guess?"


    "No, she was making a fuss about it and was bragging to her husband. It doesn''t seem like they are a couple, more like friends. Weird..."


    "They are best friends and childhood friends," she said.


    "She told you?"


    "Yeah. She told me about a lot of things, including the reason that she and the duke got married. Apparently, they developed feelings for each other after they got married. They mainly got married because it was convenient for both of them since the duke did not have an heir and was divorced, and she had reached the age. She also told me about the duke''s younger sister.


    We talked for a long time until just a while ago. Then I came back."


    "It''s a good thing you made friends with her. She is trustworthy, as well as the duke."


    "I know... That''s why I epted when she wanted to be my friend," she mumbled. "I am d that I got another friend. A friend is very rare, after all."


    Truth be told, I did not want her to get close to anyone other than me. But it seemed that would not make her happy and she would feel lonely and miserable. I was her husband and she could talk to me about most of the things too, but perhaps she needed a friend as well. If she was happy and contented, then I was okay with it too.


    Besides, it was a woman and the duchess did not prefer women, or she might have been a threat.


    "Iris wants me to spend time with her. I also want the same. I think it will be fun."


    "Iris? Is that her name? Isn''t her name Elizabeth?"


    "Iris is her nickname," she said. "By the way, are you okay with it?"


    "With what?"


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    "Me spending time with her? If you are not okay with it, then I will tell her that it''s not possible. We will talk through letters..."


    "It''s fine," I said.


    "What?"


    "I said it''s fine if you spend time with her. She is your friend after all. As long as you take enough guards with you, it''s fine," I said.


    I had restricted her a lot. She could not do a lot of things freely because of me. Lest she should feel suffocated and want to get away from me, I did not want to stop her from spending time with the duchess because of my obsession.


    "Is that really okay?"


    "Of course. Whatever you want," I said and kissed her on the forehead while she just gaped at me in surprise.


    That night, we could not do it even though I had my desire. She said she was notfortable since she felt that she would have her menstruation in a day or two. It never failed to shock me how women would still survive after letting out that much blood every month.


    She fell asleep fast in my arms. Her maid also told me that she was not sleeping properly and had been trying to sleep in different ces. But now, she fell asleep right after getting on the bed.


    "What was the man saying in your dream? You avoided telling me this every time I asked," I muttered and touched her cheek gently with my knuckles. "Did you think I will not notice?"


    Perhaps I knew what he was saying and why she refused to tell me that. He most probably was saying that I was no good for her and she should leave me. He surely was her father and the dark mage. Now, he was trying to convince her in her dream to take the step to awaken her power since we were not nning on doing so. How long had he been messing with her mind? What if she believed what he said?


    Did he tell her that if she awakened her power fully, then she would not be dependent on me anymore and she could leave me?


    If that was true, then I must not let her awaken her power, no matter what.


    I wanted her to depend on me. I would always take care of her and protect her. The only thing she needed to do was be with me. It did not matter if she was powerless. I wanted her, not her power.


    Perhaps I wanted her for her power in the past and it was a horrible thing. But I was not in my right mind back then, even so, I sometimes med myself. Now, I did not want her for her power. I actually did not care for her power at all. I wanted her, only her.


    I hugged her tightly and kissed her hair. It was impossible for me to let her go. If she left me, I would be ruined. My obsession was going towards a dangerous point, I could feel it. But I could do nothing about it. How could I when a part of me wanted to feel that way about her?


    "I''m sorry. I am really not worthy of you. But I am selfish. I cannot let you go. I want all of you. The most twisted part is- I don''t really care if you say no.


    If I have to, I can tie you down or lock you in a room so you can''t leave me. And this dangerous desire- I cannot let it go..."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 242: Tracking Black Mana

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I like cats too. I have always wanted a cat myself. It''s fantastic that Blue owns a cat," Iris, the duchess, eximed.


    This morning, I was hanging out with her in the dance practice room. We danced a bit as well. She could not dance much, so I taught her a little. I was not too good at it either since I did not learn it much. I only watched others dancing and learned from that.


    Then Iris showed me around the duchy residence. The duke and Dem were busy. Dem did not want me to get involved much since he was worried about me, so I did not push much either.


    "You can visit the Imperial Pce. I will introduce you to Sapphire then."


    "Is it a girl? And her name is Sapphire?"


    "Yeah," I nodded. "We found her back in Ataraxia."


    "Ah, when you went there for the banquet?"


    "Yes. I was... ill, so Dem brought the cat for me. He found it while going out. He doesn''t like cats or other animals much, but since I like them, he lets me keep her."


    "Where does she sleep? Don''t tell me in your and His Majesty''s bedroom..."


    "She sleeps there. Sapphire doesn''t stay in one ce for long if I am not around. She sleeps by the window of our room."


    "Doesn''t His Majesty mind? What do you do when you do it?"


    "... Dem chases her out and closes the door and windows usually," I mumbled, looking down as my cheeks heated up.


    "Pfft, that''s too harsh on the cat. But it''s very weird to do it when another living creature is in the room. It''s like being watched which is creepy..."


    "That''s true..."


    "Strangely, I don''t feel ufortable talking to you about this. You don''t mind, right?"


    "No, it''s fine. It''s good to talk to you about things as well," I said.


    I found Dem in front of the stairway while we were on the way to the library. He was talking to the duke and another person who I did not know. By the look of that person, it seemed he was a mage and a very old one.


    He noticed me at once and nced at me every now and then while talking to them. "Is that the duchy''s head mage?" I asked Iris.


    "Yes. He is very old, isn''t he? He has a bitter personality. But he is very powerful, but of course, not as powerful as the master of the magic tower."


    "I see..."


    "His Majesty is looking at you again and again as if he doesn''t want to look the other way," she said and sighed. "It''s not like the duke doesn''t love me. But his workes first and then Ie. I never minded since it was fine the way it was and he care for me. But now that I look at you and His Majesty, I have to admit that I am a bit jealous though I wish the best for you two.


    His Majesty and Blue look very good together, like a match made in heaven."


    "Why don''t you call the duke by his name? You are his wife and also his best friend after all," I asked while also trying to change the subject.


    It always made me ufortable when someone said that they were jealous of me because Dem was my husband and he loved me so much. There was no doubt that he loved me. He loved me more than anyone could ever love someone or something. But they had no idea how different our marriage life was.


    We were happy, but sometimes, it was a bit scary for me to face him because he had so many sides to him that I feared for some reason. They did not know the difficulties in our marriage. One of them was Dem''s insecurities which sometimes led to anger issues and minor fights. Then there was that dark mage who was continuously trying to mess with me.


    Because of him, we faced many problems and we were going to face more, I was sure.


    "After he got married to the previous duchess, since it might make her ufortable, I stopped calling him by his name. The duchess did not like me and thought that there was something going on between the two of us just because I was his female friend. I got used to calling him ''duke'', so I did not change it even after we got married. But I call him by his name when we are alone.


    But it''s weird to say it in front of others for some reason."


    It was not unusual here to not call each other by their names even after getting married in high society. They called them using honorifics or their titles. Kings and Queens usually called each other ''my queen'' and ''my king'', even when they were alone. It was not the same for Dem and me since we both started calling each other by our names and never thought otherwise.


    We used pet names often, especially Dem, but we never used honorifics with each other. When we were with others, if I did not know them very well, I used honorifics to address Dem. While it was weird for Iris to call the duke by his name, it was the other way around for me.


    We slowly made our way to where Dem was along with the duke and the duchy''s head mage.


    The duke nodded at me and kissed my hand. I noticed Dem clenching his fists, but decided to ignore it. If the duke asked for my hand, how could I refuse it? That would be too inappropriate. I had told Dem a lot of times that doing this was not too intimate and he finally decided not to do anything crazy. It was a good thing that he was keeping his word.


    "I, the head mage of the duchy, greet Your Majesty, the Queen," the mage bowed. "And also, greeting to Madam."


    "Nice to meet you, head mage. I have heard a lot about you."


    "The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty."


    The head mage did not seem bitter at all. Rather, he was very gentle and showed proper respect.


    "We were discussing the rebels," the duke said. "His Majesty suggested that the head mage checks the rebels to make sure that they are not controlled by dark mages."


    "What''s the result?" I asked.


    "Negative. There was no trace of ck mana," the head mage replied.


    "Can I ask you something, head mage?"


    "Of course, Your Majesty. Please feel free to ask me anything," he said.


    "How do you see if there are traces of ck mana or not?" I asked.


    "Well, it''s like ck strings. The more ck mana, the more the number of strings will be. When ites to detecting normal mana, the strings are white since it''s said that mages have divine power except dark mages who possess cursed power thates from the ck stone. It''s a cursed stone after all," he replied.


    "We, mages, cannot even get rid of ck mana even though we can store the extra amount of mana in us. We cannot absorb ck mana after all."


    He said something more, but I could not hear him properly since I was thinking about something else.


    ''ck strings? That day, I saw ck strings around Sapphire... I was confused. I did not tell anyone about it since I did not see the ck strings again and thought that I did not see them correctly. But what if I managed to detect the ck mana in her?''


    "Can mages always see the ck strings?" I asked again.


    "It depends. We usually can, but there is a very small chance that we can''t when the amount of ck mana is too less. ck mana is easy to trace, so it is very rare."


    "But it can happen, right?"


    "It can."


    I looked at Dem and said, "I want to see the prisoners."


    Dem kept his eyes on me for a while before saying, "Alright."


    "Duke, take care of the things I said. I will go with the Queen to the underground prison. No need to apany us."


    "Yes, Your Royal Majesty."


    "I will see youter then, Iris," I said.


    "Alright. See you at lunch."


    "Why do you suddenly want to see them? I told you before you don''t have to push yourself...," Dem said as he started taking me to the underground prison, holding my hand.


    "I am not pushing myself. I just need to check something," I said impatiently.


    "What is it?"


    "Let''s go first."


    The prison here was almost like the Imperial Pce''s prison. It was a disgusting ce, but I tried not to care much about it.


    Even at that time, I had no idea that I was right about my suspicion.

 Chapter 243: The Black Strings

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "These are the ones," Dem said as if he was talking about objects, not living creatures.


    "So, the Queen is here to interrogate us now? What did you think, you filthy bastards, we are going to tell you everything? We will never!" a boy with bright yellow eyes yelled.


    "Should I just kill him?" Dem muttered, beside me.


    I did not mind him. There was something else that caught my attention. Around the boys and girls, there were ck strings, almost invisible. They were attached to their heart and head the most.


    "This..."


    "What''s wrong?" he asked, concerned.


    "I hate the Queen even more. She came out of nowhere and suddenly she is the Queen," a girl yelled.


    "Shut the fuck up!" Dem yelled back.


    He did not care when they were badmouthing him, but when they badmouthed me, he seemed to get too angry.


    "It''s alright, Dem. Please wait a bit. I need to do something," I said, holding his hand.


    "What do you need to do?"


    I stepped near the boy who had bright yellow eyes like fire. "What do you want? Do you want to hit me?"


    I did not say anything, just grabbed the almost invisible ck string. As I thought, I could grab it. I twisted it a little between my fingers and the ck string faded away slowly and the boy lost his consciousness.


    "What the hell? What the fuck did you do to him?" another boy yelled.


    "What happened?" Dem asked. "He suddenly... Is that brat dead?"


    "I don''t think so," I mumbled. "He is just not a marite anymore."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I will exin everything. Let me just cut these strings first," I said.


    I started cutting the strings and removing the ck mana in them. The amount was very little and it was getting absorbed by me. The amount that I was absorbing was very little, but the mana I was using to cut those strings was more. Besides, my power was not awakened fully. Perhaps that was the reason I was getting tired with each passing minute.


    Dem was not asking anything. He was just observing me as I told him that I would exin everything to himter.


    After I managed to cut all the strings attached to them, I could sigh in relief. At least, they were not under the control of any dark mage now. All of them were unconscious and I was not sure when they would get up, but they surely would.


    "Haa, phew... It''s done," I said.


    "Care to exin what just happened?" Dem asked.


    "Yeah, let me tell you... Ow...!"


    "Whoa, be careful..."


    Dem quickly held me as I almost fell. It was a good thing that he was too fast. "I feel a bit dizzy..."


    "You don''t look good at all. I will carry you. Let''s go back," he said and picked me up. I did not stop him. I had a feeling that I would not be able to take more than two steps now.


    "I will be fine if I rest a bit... I actually could track the ck mana. The head mage said that if the amount is too little, they cannot track ck mana. The amount of ck mana that I transferred unconsciously in Sapphire is small too since a cat''s body cannot hold much mana. But I could see it...


    I saw it once, but I had a feeling that if there is ck mana in those boys'' and girls'' as well, I would be able to track them. I followed Luc''s advice and tried to concentrate. It worked... I also guess that I might be able to absorb the ck mana and tried to do so... I have used too much mana to cut those strings and absorb the ck mana. That''s why I am a bit tired..."


    "You... Why did you go this far?" he asked, gritting his teeth.


    "It''s to help both of us. I mean, you need them toe to their senses, right...?"


    My head felt too heavy. My sight got blurry and my head was spinning. I was losing consciousness.


    "Blue? Wake up!"


    I could hear his voice, but I could not open my eyes. It was alright. I would be fine after a while.


    When I woke up again, it was nighttime. My clothes were changed and I was wearing a nightgown. And my husband was smoking, sitting beside the bed in a chair. He looked oddly calm, just the way he looked when he was too angry. Did I worry him too much?


    "... What time is it?" I asked as I struggled to sit up.


    "That''s the thing you say when you wake up after worrying me so fucking much?"


    "I..."


    "I will tell the servants to get your food. You must be hungry. You were unconscious the whole day."


    He pulled the rope above his head while smoking continuously. He seemed very angry, but he was controlling himself, just for my sake.


    "I am sorry for worrying you... I didn''t know I would pass out..."


    "You don''t know a lot of things. You find out only after you do it," he muttered. "Are you happy? Do you like seeing me worrying so much?"


    "No! Of course not! How can you say that?"


    "Don''t move too much. You will get a headache."


    "But I did not intend to... I was just trying to help."


    "Yes, you did help. Thanks to you, those brats calmed down, but they are still against us. It''s just a little less now," he said.


    "Ah, I see..."


    It was not like I expected them toe to our side now. They were not fully controlled. It was true that they were messed with a bit, but it was not too much. Now, I just needed to know what caused them to hate the Dem and me so much.


    The servants had already brought my dinner to the bedroom. Dem motioned for them to leave and just like always, he started feeding me. He put out his cigar as well.


    "I am sorry...," I mumbled. "I only wanted to help."


    "I don''t need your help if it means hurting yourself," he said tly. "I don''t need your help at all. It doesn''t matter if I am losing or now, if you don''t want to, you don''t have to help me. All I want is for you to stay by my side. It''s okay if you help me as long as it''s your choice. But that doesn''t mean I will let you get hurt while helping me."


    "I did not know I would get hurt..."


    "You are too careless."


    "Were you here the whole time?"


    "No," he replied.


    ''Yeah, but you surely were here most of the time. It''s just clear...''


    "Did you eat?"


    "Are you worried about me now?"


    "Of course. You are my husband. Shouldn''t I be worried?"


    "You should be worried about yourself now. Pushing yourself too hard all the time no matter what I say... Why don''t you ever listen to me?"


    "Ever?" I repeated. "... Dem, I listen to you about almost every single thing. Especially you don''t have the right to say this. Don''t say things like this and make me feel guilty. I listen to you.


    I always listen to you... This time, I just wanted to help... I know I made you worry, but you cannot say it to me... You just can''t..."


    Tears began to roll down my cheeks. He sighed and kissed my forehead. Without uttering a word, he began to pat me on my back.


    "I am angry at you, but even now, you are making me feel warm and loved... I... I hate this..."


    "Finish your dinner. You need sleep," he said.


    "Why are you doing this?" I sobbed, holding his sleeve.


    "Must be because your husband is a crazy bastard," he chuckled bittered.


    I looked at him again, but this time, I concentrated. I wished there was a ck string around him. That would mean that he was under the control of a dark mage and if I cut that string, he would be free and would not think and talk this way. But disappointing me, there was no ck string.


    Now the person in front of me was his real self. If he did not take steps to improve, it was impossible. He needed help and I was trying to help him as much as I could, but was it enough?


    After the dinner, he called the servants again and they cleaned everything. Dem stood up and threw a file on the nket in front of me.


    "I know what you want to know. Don''t go around looking for answers yourself. Ask for my help and don''t put yourself in danger. Discuss everything with me beforehand. That way, I can make sure that you don''t get hurt."

 Chapter 244: What She Wanted To Know

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    I watched my wife as she enthusiastically kept turning around the pages of the file. Her face kept brightening up and then darkening the next moment. All of the emotions were shadowing her face.


    She was pitiful. She was very young but got in the middle of the chaos created by her father and the ones around her. It was not a fate she decided. Everything had been decided for her. And my little wife had been trying to get the leash of her fate in her hands for so long. She was even married to an obsessive bastard; she truly was pitiful.


    When she fell unconscious today, the same fear as before struck me. It was just like the same when she had been unconscious for two days while we were in Ataraxia. I thought she would not wake up again. My heart almost stopped. It was hard to breathe. I could do nothing, but watch her and wait for her to wake up.


    The feeling was suffocating and it hurt me like nothing else.


    I knew she was trying to help, but I did not need her help. It was only hurting her. I only wanted her to be safe. Why did she go ahead and help me while putting herself in danger? What if she never woke up? What would I do then?


    "Isn''t this what you wanted to know?" I asked with my arms crossed.


    "Hm? Ah, yes...," she said, ncing at me once and then turning her focus on the documents. "I had a feeling it''s the case. The ck mana I found in them was very little. Even the head mage could not track it. That little amount of ck mana is definitely not enough to control someonepletely.


    As I expected, the dark mage just spread salt over their wounds and stirred their thoughts up."


    "They lost their families in the fire incident," I said. "All of them lost their parents, their family."


    "The fire incident was very sudden and we don''t know who or what caused it. But the me fell on us since you were after the criminal organization and the headquarter was just beside that ce where the fire incident took ce. The criminal organization also went down because of the fire, so the suspicion only grew," she said.


    "That''s right... So, you think the dark mage caused the fire, knowing that the me will be on us? The kids lost their families and went against us. Then he used just a little amount of ck mana to stir their thoughts up."


    "Yes, I think that''s the case."


    "It exins everything. And the King of Lacuna..."


    "My suspicion is that he is being controlled by a dark mage as well. It''s surely the same dark mage or his acquaintance," she said.


    "If that''s the case, Luc should go to Lacuna with the yearly kingdom-visiting team," I said.


    "I don''t think that will solve anything. Rather, I have another n."


    "What is it?"


    "You won''t get mad, right?"


    "No, why would I be?" I shrugged and took the ss of water from the bedside table. "Here, drink some water."


    "King Ford..."


    The ss shattered in my hand within a second.


    "You said you won''t get mad," she said and held my hand that was bleeding. The look on her face was the same as before when she put ointment on the wound on my chest yesterday.


    "I am not mad," I lied.


    "You are. Don''t lie. You just broke the ss the moment I said his name," she said. She looked dejected. I could not understand her. I was overreacting about every single thing.


    "I want to hear what you want to do with him," I said.


    "That''s not a good way to put it," she said. "Anyway, I want to send him a letter and tell him about the situation. He can understand more as he is a dark mage. Let''s just hear what he can say about it at the very least."


    ''I don''t care if he is on our side or not. I just hate him.''


    "It''s alright if you don''t want to. I can''t do anything about it."


    "I didn''t say anything yet," I said.


    "It''s clear on your face. I know you," she said.


    "... You are not wrong. But let''s hear what he can say since you want to," I said. I did not want to make her sad.


    "Alright. Should I write him a letter or you will do it?"


    "You do so and then show me."


    "Okay. After we return to the pce, that''s the first thing to do," she said.


    "As you wish..."


    The wound was not too bigpared to other wounds, so it healed very quickly. It was a matter of relief because she would not nag me much then. Well, her nagging was also cute, so I would not perhaps mind it.


    "... Dem, how did you know I wanted to know about those kids'' background?" she asked after a short silence.


    "Perhaps because I know you well," I said.


    "I see..."


    "Well then, you need to sleep. I know you slept a lot, but do not stay up. It''s nighttime. You will get a headache if you don''t sleep a bit."


    "Where are you going?"


    "I am just gonna walk around and smoke."


    "... Don''t go," she mumbled. If it was another werewolf, they would not have heard it. Perhaps she thought I would not hear it as well since all she did was move her lips a little.


    I sighed and climbed onto the bed. I wrapped my arms around her and she leaned in. My heart was beating loudly. Did she have any idea how worried I was? I still could feel the fear inside me. It was scary.


    "I am sorry... I will try not to worry you again," she said.


    "Yes, you better not worry me again," I said, cing my head against her nape. "Your husband will go crazier than before. I might end up destroying everything, every single thing."


    "... Is losing me like that to you? Losing the meaning of everything else?" she asked after a while.


    "Yes... I don''t even want to think about it. Nothing ever held any interest for me anyway. I just did not ruin those things. But if you are not in my life, I will destroy everything. So, don''t disappear.


    Don''t make me worried. I will lose it, baby, I will lose my mind."


    "Dem, this... You are...," she mumbled and her ears and the back of her neck turned red.


    "Of course, I am with you after all. We are sitting like this. You expected to have no reaction out of me."


    "I still don''t have my period..."


    "You are ufortable. It''s the same."


    "I can... use my mouth..."


    "You have gotten bolder, haven''t you?"


    "Do you hate it?"


    "Of course not. I would never. I love every part of you," I said and kissed her nape. "What about I do something for you first?"


    "But you cannot touch me... down there..."


    "I don''t have to touch you there. I can touch you elsewhere."


    I started kissing her back slowly while touching her slightly with my fingers. She moaned and bit her lips. I did not have to look at her to know that.


    "Hnn..."


    "I am touching you just a bit, but you have this strong reaction," I chuckled. "You are really sensitive, aren''t you?"


    "It''s because you are touching me..."


    "Well, isn''t that obvious? If someone else touches you, you won''t have this kind of reaction, will you?"


    "No..."


    "Is that right?"


    "Yes, it''s just you..."


    "That''s right. Only I can touch you like this and make you feel this way, no one else. If someone else touches you, I will kill them. And if you choose to be with them, what will I do?"


    "I will never want to be with anyone else..."


    "Yes, but if you ever do, I will kill that person right in front of you, make them suffer, and take you back with me. Don''t be concerned. It''s just a thought. And besides, you won''t ever want to be with someone else, right? You said so..."


    She trembled a bit. I started kissing her back again while drawing small flowers on her nape. I touched her breast with my other hand.


    "Huh... Is touching me necessary? I could just make you feel better..."


    "Don''t you like it?"


    "I do..."


    "Then?"


    "I just like it a bit too much. It feels dangerous to let go into the pleasure somehow..."


    I smirked. "It doesn''t matter. Let go and enjoy. I will take you to the highest ce where you can feel the ultimate pleasure, baby. So, it''s alright to let go since you are with me."


    "Ah...," she moaned as I bit on her shoulder slightly.


    "I wonder how others would react seeing the elegant queen losing herself when she is with her husband. Their reaction would be quite a sight, right? Then again, I don''t want others to see this look on your face. It''s exclusively made for me, huh?"

 Chapter 245: Are all husbands like this?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Really, I am going to miss Blue a lot!" Iris said as she hugged me.


    This morning, we were leaving for the pce. I requested Dem that I wanted to spend two more days here in the duchy and he agreed. I wanted to spend some time with Iris. Within just two days, we had gotten very close. Our personalities were different, but we somehow matched.


    "It''s alright. You cane to visit me anytime. Just send me a letter beforehand," I said, hugging her back.


    "Then, is it alright if I send a letter within the next week?"


    "Yes, I will let you know when I am free," I smiled.


    Finally, we were able to left after Iris held me back for a very long time. It looked like she truly was not willing to let me go.


    "You have gotten quite close to the duchess," Dem said as the carriage started.


    "Yes, she is amazing. I think we are going to get even closer in a few days," I smiled.


    "Is that so? Then it''s good, I guess."


    "Yeah... It will be really good if she and I can be very good friends," I said. "Iris was very frightened when she heard that I fell unconscious? You know, everyone knows that I get sick often. So, she thought that it was something serious. I reassured her, but she kept nagging me.


    I don''t know why, but I feel like everyone around me likes to nag me about my health..."


    "No way, that''s not true," he muttered.


    "Says someone who does this the most...," I mumbled.


    "Well, you are very precious to me. I think everyone finds you very precious the moment they see you. You have that kind of aura..."


    "That''s nonsense."


    "It''s not. You won''t understand because you can''t see yourself. But I know," he said.


    "Anyway, let''s not talk about it anymore. By the way, what are you going to do with the kids?"


    "They are going to be imprisoned," he replied. "You freed them from the dark mage''s hands, but they had not been controlled too much. So, they are still against us and think that it''s our fault that they lost their families. It''s hard to make them understand the truth. Just like you said, the beta and some other knights tried to tell them about it. Very few of them responded positively."


    "I see... I feel bad for them. Kids don''t deserve this kind of fate..."


    "No one deserves it, especially not kids," he said.


    Though Dem was the type to not care for others, he still had a very strong sense of protecting the kids'' mental health. When I told him why he should not let Calix, the 16 years old knight, go to wars, he seemed to understand. He knew very clearly how important mental health for kids was since he was abused mentally before.


    "Yeah...," I mumbled.


    "Do you want to sleep?"


    "I can''t..."


    "I can lend you my arm. You won''t hurt your head," he said.


    "That''s not it."


    "Or you can juste and sit on myp. I will hold you," he said with a serious face.


    "... I just have my period. It''s the first day and it''s hurting a lot... Riding a carriage right now makes it worse..."


    "Riding a horse would not have done any good either," he said.


    "I know. That''s why I told you that we should ride a carriage rather than a horse," I said.


    "Does it hurt too much?"


    "It doesn''t hurt all the time. It hurts from time to time all of a sudden."


    "Should I rub your lower abdomen?"


    "Huh? No, it''s alright..."


    "No, it''s not alright. Come here," he said and pulled me towards him and made me sit beside him.


    He ced my head against his chest and pressed his palm on my lower abdomen.


    He started massaging the ce using light pressure. It actually felt better and I could rx. The cramps did not go awaypletely, but they were a little less than before.


    "Does it feel good?" he asked.


    "Hmm, a lot better. Thank you," I said.


    "I told you before too. You don''t have to thank me," he said.


    I chuckled. "Are all husbands like this?"


    "Like what?"


    "This caring..."


    "Nope," he shook his head. "Just me. I am the best husband."


    "Iris also told me that you are one of a kind. The duke is not like you. Workes first for him. Iris told me that she wished that the duke would care a bit more for her."


    "I don''t know if that''s possible. That guy likes to work more than anyone else. I haven''t seen someone like him before," he said.


    If someone like Dem said this who worked almost all the time, I could guess pretty well how much the duke worked.


    "Don''t give me that look. I work a lot too, but it doesn''t mean I like to work. I hate working. I want to spend all my time with you. I wanna cuddle... Work is something I have to do.


    That''s why I do it. But that guy is not like that. He works because he has to do and he works overtime because he likes to do it."


    "You want to cuddle?"


    "That''s the part you are interested in?"


    "I mean, that word sounded very cute when you said it."


    "Don''t start with ''cute'' again. I hate it. It suits you only," he grumbled.


    "But you are cute..."


    "Sleep."


    "Now?"


    "Yes, sleep and clear your head. You are blubbering nonsense right now. I will wake you up when we reach the pce," he said and closed my eyes with his palm.


    "I know you won''t wake me up. You will just carry me to our bedroom and tell everyone not to disturb me. You always do that."


    He did not say anything. I was sure that he was going to do that again. "Hey, don''t do that today. I need to get some work done. Reece surely had to do all the work. I need to start working as soon as we reach the pce."


    "Reece? It''s his job, that''s why he is working."


    "I mean, I know. But it''s not okay to take a break for no reason."


    "Sleep."


    "Wake me up when we reach there, okay?"


    "Just sleep."


    "Remember to wake me up."


    "Sleep, honey."


    When I woke up, the first thing I realized was that my husband did not wake me up. I knew he was going to do it. That was the reason I told him again and again, yet he did it.


    "Ugh! I told him to wake me up!"


    I quickly got down from the bed and ran to the restroom. I cleaned myself up quickly. He perhaps even put a nightgown on me as well.


    It was afternoon. If I did not have my lunch, it meant Dem did not have his lunch as well. Who was worrying who now?


    "Your Highness, slow down. Why is Your Highness in such a hurry? You just woke up, so please slow down a bit," Ruby said.


    "Ruby, it''s been a while since I have seen you. Well, that''s not the point now. Can you help me get ready quickly? I need to go to work. Dem did not wake me up even though I told him to..."


    "Your Highness is on your period, so His Highness told me that you should rest. He is right about it. Your Highness even has a period cramp."


    ''Just because of that? Am I the weird one to think that he is being strange?''


    "I am fine. Just help me get ready. Reece must have been working hard, huh?"


    "Your Highness doesn''t have to worry about my brother. Your Highness can make him work like a bull," she said.


    "That''s not a good thing to say..."


    After Ruby helped me get ready, I quickly went to my office. I found Sapphire there who jumped on me the moment I entered the room.


    "Aww, did you miss me a lot? Sorry, I could not take you with me," I said as I kissed her. "Next time, I will take you with me, okay?"


    I originally left Sapphire with Ava since Ava liked to y with her. But Sapphire stayed most of the time under my bed and in my office, Ruby told me.


    I told Ruby to bring my lunch here and also send Dem''s lunch to his office. I sent a note for him as well, or he would dy again.


    For some reason, worrying about someone felt very good. It reminded me that there was someone who loved me and who I loved so much that he made me so worried. It was something I could not even think of when I first came into this world. I thought hell was waiting for me, but instead of hell, I was weed with a flower path.

 Chapter 246: A Strange Language

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, here are all the reports. I am pretty sure that I have not made a mistake, but Your Highness should check it nheless. I also sorted the information about the fire incident just like Your Highness mentioned in the letter. There was not much, just normal information," Reece said.


    "But I found a thing strange among all these."


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "Just yesterday, one of Your Highness''s spies, came to report. It was Berry. She gave me a piece of paper in hurry and left without a word. Since then, I could not find a trace of her. I think something is wrong."


    "Berry? She is Dem''s spy, not mine... I did not send her on any mission," I mumbled.


    Dem and I had some spies, but our spies were not the same people. We liked to keep our work-rted matters separate. Berry was one of Dem''s exclusive spies. I never even talked to her. Then why would she report to me?


    "What about that paper?"


    "It''s the strangest part. There are some weird things written on the paper. I could not understand it at all," he said. "Thenguage is the problem. I have never seen thatnguage."


    "Where is it?"


    "Here," he said and handed me a small piece of paper from the back pocket of his cks.


    I opened the paper and even though he told me beforehand that there were strange things written on the paper, I was still taken aback. Thenguage was strange. Just like him, I had never seen thisnguage either. Enjoy exclusive adventures froNovelBin


    "I will go meet the King," I said as I stood up. "By the way, good work. Keep it up."


    "Thank you, Your Highness."


    "I brought your lunch, Your Highness. Eat before you go," Ruby entered as I was about to leave.


    "Later," I said and quickly walked to Dem''s study.


    I knocked on his door impatiently. "You don''t have to knock," he said from inside.


    I pushed the door open and walked in. He was sitting in his usual position. He seemed to have been writing.


    "Have you had your lunch?" he asked. "You have sent mine."


    "No, I will have itter. I have to talk to you about something."


    "Yes?"


    "Have you heard from your spy Berry?"


    "No, she has not reported yet."


    "Can I ask what mission she was on?"


    "She was after three people of Lacuna who were found near the market recently. She was stalking them. People from Lacunae here every year to visit our kingdom or for other reasons. But these three were acting strange ording to Berry. So, I told her to keep an eye on them and report me after three days. She is supposed to report today.


    I think she wille back tonight or something or will send me a letter if she thinks that she needs to keep an eye on them more," he replied.


    "I see... Actually, Reece reported me today," I said. "Apparently, Berry came to report to me yesterday. Reece, as my assistant, collected the report. It was a single piece of paper. She left right away without a word."


    "Why would she report to you? She is my spy. Our spies are different and they are on separate missions assigned by me and you."


    "I know, right? Reece thought that she was assigned my spy recently," I said. "Here is the paper she gave."


    Dem took the piece of paper from me and tried to read it. As expected, his expression turned bitter.


    "It''s not even a secret message. Moreover, why would she report to you? It''s not like I was not reachable," he muttered, looking intently at the paper. "Can you make a copy and send it to Luc?"


    "Yes..."


    "Let''s see what he says. I think it is a mage''snguage."


    "Mage''snguage?"


    "It''s used for sending secret messages to mages. No one else can understand this. The secret message can be written in any kind ofnguage that only another mage can understand. If it is meant for you, then perhaps even Luc won''t be able to understand this since he is a mage and you are a dark mage. But sometimes, they can understand it, so it would be better if we just send him a copy," he said.


    "But I can''t understand anything. I tried to concentrate and looked at it for quite a while, but I could not decipher the meaning," I said. "I wonder if I am an idiot, but that dark mage hasn''t realized that yet..."


    "It''s nothing that sorts. We cannot say anything yet," he said. "Just send it to Luc."


    "What if Luc can''t help?"


    "... You seem to have something in mind."


    "... I want to send a copy to Evan as well?"


    "Evan?"


    "King Ford, I mean. He is a dark mage and his power is fully awakened unlike me. So, even though I have more ck mana than him, he still can use more power," I said.


    "I cannot trust him enough."


    "He is against the dark mage as well since it concerns his position. He won''t betray us about this one as we are against the same person," I exined. "Or should I tell him toe here in person? I personally don''t want to make hime here for no reason though. But it''s up to you."


    He sighed. "If you want to, do it," he said.


    "Alright. I will send you the letter I am going to send to him. You can check it," I said. "And have your lunch now."


    "You didn''t have your lunch either."


    "Yes, I will have it now."


    "Then why don''t we have it together?"


    "Nope, not today. I don''t want to spend any extra time having lunch now. There is a lot of work to do. Ruby is going to feed me and I am going to work. You don''t mind, right?"


    "You really work a lot. Haa, though I want to have lunch with you, it''s alright if you think otherwise," he said.


    I kind of forced Dem to let me get out of his study. I had a lot of work to do and moreover, he needed to work as well. He would just spend time with me and then when I would sleep at night, he would work without sleeping.


    I returned to my office and started working. Ruby fed me as usual while Reece reported to me.


    "Alright, that''s all for now. You can go home early today," I told Reece. "You will get a bonus for working more than your work hours."


    "Thank you, Your Highness."


    "And also, send Flint before you go," I said.


    "Yes, I will do so."


    Reece bowed and left. "Is my brother doing that well?" Ruby grumbled.


    "He is doing amazing. I could not have asked for a better assistant," I said.


    "That''s good. I thought he was a good-for-nothing slime..."


    "Haha, I don''t think Reece will like it if he hears it..."


    "He is used to it," she muttered.


    "May Ie in, Your Highness?"


    Flint''s voice came with a knock on the door. "Yes,e in."


    A man with honey-colored hair and a sharp face entered the room. It was Flint, my personal mage. Though Luc would do anything I needed, it was not okay to disturb him with every single matter. He had a lot of research to do after all. And besides, he was getting married soon. I could not possibly take him with me when I needed some help.


    Just like Dem, I had a personal mage. Flint was young just like most of the employees in the Imperial Pce, but he was capable.


    He was shorter than most male werewolves, so some knights bullied him. But it did not make him back down at all. He was quite fierce. I even witnessed him making a junior knight fly in the sky.


    "You look horrible. What happened?" I asked.


    "... As usual, Your Highness," he mumbled. "Those fuckers... My apologies... Those insolent punks pissed me off... And then, there are too many copies to make."


    "Haha, I am sorry. But you have to make me another few copies of this paper," I said.


    He sighed. "Your Highness better give me a few things after this month along with my payment."


    "What do you want?"


    "Nothing more, just some useful things for my research. They are expensive and rare, but if Your Highness orders them, they can be gotten easily. The usefulness of power..."


    Flint was always like this. He worked hard and was demanding when it came to things about his research. But since he was a good worker, I gave him whatever he wanted. That was the reason he was also very loyal.


    "Alright. I will give them to you. Now, make five copies of this paper. And be careful. No one should find out about this."

 Chapter 247: Humble

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "What the hell...? What the fuck is written here?" Flint grumbled.


    "My god, Lord Flint has an awfully foul mouth," Ruby muttered. "Is swearing for every little thing necessary?"


    "How would you know that? If you were in my position, you would do the same."


    "Her Highness pays you well and also lets you go no matter how you behave. Isn''t that enough?"


    "I work my ass off for the payment," he defended himself. "Ask Her Highness. Your Highness, have I not been working properly?"


    "Yes, you have been," I said tiredly. "Anyway, can you read what''s on the paper?"


    "No, but it''s a mage''s message. I can''t read it though," he replied.


    "Are you sure it''s a mage''s message?"


    "Positive. I feel awful. There has not been a single time when I have not been able to read, no, there has been only one time... Lord Luc might be able to read this."


    "That''s why I told you to make five copies. I will send one to Luc," I said. "How long will it take?"


    "Not long, just an hour. I will bring it to Your Highness myself since it seems important," he said.


    "Yes, please do so," I nodded.


    There was no photocopy machine in this world. So, mages were used to copy documents. It took quite a long time. Only Luc and the masters of the magic towers could make copies in the blink of an eye.


    "Don''t be like that with Flint, Ruby. It''s hard to find someone like him who works so fast and is loyal."


    "Yes, but Lord Flint has an awful personality. He respects Your Highness, but he is very rude with others."


    "Others mock him as well."


    "He also swears a lot," she said, ignoring me. "I feel sorry for his wife."


    "Haha, he might not be like this with his wife."


    "I doubt so. I think he is the same way at home," she said.


    "You and I know a person who is quite rude with others, but very gentle when he is with his wife," I said.


    "Who...? Oh... But His Highness is one of a kind. It''s very hard to find someone like him. I still don''t think that guy is any different at home."


    "His wife is pregnant, right?"


    "Yes, five months."


    "Ah, I should send her some flowers... I will ask Flint what flowers his wife likes," I muttered to myself. "By the way, where is Perita?"


    "I will send her to Your Highness now that Your Highness has finished your lunch," Ruby said. "I will take my leave then."


    "Alright..."


    Perita came to my office very soon. She seemed to have been sneaking food from the kitchen again.


    "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" I sighed.


    "I just took a cupcake."


    "You won''t be able to go out with me if you do it again," I said.


    "Is Your Highness going somewhere?"


    "Who knows?"


    "Take me with you, Your Highness."


    "Promise me you won''t steal food from the kitchen again," I said.


    "Hmph, okay...," she pouted.


    "Anyway, why I called you- Tell knight Julius toe to my office right away," I said.


    "Why?"


    "Just do as I told you, Perita. You will be here, so you will find out about it anyway," I said.


    "Okay, then..."


    ''Why do I feel like I am working with children in adult''s bodies here?'' I thought when Perita left. ''Even my husband is kind of childish from time to time. Perita ispletely like a child. Flint swears a lot and says weird things and sometimes the way I have to convince him, it''s like I am convincing a child to do something in exchange for something. Ruby is a bit more mature than all of them.''


    "May Ie in, Your Highness?"


    "Yes, is it Julius?"


    "I brought him, Your Highness," Perita grinned as she pulled him inside by his cor.


    "Let go of his cor. I told you not to misbehave."


    "I was not!"


    "Leave him."


    "Yes..."


    "Take a seat, Julius," I said, smiling.


    "Yes... It''s... it''s an... honor to be able to talk to... you, Your Highness," he stuttered as he took a seat. "I mean, right in front of Your Highness...


    It''s really..."


    "You don''t have to be stiff, Julius. Rx," I said. "I just want to talk to you about something and that''s all. You can return to work soon."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I hope I can be of help to Your Highness."


    "Don''t worry, you will be. Alright, so Julius, you are Calix''s roommate, right?"


    "Calix? Yes, I am. Did he do something, Your Highness?"


    "No, no, he has not," I shook my hands. "It''s just I want to know a few things about him. Are you friends with him?"


    "Yes, we have been roommates since His Highness brought him here. So, we are quite close. We are best friends, actually. Though he is three years younger than me, we get along well," he said.


    "I see... That means you can tell me about Calix, right? Actually, I want to know what kind of person Calix is and his personality."


    "Um, Calix is not that friendly with everyone. I mean, he is not rude and he doesn''t have a bad personality. He just is a bit cold and doesn''t talk to others. It''s like he always istes himself. It took me a while to get close to him as well, but I am d I tried," he chuckled. When he was talking about Calix, he seemed to be quite rxed.


    He got over his nervousness as well. "Calix might seem really unfriendly at first nce, but it''s just he is very clumsy when ites tomunication. But if someone manages to get close to him, they will know that he is actually very clumsy and a good person."


    "It''s a good thing that Julius is Calix''s friend. He is very young, so I am worried about him. It seems Julius is always on his side and is taking care of him."


    "Your Highness, it''s true that Calix and I are very close. I take care of him as much as I can. I won''t lie- he might seem so tough and stuff like that, but he is actually kinda broken on the inside. Since Your Highness said that you are worried about him, I think I should let Your Highness know about this."


    "Do tell me more."


    "Calix suffers from nightmares every night without fail."


    ''As expected, he is traumatized because of something.''


    "He sweats a lot and keeps saying something like ''Please, don''t kill him... Let me live...'' He did not tell me when I first asked him. But when I kept pressing him, he opened up to me. I just want the best for him. So, can Your Highness promise me that you won''t let him go on any dangerous missions after I tell you about it?"


    "Actually, I have been nning the same thing. So, it''s alright. I can promise you that."


    "His family were burned to death during a war. That''s the time when His Highness found him. His younger brother died right in front of him. That even traumatized him greatly and he is scared of fire. Even after all these years, he had not gotten better. He is young, so it''s expected that he has that kind of reaction.


    I just want him to get better, but perhaps it''s too soon to ask for something like that."


    It definitely was too soon to ask for that. I knew what it meant to be traumatized. Sometimes I thought my past did not affect me, but I would be proven wrong in a while. Those events did affect me and always made me feel miserable and helpless.


    "Please do not tell Calix that I told Your Highness about it. He told me to keep it a secret. But it''s for the best."


    "That''s alright, Julius. I know you want the best for him. I wish the same. So, I will take steps to make sure that Calix is not sent to any dangerous missions," I said. "You can go back to your work now. Thank you for today."


    He looked quite shocked. Everyone had the same type of reaction after they talked to me. It was very strange.


    "Time to get Calix some help it seems," I mumbled. "By the way, Perita, can you tell me why he was surprised?"


    "Isn''t that because Your Highness is too humble even towards a knight? Not just knights, Your Highness is very polite and thanks everyone including servants and maids. It is very unusual and they are not used to this kind of treatment. At first, I was surprised as well."

 Chapter 248: Working Until Midnight

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I worked until it was midnight. Dem was busy as well, so he could not eat dinner with me. Ruby fed me dinner and went back to her room. She did not want to go, but I forced her. I wanted her to rx as much as possible since it was her wedding soon.


    I had made sure that Ruby took Dem''s dinner to his study, or he would skip dinner again. He was going to be busier anyway, so it was important to at least have his meals on time.


    "Ugh, what time is it?"


    "It''s three in the morning, Your Highness," Flint replied. He was sorting the documents he copied today.


    "I am sorry that you have to stay until this long," I said.


    "The workload is just too much," he said. "I am actually surprised."


    "About what?" I asked.


    "Why is His Highness not here yet? He usuallyes within one and takes Your Highness with him," he said. "His Highness always even forgets that another person is in the room. You see, I miss my wife too."


    "Ahaha, I am sorry...," Iughed, getting embarrassed.


    "Really, what''s the matter? Why is His Highness not here? It''s really not normal. Have Your Highness and His Highness fight? It will be a worrying thing for the ones working directly under His Highness then. Whenever His Highness is in a bad mood, he would make them go through a rough time," he said.


    "Not that I hate it."


    "He is just busy. And I am busy too."


    "His Highness doesn''t care if Your Highness is busy or not. He would rather finish the side of your work just to take Your Highness with him."


    "You talk too directly, Flint. Aren''t you worried?"


    "Nope," he shook his head. "Your Highness won''t fire me. I am loyal and I work faster than any other Imperial mages except Lord Luc."


    "You arrogant... Anyway, how is your wife? She is five months pregnant now, I heard," I asked.


    "She is doing better than I thought. Her belly looks like a ball and it''s kinda scary. I feel like it''s gonna burst if I hug her..."


    "Her belly is gonna grow more. She has four more months left... What will you say then?"


    "Haa, I have no idea. But she always smiles. I don''t know whether it''s to relieve me or not..."


    "Do you need a vacation?"


    "No, I need money," he said.


    "Are you short...?"


    "Not really. I am quite rich actually, but I need more. I love money."


    "Flint, are you alright?" I asked. I was seriously concerned about his mental health.


    "Actually, it doesn''t matter if I take a break or not. I can do nothing at home anyway. Rose doesn''t let me stay at home either. She tried to beat me up with a book when I mentioned it."


    "Why?"


    "Rose likes to remain active. She is really powerful physically. Even though she is pregnant, she runs every morning and practices swordsmanship. If I stay at home, I try to make her rest, that''s why..."


    "Hmm, I think it''s okay to be physically active during pregnancy, up to a certain limit though. I don''t much about it since I have not... Ahem, anyway, I actually wanted to ask you what flower she likes."


    "Rose hates flowers. She says they smell bad," he said. "If Your Highness wants to send her something, it definitely should not be flowers."


    "What about a sword?"


    "She has lots."


    "An armor?"


    "I made her one myselfst week. I used a lot of mana to make it. It''s special."


    "Then what should I give her?"


    "I know a thing she wants badly..."


    "Tell me."


    "A horse... Her horse died a year ago. She has been lonely but never told anyone. She liked that horse a lot. Well, the death of that horse was given since he had grown so old. I tried to buy her one, but she did not ept it.


    But if Your Highness gives her one, she will not be able to refuse. I know she wants one, just doesn''t say so. I don''t understand why. It''s not like I won''t buy her if she wants one," he said.


    "Hmm, a horse can be a good gift. Though it is not a pregnancy-rted gift, if it makes her happy, there is nothing we can do," I said. "What color was her previous horse?"


    "It was brown and also a very weirdly dangerous-looking one. If you look at it, you will think ''the fuck is wrong with it''," he said.


    "I see. I think I know the perfect horse... I had the same reaction when I saw one in the stable," I grinned.


    The door suddenly burst open and Dem entered. He looked a bit tired. "Goodbye, Your Highness," Flint murmured.


    He seemed to be sure that Dem was going to take me away. Usually, Dem took me away so we could rush to our nighttime routine. But I was on my period now.


    "I greet, Your Highness, the King," Flint bowed and Dem moved his hands, motioning him to raise his head. He used to pay no attention when someone greeted him, but I told him that it was too rude and he should at least let them know that he saw them. After that, he started ncing once at the people who greeted him. It was an improvement.


    "Do you have any idea what time it is? You still have not returned to the bedroom," Dem said.


    "There is just too much work... I have sorted them out now though. Flint is arranging thest documents, then it will be done for now," I said.


    "You are going to get sick if you keep being like this. I am worried, you know," he said and touched my forehead.


    "I am fine... Besides, I am not the only one awake. You have been doing the same."


    "I am used to it, but you are not. You will get sick," he said, rubbing his palm against my cheek. "Let''s go. You will sleep now."


    Dem looked at me as if he would pull me with him if I told him to wait even just one minute. I sighed and nced at Flint.


    "You can...?"


    "I can take care of them. Please just go," Flint said before I could finish.


    Flint surely was tired of seeing us like this. Dem cared less than me about people being around while being too lovey-dovey.


    Dem brought me back to the bedroom. I changed into my nightgown while he undressed. Dem barely wore anything when he slept. He said that it made him feel stuffy. But oddly, he was wearing a robe tonight.


    "What...?" he asked as he found me looking at him.


    "Why are you wearing a robe?" I asked, surprised.


    "Why? You prefer me naked?"


    "It''s not that... You don''t wear much of a thing when you sleep, underwear at most... You always say that wearing too many things makes you feel stuffy, even a robe. That''s why I am surprised."


    "I just need to," he said.


    "Haa, whatever you want," I let out a sigh. "I don''t understand you sometimes anyway."


    I yawned and got onto the bed. Dem pulled me closer as soon as I lied down. He pressed his face against my nape, just like every night. He did not have a fixed way of how he wanted to hug me each night. He just did whatever he wanted. I also felt safe in his embrace and had fewer nightmares, so I never stopped him. Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    "You smell nice," he mumbled.


    "You always say that," I said. "I did not even use bath oil today."


    "I like your natural scent more. There is something captivating about it," he said.


    "You are the only one who will say something like that."


    "Of course," he said firmly. "It''s not like you are someone else''s wife. You are mine after all."


    "... I need to ask you something, Dem...," I said while trying to change the subject.


    "Yes?"


    "I read that Alphas have different types of powers. They don''t have mana, but because of their unique and powerful blood, they can control an element or something. That''s the real power of an Alpha, I read," I said.


    "That''s right. So, you want to know what type of power I have?" he asked.


    "Yes..."


    "The power of an Alpha depends on the thing they bond with the most," he said. "When I was younger, Father used to take me to the underground dungeon. He would sh the heads of the prisoners and I needed to watch because he used to say that it was necessary if I wanted to be the King. Evelyn had been taken down there too, but she fainted many times.


    I don''t know why, but I was fascinated by the blood... And because of that, I have that unique kind of power."

 Chapter 249: Alphas Power

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "B-Blood?" she stuttered.


    "Hmm, it''s just a matter of personal fascination, I suppose," I said. "I can control the blood within someone''s body; like I can speed up the flow, or slow it down, or turn it offpletely."


    "But if you do that..."


    "Yes, if I turn the flow off, they will die right away, or suffer from a heart attack," I said. "Isn''t it amazing?"


    "... Amazing?"


    "Are you scared, my wife?"


    "It''s not like..."


    "You are," I said, cutting her off. "Look at how your small hand is shaking. But why are you scared? Haven''t I reassured you enough that I will not hurt you? You are the only person I will never hurt. I love you after all."


    "Do you use this power a lot?" she asked.


    "Not if I don''t need to," I shrugged. "It''s kinda easy to use and sometimes, the power just gets out of myself unconsciously. It happens if one of my emotions takes over my other emotions. It can be anything. It happened only once though. I was very angry that time and my power just kind of exploded a bit.


    Ten people died on the spot."


    She trembled as soon as I said it. She might say that she was not scared, but she was. Scaring her sometimes was fun, and other times, I wished she was not scared. This time, I did not know what I wanted.


    "King Ford is an Alpha and a dark mage at the same time. But before he is a dark mage, he is an Alpha. His father was an Alpha and though his mother had ck mana in her, she was not a dark mage. She just absorbed a dark mage''s power by killing them since she has ck eyes. That''s why his Alpha power is his main power. He can control fire by the way," I said.


    "The King of Mazazine can control snow. It''s weird, but that''s his power. The King of Lacuna can control nts. I heard the princess of Lacuna has the same power. And the King of Ataraxia can control water. And here I am.


    I can control blood. We have the same amount of power, no more and no less."


    "You guys are really powerful," she mumbled though she still was scared.


    "I have another power. I think I have it because I have ck eyes. I mean, Alpha blood plus ck eyes- I think thisbination made this unique power," I said.


    "What is it?"


    "Hmm... I can show you."


    "You can? Is it dangerous? I don''t want you to torture someone just to show me your power?" she asked and sat up, looking straight at me.


    "It doesn''t work always. I need to remain calm and concentrate to make it work. That''s why it''s not that useful during wars and fights when you are hot-tempered," I said. "I have tried to make sure that I can use it during fights too. But it''s just impossible. I need to focus too much.


    If I do that during a war, I will get stabbed. And I don''t need to torture someone to show you this power. What kind of person do you think I am?"


    "..."


    "I understand," I chuckled. "Don''t worry. I really won''t torture someone."


    "So, how will you show me? It''s not that dangerous, right? You won''t get hurt if you use that, right? I think... What the...?"


    She fell back on the bed and tried to move her hands and legs, only to be kept in ce by an invisible force.


    "Hm? Can you feel it?" I asked, grinning as I hovered on top of her.


    "I can''t move my body... Dem, it''s weird. I am scared..."


    "Should I keep you like this for a while?"


    "No, I am scared! Free me! It''s weird..."


    "Alright," I said and freed her.


    This power was a bit hard to control. But if I concentrated enough, it would get easier. I also needed to remain calm to use this power. It was the power I used less. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "Huh? That''s really...," she gasped and moved her hands and legs as if to make sure that she really could move her body. "Why didn''t you tell me about those before?"


    "I was a bit worried that you will get scared if I told you about all of these at once. That''s why I waited until you ask me about them yourself," I said.


    "This kind of power..."


    "Don''t think too much now. I told you everything you wanted to know. Now, go to sleep. You are not getting out of the bed before ten."


    "I have swordsmanship practice..."


    "Skip it."


    "I can''t. Perita said it''s not okay to skip swordsmanship lessons. It will be bad for my development," she said, shaking her head.


    "Then reschedule it in the evening or something," I said. "It''s toote at night. You need enough sleep."


    "Mm, okay, I will," she said slowly.


    "Come here then," I said and opened my arms. She hugged me and rxed as I rubbed her back gently.


    ''Why is she so small? Is it normal? She is eighteen. Then why is she this small? It feels like she will break down at any moment.''


    After I got married, I developed the habit of hugging my wife while sleeping. I just needed to at least hold her hand or something to fall asleep. It was like I was afraid that if I did not hold her, she would blend into the darkness of the night. My habit of hugging her was the reason I wore a robe tonight.


    I usually did not wear anything since we did it almost every night. If I had to wear something, it would be my underwear at most.


    I needed to hug her and if I hugged her while wearing only my underwear, we would get too close and I would get excited. She just had that kind of effect on me. But she was on her period now. It would be a problem if I got aroused right now.


    She fell asleep very quickly. Even though she kept denying it, she was working very hard. It was true that the amount of work she was dealing with was less than mine. But that did not mean the amount was little at all. I was experienced, so it took me less time. But that was not the case for her.


    She learned about the work-rted matters here recently. It was surprising enough that she could start working this quickly and also deal with more than ten percent of the work.


    I closed my eyes as well, holding her as close to me as possible. Whenever I closed my eyes, various thoughts would flood into my mind. It was like they were waiting for the time I would get free from all other work and rx.


    When my wife told me that she could trace ck mana, I got a ray of hope thinking that perhaps I was still under control a bit. King Ford had told us that I was not under control now, but I hoped that I was, even just a bit. Blue could trace the ck mana that even the head mage of the duchy could not. I had a feeling that even Luc would not be able to trace that small amount of mana.


    After she woke up, I wished she would tell me that she could see a few strings of ck mana around me as well and would like to cut the strings. As long as it would not hurt her, she was allowed to free me from the dark mage''s grasp.


    But I was disappointed. She did not say anything. I had noticed her looking at me with concentration a few times. But then, she would always sigh and look away.


    I did not need to hear from her to know what happened. She was disappointed as well because she also wished that I was under a dark mage''s control and because of that, my thoughts were messed up.


    Both of us were disappointed greatly. There was not a single ounce of doubt that I was the real me right now. My thoughts were only mine. They were not controlled by anyone or anything. Then it meant that these messed-up thoughts belonged to me only. There was no one else to me.


    It was surprising that she still behaved as usual and looked as if she did not have much of a problem even if my real self was twisted. She was ready to ept me it seemed.


    "Sometimes I pity you that your fate got entangled with someone like me," I muttered as I touched her face gently. "Perhaps you would have been happier if you were someone else''s wife. But what can I do? I am just so selfish. I still can''t let you go."

 Chapter 250: The Reason To Hold A Lavish Wedding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Nothing, absolutely nothing. This shit means nothing," Luc said loudly as he sat in my office.


    I had sent him the copy of that piece of paperst night and he teleported to my office this morning just after five minutes I hade. Dem made me sleep this morning, so I started working at ten today.


    "The paper, you mean?"


    "Or what?" he grumbled and ced the paper on the table. "I tried to decipher this the whole night. But nothing, I found nothing!"


    "Don''t get so worked up," I said. "It''s not your fault that you can''t find anything. Flint also tried... Of course, he couldn''t understand anything either, since even the master of the magic tower can''t. I have sent one copy to Evan as well."


    "Did you use a bird?"


    "It''s not official. I used the bird of death. That one is quick. Dem said it will take three days for it to reach Trouvaille. If I send Flint, other officials of Trouvaille will find out. No one should know that the King and Queen of Querencia are close with the King of Trouvaille."


    "You are wrong about one thing. Only the Queen is close to the King of Trouvaille, not the King. The King just loves the Queen too much and tries not to lose his temper in front of the King of Trouvaille, so his wife would not hate him," he said.


    "It''s true that Dem doesn''t like him much, but... Anyway, we are going to wait until we hear something from him," I said. "I will let you know. And by the way, when are you going to fix the date?"


    "I am thinking of the after two Sundays. Today is Sunday, right? That means, I want to hold it after two weeks," he said.


    "The preparation time is too little, but we can manage it if we pay the workers enough and hire too many of them," I muttered.


    "I don''t know anything about these kinds of things. Can you take...?"


    "No," I said tly. "You think I know much? Don''t forget I got married out of nowhere. It''s not like I nned my wedding, so don''t ask me anything regarding this matter. It''s no use asking Dem as well. You and I both know that he won''t be able to help.


    Well, I will try to help as much as I can. But the best thing you can do is hire a wedding nner. My wedding was veryvish and if you are looking for that kind of wedding, then you can hire the wedding nner who nned Dem and my wedding."


    "Lavish? I don''t need anythingvish though..."


    "You do," I said, shaking my head. "Listen here. Ruby is from a fallen noble''s family. Though I am helping them, it will take time for the Count''s family to return to their original position. It''s also a questioning point whether they will be able to return to their previous position ever or not. So, we have to arrange the wedding asvishly as possible.


    Since you are the groom, it''s to show that you are willing to go that far to marry her. You understand what I mean? Everything has to be top-notch."


    "I see... It''s so difficult," he sighed.


    "Don''t be like that. It''s necessary. You are doing this for Ruby, aren''t you? After a few years, perhaps you will understand that you actually did not do it just for her, but also for yourself."


    "What does that mean?"


    "Who knows? Now, you should really go. I have a lot of work to do."


    "You are being like that bastard as well. It must be because you are his wife that some of his characteristics are growing in you."


    "That''s totally wrong."


    "I wanna hang out though."


    "You also have work to do. Since you work all night, you can chill during the day. But it''s not the same for me. I can''t stay awake at night. Dem will yell at me if I do that," I said.


    "Ugh!"


    "If you are bored, hang out with your fianc¨¦e," I said. "She must be in the garden. She has gone out to get some flowers for the vase in my room."


    "What will I talk to her about? I am not close to her," he said nonchntly.


    "... Luc," I said, taking a deep breath, "you are going to marry her. So, try to spend more time with her. It might be a loveless marriage, but she is the one you are going to be with for the rest of your life. Are you not going to talk to her after you get married? Are you not going to spend time with her?


    It''s not like you are shy, right? You are not that type. Then what''s the problem?"


    "Alright, I will go..."


    "What are you doing here?"


    "When did youe in?" Luc jumped up in surprise hearing Dem''s voice. "Gosh, it''s so weird! I can''t even get your smell... So, make some noise when youe in, jeez!"


    "Luc hase to tell me that he could not understand what''s written on that paper as well," I said.


    "You can''t? Then what are you the master of the magic tower for?" Dem grumbled.


    "It''s not like you can read it!" Luc snapped.


    "I am not a mage," Dem shrugged. "It''s not my job to do so. It''s yours."


    "Stop it," I sighed. "If you two want to fight, just go out and do so, not here."


    "I''m sorry," Dem said. Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin


    "Me too," Luc followed.


    "Aren''t you supposed to go and spend some time with Ruby, Luc?" I asked. "Then do so. She wille back from the garden if you waste more time here. The garden is the best ce to talk to her."


    "I am going then," Luc said. "Give this bastard a p for me, okay?"


    "Just go already," Dem said annoyedly.


    Even after Luc left, Dem kept cursing him. I had no idea why these two always fought. They truly were like kids.


    "What''s the matter?" I asked.


    "Hm?"


    "You are suddenly in my office. You don''t usuallye at this hour," I said.


    "Can''t Ie to meet my wife?"


    "It''s not that... I am just saying that it''s so sudden."


    "Well, though I don''t need a reason to meet you, I actually have one today," he said. "Berry- she did note to report to mest night. When she did note, I thought that perhaps I should wait until morning to see if shees or not. But she did not."


    "What? Really? Then what happened to her?"


    "I don''t know. I have sent some knights to look for her," he said.


    "I see... Now, it''s even more confusing."


    "Do not press yourself. I will find everything out. You don''t need to worry about this one," he said. But I was sure that even he knew that it was not possible. When something like this was happening all the time, it was hard not to worry.


    "Can you keep me updated?" I asked.


    "Sure. I will," he nodded. "I have to go to a meeting now. I wille back in the evening. Have your lunch in time. We will have dinner together."


    "Alright," I said. "And by the way, I have a request."


    "Yes?"


    "I want to take Calix under my knight order," I said.


    Each kingdom''s knights were divided into two groups. One group worked under the King and the other group worked under the Queen. It was to maintain the power bnce between the King and the Queen. The knights working under the King were called the King''s knight order and the knights working under the Queen were called the Queen''s knight order.


    The knights would ept the King or the Queen as their real master. They were to obey both the King and the Queen, but one of them would be their real master and they would take orders from their real master first.


    I was a bit afraid when I took my oath and thought that they would not ept me. But I was surprised when I found them epting me as their real master enthusiastically.


    "You can do that," he said.


    "Thank you," I said. "I also talked to a psychiatrist about Calix''s matter. He wants to meet Calix in person. I am thinking of talking to Calix myself first and ask if he truly wants my help regarding his mental health. It won''t be a good thing to decide everything for him myself. If he responds positively, I will tell the psychiatrist toe to the pce.


    It''s fine, right?"


    "Blue, you can do whatever you want to," he said. "As long as you don''t leave my side, I don''t care what you do. Of course, that doesn''t mean you can be with another man."


    "I am not going to do something like that! Why would I cheat on you? What are you saying?"


    "I''m just saying..."

 Chapter 251: The Reply

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Even after six days passed, there was no trace of Berry, Dem''s spy. It was truly worrying. Dem was not worried about what happened to her. He was more interested in knowing why she reported to me and gave me that piece of paper.


    "Your Highness, the bird...," Ruby mumbled, looking at the window.


    "Ah, the bird," I said as I hurriedly went near the window. The bird sat on my shoulder and the nails dug into my flesh. But I did not care about that. I was more curious to see Evan''s reply.


    "Your Highness, your shoulder!" Ruby eximed worriedly.


    "It''s alright. This bird sits wherever it wants, so..."


    I opened the seal hurriedly. The letter was very short, but it contained the words I wanted to hear the most.


    Dear Blue,


    Thank you for reaching out to me. I thought the King of Querencia would not believe me enough to reach out. Of course, I am not doing this for no reason. It will help me and that''s why I am doing it.


    Let''s get to the main point now. The paper that you sent me contains a secret message. You surely know this by far. But I suppose you cannot read the letter and no other mage can.


    It''s because it''s written by a dark mage and thenguage the dark mage used is hard to understand even for dark mages. But it''s not impossible.


    As you can understand from my words, I can read the message. But it won''t be appropriate to write that in the letter. I would like to meet you and the King of Querencia since he will mind if I meet you secretly. It''s not appropriate to ask for something like that as well. So, do let me know when we can meet. Send your reply with a trustworthy mage.


    Along with the letter, send me an official letter about something. It won''t seem suspicious in that way. There is nothing to send for now, but just make something up.


    I hope to get your reply as soon as possible.


    Yours, Evan


    "Thank God that he can read that. I was worried that I will never be able to know what''s written in there," I said as I sighed in relief.


    "Ruby, can you get Flint for me? Right now?"


    "Yes, I will go get him, Your Highness," she said and left.


    Luc and Ruby fixed the date after this week. I told Ruby that she did not need to be my maid anymore. But she refused and said that she wanted to work for me as long as possible.


    I contacted the wedding nner who designed my wedding and introduced him to Luc. Luc was clumsy at this, so I told the wedding nner beforehand that he needed to exin every little thing to Luc and make sure that the wedding was perfect. The wedding theme was white and red. Red was Ruby''s favorite color and she always wanted to wear a beautiful white dress at her wedding.


    Only the bride could wear a white dress. Others were to wear something red.


    My personal tailor was in charge of Ruby''s wedding dress. Ruby gave her a full description of how she wanted her dress. She was holding back, but I told her that she should use all of Luc''s money as it''s a loveless marriage and if she can''t get love, she should get the money. I did not mean anything by this, but I achieved what I needed. She was fired up and told all about her dream dress.


    "Your Highness, what do I have to do now?" Flint asked, standing in front of the door.


    "Come in first. Do I have to shout now?"


    "Yikes! That bird?! What is it doing here?"


    "Don''t shout, jeez," I said. "The bird is not hurting you, is it? Dem said if you shout, it will bite you."


    "If it bites, I will get killed."


    "Anyway, you have to do something for me."


    "I always do everything for Your Highness."


    "You have to go to Trouvaille."


    "Why? It''s not the time to send any kind of official letter, right?"


    "It''s not. I just need to send the King of Trouvaille a personal letter. Don''t look at me like that. We are on the same team about something, that''s why. I will send something official as well, so it won''t be suspicious. There are eyes everywhere.


    So, someone will surely find out about it. That''s why it''s important to make sure that everyone knows about the official letter, not the one inside it," I said.


    "I will have to give it to the King then?"


    "Yes, to the King, only to him. You gotta make sure no one else knows," I said. "You can do that, right? I will give you a bonus if you do it perfectly."


    "Your Highness knows that I do everything perfectly. Just make sure that I get the bonus."


    "You will," I said. "That said, did your wife like the horse?"


    "Yes, she told me to thank Your Highness on behalf of her."


    "Why didn''t you do so then?"


    "I forgot," he shrugged.


    ''This brat!''


    "You will go right after lunch. I will prepare everything by then," I said.


    "It''s almost lunchtime," he said, looking at the clock.


    "I know. You can take your lunch break now. Come back within an hour. I will prepare everything," I said.


    It did not take long to prepare something. Making fake documents was easy since Dem made sure that we had plenty of different types of fake documents to use. No one would know that they were not real unless they opened the envelopes. I was not in a hurry to find out about what was written in that letter, so I did not use them. Besides, we were a bit busy as well.


    But now, it would be better to use those fake documents.


    I worked until Flint came back. After describing everything to him, I went to my husband''s study. I knocked on the door and he said the same thing again.


    "You don''t have to knock."


    "It''s a habit," I said. It was funny how I developed this kind of habit even after living with a family where anyone would barge in my room anytime they wanted and raise their hands on me just for fun or because they were angry.


    "It''s time for lunch already?"


    "Yes, you have been working for a long time," he said. "I guess I have to... What the? What happened to your shoulder?"


    "Ah, I forgot to put on some ointment... The bird came back and sat on my shoulder... Ow! Dem!"


    Before I could finish, he had alreadye towards me and held me tightly. He unzipped the dress and freed my shoulder and pressed his mouth on the wound. He could heal my wounds by licking them. But sometimes if the wound was too serious, ointments were needed.


    "Hnn..."


    "Are you getting turned on when I am healing your wound?"


    "It''s not that..."


    "You are not on your period anymore, are you? It''s been more than seven days. Your periods stay for six days at most. But you feel ufortable if seven days do not pass. So, it''s fine now, right?"


    "Wow, you know quite a lot about my period," I chuckled.


    "Tell me it''s fine."


    "It is... Wait!"


    He started kissing my neck harshly. "Ah! Dem... Wait a moment..."


    "Why do I have to wait more?"


    "After lunch... I want to talk to you about something and we need to have our lunch," I said. "Just wait a bit more, please."


    "I am not hungry though. Are you hungry?"


    "Hmm," I nodded.


    He sighed and let go of me. "I can''t keep you hungry," he said. "Let''s go then. And don''t let that damned bird sit on your arm or shoulder or anywhere. Its ws are sharp as fuck. You will get hurt."


    "It''s not too much..."


    "Don''t do it," he said sharply.


    "Y-Yes..."


    He walked quicker than usual on the way to the dining room. It was just the two of us again at the huge dining table. Though I liked it when it was the two of us, the room made the atmosphere a bit lonely.


    "What did you want to talk about?" he asked. "It''s about that king, right?"


    "Yeah, he sent me his reply. He wants to meet us," I said.


    "Us? Not just you?"


    "No. Why would he want that? He said that he can read the message on that piece of paper," I said.


    "And it''s not okay to write it in the letter. Rather, he wants to tell everything in person. I have sent Flint with a fake document and that letter so it would not look suspicious. I wrote him that tonight is a good time to meet up. And you said you don''t have to go out tonight as well."

 Chapter 252: Cant Hold Back Anymore

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Where did you say you want to meet up with him? It''s not the pce, I suppose," he said knowingly.


    "Yes, I wrote him that the central clock tower would be a good ce," I said. "We will go undercover. Is that okay?"


    "Hm, it''s not bad," he said and took a sip of his wine. "When?"


    "Around eight," I replied. "The ce will be crowded that time, so no one will notice us much. The central clock tower closes at ten, right? We will have two hours in hand."


    "That''s good," he said.


    "You don''t look like you like it," I said.


    "I don''t like the fact that we are meeting him. Other things are fine," he muttered.


    "Dem, we are not meeting him because of no reason. We need to know what is written on that paper."


    "I know... Isn''t that why I am putting up with it?"


    "... Anyway, I did not write about the rebels'' matter in the letter," I said. "I told you I am going to, but I did not."


    "Yes, isn''t it because you would tell him this yourself when we are going to meet him?"


    "Hm, I thought it''s better this way. I had a feeling that he would want to meet me. If he did not, I would tell him that. It''s better to say this face to face since it''s a sensitive matter."


    "Do what you want," he said nonchntly.


    "You really don''t like getting involved with him," I muttered.


    "Of course, I don''t. Who would like it? I don''t know about you. You might like meeting up with your Evan."


    "Dem! What''s up with this? When did he be my Evan?"


    He did not say anything and paid attention to his food. I sighed and ate quietly as well. If he kept doing that, I would truly get angry. It was not like I was meeting up with Evan because I wanted to have something to do with him. He could help us, that was why I was meeting him. And besides, I was not meeting him alone.


    Dem was going to be with me.


    If he behaved like that, it hurt my feelings. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong. He knew that I was not going betray him, yet he kept being like that. I knew that he was insecure, and I understood it well. But he needed to consider my feelings as well.


    "I am sorry," he said after a long silence. "I should not have behaved like that."


    "..."


    "I am sorry for hurting your feelings. It was not my intention. I was just a bit... It''s no excuse for my behavior. I am really sorry."


    "Yes... You should be," I said. "I really get hurt if you behave like that. Just don''t, please."


    "I will try not to..."


    With each passing day, I could realize how strange our rtionship was. We were truly different from others. And the difference was huge.


    I started exchanging letters with Iris, the duchess. She told me about a lot of things, including her rtionship with her husband. I told her briefly about mine too, but I did not go too far since Dem and I had a lot of secrets that we could not share with others. The more she told me about her marriage life, the more I wondered how different Dem''s and my rtionship was.


    "And the duchess wants to spend some time with me," I said. "I told her toe to the pce. She will let me know when she can, and I will see if the time is perfect."


    "That''s not a problem," he said.


    Right after lunch, when I tried to go to Reece''s office to tell him something, Dem grabbed my arm and started pulling me with him.


    "Dem, where are you taking me suddenly? I need to talk to Reece for a moment..."


    "He can wait," he said impatiently, "but I can''t."


    He took me to the dance practice room since it was one of the nearest rooms to the dining hall.


    "Here? Why are we here? At least, let''s go to the bedroom, Dem," I said.


    "I can''t wait," he said. "I can''t wait even just a bit."


    The tension between us was too much and it made me nervous, and my body was getting hot from the inside.


    He closed the door and started kissing me right away. When I was on my period, we kissed asionally because he said that if he kissed me more, it would be hard for him to control himself.


    I ran out of air and pushed him away. His lips left mine and he started kissing my neck as if he did not want to waste a single second.


    "Ah... Dem..."


    "Seven days are long. If it had not been for the period every single month, we could make love every single day. But now, we can do it twenty-three days a month or sometimes twenty-four," he said.


    "I... I don''t think anyone else thinks that way," I muttered.


    "I don''t care what others think. That''s what I think," he said and bit my neck. It surely would leave a mark.


    "Ugh... It hurts..."


    "Does it? I will heal it again," he said. "It will feel good then."


    "Why do you like to bite me? You are going to heal it anyway..."


    "I just do. Some things just don''t have a reason."


    I could not believe he would be so impatient that he did not mind doing it somewhere like this. There was no fear of someoneing in because Dem would know right away if someone was near and would tell them to go away. But still, it was a bit ufortable.


    "You are really aroused, aren''t you? I can get the scent right away," he said. "You see, you let out a strong sweet scent when you are aroused. Do you know that?"


    "Wha... What are you saying, you pervert?"


    "It doesn''t matter since I am a pervert only when I am with my wife. You can be a pervert in front of me too. I won''t mind. Rather, I would enjoy it," he said and started touching me from over my dress.


    "Nngh... Ah..."


    "The fabric is just too annoying. I would like to tear it, but I can''t let anyone see your naked body when you return to the bedroom," he said while he kept kissing me everywhere. "But I can still tear it. Your servants can bring you another dress."


    "No, don''t... I-I like this dress..."


    "It can''t be helped, I suppose," he muttered and started taking off my dress. The dress was very tight, so it was hard for him to touch me. And he hated it when he could not touch me fully. I had to admit that he was very skilled in taking off things. I got that proof a lot of times since we were married. On our wedding night, I thought he was good at taking clothes off.


    But now, I could see that he was quite clumsy that time as it was his first time taking a woman''s dress off.


    "Dem, we really should go to the bedroom."


    "So, you would like to go this way to the bedroom. I would like to see you do so," he smirked.


    "You bully..."


    "I haven''t even started bullying you properly and I am already the bully? That''s not fair, is it? Then I think I should bully you so I can match the title of a bully."


    "Ahh...," I moaned as he touched between my thighs. Discover hidden tales at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "Hmm, you really are quite damp down there..."


    "Don''t say it!"


    "Then should I do it without a word?"


    "It''s not like that... You are being difficult... Don''t bully me like this. I won''t call you a bully anymore."


    "Is that so? Alright, if my wife wants so..."


    "Hnn... Ah..."


    He started rubbing over the ce. I squirmed in his arms as he held me tightly with my back pressed against his chest.


    "It''s alright to moan loudly," he whispered into my ear.


    "But... this room... isn''t soundproof," I mumbled.


    "It doesn''t matter. They will only hear your voice and know what their king is doing to the queen. They can''t see your body, so it''s okay."


    "It''s not...!"


    "Alright, as you wish. You can hold your moan back if you want to," he said. "But remember, my wife, I am not going easy on you. I have held back for seven days after all. I cannot do this anymore. So, be prepared."

 Chapter 253: One Time Is Not Enough

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Dem, ah, wait a bit..."


    "Why do you keep telling me to wait?" he asked and pushed forward. I gasped for air as I held onto him.


    "This ce... On the piano..."


    "It won''t break. It''s made of high-quality material," he said. "Besides, you are so small..."


    "Ah! Huh!"


    Every time he thrusted inside, I panted and tightened my grasp on his arm. Just like he said, he was being too rough. Well, he was never gentle, to begin with.


    "Huh! Uhh... Dem... Ahh!


    "You are really tight even though we do it so many times... Is it because we haven''t done it in seven days?"


    "It''s... ah... the same as usual..."


    "How do you know that? Do you put your fingers inside?"


    "Huh? No... I have not..."


    "Now that I think about it, I would like to see you y with yourself someday," he smirked. "Just thinking about it makes me excited..."


    "I am not going to..."


    "I will make you, so it''s fine," he said and started thrusting harder. It was hard for me to breathe now.


    "Ah! Uh! Mm... Huh! I... It feels too good..."


    "You are being very honest. I like it," he said and kissed me. As our lips parted, he added, "I remembered our wedding night. You were very shy. Well, you are still shy, but you were shyer that time. And you were a bit scared and he nervous.


    You were calling those feelings weird, remember? I won''t lie- I was nervous as well. I was trying to look skilled, but from the inside, I was always wondering if I did something wrong. It was my first time after all."


    How could I forget that night? That night was the time when I felt these things for the first time. It was the time I turned eighteen and got married and became a real woman. It was funny thinking how much things changed within a moment.


    "You were rough that night as well... though you were gentle the first time," I muttered.


    "You looked like you were in pain. I finished right after I started," he said. "Now, it''s not the time to talk about that. Let me drive you crazy, hm?"


    "Ahh! Uhh! Huh... ah!"


    "It''s reaching so deep... Can you feel it?"


    "Y-Yes... Hnn... Oh, Dem...!"


    My toes curled up as I screamed in extreme pleasure as the extreme sensation rushed through me. Just at the same time, I felt hot liquid-filled inside me and his groan as he sucked on the skin of my neck.


    "Haa...," he panted as he ced his head on my shoulder. "I love you. I love you so much."


    "I know. I love you too...," I said as I hugged him.


    "Hey, I was thinking..."


    "Yes?"


    "If we met normally under different circumstances and all these plots were not there, would you ept if I told you I loved you?" he asked.


    "If we met under different circumstances, would you even love me in the first ce?" I asked back.


    "I think so. I think I would fall for you at first nce no matter under what circumstances we meet," he said. "There is no doubt about that."


    Dem was undeniably a very handsome and attractive person. If a woman saw him, she would surely like his looks at first nce. But it was not about looks only. I did not know what kind of position I would have been in if we met under normal circumstances or what kind of personality he would have. Still, I had a feeling that I would have fallen for him as well. Perhaps I was just that kind of person.


    No matter what kind of person he was, if I knew he loved me, perhaps I would have epted his love.


    "I think I would have said yes," I said. "I would have epted you."


    "Really?" he asked, pulling back from the hug and looking straight at me.


    "Hm, yes," I said. I touched his face and kissed him on the forehead. "Don''t look so concerned. I am with you, right? I am going to be with you till the end. It''s fine.


    I don''t need anything else. You are enough."


    "You are going to keep your promise, right?"


    "Of course, I am not going back on my words," I said.


    "... If you do, I will lose my mind. I will do what I am not supposed to do. I think I will lose my sense of thinking and differentiating right and wrong."


    "It''s okay. I won''t leave you. So, you won''t have to do something like that," I said. "Please don''t worry too much. It hurts me when you worry like that. If I ever make you feel that way, you can tell me about it.


    I will not do it again. Just be free with me and let me know everything that makes you think that I might leave you."


    He looked like a little boy who did not know what to do or what to think and was scared that he would be left alone. I wanted to erase that scared expression from his eyes.


    I pressed my lips to his, pulling him closer. The kiss was supposed to be gentle, but my husband was not the type to keep things gentle. He liked things rough and also made me addicted to his rough moves.


    He slid his tongue into my mouth and discovered every single ce there while driving me out of my mind.


    "Mm... Huh..."


    "You are really beautiful. No wonder the men look at you so lustfully whenever you walk past them. They think about lewd stuff about you," he said as he licked my earlobe, leaving my lips. "And it makes me mad. I want to kill every single person who thinks that way about my wife. Well, more than killing, I want them to listen to your moans when I fuck you.


    I don''t want them to see the lewd look on your face or your beautiful bare body... I just want them to hear your voice only and the sound of me doing those things to you. They will know only who has the right to do this to you. I wonder what kind of face they will make when they will hear that."


    "I... I don''t want anyone to hear my voice... It''s embarrassing..."


    "You don''t?"


    "No, of course not."


    "But I think you forgot that this room is not soundproof when we were doing it. You were letting out such a beautiful voice. Or were you doing it on purpose?" he asked, smirking. "Ah, looking at your face... I don''t think you were doing it on purpose."


    I truly hadpletely forgotten that this room was not soundproof. Every time we did it, I would lose my mind and forget the way to think rationally. He had that kind of power over me. Besides, we did it in soundproof rooms most of the time. That was also the reason why I forgot about it.


    If I moaned that loudly, surely some people heard me. How was I going to go out now and look them in the eye? Dem did not have any problem, but it was too embarrassing for me. It was a good thing that I did not know who heard my voice. If I knew, I would never be able to talk to that person again.


    "It''s done already. Thinking over it won''t make you turn back time and hold back your moans though I suspect that you would not be able to hold back your moans even if you were given another chance," he said and started kissing me all over again.


    It seemed he did not have any intention of letting me go just yet. Was it because he held back for seven days? No, it was surely not because of that. No matter how many times we did, he would always be as hungry for this as always.


    "Let''s see if you can hold back your voice this time."


    "Again?"


    "Your face says you want it. Are you still going to say no? One time is not enough for me. I think it''s the same for you. Or am I wrong?"


    "..."


    "Why aren''t you saying anything?"


    "... You are not wrong..."


    "Hm? Do tell me more."


    "I... I don''t think... one time is enough for me either. It was not just you who missed it for seven days. I wanted it as well... So, I would like it if we do it again...


    though I prefer the bedroom rather than this ce... Ah... What?"


    "No more. It''s enough," he said and started kissing my breasts. "I will make sure you are satisfied this time though I cannot fulfill your wish to go to the bedroom."

 Chapter 254: The Central Clock Tower

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "So, we need to walk, right?"


    "We cannot take a horse that far," I replied. "Normal people don''t always have horses. So, we have to go on foot now."


    "I see...," she mumbled.


    "Are you tired?"


    "No, I am not."


    "I am. Why are we walking? I could just teleport."


    It was Flint, my wife''s mage. She insisted on bringing him with us. "Why do we have him here again?" I asked.


    "He can help us if something happens. I know you are powerful and stuff, but well, what if something happens when others are around? If you use your power, everyone will recognize you since that controlling blood power is unique and everyone knows that only their King can use this power. That would be a problem. But if Flint uses his power, then no one will know if you are the King or I am the Queen.


    Mages are not that umon, so it won''t be too difficult to make up a story or something."


    "You are thinking too much," I said.


    "Just being careful...," she muttered. "Don''t give me that look, Flint. I will give you a bonus."


    "Yes, Your Highness better give me that," Flint muttered. "The central clock tower is this way, right? I don''t really have a good sense of direction."


    "That''s because you use teleportation more often," she grumbled. "Well, I don''t know the way too. Dem said it''s this way."


    "It will take ten more minutes I suppose," I said.


    "Ten more minutes?" Flint muttered. "I am sorry, Your Highness, I am not whining."


    "We should have just brought Luc. He is less annoying than him," I said.


    "Luc is busy. I mean, he is supposed to meet up with the wedding nner to discuss something. Don''t call him for simple matters, at least till his wedding. And truly, Flint, you are being too childish. Quit it."


    "... Yes, Your Highness."


    ''He listens to her pretty well.''


    I noticed the same thing with every one of the employees working directly under her. She was very close to them and respected them a lot. Everyone also liked her and listened to her. They behaved childishly in front of her as if she was someone very close to them, but also listened to her when she told them to.


    Though it seemed Flint and my wife were very close, I did not feel too anxious about it. Flint was married and he loved his wife dearly. It was also clear that he only viewed my wife as his superior by the way he looked at her. I wished everyone had that kind of look when they looked at her.


    I was holding her hand since it was our habit to walk hand in hand. Perhaps it did not hold any special meaning for her, but I always felt a spark of joy whenever I touched her hand.


    "It''s still very shocking that Her Highness managed to find a horse that will truly make you wonder ''the fuck is wrong with it''," Flint said. "I thought my wife''s previous horse was the only one."


    "When Dem got me my horse, I went to the stable. I saw it then. I was really surprised. For some reason, the look on the horse''s face was strange," she said. "Right, Dem? Do you remember that horse?"


    "Hm," I nodded. "You were very surprised."


    "Yeah, I gifted that horse to Flint''s wife since she is pregnant."


    "A horse is not a pregnancy-rted gift for sure," I said.


    "I know," she said impatiently, shaking her hand. "Flint told me that his wife likes these kinds of things and she lost her horse a year ago. She still misses him but doesn''t tell anyone. Well, the main purpose of a gift is to make her happy. If she is happy with a horse, then it''s better to give her that, right?"


    I kissed her head and she looked at me in surprise. The moment she looked at me, I gave her a peck on the lips.


    "What are you...?"


    "You are so adorable. It''s hard to hold back," I said.


    "Dem, Flint is here!"


    "Ah, Your Highness, please do not mind me. Just think that I am not here," he muttered tiredly.


    "Dem, don''t be like that right now. We are outside," she said, pushing my face away.


    "Are you shy?"


    "It''s embarrassing..."


    "Alright," I said and kissed her on the cheek. "I won''t do it for now."


    Her face was bright red and she was pouting. It was fun to tease her. I liked to see the look on her face whenever I teased her.


    We reached the central clock tower very quickly. I showed the ticket checker a golden pocket watch with various designs on it. It was not just a watch. Only a few people in the kingdom had it. They got it from the King and since I was the King, it was obvious that I would have one. This watch was the entry ticket to anywhere within the kingdom.


    It was used to investigate a matter without anyone noticing.


    Every one of the watches was recorded with the owner''s name, so it would not be misused. A clock could be used for a year only. The expiration date was engraved on the back of the watch and it was not removable since magic was used on it.


    "Wow, the clock tower is decorated beautifully," she muttered.


    "It''s the first time Your Highness is here?" Flint asked.


    "Hmm..."


    She looked around as we climbed up the stairs. The clock tower was very tall. It was going to take some time to reach the top since she was here. Usually, I hated when others walked slowly. But oddly, I did not hate it when it was her. Rather, I found her moves very adorable.


    "Do you like it that much?" I chuckled. "We cane here lots if you want to."


    "But you have work...," she mumbled.


    "That''s alright," I said. "I can make time for you any time you want."


    "Your Highness, pleasee here during vacations. Or, Reece is going to be in trouble for sure."


    "Shut up, you brat!" I snapped.


    After ten minutes of climbing up the stairs, Blue looked like she was running out of air. I patted her on the back and suggested that I would carry her, but she refused again. Flint looked worse than her, but I could not care less about that.


    "How... how many steps are there?" she asked, panting.


    "1500," I replied.


    "... Honey, you are not joking, right?"


    "No, why would I do that? I think I should carry you..."


    "No, it''s fine... Why is there no elevator?"


    There were elevators that were controlled with magic. But since this tower was very ancient, no elevators were built within. It was also part of the attraction, so I did not bother renovating it. But it seemed I needed to do it as soon as possible.


    It took us twenty-five minutes to reach the top of the tower. I could understand Blue''s state since she was a human. But Flint''s state was worse than her and he was a werewolf.


    "It''s okay, honey. We are here already," I said. "No matter what, I am carrying you on our way back."


    "Yes... Please do so..."


    "Now you are agreeing...," I chuckled and used my handkerchief to wipe her sweaty face.


    "How are you still alright?"


    "Me? It''s fine. I am used to moving my body a lot," I said.


    "You really are strong...," she muttered.


    "Is thisdy alright?" a woman asked.


    "I am fine. Don''t worry," she smiled.


    "Do you need some water?"


    "It''s alright. I''m fine. Thank you for worrying," she said.


    "It seems thedy is truly very worn out."


    "Evan?"


    ''So, the bastard is here already...''


    King Ford nodded at me and then smiled at her. I helped her stand on her feet since she almost fell after climbing so many steps.


    "Did you wait long?" she asked.


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    "Not long," he said, smiling. I hated the fact that he smiled way too much. What was the need to smile that much? Perhaps because I hated him so much, I hated every part of him.


    "It took us a while to climb up so many stairs," she said breathlessly. "I think I was the slowest. Because of that, we are a bitte."


    "Your mage is slower than you. Look at him. He has not recovered yet. Is he even a werewolf?" I grumbled.


    "Flint, are you okay?" she asked and patted him on the back. I wanted to pull her hand back, but I restrained myself. "We should have brought water with us, huh?"


    "He is alright," I said. "Let''s not waste too much time. We need to get back before ten."


    "I am alright, Your Highness. Please do not worry," Flint said.


    "Alright then... Evan, should we go a bit further? It''s just too crowded. I can''t even stand..."


    "Let''s go to our left. I was standing there a while ago. That ce is much better," King Ford said.

 Chapter 255: What The Letter Said

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "The weather is kinda gloomy today, isn''t it?" Evan said.


    "Yeah, I think it''s gonna rain," I said.


    "We met on a rainy day as well. Anyway, let''s get to the point," he said. "The paper contains a message. It is written by a dark mage using secretnguage. There are various types of secretnguages. Some of them are hard to make, thus they are hard to read and not all of the mages can read that.


    It is that kind ofnguage. I had a hard time deciphering it. But I did anyway."


    "What does it say?" Dem asked.


    "It says that ''Come near the ck Rill at twelve tomorrow night. Your husband won''t be home at that time. I don''t like to threaten you, but let''s do it just one time, hm? If you don''te, that fruit will rot artificially''," he said. "This is what the first paragraph says. The second paragraph says- ''In case you think it''s a joke and ignore it, go to the cave near ck Rill''."


    "What does that mean?" I asked. "Well, I could not read it in the first ce."


    "I think that dark mage thought that your power is awakened enough to enable you to read that letter. But that dark mage was proven wrong," Evan said. "I think the fruit is rotten by now. But what does this fruit mean anyway?"


    "My spy is dead," Dem said. "Her name is Berry. It''s a fruit''s name. ording to the letter, her dead body is in the cave, I think."


    "Oh my...!" I gasped and pped my hand over my mouth.


    Dem touched my nape and rubbed his hand there. "I don''t understand why that dark mage wanted to meet her. It perhaps is his father. He has been appearing in her dreams, no, nightmares as well. It''s his doing. He has been trying to y with her mind with his words since he can''t control neither her nor me."


    "Do you know what he looks like, Blue?" Evan asked.


    "No... The first time he appeared in my dream, he was wearing a mask. His face was covered."


    I told Evan about all of my dreams and the time when I saw my father from the carriage on the way back to the pce from Ruby''s house. I skipped the part about what he said in my dreams since I did not even tell Dem about it. The words might hurt Dem and trigger his insecurities.


    "So, all these have happened...," Evan muttered. "It is undoubtedly your father. He wants to do something with you."


    "He wants to use her. Since she is a human and a dark mage''s child, she has more ck mana than normal dark mages. That''s why he wants to use her to achieve his goal."


    "We need to get her dead body first," Evan said, looking at Dem. "We might get some clues or something like that."


    "Blue''s mage can take her back. We will go and find the body," Dem said.


    "No," I said quickly. "I want toe with you."


    "... You might get..."


    "I won''t get scared. I will be okay," I said. Though I was sure that the scene was not going to be easy to look at, I still needed to see it. How long was I going to be kept behind just so I would not get scared? I needed to face these kinds of things eventually anyway.


    "Are you sure?" he asked.


    "I also think Blue needs to see this. I can''t see small traces of ck mana. Well, I tried to a lot of times, but it''s hard and I almost never saw it. But Blue could see it as she said before and also absorbed ck mana from those rebels. If it''s the case now, she can help. She won''t need to cut the strings as we are going to follow the traces, so she won''t fall sick," Evan said.


    "I will be fine. Don''t worry," I said, squeezing Dem''s hand.


    "Haa," he sighed. "Alright then. But you have to be careful and if you don''t feel well or feel ufortable, tell me right away."


    "Yes... I will," I nodded.


    "Can you control the people here?" Dem asked, looking at Evan.


    "For ten seconds," Evan replied. "Blue''s mage can teleport the two of you. I wille two secondster. I got to make sure that the trace of ck mana ispletely gone."


    "Can you do that? Luc said it''s hard to remove the trace...," I mumbled.


    "It''s hard, but not impossible. I have made a potion. It will help. This potion will turn into gas the moment you open the lid of the bottle. This gas will purify the air. What I mean is it will remove the trace of the ck mana," Evan exined.


    After that, Flint teleported us in front of the river ck Rill. Flint was a bit exhausted since he had to climb that many stairs and then teleport.


    "Rest for a while. We will take Evan''s help to go back," I said. "The cave is near, right, Dem?"


    "Hm, there...," he said, pointing towards our back. "Are you alright?"


    "Yes..."


    Evan came within a moment. "Did you find that cave? Oh, there it is..."


    Dem held my hand as we moved towards the cave. I was truly scared. Dem seemed to know this very well though I kept denying it. He rubbed my hand again and again as if to make sure that I was alright.


    I could see traces of ck mana on the way. "I can see them... ck mana...," I said.


    "You can? I can''t yet," Evan said.


    The ck mana led us to the cave. As we reached closer to the cave, the amount of ck mana increased and the strings was not as thin as before.


    "I can see them too now," Evan said. "Even though your power is awakened just a bit, you can see that much ck mana. I think the amount of ck mana in you is really too much."


    "Don''t think of anything weird," Dem warned.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t want her or anything. I will be satisfied if we can all work together to defeat that dark mage so our kingdoms won''t be threatened. That''s all I want," Evan said. "That said, is the mage with us trustworthy?"


    "I work for Her Highness. Of course, I am trustworthy. Or, she would not have brought me here," Flint grumbled.


    "You did not greet me," Evan said.


    "Why would I? You didn''t greet Her Highness or His Highness properly either. Besides, you are calling Her Highness by her name," Flint pointed out. "I don''t respect those who don''t respect my master properly."


    ''Master sounds really weird though...''


    "Well, I don''t really mind. It''s alright if you call me ''My lord'' only," Evan said.


    "Why do you all talk too much? Honestly, we are here for work," Dem muttered.


    "The King of Querencia really doesn''t like to rx much," Evan chuckled.


    The moment we reached the entrance of the cave, cold air struck our skin. The night was gloomy and the air was cold. But the coldness did not feel natural here.


    "That...? Is that ice?" I eximed in surprise as I noticed the huge cube of ice. The cube was in perfect shape surprisingly. It was not melting at all. "There is a lot of ck mana around it."


    No one was saying anything. All of them were looking at it intently. I looked around it as well and that was the moment, I found it. The disassembled part of Berry''s body was stuck inside the ice cube. Her eyes were open and the blood that fell from her body parts was frozen as well.


    Dem covered my eyes with his palm, but it was toote. I had seen everything already. Perhaps he was a bit dumbfounded as well. He surely had not expected it.


    "Can you melt it?" Dem asked while pulling me closer to him and covering my eyespletely.


    "Yeah, I will do it now," Evan said.


    "I am okay," I said.


    "Don''t move much. You have seen what you needed to. Not anymore," Dem said.


    I did not argue anymore. Truth be told, I did not want to see something like that again. I wanted to be brave today, just like Dem. But it seemed I needed more time.


    After witnessing today''s incident, I got scared. That dark mage could even kill someone to get what he wanted. What if he started hurting the people, I cared about so he could get me? What if he hurt Dem? Not just Dem, there were more people I cared about. And I could not even think about any of them dying because of me.

 Chapter 256: Worry

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    After the ice cube was meltedpletely using Evan''s power, we returned to the main pce using teleportation. Since Evan could control the fire, Flint did not need to help at all.


    "Sorry for the intrusion at a time like this," Evan said.


    "Stop being dramatic. You and I both know that you got to stay here for a reason," Dem grumbled.


    Evan had changed his appearance using his power. He had brown hair and brown eyes now. Even the shape of his nose was a bit different. No one could know that it was him now.


    "You really look a lot different. If my power is awakened someday, can I do that too?" I asked.


    "You will need practice, but yes, you can," he said.


    Berry''s dead body was sent to the magic tower for examination. I did not want to disturb Luc until his wedding, but we had no other choice. Evan was going to be in the magic tower as well to assist Luc. Flint was going to take him there. He was not whining much since he would get a bonus.


    "What will happen to her body now? You gonna bury her? Or send her body to her family?"


    "We are sending her body back. That''s the rule," Dem replied as we were on our way to our room.


    "Are you alright? You don''t look so well..."


    "I really did not expect that... I mean, I knew that it would be her dead body, but I did not expect it to be like that... It was terrifying... But I don''t regret my decision to go there. It''s important."


    "You don''t have to go out of your way to be the Queen," Dem said. "You are great the way you are. Just don''t ever think that you have to do something you don''t like because of your duty. I will maintain the rest, honey."


    "Yes..."


    "You can just go to sleep," he said as we entered the bedroom.


    "Do you have to go somewhere?"


    "Not really. They will report after examining the bodypletely," he said. "I was just nning to smoke a bit."


    "... I know it''s not my ce to say anything since you are an adult. But I think it''s not good to smoke this much. You said you smoke rarely, but you smoke quite a lot these days. Don''t get me wrong. I am just worried about you," I said.


    "So, you don''t want me to smoke?"


    I shook my head slowly. "Alright then," he chuckled and patted me on the head. "I won''t smoke if my wife doesn''t want me to. It''s hard to give up the habitpletely, but I will try."


    "You will?"


    "Of course. I listen to you, don''t I?"


    I was not exaggerating at all. These days, he was smoking twice a day when he said that he smoked once or twice a week. He was a werewolf, but that did not mean it would not affect him. He also looked like a different person when he was smoking and for some reason, he would look even scarier to me. I would find it hard to talk to him.


    "Change into your nightgown. Isn''t that dress hard to breathe in?"


    "The corset is the problem. I had to wear a corset with this one," I muttered.


    "Let me help you," he said, and even before I could say yes or something, he started taking my dress off.


    "I did not say yes yet."


    "It doesn''t matter. I am not a stranger, am I?"


    "Yes, but..."


    "Besides, we had sex lots of times. I have seen every part of your body," he said.


    I did not have anything else to say. But hearing him talk so freely made me a bit shy. "I have gained weight," I said as I waspletely naked in front of him.


    "From where?" he asked as he started touching me everywhere. Perhaps I should not have said it. "I don''t see it though... You are still as thin as before and I am worried about you. You look like even the wind can take you away."


    "... You are just exaggerating," I muttered. "I admit I am skinnier than most women and it''s not healthy. But the wind can''t take me away..."


    "Who knows? The only things that have grown are your breasts. They are a lot bigger than before," he said while fondling my breasts.


    "Will you stop?"


    "I liked your breasts before and I like them now as well. Actually, size doesn''t matter. The person does. I like them because they are yours," he added. "Really, you are so beautiful..."


    "Dem..."


    "I won''t do anything."


    "But you are touching them...!"


    "I am just touching them!"


    "... That''s why I should not have let you help me undress," I said. "I want to sleep. We have done it three times today."


    "You know we can do it more, right? But well, since you want to sleep, I won''t press you," he said. "But I am not letting you go tomorrow."


    Finally, he let me go. I wore my nightgown and climbed on the bed. Dem stayed with me, but he was not sleeping. He was reading a book while I was lying down with my back towards him. He was massaging my back gently, helping me rx.


    "You are not going to sleep?"


    "Am I...?"


    "No, you are not disturbing me. I am just saying... You need rest too," I said.


    "You are actually worried about something, aren''t you?"


    "... I am, but..."


    "You can tell me if something is wrong."


    "... I... I don''t want to lose you or anyone. That dark mage, perhaps my biological father, is trying to get me so he can use me. He seems to be ready to use any method for gaining what he wants. What if he hurts someone I love?


    What if he hurts you? Just like he did to Berry because I did not do as he said... I... I can''t even think of losing you... There are people I care about. I don''t want to lose any of them.


    I have already lost my baby; I can''t lose anyone else..."


    He did not say anything, just put the book on the bedside table and turned the light off. Hey down beside me and hugged me, wrapping his arm around my waist and cing his head against my nape.


    "You won''t lose anyone, not again," he said after a while. "Don''t hold it in. It''s okay to cry."


    I was trying to hold back my tears for a long time. I did not want to look weak. But the moment he said it, tears began to flow down my cheeks and I started crying loudly.


    He did not say a word but held me. Sometimes I felt like he did not know what to say, so he decided to stay silent, but help me calm down.


    I did not remember when I had fallen asleep while crying. When I woke up, Ruby let out a loud scream.


    "What... what happened to Your Highness''s eyes? Did Your Highness cryst night? Did His Highness make Your Highness cry?"


    "No, he has not..."


    "Then why did Your Highness cry?"


    "Uh... Well..."


    "Did Your Highness fight with His Highness?"


    "Not really," I muttered. "I was just upset, but not because of him. Anyway, is our guest being served well?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. The servants have been taking care of him well. Who is he by the way?"


    "His name is Evan," I replied. "He is a noble. So, make sure to tell others to respect him."


    "Yes, I will do so," she nodded. "Let''s do something about Your Highness''s eyes first then. They are really swollen."


    While I was taking a bath, Ruby was patting my eyes gently with a cold bag. "The maids are being weird," she said.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "They are talking about how handsome that new man is. Well, he is certainly handsome. But I know more handsome men. Anyway, they are not thinking that the man is better looking than His Highness. His Highness is always number one. That guy can be number two or three.


    I think he is number three."


    "If Dem is number one and he is number three, who is number two?"


    "..."


    "Luc it is, I see," I chuckled as she did not answer me. "Well, Luc certainly is handsome. You can talk freely to me, Ruby."


    "Actually, they are saying that man is second because they have not seen what''s under the cover. Lord Luc might not exercise, but he really has a great body..."


    "When did you see him naked?"


    "Notpletely naked... Just shirtless... Back in Ataraxia, he came out of the shower shirtless. I was sorting his clothes."

 Chapter 257: Berrys Death

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Did he get embarrassed?" I asked.


    "Not really. He doesn''t care," she replied.


    I did not think Luc was the type to not care if someone saw him shirtless. Dem was the type who did not care, but I thought Luc was different.


    "I don''t know how he remained so calm. I mean, if someone of the opposite gender saw me naked, I would get really embarrassed," she said. "I get embarrassed even in front of women."


    "Hm, me too... I got used to being naked in front of you though," I said. Ruby had been helping me take a bath and putting dresses on me all the time. So, I did not feel ashamed to be naked in front of her anymore. But it was different with Dem. We made love a lot of times and he had seen me naked all those times as well.


    But I still got shy whenever I was naked in front of him.


    "I think I will get used to it after getting married," she mumbled. "Your Highness has been married to His Highness for almost half a year now. I bet Your Highness got used to it."


    "... I haven''t..."


    "No offense, but Your Highness and His Highness do it a lot, more than usual couples... Then how...?"


    "I don''t know... I still am shy when I am with him... Anyway, let''s not talk about it anymore," I said. "Have I got any letter from the duchess? I have sent her a letter..."


    "Ah, I forgot to get the letters from Reece this morning. I am sorry, Your Highness. My mind must have been elsewhere."


    "It''s alright. I will see them myself," I said.


    After the bath, I went to my office and checked the letters first. Iris had indeed sent a letter.


    Dear Blue,


    Hope you are well. Well, we are sending each other letters every day, so let''s skip the greetings part.


    I think it will be a good idea to visit you in the Imperial Pce. I have never been there, so I am a bit nervous. But you are going to be there, so it will be okay. I won''t lie- I still have a hard time behaving like a duchess. I mean, I have lived all my life like a normal person, not a noble even though I am a noble. So, this title all of a sudden is still unfamiliar to me.


    The duke is helping of course, but he doesn''t understand how hard it is for me to adjust to this since it is easy for him.


    Like I said yesterday that today will be a good day, and you also agreed, I am sending a letter to remind you again that I aming today. I think I will be there by three. Do not wait up and have your lunch. I wille after lunch as well.


    See you then. I am really excited!


    Yours,


    Iris


    "I am excited too," I grinned.


    "What are you excited about?" Dem asked.


    "Ack, when did youe in?"


    "Just a minute ago. I came to see if you are doing alright," he said.


    "I am fine," I said. "Iris ising today, by three."


    "Is that why you are excited?"


    "Hmm..."


    "Sorry to spoil your fun, but I have to tell you something regarding Berry," he said.


    "Ah, right... What did Luc and Evan say?"


    "She was killed using normal methods, not magic. Her body parts have been separated using a de while she was still alive..."


    "Oh my god!"


    "No magic has been used to kill her, but to preserve her body parts only. What I mean is, that the ice cube had been created using magic and that''s why it was not melting. Making ice is very easy magic. It''s one of the first ones that a mage learns. The size of the ice cube was massive, but a normal mage can make that.


    We are sure that it''s a dark mage as the letter said it and you and that bastard saw ck strings of the ck mana. Luc suspects it''s a not-so-powerful dark mage or a dark mage whose power has not been awakened fully, just like you."


    "But... if it''s my father, how is he so less powerful? First of all, I have too much ck mana inside me. It''s obvious that my father is very powerful. Secondly, we also got the proof of his power through his actions, especially when he contracted me out of thin air. It takes a lot of power to do that.


    Besides, that letter... He wrote it using a very difficultnguage. Evan said he is definitely a powerful dark mage. Then why would he suddenly be less powerful?"


    "His n is to get you and for that, he should be showing off his power to scare you. But he is not. I think it''s not him who used his power. I mean, he is obviously behind this n, but someone else froze her body parts up. Your father is either not using his power on purpose for some reason, or he cannot use his power for some reason. That''s why he made someone else do it.


    Didn''t you say you have a twin brother that you saw in your dream? It might be your twin brother who used his power. Twins have a connection between them. Perhaps because of that, his power is not awakened either. I am not sure, because you guys are not normal twins. You both have parents who are not of the same race."


    "It can be someone other than my brother too, right?"


    "Yes, it can be. But we don''t know anything for sure," he said.


    "Hmm... One after another, we are just falling more into the pit...," I sighed and slumped on the chair.


    He walked over to my chair and kissed my cheek. He stood behind me and started massaging my shoulders.


    "I can''t even tell you not to worry. You got to be careful now. Don''t fall into their traps. They will try to lure you to meet them, but you must not fall in their hands," he said. "I will try to be with you as much as possible and at least, have someone trustworthy and powerful around you. Luc is the best choice for this.


    Though I don''t want to admit it, King Ford is a good choice as well since he can protect you. But I am not leaving my wife with another man, especially him. Luc is a man too, but he will never think that way about you. You are his friend only, just like I am his friend. He thinks of us the same way and it''s a good thing. Usually, men fall for you just after spending some time with you.


    You are just so adorable after all. But I hate it when they fall for you and want you. You are mine only."


    I chuckled. "That''s alright. I think it would be a good idea not to get too close to Evan. He is the type who can be my friend, but I still would not take it that far. First of all, he is our rival politically. It''s better to keep a distance.


    Besides, you won''t like it if he bes my friend, right? I don''t want to make you anxious. I will do what is okay with both of us. If something is not okay with you, I will try not to do it. You always do the same after all."


    "That''s good."


    "Before he leaves, I need to talk to him about the rebels and Lacuna. Remember, I wanted to send him a letter regarding this matter? I think it will be good to talk to him face to face about it. When will you be free? We can talk to him together," I said. I did not want to meet up with Evan alone since it can trigger Dem''s insecurities.


    My husband always came first, after all.


    "I am sorry, I won''t be home today. He said he will be leaving tomorrow morning. And I need to go out just after a while. I know why you are saying this, but you can talk to him in front of Luc. That will be okay. Don''t worry, I will be fine," he said.


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    "Is it really important?"


    "Yes, I have to. There are some things I need to take care of personally because I can''t trust many people. How can I when I can read their minds and know all of their thoughts?"


    He massaged my shoulders for some time more. My shoulders were a bit stiff, so it felt good. Besides, he had very strong and big hands. They surely made the massage feel amazing.


    "I wille backte at night. Or I would like to give you a full body massage," he whispered into my ear. "But not to worry. I will just give you a full body massage in the morning. I have to make my wife feel good after all."

 Chapter 258: Mental Health

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Doctor Dimitri, you could have just sent them with Ruby," I said.


    I ran out of my contraceptives. So, I sent Ruby to Doctor Dimitri to get more pills for me. Usually, he would send them with her, but this time, he came in person.


    "No, I have something to tell Your Highness," he said.


    "Am I going to die?"


    "No, it''s not like that," he shook his head.


    "Please take a seat," I said.


    He took a seat and ced a little bottle on my table. They were probably my pills. I was a bit anxious, probably because of the look on his face. Doctor Dimitri rarely smiled. He almost always had a serious expression on his face. That was the reason my heart was thumping inside my chest thinking about what kind of disease I might have.


    I was checked every fifteen days. It was Dem''s decision so even the smallest disease could be caught as soon as possible.


    "It''s regarding the pills, Your Highness," he said. "Alright, let me be clear. The pills prevent a woman from getting pregnant. The sess rate is ny-nine percent. But that one percent- it is not impossible to get pregnant even after taking the pills.


    Your Highness and His Highness are very active for a couple, so it is important to know so you won''t be shocked if it ever happens though the probability is very low."


    "For a moment, I thought I am pregnant again," I sighed in relief. "I am not ready. It will take me time to get ready mentally to even think of having a child."


    "In that case, if Your Highness gets pregnant, you can go for abortion. I don''t think it is a good idea to have a child if Your Highness is not ready mentally. It will put both the child and Your Highness under pressure. Pregnancy is not a thing to regret. So, I wish Your Highness will always make the right decision about it," he said.


    "Yes, I understand. Last time, I failed to make a mental connection with the baby. Do you think it''s because it was unexpected?"


    "It''s not unnatural for Your Highness to feel that way back then. Your Highness might have said that you would be okay even if there was a kid, but you actually did not feel that way deep down. To be frank, Your Highness was not ready at all. Your Highness tried to love it, of course, but love is supposed to be natural.


    Your Highness cared for it, but it did not go to the extent of how a mother loves her child. After the miscarriage, Your Highness was broken mentally because you thought it was your fault that it happened. Your Highness was suspecting that because you did not love it enough, such a thing happened," he said and I could not say a word. I only listened to his words.


    "Your Highness, a miscarriage is not a mother''s fault, at least, not usually. It happens naturally sometimes."


    "Miscarriage is the unintentional termination of a pregnancy before the 20th week. Miscarriage urs in 10 to 20% of known pregnancies. The actual number is higher since it can happen very early in a pregnancy, even before a woman finds out about her pregnancy," he added. "Your Highness''s miscarriage was not normal. It was the result of a plot. But that was not Your Highness''s fault at all.


    So, it''s better not to take the me on yourself. Is Your Highness still having nightmares?"


    "Less than before. About that incident, I am getting over it. I think it''s impossible to get over itpletely, but I will try not to me myself just like Doctor Dimitri said," I said.


    "That''s a good idea. Your Highness''s mental health has improved greatly. I think Sapphire helped Your Highness a lot. Your Highness should continue to share your life with the cat. It will help Your Highness rx, especially during stressful moments," he said.


    "I do so. It has turned into a habit of mine," I said.


    "Good. Please do not ignore your mental health no matter what. Because Your Highness needs more care for your mental health than you think. Mental health is just as important as your health. It''s not a sign of weakness or shame. And if you are feeling any difort or anything, it''s not just in your head either.


    Your Highness has to speak up about it," he said. "It has been quite a while since I am Your Highness''s personal doctor. So, I know quite a bit about Your Highness. I think Your Highness needs to be careful about your mental health. The environment is not normal either, so please be careful.


    Since it is a ce where Your Highness must stay, all I can say is that Your Highness needs to be cautious about your mental health and if anything is bothering you and stressing you out mentally, please send me a word."


    "Yes, thank you. I will do so," I nodded.


    ''What does he mean by the environment is not normal?''


    "Can Ie in?"


    "Evan? Yes,e in," I said.


    Evan came inside and eyed Doctor Dimitri as if he knew him. It was possible since Doctor Dimitri used to visit every kingdom and treat patients there. He liked to look for weird diseases to do his research. Now, I am a human and an interesting person to him. He could make medicines that were suitable for me and he found them interesting.


    "This is Evan. He is helping with our recent investigation. And this is my personal doctor, Doctor Dimitri," I introduced them.


    "Good day, Doctor Dimitri," Evan smiled.


    "Yes, good day to you too," Doctor Dimitri said, ncing at him once and then looking at me again. "Anyway, please take care of yourself, Your Highness. If you feel something is wrong, tell me right away."


    Doctor Dimitri left. He was not a man to talk more than necessary. He talked a lot about my health, but that was because it was his work. He was not the type to talk idly at all.


    "So, Doctor Dimitri is truly now Blue''s personal doctor? My spies told me about it, but it''s good to see in person," he said and took a seat. "You don''t mind if I sit down, right?"


    "No, it''s fine."


    "I happened to hear bits of your conversation," he said. "So, you have not thought of going for another child after the miscarriage..."


    "I am not ready. Well, it doesn''t seem like you heard bits of our conversation," I said.


    "Haha, I am a bit curious, you see," heughed.


    "That''s my personal life. So, please refrain from being too curious," I said. "Anyway, why are you here, Evan?"


    "You mentioned that you have something more to discuss with me. That''s why I havee. As I said, I am a bit curious."


    "I would like to discuss it in front of Luc," I said. "What about lunch today? I will invite Luc as well."


    "The master of the magic tower, huh? It seems the Queen does not like to talk to me in private. Well, I am not judging. But I am still curious- are you ufortable with me in any way?"


    "It''s not that I am ufortable. But I think it''s more about what''s appropriate. It''s not an official meeting. If it was, it would have been fine," I said. "Since it is more of a personal meeting, I think it''s better not to spend time together when there is no one else. Yes, my personal knight is here, but it''s still not okay."


    "Is the King not okay with this? Or the Queen is not okay with it?"


    "Both," I replied. "Anyway, I will see you at lunch, Evan. Ah, that said, are the servants serving you well?"


    "Yes, they are... They seem to be more interested in helping me with the bath though. I am satisfied with the service."


    "I am d that everything is to your taste. And I need to know something else... I heard that Evan doesn''t spend a single night alone. Should I arrange a few women for you to serve you tonight? You can choose one among them, or have all of them serve you, I don''t care," I said. It was a bit embarrassing, but I needed to ask him eventually.


    It felt good after letting it out.


    "That will be amazing. I have never had a woman from Querencia serve me. It will be a new experience," he said. "Send me a few women and I will choose one from them. More than one woman seems to be too much for me. Don''t worry.


    I am not the type to kill women after I am done with them like some certain people. You don''t have to clean up after me. I suppose you are not used to cleaning up since the King doesn''t have a harem and nor do you."

 Chapter 259: Carefree About Death

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Yes, thanks to my husband''s nature of having one wife only and being loyal to his wife, I don''t have to take care of such matters. I also am the type to be with one person and be loyal to him. Our natures match, so we don''t have to worry about causing trouble for each other," I said.


    "Is it because of the so-called love?"


    "Well, it''s not just about love. Trust, loyalty, and love- all of them are needed for a loving rtionship," I said. "We both think that these things are very important. Thus, we are able to maintain a good rtionship."


    "That''s good. But it''s a surprise that you two have a good rtionship despite knowing the past you two have."


    ''He must be referring to the fact that Dem wanted me for power at first. But did he forget that he was controlled that time?''


    "Our pasts are not normal, of course. But we trust and love each other. Yes, it was not easy for me to get past all those things, but he helped me a lot and proved himself. I don''t need anything else for now. We are doing rather well, and I wish things will keep getting better for us," I said.


    "I don''t have any reason to wish bad for you and King Demetrius''s married life. If things go well for you two, perhaps it will help me more as well," he chuckled.


    ''King Ford doesn''t seem like a bad person. He is, what can I say, cunning, but is not nning to deceive us for now. He must want wholeheartedly to remove that dark mage.''


    "Where is the King by the way?" he asked.


    "He has gone out and won''t be back until midnight," I said. "That''s why I am saying that we should talk in front of Luc. It will be better if you return now, Evan."


    "Yes, if you say so," he nodded and stood up.


    Before he could move a bit, there was an explosion in the room and the sses of the windows shattered. I was shocked, but Evan was more shocked.


    I stood up abruptly and walked over into the smoke near the window. "Blue, be careful. There might be someone...," Evan started, but stopped quickly when he found me pulling someone by the ear and pulling him out of the smoke.


    "I am sorry, Your Highness. I was just testing this new method..."


    "Isn''t that your personal mage Flint?" Evan muttered.


    I sighed and pulled his air and he groaned in pain. "Are you crazy? What are you doing again? It''s the second time you have done something like this. If you are practicing a new method of whatever it is you are doing, don''t target my office!"


    "What can I do? I wanted to show it to Your Highness first," Flint said.


    "You want another bonus, you brat? Fix the sses quickly. You are going to clean them as well," I said.


    "Ack, let go of my ear, Your Highness! It hurts...!"


    "It''s your fault. If you do it again, I will fire you for sure."


    "Hah, Your Highness is not going to fire me. I know that... I know too many secrets!" he grinned.


    "... If Dem was here, he would have shed you," I said.


    "But Your Highness is my master. So, it''s fine," he shrugged. "Your Highness would have stopped His Highness. That said, will you let go of my ear now? I will fix this room and also clean the shattered sses on the floor, I promise."


    "Haa," I sighed and let go of his ear. "I will give you half an hour. Clean the room."


    "Yes, master!"


    "Stop calling me that!" I barked.


    "... Yes, Your Highness."


    I sighed again and took some of the documents that I needed to take care of with me. "I wille back in a while. Fix this ce. I am telling you, Flint, no joking around. I will punch you if you do that."


    "It won''t hurt because Your Highness is a human and I am a werewolf."


    "You are frailer than me," I said. "Dem said you were breathing like a dog when we reached the top of the clock towerst night."


    "How rude! Even so, I am confident that I am stronger than Your Highness."


    "I don''t wanna talk to you anymore. You gave me a headache," I grumbled. "I am leaving. Make sure you fix everything before youe back."


    I went out of the room and Evan followed. For a moment, I had forgotten he was there as well.


    "Pfft!"


    "Stopughing. Why are youughing?"


    "Oh my... Your mage is pretty funny. I almostughed out loud back there."


    "You could. There is no point in notughing in front of him and thenughing in front of me when he is not here," I said.


    "My spies were right. You surely are close with your subordinates and you also are like a friend to them. No wonder they don''t even think of betraying you."


    "How do you know what they are thinking? It''s not like you can read their minds."


    "I don''t need to read minds to know that. I can read people well without reading their minds. Just watching them is enough," he said.


    "I see... Anyway, I think I will go to my bedroom to finish my work for now. You can take a look around or return to your room. The servants will show you around if you want to," I said.


    "Nah, I don''t have the energy to look around. I will just return to my room as well and take a nap since it''s very hard to rx. I suppose it''s the same for you and the King."


    "I can''t deny it," I chuckled. "Well, see youter then, Evan. I hope you have a pleasant stay."


    "I will."


    I returned to my bedroom and went straight to the balcony. It was fun to work there which I found out when Dem was not present and had to go out a lot.


    "Why is Your Highness working here?" Ruby asked.


    "Flint broke the sses of the windows. He is cleaning the ce up now," I said.


    "He is as arrogant and childish as ever! Who will think that he is married and expecting a child? I can only think how much his wife has to suffer because of him!"


    "The way Flint talks about his wife, it seems they are happy," I smiled. "That''s all matters. Their personalities might be different and they might have a lot of ws, but as long as they suit each other, it''s all fine."


    Read thetest on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    "Your Highness has a point there..."


    "Enough chit-chat. Can you get me some tea, Ruby? My head is hurting..."


    "Did Your Highness sleepst night?"


    "I did..."


    "I think it''s because Your Highness cried."


    "Perhaps..."


    Ruby nagged me a bit as I worked and then made me tea. Her techniques to make tea were different and they tasted slightly peculiar as well, but not in a bad way.


    I sent a letter to Luc through Ruby. I told her to be the one to deliver it since it would be great if I could make them meet as often as possible before the wedding ceremony. It would be better if Luc got attached to her soon.


    "I am sorry, Your Highness. I am a bitte," Perita panted. She was with me in my office, even when Evan went there. But then, she disappeared just like that. Knowing her personality, I did not question it either.


    "Where did you go all of a sudden?"


    "I saw someone outside, Your Highness. Someone was trying to throw something through your window, Your Highness. I did not have the time to exin. Because of Flint''s dumbness, that person could not do anything. I chased that person, but could not find him anymore. I still don''t understand how that fucker got inside the pce!"


    "Well, I suppose it''s someone from the pce who wants to hurt me or kill me," I shrugged.


    "Why is Your Highness so carefree?"


    "I don''t know. These days, I am a lot carefree when I think about my death," I muttered.


    "Please do not say so, Your Highness. No one would like it if something happens to Your Highness. Your Highness is very precious to us."


    "Haha, I see," Iughed.


    But I still did not feel anything. If it was death, perhaps it would not be hard to ept mine if something happens to me. The strange thing was I did not even know why I felt that way.

 Chapter 260: Discussing Lacuna

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I cannot believe you want me to have lunch with you out of nowhere," Lucined as soon as I entered the dining hall.


    "It''s not just me. Evan is going to be here as well," I said.


    "Evan? You mean, King... Ah, right, Evan..."


    Evan entered right after I entered. No one was to sit before me and they maintained that rule. I sat in one corner of the table and both of them sat near in opposite directions. The other corner was for Demetrius, the King of Querencia. So, even if Evan was a King, he was not supposed to sit there. Besides, he was pretending to be a noble only, not a King.


    "Hello there, Lord Luc," Evan said.


    "King... Sorry, Evan," Luc said. "Why aren''t you greeting Her Highness properly?"


    "We are friends," he said. "We are being informal with each other, right, Blue?"


    "When did I say that I am your friend?" I objected.


    "What will others say if they hear you calling Her Highness by her name?"


    "It''s fine, Luc. Others know that he is a close friend of mine," I said. "Thanks though. And you can be like before as well since we all are working together."


    "If you say so," Luc sighed. "That said, what do you want to discuss?"


    I remained quiet until the food was served. After that, I motioned for the servants to leave. Perita hade to take over the duty to serve us instead of another maid since she was trustworthy. Ruby was trustworthy as well, but I did not want it to be her since Luc was here too and they were going to get married soon. It would be weird if Luc''s future wife was serving all of us right in front of him.


    "I want to talk about Lacuna. Mainly, I want Evan to know the matter with Lacuna," I said.


    "I heard some news through my spies. But let''s hear the real ones from the Queen," Evan said.


    I had told him about the rebels before. But I told him about them and their family backgrounds again and Dem''s and my suspicion of the King of Lacuna being controlled by a dark mage.


    "It can happen, based on the incidents," he said, thinking deeply. "I think I know what you want me to do."


    "It''s not about what I want you to do. You will do what you think is right. I am only suggesting," I said.


    "Please tell me in words what you suggest," he said.


    "A team from our kingdom will visit Lacuna soon. I haven''t told Luc this as well, so listen to this. It is a yearly visit and the King of Lacuna will spend time with our team during meetings and other events. Luc is going to go with them," I said and looked at Luc. "I know it will be too much for you. But right now, it is important.


    If you go, the King will surely spend some private time with you since you are the master of the magic tower of Querencia. He can''t ignore you. And you can also get some information out of him, or at least see if he is being controlled. There is also a chance that you won''t be able to see the ck mana if he is controlled just a bit which I highly doubt is true.


    To prevent that from happening, I suggest that Evan go with you."


    "It''s too much work. But if you say so, I will go," Luc sighed. "You are the Queen after all. I can''t ignore your order."


    "I am not ordering you, but I am d that you agree," I said. "What about you, Evan?"


    "... It won''t be impossible. I was thinking that you would say it," he said. "There are people who can take care of my work temporarily. They are trustworthy, so it won''t be a problem." Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "Trustworthy?" I sniggered. "Most of them are controlled by you."


    "Haha, that''s partly true. But not all of them," he chuckled. "There are people who are truly reliable and trustworthy. Though they are very less in number, I still need to say that they do exist."


    Evan seemed to be around the people who were too selfish. I wondered how it must feel to be around people who were controlled by you. It was just like being around a bunch of dolls and ying with them, creating conversations in mind.


    I did not know that feeling well. In the past, the people around me were not dolls; they were cruel but very active. Right now, I had many enemies and there were people who wanted to kill me. But most people wanted me to be happy and epted me. The people I worked with were loyal and liked me. I wished it would remain this way forever, even if it was too much to ask for.


    "I suggest that you go there as Luc''s assistant. I will mention your name in the letter we will send with the team. The King won''t suspect anything as long as we do not leak our n somehow. As you will be his personal assistant, it will be natural for you to be with him all the time. No one can suspect anything. You might be able to track the ck mana that Luc might not be able to track," I said.


    "And if you can track the ck mana, it means you can absorb it as well. We do not know if the King of Lacuna is surely being controlled or how much he is controlled. But if he is, even just a little, we need to make sure he is free from the dark mage''s grasp. If he wants to start a war against us when he is in his right mind, let him do that, but not when he is under that dark mage''s control.


    It can also happen that he wants something different from the dark mage. If we are right, this dark mage might be my father. We cannot let him achieve any of his goals."


    "... You have made a detailed n, I see," Evan chuckled.


    "Well, she is our Queen," Luc said.


    "Yes, yes, she is indeed very capable. It is surprising how quickly she adjusted to everything and even taking care of important matters," Evan said. "It is really admirable."


    "Do you agree? Or do you want to change any part of it?" I asked. It was a bit tiresome to receivepliments and embarrassing as well. Most of the time, I felt like I did not deserve it. So, it would stress me out to ept apliment.


    "I like the n. Send me a letter regarding the date," Evan said. "Wow, the soup is really nice."


    "I am d it''s to your liking," I said. "By the way, are you okay with the whole n, Luc? Let me know if you want to change any part of it."


    "No, it''s alright. You and I think the same way anyway," Luc shrugged. "When I said that you should be my sister, I was not joking. You don''t even know what happened."


    "What?"


    "When I met Father a few days ago, I made a slip of tongue and ended up saying that you are very much like my sister and even Demetrius said that we are like siblings. Now they are being crazy. I mean, my father and mother. Now they have been sending me a lot of letters."


    "Why?"


    "Well, you see, they always wanted a daughter."


    "Uh-huh, you mentioned before."


    "After I told them about our friendship, they have been crazy and kept sending me letters so I would convince you to ept their request that you be their adopted daughter," Luc sighed. "I did not spend much time with them because of that. Now, they are sending letters."


    "Oh my, really? I did not know they want a daughter that much," I chuckled.


    "They don''t just want a daughter, they want you to be their daughter," Luc said. "I know my parents. They have been doting on me since I was little. They still do because they say I am cute which is very embarrassing. Anyway, after they heard you and I are quite simr, they have been obsessed with the idea of taking you as their daughter."


    "You have a nice family. It''s a good thing," I smiled. "Can I meet them? I am curious to see them in person."


    "You are busy. You don''t have to make time for them," Luc said dismissively. "Besides, you can meet them at the wedding ceremony. They are going to be there for sure. You will know, since they wille running towards you, ignoring me."

 Chapter 261: Hanging Out With Iris

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "By the way, the wedding is getting closer. I will need more information about married life from you and Demetrius, though I still doubt he will be able to help," Luc said.


    "He can help you with some things that I can''t help you with. I can help Ruby mostly because I am a woman and I know more about women," I said.


    "I want to know too. I am not married. It''s better to know, right?" Evan said.


    "Are you nning on getting married?" I asked.


    "If I say yes, will you find me a bride from Querencia?"


    "If you want to, I don''t mind," I said.


    "Nah, I am not nning to get married any time soon. I think I will marry when I am old, but still able to make an heir," he said.


    "Why does this sound so gross?" Luc grumbled.


    "In that case, you will die soon and leave your child behind when they are not ready," I pointed out.


    "So, what do you suggest? Have a child right now?"


    "Well, I am not in a position to suggest you anything about this matter since it''s your personal life," I said. "But I don''t want that for me. I n on having a kid after a few years. At that time, neither Dem nor I will be old and it will be a perfect age. If nothing wrong happens, we can be there for our child."


    "You are so young, only eighteen, right? It''s better if you wait," he said. "But I wonder if the King also wants the same... It''s odd, isn''t it? I sometimes wonder if the King wants a kid in his lifetime or not."


    Luc nced sideways at me once and then looked at Evan. He was also perhaps wondering the same thing as me because both of us knew what kind of person Dem was.


    "How did you get this kind of idea?" I asked. "There is no way Dem would not want a kid. Besides, it''s not always about what he wants. We are going to discuss everything and then proceed with something since it''s both of our life. And more importantly, we need an heir who will be the next ruler."


    "That''s true," he said. "But I think my confusion won''t go away just like that."


    "Then keep being confused, King Ford," Luc said since there was only Perita other than us in the room. "What His Highness, King Demetrius wants is his decision only. It''s better not to get involved."


    The lunch involved our little talk. I told Luc about married life as much as I could. I could not tell him much from my experience because Luc and Ruby were not like us. Dem and my married life were different in many ways. So, I could not tell him exactly what kind of married life I was experiencing. But in the end, I was happy- that was what I was sure of.


    After lunch, I worked for a bit when a guard told me that the duchess requested a meeting. I told him to take her to the garden and I would be there in a moment.


    I made my way to the garden quickly after taking care of the emergency documents. I found Sapphire on my bed when Ruby forced me toe with her so she could fix my hair a bit. Sapphire did not want to stay in the room anymore and kind of forced me to take her with me.


    "All of you keep forcing me," I mumbled.


    "I did not force you, Your Highness," Perita said.


    "You force me to take swordsmanship lessons," I said.


    "That''s for your own good. And besides, Your Highness doesn''t want to take your lessons some days. Your Highness usually takes your lessons enthusiastically. Thanks to your regr practice, youpleted the second phase. The third phase is harder than the second one. So, it''s better not to take a day off."


    "Yes, yes, I will remember that," I said.


    "Blue!" Iris eximed loudly as soon as she saw me and ran towards me. And in a moment, I found myself in a hug. "I missed you so much!"


    She pulled back and looked up and down at me. "Wow! You look so cute! You are small and this style suits you... The frock looks good, especially because it''s blue in color. You look good in blue since your eyes are of the same color.


    The pigtail style looks so cute on you...!"


    "You look lovely too, Iris," I chuckled.


    "But you look cute! It''s amazing!" she almost screamed.


    "Calm down," I said. "It''s not like I wear frocks all the time. It''s for the time I stay inside and I won''t meet anyone officially. Frocks are morefortable than gowns and the gowns I have to wear are very heavy. I won''t have to meet up with anyone else other than you, so I wore this."


    "What did His Majesty say? Did he notpliment? Didn''t he call you cute? I am sure he has gone crazy by now!"


    "Sit down, at least," I chuckled. "Dem has gone out. He wille backte tonight."


    "Tsk, not fun..."


    "He has seen me like this before."


    "What did His Highness do then?"


    "Um, when did he see me like this for the first time...?" I mumbled, thinking. "Ah, I remember... He had been out for three days and then when he came back, he went straight to my office and stood there. That''s the time when he saw me like that."


    "Did you make out in the office?"


    "N-No... Of course not! We went to have lunch."


    "After that?" she asked, grinning as she raised her eyebrow.


    "... Really? Stop it..."


    "Our Blue is the shy type, it seems," she grinned. "I can already guess something..."


    "Jeez, your thoughts are really dirty," I said. "Purify your mind. Dirty thoughts, begone!"


    "Pfft, they are important!" sheughed. "I think I was born with a dirty mind. I started swearing at people when I was five. I learned them from a book, hidden under the bed of our house. It was my mother''s. She was just as shameless as I am now, at least, with words and her mind was dirty as well."


    "What kind of backstory is this?"


    "Right? It''s weird!"


    Spending time with Iris was fun. I couldugh freely after a long time. Though I was happy with Dem, there were times when I wished I had a friend with whom I could talk freely, joke andugh a lot. Iris filled that spot and I truly felt happy.


    "Wow, the macarons are tasty! I love them!"


    "Our cook is amazing. I can send you some if you want to."


    "Yeah, do so. I love ''em... That said, who is that man over there?"


    "What man?"


    "That man...," he said and pointed towards Evan who was sitting in the balcony of his room. I had no idea it was visible from here.


    "That''s a friend of ours," I said. "He will leave tonight. He was here to help with an investigation."


    "Really? Is he part of the investigation department?"


    "No, he is a mage," I said. "He helped Luc."


    "He is noble, isn''t he?"


    "He is. His family background is supposed to be kept a secret. It''s part of our agreement. But we know about it since we needed to verify. Please don''t mind."


    "Yes, sure," she nodded. "A secret is supposed to be kept a secret. I don''t mind. You told me enough."


    "He is reading a book," she said. "Wow, he is good-looking. I am surprised that he could be your friend?"


    "What do you mean? Someone good-looking can''t be my friend? But you are my friend, and so is Luc," I said.


    "No, no, I don''t mean that," she shook her head. "I mean, he is a guy and a good-looking one. His Majesty seems to be the jealous type and the type to say that ''You are mine. No one can touch you, or even look at you like I do''."


    ''She is right...''


    "I don''t know if I am right, but I think I am. No, I am sure I am. I can read men well, good-looking men, I mean," she said. "So, you being friends with a good-looking guy sounds very strange. I am sure His Majesty minds, but doesn''t tell you in case you get sad."


    ''He tells me. No, he gets very violent and suddenly starts to kiss me or something.''


    "Lord Luc''s case is different. The duke told me that Lord Luc is His Majesty''s childhood friend. So, he became your friend as well after you got married to His Majesty. His Majesty won''t mind because he knows what kind of person Lord Luc is. And me? I am a woman and I prefer men in case of romantic rtionships.


    Besides, I am married. His Majesty won''t get worried if you hang out with me. See? That''s my point!"

 Chapter 262: The Attack

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "So, you are friends with the duchess as well. You have a lot of friends. Even your subordinates are like your friend," Evan said after Iris left in the evening and I was returning to my room.


    "Are you jealous because you don''t have any friends?" I asked.


    "Kind of. Do you take pity on me? Want to be my friend?"


    "I did not know you are like this," I said. "Everyone says King Ford is very cruel and cold. He doesn''t talk to many people. But you don''t seem that way now."


    "I guess I can be free when I don''t have to use those honorifics and I don''t have to behave like a King. I am very strange, ain''t I?" he chuckled. But the sound did not seem fun at all. It was more like he was in pain.


    "Well, it''s not like I mind if you are like that, so it''s fine. Perhaps we can''t be friends, but we can be almost friends. That''s enough, isn''t it? We don''t have to address each other formally in that way as well," I said.


    "Yeah, that''s enough," heughed.


    "Ah, it''s reallyte. I hung out with her for too long," I said as I took a peek at my wristwatch.


    "You only walked around the garden andughed a lot," he said. "Why don''t you go out? There are a lot of ces to go..."


    "... It''s fun inside."


    "But it will be more fun outside. You can see and do a lot of things..."


    "I said it''s fine the way it is!" I said firmly, cutting him off.


    "Ah, ok... I was just suggesting. But if you like it inside, that''s okay too," he said quickly and observed my face.


    "I will go to my room. Evan can do whatever he wants," I said. "The servants will call you when it''s time for dinner."


    "Alright," he said. "Make sure the dinner is good. Or you won''t be served good food when you visit my kingdom."


    "We always serve good food," I said.


    He grinned and walked away. "Yeah, yeah..."


    "Hey, don''t just walk away after saying something like that!" I yelled, but he was out of sight already. "Really? What''s his problem?"


    I sighed and returned to my room. I had already left the documents I needed to take care of here so I would need to go to my office again.


    "Haa, the room is dark. Where is Ruby? Why didn''t she light up the room?" I muttered to myself. "... Well, it''s fine. She needs a break too."


    I let out a sigh again and sat on the floor. For some reason, I started crying. The inside of my chest was burning up.


    I had no idea what was happening to me all of a sudden. I was fine even just a while ago. But now, I felt like something was wrong, even among these happy moments and I had no idea what it was.


    "Hic... I am sorry... I am sorry, Dem... I said I will be happy... But something is wrong. Something really is wrong..."


    I had no idea how long it had been. I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard a noise right in front of me.


    "Wha...?"


    I looked ahead of me and almost immediately got stabbed in the eye with a knife. I had the practice to bring out my dagger defensively, so I got lucky. If I was less than a secondte, I would have lost my left eye.


    "You bitch! Suddenly bing our Queen, what did you think? Did you think we will ept you just like that? Because of you, I lost my family!"


    The one who attacked me was a teenager. He was perhaps one or two years younger than me. But he was taller than me and was very strong. I would not be able to hold him back much longer.


    He hit my hand hard with his leg and the dagger fell from my hand.


    "Move!" I yelled.


    "So, you are ordering me now? Huh? What? Who will save you now?" he grinned creepily. "Even if someonees inside, they will be toote. Their beloved Queen will be gone already."


    I knew I was going to die. I yelled loudly and could hear the sound of others running towards my room. But it was going to be toote, just like he said. All the swordsmanship training was for nothing. I did not even have a sword right now. the dagger was of no help either.


    Our position was just not right and he was at an advantage there. Besides, he was physically stronger than me.


    ''Haa, so it''s the end,'' Iughed in my head.


    "Yeah? So, why don''t you kill me? I don''t care. Just kill me already," I grinned. "It''s fine. You will be a killer.


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    But you havee prepared, haven''t you?"


    He gritted his teeth and pulled his hands up, holding that knight tightly. I wondered where he would stab me. If I had to die, I would die in a less painful way. I wished he would stab me in my heart so I would die just like that. In that way, I would not have to suffer too much.


    Suddenly, right in front of my eyes, a sword pierced through him from behind and he fell to his knees.


    "Haa," I panted and crouched back. "He is dead..."


    My savior climbed through the window with an anxious and angry look on his face. He roughly pulled the sword and it came out of that boy''s body easily, making a disgusting sound.


    The door of my room was opened by force and the knights came running. All of them were shocked to see what happened.


    "What were you all doing?" Dem asked calmly. "Where were all of you when there was an intruder inside the King''s and Queen''s bed-chamber?"


    "There... was a fire, Your Highness," the beta said.


    "So, all of the knights went to extinguish the fire? Every single knight? So, the Imperial knight force is now a bunch of beggars?" he yelled.


    "The fire was pretty big... so..."


    "So? So, the life of the Queen is less important?"


    "No, Your Highness. Her Highness, the Queen is the mother of our kingdom. Her life is very important."


    "You know that much, yet the Queen almost died in the hands of this fucking brat!"


    I could not say a word the whole time. I wanted to die, but the moment I saw my husband''s anxious face, that desire went away immediately. Now, I was confused and my hands were shaking. I needed to hold onto my something. The weight of my heart was bringing me down.


    "We are sorry, Your Highness..."


    "Sorry?" Dem chuckled bitterly. "All of you, go to the ground. We will have a pleasant talk, hmm?"


    "Yes, Your Highness..."


    After they left, there was a long silence. There was not just Dem and me in the room. I did not bother to take a look at them.


    "Take this body away," Dem said.


    Two knights took the body away and servants came to clean the ce up. I felt sick. Dem was fascinated looking at blood, but I felt disgusted. I needed to calm down.


    A strong hand pulled me up gently by my arm. I did not have to look to know who it was. I did not resist. I went with him, without caring where he would take me.


    He took me to a room and made me sit on the couch. Ruby handed him a bowl of water and a towel. He dampened the towel and started patting it gently against my left cheek. It was painful.


    "It might sting a bit, but bear with it," he said.


    "Yes..."


    "I am sorry, Your Highness. I should have been in the room...," Ruby said. "I... I thought Your Highness would be backte, so I went to give Lord Luc some tea... I am sorry, Your Highness. I really am..."


    "..."


    I could not say anything. No, I did not even try to say anything. I was tired. I needed a break from everything. With all this mental stress, I needed to take a break from them.


    I finally looked up and saw the faces of the people who were in the room. It was Ruby, Evan, and Perita. Perita looked guilty and Ruby looked guiltier. But it was not their fault. I was the one who told Perita to take a rest since I reached my room. And Ruby deserved to take a break.


    It was not like she needed to be in my room all the time.


    Evan looked shocked. It was like he was still processing. It should be amon incident that a King or a Queen was tried to be murdered. Then why did he have that look on his face?


    "You were almost toote..."

 Chapter 263: Confusion

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I was going to die back there...," I muttered.


    "..."


    "You said you wille in time. I... I thought I really would die," I said as tears kepting down. "... I could not breathe..."


    "I want to be alone with my wife. So, leave everyone," Dem said, without looking at them. He had his nce fixed on me.


    All of them left without a word. They were ncing at myp again and again. What was there to see? What were they looking at? My trembling hands? What did they expect?


    Did they think I was made of stone or something that I would never feel anything just because I maintain an image almost in front of everyone?


    "I almost died..."


    "..."


    "Why? Why aren''t you saying anything?" I yelled, grabbing the front of his attire.


    He grabbed my nape and brought my face closer. Without a word, he started licking the wound on my left cheek.


    It took just a few minutes for the wound to healpletely. He pulled back and held my hands with both of his hands as if trying to calm me down.


    "I''m sorry...," he mumbled after a long time. "I should havee earlier. You must have been scared."


    "I was... I was scared," I sniffled.


    "I''m sorry, honey, I really am," he said calmly. "It''s all my fault. But do you want to hear what happened?"


    "Yes..."


    "There was a group of bandits we were chasing. I personally go on these missions, because I can''t trust most people much. I managed to catch them and killed all of them as well since keeping them alive will be a hassle. I don''t need to interrogate them as well. So, it was easy. After that, we were on our way toe back to the pce.


    We finished early, so I was hoping that if I was fast enough, I would be able to join you for dinner. Right then, I saw a bastard getting through our bedroom through the window. Before I could use my power, he was already in. The knights surrounded the ce and ran towards the bedroom. I climbed through the window, or it would have been toote. That brat came with death in mind.


    He did not mind dying as long as he aplished his goal," he said. "When I saw him almost attacking you, I lost myself and ended up using my power to control his blood as well as throwing the sword at him."


    Was that why that boy looked like he went numb for a moment? I could not see more since the sword pierced him right then.


    "But he still scared you and left a mark on you. It was silver, but your wound is healed since you are a human," he said. "Again, I''m sorry for beingte."


    "... Don''t bete again," I said.


    ''Haa, I wanted to die even just a while ago. And now I''m scared to even think of death. What the hell is wrong with me?''


    "Yes, I won''t bete again," he promised and kissed my hands. "It''ste already. Shall we have dinner?"


    "Take a shower first. There is blood all over you."


    I had checked already that it was not his. At least, there were no visible signs of him getting hurt. But I was going to tag along when he would take a shower so I could check more.


    "Ah, right..."


    "You forgot about the blood?"


    "No..."


    "You did," I said, nodding knowingly.


    "I will go take a bath. You can have dinner..."


    "I aming with you."


    "You want to take a shower with me?" he asked.


    "No, I want to give you a bath," I said.


    "You just want to check if I am hurt or not."


    "Yes, but I also want to do it because I want to be with you," I said.


    He was convinced easily since he liked these kinds of matters. The servants had cleaned our bedroom already to the point that it was impossible to say that something happened here not too long ago.


    In the end, we ended up doing it two times in the bath. Well, I expected it since I was not on my period anymore and he would not let any chance go when he could do it with me.


    Fortunately, he did not get hurt at all. The knights also said that he rarely got hurt on the battlefield and that was the reason he did not have any marks on his whole body even though he had been to wars before.


    "You were not surprised at all when I went at it," heughed. "Were you expecting it?"


    "My legs hurt..."


    "That''s because we were standing up most of the time. It''s hard to do it in a sitting position. That would be weird as well. Should we take a look at a sexual education book? I know one which contains a lot of positions."


    "Have you read it before?"


    "Of course. I read it on the night before our wedding because I was not experienced in this field at all," he said nonchntly. "You did not know much about it either as it was both of our first time. So, I went with the normal positions."


    "Are we really talking about this?"


    "It''s fun," he said. "By the way, did the duchesse today?"


    "Yes, we had fun. We talked for a long time," I said. "And I also told Luc and Evan about my n. They agreed."


    "Why do you look surprised? The n was good. Of course, they would agree," he said.


    "You knew?"


    "I was sure," he said as he put on his informal clothing. "Are you ready?"


    "Yes," I said. Dem hadbed my hair today. It was still wet and I did not have much time to dry it. So, I could not tie my hair unlike usual. "I told the maids to tell Evan that it''s dinner time. Luc ising as well.


    I invited him."


    "Why do we have to have dinner with everyone? It can be just you and me...," he said, sulking.


    "No, we should have dinner with others sometimes too. I am thinking of having dinner or lunch with your family as well. It''s good to do it every now and then."


    My eyes were surely swollen. It was surprising that he did not ask me anything about it. It was clear that my eyes did not be like that just for crying after Dem came back. I actually had been crying for a long time for no apparent reason, yet he seemed to ignore that fact. Well, it was a good thing that he did not ask. I did not have an answer prepared.


    We went to the dining hall together. Dem had been looking at me sideways again and again, but I had no idea why. Everyone said that Dem did it very often for some reason.


    "Blue! Are you alright? I heard you almost died...," Luc eximed as soon as we entered.


    "Is this your way of talking to the Queen?" Dem grumbled.


    "Haa, I am not talking to you," Luc said. He seemed to get used to having Evan around. I also told him that it was okay to act like friends in the presence of Evan since we usually talked formally in front of others. "Your eyes are swollen, Blue. Did you cry?"


    "Just a bit," I mumbled, getting embarrassed.


    "Sit down," Dem urged and helped me sit in the chair.


    "You don''t look too good, Blue. Are you sure you are okay?" Evan asked.


    "Yes, I am fine. You don''t have to worry," I smiled.


    "The knights'' quarters were suddenly on fire. It was not an ident. I think that bastard put the quarters on fire and then went to your bedroom so he could kill you," Luc said. "The fire was not small at all either. That''s why most of the knights had to rush to extinguish the fire. And you asked, Demetrius, I have told them about their punishments.


    They are doing so now."


    "What did you tell them to do?" I asked.


    "Sweetie, you don''t have to know that. Let us keep this one secret, hm?" Dem said, putting his index finger on his lips.


    "Huh? As long as it''s not too much..."


    "They won''t die," he said.


    "... Ha, let''s just eat," I sighed. It was useless to talk to him about these matters. Well, it was partly the knights'' fault as well. At least, one of them should have told me about the incident, so I would find out about it as well.


    While I enjoyed the food, my confused thoughts seemed to leave my headpletely. Hunger indeed made some things easier.

 Chapter 264: Drinking Party

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    They discussed the n in my presence again. The dinner went just like that. After dinner, Luc suggested that we should drink.


    Luc, that brat, liked to drink a lot even though he was terrible with alcohol. That King Ford agreed for some reason as well. I was not worried about any of them. The only person I was worried about was my wife. She was not good with alcohol at all. She would get drunk very quickly.


    "Wow, I have never been to a drinking party. We should definitely do it!" Blue eximed and I sighed. This was bad, truly bad.


    "We can''t?" she asked sulkily, looking at me.


    "... I can give you his answer on his behalf," Lucughed.


    "Shut up," I snapped at him and then looked at my wife who was looking at me cutely. "... We can."


    "He will agree with whatever Blue says," Luc muttered.


    "It''s a good thing that they have a good rtionship," King Ford said. "It''s very rare in the case of Kings and Queens after all."


    ''At least, he is saying something good.''


    Drinks were served. I had a huge collection of various types of wine. It was not like I was fond of drinking. I just liked to drink sometimes and wished to try different types of wine. Besides, I had enough money to do so. So, it was not a problem to do whatever I wanted.


    It was my wife''s second ss. But she was already almost drunk. "Don''t drink too much," I said.


    "Isn''t this your third ss? How are you okay?" she asked.


    "That guy has always been good with alcohol. I am jealous," Luc said. "It seems King Ford is good with alcohol as well. Isn''t this your fourth ss?"


    "I happen to be able to drink well as well," King Ford chuckled.


    "You know, Dem, Luc wants to know about married life. I told him all I know, but I think you can help him as well," she said. "Evan was interested as well."


    "How can I tell him anything about it?" I asked.


    "Aren''t you married?" she grumbled. "Or have you forgotten about me?"


    "No, I don''t mean that," I said quickly. "I mean, I am not good at sharing my experience. I can give him a few books though..."


    "That book?" she mumbled and finished another ss in a gulp.


    "Don''t drink too quickly. And yes, that book along with others..."


    "Is that book necessary?"


    "It helped me," I nodded.


    "What book? Tell me as well," Luc eximed.


    "He is drunk," Evan chuckled. "Blue is drunk too, it seems."


    "It''s about sex positions," she said loudly and both King Ford and I choked on our drinks. "Dem said he read it before our wedding. I think you should do it too."


    "Really? Is it good?" Luc asked. He hadpletely lost it too.


    "I can guarantee that. Dem is very good at it, after all."


    "That''s it. We are leaving now," I said, pulling her by her arm. I had to use force because she was not getting up.


    "I also think it''s a good idea to go to bed now," King Ford said. "They really are not good with alcohol."


    "I don''t wanna go!" she whined, trying to get away from me. "I wanna drink..."


    "You are drunk," I said.


    "But I still wanna drink. Honey, don''t you love me? Just one more ss..."


    "No," I said firmly. "King Ford, if it''s not too much to ask, can you please take Luc to the magic tower?"


    "Sure, I will. I believe it will be a hassle to take care of her tonight," he chuckled. "She is too drunk."


    "That''s fine. Taking care of her is never a hassle," I said.


    "Well, she is your wife, after all," he said. "Good night then. Too bad I won''t be able to say goodbye to her since I will be leaving at midnight. Please pass my word to her."


    "I will."


    ''Just leave already. It''s annoying to see another man with her.''


    It was true that King Ford always maintained a distance from her. But I still got annoyed whenever I found them talking, especially when it was not business.


    "Don''t. Just one more ss..."


    "No. No more," I said, picking her up from the ground because she was being stubborn and would not walk. I wanted to carry her like I usually did, but she suddenly wrapped her legs around me and hugged me tightly, while biting on my shoulder.


    Thankfully, King Ford had left with Luc. I did not want anyone to see this part of her. I always felt that only I could see it.


    "Is this your way of being stubborn?" I chuckled. "So cute..."


    "I am angry," she pouted, looking at me. It seemed she had left a mark on my shoulder even though she had bitten from over my cloth. Explore stories at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    "Why?"


    "Don''t pretend like you don''t know! You are not letting me drink. Please, just one more ss..."


    "No. I am the King, so listen to me."


    "You said you are a husband before you are a King. Are you going back on your words now?"


    "Honey, let''s go back to our room, okay?" I sighed.


    "You are changing the topic."


    "If you don''t stop it right now, I will kiss you right here."


    "In front of everyone?"


    ''There is no one else here though...''


    "That would be embarrassing. I will keep quiet then..."


    ''But you said that your husband is good at sex in front of Luc and King Ford. Have you forgotten that? It''s cute though...''


    I took her to our bedroom in that state. There were not many people in the hallway since it was veryte at night. I had also dismissed everyone on Blue''s word.


    "Mm..."


    "What?"


    "What are you doing?"


    "I''m taking off your dress so you can sleepfortably," I said as I kept untying the ribbons of her dress.


    "I don''t wanna..."


    "Why not?"


    "You pervert! You are taking my dress off without me knowing!"


    "But I''m your husband. It''s fine if I see you naked."


    "No! I don''t want to be the only one..."


    "The only one?"


    "The only one to be naked!"


    "I will take my clothes off too. I can sleep better naked," I said.


    "... Let''s work together properly," she said.


    "Hm? What does that mean?"


    "You will take my clothes off and I will take your clothes off. Then we will be equal," she exined.


    ''Wow, she always turns into a pervert unknowingly when drunk. Not that I mind though...''


    "That sounds pretty good to me," I said. "But I''m worried about both of us..."


    "What are you worried about?"


    "If we take our clothes off, won''t we be cold? If only you take your clothes off, I can keep you warm by hugging you and since I will be wearing clothes, you won''t be cold. But I cannot sleep with my clothes on. If both of us take our clothes off, won''t we be cold?"


    ''I have no idea what I''m saying, but let me take advantage of this situation. It''s not every day I see her drunk.''


    "Then should I wear something?" she asked innocently.


    "No, I don''t want you to sleep lessfortably," I said, shaking my head.


    "But I can sleep with my clothes on. At least, my nightgown..."


    "You can''t."


    "I can!"


    "I know you can''t. I am with you almost every night. I know your habits even better than you," I said.


    "Then?"


    "I know a method," I said. "With this, we can be both warm at the same time."


    "What method?"


    "That will make both you and me feel good as well. Would you let me show you?"


    "Hm, show me!"


    "But there is one condition."


    "What is it?"


    "I can''t be stopped until I am done," I said. "Sweetie, do you still want to proceed with this method?"


    "I am not a coward!"


    "I know."


    "And I don''t go back on my word!"


    "So, it means you agree?"


    "Yep!"


    I smirked and threw her on the bed, surprising her. "It''s been a long time since I tore a dress. Can I do it once again?"


    "You can since I don''t like this dress much... But why did you throw me on the bed? I could have fallen in the opposite direction of the bed?"


    "That would not happen."


    "I could have bounced on the mattress," she said.


    "... Why do you say this kind of stuff? We are at the beginning of something," I muttered.


    I did give her a chance to say anything else as I tore the dress apart. This was much easier than taking off the dress patiently. Patience was something Icked when it came to devouring her.


    "Now, will you take my clothes off, my wife?"

 Chapter 265: Mother Of A Kingdom

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ugh, what is...?" I mumbled after I opened my eyes in the morning.


    I found myself naked from head to toe and a muscr arm was wrapped around my waist tightly.


    ''We did itst night? Ah, I remember now. We really did it... It was pretty intense as well. Perhaps because I was drunk, I had much more energy than usual and Dem is always energetic. Now my waist hurts...


    But I feel refreshed.''


    It was very early in the morning. Dem was supposed to get up after approximately half an hour. It was rare for me to get up before him.


    I slowly turned to face him and wrapped my arms around him cautiously so he would not wake me up.


    ''Ah, he smells nice as usual...''


    Yesterday''s events came to my mind. I was not as scared as before about what happened. Perhaps I would get used to these kinds of things eventually.


    I remembered the drinking party as well and how I got drunk. I even said some embarrassing stuff. Now, I just wanted to dig a grave and bury myself. It was too embarrassing. If only Luc was present, it would have been alright. But Evan was present there as well.


    He surely thought I was a perverted Queen. It would have been better if I had a ckout. In that case, I would not have to worry since I would have forgotten about it all.


    Dem avoided talking about the incident the whole time. I had a feeling that he did not even want to think about it. I did not tell him anything about it after the bath as well since I did not want to think about it either. But his anxious and angry face still came before me whenever I closed my eyes.


    "I love you," I mumbled, hugging him tightly.


    I had fallen asleep again and woke up alone in the bed. Ruby had alsoe to wake me up at the same time. I wished Dem was beside me when I woke up, but he had work.


    "Your Highness is up today," Ruby smiled. "What is that?"


    "What?" I asked and looked at my hand where she pointed with her eyes. There was a piece of paper.


    I love you too. I was awake and heard you saying those sweet words to me. It seemed you did not want me to wake up, so I did not reply at that time. I am doing so now. I love you a lot, baby. Have a good day and I won''t be going out today, so let''s have lunch and dinner together.


    "Are you okay, Your Highness?" Ruby asked as I covered my face with my hands.


    "Yes..."


    "What''s written on that paper? Your Highness has been getting weird messages on paperstely," she said. "Do I have to let His Highness know that there is another one? How did thate here in the first ce?"


    "No, you don''t need to tell him," I said, sitting up. "Dem wrote it."


    "Oh, so that''s why Your Highness is behaving weird," she said. "Thank god, it''s His Highness. I got a big scare."


    "You did not look scared at all."


    "Probably because I have killed a faceless man in my head several times after those weird things started to happen," she said nonchntly. "I will prepare the bath, Your Highness. You also need some ointment for those marks. It''s hot today, so Your Highness can''t wear full-sleeved dresses. Since you are going to be inside, I think it''s better to go with something sleeveless.


    What do you think, Your Highness?"


    "Huh? Sure..."


    ''Werewolves surely are crazy. Their thoughts are very strange. I can''t believe I still haven''t got used to it.''


    After the bath, I went to my office. It was a usual day. Perita was by my side the whole time because of yesterday''s incident. After seeing her, I remembered that I had forgotten to tell Dem that I was almost attacked once before as well.


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    ''What''s the point of having an extraordinary memory if I can''t remember every day''s events? I only remember the things I pay attention to. If I read something attentively, I will remember everything line by line. If I hear someone''s words attentively, I will remember that as well. But I forget daily events sometimes.''


    "I have not reported to His Highness since Your Highness has notmanded me yet. I am Your Highness''s personal knight after all. You are my first master," she said.


    "That''s okay. I will tell him myself," I said.


    Reece reported to me as usual. He handed me a letter left by Evan. He could not give me farewell himself. That was why he wrote a letter and left it for me.


    "I actually got a pretty big shock this morning. A woman with only a nket wrapped around her came to my office right after I came and gave me an envelope. She even asked if I wanted to hire her because she was very good at it," Reece said. "I mean, who expects to see something like that right aftering to work?"


    "Haha, she might be the woman who served Evanst night," I mumbled.


    "Then I found Your Highness''s letter and paid her. She said she was waiting for me toe so she could take her payment. It turned out she was not joking about inviting me, so I had to refuse her twice," he said.


    After working for me for a few days, Reece was not as guarded as before and talked freely to me. I made sure all of my employees were free with me so the work atmosphere would remain cheerful.


    "By the way, Your Highness, Mother has sent some cookies for you. Would you like to taste them?"


    "Countess? Sure, I would love to," I said.


    "Then I will leave them on your table. Perita, don''t touch them before Her Highness does!"


    "I am not a pig," Perita pouted.


    A Queen was called the mother of the kingdom. I never felt that way, to be honest. Was it because I did not belong to this world that I could not embrace this kingdom as mine? I was hoping that after a few years, I would manage to be the real mother of this kingdom. But after spending time with these people, I felt like their mother now.


    "Reece, go back to your work. Good work, by the way. And pass on my thanks to the Countess, okay? I will also write to her after tasting the cookies."


    "Yes, I will," he bowed.


    Though I did not want to do this, I still had to get the cookies checked before tasting them. There was nothing in them, so I could taste them freely. There were sugar cookies and chocte chip cookies. Perita, Flint, and I ate most of them. Ruby refused to say that she had a stomachache. She said she was not feeling well since she felt like she would have her period at any time.


    I was hoping that it would not be on her wedding day.


    ''What about the wedding night then? Things need to go spicy...''


    I also took some cookies for Dem and sent a picture of the cookies to Luc to make him jealous that I tasted his mother-inw''s handmade cookies before him only to find out that she sent him cookies as well. I could hear hisugh in my head without meeting him.


    There were no cameras in this world. But pictures could be taken using manas. They were not high-quality pictures, so to capture important events, they depended on paintings. Flint took those pictures and he was very enthusiastic when he heard that it was to make Luc jealous. He liked to do these kinds of things.


    During lunch, I told Dem about the incident. Two sses and a te broke only- it was a somewhat peaceful environment other than that. And just like that, a few days passed and it was time for Ruby''s fitting.


    "Your Highness has a lot of work. You don''t have to make time for me," Ruby said.


    "But I want to. My wedding dress was made in a way that it would fit anyone who wears them. Dem did not know my size, so he prepared all my dresses like that. It''s possible. That''s why I want to see this," I said.


    "I want to see it as well. It''s a good thing I am Your Highness''s escort. I can have fun a lot," Perita said.


    "Yeah, but don''t forget that you have to go to the Prime Minister''s mansion with Flint this evening to deliver my message. I am not letting that guy go alone. He hates the Prime Minister''s son and will get into a fight with him if someone is not with him. They can''t even do much of a thing, butin to me, since he is my personal mage," I said.

 Chapter 266: Rubys Dress Fitting

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Perita helped me get into the carriage. We were going to stop at the duchy residence and Iris would join us. The duchy was on the way to the boutique.


    The dress was made with rare and delicate fabrics. The designer suggested that it was best not to move it much, so we were going to the boutique so Ruby could try it on. I was very excited, even more than Ruby.


    Iris and I had been meeting at the pce frequently. She hung out with me and sometimes she would talk to me while I would work. We had gotten very close. Dem did not mind since I was in the pce.


    Aside from Perita, Abel wasing with us to guard me. He was the same knight who went with us when I went to meet Ruby''s family. It was expected that Dem would send someone from his knights'' squad.


    "Your Highness, if you see anyone suspicious or looking at you suspiciously, notify me," Abel said, standing in front of the carriage.


    "What am I for then? Decoration?" Perita snapped.


    "He doesn''t mean that, Perita," I said. "Yes, I will notify you, Abel. Are you sure you don''t want to sit with us in the carriage?"


    "No, I will sit with the coachman," he said. "I need to keep an eye around..."


    "Alright," I nodded.


    "He is a man of less facial expressions," Perita said.


    "Perita shows too many facial expressions. That''s why it seems less," Ruby said.


    "It''s natural to show facial expressions," Perita said.


    Though it was hard to believe Perita''s judgment about some things, she was right about Abel''s expressions. I had never seen Abel make any facial expressions.


    "Cut it out. Don''t make too much noise. Sapphire will wake up," I said.


    "Why did Your Highness bring her with us?" Perita asked.


    "She gets bored alone. She was angry with me because I don''t spend too much time with her. I don''t my Sapphire to be angry with me, so I have decided to take her with me wherever I go," I replied. "Look, how peacefully she is sleeping now. She was making a fuss when I was about to leave."


    I rubbed Sapphire''s fur gently as she slept on myp. When Sapphire was around, I could remain calm for some reason. She was like mental support for me.


    "Your Highness doesn''t treat her like a cat at all. It''s more like she is Your Highness''s daughter," Perita said and Ruby hit her on the elbow. "What?"


    "Do you want to eat some cookies, Your Highness? I have brought some juice as well, in case you want to have some," Ruby said, trying to change the conversation.


    "I will have some juice," I said, pretending to be oblivious.


    I saw Iris as soon as we reached the duchy entrance. She was already ready and was waiting for me.


    "Blue! Look, I have brought some chocte for you. They are handmade by our cook," she said, shoving a piece of chocte in my mouth. "You have some too, Perita and Ruby."


    She sat beside me while having chocte herself. "Wow, our little Sapphire is here as well! She is sleeping... She is getting cuter day by day. Or is it just me?"


    "No, she really is," I said. "I have never seen a cat as pretty as Sapphire."


    "Yeah, me too. She really is a gem, just like her name," Iris said. "That said, I am very excited today. It''s Ruby''s fitting, but I feel like a bride today. Ruby is beautiful. She will suit any dress she wears.


    I am really excited to see you in your wedding dress."


    "Yeah, Ruby will look like a goddess," I said. "She already is. Look at her, she really looks like a goddess, doesn''t she?"


    "You both are being too much," Ruby said, turning red.


    "Nope, we are telling the truth," I said.


    "Yeah, definitely," Iris nodded.


    Ruby and Perita met Iris when she came to the pce and Iris got close to them very quickly, thanks to her cheerful personality. She had met Sapphire as well, but still could not get close to her much. Sapphire still refused to sit on herp though she let Iris pat her on the head.


    "Lord Luc hasn''t seen the dress, right? That would ruin all the fun," Iris asked.


    "No, he hasn''t, right, Ruby?"


    "Yeah, he has not. He is not interested anyway," Ruby said.


    "Interested or not, we are not going to let him see it before the wedding. The wedding is only three days away. Don''t you think the time is too short, Blue? What if the dress doesn''t fit?"


    "The designer said it can be fixed," I said. "I hope the dress will fit since the measures have been taken three times so no mistakes happen. But even if it happens somehow, it can be fixed within two days."


    "That''s good. The wedding has to be perfect," Iris said.


    "Your Highness and Your Grace have been working too hard for my wedding. I cannot thank you enough," Ruby said.


    "Don''t worry, it''s nothing. You are our friend, after all," I said.


    "Yeah, that''s right. We are friends," Ruby said. "I am happy to have some girlfriends you know. I was close with boys since my personality is like this. It''s the first time I am close with girls."


    "I have never really had friends either. I think aftering to this world, Ruby became my first friend."


    "Your Highness will be the only Queen to consider a maid her friend," Ruby said, smiling.


    "Who cares about the maid thing? Friendship doesn''t mean we need to have the same status. It''s all about the bond," Iris said.


    I was wondering why Perita was not saying anything, then I found out that she was sleeping, leaning on Ruby''s shoulder. She liked to sleep even though she might not seem so.


    "It''s a weird story how I became Her Highness''s personal maid. Well, thanks to that incident, I could get close to Her Highness," Ruby chuckled.


    "What happened? I want to know too," Iris eximed enthusiastically.


    "When Her Highness was brought to this world, she was nervous and did not know what to do. Everything was a mystery to her since she knew nothing about this world. We were three maids assigned to serve her. Before the Royal wedding, Her Highness asked me about the wedding rituals. But His Highness ordered us not to tell her anything since she might freak out.


    His Highness had a reason, but looking at Her Highness, I could not refuse and ended up telling her about it. Then His Highness sent me to the dungeon as part of the punishment. Her Highness talked to His Highness about it after she found out and then His Highness made me Her Highness''s personal maid. I think it''s because I dared to disobey His Highness for Her Highness''s sake," Ruby said.


    "Well, that''s a weird way...," Iris said. "And I and Blue met because of a mission, haha. It was a good thing Blue decided toe. I wanted to get close to Blue even before that and sent her letters. But we actually got close after we met. We became friends pretty fast."


    "That''s because you are very bubbly. I could never make a friend that quick. Trust me, you put a lot of effort and I am d you did," I said.


    "Yeah. By the way, I have always wondered why we always meet at the pce. Can''t we go out sometimes?"


    "... The pce is the best ce since intruders can rarely go inside. It''s the safest ce," I said.


    "Hm? Is that so? We can just take Perita and some other knights. They can wear normal clothes so they won''t get noticed," Iris said.


    Ruby was not saying anything. She did not know fully, but she still had an idea why I did not go out of the pce grounds. After all, she had seen Dem and me the whole six months we had been married.


    "Yeah, I will think about it," I muttered.


    ''Should I try asking Dem? If I take a few knights with me, he might not refuse... I also want to visit a lot of ces with my friends. It''s the first time I have friends in my whole eighteen years of life, after all.''


    "Oh, we are here already. They know that someone important is here today," Iris said. "Thank god, you made the other knight and Perita wear a normal knight''s outfit, not the Imperial knight''s uniform."


    "Of course. It would be a bad thing if they know that I am here," I said.


    Abel opened the door of the carriage and helped us get down. Everyone''s eyes were on us, but it was fine since I had my face covered with a hooded cloak. They would not be able to see much. Besides, they did not know the Queen''s face.

 Chapter 267: Rubys Dress Fitting (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Greetings, Your Highness. I have been waiting for you. Ah, Her Grace, the Duchess is here as well. It is my honor to serve you," the designer said.


    She was a tall woman with a slender build. Her brown hair was coiled that was tied in a tight bun. Her eyes were too sharp, which was a bit unsettling.


    "We are here for the master of the magic tower''s bride''s dress fitting," I said. "Please lead us somewhere where there aren''t many people. It will be bad if they know our identities."


    "Yes, pleasee with me."


    "Abel, will youe with us, or will you stay here?" I asked.


    "I wille with you. It''s His Highness''s order that I should follow Your Highness wherever you go," he said.


    "Alright then."


    Ruby looked nervous. It was expected. I was d that she got to experience this moment since for a werewolf, it woulde once in a lifetime.


    Two of the workers revealed the dress to us. It was a ball gown type of dress. It had a strapless square neckline with rubies decorating the neckline. The waist was fitted and the skirt was more voluminous than normal which made it look extra beautiful. She was to wear gloves that covered up to her elbows.


    "Wow!" Iris eximed. "It''s beautiful... The rubies match Ruby''s hair. It looks even more beautiful."


    "It has to be perfect. After all, it''s the to-be mistress of the magic tower''s wedding dress," the designer said. "What do you say, mydy? Are you satisfied with this dress?"


    "... It''s beautiful," Ruby mumbled. "It''s really beautiful. Thank you so much..."


    "Thedy doesn''t have to thank any of us. Thedy deserves the best for her wedding," the designer said.


    "Try it on, Ruby. I am excited to see you in that dress," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness," she nodded.


    It took a while for them to put the dress on Ruby. The fabric was delicate. They needed to be careful.


    Ruby came out of the changing room and we were left awestruck. "Oh my..."


    "... Oh my god! Ruby looks so beautiful!" Iris eximed. "The dress truly is made just for Ruby..."


    "Ruby, take a look at yourself in the mirror. It''s not just us who should see you," I said, smiling.


    The full-length mirror was just beside her, but she seemed to be too nervous to look at it. After I told her, she slowly turned towards it. Even she was excited by what she saw.


    "Ah... It''s different..."


    "Does thedy like it?" the designer asked.


    "Yes, it is amazing... It looks good...," she said as suddenly tears started to fall from her eyes. "Oh, I am sorry..."


    I stood up and hugged her. I needed to be a bit careful since the dress was made of too delicate fabrics. So, even though I wanted to hug her tightly, I could not.


    "You look amazing, Ruby. And don''t forget- you deserve this," I said. "I can clearly see what you are thinking. All I can say is that- don''t think that way. You deserve all this and more. You are an amazing person.


    I also know that you will do an amazing job as the mistress of the magic tower. Undoubtedly, you are very special. So, treat yourself that way as well."


    "When did Your Highness mature like that?" she sobbed. "Even yesterday, I had to nag Your Highness about tying your hair because you did not want to. Haa, Your Highness has grown up so much?"


    "Haha, that''s right. Now, it''s my time to nag," I said as I pulled back from the hug. "So, listen to me. Wipe your face and enjoy the day with us. It''s your day, so you have to enjoy it to the fullest. Got it?"


    "Yes," she chuckled, wiping her face with the handkerchief I offered. "I won''t cry again until I get married."


    "Why would you cry when you get married?" I asked.


    "Because I will be leaving Your Highness. That will be hard," she smiled numbly.


    "Anyway, let''s proceed with our next ns," I said quickly to lighten up the mood.


    It took more time to get out of the dress than it took to wear it. We were not bored since we chatted while having the refreshments the boutique offered. I always carried a potion made by Luc with me. If I ced one drop of the potion somewhere, it would turn any poisonous thing purple within thirty seconds.


    It was very helpful, so I got a lot of bottles made by him and handed them to my closest employees who worked directly under me. Their lives were constantly in danger because of their jobs and they would be targeted often as well, so they needed it.


    "Flint wanted toe today. I am gonna brag to him," Perita grinned like an evil.


    "Stop doing it. That child will whine again," I sighed.


    "Child? Is he so little?" Iris asked.


    "No, he is two years older than me," I said. "But he is like a child. If you see him, you will know. And he is going to be a dad soon. His wife is pregnant."


    "Wow, he found his mate so early," Iris muttered.


    "He found his mate when both of them were seventeen. Then they got married when they were eighteen. He might not seem like the kind of guy, but he is very much in love with his wife. It''s clear the way his mood changes when he talks about her," I smiled. "By the way, Iris, I have always wanted to ask you about it. What will happen if you find your mate?


    The duke and you are not mates."


    "Nothing will happen. Well, we don''t have love between us anyways. Finding a mate means having an automatic connection with your mate and you will not feel that way towards anyone else. Since there is no love between the duke and me, we will be fine," she said. "Besides, do you know that the previous duchess is his mate? Yet, he divorced her.


    He has a connection with her, so he can''t feel that way towards anyone else. That''s how our marriage life works."


    "Did I make you feel ufortable? If so, I am sorry," I said.


    "No, you did not. I actually was looking for someone to talk to freely. I can do that with you. So, it''s fine. Ask me whatever you want to know about me. I don''t feel ufortable at all," she said.


    "It will be better if you share your life with me as well."


    "I am not used to it. But I will try," I said.


    "Ruby is done, Your Highness," Perita said.


    "Is everything alright? Do you need them to change anything?"


    "No, everything is perfect, Your Highness," Ruby shook her head.


    "Good then. Shall we go somewhere now?" Iris suggested.


    "Where?" I asked.


    I had not told Dem that I was going to go somewhere after visiting the boutique though I told him that I was going to hang out a bit. He did not refuse. If I stayed just a bit longer, it would be fine, right?


    "There is a renowned cafe here. Wanna go there? They serve a variety of things," Iris said.


    "Is it near?" I asked.


    "Yeah, just five minutes of walk. Let''s go. It will be fun," she insisted.


    "Alright, let''s go there," I said.


    "Will His Highness be alright with this? It will be bad if Your Highness and His Highness fight over it," Ruby whispered into my ear.


    "Yeah, don''t worry," I said. "Let''s enjoy the day."


    It felt very weird to walk on the street. It had been so long since I walked around like this. It was actually my first time walking around like this aftering to this world. I had not even gotten out of the pce grounds much.


    "Excuse me, Your Highness...," Abel suddenly said, stopping me on the way and bending down in front of me. "Your Highness cut yourself somewhere. Let me put a bandage on."


    "Wow, you noticed it," Iris muttered.


    "His Highness ordered me to make sure that Your Highness is not hurt. This is the least I can do," he said.


    "Thank you," I said.


    "I can carry Your Highness if you feel any pain," he suggested.


    "Oh, please, don''t," I said quickly, noticing him being so serious. "I don''t feel anything. I mean, I did not even notice it, so you don''t have to do anything."

 Chapter 268: Returning Late

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    It was evening when my wife returned. She did not say when she would return when she left. But I did not think she would stay out for this long.


    A maid told me that she returned since I had told her to do so. I stood in front of the open door of her office, watching her hurriedly assorting some documents and talking to her personal mage and knight.


    "You know which documents are in the file, right?" she asked while hurriedly checking them again.


    "I don''t actually think there is a reason for me to remember them since Your Highness is sending a letter along with the file," Flint muttered. "But since I am genius, I remember them quite well."


    "You are very arrogant, really," Perita grumbled.


    "I am very angry at Her Highness because she did not take me along. You all had fun and only I had to stay behind," he said.


    "Quit it and take the documents. I brought a cake for you, so don''t whine," Blue said and shoved the file in his hand. "And do not fight with the Prime Minister''s son."


    "I won''t if he doesn''t piss me off," he grumbled. "That fucker is annoying!"


    "Just don''t. It''s an order," she said.


    ''Who will say that they are not her kids?''


    "Perita, if he tries to do something childish, smack him behind his head so he would faint," she said, looking at her knight.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Huh! I will win," Flint said.


    "Just go already. Or, I will pull your ear."


    "Such brutality... Yes, I am leaving, Master," he nodded.


    "Stop calling me master!"


    "Yes, Master... I mean, I won''t, Your Highness."


    Finally, they left. How childish could they be? More importantly, how did my wife even create such a work atmosphere? It was like they were her kids and she was telling them to behave. They were childish, but also listened to her and did their work well. Actually, the team she made was kind of impressive.


    I had never seen someone working so quickly. But all of her employees did. And she was leading them just right.


    "Haa, so stressing...," she sighed, cing her palms on the table.


    "You look tired," I said as I entered her office.


    "Ah, Dem... Yes, I am...," she smiled faintly.


    We refrained from talking about that day''s incident. I heard she was almost attacked again. She did not look that afraid, but I was. If it was not about her life, I would not react like this. The boy that attacked him that day did not have any connection with anyone. He attacked her because of his personal grudge against the current rulers.


    After that incident, nothing happened again. When she wanted to go out again, I was still afraid. But I let her go, seeing the look in her eyes. Somehow I knew that if I said that she could not go, she would not argue, but her eyes would turn dead.


    "I''m sorry. I amte," she said. "After Ruby''s fitting, we went to a nearby cafe. Iris said it was famous and the food was amazing. I bought cakes for us, by the way. Let''s have them after dinner, hm?"


    "Did you just go to the cafe?"


    "No," she shook her head. "We did a bit of shopping as well. I have never gone shopping with my friends before, so I was excited. I bought some weird-looking things, like pens with a moving skeleton on the cap, a fluffy cat shaped plushy, and so on. I will show them to you."


    She looked excited. And all I could think about was that she was finally back. Whenever she was not in front of me, I would feel that she was going far away from me and she would perhaps note back. It was a painful thought, but I could not stop thinking about it. Looking at her now, I felt relieved.


    "What happened to your foot?"


    "Oh, that? I somehow cut myself... I don''t remember when. Abel noticed and put a bandage on me," she replied. Thankfully, I told him to carry bandages and ointments with him whenever he would be on the duty to guard her.


    "Let me see it," I said and bent down in front of her.


    "Don''t lick it."


    "Why not? I will just heal it."


    "It''s not a ce you should lick right now. I mean, I took a shower, but not now."


    "I licked this ce when we were having sexst night and even this morning. What''s the problem now?"


    "Just don''t do it," she muttered, turning bright red.


    "But..."


    "Please, listen to me."


    I sighed. ?lright. I still don''t know why you are refusing."


    "You don''t have to. By the way, are you going to work now?"


    "No. Why?"


    "Then stay with me," she muttered. "It''s... it''s sometimes a bit lonely to work alone. I mean, I won''t force you. If you don''t want to..."


    "I want to," I said, cutting her off. "What about I massage your shoulders? You did mine yesterday."


    "Well, if you want to... It feels good, so I won''t refuse," she chuckled.


    How amazing would it be if we remained together forever? I was sure that I would never grow tired of her even if we lived together for eternity. But I was always worried about what if she grew tired of me someday. Perhaps it would not happen in a year or two. But what about after a few years? What if she grew tired of me?


    In that case, I needed to make sure that she would never grow tired of me. I would just love her even more, so she could never think of finding happiness anywhere else.


    She sat down in her chair, taking her top off. She was wearing pants and a full-sleeved top. My perverted mind thought she was naked underneath the top and wanted to do something fun all of a sudden. But proving me wrong, I found that she was wearing a sleeveless white top inside.


    "It''s kinda hot. And I think I would feel better this way," she said. "Why are you sighing?"


    "Don''t mind me. Something just did not go as I nned."


    "You are being weird," she muttered under her breath. "Ah, where did Flint put the copies? Oh, found them..."


    I started massaging her shoulders, standing behind her chair. She was so soft that I always wanted to touch her. She was getting better at swordsmanship. Along with that, her senses were getting very sharp. So, these days, if I tried to touch her somewhere private unexpectedly, she would catch my hand almost right away and re at me. It was kind of cute.


    So, I was looking for an opportunity to touch her like that again, dodging her hand. Of course, I would do it when there was no one around. I was okay with others hearing her voice a bit, but not see us do it.


    "Ow, that ce. I think it''s a bit stiff there..."


    "Here?"


    "Yeah. Was I sleeping in the wrong wayst night? I don''t remember..."


    "Who knows? But I found you on my chest like usual this morning," I muttered. "Must be because of your practice. It can happen."


    "Hm, that must be it."


    In a moment, she looked very absorbed in work. After massaging her shoulders, I sat in front of her and watched her. In case she thought that I was bored, I opened a file in front of me. But rather than taking a single look at it, I was focused on her face and the way she worked.


    Now, she got used to using quill and ink. She could write very fast now. Her handwriting was beautiful as well. She said that she did not like her handwriting, but I always found it cute, especially the way she wrote ''w''.


    Her hair was not tied since it was wet a bit. After returning, she took a shower and surely did not get time to dry her hairpletely. But it was not too wet. It would dry within half an hour or so.


    ''There it is. She is pouting again... And she says that she doesn''t pout when she is doing something attentively.''


    "Honey, it was a good thing we attended Berry''s funeral, right? Well, her dead body was sent to her family after two days since she had died. Luc wanted to check more after all," she said. "Her family was devastated. It was very sad."


    "She died doing her job. It was unfortunate, but we have done what we could," I said.


    ''She called me ''honey''. It''s rare. But I am happy.''


    "Yeah... The money we gave is enough, right?"


    "It''s the amount she would earn in three years," I said.


    "Ruby said that it was a good amount. I think we did well," she said.


    I wanted to tell her that she was doing more than a great job as the Queen. No other Queen had been as active as her. She was amazing, even without her knowing.

 Chapter 269: Taking Care Of The Wedding Preparations

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "The invitation has been sent," Luc said. "You won''t believe how stressful getting married is. I have to take care of everything."


    "Ruby is working hard too. Stopining," I said, not looking up at him.


    Luc hade to meet me after he got a break. He had been busy because of the wedding preparations and his work as the master of the magic tower. He had beenining to me in letters and now he hade in person to do so.


    "I wish I got married like you did. Everything would be ready. I just needed to be present," he sighed.


    "You are gonna get married once. Try to enjoy every single moment of it, Luc," I said. "Or one day, you will regret it all."


    "Wow, your handwriting... sucks," he said suddenly, bending over and looking at the papers I was writing on.


    "... Will you get out?"


    "Nope!"


    "Haa...," I sighed. "Perita, get some refreshments for us and check them with the potion I gave you."


    "I made it. Mention my name too," Luc said.


    "Yes, the potion I gave you which Luc made generously..."


    "Alright, I will. Then excuse me, Your Highness," Perita bowed and left.


    "Have you spent time with Ruby recently, Luc?"


    "... Not really. You sent her to me a few times, but we could not talk much."


    "Isn''t that because you were pretending to work?"


    "What can I do? I don''t know what to talk about."


    "You are not even trying, Luc. In this way, this marriage... won''t work. I mean, if you are like this even before you are married, how are you going to behave after the marriage? I think you will end up hurting her. You are the one who suggested this marriage because you wanted her to be happy.


    But if you behave like that, what will happen to her happiness?"


    He thought seriously for a while. "I am being an idiot, ain''t I?"


    "Yes," I nodded.


    "So, what should I do?"


    "Will you even do what I tell you to do?" I shrugged. "You will do what you think."


    "No, tell me. I will listen to you this time."


    "Then I suggest you spend some time with her. It doesn''t have to be long, just one hour or so. Talk to her freely and tell her to be free with you as well. If you two can''t be lovers, at least, be friends," I said.


    "Should I invite her for tea, then?" he asked.


    "Yeah, do so. And try to get past the awkwardness between you two. Ruby is a straightforward person and you are as well. But I don''t understand why you two are being like this."


    "Then I will go now. Where can she be?"


    "In our bedroom," I replied. "Invite her over somewhere or go on a date. Tell her that I gave her the day off. I told her to quit now, but she doesn''t listen. Anyway, take this with you. She won''t believe it if you don''t show her my permission letter."


    I quickly wrote a letter to her saying that she could take the day off. Luc took it and left quickly.


    "I hope their rtionship works out for the better," I mumbled.


    "I have brought the refreshments, Your Highness," Perita said as she came in.


    "Luc has left already. Let''s have them together."


    After some time, the designer came to meet me. I was taking care of most of Luc and Ruby''s wedding preparation. I took it in my hands so everything would go smoothly. Besides, I knew a lot of people by now. So, it was easy for me than for Luc and Ruby.


    "Good morning, Your Highness," she greeted and my eyes immediately fell on her nose. It was quite long, kind of like a beak. I looked back at her in the eyes, which were unsettlingly sharp.


    "Good morning. Please take a seat," I said.


    "I have put the finishing touch on the dress. It''s ready now. Should we deliver it the day before the wedding?"


    ''Ugh, why does she keep looking at me like that? It''s really ufortable!''


    She was also my personal tailor. But whenever she hade here before, she had her face covered because she was suffering from a cold. But now that she had recovered, I could see her facial expressions more and for some reason, it was ufortable. I had not felt like this before.


    "Not the day before the wedding," I said. "Send it two days before the wedding. Just to be cautious... Can you do that?"


    "Of course," she nodded. "I will do so then."


    "And about the veil- the to-be mistress of the magic tower doesn''t have anything to say about veils. What do you say?"


    "I think it''s better not to wear a veil with that dress. I have prepared one though, as Your Highness said. But my personal opinion is that she will look more beautiful without the veil. Your Highness has shown me the headband you are going to gift to thedy and I think it will go well with the dress since it also has pearls and rubies just like the dress has. The headband will enhance the look."


    "You think so? I was worried that it would not look good enough," I muttered. "Then she should go without a veil, right?"


    "That''s right, Your Highness."


    She was mainly here because of her payment. Luc said that he had other things to do and left the payment with me.


    ''That guy... If he goes out to spend time with Ruby, I will forgive him.''


    "Well, then, let me give your payment. Perita..."


    "Yes," Perita nodded and handed her the payment.


    "What is this, Your Highness?"


    "Ah, that''s some candies. I wish I could have some tea with you. But I am quite busy right now. So, these candies are for you," I said.


    "I see. Thank you, Your Highness. I will take my leave then."


    "Yes, go back safely."


    "That woman makes me feel ufortable. Something about her eyes," Perita mumbled.


    ''You too?''


    "You can sit down if you want to," I said.


    "It''s already lunchtime, Your Highness. You should have your lunch in time. You have been working hard these days."


    "Hm, I willter..."


    In the end, I forgot to have my lunch. I sent Perita to have her lunch. In the meantime, Calix came to stay by my side. Explore more stories with m,v l''e-NovelBin


    I had talked to Calix about his nightmares and after a few days of trying, he opened up to me. He also agreed to meet the psychiatrist. It was a good thing that he agreed so quickly. I knew how hard having nightmares could be. Even though my doctor had been helping me a lot, they still did not go away.


    "Your Highness, take a break. It''s evening already," Calix said.


    "Just a bit more. I will rest for today, then," I said, rubbing my eyes.


    Dem had been going to meetings frequently. In a month or two, I would attend meetings as well. I could attend now as well, but I was not confident enough.


    Dem told me to take things slow. He had been discussing the topics of the meetings with me before and after the meetings. He was the one who was helping me understand everything in the political world. It was hard and tiring. But since he was with me, I could do anything.


    "Your Highness, you don''t look good," Calix said. "Please excuse me."


    He pressed his palm against my forehead. "You have a fever, Your Highness. I will escort you to your room. Please rest for today."


    "Yeah, I feel a bit dizzy too," I mumbled.


    I stood up and just took a single step when suddenly I started coughing. I had a cough for several days now. But it never turned this bad.


    "Your Highness! Blood!"


    Calix quickly ced his arm around my shoulder as I almost fell. "Oh my god! I coughed up blood! It''s gross!"


    The front of my dress was covered in blood and I was sure that I looked like a vampire right now.


    ''Even my skin tone is pale, just like a vampire.''


    "Calix, do I look like a vampire now?"


    Calix picked me up from the ground and sighed. He was sixteen, but he was strong and very tall. No wonder Dem made him a knight. But he was working for me now, so he was still a child to me.


    "Your Highness, do not talk nonsense right now. You need to take a rest. Since the day I had been guarding you indoors, I knew that Your Highness needs to rest. You are always working."


    He said something more. But I could not hear much since I had already started losing consciousness.

 Chapter 270: Overworking

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness," the servants greeted.


    I just needed to take a look at them to know that something was wrong. I focused on reading their minds and in a moment, I rushed toward the bedroom.


    "Your Highness is here," Doctor Dimitri said calmly.


    "Dem, you are here. Wee back," my wife smiled at me. She was lying down and her maid was nagging her about her daily routine just a while ago.


    ''Wee, my ass! I don''t want to be weed like this.''


    "Her Highness had copsed because of overwork," he said even before I could ask. "She also has a slight fever.


    "Her Highness even coughed up blood," Ruby said.


    "Don''t be like that. It was nothing much," Blue muttered, smiling faintly.


    "Have you written the meditations and cautions she needs to take?" I asked the doctor.


    "Yes," he nodded. "Please check them yourself, Your Highness. Actually, we, werewolves, have more energy than humans. That''s why even if His Highness and Her Highness work for the same amount of time, it will affect Her Highness the most. Her Highness needs to remember this and take a break every once in a while.


    I have been telling Her Highness through letters to make sure to rest well and have her meals on time. But Her Highness did not listen to me."


    "I will make sure she listens this time," I said.


    "That will be good," he said and looked over at Ruby. "Her Highness doesn''t need the cold bag anymore. Resting is enough now."


    The doctor bowed and left. Ruby left as well, after telling her to rest for the tenth time since I came here.


    "They are really worried...," she chuckled after we were alone. "Honey, how did the meeting go?"


    "It was okay," I sighed, taking off my formal coat. I sat on the bed and touched her forehead. It was cold because of the ice bag. "But I don''t intend toe home like this."


    "Huh?"


    "I don''t want to be weed by my sick wife. When I return, I want to see my smiling and healthy wife. I have been telling you to rest well and not overwork and to have your meals on time. You listen to me, but you did not listen to me about this. Now, look at your state. Baby, you even coughed up blood."


    "I''m sorry...," she mumbled.


    "You should be. But if you are truly sorry, you will listen to me regarding your health from now on," I said.


    "But there is so much work these days..."


    "Isn''t it time for your subordinates to show their real capabilities? It''s not like they are a bunch of idiots with titles."


    "That''s true..."


    "I will just check your part of the work after they are done until you are back to your health again. How does that sound?"


    "But you have so much work..."


    "Haven''t you heard what the doctor said? Werewolves have more energy than humans. I will manage."


    "Then, please do so," she mumbled. "But I will get to work right after I get better. Of course, I won''t push myself anymore."


    Usually, I knew how much she ignored her health when she was working. So, I would tell her to have food on time when I was in the pce. But I had meetings these days. So, I could not take care of this matter personally. I told the maids, but she surely did not listen to them.


    I wished I did not have to leave her alone at all. It would have been better if I could stay somewhere so I could see her whenever I turned around. But being the King of a kingdom was not easy.


    Still, my wife and I managed to have the best rtionship a King and a Queen could possibly have or ever had. We did not have harems or any secret lovers and we shared a bedroom. We spent the night together almost every day. There were rumors about our love and oddly, there were even books about our romance. It was funny, but I read all of them since it was about us.


    The words I said in those books were very cringey. My part was too cringey, so I did not mention this to her. But she perhaps heard about it already.


    "You even did not have your lunch today," I muttered.


    "How do you know that? Ah, you can read minds..."


    "Have you had dinner?"


    "I woke up a while ago. Then Ruby forced me to have some soup. Since I coughed up blood, Doctor Dimitri said it''s better if I have liquid food."


    "You were coughing for four days. That must be the reason you coughed up blood."


    "Yes, Doctor Dimitri said so as well. He said that the amount of blood I coughed up was a bit too much. My dress is ruined, you know... Anyway, he gave me medicines. I think I will get better soon."


    "I don''t care if you get better soon or not. But you are not getting out of your bed in the next few days."


    "But Ruby''s wedding preparation..."


    "I will help."


    "..."


    "I will do fine. Just rest, okay? No one wants you to get sick."


    "Have your dinner, Dem."


    "You are worried about me now?" I chuckled.


    "Of course! Just like you don''t want me to get sick, I don''t want you to get sick either. So, make sure you eat well. Take a shower first though."


    "Yes, my darling wife."


    When I came back after taking a shower, she had already fallen asleep. I went to the dining hall to have my dinner since if I made too much noise in the bedroom, she might wake up.


    ''This ce indeed is spacious. I have not felt like this in a long time.''


    When I was young, I had dinner alone most of the time in this spacious dining hall. My father was like a man whore. He would sleep around and then have his food whenever he desired. He did not bothering to the dining hall and I was d that he did not. I repulsed him from an early age.


    My mother distanced herself from all of us just because she hated Father and she also hated us because we were his child. My sister and I were not that close. So, it was rare for her to show up in the dining hall. It was always just me.


    I did not even realize that I hated being alone until my wife came into my life as a ray of sunshine. What was I even going to do without her?


    "Haa... Summon all the servants here," I said after I was done with dinner. "They surely have not returned to their quarters. It''s not time yet."


    "Yes, I will call them, Your Highness."


    The servants gathered in the dining hall within five minutes. They looked anxious since it was rare for me to gather them all at once.


    "You all surely know that the Queen has gotten sick because of overworking. I remember telling you all to make sure that the Queen has her meals in time. Yet, she did not. I will overlook it this one time, but not again. I want every single person to know that the Queen''s health is the most important. Do whatever you must to make sure that she is healthy and following her routine," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness. We are very sorry for what happened. We will take care of Her Highness, the Queen properly this time. She must not fall sick again."


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    "Yes, remember that. You can all go now."


    "Yes. May Her Highness recover soon..."


    "Haa, my wife surely will scold me if she hears I gathered all the servants about her health," Iughed. "Well, I like getting scolded by her. So, it''s fine. She looks cute when she is angry, like a little bird. Then again, no bird is as pretty as her."


    I returned to the bedroom, only to find my wife sleeping in a weird posture. "You sleep like this and you don''t know why you get neck and shoulder aches," I sighed and walked towards the bed.


    I got on the bed with her and fixed her position. Even though I moved her like this, she did not even move. She must have been very tired.


    Being a Queen was easy for those who did not share the workload of the King and other Imperial members. But my wife was not like those Queens. Even though I would not have minded if she did nothing and just sat still, she chose to work side by side with me. She was worried about me and tried to take as much work as she could.


    ''Someone worrying about me feels kinda good... But that doesn''t mean she gets to push herself like this.''

 Chapter 271: Taking A Bath Together

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Dem did not let me get up from bed for three days. Tomorrow was Ruby''s wedding. I was nning on helping Luc and Ruby with the preparation, but he did not even let me get out of our bedroom.


    Luc and Ruby both came together to let me know that I did enough and now I needed to rest. It seemed they were kind of free with each other now since they were talkingfortably with each other.


    Though Flint was usually childish, he also came to tell me that he could manage his side of work and would just consult Dem if he needed instructions about something. Reece did the same.


    "You don''t have to wash my legs...," I mumbled, sitting on a stair in one of the grand washrooms.


    It was my first time using it. The room was huge and there was a huge pool in the middle. The whole ce was decorated with gold and ck, but the gold was excessive. The water was warm along with the atmosphere. It was like a sauna.


    The other washroom was a bit cold. It was for the times when it was too hot and we needed to take a cold bath in a cold atmosphere. I did not find it very attractive, but Dem said that it was useful.


    Dem was the one who suggested that we took a bath together here. I was whining about how I felt, always being in the bedroom for three days. So, he suggested this. He had no n of letting me go to work.


    "Don''t you feel good?" he asked.


    "Yeah, but..."


    "Just rx," he smiled.


    He really did not have any problem being naked around me. But I was still a bit shy and thus, kept moving to keep my legs closed. But he kept trying to touch me here and there. Even my hair was not there to cover my front since it was tied in a bun.


    "Are you ufortable?" he asked innocently.


    "Yes, very much."


    "Why? Where?"


    "Dem, you are touching my breasts and butt like every few moments whenever you get the chance..."


    "I touched between your legs too. You forgot to mention it."


    "..."


    "What can I do? You have a beautiful body. I want to keep touching it," he muttered as he started massaging my feet one by one. "You know, there is one thing I found outst night... I did not know you like it that much."


    "What? Don''t say anything lewd," I warned.


    "We could make love after two days since you were sick. So, we took it too far and I was a bit rough," he said.


    ''You are always rough... What are you even saying?''


    "Then remember I pped your butt twice? And you got more excited," he said in a serious tone. "I am gonna do it more often now. It''s fun. Besides, you seem to like it too."


    "..."


    "Want me to do it now? Just bend with your back towards me."


    "Jeez, what are you saying?" I muttered, pping his hand away that was trying to touch me between the legs. "Don''t do it."


    "I will. Whenever I get the chance..."


    "Don''t."


    "Not listening..."


    "If you do it, I will do the same," I said.


    "Why would you do that? It''s weird."


    "Huh, you can p my butt, but I cannot p yours?! Isn''t this unfair? You said the same when I touched your nipple. You can touch my breasts and do whatever you want with them, but I can''t touch yours?"


    "It''s not like you can''t touch them? Just why would you? Your body is beautiful. Yes, I do have a good body, but my nipples aren''t attractive."


    "So, you prefer you did not have nipples? What are you even saying? Are you alright? Besides, your body is just prefect. Even your..."


    "Even my?"


    ''Ugh, now how can I say that his butt is top-ss?''


    "Anyway, let''s just rx. This conversation is weird," I said impatiently.


    He did not say anything, just smirked at me. It was like he knew what I was thinking. I looked down to make sure that I was wearing the ne because it felt like he knew what was in my mind.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "You are thinking about my thing, aren''t you?" he grinned.


    He pronounced ''my thing'', mimicking me. It was even more annoying because he could mimic me quite well.


    "I am not!" I yelled, getting embarrassed.


    "If you say so," he chuckled, not believing me. "But just so you would like to know, you have been looking at it more than once throughout our bath, even just a while ago, andst night as well. I don''t mind though. If you just ask me, I will show it to you properly. You don''t have to sneak peek."


    "Uh, I... I wasn''t... That wasn''t on purpose!"


    "So, you are saying that you are naturally attracted to it and want to look at it? Do you want to touch it too? Or perhaps lick it?"


    "... Oh my god, it''s not that...! I... I actually... Ugh, it''s all because of thosedies at the cafe... I have been like this since that day..."


    He raised his brow at me. I sighed and took a deep breath. This was going to be embarrassing.


    "That day, when we were at the cafe, there were five nobledies sitting at the table beside ours. We could hear their conversation very well. They were talking about their husbands... It was a bit embarrassing... Um, they were talking about sizes of... of that thing..."


    "Penis''s size?"


    "Y-Yes..."


    He looked a little ufortable. "You were wondering about my size?" he asked.


    "I know it as I have seen it so many times... But it... it is actually a lot bigger than what they said. They were calling that size big, but your one is just toorge. I was wondering if it''s a disease or something. I heard about something like this in my world...


    I don''t mean to disrespect you. I am just worried..."


    "I understand," he sighed. "You know, werewolves are different than humans in different aspects. Their sexual desire is also strong and they are very beastly when they are in heat or make love. And Alphas are different than normal werewolves. Our sexual desire is stronger than theirs and so is our physical strength. There is a saying that an Alpha can satisfy their partner better.


    Anyone with Alpha blood in them is called an Alpha and both an Alpha man and an Alpha woman can satisfy their partners better than normal werewolves. When I was growing into a man step by step during puberty, I was scared."


    "My body was a lot different than other werewolves. Of course, I heard about it before since I was given this type of knowledge during my training to be the heir. But I had no idea it would be this different. My body was like a man''s body when I was only fourteen. But it kept growing. I had seen other werewolves naked.


    It was prettymon since they took bath in front of each other sometimes and changed their clothes. That was when I started to feel the change. It took me years to properly get used to it. There was no one who would answer properly no matter what you ask. So, it was a bit hard to get used to it and I used to hate my body as well.


    But when I reached the age of twenty-two, I started to love my body because it felt natural then. And now that I know you like my body, I think I will love my body even more."


    "You must have been too scared. You were all alone after all," I mumbled.


    "That silver punk was with me and though it''s annoying to say, he actually helped a lot," he chuckled.


    I kissed him on the forehead. "Thank god, it''s not a disease. I was a bit scared. I was nning to ask the doctor..."


    "The size is not a problem anymore, right? It fits inside you pretty well and you like it. So, make sure you use this guy as much as you can," he smirked.


    "Dem! Why... why do you keep making everything sound improper?"


    "Well, I am no priest," he shrugged and got up. He suddenly licked and nibbled my ear.


    "Hnn..."


    "Priests have to remain pure until the day they die. I wonder why they call remaining a virgin being pure. Isn''t it a matter of their thoughts? Well, it doesn''t matter. All I can say is that, if that''s what is being pure, then being impure is surely more fun."

 Chapter 272: Problem Before The Wedding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "How are you feeling, Ruby?" I asked.


    Ruby and I were getting a full-body massage today. We invited masseurs to the pce. Since it was fun, I invited Iris over taking Ruby''s permission since it was organized for her mainly. But she could note because she had back pain that she got from sleeping in a strange position. It was hard to even stand now.


    "It''s good. But is Your Highness alright? You were sick not too long ago," she said.


    "The massage makes me feel good. It''s amazing. Besides, I am not sick anymore," I said. Hey, what''s your name?"


    "I am Aria, Your Majesty," the masseur who was massaging me replied.


    "You are doing well. Before leaving, you all should have some cake," I said.


    "Thank you, Your Majesty. You are very generous," she said.


    "Why did Perita note, Your Highness?" Ruby asked. "She was excited..."


    "Well, she was misbehaving. So, I sent her with Flint again," I said.


    Perita fought with a knight in the hallway for some strange reasons. So, as her punishment, I sent her with Flint to deliver some letters to some important members. She hated to go with Flint, so it was a perfect punishment for her.


    "It would have been great if Her Grace, the Duchess coulde."


    "She has back pain. Her sleeping position sucks for sure. Dem said mine sucks too," I said. "That said, you and Luc have gone out a few times I heard... Is it improving, the rtionship, I mean?"


    "Yeah, we are kind of free with each other now. The awkwardness is not there... I mean, it has not disappearedpletely, but it''s less," she said.


    "I see... That''s good. There should not be awkwardness between husband and wife. You guys will get closer after the wedding, so don''t worry."


    "That said... Actually..."


    "... Don''t tell me..."


    "Yes, it happened."


    "Shit!"


    ''So, Ruby is on her period... I was fearing this...''


    "It''s the second day. So, there is no way it will stop tomorrow," she said.


    "Ugh, damn it!"


    ''This must be how Dem feels when I am on my period. I would not have known someone can feel this strongly about someone else''s menstruation. I was looking forward to hearing stories about her and Luc''s wedding night. Now, this idiotic menstruation ruined everything! Jeez, juste at a right time. Why now?''


    "Your Highness seems more annoyed than me," Ruby chuckled.


    "Come on, the wedding night is special for brides, especially when you and your fianc¨¦ have never been close enough to do it before the wedding. I feel bad for you. You must have been looking forward to this."


    "Well, I was," she said. "But we still have to do it."


    "What?"


    I sat up quickly hearing this. Were they going to do it when she was on her period? Well, people did it. But it would be messy.


    "It''s essential to do it on the wedding night for us to be marked by each other. It''s kinda gross, but we have to do it. I will exin everything to Lord Luc."


    "Then it means you guys have to do it until dawn, right?" I asked and she nodded. "Hey, let''s just push the date."


    "But all the things have been prepared. And the invitations have been sent already," she said.


    "Haa," I sighed. "Ipletely forgot that even if you are on your period, you have to do it. Such weird ways... I hate it... Anyway, talk to Luc as soon as possible. Let''s hear what he says.


    Then we can decide something."


    "Yes, I will."


    Ruby was not working as my personal maid anymore. Now there were at least five or six maids or sometimes more than that took care of me. I did not bother remembering their name. Dem said that even if someone among them was loyal to me today, they would still try to harm me tomorrow. So, it was better not to get close to any of them. I decided not to remember their name and call them by that.


    It would keep me from getting hurt emotionally if any of them tried to harm me.


    Ruby chose those maids, but since Dem told me to be wary of them, I was doing so. Even Ruby said that there were only a few people I couldpletely trust.


    ''For now, the people I can trust are Dem, Luc, Ruby, Perita, Flint, Reece, Calix, and Abel. They are the most trustworthy people in the pce. Dem trusted the beta, but even he knew less than these people knew. I was not close with the beta since he worked with Dem most of the time. But I heard that he was president of my secret fan club. It was just a rumor, but Ruby said that it was true.''


    After the massage session, Ruby left and went to meet Luc. Even though my mind was in chaos, my body felt spoiled because of the massage. It was amazing.


    ''I should do it again some other time.''


    Even though I had gotten better now, I was not allowed to return to work. Dem said that I could return to work after Luc''s wedding. I had no idea what Luc''s wedding got to do with this.


    "Greeting, Your Highness."


    "Beta... Where is Dem?"


    "His Highness is in his office. Mage Flint is there. They are cursing."


    "Well, they both have a bad mouth. But why?"


    "No reason," he shrugged.


    "Alright, I will go there."


    Though Dem did not curse in front of me much, he actually had a very bad mouth. He cursed the most when he was with his subordinates and the knights. It was Luc, who told me all of this. He liked to say these kinds of things about Dem to me. That was the reason Dem chased him out of our bedroom yesterday.


    I went to Dem''s study and found them discussing something. Dem got my scent immediately. Flint could not smell me, so he found out I was there only when I pushed the door open.


    At first, everyone around me would know I was there as they could hear my footsteps. Werewolves had very good ears after all. But now I could walk in almostplete silence, thanks to Perita.


    I was a human, so even if I learned swordsmanship, it would be hard for me to win against them because they were physically strong. So, I needed to move quickly and use tricks. Physical strength was not something I could depend on, so I needed to be tricky. She said that I should not make noise at all as well. It would confuse them and they would not know when and how I would attack sometimes.


    Thanks to the practice, I could walk without making much noise now.


    "Did I disturb you?"


    "No,e in," Dem smiled.


    "Yes, Your Highness. You have disturbed us," Flint said. "Anyway, greetings, Your Highness.


    "I have juste back after the massage session," I said, ignoring Flint.


    "Your Highness is ignoring me now."


    "Wow, what is that pir doing in your room? Why is that here?" I asked.


    "I am a pir now? How could you say something like that, Your Highness? I thought we were on good terms," Flint said.


    "You are the one who started fighting with me. That said, how is work going?"


    "His Highness instructed us, so it''s going well. Your Highness just needs to get better."


    "Wow, is Flint wishing for my good health?" I eximed.


    "Your Highness, please don''t use such expressions. Just pay me well because I prayed for you."


    "Dem, can this guy be dismissed?"


    "Yeah," Dem nodded.


    "You heard him. Leave already."


    "It also seems I need to leave as soon as possible since there is a huge possibility of a kids'' unfriendly thing happening right now."


    Before I could grab Flint''s ear, he left using teleportation. Dem wasughing for some reason. Did he find the whole thing funny?


    "If we have a kid someday, I think you will be like this with them," heughed.


    ''You have thought about that?''


    "I think it will be the other way around. I have a feeling that I will be very close to my child and the possibility is that he will torment you," I said.


    "He?"


    "I think it will be a boy if I get pregnant someday," I said. "It will be a few yearster. So, it''s fine. That said, do you know that there is a problem?"


    "What is it? Are you feeling bad again?"


    "No, not that. It''s about Ruby. She is actually on her period."


    "So what? It''s amon thing," he shrugged.


    "Ugh, I don''t mean that... They will still have to do it, right? I told her to change the wedding date. She has gone to talk to Luc now."


    "He won''t change it."


    "What? Why?"


    "I know him. He just won''t."

 Chapter 273: Dinner With Ruby And Luc

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Just as Dem said, Luc said that it did not matter to him if Ruby was okay with it. She did not refuse as well.


    ''Well, I am not here to judge, but no one could ever make me share a night with my husband when I am on my period. That''s kinda gross... Anyway, it''s their decision. So, I will support whatever they choose.''


    "You are more nervous than them," Dem said during our dinner. Tomorrow was Ruby''s wedding. I was truly very nervous.


    "Just make sure you hide Blue well from two vultures'' eyes," Luc said. "I swear they will try to steal her."


    "Why is Lord Luc calling his parents vultures?" Ruby grumbled. "That''s improper."


    "You are saying that because you don''t know them," Luc said. "They will surely ask for both Blue''s and Dem''s permission to adopt Blue."


    "They are still on that?" Dem asked. "I thought they were joking."


    "They sent you letters too?" Luc asked, looking horrified.


    "They did. But I thought they were joking all this time," Dem said.


    "Maybe I will say yes if they want to adopt me," I chuckled. "In that way, I will get new parents, a brother, and a sister-inw. It will be fun."


    "Haa, it''s not like I don''t want it to happen. I mean, it won''t be bad. But honesty, those two old..."


    "Your parents are a lot better than you," Dem rolled his eyes. "How did you even turn out this way? What a shock...!"


    "Dining with His Highness and Lord Luc surely is lively," Ruby chuckled. "Not a single moment is silent."


    "That''s true. My ears will start bleeding at any moment. Why do they always fight? Really, the reasons are weird too," I sighed.


    "Ruby, you must be nervous," I said.


    "Not as much as Your Highness for sure," sheughed. "Your Highness was as nervous as today when you got married. I still remember..."


    "Yeah, I was," I chuckled. "Actually, I thought Dem was making fun of me giving me false hopes."


    "Your Highness had all the reasons to think like that," Ruby said.


    Ruby was sitting close to me, so it was easy for us to talk. Luc was sitting close to Dem and they were arguing over something.


    "Yeah. But well, I was proven wrong," I said.


    The dinner was pretty fun since Luc and Ruby were here as well. It was a like a double dinner date.


    "Should we have a drinking party now?" Luc eximed.


    "No," Dem declined firmly.


    "Come on. Ruby can drink, right?" Luc asked.


    "I can, but... Her Highness cannot hold her alcohol at all. She gets drunk even if she drinks very little and willpletely lose herself," she said.


    "Don''t worry about me. I will drink less this time. No, I will drink juice then. It''s not like alcohol is my favorite, don''t worry," I said. "Can we do it now, Dem?"


    "Haa, alright," he nodded.


    Just like before, Luc got drunk very quickly. Ruby seemed to have high alcohol tolerance. Dem was as usual drinking with a poker face. He usually did not change his expression no matter what, though he showed different facial expressions when he was alone with me. Among them, I was the only one not drinking wine.


    ''I feel like a kid...''


    But it was very much urate that I always lost myself when I was drunk and the next morning, I would have a bad headache. They were just worried about me.


    "Do you know, Ruby, Blue told me about a book and also gave it to me?" Luc muttered.


    ''He has lost it.''


    "What book?" Ruby asked.


    "That bastard is gonna get embarrassed tomorrow," Demughed evilly. "Don''t you stop him, Blue. Haha, idiot!"


    ''I''m sorry, Luc.'' Find adventures at m_v l|e-NovelBin


    "It''s about sex positions and other matters rted to sex," he replied and that was also very loudly. "Since none of us is experienced, it would be better to read it first. What do you say?"


    "Did Your Highness actually give him a book like that?" Ruby asked, turning bright red.


    "Well, that''s not my book," I mumbled. "But I did give him."


    "I know that''s not Your Highness''s book. You have never read something like that," she said. "Was something like this in the library?"


    "Yes, there are quite a lot of them in the library," I said.


    "Really? I will take more of them then," Luc said.


    "Lord Luc, don''t drink anymore," Ruby said anxiously. "Should I smack him behind his head?"


    "Yes, that would be great," Dem nodded.


    "Jeez, don''t do something like this. I will get Perita to take him to the magic tower. She can''t carry him unfortunately since he is actually quite heavy though he doesn''t seem so. Dem said this," I said.


    "She can just drag him," Dem said. "He will get the taste of his ownnd."


    In the end, I called both Perita and Calix to take him to the magic tower. Ruby was currently staying at her house. Though it waste at night, she still wanted to go back. So, I sent her back with three guards. Now that she was going to be the mistress of the magic tower, she needed protection. Anyone could try to harm her.


    "Are you okay?" I asked.


    "Me? Of course. Why are you asking?" Dem said.


    "You had so much wine."


    "It barely affects me. Alphas have a high alcohol tolerance," he said.


    "Wow, so many privileges..."


    "Yes, your husband is one of a kind," he said proudly. "You should never leave him."


    "I won''t. You know that."


    "No, I don''t know that. That''s something you know because I can''t read your mind."


    "Dem... I won''t leave you. I told you," I said and wrapped my arms around his waist.


    He smiled and led me to our bedroom. "You know, Mother sent me a letter," he said after the maids left, closing the door.


    "Then?" I asked, taking a seat on the couch.


    "It was the same as usual."


    "So, she still sends you letters. Why did you mention this one particrly?"


    Mother had been sending Dem letters every single day. She asked about himself and sometimes about me as well in those letters. He sent very brief replies back, but not all the time. It seemed Dem genuinely hated her. He also had a reason. But it was sad that he felt that way towards his own mother.


    "This time, she added something else," he said, taking a seat beside me and lighting his cigar. "She said she wants to go on a vacation somewhere after Luc''s wedding. Apparently, she is going to join his wedding."


    "Where?"


    "Leon Reef," he replied. "She has a mansion there. She said she will be staying there for a month or so."


    Leon Reef was an ind. There was an old tribe residing there. But they were very weing. They had a good rtionship with the Imperial Family. Dem''s father, the former King, was the one who built a good rtionship with them to make a deal with them. Most people of the tribe were great craftsmen.


    They were the ones who made the weapons and armors of the Imperial Knights.


    "It''s actually a good ce to visit if you are wishing to be sunburnt and have your ears bleed," Dem said and I chuckled. "I am not joking. It''s really hot there. I have been there once and I felt like I was being fried alive. I had a headache even though I usually don''t have it, no matter how tired I am. And the people there are very noisy.


    It''s not just because they make weapons and they need to make noise. They just love to sing and dance. They use thoserge drums and not just one or two, but many of them."


    "You don''t like that ce," I said.


    "I appreciate their abilities and I know that they are very important for us. But I don''t like visiting that ce. Mother is different though. She likes noisy things. She used to invite this one singer and his voice would make you want to run for your life."


    "Pfft... Well, we all have different preferences. But I also don''t like it when the atmosphere is too noisy," I said. "Anyway, I meant to ask you this- does smoking feel good?"


    "It helps me rx. Not bad, I would say."


    "Then I want to smoke too," I said enthusiastically. "Just once. Can I?"


    "No," he declined firmly.


    "Why not? You are doing it too..."


    "It''s not meant for you," he said. "It''s not good for your health."


    "Iris smoked once too. But I never did. Once won''t hurt, right?"


    "You can''t smoke when you are my wife. It''s bad for your health and I can''t see it happening."


    "But I will be your wife forever."


    "Exactly."

 Chapter 274: Luc And Rubys Wedding

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I was getting ready for Ruby''s wedding ceremony. It was five hours away, but I needed to start getting ready this early. The ceremony was going to be held in a very well-known park. It was reserved for the Royal family only.


    The park''s main attraction was its dandelion field. Just like many other people, it would be my first time visiting the park.


    I wore a red long body fitted dress. The train was pretty long, which was my favorite part. The neckline showed a bit of my cleavage. My dress was ordered to be made at the same time as Ruby''s wedding dress was being made.


    I kept the ornaments at a minimum. Even so, I could not avoid wearing the tiara. Personally, I did not like wearing a tiara, but it was important this time since I was joining as the Queen. Dem was going to wear his crown as well. He hated it as well.


    Over the dress, I had to wear the Royal coat. It was ufortable to wear something like that. It was ck and the fur around the borders was golden in color.


    It took more than four hours for the maids to get me ready. The makeup today was not my usual style since they put on red eye shadow on my eyelids and dark red lipstick on my lips. I usually wore natural shade makeup. But I decided to make red my priority today as per the wedding theme.


    My hair was not tied today. They curled it a bit and let it fall on my back. The tiara on my head made sure that no hair fell on my face.


    "It was a good choice to go with these thin earrings," one of the maids said. "They look better with this look."


    "Your Highness looks very different and dangerous. It''s very much different from Your Highness''s usual look."


    "That''s true. The usual look made Her Highness look beautiful and cute. But this look makes Your Highness look gorgeous and hot. Both looks suit Your Highness actually."


    "Thank you for your hard work," I said dismissively. "I will be leaving soon. So, take a break then."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. Though they said that I looked gorgeous, I still had a hard time adjusting to the look. Something was wrong with this look. My eyes, for some reason, did not suit the red makeup at all. Or was it just me?


    I took a deep breath and took Perita''s arm that she offered. She was here the whole time, observing my makeup andining that it was taking too long. The maids now had learned not to pay attention to her.


    "Your Highness actually looks very gorgeous. Everyone is going to keep looking at you today."


    "Well, even if I am ugly, everyone will look at me. I am the Queen, after all," I said. "It''s actually very ufortable. I just hope that I won''t freak out."


    The moment Perita opened the door, I found a familiar face waiting outside for me. He smiled the moment he saw me.


    I nced up and down at him. He was wearing his usual King''s attire. Along with that, he just wore a ring with a ruby on it. He said that it was enough red for him.


    "How do I look?" I asked. "You know, I thought I should make red my priority today."


    "... Do you have the dagger with you?" he asked without answering me.


    "Yes... But why?"


    "So, you can stab any man who approaches you, not as the Queen, but as a sexy and hot woman."


    "Jeez, is this your way ofplimenting me?"


    "That was a surprise attack," Perita nodded.


    "You truly look very hot today," he said and kissed me on the lips suddenly. Perita was used to this kind of situation, so she quickly stepped away from me.


    Thankfully, the lipstick could only be removed after ten hours. I wore it keeping my husband in mind.


    "Dem!"


    "When my wife looks like this, it''s hard to resist, you know."


    "You are really... Anyway, should we go there now?"


    "No, we are going to be thest ones to go there," he said. "Even after Luc and Ruby enter."


    "Hmm..."


    "The ceremony is going to be held for a long time. It''s not an Imperial marriage, so it will be different."


    "But it''s still being held at night."


    "It''s evening," he corrected. "Werewolves usually get married in the evening or at night. The ceremony will start at six-thirty and it will go on until twelve. You said that we are going to stay until the end. After the main ceremony is finished, I mean, marking each other, it''s time for a little party. Remember, after our wedding, we held banquets for seven days.


    You and I left very early because it was very crowded. But they kept partying. Tonight, it will be like that as well."


    Because I briefly showed my face at those banquets, I did not know many nobles. Now, I had an idea since I read all the important documents about the noble families.


    "We will stay a bit at the party as well. A lot of important people areing. They will be staying too, I guess."


    "People usually love to party. And the people invited at the wedding are all important people, at least, that''s what they say."


    "Yeah, yeah, no one is important to you."


    "You are," he said firmly.


    "Ah, that''s right," I mumbled.


    After some time, Dem said that we could leave now. Flint was the one who teleported us there. Flint was invited to the wedding as well. Luc even said the reason.


    "He is a talented guy. That''s why he is invited. There is no ce for idiots in my wedding," he had said so.


    We teleported at the end of the aisle. As soon as they got the sight of us, it was announced that the King and the Queen had arrived. Everyone turned their heads to see us.


    Dem was unbothered by the stares as usual. I was bothered less than before since I got used to this a bit.


    They stood up and bowed as we walked toward the bride and the groom. Ruby looked really beautiful. The designer was right. She looked better without a veil. Luc looked very handsome as well. It was my second time seeing him not wearing his robe.


    So, I was a bit taken aback.


    Both of them bowed slightly. After that, Dem and I took a seat in the front row beside the duke and the duchess.


    "Oh my god, Blue, I mean, Your Majesty looks gorgeous!" Iris eximed. Since we were in public now and anyone could hear us, we were to talk formally with each other. No matter how close we were, it was not alright to call the Queen by her name, ording to the general people.


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    "The duchess looks very beautiful too," I smiled.


    "Greetings, His and Her Majesty," the duke greeted.


    Dem nodded just a bit. "I have not seen the duke in a while. How have you been?" I asked.


    "I have been well. Thanks to the grace of His and Her Majesty," he replied.


    The wedding ceremony started. Though it was Luc''s and Ruby''s wedding, I could feel most people''s gaze on me. Was it because I was a human?


    "Luc looks great in a suit," I said. "Shouldn''t he wear it often?"


    "Don''t call another man looks good in front of your own husband. No, don''t ever say something like that, no matter what," Dem said.


    "You are saying this kind of stuff... Won''t others hear us?"


    "Not when we two talk. See the ring on my finger? You are wearing the same ring, right? It will prevent others from hearing our conversation."


    "So, it''s not a simple ruby?"


    "I don''t like the color red. It doesn''t suit me if it''s not blood. So, I thought if I were to wear something red, it might as well be useful. That''s why I made one for you as well."


    ''If it''s not blood? Do you know how creepy that sounds? I am d no one else can hear you.''


    "Ruby looks very beautiful. I can, at least, say that, right?"


    "She looks the usual to me though?"


    "... Hey, does everyone really seem the same to you other than me?"


    "Of course," he said. "I actually don''t find the necessity to properly look at other people if it''s not someone I love. I look at you because I love you. And since you are the only person I love, I don''t care about others or their appearance."

 Chapter 275: Ruby’s and Luc’s Wedding (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    After the main wedding ceremony, it was time for the party. I was right about joining the wedding and staying quite long. Most of the people had to ept Ruby and could not badmouth him since both the King and the Queen supported the wedding.


    It was ten at night. Luc and Ruby would leave at twelve, Luc said. Dem was arguing with Luc about something again and the duke was with them. Ruby was taking a break since she had been standing for too long. Iris and I were chatting, a bit far away from the crowd.


    "The preparation has been amazing. No wonder the wedding nner is the one who nned your wedding," she said.


    "Yeah. I suggested her to Luc," I agreed.


    "That''s great. It seems Ruby had a hard day. Just look at her... I wish I could take her somewhere to less crowded. But she is the main attraction, though I think people are more interested in the Queen."


    "That''s because I don''t join banquets at all. I got a lot of invitations, but I am busy. I don''t have any time for those. Besides, I don''t really like to get close to these people. They are the ones who spread rumors the most. It would be good if they were on my side for sure.


    But right now, I have managed to get the important political figures on my side. Dem helped a lot with that too. So, not many people can go against me even though I am a human," I said.


    "Yes, some puny nobles are not needed to pay any attention to," she grumbled. "They just go around partying and try to light a fire to a good atmosphere for no good reason. Those flies... But our Blue is very brave for being able to be such a great Queen despite your age. I really admire you for that."


    "Greeting, Your Majesty, the Queen and the mother of Querencia, and Her Grace, the Duchess."


    I was taken aback by the sudden greeting. I turned back and found three women curtsying. "I am Merry Sunrock, the sessor of Marquis Alfredo Sunrock."


    "I am Penny Starwolf, youngest daughter of Earl Benson Starwolf."


    "And I am Latte Prideglow. I am the elder sister of Marchioness Spring Prideglow."


    ''Latte? She is named after coffee. I will assume that her parents loved coffee. And her sister''s name is also unique. Spring- perhaps their mother''s favorite season was spring. Anyway, not bad.''


    "You may rise. I am familiar with Marquis Alfredo, Marchioness Spring, and Earl Benson. It feels great to meet their offspring as well," I said.


    "We are very grateful to be able to meet Your Majesty," Merry said. "We were very curious to see what kind of person Her Majesty, the Queen is."


    ''So disrespectful. What do they want? No one can talk like this to the Queen if it''s not another King or Queen. Even they maintain their tone. Her tone is very rude.''


    "Your Majesty exceeded our expectations," she chuckled, hiding her face behind her fan.


    "May I ask what Lady Merry expected?" Iris asked, controlling her tone. It seemed she was pissed.


    "Hm, I thought a human was just a human. But of course, Her Majesty, the Queen has to be extraordinary and..."


    "Lady Merry, do you know that you are being disrespectful towards Her Majesty, the Queen?" Iris asked.


    "Oh my, I was just answering Your Grace''s question."


    "Well, let''s say thedy was answering the duchess''s question. But doesn''t thedy know that it''s the Queen she is talking about? You see, if everyone hears that you disrespected the Queen, they will mock you. But if I cut your tongue right now in front of everyone, I wonder who will dare to stop me. Well, you know, recently, I have developed this new hobby to curve on others'' faces with my dagger.


    I wonder what if I show it to everyone. Thedy can have the honor to be my doll for today."


    "W-What...?" she trembled and the other two women stepped back a bit.


    "Lady Merry was brave enough to be rude to me, yet thedy is afraid of this. Tsk, how can such a dim-witted person be Marquis Alfredo''s heir? It seems I need to talk to the Marquis a bit since it concerns my kingdom as well."


    "You... you can''t."


    "Lady Merry, do I have to show you that I was not joking about curving on your face?" I red at her. "If you understand, why don''t you get out of here and note in front of me tonight again? I think I need to clean my eyes right now... Shoo, shoo, go away..."


    She was fuming in anger as she walked away with the other two women who asked for my forgiveness. I did not forgive though.


    "Really, that bitch! She was talking that way to the Queen. More than the words, it''s the tone she used. Good thing that you showed her a lesson. I wished you pped her."


    "There are a lot of people like her. She just showed herself and others are still behind the shadow," I muttered.


    "His Majesty is looking this way again and again. I think His Majesty wants you to go there or something... Ah, no, he ising this way. I better be on my way. I will go to Ruby."


    "Alright," I nodded.


    "How are you feeling?" Dem asked.


    "I''m fine. Just this coat is ufortable," I replied.


    "The Royal coat? You can take it off if you want to," he said.


    "But how can I? I am the Queen and I am to wear it," I said. "What will others say?"


    "Who cares about that?" he shrugged.


    "Haa, I do," I said. "Anyway, forget about that. By the way, do you know Lady Merry?"


    "Who is that?"


    "The sessor of Marquis Alfredo."


    "Oh, is that so?"


    "Yes, she hade to greet me a while ago along with two otherdies- Lady Penny and Lady Latte. They are respectfully the youngest daughter of Earl Benson Starwolf and the elder sister of Marchioness Spring Prideglow. Lady Merry was disrespectful towards me."


    "What did she say?" he asked, gritting his teeth.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I was just asking if I can shape her life a bit," I said.


    "Shape her life a bit?" he chuckled. "Why don''t you let me do it? I will make sure you never have to see her again."


    ''You are going to kill her...''


    "No, I will take care of it. It''s my problem, so let me take care of it," I said. "Or did you make me the Queen so I wille running to you about every single of my problems?"


    "I made you the Queen so you can stay by my side as my wife," he said. "I don''t mind if youe running to me."


    "I... I don''t want that. I want to solve my own problems. Since you don''t like it if I do something without letting you know, I wanted to tell you about it. I don''t require your help."


    "Alright, do whatever you want," he said. "I''m d that you let me know first."


    Just when I thought that I could now sit down quietly, two people came running toward me. They were perhaps in their forties.


    The woman had brown hair and the man also had brown hair with a few silver strands, just like Luc. It was clear who they were.


    "Greetings, Your Majesty, the Queen, and the King," the man bowed and the woman did a curtsy.


    "Marquis and Marchioness, it''s been long," Dem said. It was the first time I heard him saying something back after someone greeted him. "They are Luc''s parents, Blue. It must be your first time meeting them."


    "Ah, Luc''s parents. I have heard about you two a lot. It''s great to meet you both in person," I smiled.


    "Oh my! Your Majesty, the Queen is very generous and beautiful," the Marchioness smiled. "Isn''t that right, dear?"


    "Yes, Her Majesty is kinder than Luc said," the Marquis nodded.


    ''What have I done to be kind all of a sudden?''


    "Luc is Dem''s childhood friend and now my friend as well. So, please call me Blue," I said.


    "Is that alright? Then Blue should call me Mom."


    "Yes, and you can call me Dad."


    ''Luc was not exaggerating. But they are very adorable.''


    "Sure then," I smiled.


    "Kya! We actually want to spend some time with Blue because Blue is just so adorable. Then we would like to propose something," the Marchioness said. "Luc told us about Blue and since then, we wanted to meet you. You don''t even know how happy we are."


    "Is that so?" I chuckled.


    "See, Blue? Didn''t I tell you? They truly ditched their own son to meet you," Luc grumbled,ing up from behind. "Mother just gained the courage to finally talk to you and came running. Father is no different. It seems you are their daughter and I am just a passerby."

 Chapter 276: Cant Wait

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    The Count''s family and Luc''s parents held us back for a long time. I could refuse easily, but my wife said that it would be rude. So, we had to stay for a long time.


    It was almost three in the morning when we finally could leave. I made sure that she did not drink much since she would lose herself and get a headache the next morning.


    "We could not talk to the bride and groom much," she sulked as the maids helped her get out of her dress. I was sitting on the couch, observing her.


    "You can talk to themter," I said. "What could you even do? Luc''s parents were not letting you go. They are obsessed with the idea of making you their adopted daughter. Well, knowing them, it''s very normal."


    "They are adorable, I think," she chuckled. "I think I will let them. What do you think?"


    "You can do whatever you want to about it. Either way, you are not going away from me. So, it''s fine."


    "They dote on Luc a lot as well. It won''t be bad having such loving parents. Besides, they told me to call them Mom and Dad already."


    Luc and I grew up together, thanks to his father''s good rtionship with my father back then. But they got into a quarrel at some point, but we remained friends. I had a good rtionship with his family as well. Luc''s extraordinary abilities in magic were revealed early and then it was proven that he had enough mana to be considered the master of the magic tower.


    He became the master of the magic tower two years before I became the King when the former master of the magic tower passed away. Luc did not like my father and shared a cold rtionship with him. There also had been a rumor about the bad rtionship between the King and the young master of the magic tower.


    "Honey, don''t smoke," she said when she noticed me trying to bring a cigar out of my pocket.


    "Ha, alright...," I said, putting it back.


    "You all can leave now," she said to the maids after they were done putting a nightgown on her. They still had not gotten used to me staying in the bedroom even when my wife was changing. They were scared of me as well.


    "Hey, you are not worried or angry right now, right?" she said slowly, touching my face gently. "You said you smoke at those times mostly. Smoking is not good. So, try not to do it too much."


    "I just felt like it all of a sudden..."


    "Please," she said.


    ''If you look at me like that...''


    "I will try not to."


    She smiled broadly and kissed my forehead. ''Is that enough for you? I did not even say that I will do it for sure. It was like this when I said I will try to change my behavior and thoughts. Even then, I did not say I will for sure. But you were just as happy.''


    I touched her neck and traced my finger down her chest. She locked her eyes with me and undid the buttons of my shirt one by one. At this point, none of us needed to say anything to know what we wanted.


    "Your Highness, ah, I am so sorry..."


    The maid suddenly came in. I was so absorbed at the moment that I could not tell her using my mind to note in.


    "Oh my... I am so sorry," my wife said, looking at my chest. "I identally cut you. The ring..."


    "Why did youe in without permission?" I asked the maid, ring at her.


    "My apologies... I just forgot to take the cleaning brush away..."


    "Take it and leave," Blue said. "If it happens again, you will be punished."


    "Why not now?" I asked.


    "She has been warned. Give her another chance," she said and then looked at the maid. "Leave now."


    "Yes, I am really sorry... I will get going..."


    After she left, my wife looked down at my chest and tried to wipe the drops of blood away. "I''m sorry... I was so surprised..."


    "I could not tell her not toe because I was so... Anyway, it''s nothing. Don''t worry about it."


    "I will get the ointment," she said and before I could say anything, she ran in the bathroom.


    "Really? You are going to leave me like this?" I mumbled. "Not happening..."


    I stormed after her and found her getting the ointment quickly. I grabbed her by the arm, shocking her, and pulled her into the shower with me.


    "The water... All of a sudden...," she said as I turned the water on.


    I did not answer her and picked her up, grabbed her from the bottom, and pressed her against the wall.


    "Dem? The ointment..."


    "Fuck the ointment! I don''t need an ointment! I need you, just you," I said and started kissing her.


    She wrapped her arms around my nape and her legs around my waist tightly as my lips devoured her.


    "You can''t wait?" she asked, panting after the long kiss.


    "You don''t know... You know nothing about how hard it''s for me," I said and started kissing her neck.


    "Ah... Mm..."


    "When you were at the wedding ceremony today, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to take my eyes off you? I was so mad when those bastards were looking at you lustfully. I wanted to kiss you right there, in front of everyone, so they would know that you are mine."


    "I... I am already yours though... Everyone knows it," she mumbled.


    "But have they been shown? You see, they need to be shown sometimes to know the truth," I said and ripped a bit of the nightgown from the front. Her right breast and a part of her right side were exposed in front of me. I grabbed her breast and pinched her nipple hard enough for her to wince in pain.


    "Ugh!"


    "You are so beautiful that I am always worried that someone will snatch you away. That''s why I want to show everyone that you are mine. Since I cannot show the beautiful face you make when I pleasure you, I at least want them to see my lips capturing your lips and hear bits of your suppressed moans. That will be enough," I said, rubbing my thumb over her erected nipple.


    "The hearts of those who fell for you will be broken just like that. It will be fun, don''t you think? Perhaps you don''t think that way. After all, you are such a kind woman. But isn''t it their fault to fall for a married woman in the first ce? They deserve to have their hearts broken, those motherfuckers!"


    Well, even if we were not married and someone fell for her, I would still make sure that their hearts were broken in the worst way possible. And if their hearts did not break, then I would just make sure that they were in the worst state of their lives, just like I did to those men who dared to stalk my wife.


    Blue was a beautiful woman. If someone looked at her for a while, there was a huge possibility they would fall for her. Especially because of her gorgeous blue eyes, she had many men who courted her. Some of them did not want her body or heart, they just wanted to observe her, even if it was just from afar.


    And my wife did not even know that she had many stalkers. Those fuckers did not even know what fate awaited them when they started to make that wrong move.


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    ''Well, it''s fine now. They are taken care of. I personally made sure that they suffered enough and are in a ce from where they could nevere near my wife. She doesn''t need to know about it.''


    "Ahh... Dem..."


    "Should I touch you down there too?"


    She nodded shyly and I smirked, before making my hand under her nightgown. "The fabric pressed against your skin because of the water... I can see everything, you know. It''s a good thing the color is white. It''s transparent right now. And you are not even wearing anything beneath.


    It''s just too fucking sexy!"


    "Uhh... There..."


    "You like it here? Do you like it when I rub on your clit? Or do you want me to insert my fingers?"


    "R-Rub that ce...," she mumbled. "I-It feels good."


    I chuckled. "That''s it. I like it when you are truthful," I said. "Then I will do as my wife says. And then, I would like to collect my reward for listening to you."

 Chapter 277: Getting Back To Work

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I could not fall asleep that night because my limbs hurt. My back hurt as well and my arms were sore.


    "We are never doing it in that position again," I said. "The bathtub is fine, but the shower? It''s never gonna happen again."


    "Let''s do it in the bathtub next time," he said, snuggling closer to me. "I also think the shower might be dangerous. You lost strength and when I put you down to dry your body, your legs almost gave away."


    "You are really weird. Who does something like that all of a sudden? You had a wound on your chest..."


    "Who cares about that? It''s healed now, anyway," he shrugged. "Sleep now. It''ste."


    "Late? It''s morning," I grumbled. "Don''t go to work today. Stay with me and sleep. Neither of us could sleep at all."


    "Is that so?"


    "Hm... I never tell you to skip work. But at least for today, will you do it? I listened to you and stayed in the bedroom for three days."


    "I cannot say no to my wife. Let''s stay in the bed all day. I will send a letterter to the beta," he said.


    "By staying in bed, I meant sleeping only. Okay? Do not misunderstand. It doesn''t mean anything else."


    "Yeah, yeah...," he chuckled.


    ''Why do I feel like I am being ignored? He heard me, right?''


    "Haa, Ruby looked very happy today," I mumbled. "She also looked very beautiful. Do you know how overwhelmed she was when she tried on her wedding dress for the first time?"


    "Is that something to be happy about? Isn''t that just putting on a dress?"


    "No way! A wedding is very important to women. Sometimes they are very overwhelmed. It''s a beautiful feeling, I heard."


    "Didn''t you feel that way when we got married?"


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    "... You know the answer as well. Your method of bringing me here and marrying me all of a sudden was just not normal," I said. "But that doesn''t mean I regret getting married to you. I am happy now. And you never mistreated me as well.


    So, it''s fine now."


    "Should we get married again then? To make you feel that way?"


    "Haha, thank you for saying that, but it''s fine. Getting married is very tiring. I would love it if we can just stay as a happy and loving married couple. And it''s not like I am jealous of her. I just liked the look on her face," I chuckled. "By the way, you know I am not having those nightmares anymore?"


    "I am with you almost every night. I tire you out so much that you don''t get the chance to have a nightmare."


    It was more like when he was with me, I did not have those nightmares. Everything seemed connected somehow.


    "But two nights ago, I had a dream."


    "What dream?"


    "It was very weird. In the dream, I could see myself. Um, it was of the time when I had a... miscarriage..."


    "..."


    "I saw myself sitting on the bed and you were beside me. I looked dead... The look in my eyes was very strange as well. I was supposed to be scared... But oddly, I was not. Then I saw everything that happened that day.


    You took me to the washroom so I could wash up. Then you fed me. I was heartbroken at that time. Yes, I was not ready to be a mother and perhaps I did not love it enough. Maybe it was my guilt that made me feel that way after I lost the baby. But truth be told, I wanted the baby.


    I was not ready and I did not love it, but I wanted it. I wanted to feel the baby in my arms. Perhaps I would have loved the baby eventually."


    "Baby..."


    "No, I am not sad. But after that day, for some reason, I felt a bit better. After the miscarriage, even after so many days passed by, I still could not forgive myself. I smiled, but a corner of my heart always seemed to be pressed by an agonizing feeling. I just could not bring myself to be happy wholeheartedly. It always seemed that I was not meant to be happy.


    But I really feel better. That dream... It was something I needed to see with my own eyes."


    "You know, I don''t know what to say to make you feel better. But if you are ready and want to have a child, don''t hesitate and tell me. I will try with all I have to be a good father. We will protect the child together."


    "Yeah... It''s not gonna happen in a year or something though...," I said. "But I will tell you when I am ready."


    "Yes, make sure you do so."


    "I want a baby who will look like you. You are so handsome. If our baby boy looks like you, that will be amazing."


    "I am handsome, but you are cute. I prefer a baby who will look like you."


    "But you are better looking than me. Well, it doesn''t matter. We will love the baby no matter who it looks like, right?"


    "... Yeah, we will."


    I fell asleep after a while. Dem did not listen to me and we ended up doing it a few times throughout the whole day. He had a way to convince me somehow.


    It was the next morning when I finally got out of bed. He had left early for work. I found a note on his pillow.


    We could try a lot of positions yesterday. Let''s have a sex marathon again someday.


    "Ugh, this guy... He is crazy or what?"


    "The bath is ready, Your Highness."


    "Yes, I will be there."


    The water was warm, just how I liked it. The maids cleaned my hands and legs thoroughly. I told them not to use any oil and only to add the rose petals.


    "Um, Your Highness, which dress do you want to wear today?"


    They showed me two different dresses of golden and ck color. "I want to wear something of light color today."


    "What about sky blue, Your Highness?"


    "I think that one dress thatpletely matches Your Highness''s eye color would be the best choice."


    "Alright, bring that one," I said.


    "Your Highness, we also wanted to say something..."


    "Yes?"


    "That one dress from Ataraxia... The pink one that was gifted by the Crown Prince of Ataraxia... It was found burnt..."


    "When?" I asked.


    "Two days ago. We could not tell Your Highness because you were resting and His Highness told us not to disturb you for those three days."


    "I see... It was a gift. Too bad, something like this happened. But the question is- how was there a fire all of a sudden?"


    "It was an ident, Your Highness. It was another rebel, we heard."


    "Pfft, a rebel came to burn my dress? No other than that dress?" Iughed and red at them. "Why can''t I hear the whole story? Do you think I have time to listen to nonsense?"


    "I am sorry, Your Highness... That... that wasn''t... I mean, that rebel tried to light a fire in the pce... But got caught very quickly..."


    "That''s enough," I said, waving my hand. "Dress me up quickly. That was a gift, so I wished that nothing had happened. But what can we do over spilled tea now?"


    ''Well, it''s a rather odd incident. Rebels can get into our pce somehow these days. But burning a dress while trying to light a fire? That''s just utter nonsense. Anyway, it doesn''t matter. There are more pressing matters than investigating that cause of a fire incident that only ruined a dress.''


    I went to my office where I was greeted by Reece and Flint. "Good morning, Your Highness. Are you feeling better?" Reece asked.


    "Yes, I am fine now. Thanks for asking," I smiled.


    "If Your Highness wants to, you can take more rest and thene back when you are fit. A healthy master is better than a sick one," Flint said.


    ''Though his words are strange, he is actually worried.''


    "I ampletely fine now. See? I am healthy," I said. "You all did a good job these days."


    "His Highness checked everything. Your Highness doesn''t need to check the previous documents."


    "I see... Then I will just check the important letters today," I said as I took a seat. "Reece, today, I need you to prepare a report for me about the temple''s recent activities. I heard from a spy that there might be some kind of illegal business going on and the temple is rted to it somehow.


    I need all kinds of news- rumors, the newspapers of the past three months that mentioned the temple in any way, reports of the new priests hired by the temple, the activities of every single priest and also the monthly expenses of the past three months. Equip any spy you need to get the information to make the report. Start today. I need it within three days."

 Chapter 278: Dems Lover?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I personally don''t like the temple. They are just ying with people''s faith and use the money they donate for their own selfish purposes," Flint said. "Those pure-looking bastards!"


    "I will get to it right away, Your Highness," Reece said.


    "I forgot to mention- make sure you give me a list of the priests in training as well. Every single thing about the temple, I mean."


    "Yes, I will do so."


    "Then start right away," I said. "Three days, remember?"


    Reece bowed and left. "And you, Flint, I need you to make a very strong potion for me that will burn anyone''s skin if they touch it. And no medicine can cure the burning. So, it means if used too much, they will possibly lose that part of their body."


    "That''s such a fun thing. I will start right away. When do you need it?"


    "How long will it take?" I asked.


    "Two days at most. It''s a very hard potion, so I need to take it slow."


    "It''s fine. Just make it really strong."


    "Alright, I will do it. Then I will go now."


    Flint liked it when I told him to make stuff that would be used to make someone suffer. He was an odd fellow.


    I needed the potion for self-defense. That night, I was quick, so I did not lose my eye. But if Dem was just a littlete, I would have died. At that time, I wanted to die, but right now, I did not have any desire to end my life. I wanted to live happily. To save myself, I could not use physical strength since it would be of no use against a werewolf.


    That was why I needed to keep a potion like that with me so I could throw it at the attacker. It would be more useful than trying to hit them with my hand.


    Dem and the guards would not be with me all the time. I had faced the times when I needed to protect myself.


    Now, the potion would be made within two days. The worry about my safety subsided a bit. I would be more relieved after I would get the potion in my hands.


    The worrying matter was now the temple. There used to be a lot of temples all around Querencia. But after Dem became the King, he destroyed most of them in secret. No one knew that it was his work. Some suspected that it was him, but theck of proof did not allow them to do anything.


    It was because the temple was fueling up rebels at that time with the excuse that ck eyes would bring a curse to the kingdom. The priests were the ones who considered ck eyes cursed. After that event, the priests became cautious and did not go against Dem''s words.


    I was managing the matters rted to the temple because Dem hated it wholeheartedly. He even said that he would rather fight in several wars than even meet the priests.


    Recently, my spies reported to me that there might be an illegal business going on and the temple was rted to it. The spy could not say anything for sure. Since I told him not to take a risk, he could not be sure. I told him to report againter targeting one person who looked more suspicious than others.


    I had told Dem about this. He said that I could do whatever I wanted. Well, his exact words were a bit different.


    "Those damned priests again?! I can just kill them. Oh, you said you want to deal with it? Then just fucking kill them. We have a lot of skilled assassins. Just assign any of them and show them the end of their fucking useless lives."


    I chuckled, thinking about how he reacted. It seemed he truly hated the priests. Well, I could not me him. The priests were the ones who had caused problems for him in the first ce.


    I nced at Calix, who had been following me silently. He grinned when I looked at him. He was kind of like a cute little puppy.


    Perita and Calix were now assigned as my personal guards. They did not guard me at the same time. Half of the day, it was Calix, and the other half of the day, it was Perita. Perita was supposed to take half of the day off today. So, Calix was guarding me.


    "Do you like the temple, Calix?" I asked.


    "No," he replied firmly.


    "Why?"


    "Everyone in the knights'' sector hates the temple. It''s nothing new. The reasons are the same as always. The priests cause too many problems. Even two years ago, when I was new here, we needed to take action to take the rebels down who were fueled by the priests," he replied.


    "I have not met a single priest. After Reece makes the report, I am thinking of visiting the main temple. It''s in the capital, but far away from the pce."


    "It has always been there. I think the first Alpha of Querencia hated the temple too and that was the reason it''s established quite far away from the pce."


    "The previous king, I mean, King Axel... How was his rtionship with the temple?"


    "Because of King Axel, the priests got too over themselves."


    "So, they were on good terms," I muttered to myself. "Anyway, I will know more after Reece makes the report. Now, tell me, have you met up with your psychiatrist?"


    "It was yesterday."


    "How was it?"


    "He is a friendly person like Your Highness. So, I like to talk to him."


    "Oh, that''s good. You said I am a friendly person? Then do you like to talk to me too?"


    "Of course! Your Highness is the best Queen we could have. You are kind and gentle, but also can be strict when you need to. That''s why we all like you a lot."


    "Haha, good to know that you guys feel that way," I chuckled.


    ''Actually, whenever they praise me, I get the feeling that they expect a lot from me. I get anxious thinking about what will happen if I disappoint them. I try not to feel pressured, but it is hard.''


    I sighed and focused on writing a letter. After it was finished, I used my Royal seal to stamp it. The person I was sending it to was going to get a little heart attack after seeing my Royal seal.


    "Calix, take this letter to a mage and have it delivered to Marquis Alfredo Sunrock. It''s written on the envelope too," I said, handing Calix the letter.


    "I know Marquis Alfredo''s daughter. What''s her name again...?"


    "Merry," I replied.


    "Ah, right, that woman... She was trying to get inside the pce. I was just passing by and then she came out of nowhere. She said that she was His Highness''s secret lover."


    "What a load of bullshit! When did it happen?"


    "Just a few days ago," he said. "I was really surprised. His Highness''s lover? Oh, please, give me a break. That''s never going to happen. If someone told me that the sun has risen in the west today, I would have believed that.


    But not this. That''s just in impossible. The man whoes home without wasting a second right after his work is done just to be with his wife, he can never have a lover."


    ''This woman... She even said she is the most loyal man''s lover? Badmouth me, but don''t bring my husband into this. Ugh, she ruined my mood now!''


    "That day, I saw His Highness looking at Your Highness from afar. He was just looking and smiling. Believe me, Your Highness, that man can never be with anyone else."


    "I believe Dem. I know it''s a lie. Now I know why she disrespected me in the wedding ceremony."


    "She did what? That..."


    And here I was wondering why she would suddenly do that. If Calix had not mentioned this, I would not have known that Lady Merry liked Dem and because I was his wife, she hated me.


    "Has shee again after that day?"


    "No. She had left throwing a tantrum. She doesn''t really have shame," he said.


    "Take the letter to a mage now. Not Flint, he is working. I need to sort a few things now," I said. "Also, tell the maids to bring my breakfast here. I am hungry. Have you had your breakfast yet?"


    "I did."


    "Then have with me too."


    "But I had my breakfast."


    "Who cares? I don''t wanna eat alone. At least, have some tea with me."


    "... Alright, if Your Highness wants so."

 Chapter 279: What Jealousy Feels Like

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, Marquis Alfredo Sunrock is here," a maid said.


    "Has he been taken to a drawing-room?"


    "Yes, to that room."


    "Good. I will be there."


    It was nighttime, so Perita was on the job to guard me. She ced my coat on my shoulders as I stood up.


    "Your Highness, send him away before dinnertime. You must eat your food at the right time. That guy must be annoying to have food with. So, send him away fast," Perita said.


    "Hm, I will see. The conversation should not take long," I mumbled.


    "Your Highness, do you want to change your dress?" a maid asked.


    "No, this dress is fine."


    "Then, I will lead the way, Your Highness."


    The maid led us the way and Perita kept telling me that I should send the Marquis home quickly. I was sure that the Marquis also wanted to leave as soon as possible. After all, a special creature was in the room.


    "Marquis Alfredo Sunrock, have you waited long?" I asked, smiling as I entered the room.


    "N-No, not long at all, Your Highness," he said, trembling a bit.


    "Oh my, is it very cold today? The Marquis is shivering badly. You there, serve us some hot tea. We cannot let the Marquis catch a colding to the Imperial Pce, right?"


    "T-Thank you, Your Highness for your g-generous offer...," he tried to smile but failed miserably.


    "Oh, is my pet bird disturbing you? It likes to sit near specific things," I said, looking at the bird of death that was sitting beside the Marquis.


    ''I''m sorry, Dem. It''s your bird, I know. But let me lie today.''


    "N-No, it is not... Rather, it is looking at me rather oddly."


    ''It wants to eat your flesh because you are moving so much.''


    "Oddly? How dare you use that kind of word to describe my bird looking at the Marquis so cutely?!" I eximed angrily.


    "M-My apologies, Your Highness! I do not mean to insult Your Highness or this curse... I mean, holy bird..."


    ''Holy? Pfft! Uh, I almostughed... Gotta control my reactions.''


    "The tea is served already. My bird is very well mannered, so please be at east. It usually does not attack anyone if not disturbed even though it likes werewolf flesh," I said. "So, the Marquis can enjoy your teafortably."


    "Ah, yes..."


    He kept ncing at the bird which was ring at him. The bird of death did not like to go near people and would attack if someone disturbed him. But since I was here, it would not happen as it listened to me well.


    I told the servants to lure the bird here using the meat it liked the most. I wanted to scare the Marquis, so he would know who he was dealing with. It might sound evil, but I was enjoying myself a lot.


    "Um, not to be rude, but can Your Highness tell me the reason I am called here?"


    "Of course, I have called you for a reason of course. Marquis Alfredo has two daughters, am I right?" I asked.


    "Yes, that is correct, Your Highness."


    "And your sessor is your eldest daughter Merry Sunrock?"


    "... Yes, Your Highness."


    "You see, Lady Merry did some things that made me feel very sad and I was emotionally hurt. Some of her actions showed disrespect towards me and His Majesty, the King. So, tell me, Marquis- being a citizen of this kingdom and disrespecting the King and the Queen- is it something she can do just like that?"


    "No, Your Highness. I have failed as a parent. I apologize on behalf of my daughter."


    "It is not just about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. As the Queen of Querencia, I am worried about what will happen if someone as insolent as her bes the Marchioness," I said. "Does the Marquis know that Lady Merry also visited the pce a few days ago? The pce''s front gate to be precise and wanted to get inside the pce for some weird reasons that only she can understand.


    Now, is it a way she can behave? I don''t care if thedy jumps around in the middle of the market, but I care greatly if she does the same in front of the pce."


    "I am so sorry, Your Highness. This... this kind of thing... I did not know... What can I do topensate?"


    "Nothing much. You have another daughter who is just a year younger than Lady Merry. I want the Marquis to make remove Lady Merry from her position and make your other daughter the heir. I know about your youngest daughter''s abilities as well. I believe she will do a good job as well," I said. "You can surely do this much, can''t you?"


    "Is there no other way, Your Highness?"


    "No," I replied. "I won''t press you if you don''t want to do this. Then you can go home right away. Everything will remain the same. I just will not forget what happened."


    "That... Your Highness can be assured that I will do so. I will officially announce my youngest daughter as my heir," he said.


    "Well then, that is all. I would have loved to invite the Marquis for dinner, but I have some work today. So, next time, let us have dinner together. His Majesty, the King will be present as well."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I will take my leave then."


    "I will be waiting to hear the news."


    "Surely, Your Highness."


    "Little bird, you scared him to death," I said and the bird flew to sit on my shoulder. I was wearing my coat which was very thick, so its ws did not hurt.


    "Your Highness did not scare him any less," Perita said.


    "Well, I guess I did a bit," I chuckled.


    "Your Highness, His Highness is waiting for you in the dining hall. He has been waiting for a while. We told His Highness that Your Highness was meeting up with Marquis Alfredo. So, His Highness decided to wait for Your Highness," a maid said.


    "It''ste. I will go there."


    Perita escorted me to the dining hall where I found Dem waiting. "Are you done with him?" Dem asked.


    "Yeah," I nodded, taking a seat in the opposite direction. "Your bird helped a lot."


    "The bird?" he asked while motioning the servants to serve us our dinner.


    "I told the maids to lead the bird to that drawing-room to scare the Marquis a bit. It was kind of fun... Haha, I sound like an evil woman," Iughed. "The matter is taken care of now. She disrespected me, but that wasn''t the only reason I did it. I actually wanted to meet up with the Marquis to threaten him just a bit.


    But then I found out she did something else too."


    "What did she do to anger you so much? You usually don''t get angry like this," he asked, chuckling.


    "She... she came to the pce a few days ago and was telling the guards to let her in."


    "Why would she do that? Is the Imperial Pce a toilet?"


    "Apparently, it''s her lover''s ce," I said. "At least, that''s what she said."


    "Lover? Heh, we are the owner of the pce. Even if she has a lover inside the pce, that will mean nothing."


    "Haha, what if her lover is the King?"


    "Yuck! What the fuck? Is she crazy or what? Me and her lover? Yikes! I would rather be a dog," he eximed in utter disgust.


    "You are that disgusted?" I chuckled.


    "Of course. I have a beautiful wife. Why would I need a lover? Yuck! I lost my appetite, damn it!"


    "Calix told me that he saw it all," I said. "Don''t make that face. It''s not like it''s a crime to like someone romantically."


    "It''s not. But your and my case are different than others. Only I can like you romantically and the same way, only you can like me romantically."


    "How can you control someone''s feelings?"


    "I can''t. But it''s not like I don''t warn them enough. If men like you romantically, they should keep those feelings to themselves and try not to do anything idiotic. That way, they can be safe. I thought you would not do anything even if women throw themselves at me because you are kind. But I am d that you took action against a woman who imed to be my lover...


    Ugh, it sounds so disgusting!"


    I also thought that it would not matter. But when I only heard that she said she was Dem''s lover, my blood started boiling. I thought if Dem did not go to another woman, it would be fine even if they liked Dem. But I was proven wrong.


    It was not okay at all. I did not want anyone to even say that she was Dem''s lover. Only I had the right to say so. He was my husband after all.


    ''So, this is what jealousy feels like...''

 Chapter 280: The Report

    "Mother, travel safely. And if you need anything, send us a letter. This is Ben, the mage who is going to go with you to ensure your safety. He will also deliver any letter to us if you need to," I said.


    Mother was going on the vacation she mentioned to Dem in a letter. Dean and I saw her off. Dem was reluctant, but I forced him toe with me.


    "Yes, I will. You two should be careful as well. The rebels are very active these days," Mother said. No matter how many times I looked at her, I still could not get used to the fact that she was Dem''s mother. She looked just too young. "Demetrius, take care of Blue.


    She is a frail child."


    "I take care of her, Mother," Dem said.


    "And take care of your health as well. Blue, please take care of this son of mine. He doesn''t listen to me. But at least, he listens to you."


    "Don''t worry, Mother. I will take care of him," I said.


    She hugged me and kissed my forehead. She did the same with Dem. Dem did not like being touched by others, even if it was his mother. But he went along with it with an expressionless face.


    "I don''t know when I will being back. Perhaps after a month or two or more," she said.


    "Why are you taking the carriage? Just use teleportation. The mage is going with you anyway. That would be faster," Dem said.


    "But I want to enjoy the scenarios on the way. I think it''s because I am growing old that I want to enjoy such things. Well, then, goodbye. Stay safe, okay?"


    "You too, Mother," I said, waving.


    The carriage slowly went out of sight. For some reason, I felt bad. When I hade to this world, I thought I would get close to Mother. But it did not happen for many reasons. Perhaps it was just never meant to happen.


    Even at Luc''s wedding, we talked briefly. These days, she also seemed quite lifeless. It was like she had lost the purpose of life. Was this why she wanted to go to that faraway ind?


    "What''s wrong?" Dem asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.


    "I feel bad for some reason."


    "You do? I guess you wanted to see her as your own mother," he mumbled. "It might sound harsh, but do not do it. If you want to see someone like your mother, let it be Luc''s mother. But not her. I know it.


    No matter what, I just know that she will never see you as her daughter. She doesn''t even see her own daughter that way. She is a selfish person. I am never forgiving her."


    "Yes..."


    "There is no news from Luc or his new wife."


    "You talk like Luc is someone who just keeps marrying and now found a new wife."


    "Well, he is too much of a workaholic to do that," he said. "It''s a surprise that he even got married."


    "They married just four days ago. They are probably still in bed. Ruby should not be on her period anymore," I said.


    "We did not stay in the bed after four days?"


    "Our situation was different. You are the one who kept a distance. It was because you were being considerate of me though."


    "Were you waiting for me all those days?"


    "... Why do you make everything sound flirty?" I mumbled as my cheeks heated up.


    "Judging your expression, you surely were waiting for me. Don''t worry. I will be more active from now on," he said.


    ''How more active can you be?''


    "Let''s just go inside. Everyone is looking at us."


    "That said, what about your investigation about the temple?" he asked as we went in.


    "Reece is supposed to report to me today. Want to check it with me?" I asked.


    "I have to go to a meeting after an hour. I can do it now then."


    Flint also made me the potion I asked for. He said that he practiced on a rat and it worked. Knowing him, it surely was not a dead rat.


    We went to my office where Reece was waiting for me. He greeted us and I motioned for him to show me the report.


    "There is some shocking news that Your Highness will find in the report. I gathered everything there is and I am sure that I did not miss much of a thing," Reece said.


    "Hmm... There are some dark rumors about the temple, it seems. The priests take money from ignorant mothers taking advantage of their beliefs and offering them fake treatment for their ill children, one of the priests started a fight with a young man just because he stated his different thoughts, and a priestmitted suicide after killing his mate...


    Oh my, these things are really...," I muttered, reading the report.


    "These are the top rumors. But not all of them are true. Well, the first one is urate. Two priests mainly took money from twenty-one mothers. The amount is not less either. Most of the mothers are young or widowed and poor.


    Among them, only one has a good financial condition, yet is dumb," Reece said.


    "What about the other two rumors?" Dem asked.


    "They are not entirely true. It''s true that a priest got into a fight with a young man. But it''s because that man was drunk and was telling bad things about that priest''s mate. His mate is a priest as well and she was often harassed by that man before entering the temple as a priest. That''s why the priest beat him up."


    "He did a good job," Dem mumbled. "I would have killed him."


    Priests did not marry and remained a virgin all their lives. So, even if they found their mates, their mates would either enter the temple as priests as well or get married to someone who did not care about the mate thing. There were a lot of marriages where the couple were not mates. The duke and the duchess were an example.


    "And about the third rumor- the priest actuallymitted suicide and also killed his mate. First of all, it started with his mate going to a market and getting sexually assaulted there. The priest did not like it and killed her because of it instead of going to the People''s Justice Sector. He was actually forced to be a priest by his parents for some reason and he did not like it at all.


    After finding his mate, he was nning on giving up his title as a priest and marrying his mate. But well, this happened. He hung himself right after killing his mate by shing her neck with a dull knife. Since the knife was dull, he did it several times."


    "That''s... His mate is pitiful... She did nothing wrong, yet those bastards and her Satan-like mate...," I mumbled. "Dem, can you find those bastards who did it?"


    "Sure, it''s not impossible," he said.


    "Then kill them. I don''t care how you do it, just make sure that they suffer enough," I said.


    "Don''t worry, I will," he nodded and kissed my forehead.


    "These things are written in the report as well. You can check again," Reece said.


    "The newspaper mentioned the temple quite arge amount of times in thest three months. But most of these are about them helping poor people and some quotes of the priests about faith and the goddess. There are a few that mentioned some rumors, but they are not something major," I said, checking the report. "The templest hired a new priest a month ago. Nothing special about these things...


    But the activities of a few priests are a bit strange."


    "Three priests were spotted carrying three same-looking suspicious little bags. Spy Raven reported that he found an illegal tablet that fell from one of their bags. This tablet is something that''s used to hypnotize people and it has been banned by King Demetrius two years ago right after discovering it. It was made by a mage whomitted suicide after being found out in the same year it was banned.


    He burned himself, so his identity is unknown. The head priest was also suspiciously seen with a couple and a little girl," I read the report. "And the young girl is said to be the saint. There are saints here as well? Why did I never hear about something like this?"


    "Well, isn''t that because neither you nor your husband is religious?" Dem grumbled. "Such bullshit! What saint! They are just taking that little girl away in the name of her being a saint and having divine power! It''s just in bullshit! It''s not divine power, she just has oddly gray hair and matching gray eyes that make her look blind.


    They say that those eyes are the eyes of the moon goddess."

 Chapter 281: Why Did He Say Yes So Easily?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I don''t understand...," I mumbled. "You mean, she actually doesn''t have divine power? Rather, she only has gray hair and gray eyes that make her look blind?"


    Dem sighed. "There is always a woman who can see the goddess through dreams and hear her voice and stuff like that. At least, that is what everyone believes. That woman is born with gray hair and gray eyes. Her eyes are not typical gray eyes either. They are kind of whitish and look like the eyes of a blind person.


    But she can see. It is said that those eyes are the medium through which the moon goddess tells her about her desire."


    "You don''t believe it," I said. It was not a question. I knew it very perfectly that my husband considered it to be bullshit. "What about you, Reece? Do you believe it?"


    "... Um, yes, actually," he said slowly. "It is pretty hard not to believe. After all. No matter what that girl''s parents or other family members look like, they are born with those special features. How is that possible if it''s not for divine power?" Experience more tales on mvl


    "Bullshit!" Dem muttered under his breath.


    "I see... What kind of power is divine power? Is it used to bless others?" I asked.


    "Divine power can be used for blessing. Those who have divine power also have healing power. Their healing powers are immense, it is said," Reece replied.


    "Hmm... That''s quite something. A temple is a holy ce, so they surely will want someone who has that kind of power. But the question is if that so-called saint is willing to be a saint. What if she wants to be a normal girl and live a normal life?"


    "That might not be possible," Dem said. "The moment she is born with those features, she will be taken to the temple one way or another. Her parents even might sell her to the temple."


    "Can''t you save her if you know all this?"


    "Why would I? She is no one to me," Dem shrugged.


    "... Dem, you are the one who said that children don''t deserve these kinds of things. Yet..."


    "But did I say that I will be saving those children?"


    Reece averted my gaze. He was perhaps shocked hearing Dem''s statements. His thoughts were truly different. Not everyone knew this though.


    "There is nothing more abnormal about the situation. Now, I have to investigate this illegal tablet''s matter. I have to look into that so-called saint''s matter," I said. "Dem, I am thinking of visiting the temple."


    "You can just send people there."


    "I have never visited the temple, even once. I think I need to, even if it''s just for this once."


    "Alright," Dem said.


    "What?"


    "You can go."


    "I can? Why so easily?"


    "It will be fine if you take Perita and Abel with you. There will be other knights around you to ensure your safety anyway. Would you have preferred if I said no?"


    "No... I was just surprised... You don''t say yes so easily when ites to me going out..."


    "Who knows why I am behaving this way?" Dem chuckled. "When do you want to go?"


    "Uhm, tomorrow. I will send a notice today," I said.


    "Alright," he nodded. "Ah, it''s time for the meeting. I will go then."


    Dem kissed me on the forehead and then gave me a peck on the lips. "Wait for me at night, hmm?" he whispered into my ear and walked away, smirking, leaving the embarrassed me behind.


    ''Reece is here...''


    "Well, good work, Reece. The report was just amazing," I said, clearing my throat.


    "I tried my best, Your Highness," he said.


    "Today, take it easy and deal with the regr reports," I said.


    "I will do so, Your Highness."


    Reece bowed and left. I started working while my mind kept thinking about why Dem epted my request right away. It was actually pretty hard to believe. He usually made a fuss whenever I wanted to go somewhere where he would not go with me. Even if he agreed in the end, he would still say no at first.


    Did he start to get over his insecurities?


    If that were the case, then it would be amazing. The faster he could get over his insecurities, the better it was for his mental health and also our rtionship.


    "I wonder what Ruby and Luc are doing... There is absolutely no news from them. I also did not send them any letter in case they were in the middle of something," I mumbled.


    It did not matter if there was any love between them or not. Sexual desire waspletely different from love. It was possible to be sexuallypatible when they were notpatible with amitment. I fell for Dem more than a month after our marriage. Before that, though we only had sex on our wedding night, I actually craved his touch.


    It surely was my sexual desire for him because I was sure that I did not fall for him at that time.


    This morning, I got a letter from Iris. She also refrained from sending Ruby any letter like me. In that letter, she wrote me about her private life. When I told her that I did not mind, she started to tell me a lot about her married life with the duke. I actually liked listening to her because it gave me an idea of how different a couple could be.


    The duke and the duchess were not mates. The duke''s mate was his ex-wife. And Iris had not found her mate yet. A werewolf could not have sex with another werewolf, other than their mate if they fulfilled their mate bond which was marking each other''s body and spending a night together after the wedding ceremony. The duke had done that, so Iris and he could not have sex.


    The head mage of the duchy made a potion for them to make the mating work between them. It did not work all the time. So, their sexual life was not active at all. Iris said that shest had sex more than a month ago. It was clear that she wanted a normal married life. Before her marriage, she did not think that she would crave these kinds of affections, so she decided to marry the duke.


    It was sad that they could not be an average couple. That was why I hated the whole mate thing of the werewolves. Why could they not have a normal life? Why would a goddess choose their fated partner? They should be the ones to choose their partners, not someone else. It was annoying.


    They also could not have a kid in a normal way. Werewolves could not have a kid with another werewolf other than their mate because they could not have sex. Because of the potion, if the duke and Iris could have sex sessfully a few times, perhaps they could have a kid.


    Ruby and Luc needed to have sex on their wedding night even though Ruby was on her period because of this mate bond situation. They could fulfill the mate bondter as well, but since Luc was a very important figure, he had enemies and if they somehow knew that they were not connected by mate bond, they would try to do something bad to Ruby. After all, a mate bond sometimes worked as a shield.


    It was the same reason Dem and I had to do it on our wedding night even though Dem wanted to wait for me to befortable with him first.


    Dem and I were not a normal couple. But at least, we were in love with each other and we had trust between us. Dem had his insecurities, but deep down, he trusted me. He knew that I would not cheat on him, just like I knew that he would never cheat on me. I did not doubt his love as well. I wished my friends'' married lives would be filled with love too, even though it might be too much to ask for.


    After I gave Luc''s parents permission to send me letters directly, they sent me a lot of letters. They were very chaotic and fun. Last night, I sent them a letter saying that I did not mind if they adopted me since they kept saying so in every letter. I never had good parents, so it might not be bad to have new parents who would love me, or at least, care for me.


    Besides, I did not feel awkward with them at all. Rather, I could befortable and could rx.


    Evan sent me a few letters as well, describing the recent quarrel with the King of Ataraxia. Ataraxia and Trouville did not share a good rtionship, unlike Querencia and Ataraxia. Evan and I decided to be each other''s allies for now. Dem agreed as well. No other kingdom must know about it for now. We eventually were nning to spread the news of our recent good rtionship.

 Chapter 282: On The Way To The Temple

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "The weather is nice," Perita said. "Perfect to beat someone up."


    "So childish!" I chuckled. "Why would you beat someone up?"


    "Priests piss me off!" she grumbled and offered me her hand to get into the carriage.


    We were going to the temple in the morning. Abel was also going with us since Dem would not let me go without at least one of his knights with me. It was because of his insecurities, but I epted whatever he wanted since it did not cause me any trouble to do so.


    Abel closed the carriage door. I looked out the window at the knights who were going with us. Unlike what Dem said, they were not going undercover at all. Rather, at least fifty knights were riding horses around the carriage.


    "And I was wondering why he let me go...," I sighed.


    "Why aren''t we departing?" Perita muttered, looking out the window impatiently. "It has been five minutes since we got in. Why are they...? Ah, so that''s why..."


    "What do you mean?" I asked and before Perita could say anything, someone opened the door of the carriage. It was Abel. And he did it for the person beside him.


    "You... Are you going too?" I asked in surprise.


    "Yes," Dem replied as he got inside the carriage and sat beside me. "I don''t have any work right now. Besides, it is your first time visiting the temple. I should be with you."


    I looked at him suspiciously. "That''s not really the reason, is it?"


    "I just want to be with you," he replied innocently.


    "Your Highness, I will ride a horse. Since His Highness is here, you don''t need an escort anymore," Perita said.


    "You can stay here," I said.


    "No, I really would like to ride a horse...," she said, ncing once at Dem.


    "Alright, if that''s what you want."


    After Perita left the carriage, I pinched Dem''s hand. "You told her to do it, didn''t you?"


    "When did I? You have been here with me," he said.


    "You guys canmunicate through your minds," I pointed out. "You did it."


    "Look, you made a mark on my hand," he said, showing me the red mark that I just made.


    "Does it hurt? I didn''t know..."


    "No, what I mean is it is cute," he said, shaking his head.


    "..."


    "Even the marks you make are cute. Whatever you do is cute. Really? Is it some kind of miracle?"


    "Are you alright? Do you need some help?"


    "I am perfectly sane. My heart just did a flip seeing my cute wife."


    ''He needs help. Should I stop the carriage and take him to Doctor Dimitri?''


    "Dem, I think... Ouch! Oh, my butt! The carriage... Ow!"


    "Are you alright?" he asked quickly. "It must have been a stone or something. The road is perfectly fine. Does your butt hurts?"


    "Yes, that sudden bump was pretty intense," I said, groaning in pain. It felt as if my waist would break into half.


    "Should I massage?"


    "No, thank you," I declined firmly. I knew clearly how far he would take it if he started massaging. "That said, how are you staying still even though the ride is bumpy?"


    "Hm? I don''t know."


    "Is it because Alphas have a strong body evenpared to other werewolves? Do you have a strong butt as well? Is it hard?"


    "... What are you even saying?" he chuckled. "I don''t know if that is hard, but you and I both know something which can get hard pretty quickly in front of only a certain person."


    "You are flirting again..."


    It was not like I did not touch him there before. It was quite firm and well, I liked the view as well. But it was impressive that his bottoms could take this bumpy ride so easily.


    "You are impressive."


    ''Your bottoms, I mean. You are amazing too though.''


    "I know. But why do I feel like you are referring somewhere else other than me as a whole person?" he asked suspiciously.


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    "Haha, I wonder why," Iughed and held his arm and ced my head against him.


    "No matter where you are referring to, at least, you are having fun," he chuckled.


    These kinds of moments were the reasons I woke up every morning. It was just perfect. Ny percent of the time I spent with him was full of love and fun. The other ten percent was a bit dangerous when he showed that scary side of him. No matter how many days passed, I would get scared again if he behaved that way.


    But I tried not to think about it. He was usually very doting and adorable. For now, it was all that mattered.


    "How long will it take to reach the temple?" I asked after a while. We had been chatting mindlessly for a while now. When we were together, there was never a time when we ran out of something to talk about. Well, we were married for half a year. It was obvious that we would be very close since we loved each other so much. But I still always found it very surprising for some reason.


    "An hour more," he replied. "We could ride horses. But well, you are going there officially. Have you seen how many people gathered on the way just to take a look at you? Thankfully, the curtain is almost closed. They can''t see you."


    "Should I wave at them?"


    "Why?"


    I did not reply and opened the curtains. I smiled at the crowd and waved a bit. They cheered loudly. I could hear them clearly even though we were inside the carriage.


    "Because it''s only polite," I replied atst without looking at him. "No matter in which position we are in, it''s good to be polite. You can be strict as well when the timees. But usually, I prefer being polite."


    "Is it necessary?" he asked.


    "Yeah..."


    "I prefer being the way I am though. With others, I mean. You are the exception, the only exception."


    ''When we have a kid, I will take over its moral studies.''


    "Wow, even the kids are waving at me! Look, Dem!"


    "I am looking."


    "Wave back too," I eximed and held his hand, waving it while waving my hand as well.


    "You are really something...," he chuckled and kissed my cheek.


    Dem was right. We reached there after an hour. It took us more than three hours in total to reach the temple by carriage. The distance was long, but it would have taken two and a half hours to reach the temple. But it took longer because of the crowd. The knights needed to clear the way for us to get through.


    "Ugh, we have reached," Dem grumbled.


    "You sound like you wished our ride would never end," I chuckled. "You could have just stayed in the pce. I am d you havee with me though... Everything is better if you are with me."


    He blushed suddenly and looked away the moment he realized that I saw everything. My mouth fell open on its own seeing his cute reaction.


    "Don''t, just don''t," he said, looking away.


    "I did not do anything though."


    "I know what you are going to say. Just don''t say it."


    "But it''s the truth. You are so cu... Ah!"


    He suddenly kissed me. It was already odd that we still had not gotten out of the carriage. And now, he was doing it.


    Abel did not open the door yet as well, unlike usual. Did Dem tell him through his mind not to open the door?


    His lips moved skillfully on mine. He pinched my thigh all of a sudden and I let out a low scream in the kiss. The moment my lips parted a bit, he pushed his tongue inside my mouth.


    "Mm... D... De..."


    He did not let me say anything as his tongue invaded my mouth and made my mind go nk. The long kiss ended only after I could not breathe at all. A string of saliva remained between us as proof of the moment we shared just now.


    "Haa... That..."


    "That''s your punishment," he whispered into my ear and licked the back of my ear. "Haven''t I always told you? If you call me something like that, I will punish you. My dear wife, make sure you remember this, hmm?"


    "You... you bully!"


    "Haha, now let''s get out of the carriage. Or, they will think that we are going all the way. By now, they perhaps know what is going on."


    "Ugh, you are... you are so shameless..."


    "I will take that as apliment," he smirked.


    ''Shit! How am I going to get out of the carriage now? Everyone is going to look at me weirdly...''

 Chapter 283: Visiting The Temple

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "We wee you, His Royal Majesty, the King of the kingdom, and Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of the kingdom," the head priest bowed and the other priests followed.


    "Rise, Head Priest," Dem said. "It seems the temple has been renovated greatly. I wonder where the money ising from."


    "It''s all thanks to the moon goddess who graces upon us and Your Majesty, the King and Her Majesty, the Queen," the head priest said.


    "Heh, of course," Dem sneered.


    "Your Majesty, the Queen, I feel very fortunate to be able to meet you again. We are very honored to have Your Majesty here," the head priest said, smiling at me. "I am the head priest of the temple."


    He was an old man with a long beard. But where did I see him before? Even he said that we met again. I was sure that I had met him before, but I could not remember where.


    "He was present at our wedding. He was the one who talked that much," Dem said bluntly.


    ''I understand you want to help me remember, but do you have to talk so bluntly? Everyone heard you...''


    Now I remembered. He was the one who read something from a book. I was so nervous on our wedding that I could not focus on anything at all. In the end, I remembered only a few things of that day.


    "Yes, I remember," I said. "I am sorry I had forgotten before. I must have been very tired and nervous that day."


    "That is alright, Your Majesty. Since it is Your Majesty''s first time visiting the temple, let me show you around."


    "Yes, that would be amazing," I smiled.


    Dem had not let go of my hand the whole time. I had lost count of the people who kept staring at our entwined hands. Perhaps they had not seen a happy couple in a long time, or they just did not expect their king and queen to be so close to each other.


    Either way, their stares were a bit unsettling.


    "This is the main hall. Here, we usually pray on big events, and sometimes, peoplee here to pray for the deceased," the head priest exined. "Everything flows ording to the will of the goddess. We are just serving her."


    ''His sentences are strange. They don''t have a flow.''


    The priest showed us all the rooms. There was a separate quarter by the temple where the priests resided. We went there as well. It was where I saw that girl.


    "This girl... Who is she?" I asked when she was presented in front of me.


    Just like the report said, the girl had gray eyes and gray hair. Her eyes truly looked blind. It was like a gray part covered her pupil and iris. She had very dark skin. She was perhaps seven or eight, but very frail.


    "They are His Majesty, the King Her Majesty, the Queen. Greet them," the head priest said, resting his hands on her shoulder.


    "I... greet His R-Royal Majesty, the King... and Her Royal M-Majesty, the Queen...," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.


    ''This child...''


    "I apologize on behalf of her because of her insolent behavior. This child is a bit sick..."


    ''What insolent behavior? She did well.''


    "Who is this?" Dem asked before I could.


    "This is the saint, Your Majesty," the head priest replied.


    The girl had been trembling all the time. She was wearing a priest''s robe, but I still saw some of her bruises. They were not ordinary bruises. I knew what those were perfectly because I had them even just six months ago.


    I bent down in front of her and smiled at her. "What is your name?" I asked.


    "Her name is..."


    "Did I ask you, head priest?" I red at him.


    "No... My apologies, Your Majesty."


    "Now tell me, what is your name?" I asked again, looking at the girl. "You don''t have to be afraid. Tell me."


    "I... I am... Amber...," she replied slowly, looking at me. It was the first time she looked at me. I was awestruck. She was gorgeous and cute.


    "Amber," I repeated. "Nice meeting you, Amber. How old are you?"


    "Nine..."


    ''Nine? She doesn''t look nine at all. Oh my, has she been eating well?''


    "Oh, you are nine? I have a niece who is five. Her name is Ava. The thing you both have inmon is that both of you are cute," I said.


    "C-Cute?"


    "Yes, cute," I smiled.


    "You, go back to your room now. You are taking a lot of Her Majesty''s precious time," the head priest said.


    "Ah, I''m s-sorry... I will go back..."


    I stood up straight. "Goodbye, Amber. We will meet again someday."


    She gave a small nod before someone took her away. I nced at Dem who seemed to know right away what I was thinking. He nodded at me.


    We left after talking some time with the other priests. The head priest offered us to have lunch with him, but Dem declined immediately. He just wanted to go back as soon as possible.


    "It has been long. I did not think we would stay this long at a hellish ce like this," Dem grumbled.


    "Hellish? It''s literally the temple. And I did not tell you toe with me."


    "I can''t possibly let youe here all by yourself."


    "There are fifty knights and Perita with me," I rolled my eyes. "How much more protection do I need?"


    "But I am not one of them. You are the safest when I am with you."


    "Yeah, yeah..."


    "Let''s have lunch somewhere. I know a ce."


    "You made a reservation already, isn''t that right?"


    "I did, but that''s not the point."


    "You reserved the whole ce and would coax me into this somehow," I said. "I know you."


    "Well, it has been long since we went on a date. Let''s go."


    "I didn''t say I mind," I chuckled. "Let''s go then."


    We did not have any date like this before. When we went on dates before, not many people knew that we were the King and the Queen. But this time, a lot of people gathered to see us.


    After lunch, we went to a sunflower field. It was beautiful. The flowers bloomed happily and it was like they were smiling at us. The afternoon made the field look even more beautiful.


    "Do you like it here?" Dem asked.


    "It''s really beautiful..."


    "That''s good. I am d you like it."


    I wished we could take some pictures here. It was so unfortunate that there was no smartphone or camera in this world. Well, even if I could not take a picture, I still could picture how we looked in this vast field of yellow.


    I ran around the field, feeling the chilly air against my skin. Dem walked behind me with a smile on his face. He looked even more handsome than usual, especially with the afternoon light falling on his pale face while he was covered inpletely ck attire.


    ''Really, my husband is so handsome...''


    "I guess we should discuss our n now. I did not mention it before, since it was our date time," I said.


    "I already know what you want. If you want that, I can manage it," he said.


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    "Your method won''t be good. I want to be part of it as well," I said.


    "I am thinking of tonight. I won''t have much timeter."


    "Oh? You have to go out at night too?" I asked sulkily.


    "No, but I will be busy. And you too. We will have to make love after all."


    "..."


    "As I said, we will do it tonight. And I also found traces of that tablet."


    "What? Where?" I asked, shocked.


    "Inside a flower tub. Just part of it was visible. But I know that unique smell of it. It''s that one. There truly seems to be an illegal business going on."


    "I see... Then I will assign someone to investigate and find the root of it."


    "That''s good. I would rather not involve myself much with the things rted to the temple. I might end up turning pure. You don''t do that as well. You will get infected by those damned priests."


    "You are weird."


    We returned to the pce after having dinner. I had fun, but the face of that child kept invading my thoughts. I felt bad for her. It was clear what was happening to her at the temple at the hands of those bastards who called themselves priests. But it was no time to be sad. If I wanted to save her, I needed to do something.


    And that was exactly what Dem and I were going to do tonight.

 Chapter 284: Kidnapping

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Luc! Why are you here?" I eximed in shock when I saw Luc teleporting in our bedroom.


    It was midnight and Dem and I were nning to move forward with our n right now. But I did not know that he even asked Luc toe with us. That must be the reason he did not want me to call Flint.


    I had a magic stone with which I could send a message to Flint and all other employees of mine. They wore a locket that would rm them.


    "Ask that damn bastard! He asked for me in the middle of the freaking night!" Luc grumbled, looking angrily at Dem who did not seem to care at all.


    "It''s not like you were in the middle of something. The kind of person you are..."


    "I was in the middle of something!"


    "What...? Dem, you disturbed Luc and Ruby? I told you not to..."


    "Were you having sex?" Dem asked nonchntly.


    "Oh my god, how shameless can you be?" I eximed, pping him on the arm.


    "No, we were ying," Luc replied.


    "What...?"


    I looked at him in surprise. They were ying? In the middle of the night?


    "We were ying chess. It was a good match. But then, this bastard called me suddenly," Luc muttered under his breath.


    "What were you doing all day? ying in the middle of the night? That''s also chess? It''s not like you have any work. You are on a vacation," I asked.


    "Well, it''s actually really fun to be with her. So, we yed different board games, then she taught me how to cook, I showed her some magical items that I made, we did some mature stuff and then we yed again." Enjoy new stories from mvl


    ''Wow...! They are getting along better than I thought. I should not have worried at all.''


    "Seems like you had a lot of fun. Anyway, it''s work time. So, stop talking, and let''s get to work," Dem said dismissively though I still wanted to hear more. It seemed Luc truly could make Ruby happy. He seemed pretty satisfied as well.


    "What are you going to do? Blue is joining too? What kind of crazy thing are you putting her in?" Luc asked.


    "I wouldn''t endanger my wife''s life," Dem said. "We are just going to kidnap someone."


    "Kidnap? I told you not to use that term," I said. "It''s not that, Luc. We are just going to bring a child here."


    "Without the consent of her guardians," Dem added. "That''s the definition of kidnap. If you don''t like that term, we can just say ''sneakily taking someone''s child away''."


    "Jeez..."


    "Who is it?" Luc asked.


    "The saint, so-called saint, I mean," Dem replied. "Blue thinks she is in a miserable condition right now. So, we are bringing her here."


    "Is that so? Why do you think that, Blue?" Luc asked.


    "You will see. It''s hard to exin. Dem also saw her. But he is talking this way, so it''s hard to understand... But why do we have to take Luc and not any other mage?"


    "That''s because it''s inside the temple. It''s not possible for mages to teleport inside the temple. But the master of the magic tower is different. He has the power and also the authority to teleport anywhere," Luc exined.


    "Oh, so that''s why..."


    "What else did you think? Did you think I called him because I like to work with him?" Dem snapped. "That''s such a terrible thought!"


    "I don''t like to work with you either, you bastard!" Luc snapped back.


    "Will you two stop? It''s really too much for you two to fight whenever you meet. It''s a surprise you did not fight at Luc''s wedding," I said, standing between them. "That''s it. Don''t utter a single word and let''s just proceed with our n. When are you nning to go there?


    At dawn?"


    "That''s right. It''s quitete already," Dem muttered. "Alright, listen up, you silver punk. We are going to sneakily take that child away. Then, we will look for the tablets. I can track them with the smell.


    After getting some info, we wille back."


    After exining everything to Luc, we teleported to the temple. Luc chose the ce he knew because a mage could teleport somewhere if they had a fair idea about that ce. If not, then the ce they would teleport to would be a random ce.


    "It''s the hallway... Out of all ces, you remember the hallway?" Dem grumbled.


    "When I visited the temple with you officially, I sneaked out and remained in the hallway. It was very quiet here. Of course, I would remember this ce," Luc said.


    "I know which room the child is in. My spy gave me the info," I said. "He drew it in a map as well, so I would understand. I remember it well. Follow me."


    I walked to the end of the hallway and took a left turn. We found the stairs there. We climbed to the first floor and took a right turn. I stopped in front of a huge white door with some weird symbols carved on it.


    "This is the one," I said. "Can you teleport inside?"


    "It''s not impossible. If it''s near, I can teleport somewhere even if I don''t have much of an idea about it," Luc said. "Hold my hand. Demetrius, take Blue''s hand. I don''t want to touch you."


    "You think I want to touch you, you gross jerk!" Dem snapped.


    "Please stop fighting, for god''s sake!"


    "I don''t believe in god," Dem said.


    "Me neither," Luc added.


    "..."


    "I''m sorry. I will stop now," Dem said quickly, seeing that I got angry.


    "Yeah, we won''t," Luc said.


    I held Luc''s hand and Dem held mine as we teleported. They were very good at keeping quiet, especially Dem, when needed. When we reached the room, we found the little girl sleeping.


    "She is sleeping," Luc said. "So, that''s the child?"


    "I will go to her," I said.


    I walked up to her bed slowly and sat down beside her. I touched her hair gently. She mumbled something in her sleep and snuggled closer.


    "Amber...," I whispered into her ear.


    "Hmm?" she muttered in her sleep.


    "I know you don''t like this ce and you don''t want to be here. That''s why I havee to take you away to a better ce. Wake up now, little Amber."


    She opened her eyes and jumped up in surprise. "Who...?"


    "It''s alright, Amber. Don''t be afraid. You remember me? We have met this morning," I said soothingly.


    "Your M-Majesty, the Queen..."


    "That''s me," I smiled.


    "But why...?"


    "Sweetie, we are here to take you away to a better ce. You don''t have to stay with those horrible people."


    "You... you want me for power, don''t you?"


    "What power? I don''t care about that though. I am here because you remind me of a certain someone. After seeing you, I cannot leave you alone here. It might be hard to trust me. But at least, for a moment, try to trust me.


    It''s alright. I won''t hurt you," I said and kissed her on the forehead.


    "W-Where will you take me?"


    "For now, I will take you to the ce I am living," I said. "Then, we will find a safe ce for you where the priests can''t reach you."


    "We? Who else?"


    "Ah, I forgot to mention. That''s the king and my husband. You have seen him before haven''t you?" I asked and she nodded. "The other person is the master of the magic tower. They are very powerful. They can save you."


    "The King also will save me?"


    "Of course. He is a very gentle and... kind person..."


    "Pfft! Gentle and kind? Demetrius?" Lucughed.


    Even Dem did not deny that the fact I called him gentle and kind was funny. Well, I lied a bit, but they did not have to react like that, especially in front of the child.


    "Don''t mind them, Amber. They are crazy," I said. "We cannot waste too much time here. Let''s get out of here now. Come here."


    She took my hand and climbed down the bed slowly. I almost gasped seeing her bruised hands and legs. Her nightgown came up to her knees, so I could see most of her bruises clearly.


    She limped with each one of her steps. I sighed and picked her up in my arms. "Your Majesty!"


    "It''s alright. You are very light, after all," I smiled at her. I was not lying at all. She was too light for a nine-year-old.


    "Now what?" I asked, looking at the two men.


    "Now, you leave with Luc. That guy wille back again after taking you back. I wille back after my job is done," Dem said.


    "I also think that''s a good idea. Little Amber needs to be taken to the doctor immediately," I nodded. "Dem, be safe, okay? Come back as soon as you are done."

 Chapter 285: Athena

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "You will be fine on your own, right?" Luc asked.


    "Yes. Go now. It''ste already," I said.


    "Alright, I will go now," Luc nodded and left.


    I ced the child on the bed and wiped the tears off her face. "Sweetie, I will call the doctor now. You can lie down if you want to. This is the grand bedroom. So, no one other than the King and I cane here without permission. No one will be able to hurt you here."


    "How... how do you know that I''m hurt?"


    ''Seeing your bruises and your expression?''


    "And why are you helping me?"


    "As I said before, you remind me of a certain someone. She needed help too. But there was no one for her. I don''t wish that kind of fate on anyone. You see, a part of her heart is bruised because of being in an environment like that for a long time. No matter how much she tries, those nightmares keep haunting her even though she is in a different position now," I smiled.


    "This is the reason I am helping you. I want you to have a happy childhood."


    "T-Thank you..."


    "You are wee. Now, let me summon the doctor. Do you want something to eat? I can get that for you."


    "Anything?"


    "Hm, anything."


    "But isn''t it midnight?"


    "It doesn''t matter. You can still have anything."


    "Then, can I have chocte pudding?"


    "Chocte pudding? Sure, I will tell the maids to get it for you," I smiled. "But let me change into my nightgown real quick. Others don''t know that I went out."


    I went to the restroom and quickly changed into a nightgown. "Your Highness has beautiful skin...," she said.


    "Is that so? Thank you.


    I told the maids to get me a chocte pudding right away. They were used to it since Dem sometimes ordered various things in the middle of the night. He did it primarily because of me when I was tired after a session of our exercise at night.


    "Your Highness wants to eat chocte pudding? That''s amazing! Your Highness should eat well," a maid said happily.


    "Is me asking for food such a thing to be happy about?" I asked.


    "Of course! Since Your Highness is so thin, we are always worried. It will be great if Your Highness starts to eat properly."


    "Haa... Anyway, bring it as soon as you can. And also, a ss of chocte milk," I said. "Summon Doctor Dimitri as well. Tell him that he needs toe to the grand bedroom right away."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    I closed the door and sat down beside the child. She was drinking the ss of water I gave her.


    I touched her hair and gentlybed it behind with my fingers. "You have beautiful hair, Amber," I said.


    "Um... Please don''t call me that."


    "Call you what? Amber?" I asked and she nodded. "Then what should I call you?"


    "I don''t know. But not that... I don''t like that name."


    I did not ask her the reason. It did not seem like she wanted to talk about it either. "Then can I give you a name?"


    She gave a nod. "Hm, then what about Athena?"


    "Athena?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "You know I am a human, right?"


    "Everyone knows that. I heard it too."


    "And I havee from a different world. In my world, there were many religions, unlike in this world where only the moon goddess is considered as the God. In one religion, there is a goddess named Athena. She is the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. She is also called the gray-eyed goddess. Your eyes are gray too.


    I think this name fits you perfectly. If you don''t like it, I can think of another name though..."


    "No, I like it," she said quickly. "I like this name better."


    "That''s good. Ah, the doctor must be here."


    I opened the door and found Doctor Dimitri standing there. He also brought the chocte pudding and chocte milk.


    "Your Highness, do not eat these kinds of things in the middle of the night. It is not good for your health," he said.


    "It''s not for me. Come in first," I said and closed the door as soon as he came in.


    "That..."


    "It is for her," I said and took them from him.


    I ced the pudding and the chocte milk carefully in front of her. "Here. These are yours."


    "Really? Can I have them?"


    "Of course. Enjoy," I said.


    "But how do you know I like chocte milk?"


    "I guessed, haha," Iughed.


    "Thank you, Your Majesty," she smiled.


    "You might have already guessed who this girl is. She has been abused. I did not ask her anything since it could trigger something. I can''t risk that. It will be better if you are the one doing so since you are a doctor."


    "I understand," he nodded. "And I have brought Your Highness''s pills as well."


    "Ah, yes, I was going to ask for them. Thank you," I said.


    "No problem."


    "Athena, this is Doctor Dimitri. He will take a look at you. He is a good person as well. So, he won''t hurt you."


    She nodded at me. Doctor Dimitri knew how to do his job. He talked to her soothingly so she would not panic and got her to agree so he could check her condition.


    Find adventures on mvl


    I sat on the couch and rxed my body while watching how it was going. "She fell asleep, Your Highness," the doctor said after a while.


    "She did? Well, we woke her up in the middle of the night, after all."


    "It''s not that. She has been fed a sleeping potion actually. It is something that has been given to her for a long time. That''s why she will fall asleep quickly even if she manages to wake up. It''s not the only thing that I found. There is something else as well.


    I need to check it first."


    "I see... It must be something dangerous and the dose is also high since you recognized it so quickly."


    "That''s right. The dose is high for sure and should be a dangerous substance in her blood," he nodded. "I will check it. I will also make a potion for her bruises. There are lots of bruises on her body. It seems she has been abused physically and mentally.


    Hopefully, it has not been that long. Or, her reactions would be more severe."


    "It has been a month. She has been taken to the temple a month ago. I am currently looking for her parents. Those... I think they sold her to the temple, this little baby."


    "I would like to check her condition for a few days. I have met another saint before. It was three years ago in Mazazine. She was not abused and it seemed she was pretty willing to carry out her duty as a saint. She got sick frequently and I was curious since it was not every day that you get to meet a saint and check her. After I checked her, even I did not find anything wrong with her body.


    There was just nothing wrong with her. The environment around her was good. So, her mental condition was like a normal person''s. She was eleven at that time. After two years, I found out that she improved naturally. My theory is that it has something to do with the power of a saint.


    Perhaps her body could not handle that power at that time. But after she matured a bit, she could handle it. That''s why I want to keep checking on this child. It can happen in her case as well."


    "It''s no problem. We should do what''s best for her. Just keep it a secret. I know by now that I don''t need to tell the doctor to keep something a secret."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I will check her body a bit more then."


    "Please do so. I am actually grateful that you agreed to see her even though our deal says that you will only treat me."


    "I treat the person I find interesting. I agreed to the deal not because of money only. Your Highness is a human. So, I found Your Highness interesting. This child is also interesting because she is that so-called saint."


    "Haha, even so, I am grateful," I chuckled.


    I rested my head against the couch and closed my eyes for a while. It had been an exhausting day. The date was fun and I did not even realize that I was tired. But now I could feel how exhausted I was. It would be hard to work tomorrow morning. But there were a lot of things to do.


    "I will close my eyes for a while..."

 Chapter 286: The Lewd Dream

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness...," the doctor bowed as soon as I teleported into the bedroom with Luc.


    "Why are you...? Ah, have you checked the child?"


    "Yes. I have written down about her condition which I could understand by checking her right now. I need to check further to know the whole thing," he said.


    "I understand."


    "I could not leave because Her Highness fell asleep on the couch. It would not be a good thing to leave her alone with the child. Anyone can enter the room," he said, looking at my wife who was sleeping soundly, sitting on the couch. She must be exhausted.


    "I see. Thank you," I said. "You can leave now since I am here."


    "Yes... I will take my leave then, Your Highness."


    After Doctor Dimitri left, Luc went to see the child properly. I did not understand why Blue cared for her so much. Yes, I also wished that children would not face a miserable fate. But that was just my wish. I donated to charities for children and orphanages, but I never took any action to this extend to save a child. I never came across someone like that as well.


    Or, perhaps I just did not care to look around.


    I walked over to my wife and fixed her nightgown since it showed too much of her chest. I touched her forehead to make sure that she did not have a fever, and was simply tired.


    "She doesn''t have a fever," I mumbled.


    "Who?" Luc asked and turned back. "Ah, I forgot that you are obsessed with your wife."


    "Shut up! She is sleeping," I said, controlling my tone so she would not wake up.


    "There is a child here. Yet, you care only for your wife," Luc said.


    "She is my wife. Of course, I would care for her more than anyone else," I said. Explore new worlds at §Þ??


    "Well, I also care for her more," he said. "She is truly like family."


    "Gross! Go care for someone else!"


    "Jeez, I am not stealing your wife from you. Remember, she is my to-be adoptive sister. She is basically family. Besides, I have a wife too."


    "Yeah, yeah. Your family is quite obsessed to make her their daughter. Now that she said yes, they are over the moon."


    "They are indeed very happy. They are weird. I know they are my parents, but they are weird," he sighed. "Anyway, what are you going to do with this child? You can''t have her in your bedroom. Maids wille in the morning.


    Besides, Blue needs rest as well. The couch will give her a sore neck."


    "Take her with you. There are a lot of rooms in the magic tower. There are only you and your wife there. It will be fine," I said.


    "Haa, it seems the only way."


    "I will talk to Blue tomorrow about what to do with her. For now, keep her in the magic tower."


    "I hope Ruby won''t hate it if I take her there. I mean, we are newly married, and then this..."


    "Just tell her that my wife brought this child and doesn''t know what to do for now. She won''t mind if you mention my wife''s name. She likes my wife more than she likes you," I said.


    "Then I will take her," Luc nodded.


    After Luc left, I carried my wife to the bed. She moved a bit and held my sleeve tightly. "Dem..."


    I thought she had woken up, but then found out that she said my name in her sleep. "Are you dreaming about me, darling?" I chuckled.


    "Mm..."


    "Sleep tight. I will change ande to you real quick," I said and kissed her on the forehead.


    The grand bedroom was spacious just like its name. Since I became a King, this bedroom became mine. It was gross to have the room where someone like my father used to sleep, so I renovated a part of the pce.


    No matter how big the bedroom was, it always felt full when my wife was there. I never knew life could be this meaningful and pleasant until I got married to her.


    I changed my clothes andy down next to her. I wore a robe since it would be bad if I slept naked like always and got a boner at a time like this.


    One or two hours perhaps passed when I woke up, hearing my name again. I had fallen asleep, hugging her tightly. But then, she started moving and even called my name in a gentle voice.


    "Dem..."


    "Sweetie, what are you even dreaming?"


    "Hmm... Hnn..."


    "..."


    ''What is even going on? Is it truly happening?''


    "Huh... ah... Dem..."


    ''At this rate, I might die. But her face looks really lewd and desperate. It''s hot and cute at the same time.''


    She moaned for a bit more before suddenly her face turned bitter. "Ugh, why did you stop at a time like this?" she grumbled and opened her eyes only to be shocked to see me observing her.


    "Huh...? You are here... I am... But I was..."


    "Did you have a nice dream?" I asked, smirking.


    "... Oh my god!" she eximed and hid her face with her palms. "I thought... I did not..."


    "Were we fucking in your lewd dream, darling?"


    "Don''t... don''t talk like that!"


    "Hm, why not? You are the one who moaned like that."


    "That..."


    "And you were angry because I stopped. Did I stop in your dream?"


    "I... I don''t know..."


    "Well, it doesn''t matter if you don''t want to tell me. Since you made a huge mistake already, shouldn''t you take responsibility?"


    "Huh?"


    I held her hand and led her to touch me between my legs. She looked shocked and looked away quickly as she turned bright red.


    "Can you feel it? It''s because of your sweet moans," I said. "Shouldn''t you take responsibility? I can guarantee you that I won''t stop."


    "I... But where is the kid?" she asked.


    "Luc took her to the magic tower. But that''s not important right now. Take care of the thing you did, honey.


    "I... I can...," she mumbled and sat up. "Should I... use my hands...?"


    "It seems you have something more to say."


    "Or... my... mouth?"


    "What do you think?" I chuckled. "Do you want to know what I want?"


    She nodded. "But don''t you usually do what you want?"


    "No, I don''t," I shook my head. "I usually do what our desires have inmon. Because my desires are a bit different, it''s not alright to follow them all the time. But since you said yes, I will go along with my desires a bit."


    "Now, take off your nightgown," I said. "I will watch."


    She gave a small nod and took off her nightgown slowly. As soon as it was taken off, she sat in front of me, hiding her breasts with her hands.


    "Remove your hands and let me see," I said.


    "Dem..."


    "This is what I want, darling. I will order you and you will do as I say," I said. "As I said, I am not stopping until I''m done. You also want it, don''t you? Then listen to me and do as I say."


    She removed her hands slowly and looked sideways, biting her lower lip. Her face and neck were flushed red.


    ''How are you still so shy even though we have done it so many times? I don''t mind though. I like the shy look on your face. I also like it when you are brave. All parts of you are seductive and beautiful.''


    "Now, spread your legs."


    She looked at me with questions in her eyes but then did as I said. She never wore anything underneath her nightgown. The nightgown she wore today was thicker than usual and no one could know that she was not wearing anything beneath. It must be because two other people were here.


    "It''s beautiful, do you know that?" I muttered. "Now, y with yourself."


    "W-What...?"


    "You heard me. y with yourself," I said. "I will guide you. Come on. Use both of your hands. Start rubbing your fingers on the whole ce."


    "Haa... Like this?"


    "Yes, like that. Now, rub your clit with your thumb while rubbing the entrance as well."


    "It''s so embarrassing..."


    "It''s not. You are in front of your husband, darling. Why are you embarrassed? Will you still be embarrassed after ten years?"


    "I... I don''t know..."


    "That''s alright. I will enjoy your shyness after ten years as well," I chuckled. "Wow, it seems you are really wet. You must have been wet from that lewd dream."


    "Ha... Ah..."


    "Keep doing it."


    "Ahh... huh... Dem... Hnn..."


    "Don''t bite your lips too much. They will bleed. Sweetie, do you want to kiss me that badly?"


    "Y-Yes..."


    "Too bad you can''t do it right away. I want to see youe," I said as I pulled my robe open from the front. I touched myself while watching her y with herself. "Don''t stop. Keep your eyes on me and y with yourself. Think that they are my fingers and take yourself to a different world of pleasure."

 Chapter 287: Sadist

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Dem... Please..."


    "Do what you are told. Don''t stop."


    I rubbed myself down there and felt the pleasure building up inside me. In my mind, it was not me who was touching me. Rather, it was his big fingers that were driving me insane with each move.


    "Ah... Huh..." Continue reading at §Þ??


    I kept my eyes on him just like he said. He was stroking himself as well with a smirk on his seductive face. It was like he was enjoying himself. It was the first time I saw him doing so and it was also the first time I was touching myself in front of him. It was embarrassing, but exciting as well.


    Suddenly, the pleasure inside me started to rush and I felt my mind going nk. "Ahh! Ah! Huh... I am going toe... Ahh!"


    "Yeah, me too," he groaned.


    "Ahh... Dem... Nngh..."


    I panted furiously after the intense climax. "Haa..."


    "Did it feel that good?" he asked and I nodded. "The sight made mee as well. Look at your legs. I came all over you."


    "Haa..."


    "Now,e over here and take it in your mouth," he said as if ordering me and I could not help but do as he said. It was like my body moved on its own.


    I bent between his legs and touched the shaft with my hands. I licked the tip and the salty taste filled my mouth. It was very familiar. I swirled my tongue on the tip and kept teasing him.


    "Now you learned how to tease me as well, huh?" he chuckled, breathing heavily.


    After cleaning the whole thing with my tongue, I took it in my mouth. Before I could move, he grabbed my hair and started pushing my mouth so it would get in and out of my mouth very fast.


    "Mmph..."


    "Take it deep. Yes, just like that. You are doing well," he groaned.


    It was hard to breathe. But I liked the feeling. It was not like I was a fan of being dominated in bed. But sometimes, it was not that bad.


    Dem could hold it for a long time. But this time, I was determined to make him climax quicker than usual. While sucking it with my mouth, I touched the balls and rubbed my hand gently.


    "Haa... What are you...?"


    I did not stop. And I was right. It was not long before he pressed my head hard against him and I felt hot liquid fill my mouth. I coughed and some of it spilled, but most of it went through my throat.


    "I came too fast," he panted. "It''s embarrassing."


    "Why? It happened because it felt too good all of a sudden, right? It can happen," I said. "And I was nning for it to happen anyway."


    "You were?" he asked and I gave a nod shyly.


    "I tried hard..."


    He chuckled and kissed me on the lips lightly. "It seems I am hard again..."


    "Is it because of me?"


    "Of course. I would never get hard for someone else, darling," he said. "Now, do as I say. Lie down and open your legs widely."


    Iy down just like he said and opened my legs widely. It was truly embarrassing. But I did so anyway.


    "Spread it with your fingers now," he said.


    I touched the ce and spread it just like he told me to. He smirked and put his index finger inside me.


    "Uh..."


    "It''s just one finger. I am checking if you are ready. Well, you are. I think you are more than ready seeing how much juice you are dripping."


    "Don''t... don''t talk like that..."


    "Why not? I thought you like it when I talk like this."


    "I... I get embarrassed..."


    "That''s okay too. I like to see that part of you as well."


    ''So, he has no n to stop talking like that...''


    He kissed me on the lips while spreading my legs further with his hands. He pushed his tongue inside my mouth just when he moved his hips and entered me.


    "Mmph..."


    "We have been doing it so many times that you seem to remember my shape," he said and started moving his hips slowly, but deeply.


    "Huh..."


    His moves were very slow and sometimes a bit fast. My insides were being teased with each of his moves. It felt too good. His slow moves left me hungry and made me crave more of him.


    "Haa... Dem... Ah..."


    "Don''t you like it slow?"


    "You''re... teasing me... uh..."


    "Then what do you want?"


    "Faster... Go... faster," I breathed out on the verge of losing my mind because of his teasing.


    "Do you want me to go hard as well?"


    "Yes... Please, do it fast and hard..."


    "As you wish," he chuckled and suddenly started to pound inside me.


    "Ahh! Uh! Huh... ah!"


    Just when I was going to reach an orgasm, he pulled out and flipped me over so I was on my back before I could understand anything. He entered me from behind and started going in and out of me just as hard and fast as before.


    "Ahh! Oh god! Dem... ah!"


    He pulled my hair behind and bit on my shoulder while his hips kept moving. "Nngh... ahh! Huh..."


    ''He is a sadist... He definitely is a sadist... So, this is who he really is in bed. I always had this feeling, but I never could say for sure. But I know now. He is a sadist deep down and this is what he meant by his desires.


    He likes to be in charge and dominate.''


    "Ahh! Dem... uh! Nngh... It... It feels good...


    Ah!"


    He groaned and kissed me sideways. I bit on his lips and I got the salty taste of blood. Perhaps I bit him too hard in the heat of the moment.


    "You are really..."


    "Ah... I''m what?"


    He did not answer, just kept thrusting in and out of me. My whole body was on fire and there was no way to stop the fire from spreading. My head was going nk. I just needed to hold onto something. Or I was going to go crazy.


    "Dem... Huh..."


    He groaned and pulled my hair even tighter. It was at the same time that I reached a climax as well. My toes were curled up and my thighs started to ache.


    "Haa...," I panted as I slumped on the bed. All of my strength had left my body.


    "I have to leave now. Or I would have loved to do it three more times," he said.


    I started to move away from him so I could lie down for a bit and then go to the bathroom to clean myself. But suddenly, he pulled me up by my arm and made me sit on hisp so my back was facing his chest.


    "Dem...?!"


    "I said I would have liked to do it three more times. But we can always do less now, right?"


    "What...?"


    "Two more times. We are going to go at it two more times," he said. "Well, I can''t leave my wife dissatisfied, can I? Besides, I am not fully satisfied as well."


    Before I could react, he grabbed me from below my knees and picked me up in that way. It was a very strange position and I could not feel my weight at all. He entered me in that position and reached all the way to the end.


    "This... this position... Ahh..."


    "It seemed you were tired. So, I will move your body. You don''t have to do so," he said and increased the speed.


    In this position, he seemed to reach the deepest part of me. My insides were being yed with and I could do nothing but take all the pleasure he offered.


    "Ahh... uh... Nngh..."


    "Rx, darling."


    How could I rx in this position? It was too overwhelming and intense. I was literally crying in pleasure.


    "Haa..."


    "You start crying when you feel too much pleasure," he whispered into my ear and licked my earlobe. "You look beautiful even when you cry."


    "It''s too... good... ahh..."


    "Is that so?" he chuckled and thrust so hard that my breath caught in my throat.


    "Oh...! Ahh!"


    ''How does he not get even just a bit tired in this position? He is literally carrying me with his hands and also moving my whole body up and down? Just how powerful is my husband?!''


    "Please..."


    "Please what, darling?"


    "Haa... I don''t know... Ah... It''s so... hnn... overwhelming..."


    "Do you like it?"


    "Huh...?"


    "Tell me in words. How much do you like it?" he said, biting my shoulder.


    "Ugh... ah... I... I like it... a lot... I really do...


    like it..."

 Chapter 288: Meeting Athena In The Magic Tower

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Where will you be going, Your Highness?" a maid asked while choosing my dress.


    "To the magic tower. I want to meet the master and the mistress of the magic tower," I replied. "Hmm... I want to wear something ck and golden. Has the new dress that I ordered arrived?"


    "Yes, Your Highness, it has. Your Highness ordered three dresses. Which one do you want to wear?"


    "The one with petal sleeve and heart-shaped neckline. The dress is ck and has a slightly big skirt. The whole dress has a golden design," I exined.


    "Ah, that one... We will get it."


    "Your Highness will wear elbow-length gloves?"


    "Yes. I don''t really like to show my hand that much," I said. I liked to wear long-sleeved dresses usually and if I wore short-sleeved dresses, then I always wore gloves. It was my personal preference.


    After getting ready, I went to my office. I finished part of my work in the bedroom because I waszy. Dem had tired me out too much.


    As always, I had to wear too much jewelry. It was like it needed to be made obvious that I was someone different than others. It was ufortable, but since other Queens always wore so much jewelry as well, I could not do otherwise. Besides, I wore a lot less than them, yet they felt too much. The design of my dresses was different from their dresses as well.


    It must be because I told my designers to focus onfort along with beauty.


    "Perita, bring Flint here," I said to Perita who was guarding me today. Calix would guard me at night. They switched ces ording to both of their agreement. I did not care. If one of them guarded me any time of the day, it was fine.


    "Alright," she nodded and left.


    "I wonder if that child is really alright," I mumbled to myself. I had sent a letter in the morning to Luc and he said that the child was doing alright, thanks to Ruby who was affectionate towards her. I did not expect anything from Luc on this. I was not worried because Ruby was there. But I still needed to see with my own eyes to be sure that she was alright.


    "You called me, Your Highness? How many papers do I have to copy now?"


    "I want to go to the magic tower. Right now. Take me there and thene back to get to work. There are a lot of things to do."


    "Yes, Master."


    "Don''t call me that," I said tiredly.


    Flint teleported me to the magic tower, straight to Luc''s bedroom. "What the...? Don''t you all have any kind of normal thinking ability? Oh my god! Who teleports to someone else''s bedroom? Who does that, huh?" I yelled, pulling Flint''s ear.


    "Jeez, are you beating him up?" Luc muttered,ing up from behind.


    "Haa, go back, Flint. If you ever do this, I will reduce your sry."


    "What?! I''m sorry! I won''t do it again!" he said quickly.


    "Where is the child, Luc?" I asked. "And sorry for barging into your bedroom. It wasn''t my intention. That Flint..."


    "That''s alright. I''m used to it because Demetrius used to barge into wherever I was except the bathroom. I can''t even get his smell because he is an Alpha. I''m kinda used to it," Luc muttered. "And that child is with Ruby. Come with me."


    I followed Luc along with Perita. He took us to a nearby room. He opened the door without knocking just like Dem. I sighed. These two did not have even just the least amount of politeness.


    "Ruby, Blue is here," Luc said.


    "Your Highness!" Ruby eximed.


    "Your Royal Majesty?" Athena mumbled, seeing me.


    "I havee to check on Athena," I said. "How are you, sweetie?"


    "I''m fine. The marks disappeared from my body!" she said as I touched her forehead.


    "Yes, the doctor gave you medicine. If given the right medicine, it doesn''t take long for the bruises to go away," I said.


    "I was scared when I did not see Your Majesty... Then that lord came and patted my head. I like thedy too. She is very good," she said.


    "Thatdy is the mistress of the magic tower. You know the lord already, don''t you? He is the master of the magic tower," I said. "They are my friends. They won''t hurt you."


    "They said so too," she nodded. "Thedy even gave me cookies... Chocte cookies..."


    "Is that so? That''s great. Then, finish the cookies you are eating. I will talk to the lord and thedy a bit," I said.


    "Yes!"


    Continue your saga on §Þ??


    "Well, Ruby, thanks for taking care of Athena. And Luc too. You both helped a lot."


    "It was nothing, Your Highness. I''m d I could help. Besides, Athena is such a nice child,'' Ruby said.


    "I did not want to disturb your married life just when you got married a few days ago...," I mumbled.


    "Well, I am the one who suggested bringing her here anyway," Luc said.


    "That''s right. It would have been a problem to keep her there. There are a lot of empty rooms in the magic tower. So, it''s much safer to keep her here. No one will find out," Ruby said. "Your Highness, please take a seat.


    I will bring some tea for you."


    "Aww, I missed the tea you make," I muttered.


    "Haha, I wille to visit Your Highness as well and make you tea. I am worried about Your Highness''s health. You never eat well," Ruby said.


    "That must be the reason Blue is so skinny," Luc said.


    "Yes. Have you seen how less Her Highness eats? She eats like a bird."


    "I know. I have had dinner with her before," Luc said. "When Demetrius was near, he was telling her to eat more again and again. I have to admit that guy is right. You eat too less, Blue."


    "I will go and make some tea then. Do you want some, Luc?" Ruby asked.


    "Yes. And get my favorite cookies too."


    "Alright."


    "You guys are doing well," I chuckled. "Ruby even calls you by your name so easily. I thought it would take time."


    "She called me once Lord Luc in the bed. I said that it was not happening. I mean, who wants to be called that way by his own wife, especially in the bed?"


    "There is a kid here."


    "She won''t understand. Hey, kid, you have heard what I said, right? Do you know what it means?"


    "Luc!"


    "Um, it means thedy used to call the lord Lord Luc when you go to sleep and you don''t like it," Athena said innocently.


    "That''s right," Luc smiled at her. "That''s exactly what I mean. See, Blue? You are worrying for nothing."


    "You are really something...," I sighed. "But it doesn''t matter what she understands or not. Just don''t say this kind of thing."


    Ruby came back with tea and cookies. After she became the mistress of the magic tower, the tower looked better and cleaner than before. Ruby hated dirty things more than anyone. She would definitely not tolerate such an atmosphere.


    "Please enjoy, Your Highness," Ruby said.


    "I told you to call me by my name," I said.


    "How can I do that, Your Highness? You are the Queen after all," she said.


    "But we are friends too. You don''t work for me anymore. It''s alright for us to be friends and you can call me by my name too, just like Luc and Iris," I pointed out.


    "Yet... I feel guilty," she said. "I am used to talking to Your Highness this way. I think I prefer it."


    "Ha, alright. If that makes youfortable..."


    "Thank you, Your Highness," Ruby said and then looked at Athena who was adorably eating a cookie. "Do you like it, Athena?"


    She nodded. "Chocte is my favorite. So, I like chocte cookies."


    "Is that so? That''s great!" Ruby smiled.


    "Why is her name Athena now? Wasn''t it Amber?" Luc whispered to me.


    "She doesn''t like that name and I gave her this name then. She likes it," I replied. "Don''t mention the previous name in front of her. She seems to despise it."


    "Well, given what kind of parents she has, I would have despised the name they gave me as well," Luc grumbled. "Those trash like bastards!"


    "Don''t swear in front of a kid!"


    "That''s right, Luc. Don''t swear in front of a kid," Ruby said.


    "It''s alright. I''m used to it," Athena said.


    "Oh no, sweetie, he did not say it to you," I said quickly. "He was talking about those bad guys. And besides, don''t think it''s alright even if someone says it to you. Because it''s not alright. Why will they swear at you? You did nothing wrong.


    And it''s not okay to swear as well."


    "Hmm," she gave a nod.


    "Sweetie, do we scare you?"


    "No... It''s strange. The... the priests were scary... Whenever they told me something, I... I would get scared...


    But it''s different here... Your Majesty, the lord, and thedy- all are very kind. His Majesty is scary looking, but he did not seem to want to hurt me..."

 Chapter 289: Nagging

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "He doesn''t. The King also wants you to be happy. If it was not for him, we could not get you out of that ce. The King helped a lot. He might be scary looking, but he won''t hurt you. So, you can rx.


    No one will hurt you from now on."


    Dem never smiled at others or behaved friendly. He said that it was not needed. No matter how many times I tried to make him understand, it did not work. Well, it was not easy to change a person''s behavior since he had been like that since childhood.


    But it did not mean he wanted bad for others. Well, he did not necessarily wish well for others either. He just did not care. It was a lot better than wishing bad for others.


    "Then, do I not have to go back to the temple?" she asked.


    "Of course not. If you don''t want to, no one can take you there," I said.


    "But the head priest said that I am to be there until the day I die," she mumbled.


    "He is dumb. You are going to be where you want to be. No one can select it for you, Athena. Don''t pay any attention to what that old man had been saying. From now on, think that it''s your life and you will live the way you want to. I will help you.


    We all will help you," I said. "You just have to be happy, sweetie."


    She suddenly looked into my eyes and started crying. Before I knew it, she jumped on me and started crying loudly. I hugged her back and patted her on the back with my left hand.


    "It''s okay. It''s fine," I whispered.


    I was sitting on the bed since she seemed to like it when I was near. But I did not expect her to jump on me so suddenly. Since the teacup was in my hand, the tea fell all over my right hand.


    "Your Highness, the tea..."


    "It''s alright," I said, motioning for her not to say more since Athena might feel guilty. She did not know that it would happen.


    She soaked a clean cloth in cold water and then wrapped it around my right hand. Athena did not notice since she was still crying, hugging me.


    It took quite a while for her to calm down. Perita was muttering something very quickly to Luc, who nodded in agreement. These days, Perita did not talk much because she had a sore throat. That was why sometimes it felt like she was not present at all.


    "Have you calmed down?" I asked and she nodded.


    "I am sorry..."


    "Why? It''s alright to cry." Experience more on §Þ??


    "But in front of Your Majesty..."


    "That''s fine. Even I cry in front of certain people," I said.


    "Who?"


    "The King. Whenever I feel sad or just want to cry, it is mostly him who calms me down."


    "The King doesn''t scold for crying?"


    "No. Why would he? It''spletely fine to cry."


    "But my mother said that if I cry or resist, the King will get angry and kill me."


    "... Your mother lied," I said, maintaining my tone so I would not express my anger. "The King is not like that at all. He might not be the best person out there, but he is not someone to kill a person for crying. That''s just baseless. Then wouldn''t he have killed me already since I cry so much?"


    "I did not believe Mother either... She lies a lot, so..."


    "That''s right. Don''t believe her. She doesn''t deserve to be your mother. A sweet child like you deserve someone a lot better than her," I said, patting her on the head.


    "Does Your Majesty cry only in front of His Majesty?"


    "Mostly him because I am the mostfortable with him. Sometimes, I cry in front of Sapphire too."


    "Sapphire?"


    "She is my cat. She is really cute and amazing. I love her," I said. "I will bring her to you someday. She is probably sleeping. She sleeps a lot.


    Usually, she wants to go out with me. But I think she is angry at me because I did not give her food in the middle of the night two days ago. She even hissed at me this morning, which is rare. It seems she likes food more than she likes me. I thought I was her favorite person."


    "Wow... I would like to see her someday, then," she said, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.


    "Sure," I smiled.


    "You sure talk a lot when ites to your cat," Luc chuckled.


    "That''s given since Sapphire is just so cute," Ruby said.


    "She is quite dangerous too. She bites and scratches," Perita said.


    "Well, that''s just her nature. I am d. I heard she scratched Demetrius, too," Lucughed.


    After spending some time with Athena and others, Perita and I returned. Luc teleported me to Dem''s office for some reason, even though I told him to take me to my office.


    "Haha, good luck," he grinned and left before I could ask him why he did that.


    "I would like to leave too, Your Highness. Good luck," Perita said and almost ran out of his office.


    "Eh? What''s wrong with everyone?" I mumbled, dumbfounded.


    "Who cares what is wrong with everyone? But what is wrong with your hand?" Dem asked, looking angrily at my right hand.


    ''Ah, so that''s why... Well, it''s really scary when he gets angry. But did that Luc has to bring me here? I would have applied some ointment myself.''


    "Tea spilled on my hand," I said as Dem approached me and touched my hand.


    "How?" he asked as he unwrapped the cloth. "Your hand is all red. I have an ointment."


    He quickly brought an ointment out of one of the drawers of his table and started applying it to my hand. It was very cold. He was being very gentle, but it still hurt a bit.


    "Exin," he said.


    "Well, I was drinking tea when Athena hugged me all of a sudden. It''s not her fault. She did not know."


    "Who is Athena?"


    "That child."


    "Isn''t her name Amber?"


    "She hates that name and told me not to call her by that. So, I gave her this name," I exined.


    "Why didn''t you get it treated right away? This is the very reason I am so worried about you. Will you still say that I worry too much? You keep getting into trouble and hurt yourself. You got sick just a few days ago because you worked too much. Don''t you think it''s high time you became careful?


    I should have gone with you. And what was that silver punk doing? Wasn''t he with you?"


    "He was. But it happened so fast that no one could do anything."


    "Then what was your guard doing? Isn''t it her job to protect you from getting hurt?"


    "Dem..."


    "Don''t tell me to calm down. It must have hurt a lot," he said.


    ''Haa, he is really overprotective...''


    "I''m sorry. I will be more careful," I said.


    He looked at me suspiciously and then hugged me. "You worry me a lot. Please don''t get hurt. It makes me sad. I want to be with you all the time and go wherever you go. But as a King, it''s not possible.


    So, take care of yourself when you are not with me. Be careful not to get hurt."


    "Yes, I will," I said, hugging him back. "Don''t worry."


    He nagged me a bit more before finally calming down. The people who said that women nagged the most should meet my husband.


    "By the way, I caught those men."


    "Those who did bad things to that woman?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "They are in the prison, their dead bodies I mean."


    "Oh...? You killed them already?"


    "You told me to kill them, didn''t you? I did not personally kill them since they are pretty gross and I don''t want to go near them. I got their dicks cut off and they died. What do you think of this method? Since they just went along with whatever that part wanted, I thought that it would be the best way to show them hell."


    "... I don''t feel sorry for them at all. What they did was unforgivable. I am d that you gave them a painful death. But how did you even find them?"


    "Well, it isn''t that hard. Being a Kinges with a lot of advantages. You can find anyone with even just a bit of a clue. You just have to go near that ce and look for witnesses. That ce is quite popted. Some people don''t go to stop them in the act because those dumbasses are scared of those bastards.


    But they will open their mouth if you give them money or just reassure them. If you find just one of those culprits, you will find the rest of them in no time."

 Chapter 290: An Invitation From Evelyn

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I see... Thank you for everything."


    "Hmm... If you want to thank me, thank me in another way."


    "Not now," I mumbled, looking away.


    He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him. "Why not?"


    "No. We did it a lot of times even this morning," I said. "I won''t do it again until nighttime."


    "How disappointing...! But what can I do if my wife says no?"


    "I will go to my office and work. Let''s join for lunch."


    "That said, Evelyn invited us for lunch."


    "Oh? I was thinking of inviting her these days," I muttered. "What did you say?"


    "I said I will talk to you about it and then send her a reply."


    "Then tell her that we areing. It''s been quite a long time since west met."


    "If you want to."


    ''It''s alright even if you are doing it for me. I just want you to spend some time with other members of your family too, at least, your sister and her family. They are not bad people. They are your family, after all. We must not abandon or push away family members when they have done nothing wrong.''


    "Well then, give her the reply. I will go to my office now," I said.


    Just when I turned to leave, he suddenly pped my butt. "Ow! Dem!"


    "That ce is quite jiggly," he smirked.


    "Ugh! Pervert!"


    "I have just recharged myself. You see, I need to recharge myself every now and then since I tend to get tired."


    ''I will pinch your butt, I swear! Pervert!''


    "I am going!" I said loudly and walked away.


    "Be careful," he said from behind,ughing loudly.


    I returned to my office and sat down. He was just too perverted. He had been doing it quite a lot of times whenever he got the chance. I managed to catch his hand a few times, but it was not enough. He was just too fast and unpredictable. It would take me a long while of praciticing to be able to stop him.


    "This guy... He keeps doing things like that..."


    "What did His Highness do, Your Highness?"


    "Perita! When did youe?"


    "Well, I was following you since the moment you got out of His Highness''s study," she replied. "That said, what is Your Highness angry about? Even your face is red."


    "Nothing... It''s just... someone is too... dangerous..."


    "What does it mean?"


    "Nothing, forget it," I said, shaking my hand impatiently.


    Perita was a bit innocent when it came to matters like this. She would not understand if not told in detail. Sometimes it was a good thing judging the fact that I had a perverted husband who liked to tease me whenever he could. It was better if Perita did not understand.


    When I started working, time flew by very quickly. It was tiring, but I also felt great thinking that I could help Dem a lot more now. I did not have to feel useless anymore.


    "Let''s go, Your Highness. It''s time for lunch. You will get sick if you don''t eat properly," Perita said.


    "I have an invitation from Evelyn. Dem and I will go now anyway," I said, standing up and stretching my back. "Perita, can you carry me? I don''t want to walk."


    "Sure," she said and started picking me up.


    "Kidding! I was just kidding!"


    She did not listen to me and truly picked me up and even started walking. "Ack! Put me down! I was kidding! Perita!"


    "Haha, what is going on?" Flintughed as soon as he saw me. He was going back to his office with some bottles in his hands. He had a hard time holding onto all of them but somehow did not drop any.


    "Perita is not putting me down!"


    "Your Highness is very tiny. It''s kinda funny to watch. So, I am not helping," Flint said,ughing like crazy as if mocking me.


    She finally put me down when Dem showed up. "Her Highness said she doesn''t want to walk, so I carried her," Perita said innocently.


    "You can''t walk?" Dem asked.


    If she did not say it, Dem would have gotten angry, saying why she carried for no reason. Now, I regretted joking with Perita.


    "I think Her Highness is tired," Perita said.


    "You could have said so," Dem said and took me in his arms. It was getting embarrassing to be carried by two people in a single day. Besides, what would others say?


    "Look, His Highness is carrying Her Highness!"


    "I even saw Knight Perita carrying Her Highness. Her Highness is so thin that it is not hard to carry her. Besides, I think Her Highness deserves to be spoiled."


    "His Highness and Her Highness look as cute as usual. They look so gorgeous together!"


    ''Never mind. They are enjoying it...''


    "That Perita...! And you are believing her too... Are you going to carry me all the way there?"


    "Yes," he nodded.


    "Dem..."


    "What?"


    "Put me down."


    "Nope. Keep quiet and be a good girl. Or I will kiss you right now. Everyone will see."


    I did not say anything else since it would be embarrassing if he kissed me right there. There were knights and gardeners.


    Everyone except Evelyn was surprised to see Dem carrying me all the way to Evelyn''s side pce. She greeted me by hugging me while Ava jumped on me when she saw me.


    "Why do kids keep jumping on you?" Dem muttered.


    "Well, isn''t it because she looks very innocent and friendly?" Evelyn said. "That said, how have you been, Demetrius?"


    "I''m good, as you can see."


    "I have been well too," she said.


    "I did not ask."


    "I don''t care. I wanted to say it," sheughed.


    "Merrick," I said and he bowed slightly. "It''s been a long time since I have met all of you."


    "It has been," he said. "Thank you for epting the invitation."


    "We are also d that you invited us," I smiled.


    "Do you know, Blue, that I am epted to the academy?" Ava said, grabbing my face with her palms. It seemed my body gained strength since I could carry her easily now.


    "Yes, I heard that. Congrattions! You have been busy with studies these days, so I did note in person lest I should disturb you. I only sent letters," I said.


    "Yes, I know. Uncle has sent one too, but Blue''s ones are cuter," she grinned.


    It was me who pressed Dem to write a letter to her wishing her all the best for the exam. It was a new academy for kids kind of like a kindergarten. Evelyn sent me a letter saying that Ava did not want to travel with them anymore and wanted to stay here. But it would be hard to look after her when there would be no guardian. She did not want me to be her guardian since it would affect my work.


    Even though I said it would not, she insisted. That was when I brought up the idea of publishing an academy for kids. It would be nothing serious, but at least, they would be taught various subjects while they could also have fun and make friends.


    It was not hard to get people on this matter and more than enough people thought it was a good idea. I had a lot of personalnd and one of them could easily be used for the academy.


    Dem did not care about these matters and agreed to whatever I said. Thend for the academy was huge and there were a few pces ready to be used as the academy. The pces were left vacant for five months. It was actually Dem who built those pces for me so we could go on a vacation there. Now it came to use even though we could not go on a vacation. It was fine.


    There were a lot more ces for us to visit.


    There was an exam to be admitted to the academy as well. It was not a hard exam, just basic knowledge that a normal kid should know. Anyone could study at the academy if they passed the test. There would be a lot of kids since the exam was quite easy.


    Ava was very excited about it. It would be great if Athena could go there as well. But judging her physical and mental condition, it was not possible.

 Chapter 291: Dinner With Evelyns Family

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I will sit next to Blue!" Ava eximed, holding my hand tightly. She was adorable.


    I smiled at her warmly.


    "You are not going to disturb Blue, right?" Evelyn asked.


    "No, I never disturb her!"


    "That''s right. Ava never disturbs me," I said, chuckling. "You can sit next to me, Ava."


    "Yes!"


    I had no idea why Ava liked me since the moment she met me. Evelyn even said that Ava liked me more than she liked her parents. It was very unusual. Was it because I acted like her friend? But was this not the way people usually behaved with kids?


    Lunch was served while we chatted. Dem talked very little as well as Merrick. Merrick sometimes joined our conversation when it came to matters he knew about and matters about Evelyn or Ava. And Dem almost did not utter a word if not gravely necessary. It was Evelyn, me, and Ava who chatted the most. I liked listening to Ava, so I always took her seriously so she did not feel left out.


    "Blue, have you asked Evelyn about that incident?" Dem asked all of a sudden.


    "What incident?" Evelyn asked.


    "... No, I did not," I mumbled. I could have asked her about it a lot of times, yet I did not. It was mostly because I knew it would not help much. I had heard from some people about that incident and all of them said the same thing.


    "Evelyn, Blue wants to know about that time when you went to her world," Dem said.


    "Mother went to Blue''s world?" Ava asked.


    "We do not ask questions when the King is talking," Merrick said, cing his index finger on his lips, motioning Ava not to talk. Ava only pouted.


    "But he is my uncle," Ava said.


    "But first of all, he is the King," Merrick said. "I thought you listen to Father, Ava."


    "Alright... I will keep quiet...," Ava mumbled. I almost felt bad.


    "We will talk a lotter, okay? And we will have choctes too," I whispered to Ava and she grinned broadly.


    "I told her about it. But she needs to know about your side of the story as well," he said.


    "Why?" Evelyn asked. "Well, I will be more than happy to tell her. But I am wondering why so suddenly... It''s been a long time, after all."


    "Because I told her about my part and she needs to know your part too," Dem said.


    "That''s all?"


    "Isn''t that enough reasoning?" he asked nonchntly.


    "Haa, anyway, what do you want to know, Blue?" Evelyn asked.


    "Tell her everything. Don''t leave anything," Dem replied.


    "I did not ask you!"


    "I know what she wants to know," Dem shrugged. "Why don''t you start?"


    "Alright then," Evelyn nodded. "Actually, my memory of that incident is pretty vague and filled with uncertainty. I always had this urge to visit the other world. My urge only grew when I found out that those with Alpha blood could visit that world. But I never truly tried. I just could not bring myself to.


    There was always this thought- what if I can''te back? But that day, I went for it somehow and for some reason. Then I don''t remember much of a thing. The next thing I remember is that I came back, I mean, Demetrius brought me back."


    "I see... Then I heard Mother was with Evelyn at that time. Why did she not tell you not to go?" I asked. I already knew what happened because of Dem, but I wanted to hear it from her too now that it had gotten to this point.


    "I sneaked out... I guess...," she mumbled.


    "You guess?"


    "I don''t really remember that part much... I mean, I remember, but it''s kinda... What can I say? It is very hard to describe. I know it happened, but I sometimes feel this uncertainty," she said. "And there was this...


    Tsk!"


    Suddenly she stopped talking and threw a knife from the table at a maid nearby which pierced through her forehead. Only a sheer scream left her mouth and then it was dead silence.


    Dem had ced his palm on my eyes very quickly, but I saw it through his fingers. It was a small gap, but such a thing would surely not miss my eyes.


    "Haa... What...?" I gasped as my hands started to tremble. I quickly put my palm over Ava''s eyes, who just put my hand down gently.


    "That''s alright, Blue. I am not scared. But are you scared, Blue?" she asked innocently.


    Oddly enough, none of the members reacted. They were behaving as if it was a normal thing that happened.


    "Sorry for that. That fly was a spy sent by that pain in the ass Lacuna''s King. Somehow, they heard that I invited you two. I found out about it. I did not want to act right now, but she has been pissing me off for a bit," she said, smiling naturally.


    "You ruined my wife''s appetite. How inconsiderate can you be?" Dem snapped.


    "Oh my, I am so sorry, Blue. I acted on my temper. They will clean it up soon. Hey, take that thing away and ce it in an ice box. I will gift it to that damn King of Lacuna."


    "Are you alright, Blue?" Merrick asked.


    "Yes... I am fine. Don''t worry," I said, trying to smile while my heart was beating like crazy in my chest.


    ''What are these people? Are they even for real? Even Ava acted naturally too... She is so little...''


    "Anyway, where were we again? Ah, I remember. As I said, the memory of that time that I have is pretty weird. I know it happened, but it sometimes feels very... odd. I don''t think there is anything more to it.


    Do you want to know anything else, Blue?"


    "No, that''s enough. I understand," I said.


    Dem touched my cheek gently with his knuckles. "It seems my wife is done with her food. And I am done too. We will return soon, then," Dem said, without looking away from my face.


    I was grateful that he said that. It was a good thing he could understand me so quickly.


    "Really? But what happened to Blue all of a sudden? She looked good, even just a while ago. But now that I see her, her face is kind of pale," Evelyn wondered. It looked like she truly had no idea that I was feeling bad because of witnessing a murder right in front of me.


    "Well, isn''t it because you made her lose her appetite with this bloody show?" Dem grumbled.


    "Ah... I did not know Blue doesn''t like these kinds of things. Though I know that she is not used to it, I did not think it would affect her this much," Evelyn said, gasping. "I am so sorry, Blue. I invited you, yet I did this..."


    I nodded at her slightly. I could not tell her it was alright. ''After all, how can I say it is alright when she just killed someone in front of me? No matter who it is, it is still very unsettling.''


    Dem was the one who got me out of there quickly. Ava was pretty surprised that I reacted like that as well. In her words, it was very normal for someone to kill someone who they did not care about.


    "Are you okay?" Dem asked after we finally returned to our bedroom.


    "... You have read her mind, haven''t you? You could have stopped her and done it in any ce other than the dining hall, especially when everyone was eating and a kid was there. Why didn''t you?"


    "It''s not my problem. She already got it all figured out and would have dealt with it herself. I would have just hid your eyes for the time being until it was cleaned again. And Ava is used to it."


    "Used to it? Well, it did seem like she was used to it. But the question is how. How is a five-year-old kid used to something this terrible?"


    "It''s not abnormal for kids with Royal blood to be exposed to these kinds of things at an early age. They grow up witnessing these things. That''s what I am saying. It''s not unusual at all," he said and rubbed his palm against the side of my neck gently while helping me sit down on the bed. "Life here doesn''t work the same way as in your world.


    It''s impossible to change everything that has been going on here for ages. You can''t change the things that have already happened. Well, Ava''s parents are Evelyn and Merrick. They are the ones who did not think it was bad if Ava witnessed those things at such an age. We can''t do anything about that, sweetie."

 Chapter 292: Winning Against The Temple

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    After that lunch with Evelyn, it took me more than three days to get back to my senses fully. Dem had tried to help a lot of times saying that it wasmon and if I did not like it, he would make sure I would never have to see anything like that. I refused since it would be too much of a hassle and it was natural here. So, it would be better for me to get used to it.


    "No news of the dark mages?" I asked tiredly and Dem shook his head.


    "It''s always hard to track dark mages. And this one, your father or whatever, is more powerful than normal dark mages. He is being impossible to track."


    Dem was the type of person who would not give any kind of false hope about something. At least, he behaved like that most of the time, especially about serious matters. He did not say right now we had any hope of finding those dark mages.


    It was clear that it was not only one dark mage, rather two or more than that. We understood that when we found Berry''s dead body frozen inside a huge ice cube.


    "Ugh, it''s too much hassle," I sighed.


    "You can rest anytime and not worry about anything," he said.


    "No, thanks. I need to work. No, I want to work," I said. "Now that I can do this much, let me help you. I don''t want you to do everything. That said, I will send a letter to Evan regarding our yearly kingdom visiting team.


    They will leave for Lacuna next month. The date is fixed too. I should let Evan know so he can confirm that he wants to help and also can take care of his work."


    "Have you written the letter?"


    "No, I haven''t. I will show it to you after I''m done."


    "Rather than that, let me do it."


    "You will write him the letter?" I asked, surprised. Usually, he did not like to interact with him much.


    "Yeah. I will send it to him too. You don''t have to worry," he said, squeezing my shoulders gently.


    He had been standing behind me and massaging my shoulders. He did so whenever he came to my office. It felt very good as well. We were chatting while I was working. That was when the matter about the dark mages came. I got quite disturbed whenever this matter was mentioned.


    "Ah, and another thing- have I mentioned the dress burning incident? My pink dress that was gifted by the crown prince of Ataraxia was burnt..."


    "I know. It is such a small incident that I never thought we would talk about it. Did you like that dress a lot?"


    "It''s not like that. I mean, it was a gift, so..."


    "It was an ident, honey. A gift or not, an ident can destroy anything. Don''t worry about it. If you liked that dress too much, I can just get you hundreds of them."


    "What will I do with hundreds of the same dress?" Iughed. "It''s alright. It was just a dress anyway. Besides, I have too many dresses right now, thanks to your obsession with spending money for no great reasons."


    "You are the Queen. You need the best things. Even if you were not the Queen, I would have given you the best things. Well, isn''t it because it''s you?"


    "I can''t win against you."


    "Yep, but seeing you try is cute," he smirked.


    I could not see his face since he was behind me, but I could picture that smirk in my mind very well. That self-satisfied smile had been just too much of a memorable thing. Since the first day I met him, that face had been engraved in my mind. Well, perhaps he had himself engraved in my mind since the moment he brought me here.


    "Don''t flirt anymore. I am working," I said.


    "I am not flirting. I am just massaging your shoulders."


    "Yes, but you are also working your mouth."


    "This is not the only thing my mouth can do."


    "Dem!"


    "What?" he asked innocently.


    "Never mind. Is the work less than usual today?"


    "No, I just finished early because I want to spend some time with you. You can work. I will just watch you."


    ''Is that alright with you?''


    "Do you want to have a date night?" I asked, thinking he might be bored since all we did was work. The only time when we could be together without worrying about any work was when we went to bed. But that did not seem to be enough.


    "Tonight?" he asked, quite excitedly. I might have been right about him being bored. He just wanted to do something fun perhaps.


    "Not tonight. But tomorrow night is fine," I said. "The duke and the duchess wille tonight. They want to see Athena. We will have dinner in the magic tower with them."


    "Ah, I forgot," Dem muttered. "Then tomorrow night it is."


    The duke and the duchess were trustworthy and reliable. We took the duke''s help to cover up for the saint''s missing case. The temple had actively begun to look for her after that night, and the Royal family was immediately suspected since we visited just that morning. When we decided to bring Athena here, we knew this would happen. But without evidence, they would not be able to do anything.


    No one would believe them, especially when the majority of the people liked the current King and the Queen since there were a lot fewer problems in their daily lives than before. At this rate, they would not even be able to start a rebellion even if they knew that it was us who took the saint away.


    Thanks to the duke''s help, the temple could no longer even me us publicly. The matter was taken care of within three weeks. I also gave evidence in the court against the temple about the illegal tablet. A total of six priests were caught being involved directly with it. Because of that, the temple was facing a bacsh.


    But Dem and I were still drowned in work.


    ''Ugh, we deserve a break after working our asses off like this...! We work all day and night! We are also human... Wait, he is not a human...''


    That night, when we went to the magic tower, Dem was pretty shocked to see the ce. It had changedpletely. Everything looked clean and perfect, just the way they were supposed to be.


    "It''s Ruby''s magic," I whispered to Dem, seeing him bewildered. In his mind, his friend would never ever clean and decorate the tower. Even though Luc had a lot of money, he did not let anyone clean or decorate it either because he hated to be near too many people.


    ''I thought cleaning and decorating like we see in the Cindere movie was possible. But I guess not...''


    "You don''t look like you belong here," Dem said as soon as he saw Luc. "Doesn''t he look like dirt in this clean room? Don''t you think so too, honey?"


    "No, I don''t. Don''t fight," I said.


    "What''s your problem, you bastard? You wanna fight?" Luc snarled.


    "You will lose anyway," Dem shrugged.


    ''Well, though his and Luc''s power are supposed to be equal, Dem is still more powerful than him because of his ck eyes. It is understandable if Luc loses. But it''s not like I will let them fight.''


    "You two, stop it. That said, are the duke and the duchess already here?" I asked.


    "Yes, they are in Athena''s room. I will take you there," Luc replied. "The duchess seems to have gotten very close to Athena."


    Athena''s condition had improved a lot in these three weeks, especially her physical condition. Doctor Dimitri said that her mental condition would take time to improve, but it would if she was kept in a healthy environment. The time that she was in the temple was not too much. That was the reason her mental condition was not that severe.


    She would grow up just as healthily as any other child if only she got the love and care she needed.


    Right now, Ruby and Luc were not in a position to take care of a child. They had just gotten married after all and other people were not supposed to enter the magic tower. It was not okay for just any person to stay in the magic tower for a long time because there were materials in the magic tower that would affect their health.


    Ruby would be alright because she was now Luc''s mate and those materials would not affect her. But we were not sure about Athena.


    Sending her somewhere else with some caretakers would be dangerous as well. There were spies everywhere. It was hard to make sure that no one else found out.


    That was when the duke and the duchess wanted to see her, especially Iris, the duchess.

 Chapter 293: The Dukes Wish

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Has the vibe around that punk changed?" Dem whispered to me as we were following Luc.


    "He looks like a family guy now," I whispered back.


    "I can hear you two, you know?" Luc snapped.


    "Yeah, before he looked homeless," Dem said, ignoring him.


    "I wouldn''t say homeless...," I mumbled. "But Mom cried two days ago after seeing his appearance in the photos of two years ago. Apparently, he was eating red velvet cookies in them. Mom was saying that they have always bought Luc everything but never thought that he would develop the habit of wearing a shabby robe after being a mage."


    ''That''s right. It did not take long for the adoption process to beplete. Being a Queen has a lot of privileges. Now, I am officially the daughter of Marquis Lorenzo and Marchioness Aisha.''


    After I agreed to their proposal, they told me to think of their house as my home and visit them often so we could have fun together. They doted on me a lot, kind of like Dem. So, I also visited them at least once a week.


    "Well, he is so ugly when his parents are good-looking that his mother''s feeble heart could not take it and she broke down in tears," Dem mocked. "I understand it. Her heart''s cry is not wrong at all. It is quite sad actually."


    "I am tired. I don''t have the stamina to fight at all," Luc said tiredly.


    "Have you been working like before?" I asked.


    "Asking the one who gave me those work! Of course, I have been working like before! Don''t you think you have been giving too much work, Blue?"


    "Don''t argue with my wife! She knows what she is doing. And we have also been working like bulls. It''s not just you. Besides, Blue has been making sure that you get less work since you also need to take care of a child when you just got married."


    "Wow, is that so? Then, thanks, Blue," Luc chuckled.


    "Don''t smile at her. It pisses me off."


    "He is quite... crazy, isn''t he?" Luc said in a low voice, leaning towards me. He quickly moved because Dem tried to hit him.


    It was not a long way to reach Athena''s room, but Luc and Dem made it feel like it was. I sighed in relief when we finally made it.


    "Then, what do you feel about this doll? Or do you want the bear plushie?"


    "... The bear one..."


    "Here! There you go! Aww, she is so cute...!"


    Both Dem and I stood in shock at the doorway. We could not bring ourselves to enter. Luc nodded at us as if saying that he had the same reaction a while ago.


    It was not Ruby, who was ying with Athena, not Iris either. It was the duke. That gloomy duke suddenly was making animal sounds and weird noises while talking to Athena.


    Dem nced at me as if saying, "Should we just go back?"


    "You look like an idiot! Are you even human?" Iris muttered as she pped him behind the head. He had not noticed us yet and just pped Iris''s hand away and said, "You are more of an idiot. She is so cute that anyone will try to dote on her."


    "Yes, I love Athena too. But you are making her feel ufortable," Iris said. "And my hand hurts. Do you have any respect for your wife?"


    "Heh, you are not hurt. You are just pretending," the duke smirked.


    ''Ah, I forgot they were best friends...''


    "His and Her Highness are here," Ruby said, noticing us. She had been watching the duke y with Athena.


    "Blue!" Iris eximed, and then did a curtsy since Dem was here as well. "I greet His and Her Majesty."


    The duke straightened up and greeted us as well. I still could not get used to the change in his behavior so suddenly. Ruby was not required to greet us if there was no formal asion.


    "The duke was behaving like a roon a while ago. Please don''t mind him," Iris said, pulling my hand.


    "Your Majesty...!" Athena eximed. She did not get a chance to greet me because of them. "Look what the duke and the duchess brought me!"


    "Wow, you got more toys!" I smiled.


    "Now, I have thirty plushies. Your Majesty gave me seventeen, Lady Ruby gave me four, Lord Luc gave me one, His Majesty gave me three and the duke and the duchess gave me six," she said, grinning.


    "That''s thirty-one, sweetie," I corrected her.


    "Oh, did I make a mistake? I will count them again then."


    Athena looked healthier than before. All the bruises on her body had disappeared as well. The scars left on her memory would take time to go away though.


    "Athena is such a pretty and cute child," Iris said. "The duke has bonded with her already. He always had a soft spot for kids. Look at how he is still looking at her."


    "Haha, that seems to be true," I chuckled. "That said, have you found any n yet regarding Athena''s future?"


    "About that, Your Highness," the duke said with his usual serious face. "I actually want to take this child to the duchy."


    "Please borate, Duke," I said.


    "What I mean is, if Your Majesty grants it, I would like to adopt this child and she will grow up as my daughter. I have talked to Iris about it and she doesn''t mind," the duke said. "I can guarantee that she will have a good life."


    "The duke told me even before meeting her. I mean, it is almost impossible that we will have a kid ourselves. And the duchy needs an heir. So, adopting a kid is something we have been considering for a while now. When we heard about this child, we immediately thought that if we are granted, we will adopt her," Iris said, a bit sadly.


    Dem did not usually praise anyone because he thought that they were all trash. Yet, he praised the duke and said that he was truly a loyal person and someone who valued his morals. So, it was clear that the duke was not someone to abuse and take advantage of a child. His previous deeds proved that. And Iris would not do something bad to her as well.


    If Athena had parents like that, perhaps she would be happy. She would also be the heir of the duchy which would secure her future.


    "Dem and I would like to discuss it with Athena first since it''s her life we are talking about it. In the meantime, I suggest the duke and the duchess visit her for a couple of days so we can give Athena a chance to see if she will be willing to be with you. Then, if Athena agrees, you two can adopt her," I said and looked at Dem who gave a nod in agreement.


    "Thank you so much, Your Majesty. We will try our best to win your trust," the duke said.


    "Now, I think we all should go to the dining hall," Ruby said. "It is Athena''s time to sleep."


    "I can stay up longer," Athena said.


    "No," Ruby and I said at the same time. Ruby added, "Kids should go to bed in time."


    "Alright...," she said sulkily. Almost all the kids hated it when it was time to go to bed. They just wanted to stay up longer. But with Ruby here, it was not possible for Athena.


    "You can y tomorrow again with your plushies," I said and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, sweetie. Sweet dreams."


    After Ruby closed the door of her room and we got out, she whispered, "She is still scared to get out of that room. She thinks that we are going to send her away to that temple again. Since the day she hase here, she has just stayed in the room and yed with her plushies."


    "I think you also need to know something," Luc said, looking at Dem and me. "Athena got scared when she saw the duke. Then she warmed up after he talked to her."


    "It is understandable if what her father confessed is true," Dem said. "Blue tracked her parents down and kidnapped them."


    "Don''t use that term, Dem."


    "Well, she brought them against their will secretly. We got them to open their mouths using some of our special methods and found out that they actually sold her to the temple. And she was abused at home. Her bruises say it all. Apparently, her biological father looks a bit like the duke. The simrities are not too much, so she did not react too severely."


    I knew what her father looked like since I pped him twice as well. I thought that the duke looked a bit like that man, but did not think Athena would react to this. It was fine now since the duke managed to get close to her.

 Chapter 294: Escaping From The Nightmare

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "If you actually want to adopt her, there are a lot of things you need to know about her regarding her past, Duke," Dem said. "I will give you her file."


    After dinner when it was time to say good night, Dem handed the duke Athena''s file so he could know about her past. It was important for the duke and the duchess to know all about Athena to be her parents.


    "I will read it and alsoe to meet Athena often," the duke said.


    "Yes, please do so. That will be good for all the three of you," I said. "Then, good night. Travel safely."


    "We will. Good night to you too, Your Majesty," the duke said.


    Iris hugged me and bid us goodbye. They left first. Dem and I said goodbye to Luc and Ruby and then returned to the pce for the night.


    Dem, who had talked the less all this time, regained his liveliness once we were alone. The drastic change in his mood was too clear.


    "Who cooked all those dishes?" Dem asked.


    "The chef they hired obviously," I replied. "Why? You didn''t like it?"


    "No, it was good. I was surprised."


    "Yeah, I liked it too. I think the chef is familiar with our chef''s cooking style. It felt very same," I said.


    "Hm, I thought I was the only one thinking that."


    "Haha, that''s not it, of course. After Ruby came, she made a lot of changes in the magic tower. Everything looks different right now," I said. "Even Luc looks different. Mom is very happy because of this."


    "He looks clean."


    "You are mean."


    "It''s the truth. He might wear different robes now, other than just one design, but his personality is still as nasty as before," he said. "That said, you got very close to his family in almost no time."


    "Luc''s parents are very doting and loving. They are easy to get close to," I chuckled. "They told you to call them Mom and Dad too, since they are technically your inws now."


    "It''s weird to call them Mom and Dad suddenly."


    "Yeah, that''s true, I guess. You have known them for a long time after all. It was not that hard for me though. You can also try, but no need to force yourself. They will be happy no matter what you call them."


    "I think I am morefortable with how things are right now. It''s not easy to change the way you call someone," he said.


    "That''s fine. Just suit yourself," I said, touching his arm.


    When it was nighttime, everything seemed to trigger my dear husband. I just touched his arm a little and he already started to pull my hand so we could get to the bedroom faster. As soon as we reached the bedroom, he started to get straight to business without a word.


    It was only after I was too tired to move and told Dem to stop, that he let me rest. I snuggled with my pillow while Dem covered me with the nket.


    "Dem... What do you think of letting the duke and the duchess adopt Athena?" I asked slowly.


    "They are not the wrong people for this job. You can do so if you want to," he said while drinking some water from the bedside table.


    "No, I am asking for your opinion, what you think personally..."


    "Well, right now, that child needs a ce she can call home. She needs parental love and affection, proper food, clothes, and a lot of affirmation because she won''t be sure until you tell her in words that she is safe now. I have known the duke for a long time. We have gone to war together. And there is one thing I know about him for sure. It is that he has a strong sense of morals.


    It''s not themon morals that we talk about. He has his own morals that he always follows. Like he always respects someone who deserves it and doesn''t make himself look mighty because of his position. And another of his morals is that he likes kids and tries to save them as much as he can. By far, he has donated the most to the orphanages and other organizations that work for kids.


    Even in wars, when we found a dying child, he took it back. Though he could not save it in the end, he still tried a lot. So, the duke will be a good parent to Athena. And the duchess is not a bad person. You know her better than I do."


    "She is not a bad person... And I think she will be a good mother to Athena," I said. "Then, we should talk to Athena after some days and ask her opinion about it."


    "Yes," he nodded.


    "But how do you know how Athena should be treated? I mean, it''s almost like you spent time with that kind of person."


    He chuckled and pinched my nose. "Sweetie, can''t I know this?"


    "It''s not that..."


    "No, you are right actually. But have you forgotten that you had this condition too when I brought you here?"


    I could not say anything, just looked him in the eyes. He kissed me on the forehead and yed with my hair with his fingers.


    "You were always apologizing even though it was not your fault, you were scared thinking of when I will kill you or when I will abandon you, and you felt grateful for giving you the barest minimum. And you always needed affirmation because you always thought lowly of yourself. I am not ming you for your behavior. It was because of the environment you were in.


    But I am d that your condition is better now."


    "Yeah... It''s kind of odd... I changed a lot in just a few months," I murmured.


    "That''spletely normal, darling. It''s not just because of the environment you are in. It''s also because of your efforts to get better. It''s not possible to let the past gopletely. But you surely can move forward with your life."


    Dem''s words moved me. And before I knew it, I had already started crying, hugging him tightly. The warmth he offered made me cry harder because I found the love that I was never given all my life.


    "It''s alright. Everything is fine now," he saidfortingly.


    No matter how many days passed, those days of my past haunted me the same way they did years back. Every time I remembered those times, it would be hard to breathe and my heart would start breaking. How long would it take when I would fully recover from those nightmares?


    I had fewer nightmares now, but that did not mean I ever could forget what I went through. Those memories were just too vivid in my head to ever forget. Yet, I desperately waited for a time when those memories would no longer haunt me.


    Demforted me all the time without getting angry. He just never showed even the faintest sign of anger when I cried about my past. It was not my intention to cry, but it just happened. The biggestfort I got was when I found my husband calmly telling me repeatedly that it would be alright without getting angry.


    "It''s okay to cry," he whispered.


    ''My life has always been nned by others. It was even chosen who I was going to get married to. But it''s not Dem''s fault. He is a victim too. His mind has been yed with for years. I have been tricked too.


    But right now, I am better than I ever was before. Our rtionship is very different than others. Yet, we are trying our best to move forwards together. I just wish that we can be happy all the time.''


    I did not remember when the tears stopped since I had fallen asleep. It felt very peaceful. The dream I had that night was nothing extraordinary. I was sitting on the rooftop of a mansion. I had never been to this ce, but it still felt familiar. The long train of my dress was flying behind me in the strong wind.


    I looked ahead and found a little boy staring at me. He had a wooden sword in his hand and no partner. He looked very lonely.


    I touched his hair and patted him, trying to see life in his deep ck eyes which were slowly going numb, absorbing all the light. He did not say anything and closed his eyes,ing closer to me.


    He had no idea who he was. And I was trying to figure out if this kid was a part of my Dem and showed Dem''s loneliness. But it did not matter. In the end, we were just trying to help each other in all the way we could. It did not matter who we were.

 Chapter 295: The Meeting

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    A month passed by. Our rtionship kept improving as well as the workload. None of us was less busy. My wife joined a meeting for the first time today. She was very nervous, but I had to admit that she did pretty well. During the meeting, she did not appear nervous at all.


    Rather, she showed her powerful side to everyone.


    Today, we sat down with the kingdom visiting team to talk about the visit. I had written King Ford a letter regarding the visit and he had epted to join. So, he was joining this meeting as Luc''s assistant. Everyone else would know that his name was Evan and he was Luc''s assistant.


    "Thank you all for gathering here," Blue, who sat beside me at the huge table in the conference hall, said. "Today, as you all know, we are discussing about our yearly visit to each kingdom."


    ''Our Queen is very humble...''


    ''It''s the first time we have been weed this humbly... I feel strange right now. But in a good way.''


    ''Her Highness and His Highness actually match this way. Her Highness is very polite while His Highness is everything she is not. They match rather well.''


    Everyone had different reactions to Blue''s behavior, but no one hated it. Her words were polite and clear which was very different from how I started a meeting. I surely was not polite. I just liked to state the point. But it was also fun to see her do it in her way. She was doing pretty well too.


    "You all will be visiting Lacuna first and staying there for a month. Just like every other year, you will be inspecting every field to make sure Lacuna is following the rules. Send a report back to us after fifteen days. The final report should be sent within fifteen days after the visit. Then after a month, you will be visiting respectively Ataraxia, Mazazine, and Trouville.


    That will be discussedter. There are fifteen members, but this time, the master of the magic tower will be joining."


    "The master of the magic tower?"


    "Yes," she nodded. "He will be the leader of this visit. His assistant Evan will join as well. I hope you all will be able to coborate."


    "If it is not disrespectful, may I ask the purpose of the maser of the magic tower joining us suddenly?" the previous leader of the team asked.


    He was not okay with the fact that someone else would be leading the team instead of him. Did he think he owned that position?


    "Well, isn''t it because we have to strengthen our team because of some rumors? I don''t think James doesn''t know this," she said.


    "Is Your Highness talking about those rumors regarding Lacuna trying to go against us and start a war?" he asked, squinting his already little eyes.


    "Yes, I am talking about those," she said calmly. "It''s not like we are going to do nothing even if they are just rumors."


    "It seems James is very adamant to go against our decision. Do you have a better n to make sure that the rumors are not true?" I asked sharply.


    "No, I don''t mean that, Your Highness," he said quickly. "I was just..."


    "Since all the necessary information has been given to you via your files, the meeting does not need to go on any longer," I said. "The meeting is dismissed."


    After everyone left, my wife looked at me sharply. "Did you get angry?" she asked innocently.


    "Those fuc... Anyway, they know everything already. You did well too," I said.


    "King Demetrius just got angry," King Ford chuckled.


    He hade mainly to show his face to the team members. Blue said that it was important that they knew who was going with them. Luc was also present, but since he did not talk at all, it was safe to assume that he was not present.


    "You get angry too quickly," Blue mumbled.


    "That said, I heard the saint is missing and that''s right after the King and the Queen visited the temple. I wonder if you have any connection with it," King Ford said.


    "Really? We don''t even believe that there can be anyone called a saint with that so-called healing power," I grumbled.


    "Yes, we are atheists. Probably that''s why," Blue said. "We went to the temple because I needed to show my face someday and also because of an illegal business. You surely heard about it, right?"


    "Of course. The temple in Querencia is facing a bacsh because of the incident," he said. "I think everyone knows about it by now."


    "I never liked the temple anyway. Mom used to go there to donate, but it stopped too when she got into an argument with a priest. I think it''s about the name of a tree?" Luc said.


    "The name of a tree?" Blue asked, shocked.


    "Apparently, Marchioness Aisha asked the name of a tree in the garden because she was testing their basic knowledge and they got it wrong. She got angry, saying that they don''t know the name of a simple tree even though it is the temple''s garden and the flower of the tree is known as a holy flower. After that, she never went to the temple and hates it now," I said.


    I knew the story quite well because sheined a lot about it to me. King Ford looked surprised. Well, he was supposed to be since he did not know the marchioness well. She was very weird. Luc''s whole family was weird. But they always stuck together.


    Even idiots could make a good team if they stuck together.


    "Mom told me about this incident as well," Blue said. "Iughed because I found it funny, but she was serious?"


    "Why do you call Marchioness Aisha Mom? She is not your mother though," King Ford said. "Or, is the rumor true that the master of the magic tower''s parents adopted you?"


    "They did," she replied. "They are really cool."


    "Except Luc," I added.


    "You wanna fight?" Luc snarled, showing me his fist.


    ''What? Why are you showing me your fist? You are gonna use magic to fight anyway.''


    "Stop it, you two. Why do you always fight?" Blue said. Well, she was sitting between us. She chose that position because she knew that we two would fight.


    "Now, you have great connections," King Ford said, chuckling at her. "Your husband is the King and your brother is the master of the magic tower. I think it is the safest position ever where you will be protected by the two most powerful people in the kingdom."


    "Yeah, that''s a good thing," sheughed.


    From the beginning, Luc had cared for her a lot. He had always tried to make sure that she wasfortable. His thoughts towards her were very different from other people. He considered her to be one of his closest friends and cared for her that way. I never had to worry about Luc as I worried about other men near her.


    It was the reason I never had any problem if she spent time with him or epted his parents'' proposal.


    After the meeting, King Ford had to leave for a while and said that he woulde back two dayster when they would leave for Lacuna. I was quite happy that he left. Though he was on our side right now, I still did not like his presence. Perhaps it was because he was just another man who talked to my wifefortably and also I could not read his mind because he was a dark mage.


    Though we did not talk about it, all of us were sure that we would not let him or anyone else know about Athena. No matter how many secrets he knew, we always needed to make sure that he did not know more than he needed to. Athena''s case was very important to be kept a secret because of her power.


    Even if her power did not exist, some people would still try to take advantage of her based on the belief that saints had special powers.


    "She now has started to go to other rooms," Luc informed us as we were taking a walk in the garden because my wife wanted to move her legs a bit because she had been sitting all morning. "Ruby warned her not to go outside the tower or even go near the windows because anyone can see her if they pass by the tower. The duke and the duchess have beening to y with her a lot too.


    I think they have gotten pretty close."


    "So, it is time to ask her?" Blue asked.


    "Yes, I think you should ask her now."

 Chapter 296: A Great Match

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Do you like this new plushie, Athena?" I asked.


    I had given her another plushie today because she seemed to be fond of them. She had more than fifty now. The one I brought today was a huge whale plushie which was just too cute. Last night, Dem and I went on a date and saw this plushie. It was so cute that I could not ignore it and ended up buying it for Athena.


    "Wow, this is huge...! I like it!" she eximed. "But what is this animal?"


    "It''s a whale. Whales are huge, but cute," I said.


    "Has Your Majesty ever seen a whale?" she asked.


    "No, I did not. But I wish I will someday. They live in the oceans. I have never been near an ocean, so I have never seen it. Besides, it''s not like you can see it even if you visit an ocean. It can happen suddenly," I said.


    "But Dem has seen one. Right, Dem?"


    Dem, who was standing behind me, nodded. He had been following me wherever I went. Our schedules matched these days because we worked at the same hours and joined the same meetings. So, we could take a break at the same time too. During our break times, our subordinates had to work like maniacs though.


    We also could have date days or nights. Sometimes, we practiced swordsmanship together because we could not do anything else, sometimes we danced together and other times we read books. Though the activities were very simple, it was fun. We also rode our horses on the pce grounds.


    "His Majesty has seen a whale?" Athena asked, surprised. I still could not get used to how adorable she was. I wanted to hug her a lot because she was cute but resisted myself because no one would like it if someone hugged them frequently.


    "I did," Dem nodded. His demeanor was as cold as always. But Athena had gotten used to it and talked to him just as normally she talked to us.


    "When?" she asked excitedly.


    "When I was going to Mazazine. We were using the ocean to travel and I saw a whale once. It was a baby whale. I think it was having fun and kept diving in and out of the water. It even followed us for a bit."


    "Wow, so cool! They won''t hurt us?"


    "No, whales don''t hurt anyone. They can crush you with their weight though. But they won''t eat you," he replied.


    "Was it during thest war?" I whispered to Dem.


    "Yeah. We needed to use both thend and the waterway to attack them. They were expecting thend only. Heh, it was a great victory," Dem said, smirking. "That''s how I got the south part of that ocean."


    "Jeez, you are scary...," I mumbled.


    "I made tea," Ruby announced. "Your Highness, please sit somewhere safe so you won''t burn your hand again."


    "It''s alright. I will catch the child if she tries to jump on her," Dem said.


    "He is right. Three days ago, he caught Sapphire midair when she tried to jump on me while I was drinking hot chocte. It happened in a sh. It took me a while to understand everything," I said. "That was quite admirable, you know?"


    "Of course. You are not with someone who will just watch you get hurt," he said.


    "Wow, His Majesty is Her Majesty''s hero!" Athena said suddenly very loudly. And it seemed to make my husband very proud.


    "Yes, they are a great match," Ruby agreed.


    Everyone seemed to believe wholeheartedly that we had a solid rtionship. Well, we were truly a happy couple. We had our problems, but it would be solved pretty easily. It had been a long time since west fought too. So, everything was going well between us. No wonder everyone said that we were a good match and our rtionship would not likely break.


    It was also good if everyone knew about our good rtionship. We would gain more supporters. Iris also said that the rtionship between the King and the Queen was very important. If they did not share a good rtionship, the Imperial Pce would be weak and it could be the cause of wars too.


    "Where is Luc, by the way? I have not seen him for a while," I said.


    "Luc is working on a new project. He is trying to see if Athena truly possesses such powers. As I mentioned in the letter, Athena suffers from headaches frequently and sometimes, she feels unbearable pain in her heart. The doctor did not find the cause," Ruby said.


    "Yes, he told me that there is nothing wrong with her. But he is checking her regrly," I said.


    "That''s right. Two days ago, Luc said that he is going to try and see if she is falling sick because of her power. Both the doctor and Luc think that it is happening because her body can''t adjust to her power," she said.


    "That is a valid point. It can happen," I said.


    "But is there really such a power?" Dem muttered.


    "I think we should just..."


    All this time, I refrained from asking Athena about her power because it seemed to be a sensitive subject for her. But no one knew about her power better than her.


    "Um, Athena, can you tell me a bit about something?" I asked Athena cautiously who had been ying with her new plushie.


    "Hmm, what is it, Your Majesty?" she asked.


    "Have you ever had this strange feeling like you can do something extraordinary that others cannot?" I asked. "You don''t have to tell me if you are ufortable. I am asking this because it can be rted to your frequent sickness."


    "My power...? I... I don''t have any...," she replied hesitantly.


    I looked at Dem who had been staring at her. Dem had a hard time reading her mind too because she had been wearing a silver ne all the time. We had a hard time taking it off because it had been sealed with magic.


    "Alright," Dem said and nodded at me. "It''spletely eptable. You will grow up just like any other kid whether you have any special power or not. After all, it''s your choice if you want to use the power or not, in case you have it. But since you don''t have it, you have one less thing to think about."


    I smiled at Athena who seemed quite nervous for some reason and patted her. She looked like a doll with her hair tied in a long loose braid. It must have been Ruby''s work. She was very good at it.


    "Let''s forget about that. There is one more thing I wanted to ask you," I said.


    "What is it?" she asked.


    "You know the duke and the duchess, don''t you? Theye to y with you often. I was wondering if you would like to live with them."


    "Live with them?"


    "Yes, they want to adopt you, which means they will be your new parents. They will raise you. You can live with them as a real family," I said. "You see, right now, you need a safe home. And I think they will be the perfect people for you. Of course, it''s up to you to decide."


    "It means I can y with the duke every day?" she eximed excitedly. Her mood seemed to changepletely from before.


    "Of course. You like to y with the duke this much?" I chuckled.


    "Yes! He taught me a lot of games. I like to y with him. I like the duchess too. She is very sweet, like Your Majesty."


    "Is that so? Then do you want to go with them?"


    "Yes!"


    ''Wow, it went more smoothly than I thought it would!''


    We returned to the pce after spending some time more with Ruby and Athena. We did not go to Luc''s research room since he was busy. Luc must be working very hard, or he was not the type of person who would miss a chance to hang out with his friends.


    We returned to the library because he suggested to work together today. We could go to any of our office, but the library was a better choice. It felt stuffy in the office because we worked there all the time and it was a familiar ce. To get motivation for work, it was important to change space sometimes.


    I suddenly started coughing and a maid brought me water. I drank the water quickly to get rid of the cough.


    "She has powers," he said out of nowhere, causing me to cough out the water. "Ah, I am sorry. Your reaction is quite extreme."


    "There, there," he patted me on the back.


    It was just the two of us because I told everyone to go away. It was more convenient for us to talk freely in this way.

 Chapter 297: Trust

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "... Haa... My throat hurts... But that''s not the point. Have you read her mind? Was she thinking about it?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "She has healing power and she used it once too. She has been hiding her power in hope of being freed one day if the priests found her useless. At least, that''s what she is thinking. If it''s true, I have to change a few parts of my beliefs."


    "Oh my... That must be why she looked so nervous. Did I appear as the ughter in front of her?" I asked, getting very nervous.


    "Of course not. She likes you a lot, but she is scared. You see, traumatized people sometimes trust so quickly, or cannot trust easily. In her case, she cannot trust easily. Give her some time."


    I knew it very well too. I was someone like that after all. When Dem gave me a hand and told me that he would free me from my family, I wanted to trust him. I wanted to hold onto the hope of getting out of that hell. Then again, sometimes, I had difficulty trusting him since I always wondered why he chose me. He could have had anyone.


    I always believed that he had an ulterior motive, or perhaps he wanted to kill me. Those times were very difficult. Even now, it was sometimes hard for me to trust. And other times, I trusted too quickly.


    "Perhaps I am rushing things..."


    "You are not. You gave her a lot of time. Now, she has agreed. So, it''s fine," he said.


    Just when I was about to say something more, the beta entered. He looked older than he looked a month ago. Perhaps the workload was too much for him too.


    "I greet His and Her Highness," he bowed.


    "Why are you here?" Dem asked. It was clear that he knew why he was here since he had already read the beta''s mind.


    "The rebels are making a ruckus. They want to meet Your Highness," the beta said.


    "Shut them up. Starve them or something," Dem said. "Why do they want to meet me?"


    "They are saying that they have something to say," he said.


    "Ugh, they said the same fucking thing two days ago. I went to meet them and then they said that they are not guilty. That''s the only damn thing they wanted to say. Shut them up. I don''t want to hear about them for the next five days."


    "Alright, Your Highness."


    Though I felt bad because they were all teens, I still could not do anything for them. It was not okay to show mercy to someone who clearly made a huge mistake. If I showed them mercy, then it would be impossible to follow the strict justice system again. For now, all I could do was grit my teeth and try to get used to it.


    "Let''s just get to work," he said. "These days, all of them have been driving me crazy. Like you have made the mistake, then how many fucking times are you going to say that you did not when we have clear evidence that you did?"


    "Just leave it, honey," I said, trying to calm him down. "I know it''s stressing. But what can we do? This is just how our work is. I will tell the maid to get us something cold. It will help you calm down."


    Dem''s anger was pretty scary. I got less scared when it was not directed toward me. But still, it always sent shivers through my spine.


    The maids brought us ice cream. I liked the mango and the chocte vor while Dem liked the cherry vor. I hated cherry, but I liked watching him eat it. It was kind of hot, though I never said it to his face.


    "The ice cream is amazing, right? No wonder Ava likes our chef''s ice cream better," I said.


    "Well, isn''t he the Imperial Pce''s chef because his abilities are superior?"


    "Haha, that''s true..."


    "And if you miss Ava, you can just go meet her."


    "I don''t miss her... She has been away for fifteen days only. How can I...?"


    "You don''t have to lie. You mentioned her at least ten times," he said. "Before the ice cream incident, you mentioned her while ying with Sapphire saying that Ava likes Sapphire too."


    "Okay, I admit I miss her. But she has gone to the academy. I don''t want to disturb her. Besides, she promised to send me letters every month. I think I am just being too much."


    "You can simply visit her. It''s not a sin," he said. "I will take you there."


    "Obviously, I do not expect you to let me go there alone," I rolled my eyes.


    "I just want to apany you wherever you go."


    "Don''t lie to me," I said. "But I think your condition improved."


    "Did it? I wonder..."


    "Can''t you feel it? I mean, the change is not grand, but there surely is. Now you suggest that I can go out too. Before, it was different. You hated even the thought of it. Besides, you express fewer] insecurities these days."


    "Perhaps it improved a bit," he said. "It will be good for you if I improve, right?"


    "It''s not just about me. It will be good for your mental health too."


    "No, it''s not true. I can live the way I am for the rest of my life and will have not much of a problem. I am trying to change because I don''t want to burden you all the time with my weird thoughts."


    I stared at him for a few seconds and then cracked a little smile. "Thank you," I said. "It must not be easy to change yourself. But I am d that you are doing it for me even though it is so hard. So, thank you for everything."


    His face showed pure sadness for some reason. There were a lot of times when I would find him look at me that way. Sometimes, it felt like he was pitying me.


    That evening, Evelyn came to our pce to inform us about her new travel n. We had tea together while she told me all about where she wanted to travel next with Merrick.


    "Now, we don''t have to worry about Ava anymore. I will visit her once before leaving," Evelyn, who was dressed in pants and a shirt, said. "I thought we would not have to worry about Ava''s choice until she is a teen. But she started showing her rebellious behavior very quickly. Must be because of the Easton family''s genes."


    "So, it was the same case for you and Demetrius?" I asked, taking a sip of my tea.


    "Yes," she chuckled, giving a nod. "We were rebellious at a very young age. We have some things simr between us and this is one of them. Wow, the tea tastes different."


    "It is blue tea. The color is blue too," I said.


    "Yeah, I noticed. I did not even think it was tea at first," she said. "It tastes flowery. It''s unusual, but I like it."


    "Ruby gave these tea leaves to me. She ordered somest week," I said. "I believe her taste in tea. She also makes tea amazingly."


    "Then Luc is very lucky. He has to work a lot and now will get some tea that will help him," she said. "My Merrick also takes care of me a lot. But he is the one who should be taken care of more. After all, his physical condition is weaker than mine and gets sick sometimes. I rarely get sick."


    "I noticed it with Dem too. He rarely gets sick."


    "We are Alphas after all. We are very strong physically and have great stamina. It''s not like we never get sick. But it''s just infrequent."


    ''Dem''s stamina is truly admiring. I get the proof all day and night.''


    "Ah, for the reason I came here, Merrick and I actually have nned to go to Mazazine via waterway," she said. "We have never gone to Mazazine before."


    "I see."


    "... Haa, I was debating with myself on the way, whether to tell you or not. It''s odd, but whenever I look at you, I can''t help but trust you."


    "Thank you?"


    "Haha, it''s no joke. You have this ability to make someone trust you just by looking at them. It''s dangerous and will be very helpful to you," sheughed. "Actually, you know that my mother is from Mazazine, right?"


    "Yes, she told me."


    "I am going to look for her remaining family there. I need to know a lot of things," she said. "If I say, I don''t believe my mother and think that she is going to do something bad, will you believe me?"

 Chapter 298: The Line

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Mother was someone who confused me a lot. Sometimes, it was hard to trust her. And other times, I felt guilty for not trusting her. But one thing was sure- something was off about her. Neither Dem nor I could find out anything. We could not do anything even if we found her suspicious because of theck of evidence.


    There was just no evidence, other than our spection.


    Hearing it from Evelyn was no surprise at all. She was not blind. And Mother''s behavior was sometimes odd as well.


    "Evelyn surely has reasons for saying so," I said. "It is not up to me. It is up to you what you want to believe."


    She chuckled. "I want to know more," she said, her blue eyes glistening like those of a hungry panther. "I don''t care how long it will take. But I will find out the truth. Something... There is something very much wrong.


    I cannot say more. But when I say that you need to be careful, don''t ignore it. Not just Mother, but most people around you, you need to be careful."


    "Yes, I will be careful. Being a Queen has made me question everyone''s motive," I said, smiling.


    "And I also suggest that you use contraceptives for a year or so. Right now, there are a lot of people who will want to get rid of you. It is very usual since you are the Queen now. But remember, you are not used to it. It has been seven months or just a bit more than that. It''s not enough.


    If you get pregnant and the word gets out, there will be more assassination attempts. You will be vulnerable because of the pregnancy. Demetrius cannot save you always, no matter what he says. At least, wait until you think you really can carry the burden of another person alongside yours."


    "I understand... Thank you for your suggestion. I will keep it in mind," I nodded. "And when will you be leaving for Mazazine?"


    "Two dayster. I won''t get the chance to say goodbye, so I came earlier. You are a busy person. I am grateful that you even made time for me." Chapter Read:


    "It''s alright. I also need to take breaks every now and then."


    "Still...," she mumbled. "You are a good person, Blue. I am equally grateful and sorry that you had toe into this messy Imperial Pce. Because of my brother, you need to take this burden. I am grateful because you are taking care of him and he has improved a lot since marrying you. But I am also sorry because you need to take care of all this work and also my brother''s crazy behaviors."


    "Yes, the work is too much. But I am fine with Dem. I don''t know how much Evelyn knows Demetrius, but I am fine to live my life with him. Every person is different. He is different too. It took me a bit of time to get used to him, but now, I don''t have any problem with him.


    So, you don''t have to feel sorry for me because of your brother. He and I are happy. I am grateful that I could be with someone as loving and caring as him."


    She smiled and I could not help but find the simrities between her and Dem''s smile. Though they did not look simr much, their smiles looked oddly simr.


    "It is good then. I wish you two all the best," she said.


    "Thank you. I hope you find the things you are looking for."


    "Trust me, I will. I will let you know once I find something out. Think of me as your personal spy. It will satisfy my curiosity and will help you as well."


    "Then I will be waiting to hear from you. But I don''t want you to be my personal spy. Sister is alright," I said.


    "Haha, sister it is then," she grinned. "I also wish that we maintain a sisterly rtionship. I think we are just meant for that. It''s impossible to mend my rtionship with my brother. It''s toote for that. But I still wish that we can somewhat have a rtionship where at least you ask each other how they are doing.


    He doesn''t care and I understand why. Right now, I think it will be enough to maintain a good rtionship with his wife. Yeah, that will be enough."


    Evelyn said goodbye to me after a while. We chatted for a bit more than two hours. No matter what she said, both of us knew that there was a line in our rtionship which would always refrain us from getting close. She was my husband''s sister, but Dem did not share any bond with her. He did not even consider her or anyone else as part of his family. It was pretty sad.


    There was no way I could mend the rtionship that had been broken for more than twenty-three years. No, their rtionship did not break. It was just never there in the first ce.


    "Your Highness, lord Flint is swearing at the pile of papers in your office," a maid said. "Lord Reece is there as well."


    "They havee to report. They met on the way, I suppose," I muttered. "I will be there. And pack some blue tea leaves in a nice box. Send someone to prepare the carriage for me. I will go out tonight."


    "Where will Your Highness be going? I will prepare the outfit that will match your purpose," she said.


    "I will pay my niece a surprise visit. I will give her the toys I bought for her. And I will also take a walk around the shops. I suddenly feel like it," I said. "I will ask Dem if he wants toe with me. Well, he won''t refuse."


    As I expected, Dem did not refuse. I did not ask him myself because I needed to check the reports made by Reece and Flint. I told a maid to ask him for me and he said yes. We decided to go out at eight. We would use Flint to teleport us there and then take us to a market. Flint would leave then because his wife was pregnant and he said that he needed to go home before ten.


    "Please don''t talk like you know my opinion," Flint said.


    "I don''t need to though," I said, tilting my head.


    "What?"


    "I am the Queen. You have to listen to what I say," I said. "Besides, I will let you leave before ten. So, I am not using you all the time."


    "... Your Highness, you are being a devil."


    "Thank you."


    "Don''t talk to Her Highness like that," Reece said. "Anyway, I made this report you asked for."


    "Thank you. Leave it here. You can go home for today. Tomorrow, work on the Prime Minister''s case. It seems he is passing some private information to someone else. Find out about it as soon as possible.


    Use as many spies as you need."


    "Yes," he nodded. "I will send a spy to stalk him tonight then."


    "Do what you need."


    "In case, you might want to know, the Prime Minister''s toddler is sick," Flint said. "And his wife is super religious. Yes, that old man has a toddler albeit it might seem weird."


    "Don''t make it sound weird then," I scoffed. "And how do you know that his toddler is sick?"


    "I have a cold war going on with his son. Of course, I would know. I am keeping an eye on him," Flint said.


    "Then, are you sure it''s true?" I asked.


    "Oh, please. Have I ever disappointed Your Highness?" he shrugged.


    "In that case, Reece, target his wife too. Send someone to stalk her," I said. "Some people are crazy about their kids after all. They can do anything, even if it does not make any sense logically."


    "I want to start working tonight, then," Reece said. "You don''t have to worry, Your Highness. I don''t need rest right now since my health is perfectly fine. I would rather work a few more hours."


    "If you are fine with it, it is good for me too. Just don''t push yourself," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness. I will assign the spies now. Let me take my leave."


    "Alright, go," I nodded.


    After he left, Flint clicked his tongue with an all-knowing expression on his face. "That guy has got into a fight with his parents. He has not found his mate yet, so his parents are trying to get him married to some girl who I don''t know about... yet. I will find out soon. Anyway, that made him angry and he hates going home."


    "Have I asked?"


    "No, but Your Highness is curious."


    "I am not. Are you crazy? It''s his business. I don''t care."


    "Heh, well, I am curious. So, I found it out. I will let you know more when I find out."


    "I don''t want to know...," I sighed.


    ''Apparently, my mage is the type of person who stays quiet most of the time but knows everything that''s going on around him. He is a pretty reliable source if you want to find something out.''

 Chapter 299: A Surprise Visit, Or Not?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Heh, that look sure will get you enough attention, Your Highness. Some might even know it''s you," Flint said.


    "What''s wrong with this look?" I asked.


    "You look like a Queen," he said.


    "I am the Queen."


    "I mean, you are not going go out as a Queen, are you? I thought Your Highness will walk around in the market," he said.


    "I will. But before that, I will go to Ava. And I am going as her aunt who happens to be the Queen. I am a lot used to this kind of dress and essories now. This feels more normal than actual normal looks," I said.


    "You look normal enough," Dem said,ing up from behind. "Besides, you are not wearing as many essories you wear every day. You will still attract attract attention, though since you are so beautiful and cute. But I will be there to kill the mosquitoes."


    "His Highness will turn any situation into a flirty one... Ah, no, I mean, it is very impressive," he said quickly as Dem red at him.


    After taking care of the work, I finally got ready to leave. There were ten maids who helped me get ready today. It was because I gave them fifteen minutes to get me ready. So, I just had to sit there and watch them run around like ants. It was scary how fast I was getting used to it. Perhaps it did not take time to get used to luxury.


    I wore a sleeveless mermaid red dress. The dress was not too tight near my curves, but still, perfectly defined them. It had a slight illusion neckline with red little pearls all over it. There werece designs on my chest and downer parts. A simple red satin belt finished the look.


    I had my hair tied in half up half down style. A pair of ga earrings and a ga bracelet were my essories for the night. Since the dress was sleeveless, I worece elbow-length gloves.


    ''This is the less fancy dress I found in my closet.''


    "Shall we go then?" Dem, who was dressed in all ck attire, asked. He did not know what I would wear beforehand, so we could not match. Usually, we matched our looks somehow. It was even a matter of gossip among the servants and employees.


    "Yes," I replied, slipping my hand through his arm.


    I had to wear a cloak over my dress since it was very famous here to wear a cloak while going out if someone was a noble. I still did not understand the purpose of doing so. Probably, they wanted to avoid less attention because their looks were different thanmoners or something. I did it because everyone did it. I was just going with the crowd in this case. The maids were very adamant about it too.


    "Why is Your Highness wearing a ck cloak when your dress is red?" Flint wondered.


    "You don''t have to know, jeez...," I said.


    "Why does he talk so much?" Dem muttered.


    "Flint is always like that. Don''t mind him," I said.


    "He is lucky that he works under you," Dem said, not bothering to keep his voice down.


    But none of the employees or servants ever minded when Dem badmouthed them right to their faces. It was like they expected it or were used to it or they just did not care. It was not hard for me to guess how Dem behaved with others. He did not behave like that in front of me, so I could not correct him all the time. But I still tried to make sure that he improved the way he behaved with others.


    Flint teleported us to the academy dormitories where Ava currently was staying. I sent a quick word to the headmaster and she said it was alright.


    "Wow, this ce is really big... It''s my first timeing here," Flint said.


    Chapter Explore:


    "It is my first time too," I said. "I only saw the documents about the area and a few paintings. But it''s indeed very big now that I see it in person."


    "We cane here anytime if you want to look around," Dem said.


    "Yeah, but now, it is used as the academy and the dormitory. It''s not okay for me toe and go as I please. Let''s visit when it is vacation time."


    "Your Highness, is thedy supposed to know you will be here?" Flint asked suddenly.


    "Huh? Ava? No," I said, confused.


    "Well, she got her mother''s characteristics," Dem said knowingly.


    I was looking around, confused when I heard someone yell my name. Before I knew it, I saw Ava running towards me from the corridors. She jumped on me while Dem had his hand behind my back so I would not fall. Ava was a werewolf, so she was very strong. Sometimes, it was hard for me to bnce myself when she jumped on me.


    "Ava... How...?"


    "I found out!" she eximed. "Was Blue trying to surprise me?"


    "Yeah, kind of... But it seems I failed," I said. "But how did you find out?"


    "I have my ways!" she grinned.


    ''Where have I heard this before? Ah, that''s right. My dear husband talks this way.''


    "Uncle is here too... And who is that?"


    "That''s Flint. He is my personal mage," I said.


    "Hello," Flint waved.


    "I have seen you before. You were lurking around Blue''s office," she said.


    "Well, I work for Her Highness. It is possible to see me around her office. But for thedy''s information, I was not lurking around. It was merely my usual way of entering Her Highness''s office," Flint said.


    "He teleports to weird ces," I mumbled. "Anyway, it is not alright for you to get out at night even if it is the dormitory''s area. Did you sneak out?"


    She nodded guiltily. I pinched her cheek. "Don''t do it again. Let''s go inside. We will go talk to the headmaster a bit and then, I will go and see your room."


    "Okay! But what is in the bag, Blue?"


    "That''s for you. Here. Go to your room and open it. I will be there soon too," I smiled at her.


    "Okay! And thank you!"


    "Yeah, now go," I chuckled.


    She took the bag from me and made a run to her room. She was staying on the second floor. She had a roommate too, named Alice. Though I did not visit before, I still knew all about Ava, her ssmates, and how the academy was going.


    Ava was very mature for her age and her behaviors surprised me less now. She could talk clearly at a very early age which I heard had been the case for Dem and Evelyn too. And she was used to bloodshed at the age of five only. Actually, after that day, I could not look at Ava the same way I looked at her before. Sometimes, I got scared of her albeit she had been only nice to me and liked me a lot.


    I felt guilty for feeling that way, but I could not help it.


    "I have noticed it before too. Kids actually like Your Highness a lot," Flint said.


    "Really?" I asked.


    "Yeah," Dem agreed. "That is very true. They find you very safe, I think."


    It was true that I could bond with kids easily. Even in my world, the kids of my neighborhood liked me. They sometimes even asked me to y with them, but I never could. I gave them candies sometimes. After seeing that, Draven got mad one day and pped me in front of them for no reason. The kidster tried tofort me by giving me flowers the next day.


    Those memories did not go away. I wished they would, so I would not have to get hurt remembering them.


    We met the headmaster and talked to her for a bit. She was thanking us again and again for giving her this opportunity. It got ufortable when she started crying. Dem got annoyed and tried to leave, but I held his hand since it would look terrible. Iforted her and she calmed down after a while. After that, we went to Ava''s room.


    She personally showed us the way.


    "It is His and Her Majesty''s first time to be here after the academy has been established. Please give me permission to show you around," she said.


    "We would love that, but we do not have much time in hand. We need to leave before ten," I said. "When we visit next time, we will surely look around and have you guide us."

 Chapter 300: Twisted Family

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Hey, look, she is ying with the doll you chose for her. Though the doll is very peculiar, she seems to like it," Blue whispered, peaking through the gap of the door.


    "Why are you not going in?" I asked.


    "Lady Ava, His and Her Highness are here," the headmaster suddenly said loudly. Her voice was so loud that my ears ached. The same was true for Flint who looked like he could burn her alive.


    "Blue... Ah, Aunt!" Ava eximed, opening the door very quickly and loudly. "There are so many toys you brought for me!"


    "Do you like them?" Blue asked, smiling at her.


    "Yep! They are so cool! I like this doll the most!" Ava eximed, showing a doll that was the size of her arm.


    It was the doll that I had chosen when we went out before after my wife told me to choose something too since she had been choosing all the other toys. It was not a fun thing, but since she looked so excited, I could not refuse. But after I was done choosing, she looked at me as if I was crazy. I had no idea why she kept saying that the doll was very weird looking.


    It had brown hair which was very curly and its eyes were merely two ck dots. It had a button for the nose and the mouth was in the shape of a heart. It wore a bright green dress which matched the color of the eye makeup it had on. It was also wearing a bit of makeup which made its face look whiter than its body.


    "Oh my god... It is that ominous one...," Flint eximed, backing away as if he was afraid of being touched by something.


    "It is not ominous," Ava said. "I like it. Don''t you think it''s beautiful too, Aunt?"


    ''She has been calling her Blue all the time and now that the headmaster is here, she is calling her ''Aunt''? Is she trying to show that she is very well-behaved when she usually calls her aunt by name? Well, Blue allowed it, but still... Haa, it''s not like I care.''


    "..."


    "It is so beautiful that she is speechless," I said, seeing my wife struggling to even utter a single word. "Right, honey?"


    "... Yeah, it is very... special looking," she nodded a bit.


    "Please feel free to stay as long as you desire," the headmaster said. "If you may grant, I will go and take care of some work in my office."


    "Yes, go," I said which was very different from what my wife said. She smiled at her and said, "Yes, of course. We will spend some time with our niece and then, we will take our leave. I am afraid we might not have time to say goodbye in person."


    "That is fine, Your Highness. Just feel free to do anything. This is all because of the grace of the King and the Queen."


    "Blue,e and take a look at the nt I have been growing," Ava said, pulling Blue by her hand after the headmaster left. Ava had gone to her usual self and started talking to Blue like she usually did.


    "Heh, that brat... She is acting all innocent in front of her," I sneered.


    "Well, most people do this. It is all to get the affection of Her Highness," Flint agreed. "Her Highness doesn''t know what kind of people the members of the Royal family are. That''s the advantage Lady Ava is taking."


    "You are talking to the King about his family like this? Have you no fear?"


    "I am Her Highness''s mage and a very useful one. She won''t fire me," he chuckled.


    "Haa, I don''t care," I sighed. "You don''t work under me."


    From a very young age, the children of the Easton family developed a strong sense of leadership. They could talk clearly at a very early age than normal children. They matured very quickly and developed all kinds of controversial personality traits, including maniption, violence, indifference towards most things, especially the emotions of others, and obsession with a particr thing.


    They were not mentally strong either which sometimes caused them to lose their minds. It happened because of the same disturbing and twisted environment of their family that had been going on for generations. The people who entered the family by getting married to a member also turned twisted or were like that in the first ce.


    Ava was no different because her family was no less different than the previous generations. Her parents loved her, but their love did not suffice the fact that they also showed her things that a child was not supposed to see. It was probably because her mother did not know what a proper and regr family was. In her family, she had more influence than her husband.


    No wonder he could not fix the situation even though he was a very normal person in the beginning.


    My wife endured a harsh reality in her family, but in her eyes, children were just children. She treated Ava like a mother would treat her child. It was a very normal thing to do. And Ava liked this gesture and ended up changing her behaviors and personality in front of her. But it did not change the fact that Ava was just another member of the Easton family who developed an improper mind.


    ''But my innocent wife does not need to know this. Let her see Ava just as any other child. She is already shaken enough from that incident.''


    Blue had bought a lot of candies and toys for Ava just like she bought for Athena. It seemed she liked to be with children just like they wanted to be with her. And I liked to watch her having fun and smiling happily. It filled my heart with joy every time I saw her like that. I just wished she would stay happy all the time.


    "Do you water this nt every day?" Blue asked.


    "Yep! I water it every day! Isn''t it great?"


    "Yeah, it''s amazing. I have never taken care of a nt before. You have done really great," Blue said. "It is a blue rose at that. So beautiful..."


    "Right? Blue things are really beautiful!" Ava eximed.


    ''Wait...! What? That girl... I had a feeling it was the case, but I never truly considered it to be actually true... What the hell? She is...


    obsessed with Blue? Is this the case? No wonder her thoughts always included her.''


    "Blue, it is gettingte," I said. "Flint''s wife is pregnant and he needs to go there."


    Flint looked at me with his mouth hanging open as if he could not believe me. But it was the only method to go away from this dangerous girl. I needed to keep Blue away from her as much as possible. I was an Easton myself and I knew very well how dangerous obsession could get. If it was not prevented early, it would be very dangerouster on when it would be hard to control.


    "It is? What time is it?" Blue asked.


    "It is notte!" Ava said loudly. "Blue can stay with me for some time more."


    "We need to leave," I said sharply. "I remember I have something important to do too."


    "Then why did youe with Blue, Uncle?"


    I looked at my wife who looked confused but nodded at me. It was a relief that she listened to me almost all the time. She trusted me a lot, probably because I was the first person to get her away from her trashy family.


    "I am sorry, sweetie. It seems I need to leave now. I wille to meet you when I have time again," I said.


    "Do you have to?" Ava asked sulkily.


    "Yes, but I will surelye to visit you again. I will bring more candies and toys then. By the way, share those candies with your friends, okay? It is important to share good things with friends."


    "Hmm...," she nodded.


    "It''s alright. I wille again," Blue said and kissed Ava on the forehead. "Goodnight. Sleep well, sweetie."


    "Yes, goodnight," she waved.


    I sighed in relief after we teleported near the market. We teleported to an alley where there were no people. It was not a usual thing to see a mage around after all.


    "But you did not tell me about it before," my wife said.


    "Tell you what?" I asked.


    "That you have work... You should have mentioned it before."


    ''Ah, I have made this excuse to leave quickly. I forgotpletely.''


    "Yeah, I have work which came to my mind suddenly. But I mainly said it because Flint needs to leave early because his wife might need him."

 Chapter 301: Shopping

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    It was pure bullshit that Dem cared even a bit for Flint or his wife. He surely had another intention to leave the academy but was not telling me for some reason.


    "Haa, alright then," I sighed. "Flint can leave now. There will be a carriage waiting for us."


    "Yes, I will go then," Flint said. "Good night to His and Her Highness."


    "Goodnight," I said.


    "Shall we go to the stores then?" Dem asked after Flint left.


    "You lied, didn''t you?"


    "We need to go back quickly too. It will be time for our nighttime duty," he said, ignoring my question. "Since even full moons don''t scare you anymore, I suppose I can go harder."


    "... Honey, let''s just go..."


    We started visiting all the stores starting from a certain point. It was veryfortable to go with Dem since he was always interested in what I thought about something and never failed to express his thoughts on something when it was just the two of us.


    "It''s a toy store. Why are there so many toy stores now? There weren''t these many even a few months ago," Dem muttered.


    "I guess this business is very profitable," I said. "Let''s check it out. We can find something for Athena and Ava."


    "You like to gift them various toys, huh?"


    "Yeah, they look so happy when they receive gifts. It''s all worth those smiles," I grinned. "Besides, I like to shop. It''s fun. I did not know it is this fun."


    "Well, at first, you did not want to spend any money at all when we have plenty. Even if we make a sea out of all the money we have, we still will have a lot more left. Money is made to be spent. I am d you are spending more now."


    I did not like spending too much money. But after bing the Queen of Querencia, I learned how heinous it was for me to wear the same dress twice. Some special dresses could be worn more than once, but the number should not exceed three times. I had been a Queen for only seven months now, but I owned more than two hundred dresses. It was the count after some dresses were sold in an auction.


    People were very eager to buy those dresses.


    It had been very hard for me to spend too much money on just dresses and essories. But there was no other way. I just had to get used to it somehow. To get used to it sooner, I started gifting the people close to me. It worked out after I managed to get the taste of shopping.


    "Wow, look at these plushies...!"


    "I have seen this youngdy somewhere and the lord as well. Ah, I remember. The lord and thedy were buying toys from my brother''s store the other day," the shop owner said. "It is just one block away."


    "If you are talking about that store one block away, it must be where we bought the whale plushie from," I said.


    "Does thedy like plushies? Or are you buying them for your kid?" she asked.


    "I don''t have a kid. I am buying them for my niece and my friend''s daughter," I replied. "They like toys a lot."


    "I see. Thedy looks too young to have kids anyway. Have you two married recently?" she asked.


    "How nosy...," Dem grumbled. But the woman did not hear it. I nudged Dem on the arm. He was being rude.


    "It has been a bit more than seven months," I said.


    "Oh, it has not been that long then. You two must be on a date?"


    "Yeah, kind of like that," I said.


    "I have a thing for young couples. I will give a discount for anything thedy and the lord buy today," she grinned, giving us thumbs up. She seemed to be a cheerful woman.


    "We don''t need a discount," Dem said.


    "The lord is the moody type it seems. Is he the same with you, mydy?" she whispered to me though it should not be called a whisper anymore.


    "He doesn''t like to talk too much," I said. "But he is a very good husband. I am very grateful. Anyway, I want to see that pet cor over there."


    "Ah, I will bring it to you," she said and went to get it from the rack behind her.


    "For your cat?" Dem asked.


    "Hmm," I nodded. "She needs a new one. Sapphire hates the old one. I think it''s because of the color. Reece gifted it to her. But she has been trying to get rid of it."


    "She is very smart for a cat. It is quite unsettling," he said.


    "Why? She is amazing. Oh, the cor... Look! The cat toy attached to the cor looks exactly like my baby! Right?


    That''s why it caught my attention! Looking at it closely, the resemnce is really too much!"


    "Baby? Isn''t it me who you can call that? Why are you calling a damn cat baby?" he grumbled and that was also so loudly that all the customers and the seller looked at us. He did not seem to care. It was me who got embarrassed.


    "Dem! What are you...? We are in public... I-I will take this cor. Please pack it for me," I said quickly. It would be great if we could get out of here quickly.


    The stares were embarrassing.


    I quickly pulled Dem with me and got out of that store after buying the cor for Sapphire. He sometimes behaved like that, no matter where we were.


    "Dem, don''t do that again. It is embarrassing. Did you see the way those people were looking at us?"


    "Well, they know that we are married, I guess. It is obvious that a couple will by flirty with each other. Besides, rather than being flirty, I was just pointing at a very important matter. Why would you call that cat baby when you don''t call me that?"


    "I call you that sometimes too," I said. "But that''s not the point here. A couple can be flirty with each other when there aren''t others around. I mean, a bit is alright even if there are others around. But not too much."


    "I understand."


    ''You don''t. I am sure you will do it again.''


    We went to other stores and bought a lot of things. I bought a wristwatch for Dem and he got me a hair tie with a rare bird''s feathers. It was blue in color. There was only one hair tie like that, so people were after it. But it was too expensive and Dem bought it right away when he saw it. The watch I bought for him was ck in color with golden patterns on the inside.


    It had some kind of jelly-like liquid on the dial which made the numbers and the hands look like they were floating. The jelly-like liquid was made of a rare stone that would turn into jelly if heated. The stones were so rare that only two percent of people came across them.


    "This item is real," Dem said.


    "Really? It''s real? How do you know that?"


    "Well, I have seen those stones before. I have one too. I know what it looks like if melted," he said nonchntly.


    "You have one?"


    "More than one. Want to see them?"


    "Yeah! Show me after we go back, okay?"


    "Sure," he chuckled. "And thank you for the gift. It is beautiful."


    "Haha, it''s nothing. You keep gifting me all the time. It is nothing," I said, shrugging.


    "You don''t give me any less either. I find candies in my pocket every single day and each one of them is of a different vor. Then, I find new custom-designed pens, and ink bottles frequently on my table. Actually, whenever I run out of something, I find them the next day. If I could all of the things you gave me sneakily, it will go up to a hundred I think."


    "Well... You like sweet things, so I leave candies in your pockets so you can have them whenever you want to. And the other things... I just like to give things to you. It''s fun!"


    ''And you never tell me to stop. You always eat those candies, use the things I give you. It makes me feel better knowing that you like the things I give you.''


    We went to another toy store and I ordered fifty sets of school supplies. They were of different colors and designs but consisted of the same things.


    "What are those for?"


    "They are for Ava and her ssmates. I should gift those kids something," I said. "There are fifty students in her ss. So, these are for them. I will buy them for other kids too. I am looking for another design."

 Chapter 302: Losing My Mind

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    It was twelve when we came back. She bought a lot of things. She looked very happy and seemed to be enjoying herself while shopping. And I liked to see that look on her face.


    There was another look that I liked to see too. It was when she would lose her mind in pleasure. It was a look that was only reserved for me.


    Sometimes, I liked it when she was scared. The look of pure terror on her face was fascinating. Perhaps I was just crazy.


    She had fallen asleep in the bathtub, so I carried her out. She must have been exhausted. I ced her on the bed and wrapped her with the nket.


    "Sleep well, darling," I muttered and kissed her on the forehead.


    I smoked a bit before finally going to sleep. I barely smoked, but it had increased some days ago, probably because I had been working too much. But my wife did not like it because she was worried about my health. Because of her, I stopped smoking more than once or twice a month.


    I was in the middle of a forest, soaked in the heavy rainwater. The sound of the raindrops falling on leaves, and the wet sound of the muddy way as I took a step filled the ce.


    "I can''t. I don''t love you anymore. You are pathetic. You are not enough for me."


    I looked ahead of me. She smiled at me and looked away as thousands of glowing ck petals fell on her as if shadowing her from me.


    "You... you said you won''t leave me," I muttered, gritting me teeth.


    "But I changed my mind. Are you an idiot? Why would you believe me? I heard you have never believed anyone. Then why me? See this?


    This is what happens when you trust someone," she sneered. "I don''t love you anymore. I was just delusional for a while. Now I have my power. I can live by myself now. I can be free."


    "Don''t. Don''t leave me."


    "Why not, Dem? Why do I have to stay by your side and suffer because of your crazy nature? I don''t deserve this!" she eximed. "So, this is the end. Let''s say goodbye forever."


    "No! Don''t go! Don''t!" I yelled as she vanished into thin air. I tried to hold her, but I got the petals only. She was gone. She had left me.


    I woke up, panting and sweating. I quickly looked sideways and found my wife there. She had not left me. It was just a nightmare.


    "Haa..."


    I was losing my mind. I could not calm down at all. It was like an urge to do something. Every part of me was urging me, yelling at me to do something.


    ''It''s bad... It''s really bad... I want to tie her up and lock her in a room. Her power should not be awakened. She should remain the way she is now. If she gets her wings of freedom, she will fly away, leaving me behind.


    I can''t let that happen. I don''t want that.''


    There was a sharp pain in my chest and it was hard to breathe. I clenched my fist and pressed it against my chest, trying desperately to stop my heart from aching.


    "Ugh...!"


    My eyes started to burn as well. Two drops of water fell from my eyes. It was probably the first time I shed a tear because of fear.


    A cover of nkness covered me from everywhere. I could not breathe, I could not see. I was losing my mind.


    Suddenly, I felt a warm touch against my skin. In an instant, the nkness uncovered. I nced sideways and ced my head against her chest.


    "It''s okay. You are okay," she said soothingly.


    She had her arms wrapped around me as she ran her fingers through my hair gently. Although she was so close to me, I felt like she would leave me at anytime. In an attempt to keep her by my side, I wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.


    If this was a fight to keep her, I would not lose. I would do anything- manipte, kill or betray- I would do anything to keep her by my side.


    "Dem...?"


    "Do you love me?"


    "Of course. You know that too. I love you. I love you a lot," she replied without any hesitation.


    "But what about tomorrow? Will you love me the same way you do now?"


    "Yes, I will always love you. Is this what you were worried about?"


    "Not ''was''. I am still worried. I am still worried. You will leave me someday, won''t you?"


    "Why would I leave someone I love? I am not the type of person to do that," she said. "I will never do that, honey. Please trust me."


    "Haa...," I panted as my hands started shaking with furious desire.


    "... You are hurting me. I can''t breathe if you hug me that tightly... Ah!"


    I pressed her down on the bed while I was panting and sweating crazily. I looked at her face, watching every expression she was making. Not a word she was saying came to my ears. I only wanted to see her and make sure that she was still with me.


    "Dem... You... you are not in your right mind... Please calm down... I am here, right? I am right here.


    I have not left, nor am I going to leave. So, please..."


    I wanted to lock her up in this very room. Only I would have the key. Then, only I would be able to see her and be with her. She would not be able to run away from me as well.


    "Dem! Snap out of it! Honey, I don''t know what you are thinking, but don''t let those thoughts take over you... I am here. I have not left you. See the reality.


    Don''t act based on some thoughts!" she said, sping my face with both of her hands.


    I could calm down a bit after she reassured me a few times. I could breathe better than before. Those thoughts were reduced but did not go awaypletely.


    She pulled her face up and suddenly kissed me. Those soft lips and the moves drove my mind elsewhere. The worry was going away, but a sudden tension was building inside me.


    As soon as our lips parted, I used my power so she would not be able to move her body. I could even make her stop talking, but I wanted to hear her voice. And what if she said no?


    "Dem... This...?"


    "Are you scared?" I asked.


    "A bit..."


    "It''s fine then. Just rx."


    She looked a bit scared but nodded. Right now, I could calm down only just a bit. It was not enough. My inner beast was dying with hunger- the kind of hunger that would go away only after I savored every bit of the food served in front of me so I would still get the taste even after a long time passed by.


    "Dem..."


    "You are still scared," I said and kissed her left eye. As she closed her eyes tightly, a teardrop from her left eyes fell sideways. I licked it before it could fall on the pillow, only to taste the saltiness of it.


    "... Please don''t lose yourself. I will do anything."


    "Anything?" I asked.


    "Yes, anything," she repeated.


    "Then stay by my side and love me forever. That''s all I want. I want you to love me only. In your eyes, I should be the only man you love. Well, since we will have a kid someday, I will allow you to love our son if we have one. He will be family, so it''s okay," I said.


    "But I still want to be your priority."


    "Yes..."


    "Remember this. You said yes. Don''t change your answer, ever," I said sharply.


    I freed her from my power so she could move her body again. I did not do what I would have liked to do since she was very scared. She clearly did not like this power much.


    I grabbed her hair under her head and kissed her passionately. Her full lips never failed to turn me into a wild beast.


    "Haa... ah..."


    "Why are you moaning when I did not even do anything yet? Or, does just a kiss turn you on?"


    "Don''t... don''t be mean..."


    "I am not. I am merely teasing you because you are so cute. Well, I don''t think I can tease you for so long because I am losing my fucking mind."


    "... You can go hard if you want to," she said, cupping my face with both of her hands. "I train a lot these days, so I am pretty strong too, at least, more than before. So, it''s fine even if you go hard on me. I can handle that."

 Chapter 303: Weird Rules

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ugh...!"


    I woke up with my back and waist aching badly. Even my hands were aching. In short, my whole body was in pain.


    "You are up, Your Highness," a maid said.


    "Hmm..."


    "Your Highness woke up five minutes before the time I was going to wake you up," she said.


    "My body hurts..."


    "Ah, yes, that is supposed to happen, I think, based on how Your Highness''s body is right now," she smiled knowingly.


    "... I want to take a bath..."


    "I will prepare it right away then. Please rest until then, Your Highness," she bowed and left for the washroom.


    In the morning, this maid always woke me up. I said that there should be only one maid when I woke up because I did not like mornings and too much noise in the morning right after waking up would make me mad.


    Perhaps every single maid in the pce knew what to face in the morning if they came to the bedroom. It was not even embarrassing anymore.


    "The bath is ready, Your Highness."


    "Can you help me get up?"


    "Sure, Your Highness."


    She helped me get up and led me to the washroom. I sat down in the bathtub and rxed in the mild hot water.


    My body was covered in red marks all over. It was not unusual, but it was too much today. After I told him that he could go hard on me, he truly did. It was too much and I ended up almost losing consciousness.


    But I just wanted him to know that I was there for him no matter what. Last night scared me when I saw him in that state. It was also the first time I saw him shedding tears. It was just a few drops, but still, it made my heart clench painfully.


    I did not know if he had a dream. I woke up hearing groaning noises as if someone was in pain. And then, I saw him in that state. I did not know what to do. I just wanted to calm him down no matter what.


    All my life, I wanted someone who would be afraid of losing me. But I never thought it would be like this. It was crazy and dangerous. Last night, I felt like he would tie me to the bed and do the things his inner beast desired. Or, perhaps he would just use that scary power of his that made it impossible for a person to move their body at their will.


    What would have happened if I could not calm him down?


    "Which oil should we use today, Your Highness?" the maid asked.


    I looked sideways and found that five more maids hade to assist me with the bath. It was ridiculous. Six maids to bathe only one person? What was I? A human or an elephant? These days, I was just too tired to even go against any of these weird rules.


    Yes, I was a Queen and it was very usual here. But as a human being from the modern world, it was hard to ept.


    "Rose oil...," I replied tiredly.


    "Your Highness is always very tired in the morning. I will give you a massage."


    "I think we will hear good news very soon."


    ''Not really. We are not nning to have a kid this soon. I am gonna wait at least one more year before thinking of anything like this.''


    It was useless to correct them. There were countless rumors and spections about me and Dem. It was not possible to correct all of them. Dem always told me not to care about anything they said because, in the end, they would just be rumors and nothing more. The more I concerned myself with those things, the more stressful it would be.


    "What dress would you like to wear today, Your Highness? It is a gloomy day, so perhaps a brighter shade will look well."


    "But I feel very stuffy..."


    "It is very cold today, though," she said. "It might rain heavily today."


    "I will wear pants today," I said. "I was thinking about it for a while now. If the Queen starts wearing pants sometimes to meetings and events, it will be a trend for women to wear pants. Wearing those heavy dresses all the time feels very stuffy."


    "Pants? I see. Then, we will get that ready right away."


    I had a meeting today. It would not be a bad thing to give those people a surprise by wearing pants to a meeting. I heard that no queen of Querencia ever wore pants, or at least, they were not seen wearing pants.


    I had always thought of wearing pants to formal events someday, so I got them prepared. That was what I decided to wear to today''s meeting.


    Dem was not going to attend the meeting since he was to go out to meet the duke. They were going to discuss Athena''s adoption in detail now that she agreed among other things. Usually, I was the one to discuss things regarding Athena, but this time, Dem agreed when I requested just to see his reaction.


    "Her Highness, the Queen has arrived!"


    ''Ugh, my ear... What''s the point of announcing my arrival like this? I can just walk in. Everything is annoying me today.''


    "Her Highness... What...?"


    "... Good morning, Your Highness," the Prime Minister said.


    "Good morning," I said and took my seat. "Let''s not waste any time. Shall we start the meeting then?"


    "Yes..."


    The meeting went pretty smoothly. Though I got stared at more than normal, it was still fine as I expected it. I had my sword with me too since now I was quite good at using it.


    ''Ah, this outfit is morefortable than those dresses. I might get addicted to wearing clothes like this.''


    "Your Highness looks more beautiful like this," Perita said. She had been the one who supported my idea very enthusiastically. "That said, will you return to your office now?"


    "Yes, Reece will report to me now. I have work too. I have cookies in my office. You can eat them," I said.


    "Sure!"


    I found Sapphire on my table when I went to my office. She had been licking her paws, sitting on a pile of papers.


    "Are the papers your favorite spot to sit, Sapphire?" I asked and picked her up in my arms. "Do you know I have got you a new cor? I have it in my drawer. Let me put it on you."


    "Yeah, she hates the previous cor. Though she is cute, she is very mean," Perita said.


    "Cats are usually mean. But I guess that makes them cuter."


    "Haha, I think so," sheughed and stroked Sapphire, causing her to scratch Perita. "Looks like she still doesn''t like me."


    "That''s because you make too much noise. It''s not like I hate it. But Sapphire doesn''t like noise," I said. "Look, the cor is cute, right?"


    "Wow! That cat toy looks just like Sapphire...!" she eximed in surprise.


    "Right? That''s why I chose it," I grinned.


    I put the cor on Sapphire. She seemed to like it, at least, for now. There would probably be a time when she would get tired of it and I would need to buy another one. She was so cute that I always wanted to buy a lot of things for her. It was the same case for Athena and Ava. The children and some animals were just too cute.


    "The weather is very gloomy today," Perita said. "Your Highness should not go out today."


    "I will not. Dem has gone out. I am afraid he wille back soaked if it starts raining. He doesn''t ride carriages when I am not with him. And if I tell him to, he will say that he doesn''t get sick. Really..."


    Evelyn told me that Alphas rarely fell sick, but I still could not stop worrying about my husband. Sickness was rare for them, but not impossible. How could I not worry?


    *knock*


    "Come in."


    "Good morning, Your Highness," Reece bowed.


    "Good morning."


    "I have made the report on the Prime Minister, Your Highness."


    "Hmm, tell me in brief. I will read the report after that," I said.


    "Flint was right. The Prime Minister''s toddler is truly sick. He has a severe stomach ache, continuous diarrhea, and doesn''t sleep, only cries. The weird thing is that he hates water. More than hate, it''s like he is afraid of water. He refuses to take a bath or drink any water.


    Even the sight makes him cry in fear."


    "What? Water? He is afraid of water?" Perita asked, shocked.


    "It is so weird... Does he have any kind of traumatic experience with water that would make him behave that way?" I asked.


    "No. I also thought so. But there is nothing. It happened very suddenly I heard."

 Chapter 304: Grateful

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "All of a sudden he is afraid of water?" I asked.


    "Yes, this is what happened. No doctor could cure it. That''s why the Prime Minister''s wife went to a priest for a solution. That priest asked for information instead of money to cure the child. And the information..."


    "... is about our Athena," I finished for him.


    "That''s right," Reece nodded. "Your Highness did a good thing by sending her to the magic tower. No one in the pce saw her or know about her other than us. The magic tower is a very secured ce, even more than the Imperial Pce. That''s why, even spies could not go there, thanks to the magic barrier Lord Luc has created.


    Apparently, it is true that information has been smuggled, but not by the Prime Minister, rather his wife. She could not give any information about Athena''s whereabouts because the Prime Minister doesn''t know about it. She has been stealing copies from the Prime Minister''s office. As far as it is known, the Prime Minister is not aware of his wife''s acts.


    Or perhaps he knows, just is not doing anything since it''s his wife and son''s matter."


    "Hmm... That child... If I am right, it is a phobia that causes someone to fear water," I muttered.


    "Why would someone fear water if they did not face any traumatic turn of life that included water specifically?" Perita asked.


    "As I said, it is a phobia, perhaps."


    "Not just that, if hees into contact with water, his whole body breaks out in hives," Reece added.


    "What? Why didn''t you tell me this before? Haa, now I understand," I said. "He actually doesn''t fear water. He is just allergic to water. That''s why he doesn''t want to take a shower or drink water and cries because no one seems to believe him.


    I mean, it is a very strange condition, also super rare. It can happen that no one believes him. Since he is a toddler, it''s more likely that he can''t express properly what is happening."


    "But can it happen?" Perita asked. "No matter how I think about it, it is very weird."


    "Of course, it can happen. In my world, it is a really rare disease and no one knows the exact cause. Doctors or scientists still have no clue about how to cure it. Perhaps they have gotten closer to the solution, but could not find the exact result. I think it''s called Aquagenic Urticaria.


    There is no cure, but doctors usually prescribe meditation to calm your hives aftering into contact with water. Well, no priest can fix this problem obviously if doctors can''t."


    "That sucks," Reece said. "A kid suffering from such a thing..."


    "Yeah, it''s really unfortunate. Usually, women suffer from this condition. But he is rare I suppose," I said. "Anyway, is this the brief?"


    "For now, yes. I will let you know if I find something more out," he said. "Your Highness might want to p some sense into his mother and the Prime Minister''s wife. She has lost it."


    "It is her son. As a mother, it must be very hard for her to see her son in that condition and not be able to do anything. But we will need to get her. I will talk to Doctor Dimitri as well. He might know something to help that kid. After that, I will decide upon her punishment.


    No matter what the reason is, she went against the Royals. It is a crime," I said. "I will read the reportter. You may leave."


    "Perita, get the maid with orange hair who serves me personally," I ordered Perita.


    "Yes," she gave a nod and left.


    "The Prime Minister''s wife, huh? Lady Bianca... Should I meet up with her myself?"


    It would depend on my schedule. If I had free time, I would meet her myself, which I suspected would not happen since I rarely had any free time. After working six hours or more at a stretch, I barely had any strength or motivation left to do anything else other than resting or spending time with Dem since it was very rxing.


    Sometimes, I took a walk in my free time, so my waist would not freeze up from sitting for too long.


    *knock*


    "Your Highness, I have brought her here!" Perita yelled, barging into the office and Sapphire jumped up in surprise. No wonder Sapphire did not like her. She made too much noise for no reason.


    "What''s the point of knocking if you are going to barge into my office?" I sighed.


    "I did not knock. She did."


    "You summoned me, Your Highness?"


    "Yes. Have you packed the blue tea I mentioned?"


    "Yes, I did."


    "Good. Now, I need you to pack thepass I boughtst night and the ne I bought from the auction. Make the packaging pretty and ck and golden in color. Send this letter along with the package to my dear sister-inw Lady Evelyn."


    "I will do so, Your Highness. Is there anything else I need to do?"


    "No, this will be all. You can go now. And send the gifts to Lady Evelyn right after packaging them."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Gifts for Lady Evelyn?" Perita asked.


    "Yes, they will be leaving for Mazazine tomorrow, I think. I need to gift her something, of course. And there is a surprise with thepass. I believe it wille of use to her if she is really going to do what she told me that she will."


    "What surprise?"


    "That''s a secret," I smiled, putting my finger on my lips.


    "Your Highness, do you know that there is a reason why everyone likes you?" she chuckled.


    "Everyone? I doubt so. But the people who like me, they surely have a reason."


    "Well, most of the people like Your Highness. Some do it because they are loyal to the throne, which happens in the case of the knights and people like Flint. They will be loyal to the throne, but might not like their masters. But loyalty is above personal preference if you are a knight or someone working directly under the rulers. Yet, our knights like Your Highness because of your nature and deeds.


    You are gentle and kind, yet did not show mercy to the guilty. You have made some very amazing decisions which caused most of the high-ss nobles like Your Highness. Ruby, Flint, Reece, Lord Luc, me- we all have our reasons for liking and following Your Highness."


    "Ruby likes Your Highness because you showed her kindness even though you had known her only for a while. When His Highness wanted to punish her, it was very normal since she disobeyed his orders. Be it a small thing, an order is an order, and disobeying a King''s order is not a huge deal. But Your Highness saved her. You also treated her rightfully and respected her, although she was just a maid."


    "In your eyes, you always considered her as your equal. Flint is the type to be loyal to the throne, but might not like his master. But he now likes Your Highness not because you are the Queen, but because you have epted him as he is. He is good at work and that''s the main point. Your Highness doesn''t mind if he is informal in private and swears at others in your presence.


    You simply treat it as if it is his behavior and it is alright to ept it as long as he doesn''t cross the line and works well for you. No wonder Flint works more enthusiastically, even though heins so much."


    "For Reece, it is gratefulness and the considerate manner as a master. Trust me when I say this, Your Highness, there rarely is an employer who works this much even though they have an assistant. Besides, Your Highness has always been very considerate of him and asked him all the time if he has eaten properly. This means a lot for a person.


    And as for me, I have liked Your Highness right after seeing you. But even before that, I became a fan of yours after the dagger incident that the beta told us about. It was just impressive. And the more time I spend with Your Highness, the greater I feel. I feel very proud to work as Your Highness''s escort knight.


    And Lord Luc has always seen Your Highness as someone very close to him mostly because of your different yet charming character."


    "What''s gotten into you today? Why are you praising me like this suddenly?" I chuckled. "That''s so unlike you, Perita. I got to say that your words tter me."


    "It''s nothing, Your Highness. You work so much all day and we all know it. And I just wanted to say that we are very grateful to have you as our Queen," she smiled.


    That smile was so bright that if I had not been careful, perhaps I would have cried.

 Chapter 305: Different

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Your Highness, no wonder everyone says you are a match for His Highness. Who else would like to go out in such weather to take a walk?" Perita scoffed.


    "Haha, I am really a great match for him, ain''t I?" I chuckled. "But I have note to take a walk."


    "Then why...?" Perita muttered.


    I did not answer her. My eyes were fixated ahead where I could see a ck horse mounting in this direction on full speed.


    "That... So, this is why," Perita said. "Your Highness just wants to wee His Highness. But how did you know His Highness would being now? It''s not possible to see that far with naked eyes."


    Just seeing a spark of a ck spear forcing its way against the wind from my office was enough for me to know that it was him. I just knew instinctively that it had to be him even though it was like a small ck dot far away.


    I smiled. "It is funny, isn''t it?"


    Before Perita could open her mouth, a shadow fell upon us. "What are you doing here? Can it be that you want to take a walk in this weather, or were you waiting for me?" he smirked.


    "What do you think?" I grinned and offered him my hand.


    He looked puzzled for a while as well as the other knights behind him. But then, he took my hand and got off the horse.


    "I wish it to be thetter," he smiled and kissed me on the forehead.


    "How did it go?" I asked.


    "The duke will start the adoption procedure today. But in the meantime, we need to make a story which I suppose you already did," he said and I chuckled in approval. "We also need to change that child''s appearance as much as possible so she won''t be recognized as the saint."


    "I see. Send the knights away and take a walk with me to the training ground. We will discuss it further there," I said.


    "They can''t hear us. I am wearing that ring."


    "But I want to take a walk with you."


    The side of his lips curled up and the knights backed away just then. He must have ordered them using telepathy.


    "Perita, take a rest. Calix will guard me after I go inside," I said.


    "Shall we go then?" I asked, slipping my hand through Dem''s arm.


    "You are behaving very differently today," he said.


    "Do you hate it?"


    "No, rather, I am quite amused. And this looks suits you very well. I like the fact that you are carrying your sword and your dagger. They wille to use. Besides, you have gotten very good at swordsmanship. I won''t be surprised if you can defeat some of the knights."


    "Perita said so as well. But I wish to know about my progress from you."


    "Me?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "After all, you are the best swordsman in the whole kingdom. Everyone knows about it. Where can I find someone better than the greatest swordsman in the whole kingdom to judge my ability?"


    "You tter me."


    "Lies! You know and believe so as well," I said.


    "Well, I am an arrogant man."


    "You talk as if it is something to be proud of."


    "No, but I don''t mind being arrogant. Besides, why won''t I admit I am the best when I actually am?"


    ''There he goes again. But I can''t even say anything because it''s true.''


    "I think I have changed a lot than the moment I came here first. Now, even though I have nightmares, when I wake up, I can control my thoughts because reality is not a nightmare anymore. Before, when I slept, I had nightmares; even when I woke up, life was another nightmare. But, not anymore. It is very different now. I have found people who support me and like me.


    I feel blessed. I think I have somewhat gotten braver as well."


    "You did. You improved a lot. I am really proud of you," he smiled.


    "I am proud of myself too. I think I have done as much as I could. So, thank you for helping me."


    "You keep thanking me, darling. Trust me, I am a very selfish man. When I am helping you, it means I have an ulterior motive."


    "Yes, but I know your motive already. You want to keep me with you. I don''t mind it at all. You can want me as much as you would like to. I will never mind."


    "Hm, let''s lighten up the mood. I think I know what you want," he said and unsheathed his sword, facing me. "Shall I see your progress now?"


    "I was going to ask for it, but it works too," I chuckled as I unsheathed my sword. "Then, shall we?"


    "Of course, my darling wife."


    I was the one to attack first. He defended it and attacked me from below. I defended it and quickly tried to hit his hand. With my strength, it was impossible to win against a werewolf if I was not quick and tricky enough.


    But he defended my attack very quickly. Dem was faster than the other knights I fought with. I defeated those knights only because I was faster than them and used many tricks just like Perita advised me. But even if I moved as fast as I could, Dem did not seem to be surprised at all, as expected of the King.


    "Should we discuss what we were talking about earlier?" he asked, smirking.


    "Sure... Let''s do that," I said, not stopping to fight just like him.


    "As I said, we need to change that child''s appearance and make a birth certificate for her. The birth certificate can be made after the adoption if you make a story where she doesn''t have a family or never had a family or lost her family in a fire or something where all the documents have been ruined and she is so traumatized that she can''t remember those incidents."


    "I feel rather bad for making up such a story for her, but there is nothing more we can do."


    "Just tell her the story you prepare for her and make her remember a few parts. It doesn''t have to be correctpletely. The court is supposed to be an independent system in a kingdom and even the Imperial Pce won''t have much control over the court. But, it is not the reality of the court of Querencia. We have great influence over the court and if we want to, we can turn a case the way we want to.


    That''s why, no matter what, we can always ensure Athena''s sessful adoption. But if the temple intervenes, it will be bad for our public image and we don''t want more rebels. That''s why we must change her appearance."


    "Her eyes especially... We need to do something about her eyes... and hair as well. Those are the things a saint has. Well, I can just get her hair dyed and change her eye color using a potion. I will miss her current look though...


    But it is important to ensure her safety. Perhaps, we can draw one or two beauty marks on her face or something. I will talk to her and ask for her opinion. Then, let''s do it within this week."


    "Yes, and the duke will manage the papers within this time."


    I hurled towards him from the left side which he blocked very quickly. In this way, no one was winning. Dem was not using all his force. Still, he was very powerful.


    I grabbed my dagger with my left hand and suddenly, pressed it against his throat while my sword was defending his attack. I felt something poking my thigh only to see that he too had a dagger out, pointing at my thigh.


    "Well, it is a must to win," he chuckled and Iughed as well, pulling back my dagger and sword, and sheathing them.


    "You knew I would do it?"


    "Your moves told me."


    "My moves?"


    "Sweetie, when you fight, your thoughts will be conveyed through your movements. I know when you are impatient and when you are out of breath. But it should not happen. Your skills are without a doubt amazing and you are fast. You also use tricks more than average, which can work to your advantage. You can easily beat a knight if you keep fighting like this.


    But if it is someone more skilled than normal knights, it will be a problem. They will understand what your swords are saying about your motive. Your face, bodynguage, and your sword- none of this should convey your real thoughts, only tricks and sometimes mockery."

 Chapter 306: Forgetting The Kiss

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Mockery?" I asked, shocked.


    "Yes. Tell me, my wife. When someone mocks you, how do you feel?" he asked.


    "I get angry. Ah... I understand. If I mock my opponent even with just my facial expression, they will get angry. And they will lose bnce and I will find some of their gaps. It will be an opportunity for me," I said.


    "That''s right. Now you understand," he said. "Your movements are swift. It''s like you are a natural. But you also need to make sure that your opponent can''t predict your next move. It is not possible to do so with every move.


    If it is a knight, they will know what you are going to do next. It is very natural. Even my moves are predictable. But you need to do it out of nowhere. Do something unnatural while making sure you are safe. Cheat if you have to.


    In the end, surviving and winning matter the most."


    At first, I wondered why Dem said cheating was important too. But now I understood. It did not matter if you cheated or not when it was a matter of life and winning. Everyone would see who won, not how they won.


    "Then, I need to practice more," I muttered.


    "Everyone needs to practice. I have to practice every day too. It is very important," he said and suddenly grabbed my shoulder, pushing me forward. "But you need to rest too. Now is your rest time. How will you fight if you are not in a good health?''


    "You are obsessed with making me take a break," I said. "I am not that tired."


    "Yeah, yeah, I know. You don''t have to lie down. Just sit down for a while and drink something cold. And wash your face with cold water. That''s enough."


    We returned to my office to discuss the meeting. I gave him the record of the meeting. There was always someone who noted the whole meeting. It was very surprising how fast she wrote.


    "It went swiftly," he said. "You can manage meetings pretty well now. I told you there is no need to be nervous. You will always do just fine."


    "I think I am doing better than before."


    "Don''t be modest. It is really amazing," he said.


    "Are you all nning to tter me?"


    "We?"


    "Perita also... Anyway, forget it...," I said. "Then, honey, should we go to meet Athena tonight?"


    "Will you get any free time?"


    "I am not sure. If I can''t, then it will be tomorrow. And, I got the report on the Prime Minister."


    "The Prime Minister? What of him?" he asked. I was the one keeping an eye on the Prime Minister. So, he did not know about it. We always needed to keep an eye on the nobles and important political figures to make sure they were within the line.


    "I got the news that he or someone from his side has a connection with the temple. Now, I know," I said.


    I gave him the report Reece made. He read the report while I checked other documents. It was afternoon. Usually, I would ask Dem if he ate his lunch in time if he went out. But, I did not have to care about that now since Iris would make sure he ate on my request if Dem went to the duchy. And Dem would listen to her if he heard that it was me who requested Iris.


    "Hm, so, it is his wife. That woman always trembled in my presence. She must have been scared all the time," Dem said. "And the Prime Minister doesn''t know? Oh, please, how can that even happen? He won''t know what is going on in his own mansion, then how has he been able to tail other nobles all the time?


    He knows. Perhaps he isn''t just saying anything. It seems he is ready to get fired and die."


    "If he is not directly rted to it, how can you kill him? And you are sure that he knows?"


    "Of course. I have known that old man for a long time."


    "Well, my spies will keep on stalking them. I hate using this term, but there is no other way to describe what I am doing. Anyway, I also need to talk to the doctor."


    "Regarding the child''s disease?"


    "Yes. Judging the symptoms that the child is showing, it seems he is allergic to water."


    "Hm, I thought so too. There has been another case like this. That time, it was a maid from the pce. I was twelve then. So, I remember. I don''t know what happened to her.


    I heard that she suddenly started to get all the symptoms all of a sudden. She could not bathe or drink water. In the end, she left her job and went somewhere. I think both of the cases lead to the same disease."


    "I see... Poor woman... That must have been hard."


    "Not being able to go near water surely sucks," he said. "Anyway, I will go to my office and take care of some work. Wash your face again after two hours. That will feel good."


    I had taken off my outer coat and was only wearing a sleeveless undergarment. It was the type of top I usually wore in my world, so it did not feelstrange to wear it in my office. The people inside the pce were used to seeing me wearing these kinds of clothing, so they did not mind.


    "I will. You sure nag a lot," I chuckled.


    "Isn''t that because you don''t take care of yourself properly? At least, I need to make sure you are eating and taking care of yourself properly."


    "Thank you, then," I smiled. "See you at night."


    "Whoever finishes their work fastes to the other''s office," he said. "Let''s see who finishes first."


    "Haa, it will be me. I am faster."


    "But I read reports faster. Let''s see," he smirked and walked away.


    I watched his back until he left the room. I sighed and just when I was going to start working, he suddenly came in and strode toward me.


    "Dem, what...?"


    Before I could finish, he pressed his lips to mine. It was so sudden that I forgot to take a breath. It was intended to be a long kiss, but I ran out of breath first. It was mildly shorter than it was supposed to be.


    "I forgot to give you a kiss before leaving. I can''t possibly focus without kissing you at least once," he said and kissed all over my face before finally leaving.


    "This guy... And Calix, you can enter now. Dem has left."


    "How did Your Highness know I was there?" Calix asked, entering the room.


    "I heard your footsteps when you came. You were waiting outside, weren''t you? Dem has left and you have seen him yourself, then why didn''t you enter right away?"


    "I thought... you would need some time...," he mumbled, getting red all over.


    "... Well, whatever, have some cookies. I can''t eat all of them."


    "Thank you, Your Highness," he said and took a snickerdoodles cookie from the te. "Your Highness, will you be going out recently?"


    "I am not sure. Why?"


    "Please take me with you then," he said. "It''s been quite a while since I got the chance to go out. Others started to mock me, calling me a homeboy."


    "Alright then. Next time, I will take you with me and buy you something cool so they can''t mock you again. What do you think?"


    "I want a new pair of stone earrings," he said.


    "Great! Atst, you managed to ask for something. I will buy you it the next time we go out," I said, patting his arm and he grinned. He truly looked like a little boy.


    "Well, Your Highness seemed very sad when I did not ask for anything," he muttered.


    "I am kind of like your guardian if we forget about the part that you guard me."


    "How can I forget that part? That''s my only job for now. Besides, Your Highness is only two years older than me. Yet, you treat me like a child."


    "I am two years older than you, but I am an adult. You are a kid."


    "Your Highness calls everyone a kid if they are younger than you," he chuckled.


    "Haha, that''s right! It''s because it''s the truth. Anyway, you can sit down when there is no one else. Your reflexes are very fast. Even if you rx, you can protect me."


    After all, Dem chose him. His skills were truly admirable. I had been attacked quite some times, but every time Calix or Perita could save me. They were very sharp. Even Dem had to praise them.

 Chapter 307: Plan For The Priests

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Do you like the new toy, Athena?" I asked.


    Athena, who was sitting on the floor and ying with Ruby, grinned at me. "I love it! But there are so many toys, Your Majesty..."


    "So what? Don''t you like them?"


    "I do... But I think Your Majesty is giving me too many gifts. The duke keeps sending me a lot of gifts too..."


    "The number of his gifts is still less than mine, right?" I asked.


    "Yeah, two," Ruby replied.


    "He is just trying to suppress me. I did not know he was so childish," I muttered. "But he can''t do so. I can''t let that happen. I have to win."


    "Your Highness is acting childish as well," Ruby chuckled.


    "Hmph, I mean I have to win as I am the Queen. How can a Queen lose to someone?"


    "That''s just an excuse to hide your embarrassment," Rubyughed.


    "That said, is Luc still working?"


    "Yeah. He onlyes back to recharge and then goes back to work," Ruby said.


    "Recharge? How?"


    "..."


    "Ah, I see... It should be in the middle of the night."


    "Please don''t ask anything else anymore. After getting married, Your Highness slowly started to be very free about these kinds of things. It must be His Highness''s influence," she said as her ears burned.


    ''Ruby used to be free about things like this too before marriage. But after experiencing it herself, she started to get embarrassed. It was kind of cute.''


    "Now, Athena, I want to ask you a few things which are very important. So, answer me after thinking about every single question thoroughly since your future depends on them."


    Athena understood everything better than I thought. It was very easy to tell her about everything. And she answered pretty well too. Now, all that things left was to take action ording to those answers.


    "Dem could note today. He told me to take care of the things here," I told Ruby. "We cannot bring someone else here to do this job."


    "We need to do it ourselves then?"


    "Yeah. I will bring everything necessary," I said. "And tell Luc that I stopped by."


    "Yes, I will. Please go safely, Your Highness."


    "Calix is waiting for me outside. I will be safe."


    I could not finish my work early enough toe to the magic tower. So, I came here this morning. Perita wanted to sleep today and requested to guard me at night. Calix did not mind. So, he was the one guarding me this morning.


    "The yearly swordsmanship contest ising up. It will be the first time Your Highness can enjoy it," he said offering me his arm.


    "That''s right. I am excited," I said.


    The contest would take ce two days after the yearly kingdom-visiting team would leave for Lacuna. Anyone could join the contests, but only ten could fight in the final. Dem and I would watch the final only. I was pretty excited about it.


    "It gets pretty dangerous sometimes. But that''s the excitement about it. The King doesn''t participate himself. It would have been great if we could see His Highness fighting. It''s really fascinating to watch. But then again, if His Highness participates, the winner will be fixed," he said.


    "He dueled with me the other day. I suppose you would have liked to see it."


    "What? His Highness did?"


    "I will take you with me if we n to duel again," I said. "That said, you never had a duel with me? Want to duel when I practice today?"


    "I don''t mind. I like Your Highness''s techniques, so it will be fun," he said.


    I wore a dress today rather than pants. I decided to wear pants and dresses equally these days. It would bring a change in women''s minds. Though there were women who could ride horses, wore whatever they wanted, and could fight, most noble women were not like that. They were very careful about what they wore and always badmouthed if another woman did as she pleased.


    They did not learn to ride horses, nor did they learn self-defense. It was not because they did not like it. Rather, it was because they thought it was the men''s job to learn those things. I wanted to change that fact. It was easy for me to do because of my position. After all, most people would definitely follow the Queen.


    "Calix, you need to go out to buy some things for me. I can''t send Perita because shecksmon sense," I said as soon as we returned to my office. "I will also need to send a quick word to the duke. I will just call Flint."


    "When does Your Highness need me to go out?"


    "Right now. Perita must bezing around, so get her and tell her to guard me. Then, wear something informal. You are not going as a knight, but rather as amoner boy. I can''t let someone be suspicious, especially when the freaks of the temples are lurking around, just to find something out about Athena, I mean, Amber''s whereabouts. They know that Dem and I have something to do with this."


    "They literally abused her. If you give me orders, I can just finish them off."


    "Haa, I wish I could. But how many people are we even going to kill for this? The number is not little. For child abuse, we could lock them up in prison if only they were not priests. ording to the kingdomws, the Imperial Pce is not supposed to deal with matters that are rted to the temple only.


    A saint is part of the temple as well and if think that the saint is a temple''s treasure, then it means they did nothing wrong because they were just dealing with their thing. We could imprison them because of the illegal tablet because it is rted to our kingdom, but not this matter. That''s why I am gathering the names of the priests who abused her directly or are rted to this matter.


    If I can''t imprison them with child abuse, I just need to find another way. It will be very easy after I gather their names. I just need to make false evidence of them doing illegal business. It''s as easy as that," I grinned in satisfaction.


    "Just make sure they are punished enough," he said.


    "Punished enough? They will be executed, trust me," I said.


    I gave the list of things I needed to Calix. I also summoned Flint and gave him a letter to take to the duke right away. It was something Dem and I discussedst night.


    ''Funny how it did note to any of our minds earlier...''


    It took a while to convince Flint. He worked hard and listened to me, but sometimes, it took me some effort to make him go outside.


    Dem and I had our dinner together that night like every night. We at least tried to have dinner together every night.


    "I have sent the letter to the duke. He wants to meet up."


    "Of course, he does. It is very weird that we all were dumb enough to not think about this," he said.


    Actually,st night, when we were talking after finishing our night''s routine, it came to my mind suddenly. If the duke and the duchess suddenly adopted a child and even if we made up a story, the priests would be able to have some reasons to use us of kidnapping the saint.


    Athena did not want to change her skin color and we did not want that too, so the priests could ask why the duke and the duchess suddenly adopted a child with the same skin color as the saint, especially when the saint was missing. That was why, I suggested that if the duke and the duchess really wanted to adopt her, then they might as well adopt another child.


    We need to tell the child a story that they could say if someone asked them where they met the duke or if that child knew Athena. My n was to make them orphans who walked around the streets and the duke and the duchess found them and adopted them out of sympathy. That would make the best story. For that, we needed to find another child with the same skin color as Athena.


    It would not be hard since there were many people with dark skin colors.


    "The duke will say yes," Dem said. "After reading his mind these days, I came to the conclusion that he likes kids a lot. Rather than like, he is crazy when ites to kids. I did not know this before. Someone like him won''t back down from adopting more than one child if he has the ability to support them. We just need to let him know so he can prepare the papers.


    I am not concerning myself with the paperwork anymore and neither are you."


    "It''s not like we don''t want to. We just don''t have any leisure to take the task of preparing more papers. We cannot let others handle these papers as well. It''s a secret, after all."

 Chapter 308: Changing Appearance

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I will dye your hair now, okay?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty," she nodded.


    I did not know how to dye hair, so I learned it from books. Some of my maids helped me by giving me advice about it. They thought I was going to dye my hair by myself.


    "Ruby, tell me if I do something wrong," I said.


    "Your Highness, just don''t be nervous. Besides, I won''t be much of a help. I don''t know how to dye hair as well. I mean, there is a proper technique to do this. But I don''t know that," she said. "It is not something I was taught when I entered the pce as a maid."


    "How can I not be nervous? It is a permanent hair color. It will not go away no matter what," I said. "Even if you dye your hair again, it will be hard to get the right color because of this red color."


    The permanent hair colors were very expensive. It was also hard to find the red color that Athena wanted. Most of the colors were ck and brown and different shades of these two colors. Red and silver were very rare. There were other colors like purple, blue, and neon green. They were not that rare, but only some adventurous people bought them.


    When I was little, I also wanted to dye my hair purple. Perhaps I would do so if I ever felt like it again.


    "Athena wants red eyes too, right?" Ruby asked.


    "Yeah! Red eyes are so cool!" Athena eximed.


    In my world, people did not have red eyes. But in this world, they did. I saw so with my own eyes in the banquet.


    "Your Majesty, I have found another child with the same skin color and facial features as our Athena," the duke said. He had just arrived and this was the first thing he had to say. We discussed it briefly in the morning and he had already found another kid by the afternoon.


    "I see... That was pretty quick," I said.


    His face was sweaty and he looked exhausted. He must have been walking around the street the whole time since the morning.


    "Ruby, please serve the duke something since he looks very exhausted. Take a seat, Duke," I said. "Tell me about everything when I ask."


    "I am fine, Your Majesty."


    "It was an order," I said and he sat down. "You have something to serve, Ruby, right?"


    "Yes, I will do so," she said.


    "I am dyeing Athena''s hair red right now. She wants her hair red as well as her eyes. I have got Flint to make the potion to change her eye color," I said. Flint had to stay up all night to make the potion. It was a sudden order since I did not know Athena''s choice beforehand. Perhaps I behaved like an evil employer giving him so little time.


    He was in a very bad mood because of it.


    "I see," he said. "Ah, I also have to apologize for the sudden visit. I should have sent a word earlier."


    "That''s fine since it is an emergency right now," I said. "How is my beloved friend by the way? I have not seen her in a while."


    "The Duchess is doing very well. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."


    "I heard from her two days ago and she said she has a slight fever."


    "Yes, it must be because of the weather. It''s hot today and then cold again all of a sudden. She is better now. She said she wille to meet Your Majesty soon," the duke said. "I will also let the duchess know of Your Majesty''s concerns."


    Ruby arrived with cold coffee and some refreshments. She also brought him a towel to wipe off his sweat.


    "Thank you, Lady Ruby," he said.


    "Now, tell me, Duke, what you have to report," I said.


    "I found a boy on the streets. He is a fiery one, but if we give him a proper environment and make sure he can trust us, I believe he will grow up just like any other child. He is eleven and as I said, has the same skin color and facial features as Athena. It won''t be unbelievable if someone hears that they are siblings. That said, does Athena know about it?"


    "Yes, I have told her. She knows."


    "Are you okay with everything, Athena?" the duke asked.


    "Yes, I believe Her Majesty. She knows what is best for me and I trust her," Athena said.


    The duke seemed a bit shocked that Athena believed me unconditionally. But I was not shocked. I knew this feeling too well. After being abused for a long time, when someone finally showed her kindness, she wanted to hold onto that person and believe her.


    No matter how many days would pass and even if she stayed with me at the duchy, I knew for sure that it would be me who she would always trust the most.


    "Where is that kid?" I asked. "And what is his name?"


    "He is at the duchy. He was a beggar and a thief who used to steal bread to feed his other friends. Since he is quick-witted and fast, it''s always him who does the stealing. His name is Abel. Thankfully, he tried to steal from me and I caught him. He tried to bite me, quite feisty.


    Anyway, I told him I would let his friends live in a good ce and provide them with basic needs as long as he listens to what I say."


    "Hm, Abel... I want to meet that kid too. Can the duke manage that?"


    "Sure, as Your Majesty wishes. Should I bring him here? I can use a mage and transport him here," he said.


    "Yes, this is the safest ce to meet up with him," I nodded. "Then, send the date and time to me beforehand."


    "I will do so, Your Highness."


    "Alright... Ah, am I doing everything right, Ruby?"


    "Yes, Your Highness. You are doing everything perfectly," she chuckled.


    The duke went back early because of some work. The look on his face made it somewhat clear that he did not want to leave.


    "The duke will make a great father," Ruby said.


    "There is no doubt about that," I agreed.


    I dyed Athena''s hair red and then put the potion in her eyes that would turn her irises red. Flint made the potion, so there was no fear of it being harmful to her.


    "The eye color will change gradually. It will take a month for the color to changepletely. This potion needs to be put in both of her eyes every single day for twenty days. Three drops in each eye," I said. "Athena, you should keep your eyes closed for at least one hour after using this potion. You might not see the change immediately, but there is nothing to worry about."


    "In that case, can I take a nap now?" Athena asked.


    "Sure. I will wake you up when it''s time for dinner," Ruby said. "Oh, no, you have to wash your hair after one hour. I will wake you up then."


    "Ah, right. I forgot about it too," Athena muttered.


    "Then, take a nap, Athena. Ruby will wake you up after an hour," I said. "I have to leave now. I will see you again soon."


    "Will you be leaving right away, Your Highness?" Ruby asked after we got out of Athena''s room.


    "Why? Do you have something to talk about?"


    "Yes... But if Your Highness is busy, we can talkter too," she said.


    "I am not that busy that I cannot even have a little chat with my friend," I smiled.


    Ruby led me to another room and sat down beside me, but far away. She still respected me as the Queen. She just could not think of me as her friend. Was it because she served me since I came here? But it was not for a long time.


    "Well, it is about... um..."


    "Is it something that will embarrass you?" I asked and she nodded. "A little embarrassment can solve a huge problem. You said something like this to me when Dem and I were having a misunderstanding between us. Now, it''s your time."


    "Haha, Your Highness remembers that thing," sheughed. "Actually, it is about Luc and me."


    "Did you two fight?"


    "No, it''s not like that. Actually, after our marriage, we never talked about kids. Werewolves usually take a child right after getting married. But we never talked about it and I am not sure about his reply. I have been using contraceptives and he has not said anything about it. So, I don''t know what he thinks."

 Chapter 309: Trying To Change

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    The day of the kingdom visiting team''s departure had finally arrived. It had been dyed a bit since King Ford asked for a few more days. It was very annoying to see him chatting with my wife. Well, he was going to leave in a bit anyway.


    "This design is quite something. I also want to wear something like this, but that would be copying the Queen of Querencia," he said to Blue. "That won''t be good for my reputation."


    "It seems you are very fond of my wife''s attire," I said coldly.


    "I am actually," he said, smiling as if it was very amusing. "This is the first time I have seen a design like this. And it is also my first time seeing a Queen wearing a suit. I am pretty impressed that my friend is the first Queen to do so. It is inspiring for women."


    "She is not your friend," I said. That was the first that annoyed me the most. "I remember my wife saying so earlier."


    "Evan also should not talk like this right now. Everyone will gather here for their departure," Blue said.


    "You also like it when he talks to you, don''t you?" I asked.


    "What are you saying? Don''t be ridiculous," she shrugged.


    "King Demetrius is a very jealous person. I think everyone in the pce knows about it," King Ford said.


    "Honey, he is kidding," Blue mumbled, rubbing my arm.


    "Wow, honey? Haha, your rtionship improved, huh? Blue used to call King Demetrius ''Dem'', right? But now, it developed into ''honey''? Wow, how fascinating! It feels like I am witnessing the development of a love story?"


    "I did not know you were this childish, Evan," Blue said. Though she was clearly embarrassed, she tried to hide it and maintained her tone. She was getting better at it. But in front of me, she still could not hide her embarrassment. And I preferred it would remain that way. "And we are married.


    We are justfortable with each other. Isn''t it normal?"


    King Ford tried to say something more, but could not since Luc and the other members of the team had arrived.


    "I could not finish my research for this damn visit," Luc grumbled as he walked to us.


    "Well, it''s your job to maintain your work. Besides, it''s not like we told you to research on it," I snapped. "Why are you whining, idiot?"


    "See? See, how he behaved with me? And he is supposed to be the king...! This bastard should learn how to talk to someone first!"


    "Stop it, Luc. And Dem too," Blue sighed. "Don''t fight right before leaving. What kind of behavior is that? I am disappointed in both of you."


    "I am sorry," I said quickly. It was never a good choice to anger your wife.


    "Yeah, I am sorry too," Luc said. For some reason, he never went against Blue''s words and always tried not to anger her for real either. I had read his mind and it seemed he just thought of her as someone precious and close to him. The feelings were not romantic, because he never showed any interest in her in that way.


    I knew Luc was not that kind of person, so I never minded even if they hung out and chatted.


    "Just don''t fight anymore," she said. "Anyway, everyone is here now. I think it''s time."


    It was time for them to take their leave. They would teleport as it was the fastest way. Just before leaving, Luc inched closer to Blue and started whispering.


    "I am quite worried about Ruby."


    "Me too. But I told her to spend time with me every day after Athena is adopted since she will be alone in the magic tower. I will invite her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She can also stay in the pce for the time being. You don''t have to worry at all," she reassured him.


    "In that case, I will leave her to you. Take care of her," he said.


    ''Take care of her?''


    "Sure. No problem," she smiled.


    Blue waved all of them goodbye, not so excitedly and not too elegantly either, rather it was very cute. It was not just my thoughts. Most of the members of the team thought that their Queen was very cute. They could not say it to her face since it was not something someone called a nobledy or a noble man. Others thought she was very easygoing.


    Actually, whoever she met did not ever think that she was a bad person. She just had a way to make everyone take a liking to her. Obviously, there were people who hated her and envied her, but they were fewer in number.


    ''Well, I don''t care about elegance. The fact that she is being herself matters the most.''


    "What does he mean ''take care of her''?" I asked.


    "Well, she is basically my friend and also a very close person to me. It is only natural that I will take care of her. It doesn''t mean I am going to do her nails, fix her hair. I just have to make sure she is okay, not lonely and she is doing fine," she replied. "It''s an easy task, honey. You don''t have to have that look on your face."


    I was not used to how these things work. I was constantly getting surprised by how she treated others and how things worked in others'' lives. The more I noticed, the more I understood how wrong my life had been all this time.


    I truly wanted to change. Not for others, but for my wife and myself. It was very hard to suddenly change the way I thought. She told me to take it easy and not push myself. But sometimes, I was not even sure if I was trying enough to change my way of thinking.


    "Ugh!"


    "What''s wrong? Is it because of the heat? It''s hot suddenly," she said, clutching my hand tightly with hers. "Let''s go back. You need to attend a meeting as well."


    "Yeah," I muttered.


    After returning to the pce, I started to look through the documents once more while my wife stared nkly at the wall, sitting on the couch. It was very rare to find her distracted by some thoughts. Usually, she maintained her daily life rather well.


    "Is something bothering you?" I asked.


    "Hmm... It''s about Ruby."


    "What did she do?"


    "She didn''t do anything... You see, thest time I went to the magic tower to dye Athena''s hair, she wanted my suggestion about something. She said that she is very bothered about something."


    "What is it?"


    "She has been using contraceptives since their first night. Luc knows about it too but never said anything about it. Luc is usually a very straightforward guy. So, since he did not say anything about it, she assumed that Luc doesn''t want a kid," I said.


    "And what did you tell her?"


    "I told her that she should not assume anything by herself. Then I asked for her opinion on whether she wants a child or not. She said it won''t be bad, but not right away. Then I told her to talk to Luc about it. I think it will bring her a solution if she talks to Luc rather than me. I can only suggest to her something, but I don''t have the right to give her a solution."


    "It''s solved then," I said. "You gave her a proper answer. She wanted to know what you thought about it, and you told her. That''s it. Now, it''s her job to do what she thinks. If she can''t talk to her husband about marital matters, it won''t work and there will always be a problem between them.


    If she asks Luc, Luc will give her a straightforward answer. But unlike me, he is more aware of people''s feelings. So, he won''t answer in a way that will hurt her. You don''t have to worry."


    "Yeah, I guess so. Communication is really important. Remember, we had a misunderstanding between us for one month because none of us said anything to the other? It was depressing..."


    "But the night when you cleared it up was very satisfying and hot," I said with a grin.


    "Jeez, you only remember those things...," she muttered as my words made her cheeks and ears burn. Again, she could not hide her embarrassment. Rather than that, she did not want to hide it. It was as if she was morefortable showing her real self before me.


    "If I think about the past, I remember the times when we could not have sex. For a very long time, we had to stay away from each other. And it makes me want to do it all day and night."

 Chapter 310: Offended

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Today, I went out to give a new order to my personal tailor. It was for the swordsmanshippetition. The tailor was supposed toe to the pce to take a new order, but I wanted to go today. Besides, Calix wanted to go out too. Even Doctor Dimitri told me to get some fresh air.


    Dem''s knight Abel wasing with us as usual. He and the boy the duke found shared the same name. I called the boy ''Abel Jr.''.


    "Perita will be so jealous," Calix muttered. "It will be fun to see her face."


    "She needs to practice," I said. "She was whining, but there was nothing we can do."


    "I wonder why His Highness did note today. Is it because of the meeting?"


    "Yeah," I nodded. "Abel is going with us because Dem can''t."


    "Is His Highness worried about Your Highness that much? It''s not just Sir Abel. There are ten more knights going with us," he said.


    "Well, he worries a lot," I chuckled.


    How could I tell him that it was not just my safety that Dem was worried about?


    As always it took a long time to ce the order. I told her about my preferences and she had to take some new measures. I was served macarons and coffee there. Before leaving, I had already taken the antidote. Even if there was poison in the food, nothing would happen to me.


    After cing the order, we went to the market. I had to hide my face so that even if everyone knew who I was, they would not be able to see my face.


    "Choose the one you like, Calix. Nah, choose everything you like. I will get you everything," I said.


    "Your Highness is being very spontaneous about spending money," he chuckled.


    "Just choose the ones you like," I said. "Hm, Abel should choose something you like too."


    "I am fine, Your Highness. I don''t need anything," Abel said coldly as usual. But his voice did not show any rudeness which was why I did not feel ufortable around him.


    "It''s not about needing something. You earn quite a lot because of your position. You can buy something if you need it. I am not asking if you need something. It is going to be a gift," I said.


    "A gift?" he muttered. "In that case, I will choose something."


    I smiled at him and for a split second, I felt like I saw a small smile curving on his lips. When I looked for the second time, that smile was gone.


    Calix chose two pairs of stone earrings and Abel chose a bracelet. I also ordered brooches for my knights. Dem and I had different knights'' orders. My knights were quite fun to be around. I went to see them train for two days. I got them cakes one day.


    Then, I thought I should get them something that would separate them from Dem''s knights and it would also look fancy. So, I chose to buy them brooches.


    "Are those for us?" Calix asked.


    "Yeah," I nodded. "Don''t tell the others. It will be a surprise."


    "Alright," he said. "We are really being spoiled by you, Your Highness."


    "That''s the benefit of being my knight," I grinned.


    "It is an honor that Her Royal Majesty herself came to my store," the owner said.


    "Your Highness, I suggest leaving this store if you are done," Abel said in a low voice. "The shop owner''s voice suggests that he is not going to stop praising Your Highness in a while. And Your Highness doesn''t like it."


    "Ah, that''s right. Let''s go then," I said. "It seems I don''t have much time in hand. Deliver them to the pce. If my permission card gets to another person''s hand other than you, there will be consequences. Goodbye then."


    "Why is his store in such a ce?" Calix muttered. "It''s literally an abandoned alley."


    "His main store is on the main street. He shows premium products here. They are very precious, so he can''t just disy them in the main store," I replied.


    "I see... Wait, Your Highness, that person..."


    "It seems the Queen is getting more insolent day by day. How can we leave the kingdom''s well-being to someone like that wearing a suit like a man?"


    "How dare you talk to Her Highness in that manner!" Abel yelled. It was the first time I saw him change his expressionpletely.


    "Lady Caerlion," I said calmly. "After losing your ce in the pce, you want to lose your ce in Querencia too?"


    "You bitch! Because of you, I lost my husband and my son! You took everything away from me!"


    "You..."


    I held my hand to stop Calix and Abel.


    "Because of me? Haha! Hahaha! You lost your husband and your son because of me? Hahaha! How wonderful!


    Is it something you heard, or is it something you believe? I wish it is the first one," Iughed loudly. "Your disgusting son killed someone very precious to me. He tried to hurt me. And in your eyes, he is not guilty? After what he has done, you think it was wrong of the King to kill him?


    If he had not, perhaps your son had done something horrible to me and more people. Oh, he had already done something like that. But you don''t know that, do you? You know nothing! And your husband? Hah!


    That bastard stalked me. He kept an eye on me everywhere! Even when I took a shower! That perverted bastard got what he deserved! And you are still defending him?!"


    "They did a bit wrong. But that doesn''t mean they have to die because of that?"


    "You are delusional," I chuckled. "Well, your husband was even conspiring against us. What about that? Isn''t that treason? Will you say that treason is a bit wrong?"


    She was fuming in rage. "Haa! A bitch like you came and started ruling the kingdom! You think it is fair? You think you deserve it? A cunt like you deserves nothing but shame!


    That man told us that your family treated you like the shit you are! That was what you deserve! Trashy bitches like you should..."


    *p*


    Her cheek was red where I pped her. My palm ached a bit. I pped pretty hard, after all.


    "How dare you..."


    *p*


    She fell to the ground and the two maids tried to help her. I red at her as my rage took over my head. I did not deserve to be treated this way. I did not deserve to be shouted at. Who was she to behave that way towards me?


    I had had enough.


    "Yes, you belong there. Right under my foot. Trust me, I did not hold any grudge against you. I was ready to forgive you even after what your husband and son have done. But you, a person like you cannot understand the meaning of peace, can they? You had toe up to me and insult me, the Queen.


    Today, I will let you leave. Let''s say I am very kind. But the next time, I don''t think I will be in the mood to be kind," I warned.


    I left her, falling to the ground with her face burning red with rage. Neither Calix nor Abel could say anything. They must have been surprised to see me that way. I could not me them. Even I was surprised.


    I was not the type to lose control of my emotions. It was very sudden and surprising. But I did not regret pping her.


    "Are you alright, Your Highness?" Calix was the first one to break the silence.


    "Yes. Why wouldn''t I be?" I said. "I would like to leave now. The carriage is around here, right, Abel?"


    "Yes, there it is, Your Highness," Abel replied. "Uh... Was it alright to let her go just like that?"


    "I have decided it. It must be alright, hm?"


    "Ah, yes," he nodded quickly.


    Calix helped me get into the carriage. Abel decided to ride with us. Usually, he rode with the coachman.


    Calix sat beside me and Abel sat on the other side of the carriage. The carriage was not crumpled, so it was very easy for us to sitfortably.


    I leaned on Calix''s shoulder and closed my eyes. I was not sleepy, but I wanted to rest. For some reason, I could calm down entirely. It was not like the day when I felt like killing Mother. That day, it felt very unnatural as if I was forced to think that way. But this time, it felt very natural.


    I was sure that it was my emotion. I acted that way because I felt offended. It was the first time I got this mad because someone said those things to me. I thought I got used to it after hearing the same thing for years.


    It was a strange feeling.

 Chapter 311: Sad

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "May Ie in, Your Highness?"


    "I don''t remember calling you," I said.


    "I havee to report something, Your Highness," Abel said.


    "About what?"


    "It is regarding Her Highness''s visit."


    "I have not told you to report anything about her to me. She is back safely and that''s all matters," I said.


    "Yes, I know that, Your Highness. But something unusual happened today," he said and that was the moment, I found out what happened, reading his mind. "Actually Her Highness got into a fight with Lady Caerlion and she pped her."


    "She did the right thing. Tell me in detail," I said.


    "Her Highness went to the store near the fountain. It was at the back of an alley. There were precious stones and ornaments. Her Highness bought some things for Calix, and me and ordered brooches for her knights. Just after we left the store, we met up with Lady Caerlion. She disrespected Her Highness.


    She truly disrespected Her Highness a lot. Her Highness stopped us from arresting her. She talked to her, but that woman kept saying rude things to Her Highness. At a point, Her Highness pped her."


    "I see..."


    I read his mind and knew exactly what that mad woman said to my wife. It seemed she wanted to go where her family was very quickly.


    "I wanted to ask for something, Your Highness."


    "What is it?"


    "Her Highness has forgiven her, but I wish Your Highness will look into it. Disrespecting Her Highness, the Queen is the same as disrespecting the whole Imperial family. So, I believe Your Highness should do something about it."


    "I will look into it. But don''t let the Queen know this."


    "Yes," he nodded knowingly. "I will take my leave then, Your Highness."


    I sighed. There was a lot of work to take care of. It was already time for dinner. My wife hade back a long time ago. Because of the long meeting, I could not join her for lunch. But she still sent me a note asking if I had eaten.


    Even then, I did not know if something was wrong.


    I never asked Abel to report about my wife''s movement. I trusted that she would not go with another man because she loved me. Yet, sometimes I was worried that she would leave me, if not for another man, for her own freedom. The thought always bothered me. So, I sent Abel with her all the time along with other knights. I just needed to make sure that she hade back to the pce, to me.


    I did not need to know about what she did when she went out. It would be the same as stalking her. Besides, she would tell me what she did the whole day if I just asked.


    Today, it was very shocking that Abel came to report even though I did not ask for it. It was responsible of him to report the unusual incident. It was veryte when he reported. It seemed he debated for a long time, whether to tell me or not.


    Even I was shocked that my wife could do something like that. She was a very gentle and kind person. Even if she was angry, she never reacted in that manner. I could get a gist of what that woman told her based on Abel''s memory. But it was not fully clear.


    "Fuck all this work! My wifees first," I muttered and stood up.


    I was on my way to the dining hall when I saw some of my wife''s maids. They bowed and looked troubled. Well, I did not care about that.


    But their thoughts mattered to me since they involved my precious one.


    "Uh, Your Highness, Her Highness is in the bedroom. She told us not toe in or disturb her. But it''s time for dinner. Her Highness has been inside the bedroom since the moment she came back."


    I quickly went to the bedroom and opened the door gently so she would not get surprised. The bed was clearly visible from the entrance. I noticed her lying down with the nket up to her head.


    I closed the door just as gently as I had opened it and slowly walked up to the bed. I touched her head from over the nket gently.


    "Darling," I called. "It is time for dinner, sweetie. Why don''t you get up and have something?"


    "Hmm?"


    "Come on. Show me your face, baby," I said, trying to pull the nket down. What if she was crying because of that damn woman?


    She did not hold onto the nket and let me pull it down. She was not crying, rather she looked very innocent but gloomy.


    "What happened?" I asked.


    "... I am sad..."


    "Is that so? Do you want me to hug you?" I asked.


    She thought for a while, then gave a small nod and sat up, spreading her arms. I epted her invitation and wrapped her in my arms securely.


    "It''s okay to cry too if you feel like it."


    "I don''t. I don''t feel like crying. Trust me, I have not shed a single tear sinceing back," she said and pulled back from the hug.


    I ced a strand of hair behind her ear and touched the side of her neck. "If you want to tell me, you can. But I won''t force you. It''s your choice."


    ''Well, I know the main story.''


    "Um, well, I wanted to buy Calix something, so we went to a store. It was at the back of an alley. After shopping, when we were leaving, I met your aunt, Lady Caerlion. She said a lot of things to me..."


    "What did she say?"


    She told me everything that woman said without blinking. It hurt me so much that she could talk about these things that way as if she was used to it. She had told me about what her family used to tell her before too, but something was different this time.


    "Then I pped her," she added. "I... I don''t deserve to hear things like that. No one can say these things to me. You also said that I can react however I want to if anyone says these things to me. And I don''t want to apologize for what I did.


    I don''t want to be treated like trash and called those things."


    "Who will ask you to apologize, darling? You did the right thing. You don''t deserve any of that," I said. "Trust me, even if you killed her right there, you would not have done anything wrong."


    "That''s... that''s a bit too much," she mumbled.


    "It''s not. Anyway, what did you do to her next? Did you let her go?"


    "Uh-huh," she nodded. "I let her go after warning her."


    "Why?"


    "Well, she only said bad things about me..."


    "The things you said she told you included your family as well. Isn''t it concerning? How does she know about that? And she mentioned that a man told her about it, right?"


    "Yeah, that matter is truly worrying. Who else knows about my past, other than you, Luc, Ruby and Perita? If it''s a man, then it can be you or Luc. But it''sughable to even think that it''s any of you two. That''s just too weird and impossible. There is someone else."


    "If you don''t mind, should I take care of this?" I asked.


    "It''s not usual for you to ask for my permission."


    "Well, I am trying," I chuckled.


    "I see... Um, she is your aunt. So, you can do whatever you want. I don''t care," I said. "But you are not going to kill her, right?"


    "No," I shook my head.


    ''Not yet.''


    *grumble*


    "No wonder you are hungry. You did not have your lunch and it is time for dinner," I said.


    "Hahaha!"


    "What?" I chuckled, seeing herughing suddenly.


    "If my stomach grumbled in front of someone else other than you, I would have gotten very embarrassed. It felt very natural in front of you," sheughed. "You know, these small things that show howfortable we are with each other make me very happy. I feel like having a real family now."


    "We are a real family. Just you and me- we are the perfect family," I said. "Well, of course, if we have a kid, our family will expand and it will still be perfect."


    "Yeah," she mumbled and her stomach made another noise causing both of us to burst out inughter.


    "I will tell the maids to get the food here, okay?"


    "Hmm, okay."


    She ate pretty well. It was still not enough in my eyes and even the doctor pointed it out. She improved her eating habit a lot, but there was still a long way to go.


    More than her eating habit, this time, I often nced at her just to see her expressions. There was something different about her. It was almost like I could feel a change in her.

 Chapter 312: Adoption

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "As Your Highness suspected, the boy indeed is allergic to water," Doctor Dimitri said. "At this point, Your Highness can start studying to be a doctor."


    "Don''t joke about it. I just know a thing or two, but no one can be better than you, Doctor Dimitri," I chuckled.


    "It seems the child is quite close to his mother. He kept crying whenever she wasn''t around," he said.


    "Well, he is a toddler. The Prime Minister''s wife might have done something wrong, but she did it for her child and she is a good mother I believe. She is now locked up in her mansion and no one is to contact her from the outside and she can''t go outside for a year. Dem said two years, but I reduced it," I said. "Anyway, the kid is going to be with his mother. I hope you have prescribed him something."


    "There is no cure, Your Highness. I havee across this disease once before, two years back. It was a woman. She was a middle-aged woman. Because of this, she was devastated. It was not just affecting her physical condition, but also her mentality.


    I gave her some ointments for the hives that were caused whenever she came in contact with water. But there is still no permanent cure."


    "I see. So, you have done the same for that boy?"


    "Yes, this is the best I or any other doctor can do for now," he nodded.


    "Hmm, I understand. Thank you, Doctor. You have done your best."


    "It is nothing. And I have something else to say regarding Athena''s condition."


    "Yes?"


    "After researching about it, I believe that she has something simr to mana inside her body, but not exactly mana. It is not possible for a doctor to track mana properly if that doctor is not a mage. We usually ask before any treatment if the patient is a mage or something because it will affect the treatment.


    We can understand if a child has mana or not based on their physical condition, especially if the amount of mana is too much since it will sometimes cause them to get sick often. Their bodies sometimes cannot cope with the amount of mana. Athena''s background makes sure that her parents are not mages and thus, she can never have mana.


    That''s why I said it is something simr to mana and since the amount is too much, it is causing her health to go downhill often. There is nothing I can do about it as a doctor. It will be a mage''s job."


    "I understand. Can you please write a report...?"


    He cracked a little smile and slid a file towards me. I chuckled. "Then, I don''t have anything else to ask for. Thank you for your work. I appreciate it very much. As the doctor has wanted, I will send people to find the nts you need."


    "Thank you, Your Highness," he said. "And, is Your Highness taking care of your health?"


    "I am. I am taking rest properly," I replied. "And I am not overworking myself. Just as the doctor said, I am eating vegetables and protein proportionally."


    "His Highness told me that Your Highness is still not eating enough."


    "Everyone says that," I mumbled. "I am trying. But I cannot eat anymore. I am trying. I think it will take time."


    "Yes, I also believe it will take time. But just make sure you are actively trying," he said. "Considering Your Highness''s past, it is eptable. Your Highness''s health is very important. Your Highness weighs only forty-five kg, which is just not okay for your height and age. When I first weighed Your Highness, it was forty-three.


    You gained only two kg. Please keep trying. The number should be at least forty-eight. The perfect is fifty-two."


    "I will try more," I said.


    "Alright then. I will take my leave then. And I have sent an extra bottle of pills."


    "Yeah, thank you."


    ''Jeez, when he talks about the pills with a straight face... Though he is very professional, I sometimes get embarrassed.''


    The advantage of these pills was that they did harm my body now that my power was awakened a bit. In my world, it was not okay to take too many pills. But here, it was different. As long as the body suited, nothing would happen to take the pills. There were no condoms or anything like that here considering the werewolves'' physical strength. They would get torn.


    I asked Dem about it and he said so.


    "Your Highness, His Grace, the duke is here," a maid announced.


    "Is he supposed toe today?" Perita asked.


    "Hm," I muttered. "Let him in."


    "Good morning, Your Majesty," he bowed slightly.


    "Good morning, Duke. Is it ready already?"


    "Yes," he nodded. "Please take a look at the papers."


    He handed me two files. It was the adoption papers of Athena and Abel. They were presented at the court, and both said exactly what they were taught. Everything went smoothly. Well, I had some a hand in it since the Imperial Pce had influence over the justice system even though it was not supposed to be that way.


    "Take a seat, Duke," I said as I started to take a look at the files.


    I still had not met Abel Jr. since I did not have much time. His hair had also been dyed red. Iris did it. Just like Athena, he was also taking the potion to change his eye color from dark brown to red. Iris wrote in the letter that red hair suited him very well and he did not hate it.


    I checked both of the files and found everything in the right order. The duke''s work was always faultless. Checking again was unnecessary, but still, it was part of my duty to recheck everything.


    "Everything is alright," I said.


    "I see. I can be at peace in that case."


    "Pff... That line... Has Iris told the duke to talk in that manner?" I asked, trying to control myughter.


    "The duchess believes I amcking in how I talk to Your Majesty. So, she told me to say these things to express my gratitude. Though I don''t understand how Your Majesty found out...," he mumbled, scratching his head.


    "That is fine, Duke. The duke doesn''t have to try hard to express his gratitude. I know the duke pretty well and I understand your behavior. I don''t have any problem with it. So, the duke can behave in the usual way and also tell Iris that I said it is fine," I said.


    "That''s a relief, then," he sighed in relief. "That was very hard."


    "Yes, it can be pretty hard to behave in a way you are not used to. Anyway, tomorrow is the swordsmanshippetition."


    "Aha, that''s right. The Duchess will be attending with me. And I will participate."


    ''More like, you have to. It is customary for a person from every house to participate if they don''t have a serious reason to not participate. Except for the Imperial family, there will be one person from every single house. It will start at six in the morning tomorrow and end in the middle of the night. Dem and I will join the final round which will be around the evening.''


    "I heard of that. I am still not fully familiar with the rules, so I am learning a new thing every single day. It is quite fascinating, I must say. That said, has my dear friend truly improved? She said she did in the letter, but I would like to hear it from the duke as well."


    "Yes, she has gotten better. Now, she is in the best health. She is taking care of Abel and teaching him whatever he needs to know. We will also get him a tutor. But we have decided that after Athena starts living with us, we will do so," he said.


    "I see. I think it would be best if the duke talks to Athena about it and asks her about when she is ready to leave. It is better to ask her opinion as much as possible. Doctor Dimitri also said so. She tends to believe that everyone will make a decision about herself without consulting her and it is normal. We need to make it clear that it is not.


    We all have been trying. But there is a long way to go," I said. "... Trauma is not easy to ovee."


    "It is not. She is lucky that Your Majesty has been with her and saved her," his lips formed a smile that was very hard to see. "And we are lucky that Your Majesty is our Queen."

 Chapter 313: The Swordsmanship Competition

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "The dress needed to be made in a very short time. But it is perfect," a maid said.


    ''Well, that''s why she is my personal tailor. She is amazing.''


    The maids were getting me ready for the event. It took a very long time as usual. I only sat down or stood up or turned whichever way they wanted me to.


    The dress was ck and my essories were golden. Even though this world was very different than mine and it was not the modern time, there were a lot of great things here and people were not as outdated as I thought as per the standard in my world. Corsets were not mandatory. Some wore them because they wanted to. And there were also many women who did not wear them because they did not want to.


    It was not like a woman would be shamed because her waist was not small enough.


    Aftering to this world, I perhaps wore a corset once or twice. Most of my dresses did not require a corset. I did not hate corsets. But wearing them made it hard for me to breathe and my doctor cautioned me not to wear too tight dresses because I sometimes had difficulty in breathing.


    "Your Highness looks gorgeous!"


    "Thank you. You all worked very hard," I smiled.


    Dem came into the room after a while as I was putting some important things in my handbag. The bag was very little which the tailor said was made ording to the dress. I was on my period and it was the first day. The cramps were pretty bad and it kept going on and on after taking a short break in between.


    He stared at me for a while and then kissed me on the cheek. "You look beautiful," he said. "But are you sure you can walk in those heels?"


    "I think so. Well, it is not thatfortable, but I think it will be fine. We are gonna sit there anyway," I said. "Don''t worry."


    Dem looked very handsome just as usual. But every time I saw him, I was taken aback. He was just too good-looking. I blushed and looked away, making sure I took everything I needed.


    "You have cramps, right? I told you..."


    "I know. I am not going because I need to, but rather because I want to," I said, cutting him off.


    Seeing my bad condition because of the period crams, Dem suggested that I did not need to go. But I insisted. I truly was interested and excited.


    We took the carriage because Kings and Queens always entered in this manner every year. Dem wanted to use teleportation, but I insisted. Well, I did not like carriages as well because they were too shaky. But I wanted to follow the tradition, this time.


    "The carriage is making it worse, isn''t it? We don''t have to follow the damn tradition all the time. We don''t need to," Dem grumbled.


    "... I''m f-fine..."


    "You are not. It''s clear. Why are you lying?"


    Dem massaged my lower stomach just like he did whenever I had period cramps. I leaned against his shoulder and closed my eyes.


    "Really? Why do women need to go through something like this?"


    "Well, it''s only natural," I replied, without opening my eyes.


    "For seven days? I hate it!"


    "If we, women, did not have periods, then how would we be mothers? You see, it represents our ability to be a mother."


    "What if someone doesn''t want to be a mother? She has to face it too, right?"


    "How will our body know if someone doesn''t want to be a mother? She can just use condoms or other contraceptives. Our body is made this way and we can do nothing about it."


    "If periodes to let you know that you can be a mother, then why doesn''t it go away right after bleeding for a minute or two? Why does it have to be for seven or eight days? Does it make sense?"


    "What kind of conversation are we even having right now? I got to admire your broad thinking. It''s quite impressive and weird," I muttered.


    "Period cramps are unnecessary. Let''s say you will bleed for seven or eight days. But why do you have to endure cramps too?"


    "It''s the first and second day only..."


    "Yet, you look like you are going to die. That''s too much."


    "Geez, calm down," I chuckled. "You don''t have to get angry about it."


    We reached within an hour. My waist hurt, but Dem had his hand around my waist to help me.


    We saw Iris nearby. She bowed at us. Since we were in public, we were back to being formal with each other.


    "Your Majesty looks stunning today," shemented. "The style of this dress is pretty different. One sleeve is up and the other one is down to the shoulder. Though it''s ck only, it looks gorgeous. And the gold essories have enchanted the look."


    "The duchess looks very beautiful as well," I smiled.


    "Let us sit down, Your Majesty. The main event is right about to start now that Your Majesties are here."


    I sat down beside Iris and Dem. Dem seemed bored. What did he even enjoy other than spending time with me? I was concerned for him. I might not be there the whole time. What if something happened to me?


    I touched Dem''s hand and sped it tightly. In this life, I did not want to leave him. His mental state was not normal, but I did not care. I wanted to help him. I loved him. How could I even think of leaving him?


    He still thought that I would leave him someday. But it did not matter anymore. I was ready to prove that I was not going to leave him, nor I was nning to do so. I just wanted a happy life with him. It would be great if we could grow old together and have kids and see them grow up.


    He smiled at me at my gesture and leaned closer to me. I was excited about thepetition, but that did not mean I would enjoy it when my husband looked so bored. I wanted to make sure that at least he did not have to feel bored the whole time.


    "It''s really noisy," I muttered.


    "Yeah, my ears feel like they are going to burst. It''s even hard for my mind since I can hear all of their thoughts. It''s too chaotic."


    ''Ah, it is really hard for him.''


    "You are wearing that ring?" I asked. Since he was wearing gloves, I could not see it myself.


    "Yeah, I always do. It is quite an important thing," he said.


    It was soon announced that the duke was entering the arena. The announcement was followed by a round of apuse and cheering. Iris was screaming as well, which was quite amusing to see. It was her husband after all and everyone knew about Iris''s behavior very well. So, no one was surprised.


    "Are your ears okay, baby?" Dem asked, concerned.


    "Yeah," Iughed. "I am fine."


    Another guy from a marquis family entered the arena. They were going to fight against each other and the first one to lose their weapon would lose the match. In the final round, there were eight contestants. There would be four matches between each two of them. Then, there would be four of them left. There would be two more matches to get thest two standing.


    After that, it was the final match.


    Dem said the duke would be the winner.


    "He is that good?" I whispered to him.


    "He is. They are no match for him," he said. "I have seen him fight many times. He has got the physical strength as well as the techniques. Of course, he will win."


    "Have you ever fought against him?"


    "Yeah, once. I won. I am two inches taller than him and physically stronger than him as well. These things helped," he replied.


    The duke won the match very easily. At this point, I was worried about Iris''s voice. She was going to get a sore throat if she kept screaming like that.


    I smiled seeing her happy face. ''I guess it doesn''t matter even if she gets a sore throat. It''s fine as long as she enjoys herself.''


    "Dem, tell me more about each of their moves," I said, shifting my attention back to my dear husband. He seemed bored if I did not talk to him. "I want to know everything."


    "Are you that interested?" he chuckled.


    "Yeah, I want to know every single thing. I am learning swordsmanship after all. And you can be the best person to describe everything to me. Come on, I am listening."


    "Haha, alright. So, the count''s son''s just tried to..."

 Chapter 314: Fathers Face

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Haa..."


    I panted, waking up suddenly. I had fallen asleep while working. It was a dream. This time, I saw his face.


    I saw my father''s face.


    He was smiling at me. But that smile was as heinous as it could be. And it was scarilyforting. Was it because his face was exactly my face but a male version? He looked just a bit more than thirty which was scary and unsettling as well. But he called me his daughter when I looked like his little sister.


    He called me his daughter again and again and smiled at me. That was all the dream was about.


    "Are you alright, Your Highness? Was it a nightmare?" Calix asked. "I did not wake Your Highness up since you looked exhausted. Moreover, you don''t have a meeting as well."


    I noticed that there was a nket around me. It must be Calix''s work. Calix grabbed me a ss of water and I drank it quickly.


    "Let me help you, Your Highness," he muttered and helped me wipe my sweaty face. "Did you have a nightmare, Your Highness?"


    "Kind of...," I mumbled. "Still no report from Luc?"


    "No," he shook his head. "I went to ask Lord Reece, but nothing."


    "How long has it been since they left? Fifteen days?"


    "Thirteen, Your Highness. The team sent a report, but we have got nothing from Lord Luc."


    ''I don''t even know what is going on there. The main report is about Lacuna''s condition right now. But Luc is supposed to tell us about what is going on with Lacuna''s King.''


    "And has Deme back yet?"


    "No. It''s been only two hours since His Highness left," he said.


    Dem had taken Athena to the duchy. It was supposed to be me, but I had vomited twice in the morning. Even if I said I was alright many times to Dem, he did not listen to me and made me stay back.


    The maids had been making quite a fuss as well. They believed I was pregnant and I got morning sickness which was definitely not the case since I had vomited due to the number of chips and salsa I hadst night. I ate them right before Dem and I had sex. I felt nauseous that night but managed to fall asleep. Then, in the morning, right after getting up, I vomited.


    "And about the rumor, Your Highness..."


    "I am not pregnant," I dismissed. Calix had been trying to ask me this for a long time, but did not. Finally, he managed to gather the courage. "The maids just assumed."


    "Oh, I see. I thought so too. Or, Your Highness and His Highness would look very happy. Rather, today, you looked rather exhausted and down."


    "You are pretty observant, aren''t you, little boy?"


    "Please don''t talk like that, Your Highness! It hurts my honor as the youngest knight...!"


    "Haha, alright, I won''t," I chuckled. "Anyway, I will work a bit more. Remind me when it''s time for dinner."


    "I always do."


    Athena and Abel were officially adopted and Dem took Athena to the duchy so she could start living with her new family. I met Abel briefly, but he was not talking too much. Perhaps he was not the social type. The duke was very excited. Iris also was happy that they got two children, but sometimes, her face would turn gloomy as if she was fighting her urge not to be sad.


    I could understand her feelings. She loved her husband, but she was not his mate and thus, the duke could not understand his feelings for her and always felt distant. Their sex life did not work out as well. If they could not even sleep with each other, then how were they even going to have children together? Iris could not even confess her love for him because she knew he would not be able to reply.


    The duke also valued his work more than his married life. It was unfair to Iris.


    But I believed it was partly her fault too. Before she married him, she knew that the duke had a mate and they would not be able to have a perfect married life. Yet, she proposed to him, let it be a joke. If she turned her back on love and tried to find happiness instead, she would not have to face this life. Love would not stay forever if someone tried to give it up wholeheartedly.


    It would not have been easy to give up the love that had been in her heart for a long time, but at least, she would not have to live a depressed life.


    I hoped Athena and Abel would be able to bring her somefort and happiness. Life was not about having a romantic partner only, after all.


    "That said, I invited Ruby to have dinner with me, right?" I asked as I suddenly remember. I hadpletely forgotten about it after working for too long.


    "Yes, Your Highness. Please be at east. I will tell you when it''s time," Calix said reassuringly.


    "Haa, alright. I will take your word on that. Just make sure to remind me when it''s time," I said.


    "Yes, yes, I will."


    Calix was more trustworthy when it came to usingmon sense and helping me with practical matters. Perita was the aggressive type. But she was very adorable as well as Calix.


    I started working again. After the encounter with Lady Caerlion, I had been having nightmares and that dark mage had beening to my dream more often. Today was the first time I saw his face. No, it was more like he showed me his face.


    Dem said he would take care of the matter. I asked him many times what he did, but he never told me. It had been thirteen days, but I had no idea what he did. But he told me what he found out from her.


    Lady Caerlion confessed that after I got pregnant, they found out about it through Ezekiel who was told by his sister. Ezekiel''s sister had been the Imperial Doctor at that time. She had been the first person to find out that I was pregnant. Lady Caerlion and Uncle Victor knew about Isaac''s n. Though Lady Caerlion was against it because she did not want to risk it, Uncle Victor supported the n.


    Then they got the news of Isaac''s death. The next day, a man wearing a blue hooded cloak and a golden mask came to their mansion. He did not reveal his identity, but he was the one who told them about my past. Uncle Victor was nning to use my past against me because that man told them that I was traumatic.


    Dem told me that he read all of her thoughts when he asked her these questions, but found nothing else. She truly had no idea who that man was or why he told them about my past.


    I did not know where Lady Caerlion was right now. Dem did not tell me that. He only said that she was alive and she would not bother me again.


    I did not like the fact that he was going that far for me. But I was the one who gave him permission to do so. If I said otherwise right now, that would be contradicting my past decision. Besides, it was pointless to argue with Dem.


    "Your Highness, it is time," Calix said after an hour or so.


    "Can you check if Ruby is here already? Or, I will go when shees."


    Before Calix could leave, a maid announced that it was time for dinner and the mistress of the magic tower was here. The time after I had gotten sick because of overwork, all the employees had been very cautious about making sure that I had my meals in time and I rested enough. I had a feeling that it was Dem''s work though no one told me.


    I asked Dem too, but he just shrugged and said they were only doing their job.


    "Let''s go then. I don''t need to change, do I?"


    "No, but wash your hands and face before eating," Calix reminded.


    "Geez, you don''t need to remind me that. That''s amon thing to do," I muttered.


    Calix escorted me to the dining hall and said goodbye for the day. "Her Highness, the Queen is here!"


    "How have you been, Your Highness?" Ruby asked as soon as I entered.


    "I am fine. What about you?"


    "I am well too. Thank you for asking."


    "It must have been hard to be alone," I said. "I wish I could just make Luc stay, but it was necessary."


    "It is no problem, Your Highness. His work as the master of the magic toweres first. It''s not like I am going away," she said.


    "Well, I guess that''s true."


    ''But it''s surely true that you feel lonely.''

 Chapter 315: Dinner With Ruby

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I ordered the maids to serve the food and then leave so Ruby and I could chat freely. They did not need to be told to do so when it was Dem and me.


    "I have brought a wine bottle from Dem''s collection," I grinned. "He told me I could take one whenever I want. So, here we go."


    "Yes, I know about the collection. They are very costly and rare," Ruby said. "Seeing the collection, anyone will think His Highness likes to drink. But His Highness was never fond of drinking. Before His Highness married Your Highness, he used to drink a bit more than now. But that really doesn''t count as loving alcohol."


    "Yeah, he told me about it. He doesn''t like to drink much, but in his opinion, if he drinks, he is gonna drink the best wine," I chuckled. "You like to drink, don''t you, Ruby?"


    "Yes, I do enjoy drinking. I am good with alcohol, unlike Luc, who likes to drink, but is terrible with it," she said. "We drank together a lot and every time, he ended up losing his mind."


    "Haha, he and I are the same. I sometimes wish to drink after working too long and then every time I do, Dem needs to carry me back. One time, Calix could not handle me alone because I totally lost my mind. Then, he had to call Perita and both of them had to take me back to the bedroom. Dem said I swore at him that night."


    "Your Highness swore? You must have totally lost it that time," sheughed.


    She and I both knew I was not someone to swear. Even if I did, it was very rare. It was surprising how even after living in that family, I did not develop this habit despite being sworn at all day and night.


    "That said, has Your Highness heard anything from Luc?" she asked, suddenly getting serious.


    "No," I shook my head. "I told him to report to me as soon as he found out something, but he still has not. I am sorry I cannot tell you much about the mission as it is a secret for now. But I still don''t understand how he has not found out anything yet. It should not have taken this much time. The team sent a report, but nothing from Luc.


    He is very powerful and with the team, so there is nothing to worry about."


    "I see... He has sent me a letter actually."


    "When?"


    "Two days ago," she said. "He asked me how I was and stuff like that. He also wrote to tell Your Highness that you have given him a nasty job and he is having a hard time. But the situation is under control for now."


    "Nasty job? Well, I can''t argue with that. But what does he mean by for now? Is the situation getting worse?"


    "I do not know that, Your Highness. He only wrote this much before ending the letter," she said.


    "Hmm... But why didn''t he write to me?" I grumbled. "I could understand better if he said something more and written to me."


    "Who knows? I also think it would have been better to write to Your Highness directly about it."


    "Yea... Anyway, let''s forget that for now. Do you know that my adoptive brother has told me about some things regarding you?"


    "What...? What did he say?"


    "He said you are pretty cute and sometimes feisty. I heard you even hit him on the elbow once," I said.


    "That''s because... He did not tell Your Highness the reason, right? That shameless guy..."


    "No. Remember the day when we went to see Mom and Dad? You could not go because Athena was in the magic tower. That time, Mom asked how was both of our marital lives going. That''s when Luc said it though he did not tell us when or why."


    "That''s good," she let out an air of relief.


    I did not need to ask her to know when or why it happened. Marriage was full of surprises and fun, after all.


    "Is the food okay?" I asked.


    "Yes, Your Highness. The food of the Imperial Pce is the best," she said.


    "All thanks to our cook. He really does an impressive job with the ingredients," I said. "I am d you like it. By the way, do you want to go out with me tomorrow?"


    "Where?" she asked.


    "Two of my orders are in my hand now. I ordered brooches for my knights and some academy supplements for the academy. I was looking for some time to hand these things over. Tomorrow will be a perfect time. Come with me. It will be fun."


    "The knights'' order of Your Highness?"


    ''Ah, Ruby is ufortable meeting them while they train. She told me about it before too. ording to her, their behavior is weird.''


    "If you are ufortable, you don''t have toe with me. But let me rify. They might behave informally with everyone and sometimes with Dem and me as well, but that doesn''t mean they are bad people. They are pretty chill which makes it easier to get along with them," I said. "My knights are very loyal to me and they are friendly too. Some of them are really big.


    No kidding... They are huge. Dem is so tall; they are even taller than him and very bulky. They look scary, but you will be surprised if you get to know them. They are the super friendly and outgoing ones. That one knight, I forgot his name because I was drunk, offered me a huge mug of beer.


    I don''t what those mugs are, but they were made of wood. I could not taste much, but it was very buttery and sweet. Anyway, that knight had been telling me many stories. I forgot most of them, but I had a great time."


    "Really? When did it happen?" she asked, surprised.


    "On the night of the swordsmanshippetition," I replied. "We decided to enjoy the final match between the duke and Lord Marcus with something to drink. The knights also went to the match and my knights wanted to suggest me something to drink. Dem told them not to get me something strong, then they brought the beer. Dem did not want to let me drink that, but I did. I had fun that night.


    My knights and I talked a lot and I screamed a lot for some reason with the crowd. I got a sore throat the next morning. Dem scolded me."


    "Oh my... So much happened."


    "You should have gone with us. It was fun."


    "Well, Athena was in the magic tower."


    "Yeah. But next time, you will being with us," I said. "That''s why let''s go tomorrow. We will have fun together."


    "Will His Highness be going with us?"


    "No," I shook my head.


    For some reason, Dem had suddenly started to express his insecurities very less. Did he improve? I did not ask him about it. If he had gotten over his insecurities, then it was a good thing.


    Ruby also knew about Dem''s insecurities a bit since she had worked as my personal maid. But she always refrained from asking about it. I appreciated it. It would never be aforting matter to talk about.


    After dinner, we drank. I refrained from drinking more than one ss. But the wine was too tasty. It was hard not to go for another ss.


    "The wine is pretty tasty. It tastes a bit like... I can''t really point it out..."


    "It''s kind of minty, huh? I think it''s mint," I said. "It''s quite an unusual vor, but I like it."


    "Oh, that''s right, mint! It tastes rather well," she said.


    "Dem has different vors of wine, including the basic vors and unusual vors. He has cotton candy, bubblegum, rose, and walnut vored wine. Weird, huh? Dem and I taste them sometimes. He doesn''t let me drink too much because I end up getting a bad headache the next morning. I really can''t handle alcohol at all."


    "Then it will be better if Your Highness doesn''t drink much."


    "Yeah, just thisst ss."


    Ruby tried to stop me, but could not. I finished the one ss I wanted. One ss did not make me too drunk. I just felt a bit lightheaded.


    Ruby helped me back to my room because she was worried I would drink more if she left me in the dining hall. She was also worried that I would get dizzy and fall down.


    "Haha, don''t worry anymore, Ruby. I am perfectly fine now. You can go back," I grinned. "Or, you can just stay here in the pce. I will tell the maids to prepare a room for you."

 Chapter 316: My Life Is Mine

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "No, Your Highness. It won''t be a good thing to leave the magic tower empty. There are guards around it since Luc isn''t here. But I still think I should stay here," Ruby said, refusing my offer to stay at the pce. "I appreciate Your Highness''s concern. But I really don''t want to leave the magic tower."


    "Well, too bad. But if that''s what you want, there is nothing else to do," I said.


    Ruby did not say anything for a while. Thirty seconds passed and then she let out a sigh. "Your Highness worries me a lot."


    "I do? Why?" I asked, surprised.


    "Your Highness safety, well-being- I am worried about everything. Your Highness doesn''t take care of yourself. You are just too kind. I am worried that some bad people will take advantage of you."


    "Well, I am not as kind as you think," I said. "You might not believe it, but I pped someone twice."


    "What?!" she eximed in shock.


    Not many people knew about the incident. But I was sure that if someone heard it, they would have the same reaction.


    "See? You can''t believe me, can you?" I chuckled.


    "Really? Who did Your Highness p?" she asked.


    "That''s a secret, but someone you know. Anyway, you should go back. It''ste. Try to sleep right away. Or, you might get a headache," I said.


    "Yes, I will go back now. But a p and Your Highness...? Oh no, two ps... Ha, I will just go back. Take care, Your Highness, and good night."


    "Good night."


    After Ruby went back, I waited for Dem. I changed into my nightgown and I walked around the room a bit, then went to the balcony, but he still had not returned. I got tired and came back to sit on the bed.


    "Come to Mommy, Sapphire."


    Sapphire always came over to me whenever I called. She was licking her paws, sitting on her little bed. At least, Sapphire was here to apany me.


    "You spend so little time with me, Sapphire. What''s wrong? Are you mad at me?" I muttered, kissing Sapphire all over.


    She only let me kiss and hug her. But when others tried to do it, they would end up getting scratched. It must be because of the bond we had.


    "You are living a good life now, you fucking bitch?"


    I jumped up at the familiar cold voice and looked around the room. But no one was there. I could swear I heard something and it was his voice.


    "What did you think? You are worthy of this? Just because you became that man''s ything?"


    ''Draven?''


    "I am not his ything. I am his wife," I snapped at the voice.


    There was no doubt. Someone was speaking. Precisely saying, Draven was saying those things.


    "Wife? Pfft! Don''t make meugh," the voiceughed mockingly. "How could you even dream of something like that? He is going to use you and then throw you away when he is done with you. You think someone like him will ever consider an ugly bitch like you as his wife?"


    "You don''t know anything..."


    "Oh, really? I don''t? Why don''t you think about it yourself? Can someone like you even be worthy of someone like him?"


    ''What?''


    "Are you?"


    ''Am I?''


    What was I even thinking? Dem said I was his equal. Everyone said so. I could not give in to this bastard''s word.


    "You know what, Draven? Just fuck off and die! I don''t care! You are just a piece of shit! What will you know or understand about us? Someone as dimwit as you cannot possibly understand me or my family," I yelled.


    Sapphire hissed loudly, but not at me. She was looking around as well. It was another proof that there was truly a voice and it was not just my imagination.


    "You must be thinking that it''s all a dreamlike reality. But soon, you will feel the feeling of being abandoned by the one you love. Oh, what a love you have for him! You will be ming that now. Haha, trust me, I will beughing as I watch you suffer and cry your eyes out with nowhere to go, you bitch!" he sneered.


    "So, what if he abandons me? It''s not like I will die because he left me," I said, raising my voice. "My life is mine and it doesn''t depend on anyone! I love him and I believe that he will never leave me. But even if he does, I will just feel betrayed and lost for a while. It won''t make me die or lose myself!


    I can take care of myself just right! I have a life now! You think I will let that go so easily? Let him leave! I don''t care! I can live by myself if I have to!"


    I panted. I only breathed in and out sharply. The voice did note back. I could not hear it anymore.


    "Haa... But... he won''t leave me, right? He said he loves me... He said he can''t leave without me... It can''t be a lie...


    Why would he even lie? He said he will tie me up if I try to leave... Then... I can also hold onto him if he tries to leave, right? It''s okay for me to think of not letting him leave, right? That''s right.


    I won''t let him leave me... But the question is- will he even try to leave?"


    I petted Sapphire on the back since she had calmed down as well. I did not know where that voicee from. Draven could never be here and it was not my imagination. Sapphire heard it too. At least, that was what I assumed. I had a feeling it was one of my father''s tricks.


    If he was nning to damage my mentality, I could not confidently say that he was failing.


    *ck*


    "You are back?" I eximed, standing up. Sapphire hissed at me because I hadpletely forgotten about her and she fell onto the bed.


    "Yes... Oh?"


    I literally jumped on him and hugged him tightly, wrapping my legs around his waist. I felt a sense of relief. What was I even worried about? Was I worried that he might note back to this room?


    ''But he is the King. Where will he go if he doesn''t return to the pce?''


    "Did you miss me this much?" he chuckled. "Though it''s not been too long, I still missed you. But I thought it won''t be the same for you."


    "No, I missed you," I said, sobbing. "I missed you so much."


    "Darling? Are you crying? What happened, sweetie?" he asked as he tried to pull back from the hug, but I did not let him.


    "I just missed you..."


    "Did you cry because you miss me?"


    "Hmm..."


    "I am here. So, don''t cry anymore," he saidfortingly.


    He brought me to the bed and ced me gently on it. Sapphire ran away somewhere. I pulled him by the front of his coat, not letting him get up.


    "Have you eaten?" I asked.


    "Yeah. The duchess said you wouldn''t like it if I don''t eat," he said.


    "Yes, I told her this," I said. "Since you have eaten, I think it''s fine."


    I pulled him towards me and pressed my lips to his. He was surprised but did not stop kissing me.


    "Haa..."


    He smirked and started taking his coat off as he kept his eyes on mine. "You know, I would have wiped your tears and held you until you fall asleep since you are sad. But it seems you want something else. And as you can see, I am not someone to say no to this."


    I tried to wait patiently while he took his coat off and then her inner attire. But it was taking too long. I could not wait and started helping him myself by unbuttoning.


    "You can''t wait?" he asked and I shook my head. "I am losing my patience too. After all, how can I manage to stay sane when my darling wife is so desperate?"


    As soon as his upper attire was taken off, he started kissing me while one of his hands found my breast and the other one was around my waist to pull me up.


    "Mm... Hnn..."


    I bit his lips. He pulled back and licked the blood that trickled down from his bottom lip. He started kissing my neck while fondling my breast.


    "Ah... Huh..."


    "Your breast is very soft, huh?" he chuckled and kissed my nipple from over the nightgown. I would have preferred he took it off.


    My breasts had grown a lot. But I would have liked it if they grew a bit more. I did not want huge breasts, just big enough to satisfy my mind.

 Chapter 317: The Report From Luc

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Dem grabbed my nape and kissed me as he kept moving his hips. I was breathless. Tonight, I wanted more. I just could not satisfy myself. Nothing was enough.


    "Haa... Ahh!"


    "Huh...," he groaned into my ear and licked my earlobe.


    He kept ying with my breasts while his lips marked all over my neck and chest. I felt sudden butterflies in my stomach. My mind was going nk as an orgasm hit me. I tightened up, just like every other time when I reached a climax, but he still tried to go in. He kept moving even though he could enter just a bit, which made the orgasm even crazier and messier.


    "Huh... haa...," I panted.


    He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. He brought my weak body to the opposite side of the bed. I grabbed the wooden board to pull my body up slightly.


    Without a warning, he suddenly pushed forward, entering me from behind. "Ah! Ahh!"


    "Look at yourself. Look at what I am doing to you in the mirror," he whispered into my ear. His warm breath made the hair on my nape stand up.


    That was when it came to my sense that we could be seen in the mirror of the dressing table from that ce. I could clearly see my face and my naked body as well as what he was doing.


    I could not even recognize myself. I was messed up. My face, my ears, my neck, and my chest werepletely red as if I had been suffocating. My eyes were teary and my mouth was open, just like an animal in heat. Dem''s hands were on my waist, tightly holding me in ce. His face was slightly red too.


    In the mirror, I could clearly see how strong he was and how ferocious each of his moves was.


    "Ah! Huh... Oh! Ahh!"


    "Are you seeing this? Are you seeing everything?"


    "Haa... Uhh... Yes! I am..."


    "Seeing yourself getting knocked up by your husband is turning you on more, huh?" he smirked and pounded inside me. I was losing my mind.


    "More... I want more!" I yelled shamelessly.


    "Of course, I will give you more," he muttered and held my neck to pull me back toward him and started pushing me to the end of my limit.


    "Ahh! Uh... Ohh! Ah! Hngh... uhh!"


    I looked into the mirror once again. He looked like a ferocious hungry beast and I looked nothing more than his desperate prey. But this time, the prey was not desperate to flee, but rather have the beast herself.


    "Dem... ahh..."


    "You are driving me crazy, babe..."


    "Haa... hnn..."


    I did not know what time it was when we finally stopped. Dem was too strong and if I told him to go on, he had the energy to do so which was pretty scary. I would have told him to do so as well if I had not been too exhausted to move. My whole body felt numb.


    We had tried a lot of positions tonight and at one point, I did not even remember which ones we did. We did not even talk about which position to try. It just sort of happened.


    "What happened when I was gone?" Dem asked sharply.


    I had my back turned towards him, so I could not see his face. But I knew what expression he had.


    "Nothing much really. Ruby and I had dinner together. I forgot about it. But Calix reminded me. He knows more about my schedule than myself," I said.


    "Nothing else happened?" he asked again.


    "No..."


    "No?"


    "Honey, look at me."


    I turned towards him and met his eyes for a little amount of time. Before I knew it, I started crying again.


    "... I was worried...," I sobbed.


    "Worried? About what?" he asked, touching my cheek gently as ifforting me.


    "I just had this thought... What if you grow sick of me and don''t want me anymore? What if you want to have another wife? What if you just consider me as your ything? And when you will grow bored of me, you will leave me and get someone else. I just...


    I know you love me and it was really stupid of me to think this way when you give me so much love and attention... But I just could not stop myself from getting worried. I don''t know what''s wrong with me..."


    "Who started this?"


    "Hm?"


    "Who told you this first? You are not someone to think about something like this suddenly. There must be someone who triggered it," he asked. He knew me too well. "Who was it, honey?"


    "... It was just a voice..."


    "A voice? What do you mean?"


    "After Ruby left, I was waiting for you here. I was bored. That''s when I suddenly heard... Draven''s voice... He was saying those things that made me a bit anxious..."


    "Draven? That''s that bastard brother of yours," he grumbled. "I am not insulting you."


    "I know..."


    "But why would you hear his voice out of nowhere? It''s not like he can be here."


    "It was not my imagination. I truly heard his voice. Sapphire heard it too. She was looking around as well... That said, where is Sapphire? She was..."


    "She left. Must be because we were screwing," he muttered.


    "Dem!"


    "That''s not the point. So, what you mean is you are sure you heard the voice."


    "How can I describe? It felt like he was right here, talking to me... It was just like the time when I heard my biological father''s voice out of nowhere."


    "Do you think he has done it?"


    "For now, that is the only thing to assume."


    "Let''s say it''s his work. Then why has he done this? To emotionally sabotage you?"


    "I don''t know..."


    Dem and I both knew that even if I did not want to admit it if their motive was to emotionally damage me, they were notpletely failing.


    "Can you tell me what exactly he said?"


    I bit my lips. I did not want to talk about it, not even once. But I did not want to hide it either. I needed to let him know so he could understand more about my situation. I closed my eyes and told him everything he said. Thanks to my memory, it was not hard to remember every single thing.


    He did not say anything for a while. I was getting worried. The silence was too heavy. "Dem?"


    "Yes?"


    "Why aren''t you saying anything?"


    "... Have you said anything back to him, I mean, the voice?" he asked.


    "I did. I did not want to be told such things," I mumbled. "I defended myself enough. Then suddenly, the voice was gone."


    "If that silver punk was here, you could have told him."


    "Yeah... But what can we do? Luc is in Lacuna," I muttered. "He hasn''t even reported to me."


    "That said, he has reported to me today."


    "What? When?" I asked, surprised.


    "Tonight, actually," he replied. "In the letter, he mentioned that King of Lacuna is truly being controlled by a dark mage. It is very hard to detect, but King Ford still managed to do so. Anyway, they still could not do anything about it. They have been attending dinners with that dumb King. But they couldn''t break him from the dark mage''s grasp.


    And there is another problem now."


    "What is it?"


    "Ataraxia suddenly started a war against Trouville."


    "What?!" I sat up in shock.


    It was too sudden. Moreover, Evan was in Lacuna. It was not like he had a Queen or anyone else in his family who would be able to give orders.


    "Yes, I am shocked too. If Querencia was between Ataraxia and Trouville, we could have stopped them from entering Trouville. But that''s not the case. I will still see what I can do. King Ford knows about it and he returned to Trouville immediately," he exined calmly.


    "But shouldn''t we have known at least something about it? Howe we werepletely in the dark?"


    "It''s because they moved very suddenly. It can happen. I don''t know what''s the cause.


    "I see... That''s very..."


    "Luc could not report because of it. The crow he sent got lost somewhere."


    ''We use crows? I suddenly forgot about it...''


    "Don''t worry. We all use a special method to send letters that only the potion Luc makes can make the words visible. He mentioned something in Ruby''s letter he said thinking the report might get lost somewhere. Anyway, he sent five letters in total, containing the same report so at least one of them reaches us. He can''t use any mages because the mages we sent there are kept an eye on.


    It is a rule to send only one report via a crow or something."


    ''Well, you guys have some weird rules. I am not even surprised.''

 Chapter 318: The Never-Ending Argument

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    The night could not even pass when suddenly, we heard a loud noise right beside our bed. In an instant, Dem took his sword that was right beside his side of the bed and I took my dagger that was on the bedside table. We always kept our weapons around even when we went to the bed.


    "The fucking son of a..."


    "There is no time to freaking swear!" Luc yelled.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you here out of nowhere?" I asked, sitting up and wrapping the nket around me. "That''s also in the middle of the night?"


    "I guess I was a bit overdramatic. But that''s beside the point right now," he said. "Your room is soundproof, isn''t it?"


    "Is that what you should be asking aftering here out of nowhere?! I will get a teleportation-preventing tool first thing in the morning! I should have done it sooner," Dem yelled.


    "I will take that as a yes," Luc said, ignoring Dem. "The thing is, you guys sure got at least one of my letters, right? I have been sending you dozens of letters..."


    "Five. You wrote you sent five," I corrected him.


    "Yeah, the same thing," he shrugged. "So, you surely know that King Ford is not with me right now and the King of Lacuna is controlled by a dark mage. Since he is not there, I cannot do much about the situation. That''s why..."


    "No! Impossible!" Dem cut him off.


    "What? I don''t even understand anything," I said. "Make everything clear, at least."


    "Your husband has the habit to talk before someone is finished with what they want to say. It''s annoying," Luc muttered. "Anyway, what I mean is..."


    "It''s impossible!" Dem intervened again.


    "Let me finish! Damn it!" Luc yelled.


    "What is even going on? Dem, you won''t stop him again. At least, let me hear. It doesn''t matter if only you understood," I said. "Luc, tell me clearly this time."


    "I need you toe with me if we want to free that damned King from the dark mage''s grasp," Luc said. "Trust me, he is bbering nonsense and he is just being slyer than he is."


    "You need me toe with you?"


    "Honey, no matter what the situation is, don''t be crazy enough to even think that way," Dem said as he helped me wear his shirt.


    The argument went on until morning. Luc was giving us reasons why I should go with him and Dem was declining his offer, no matter how many times he said it. I was getting annoyed because their argument did not seem toe to an end for a long time.


    "I will go and take a bath. My ears are hurting," I announced, finally losing my patience. "The argument is not reaching anywhere. Luc is saying I should go and Dem is saying no. It has been going on like this for hours. Can''t you guys understand it has no point if you keep fighting like this?


    Geez... Hope you two will calm down within the time Ie back."


    I went to the bathroom and sat down in the bathtub. I could still hear their voice. They were very loud.


    "How can you even suggest that to my wife? You were bragging even just a few days ago that she is your sister now and you also care about her a lot. And this is how you care about her? By suggesting to put her life in danger?"


    "Well, if we just sit still, Lacuna might truly start a war against us. Looking at you, it seems you are sure that we will win the war. Even if we win the war, who the fuck in their right mind wants a war to break down?" Luc snapped back. "Yes, I do care about her. I have cared about her since the beginning. She is now a family member.


    But the war will affect her too. Of course, I won''t let any harme her way. She just has to try to break that guy free. That dark mage is clearly trying to start a war against us and who knows what more? You know it too. You love your wife, but that doesn''t mean you are gonna be this obsessed when I am reassuring you so many times that she will be with me and she will be safe!"


    I had to admit that Luc had a valid point. No one wanted a war. A war would cause many innocent lives to fall. It would also cause economic damage and environmental damage. To prevent a war, if I had to help, it would not be an impossible thing.


    Dem was worried about me and I understood him. Who would want to send their loved one knowing there was a possibility of danger? I would have been worried too. But I was nning on making him say yes somehow. I should at least do this much to prevent the worst possible scenario.


    I wiped my body and wrapped a towel around my head. It was the first time after a long time that I had cleaned my body myself. It felt a bit weird to do this normal thing by myself after such a long time of being taken care of by others for every single thing. I was getting addicted to this luxury.


    I put on a robe and came out of the bathroom. I found Dem smoking on the balcony, pacing back and forth.


    "Darling...," I mumbled. "Where is Luc?"


    "That punk left," he grumbled. "He needs to be there. He wille back tomorrow again to get the final answer since two dayster, the team will being back."


    Dem was clearly very mad and was in a dangerously bad mood. I rubbed his arm gently in an attempt to calm him down.


    "Let''s talk about it through the breakfast, hm? Don''t just set onto an answer by yourself. Hear my opinion and points too. Then let''s decide what to do."


    He did not say anything and looked away. It was going to be a very hard job. "Dem...?"


    "Alright," he sighed. "I don''t know what you are nning, but I am not saying yes."


    "Won''t you take a shower?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "I will help you wash your hair and back."


    No matter what the situation was, he was not going to say no to something like this. He had a thing for skinship when it came to me. I also liked it when he touched me, but in his case, it was much more than just liking.


    I still remembered how happy he was when I said he could do it with me even when I was drunk. Since I gave consent, he did not have to worry about anything. It was probably before he went out for one month. That time, I used to not drink, but we were talking about drinking and then I told him that.


    The only thing I did not like was if someone touched me when I was asleep. If he hugged me and just gave me a peck, it was fine. But I told him not to touch me in any other way when I was asleep since it creeped me out for some reason.


    Dem, who sat down in the bath, closed his eyes as I started washing his hair with shampoo. The shampoos in this world used fewer chemicals than in my world and the scent was pretty organic. The same went for the soaps and any other skin care products.


    "I think you should put out the cigar now," I said.


    "I don''t want to," he muttered.


    "... Haa, as you wish."


    He nced sideways at me and then put out the cigar. It seemed he felt guilty for not listening to me.


    "Don''t tell me you want to listen to that punk..."


    "It''s not about listening to Luc, Dem," I said. "Who wants a war to break out? A lot of people die in the war, a lot loses their everything. In one word, war means destruction. Besides, we don''t even know if we will win or not."


    "Of course, we will win," he said confidently. "I am not bragging. Our knights are truly more trained than them. There is no doubt about winning."


    "But that''s not even the point!" I argued. "I don''t want a freaking war! It will only cause us trouble, honey! Let''s say a war just broke out. Then what will you do? As the King, you have to join the war too, right?"


    "Well, of course. Someone from the Imperial family has to join to lead them."


    "That''s what I am saying! It''s not just you who is worried about the person you love! I worry about you too! I don''t want you to risk your life!"

 Chapter 319: Talk Over Breakfast?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "I will win for sure, darling. I won''t even get hurt. It''s not like I have never been to the wars before," he said nonchntly as if it was an expected answer from him.


    "It doesn''t matter if you don''t get hurt! But the worry... No matter how many times you are going to reassure me, I cannot stop worrying! Why can''t you understand this?" I muttered desperately. "It''s not like you cannot get hurt. You can!


    You also can get hurt! Anything unexpected can happen, Dem! The way you worry about me, I worry about you too. So, at least, think while keeping that in mind. I am not letting you decide things like that which can lead to a freaking war when we can easily prevent it if I just try!"


    "Calm down," he said. "I understand that you are worried about me and other people... But..."


    "Please don''t say it. What you are going to say will be the same thing over and over again. Why don''t we just try to look for a solution keeping both of our opinions in mind," I said, trying to calm down. "Anyway, let me just wash your back. I thought we would talk about it over breakfast. But here we go."


    "You might look so little, but you got quite the temper," he muttered under his breath. "It''s quite unexpected. Trust me, I had no idea you are like this when you get angry before we got married."


    "Technically, you knew me for only two days before we got married. We were basically strangers," I said. "If you had known, wouldn''t you get married to me?"


    "I never said that. It''s just pretty impressive," he said. "Besides, I would have married you no matter what. This fact will never change under any circumstances."


    Even if he did not love me at that time, he got married to me because of the whole n set up by the dark mage. After meeting me, his mind was not as controlled as before, but he could not get freepletely either. It was after sharing our first night that a bond between us was created and he was no longer in the control of the dark mage.


    Well, it was a good thing that he did not love me beforehand. That would have been pretty creepy and disgusting since I was a minor. Even Dem said that it would be disgusting.


    "Your Highness already woke up and took a bath?" One of the maids expressed her surprise when they came to the bedroom to wake me up. "Ah, His Highness is here too..."


    Dem usually went out before I woke up. But today, he did not go to the training ground. I woke up at nine in the morning because mornings were just not my thing. Even if I woke up very early, I would end up having a headache throughout the day and could not work properly. Dem was rarely present in the room at that time since he would go out three hours earlier.


    He got less sleep than me, but would not listen to me if I told him to take a break.


    Even though Dem clearly was the one who got less rest and needed more, the maids and everyone else were only worried about me. They would pester me to rest more and eat more. But no one cared about Dem''s health other than me. They believed wholeheartedly that Dem was immune to illness. He might get sick rarely, but that did mean he was a god.


    "Prepare our breakfast in the bedroom," I said. "And remind Lord Reece to send the letter to the mistress of the magic tower."


    "Yes, Your Highness. But what letter?"


    "He knows about it. Just tell him this," I said.


    She bowed and left. I had told Reece to write a letter to send to Ruby. It was about the time when I will go to see the knights. In case Reece had forgotten since he had a lot of work, I wanted to remind him.


    "Why are you like this to those who work for you?" Dem asked. He was massaging my back for some reason. It was a weird position since I was standing and he was sitting behind me.


    "Like what?" I asked. "Was I rude?"


    "No, you act like their mother," he muttered.


    "Eh?"


    ''Do I? Sometimes I feel like I am their mother, but I don''t remember acting that way. What is he even saying?''


    During breakfast, Dem tried to tell me again that he did not want me to go. But I dismissed him and told him to think about it more.


    "Now, there is one thing I don''t understand," he said. "Don''t look at me like that. I am not talking about going to Lacuna."


    "Then what?"


    "Why does everyone think you are pregnant?"


    "Well, I don''t know. That''s something I am wondering as well," I said.


    "The maids are thinking that you are pregnant just because I massaged your back. I give you massages often, but how can that mean you are pregnant?"


    "You and I go to work in the morning and then we can meet properly at nighttime. We have lunch and dinner together and sometimes, we take a break together, but no one is with us at that time. That''s why they can''t see when you massage me. It must be why..."


    "Why does your assistant think that as well?"


    "Reece? He thinks so too?"


    "Yes. Your knights Perita and Calix believe you are not. Perita did not even suspect you are pregnant and she doesn''t even know that there is a rumor like that since she is quite airheaded if it''s not about fighting. Calix heard from you. I met himst night and found out that his thoughts changed. The only person who thinks you are not is your mage.


    He thinks others are pathetic for thinking like that. After reading his mind, I now know a lot of things about pregnancy."


    "His wife is pregnant," I said. "He should know."


    "Last time, the signs were very different since your power was not awakened. This time, even if you get pregnant, the signs will not be that extreme. But you are taking contraceptives every time we do it right in front of me," he said. "There is no way you are pregnant."


    "I don''t even care these days. People will say a lot of things. Let''s just not care. This rumor will calm down eventually after they see my belly not getting bigger. But I am eating more than before, right?"


    "That''s true. But..."


    "Yeah, yeah. It''s still not enough," I shrugged, mimicking him.


    After breakfast, the maids helped me get ready. Dem waited until I was ready and then, gave me a kiss as he left for work.


    "Your Highness, I heard about this one person who can give beautiful names to children," one of the maids said.


    "What am I gonna do with that person? Pick a name for me? Or for the King?"


    They did not say anything else. Perhaps they thought I was angry. Well, I was not angry. I was just tired.


    I went to my office and needed to wait only ten minutes for Ruby to arrive. She wore red dresses usually, matching her hair color. It was both Ruby and her brother Reece''s favorite color.


    "Good morning, Your Highness."


    "Good morning, Ruby," I said. "Wow, your hair looks amazing."


    Ruby had curly hair, which looked really amazing. I always wanted curly hair, but my hair was neitherpletely straight nor curly. She usually tied her hair sideways. Her shoulder-length hair looked pretty good in that way.


    "Thank you, Your Highness. Your Highness looks as beautiful as usual," she said. "I think I now understand what Perita means. A suit truly suits Your Highness."


    "Now I can win against a few knights, so I decided to carry my sword around. I am quite proud of myself too, not gonna lie," I chuckled. "It is morefortable than dresses. Well then, let''s go. I told Perita to get the box of brooches for me. And Calix will be getting the other box."


    "What is in the other box, Your Highness?" she asked.


    "Well, something that they will like," I grinned. "You will see. It''s no fun if you don''t see for yourself."


    "We are here, Your Highness!" Perita eximed.


    "Perita is as noisy as usual, huh?" Ruby chuckled, shaking her head.


    "She is always noisy," Calix said. "No wonder Sapphire hates her."


    "Cats don''t always like everyone. It''s very normal," Perita said.


    "Well, she only doesn''t like you. It''s true that Sapphire bites and scratches others since she likes to be alone or with Her Highness. But she hates you more because you are too noisy. Trust me, even mosquitoes get annoyed to get close to you."

 Chapter 320: The Reason Of Being Accepted

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Her Highness is here, ya'' all!"


    Even though the soldier who yelled was far away, I had this sudden worry of losing my hearing forever. Ruby was massaging her own ears in hope of getting them back to life.


    "Her Highness is here?"


    "If I had not had this box in my hands, I would have covered Your Highness''s ears," Perita grumbled. "These shameless idiots!"


    "I am fine, Perita. Calm down," I chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.


    The knights all gathered in front of me and greeted me together. I waved them to get up. They were training since they had to do so for most part of the day. They also greeted Ruby, the mistress of the magic tower. For some reason, it felt like she was taken aback.


    "How have you guys been?" I asked.


    "We are fine, Your Highness. Thank you for asking."


    "But Your Highness needs to take care of yourself now that there are two lives," one of the knights said.


    "What?" Ruby eximed in shock.


    "What does that mean?" Perita asked. Since she knew very less things other than swordsmanship, she could not have a conversation with regr people.


    "That''s a rumor, you guys. If that was the case, Her Highness would have told us herself," Calix rified.


    "A rumor?"


    "Yes, it is a rumor," I nodded. "Trust me, I would have told you all if that was the case. I mean, it would be happy news. Obviously, I would have shared."


    "Haha, I knew it!" the big knight who got me a beer in thepetition said loudly as he came forward. He asked for my hand which I gave and he kissed his own thumb. He was very respectful. "Please take a seat in the shade, Your Highness. As Your Highness''s knights, we cannot let our master stand under the sun."


    I was pretty close with the knights even though we did not spend too much time together. They were very friendly and I liked the way they spoke. It was very free-spirited, but not rude.


    "I brought something for you all," I said. "Calix and Perita will help you get them."


    Calix and Perita handed each of them a brooch. It was made of pure gold and ck diamond to represent our Royal color. It also had the design of the Queen''s stamp to represent my knights. They all seemed to be very fascinated.


    "Aren''t they very costly?" Ruby asked.


    "Yeah, but it''s fine," I said.


    ''Well, I have too much money. I need to spend some on my knights too.''


    In the other box, I brought sandwiches, pumpkin cakes, and cold mango juice for them. Last time, one of the knights wanted to taste the special sandwich that Dem and I were served. It was a very famous sandwich and the people who tasted it always bragged a lot to the others. Only our chef could make the great taste of this sandwich. He had some secret ingredients.


    "Wow, is that the Royal sandwich?" Perita eximed. "I did not even know..."


    "The chef had to work all night to make this many. I promised to give him a grand raise," I said.


    The knights were very happy to get the gifts. But it was not for the gifts that they epted me so easily.


    It was very surprising to me that almost everyone epted me as their Queen so quickly. No matter how much they respected their King, it was still too good to believe. Then, Dem told me the reason.


    "You see, the people in Querencia are realistic. That''s the reason, religion almost doesn''t exist here. People will choose what''s best for them here. Usually, Queens don''t work much. They just care more about beauty and dresses and join social events. So, even if I married a werewolf, it would be the same.


    It has been like this since the beginning. So, people did not expect much from whoever I was going to marry. They just thought of their Queen to be a doll or someone who doesn''t exist even if she does. When I married you, people did not mind much since a human Queen and a werewolf Queen would be the same if none of them worked.


    But then, you started working very quickly and brought some major changes which helped you gain poprity very quickly. Yes, people expect a lot from you now since you have shown potential. But your position is very powerful now." he had told me.


    The people of Querencia saw that I was working for the kingdom. So, they did not have any reason to oppose someone who was helping them. ording to them, it was better to have a human Queen who worked for them, rather than a werewolf Queen who was more of a living doll.


    Dem said it was the reason he never even thought of facing any difficulty in marrying me. He just knew that everything would be alright.


    The knights were no different. They would follow someone who was worthy of being their master. If the Queen was incapable, they would still have to follow her. But they would be brave enough to betray her if needed. That was why I was trying hard to be worthy of someone who they could follow and would not even think of betraying.


    I did not know how I was doing since, in the front, they looked loyal to me, but I did not know what was in their heart.


    "Wow, the sandwich is truly amazing!" Ruby eximed. "It has been a long time since I tasted it."


    Ruby knew the taste of it rather well since sometimes, I invited her to have food with me if Dem was not present. I would get bored.


    "Haha, the chef just did not make it for quite a while now," I chuckled.


    Actually, Dem got tired of eating this sandwich every three days, so he told the chef to make something else. I did not mention it since it would sound too out of touch.


    We had a great time with the knights. Ruby''s view towards them seemed to change drastically as well.


    "Will you be leaving right away for the academy, Your Highness?" Calix asked.


    "Yes. You will stay at home," I said. "Inform Dem for me, will you?"


    "Sure," he nodded. "I will do so, Your Highness. Pleasee back safely."


    "Of course."


    The knights even escorted me to the carriage. Not just one or two knights, but all of them. Every single person was looking at us in shock.


    "There was no need for all of you toe all the way here," I said.


    "We practice all the time, Your Highness. If we can''t do this much, then you can call us dirt," Christophen said. He was Perita''s mate.


    "Thank you, everyone," I smiled. "I will be leaving now. You all should go back to train."


    Perita got the box of academy supplies for the academy students. I liked kids. Their innocence and cuteness always fascinated me and gave me peace.


    "Your Highness, can I ask you something?" Ruby asked as the carriage started.


    As usual, Abel was going with us. I told him to join us in the carriage. But he preferred to sit with the coachman.


    "Yes, sure. You don''t have to ask for my permission," I said.


    "Well, how did this rumor even start?" she asked, a bit hesitantly.


    "The one about me being pregnant? Well, it has been more than half a year since Dem and I got married. Werewolves usually take kids right after getting married- you told me so. That''s why they are just looking for proof that would tell them I am pregnant. And vo! As soon as they see some signs, they start spreading rumors.


    Trust me, you can show signs of pregnancy even if you are not pregnant. For example, I have vomited in the morning the other day because of the chips and salsa I had the night before. But they assumed it is morning sickness. Then, I had a stomach ache which the doctor said was because of gastric. But they thought I am pregnant. Also, I suffered from dizziness since I worked at a stretch for hours.


    But again, they thought I am pregnant. You see, they will assume literally anything," I said.


    "... I hope this rumor doesn''t affect Your Highness much," she muttered.


    I knew what she meant. After losing my child, pregnancy had been a sensitive matter to me for quite some time. But it did not affect me as much as before. It must be because of what Dem told me one night when I cried and confessed that I wanted my child back. He was very supportive. He made me believe that I should not be sad since my child would not want that.


    I should try to be happy and start building up hope for the future.

 Chapter 321: Visiting The Academy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Blue!"


    As soon as I got off the carriage, Ava ran toward me and hugged me. I was astonished. It seemed she was waiting for me.


    "Ava! How did you know I would being here?"


    "I just know!" she grinned. Looking at her innocent smile made it hard for me to question her further.


    "Perhaps the headmaster told you?" I asked.


    "Yes, she did," she nodded.


    "Ah, I see," I mumbled.


    ''That woman can''t seem to keep things to herself, huh? Well, I did not tell her to keep it from Ava, perhaps that''s why she told her.''


    "It''s your snack break, right?" I asked.


    "Yes! We are having chocte tarts and jello today," she replied, grinning.


    "Oh, really?" I smiled. "That said, do you know why I am here today?"


    "No?"


    "Well, I am here to meet you and your friends today," I said. "I will meet the other students too."


    "Then,e with me. I will lead you there."


    She did not even wait to hear my answer as she started pulling me with her. "But Ava, aren''t you forgetting something?"


    "What is it?"


    "You have not greeted the mistress of the magic tower. That is very rude," I said. "I remember telling you to greet the superiors."


    "That''s not needed, Your Highness," Ruby muttered quickly and I nodded at her reassuringly. She needed to make sure she was respected enough no matter who she was in front of. She was the mistress of the magic tower now. It was very important for her to remember her position.


    "Oh, I am so sorry. I will do so right away," she said. "Good Morning, Lady Ruby. Hope you are having a good day."


    "Good Morning, Lady Ava," Ruby said.


    "Good Morning to Knight Perita and Sir Abel too."


    "Good Morning, Lady Ava," both Perita and Abel said.


    Knights were supposed to greet someone superior only if the knights were not with someone more superior than the other person. Since Perita and Abel were with me, they did not need to greet anyone other than the King. But if the other person greeted them, they were to greet them back.


    Ruby was now in the most powerful position after the King and the Queen. The master and the mistress of the magic tower shared the same position in power just like the King and the Queen. She was in a higher position than Evelyn. That was the reason she needed to be greeted properly.


    "Can we go now, Blue?" Ava asked.


    "Sure, let''s go. Come on, Ruby," I said.


    Though Ava behaved very nicely with me, she was still an Easton. She was like Demetrius and his sister. They were pretty arrogant, to be honest. Even if Dem behaved arrogantly, he would still be epted since he was the King and he was doing a very good job as the King. But it was not the same for Evelyn or his daughter.


    If they behaved in the wrong way, they would be judged because they were not the most powerful people in the whole kingdom. I could not just let Ava grow up like that. I was not her mother. But as her Aunt, I wanted to make sure she at least behaved properly enough to not be called a rude person.


    I had told the headmaster I would stay for a little while. There was no need for anything fancy.


    The moment, I stepped into the corridor, I was surprised by a st of confetti. Then, a bunch of kids popped out of the corners with a huge banner that said- ''Wee To The Academy, Your Majesty, The Queen''.


    "What...?" I mumbled in utter shock.


    "Wee, Your Majesty!" the headmaster greeted. "It is an honor to have you here!"


    "There was no need for all of this, headmaster," I said. "It will be a brief visit."


    "But it is Your Highness''s first official visit. There should not be any kind ofcking in anything."


    In the end, I epted the gifts the kids prepared for me. Kids from every ss had prepared a lot of things. I felt a bit guilty. But it was more fun than I expected it to be.


    Ava introduced me to her friends very proudly. The way she kept calling me her aunt was very adorable. For the first time, I did not feel as ufortable as before, being called ''Aunt''.


    Perhaps it was not because of my age that I was ufortable before. I just did not want to have a close rtionship with anyone in case I got hurt again. I just could not trust.


    "It must be nice to have someone like Her Majesty to be your aunt," a girl with small curly brown hair said to Ava who was helping Perita pass on the gifts I brought. I was given a seat at the front. I wanted to help too, but no one would let me, especially Ava. She wanted to help Perita herself.


    Ruby was sitting beside me too. Kids liked her a lot too, because of her friendly smile. She was taken aback, but she seemed to enjoy her time too. Right now, she was helping a kid with the chain the kid made with paper. It got torn from a side, so Ruby was helping him fix it.


    The more I looked at kids, I wondered how my life would be if our child was alive. My belly would have been very big, by now. I would be waiting for the child toe to me.


    I shook my head quickly not to think about it anymore. This kind of thought had no consequence and meaning. No matter how much I would think about it, my child would note back to life.


    "Your Highness...," Ruby muttered, bringing me back to reality. "There are tears..."


    She did not say it loudly, which I was very grateful about. I quickly wiped my tears. Ruby did not need to ask what happened and I did not need to tell her about it for her to know the situation. She knew me rather well.


    The kids asked me various questions. It was very hard to answer them all. But I tried as much as I could.


    "Since Your Majesty is the Queen, you can sleep whenever you want?"


    "Sleep? Of course not. I have to work a lot," I replied.


    "But my mother said Queens have a lot of free time..."


    "I had free time, even just a few months ago. But now, I have a lot of work to do. I rarely get any time to rest."


    ''My eye bags are hidden with the makeup...''


    "When does Your Majesty get up?"


    "At nine in the morning. But kids need to get up earlier," I replied.


    "I get up before Your Majesty! I get up at six in the morning!"


    "Wow, that''s amazing!" I smiled.


    "And when does Your Majesty go to bed?"


    "At twelve or one in the morning... It takes time to say goodbye to work for the day finally."


    The questions went on. Finally, a red-haired girl brought Dem into the matter and that was when it turned awkward.


    "That day, Father and Mother were discussing that Her Highness and His Highness sleep together. They don''t believe it."


    "Pfft..."


    I almost choked. What did the kids'' parents talk about in front of the kids? Why would anyone even care whether the King and the Queen were sleeping together or not?


    ''If Dem and I don''t have a close bond, are they going to send young women from their families for Dem? That''s gross and sick... How power hungry can they be?''


    "My parents don''t sleep together. They always use separate rooms. I mean, they are not supposed to sleep in the same room, right?" another kid said confusedly.


    "My parents don''t share the same room either."


    "Kids, you are not supposed to talk about these kinds of things. It doesn''t matter whether your parents are sharing a room or not. It doesn''t matter whether anyone is sharing a room or not. We are not supposed to worry about things like that. There are certain things that are supposed to be kept within ourselves, especially matters regarding our family, promises, and so on."


    "But do Your Highness and His Highness share a room?"


    "Haa... This will be thest of this matter, okay? Yes, we do share a room," I said. "Now, this matter is closed for good. We should worry more about studying and food, right? Who cares about this grown-up stuff?


    They cause headaches. We need to care about our health, food, study, games, and sleep, okay?"


    "Okay!" the kids eximed.


    I sighed in relief. These kinds of matters were not something even adults should discuss, let alone kids.


    ''I don''t personally want to know what is going on between a couple who I don''t even know. Why would someone want to know that? That''s sick and pathetic.''

 Chapter 322: Addictive Scent

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "You are back," I muttered as I entered the dining hall for lunch. I instantly noticed how beautiful she looked. It was hard to take my eyes off her.


    "Well, I am not going to stay there forever," she chuckled. "Come on quickly. I am starving!"


    "Even if you are starving, you are going to eat like a bird again," I mumbled.


    "What?"


    "Nothing. How did everything go?"


    "Good. Everything went very smoothly," she replied, grinning. "Where is my broli bowl?"


    "Here it is, Your Highness."


    She started eating the broli first. She had a strange love for brolis. Every time, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, she would have a bowl of broli. I did not understand how someone could like broli that much.


    "I am really very hungry today! I don''t know why..."


    "In that case, the chef is going to be happy. He has been trying his hardest to make you hungry. He even brewed you that tea with the dish cleaner smell."


    "ording to him, it will bring my appetite back," she said, taking a sip of watermelon juice. "Well, it did since I just wanted to eat something to get that taste off my mouth. It was disgusting, to be honest. Even the chef said that the disgusting taste would help with my appetite."


    "That guy is very weird."


    "He is a good cook and a very cheerful guy. I like him. He has quite the fatherly charm."


    "Yeah, fatherly," I mumbled. It did not matter if she saw someone as her father or brother or whatever. It was fine as long as I was the only one she had romantic feelings for. I was very petty actually. It was not hard for me to understand so, however, I did not really wish to change that part of me.


    She ate more than usual. I was slightly more satisfied than before. After lunch, we went to the library, so we could work and chat.


    Most of our work involved checking the reports made by our employees, making sure there was no mistake and then signing them. Then, we had to check various solutions suggested for different problems and sign them if we agreed, or not sign them so they woulde up with something new after another meeting.


    We also needed to see the funds and the expenditure to see if any money was smuggling or used in the wrong way. The spies reported to us regrly to keep the political figures in check. The work was endless.


    My wife''s and my work were pretty much the same things. We just shared it among ourselves. I could do all the work by myself if she did not want to work. But she insisted.


    To be honest, it would be hard for me. But I did not care. Nothing truly mattered only if she stayed by my side.


    She told me everything that happened during her visit to the knights and then the academy while writing furiously on a parchment. I was signing the documents I had already checked as I listened to her.


    "I mean, why would parents even discuss those things in front of their kids? Isn''t that weird? That girl is just five! Oh my...! That''s just not okay!"


    "What do you expect from a couple who don''t even get along well? I believe sharing a room is very important for a couple," I said. "Even if they don''t have sex frequently, what''s wrong with just sleeping next to each other? I don''t even need to know them personally to get how great they treat their child. Yes, a person can be a good parent even if they are not a good partner. But that''s very rare.


    And nobles usually leave their kids to nannies. It''s very obvious why they would discuss these kinds of things in front of their kids. They don''t even acknowledge their kids'' presence."


    "That''s so sad... Trust me, I am gonna make sure our kid grows up with us by its side, even if we are very busy when we have a kid. Kids should not grow up that way. They should not leave with their nannies only. Parents need to be there. They need to spend time with their kids.


    We are gonna do that, okay?"


    "Sure," I nodded.


    She was very fixated on having a child one day. I did not mind. Though I was worried about what kind of parent I would be or if I would be able to handle the responsibility or I would be able to give enough affection to the child, I still wanted to take the risk with her. My parents were very bad parents.


    Perhaps I would not be bad parents as long as I avoided the things my parents did which had made me feel left out. Alongside that, I would just follow my wife''s lead. She would be a great parent, I just knew it.


    She was more cheerful than usual. Was it because she spent so much time with kids? She liked kids, so it was possible.


    But I was not that happy. I was worried about her choice. She wanted to go to Lacuna with Luc, but I did not want her to. I did not want her to put her life in danger for anything.


    I knew what she wanted to do and I was sure that she would not move from her point. But I did not want to give up either. Losing her was not an option for me.


    "Ah, Ipletely forgot," she suddenly said and reached out to the hidden pocket of her dress. "Haha, I even got candies from the kids! Wanna have some?"


    I took two from her and unwrapped one before putting it in my mouth. "It''s cinnamon vor."


    "Cinnamon? Ruby got a cinnamon vor too. Mine one is orange. I got a lemon vor too," she muttered. "You like sweets, so I saved them for you."


    "Thank you," I chuckled.


    ''She really is happy today.''


    She started working again. I observed her face for a while before getting back to work as well.


    Both of us did not have the habit to talk too much while working. If one was done earlier, they would wait for the other one to finish. If I finished early, I usually hugged her or massaged her shoulders and sometimes kissed her. If she finished early, she would massage my shoulders and give me a peck on the cheek.


    When I was done, it was almost eight. She was still checking some documents, yawning frequently. I stood up and left the library. I came back with a nket and wrapped it around her. The air was a bit chilly.


    "Thank you," she smiled faintly.


    "You are wee," I said and hugged her sideways, sitting beside her.


    "You like to do this a lot, huh?" she chuckled, not looking away from the documents.


    "Yeah," I mumbled. "I just love to be close to you."


    Her scent was very addicting. The side of her neck where my lips were pressed had that very addictive scent. I wanted to touch her more, lick her... If I nibbled her just a bit, perhaps I would be able to calm down a bit. I opened my mouth, touching the side of her neck with my teeth.


    "I am done!" she eximed. "Huh? What were you doing?"


    She touched the side of her neck, rubbing the ce as I pulled back. "Is it over?" I asked coldly.


    "Hmm, but what''s with your mood? You were... Ahh..."


    She clutched the front of my shirt tightly as I made her sit on the table by her waist. "Dem... Not here...," she mumbled slowly.


    "No one wille here," I said.


    "But..."


    "Don''t ask anything else. I am dying here."


    She stared at me with her enchanting blue eyes. Whenever I gazed into those eyes, I felt at peace. I grabbed her by the nape and pressed my lips to hers. Her legs were spread on both of my sides. I held her right downer thigh and pulled her towards me.


    "Haa..."


    "In this way, you will be returning to the bedroom naked," I said.


    "... Not that... I don''t want that..."


    I bit my upper lip to control myself and then took a deep breath. For me, holding back was like hell. Werewolves had a hard time controlling themselves. It was harder for Alphas. It was the reason sometimes I feared I would force her into doing something she did not want. I did not want to force her.


    She was my wife. Sexually forcing someone was pretty disgusting, but sometimes, my instincts almost led me that way. I did not feel like that towards anyone else, just her. It was pretty scary from time to time.


    "Let''s go to the bedroom," I said.


    She nced at me for a moment before nodding. "But the papers..."


    "I have already told the beta. He will organize everything."


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 323: My Opinion

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    I did not remember when I fell asleep. But when I woke up, it was two in the morning. I squirmed on the bed under the warmth of the nket and then sat up.


    "You woke up? Good. Have your dinner."


    Dem was drinking a ss of water, standing by the bed. What was he doing? Why was he not sleeping?


    "I was hungry, so I ate something. You should eat too," he said before I could ask.


    "Close the window. It''s cold," I said, wrapping the nket around my naked body.


    "The air is pretty chilly tonight," he muttered as he walked over to the window. He was wearing his loose robe which covered his body partly. His front was exposed up to his hips. I had a hard time not looking that way.


    "You knew I would wake up?" I asked. Seeing that the dinner was already in the bedroom even though I was sleeping, it must have been him.


    "You had lunch only and then, you did not eat anything. It''s obvious you would wake up," he said. "I should have made sure you ate before we had sex."


    "Why...?"


    He did not answer, just slid under the other nket. We used two nkets as one every night. It was too cold these nights, especially since it had been raining almost every night. Although the nkets would heat up, we still needed two.


    "Dem, you... you did this on purpose, didn''t you?" I asked suspiciously as everything fitted together in my head. "Luc will being tomorrow. He will ask for the answer. We were supposed to talk about it tonight. Yet, you...


    you did this at a time like that so I would be asleep and would not be able to talk about it? And then, you will just manage to say no somehow tomorrow after Luces? Even after I told you..."


    His eyes grew darker. "I don''t want you to leave," he said firmly.


    "But I want to! What about my opinion?"


    "There was not supposed to be any, to begin with."


    "... W-What...?"


    ''Haa, he has not changed... How foolish of me to think he has changed...! It''s just like the beginning when he used to tell me that he did not care about my opinion. He only wanted me by his side. It''s just like that time...''


    "I don''t mean to offend you right now. But truly, I don''t care about wars. I just don''t want to lose you."


    "What''s the point of talking anymore?" I chuckled. "You won''t listen to my opinions anyway. I am nothing but a living doll wife, huh? Well, do whatever you want. I am tired, I really am."


    He did not say anything. I lost my appetite, so I ate very little. Then, Iid down to sleep. It took me only moments to fall asleep. For some reason, I sometimes fell asleep quickly if I was sad or angry.


    That night, I did not have any dreams. But I had a stuffy feeling inside me. The reason for that feeling was not unclear at all.


    In the morning, I woke up hearing voices. When I opened my eyes finally, I realized it was just Luc who was cursing.


    "Luc...? What are you...? Where is Dem?"


    "It''s very wonderful that you noticed that bastard before your husband," Dem replied coldly from the couch.


    Luc was in front of the bed, trying to check a mirror-like thing. "What are you doing?" I asked Luc, ignoring Dem''s remark.


    "Your husband is very protective, after all. He asked me to make this, the first thing after I came here," Luc grumbled.


    "W-Why? I mean, hasn''t he given you the answer?" I asked, confused.


    "What answer? He said you can go if you want to. It''s your choice," he said.


    "What?"


    I looked at Dem in utter confusion. Evenst night, he said my choice did not matter; there was not supposed to be any value in my opinion in the first ce. What was he saying right now?


    "Don''t look at me like that. I only said you can go if you want to, but I need to watch over you," Dem replied, not looking at me.


    "What is that thing?" I asked.


    "That''s a mirror, but not really a mirror," Luc replied.


    "Like hell I will understand!"


    "What I mean is, it might look like a mirror and can be used as a mirror, but it is actually something different. You see, Demetrius will keep an eye on you using this. You need to wear a bracelet, a special one, of course. Then, there will be a fly flying around you the whole time. It will show you in the mirror and he can watch everything in that way."


    ''Isn''t that like a drone?''


    "So, I have to wear the bracelet for it to work? What if I take it off, or it identally gets taken off?"


    "Then, it won''t work. The fly follows the bracelet. Wherever that bracelet is, the fly will go there and fly around it. If it gets taken off, then you won''t be seen in the mirror anymore," he said. "But the main question first- do you want toe with me?"


    "... Yeah," I nodded, ncing once at Dem. "It''s to prevent the war. We can''t let war break out when we can at least try to prevent it."


    Luc looked between Dem and me, then sighed. "Blue needs to cover your face. You will go as..."


    "That''s fucking ridiculous!" Dem yelled, standing up.


    "She needs to go undercover! And why the fuck are you yelling? Do you even know what I''m going to say?" Luc yelled back.


    "How can I know if you don''t tell me?" I asked. "You two are not giving me a chance to even know."


    "She is not going as your mistress or whatever!" Dem yelled.


    "It''s not like it''s the truth! She will be covering her face and wearing a wig. No one will recognize her," Luc said.


    "The question is- does Ruby know?" I asked. "She is your wife. You need to ask for her opinion when ites to matters like this."


    "She knows. I mean, it''s not because I thought she would mind. You told me to share as much information as I could with her before we got married. You are more experienced than me when ites to matters like this, so I listened to you," Luc mumbled. "I told her about it. I met her beforeing here this morning.


    She said it''s alright and she trusts me and all of you."


    ''So, it''s not wrong to say it''s my credit, right?''


    "Dem, I know it''s not a pleasant thing to hear. I understand it too. But it''s just an act," I said. "Please, just this once."


    "Well, what kind of person do you think I am?" Luc grumbled. "You think I like the idea of saying something like this? It''s too weird. I would never even imagine something like that! But right now, it''s very important. Don''t you think it''s a good thing that it''s me and not anyone else?"


    I was wearing my nightgown. Dem must have put it on me when I was sleeping. I got down from the bed and walked over to Dem. I knew he trusted both of us and was not worried about us doing something. He just did not like to hear that term.


    "It''s just disgusting to hear," Dem muttered.


    It took me another fifteen minutes to convince Dem. I needed to reassure him again and again that even if it was disgusting to hear, it was just an act. He would see everything through the mirror or whatever it was. He agreed after I said that I would wear the bracelet even if I go to the toilet.


    ''You want to watch me take a shit? That''s weird, but anyway, I won''t be using the toilet there. My toilet automatically stops in a crisis. I think my body has its own thinking ability. I cannot use the toilet if I am notfortable. I don''t even feel the need to use the toilet if I am notfortable.''


    "We need to go right now. It is nighttime there. You will get out of my room in the morning, so it will be clear that you are my mistress. We will fix your name and where you are from. If everything goes well, you will be able to return within a day, or maximum two," Luc said.


    I was a bit frightened but tried not to show it. What horrified me was the clothes I needed to wear. I did not have any clothes that Lacuna''s women usually wore. And as someone''s mistress, I was supposed to wear a blouse that showed my belly and a skirt. I had worn crop tops before in my world, but it felt weird to wear these. But I had to admit that these clothes were very beautiful.


    Perhaps they were just not meant for me.

 Chapter 324: Going To Lacuna

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Dem strongly opposed the idea of wearing that dress. I understood well why he did that. The blouse and the skirt, both disyed a very seductive look. It would be too inappropriate to wear them, especially when I had a husband and I was not even going with him.


    "Let''s just wear somethingfortable," I finally said after a long time of discussion about what to wear.


    Luc did not know much about clothing style, so it was just Dem and me who talked the most.


    "I am not from Lacuna. You will say I am from your kingdom,"  I said. "I am notfortable wearing their clothes which is fair since I am not used to that kind of style. I will just wear a normal gown or something like that."


    "Yes, that will be the final answer. She is not going to wear that dress," Dem said. "People will vite her with their eyes more than they usually do."


    "What kind of saying is that?" I grumbled. "Anyway, I have normal gowns which might be perfect."


    "You have normal gowns? That''s pretty weird to hear," Luc chuckled.


    "Don''t mock me," I said.


    ''It''s not my fault that people want their Queen to wear too expensive things. They have this view that a Queen must look like she owns all the expensive things of this goddamn world...''


    Actually, it was very hard to find a gown that was not fancy in my clothing storage room. If a gown looked pretty simple, the fabric was too expensive and it was just clear. Atst, I found one gown that looked like the simplest gown among all my clothes. Dem tried to help too, but the dress he always found simple was the least simple to me.


    Luc did not leave the bedroom since the word of hising back to the pce should not get exposed.


    "Will you stopughing, Luc? It''s not even funny," I sighed. Luc had beenughing seeing how hard it was for us to find a gown that would not look fancy. At this point, I looked pretty pathetic. "By the way, when will we be leaving? Right now?"


    "Of course," Luc replied. "Just get ready quickly and get a bag for yourself or whatever."


    I took a little bag to carry the things I needed. After that, I left before seven in the morning. Dem would handle everything in the pce.


    Dem made sure I wore the bracelet and reminded me at least twenty times to not take it off no matter what.


    "Why is the room so dark?" I asked.


    "Well, it''s nighttime," Luc said.


    "Where is the fly by the way? Is it working? How do we know it''s working?"


    "You don''t have to know that. I know it''s working. I made this. My creations never disappoint,"  he said proudly. "Your husband perhaps is watching everything right now."


    "Can he hear us?"


    "Yeah," he nodded. "That''s the advantage of using this. But you must not take the bracelet off in any case."


    "I know. Not you too now. Dem reminded me again and again," I chuckled.


    I brought a blonde wig to wear. I would also cover my face with a piece of fabric and my name was Freya.


    "Blonde hair looks weird on me," I muttered as I stood in front of the mirror, wearing the wig.


    "Yes, it''s true. But you don''t look bad, just weird. It''s because we are used to seeing you in ck hair with some brown strands."


    "That''s called brte."


    "Geez, I don''t understand all of the things about color. That day, Ruby asked which shade of lip paint looked better. I mean, both of them were red. What was I supposed to say? I said both of them looked good, but she wanted to know which looked better. When I could not figure the difference out, she got mad.


    She did not yell at me, but she did not talk to me for an hour."


    "Well, I heard boys usually are not that good at discriminating colors. Dem is a different breed, I suppose. He knows all about different colors and can discriminate them just fine. But usually, men can''t," I said.


    "I don''t know how he can do that, but good for him. That said, want to y chess? I brought one of my sets," he said.


    "Sure," I nodded. "I am not that good at it, so don''t make fun of me if I lose."


    "What kind of person do you think I am?"


    Luc was a chess maniac. He liked ying chess a lot. He did not have just one set, but rather countless. He would even buy rare chess sets from auctions at a very high price. Dem said he spent a great part of his money just buying chess sets of different kinds and designs.


    Perhaps every person liked to spend their money more than other things. Dem liked to buy different kinds of wine even though he was not much of a wine lover.


    And I liked to buy different things for my cat, my lovely Sapphire, and gift others little things. I also enjoyed buying toys for Athena and Ava. I gifted Abel too, the duke, and the duchess''s adopted son. Abel did not like toys. He acted somewhat older than his age, which was understandable since he lived on the streets. He had to grow up early.


    Abel liked to read books, especially about deep matters like politics, finance, current pressing matters, etc. So, I always bought him books and he seemed to like them. I had a feeling he would be a political figure in the future.


    Luc and I yed chess for a long time while eating the food I brought from the pce. I did not have breakfast, so I brought a lot of food with me. I wondered if Dem was watching us. Would he not get bored?


    Knowing Dem, he definitely was watching us.


    Luc was too good at it. I managed to draw the match once but lost all the other matches. And we yed nine times.


    "You suck at chess, Blue," he chuckled.


    "Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "You are just really good at it."


    "Ruby and I match quite well in this regard. She is quite good at chess and even managed to beat me a few times. Usually, our matches end in draws."


    "That''s good. But I never knew about it. I guess she has a lot of hidden talents."


    "She can cook well. She also can make different types of cookies," he said.


    "Oh, really?"


    "Yeah," he nodded. "She can make red velvet cookies the best. I like them a lot. You see, if you go to the magic tower now, you will never see any shortage of cookies or other food items. She is managing everything rather well. Except for my research room, everything is usually very neat and organized.


    I don''t let her in my research room when she is alone since there are a lot of dangerous items there. Even if she is careful, any ident can take ce. But she goes there sometimes when I am present and forces me to clean the room. She stands there the whole time and won''t leave until I clean the whole ce. It''s pretty tiring, but I don''t really mind it, for some reason."


    "Oh? But you don''t like cleaning," I said.


    "It''s pretty shocking, isn''t it?" he chuckled. "I don''t get mad when she asks me to clean or stand there the whole time or keeps nagging me. I thought it would be extra baggage if I got married, but it''s the case at all. I feel rather good these days. When I am tired, she makes me tea and massages my shoulders. I thought it would be annoying if someone was near me, but really, I am shocked again."


    "It was a good choice then, right, to get married?" I asked.


    "Yeah. I don''t know if I am making her happy, but I am trying. I sometimes help her with the cooking. I can''t cook, but she shows me what to do and how to do it. It''s fun too. See?


    I don''t evene to chat with you when I am bored anymore. Though she nags a lot, it is still very pleasant to be at the same ce with her."


    "You guys are doing really well," I smiled. "I am happy for you two."


    "Yeah, I guess we are friends now," he said.


    "... Are you for real?"


    "What? Did I say something wrong? Isn''t it a good thing we are friends now?"


    ''Why is this guy so dumb about this thing? Do I have to point out that he is falling in love? It''s not friendship, for god''s sake! You don''t talk about a friend like that!''


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 325: The Knock

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Lord Luc, His Highness is inviting you for breakfast. Pleasee to the dining hall."


    "Yes, I will being right now. And tell the King of Lacuna that my mistress will be having breakfast with me," Luc said.


    Luc closed the door again and sighed. "That was gross to say," he said.


    "I understand," I nodded. "I don''t like it too. But let''s bear with it for now."


    Luc was quite good at acting. He also had a cold personality just like Dem. It was very hard to believe judging the way he behaved with us. But it was the truth.


    "That said, how are you so good at acting?" I asked.


    "I am used to telling lies. Acting justes along with it," Luc said.


    Well, as the master of the magic tower, he needed to lie about a lot of things to a lot of people. Dem needed to do the same as well as me. I had to admit that my acting skills developed after bing the Queen of Querencia.


    I checked my dress, my wig, and everything again and again in the mirror. "Can I be identified?"


    "Nah, only your eyes are... Wait, we forgot about your eyes," he said, palming his face. "That eye color is not thatmon. If you go out with those eyes, people will say I have chosen you because I have fallen for the Queen of Querencia. That would be too bad, even as just a rumor. Having a mistress is bad enough already."


    "Then, what can we do?"


    "Wait here. I wille back in a moment. Don''t open the door for anyone," he said.


    Luc hurriedly left the room, closing the door on his way. We were in a hurry, so we forgot about my eyespletely. Well, anyone could make mistakes. But it was terrible timing.


    Luc came back after a while with a piece of see-through ck fabric. "Wear this around your forehead. It will hide your eyes too. They will know your eyes are blue, but not the exact shade. It will help," he said, handing me that piece of fabric.


    "Where did even get this?" I asked, surprised.


    "I asked for something to cover my mistress''s face because I don''t want others to see her beautiful face," he said, mimicking a cold voice. "They were very surprised but got me this thing. Wear it, let''s see if this works or not."


    I tied it around my forehead. A lot of women in Lacuna wore these kinds of fabrics on their faces while dancing. It was quite a beautiful thing. But right now, more than beauty, we needed usefulness.


    I could easily wear a hooded cloak to hide myself, but it was rude to wear cloaks inside the Imperial Pce, especially if the wearer was an outsider.


    In the end, I finally managed to get ready and went to the dining hall with Luc. We were getting a lot of stares, especially me. It was expected.


    "Good morning, King of Lacuna," Luc greeted and I bowed at the King of Lacuna.


    ''Ugh, it feels weird! I am not used to greeting like this.''


    "Morning, Master of the magic tower," the King of Lacuna said. "And who is this beautiful woman?"


    "My mistress hase with me to Lacuna and wanted to see the Imperial Pce one time before leaving. I believe the maids have already informed the King of Lacuna that my mistress will be joining me and you agreed," Luc said calmly. "And may I ask how the King of Lacuna knows that my mistress is beautiful without seeing her?"


    "Seeing the way the master of the magic tower has covered her face, there is no doubt that this woman is incredibly beautiful," he chuckled. "Please sit down. And you too, beautifuldy."


    I sat down beside Luc. He had been acting normal. I was not talking, just as we nned. I had talked to the King of Lacuna before. What if he remembered my voice? It would be better if I just acted mute.


    "What is thisdy''s name?"


    "Her name is Freya," Luc replied.


    "And how old is Lady Freya?"


    "She is twenty-two. She cannot speak, so please do not ask her anything," Luc said.


    "Oh my, how unfortunate," he said. "I was wondering what kind of voice thisdy makes, you know when the timees. But I guess the master of the magic tower''s bedroom remains silent all the time."


    ''So gross! Who talks like that?''


    "I am perfectly satisfied with how things are in my bedroom. The King of Lacuna does not have to worry about something like that," Luc said.


    The King of Lacuna said more inappropriate things, but rather than listening to that rubbing, I focused my sight on him. I could see the ck strings. There were many ck strings around him.


    There were maids around the room. I could not casually just go ahead and try to cut the strings since it would look like I was moving my hands in the air only.


    I nodded just a bit at Luc. He noticed and nodded back. We ate very quickly. There was nothing I could do during breakfast. I needed to look for another chance.


    "I hope the breakfast has been to the master of the magic tower''s taste," the King of Lacuna said.


    "Yes, thank you very much," Luc said. "I will return to my room them. Follow me, Freya."


    I bowed at the King and followed Luc out. Only after I reached Luc''s room, did I let out the breath I had been holding in.


    "Positive?" Luc asked.


    "Yeah, positive," I said and gave him thumbs up. "You have to go out, right, to inspect with the team?"


    "Yes," he gave a nod. "You have to stay in my room for the time being. I will tell no one to disturb you."


    "Alright. We will try to find an opportunityter. I have a n."


    "Let''s hear it out."


    "You will ask to drink with the King. Usually, mistresses serve the drink when it is a private invitation. So, do so and I will serve the drink. There will be plenty of time to cut the ck strings then," I said.


    "Not a bad idea. It will be hard to get him alone. That said, I heard he has a harem. Where are the members of that harem?"


    "Ah, I forgot to mention. I got rid of them in case he lets his mistresses us as well since I bring my mistress."


    "Got rid of them? All of them?"


    "Yes, it''s no big deal. Anyway, I will be going now. Stay safe and don''t go out of this room. I will tell everyone not to enter as well," he said and left before rifying the whole situation. What did he do to those mistresses? What did he mean by getting rid of them?


    Did he kill all of them?


    No one was different. Would I turn like them too after a few years? Was it that necessary? These are the questions no one answered as if it was a normal thing to understand, just like the fact that the sky was blue.


    But my confusion only grew. The sky was not just blue, after all.


    "Dem, are you watching me?" I mumbled as I sat on the bed. "You saw everything, right? See how much of a pervert that King of Lacuna is? He was talking about weird things."


    I was sure that Dem was watching me. And I was also sure he did not get up from his ce the whole time. But he only could see me and listen to me; his voice would not reach me. So, themunication was one-sided.


    "Have you eaten anything? At least, don''t just sit there and watch me. Eat something too," I said in a low voice in case the room was not soundproof. Luc and I had been talking like that the whole time. "When Ie back, I will ask the maids if you have eaten or not. So, eat quickly, okay?


    Love you, honey."


    I ate some fruits that I brought with me. I brought bananas since they helped with headaches.


    It had been more than two hours. It would typically take a long time for each inspection, so Luc woulde backter. I walked around the room in boredom. If Sapphire was with me, I could have talked to her.


    *knock*


    I flinched hearing the knock all of a sudden. There was not supposed to be anyoneing to this room. I did not open the door. But the person kept knocking.

 Chapter 326: Using Her Power

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "Don''t open the door!" I yelled at the mirror. "Don''t open it!"


    There was no point in yelling. She could not hear me. Only I could see her and hear what was happening there.


    She did not open the door and sat on the bed, hugging her knees close to her chest. She must be scared.


    I told a maid to get Flint and send him to me. The mirror was in my hand the whole time. I needed to watch every single thing.


    The knocking stopped. At this point, only my wife''s deep breathing could be heard. Flint also arrived.


    "Come in and close the door," I said.


    "Where is Her Highness?" he asked.


    "That''s not the point right now. I need you to be here in case I need to go somewhere immediately."


    "Can I have some cupcakes?"


    "..."


    "Her Highness lets me have cupcakes or cookies whenever she tells me toe here," he said.


    "... They are on the tea table."


    I stared at him for a second in confusion before looking back into the mirror. The knocking had utterly stopped.


    "I think the person went away, Dem," my wife muttered. "It might be a maid or so, I don''t know. I mean, the King won''te here himself, right?"


    Sheughed as she said it.


    *click*


    She looked immediately towards the door at the sound. Someone opened the door with a key.


    "Hello there, Freya. Mind if we have some fun together?"


    "That motherfucker!" I eximed. "Flint, get ready. We might need to go to this ce soon."


    I showed Flint the mirror as well. He did not have any question that it was Blue. "What is Her Highness doing in that guy''s bedroom? And why is his bedroom that shabby? Isn''t he the King of Lacuna?"


    "She is not in his bedroom! She went with Luc and it is Luc''s bedroom. That creepy guy entered the room forcefully," I said.


    "What?! Shouldn''t we go there now? What if he harms Her Highness?"


    "Yes, we need to go right away!"


    But something happened again.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked.


    "I don''t know. But I can''t teleport there," Flint said, confused.


    "What? What do you mean?" I asked angrily.


    "I don''t understand either. It''s like something is blocking my magic," he replied.


    "What the fuck...?"


    I kept my eyes on the mirror while Flint kept trying to teleport. The King of Lacuna kept advancing toward her.


    He was known as a luscious person, but why would he lust after someone else''s mistress? She was not in reality, but he did not know that.


    Blue looked troubled. Anyone would look troubled in front of that creepy man. Just when I thought she would back away, she stood up straight and walked over to him.


    "What the hell are you doing? Why are you going to him?"


    "What is Her Highness doing?" Flint asked.


    "You don''t need to know that. Just do what you need to do," I barked.


    "Wow, thisdy wants me too?" the King of Lacuna smirked. "You see, after seeing thedy''s features, I could not help but want to take a taste of what Lord Luc is tasting."


    "Shithead! Piece of shit! Shut your mouth!"


    "Your Highness, he will not hear you," Flint said.


    Blue did not even care about what he was saying and kept moving her hands in the air. She was doing what she was supposed to do. I just wished she would not push herself too hard and this bastard would stop lusting after her.


    He stared at her up and down for a while. His thoughts were just messed up, but it was not like his every move was controlled by a dark mage. So, he still did not know what she was doing.


    Suddenly, he grabbed her by the waist and pinned her down on the bed. This time, I totally lost it. I almost threw the mirror but remembered that it was the only way I could see her right now.


    "Where the fuck is Luc? What is he doing?"


    Though I was freaking out, my wife seemed very calm. She calmly kept doing her own thing. But the moment, he tried to touch her inappropriately, she kicked him between the legs.


    "Ugh!"


    He groaned and moved away from her. No man could stand taking a kick right there. If someone could, then something was wrong with him.


    "... What...?"


    I stared into the mirror in shock. More than her kick, it was more shocking how calm she was.


    She calmly stood up and moved away from him and the bed then smiled. It seemed she seeded.


    "You woman! How dare you hit the King of Lacuna?!" he yelled.


    He used his power to control nts and pinned her against the wall with it. Then, he limped his way to her. She struggled but did not look scared for some reason. She was even scared when I pinned her to the bed using my power. What happened now?


    "Ah, you don''t look scared at all. I like you already," he said. "No other woman has ever tried to hit me, or even look at me like that."


    "So, he is the type of man who says you are the first person to do it to me, so I want you," Flint muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I think my teleportation will work now."


    "Do it now then," Imanded.


    But before he could do so, there was a loud noise that came from the mirror. I looked into it only to be taken away by surprise.


    My little wife threw him across the room using some kind of force. He hit the wall and fell to the ground. She even freed herself from the nts. She walked over to him calmly and grabbed his face from the chin.


    "Agh...!"


    "Goodbye, memory, hmm?" she smiled and circled her hand in front of his find. He fell unconscious right away.


    Flint also teleported us to the room. I caught her right before she was going to fall. I had no idea how she did it, but it seemed her power was awakened more than we thought.


    "She is exhausted," Flint said. "It is the sign of using more power. We, mages, use mana, and then it reproduces again. Her Highness used too much energy and her mana could not reproduce. That''s why she lost consciousness. But the thing is- I never knew Her Highness is a mage, nor could I sense any mana from her."


    "Take us back to the pce. Send a female spy there and make her wear the things the Queen is wearing."


    Flint teleported us back to the pce. I told him to get a female spy with the same build as Blue. There was one just like that and she was on sick leave. Anyway, since it was important, she needed toe right away. In the meantime, I changed my wife''s clothes and called for Doctor Dimitri.


    "Wear everything that''s here and go to Lacuna with Flint. He will leave you there in a messed-up room with the unconscious dumb King of Lacuna. You have to cause a scene and make it seem like he was trying to force you. Then, people wille. The worse thing is you cannot speak. So, make hand gestures or whatever," I said and handed her a ring, ignoring her confused expression.


    "You will tell using only hand gestures and mouth moving that this is a magical ring and Lord Luc gave it to you to protect yourself."


    "Is it though?" she asked.


    "No, it''s not," I replied. "But no one will check that because you will be crying your eyes out and asking for Luc using gestures. Don''t let anyone touch you because you are traumatized and need instant help from someone close to you. Throw a tantrum. Remember not to use your voice because you are supposed to be mute. After Luces back, he will understand the situation and do something about it."


    "But I was on sick leave, Your Highness."


    "I will give you one hundred gold coins extra."


    "Let''s go, Flint. I will do everything as Your Highness says," she said, changing her expressionpletely.


    "Now that everyone is gone, may I ask what exactly happened to Her Highness?" the doctor asked.


    "She used her power," I said. "It seems her power is awakened more now. Flint said she used more mana than her body could produce and thus, she lost consciousness."


    "That might be the case. I don''t see anything wrong with Her Highness right now. I am no mage, so it is as far I can go," he said. "I think it will be great if Her Highness takes enough rest. Usually, when mages use too much power, they need to take some rest to recover. Sometimes, they take potions too.


    But for that, Your Highness needs to call a mage, or Lord Luc himself."

 Chapter 327 Self-Realization

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    It was when I opened my eyes that I only found out I had been unconscious. Aftering to this world, I lost my consciousness a lot of times and it was a normal thing now, at least to me.


    "Wait, where am I?" I mumbled, looking around. "Why am I in my bedroom?"


    Did Dem bring me here? Then who would act like Luc''s mistress? My job was done and I sessfully cut all the ck strings connected to the King of Lacuna. But I still needed to act as Luc''s mistress. Why would she disappear so suddenly?


    "Hello, Your Highness."


    "... Flint? Hi," I said. "What are you doing here?"


    "Well, I was checking Your Highness''s condition. Does Your Highness know why you copsed?" he asked.


    "Yeah, I do know that," I mumbled.


    "Since Your Highness has woken up now, it means your body has stabilized with the amount of mana that has been produced after using your power. Right now, Your Highness needs rest. Lord Luc suggested that Your Highness rests for at least two days."


    "Where is Luc?"


    "He is still in Lacuna. He has taken care of the situation there. His Highness and I brought Your Highness here. Everything has been taken care of, so Your Highness doesn''t need to worry about anything. But what I don''t understand is how Your Highness has be a mage all of a sudden. Trust me, I never could track Your Highness''s mana.


    I have never heard about it either. I got a huge shock yesterday when I saw Your Highness using mana yesterday."


    "How did you see that?" I asked.


    "Well, His Highness called me here so we could go there in time in case something went wrong," he said.


    "I see... Well, now that you know, you will hear more about itter perhaps," I said. "Can you send the King here? I want to talk to him."


    "Sure," he nodded.


    Flint was the type of person who liked to know about everything. He always took pride in knowing about everyone''s personal matters that others did not know. No wonder he took an interest in my business too. Well, he would not be able to know if we wanted to hide something no matter how much he tried.


    The curtains were up. It was raining outside with thunderstorms. It was dark outside. Perhaps it was nighttime already.


    "How are you feeling?" Dem asked as soon as he came in.


    "Better," I mumbled as he touched my forehead with his. Continue your saga on empire


    "You don''t seem to have a fever," he said.


    "I just feel tired, but I''m okay," I said.


    He gave me a peck on the lips and poured me a ss of water. I drank the waterpletely. It tasted slightly bitter.


    "You remember what happened, don''t you?" he asked and I nodded. "Then, tell me everything. I watched every single thing, but there are a lot of things I don''t understand."


    "I don''t too, but I will tell you," I said. "Um, actually, when he was knocking on the door continuously, I got scared. I did not know it was him. If I knew, that would be more of a reason not to open the door. You see, he made some badments during breakfast too. So, it''s better to stay away from him and people like him.


    But then, he opened the door with another key. There was no other way to lock the door and I am not strong enough to move a piece of furniture to press the door shut. I don''t think any furniture could stop him from entering if he wanted to. You saw it too, right?"


    "Yes, and I heard everything too," he muttered, gritting his teeth.


    "Um, he wanted to... uh... force me, I think," I mumbled. "It was pretty disturbing. If I said I was not afraid at all, that would be a lie. I was afraid.


    But I somehow knew that I was capable of defeating him. For some reason, I knew I would be alright. At one point, I felt like I myself was possessed. But well, that can''t happen since I have ck mana. That''s why I was more focused on cutting the ck strings. There were lots of them.


    But it was not stressing me out much. It was like I would be fine, even if I cut all of his strings. It was unlike the time when I cut the ck strings of the rebels. That time, I felt exhausted and lightheaded just after freeing them. I was caught off guard when he pinned me down to the bed. I think, he tried to bite my neck."


    I massaged the side of my neck where he tried to bite. I wondered if Dem saw that part. Dem touched my hand and brought it to myp instead.


    "Don''t touch that ce," he said.


    "It feels like there is a scar," I said. "Why is there a scar? Did he truly manage to bite me?"


    "Who knows?"


    Was he hiding something from me? Well, it did not matter. A little scar on my neck did not matter much.


    "Did you see my kick after that? Perita taught me that! I like that kick since it''s very useful to deal with creepy men who don''t respect personal boundaries. Anyway, even after that, I knew I would be able to deal with him. After I cut all the ck strings, I needed to just get out of there in any way. But he was quite fast and used his power to control nts.


    That time, I just moved my finger a bit and thought of something in my mind. Suddenly, a force threw him at the wall and freed myself from the nts. I also somehow knew I would be able to erase his memory. I don''t know how I knew how to do that, but I somehow did. It felt natural. And...


    I felt like that was who I was supposed to be," I said. "I think this realization was the scariest part."


    "Was this much power awakened by that duke of Ataraxia?" he asked in confusion.


    "No," I denied firmly. "I am sure the power that the duke of Ataraxia awakened was very less than this. I don''t know who awakened my power more. You see, I started feeling a change when I saw ck strings around Sapphire. That was also the time when something strange happened."


    I told him everything about the time when I felt the instinct to kill his own mother. It was a very strong feeling. If I had not been careful, I would have done something wrong. It was the same day when I saw ck strings around Sapphire; regardless to say, it was also the first time, I started to feel a change in me.


    "After that time, I always felt that I have more to myself than I think. I sometimes felt the need to express myself more. I also did not like to be looked down upon. You also know how different I was, right? I... I thought I was not worthy of anything.


    But now, it''s different."


    ''I feel like I am worthy of everything and more.''


    "As weird as it may sound, I don''t mind whether you kill someone. I truly don''t. I don''t mind even if you feel that way towards Mother. Why would I? I never loved her in the first ce. But I love you," he said.


    "I just want you. Your power- it doesn''t matter how much power you have and it doesn''t matter if you are powerless, I will love you all the same. I just want you to just be with me."


    "I am with you..."


    "Yes," he chuckled. "But I am afraid. Do you know what was the first thought in my head when I saw you using that much power? Do you know how I felt when I saw with my own two eyes how powerful you have be and how powerful you will be if your power is awakened fully?"


    "I was worried that someday, you will leave me when you will be able to save yourself with no one''s help," he continued. "It scares me. It may sound selfish, but personally, I don''t like the fact that your power is growing. But I won''t stop you from using your power. Yes, I want to, but I won''t do that. That''s why I am telling you all this.


    I just want you to stay by my side and make sure that you have romantic feelings for me only. You can use your power, however you want, I don''t care. I don''t care if your power is fully awakened. I just need you by my side."

 Chapter 328 Love Her Nonetheless

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    In the world, only one person mattered to me. It did not matter what kind of person she was, or how she would turn out to be if her power was awakenedpletely. It did not matter who she killed, or if she wanted to kill someone. I would always love her nheless.


    I was afraid of losing her. But I wanted her to be with me because she loved me, not because I forced her to be with me. Yes, if she wanted to leave me for real, I would surely tie her up and lock her in a room. But I would do it only if she tried to leave me. I was trying to make sure that she would never want that, so I would not have to use that method.


    "But how is your power even awakened?" I asked. "Who else will awaken your power? Your father?"


    "... I don''t know. I don''t understand it. He has beening to my dreams a lot and he has said a lot of things to me. He kept telling me to leave you and not be fooled by your words. But he has nevere in front of me in person other than that one time when I saw him.


    He is ying a game with us. What you said should be true. It must be him who awakened my power more. He wants to awaken my power. Actually, I don''t want to awaken my power. It would bring too much trouble.


    I am not sure if people will ept me even after they know that I am a dark mage. Even if they ept me, they ept me, I am afraid they will expect more from me. What if I fail to be what they want me to be?"


    "Honey, it never was what they want you to be. It was always about what you want to be," I said, cupping her face. "What if they don''t ept you? If ites to that, they will be forced to ept you. Why? Because you will be more powerful than they can ever imagine.


    And I will be with you. Who will even dare to go against the most powerful people?"


    "But that doesn''t mean you will get to use your power all the time, even endangering your own life. This time, you went to Lacuna. What if he discovered your identity? I could not even go there in time even if I was seeing everything. Flint could not use his magic to teleport there. It was only after you cut the ck strings that we managed to teleport there," I added.


    "Luc said it''s because of the ck mana. You see, teleportation from an unknown source can be prevented using ck mana."


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    After I had brought her here, I was afraid of losing her albeit Luc said that her life was not in danger. I just could not bring myself to see her like that. I feared that she would not open those blue eyes ever again.


    "Now, enough chatting. We will talk about itter," I said. "I will get you some food. After eating something, take some rest."


    "But I still don''t know what''s going on in Lacuna now. How is Luc managing everything? What is even going on right now?" she asked, holding my hand as I tried to get up.


    "You will hear about everythingter. You don''t have to worry about anything. Just rest," I said.


    "Flint said so too. He now knows about my power, just doesn''t know I am a dark mage."


    "Well, he was going to find out eventually. Since he is your personal mage, it''s not bad even if he knows. He is very loyal to his master," I said.


    In his mind, he truly respected Blue a lot and followed her orders loyally. Though his personality was a bit different than others, he still was a trustworthy person. At least, I could leave my wife''s safety to him if it was within his power.


    "If I tell him, I will tell Reece too. He is my assistant, so I think it''s important for him to know if Flint knows," she said.


    "That guy is very loyal too. His loyaltyes from gratefulness towards you, while Flint''ses from fascination."


    "Fascination?"


    "He thinks you are a strange type of Queen, but he likes to work with you because you let him behave however he wants and pay him rather well," I said.


    "Oh..."


    I pulled the bell and two maids quickly came to the bedroom. I told them to get some food for her. The chef had alsoe to visit her and talked to the doctor. Doctor Dimitri gave him a note about what kind of food he should make for Blue.


    He had been asking the maids every hour if she had woken up, so she could eat. Blue was right. He had a fatherly charm in him, perhaps. I was not sure because I did not know properly if fathers were supposed to act like that.


    She was served light soup and soft bread. There was a lot of chicken shredded in the soup, so she would not have to bite too much. She was also served orange juice and for dessert, there was mousse chocte cake.


    "Have you eaten anything?" she asked.


    "Yes, right before you woke up. I need to live too, right?" I chuckled.


    "That''s good. I was worried you would starve yourself," she said. "You did all those times when I was sick."


    ''Actually, I had something to drink only. I could not eat anything seeing her in that state. I still had not got my appetite back. Perhaps I would after she got betterpletely.''


    I stood there all the time to make sure she ate everything. She usually ate very little. And when she was sick, she would even lesser.


    "I am done...," she said, stretching her hands and back.


    "Why does it look like you finished something very hard?"


    "You forced me to eat that much," she pouted. "It was a huge task, but it was as delicious as always. Our cook''s hands are the best!"


    ''I will look past this since you mean it in another way.''


    "Try to sleep a bit now," I said.


    "I want to take a bath," she said.


    "Haa, alright," I sighed. I picked her up from the bed and started walking toward the bathroom. She grinned and wrapped her arms around my nape. "What''s to be happy about?"


    "I don''t know," she grinned. "I am just happy. Probably because I could cut the ck strings without much of a problem..."


    "Well, if you think that way, I have nothing to say," I said. "But yeah, you did very well."


    She sat on a stool as I filled the bathtub with water. The water was slightly warm, just like she liked.


    I helped her undress and she sat down in the water. "You are not ashamed to be naked in front of me anymore?" I asked.


    "A lot less than before. I think, just a bit now, but that''s okay," she said. "I mean, we have been together for quite a long time now. It''s only natural."


    "Yeah," I said.


    It still felt like just yesterday that I brought her here. I still did not forget how scared she would get and how much she would worry that I would hit her or throw her away. Time did fly very quickly. She had grown a lot as a person. And perhaps I did too. But I still could not change as much as I wanted.


    I rubbed soap on her hands and legs and then her back. Her brte hair was damp. Looking at her hair made me remember how she looked with blonde hair. She looked beautiful with blonde hair. But I personally liked her natural hair more. It suited her the best.


    With blonde hair, for some reason, she looked seductive. In her natural hair, she had her charm and it was amazing.


    "Dem, it won''t be bad if you tell me about Lacuna''s situation now. I mean, you can, right?" she mumbled.


    I did not argue anymore. I told her everything that was going on. "So, a spy is acting as Luc''s mistress and she imed that the King of Lacuna tried to assault her?"


    "Yes," I nodded. "It''s not wrong. He truly did try to assault Luc''s so-called mistress, let it be you or her. He doesn''t remember anything, thanks to your magic. He said that she is lying as expected, but the condition of the room says otherwise. His reputation has gone downhill within a moment.


    You see, no matter who it is, sexually assaulting someone, let it be a man or a woman, is considered a very disgusting act. Even if he is a King, it doesn''t change anything. You can say things are on our side now."

 Chapter 329 The Shadow

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "I don''t understand," she muttered, standing in front of the mirror.


    "What?" I asked while I was looking for a nightgown in the closet.


    "There is a huge mark on my neck... It looks like someone kissed here. It''s like a hickey. But if he did that, I would have known. I don''t remember feeling anything like that," she said, touching the red mark on her neck.


    "He did not do that," I said.


    "... You did?"


    "Yes," I said. "He did make a mark, but it was very little. Still, I could not bear that mark. Another man made that. That''s why I made a bigger one to hide that hideous mark."


    "..."


    "Here is your nightgown. Get changed and sleep," I said, handing her a ck light nightgown.


    "You are crazy. It must have been a very small mark," she mumbled as she put on her nightgown and climbed on the bed.


    "Do you hate it that I made a mark on you?"


    "No, it''s not like that. You make marks on me every day... I just did not expect it this time..."


    I did not expect myself to do it either. But when I noticed the mark, my blood started boiling. Ointments could not remove the hickey immediately. So, I made another one to cover that nasty one.


    "I am sorry I touched you when you were unconscious. I said I won''t, but..."


    "It''s okay. I don''t mind this much," she said. "Now,e on. You said you had food, right? Will you sleep with me, now?"


    I had changed already into my robe and climbed onto the bed. She grinned and hugged me tightly, cing her head on my chest.


    "You know, Dem, I will try to read some books to use my power properly. The amount of power I have right doesn''t seem to be less judging what you said. If I learn how to use it properly, it will help us all."


    "Just don''t push yourself. I don''t want you to get sick because of anything," I said.


    "I won''t. I don''t like to get sick either," she said.


    I massaged her forehead. She fell asleep very quickly. I observed her face for a while. How could I love someone this much? If she was away even for just a while, my heart would feel like it was being squeezed. I never knew it was possible to love someone this much.


    I did not even know if it was possible to love someone in the first ce.


    "Haa, I love you. I love you so much," I mumbled. "It''s impossible for me to live without you. I cannot do that at all. I need you."


    I hugged her tightly as if I did not want to let her go ever. I wanted to hold her close to my chest all the time.


    The next morning, I got up at five in the morning and got ready to go to the training field. She slept very peacefully.


    I told the maids not to wake her up. She needed rest. The team was supposed toe back from Lacuna today, but because of themotion, it would be dyed.


    The King had tried to force himself on my wife. He even made a mark on her. Should I just kill him? It was not impossible.


    I smirked. It did not matter if he did not know it was my wife. How could I let him get away with it so easily?


    After the training, I went back to the bedroom to take a shower. Usually, I woulde back at eight and leave before eight-thirty. I checked on her once more to make sure she did not have a fever. It was an everyday task for me. My wife would have a fever quite frequently, so I would always check if she had a fever when she was sleeping.


    I went to my office before nine. "Good Morning, Your Highness," the beta bowed.


    "Good Morning," I said.


    "I have prepared all the documents that need to be taken care of today," he said.


    "Yes," I said. "Now, get the shadow for me."


    "The shadow?"


    "I am not going to repeat myself," I said. "Tell him to meet me within an hour."


    "Yes, I will do so, Your Highness."


    ***


    "You have important work to do," I said, not looking up from the documents.


    "I always do what Your Highness asks me to do," he said,ing inside through the window. He had a habit to use the window as an entry space. "Have I ever failed Your Highness?"


    His smirk was clear even though his face was almost hidden because of the hooded cloak. He was looking at me with his dull silver eye.


    "Don''t talk too much," I said. "This time, you have to kill a Royal member of Lacuna."


    "Ah, a Royal. Must be fun. Who?" he asked.


    "The King himself," I replied. "I want him dead in a normal way. Do not make it look like a murder. Well, it will be sad if I have to mention every single thing now."


    "Haha, Your Highness can joke rather well. This one-eyed shadow never needs to be told too many things," he grinned, the huge scar across his face slightly visible. "Two days?"


    "Frame someone who doesn''t like the King and is a powerful person," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness. Your Highness will hear the good news within two days."


    He left through the window again. My darling wife did not need to know about things like that. Some things were better off as a secret.


    The shadow was someone who obeyed no one but me. His family waspletely messed up from within. It was even disgusting to mention his origin. No wonder he turned out so twisted. And I was the same.


    I caught him when he tried to kill my father a long time ago. Though I was six years younger than him, I was rather powerful since I was an Alpha. But I did not imprison him. Rather, I hired him to work for me only. He epted a very little amount of money for what he did. His only condition was I would never stop him from killing.


    He had an obsession to kill constantly. He killed criminals only on my word.


    He was known as the shadow. Only the beta knew he existed other than me. But even he did not know his real name.


    I worked for some hours before returning to the bedroom to check on my wife again. The maids thought my care was excessive. Everyone thought that way. But who cared?


    "Hello, Your Highness," Ruby greeted me as soon as I went in.


    "Dem!" Blue grinned at me, waving her hand.


    Ruby was braiding her hair. Her hair had gotten quite long. Blue did not like long hair too much, but she said she was keeping it that way to get a perfect bun.


    "How are you feeling now?" I asked. "Any difort?"


    "No, I am feeling rather well," she replied. "I have slept for a long time. I woke up just now. Ruby hase to visit me."


    "Have you eaten?"


    "Hmm," she nodded. "Are you done with your work?"


    "For now, yes," I said. "I will finish the restter."


    I handed her the ck irises I brought for her. I had gone to the garden beforeing to the bedroom. She liked ck flowers a lot.


    "Wow, iris! Thanks, darling," she said and I felt my ear burning up.


    "It''s nothing. I will get you a wet towel," I muttered as I quickly turned away.


    "But I don''t need a wet towel now," she said.


    "You do," I said.


    "But¡­"


    "Yes, Your Highness, you need a wet towel right now," Ruby said.


    "Eh¡­? I do?"


    "I will get it for you," I said and left for the washroom.


    I rushed to the washroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My ears werepletely red as well as my cheeks. Sometimes, when she called me pet names, I got flushed very easily and it was very hair to cover it up most of the time.


    It turned more dangerous when she did it in front of others. At first, I wanted her to call me those, but she used to get very shy and would call me by my name. But as time passed, she was morefortable with me and started calling me pet names whenever she liked. I liked it, but the problem was I liked it a bit too much.


    "Really¡­ I am so pathetic¡­," I chuckled. "That said, why does she need a wet towel? I said it to get out of there¡­"

 Chapter 330 Telling Ruby The Truth

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Why do I need a wet towel, Ruby?" I asked.


    "To wipe your face, Your Highness. It will feel better," she replied.


    "Oh, is that so?"


    Dem wiped my face and neck with the towel. He always took care of me to the point that it would be excessive. I did not mind. Who would mind being taken care of by her own husband? But sometimes I worried if it was truly okay.


    "I will go back then," Ruby said as she was done braiding my hair.


    "No! Hang out with me more¡­ You have juste," I said, pulling her hand.


    "His Highness is here already¡­," she mumbled.


    "It''s fine. I will go to work now, anyway," Dem said. "She will get bored alone."


    "In that case¡­"


    In the end, Ruby stayed. Dem did not stay for too long. He checked if I had a fever or not, then nagged me a bit about taking a rest. After all of that, he left.


    "Your lunch?"


    "I will have it in my study. You don''t have to worry. Worry about yourself," he said, before leaving.


    "What is he even saying? He is the one who worries the most," I muttered.


    "Well, Your Highness worries about His Highness too," Ruby chuckled.


    "I have to worry about him. I am forced to! He doesn''t take care of himself at all! He won''t eat sometimes if I don''t remind him just because there is too much work! I understand that he is busy. But if he isn''t healthy, how will he work?


    No one understands that¡­ They say he will be alright no matter what and only cares about my well-being! It''s sick! It''s not like he can''t get sick¡­ I really worry about him a lot. What if something happens to him?"


    "I understand Your Highness''s worry," she sighed. "I think I am in the same situation¡­ Luc is the master of the magic tower and he is very powerful. But I cannot help but worry about him. Now he is in Lacuna and a lot of things happened. Will he be alright?"


    ''At first, Ruby used to say that I should worry about myself the most, rather than Dem. She would say Dem will be alright since he is very powerful. But now, look at her. Now, she understands my situation.''


    "I cannot even tell you not to worry since I would sound just like the others. But, I think Luc will be alright. Right now, the situation is in our favor. Ah, that''s right, you don''t mind that I had to go and act as Luc''s mistress in Lacuna?"


    "No, why would I worry about that? It''s not a real thing," sheughed. "Besides, I was more worried about what if you get caught."


    "That did not happen, but now I know that the King of Lacuna is a disgusting person," I said. It was disgusting to even think about him.


    "Perita says that a lot too."


    ''She says it because she doesn''t like Lacuna. But I am saying it based on personal experience.''


    "Your Highness, do you remember that Her Grace wille to visit Your Highness?" she asked.


    "Yeah. She wille this afternoon, right?"


    "Yes," she nodded. "Her Grace sent me a letter yesterday."


    "Me too. Reece brought it for me in the morning," I said. "He left it here. I read it after I woke up. The kids won''t being with her since their eye color is not changed entirely yet. It will take a month."


    "I miss Athena," she said. "She has been with me for so long. She is a good child."


    "We will go to see her someday," I said. "I cannot go out right away. Tomorrow, I will need to take care of a lot of things. I will try to find some free time."


    "Oh, by the way, does Your Highness know much about the war between Trouvaille and Ataraxia?"


    "Just a bit, not much," I said. "The newspapers have said a lot of things. Dem knows the situation better than me."


    "I hope Ataraxia wins. I don''t like King Ford."


    "Why?"


    "No one in Querencia likes him, Your Highness. He is hated because of his cunning personality. He is too sly."


    ''Every ruler has to be cunning. Dem is no exception and I am turning that way as well. Just like King Ford is hated here, Dem is hated in Trouvaille.''


    If Ataraxia won, it would be good for our financial condition and territorial states. Evan personally was on friendly terms with us. But we did not agree on supporting each other as two kingdoms. We would only help each other when it came to destroying the dark mages who were against us.


    ''Should I send a letter to Evan?''


    "I will ask Dem for more info. And Luc will being back soon. I will try not to send him anywhere much."


    "But it is his job, Your Highness. Your Highness doesn''t need to go that far for me," she mumbled.


    "It''s not like I will let him rest all the time. Just for a few days, it will be fine if he is not needed anywhere," I said.


    I decided to tell Ruby about my power. Since my power was growing, it would be only a matter of time before everyone would find out about it. It was hard to hide, especially if I used my power unconsciously somehow. In that case, I needed as many people as possible to be on my side.


    Yes, just as Dem said, I could make people ept me out of fear, using my power. But I did not want that. I wanted to be epted because people supported me and liked me as their Queen, not because they were too afraid to say no.


    I told Ruby about everything regarding my power. She was one of the few people I trusted. And I knew she would never betray me.


    "What¡­? Really? I was suspecting that there are more things regarding Your Highness''s health, but I never knew this. My god¡­! It means Your Highness''s real father is the dark mage who is behind all this and wants Your Highness to use you," she gasped. "That''s scary, but I want to beat that man up!"


    "Haha, I know, right? Right now, I have four father figures- my father back in my world, my biological father, my adoptive father, and my father-inw. I don''t know my father-inw. I have never met him. My father back in my world is¡­ not that good. Huh, let''s say it now- he is trash!


    Yes, I am not his real daughter and he knew it. At least, he suspected do all the time. But that doesn''t mean it was my fault. It was my mother''s fault. I did not tell her to cheat on him. My biological father wants to use me.


    He is maniptive and kind of scary actually. The best father is my adoptive father. Dad is amazing! He treats me like her own daughter and likes me a lot."


    "Father-inw indeed is the best," Ruby chuckled. "He and Mother-inw keep telling me to visit them. They told me it''s fine even if I don''t bring Luc with me. They treat me like their family."


    "You are their family," I said. "You are their one and only daughter-inw after all."


    "Yeah," she smiled. "That said, does Your Highness know what your biological father looks like?"


    "He looks like me, just a male version. He appeared in my dream once. I also have a twin brother. Perhaps he looks like me, I am not sure. But my father looks quite young. He looks like he is in his thirties.


    It is quite unsettling."


    "In his thirties? If he had Your Highness when he was eighteen, then he would be thirty-six now."


    "But he doesn''t look like thirty-six years old. He looks younger than that."


    "What? He was a minor when he had Your Highness? How old is Your Highness''s mother?"


    "She turned forty-five this year."


    "Oh hell! Isn''t it sexual assault of a minor?"


    "You see what I mean by unsettling¡­?" I sighed.


    "¡­ We are not sure if Your Highness''s biological father is truly that young. I mean, some people look younger than their real age," she muttered. She looked ufortable and worried as well.


    "Yeah, I am trying to believe that as well¡­"


    "What about Your Highness''s twin brother? He is against you too, right?"


    "Yes, for now, it seems so. I mean, that has to be. I heard him discussing ns with my father."


    It felt better after telling Ruby about everything. She did not care whether I was a dark mage or not. She only cared for my safety.


    I believed she would react this way, but still, my heart warmed up when she did so.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 331 The Murder Of The King Of Lacuna

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Two dayster, when I woke in the morning, the first thing I heard was that the King of Lacuna was dead. He had been murdered and the primary suspect was Count Joseph. Count Joseph was on bad terms with the King of Lacuna regarding the Queen''s position. Count Joseph insisted that he had made a promise with the previous King that his daughter would marry the then-crown prince.


    But the Kind of Lacuna did not want to marry her, saying she was too ugly.


    "When did it happen?" I asked to no one in particr.


    "We heard this morning, Your Highness," a maid said. "We heard the King of Lacuna also tried to assault Lord Luc''s mistress."


    "The mistress was left traumatized and doesn''t want to be Lord Luc''s mistress anymore. We don''t even know who that person is," another maid said, shaking her head.


    "I see. Help me get ready quickly. I need to see what the situation is myself," I said.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    After getting ready, I quickly went to Dem''s office. I knocked on the door. "You know, you don''t have to knock all the time," he said from inside.


    "I heard the King of Lacuna is dead?" I asked. Continue your story on empire


    "He is," he replied nonchntly.


    "How? And did Count Joseph truly kill him?"


    Usually, we would find out more about a situation than the general people. Both Dem and I had spies there.


    "The proof says he did. And I also think he did," Dem said.


    "How was he murdered?"


    "His throat has been slit. That''s the primary reason for his death."


    "When did you find out about it?"


    "This morning."


    "Ah, me too. I woke up and the maids were talking about these things. I was really surprised¡­ I mean, even two days ago, he was alright¡­ Are you sure that Count Joseph killed him? It''s so sudden that..."


    "That''s what I think for now¡­"


    "But what if it''s not him? What if it''s the dark mage?" I asked.


    "¡­ Why are you caring so much about his death? He is no one to you," he said coldly. "Just another King and nothing more. The kingdom still exists and there will be another rule. That''s it. We have no business who killed the previous ruler and how and why."


    "¡­ I am just asking¡­ Why would I care for him? I mean, I don''t even know him. Can''t I be curious?"


    "Curiosity is one thing. But you act like he is someone very close to you."


    "Close to me? Where did thate from?" I asked angrily.


    He looked at me and sighed. "I don''t mean you like him. But aren''t you being too curious?"


    "¡­ I will go to my office then," I said. "Goodbye."


    "¡­ See you over at lunch," he said as I turned my back.


    "Yeah¡­"


    I went to my office and called Flint and Reece. I told both of them about my power. Their reactions were pretty much expected, yet I was surprised.


    "But it''s Your Highness. Your Highness will never do something that is bad for us, this kingdom," Reece had said. "No matter what, we will always follow Your Highness, at least, I will. I believe in Your Highness."


    "Well, Your Highness is already my master. I am not changing my master just because of a little thing. That will be too much of a hassle," Flint had said, shrugging.


    Flint was wearing his usual silver robe. The employees of the Imperial Pce always wore something ck or golden. There was no color code for them, but they still maintained it, except for Flint. He always wore his silver robe, the same one every single day. If I did not force him to change, he would go on with it for weeks. It was not like he did not have money.


    He was even nning to buy another mansion. His words were- "Changing is a hassle since I have to choose what to wear and it''s a waste of time."


    "You are as gross as usual, Flint, aren''t you?" Perita grumbled.


    "Ist changed only three days ago," Flint objected.


    ''Yes, to Flint, changing three days ago is considered too little time. He would rather change two weekster.''


    "Reece, make a report on everything you can find out about the King of Lacuna''s death," I ordered. "Every single thing you can find out."


    "I knew Your Highness would be asking for this. I have started it already," he said. "I also have sent a spy since Your Highness gave me permission to make extra reports of an important matter and I could use spies freely for that."


    Reece was trustworthy, so I gave him the freedom to use any spy he needed to get information about the matters he would feel the need to report to me.


    "Alright, good job," I said. "For now, does any of you know anything about it?"


    "Yes, I do know a few things. I guess everyone knows about it too," Reece said. "The King of Lacuna diedst night; in the middle of the night approximately. He did not have any mistress with him since all of them were killed a few days ago."


    ''That''s Luc''s doing, isn''t it? Oh my god¡­ That''s what he meant by getting rid of them¡­''


    "We don''t know who killed the mistresses. No one really cares about them since most of them weremoners. Anyway, for King Ford''s murder, Count Joseph is the primary suspect and he has been imprisoned. His throat has been slit and his lips were cut off."


    "What¡­? Really?"


    "Yes," Reece nodded. "Someone was very mad at him it seems; maybe Count Joseph. Anyway, it seems Princess Laetitia will be taking over the throne now."


    ''She has a crush on Dem. At least, she used to love Dem. I don''t know if she feels the same way now. I have never even talked to her, but whenever I hear her name, I remember the fact that she used to love my husband. I just can''t get over it.''


    "Do you know anything extra, Flint?" I asked, looking at Flint.


    From what I understood after being his boss, he knew more than normal people about almost everything. His curiosity about people''s personal lives was quite excessive as well.


    "A man wearing a hooded cloak did it," Flint said.


    "What? How do you know that?"


    "I just guessed. I mean, that person is not gonna reveal their identity easily, right? Besides, even if Count Jrd or whatever was behind it, he would not do it himself. He would hire an assassin," he said.


    "It''s Count Joseph¡­ Anyway, if that''s all you know, all of you can go now. And Reece, take as much time as you need, but give me the best report you can," I said.


    "I will try my best, Your Highness," Reece bowed. "Please permit me to take my leave."


    "Yes, go."


    "Your Highness disregarded my opinion," Flint muttered.


    "Just go, Flint and work."


    "I am so d that the King has died," Perita said after Flint and Reece left. "I never liked him."


    "You don''t like him because you hate the fact that the knights of Lacuna fight without maintaining rules," I pointed out. "Because of that, you hate everything when ites to Lacuna."


    "That is a very important factor, Your Highness. Why would they not maintain rules?" she grumbled. "I don''t like them at all."


    "As Reece said, the new ruler will probably be Princess Laetitia. Do you hate her too?"


    "I have heard about her. Isn''t that the person who likes His Highness?"


    "She used to," I corrected her. "She is not chasing after my husband anymore, right?"


    "She is not, I think. But, does Your Highness know that Lacunas don''t ever give up? They are more famous for this trait than anyone else. Even if it''s something they cannot have, they still will keep trying to get it. I don''t think she doesn''t like His Highness anymore. Perhaps she is looking for another way," she said.


    "¡­"


    Others would perhaps not say things like that to me. But it was Perita. She was not enough smart to filter her words before saying. She gave out raw thoughts about everything. If someone needed a brutal honest review about something, Perita would be the best judge.


    "You really think so?" I asked.


    "Yes," she gave a nod. "That woman surely is plotting something. I heard His Highness only loves Your Highness. I am not good at understanding lovenguage, but from what I have seen, His Highness cares for Your Highness excessively, just the way I care for swordsmanship. So, I believe His Highness will never fall for her tricks."


    "I know he won''t fall for her¡­ But she is very beautiful. I cannot help but worry¡­"


    "I quite like those who has a great skill for swordsmanship. I would automatically like that person. If beauty is the same thing as that, I think someone will fall for her. But what if His Highness''s main focus is not beauty, rather the person herself? Perhaps His Highness likes Your Highness because it''s Your Highness. I don''t think any beauty can make up for it."

 Chapter 332 [Bonus chapter] The Report On The King Of Lacunas Murder

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    Three days after the King of Lacuna''s death, Princess Laetitia took over the throne and became the Queen of Lacuna. Right after bing the Queen, she begged for forgiveness to Luc because of her brother''s deed.


    Luc said he would think about it. Besides, she did not ask for forgiveness because she meant it; rather she wanted to establish her position strongly as the new Queen of Lacuna.


    I had started reading books about dark mages. It was not hard to find them, since both Luc and Dem had a collection of forbidden books. Dem could not read them since only mages could read the books about magic. But he liked to collect them. And Luc liked to read different books about magic.


    These days, a special type of fever had started to spread all over the kingdom. Kids and elderly people were the first to get affected. Then, not just kids and elderly people, rather a lot of people started to get affected.


    And, I, with my weak stamina, got affected as well. "The thing that I learned from this is that this fever is the same for werewolves and humans," Doctor Dimitri stated.


    "Are you making fun of my weak health, Doctor?" I muttered.


    "How can I dare, Your Highness? But it is quite impressive how many times Your Highness gets sick," he said coolly.


    "What can I do? My health has always been very weak," I said.


    "Your Highness can use more power now and it is no less. It is the same amount of power a normal mage can use. But Your Highness''s power is not even awakened fully. Awakening Your Highness power will also help Your Highness''s health to improve. But it seems Your Highness has just too much mana and right now, only a little amount of power is awakened.


    The amount of power Your Highness will have then is quite scary to even think of."


    "¡­ Please don''t think about it. I don''t as well. It gives me a headache," I said.


    "Sure, sure. Anyway, more than anything else, Your Highness needs to take care of your health."


    "You always say that, Doctor."


    "But this time, Your Highness needs to be extra careful. This fever is rather different than normal fevers. You will lose your appetite, vomit frequently, suffer from headaches and so on. Frequent high fevers will be verymon," he said. "This is the first stage, so Your Highness might not show all the signs. But it will get worse if Your Highness doesn''t rest enough and eat well."


    "I don''t have an appetite¡­"


    "Yes, it is also another sign. But Your Highness needs to force yourself to eat something even if you end up vomiting. Soups are best right now. I have already given instructions to the chef regarding what to prepare for Your Highness and the proportions. Please eat everything well and do not stress yourself."


    "Okay¡­"


    "¡­ It''s impossible to not work at all for days being the Queen, but please keep it at a minimum," he said after a pause.


    "Sure."


    "This fever is slightly contagious. So, the people who wille I and out of the room should be limited. His Highness might want to use a different room for the time being¡­"


    "¡­"


    "I expected so. It is still not tested what kind of effect this fever will have on Alphas. A lot of people in the pce have caught this disease. But His Highness still has not. But he still can, I believe," he said. "Please, do try talking to His Highness."


    "I will. But rest assured; he will say no."


    Dem would never agree to stay in another room no matter what. I had already asked him to use another room, but he firmly said no.


    ''Is it because of this fever that everyone thought I was pregnant? Some of the signs are the same as pregnancy, after all.''


    I had started to work in my room. I told Flint and Reece not toe to my room, especially Flint. Flint''s wife was pregnant. She still had not caught the fever and it would be best if she did not. I heard it was dangerous for pregnant woman and infants. They would send their reports through the maids.


    "Please rest well, Your Highness. If Your Highness feels unwell, please do let me know right away," Doctor Dimitri said, standing up.


    "Yes, I will. Thank you, Doctor."


    "I will take my leave then, Your Highness."


    "Alright."


    After the doctor left, a maid came to deliver me my documents that Reece sorted out. "Here, Your Highness. And Lord Reece wished for Your Highness''s well-being."


    "I see. Tell him thank you on my behalf," I said.


    "I will, Your Highness. Also, it is your time to have the soup and then the medicine."


    "Leave it here," I said. "Pay the King a visit and remind him to lunch on my behalf."


    "Yes, Your Highness. Is there anything else you need?"


    "No, that will be all. You can go now." Find more chapters on empire


    ''Let''s see now what documents I need to take care of. Ugh, I really don''t want to work¡­ My body aches and my head is killing me¡­ I don''t wanna work¡­ Anyway, let''s clean my mind and get back to work in 1, 2, 3¡­ Yeah, let''s do it!''


    "Wow, a letter from Reece¡­ I hope your condition is not bad, Your Highness. I wish for your sound recovery. Your Highness doesn''t need to worry much. I will take care of the work as much as possible. Your Highness only needs to review them finally and sign them. And, I have also sent the report about the King of Lacuna''s death.


    I have gathered as much information as possible. Again, I wish for Your Highness''s recovery. Please rest well," I read. "He is working hard¡­ Oh! I need to check the report on the King of Lacuna''s death¡­ I was so curious."


    Dem kept getting angry whenever I asked about the King of Lacuna''s death, saying that I was being too curious about him. I got angry and did not ask him about it anymore. I could find out about it myself just fine.


    I opened the report quickly. I was rather excited to know about it. Was my curiosity increasing these days? Or was it because I met that man just two days before his death and it seemed very fishy when he died only two dayster?


    "Alice reported that the King of Lacuna had been suffering from memory loss and severe hallucinations. He was losing the memory of the past few months or felt like whatever happened during those months was not his doing, but someone controlled him. He kept seeing doctors. He doesn''t remember trying to force himself on Lord Luc''s mistress.


    Because of his mental issues, he locked himself up in his room and kept inviting various doctors. On the night of his death, he again called another doctor. This doctor''s identity is not known because he burned himself alive after killing the King of Lacuna. The doctor first injected a poison named Necro."


    Necro was a poison that would paralyze the taker''s body very quickly, but for a little while. It was used to perform very dangerous surgeries.


    "The doctor injected it in his legs. His legs were the first to be paralyzed, then his hands and body. Then, he slit his throat and cut his lips and sliced it up as if it was some kind of cooking ingredient. After sessfully killing the King of Lacuna, hemitted suicide by burning himself alive. The strange thing is- his body turned into ash just too quickly.


    It is impossible, if not used some extra potions made by a mage. Nothing could be found in the report of the murder scene. Spy Alice stole a copy of the main report and that is all that could be found. It is suspected that Count Joseph hired the doctor to kill the King. The Imperial investigators are investigating the murder. The new Queen of Lacuna is very determined to find her brother''s murderer.


    Count Joseph kept denying it, but all the evidence is going against him."


    There was another extra note at the end of the report. It was Alice''s personal note for me. "A man has been spotted wearing a long ck hooded cloak, watching the people discovering the King''s body. He was on top of a tree,ughing at them. It was nighttime, so it was hard to see his face. But there is a huge scar across his face and he could see with his left eye only.


    When I tried to take a closer look, he wasn''t there anymore. It was like he vanished into thin air."


    ''What''s up with this strange man now? Who is he?''

 Chapter 333 Jealous

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    There could be a few things that might have happened regarding the King of Lacuna''s death. First of all, just like everyone suspected, Count Joseph was the one behind his death; he had hired the doctor to kill him. But why did the doctor agree tomit suicide? Was he suicidal? Was that the reason he agreed?


    There were more questions. Exactly what was the reason that led Count Joseph to kill their King? Was it just because he disagreed to marry his daughter? Or were there more reasons for his deed?


    If only we could find out about the doctor''s identity, a lot of things would have been clear.


    I had a few other suspicions which I believed could be the possible scenarios. Perhaps Count Joseph was not the one behind this murder. Rather, it was the doctor. Count Joseph did not even have the slightest idea that the doctor would do it. Probably the doctor had a personal vengeance against the King. The King was not a good person, so it was possible.


    Another theory of mine involved the man my spy saw. ording to her, that man had been sitting on top of a tree and looking at the scene when the King''s body had been discovered. What if he was not just a simple person? What if he was the onemitted the murder and made it look like the doctor did it? Perhaps he also made sure that all the evidence pointed at Count Joseph.


    If that man did it, then who had sent him? I did not have any more clue about this theory. I did not personally know the King of Lacuna much that I would know who was his enemy. The only thing I knew about him was that he was a disgusting person.


    Call Alice to the pce and get several sketches drawn based on her description. I need that strange man''s height, possible weight, facial features as much as possible, and clothes. Overall, I need to know everything Alice can say about this man.


    Also, write to the spies to keep informing me about what is going on there. I need to know every single thing.


    I put the note on the bedside table. I wanted to ask Dem if he knew more, but I decided against it since he kept getting angry. He always behaved that way when I talked about another man, even if it was a dead man.


    I checked other documents while having my soup. I did not have an appetite at all. But I forced myself to eat, just like the doctor instructed. It was chicken soup again.


    *click*


    I looked ahead at the sound of the door opening. It was already evening. I had taken a nap in the middle of working for some time. Then, I started working again.


    "You look busy," Dem said,ing in.


    He was wearing his formal suit. There were two types of formal suits that he wore. One included the heavy Royal that we needed to wear during important formal meetings or events. The other one was more casual which he wore every day. Regardless to say, I liked both of them since he looked just way too handsome in both of them.


    "Hmm, I am working. Reece has taken care of most of the things, so I just need to review the documents and sign them," I said.


    ''But that is too much work too. I can''tin though. Reece is doing a lot.''


    He bent and pressed his forehead against mine. His skin was rather cold. Or was it because I had a fever?


    "You have a fever," he said. "Why are you working now? You should be resting."


    "I took a nap just a while ago," I said. "I am fine now."


    "Fine? Does it look like you are fine? Ah, how can you know that? You cannot see your state. If you did, you wouldn''t say such a thing," he said coldly. "Take a rest.


    I will take care of the rest."


    "How can I let you do that much? You work all day."


    "You are the same. Even now that you are sick, you still are working the whole day."


    "But¡­"


    "No, buts. Just listen to me and rest up. Have you taken your medicine?" he asked as he started to move the documents from myp to the other side of the bed. The bed was huge, yet I managed to almost fill it with my documents.


    "Hmm¡­ I did," I replied. "Honey¡­"


    "Rest up. Lie down and try to sleep, or at least, close your eyes. It will feel better."


    I sighed andy down as I could not argue with him anymore. There was no point. He would force me to rest anyway.


    ''Who doesn''t like to rest? I want to rest all day and do nothing. But I do it because I don''t like you to do everything by yourself. And now, it is bing the same thing that I never want.''


    "What is this note?" Dem asked and opened it without asking for permission.


    "Call Alice to the pce and get several sketches drawn based on her description¡­ I need that strange man''s height, possible weight, facial features as much as possible, and clothes. Overall, I need to know everything Alice can say about this man¡­ Also, write to the spies to keep informing me about what is going on there. I need to know every single thing," he read. He looked at me questioningly. Stay connected through empire


    "Alice is my spy who is in Lacuna right now. She is the one who reported to me about the King of Lacuna''s death. It was my note for Reece about what he needs to do next," I exined.


    "What is about this strange man?" he asked.


    "Ah, well, Alice saw a strange man sitting on top of a tree and watching the people discovering their King''s dead body. ording to one of my three theories, he might be the suspect. So, I need to know more about him. It''s not personal interest. As the Queen of a rival country, I need to know about as many things about Lacuna as possible," I said.


    "What does this man look like? Did your spy say anything?"


    "Um, he was wearing a ck hooded cloak which she mentioned is quite tall. That means the man has to be tall, right? Or, was the man short and wore a long-hooded cloak? That should not be the case, since he would trip over it. I believe he is very tall. He had a huge scar across his face and had one eye.


    That''s all," I said. "It''s not enough information to find someone. If you look for a one-eyed person with a scar across his face, it is easy to find someone like that among the knights or mercenary groups. They are also mostly tall people."


    "And how did the King die?" he asked again.


    "But I thought you know about it."


    "I want to see if what you know and I know is the same thing."


    I told him everything that I knew regarding the King of Lacuna''s death and also my theories. We usually shared everything, so I did not hold back any information. He also told me what he knew about the situation.


    "Now, the new Queen is his sister. It''s a good thing, right, that the person who used to like you has be a Queen?" I muttered without meeting his eyes.


    "What are you saying? Why would it be a good thing?"


    "She is beautiful and now she has power too. Perhaps she will be a great Queen. Someone might choose her above me¡­"


    "¡­ Are you jealous right now?"


    I did not have to look at him to know that he was holding back hisughter. Was he making fun of me?


    "¡­ I want to rest. Just sign the rest of them. I have my seal on the first drawer of the bedside table," I said and turned my back on him, pretending to sleep.


    "Darling, you are beautiful. But I don''t primarily like you because of your beauty. Beauty never meant anything to me. I like you, no, I love you because it''s you, not because of anything else. And in my eyes, you are the only beautiful person," he said, touching my shoulder and bending over. "You are the only person I love."


    My jealousy was quite childish, judging the fact he never liked that girl and even threw her out of the pce. But hearing him say these things made me grin like a fool unconsciously.


    "There, my beautiful wife is smiling now," he chuckled. "You were so jealous, that your face turned red. I was scared, you know."


    "Geez, stop it now," I said, getting embarrassed.


    "But, you know, it made me feel good that you were jealous. Sometimes, I feel like you will not care even if I like another woman."

 Chapter 334 High Fever

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Do you like another girl?" I asked.


    "No! Why would you even ask that?" he almost barked.


    "Just making sure you still love me," I mumbled.


    "¡­ Why don''t you take some rest?"


    "Ah, I had almost forgotten to tell you. The doctor also said that you should use a separate room. I told you too, right? This is contagious, so it''s better if you stay away as much as possible," I said.


    "No," he declined firmly. "I am not going to an empty room."


    "There will be furniture¡­"


    "¡­ I don''t mean that."


    "Do you need a plushie?"


    "¡­ Are you okay, honey?"


    "I cannot allow you to have another person in that room though. You are mine, so I cannot allow that," I mumbled.


    "Yes, I am yours. And you are mine," he chuckled. "And I am not leaving this room. I cannot sleep well if you are not by my side."


    "You just want to take care of me, don''t you?" I asked.


    "Is that even needed to be said? Of course, I will take care of you. You are my wife," he said. "Wouldn''t you also take care of me if I got sick?"


    "Of course! Why wouldn''t I?"


    "Exactly," he said. "I am doing the same. So, don''t talk too much about it and rest up. You need to get better as much as possible."


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    Was it because of the fever that I felt very sleepy? I was dozing off. "¡­ You really¡­ should use... a separate room¡­," I mumbled.


    "Sleep, darling," he said and kissed me on the forehead and gave me a peck on the lips. "Why do you worry about so many things? Just worry about yourself, sweetie. After you get better, you can worry about me."


    I had a very peaceful dream that night. My family, Luc''s family, and Iris''s family- all went on a pic together. Our n was to hike in the mountain and look for a good spot to have our lunch. Athena and Abel were with us as well. It was fun. Usually, my dreams were very weird, and sometimes, it was hard to understand something.


    Dem woke me up around eleven at night. "I''m sleepy¡­"


    "Have something for dinner. Then, you are free to go to sleep," he said as he helped me sit up. "I will call the doctor after you eat."


    "My head hurts¡­"


    "You have medicine to take. It will help with the headache," he said. "Howe my wife has such a weak stamina?"


    "¡­ I don''t know¡­"


    "That''s why you need to eat well to build up your stamina. You need to eat more."


    "I don''t have an appetite. If I eat, I will throw up¡­"


    "That''s fine. But you need to eat."


    "Ugh¡­"


    "It''s soup. You don''t have to chew."


    Dem fed me everything himself. He was very patient even though I keptining how hard it was to eat and keptforting me. Seeing him like that, who would not call him the sweetest man ever?


    Just as I suspected, after dinner, I had to vomit. I let everything out that I had just eaten. I felt bad for Dem and the cooks. They tried so hard.


    Dem held my hair back just like before as I threw up in the toilet. My head felt slightly lighter."


    "I told you¡­," I said.


    "It''s fine," he muttered.


    "Gosh, I really am not feeling well. My head is killing me! And my whole body hurts¡­ It''s a very uneasy feeling¡­"


    I could not act as if I was alright anymore. I truly was not feeling well. It was the time I realized how dangerous this fever was.


    Dem did not say anything and carried me back to the bed after helping me clean up. He covered my body up with the nket. He pulled the bell.


    Two maids rushed inside and gasped, looking at me. Did I look scary? "Call the doctor and tell him toe here right now," Dem ordered. One of the maids ran outside, while the other went to the bathroom quickly.


    "Dem¡­," I called, pulling his sleeve.


    "Yes?" he asked, turning back.


    "Do I look scary?"


    "Of course not. Why would you look scary?"


    The doctor came very quickly. His expression was slightly concerned, which was very different from his usually calm expression.


    The maid also came back from the bathroom with a bowl of water and a towel. Dem pointed at the stool to ce the bowl there.


    "It can happen during fever, but Her Highness''s ones do not seem that good. But it will get better."


    "What? What is it?" I asked. "Doctor doesn''t know what happened, right? Dem hasn''t told you yet. I threw up after dinner. I don''t understand what you are talking about."


    "Your Highness, have you taken a look at yourself?" the doctor asked.


    "Hm, I did. This morning¡­"


    "There are red dots all over Your Highness''s face, neck, and arms, it seems," he said.


    "What¡­?!"


    I looked down at my arms and chest. He was right. I had red dots all over. "A mirror¡­ Get me a mirror!"


    The maid quickly brought me a mirror. As I looked into it, I was horrified. My whole face was covered in red dots along with my neck and chest.


    "Oh my god¡­!" I eximed. "What happened to me?"


    "It can happen during high fever, Your Highness. There is not much to worry about," the doctor said. "Are they only in these visible ces?"


    "No, they are also on her belly, back and legs. There are less on the legs," Dem answered.


    He perhaps checked while changing my nightgown while I noticed nothing. "Will they go away?"


    "Yes, just do not rub them. They are not supposed to itch, but even if they do, try not to rub them. They will go away on their own when the fever goes down," the doctor said.


    ''My god, I look so heinous. There is not a single ce on my face where there are no red dots¡­ No wonder the maids were scared¡­''


    "Please do not even treat them like they exist. Care for the fever only. That will solve this issue too," the doctor said.


    "Yes¡­," I mumbled, rubbing the red dots on my face.


    "Don''t rub them," Dem said, pulling my hand down immediately. "She also vomited right after dinner."


    "It is also nothing to worry about for now. But Her Highness should still have some food. Since it is unlikely Her Highness will want to chew anything in this state, it is better to have chicken or vegetable soup. Her Highness also should try to have some juice every now and then. Drink enough water. Do not give up on chewy food fully.


    Try to have them too."


    "Are you listening?" Dem asked.


    "Yes¡­"


    "Try to eat whatever you are served," Dem said, then looked at the doctor. "Isn''t her weight also decreasing?"


    "This is something I think I understand a bit now. Her Highness''s power is very far from being awakened fully. Excessive mana cannot be used even though it is in her body. It is having a bad effect on her body. I believe Her Highness has always had a weak body and was underweight, her whole life."


    "¡­ Well, that is true¡­," I mumbled as I remembered the amount of time, I heard I was too thin all my life. "I thought it was because of something else¡­"


    I actually thought it was because Father and Draven beat me a lot and I was not given enough food to eat. I had always been left hungry.


    "Get out," Dem ordered the one maid who was in the room.


    "Yes¡­," she bowed and quickly left, closing the door on the way.


    Dem nced at me. I looked away from him and looked at myp. "¡­ I used not to have enough food to eat¡­ I was not given enough food. And¡­ my family was quite¡­ abusive, so¡­ I thought that was the reason."


    "That is one of the reasons," the doctor said. "May I ask from which age they started to abuse Your Highness? If you are ufortable, there is no need to answer to this or anything rted to it."


    "¡­ From age three and a half, perhaps. I am not sure, because I was too young. But as far as my memory goes, I don''t remember a day when I was not beaten up, or at least, yelled at."


    "How long did it go on for?"


    "Until Dem brought me here, which was two days before my eighteenth birthday¡­"


    "And how far did it go?"


    "¡­ Beating and swearing- that''s all¡­ Ah, and not giving enough food¡­ I think it has taken a toll on my mental health too. You see, I am quite afraid of¡­ people yelling at me¡­ and saying that I am not worthy¡­"

 Chapter 335 High Fever (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Those things also attributed to Your Highness''s frail health. The amount of mana just made the matter worse," Doctor Dimitri exined. "Since Her Highness''s health is this frail, I hope you will consider your future decisions ordingly."


    "We are not going to take a child endangering her health," Dem said. "It''s not a must."


    "Yes, the decisions should be taken based on Her Highness''s health," Doctor Dimitri nodded. "For the fever to go away, try to eat properly, take the medicine well, and rest. This fever is long termed, so do not get anxious if the fever doesn''t calm down after just a few days. Keep on resting and maintain a healthy life. It will be fine."


    Doctor Dimitri left after describing everything to Dem and me. He also reminded us about our decision about our child. We were not nning to take a kid right away anyway. Now, it seemed we needed to discuss more since if we wanted a child, I needed my power to be awakened first. Or, it would cause the child to die in the womb, or even my death.


    If I even managed to make it to the delivery process, either one of us might survive.


    After hearing that, Dem got anxious. He had been telling me constantly that we did not need a child. Even if I wanted one, we could just adopt.


    "It''s alright. We are not thinking of having a child right now anyway," I said. "Let''s wait. We will also try to awaken my power."


    He did not argue about awakening my power anymore. He always cared about my health more than anything else. Now that he knew that the amount of unused mana was causing my health to be very weak, he did not mind if my power was awakened fully anymore.


    "Yeah, no kid, for now, at least, not until your power is awakened. Really, I hate it when you get sick. I don''t like to see you hurting¡­," he sighed, cupping my hands as he ced his forehead against them. "It hurts me. Even if I get hurt, it''s not as much pain as seeing you getting hurt. Why does it always have to be you?"


    "Dem¡­ I will get better soon. Just wait for me, honey," I said, kissing him on the head.


    That night, as long as I was awake, I remembered Dem massaging my hands and legs and cing a cold towel on my forehead.


    But the next day, my fever went higher. I was just a step away from a very risky condition. Dem started working in the bedroom. He would frequently check my temperature, massage my shoulders and change the cold packs.


    At one point, I just could not take it anymore and started crying. Every part of my body hurt. My head felt heavy as if it was stone. I could not get sit up straight without supporting my head against something soft.


    "Uhh¡­ Hic¡­ It hurts so much¡­ Everything hurts," I sobbed, covering my face with the nket.


    The red dots had increased on my whole body too. They were mostly on my face, chest, and hands. Doctor Dimitri visited me frequently. Dem called him every now and then, and he also visited on his own ord, worrying that my condition might get worse any time.


    "Is it supposed to be this way? I feel so bad¡­," I cried.


    Dem touched my forehead with a gloomy expression on his face. I felt bad for crying. It was making him more anxious than he was. But I just could not help it.


    "Give me the bucket¡­ I need to vomit again¡­!" I urgently said.


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    There was now a bucket all the time by my side of the bed. I had vomited thrice today and it was only the evening. It had been two times that a new bucket had been kept beside the bed. Now, the maids would need to get another one.


    "Ugh¡­," I groaned. "Gross¡­ At this point, you really should stay in a different room."


    "At this point, I need to assist you all the time. Have you any idea what kind of state you are in? You are sick. Your condition is worse than the people with the same fever," he said. "Don''t talk like this now. More than my health, you need to worry about your well-being."


    "I guess so¡­"


    He handed the bucket to the maid and helped me clean up my face. I felt slightly better after vomiting. But I also knew that my condition would get worse again after a while.


    "¡­ The duchess sent you a letter," he said.


    "What did she say?"


    ''I told him to open my letters since I was not in a state to be able to read them. If it was important news, then he could tell it to me.''


    "The duke has caught the fever, at least, that''s what they are predicting. His condition is not that bad. She asked about your condition."


    "Tell her I am dying¡­"


    "Don''t talk like that!"


    "I''m sorry¡­ Just tell her about my condition. If she doesn''t know how serious it is, she will want to visit," I said. "Ruby also wanted to visit, but I am afraid she will catch it too. I told her to stay in the magic tower and not get out at all. Then, there will be no chance of her catching this disease. After all, she is alone there.


    You should also mention in the letter to take care of Athena and Abel. Athena has a weak body too, so tell Iris to take care of her well. Abel should be taken care of properly too."


    "¡­ You really care about others a lot. I wish you would worry about yourself this much too," he sighed.


    "I care about me too! Look, I am not working right now!" I defended myself.


    "Isn''t that because your head hurts too much that you can''t sit up or read?" he said. "Besides, I forced you to rest. Everyone now knows that you are the type to worry about every single person around you except yourself."


    Iy down once more as my head started to hurt. I could not sleep. Sighing, I wondered whether my letter reached Evan or not. I had sent him a letter just before I got sick to know about the war situation. He would give me innocent information only because technically Querencia and Trouvaille were against each other. It was mostly because of their geographical positions.


    "You can work, Dem. I will just rest," I said. He was getting disturbed a lot. He had piles of work to do now that he had to do my side as well.


    "Close your eyes and breath in and out sharply. I read in a book that it helps to keep calm."


    "I am calm though¡­"


    "Then, close your eyes at least. It will be better if you can sleep. You could not sleepst night because of your headache," he said.


    Dem sat beside me the whole time and kept on massaging my forehead until I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was midnight and he was working. He noticed right away when I woke up. He rushed by my side and checked my temperature again.


    At this point, I felt just too bad for him.


    "It''s not as high as before. But we need to be careful. The doctor said the fever can rise anytime," he said. "Does your head still hurt as much as before?"


    I shook my head. "That''s a relief then," he sighed. "Have some food now that you feel a bit better."


    "¡­ Yeah, I am hungry too," I nodded.


    Two maids brought my food. I was served cooked salmon with lemon juice, boiled broli and carrots, strawberry, banana and orange, and coconut water. I was very hungry and unlike before, I had an appetite. The smell did not feel revolting as well.


    I liked excessive lemon juice on my food. The cook made sure of that as well.


    "Good, that you are eating well," Dem said.


    "I am very hungry," I said, taking broli in my mouth. "Have you eaten anything?"


    "¡­ I was not hungry," he mumbled. "I''m sorry. I will eat something now."


    He knew that if he did not ask the maid to get his dinner, I would scold him. So, he did so before I opened my mouth. I forced him to have his lunch too. He was too ignorant about his own health.


    ''Huh! And he nags me about not caring about health¡­!''


    That night, Dem did not sleep. Iy down and watched him work. It was yet another moment I realized how much he cared for me. If I did not know about his condition, I would not have worried. But since I knew, I could not help but wonder if I cared the same for him. I loved him, but I always thought it would not be enough for him.


    After all, his love was not just love. To him, love was another kind of obsession.

 Chapter 336 Looking For The Shadow

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)


    "What is her condition now?" Luc asked.


    It had been five days since Blue caught the fever. Her high fever did not go downpletely, but she was doing better than before. At least, she could sit up now.


    Luc returned from Lacuna after fixing the situation back there. The team also returned alongside him. They would go to visit Mazazine soon. Luc would not be going with them.


    Hearing that Blue was sick from Ruby, he came to visit her without even changing. It was surprising to me that he could worry about someone else other than his family. Well, she was part of his family now since his parents adopted her. Yet, she was not his real family.


    To me, my wife was my world. She was the only person I worried about.


    "She is better than before," I replied. "But you cannot visit her. The doctor said that no one should visit her."


    "Ruby told me that Blue''s condition was critical. Her fever was not going down. Has her fever gone down now?" he asked.


    "Her fever has not gone down yet. But she can sit up now."


    "That means she could not even sit up?" he asked in shock and I shook my head. "¡­ She really was crazily sick this time. When I went to the magic tower just a while ago, I found a pile of letters to Ruby that were sent by Mom and Dad. They were worried dead about Blue and told Ruby to keep updating them. Ruby is really worried too.


    She kept telling me about her condition since the moment I had gone there. I came as quickly as I could."


    "Marquis and Marchioness sent a lot of letters to me as well."


    I had to reply to all of them even though I did not want to. Blue gave me the name of a list of people to who I should reply to in case they sent letters to ask about her condition. Regardless to say, her adoptive parents were on that list.


    "She is eating well now. The proportion is still little, but at least, she can eat. For the first two days, she could not even bear the smell of food. I was eating the same thing, but I did not get any bad smell. Now, she eats well, though she throws up sometimes," I said. "The doctor said her condition is worse because she has always been very weak.


    There are two reasons for that; one is her past, and the other one is the amount of mana in her body."


    "Yes, the way she defeated the deceased King of Lacuna, it seems her power is quite admirable and only a short amount of power is awakened."


    "We believe someone somehow awakened her power a bit more though it''s still not enough to create a bnce. I don''t think I need to tell you who we suspect that someone is."


    "I know. You are telling me this to do that, aren''t you?"


    "Good that you are not dumb," I said.


    "Let her get better first. I will look for someone who can awaken her power," he said. "Let me take a break though. I am newly married. I want to spend some time with my wife."


    "¡­ When have you be a loving husband?" I muttered.


    "Why are you making that face¡­? I am just doing my duty as a husband and besides, more than a duty, I also want to spend time with my wife. I guess it''s my personal want now," he said.


    "¡­ Alright, take a break. After Blue gets better, you can look for a dark mage," I said.


    ''I have respect for those men who want to spend time with their wife just because it''s something they like.''


    After exining Blue''s condition in detail to Luc, I returned to our bedroom. "Who was it?" Blue asked as soon as I went in. Find exclusive stories on empire


    "Luc. He came to ask about your condition," I replied, walking over to her.


    She was reading some books, now that her head hurt less and she could sit up. She was learning books about dark mages and ck magic. Just when she would feel a little better, she would get to do something without taking a break.


    "Is that so? Right, he was supposed toe back today¡­"


    "He wanted to visit you too, but I said no."


    "You did well. He should not havee to the pce in the first ce, not that I don''t appreciate him being worried. I just don''t want him or Ruby to get sick too," she said.


    "Are you feeling alright now?" I asked.


    "You keep asking me this," she chuckled. "Yes, I am feeling a lot better than before. I can even do some¡­"


    "No, no work until you fully get better."


    "Okay, okay¡­ I will just read the books."


    The fever had spread in the whole kingdom very quickly. We took measurements, but the disease still could not be prevented from entering the pce area. A lot of servants caught the disease. They had been separated, so, for now, there was only my wife who was sick in the pce. Only two maids served her and they also stayed separate from the other maids.


    There were even ten deaths that had been caused by the fever. Among those who died, six were infants, three were quite old and one was in his twenties, but very weak.


    A few remedies had gotten out in the market on my order. It was the Imperial Pce''s job to find a great doctor who could create medicines for the diseases that spread.


    Blue had been taking the medicine that Doctor Dimitri made especially for her. Her body was not ready to take all of the medicine that was made for werewolves.


    "That said, how is your investigation going? Have you found that man yet?" I asked.


    She had been looking for the shadow ever since one of her spies got a glimpse of him by chance. There was zero to no chance that she would be able to find him. But I did not stop her.


    "Nothing¡­ Reece did everything I told him to and the spies have been looking for him, but nothing," she sulked. "Is he a ghost or something? There is literally no trace of him. I mean, I usually can find whoever I want to, no matter how hard they try to hide. But this person¡­ It''s getting impossible. The worst thing is- I feel like he is not even trying to hide that much, yet we cannot find him.


    He is just too confident and I hate to admit that his confidence is not baseless."


    It was only natural. The best thing the shadow could do was be a shadow. The shadow did not have an identity, he did not have an existence; he was just the shadow.


    "Don''t be so disheartened," I said. "Perhaps you can find him one day."


    "¡­ Do you know who he is?"


    "How will I know a random man from Lacuna?"


    "Perhaps he is not from Lacuna¡­"


    "How am I supposed to know? I have not even seen him."


    "That''s true¡­ I guess I am just being weird¡­"


    "What will you even do if you find him?"


    "I just want to know who he is. I just cannot rest well without knowing," she muttered.


    ''It''s pointless, darling¡­''


    "I am going to give up only after I get something more interesting to put my mind to," she said determinedly which almost made meugh. Her eyes looked way more serious than the matter was.


    "The motivation is quite interesting and exceptional," I chuckled. "Are you doing this because you don''t have anything interesting to put your mind to?"


    "It''s part of the reason. You see, if a human doesn''t find something interesting in life, they lose the meaning of life. Therefore, I am always looking for something interesting. When I first came to this world, I found a lot of things interesting and new. But now, I have gotten used to most of them," she said. "That''s why I will look for anything that I find interesting."


    "You can look for anything you want to as long as you don''t put your life in danger. I won''t allow that."


    "I will never put my life in danger for no reason," she pouted. "My life is¡­ precious to me now¡­"


    "Yeah, your life is very precious. You should treasure it," I said.


    ''Her life was perhaps more precious to me than it was to her. I did not want to lose her. Even the thought was scary.''

 Chapter 337 [Bonus Chapter] Getting Better

    From Blue''s Perspective)


    After ten days, I finally got better. The doctor, Dem, the cook, and the maids tried their hardest to get me better. I had also gotten notes of well-wishes from Reece, Flint, Mom, Dad, Luc, Ruby, Perita, Calix, Knight Abel, Iris, and Athena. All my other knights also sent me gifts. Most people outside the pce did not know that I had been sick in the first ce.


    The news had been kept hidden for reasons. Though rumors circted all around the kingdom, no one was there to confirm it. So, those rumors did not live long.


    "Congrattions on getting better, Your Highness," Reece said.


    "Yeah, it''s been an eternity since I have seen Your Highness," Flint said.


    "Thank you, everyone," I smiled. "I am so grateful to you all."


    "We have done nothing, Your Highness," Reece said.


    "No, you all did all the work in my absence along with Dem. So, thank you for everything," I said.


    "I will ept Your Highness''s thanks since you are insisting so much," Flint said. "But, please do not get sick again, Your Highness."


    "It''s not like Her Highness got sick because she wanted to," Perita snapped. "Really, Flint? Is your brain working well?"


    "My brain is the best asset I have, unlike you who have a muddy lump in the ce of a brain," Flint snapped back.


    "Oh, please, calm down, gosh," I sighed. "I want peace, okay? My head hurts hearing all these¡­"


    "I''m sorry, Your Highness," Flint said. "But she needs to keep her mouth shut."


    "I have said nothing wrong though!"


    "If you two don''t leave, I will be leaving," I said.


    "But I need to guard Your Highness," Perita said.


    "I will just call Calix. Now get out, both of you. Reece, sort the documents and letters," I said. "And take these two out, will you?"


    "Yes, Your Highness," Reece said while leading both Flint and Perita out. "Tsk, you two are hopeless, aren''t you?"


    "Haa, finally, some peace¡­"


    Dem showed me everything so I would understand what was going on with work. He was still reluctant to let me work even though I got betterpletely. I forced him to let me work actually.


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    The duke had gotten better within three days. His condition was not that bad at all. Iris mentioned in her letter that he only had a fever and slight headaches. Aside from that, he could eat his food well without throwing up and did not have any red dots on his body. Those red dots that appeared on my body did not disappearpletely, rather there were still lots of them.


    They did not even go away from my face. The maids covered the dots on my face with makeup. I wore a dress that covered my whole body from neck to toe, so no one knew about the existence of the red dots.


    Mom woulde to visit me today since she found out I got better. She would join me for lunch. Dem would go out today, He woulde back at night.


    I was nning on giving him a surprise tonight. Since I was sick, we could not get intimate at all. Some people get aroused when they had a fever, but I just could not understand how. I could not even bear the thought of kissing when I was sick. Everything felt awful during a sickness.


    I worked until it was lunchtime. Mom had arrived as well. She was led to the lunch hall. I also changed and went there.


    "Oh my baby, how have you been?" Mom asked and ran to hug me as soon as I entered the dining hall.


    Pure affection was oozing out of her voice. But it did not reach my heartpletely. Was it because she was not my real mother that I did not understand this? Or, was it because I was too reluctant to ept the pure sign?


    Either way, I did not hate it.


    "I am okay now," I said. "You don''t have to worry anymore."


    "How can I not worry? Your dad and I have been worried dead about you. His Majesty has been replying to our letters, but we still could not stop worrying," she said. "Your dad wanted toe too, but he could not. He needed to go inspect our territory. You see, robbery has increased during the fever."


    "Yeah, I heard that from Dem. I could not work for nine days during my sickness. He took care of my side of work too," I said.


    "That''s right! Why would you work when you are sick?"


    "¡­ I did not¡­"


    "I bet His Majesty just forced you not to work. You are too much of a workaholic, Ruby said so," she said.


    "I am not a workaholic. I work because I don''t want to burden Dem with everything. If I can help him, it''s good, right?" I smiled. "Come now, let''s sit down."


    "After some days,e to the march residence," she said. "Your dad will take care of the robbery incidents at the border in the meantime."


    Marquis and Marchioness''s territory was near one of the borders. People with this title mostly owned the territories near the borders. Two borders were owned by the duke and the duchess. The dukedom was pretty vast after all.


    "Alright, I will," I nodded and looked at the maids. "Serve us the food. And serve Ceaunts Rouge today."


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "That''s my favorite wine. The taste is really amazing. It is not too strong, just enough, I think," I said.


    "Oh, is that so? I am looking forward to it, then. I am rather good with alcohol, your dad too. But I don''t understand how our son is so terrible with it," she muttered. "He got his mana from me, but who did he get this from?"


    "Haha, I am not good with alcohol too. Luc and I are quite the same when ites to these kinds of things," I said.


    "Both of our children are so bad with alcohol. We can''t even have a drinking party together. It''s just your dad and me," she sulked.


    "Dem and Ruby can join you two, you know. They are heavy drinkers," I said. "When we drank together, these two did not get drunk much. Ruby was just barely drunk, and Dem was perfectly fine."


    "His Majesty is an Alpha. Most Alphas can hold their alcohol rather well. But Ruby never told me about it. I guess she is still shy. If she can drink well, that''s impressive. I will invite her to drink with us some time."


    "Yeah, Ruby is not good with people. She always was very chatty with me and mature too. I did not think that she was good with me only since we spent so much time together," I said. "Now, it seems, she is worse than me when ites to getting closer to people. She wants to, but she doesn''t know how to do it. If Mom can help her, that would be great."


    "Of course! She is my daughter-inw! I will dly help her!" she eximed. "I will invite her to meet up with nobledies. She can also spend time with me, going shopping and trying new recipes."


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea to introduce her to other nobledies. It''s hard to change their views quickly. Remember, Ruby''s past affects her reputation and other views about her. We should not view anyone just based on their previous position or present position in society. But not all people think the way we do.


    You and Dad epted Ruby just how you would ept someone from a very high position, which is very admirable and the right thing to do. But most people believe she doesn''t deserve her position. Though Dem and I supported their marriage publicly, there are still a lot of people who look down on her. If you introduce her to nobledies, they might insult her.


    Ruby is not confident about her position as of yet, so it''s better if she avoids social events like I do."


    "I understand what you mean. But she needs support too. The best way to gain support is to join social events, like tea parties."


    "Yes, she does need support and social events are a very good way to gain support. But for her, it is different. I believe the opposite will happen in her case. For now, she has got my support. As long as I am present, I can make sure she has as much support as possible since most nobles are on my side. I personally want her to learn to work side by side with Luc.


    She is not a mage, so she cannot use magic. But she can sort the documents at least, and work as the medium between Luc and the people he works with."

 Chapter 338 Little Blue Bird

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "You mean, as a representative?" Mom asked.


    "Exactly! That''s just my thought. I will talk to her. If she starts working, she will feel like she is contributing too. I believe it will boost her confidence," I said.


    ''Just like it did mine.''


    "That''s not a bad idea at all. It will also help with their rtionship. It is important for both people in a couple to know that the other one is contributing as much as they can. It brings equality between them," she said.


    I knew Mom would understand it very well. She worked alongside Dad. She was a mage. Her mana was less than Luc''s, but she was also quite powerful. It could happen that the child had more mana than the parent they got it from. It was the same thing that happened with Luc.


    Mom was very cool. After hearing that I wore suits frequently, she started the same. Since she was very famous among nobledies, it would be a matter of time before wearing suits and pants would be a trend amongdies. Stay updated through empire


    "I will need to ask for her opinion first," I said. "Luc and Ruby wille tonight. Dem will bete, so it will be the three of us. We will have dinner together. They mainly want to visit me now that I have gotten better."


    "I see¡­ Then, let me know after you talk to her. But I can still spend some time with my daughter-inw, right?"


    "Yeah, no harm to do that. You might as well use the chance to get close to her."


    "I will invite her soon, then," she said. "I will go on a mission tomorrow with your dad. After wee back, I will invite her. What about that?"


    "Sure, that will be good. Make sure to stay safe during the mission," I said.


    "Of course. What will even happen to me?"


    She was very confident in her ability too. I felt just like that when I defeated the King of Lacuna. I just knew I could do it and nothing would happen to me. It was a natural feeling that suddenly came to me.


    ''So, if I could defeat him, it means I can defeat other Alphas too? That shouldn''t be impossible, right? Dem said perhaps I can. In that case, I should be safe if someone attacks me. If I can defeat an Alpha, defeating a regr werewolf shouldn''t be a problem.''


    "Wow, this wine is truly great. Kinda unique, but I like it," she said.


    "Right? It''s my favorite, after all," I grinned.


    "I will brag to your dad," she said. "Ah, the thing I wanted to ask- your marriage life seems to go well. But His Majesty is an Alpha and you are a human. There should be a few things that might not go as nned. I am talking about the urges of an Alpha and full moons."


    "Full moons were slightly difficult for me. I am a human, so it was too much for me. But now, I got used to it, as well as him. He also tried to restrain himself as much as possible. I am thankful for that," I said. "And well, he never¡­ forced me.


    I mean, he never lost control because of his urges. He warned me about it a lot of times. It has not happened yet, But I think I will be okay even if it happens. At least, I know that he has no control over that."


    "It happens to both male and female werewolves. But you are not a werewolf. That''s why it worries me a lot."


    "It''s alright. Thanks for worrying, but Dem is very considerate and tries to make me asfortable as possible."


    "His Majesty is very strong and you are so frail. The physical dynamic is quite scary actually. You might not understand this, but I know a werewolf''s strength. Of course, we cannot do anything about it," she said. "But personally, if I had adopted you before your marriage, your dad and I would have done anything to not get you married to His Majesty."


    "¡­"


    "Don''t get me wrong. His Majesty is an admirable King. I believe he is one of the best kings Querencia ever had. But as a person, I don''t approve of him. His family is to me for this, not him. But we cannot change the past.


    Hisck of sympathy, understanding of emotions, and ruthless nature scare me. Not just me, it scares most people. If someone loves their daughter, they would not get her married to him. The ones who treat their daughters as objects are different. Their only need is power, not the well-being of their daughter."


    "He never hurts me, Mom. I am better than I have ever been," I said. "He cares for me, he loves me. All these ten days, he was by my side all the time and took care of me. He is patient and listens to my every word. I could not have asked for someone better."


    "There is no doubt that His Majesty loves you. Even the women who love him cannot deny the love he has for you. Anyone can see that. He also cares for you and that''s a lot. In that aspect, no one can beat him," she said and looked at me with a dark look in her eyes. "But, do you know what love is to him?"


    ''Of course, I know. That''s the only problem that sometimeses between us- his concept of love.''


    "¡­ You heard that Luc and His Majesty have been friends since childhood?"


    "Yeah, I heard that," I nodded.


    "Sometimes, Luc would bring him to our ce. As a child, His Majesty was less talkative. He did not make a fuss like most kids of his age did. He was silent and talked to Luc only. That''s not too much as well. Luc and he werepletely opposite.


    It''s still surprising how those two became friends. Whenever His Majesty used toe to our ce, your dad and I tried to talk to him. He replied to us but never said anything more than that. We still kept trying. Actually, the empty look in his eyes would make my heart clench. I am a mother and he was just like my son.


    I could not just bear to see him so lifeless. Perhaps I had gotten a little closer to him after trying a lot since he would sit with me and sometimes talk to me a bit. That made me very good. I thought he would improve," she said.


    She stopped talking. She had a look of nkness and horror in her eyes. "Then, one day, I saw blood in his hands, a lot of blood. And it was not his. I asked him about it. And you know what he said¡­?


    He said, ''Someone tried to hurt me, I think he was an assassin sent to kill me. So, I killed him.'' And he was just seven¡­ only seven¡­ I told him to show me the ce and he did. He truly killed that man¡­ He stabbed him multiple times, even after he died. His Majesty did not even look shocked, nor surprised, forget scared.


    Luc was never shown those kinds of things at that age, so I took care of the body before Luc could see it. That was when I realized that something was truly wrong," she continued.


    "I still tried to put some basic sense into him. I read him books that were written for kids his age, but it was still no use. He would look into nkness as if he could not care less. I think I gave up when he was fourteen. One day, I asked Luc and him if they liked someone. Luc said he did not like anyone, but he had a type.


    Though Luc also grew up to be a man who could not care less about romance, he was not that all the time. I guess work made him that way."


    "Anyway, his response was pretty normal. His Majesty''s response was quite normal too at first, judging his mentality. He said he did not like anyone and never truly thought about it. I told him to tell me when he thinks of it someday. He also added that he wants someone who would understand him. That time, I pitied him."


    "A few yearster, when he was seventeen years old, he came to our ce and went straight to the garden where I was. He then grinned and said that he could give me an answer to the question I asked him years back. I did not even remember it, but he did. And he said, ''I don''t care what that person looks like. If I feel a connection with her, I want her. I will marry her and keep her by my side.


    I want her to be my¡­ little blue bird."

 Chapter 339 Not So Perfect

    (From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Little blue bird? What does it mean?" I asked.


    "I don''t know. He did not say it. There is a six-year difference between you two, right?" Mom asked.


    "Yeah, there is," I said.


    ''He said seven at first, but after calcting properly, it''s six years and two months.''


    "Your eyes are blue, even your name is Blue. Did he see you when he was seventeen? But how can that happen? You were in another world. Ugh, everything is confusing. I don''t want to think about it anymore.


    His Majesty is the hardest person to understand," she sighed.


    But I understood him most of the time. Was it because he came clean to me? That should be one of the reasons.


    "Mom, he treats me well. It''s true that he does think differently than most people, but that doesn''t mean he doesn''t deserve love."


    "I didn''t say he doesn''t deserve love. I just mean¡­ Haa," she sighed. "Sweetie, I am worried about you. Two twisted people match, but not one twisted person and another sane person. You are too sweet and kind."


    "I am not that of a saint, Mom. Dem just shows it, and I don''t. I am not perfect and I am no saint. I am a human with a lot of faults. I may appear sweet and kind, but I am not that all the time. It''s hard to describe, but please, do not worry about me.


    I am fine. I can take care of myself rather well. Dem might not be the usual type of person, but I understand him more than anyone else. I believe him and love him. And I have enough sense to judge between right and wrong. I think it is a good thing that we are different.


    In this way, if he tries to make a wrong decision, I can correct him. The same goes the other way around. So, just don''t worry."


    She chuckled. "Yes, I am not going to cross the line just because I am worried. In the end, it''s your life. Just tell me if something happens, hm? I will appreciate it if you do so."


    "Of course. There are various things I will need to know about from you. You are far more experienced than I am after all."


    "Is there something you need to know now?"


    "Uh, there is¡­ It''s a bit embarrassing, but I will still ask for your help shamelessly."


    Mom left in the afternoon. She helped me a bit with the thing I asked for. She was more than happy to help even though it was an embarrassing thing.


    "How did Your Highness manage to not drink much? You always get drunk," Calixughed.


    "I have a lot of work to do. I cannot just drink too much," I shrugged. "That said, isn''t it Perita''s time to take over?"


    "I will guard Your Highness today. Perita has gotten hurt fighting with Flint," he said.


    "¡­ Is she okay?"


    "She just broke her hand."


    "Oh my¡­ I told those two not to fight¡­!"


    "She will be okay soon. She has been given the potion that fixes broken bones. It will take one or two days, I think," he said.


    "I see¡­ I am not going to go to meet her. I am angry at her," I muttered. "She will get a letter and a flower from me."


    "Pfft¡­! Your Highness, that is more than enough. Queens aren''t required to visit a knight just because they got hurt," heughed. "Your Highness is very unique. But still, sending a letter and a flower is enough."


    "Sit down, Calix. No one is here anyway," I said. "And make sure to remind me at nine. Luc and Ruby will being that time after all."


    There was still no news about that mysterious man that my spy Alice had seen on the night of the King of Lacuna''s murder. It was very strange. How could none of my spies see him again or find anything about it? It had never happened before.


    I looked at the sketch once more. ording to the sketch, the man was very tall, even taller than Dem. He was approximately six feet seven inches. He was two and a half inches taller than Dem. He was also very slim but looked strong. He could see with his left eye only.


    The other one was injured and he had a scar across his face. The smile looked very creepy. His sideways version was drawn in the sketch just like Alice had seen him. He was wearing a very long hooded cloak which was ck in color. Because of that, his facial features were not properly clear.


    Though he looked like a knight, something about him was different. I had a feeling that if I came across him someday, I would be able to recognize him.


    "Calix, take a look at this sketch," I said, showing him the sketch. "Do you know him?"


    "¡­ Who is that?" he asked. "Is he a knight? Why is he smiling that way? It''s creepy¡­"


    "No, he is someone I am looking for. Though he looks like a knight, isn''t something different about him?"


    "Hmm¡­? Is there? If Your Highness is talking about the smile, some people just smile in a creepy way; it''s a habit."


    "No, I am not talking about the smile," I said impatiently. "Just look at him fully as a person, not just a particr feature. Isn''t something different?"


    "¡­ I don''t know," he shook his head. "I cannot see anything different though. He looks like a knight or someone from a mercenary."


    ''Is it just me then?''


    "Anyway, if you see this man, notify me immediately."


    "What did he do?"


    "I don''t know; I am just suspecting something for now. I am not sure," I said. "If you see him, follow him and get as much information as you can."


    "Alright, I will do so."


    "But you are not allowed to put yourself in danger. If you sense danger, back away ande back, okay?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "Remember, you are a minor."


    "Understood," he nodded.


    There were a lot of flowers and gifts in my office today. They were from the servants, knights, and others.


    ''It''s safe to say that I am an important person to them, huh? I always wanted someone to worry about me when I am sick, fear that I might leave them one day. My second wish came true in an extreme way which I never expected. Now, my first wish also seems to havee true.''


    Calix made me a cup of tea after a while. He learned it from the maids. Perita also learned it. They made me tea sometimes if I looked tired. I did not even have to ask for it.


    "Thank you, Calix," I said. "You have some too. There are cookies on the tea table. Feel free to eat them."


    "I don''t like tea. I will have cookies only," he said.


    "As you wish."


    At nine, I stopped for the day. Everything had been taken care of. I just needed to work too hard in a short amount of time.


    I hated working. The most annoying part was the work never decreased, rather every day, it felt like there were more than the previous day.


    "I will also go now. And do not drink much, Your Highness. Who will take you to your room? Besides, Your Highness has just gotten better. It''s better to not drink," Calix said before leaving.


    "Yeah, I know. Don''t worry. Good night."


    "Good night."


    "Why does everyone keep nagging me?" I muttered under my breath as I entered the dining hall.


    "Your Highness!" Ruby eximed.


    "Hey, there, frail Queen," Luc said. "Long time no see, huh?"


    I chuckled. "How are you guys?"


    "We are fine, Your Highness," Ruby said. "But what about you? How has Your Highness been? Your Highness has been sick for so long. I was so worried¡­"


    ''Ah, that''s right. Ruby is one of the people who worry about me a lot. She used to cry when I had gotten sick before.''


    "I am fine now. I recoveredpletely," I said. "The fever around the kingdom is calming down too. After a few days, there will be no worry."


    "Yeah. We did not go out of the magic tower at all. So, we are fine," Luc said. "Take a seat. Don''t stand for too long."


    "I am not that sick," I grumbled.


    "Who knows? I have never seen someone with an as frail body as yours," he sneered.


    "Gosh, why are being like that?" Ruby elbowed him. "Don''t mind him, Your Highness. Luc talks too much."


    "It''s fine. I don''t mind it," I chuckled. "Rather than that, you two are wearing matching outfits, huh?"

 Chapter 340 The Lingerie

    From Blue''s Perspective)


    "Ruby told me she wanted to do it," Luc said. "It''s not bad. I mean, in the end, we are not going naked, right? She even bought a lot of robes for me. I don''t understand why I need to have that many robes."


    "¡­ Don''t be gross, Luc," Ruby grumbled. "You need to change into a fresh one every single day."


    "She is right. Are all mages like that? Flint also acts in that manner," I said.


    "Your Highness is also a mage, but you are not like that," Ruby said.


    "Well, I am not fully a mage yet. I guess I am a bit less than half or more," I muttered. "Anyway, before a mage, I am a Queen."


    "That''s true. Your Highness suits the title Queen more than the title Mage," she said.


    "Haha, I guess so. Anyway, let''s start our dinner now."


    During dinner, I mentioned my thoughts about Ruby to them. I also mentioned that Mom agreed to it as well.


    "It''s not a bad idea. I don''t personally like to talk to people I don''t know. It''s always a nuisance," Luc said. "What do you think, Ruby?"


    "¡­ I am not sure," she mumbled.


    "If you do not like the idea, it''s fine," I said. "It was just my thought."


    "No! I don''t hate it¡­ I am just not sure if I will be able to do everything properly," she muttered.


    "Who cares about doing everything properly?" I said. "It''s just to work side by side with Luc, but it doesn''t mean you will be punished if you make a mistake. I make mistakes too, but who will punish me? Anyone can make a mistake, Ruby. If you are worried about that, then please don''t because no one will get angry at you if you make a mistake."


    "We don''t expect anything from you," Luc said. "You can do it if you want to. No one will judge for anything."


    "He is right. Give it a thought. You can give me the answer when you are ready, no pressure. It doesn''t matter what you choose. Remember, it''s your choice only. So, think about it carefully."


    After dinner, I returned to my room. Luc and Ruby insisted on walking me to the bedroom, but I declined. I felt like a kid if they did that.


    I closed the door and stared at the lingerie on the bed. I did not know much about how to seduce, so I asked for Mom''s advice. It was very embarrassing, but I still managed to ask her, oveing my embarrassment. Mom knew a lot about these kinds of things. She chose one from my lingerie collection.


    When Ruby was still my maid, she forced me to buy a lot of lingerie, saying it was important to spice things up sometimes. Though I told her I had no idea how to spice things up, she did not listen.


    Mom gave me advice about how to seduce a man. She apparently had a lot of experience. She also told me to ask about anything in the future if I needed it.


    "Should I really wear it? It''s far too revealing¡­ even more than the others¡­"


    I finally put it on after debating with myself. The lingerie had a neckline which was basically a string and it covered only my nipples and downer part slightly. My butt waspletely exposed with just a string in between. It felt like I was wearing a string only which was just wrapped around my private parts, that was also not fully.


    "Oh my god¡­," I covered my face with my palms when I saw myself in the mirror. "What is this¡­? I feel like I have done something I shouldn''t have¡­"


    I tried to look into the mirror quite a few times, but I could not. I unbraided my hair and hopped on the bed, under the nket. It was too embarrassing, but I still did not want to take it off. So, I wrapped myself in a way that was impossible to know what I was wearing.


    In the meantime, I read a book about ck magic. Magic was more interesting than I thought. The main thing about magic was that real magic did not have a rule; it came from a mage''s desire to use a particr kind of magic. Mages discovered what kind of magic they could use through practice and experience.


    It meant if I wanted to use magic, I did not need to know any rules beforehand, I just needed to have the determination to use it. A mage would automatically know what they could do and what they could not.


    ''This exins my thoughts at that time. I just knew I could do it.''


    Overall, magic needed practice. The more I practiced, the more familiar I would be with my power.


    "Magic is like understanding a mage''s real self. The more you practice, the more you understand not just your magic, but yourself," one line said.


    It was a book meant for dark mages, so Dem could not read it. Luc could read it since it was not exclusively made for dark mages like that nk page of the book that Dem had given me.


    "ck mana is not a cursed power. Just because most dark mages used it to gain power does not mean all dark mages are bad and this power is something to despise. Magic is an art as well as a weapon. ck magic is the same thing."


    Still, ck magic was feared because of its destructive nature. Dark mages could not heal others; they could not even at least help an injured person by coating the blood up slightly so they would not die because of excessive bleeding. A dark mage''s power was destructive and more dangerous than a normal mage''s; which was why everyone hated and feared dark mages.


    Excessive power almost all the time led to greed for more. Thus, dark mages fought for more power and in the end, got a bad reputation.


    And I was now one of them. For some reason, my near and dear ones epted me. And I was grateful for it.


    *click*


    I quickly wrapped myself in the nket again andy down. I watched as Dem entered the room with a tired look on his face.


    The moment he entered, he looked towards the bed, at me. I was pretending to sleep. He came closer and stood by the bedside. He did not move for a while.


    ''Is he staring at me? He shouldn''t be able to see my body¡­''


    "Sleep well, darling," he muttered.


    "¡­"


    I opened my eyes slightly and found him drinking a ss of water from the bedside table. That was when I noticed it; blood was dripping from his forehead and clothes. It was not less at all; it almost looked like he had taken a blood bath.


    I quickly jumped up. "Are you hurt?" I eximed in horror. "How did you get hurt?"


    I moved the nket from my body and quickly went to him. I stood up on the bed and cupped his face with my palms. Checking his face properly, I noticed that it was not his blood.


    "Haa, it''s not yours¡­ Let me check your body," I said as I started to take his suit off.


    "¡­"


    "Did you really not get hurt? I did not know you would fight with anyone today¡­ Were there bandits or something? Or rebels? Who did you fight?"


    "¡­"


    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" I asked, looking at his face as I got annoyed.


    His mouth gaped open as he was looking at my body. That was the moment I realized what I had done.


    I dressed up for him, but I got too embarrassed. I tried to move away from him, but he caught my arm and pulled me towards him with a dangerous look in his eyes.


    "This¡­"


    "¡­ Have you dressed up for me¡­?" he asked. He seemed to be unable to talk properly.


    "¡­ Y-Yes¡­ But now that you have seen it, I want to change!" I blurted out and tried to get away once again, but his grasp was very tight on my arm.


    "Haa¡­," he sighed and ced his head on my chest. "I am dying, darling."


    "What? Are you really hurt?"


    "¡­ No, but you are killing me," he muttered. "Will you mind if there is the smell of blood on me?"


    "¡­ Yeah, it''s gross."


    "Then, do you have a fever?"


    "No¡­"


    "Are you feeling unwell?"


    "No, I am not¡­ But why are you¡­?"


    He grabbed me from my waist and I quickly wrapped my legs around him. He ced his palms on my buttocks as he took me to the bathroom.


    That night, I had to admit that the lingerie truly spiced things up.


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