《The Werewolf King&#x27;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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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��usually ground meat, usually beef��ced 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."

    "... 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."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.  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?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.

    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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.

    "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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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)n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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?"

    "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..."

 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."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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''-NovelBinn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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..."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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.

    Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "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?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "... 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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Read new adventures at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."

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    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    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..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Readtest stories on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin

    ''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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."

    Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    ''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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    ''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?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Readtest stories on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin

    "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?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Find adventures on mvl

    ''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?"

    Find your next adventure on mvl

    "... 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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Find your next read on mvl

    "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?''n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.

    Stay connected via mvl

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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 ��??

    "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..."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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 ��??

    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..."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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 ��??

    "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 ��??

    "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?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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!"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "... 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    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."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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?n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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..."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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."

 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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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?N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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!''

 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "... 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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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)N?v(el)B\\jnn

    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."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.

 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.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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��"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Experience more on empire

    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.''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "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?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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��''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "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.

 Chapter 341 Sleepy

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    He ced me on the floor and took his clothes off one by one very quickly. Then, he turned the shower on with one hand as he bent to kiss me.

    He pulled back and started kissing my neck as reddish water dripped on me from his head. At least, we were in the shower. So, the blood would get washed quickly.

    "Um�� Do you like how�� I dressed up today��?" I asked slowly.

    "�� I liked the one you wore when I returned after a month. But this one is my new favorite," he said.

    He nibbled on my neck and I gasped. The sensation was alluring. I wanted more.

    "Hnn�� Touch me��"

    "Hm?"

    "Touch me down there too��"

    He smirked and kissed me deeply as his hand went down to touch me between my legs. He pulled the string before letting it p against the entrance.

    "Ah�� That��"

    "Wow, it''s a fun thing. I think I like it more now."

    He yed with my clit with his thumb as he slightly entered his middle finger inside me. But he withdrew almost instantly. He was teasing me slowly with his fingers. I wanted to tell him not to tease me, but a part of me also wanted to be teased. I was torn between my wishes.

    "Ahh�� Uh��"

    "You are squirming a lot, darling," he muttered harshly.

    I had my eyes closed as I let myself dive into the pleasure. Suddenly, there was a very warm sensation. My eyes shot opened and I found him licking me.

    "Uhh�� Dem��" Continue reading on empire

    His nibbled slightly before pushing his tongue inside me which made me scream suddenly. My hips tried to move away on their own, but he grabbed me tightly, so I could not move at all.

    "Ahh�� Oh�� It�� feels too i-intense��"

    I needed to hold onto something. The pleasure was too much. The water drops falling on us increased the sensation.

    "Haa�� Ahh�� Dem�� Hngh��"

    He did not stop for a long time, it was like he was determined to y with me and tease me. I could not even reach an orgasm. The moment the heat would start to build up, he would stop, and then he would start again. It kept going on.

    Getting disappointed so many times made me frustrated. I wanted toe, but he was not letting me. I knew he liked to y, but I wanted something at the moment.

    "Dem�� Why��? Ah�� Please��"

    "Please what?" he asked as if he did not know.

    I was sure he was doing it on purpose mainly because of one thing- he was very good at it, so there was no way it was his incapability. He just liked to tease me too much.

    "You are stopping right when I am about to�� I don''t want that�� Don''t tease me anymore��," I mumbled.

    "I am not," he said.

    "�� I won''t do it anymore."

    "What? No! I am sorry," he said quickly. "I just like to see that expression on your face."

    He started licking me again while entering a finger inside me. Again, I could feel the heat building up in my stomach and before I knew it, my whole body was on fire.

    He did not stop this time. Because of the pent-up frustration, the orgasm was more powerful. It left me out of breath.

    I usually felt sleepy after an orgasm. Of course, it was not possible for me to sleep after just one time; I had a special kind of husband after all. This time, the orgasm made me more sleepy than usual, perhaps because it was just too powerful.

    My whole body felt very weak. My thoughts were jumbled as well.

    "Huh�� Haa��"

    "Don''t fall asleep. We have just started."

    "Hmm��?"

    "Don''t you dare fall asleep after making me like this! That will be unfair to me!"

    I still could not open my eyes. I felt just too sleepy. Even though I was very sleepy, I still could feel something hard poking against my entrance. Before my mind could at least say the word what it was, I felt it getting pushed inside me.

    "Ahh!"

    "I did not want to surprise you, but I could not let you fall asleep like that," he said and picked me up from the ground. "That will be unfair, hm, don''t you think so?"

    "Uhh! Ah!" I moaned and wrapped my arms around him tightly. My feet could not touch the ground as one of them was on his foot and he was holding the other one from below my thigh. "Oh�� Huh�� ahh��"

    "Rx," he said. "Why are clenching your whole body?"

    "I�� I can''t help it�� Ahh�� Oh god��"

    "Why are you calling God, darling? Is God making you feel good?" he whispered into my ear. "Don''t moan ''God''. You can moan my name only."

    "Uhh�� Please, Dem�� Ah!"

    "Please what?"

    "I don''t know�� It feels too crazy�� huh��"

    "Well, of course, it is supposed to feel crazy, hm?" he said.

    "Ah�� You are moving too fast�� I wille again�� Uhh��"

    "Me too. I can''t hold it in," he muttered and kissed me deeply.

    In this position, if he did not hold me tightly, I would have fallen down. He put me down to sit on the ground when he saw that I could not breathe and I did not have any strength left in my body.

    And my right leg was shaking violently.

    "Haa��"

    "Your leg is shaking," he observed. "It''s funny and interesting to see."

    "�� What are you even saying?" I asked while panting furiously. Why was I feeling more tired than usual?

    "But more than that, I like to see my seeding out of you. It''s quite fascinating," he smirked.

    I quickly closed my legs and red at him; he was such a pervert. Did he have to talk like that? I got embarrassed too much.

    My head almost fell forward, but he caught me quickly. I was sleepy. I heard him muttering something under his breath, perhaps he cursed.

    "Oh, fuck!" he swore. "I even came faster because I got too excited."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Dem��?"

    "No, I am not ming you. It''s fine. I will clean you up. Then you can sleep."

    "�� I am sorry��"

    "It''s not your fault. We did it once, right? It''s okay to end it here today," he said, kissing me on the forehead. "I will just tire you out tomorrow."

    "Okay��"

    He cleaned me up and wiped my body and hair dry. Then, he carried me back to the bedroom and ced me on the bed. He pulled the nket on me.

    "Good night, darling. Sleep well."

    "G-Good night��," I mumbled before closing my eyes. "I love you��"

    "I love you too, darling."

    That night, we could not do anything else since I was too sleepy. The next morning, I started the day with the same routine.

    The whole time, I kept thinking about Dem''s behavior. Dem never forced me. Though he was quite angry sometimes and did it roughly with me, it was still not forced. It was like whenever he wanted to do it, I wanted the same. Were our desires connected too?

    I heard that even if an Alpha''s mate was not an Alpha, they still shared some of the Alpha''s characteristics after creating the bond, including sexual desire and emotional outbursts.

    Mom warned me about Dem forcing me because of his urges. It had not happened yet. But I knew that someday, it would. I saw some signs in his behavior; there were times when it felt like he just wanted to devour me right away and right at the ce where we were. I was preparing myself mentally for that. After all, even if that happened, Dem would not be in his right mind.

    He would lose his power of reasoning. I could not me him. He did not want that part of him; he was born with it.

    Dem himself hated it as well. He told me that he would not force me if he was in his right mind. He found it repulsive.

    I actually did not find the idea too repulsive if it was him. Did I have a fetish? But it was just him that I could even think about doing it with. There might be something wrong with my mind.

    "Your Highness!"

    "Hm?"

    "I have been calling you so many times, but Your Highness seems to be deep in thought," Reece said. "A mage hase to meet you. She also has Your Highness''s permission card."

    "Where is she?"

    "Come in."

    A woman wearing a wizard''s robe entered my office. She had a mole right on her nose; it was the first thing I saw when I looked at her.

    "I greet Your Highness, the Queen of Querencia," she bowed. "I have brought a letter from Lord Evan."

 Chapter 342 Decision About The War

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "What kind of shitty content is this? Is he making fun of me now?" I yelled.

    "What happened, Your Highness?" Perita asked. "Do you want to kill someone? Just say the word."

    "Can you kill a King?"

    "His Highness? That will be treason," she muttered, "but, not impossible. This Perita can do anything for Your Highness."

    "Not him. Gosh," I sighed. "Why would I kill my husband?"

    "Then another king? Hmm, I want to kill the new Queen of Lacuna, but she is a Queen. Then, who are you talking about?"

    "Just kidding, Perita. Don''t mind it," I said.

    The content of the letter was very strange. Evan was a chatty person, but he wrote very little.

    Haha, are you worried about me, my friend?

    That was the only line he wrote. There was no doubt he was making fun of me. I did not understand much about wars, so I had to take Perita''s knowledge to understand the other files he sent me.

    "Tell me what these things mean, Perita; every single thing as if you are talking to a kid who just started to learn the word ''war'' properly," I said.

    "This is my favorite subject. Your Highness can trust me," she grinned confidently.

    ***

    Perita started telling about the codenguage, the position of the Trouvaille knights, and the war situation. She was talking like an expert; it was admirable.

    "For this, I need the map of Trouvaille and Ataraxia," she muttered.

    I quickly stood up, ran to the door, and opened it. I grabbed the hand of the maid who was just passing by. She did not even notice me and was startled.

    "Get me the map of Trouvaille and Ataraxia from the library quickly."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "And run, okay?"

    "Got it!"

    The maid ran to the library and came back very quickly. Most of the maids had studied before, so they could do these kinds of things.

    Perita spread the map on the table and pointed at important ces and where Evan guessed Ataraxia could attack next.

    "We have plenty of maps. Just mark it so I can understand better."

    "Alright."

    It took two hours for Perita to describe the whole thing to me. Because I was so dumb when it came to wars, it took just way too long.

    "So, for now, Trouvaille has a bigger chance to win?"

    "That is right, Your Highness. Ataraxia has asked for help from Querencia. If we help, Ataraxia might win," she said.

    "It reached this morning," I said. "We haven''t held a meeting yet. It''s a good thing that I know the war situation properly now. The letter came at the right moment," I muttered.

    If Ataraxia won, it would be beneficial for Querencia. But now, Trouvaille was winning.

    ''What I don''t understand is why Evan would send a detailed description of the war situation which is obviously private. I wanted to know, but I did not expect him to tell me everything and even send me the secret code messages that he exchanged with his knights. Some of them are yet to be delivered to the person they were meant for.

    The code messages were very important to understand what their previous move was and what their next move will be, ording to Perita.''

    That day, I asked Dem about his opinion during lunch. "What do you want to do? Do you want to help Ataraxia?" I asked.

    "If Ataraxia loses, it will be a bit difficult for Querencia since Trouvaille can make someone from their kingdom the new ruler of Ataraxia if King Ford kills the whole Imperial family," he said. "It is something we don''t want."

    "Trouvaille will be more powerful then," I mumbled.

    "That''s right. We are Ataraxia''s neighbor, so it will affect us. If we were in a remote ce like Mazazine, we would not have to worry about any other kingdom."

    "So, you will help Ataraxia?"

    "What do you want?" he asked instead of answering me.

    "Even if it is something I don''t want, I have to do the right thing for Querencia; personal feelings are not mandatory right now."

    "Personal feelings?"

    Your journey continues on empire

    "I don''t mean it in any weird way, please don''t misunderstand," I said, shaking my head. "What I meant is Evan has helped us about a few things, so I thought even if we don''t help Trouvaille, we are not gonna help Ataraxia as well. It is just my thought. Don''t mind it."

    "Yes, he helped us a few times and he also�� knows about my ability," he said. "I am not nning to help Ataraxia either."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Huh? Then, are you going to reject Ataraxia''s request?"

    "Not just me, my Queen. It is going to be our decision. You have the right to say what you want."

    "Ah, right�� Then, what is your opinion?" I rified my question.

    "I want to break the war between them. It is possible if the other three kingdoms agree."

    "Oh? I read something like that, but I am not sure if other kingdoms will agree��"

    "I am sure though. I can make the King of Mazazine agree to it and for the Queen of Lacuna, it is possible too."

    "How?"

    "I previously helped Mazazine with funds when a flood and rare skin disease spread at the same time. That time, I asked for one vote from them on any matter. I can use that agreement now. And for the Queen of Lacuna, I will use a special technique?"

    "Special?" I muttered.

    I got angry right away hearing the word ''special''. I kept thinking about the worst scenarios regarding Dem and Queen Laetitia from the moment she had be the Queen.

    "What do you mean by special? And why did you say ''special'' like that?" I asked angrily.

    "Hm? How did I say it?"

    "It was not�� normal. You put too much affection into the word!"

    "Honey�� What are you saying? Why would I do that?"

    "I don''t know�� Perhaps you find her more attractive than your wife and wanted to talk about her in a ''special'' manner?"

    "�� Are you jealous?"

    "��"

    "Haa," he sighed. "I don''t mean it any odd way, my wife. I only meant that I will use a different way than the one I will use for Mazazine. Since the King of Lacuna has died recently, the Queen still has a long way to go to get a grasp of political affairs. I will take advantage of the situation and make a fake agreement document. It is rather easy.

    See? This is what I meant. Honey, no one is more attractive than you. So, you don''t have to worry. You used to not worry about these kinds of things before, but what happened now?"

    ''Ugh, I don''t know as well. I am getting too worked up about matters like this!''

    "I see�� But you have to promise to not like anyone else romantically other than me!"

    "Sure, I promise to only love my darling wife Blue for the rest of my life," he said and then chuckled. "I did not know jealousy could make my wife this angry�� It is amusing, you know?"

    "Don''t make fun of me�� You are like that too when you are jealous, if not more," I said.

    ''You attack as well, which I don''t. I am rather well-behaved in that sense. Though I don''t hate those attacks��''

    "That said, I will show you the current position of Trouvaille in the war. It seems Trouvaille is winning."

    "I had a feeling that might be the case. The current reports show that as well. Were you also getting reports on the war? I thought you did not understand this subject."

    "I don''t still, but I need to learn, right? And no, I am not getting any reports from my informers. Evan sent me some reports and Perita described everything to me."

    "King Ford sent? Heh, that''s probably false reports. Why would he send reports to the Queen of Querencia? He knows that if we help, it will be Ataraxia."

    "Take a look at them. I don''t think they are false," I said.

    Dem came to my office after lunch and I showed him what Evan had sent me. I also wanted to show him Perita''s notes that she took to help me understand, but he did not need them. He understood everything just by taking a look at the reports.

    His eyes erged and he kept staring in utter disbelief and confusion. "They are real reports, right?" I asked.

    "Is he dumb? Why did he send you these?" he yelled.

    "Don''t yell. Why are you yelling?" I grumbled. "I just asked him what is the situation, but I did not think he would reply this way."

    "Did he tell you he likes you?"

    "No! What are you saying?"

    ''Though Evan always said he wants to be my friend, he never acted like he likes me. I don''t think he is the kind of person to like a married woman.''

 Chapter 343 Convince

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    Whenever a man was near Blue other than Luc, I always worried about whether they fell in love with her or not. The incident with Ezekiel triggered it more.

    I got used to Calix and most other knights; I did not worry about them much since their love for her was based on loyalty towards their master. But I could not read King Ford''s mind since he was a dark mage. So, whenever he was near her, I got anxious and jealous. Though she always kept a proper distance, it still did not help with my condition.

    I could not get the thought of King Ford liking my wife romantically get out of my head, albeit she told me many times that it was not the case.

    "How can him sending me reports be anything simr to him liking me? How did you even link those two things?" she grumbled. "You and I both know that it''s not the case. He sent it because he trusts us."

    "No, not us," I said. "He trusts ''you''."

    "He trusts you too. You haven''t asked him about the situation, I did. Then why would he write to you? It''s only natural that he would reply to the person who sent him a letter in the first ce."

    "Haa, really��"

    "Don''t think this way�� It will just stress you out. Honey, I am reassuring you all the time. Why don''t you believe me?"

    "I believe you and I know you don''t like anyone else other than me romantically," I said. "But it is him that I can''t trust. What if he likes you?"

    "If I stay with you and love only you, it''s enough, right? Even if he likes me, which is surely not true, you are not going to give me up, are you?"

    "Of course not! Why would I give you up?" I barked.

    "There! Then everything is fine," she said.

    ''Is that right? Why do I keep feeling so anxious?''

    I wanted to have my way with her after lunch after convincing her somehow. But that did not work out since another matter came up. The previous night, I had a very hard time. My hand was not enough to satisfy me after she had fallen asleep.

    ''She just looked too�� alluring�� I thought my brain would burst��''

    The meeting was held the next day. Both of us joined the meeting. The duke came a little earlier than the meeting time.

    "Greetings, His Majesty, the King, and Her Majesty, the Queen," he bowed.

    My wife and I had been discussing a few matters in my office. "Ah, hello there, duke," she smiled. "You are rather early today."

    "Yes, Your Majesty. I actually wanted to deliver this to you," he said and brought out a pouch with flowery patterns out of his coat pocket.

    "What is that?" I asked.

    ''And why am I getting a weird smell from it?''

    "The duchess made cookies with the kids and has sent some for His and Her Majesties," he replied. "Please ept them."

    "Wow, Iris made cookies? And the kids too?" Blue eximed, and took the pouch from him. "I have to taste them! Thank you, duke, and thank Iris too albeit I will be sending a letter as well. Ah, and thank the kids too on my behalf."

    "Of course, I will do that," he nodded. "But��"

    "Yes?"

    "I think it will be better not to taste that��"

    "But Iris made it��," she muttered. "Why are you saying that, duke?"

    "Actually, that thing is more heinous looking and the taste is rather peculiar. I appreciate her efforts, but she, for as long as I can remember, could never cook or bake anything without turning the thing into a muddy-looking alien product. It differs far from the original shape and smell than it was supposed to have."

    So, that was the reason I got the smell. It was not cookies'' smell. I could not figure out what kind of smell it actually was, but it was not that good.

    "�� But she must have tried a lot. I should at least taste one before saying anything," she mumbled.

    ''Aww, how kind you are, darling�� But I am sure you will have an upset stomach if you eat that. Smell tells everything about food or any other product.''

    She pulled the green ribbon and opened the pouch. Her eyes looked shocked as she looked inside. The smell got stronger as well.

    "I think she used something excessive for it to smell this way. Perhaps the kids put something extra��"

    "Your Highness, the kids only stood nearby because she was teaching them. They did not touch anything," the duke rified.

    "I will just taste one," she said and before I could say anything, she took a bite. "Bleh��! Oh my, I am sorry�� That wasn''t��"

    "That is what I meant, Your Highness. It tastes good ording to the duchess, but if someone else tastes this, they can die��"

    "Honey, you have tasted it already, now leave it," I said, taking it away from her and throwing it in the trash can. "You will get an upset stomach."

    It took me a while to convince her to throw the cookies away. She was sulky even though I gave her many reasons and even the duke tried to convince her.

    "At least, she tried. I can''t even cook," she mumbled.

    "You did not have the opportunity to try, honey," I pointed out. "Who will want to let the Queen cook? What is the cook for then?"

    "Still��"

    "It''s time for the meeting already," I said. "You can try to cook if you want toter, darling. I just don''t want you to get sick."

    The matter regarding the war between Ataraxia and Trouvaille was the subject of today''s meeting. Most members wanted to support Ataraxia at first which was something we predicted. So, we followed my wife''s ce which was she would tell the members about what would happen if we let the war keep going for a long time.

    I was not good at gaining people''s sympathy for myself or for someone, whereas, she was confident that she could do it properly.

    "A lot of cities will fall to destruction in Ataraxia and Trouvaille as well. That is not our problem, of course. But aren''t you all the same species? Is it alright to let those things happen to our neighboring kingdom? In the end, they would ask for our help with their economic and other downfalls.

    As a powerful kingdom, it is our duty to have powerful partners; a neighbor is the best partner a kingdom can have. The more powerful the neighbor is the better. Even if we help Ataraxia and Ataraxia wins the war, in the end, destruction will surely happen. A lot of people will die. What if a very important political figure who is very important for our kingdom as well passes away?

    Won''t that affect some of our ns too? Besides, there will be long-term psychological effects on children and adults as well."

    She kept going on for a long time. Slowly, most of the members started to agree with her. The duke had agreed a long time ago because his rule was to agree with whatever the King and the Queen said.

    "This is not wrong. But is it possible to get both Mazazine and Lacuna''s agreement on war break?"

    "That is something the King and I will take care of," she said.

    Nine out of ten members agreed with the decision and thus, we just needed to get the agreements from the other two kingdoms.

    "The meeting went pretty smoothly, huh?" she sighed in relief as we were returning from the conference room. "It was easier than I thought."

    "Easy? Perhaps it was nothing to you, but I think you have worked quite hard to make them agree," I said. "You said many things regarding the disadvantages of war and that''s also for a long time. It did not seem easy to me."

    "Haha, well, I think I am getting better at convincing people."

    ''Yeah, sometimes you use your cuteness to convince me to do something.''

    "I don''t have a lot ofpassion, so sometimes I have to pretend. I think I worry more about kids or people who have been abused since childhood; my past perhaps has something to do with it," she said. "That time, Ruby called me a saint. It was absurd. If I was a saint, I would worry about the people in the war from the deepest part of my heart. But that isn''t the case.

    I think if my near and dear ones are not in danger, I won''t worry about much of a thing; that''s the type of person I am. That''s why when I was talking in the meeting, I felt very guilty."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 344 Another Letter From Evan

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Dem went to talk to the King of Mazazine the next morning. We did not want to waste any time.

    He had been in a bad mood the whole time and still had not gotten over the fact that Evan sent me those reports. His worry that Evan might be in love with me was quite baseless.

    First of all, Evan and I knew about each other, but we did not spend much time together. Knowing someone and spending time with that person were very important to like someone. Secondly, after getting to know him, I knew that he was not the type of person who would aim for someone who was already in a rtionship or married. And thirdly, not all men would fall for me.

    Just because Ezekiel had liked me, he kept thinking that other men would like me romantically too.

    Evan had a reason why he sent me those reports; I believed he wanted to show that he trusted me. It was important for us to trust each otherpletely if we wanted to work together against the dark mage who we believed was my biological father.

    When I was going to take a break from work, the same mage who Evan sentst time appeared again. She brought yet another letter.

    "Tell your lord that it has made me upset that he sent me a one line letter. It was rather disrespectful since we are not friends. Even friends don''t do that," I said to her.

    "I will do so, Your Highness."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "You can go now, then."

    "Yes," she bowed. "I will take my leave."

    "Another letter from that man or whatever?" Perita asked.

    "Hmm��"

    "Is he the one sending Your Highness reports on the war?"

    "Yes," I replied, not paying mind to her much. I was more focused on opening the envelope.

    This time, it was not a one-line letter. Last time, it made me very angry. Reports were alright, but a letter with only one line? That was just too much, especially when they were winning.

    Dear Blue, Oh, I think King Demetrius will be angry if I call you that. So, I will go with ''Hey there''. What about it?

    You must be angry that I sent you a one-line letter yesterday. Haha, I did it on purpose. I wanted to get you angry and then surprise you with the reports.

    By now, you must have found out that the reports are not false and we are indeed winning. If everything goes smoothly as nned, we will win within a week or two. Or, maybe sooner than that, who knows? Perhaps I can kill the King and the Queen before the week passes if I am lucky.

    You have done the job perfectly in Lacuna, I heard. I thought it would end there, but I did not know you would kill the King of Lacuna as well. No one suspects you either. It seems you are not as innocent as I thought you are, or perhaps this new environment has changed you. If King Demetrius doesn''t have an effect on you, that will be funny.

    Anyway, I don''t care about that. I did not have a good rtionship with the current King of Lacuna as well. He was too stubborn and a little dumb. I do not know the current Queen of Lacuna much. I have met her a few times, but that''s it. It was just formal meetings.

    But Querencia will have a good rtionship with Lacuna now. After all, everyone knows that Queen Laetitia used to fancy King Demetrius. Who knows, perhaps she still likes him just as much as before, if not more?

    Well, I am not here to chat about that. It''s just I got some free time and wanted to write to my friend.

    I also heard that you were sick; you caught that contagious fever, right? How are you now? My spy reported to me that itsted ten days. Actually, I know that you are well now. That''s why I sent you a letter after you got better. After all, how can you read those reports if you are sick?

    I am d that you are okay now, no sarcasm; it is a genuine remark. Again, I do not like you romantically. This is my worry as a friend for a friend. So, make sure King Demetrius doesn''t misunderstand. I don''t want him to be my enemy.

    I don''t have any romantic interest in a married woman.

    Let''s talk about the war a bit. This is probably the most fun war I have been to. Wars are of course not fun. They are stressing. I don''t like wars at all. I just want to stay at home and rest; I don''t like to work either.

    But that is not something I follow since I am a King. You feel the same, right?

    You know why I call this war ''fun''? Because the army of Ataraxia is not that good. Some of them are skilled as they are supposed to be, but the majority of the knights are too dumb. I guess my knights are just too skilled. Either way, winning is almost confirmed.

    Oh, Ipletely forgot to mention the reason I sent you the letters. I think you guessed it already.

    Yes, I have sent them because I wanted to show you that I trust you. It is important if we work together, right? I could not miss the opportunity to prove so when I got the chance.

    Make sure to tell King Demetrius that it is all because I wanted to prove this, nothing more. I am sure he is assuming weird things.

    Rather than that, I wish you two a happy life together. So, if you two have a child, introduce me as his uncle. I have always wanted to be one.

    That will be all for today. Stay safe (This is a normal thing that should be said at the end of a letter. I don''t mean anything else. Do not let King Demetrius assume things).

    And by the way, I am waiting for the order to break the war.

    Yours, Evan

    "This one seems longer than the one before," Perita muttered. "What did he say?"

    "Just regr things," I mumbled. "But what does he mean by I killed the King of Lacuna? I myself am looking for the real culprit. He is assuming things, or does he want to know what I know about the case?"

    Perhaps Evan said this so I would tell him what I knew about the case. But should he not know more about the case? After all, Trouvaille was known for having skilled spies. They were even required tomit suicide in case they got caught. Even, Dem had to admit that they were rather skillful.

    Or did he truly think I killed the King of Lacuna?

    ''I don''t care what he thinks. He can assume whatever he wants to. I am not sending a letter to correct him. And why does he know that we are nning to break the war? Did he assume it?''

    ''More than that, I now know that we have one week in hand. Dem said he can surely bring the agreement paper from Mazazine. Then, all that will be left is Lacuna''s agreement. He can do that too, he said. But�� I don''t want him to meet the Queen of Lacuna, at least, not alone."

    ''What if she still likes him? Well, he likes me, so it should be fine. But she is beautiful�� and sexy too. I am not the sexy type; I know it very well. What if she uses her charm to get my husband? But other women don''t have any effect on him.

    To him, I am the only beautiful person. But�� he is not blind. And she is more beautiful than me. What if by any chance he takes a liking to her? My husband is hot and handsome whereas she is beautiful and sexy. They match very well.

    Ugh! I cannot let that happen! I don''t care even if he doesn''t like her. I am not letting him go alone to meet that woman!''

    "Your Highness, why are you pulling your hair? Do you want to go bald?" Perita asked, taking my hands away from my hair and patting them.

    "Perita, tell me the truth."

    "Yes?"

    "Do you think Dem likes me?"

    "Well, you can ask anyone that; the answer will always be the same. His Highness loves Your Highness," she replied.

    "Does he like me enough to not like any other woman?"

    "Not just women, His Highness doesn''t like anyone else other than Your Highness. I think people disgust him if it is not Your Highness. But are you worried about this?"

    "�� He really won''t like even if there is a more beautiful person than me?"

    "No, His Highness is not that type of person. Besides, I think Your Highness is the most beautiful person from inside and out."

 Chapter 345 Love And Obsession

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Dem came back at night. I was waiting for him to hear the news. He went with his mage so they could teleport easily.

    He teleported straight back to my office. I was working so I could keep myself busy. If I went back to the bedroom, I would fall asleep.

    "How did it go?" I asked, standing up hastily from my chair.

    "Of course, I got it," he replied and handed me the agreement paper.

    "Wow��!"

    "Now, we just have to get Lacuna''s agreement."

    "We have to do it within one week," I said.

    "One week?"

    "Yes," I nodded. "Evan sent me a letter today. He said if everything goes as nned, they will win within one week or two. Let''s say it''s one week."

    Before he could ask for it, I quickly gave him the letter. I did not want him to suspect anything. Evan also knew that Dem was a very jealous person who assumed just anything when I talked to another man.

    "Why is he so informal with you?" he asked.

    "Haa, he has been informal with me since the first time we met. I don''t mind it," I said. "You know it too. Formality is not something that I learned in my world. I am not used to it fully."

    He did not argue anymore. He just gave the letter back to me after reading it twice or perhaps more. Was he checking something?

    "It''ste now. Let''s discuss everything tomorrow," he said. "Have you had your dinner?"

    "��"

    "I knew it," he sighed. "I told you not to wait for me."

    "Let''s go now. I will ask the maids to get our dinner in the bedroom," I said, pulling his hand.

    His hand was big and firm, just like the way it was when he first held my hands. I always wondered why it always gave me a sense of security whenever he held my hand.

    Unlike most knights, he did not have any calluses though his hand was rough. As his wife, I knew the reason very well; he took care of his skin more than anyone I had ever seen. He would always make sure he did not have a single unwanted mark on his skin.

    Was he it because he was born into a Royal family that he liked to preserve his skin in the best condition?

    "Dem, can I ask you something?" I asked.

    "What?"

    "Was your father the rough type? I mean, I have seen his portrait before and his face looks rough, but I am not sure if he was rough in nature as well."

    "What do you mean?" he asked.

    "I am being weird, right? I mean, you look rather rough too, but you also look like someone who takes care of himself more than anything else. You also do so. You take care of your skin a lot. I wonder if your father was like that too."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Hmm, he used to practice a lot, as much as me, I think. He also made maids attend him to take care of his body, well, they probably just screwed most of the time. But his hands were full of callouses. It always made my skin itch whenever he touched me. I even told him to wear gloves if he wanted to touch me."

    "But your hands are not like that. They are firm, but they don''t have callouses. You practice a lot too��"

    "Well, isn''t that because I wear gloves that protect my hands? Luc made them," he said. "I don''t like marks on my body, though I don''t mind the marks you make on my body. Last night, you made a lot too."

    "�� Why are you being shameless all of a sudden?" I muttered as my ears and face burned up.

    "We are in our bedroom anyway."

    "There are still two maids here��," I mumbled. I told the maids to bring our dinner to the bedroom.

    After bringing our dinner, the maids took their leave as we always preferred to be alone. It was more fun that way. None of us liked to be watched when we talked or ate or simply spent some time together.

    "I got a letter from Mother today," he said.

    Experience tales with empire

    "Yes, you mentioned before leaving," I said.

    I was half asleep when he left, so I could not ask more about it. In the morning, it was hard for me toe to my senses before nine.

    "She asked me how we were and said she was sick, so she could not reply to the letters you sent," he said. "How many letters have you sent in total?"

    "Three."

    "Yea, she said so too. She is okay now and said she will write to you soon."

    "But�� what''s the point of writing to you when she could just reply to my letters? It doesn''t make sense if she writes in the letter she sent you that she will write to me soon, does it? Or, am I just being dumb?"

    "No, you are right. It doesn''t make sense. I am not surprised though; she has never done something that makes sense," he said.

    "Is that so? What more did she say?"

    "Just regr things, nothing special," he said nonchntly.

    "I see��"

    His mother had been sending him letters after he had be the King. Because of the mind control, he had a better rtionship with his mother than now. But even then, he did not get close to her as much as she would have liked, at least that was what I understood from the letters.

    For some reason, I got bad feelings from those letters.

    We could not find anything that would prove that Mother was against us. Her behavior was a bit strange, but it did not prove anything. Still, I was suspicious as well as Dem.

    "How long did the meeting take?" I asked.

    "Five hours, or a bit more than that."

    "�� But you havee back just a while ago. If the meeting ended early��"

    "I had some work."

    "Work?"

    "Yes, it took a long time," he said.

    "�� Did the Queen of Mazazine meet you?"

    "She was present in the meeting. Why?"

    "In private?"

    "She wanted to, but I refused. I don''t have any business with her," he said. "Are you suspicious of me, my dear wife?"

    "No! It''s not like that! I trust you, honey! It''s just�� I just get worried that other women might fall for you. I mean, you are so handsome��"

    "But my personality is not good. I don''t behave well."

    "You just don''t talk to others. Some women like that type of man, you know."

    "Do you?"

    "No, they are not my type," I shook my head. I liked the type of man who was gentle with me and treasured me; my husband was just that kind of person. "Ruby said that most girls like the kind of men who are cold, don''t talk to others, and are yboys. You are not a yboy, but you have the first two qualities."

    "You used to not think things like that. What happened now?"

    "Don''t you remember how the Queen of Mazazine was talking to you at the banquet? She was flirting with you��! I did not like it at all��"

    "Honey, have I ever worried you in any way by looking at another woman?" he asked gently, touching my hand.

    "No��"

    "Then, don''t worry. I know what jealousy feels like and I don''t me you at all. You don''t flirt with other men as well and keep a distance, yet I am always worried. Perhaps it''s just us. Luc and his wife don''t seem to have this problem."

    "You talk to Luc about these things?"

    "I mentioned a thing or two, I think. Even if I don''t mention it, he knows anyway," he said. "As I was saying, do not worry, darling. You are the only person I love and will ever love."

    I lowered my gaze and started eating again. Why was I feeling so anxious? Was it because we loved each other too much? After I had fallen for him, there was not a time when I did not love him. My love for him always remained the same, if not grew; it was Dem''s love that was always too much. These days, it did not feel too much anymore.

    Sometimes, it felt natural as well.

    Was my love for him the same as his love for me? Was my love growing to be obsessive as well? But I still had my senses left. I did not love him in a way that I would lose all my other senses.

    Actually, there was no doubt that my love was growing too much as well. I was just on the first step. Who knew when I would turn just like him?

 Chapter 346 Getting Ready to Go To Lacuna

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Move your hips more," hemanded.

    "Haa�� Ah��," I moaned as I pulled my hips up and then again, pulled them down.

    "You were saying something before. What is it?"

    "How�� can I talk�� ah�� like this?"

    "Come on. Try it," he smirked.

    ''Is he making fun of me? This guy��''

    "I wanted to say t-that�� huh�� when you go�� ah�� to the Queen of�� Lacuna�� haa�� ah�� you can''t go�� alone��"

    "You want toe with me?"

    "Y-Yes�� Hnn��"

    "Alright," he said. "I don''t mind it. You cane along if you want to. It will be more fun that way since you will be by my side. I get bored by myself."

    "She will be there. Why would you be bored?"

    "��"

    He suddenly flipped us over so I was beneath him. Before I knew it, he started moving his hips, thrusting in and out of me very deeply.

    "Ah! Uhh! So, suddenly��"

    He licked my ear and nibbled my earlobe while his hand palmed my breast and pinched on the nipple. It was painful, but not too much.

    "Dem��! Uh! Ahh! Huh��"

    The rest of the night was just as intense as the moment. He did not say anything the whole night, he just kept driving me crazy with his moves.

    In the morning, I woke up hearing his voice. "Sweetie, get up a bit early today," he said.

    Enjoy new tales from empire

    "Hmm?"

    "It''s eight am. We will leave within ten or eleven, so you need to get ready, right?"

    "�� What?"

    "I said we need to leave before at least eleven, so you need to get up now to get ready."

    "Hmm��"

    I closed my eyes again. I was too sleepy. It was hard to keep my eyes open any longer.

    He sighed and picked me up suddenly. I did not know where he was going, nor did I care. I hugged and snuggled closer to him, trying to sleep some more.

    "I am sorry I woke you up an hour before you get up. I did not know you are this sleepy even just sometime before the time you usually wake up."

    "I am�� sleepy��"

    "Yeah, I know that."

    I felt something cold against my skin suddenly. I tried to move away from it, but then my whole body felt the coldness. It was cold water.

    I jerked awake and looked around me. "Cold��!"

    "Are you up?" he chuckled. "Good morning."

    "Cold�� It''s cold��"

    "It feels that way because you have just woken up. It''s not cold water at all; the temperature is normal," he said. "You were not getting up, so I used this method."

    I sshed water on my face so the sleepiness would go awaypletely. The water started to feel warmer.

    "Your maid told me that you are too sleepy if you wake up even just a minute before the usual time. I did not know it was to this extent."

    "What were you saying that time?"

    "��"

    "I don''t remember anything��"

    "I said we will be leaving within ten or eleven," he said.

    "Leave for where?"

    "Lacuna, of course. Didn''t you say you want to go as well?"

    "Ah, yes."

    "I told you timest night too, but it seems you have forgotten," he said. "I could have gone alone, but you told me you want to go."

    "Yeah, I will go."

    ''I don''t like her. What if she likes my husband again and tries to make a move on him? Both of them are Alphas; she is very strong too. What if Dem can''t shake her off?''

    Dem helped me take a bath. Unlike other days, he did not step into the bathtub as well, which was very unlike his personality.

    "I can''t do that today, even though I want to. There is not much time in hand. Besides, your body doesn''t look that good. You must be tired fromst night."

    "Since when have you be so considerate, Dem?" I chuckled.

    "You have a weak body. You have gotten better just a few days ago. I can''t push the limit of your body much," he said.

    "Ah, I see��"

    After the bath, he wiped my body and put a robe on me. "You get ready too. I will call the maids now."

    "Alright," he said and kissed my forehead. "I love you, only you. Always remember that."

    After Dem left, I called the maids and told them to get me ready. This time, I went to look for my dress.

    Dem mentioned we might need to stay a day or two there since it involved much more work than it needed to get the agreement of Mazazine. I also told the maids to pack the dresses I chose. Usually, the maids were the ones who chose what I would wear, since I was toozy to do so every single day. But this time, I needed to choose the best dresses I had.

    "Aren''t these the fanciest dresses I have?" I asked.

    "All of Your Highness''s dresses are special, but these ones are extra special. They are made using rare and very expensive materials, after all," one of the maids said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Pack the best essories I have. Three of you will being with me," I said. "After this, pack your clothes too. We might need to stay one or two days, keep that in mind."

    "We will be going too?"

    "I always wanted to visit another kingdom, but I never could. I was jealous of Lady Ruby. She got to experience a lot of things."

    "Yeah, we even joined to work together."

    "Don''t talk too much. Rather than that, make sure I look beautiful," I said, interrupting them. If the talk about Ruby continued, they would start badmouthing her in a moment. Though they did not do so in my presence, they still gave hints.

    "Your Highness always looks beautiful, especially Your Highness''s eyes."

    "Not just my eyes�� I want to look beautiful in general," I said.

    "Have Your Highness and His Highness fight?"

    "How can that happen? Even this morning, His Highness��"

    "I don''t need a reason to want to look beautiful, right?" I asked.

    "No, we don''t mean that, Your Highness."

    "Actually, Your Highness always looks beautiful. It is not just your eyes. Everyone says that Your Highness is one of the most beautiful women they have ever seen."

    "Really?"

    "Yes! Your Highness is more slender than normal standard, but your body is still very beautiful. The chest size is perfect, the waist is very small and the hips are perfect. Your Highness has beautiful lips which are neither thin nor plump. Your hair has a perfect shade of ck and brown. Your nose is small, but not too small.

    Your eyes are the most perfect thing ever; they are sharp and baby blue. Even Your Highness''s hands are soft. Overall, Your Highness is a very beautiful and precious woman who anyone has to fall in love with."

    ''My god, what are you even saying? Though I know they are not truepletely, I still am getting embarrassed.''

    "That''s enough. Now get me ready quickly," I said.

    It took me quite a long time to get ready. It was a usual thing now. Getting ready within five minutes like before felt very strange and impossible now.

    The main pce always had many peoplee and go. That was the reason, I needed to dress up as the Queen almost all the time. Sometimes, it was suffocating. The only ce I wear whatever I wanted was our bedroom.

    Even so, sometimes, I did not care about anything and just wore whatever I wanted when I went out of our bedroom. People in the pce did not care, or perhaps they did, but could not say so.

    Dem came to our bedroom when they were applying the finishing touch on my face. He seemed startled, then quickly fixed hisposure.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked.

    "The dress�� is different than usual," he muttered.

    "Yes, I chose it for today," I said. "Does it look bad?"

    "No, of course not! It''s just��"

    It was alright. That kind of reaction was expected. After all, this dress was truly different from my usual style.

    Finally, it was time to depart. It would be the first time I would meet her face to face and the second time I would face someone who liked my husband. I did not know what to expect; would she be like the other woman who liked Dem? In that case, the kingdom would surely see a downfall.

    But I had a feeling that she was not that kind of person. Her expression in the portraits showed a powerful woman. Though I did not like her, I could not deny that she looked like a goddess.

 Chapter 347 [Bonus Chapter] Queen Laetitia

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)N?v(el)B\\jnn

    I used to design dresses for my wife at first because she did not know the way women dressed here. Even when I told her she could wear whatever she wanted, she still wanted me to do it.

    After she got used to living here, she took it upon herself and chose what she would wear. I never cared what she wore since she always looked so beautiful; I just wanted her to be satisfied.

    She always was slightly ufortable wearing too revealing dresses. She wore them on asions, but usually, wore something that was not too revealing.

    But today, the dress she wore revealed her chest quite a lot. Needless to say, she looked dashing in it. I liked it, but I was surprised; she always refused to wear this dress saying it was too revealing. I had gifted her it a long time, but she never wore it.

    What happened today?

    My mage went with us and teleported us to Lacuna. We teleported to the main pce''s one of the drawing rooms. I had sent an emergency letter to the Queen using a mage and she agreed that today, we would meet. I had a feeling that my wife would want toe with me, so I mentioned her in the letter as well.

    "We greet His and Her Highness, the King and the Queen of Querencia. Her Highness, the Queen will be here shortly. Kindly take some rest," the head maid said, bowing.

    The maids who came with Blue were shown their rooms first. They woulde back after cing their bags in their rooms to serve Blue. I helped her sit on the couch while I sat down beside her.

    "The decoration is rather different. It''s a mixture of Egyptian, Indian, and some more," she muttered.

    "What are those?"

    "Egypt and India are two countries in my world. The culture is different in almost every single country. Lacuna is like a mixture of those two countries, at least, the clothing style and the facial structure of the people here. Most people have brown skin here, kind of like Indians. I have never been to India, but I have always wanted to. I heard their spices are amazing."

    "Lacuna is famous for spices too. Perhaps you can have what you wanted here," I said.

    "Yeah, I guess so."

    The door burst open in a while and the Queen of Lacuna entered. "My apologies for the dy, King and Queen of Querencia," she said. "And greetings, King and Queen of Querencia. Hope you are doing well."

    I did not like her voice; it was too loud and hurt my ears. "Greetings, Queen of Lacuna," Blue said. "Yes, we are well. How have you been?"

    "I am well too," she beamed. "Serve the King and the Queen of Querencia our special tea."

    "Ah, the Queen of Lacuna might be talking about the tea leaves that are harvested only in Lacuna," Blue said. "I have always wanted to taste that."

    "Yes, I am talking about that. It is one of our greatest points of pride."

    ''The tea leaves are indeed very famous. It is also very costly because of the extra time it takes to harvest. The tea leaves also require care all the time, or they don''t grow properly.''

    ''I have seen her before too at the banquet. But the Queen looks a bit different. She looks more confident now. And the King looks as handsome as ever, though I am not fond of him as much as before. I still like him though,'' Queen Laetitia thought.

    I did not care whether she liked me or not. I had met countless women who liked me for me although they knew nothing about me. They were afraid to tell me, but their thoughts never stopped. At first, it felt like a burden. But after some time, it did not matter anymore. I simply did not care.

    The only person I cared about had her thoughts hidden with the help of the ne.

    "The King of Querencia is as silent as always. Is it too ufortable to join the conversation?" Queen Laetitia asked.

    "It is not the time for the meeting yet, is it?" I said.

    "Haa, as cold as always it seems," she sighed. "The Queen of Querencia is rather different in that aspect."

    My wife narrowed her eyes and nced between us. I never saw that look on her face. It was not surprise, nor shock; it was a mixture of annoyance, anger, and confusion.

    However, she looked pretty cute.

    "I believe the King and the Queen should take a rest for a while. Then, we will discuss the timing of the meeting during lunch," Queen Laetitia said.

    "That will be great," Blue said. "And thank you for the tea. It was amazing."

    "I am d the Queen likes it," she smiled. "Show the King and the Queen of Querencia where they will be staying. Just as the King mentioned in the letter, the King and the Queen will be staying in the same ce."

    "Thank you," I said.

    My wife did not say anything until we reached the room where we would be staying. We were given a separate pce.

    As soon as we entered the room, she started to look around anxiously. "Where are the windows?" she asked.

    "What''s wrong?" I asked worriedly.

    "It''s so hot�� Why is it so hot?"

    "This dress is supposed to cool down or heat up ording to the temperature. Is something wrong with it?" I muttered. Stay updated with empire

    Her maids hurried and opened the remaining windows. "I don''t know what''s wrong with it�� But it''s just too hot. Get me out of this dress."

    Her maids took her dress off quickly. If I had seen how she put it on, I could take it off.

    ''Why is His Highness still in the room? And why is Her Highness taking her dress off when His Highness is present?''

    In a Royal family, husband and wife were not close enough to change their clothes in each other''s presence. Sleeping together was more a business than love. Even if they slept together, they remained more like business partners.  It was a rare sight if a husband and wife even talked to each other normally.

    So, it was expected that others would get surprised to see our rtionship. Some people envied us as well.

    The people in the pce got used to our rtionship and most of them liked it as well. At first, they were very surprised and their reactions were the same as the reactions the maids of Lacuna had.

    "Haa, I feel so much better," she sighed in relief andfort as she was wearing her undergarments only.

    Her undergarments were different than other nobledies as well. She designed them based on those she used to wear in her world. They were very short and ording to her, they were much morefortable.

    "Do you want to take a bath?" I asked.

    "Hmm�� I am not that sweaty, but I don''t feel good. I will," she said and looked at the maids. "You all can go now. We don''t need anyone to assist us now."

    "Yes, Your Highness. Please call us if you need anything."

    After the maids left, she started looking at me up and down. I had a hard time understanding her behavior. She was acting strangely for a while now.

    "Do you like to observe your husband that much?"

    "Just seeing how good you and she suit each other," she mumbled.

    "�� Is this how you feel when I am overly jealous?"

    "In the portrait, she was very beautiful. I thought she looked like a goddess," she said, ignoring me. "And now that I have seen her in person properly, I think the portrait did not justify her looks properly. She is much more beautiful than I thought. A goddess would be an understatement. Did you see her eyes?

    Some people say mismatched eyes are ugly, but she looks just amazing. I think her eyes make her look even more beautiful. Her hair is very thick, glossy, and ck. They shine amazingly. She has healthy hair, unlike mine. My hair is very thin if Ipare it to hers.

    Her skin is beautiful and spotless too."

    "Your skin is spotless too," I said. "And you are much more beautiful than her. Don''tpare when it''s not even needed."

    "I am not saying I don''t like myself. I am rather satisfied with myself. But is my beauty enough for you?"

    "If I say yes, will you stop worrying about such nonsense?"

    "Yeah��," she smiled.

    "Why are you smiling now?"

    "In relief," she grinned. "Now I am sure that my husband only has eyes for me. You barely looked at her and even when you did, it felt very natural like you were looking at another person; it was very different than the way you look at me."

 Chapter 348 Queen Laetitia (2)

    (From Laetitia''s Perspective)

    I had be the Queen at the age of twenty-four after my brother''s death. My age was very close to the King of Querencia who was just a few months older than me. So, since my childhood, I liked him. My liking towards him was based on the fact that he was more handsome than anyone I had ever seen.

    But it was not just him that I liked. I just liked handsome men in general; perhaps I liked him more than other men, so I proposed to him. I knew I was being forceful, yet I did that. It was very embarrassing to remember, so if I could forget that part of my life, I would.

    It must be because I was too young that I made that kind of choice.

    I had seen the Queen of Querencia from afar at the banquet. I could not bring myself to go and greet her because I was jealous, seeing King Demetrius smiling at her and treating her as if she was something very precious to him.

    Even after all those years, I could not stop liking him; it was definitely less than before.

    When I saw Queen Blue today, I found her rather bold. She surely was not very confident, but she was pretending to be. She was doing a good job. I could not be able to realize it if I had not seen someone being at that point in life. My mother was just like her. Shecked confidence, but she tried to look very bold.

    She confessed that she could not do it properly at first, but she improved eventually.

    Other than being bold, she was very adorable as well, especially with the way she ate. I almostughed when I saw her eating the cookies. It took her more than six bites to eat a single cookie. King Demetrius was observing her with a grin when she was eating as well. I could not me him since I was doing the same.

    Her fashion sense was amazing too. I liked the dress she was wearing. It was surely very ufortable, but stylish. Even the dress she wore at lunch was a style that I had never seen before, but it looked very beautiful.

    I wanted to get to know her more, so I invited her to have tea with me in the afternoon. I thought she would not agree even if it was disrespectful since she was King Demetrius''s wife and he was someone who did not care about manners much.

    But miraculously, she agreed.

    "Good evening, Queen of Querencia."

    "Good evening, Queen of Lacuna."

    She was wearing a ck dress with a very revealing chest line. Her breasts were not too big, but the dress made them look bigger than their actual size. The dress was very fitting which matched her very well. She was too slender for her age; no wonder King Demetrius was pestering her to eat more.

    "May I call you Queen Blue, since calling you ''Queen of Querencia'' all the time is a bit ufortable. The Queen can do the same for me," I suggested.

    "�� Yes, certainly," she nodded.

    "Please take a seat," I said. "My apologies for inviting you to a ce that is rather far from the side pce. But I wanted to show it to Queen Blue."

    "That is alright," she said. "And the garden is truly beautiful."

    "Pour us tea," I told the maids and then looked at her again. I noticed that she was wearing a minimal amount of golden eye shadow. "I am d Queen Blue likes it. My mother created this beautiful garden. I don''t understand the beauty of these things much, but my mother had an eye for flowers."

    "The previous Queen surely did an amazing job decorating the garden," she said and took a cookie.

    I watched as she took very tiny bites and chewed as if she had too much food in her mouth.

    ''How cute!''

    Actually, at the age of twenty, I realized another thing; I was attracted to both men and women. That was the reason I had both men and women in my harem though not everyone knew about it.

    If I got the chance, I would like to spend a night with her. It was nothing unusual. Royals from different kingdoms did that if they both gave consent. I also wanted to see what it was like to sleep with a human.

    Humans were weaker than werewolves. It was always more fun to dominate the weak ones in the bedroom. I envied King Demetrius because he experienced that.

    My spies reported that the King and the Queen of Querencia spent every night in the same room. It meant they slept together almost every single night. It was impossible for a married man and woman to stay in the same room at night and not do anything.

    I did not find many women who had an interest in women, so only two women were part of my harem. Queen Blue did not seem like she was interested in women. I still wanted to ask her, but I could not just ask a Queen that.

    "The Queen''s dress is very beautiful. It is made of rare gemstones and fabrics," I said. "May I ask if the Queen''s personal tailor designed it?"

    "The design is mine, but my tailor made it," she replied.

    Usually, noble women liked to brag when someoneplimented their looks. But she was more surprised than anything else. Was her behavior different because she was a human?

    ''Wait, is she like this with me because she thinks I hate her? She surely heard that I liked her husband. It''s possible that she thinks I hate her because she is the person''s wife who I liked.''

    Stay tuned with empire

    "Queen Blue, have you ever thought of having a harem?" I asked.

    "No. My husband and I swore to be faithful to each other and have no other lover ever," she replied. "But I wonder why everyone keeps asking me the same thing."

    "That is because it is normal for Kings and Queens to have harems on their own," I said. "Perhaps you are saying it now because you have never seen the advantages of having a harem. One person is just never enough."

    "It might be the case for Queen Laetitia. But for me, one person is more than enough. More than one person seems very chaotic to me which I do not prefer," she smiled slightly.

    "It must be because Queen Blue is a human. I heard human rules are very different than werewolves."

    "They are, but not all of them. Some humans also like polygamous rtionships. But I personally do not want to involve myself with more than just one man."

    "Then, in the human world, it is possible to like both men and women at the same time?" I asked excitedly.

    "The Queen means bisexual?"

    "Is that the term used for those people?"

    "Yes," she nodded. "Bisexual people are not attracted to a particr gender; they like both men and women."

    "Oh my, is that so?"

    "Yes, that is right."

    "Is it weird?"

    "No�� Why would it be weird?"

    ''Thank god, she doesn''t think it''s weird.''

    "I see�� I also do not find it weird. Most people do, so I wondered if the Queen thought that way too," I said.

    "Of course not. It is not my ce to judge someone based on their preference," she said. "I do not think I ever thought of it as anything abnormal. I just was always too busy to care about what I wanted to even think about these kinds of things."

    After finishing our tea, we took a walk together in the garden. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but could not.

    In the end, she did not ask me anything. Perhaps it was about her husband, King Demetrius. I also wanted to clear up the misunderstanding that I still liked her husband. I did like him, but it was not to the point of hating her for being his wife. But I could not find the right time to tell her that.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    She seemed to be a very good and innocent person. Rather than hating her, I kind of pitied her for being King Demetrius''s wife now. There was a time when I was jealous of her, but I could never hate her. Was it because she made adorable expressions frequently?

    ''Ugh, I could not tell her that! When am I even going to mention it?''

    The meeting was going to take ce in the evening. There was no way I could mention something like that in the meeting.

    I was worried about the meeting too. I knew the subject of the meeting since it was obvious. King Demetrius also mentioned that he had an agreement deal with my brother.

 Chapter 349 How Much Did You Drink?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Queen Laetitia did not act the way I thought she would. She seemed like the person I imagined her to be after seeing her portrait. Then why did she act that way years back? Was it because she was young that she could not understand?

    Then was I worried for nothing?

    Though it seemed she still liked my husband, it was not as much as I thought it to be. It was eptable.

    Her behavior was okay too. I thought she would try to take me down, so I went prepared. But she did not try anything like that.

    I could realize now how jealous I had been acting. Dem probably was making fun of me in his mind.

    "What did I do? Why are you looking at me that day?" he asked as we were ying chess, sitting on the bed.

    The meeting was an hour away, so we decided to spend the time ying chess. There was a chess set in our room; I got the idea, noticing it.

    "Nothing," I mumbled.

    "You are pouting. I did something wrong?"

    "No, it''s nothing," I said.

    He stared at me suspiciously for a while, then sighed. "If you say so," he muttered. "That said, did she tell you anything bad?"

    "No, she did not. Rather, the Queen was very well mannered," I said. "I thought�� she still likes you and would try to take me down."

    "So, you know that she doesn''t like me anymore?"

    "You should know it better than me. You can read her mind."

    "That''s true. In her mind, she said she doesn''t like me as much as before," he said. "And she thinks you are cute."

    "�� Cute?"

    "Yeah, and her reasoning is eptable too because I find those parts about you cute too," he said.

    "Me and cute?" I mumbled.

    ''She finds me cute? But from what point? I never thought I am the cute type��''

    I grabbed a mirror and tried to see from what side she found me cute. No matter how much I thought, I never thought I did something that could be considered cute. If I was cute, I would have used that side of me to gain a few things.

    "You think I am cute too?" I asked, cupping my face and looking at him.

    "�� Geez��"

    He covered his face slightly and looked away. His right ear was red. Was he blushing? Was it not him who was the real cute one?

    "You are the cute one, Dem! But why are you blushing? Am I really cute?" I eximed.

    "Did you think I was lying all the time?"

    "I thought you said that to make me happy."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "�� Why would you think about something like that?" he muttered. He still could not calm downpletely. "Darling, you are too unaware of your own looks. Every one around can see it, but you can''t."

    "Wow, so I am the cute type?"

    "You are always cute and beautiful and many more things. Only you don''t know that."

    It was enough if Dem found me cute. I did not particrly dislike my looks; I just never considered myself cute or beautiful. But if my husband found me beautiful, it was fine, even if I was not in reality.

    "Check."

    "Ugh, you won again! Do I suck?" I grumbled.

    "You did not y that bad," he said. "You attack more and care less about defense. That''s why you lost."

    "Luc beat me too," I sulked.

    "I never could win against him either," he said. "That guy is obsessed with chess."

    We chatted until it was time for the meeting. I got ready quickly without the help of the maids. It was a long time ago when I dressed up by myself. It felt good to do so after a long time.

    We were escorted to the conference room by two knights. We found other members present aside from the Queen. She arrived just momentster.

    Dem showed the agreement paper that he made and imed that it was a deal between him and the former King of Lacuna. He brought some proofs as well. Some members suspected that it was fake. So, Dem told them to show proof to support their im which they could not do.

    I did all the talking about the disadvantages of the war. It was my first time joining an international meeting, but my nervousness faded away when I saw Dem talking confidently. I was also trying to make it look like I was better than Queen Laetitia; that tendency did not go away. It made me gain confidence as well.

    Queen Laetitia was against the idea to stop the war, but she had to give in because of the agreement that was made between the King of Lacuna and the King of Querencia.

    The meetingsted three good hours. I drank wine a bit during the meeting. It made my head feel slightly lighter.

    After the meeting, we joined Queen Laetitia for dinner. We were served traditional food made with various spices. The smell was different too.

    "These are our famous traditional dishes. Hope the King and the Queen will enjoy them," Queen Laetitia said.

    "Are these spicy?" I asked.

    Enjoy more content from empire

    Both she and Dem looked surprised, but for different reasons. She was surprised because of my sudden natural tone without using any formalities.

    "How much did you drink?" Dem asked, touching the side of my face and making me look at him. "I should have been careful. Just when I looked away for a bit, you got yourself drunk."

    "I drank tiny bit during the meeting," I said, showing him the measurement of how much I drank with my index and thumb.

    "But I told you not to drink," he said.

    "I am an adult!"

    "Yes, the Queen of Querencia is indeed an adult. Is it not okay for adults to drink?" Queen Laetitia said and I nodded in support.

    "My wife cannot handle alcohol, as the Queen can see," Dem said. "She gets headaches in the morning, even if she drinks very little."

    "I am not that weak!" I defended myself.

    "I haven''t said anything about you being weak, honey. You just��"

    "As I was asking, is the food spicy?" I asked Queen Laetitia, cutting Dem off. He had started to nag again.

    "Yes, the food is spicy. If it is not spicy, it is no food to us," she gave a nod.

    "Oh my!"

    "Does the Queen of Querencia like spicy food?" she chuckled and asked.

    "Yep! I like them a lot! But we don''t have much spicy food back in Querencia. If I want to eat something spicy, I need to ask our cook to make it for me separately because Dem cannot eat spicy food. He likes sweet things."

    "Oh my, really?" she eximed, cing her palm on her mouth. "The King of Querencia has a sweet side of him, it seems."

    "Yeah, he does. But the Queen of Lacuna must not fall for him as he is already my beloved husband. He is mine," I said.

    "Pfft!" Dem choked on his food and started coughing.

    "There, there, darling. Are you okay?" I asked as I patted his back.

    "The Queen of Querencia truly seems to be drunk," Queen Laetitia said. "But I think I should clear the misunderstanding anyway. Yes, I used to like the King of Querencia and went all the way to the Imperial Pce in Querencia as well. My actions were not something a Princess should have done and I deeply regret them.

    But I do not like the King of Querencia that way anymore and there is no way I would go for a man who has a wife; I might be reckless, but I have manners. Yes, I would go for someone who has a partner only if that person and their partner agree. So, the Queen can rest assured that I will not go for the King of Demetrius. That said, I would not mind spending a night with the Queen of Querencia."

    "Eh��?"

    "That is enough joking, Queen of Lacuna," Dem said sternly. "I do not agree to it."

    "What about the Queen of Querencia? I wanted to ask what you think during our tea time, but I did not get the chance. Now, let me hear your answer," she said.

    "Does Queen of Lacuna like me? Romantically?" I asked.

    "I will not say I like the Queen of Querencia romantically. I am just curious as to what it feels like to sleep with a different species," she said. "I do not mean any disrespect; it is just curiosity."

    "That''s enough!" Dem yelled.

    "Calm down, Dem," I said, touching his arm. "Actually, I have a husband who I love very much. I do not wish to get involved with another person romantically or sexually. Hope this answers the Queen''s question."

    "I see. Very well then," she smiled. "It seems I have been rejected by both the husband and the wife."

 Chapter 350 Embarrassment

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    "Hmm��"

    She had been hugging me tightly and would not let me go from the moment we returned to our bedroom. Tomorrow, we would go back to Querencia.

    I slept with her in a sitting position, leaning against the bed frame since she was on myp and would not go down. I tried a bit, then did not try anymore since I did not mind if she slept that way.

    It was not our bedroom, so I had a hard time trying to sleep. In the end, I gave up after trying a few times. My wife, on the other hand, had been sleeping peacefully. It must be because she was drunk.

    I yed with her hair, twirling a strand around my finger. I stared at her sleeping face as if captured. How could someone be so attractive, beautiful, and adorable? It was no surprise that a lot of people fell for her. Only she did not know what a beauty she was.

    The thought of locking her up was a lot less now. Was it because she was in front of me almost all the time? Or was I getting better? I did not know the answer. Sometimes I was a mystery to even myself.

    "Huh��"

    She moved a bit in her sleep and hugged me tighter. It was mostly I who hugged her when she slept and did not let go until morning. But when she was drunk, it was her who clung to me.

    Because of her drunken state, she behaved, unlike her usual self during dinner. I did not notice when she was drinking during the meeting. I should make sure to keep my eyes on her all the time.

    Just like she always did, she started to act bolder than before after drinking. She even told Queen Laetitia directly to not fall for her husband. That was the best part of tonight.

    Hearing Queen Laetitia and reading her mind, I came to the conclusion that she was interested in my wife sexually only, not romantically. Either way, I would never allow her to get close to my darling wife.

    I had known before too, that she liked both men and women. It was at the banquet in Ataraxia when I found out about it after reading her mind. That was perhaps the second time I met her. The information was too insignificant to remember.

    ''Like, how is that any of my business who she likes or not? If I had enough leisure to care about things like that, I would rather read some books about extraordinary things to gift my wife.''

    Since we promised to have breakfast with Queen Laetitia, we would leave after that. I could already imagine my wife''s face when she would remember what she had done the previous night.

    Around six in the morning, she started moving again. I could not sleep because of the strange ce anyway. I could just close my eyes for a while and count the sound of the clock.

    "Hmm�� Dem��?"

    I smiled. She always had the habit to call my name right after waking up slightly in the morning if she had drunk the previous night.

    "Are you up, darling?"

    "Mmm�� Where��?"

    "It seems your head is not working properly, hm?" I chuckled. "We are at a side pce in Lacuna. We havee here to get Lacuna''s agreement. Your head also hurts, doesn''t it?"

    "Yeah�� It hurts��"

    "That''s why I tell you not to drink, but you never listen to me. I would not have a problem if you drank, but you get headaches every time you drink," I said. "And when I tell you to drink warm milk in the morning, you don''t do that as well." Experience tales at empire

    "�� I will drink lemon juice instead. Milk in the morning makes me want to vomit. I don''t like milk anyway. There is this odd smell��," she pouted, squinting her nose.

    "I will make it for you," I said.

    "Okay��"

    She did not argue, perhaps she did not have the energy to do so. After all, it was still six in the morning.

    "Want to take a bath in the meantime? That will freshen you up," I asked.

    "Hmm�� Carry me��"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I would do so even if you did not tell me," I said.

    I carried her to the bathroom. Rather than a bathtub, there was a small pool there. I sat her down on one of the stairs and sshed some water on her face.

    *cough*

    "Ah, I am sorry��," I said and patted on her back until she calmed down. "Morning, darling. Are you up now?"

    "Dem��?"

    ''Pfft! Again?''

    "Why am I here��?"

    "You are taking a bath. That said, let me get the nightgown off you. I forgot to do so," I said.

    She raised her arms and I took the nightgown off her. She did not like to wear anything underneath the nightgown, so I had taken her undergarments offst night before changing her into the nightgown.

    "Do you remember how drunk you werest night? And you said you drank a little."

    "I did. I only drank half a ss," she said.

    "The wine is rather strong here. That must be why. I almost got a bit drunk too," I said.

    ''I need to have special wines delivered to the pce from Lacuna. They have strong vors.''

    "Oh, really?" she eximed excitedly.

    "Not entirely, just a feeling of lightheadedness. Don''t get so excited."

    "Is that so?" she sulked. "I wanted to see you drunk��"

    "Perhaps I will drink very strong wine a lot one day," I said.

    "No, that won''t do. Drinking too much is not good for health."

    "But it will be just for one day?"

    "Hmm�� A lot of people do so�� But�� I don''t know. Let''s think about itter," she said, shrugging.

    "Alright, now that you are awake, I can leave you here for a bit. Wash yourself. I will make lemon juice for you."

    "You will?"

    "I can do it."

    "Really? I didn''t know that��"

    "Darling, I am the one who made lemon juice for youst time you were drunk."

    "Oh my, is that so? I didn''t even know��"

    "That''s because your mind is not the brightest in the morning," I said. "Just sit here, I will make it for you quickly."

    I did not get parental love in my childhood, but I surely got all the material luxury anyone could think of. Getting luxury was surely enjoyable. I did not realize the disadvantages before, or just did not care about them.

    But when I started doing little things for my wife, I started to realize how much Icked when it came to doing normal things like folding clothes, making juice, giving someone a bath, and so on. I asked the servants to teach me those things, including various hairstyles so I could tie my darling wife''s hair; I liked to touch her hair too much.

    It took me a while to learn how to make lemon juice. I took the help of a book and made it two times before getting it perfect on the third try.

    Some maids thought it was embarrassing that I was bold enough to ask to learn those simple things. But I did not understand why they thought that way. The things that were normal to learn for them were not normal for me and the things that were normal for me to learn were not normal for them. It was the way the world worked.

    I still could not wash my clothes. I had never tried that. At first, Blue tried to wash her own clothes until I stopped her and asked the maids to do so. I was not sure if I needed to learn that. If I needed, my wife could teach me.

    I made lemon juice for both of us and brought it to her in the bath. I also got in the bath after undressing.

    She looked flushed and kept sighing repeatedly. She even pped her forehead a few times. I did not have to ask to know what was going on.

    "Why didn''t you stop me?" she asked.

    "How could I do that? It''s not possible to stop someone from talking even before you started eating," I said. "Was I supposed to gag you? I couldn''t even bring you back since you hadn''t eaten anything."

    "Ugh, so embarrassing! I want to dig my grave and lie down," she said.

    "Not happening."

    "Just kidding. I am not dying�� But really, why did I even think of drinking? I thought if I drank half a ss, I would not get drunk. I used to drink half a ss back in our pce, but I did not get drunk like that. My god�� I am so embarrassed��"

 Chapter 351 Apologize

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "I apologize deeply for behaving that way, Queen of Lacuna. That was embarrassing," I apologized at the breakfast table.

    "Ahaha, it is nothing," sheughed it off. "It can happen if someone is drunk. It seems Queen of Querencia is not good with alcohol at all."

    "It is very embarrassing," I muttered. "I did not know the wine was that strong."

    "The wine here is indeed made very strong. The people of Lacuna have great alcohol tolerance after all. Normal wines are like vored water to us."

    "Queen of Lacuna should make sure to handle the side of our deal," Dem said.

    "What deal?" I asked.

    "Yes, yes, of course," she replied, nodding.

    "I asked for wine to be delivered to our pce in Querencia," he replied nonchntly, cutting his sausage.

    ''You literally used a fake agreement paper and tricked Queen Laetitia. Now, you even want wine delivered to our pce? I don''t know if it''s because I am not used to it, but I am feeling very guilty. Moreover, she is not too bad of a person.''

    I stared at him in disbelief, then averted my gaze quickly in case Queen Laetitia suspected something. I still could not get over how I behavedst night. That was way too embarrassing.

    Dem told me this morning that Queen Laetitia was bisexual. I had suspected so anyway. Last night, it was just confirmed.

    He told me he knew since the banquet in Ataraxia. But he never cared. It was so much like him, so I did not even get surprised.

    "Last night, Queen of Querencia was drunk, so perhaps you do not remember everything, do you?"

    "No, I do," I replied. "My answer will remain the same, Queen of Lacuna."

    "Oh my, Queen of Querencia seemed to have read my mind," she chuckled. "I see then. In case the Queen of Querencia ever changes her mind, please let me know. I will be waiting."

    "It won''t change!" Dem said sternly. "She prefers men and more than that, she prefers me only. Right, darling?"

    "Yes," I nodded in affirmation. "I wish to be with my husband only forever."

    Dem looked rather satisfied as I refused more than once and kept saying that I wanted to be with him only. This morning, he went wild in the bath and it was surely because he did not like the fact that Queen Laetitia was interested in me sexually. We were stopped only after one time since the maids came to invite us for breakfast.

    Queen Laetitia gifted me a traditional ne and a nose essory. I did not have my nose pierced, so I never wore any nose essories. So, I was not sure if I would ever be able to wear it.

    "I know that. That''s why I have prepared a special nose essory. It doesn''t require the person''s nose to be pierced," she said. "Most women don''t have their nose pierced outside Lacuna, after all."

    "I see. Thank you very much for the gifts," I said.

    Your next journey awaits at empire

    "I thank you for the gifts as well," she said.

    I had gifted her a hair essory and rare tea leaves which were found in the Imperial garden of Querencia only. The soil was very special for it and it required too much care. The weather of Querencia was perfect for it to grow, but even so, not much could be grown. So, it was a rare item that only the Royal family of Querencia could enjoy.

    Dem did not like tea much but drank with me. Before, it was only Dem''s mother who enjoyed it. Now, it was me.

    Dem also gifted Queen Laetitia. It was customary to gift the King and the Queen of a kingdom of the King and the Queen of another kingdom visited them. We did not gift her as a couple, but rather as the King and the Queen, just as we were supposed to. So, our gifts were different. Dem gifted her a rare breed of birds; it was my suggestion after I heard that she liked birds.

    Dem was not good at gifting others, so he asked for my opinion.

    The bird had ck and golden feathers, which represented our kingdom and it had mismatched eyes, just like Queen Laetitia. These birds were not that clever, but they could sing. I personally did not like the sound, but most people liked them.

    Regardless to say, Dem did not like it as well since he hated noisy things. But Queen Laetitia liked it. She was a bird lover and had a vast collection of birds.

    Queen Laetitia gifted two bottles of the best wine in whole Lacuna. It was made in the Imperial Pce of Lacuna and was rare since it took longer than normal wines to make. Dem deeply appreciated the gift.

    "Do you still need more wine delivered?" I whispered to him when we were getting ready to teleport back to Querencia.

    "Yes, I need every single type of wine," he said.

    "�� You don''t even drink much."

    "But��"

    "Yes, yes, I know. If I am going to drink, even just once, I would rather have the best wine," I said. "Isn''t this what you are going to say?"

    He grinned.

    "My offer is valid, Queen of Querencia. I will wait in case you change your mind," she said just as the light of teleportation flushed, blinding my vision. It was blue, just like thest time.

    "Why is she so fixated on that?" Dem grumbled just when we reached his office in our pce in Querencia. "Are you okay?"

    I panted and tried to breathe properly counting in my head. I would feel dizzy and there would be a shortage of breath whenever I teleported somewhere. Luc said it would get better when I would be able to teleport by myself.

    "Just give me a sec��"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    He quickly poured me a ss of water and helped me drink it by pressing it against my lips. It took a while to calm down properly. Dem''s mage helped a bit too by sharing some mana. If a mage shared some mana with a werewolf, it would help them rx a bit. It would disappear quite soon from the werewolf''s body. It could be used when someone was having a panic attack or something simr.

    It helped more when a mage shared some mana with another mage. It helped a mage more and sometimes could keep a dying mage alive for a while. The more mana shared between mages in an emergency, the better.

    But if shared too much, it would risk the first mage''s life.

    "Have you calmed down yet?" he asked.

    "Yeah�� It always gives me a bad feeling. How are you so alright?"

    He did not answer, just gave me a smirk. I chuckled. "Thank you, uncle mage. You worked hard," I said.

    Dem''s mage gave me a smile and nodded. He was not a man of many words and he was also one of the few old people who worked for the Imperial Pce. He liked it when people younger than him called him uncle. I found out about it and asked if I could do the same. Since then, I called him ''uncle mage''.

    "This was nothing. Please call me any time you need something," he said.

    "You can go now, Garrot," Dem said. "Do the work I left for you."

    "Yes, Your Highness," Garrot nodded.

    ''Aren''t you gonna give him at least five minutes to rest? He just used teleportation. It takes a lot of mana and energy to do so. His mage doesn''t seem to have any problem either. Considering this, my employees are living in heaven.''

    We returned to the bedroom and I changed into one of Dem''s shirts and wore baggy trousers. Those types of trousers were not worn by either males or females. I gave the descriptions to my tailor and she got ten pairs made of different styles. She made them just the way I imagined them to be.

    I went to my office to work. No one cared anymore about what I wore which was a matter of relief. I could wear whatever I wanted.

    I finished my work as early as possible by working too quickly. Calix made me tea twice and made me drink water four times. Perita could not guard me because she was sick. She had caught the fever, so Calix was to guard me all the time.

    I wished she would get better as soon as possible. I sent her flowers and her favorite sweets as well as told the assistant cook to make her favorite dishes.

    She was hugely favored by me. After all, she was my personal knight. It was obvious that she would be treated more specia than other knights.

    "Finished, finally!"

    "Why are you in a hurry today, Your Highness? Shouldn''t you take it easy? After all, you havee back just now."

    "You don''t know, Calix," I smiled. "It''s magic time!"

 Chapter 352 Azure

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Is Your Highness going to practice magic now?" Calix eximed.

    "Yeah," I nodded. "Do you want to see it?"

    "If Your Highness lets me, then yes."

    "Let''s go to the library. That''s the perfect ce," I said.

    Calix carried the books for me and let me carry only a pen and my notebook. He was very strong, so I did not object. Perita was also very strong, though she was so little. Even Ruby, who looked so tiny, was rather strong.

    Calix checked if there was any other person in the room. Not everyone knew I was a dark mage after all. So, it was very important to be careful to make sure that the word did not get out.

    I brought some savory snacks too in case I lost motivation. I started drinking tea more as my workload increased.

    In every single book about ck magic, it was stated that magic did not bind by any rules; it came from within. Magic entirely depended on the amount of mana and the mage''s desire.

    ''So, I need to want to do something��''

    I focused on the teacup in front of me. Calix also brought tea cups and a teapot above all the books.

    ''Move the cup and make it fly in the air,'' I thought.

    I squinted my eyes and tried to focus more. If I tried a few times, I should be able to do it. After all, I could use magic back in Lacuna of my own will.

    But nothing happened.

    Fifteen minutes passed and I kept staring at the teacup, trying desperately to make it move. Another fifteen minutes passed; still, nothing changed.

    "Your Highness, do not push yourself too hard. It is just the first try," Calix said as if trying to cheer me up.

    "Yes, that''s right, it''s the first try. Let''s try more."

    "That''s more like our Queen!"

    An hour passed. I could do nothing. I was not a patient person. So, for someone like me, it was enough to be discouraged.

    "Your Highness, perhaps you should take a rest," Calix suggested.

    "Haa, I could not show you magic at all��," I sighed as I pressed my forehead on the table.

    "Do not worry about me, Your Highness. I am Your Highness''s personal guard. I will always be one of the first people to see Your Highness''s magic when you will be able to use it properly. There is a lot of time left. So, please do not be discouraged. I know Your Highness can do it."

    "Alright, I will try more. You better go now, Calix. I want to be alone. Just stay outside the door since you need to guard me," I said. "Can''t believe a kid understands more than me��"

    "I am not a kid, Your Highness!"

    Right after Calix went out of the door and closed the door, I shook my head frustrated. Just at that time, the teacup went flying and crushed against the wall.

    "Huh��?"

    "Are you alright, Your Highness?" Calix asked, bursting the door open.

    "Yeah, just��"

    "What happened?"

    "Just go. I will tell youter," I said.

    Calix looked at the broken pieces of the teacup for a while, then left without a question. He knew that it was better not to question since the situation was not that natural.

    "Don''t be so impatient. You will learn how to control your power in no time anyway."

    "Who are you?" I asked.

    The voice did not answer, just chuckled. "You know who I am, don''t you?"

    "�� Are you my father?" I asked slowly.

    "Yes, I am your real father. Who else has the power to talk to you this way? Even very powerful mages can do that."

    "Then how can you do it?" I asked.

    "Isn''t it because I am even more powerful than those puny mages?"

    "What''s your name?"

    "My name�� It''s been a long time since someonest used my name. I don''t see why you need to know my name. You can call me ''father'' or ''dad''."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I have a dad."

    "Are you talking about that master of the magic tower''s father?"

    "Yes, Luc''s parents adopted me. You know it too, since you are stalking me."

    "Stalking is a bad word, my dear daughter. I prefer ''keeping an eye on my daughter who is so precious to me''."

    "The Marquis is my dad," I said, ignoring him. "And I had a father back in my world. I don''t want to call anyone else father or dad."

    "That''s so sad. But I cannot force you, can I? Then, you can call me Azure."

    "Azure? I thought it was a girl''s name."

    "It''s a unisex name."

    "I see. Then, Azure it is," I said.

    "Now, now, I see you were trying to do magic. But you see, you aren''t doing quite right."

    "��"

    "Are you going to say you don''t need me to tell you that?" he chuckled. "I am far more experienced than you. And trust me, no one can tell you how to properly use your magic better than me. After all, your magic is very different than not just norma mages, but also dark mages."

    "Why is that?"

    "Because your father is not ordinary."

    "�� Are you bragging?"

    "No, I am not. It is the truth."

    "Then, who are you?"

    "Don''t act so hasty, my daughter. You will find out when the timees."

    "Will the time evere?"

    "Of course. Just be patient, my daughter. There is nothing enough in the world for people like you and me."

    "What about my brother?"

    "Ah, you know about your brother?" he asked, surprised. "I guess I missed out on something. Yes, you do have a brother. You two were born at the same time. You are twenty-one minutes older than your twin brother."

    "My brother�� What is his name?"

    "Cyan," he replied. "If youe to me, you can meet your brother as well."

    "Is my brother''s power the same as mine?"

    "No," he shook his head. "Mages are rarely born as twins. There is always a difference in the amount of mana between twin mages, just like the case of you and Cyan; whereas your amount of mana is too much, his mana is too less. But there is a bnce between you two because you two have a mental connection with each other.

    It was formed by one of you or both of you unconsciously right after your birth."

    "I see��"

    "You are curious about many things, aren''t you?"

    "Isn''t it natural to be curious when my whole life was nned and I did not even know any of it?"

    "Yes, your birth was nned, but not your whole life. You are my daughter and I love and care for you, as well as your brother. Your future is in your hands. I am just showing you the right way."

    ''Right way? My foot!''

    I talked to him for hours before it was time for lunch. Dem could not have lunch with me, so I had mine in the library. He answered whatever I asked which was very surprising because he was behaving as if it did not matter what kind of question it was. It did not seem like he was lying either.

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    But somehow, I was scared.

    I did not like the type of people who said they meant everything well after making me think they tried to ruin my life. It was hard, no, impossible to trust them. He was that type of person.

    Should I tell Dem that I talked to him?

    ''Why am I even thinking twice? I promised to tell him everything.''

    For now, Azure had not mentioned Dem, and neither did I. I did not want to hear that he did not like Dem and wanted me to leave him, just like he had said before.

    I knew Dem sometimes could look like a threat, but he had not done anything to harm me. And he had not locked me up either. He just said that he wanted to and sometimes went overboard, but that was all, at least for now.

    Besides, I promised to help him get better by staying by his side. I would not go back on my word, no matter what.

    "Tomorrow,e to the library again. I will teach you how to properly use magic. Perhaps this father can gain your trust," he said.

    "�� I wille tomorrow," I said.

    It was time for dinner already. Calix reminded me of so since I had been busy talking to Azure and thinking about a lot of things. I did not even realize that much time had passed. "

    "Is there any progression?" Calix asked as he escorted me to the dining hall. He had all the books in his hands and he did not seem to struggle at all. Sometimes I envied werewolves'' strength.

    "�� You can say so."

 Chapter 353 Scared

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Dem was waiting for me in the dining hall. He smiled at me as soon as I entered and rose from his seat to take my hand. He pulled the chair for me and helped me sit down.

    I tried to return the smile as well. Our food was served and the maids left quickly. Calix went to the grand bedroom to put the books there. I carried them everywhere in case I wanted to read.

    "What''s wrong? Why do you look like that?" he asked worriedly.

    "Ah, I am sorry," I said.

    "Did something ur?"

    "It''s just�� He talked to me today."

    "He?" he asked, raising his brow at me. "�� Your biological father?"

    "Yeah��"

    "When?" he asked. His expression turned gloomy in a split second.

    "I was in the library. He did note in person obviously. But he talked to me. This time, he did not go away when I answered. I asked him a lot of things and he answered," I replied. "And he has been stalking me the whole time.

    He admitted to it as well."

    "What did you talk about? Did he hurt you? Ah, it doesn''t look like he did. Then, did he threaten you?"

    "Nothing that sorts. We just talked," I said, shaking my head.

    Dem, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table, stood up and came up to me with quick strides. He started touching my body without a word. His gaze was sharp and deep as he unbuttoned the shirt I was wearing and checked all over my front.

    "What�� what are you doing?"

    "Checking."

    "Checking what?"

    "�� Just making sure he did not hit you or something."

    "Why would he hit me�� there?"

    "When people hit, they don''t know where they are hitting someone. I was going to check everywhere; just checking the front first since it''s easy," he said.

    "Is that what you were thinking? No, he did not hit me," I said as he fixed the shirt again, giving me a kiss on the forehead as if he was relieved. Though I was not feeling that well because of the conversation I had with Azure, the sign still gave me butterflies. "Go back to your seat, at least. You�� What are you doing now?"

    He brought his te and sat on my right side instead, so it was easier to talk. "Now, continue."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "His name is Azure."

    "Azure? What kind of name is that?"

    "I thought it''s a girl''s name, at first. Anyway, his name is Azure. He said he is my father. From what I have learned from talking to him is that he is a very confident and tricky person."

    The only reason I could talk to Dem freely was the dark mage could not spy on me when he was with me. It was the case with all the Alphas.

    "He did not say anything about you, like he did before, which I think he did on purpose. He wants to gain my trust."

    "What more did he tell you?"

    "He also admitted that I have a twin brother. His name is Cyan. Cyan is twenty-one minutes younger than me. He said it is very rare for mages to be born as twins. Since our power is shared, there is a huge difference in the amount of mana in our bodies. I have too much mana, whereas he has too less.

    But we still have a bnce because we have a mental connection. That''s what we guessed when I saw through his eyes in the dream."

    "He also told me about my birth. He admitted that it was nned and bbered more that my life is mine and he is just showing me the right path. Anyway, that''s not what''s important. He said that he did not know Mother was married. He chose Mother because she was beautiful and he liked her looks," I continued. "He chose her for the experiment, I mean.

    After that, he found out that she was married. When we were born, my brother was taken away. It is hard to judge the amount of mana in someone; it was impossible to judge it when we were just kids. ording to him, he thought that Cyan had more mana because usually, the boy has more mana if the mage twins are a boy and a girl. But it turned out to be the opposite."

    "Do you believe what he said?" he asked.

    "�� I don''t believe the person who yed with your mind," I said. "Even if it''s true, I don''t care. It doesn''t matter what his excuse is, he ruined both of our childhoods."

    "Something is wrong. He can''t even make an excuse; it''s simply impossible if you think of everything clearly. He doesn''t have a chance."

    "I know. But I will listen to his words and hear his points as much as possible, even if I don''t believe him. One thing is sure- he won''t hurt me. He needs me," I said, "for power."

    "�� Did he say anything more?"

    "Yeah. I asked him things regarding my health. He said the excessive amount of mana is bad for my health if I don''t get my power awakened. He said he can awaken my power if I go to him," I said. "I said no."

    "Good. Don''t trust a guy like him," he muttered, gritting his teeth. I could understand very well why he was angry. "If excessive mana is making you sick, won''t less mana make your brother sick?" Explore more stories with empire

    "Yeah, that''s right�� It should, right? I haven''t thought of that�� I will ask him tomorrow."

    "Tomorrow?"

    "He told me toe to the library again so he can teach me magic."

    "Did you agree to go there?"

    "Yes," I nodded. "As I said, I want to talk to him more."

    "�� I understand," he gave a nod.

    I wondered why he agreed so quickly. Usually, he would not let go without an argument and I needed to show some valid reasons, at least ten. What was he nning?

    I looked down at my te and stabbed my broli. As I put it in my mouth, teardrops started to fall from my eyes. There was no sound, just those tears.

    Dem quickly rose from his chair and bent in front of me, hugging me. He pulled back and held my hands with his, sping them together.

    "Hey��"

    "�� I thought�� someone would want me for myself. I knew what kind of person my real father is, but�� after talking to him, I feel like trash�� I don''t know what I was expecting," I sobbed. "In the end, it''s all about power, huh? None of my blood rtives ever thought of me as their own. Still, I expected something again�� You also think I am foolish, don''t you?"

    "It''s alright to expect, it''s alright to feel like shit," he said. "But, my love, not everything that you feel is true, not everything you expect from others can be given. It''s understandable if you feel that way. No one will think you are foolish. You are just another person who tries to believe that they are needed not because of their worth, but because of love."

    "My brother�� I feel nothing for him. It scares me as well. I don''t even look forward to meeting him. I�� I am scared."

    "You don''t have to meet anyone, not your father, not your brother. I personally don''t want you to meet them either. I cannot trust them at all."

    "What if we identally meet someday? Will he try to hurt me because I have more mana in me than him? Don''t I have the chance to be more powerful than him? What if he is just like others? What if�� he is like Draven?"

    Even after all those days, I was still scared of Draven. I was more scared of him than Father. Father used to hit me, say bad things to me, and used to look at me as if I was a useless piece of shit, not a human, more like a punching bag.

    But Draven- he looked at me with hatred in his eyes. His eyes always showed pure anger and hatred when he looked at me. I was always visible in his eyes.

    I was more scared of that look than anything else. He was the reason I was scared when someone looked at me with pure despise or anger in their eyes. He was the reason I hated to be yelled at. And he was the reason I did not want to meet my twin brother.

    I wished I would never meet him.

    Dem did not say anything else, as if he knew that silentfort was what I needed. And he was right.

    ''I don''t want to hear words of affirmation. Because even Dem doesn''t know if my twin brother is like that or not. Dem doesn''t know why I am more scared of Draven than anyone else.''

 Chapter 354 Magic

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    That night, right after dinner, Dem took three magical devices from the table drawer in our bedroom and established one of them in the bedroom.

    "What is that?" I asked.

    "It''s used to cut the possibility to use teleportation in this room. No one cane here from outside and no one can go anywhere from here using teleportation," he said.

    I did not know what to do, so I was sitting on the bed, watching him do everything. "Why didn''t you do it before? I mean, you are the King, so��"

    "That''s because of that silver punk," he said. "He used toe to my room frequently by teleporting. So, I did not establish the device sooner. Even if someone else tried to assassinate me bying to my room, I could sense them immediately."

    "Yeah, you are a light sleeper."

    "Yes, that''s why there was no need before. But things are different now."

    He set up another one on the balcony. Then, he went out of the room with thest one. He came back after a while. He was rubbing the side of his head.

    "What did you do?" I asked.

    "Just put one in the library," he replied. "I hit my head on the side of a table."

    "Oh my�� Are you okay?" I asked.

    He climbed onto the bed, took his shirt off, and put his head on myp. "No, it hurts," he said.

    "Let me see. Where?"

    "Here~"

    I gently rubbed the side of his head. "You should have been careful. Does it hurt too much?"

    "Can you rub there? It feels good."

    It was not until five minutes passed that I realized he was a werewolf. "�� You did it on purpose, didn''t you? There is no way you would feel if you hit a table."

    "I just wanted you to massage my head��," he sulked.

    "�� I would do it if you had just asked me, Dem��," I sighed and chuckled. "You are really childish, aren''t you?"

    ''No one else knows how childish he is. Sometimes, it makes me feel special.''

    A few days passed by. I talked to Azure every single day in the library. He taught me how to use my power properly. With his instructions, I could now make any objects fly, or toss anything against the wall. The lighter the object was, the easier it was to carry with my power. A bookshelf was by far the heaviest object I could move in the air.

    Actually, I did not find something heavier than the bookshelf to practice on.

    Azure''s personality was very close to mine from some points. These days, he started mentioning Dem. ording to him, I was not the type of person to get settled and live like a bird in a cage.

    But he was wrong. I was not a bird in a cage; rather I was a bird who was tamed. Even if I had the chance to fly away, I was tamed enough to not do that.

    Azure kept telling me that I should go to him. He could teach me more in person. He could even awaken my power. He said only he could awaken my power, but did not clear the reason.

    Magic provoked me. Learning magic was like an addiction. I had never felt like this towards anything other than buying gifts for Sapphire. Since it interested me a lot, Dem never stopped me from learning magic.

    As the Queen, I always wanted some leisure from my work. But I never thought about what I would do in my leisure all alone. I sometimes talked to Perita or Calix or took a long bath or slept; sometimes, I also read books. When Dem was free too, we chatted or did something else. But I never truly looked forward to doing a particr thing in my leisure.

    It was different now. I wanted to finish my work as soon as possible so I could practice magic. I did not know I would like it that much.

    "It''s normal. To mages, magic is like the air they breathe," Azure said. "And to you and me, magic is something more. There are some desires thate with magic. We should not fight it, we should let it go wild, just like we are supposed to."

    "Desires?"

    "It will feel natural, just like getting angry at someone because they hurt you is natural. We need to learn how to ept that part of ourselves as normal things."

    "�� Does this make you want to kill someone?" I asked.

    "Of course. It can happen when you are very angry at someone."

    "But killing��"

    "It''s only natural for dark mages. We cannot control the desire. Sometimes, something can happen that you did not expect to happen, but you have to learn how to ept that."

    ''I will ept it if I kill someone just because I was angry?''

    "Does it happen to you too?" I asked.

    "Yes," he said. "It''s a strange sensation, but very natural and normal."

    "What about when you were young? I mean, when you were inexperienced? Did it feel natural even then?"

    "When I was young?" he repeated; his voice suddenly turned cold. The air around me felt chilly. "I don''t know."

    I wanted to ask him what he meant. He was not old enough to not remember his early days as a dark mage. But for some reason, I could not ask him anything else. My conscience kept telling me that I should not ask him that.

    "Tell me, my daughter, how would you feel if someone told you you could not leave this room?" he suddenly asked.

    "Right now?"

    "Yes. You can''t leave this room now, or not until they let you. How would that make you feel?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "What will I eat?"

    "What if you get what you want to eat?"

    "Then, what about my bath?"

    "There is a bathroom in the library."

    "How do you know that?" I asked suspiciously.

    "There is always a bathroom in the library. A long time ago, Royals used to take a bath while reading books. That does not happen a lot now since people have be more dignified and their habits changed over the course of time," he exined. "But answer my question. Alright, let me make it easier.

    Suppose you are in your bedroom and the person told you that you cannot leave that room, your food will be sent to you, but you can meet no one. What about then?"

    "That person- are you implying to my husband, Azure?"

    "I am asking a typical question. I do not find the need to bring your husband, the King in it. But you thought about him right away after hearing this- that''s quite impressive," he chuckled, but I could bet that he was smirking. "I did not even mention him today."

    "��"

    "It is a sign that you should run, but what can I say? My daughter is somehow too blind to see and too deaf to hear," he sighed. "What I must do to make you understand?"

    "Nothing, just do nothing. I am fine the way I am. Do not try to break my family."

    "You are my family too, my daughter. I am worried about you."

    Enjoy new tales from empire

    "Oh, please, I don''t even understand why you are talking to me right now. If you care about me, should you not just let me live my life? You keep telling me to go to you, but was it not you who controlled my husband''s mind for seven years so he would bring me here as his wife and then, you can take over the kingdoms one by one?"

    "�� Control your husband''s mind? What are you saying?"

    "Don''t act ignorant!" I yelled. "You are the one who did it!"

    "Do you know how hard it is to control someone''s mind? I can do it, yes. But, controlling someone''s mind for seven years is no joke and impossible for dark mages. Dark mages nowadays do not have enough power to do so. I am a dark mage of this age too. How can I do that?"

    "What?"

    "Aren''t you too na?ve, my daughter? How are you so sure that he is lying to you?"

    "Why would he lie to me?"

    "Hm, let me see. There are many reasons. Perhaps he wants you to go against me, your father, because he suspected that someday I mighte to take you. He was worried that I will take you away and you will agree to go with me," he said. "Who doesn''t know that the King doesn''t want to part from you?"

    ''His words slightly make sense and perhaps I would get confused too. But even Luc said that he saw changes in Dem''s behavior suddenly. A lot of people said that Dem suddenly changed when he was seventeen and then returned back to how he actually was after marrying me.''

 Chapter 355 Bad Feeling

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    The war between Ataraxia and Trouvaille was stopped. The King of Ataraxia could breathe in relief. He knew he was losing, but did not back down because of his stupid pride. Now that the war was stopped by other kingdoms, he did not have to lose nor had to say that he backed down.

    The King of Trouvaille did not simply care. He was fine with the decision even though he would have won if the war was not stopped. It was a normal reaction expected from him; after all, winning this kind of puny war would have no effect on Trouvaille. It was not something I said. Dem said so, as well as Azure.

    "Azure, the way you talk, you seem to have a lot of knowledge about history," I said.

    "I do," he replied. "What do you want to know?"

    "I have always wondered this- Dem said King Ford changed the kingdom''s name to his name- Trouvaille from Ford Trouvaille. But in the history books that collected the information from a long time ago said the same name. How is that possible?"

    "Ah, that�� In the beginning, that kingdom''s name was Trouvaille and the surname was Banlin. But the fourth king of Trouvaille changed theirst name to Trouvaille. It is possible but is considered disrespectful for a King to change the whole family''sst name. He was already called the worst king, so it did not matter.

    The name of the kingdom was changed at the time of the sixth king to their previous surname. It is not stated why he did that, but he just did. At the time of King Ford, he changed to Trouvaille again."

    "Oh my�� That''s a lot of changing��"

    "Most kingdoms don''t go that far for changing a name. They simply don''t."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "There is one more thing I am curious about��"

    "What is it?"

    "How old are you?"

    "�� Why do you want to know that?"

    "Because I am curious about my biological father''s age?"

    "Should a daughter be curious about her father''s age?"

    "Why should she not? It''s a normal thing."

    "�� Don''t worry, your mother did notmit sexual acts with a minor," he said as if he knew what I was worried about. "Besides, how will a minor be smart enough to experiment with those things?"

    It seemed he did not want to answer me, but it did not matter. I, at least, confirmed that he was not a minor when he had us. That would be very unsettling.

    After the war ended, Evan asked about my power in a letter. I told him to visit if he wanted to know, since I did not wholly trust letters about this kind of information. Besides, it would be easier to exin if I showed him in person.

    We had already promised that we would not hide anything from each other regarding dark mages, or my power. I did not tell him that I wasmunicating with my biological father, that dark mage every day. I nned to tell him when he would visit.

    I returned to the bedroom after finishing the work for the day. I went to the library every day two hours before lunch after finishing most part of my work. After lunch, I would return to my office to finish the rest. I would work till evening. In the evening, I had my swordsmanship lessons. I would return to the bedroom after that to clean up and get ready for dinner.

    Dem always tried to have dinner with me, even if we could not have lunch together every day. After dinner, the night return was always the same and intense.

    Enjoy new tales from empire

    I skipped swordsmanship practice today. Perita was sick. I did not want to learn from anyone else. She was the one who knew my ability and progresses the best, after all.

    "Your Highness did not go to practice swordsmanship today?" one of the maids asked.

    "No. Perita is sick. I would havee back early, but the work was too much," I said, taking off my gloves.

    She took the coat from my shoulders and brought me a cold towel. I wiped my face with it. It felt great.

    "Will you be taking a bath now, Your Highness?"

    "�� Yeah, prepare my bath," I said. "You�� you will attend my bath today. I want one person."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    After a few minutes, the bath was prepared. I was not feeling too well. It had been going on for two days. All the time, there was an ominous feeling; I always felt like something bad was going to happen.

    I sat down in the warm water of the bath. It wasfortable and soothing. She took my right hand and started removing the nail paint first.

    My nail paint was changed every day. The color was always ck, or golden, or ck and golden. Actually, my nails were painted ording to the outfit I wore. If I wore another color other than ck and golden, then the paint would be of that color. More than the color, it was the design that changed every day. I did not have to do anything other than sit down, so I did not care.

    "What was your name again?"

    "Maria, Your Highness."

    "Maria�� How old are you?"

    "I am eighteen, Your Highness," she replied.

    "You are the same age as me. What did you use to do before you came here? Tell me about your family, everything."

    "That will be a boring story, Your Highness."

    "I want to hear it. Or, do you not want to tell me?"

    "No, it is not like that, Your Highness!" she said quickly. "I am just worried it won''t be too pleasant."

    "It''s fine. Not everyone''s life can be pleasant all the time," I smiled.

    "I�� I was born because of an ident. So, a lot of people did not ept me. But my mother and father loved me. Even though I did not have the same blood as my father, he treated me as his own. My mother�� It was not her fault, but�� I had an older brother. He was not particrly fond of me but yed with me sometimes.

    I was close to my younger sister. But everything changed when I was eight��," she stopped for a while and then took a deep breath. "My parents were murdered by that person, right in front of me. He went there to kill me because some people found out about his illegitimate child. My parents hid me, so he killed them out of anger.

    On the same day, my younger sister caught a high fever, perhaps because of the shock. Our rtives buried our parents and did not take us in. Our brother was training as a knight at that time. He was not back yet. So, we were on our own. Within a week, my sister''s condition got worse and she left me as well.

    My brother came back on the day of my sister''s burial. Then, he packed all of his stuff�� and left me, all alone in our small house. No one took me in because they said I had bad blood in me."

    "Oh my�� I am so sorry to hear that," I gasped.

    "It''s alright, Your Highness. It doesn''t affect me too much anymore," she smiled. "I was ten then. I left the house with all the money I could find. On my way, an elderly knight took me in. I started living with him.

    He was the one who taught me how to wield a sword. He was a poor man, but we lived happily. He was all alone like me. He wanted me to call him ''father'', but I could not. I wish I did. After his death, I took the job of a maid two years ago.

    And here I am now. This is the best ce I had ever been. There are warm food, enough water, and a good sry. I don''t need anything more."

    "You don''t want me to be sorry for you, right?"

    "That is right, Your Highness. The feeling of someone being sorry for me is the worst. Rather, I wish to be treated normally. I think it''s weird, but I still want something like this."

    "I understand. You did well, Maria. You were brave."

    "Thank you, Your Highness. It means a lot when you say it."

    I understood her well because I always felt the same.

    "But why is Your Highness asking about my life all of a sudden?"

    "I was just curious," I said. "Haa, I don''t feel well these days. There is this bad feeling. I wanted to forget it."

    "That must be why Your Highness looked very down these days."

 Chapter 356 Flints Daughter

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    It was a very important time for Flint and his wife. He took a leave for a week because his wife was supposed to give birth that week. It was the 38th week. But she did not.

    "I know it is too much to ask for these many days, but I am going to either way. I need a few more days. It''s important for me to stay by Rose''s side until she gives birth," Flint said. He hade after seven days to extend his vacation.

    "That''s alright. I won''t stop you from being with your wife when she needs you," I said. "Just��"

    "What the fuck?!"

    Before I knew it, he started panicking and left in the blink of an eye. I had no idea what happened.

    "What did just happen��?" Perita muttered, surprised just like me.

    "I hope nothing is wrong��," I mumbled.

    Flint came back after a few hours. He was sweating as if he had run a long way. "Your Highness, do you have a moment?" he asked breathlessly.

    "Flint��?"

    "What do you want?" Dem grumbled. He hade to my office to have tea with me. He said it was because his work was done. Basically, he was bored.

    "If you don''t, you will miss it, Your Highness," Flint said.

    "Alright, but where��? Is everything alright? You acted that way all of a sudden and left��"

    "Everything is fine, pleasee with me. His Highness cane too. Not Perita though. She is noisy."

    "What? What have I done?" Perita yelled.

    "Stay back, Perita. Have all the cookies. We will be back soon."

    Perita liked all kinds of food. It was a very effective way other than scolding to make her step down when she wanted something.

    Dem knew what was happening, thanks to his mind-reading ability. But I did not have that ability. So, I had no idea what was going on. Flint was not saying anything either. It was after we reached Flint''s house, I understood what was going on.

    The crying of a baby echoed through the house. I looked at Flint in surprise. So, the baby was here. Did he bring us here to show his baby to us? He had been bragging a lot before.

    "His Highness should stay in the living room for a while. And Her Highness cane with me," Flint said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Why can''t Ie too?" Dem asked.

    "Don''t, Dem. His wife has just given birth. It''s not okay for another person to go there when she is ufortable," I said, patting him on the arm. "Sit here. I will be back."

    Dem backed down and stayed back. He trusted Flint, or he would have never let me go with him.

    "Your Highness has to see her. She is really beautiful," Flint grinned. I had never seen him smile so genuinely.

    "You have a daughter?"

    "Yep!"

    He took us to the room where his wife and his daughter were. His wife was awake with their daughter in her arms.

    "No way�� Your Highness?" Rose, Flint''s wife, eximed. "So, you have gone to bring Her Highness here? We could not prepare anything��"

    "That''s alright," I said. "I havee to see his daughter. Actually, I had told Flint to show me his baby as soon as possible when it woulde. He just kept his word. And congrattions, both of you. You guys have gotten such a beautiful baby girl."

    "Right?" Flint said, his eyes twinkling with pride. "My daughter is the most beautiful of all the babies. Have you seen how little she is, how cute her nose is? Her eyes are beautiful too! Really, how can someone be so perfect?"

    His wife sighed and chuckled. She showed me the jug of water nearby as if she knew what I was looking for. I quickly washed my hands thoroughly and went to her and the baby.

    "She has calmed down a bit now," she said. "I fed her for the first time just a few minutes ago. It was quite a different type of experience."

    "She is so little��," I mumbled. "It''s my first time seeing a newborn baby. I did not know they were this little."

    "Me too," she said. "I have seen my younger siblings before. But I and my older sister were not allowed to see them for a month. I am very surprised too. She is just too little."

    "The doctor said it''s normal," Flint said.

    "Does Your Highness want to hold her?" Rose asked.

    "Can I?"

    "Sure," she smiled. "When she is older, she can brag to her friends that she was held by Your Highness, the Queen right after she was born."

    "That''s really��"

    I sat down on the bed because I was afraid of holding her while standing. Rose gave the little girl to me. Discover exclusive tales on empire

    "Oh��?"

    She was so light that I was shocked. She felt very fragile in my arms. "She is so��"

    "Yeah, I felt that way too. She is very light," Flint said.

    "Then, think about how I felt," Rose chuckled. "I felt like I was holding a leaf."

    Rose''s physical build was more like the muscr Imperial knights. It was obvious that she would feel that way.

    "She is not crying��," Flint mumbled. "That''s so unfair! When I hold her, she starts crying. But when Her Highness holds her, she doesn''t."

    "Her Highness must be good with kids. They naturally feel safe with her," Rose said.

    "She is born rather hairy," I muttered. "I did not know babies could be born with this much hair. Or, are werewolves babies born this way?"

    "No, it''s not like that," Rose said. "The doctor said it was her first time seeing a baby born with this much hair. I have a lot of hair. That must be the reason."

    "Father-inw said you were born this way as well," Flint said.

    "He did? When?" Rose asked.

    "When he came to visitst month. I was nervous, so he gave me advice," he replied.

    "What kind of advice is that?" Rose grumbled. "Anyway, I am d that you are getting along better."

    "Your father is at fault," Flint said. "He wanted a son-inw to be physically strong."

    "All of our family members are physically strong. You can''t me him. But anyway, in the end, you are the one I married," she said. "And why are you being like this in front of Her Highness? Have you no shame?"

    "Your Highness, please do not mind him," she added, looking at me. "I can already understand what Your Highness has to go through, dealing with someone like him. And let me thank you in person for your gift. That meant a lot to me."

    "I am d you liked it."

    "But how did Your Highness know that I lost my horse and liked horses very much?"

    "Flint told me. I was nning on giving you something else, but he said that would be meaningless. I am d that he told me," I said. "Oh, she has fallen asleep."

    "Oh my, Your Highness really is good with babies," Rose chuckled.

    "Have you named her yet?" I asked.

    "No, we did not know if we were having a boy or a girl. Does Your Highness have a name in mind?" she asked.

    "No, I have never thought about a baby''s name. It''s okay to name herter. There is no rule that you have to name her right away," I said. "Just let me know when you do."

    I came back after a while. Rose let me take her daughter to another room prepared for her. It seemed Flint did most of the work to prepare a room for their daughter.

    "Wow! It looks really beautiful!" I eximed.

    "Of course, I have to prepare the best room for my baby," Flint said proudly.

    Flint might seem immature, but he was a family guy who cared for his family more than anything else.

    "You hold her a bit, I will call Dem. I want to show him the baby," I said.

    "Your Highness, hold her. I am not mentally prepared to hold her yet. I mean, I held her once. I need more time to get used to it," he said. "I will get His Highness."

    ''Do you have to be mentally prepared to hold a baby? I guess it''s not the same for everyone.''

    I looked down at the baby girl in my arms. She was sleeping soundly in my arms. We were talking in a low voice so she would not wake up.

    ''If my baby was born, would he have been this small too?''

    "Haa, I promised not to think like that��," I sighed. "You are lucky, baby girl. And your parents are lucky to have you."

    "His Highness is here, Your Highness."

    "What�� what are you doing?" Dem asked.

    "Look, it is Flint''s daughter," I said excitedly. "Take a look at her. She is beautiful, isn''t she?"

 Chapter 357 Her First Time Wanting Something

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    Today, not just the pce, but the whole kingdom was preparing a celebration. It was so noisy everywhere. I could not even tell them to stop because my wife had been very excited about this day.

    Though today was not the day, they were preparing everything for tomorrow. I was quite tired. After my wife told me about what her father said, I could not rest well. Continue reading stories on empire

    What if she believed him? Although she told me she did not, there was no guarantee. I could not read her mind. All I could do was listen to her.

    Would she think that I lied to her? But I did not. I never lied to her about my past. If she believed her father, that would be very disappointing. After all, she had known me for ten months now, while she had known her father for only a few months, a lot less than me.

    Today, for the first time, my wife told me to go out to get her something. It was very unusual, but I was very happy that she demanded something from me. I always wanted her to do so.

    She wanted a rare flower that only bloomed at night. We did not have it in our pce garden. Since she wanted something directly from me for the first time, I went out to get it myself.

    I went out in the evening. It took me a long time to find it. Atst, I found an olddy who had it. She was not even a florist. She lived alone in a little house. I saw the flower in front of her window and told her that I wanted to buy it.

    "Does the lord want it for ady?" she asked.

    "Yes," I nodded. "My wife wants this flower."

    "The lord''s wife must have an eye for beautiful things," she said. "But this flower is not for sale."

    "I will give you as much money as you want."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "As the lord can see, there are only two flowers. These flowers are too rare. I have cared for them for a long time and thus could grow two of them. How can I sell them?"

    "Then, where can I find them other than here?"

    "Perhaps nowhere," she replied.

    "Tsk��"

    "Maybe I can sell one of them to the lord��"

    "�� Don''t stop without making sense."

    "But can the lord help me with something in exchange? I don''t need money. What will this olddy do with money anyway?"

    "What help do you need?"

    "I have made cookies. Can the lord taste them and tell me how they havee out?"

    ''What the hell? What kind of weird request is that? She doesn''t even know that I am the King and doesn''t have any bad intentions. She truly just wants me to taste her cookies. But why?''

    "�� Alright, but you must give me one of the flowers," I said.

    "This olddy does not lie, my lord."

    She led me inside her house. The space was very little which was understandable. But why was all the furniture so short? Even if the person was short, all the furniture was usually of normal height. It was my first time seeing a table that short.

    "My house might be shabby for the lord''s taste. But bear it with for now," she chuckled.

    "Shabby is not the point. I have more things to care about than judging others'' houses. But why is all the furniture this short? This table, the chairs�� I think even my five-year-old niece will think it''s too small for her."

    "Oh, this? My husband was rather short, so he built the items this way. That old bastard never had a taste. I had to bear with him because I did not have anywhere to go. Now that the old fart died, I don''t have the motivation to make new furniture. What will this olddy do with new furniture anyway?"

    "��"

    ''Ugh, I don''t even want to know about her husband. Just by hearing this much, I can guess what kind of person he was.''

    "Here are the cookies, my lord," she said, handing me a te full of cookies. They had a weird shape, but the smell was good. "Please taste them."

    "Can you get me a ss of water?" I asked.

    "Sure, please wait a second."

    She went to pour me a ss of water. In the meantime, I took out the bottle of antidote from my pocket and drank five drops of the liquid. Even if there was poison in the food, it would have no effect on me. Though it was advised to take it sometime before the consumption of the food, it would still have an effect even if I took it right before eating.

    "Here you go, my lord," she said, handing me the ss of water.

    I drank the water first. That was when I realized it. I had forgotten to thank her. "Thank you," I said.

    "My lord seems to be less mature for your age. It''s like the lord is learning some things now, which should have been taught when you were a kid. But it is great to see the lord trying," she said. "Is it the lord''s wife?"

    I ignored her and focused on the cookies. I liked the sweet food. Some people said it was a shame if men liked sweets. But I did not see the problem. Some men hid it if they liked sweet foods. But it was just too illogical.

    I still did not understand why they did so.

    The cookies, despite their odd shape, were indeed very tasty. I did not taste anything like this before. It was very hard to discover the vors too.

    "How is it?" she asked.

    "They are good. I like them," I replied.

    "Oh my, I am d," she smiled. "You see, I always liked to cook food for my kids. But they have their own families now. The lord reminds me of my elder son. So, this olddy became greedy."

    ''It''s a different type of greed though. Are people supposed to feel this way? I will ask my wife. She knows about these kinds of things.''

    After finally telling her every bit about the taste of the cookies, I got the flower. I still did not know why my wife asked for this flower all of a sudden. As far as I knew, she did not like flowers much.

    ''Well, I don''t need to think like that. Either way, if she asks for something, I will give that to her.''

    It was eleven at night when I returned to the pce. I was surprised to find Blue waiting for me at the gate.

    "Why are you here?" I asked as I got down from my horse.

    "You were beingte, so I was worried," she said. "Oh, what is that?"

    "This�� is the flower you asked for," I said, giving her the flower. I had wrapped it in scented paper.

    "You�� you found it?" she asked, shocked.

    "You thought I would not?" I chuckled.

    "�� Thanks," she mumbled. "It means a lot to me�� really. Thank you so much."

    "You don''t have to thank me so earnestly," I said. "But if you really want to thank me, why don''t you do it in a special way tonight?"

    "Dem! There are people�� Let''s go in," she said loudly, pulling me with her as Iughed.

    "Are you embarrassed, darling?"

    "I am! Who won''t be?"

    "But I have worked so hard to get the flower for you. Shouldn''t you reward me tonight?" I smirked. "Just kidding. Having you by my side is more than enough."

    She brought me to the dining hall. Usually, I took a small shower before eating. It was not like I was sweaty, so it was fine, even if I ate first.

    I pulled her chair out and helped her sit. Just when I was about to go to my seat, she pulled my hand and brought my face down. A small peck fell on my cheek.

    "Wha��?"

    "I�� I will reward you tonight," she mumbled, looking down on herp.

    "�� Honey, do you want me to eat you right now and right here?"

    "�� Let''s eat first. Then��"

    "Oh, fuck��!"

    "Don''t swear at the dining table!"

    "Alright, alright," I said. "Don''t make me wait after this, okay? I am holding back enough already."

    After dinner, she kept ncing around as if she was looking for something. "What''s wrong?"

    "I want to know the time�� I am looking for a clock. There was a clock in the dining hall, right?"

    "There was. That one is not working anymore maybe," I said. "They will change it quickly. I have a watch though. It''s almost twelve."

    "Oh, you are wearing that watch?"

    "I like it the most. My wife''s gift is the best."

    "You are ttering me," she mumbled. "Oh, there are only two minutes left�� Come on, let''s go to our bedroom."

 Chapter 358 Happy Birthday

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    I took Dem to our bedroom and opened the door. I pushed him forward first. As soon as he entered, a light lit up in the middle of the room and writing shot up in the air.

    "Happy birthday, Dem!"

    "�� What is��?"

    "Happy birthday, honey," I said and hugged him.

    "�� Thank you," he mumbled. He seemed very startled and still could not process everything. I heard it was always the official birthday celebration. He never spent it privately with a family member or friend. So, I wanted to do it for him.

    "Are you surprised?" I asked.

    "Yeah, very much," he chuckled. "I never thought�� you would do something like that. I know you will do a lot of things for me. But�� I just did not know someone was supposed to do it for someone."

    "It''s not a must, but we always try to do something special for the one we love. Yeah, we are supposed to try to do something special," I said.

    "Is that so��?"

    "Yeah, that''s right," I nodded. "Right! Open your gifts first! And check out what I have prepared for you."

    The writing that read ''Happy Birthday'' was made of some kind of smoke. It was not bad for health and could be found in many stores. I made the smoke golden since then it would glow in the dark room. I prepared in a way that whenever the door would open, it would get activated. There were balloons around the room as well. All of them were ck and golden in color.

    "But why are there two cakes?" he asked. "Aren''t there supposed to be one cake?"

    "Ah, that��," I mumbled, scratching my head. "As you can see, the left one looks great, but the right one looks�� weird."

    "�� The right one does have a strange shape," he said. "But it can taste good."

    "I�� made that one," I muttered, looking away.

    I never made a cake before. But knowing that Dem''s birthday wasing soon, I started learning a few days ago. I could not practice much because Dem would notice. I practiced with the help of some cooking books and Ruby, going to the magic tower. Since Ruby rarely came to the main pce after Luc came back, he could not find out about it. After Dem''s birthday, Luc would go away for some reason.

    No one in the pce knew about it, or Dem would find out by reading their minds.

    This cake was made in Ruby''s kitchen too. I also told the chef to make a cake, in case my cake got ruined. In the end, I managed to make the cake, but it did not look too good although it was not burned. I wanted to throw it away, but Ruby said I should not.

    "You made it?" he asked, surprised.

    "Hmm�� It doesn''t look that good, right?"

    "Who cares about that anyway? The fact that you made it for me makes me really happy," he said, cupping my face.

    "R-Really?"

    "Yeah, it makes me really happy," he said. "Besides, the cake does not look bad for someone who made it for the first time."

    "You don''t have tofort me," I sighed. "The other cake is made by the chef. My cake should not taste that good, so you can eat the other one."

    "Hmm, the cream looks really tasty. Did you make the cream too? Wow, there is chocte shaving on the top��"

    ''He really doesn''t care that it looks so heinous?''

    I chuckled. "Yeah, I made the cream too. The cream tastes good actually. I tasted it."

    "What am I supposed to do next?"

    "You are supposed to cut the cake now. I have prepared the knife and everything," I said.

    "But I don''t cut a cake in my birthday banquet?"

    "It''s not a banquet, though. On your birthday, you are supposed to cut a cake," I said.

    "Really?" he muttered. "I have never done it before..."

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    "Oh��? But who cares? You can do it now. You will do it every year after this," I said.

    He looked very confused. I took his right hand and made him hold the knife. "Now, cut it."

    He did as I said. As much beautiful as it was to watch him do it, it was also very sad that he cut the first birthday cake on his twenty-fifth birthday.

    Moreover, it was not like his family was poor. They even held banquets for his birthday every year. Sometimes, I hated the rules of a Royal family.

    He cut the cake I made. It made me happy, though I was worried about its taste. I fed him the first piece.

    "Hey, what are you saying? It tastes amazing!" he said.

    "Does it?" I muttered, shocked. "It looks heinous though��"

    "Taste it yourself," he said as he took the piece of cake from my hand and nudged my lips with it.

    I took a bite and truly, I was shocked. It did not taste bad at all. The taste was not the best, but it was not the worst as well. Rather than worst, it actually tasted quite good.

    "It seems I did a good job?"

    He cut the other cake as well after I insisted. Though my cake did not taste bad, I preferred the chef''s cake. Dem was satisfied with mine one though.

    "Open your gifts now!" I said.

    "Why are there these many gifts? I mean, I get gifts from different families, but these look informal."

    "Most of them are from me, but there are other people too. Open them. You will see for yourself."

    Dem acted like he never opened gifts before either. I watched him with a grin. He looked very cute, especially the way he was opening a gift with a confused look on his face.

    Most of my gifts included normal and extravagant things. I could not buy enough things for him. All of them were rare and premium products that took a long time to be prepared. He thanked me every time, so I told him that thanking me once was enough. He looked rather happy even though they were the things he could easily get.

    I did not have a good sense of gifting. I gifted whatever I felt like, not what was appropriate. After all, it was the first time I could gift someone on their birthday.

    Before, I did not have enough money or motivation to gift Maxen on his birthday. At some point, I forgot the date too, since none of our birthdays were ever observed.

    "You gifted me a lot, huh?" he chuckled. "Thanks for everything, darling."

    "No, there is one more," I said and brought out a small box from the pocket of my dress.

    "What is this?" he asked as he took it from me.

    I looked away. "Open it and see for yourself."

    The clicking noise made my heart thump in my chest loudly. "It''s not anything fancy. I just�� tried. I know I didn''t do a good job, but it will be great�� Huh?"

    The strong arms wrapped around me from behind. "You made it yourself?" he asked.

    "Hmm�� I used the ck stone. It looks like your eyes," I said. "And besides that, there is a blue stone, which describes mine. And the heart between describes the love between us."

    "You know what, darling? This is the best gift I have ever received," he said.

    "It''s not that great��," I mumbled. "It''s just a simple bracelet. It''s a clumsy piece of work."

    "Do you know what makes it the best? The fact that you tried your best even though you never did it before. The clumsiness increases its value only," he said. "Thank you, my love."

    "�� You are wee��"

    "Now, put it on my hand," he said, pulling back.

    "Are you going to wear it now?"

    "I am going to wear it forever."

    That time, I thought he was just kidding. How could I have known that my husband''s craziness would not let him joke about such things?

    "It looks amazing," he said. "It really is the best gift."

    "There are other gifts too. Open them," I said, getting embarrassed. He was praising it too sincerely.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Why are there more?" he muttered.

    "They are from Luc, Ruby, Iris, the duke, and Athena," I said. "They also know about it."

    None of them came to the pce, so I wrote them about it. They helped me a lot, especially Ruby. She was the one who taught me baking and how to make a bracelet. Iris was the one who collected those gemstones. They were very hard to find, the original ones with the maximum purity level. Those gemstones would not tarnish if a magical substance was used.

    And Luc made that substance.

 Chapter 359 How It Was Prepared

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Is that why you sent me to get that flower?" he asked.

    We both were lying down on the bed after fulfilling our everyday routine. He was a bit excessive tonight and kept saying that it was his birthday present, so I could not refuse.

    "Hmm�� But I didn''t know you will get it anyway," I said. "It''s a rare flower. I knew you would look for it a lot, so I sent you out to get it for me. I thought you will be back after seeing you can''t find it. I mean, I needed two hours to prepare the room and thought you would be back within that time. I could just make you stay away from the bedroom.

    You wouldn''t know about my n since no one in the pce knew about it."

    "You did it all by yourself?" he asked, surprised.

    "Yeah," I nodded. "It''s my first time decorating a room. How did I do?"

    "You did well," he smiled. "I was truly surprised. You know, nothing or no one ever could surprise me since I can read minds. I always knew what was up. Besides, there was no one who would surprise me with these things. It''s maybe the first time I got a surprise like this.

    You did really amazing."

    "The maids were asking what''s up. They say I was acting weird for thest few days," I said. "I didn''t tell them anything about the n."

    Luc kept saying it was a hassle and there was no need to arrange a surprise party for a grown-up man like Dem, but in the end, he worked just as much as we did if not more.

    "That said, how did you even get that flower? I thought it could not be found here," I asked.

    "An old woman had it."

    "You bought it from her?"

    He sighed. "No, it was a weird task."

    He told me how he got a flower from the old woman. Old people sometimes acted in a strange way which younger people often did not understand. It was oddly wholesome. It was surprising that Dem went along with it. He was not a friendly person and did not want to get close to people or even talk to them more than necessary. Did he do it for me? Experience exclusive tales on empire

    I knew the answer. But sometimes, it was hard to believe that someone would go out of their way just for me.

    "Tomorrow is the birthday party. Do I need to know something?" I asked.

    "No," he shook his head. "There is nothing. We will just attend the party. I am supposed to give a little speech, but I don''t. I just say ''Enjoy the party''."

    "That''s it?"

    "I don''t like giving speeches. I don''t like to talk to people at all. It''s not like I am an introvert. I can talk in front of people without any problem. But I just don''t like to do it."

    "Do I have to say something?" I asked.

    "No, nothing. Just join the party with me, that''s all. If you don''t feel well, we will leave early. People will enjoy it even if we are not there."

    ''Will another persone up to me and say I am not eligible to be the Queen and another person is more suitable?''

    "Don''t frown too much," he muttered, pressing his index finger between my brows. "Share with me if you are worried about something."

    "Just my usual worries, nothing more. You know it too- I am always a bit nervous before a party or a gathering," I sighed. "Don''t worry about me."

    "You should not worry either. You will do well," he said. "Besides, you are the Queen. You can act however you want to."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Hmm��"

    "That said, your ability to use magic has improved, right?"

    "Yeah, it has improved a lot. I can now easily make something float in the air. I have shown you, right?"

    "You made my pen fly," he said.

    "I can do simple things, like make potions and now, I am working on making magical artifacts," I said.

    Making potions required different materials. Most of the materials were easy to find, but some of them were quite rare. Anyone could make the liquid, but to activate the potion, one needed their magic.

    Magical artifacts were made by using magic on normal artifacts. Some mages made their own artifacts. That worked better because a mage knew better than anyone what they wanted to make. Luc also made his own artifacts usually.

    For now, I was trying to make a magical artifact by using magic on a normal artifact. I was not sessful yet. I had been trying for seven days. But magic was something I never got tired of. I was very excited to learn more, so I did not give up even though I was not a patient person.

    "That''s good. Just make sure you don''t get hurt or too exhausted. Using too much magic can tire you out, you know that, right?"

    "Yeah, I know. I won''t do that," I said. Even if I wanted to practice magic more, I could not. I had to finish my work as the Queen. I could not tell Dem that. If I did, he would take all the work to do them himself.

    "Did that bas�� Azure or whatever tried to do something funny? Did he threaten you again?"

    "He never threatened me. He is just saying the usual things," I said. "I have told him that I want to see his face. But he refused. He said I could just visit him. This time, he said I can visit him for a short while."

    "It''s one of his tricks. Don''t fall for them," he cautioned.

    "I know. I won''t," I shook my head. "I don''t know what he truly wants at this point. I mean, yeah, he wants me for my power. I believe so. But what''s he doing now?

    Chatting with me freely? What''s the point?"

    "Perhaps he is trying to mold your thought the way he wants to and make you believe that you are better off going with him?"

    "�� But I don''t trust him."

    "The way he nned everything- it doesn''t look like he is an impatient person. He is willing to wait," he said. "He surely knows that you don''t trust him. But he is still trying. It shows only one thing- he thinks he can change you."

    "�� What makes him so sure?"

    "Think about what Doctor Dimitri said. The environment serves greatly in molding a person''s mental health. The environment you grew up in was a terrible ce. It caused you to trust others quickly the way you trusted me. I won''t betray your trust, but not all people are the same. It''s not just your trust issues.

    The doctor also said that people who grew up in an abusive environment tend to be vulnerable mentally usually. I am not saying you are the same, but there can be. I don''t believe that he doesn''t know about your family. He knew about everything," he said. "It won''t be a surprise if he chose your mother because he knew what kind of environment you will grow up in."

    "Could it be he wanted me to grow in an abusive environment so I turn emotionally vulnerable and fall for his tricks easily?"

    "He wanted to be your god, darling. He wanted to make you see him as the one who saved you from hell," he said. "As per his n, he maybe wanted to control my mind and make me�� abuse you too, so you will lose your hope. Then, he will appear as the one who saved you, and as a payment, you would offer to do anything for him since you are so kind."

    "�� That�� That''s not impossible at all," I muttered. "But thankfully, Evan awakened my power a bit, so he could not control your mind anymore. If his n went ordingly, it would have been scary and�� I would have misunderstood you greatly."

    "Right now, it seems he wants you to go against me. I have a feeling that he thinks you found out about my obsessive nature using your experience and understanding. I don''t think he knows that I told you about it myself," he said. "That''s why he thinks he still has a chance to make you go against me. Honey, no matter what he says, just like you are doing now, tell me everything."

    "I will. I don''t want secrets like this to be between us."

    "Ah, and has King Ford replied to you yet?"

    "He did. He said he can''te right now. There are too many things to take care of. He will let us know when he will," I replied.

    "I see�� There is always a lot of work after a war. It probably will take months," he said.

    "Hmm�� By the way, shouldn''t I gift Flint''s daughter something?"

 Chapter 360 Delas Gift

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "You can do whatever you want," he said. "You can gift your mage''s daughter if you want to."

    "No, I mean, ''we'' should gift her," I rified. "It''s important to gift a baby if you have the ability."

    "What''s her name again?"

    "D. Apparently, she is so beautiful that Flint and Rose could note up with a name that would suit their little girl. Then, Rose''s mother named her," I said. "D- it''s a cute name."

    "It''s not bad," he said. "She looks a lot like her father."

    "She does? But she barely looks like a human? I mean, a werewolf? It''s very hard to understand who a newborn baby looks like."

    "But she looked like Flint to me. It''s very easy to guess that she is his daughter."

    "Really?"

    "Even the little hair she has matches that of Flint''s. When she started crying, I saw her eyes. They were like Flint''s too. Even her nose and brows."

    "Oh my, you noticed that much? What was I doing?"

    "What are you gonna gift her?" he asked. "I mean, we?"

    "I don''t know what to gift a newborn."

    "Do you want me to take care of this matter?"

    ''Oh��? I guess you find her so cute that you want to choose gifts for her.''

    "Yeah, sure. Then, I will leave it to you."

    The next morning, I found out what Dem was gifting her. And to be frank, it was the best gift ever. I could never think of something better for a kid.

    "How long will it take to process everything?"

    "Two days," he replied.

    "Really, how did you evene up with the idea?"

    "Isn''t that someone suitable for a kid?"

    "I mean it''s really impressive. She will be able to brag about itter," I chuckled.

    Actually, Dem proposed to me that we should gift D a piece ofnd near Flint and Rose''s property. Dem had a piece ofnd nearby and wanted to give that to Flint''s daughter. Additionally, he also said we should give it to her on her first birthday. Because, within that time, Dem would create a huge yground with a medium-sized mansion in the middle. It would be a mini park for her.

    I liked the idea so much that I praised almost all the time the matter was brought up.

    ording to Dem, it would be a ce where she could bring their friends to y with herter. Since the ce was near Flint''s property, her parents could keep an eye on her.

    "But isn''t this gift too much?" Flint muttered.

    "What do you mean? Are we a bunch of beggars?" Dem grumbled.

    "No, I don''t mean that, of course. Who will call the King and the Queen beggars?"

    "Don''t argue, Flint. It''s for your daughter. Besides, our D is so cute that no gift is enough for her," I said.

    "No matter how much Your Highness likes kids, it''s too much. I would have never thought His Highness would n something like this too," he sighed. "But Your Highness is right about one thing. D is really too cute that nothing is enough for her."

    "Right? So, ept it quickly! We will get the documents ready within two days," I eximed excitedly. "When D grows up, she will know that we gifted her the best things, haha!"

    "It seems Your Highness will love your children very much," Flint chuckled.

    ''My children? It''s been quite a while since Ist thought about it.''

    "Of course. She will be a good mother," Dem said, gently squeezing my hand.

    Flint asked for a few more days to help his wife take care of their newborn baby girl. I told him toe back after fifteen days. It was not possible to keep my personal mage''s position vacant for too long.

    "By the way, happy birthday, Your Highness, the King," he said. "Please don''t make a face as if you don''t like it even if you truly don''t. It hurts me."

    "Thanks, but don''t act dramatic," Dem muttered.

    "Wow, Your Highness has turned rather gentle��"

    Dem threw a cushion at him which could not hit Flint since he teleported. "I told you your workers are getting spoiled too much!"

    "Calm down, honey," I said, giving him a peck on the cheeks.

    But rather than calming down, he seemed to get more fired up. He grabbed me by the neck and started kissing me as if his life was dependent on it.

    "Haa�� Dem��? Right now, and�� here?"

    "Who cares?"

    "But��"

    "It''s my birthday. You promised to give me anything I ask for today," he said, not stopping nibbling my neck. "This is what I want now."

    "�� But do we have to do it here?"

    "Yeah, we have never done it properly in your office?" he muttered. "The couch is fine, right?"

    "�� You are crazy."

    "Your husband indeed is a crazy bastard," heughed.

    He bent over my body as my head touched a cushion. He touched my breasts over my dress as our lips met each other. Our tongues entangled together and I sped the front of his suit.

    "Huh�� haa," I panted, but he did not give me a break.

    With his knee, he parted my legs while kissing all over my neck and chest. I felt the pressure between my legs above my panty. Each time his knee rubbed against me, I felt a surge of electricity rushing through me.

    "Ah��"

    "I haven''t even touched you down there, yet you are making such lewd noise. I don''t have to put my hand there to know that you are dripping wet," he smirked.

    "Don''t talk like that!"

    "Why not? Your reactions are cute."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "If you make fun of me, I will leave."

    "Leave? Can you though?"

    "�� This�� room, I mean��"

    It did not seem like he listened as he started taking my panty off. I looked away. My throat unconsciously made a sound as his finger barely touched the entrance.

    "See? Just like I told you, you are really wet."

    "Mm�� huh��"

    He parted my legs further and put his face between my legs. A sharp wave of pleasure pierced through me as soon as his hot tongue touched me.

    "Ahh�� uhn�� hnn��"

    He yed with my clit using his thumb as his tongue stirred my insides up. My hips kept trying to get away from him subconsciously, but he held me in ce with his hands just like he always did.

    "Dem�� ah�� Ahh! That ce��!"

    His tongue found the ce which was more sensitive. Every time the tip of his tongue nudged against it, it felt so intense that part of me wanted to run away from the pleasure.

    In a moment, my body reached the most intense pleasure.

    "Ahh! Uhh! Please�� ah��! Uh!"

    "Oh, you made a mess, darling," he smirked, licking his bottom lip. "Did it feel that good?"

    "Haa�� My�� my legs are shaking��"

    "It must have felt too good. You have to say I have gotten better," he said. "All things aside, I am going to burst if I want any longer."

    I got up even though my legs were shaking. "Let�� let me do it for you now."

    ***

    "I have noticed it before too. Do you like sucking my dick so much?" he chuckled as I licked the shaft with my tongue.

    He was clearly making fun of me. But I could not deny it. Though I felt like I pervert, I actually liked to suck it. I did not know I would get pleasure from something as perverted as it. Was it because I liked to pleasure him?

    ''Well, his masculine groans are rather hot. How can anyone me me?''

    He gently touched my hair. "Huh�� Why are you so good at it? Have you practiced it before?"

    "How could I do that? You are the only person I have been with," I said.

    "Ah, that right��"

    Right after two months, it was going to be a year of our marriage. If I still had not learned it, that would be very weird since we were a very sexually active couple.

    "Uh��," he groaned.

    His groans were very different from my moans. I liked his ones while mine made me embarrassed. I sounded so strange.

    I swirled my tongue on the balls as well as the whole length. It was so big that I could not properly put it in my mouth.

    I had not seen other male genitalia before. So, even though I heard Dem''s one was different and too big considering the regr size, I did not get scared. Dem thought I would, but it was different for me. Since he gave me pleasure just fine without hurting me, there was no reason for me to fear it.

    I felt his muscles tensing up. I increased my speed and felt a slightly salty liquid filling my mouth.

 Chapter 361 The Sudden News

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Oh, it''s spilling from your little mouth."

    He grabbed me by the neck and pulled my head towards him. His lips met mine and I opened my mouth slightly. I could hear the low sloppy noise of our wet beastly kiss.

    "Mm��"

    "I can taste myself from your mouth," he muttered and pulled me by the arm. Though his movement was fast, he was also careful so he would not hurt me.

    He made me climb on top of him while he sat on the couch, devouring me with his hungry gaze.

    "Haa, Dem��"

    I kissed him once more as if I could not help but give away to the temptation. Between the kiss, he grasped my hips and pulled me downwards.

    "Ah?!"

    "Huh, move your hips," he whispered, breathing heavily.

    He licked my nipple as I brought my hips up only to pull it down again. He could not take the dress offpletely, only could free my breasts from the neckline. More precisely saying, we were being too hasty to take off the dresspletely.

    "Ahh�� Ah! Dem�� uhh!"

    "You really can get me hard right after I came," he muttered, licking my earlobe. "Did you use your magic on me?"

    "No�� uhn�� How can someone do this�� using magic?"

    "Then, it must be because of how tempting my wife is?"

    His smirk made me flush. I got too embarrassed. But it was also surprising to me as to how he could get it hard so fast right after climaxing. I read in books that it took some time and effort. Sometimes, the woman needed to help too. But in his case, he could go three times or more with little to no break.

    Was it because he was an Alpha?

    I could feel his warmth both inside and out. It was crazy. The way he called my name, the way he breathed heavily- everything made me want him more, want to take as much of him as possible.

    "Ahh�� huh��"

    "Do you know how many people like you?"

    "W-What��?"

    "A lot. There are countless men who are currently in love with you."

    "That�� ah�� can''t be."

    "I wonder how they will feel if they see you like this, see you getting fucked by your husband."

    "How��? How�� uh�� will they see me?"

    "What if I make them see you like this? Going crazy?"

    "No�� Please�� Don''t do something like this."

    Sometimes I did not understand him. Why would he think that way? What was the point in saying that many men had feelings for me and what would happen if they saw me like this? I never thought about something like this. Then, why was he doing so?

    "Uhn�� ahh�� It feels too�� good�� ah!"

    "It feels good for me too�� Move more. Move your hips more."

    Before I knew it, he suddenly pped my butt. "Ahh!"

    "You always tighten up when I do it. Do you like it, my perverted wife?"

    "��What�� what are you saying?"

    "You cannot even lie, darling."

    We went on for a long time until I was too exhausted to move. My door had been closed the whole time. Only Flint could teleport to my room other than Luc. Luc would note here and Flint left too, so I did not have to worry about anyone entering my office.

    Right after we stopped, someone knocked on the door. "It''s a maid," Dem said.

    I fixed my dress quickly. Dem helped a bit too. I liked that part of him.

    "My apologies for disturbing you," she bowed. "There is an emergency letter from the ind."

    "Give it here," Dem said quickly and almost snatched it from her hands as soon as she stretched her arms. "Anything else?"

    "No, Your Highness."

    "You can leave now," I said.

    "What''s written there?" I asked as soon as she left.

    "I don''t know. Let''s see," he muttered, opening the envelope. "It''s�� What? Mothermitted suicide?"

    "What? Have you read everything properly?"

    "I have," he muttered, handing the letter to me.

    "You are done already? Perhaps you read wrong because you read too fast."

    But reading the letter, I found out he did not read anything wrong. The letter indeed said that Mother hadmitted suicide by jumping from a high cliff into the ocean.

    "She can''t swim?" I asked.

    ''Aren''t wolves amazing swimmers? But I read all wolves are at ease in the water and are excellent swimmers. They can swim up to 8 miles and can withstand cold water.''

    "I don''t know if she can swim or not. I have never seen her swim?" Dem said. "Wolves are good swimmers. It means when we are in our wolves'' bodies, we can swim the best. But in our other form, some cannot swim if they don''t learn."

    "I see��"

    "Can I use your office for a bit? I will send a letter immediately and ask for that damn mage toe back," he said.

    "Sure," I nodded.

    The letter was sent by the mage who was with Mother. He wrote that he along with some mages saw Mother jump off the cliff. None of them expected it and it was so sudden that he could not do anything. Right after she jumped, others went to search the water, but they found nothing.

    There were heavy waves in the ocean. They suspected that her body was taken away by the wave.

    "But�� isn''t too sudden? I mean, ording to my spies, she�� Was she depressed? Rather than being depressed, she��"

    "What?"

    "Dem, have you heard a mother acting lifeless because her son got married and no longer is her little boy?"

    "What do you mean? Why would someone��?"

    "I have very disturbing spection�� I don''t want to talk about it and I wish it isn''t true��"

    "But she never thought about something like that. And if that was the case, wouldn''t she hate you out of jealousy?"

    "That''s��"

    ''But remember that I read in that nk page of the book that ck-eyed female werewolves can absorb the power of a dark mage by killing them? What if��? What if your mother is part of everything and also contributed to controlling your mind? I can''t shake the feeling off.''

    "I know what you are thinking. It''s possible. If that''s true, then I could read only what she wanted me to read," he said. "I will send knights and mages to inspect the whole area to find out if it''s the truth and if it is, then the whereabouts of her body."

    I stood up and walked to him as he put the letter in an envelope. I touched his shoulder gently.

    "Are you okay?"

    "Yeah, why won''t I be?" he replied naturally.

    "�� I thought�� It''s fine if you are okay."

    He nced at me for a moment and opened his mouth slightly, but closed it almost immediately. It was as if he wanted to ask me something, but decided not to.

    I did not ask him anything either. A part of me said it was better not to.

    Dem sent a hundred knights and twenty mages to go to the ind using teleportation and look for proper evidence. The maids and the mage who went with Mother were brought back to the pce for interrogation.

    They were imprisoned on the ount of negligence towards a Royal and failing to protect her.

    Dem asked them questions himself. Even if they lied, he would be able to know the truth by reading their minds.

    ''After all, when someone asks us a question, our minds automatically say the true answer in our heads.''

    I did not go to the underground dungeon. I avoided that ce at all costs. It looked like hell. If I was locked out more than a day there, I would go insane for sure.

    Was it because of the smell and the aura?

    Well, who cared about the reasons? I just did not like that ce. Who would like a ce like that? If I could, I would avoid going there as long as I was the Queen.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I could not focus on work that day. It was Dem''s birthday and the news came on the same day. I did not know what to feel.

    In the evening, the suspicion turned out to be true. Though Mother''s body was not found, all the evidence showed that she indeedmitted suicide. The party was postponed because of it.

    Dem did not have any reaction. He was just like he had been all the time. I felt quite bad actually. Though I had not spent too much time with her, I always wanted her to be innocent so we could get close to each other.

    In the end, we still did not know whether she killed a dark mage to absorb their power or not and whether she controlled Dem''s mind.

 Chapter 362 Funeral

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    The day after my birthday, Mother''s funeral was held. Although the body was not found, ording to all the evidence, she was dead.

    Mother''s sudden suicide affected my reputation, mainly my wife''s reputation. There was a rumor that she told me to send Mother to a distant ind and since I was madly in love with her, I listened to her.

    What bullshit!

    Rather than making me the bad person, they were making my wife look bad, who was the kindest person I met. More importantly, none of us had any hand in it. Blue could not eat properly or sleep at night. She was restless.

    My mother''s death affected her more than it affected me. To be frank, it did not affect me at all. I did not care. It was more like- I could not care. There was no reason for me to bother about something like that.

    I thought it would affect me a bit, but it did not. It surprised me as well.

    I questioned the maids and the magest night. It was a bit noisy and took a long time. All of them led to the same answer. Find exclusive stories on empire

    When I had returned to the bedroom, I found Blue pacing back and forth in the room. She kept asking me various things the whole night and tried to make a lot of theories as to what might have happened and what might have led Mother to take such a decision.

    During breakfast, she did not talk much. We usually did not have breakfast together since we got up at different times. But today, we had breakfast together. She was just answering if I asked something and talked very less more than that.

    At the funeral, she was even more gloomy. My extended family members came too. Some of them were the ones I met very less, one or two times. Evelyn and Merrick came quickly from Mazazine hiring a mage. Ava returned from the academy and Luc''s family, now Blue''s adoptive parents, joined too as they were basically my inws.

    "She looks so young and innocent��"

    "Don''t you know the innocent-looking ones are the real snakes?"

    "That''s true. The rumors don''t seem to be false at all. I have never seen His Majesty act that way. Did you see the way he wiped the sweat off her face with his own hand? He is kept around her finger for sure."

    "Yeah, some kind of random bitch�� Ugh!"

    ''So noisy�� Should I just kill them right here?''

    "Dem, stop it��," Blue said urgently. "It''s you, isn''t it? What are you doing? They seem to be in pain�� Moreover, they are your family."

    "Fuck him!"

    I stopped controlling his blood after my wife pleaded too much. The three people who trash-talked my wife suffered only a bit considering what they did. I wanted to kill them. Who cared about some random people from my extended family?

    Everyone seemed to know immediately why I did that. Reading their minds, I found out that these three trashes talked shit about my wife before too, just not in front of me. Others knew that I heard them and thus, they got the results. To warn others, I imprisoned them immediately. They were taken away by the knights.

    "What did they do?" Blue whispered to me.

    "Just said nonsense," I shrugged. "Don''t worry about it."

    "Were they talking about me?"

    "You don''t have to care about that, honey."

    "�� There are rumors flying around. It''s just normal. I am fine."

    "I can''t let someone go who trash talks my beloved right in front of me, can I? What kind of husband am I then? I am not the silent type, you know that, right?"

    "I see�� Thanks then."

    We were the first ones to ce flowers on the empty coffin. Then, others followed. No one came from the mother''s side. I had never met the people who raised her.

    "How are you, brother?" Evelyn asked,ing up to us.

    "I am okay," I said. "�� What about you?"

    "You asked me how I am?" she mumbled, surprised. "I�� I am fine."

    "That''s good then."

    "What about you, Blue? You don''t look okay," she muttered.

    "It''s�� shocking," Blue said slowly. "I did not expect it at all��"

    "Yeah, it is indeed shocking," Evelyn nodded and hugged her.

    I did not understand why my wife was more affected than any of us when she was the one who knew Mother the least. Evelyn was not affected much too. Was it because Blue was too gentle and kind?

    "I have something to say, Blue. I know you are not okay right now, but Merrick and I will go to Mazazine again today. So, will you listen to me?"

    "Right now? O-Okay," Blue gave a nod. "Shall we move somewhere else?"

    "Yes," Evelyn said. "Do you want toe with us, Demetrius?"

    "Alright."

    We moved far from the crowd. Because of the ring I was wearing, no one would hear anything we were discussing even if they were near.

    "You see, I mainly went to Mazazine in search of Mother''s so-called family," Evelyn said. "It was her uncle as I heard. Merrick and I searched a lot of ces based on the things Mother told her previous maids. I collected information from them. I found Mother''s aunt. She is very sick and in her death bed.

    Her uncle had been dead for at least twenty years now. I don''t know how he died. No one knows because they suddenly found his dead body in the forest. There was no hint of poison or anything. You get what I mean? He was murdered by someone."

    "Did her aunt say anything else?"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I asked her if she knew where Mother was. She knows that Mother got married to the previous king of Querencia, but that''s all. Mother did not contact her again," she said. "Rather than that, there is another interesting part. That woman said Mother had been dating another man. Even just a few days ago, before she got married, she was seen hanging out with another man."

    "I don''t expect anything good, you know," I said. "But why are you going that far?"

    "I�� I wanted to see everything from Mother''s perspective. I wanted to know why, why she acted like that all our lives. We all have different reasons for what we do. I wanted to know hers. The best way to know about her is to know about her life more. That''s why I wanted to do it since I have enough time in hand to do that."

    "�� What about that man, Evelyn?" Blue asked.

    "He�� He has ckish hair. She never could see his face," Evelyn replied. "Mother''s aunt never asked her about that man. She said they were not close enough to talk about things like that. That''s all I know for now. It might seem like a normal thing, but�� When we were roaming around the same ce where Mother''s uncle''s body was found, we were attacked by a beast�� I have seen something like that.

    It was a very different type of monster than I ever encountered. It could change its shape frequently, like get big or get smaller in the blink of an eye. So, it was hard to keep track of its movement. That time, the potion Blue gave me came to use."

    "You told me to use it in the time of danger regarding mages or animals," Evelyn continued, looking at Blue. "I threw it at that beast and�� it turned into ashes quickly. After that, we were not attacked again. What I don''t understand is what kind of potion is that."

    "That''s something that works against all kinds of magic and beasts. If you want more, I can give you more of that."

    "I won''t refuse. It helped a lot."

    "That time, I can swear I saw a man with ck hair and the same height Mother''s aunt told me. It matched the description of the man who was seen with Mother. I can''t help but feel that something is wrong and there is a connection between all of these."

    "I see��"

    "That''s why I want to return and try to find out more things," Evelyn said. "I want to know everything."

    "I wish you the best. And thanks for telling us about it," Blue said.

    "I promised you, didn''t I?" Evelyn grinned.

    Blue looked very shaken after the conversation with Evelyn. Her mind kept wandering off every now and then. When someone called her, she was startled.

    "Are you okay, Blue?" Marchioness Aisha asked.

    "�� Mom? Yeah��"

    "Dad is very worried about you," the Marquis said. "You must be going through a hard time."

    "Yes, I can only imagine how shocking it is for you," Marchioness Aisha nodded.

    "I am a bit�� I am not feeling that okay, Mom and Dad. I think I��"

    "It''s okay. Take your time. We will talk to others now anyway. Just send us a letterter when you feel alright, sweetie."

 Chapter 363 The Search

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Are you okay, darling?" Dem asked when we returned to the pce.

    After returning, I went to the hot bath house to take a rxing bath. Dem followed as usual. He did not want to leave me alone. He was the one who suggested it in the first ce.

    "Something is very very wrong, Dem," I muttered.

    "What happened? Is it regarding what Evelyn said?"

    "Yeah," I gave a nod. "You know, I gave her that potion, worrying that she might be attacked. I kind of knew the reason she was going to Mazazine. Since we were not sure if Mother was with that dark mage or not, I could not help but worry about Evelyn and Merrick. So, I gave them that potion. It''s a potion that will work for anyone and anything.

    But there are a few more things to it."

    "What is it?" he asked and started undoing my bun.

    "The potion is supposed to be thrown at the person or thing or whatever it is. If it touches a werewolf''s skin, it will cut that werewolf into hundreds of pieces. If it touches a mage, the mage will be burnt and it is hard to prevent that fire. If it touches the skin of a magical beast created by a mage, the effect will be the same.

    If it touches a monster, it will lock that monster with a tight chain and eventually, strangle it. And if it touches a dark mage or a magical beast created by a dark mage, it will turn into dust right away."

    "A beast created by a dark mage?" Dem repeated, raising his brow. "You mean��"

    "You get what I am suspecting?"

    My hands started shaking. "How far�� how far�� will we have to go to know the real truth?! I am tired! I am tired of seeing everyone being part of this pathetic and disgusting game that''s being yed with our lives!"

    He gently rubbed my bare back without a word. He seemed to be deep in thought. Unlike usual, he did not get into the bath with me. He just helped me take a bath and after the bath, put the robe on me.

    "Hey��"

    "�� No, I am not sad," he said.

    "I haven''t said it."

    "But you are thinking that I am sad because we suspect that my mother was, indeed, with the dark mage and she is probably the one who controlled my mind," he said. "It''s wrong. I am not sad at all. I am confused. I have many questions and there are not enough answers. It''s frustrating.

    It''s annoying to know that I don''t know that dark mage enough to guess his next move."

    "After all, he has nned it for a long time. And we have found out about it just recently," he added. "No matter how I see it, we are at odds here. But I have no intention of losing. I will try everything to defeat him. It''s just�� Whatever he is doing concerns your well-being.

    I am worried, really."

    "I know�� More than worried, I am�� I don''t know what to feel. It''s so suffocating. But we are together, right? We can do it. Let''s just keep the faith."

    We looked into Mother''s diaries and everything we could for days. But we could not find much of a thing. Mother''s maids said she had a habit of writing in her diaries. So, we looked for them everywhere. But we could not find anything important.

    Dem and I searched for them in her previous room in the Imperial Pce, the side pce, and also the mansion on the ind where she had been staying. Calix, Perita, and Luc joined us. On the first day of our search, we went to Mother''s previous room in the Imperial Pce. Although everything had been cleaned after she left, we still looked for some kind of hidden things there.

    We found nothing more than a small pearl. It belonged to a ne that Mother had gotten from Dem''s father. The pearl was stuck into the gap in the door. It was almost impossible to notice. Perita found it.

    On the second day, we started searching the side pce. Everyone thought we were looking for Mother''s belongings because we wanted to preserve them as memories.

    We searched the side pce for seven days. We did not leave any ce behind. After that, we went to the ind to search the whole mansion. We were staying there for the time being to search every corner.

    "My back hurts. I have never bent for so long in my entire life," Perita groaned.

    "Stop fretting, Perita," Calix grumbled. "We all are doing the same thing. Even His Highness and Her Highness are notining."

    "It''s tiring for everyone. It''s just His Highness and Her Highness don''t mention it," Perita said. "That doesn''t mean I can''t mention it!"

    "Are you an Imperial knight or not? What''s this kind of bratty behavior?"

    "You are the brat! Only 16!"

    "Stop it, you two!" I mmed the spoon on the table. "Stop fighting at the dining table! If you want to fight, go out!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I just wanted some silence and peace. The food did not taste like anything because of my worries. The ce was also unfamiliar. Everything started triggering my anger.

    "I am sorry, Your Highness," Calix said.

    "Me too. I am sorry too, Your Highness," Perita said.

    "Are you okay?" Dem asked gently.

    "I don''t know! I don''t know anything! Everything is so frustrating! I can''t even think properly at this point! It''s like I am losing my freaking mind! We searched for so long!

    But what�� what have we found? Nothing except a damn pearl!"

    "Calm down, Blue. Demetrius lost it three days ago and now, you. It''s not going to go well if we can''t control ourselves," Luc said,ing out of nowhere. I did not even know where he had been. "Yeah, we are not perfect. It''s only natural to get frustrated and angry.

    But, let''s try to keep it low for now. We all are trying."

    "Haa�� I''m sorry��"

    "You have been whining all the time too. Why are you acting all mature now?" Dem muttered.

    "Well, if someone loses it, someone from the group has to step up and be the mature one," Luc said. "You can''t be that. That''s why you are saying it, huh?"

    Find exclusive content at empire

    ''Why is everyone being like this?''

    "I am done," I said, standing up.

    I left the room without another word. It was just too annoying to hear their petty arguments when my mind was in chaos.

    I went back to the room where Dem and I were staying. But something was wrong. The room felt different.

    "What the��? Ah, I havee to the wrong room��"

    I looked around the room a bit. We had searched this room already. It was just another bedroom.

    I looked out the window a bit. It was sunny today. I sneezed twice. I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my dress and looked around. The strong sun rays made it hard to even stand there for a long time. Something was glistening in the ray as well.

    "What? Glistening? What''s that?"

    "There you are. I was��"

    "Dem! What''s that out there?"

    Dem came up from behind and looked in the direction I was pointing. "Hmm�� It looks like a�� jewel or something."

    "A jewel on the tree trunk?"

    "��"

    We went to investigate it closely. Calix had been holding the umbre above my head since it was too sunny while Luc and Dem were investigating the jewel.

    "Should I press it?" Luc asked.

    "It''s not gonna explode, right?"

    "I don''t see any dangerous substances here, no magic either."

    "Then, do it."

    Luc pressed the greenish jewel and suddenly, a gap opened on the tree trunk. We were taken aback. None of us expected it.

    Inside the gap, we found a little box, covered in fine jewels. It was locked. We brought it back to the mansion and Luc opened the lock with a pin. He was an expert in those things.

    "It''s a bottle?" I mumbled.

    "Wait, don''t touch it!" Luc said urgently. "Can be anything."

    He used a handkerchief to take the bottle. "I will examine it first. Whatever is in it doesn''t seem to be a good thing."

    Dem suspected it was poison. But it was not certain yet. We would find out after Luc examined it.

    We returned from the mansion the next day. I could breathe properly after returning. All the time in the mansion felt very suffocating. Was it because it was a different ce?

    Either way, I had to admit that our bedroom in the Imperial Pce was the best. Nothing could beat home after all.

 Chapter 364 Pool Breakfast

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Let''s go."

    "Where?" I asked as I had just washed my face after getting up in the morning. Enjoy new adventures from empire

    "To have breakfast," he replied.

    "You haven''t had breakfast yet? But you have gotten up so early��"

    "I want to have breakfast with you," he said.

    "You don''t have to wait for me though. I get upte anyway, whereas you��"

    "Honey, it''s because I want to," he said firmly, cutting me off. "I have prepared pool breakfast for us. Just wear a swimsuit or bikini. I will wait there."

    "Outside?" I eximed in surprise.

    "I will be waiting," he said before walking out of the bedroom.

    "A pool breakfast? I have never had it before��," I murmured.

    I was still in shock while the maids brought three sets of swimsuits and two bikini sets from my closet. I had never seen them before even though I owned them. Well, I never went swimming after all. I never learned how to swim.

    "What will Your Highness wear?"

    "What''s up with that bikini? It looks slightly different than the other one," I asked, pointing at the one with a bigger neckline than the other.

    "Different? Is Your Highness indicating the fact that this kind of neckline will make your breasts look bigger?"

    "It will?"

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "Wow�� I will wear it, then," I said.

    Finally, I wore the bikini I chose. It was also my first time wearing a bikini. I never owned any before. I was oddly excited about it.

    After the day we returned from the ind after finding that box with a bottle, I could not return to before. Actually, I had not been myself since Mother''s death. I could not help but wonder what if it was somehow my fault that shemitted suicide. Was it because she thought I had taken her son away from her? Though Dem said it could not be true, I could not shake it out of my head.

    I went to the pool. The pool at the Imperial Pce was huge. It was only private for the Imperial family members, so no one else could go there.

    As I went there, Dem was already in the pool. He gave a smile at the sight of me. I took off my robe a bit hesitantly.

    "Do�� I look okay?" I asked.

    "Why are you so hesitant? You look as beautiful and sexy as always," he replied. "Come on."

    ''Is he even wearing anything?''

    I took the hand that he offered and slowly got into the water. A floating breakfast was prepared for us. Since we liked privacy, no one was there other than the two of us.

    It took me only a second to realize I was wrong. There was another creature there. "What is it doing?" Dem asked.

    "She, it''s she," I rified. "What are you doing, Sapphire? You will fall into the water if you walk so close to the edge."

    "Let her. She will understand," Dem muttered.

    "�� Are you even wearing something?"

    "I am wearing shorts," he replied.

    "Ah��"

    "My darling wife seems to have a dirty mind. Did you think I was naked?"

    "�� Well, you usually act that way��"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Haa, you know I like to be naked while bathing," he sighed. "But you have not been in a good mood for the past few days. I can''t think of a way to cheer you up."

    "Is that why you prepared this today?" I asked.

    "Yeah," he gave a nod. "I don''t know how much I have seeded. I just don''t think getting naked right in the morning and doing what it will lead to will do any good to your mood at the moment."

    I did not know he was thinking about cheering me up.

    "It''s indeed surprised me," I said. "I have never had a pool breakfast before. So, I''m quite excited."

    "Is that so? I have never had pool breakfast either."

    "Oh, you haven''t?"

    "I had coffee a few times, but not full breakfast," he said, shaking his head. "I heard couples do it sometimes, so I thought it would be fun. But what I don''t understand is, why are you clinging to me like that? It''s not like I hate it. It just looks like you are scared."

    "I�� I don''t know how to swim."

    "The pool isn''t deep. The water reaches  your shoulders only," he said. "Rx. Or, you won''t be able to have fun at all."

    "Uhm��"

    I tried to rx a bit. In the meantime, he brought the floating tray to us. Our breakfast was more grand than usual. We had different things every morning. I did not remember a time when I had the same breakfast for two days in a row aftering here.

    Having breakfast in the pool might seem fancy, but it was notfortable. Dem suggested that we sat on the stairs of the pool which helped. Although it was not the best way to have breakfast, it was indeed fun. I enjoyed myself quite a lot.

    "I''m telling you- hot tea is the best way to start a morning."

    "You are saying that because you love tea. Coffee works for me more. You are having a bowl of broli again?"

    "Hmm�� It tastes good."

    "I have never seen anyone eating that much broli."

    "What''s wrong with it?"

    "Nothing. I am just fascinated that you are not bored with it yet."

    "Well, just because you have something every day doesn''t mean you will get bored," I said and stopped for a while as a realization hit me. "�� Are you�� going to get bored of me?"

    "What? No, of course not! Don''t even think that way!" he said quickly. "I would never get bored of you!"

    "I know. Just asking��"

    "You are worrying a lot these days, my love. I understand that you are not feeling okay. But if you feel too burdened about anything, like work or thoughts, share with me," he said, touching my neck gently.

    "Hm, I will. I have told you everything. I just�� always feel like I am somehow rted��"

    "What happened surely is unexpected. But don''t think that way. We don''t know why Mother did that. So, don''t pressure yourself with such thoughts when we don''t know the truth," he said. "And you know, you took a good decision by not talking to that person anymore. He is behind everything; I am sure of it."

    After a good talk with my mind, I decided not to talk to Azure anymore. I stopped going to the library. Whenever he would try to converse with me, I would just shut down the connection. I could do that now. Without my permission, no dark mage could contact me like that anymore.

    Azure did not teach me how to do it. I could do it suddenly when I was tired of hearing his voice out of nowhere. After that, I could not do it whenever I wanted.

    Dem was more than happy to hear the news.

    "Wow, you guys are having a pool breakfast?"

    "What the actual fuck?!" Dem groaned.

    "Luc?"

    Luc appeared out of thin air right behind us. Dem was cursing him nonstop while he just shrugged it off as usual. Luc bent over between our shoulders and took a pastry.

    "Too sweet," he muttered, eating it anyway. "It must be Demetrius''s favorite?"

    "Why are you here, Luc? That''s also so suddenly��," I asked.

    "Is pool breakfastfortable?"

    "Not really. But it''s fun," I said.

    "Is that what you want to know? Then listen here, you punk, even if you take your wife to the pool of the magic tower to have breakfast, she is gonna hit you with a rock, trust me!" Dem said.

    "What''s wrong with that?" he asked.

    "Dem is right. It''s not a good idea to have breakfast there before cleaning it. You can get an odor there."

    "That''s just the magical trees. Their roots are very important."

    "Well, you can just nt them in a small greenhouse or something. The smell is awful, Luc. No one can deny that. Even our Ruby, who likes to clean more than anyone else will get scared to even go near that ce."

    "Hmm�� Can you find someone for me who can clean that ce?" Luc asked.

    "For fuck''s sake, just open your eyes a bit! There is no shortage of people who will want to do it if you give them a fair amount of money," Dem said annoyedly. "Why do you have to ask Blue for every single thing? Do you know how hard she works every day? Don''t burden her and go look for your things yourself!"

    "Really? Will it be too much?" Luc asked me.

    "Well, you need to do your things yourselves. But I can send someone to you this time," I said. "You will talk to them then, okay?"

    "That will do."

    "But why are you here? Surely not to see if we are having a pool breakfast or not?"

 Chapter 365 [Bonus chapter] Whats Inside It?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Oh, that''s right. It''s actually about that bottle. Do you know what''s inside it?"

    "How will we know that? You are the one who took it to test," Dem rolled his eyes.

    "It''s poison," Luc said.

    "What?" I eximed in shock. "Poison?"

    "It''s not a normal poison at all. I have never seen one of this kind before. It was made by a mage, but it took me a long time to actually figure out what kind of poison it is and what are the effects," he said. "If consumed, it will vanish without a sign. The consumer needs to be fed often for it to work. One day, they will fall to death without fail."

    "Oh my��"

    "How long?" Dem asked.

    "I experimented on three mice. All of them died within five to seven days. In the case of werewolves, I believe it will be at least two months. And for an Alpha, it will be a few weeks more than that."

    "Will the consumer show any symptoms before?" Dem asked again.

    "Not anything out of ordinary. You won''t even realize you are being poisoned," Luc replied. "It''s very dangerous."

    "So, there is really no way to know beforehand? What if I am being poisoned?"

    "Antidotes can prevent it. My antidote will help," Luc said. "But it''s not like there is just no way. I still could not identify most of the ingredients, but I found one. There is one ingredient in it that will cause gray hairs. If someone''s hair starts turning gray, it can be for various reasons.

    But taking this poison might cause hair to turn gray."

    "Gray hair?" Dem mumbled.

    "Honey?" I mumbled, holding Dem''s hand as I saw his expression darken.

    "��Father had started growing gray hair suddenly a few months prior to his death," he said.

    "King Axel? Ah, you told me about his sudden mysterious death," I murmured.

    "When I found out about the poison, I thought the same thing. Remember, you even said that your father was getting old quickly all of a sudden because he was so dumb?"

    "Well, yes, he was dumb. But now, we know the reason. There is no doubt he was fed this poison and it is also clear who did it," Dem said.

    "I have always suspected the previous Queen, you know," Luc said.

    "I did too. But I did not believe it myself," Dem said.

    "What do you mean?" Luc asked.

    Dem did not reply. Though Luc did not understand, I did. I knew what Dem meant. Dem could read minds, but he never found out that his mother killed his father.

    It indicated one thing in particr, which could answer some of our questions regarding Dem''s past.

    "Why are you not being clear? Are you hiding something from me?" Luc barked. "Oh, we are ying hide and seek now when I have worked so hard to find out about the poison?"

    "It''s your job to help the King and the Queen," Dem said. "You are the master of the magic tower."

    "You don''t have to tell me that. I know I am the master of the magic tower. But more than that, we are friends at least. I should know about secrets."

    "It''s not really a secret. Dem is just confused. I am sorry, please don''t push him about it," I said.

    "�� Haa, alright," Luc sighed. "I will go now. Don''t forget about sending someone to clean the pool for me."

    "He always listens to you," Dem muttered as Luc left.

    "�� Honey, are you thinking the same thing as me?" I asked in a shaky voice.

    "Hmm��," he gave a small nod. "It was her. She is the one who controlled my mind for seven years."

    He gritted his teeth and cracked the ss into pieces which was in his hand. Blood gushed out of the wounds, but he did not seem to care.

    "That woman��! She ruined everything!"

    "Dem��"

    If what we were thinking was the truth, Mother killed a dark mage and absorbed their power. Then, she started controlling Dem. Dem could not read her true thoughts because she had the power of a dark mage. He could only read what she wanted him to.

    Dem could read minds since childhood. So, Mother must have absorbed a dark mage''s power shortly after Dem and Evelyn''s birth. Or, they would have gained her power too, just as Evan did. Evan''s mother absorbed a dark mage''s power before his birth; thus, he became a dark mage too.

    I could not imagine how hard it was for Dem to hear that his own mother controlled his mind for years. Although we suspected it before, we were far from confirming it.

    I hugged him tightly as if trying to tell him that even if everyone betrayed him, I would be by his side. If there was a way for me to prove the truth of my words, I would.

    "I am sorry��"

    "Do I look pathetic? I do, don''t I?" he chuckled miserably.

    "No! Why would you?"

    "Even after getting the signs, I still could not believe fully," he muttered.

    "It doesn''t make you miserable, Dem. You only tried to believe that your mother is not the one who did it."

    Your next read is at empire

    If Mother truly poisoned Dem''s father, then our suspicions were true. I could not think of any other reason for which she would have it with her. Besides, Dem''s father had died mysteriously and he also started growing gray hair suddenly.

    *meow*

    "Sapphire?" I eximed. "Don''t walk near the edge. You will fa��"

    *ssh*

    Dem swam over to her and got her as she kept meowing and trying to get out of the water. Every time she jumped up to the edges, she slipped again.

    "Why is she here?" Dem asked.

    "I don''t know," I shook my head. "She was in our bedroom."

    I took Sapphire from him. Dem did not hate Sapphire anymore. He did notpletely like her, but he did not mind it if she sat on hisp and climbed on him anymore.

    "We are done anyway. Let''s go back," Dem said.

    Dem wanted to cheer me up, but he ended up feeling down. After we went back, I forced Dem to take the day off. It was very hard because he would not listen. In the end, he listened when I said I would let him do it only once that night if he did not listen to me.

    ''My husband is a sex addict, isn''t he?''

    It did not matter what kind of situation it was, if my body was fine, I did not remember a time we skipped sex. It was not just him who wanted it. Perhaps I had be quite addicted to it as well.

    "What do you think? Is your daddy resting?" I muttered, stroking Sapphire''s fur as she sat on myp in my office.

    "I can''t believe His Highness is actually resting. It feels impossible," Calix said.

    "He did not want to. I forced him," I said.

    Calix had seen how Dem reacted to his mother''s death and he knew that Dem and his mother never had a good rtionship. Calix and Perita kind of knew about everything since they were always with us. I also told Ruby everything. So, none of them ever mentioned Dem''s mother in front of him much.

    Iris and the duke did not know about it. Though Iris was my friend, I still could not bring myself to tell her about it. Not every friend needed to know about everything.

    I had not met Iris or Ruby for quite a while. We were supposed to meet at Dem''s birthday banquet, but it was postponed. It would be held next week. The kids woulde as well.

    Iris and I were involved in the duchess''s and the queen''s work respectively. So, we were very busy most of the time. Ruby was busy learning about Luc''s work so she could be his representative. She had given me the answer after a long time of thinking it through.

    I knew she would say yes anyway.

    I finished my work for the day at nine. Calix took his leave and I told the maids to bring our dinner to our bedroom.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Bring strawberry cake for the King and lemon juice for me. I won''t have anything sweet," I said. "Also, tell the chef to keep making sweet desserts for dinner. Ice cream will be good tomorrow."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    I noticed that Dem''s mood lightened even just a bit whenever he ate something sweet. He liked sweet things and it was very amazing seeing him enjoy something. When I told Iris that Dem liked sweets, she could not believe it. ording to her, Dem did not look like someone who would like sweet things.

    But I did not understand how someone''s appearance could say something about what they liked.

 Chapter 366 His Fever

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    I opened the door carefully so it would not make too much noise. What if Dem was sleeping? Waking up suddenly hearing a noise gave a headache almost all the time.

    Dem was sleeping peacefully on the bed. It was very rare for me to see his sleeping face since he always woke up early and did not take a nap throughout the day. The emotional pressure must be too much for him that he fell asleep like that. It was a good idea to make him rest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I put Sapphire on her bed and sat down on the bed by Dem''s side. His sleeping face was truly mesmerizing. It would be creepy to observe a sleeping man''s face for a long time, so I averted my gaze.

    But would it still be creepy if that person was my husband?

    Perhaps it would not be that creepy since he was my husband. So, perhaps it was okay for me to observe his sleeping face a bit more.

    Just as I was about to enjoy the beauty of his face more, there was a small knock on the door.

    "Ah, the food��"

    I stood up and opened the door. They ced our dinner on the table and left just as I instructed. They also brought Sapphire''s food who kept meowing until I gave it to her.

    "Have some patience, will you?"

    I decided to wake Dem up so he could have some food before going back to sleep again. "Dem�� Honey, wake up and have your dinner," I said slowly.

    I called him twice, but he only moved a bit. I got anxious. It had never been like this. He was very sensitive to sounds. What happened now?

    "Dem�� Wake up. Dem��!"

    "Uhm��"

    "Phew�� You are up��," I sighed in relief.

    He blinked a few times and fixed his gaze on me. "I have fallen asleep?"

    "Yeah. It''s time for dinner, honey. Have some food. Then, you can go back to sleep again," I said.

    "Weird�� It has never happened before," he mumbled.

    "Falling asleep like this is normal. Wait, why do you look so flushed?"

    I touched his forehead and I was shocked to find that he was burning. No wonder he was so tired.

    "Honey, you have a fever! Oh my! You are burning!" I eximed and started to panic.

    "Am I? No wonder I was feeling so bad. But I don''t get sick��?"

    "What nonsense are you spouting? There is no one who doesn''t get sick! Can you eat this food? Or should I tell the cook to make some porridge for you? Or some soup perhaps?"

    "I don''t have much of an appetite, but I am hungry. I feel like I am going to throw up if I eat, but I also feel very hungry."

    "Yeah, it happens. There is yogurt and salmon. Try to eat that. If you can''t, I will tell the cook to make something else for you. I will call the doctor now, okay?"

    "�� Stay with me��" Explore new worlds at empire

    "Yes, I wille back. Just let me call the doctor."

    "Feed me something, then go," he said.

    I had never seen him like this before. He looked very helpless and his gaze was not clear. I could never refuse when he was like this.

    I fed him boiled baby carrots and broli as well as the salmon. I had never fed him like this before. It was mostly him who fed me since I got sick often.

    Dem led a very bad lifestyle all his life. He woke up very early in the morning and did not take any rest throughout the day. Then, he would go to sleep at midnight. He roughly slept four hours or less than that. How could someone be okay after working like that? He was bound to fall sick someday.

    Moreover, there was a new truth which we found out about his mother.

    All of them contributed to his health.

    "You know, I have been thinking��"

    "What?" I asked.

    "I think Mother truly did it," he said.

    "Dem��"

    "No, listen to me. That bottle surely belongs to Mother and if that''s true, then why could I never find out about it? I can read minds. You cannot find a greater advantage than this," he said. "She never thought about it. Besides, I always wondered how she could think well about most people all the time.

    I mean, don''t you ever feel the need to yell at them? Don''t you ever get angry? Everyone does, but why won''t she?"

    "�� I understand, Dem. But can we not talk about it now?"

    "Why can''t we?" he yelled. "Is it because I am sick?! It doesn''t matter��"

    "Yes, it is because you are sick! So, just don''t talk, for now!" I yelled back. "Do you think I am not thinking about what you are thinking? I also know that Mother might be behind it, there is a high possibility. But that doesn''t mean I am going to fret about it all the time, okay? It''s hard, I know.

    But seeing you suffer is hard for me too!"

    "�� I can''t help it��," he muttered after a while.

    I bit my lower lip to stop myself from crying. I did not like it, I did not like the look on his face at all. He looked too helpless. I never thought I would see him like that.

    "It''s alright, darling. I understand. I just want you to do what makes you feel less pressured," I said.

    After Dem finished his food, I went to call the doctor. He tried to make me have my food first, but I refused. Calling the doctor was more important.

    Doctor Dimitri was as fast as usual. He was surprised that it was me who called him this time since usually, he was called for me, not by me.

    "I can''t believe it''s His Highness this time," he muttered. "Well, it''s not impossible."

    "It''s not. Please check him. He has a high fever," I said, panicking. "Have you taken that jewel off your tooth?"

    "Yesterday. I am changing it," he said as he quickly entered the room with me.

    "Ah, I see."

    "Well, His Highness definitely doesn''t look like his usual self," he mumbled.

    Doctor Dimitri checked Dem''s temperature and sighed. "It''s quite high. Has Your Highness eaten something?"

    "Have I?" Dem asked, looking at me.

    "Yes, he has," I replied. "He has had salmon, boiled carrots, and broli."

    "I see. Then, I can prescribe this medicine. Has Your Highness vomited?"

    Dem looked at me without answering. "He has not. He has a headache and it''s quite bad."

    "Is that all?"

    I sighed as I found Dem looking at me again. "That is all. He has been resting the whole time. But he is pressured mentally because of all the issues these days."

    "That''s understandable," Doctor Dimitri gave a nod. "Alright, so Your Highness needs to take the two medicines I have prescribed. I will send them right away. And please rest as much as possible until the fever goes down."

    "I will make sure he takes enough rest and his medicines. Thank you, doctor."

    "It''s alright, Your Highness. If the fever rises, just send a maid to call me," he said.

    "Yes, I will."

    Doctor Dimitri sent medicines for Dem almost immediately after leaving. Dem looked very disoriented and he did not talk at all. He was very deep in thought.

    "Have the medicines," I said, handing him two pills and a ss of water. "Then, you will sleep without a word."

    He took the pills and drank the whole ss of water. As he handed the empty ss back to me, he asked innocently, "No sex tonight?"

    "�� What sex?"

    "The act of my penis going inside��"

    "I know what sex is, my goodness! You are sick, Dem! We are not having sex when you are sick!"

    ''I can''t believe he even wants to have sex when he has a high fever. I just want to die when I am like this.''

    "Then why are saying no?"

    "Dem, we don''t have sex when we have a fever," I said. "I can''t believe we are talking about this now."

    "But I am quite horny?"

    "�� What is even going on?"

    "�� I don''t even know what to say. What do you want me to do?"

    "I will be fine for tonight without sex. Just hug me like you always do," he said. "Can you do that?"

    "Sure. I can do that for sure," I nodded.

    I changed into a nightgown and washed my face at least. Then, I climbed on the bed with him. He had been waiting very patiently.

    "Hey, I didn''t know you can''t talk to doctors about your illness," I muttered. "It was very unexpected."

 Chapter 367 Forceful And Dominant

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    "I didn''t know either. I mean, I don''t remember the time I got sickst. Well, it was perhaps a long time ago. I don''t remember anything at all," I said. "It''s ufortable to tell him about my problems. I don''t know why.

    I didn''t face these problems when I was telling him about your problems."

    "Really? Well, I don''t think it''s too rare. I heard that a lot of adults have this ufortable feeling."

    I was taken aback by many things today. First of all, I fell asleep sometime else other than my usual sleeping time. It had never happened before. Then, I got sick. Thankfully, it was not a contagious fever, but rather just a normal fever. I also discovered that I was very ufortable talking to doctors when it came to my health.

    It gave me panic for no reason. Discover hidden content at empire

    I was under a lot of mental pressure as well. I did not have any doubt that Mother was indeed with the dark mage. But the news affected me more than I thought.

    I wished I could just turn my thinking ability off for a while.

    "Does your head hurt a lot?" Blue asked, looking at me with her blue eyes full of affection.

    When she looked at me like that, it gave me an immediate sense of peace.

    "Not much. I am fine," I replied, giving her a smile.

    "You are not," she mumbled tearfully. "You are in pain, aren''t you?"

    "I am not that weak, my love," I said, cing a strand of hair behind her ear.

    "No, you are hurting emotionally. I know it," she said, shaking her head. "And I can''t do anything about it. It makes me feel so useless."

    "The fact that you are here with me and you care for me so much makes me feel a lot less pressured, darling. So, don''t worry. Yeah, the news truly did not make me feel good and I�� am under much more pressure than I thought I would be. But I will be okay. Just keep on being with me."

    "I will be with you. Forever."

    "You know, what I fear the most? I know that I am not the best guy. I have a questionable personality. That''s why I always fear that you will find a much gentler guy who will love you and not be obsessed with you, try to lock you up, and force you to stay with him. I am scared. Funny, isn''t it?

    I know it all, yet I cannot change it."

    "Dem, listen to me," she said firmly. "I love you. That''s why I am with you. Yes, you won''t let me leave even if I wanted to, but I don''t. I don''t want to leave, and neither will I ever want to. My love is not that normal either.

    I don''t know if you understand or not, but I do. I know that my love for you is quite abnormal as well. I guess we both are the same. You are just a bit more than me, but in the end, we both share our thoughts. And I don''t need a gentle guy. I prefer the type of person you are; kinda forceful, dominant, yet loving.

    You see, I am a�� masochist. And I guess I am kinda odd too for preferring you to be forceful at times. But we match in that, don''t we? The way you are forceful, I don''t hate it."

    "You really don''t hate it?" I asked, surprised.

    She shook her head, averting her gaze. Her ear and cheek were red. I knew she was a masochist in bed, but I did not think she liked my forceful behaviors most of the time. I also knew that her liking of my behavior was the result of me being the first person to love her like this. She liked most of the things I did because she was never shown this much love before by anyone.

    But I did not tell her that.

    I did not remember much of a thing of that night the next morning. I felt better. My fever had calmed down as well. But there was one thing I knew. My wife had not slept the previous night at all. When I woke up, I found her sleeping on my chest with her hand in a bowl full of water and a towel in her hand.

    She was cing the wet towel on my forehead the whole night and perhaps wiped my whole body too, because I found myself naked and wrapped in the nket.

    "My fever has gone down, all thanks to her," I told the doctor as he came to check up on me in the morning.

    "Her Highness surely seems to have worked very hard," he said.

    He did not ask me many things since he seemed to know that I was ufortable. I felt quite energetic in the morning and it did not feel like I had been sick just the previous night.

    My wife perhaps fell asleep in the morning. She did not notice when I woke up. I covered her with the nket so she could sleepfortably.

    "My love, do you love me this much that you care about me more than you care about yourself?" I mumbled, touching her face gently with my finger. "I love you so much too. And I am d that you love me this much. But darling, don''t push yourself. I don''t like to see you suffer either. So, take care of yourself, hm?"

    I kissed her on the forehead before leaving for work. I did not need to train the knights since it was not my job. Themanders did so usually. I trained in the evening most of the time. I kind of liked to work out, but I mostly did it to stay fit and also to stay attractive in my wife''s eyes. Well, she did not tell me that I needed to do it.

    But I just wanted to.

    After all, who did not want to stand attractive to their partners?

    I thought there was a lot of work pent up because I did not work one day. But oddly, there were only the things of today, not yesterday''s.

    "Did the Queen take care of everything yesterday, Kenzo?" I asked the beta.

    "Yes, Your Highness. Her Highness did everything. After finishing her side of work, Her Highness sent Lord Reece to get the documents that Your Highness was meant to take care of yesterday."

    "Everything?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "That is right, Your Highness."

    ''Is she crazy? What was she thinking, doing that much work? She must have been so tired. Did she have to go that far?''

    "Next time, she wants to do this much work, don''t let her," I said.

    "Your Highness, how can I deny Her Highness?"

    It was the first time I did not like the fact that we had the same amount of power. If I had more power, I could have made sure she did not overwork when I could not work for some reason. I was too worried about her health and I had my reasons. My wife had a weak body. I was afraid she would fall sick again.

    Since I could not use my power on her to stop this, I decided to tell about not to do it anymore.

    ''I will tell her when she wakes up.''

    "Kenzo, I need you to check as much of the ocean as possible. It won''t be an easy task, so use as many mazes and divers as you need. I need to find the dead body of the previous queen," I said. "And, check the mansion and the side pce. Bring everything that you find there that has not been moved- any documents, even just a torn piece of paper, any dresses, literally just anything.

    Bring everything to me."

    It was sure that Mother did control my mind. Now, I needed to know another thing. I needed to know if she was truly dead, or if it all was part of her other n. I did not trust that person at all anymore. I did not even want to acknowledge her as my mother. She was just a random woman who had the face of a mother.

    But her mind surely did not match that of a mother''s.

    There were a lot of unanswered questions. Most of the answers were based on the proofs that we found and our logic and theories. No one told any of us the truth. It would not be a surprise if one day we found out everything we thought was a lie. But it was highly unlikely.

    Sometimes, I just wanted to forget all of our problems and stay with my Blue only. If only I could stay the rest of my life with her without worrying about anything, I would not need anything else. She was all I needed and all I would ever need.

 Chapter 368 Not Allowed?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Why didn''t anyone wake me up?" I asked angrily when I had woken up at twelve.

    I could not believe I ended up sleeping the whole morning. Who would do my work? Besides, Dem was sick. Who would do his work? What if he had to work when he was not feeling well because I was not up? He always ended up pushing himself too far.

    "You all know that I like to sleep in the morning, right? And if someone doesn''t wake me up, I end up sleeping the whole time. Then, why did not a single person wake me up?"

    "We are sorry, Your Highness. His Highness told us not to."

    "Why?"

    "His Highness said Your Highness is not feeling well, so��"

    "Dem said that? He is the one who is sick! Where is he?"

    "His Highness is��"

    "I''m here."

    I looked towards the door to find him standing there. "And I was wondering why my wife is so mad right after getting up. It turns out you are worried about work again."

    "Why did you tell them I am sick when I am clearly not? I could not work the whole morning��"

    "Don''t get angry about it. It''s okay to sleep," he said, walking over to me.

    The maids left giving us bows. It was Dem''s work for sure. He touched the side of my cheek and kissed me on my forehead, nose and lips.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I just woke up. Don''t kiss on the lips," I said, hiding my lips.

    "Why?"

    "�� It''s weird and�� gross��"

    "Gross? How can it be gross? Don''t be ridiculous."

    "Ugh, forget it. But why did you tell them I am sick? You are the one who is sick. That said, how are you feeling now? Do you have a fever? A headache?

    Or anything?"

    "I am fine, my wife. You are still worried about me?"

    I touched his forehead and his body to make sure he was not lying. Thankfully, his fever truly went downpletely.

    "See? I am not lying. I am hurt that you don''t trust me."

    "It''s not that. You don''t take care of your health properly, only worry about me, so I can''t trust you about this one," I said.

    "I see. I guess I can''t do anything about that one. But don''t you think you have done something wrong yesterday?"

    "Yesterday? I did nothing other than work though?" I mumbled, trying to remember what I might have done wrong. "Ah, if you mean I took off your robe without your permission, I am sorry if you didn''t like it. I just wanted to wipe your body. I mean, it helps if you do so when someone has fever."

    "I know it helps and I am not mad about that."

    "Then what?"

    I could not think of something else that I had done wrong. I could only stare at him and wait for him to tell me.

    "You have done all the work yesterday, even my side of the work."

    "Is that�� wrong?"

    "Why would you do that?"

    "I�� I just wanted to help. You were sick. All the work would have put a pressure on you and I did not want that. So, I tried to help. Was it wrong of me to do so?"

    He did my workst time, so I thought I was allowed to do so as well. Was it wrong of me to think so?

    "I am just worried about you. You don''t have to work on my behalf. I told you that you don''t have to do yours either, but you don''t listen to me. You can rx all day."

    "�� So, it''s not because I am not allowed to do it, but because you are worried about me?"

    "Why would you not be allowed?" he asked, surprised.

    I still could not value my worth properly. A part of me always believed that I was not enough and there were a lot of things I was not allowed to do when I should know that I was the one who needed to allow myself to do something, not someone else. It even applied to where I wanted to go, who I wanted to be with and where to stay.

    Dem did not want to let me go and I knew he would not. But in the end, it was my decision to stay with him. I subconsciously knew that if I wanted to leave, I could. And no one could stop me, not even him.

    Because I had the power to do so.

    But I did not want to leave him. I fell too hard for him. It was not just him who was crazy for me, I was crazy for him just as much.

    "I just thought�� I am d that''s not the case," I chuckled and hugged him. "It''s alright. I have not pushed myself too much. I am perfectly fine. I am just d that you have gotten better."

    "It''s not just that. You need to be scolded for what you have donest night as well," he said, pulling back from the hug. I was surprised because he was not the type of person to be satisfied with a brief hug. "Rather than sleeping, you kept pressing cold towel to my forehead and also wiped my whole body. It''s not like I hate you touching me when I asleep.

    I just don''t like the fact that you could not take rest to take care of me."

    "It''s not a big deal. You did the same for me," I said. "I don''t know when I fell asleep. Anyway, that''s not the point. You got better and that''s all. But shouldn''t you take rest more?

    You have just gotten better. What if you fall sick again? I don''t like that."

    "I won''t. Don''t worry," he smiled. "But I won''t allow you to do these things again."

    "Ah, okay��"

    I did not argue anymore. If he became sick again, I would still care for him even more than I did this time. After all, he was my husband, the man I loved more than my own life, more than anything or anyone else.

    I had lunch since it was no time for breakfast anymore. We ate together. Dem kept nagging me about my health when I should be the one to do so.

    He also told me something else that he did which I wanted to do so as well.

    "I still cannot process everything, nor can I believe everything," he said, putting a piece of meat in my mouth and then having one himself. "What if she is still alive? What if she wants to harm you? She can''t control my mind anymore since you are my mate, so I am not worried about that. That woman�� If she is alive, I just�� want her to die already."

    I understood Dempletely. It did not matter what kind of rtionship I had with the person, but if they did not care for me during my whole childhood and controlled my mind for no less than seven years, I would be ready to even kill that person. Doing that to my love was even more revolting and enraging than doing that to me.

    Perhaps that was the reason Dem hated my family more than I did.

    "I was going to suggest doing so," I said. "I was not sure how you would react��"

    "I don''t care. Things rted to her don''t bother me in any way," he said, shrugging.

    ''Yet, you almost lost it yesterday.''

    After that day, our life went back to normal, except for the few whispers and rumors that we heard regarding the previous queen''s suicide. We did not mention Mother in our conversation. It was a silent agreement between us.

    But the rumors bothered Dem a lot. One night, he got so angry that he threw a vase against the wall. Sapphire got scared and hissed at him.

    "My god! Dem!"

    "Those fuckers keep on making assumptions!"

    "Well, they are going to do it anyway. What''s the point of this?"

    "They are making false rumors about you! It matters to me! They keep saying that you are behind her death when we haven''t even found her dead boy yet!" he yelled.

    "Please calm down, Dem," I said. I was a bit afraid to go near him since my father and Draven used to break things as well and then beat me up even more angrily. Sometimes, they used the broken pieces to scar my body. I knew Dem was not someone who would hit me, but I still got scared.

    "I can''t believe they keep making false rumors! All of them are pissing me off more than I thought! Really? What''s the point of bringing you into this? I can''t understand! Well, how can I understand those dumbasses anyway?

    I am not of their level, those motherfuckers!"

 Chapter 369 Natural

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    "It''s really annoying! Just how much�� What��?"

    I looked at my wife and found her shaking as if she was scared, but was trying to not be. I did not even realize that my action was the thing that scared her.

    "I''m sorry," I said, quickly holding her by the shoulder gently. "I am not angry at you. It''s just�� Ugh, damn it! It''s really not you who I am mad at�� It''s them. Please don''t be so scared."

    She stared at me and blinked a few times. It was clear that she was scared. But she was trying to make it seem like she was not although it was not working.

    "I''m sorry��"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "Why are you apologizing? It should be me," he said. "I am the one who should be sorry. I am sorry for yelling like this and making it seem like it''s your fault. I didn''t mean to. It''s just�� I just could not control myself.

    It''s no excuse for my irrational behavior. I will make sure I don''t do it again."

    "I know you won''t hit me. It''s just��"

    "It''s okay. You don''t have to exin anything. I understand," I said and kissed her on the forehead. "I will tell the maids to clean it up, okay?"

    In my mind, I promised myself not to throw anything on the wall in anger anymore. Sometimes I did not hate it when she was scared, but I also knew it was wrong. This time, I did not want her to be scared.

    ***

    "There is nothing else I could find. But I got your mother''s fingerprint on the bottle," Luc said.

    It took a long time to get the results of fingerprints. Blue told me it was quite an easy task in her world.

    All the important members had their fingerprints collected for various reasons. Sometimes, it helped to find the culprit of a crime.

    "I see�� Thanks for all of this, Luc," Blue said. "You have worked very hard."

    "Yeah, yeah. At least, you show some gratitude," Luc shrugged. "Your husbandcksmon sense along with gratitude."

    I just mimicked him silently, enraging him even more.

    "Will you stop picking a fight all the time?" Ruby grumbled.

    "Why are you on his side?" Luc asked. "You should be on my side."

    "Stop being ridiculous, Luc! It''s not about whose side I am on. Just don''t make things difficult," Ruby said.

    "Really, guys, let''s just drink some tea," Blue said. "It''s getting cold. Ruby''s efforts will go in vain this way."

    "Yes, listen to her," I said.

    "Oh, you are talking now?" Luc snapped.

    "Why don''t you shut your mouth now?" I snapped back.

    "Stop it, you two! Luc, don''t make things difficult and Dem too," Blue said.

    I listened to her, so I always stopped when she told me to. Luc also listened to her. So, everything went silent. Ruby gave her silent gratitude with her eyes.

    Tonight, was my birthday banquet. It was something that had to be held for some reason. The previous queen''s body was still not found. I was sure that she was alive. My wife had doubts as well.

    "Listen here, Luc. ording to the n that we made, you will leave two dayster, okay?" I said.

    "What n?" Ruby asked.

    Ruby had started to talk more in front of us. Blue told me that she gained more confidence and was trying to solidify her ground as the mistress of the magic tower. There were some talks outside about Luc''s mysterious mistress, but none of that affected their marriage or any of us since all of us knew the truth.

    Still, the rumors regarding my wife affected me anyway. I controlled myself these days in case she got scared again.

    "Blue needs her power awakened fully. If not, her health will stay weak and the condition might worsen. That''s why we need to find someone who can awaken her power," Luc said. "I told you about it. That n."

    "Ah, it''s that one," Ruby gave a nod.

    "I feel so bad��," Blue mumbled.

    "Why is that, Your Highness? We all want Your Highness to be able to live healthily and happily," Ruby said, touching Blue''s hand. "You would go out of your way for any of us. It''s only natural for us to do so. I know what Your Highness is worried about. It''s alright.

    None of it will affect our marriage. Luc and I have talked about it and we are fine with it."

    "Yes, that''s right," Luc agreed. "You don''t have to worry so much. I just need you to make sure Ruby is alright too. That''s all."

    "I will be alright!" Ruby said.

    "Dem and I will take care of her," Blue said. "Right, honey?"

    "Yes," I nodded.

    "Why that short answer?" Luc snapped.

    "You are the one picking a fight now. I have said yes, haven''t I? That''s the answer you need, not a broad exnation," I said.

    "Don''t worry. We will take care of her," Blue said. "Dem might act that way, but he thinks of Ruby as someone of our family now."

    "Ruby can stay at the pce too," Luc said. "I think that will be better than staying alone."

    "Yes, I also think so," Blue agreed. "You can also study as much as you want in the pce. We will take the books you need there. Besides, it''s not like you cannote back to the magic tower. In case you need another book, you can always find someone to get it for you. For example, Flint."

    "Yes, that guy is quite a genius mage. He will be able to find the right books just by hearing a word of it," Luc said.

    "It''s rare to hear from you," I said.

    "Yeah, but unlike you, I give someone the credit they deserve," he scoffed.

    I did not reply. It was useless. When we were near, we always fought about something. I knew it was insignificant, but something about fighting with him was very enjoyable. It had been the same since childhood.

    "Anyway, the kids are going toe tonight. Ava will join the banquet as well. I am very excited!" Blue said.

    "Yeah, we didn''t meet the kids for a long time. I miss Athena, especially since I have spent more than a month with her."

    "Athena and Abel have red hair and red eyes now. I have seen them not many times after that, so I am even more excited."

    She talked about them a lot whenever we were together. My wife loved kids and kids loved her too. I could not understand how she could get so close to them.

    I was not an introvert and but I couldpletely say I was an extrovert either. If there was something in the middle, perhaps I would be that. It was not hard for me to talk to someone, but I did not like to.

    It was not annoying to talk to Luc. And I loved to talk to my wife. These two were the only people I talked to properly. Talking to the beta waspletely because I needed to.

    "Let''s go back now," I said. "I have some work to do."

    "You go back. Let her hang out with us," Luc said.

    "No, we need to go back. I didn''t notice it''s been so long," Blue said. "Well then, thank you for the tea Ruby and thanks to Luc for all the work. We will go back now. See you at the banquet."

    "Yeah, see you."

    "Luc and Ruby are doing very well, aren''t they? They are an amazing couple, so much understanding," Blue said on our way back.

    "Don''t we have an understanding between us?"

    "Of course, we do. Who said we don''t?"

    I thought she wanted to have the kind of rtionship they had. Perhaps that was not the case. She had the habit to point out the good of others just because she liked it.

    "You really can think of weird things," she sighed. "I just meant that they look very cute and happy together. I am happy for them."

    "Is it natural to be happy for others?" I asked.

    Read new chapters at empire

    "Yeah, of course. If you like the people, it''s very normal and natural."

    After getting back, we worked for a while. My wife had to start getting ready very early for the banquet. I started after two hours than her. It took more time for her to get ready than for me. It was understandable since she needed to wear too many essories and needed to go through a lot of other processes.

 Chapter 370 Royal Banquet

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "So many people��," I mumbled.

    "Yeah, people like to attend banquets. Moreover, it''s a Royal banquet," Dem said. "Most people are here to find business partners. They will seize any opportunity they get. We are going to enter now. Don''t be so nervous, my love.

    I am here with you."

    I could hear the loud noise of many people from the other side of the door. It was obvious that there were too many people there. I always got nervous in front of many people. It did not affect Dem at all. If he was with me, I got some strength. Luc, Ruby, Iris, and the kids were attending as well.

    Familiar faces helped with my nervousness and made me feel slightly better.

    Still, the nervousness did not fade away from my mind.

    The huge golden door opened and the loud noise was reced with silence; only asional murmurs could be heard, but they could not feel the shortage of words.

    Once again, my legs seemed to freeze. Dem squeezed my hand as if reassuring me. I noticed Iris in the crowd. She smiled encouragingly at me. I also noticed Athena who waved at me, smiling brightly; her red hair looked more beautiful now that it wasbed and styled beautifully.

    I took a deep breath and looked ahead of me with as much confidence as I could muster. I was the Queen of Querencia. I should not act like a coward.

    Everyone bowed as we walked to our seats. As usual, I wore another ck dress. ck dresses never got boring.

    The master and the mistress of the magic tower greeted us first, then the duke and the duchess along with their children. Iris had taught them basic etiquette in the meantime and they did very well, especially Abel. He learned everything very fast. Iris praised him in her letters. Athena''s clumsy acts were adorable. She was trying her best.

    "Now that everyone is here, enjoy the banquet," Dem said.

    And that was all. We just needed to sit there or have a drink or some food. There were people who came to greet us one by one. It was hard to remember everyone''s name.

    "Don''t try. It''s quite hard," Dem said. "Ah, thatdy just fell."

    "Oh my, is she hurt? Perita, go help her up," I said.

    "It doesn''t matter. She is more embarrassed than hurt," he said.

    "Well, I would be too."

    Perita made sure she was okay and took her to another room so she could fix her dress as it seemed to have gotten ruined a bit. Some dresses were too delicate. They needed extra care.

    After a while, I went to talk to Athena and Abel. In the end, Ava could not join because she had a test two dayster. She told me in a letter. It was a bit disappointing that I could not meet her. Perhaps I should just go meet her after the banquet if I got the chance.

    "How are you doing, Athena?" I asked.

    "I am fine, Your Highness. Thank you for asking," she smiled. "What about you?"

    "I am good too. Oh my, you look so beautiful, sweetie," I said. "Have you chosen this dress?"

    "Yes!"

    "All by yourself?" I asked, amazed.

    "Uhm," she gave a nod. "The duchess helped me too."

    "I just took you to the boutique. You chose it yourself," Iris said.

    Iris mentioned in the letter that Athena did not call her ''Mother''. She was notfortable, so Iris did not force her although the duke kept telling her to call him ''Father''. Iris was against it. ording to her, it was not something that could be forced. It had to be natural.

    "That''s great, Athena! It looks so good on you," I said. "Abel looks great too. Have you chosen it yourself as well?"

    "No, Father chose it for me."

    Abel started calling Iris and the duke, Mother, and Father from the first moment. When Iris asked him why he agreed so quickly, he said, "I am grateful to the duke and the duchess for whatever you have done for me and my friends. So, I will do whatever you want me to."

    Abel was the type of person to talk like that despite his age. He acted emotionless which could be understandable since he lived on the streets for a long time, perhaps since birth. It was clear that he had gone through a lot. The duke and the duchess were good people and probably good parents as well, so his condition would improve. But it would take a long time.

    "The duke has good taste. It looks great on you. More than that, I think it looks better because Abel is the one wearing it," I said. Continue reading at empire

    "Thank you, Your Highness. Your Highness looks very lovely tonight," he said.

    "Oh my, thank you so much, sweetie!" I smiled. "That said, Iris and the duke should go and dance to this song. You two have been staying here the whole time. You should enjoy yourselves too."

    "We are fine, Your Highness. The kids are here��," the duke said.

    "Yes, the kids��," Iris nodded. The slight reluctance did not escape my eyes.

    "Mother and Father do not need to care for us. We can take care of ourselves," Abel said.

    "Yes, that''s right," Athena added.

    "I will take care of the kids," I said. "They will be with me for a while. Just go and enjoy yourselves."

    "But��"

    "Just go, duke. What is it? What''s wrong with dancing with your wife? Coming to the banquet doesn''t mean you have to take care of your kids the whole time," Dem said. "Or does it mean that and I have never known?"

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    Iris and the duke went dancing as the new song started. While we were talking, another song had already passed. Dem and I danced to the very first song and after that, we decided not to dance anymore. Dem said he wanted to save my energy.

    ''He is always really��''

    "Athena, Abel, do you two want to have anything sweet? Cakes, pudding, or anything?"

    "I don''t like sweets," Abel said.

    "I will have some pudding��," Athena said.

    "Dem, take Athena to have some pudding. You wanted to have strawberry pudding too," I said.

    "His Highness likes pudding?" Athena asked, surprised. Abel looked quite surprised as well.

    "He likes sweet things," I said. "Just like you. You both are really cute. You two match from this point as well."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Dem red at me in a cute way. It was clear what he was going to say if the kids were not there.

    "Come with me," Dem said.

    Athena went awkwardly with Dem. Dem did not know how to talk to a kid, or how to act with a child. Whenever the talk about having a child was brought up, he always said that he did not know how to act around a child or how to treat a child. I told him to be kind and affectionate.

    But he did not know how to be affectionate with someone else other than me. That was just what he assumed.

    I knew that he would do just fine if he became a bit more confident about it.

    "Are you doing well, Abel?" I asked. "What I mean is, are you doing well with your new family?"

    "Yes, Your Highness. They are helping a lot. I am very happy with Mother and Father."

    "No, Abel. You don''t understand me. I don''t want an automated reply. I want to hear what you think."

    "What I think. Then, Your Highness, please excuse me," he said and looked straight at me. "Yes, I am grateful for whatever they did and I have promised to even be ready to give my life to them. But if you want to know if I am fine or not, no, I am not fine. That''s the answer. I don''t know why I am like this.

    I just cannot blend into their life and I cannot be fine. I don''t miss my life on the street, but I miss the people I was with. They are my friends and they are my real family. I cannot ept just anyone as my family just because they helped me. Besides, they helped me with a condition. It''s not unconditional love, Your Highness.

    Nothing is unconditional in this world. I have known this since the moment I could understand myself and others. Your Highness, I was not born in this world full of privileges like Your Highness and others. I cannot blend into this world like all of you. Is this what Your Highness wanted to hear?"

    "This answer��," I chuckled. "Yeah, this is what I wanted to hear."

    "Is Your Highnessughing at my situation? Your Highness is free to do so, of course. I just did not expect it."

    "No, my sweetie. I am notughing. I am just sure now that perhaps I should not treat you like a child," I said. "You know, I was telling my husband right after I met you that this will happen. You know how? Because I can understand your situation very well."

 Chapter 371 Marital Problems Of The Duke And The Duchess

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    "Choose one," I said. "Or more. Whatever you want��"

    "Can I choose more than one?" Athena asked.

    "Go ahead," I replied.

    She took an apple pudding while I had some strawberry cake. I liked the strawberry vor the most.

    "Do you want to say something?" I asked when I felt like she wanted to tell me something, but could not.

    Was she scared of me? Well, kids usually got scared of me. When I asked Luc, he said I had the type of face that made others scared of me. But my wife had a different opinion. ording to her, I always maintained a cold look on my face. If I did not do so in front of kids, they would not be scared of me anymore.

    It was not because I had a scary face, but rather because I maintained that kind of look.

    "Um�� Her Majesty told me a lot about Your Majesty and said that Your Majesty loves Her Majesty a lot. Is it true?" she asked slowly.

    "Yes, I love her a lot."

    "Really?"

    "Is it that hard to believe?"

    "It''s not that�� Your Majesty just does not�� No, I think I am the one in wrong here. Your Majesty does look at Her Majesty as if she is very special and the most important thing in your life," she said. "So, I believe that Your Majesty loves Her Majesty a lot. Her Majesty also seems to love Your Majesty a lot."

    "She does. She is my wife and my mate. It is very normal that we would love each other."

    "But��"

    I had already known what she wanted to say, reading her mind. If she wanted to talk, I would listen because I did not have too many things to do. My wife seemed to be having a very deep conversation with the boy, Abel. I had a feeling that I should not disturb. So, I could only enjoy some sweets and listen to this little girl.

    "�� Will Your Majesty promise me something?" she asked after a while of trying to say something and failing every single time.

    "Yes?"

    "The things I am going to say now, can you please not tell them to anyone else including Her Majesty?"

    "No, I am going to tell her that. But I can promise you not to tell anyone else."

    "�� It''s not like I don''t want Her Majesty to know. It''s just�� Her Majesty is the duchess''s friend. So, I am not sure if she will��"

    "The Queen is not someone to tell the other person everything if you tell her something about them. Anyway, it''s not my ce to exin it to you. As I said, I will tell her this because we promised to tell each other everything."

    ''Well, I did not tell her about the truth regarding the death of the King of Lacuna, but anyway��''

    "I don''t think it is a problem��," she mumbled. "Actually, I am worried about the duke and the duchess. I heard they were best friends and then, they got married. It is a very well-known story. The duke had a wife who was�� not the best person and then, they got divorced."

    "That''s right."

    "But the duke and the duchess do not seem to be a couple. I�� I don''t know what a good couple looks like. All I know is that a good couple has to be like Your and Her Majesty, or like Lord Luc and Lady Ruby. But they are not like that. I only see them being best friends and nothing more than that."

    "That is their personal matter. I can do nothing about them," I said. "It''s not like just because I am the King, I cannot order them to act like a couple."

    "I am not asking Your Majesty to do that."

    ''I wouldn''t do it even if you asked me though?''

    "I just want to know how can I help them," she said. "It seems after I and Abel have be their kids, the situation only got worse. The duke loves us a lot and it seems more than he loves the duchess. The duchess also loves us, but it is obvious that she wants the duke''s attention too. I talked to Abel and he said he doesn''t care what kind of marital life they are living and told me not to care too.

    But I feel bad."

    "Abel is right. It is two grown adults'' problem. It''s alright not to care and probably the right thing to do," I said. "But it is okay to care too when the two people are your parents."

    I was aware of the marital problems between the duke and the duchess. My wife told me a few times and I also read their minds. The problems were not less in any way.

    First of all, the duke and the duchess were not mates. Because of it, there was no mental connection between them like mates do and their sex life did not work out at all. They took a potion, but it mostly worked for Alphas. Even if it worked for normal werewolves, it would be one or two times. The duchess did not have a mate and she fell for the duke.

    But the duke had a mate who was the previous duchess and so, he could not understand what he truly wanted as he was destined to be with someone else from the very beginning.

    That was the reason, he could not see the duchess as someone more than his best friend. He recognized her as a wife, but that was overshadowed by his viewing her as a friend. He also emerged himself into work only as he did not have anything else to take care of.

    He thought giving the duchess the title and money was enough and it was how he was supposed to treat her since he could not give her his love as a husband.

    But he was wrong. The duchess would have been satisfied or at least, a bit happier if he spent some time with her. There were a lot of issues including theck ofmunication. Overall, it was practically impossible to fix their rtionship without their own efforts. And even if they put efforts, the matter of not being mates remained as a wall between them.

    "Act how you are supposed to as a girl who is not even ten. Don''t act more than someone of your age would even if you understand more than them. It''s not your ce to fix their rtionship since it is impossible if the adults don''t take steps. So, try to act blind about some matters. Even if everything is happening right in front of our eyes, we don''t necessarily need to see everything.

    Just because they are your family, not everything is your responsibility and you have to believe that you cannot fix everything."

    She thought for a while and then gave a nod. "�� Perhaps there is nothing I can do��"

    ''Why are you thinking so much when you are a child? If I could meet my childhood self, I would tell him not to think about family and live however I wanted.''

    I returned to my wife after Athena ate pudding and cake. She also seemed to be done talking with the boy. The duke and the duchess had alsoe back.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    Abel did not love the duke and the duchess and did not truly think of them as his parents. He was grateful for what they did for him and so, he was trying to repay the favor by doing whatever they wanted. My wife seemed to have told him something and he was now thinking very deeply about them.

    "You two are here! Have you enjoyed everything you wanted, Athena?" Blue asked.

    "Yes, Your Majesty. The pudding was amazing! I liked it the best!"

    "That''s amazing! Abel and I were talking about this and that here," she said.

    "Hope any of them were not rude," the duke said.

    "Not at all. Both of them are very well-mannered," she said.

    The tension between the duke and the duchess was very obvious to everyone except the duke himself. He just did not care which seemed to piss the duchess off.

    It was none of my business. But I just hoped that their rtionship would not affect the kids.

    Luc and Ruby danced too and since Luc was drunk from the very start, we could not talk. I was not eager to talk to them, but my wife was. When we went to them, Luc was mumbling shit and his wife was trying to handle him.

    "I don''t know why he started to drink right after the banquet started. Is he crazy or something?" Rubyined.

    "He is," I nodded.

    "Was the wine that strong?" Blue wondered.

    "No, Your Highness. He just drank two sses. Your Highness knows how bad he can handle alcohol��"

 Chapter 372 Cheating

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Abel, that kid seems to be quite annoyed by what you said," Dem muttered.

    The banquet was over and we had just returned to our bedroom. It was midnight and I was very tired. Though Dem tried to save my energy by not dancing more than once, it still did not help much. In the end, I was fatigued.

    "Yeah, he sure is," I chuckled. "That kid�� He has got potential. I can sense it. He will be a great leader someday."

    "He has the most genuine and normal thoughts," he said.

    "What I said to him today is nothing special and he is quite annoyed and angry," I said. "But he wille back. Once more, you know."

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, I am. He will surelye back," I nodded.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Anyway, forget about him. We have more important things to take care of," he said impatiently and suddenly pulled me towards him by my waist. It was a usual thing he did every now and then, so I was not surprised. "Are you too tired?"

    "You don''t feel like taking any rest?"

    "No, I don''t. If you are not tired, let''s get down to it," he said, massaging my breasts.

    "Not now. I need to sleep," I said, pulling his hands away from my chest. "Let''s do it tomorrow. I feel very tired."

    He bit his bottom lips and frowned his brows. "We don''t have sex as much as we are supposed to," he said."

    "What do you mean ''supposed to''? There is no amount of sex that we are supposed to have," I said.

    "Forget it. I will take a shower. Go to sleep," he said and went to the washroom without a word.

    "What''s the meaning of this?" I yelled after him, but he did not reply to me.

    I was too tired, so I went to sleep right after changing my clothes. I could not even remove my makeup and essories. I did not even remember if I made it to the bed or if I had fallen asleep on the couch.

    But I sensed a feeling of warmth wrapping around me even though I had not covered myself with the nket.

    "Where is Dem? I can''t find him anywhere?" I asked.

    "I don''t know. His Highness is probably in the other tent," Perita replied.

    We were in the middle of the forest for some reason. I did not know what was going on, so I was looking for Dem.

    "Where is it? Take me there," I said.

    "Your Highness, I am making our tents. The other tent is just on the right," she said. "Or I can��"

    "It''s alright then. I will go by myself," I said.

    I walked to the tent Perita pointed at. I heard some noisesing from inside. It sounded like someone in pain.

    I walked inside without asking since I knew Dem was in there. Besides, a door could be knocked to let the person inside know that I wasing in. But what about a tent?

    The moment I stepped inside, my whole existence dropped. I never expected it, not even the slightest.

    "Ah, Your Majesty, it feels so good. Please do it more��! Ah!"

    I could not handle it anymore. I did not know what happened next, but I started screaming at the top of my lungs.

    "What? What''s wrong?"

    I looked around me anxiously and noticed that I was on the bed in our bedroom. My husband was shaking me as if trying to wake me up.

    "How dare you! How could you?!" I yelled and held him by the front of his robe, sitting up very quickly.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked, shocked. "Calm down. What''s wrong?"

    "With some random blonde?! You promised me! You said you love only me and you will never be with any other woman! Then, what was that? What the hell was that? Why were you fucking another woman?"

    "What do you mean? What woman? I don''t even know what you are saying!"

    "I saw it! I saw it with my own two eyes! You were cheating on me!"

    "Cheating on you? What do you mean?"

    "You were! Don''t make any kind of lies!"

    "Why do I have to make lies when I did not even cheat on you?" he yelled, holding me by my shoulders. "I don''t understand this�� Where has thise from? When have I cheated on you? I did not even leave this room. I just came back from the bathroom after taking a shower and then�� Yeah, I masturbated. Is that called cheating now?

    I can''t touch myself?"

    "But I saw you!"

    "Where?" he asked angrily. "In your dream?"

    I could not reply. Where did I see him? Did I see him in my dream? Well, I was in a forest in the middle of nowhere after all. It must have been a bad dream.

    "It was in your dream, huh?" he sighed. I did not know if it was in relief or if it was because he was regretting his choice of marrying me.

    "It doesn''t matter if it was in my dream or not! You cheated on me and that''s the fact!"

    "Honey, in your dream!" he said, trying to make me understand that it was my in my dream and not in real life. But that did not help much.

    "�� Is it because we are having less sex now? Because I said no tonight?"

    "Why would that be a problem?"

    "So, you don''t want me anymore?" I asked, not listening to him. "You want a blonde who will listen to you no matter what you say and have sex with you more? Do you want a concubine? Or do you want her to be your Queen?"

    "Stop it, really! When have I ever said something so ridiculous? I haven''t even done something like that!"

    "Ugh, I feel so irritated!"

    "For no reason!"

    "I can''t believe you cheated on me. I will forgive you this time because it was in my dream. You are safe for now."

    "What''s the meaning of this?" he muttered, shocked.

    "�� Wanna have sex?" she asked.

    "Haven''t you yelled at me just now? Are you in the mood?" he asked.

    "I am�� Are you?"

    "�� Yeah��"

    Dem was going slow on me, so I urged him to go faster and harder on me because I was too jealous and angry. He thought I had lost my mind, so I did not do as I said. So, I took things on my hand and the night ended up bing quite extreme.

    I was bitter even in the morning. I could not understand why I had that kind of dream. More importantly, why would he cheat on me in my dream?

    "I don''t understand what is going on. Your Highness looks very down and quite angry too. His Highness looks quiet out of it as well," Calix said. "Has something happened, Your Highness?"

    "What should I do if my husband cheats on me?" I asked.

    "What? His Highness cheated on Your Highness? How? When? Why?" he eximed in utter shock.

    "In my dream, I mean. What should I do?"

    "In Your Highness''s dream? His Highness cheated on you, not in real life, but in your dream?"

    "Yeah��"

    "�� That must have been a bad dream."

    "But he cheated on me��"

    "But it''s a dream, Your Highness. His Highness would never do something so horrible in real life."

    "It''s very worrying though��"

    "Have Your Highness and His Highness fought because of this?"

    "I yelled at himst night," I muttered. "I don''t feel guilty. I am very angry at him. How could he? He promised me not to be with another woman and love me forever��"

    "Your Highness, His Highness is not at fault here. Anyone can see how loyal His Highness is. It was just a bad dream. Your Highness must have had too many things to think about. Or, perhaps�� Has Your Highness drinkst night at the banquet?"

    "Just half a ss�� No, it did not make me drunk. It was too little, so I was fine��," I said.

    I knew it was not exactly Dem''s fault that I saw him cheating on me in my dream. But I could not stop getting angry whenever I thought about it. I forgot the woman''s face, but their position was too clear to me, even the way their bodies entangled.

    It was supposed to be me! I was supposed to be in her ce! Why would someone else be in my ce? Why would someone else hold him like only I could?

    "Ugh, my head hurts. I am so annoyed. I can''t focus on work."

    "Well, perhaps Your Highness will feel a bit better after chatting with Lord Luc."

    "Where is he?"

    "I am here."

 Chapter 373 Who Is In The Wrong?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Here is the official report of everything regarding the bottle that we found," Luc said, cing a file on my table.

    Every single thing that we investigated required an official report which included all the information. Though it was not fully an official investigation, Dem and I still decided to have the official report as we might need to someday. We had official reports for all the official and unofficial investigations that we did.

    The report reminded me of the investigation that I was doing on the mysterious man that my spy had seen after the death of the King of Lacuna. It was ongoing since we had not found out anything else about that man. He seemed to have vanished. Even if people vanished from the world, they left some kind of proof behind.

    But that man seemed to have wiped his own existence even though he was still alive and well somewhere.

    "What happened to you? Why do you look like that?" Luc asked. "Something happened between you two?"

    "Dem cheated on me," I replied.

    "In her dream," Dem replied from behind. He somehow managed toe in without any sound sometimes. "She dreamt about me cheating on herst night. Then, she woke up and yelled at me. It was for no reason. She kept saying there was this blonde who I cheated on her with.

    Now, she is still bitter and won''t talk to me if I don''t ask her something."

    "What is even going on?" Luc asked, surprised. "Really? This is happening?"

    "Tell me who is in the wrong here, Luc," I said. "Dem promised me that he will never love anyone else or be with anyone else. Though we had some problems regarding this and that, we were doing very well. Everything was going well."

    "Yeah, next?" Luc asked seriously, sitting down.

    "Are you enjoying it now?" Dem snapped at Luc who did not pay any attention.

    "We usually have a lot of sex. But we had less these days because of various reasons. And it happened because I said no all those times," I said and Calix coughed.

    "Can I take my leave, Your Highness? I wille back soon," he said, gettingpletely red.

    During usual times, I would have not mentioned such things and would have gotten embarrassed if someone mentioned it in front of me. But right now, I needed an answer. So, I did not care. My shyness seemed to have turned itself off temporarily.

    "Yes, go," I said, giving him a nce and then, looking back at Luc to tell him the whole thing. "Last night, I was tired. So, I said no when he asked. He got angry and went to take a shower. That was it. I changed and fell asleep.

    Then, he cheated on me!"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "In your fucking dream!" Dem yelled.

    "In my opinion, I don''t think Demetrius is at fault for the first time ever," Luc said.

    "Ever?" Dem interrupted, but Luc did not care.

    He continued, "It was a dream and it can happen if you are insecure in any way. And even if you are not, it can happen. I personally have yet to experience it, so I cannot tell you the exact thing. But one thing is sure, he is not at fault here. You are not either, I think. But, Demetrius might be at fault for making you feel insecure."

    "How so?" Dem asked.

    "Like, getting angry because you said no," Luc said and looked at Dem. "Why the hell would you get angry at her for saying no? She is not a machine and she has the right to say no. That was you being a dick!"

    "Yeah, I know. I was being a dickst night�� I regretted getting angryter on and wanted to apologize. When I came back from the shower, she was sleeping. I wanted to do it in the morning, but then it all happened," Dem said, looking genuinely guilty. "Anyway, I am sorry. I shouldn''t have gotten angry at you that time.

    You have the right to say no. So, I was at fault."

    "Hmm��," I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

    "That probably made her insecure," Luc said. "I don''t know anymore. I just said whatever I thought. Usually, it is you two who give rtionship advice, especially Blue. Doing it myself feels weird. Hope it helps."

    "But I agree with Blue getting angry. Give him as harsh punishment as possible," he added, giving me a wink.

    "Don''t talk nonsense!" Dem yelled at him.

    "It''s partly your fault too. It''s not like you arepletely innocent."

    "Just leave already. You are not helping," Dem urged him, pulling him up by his arm.

    "It''s Blue''s office. I cane and go as I please. You can''t force me to leave," Luc said.

    "Just go already. It''s getting more annoying."

    In the end, Dem made Luc leave. At the banquet, I could not talk to Ruby and Luc much because Luc got drunk very early.

    "Now, talk to me properly, okay?" Dem said with a serious face, bending over my table and bringing his face as close to mine as possible.

    "Hmm��"

    "What''s with that half-ass reply? I want you to tell me whatever is making you feel insecure, so I can fix it. If we don''t talk, it won''t solve anything."

    "First of all, say sorry," I said.

    "For what?" he asked.

    "For cheating on me," I replied.

    "Always add in your dream, so no one misunderstands. If you talk like this, people will think that I really cheated on you," he said. "And, okay, I am sorry. I don''t even know why I have to apologize for something you have seen me doing in your dream. But to make you feel better, I will apologize a thousand times if you want me to. Just talk to me properly.

    Okay?"

    "Okay��"

    "Am I making you feel insecure in any way?" he asked.

    I shook my head. "No��"

    "Then, what''s the problem?"

    "I don''t know. I don''t know anything. It''s just�� You acted like thatst night, so I thought�� Besides, we are not having sex as much as before. I know you have a high sexual desire, yet�� I am just too tired these days��"

    "That''s not unnatural at all. My reaction was a bit too muchst night, but I really don''t mind it too much. It''s alright to be tired. After all, you work so much. You don''t owe me sex every time I want it. I mean, you can say no.

    As I said before, if I am myself, I will listen to you."

    ''Ah,e to think of it, there might be a time when he will lose himself because it is not unnatural for werewolves. His instincts will take over himself and he won''t listen to me. I cannot me him because it''s not his choice, but rather something he was born with.''

    "You won''t hate me if I say no?" I asked.

    "Of course not. Why would I do that? I am not that much of an asshole."

    ''That much of?''

    "And you won''t go to another woman?"

    "Never! It''s me who worries that you will leave me for someone else as a matter of fact," he said.

    "�� I forgive you then."

    "�� Ah, ok��"

    We stopped fighting, but it took me a whole week to get over it a bit and talk to him normally again. Ava came to visit me because she could not attend the banquet. I could not go to visit her either even though I had wanted to go to her after the banquet. It was toote that night.

    "Is it alright if I start calling you ''aunt'', Blue?" Ava asked.

    "Why? Do you hate calling me by my name? Or is it ufortable for you?" I asked, surprised.

    We were having tea in the garden. Dem went to a meeting. The meeting was not so important, so I did not join. One of us was enough. He did not know Ava hade. It was a surprise to me as well.

    "It''s just�� I think I should start calling Blue ''Aunt'' as it is more urate. If Blue is ufortable, I won''t do it," she said.

    I was ufortable at first when I first came here. But now, it had changed. It would not be too ufortable for me now, though it would take time for me to get used to it.

    "No, it''s fine. You can call me whatever you want to. If you want to call me ''aunt'', it''s fine too."

    "Then, I will call you aunt from now on," she said with a smile.

    Ava was wearing a blue outfit today. She liked butterflies and it was clear in the way she dressed. It was a full butterfly-themed outfit. And she looked very adorable.

 Chapter 374 Lack Of Willpower

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Aunt doesn''t sound bad at all. You are right. You should call me what is right," I said.

    "Your Highness, His Grace, the duke, and Lord Abel are here," a knight notified.

    "Oh, he is really here��?" Calix muttered, surprised. "Your Highness was right."

    "Right?" I chuckled. "Send them here. I am having tea with my niece, so I cannot leave. They muste here."

    "Is Abel the duke''s son?" Ava asked.

    "He is," I nodded. "Do you want to talk to him? Perhaps you two will be able to get along well."

    "No, I don''t think�� Does he like Aunt?"

    "Like me? I don''t know," I said. "Maybe, or maybe not."

    "His Grace, the duke, and Lord Abel are here, Your Highness," the knight dered who led them here.

    "Good afternoon, Your Majesty. Sorry foring here so suddenly. I have sent a letter just an hour ago. It was inconsiderate of me."

    "That''s alright, duke," I said. "Though the rule is to send a letter at least a day ago asking for a request, I gave the duke''s son permission toe to meet me any time he wanted. I guess he showed you the handkerchief I gave him?"

    "He did," the duke nodded.

    "Greetings, Your Majesty," Abel bowed.

    "Hello there, Abel," I smiled. "It''s great seeing you again."

    "If Your Majesty permits me, I will go somewhere. I have some business to take care of."

    "Sure. I will send him back with some of my most trusted knights."

    "That will not be needed, Your Majesty, as I will being back very soon."

    "Very well," I nodded.

    The duke gave a bow and left. He could not trust the Imperial knights for his son''s safety, which was very much like an overprotective father. It annoyed me a bit, but perhaps I would have done the same if it came to my kid.

    "Alright, now that Abel is here, let me introduce the two of you."

    "Abel, this is Ava, my niece. And Ava, this is Abel, the duke''s elder son. Say hi to each other."

    "Hi��," Ava said.

    "Hello��"

    ''Why are they so stiff? It''s just a friendly greeting, though��''

    "Will you have tea, Abel?" I asked. "If you don''t like it, you can tell the maids what you want to have."

    "�� I don''t like tea," he said. "Can I have hot chocte instead?"

    "Sure," I smiled. "Bring hot chocte for him."

    "Do you want marshmallows too?"

    "Yes," he replied. His eyes twinkled for a moment, but he did it very soon as if he was not ready to express himself fully yet.

    I looked at Ava. "I will stick to the tea, aunt," she said, knowing what I was about to ask her.

    Iris would be surprised if she saw Abel asking for hot chocte. She always wrote in her letters that Abel listened to them and was too obedient. Sometimes, he acted as a puppet. She told him countless times, but could not change that mindset of him. He thought he owed him his life because of what they did which was clearly wrong.

    Gratefulness was one thing, but owning his own life was apletely different matter. No one owned their life to someone else, no matter what the other person did for them. We lived once and in my opinion, it was best to leave it for ourselves and not for someone else.

    Abel could not blend into the new lifestyle because he felt lonely and alone. He believe no one would understand him because they had grown up with at least the basic privilege, which he had not.

    But I did not as well.

    At the banquet, I shared a bit of my story with him and how I managed to blend in with the new lifestyle. It was hard for me at first. There were a lot of problems. But I had my Dem who helped me with every step. In the end, I could get used to the new lifestyle.

    Everyone needed someone to lead them in a new world. Perhaps he still had not found that person yet. So, I stepped in to help him a bit, if he was ready to ept my helping hand.

    It seemed he was.

    When I shared my story with him, he remained silent and got quite angry too, because I said he was the reason he could not get used to his new lifestyle. He was a kid, but the way he thought was not what a kid could do. If he wanted to be the duke''s son mentally as well, he needed to pull himself up. And for that, he needed courage and will. He had the courage, but hecked the will.

    He got angry, but I knew he would understand that what I told him was not wrong at all. He needed to let his true self out to bring out a better version of himself.

    Atst, I told him that he was wee if wanted to meet me again and gave him my handkerchief which had my stamp that worked as permission. I also told him to tell me the truth if he came to meet me and if he could not tell the truth, he did not need toe at all.

    "So, how are you doing, Abel?" I asked.

    "I am not well," he replied. "I have been having frequent headaches because I keep thinking about what Your Majesty said."

    "That is so rude, young lord Abel," Ava said angrily. "Are you implying that Aunt is the reason you have headaches?"

    "It''s alright, Ava. Abel here is saying the truth just like I told him, so it''s not rude. He has my permission," I said.

    "Hmph," she groaned.

    ''Does she not like Abel? Well, it happens between kids, but it won''t be okay if she acts rude to him.''

    "Continue, my dear," I said.

    "I think Your Majesty is right, but I also think Your Majesty is wrong."

    "In what way may I ask?" I asked.

    "I believe it''s because I don''t have someone to talk to freely and I admit that I cannot just talk to anyone freely. But I don''t think Ick willpower."

    ''Well, isn''t that because you are so stubborn?''

    "Hmm," I muttered. "Then, shouldn''t you prove that you don''t reallyck willpower?"

    "�� I will try," he said.

    "The hot chocte is here. Enjoy now."

    The tea party was basically filled with Abel''sints and his view of everything around him. Ava did not talk much, but she sometimes expressed her distaste for Abel''s remarks. At some point, she got too annoyed.

    "It was supposed to be my and my aunt''s tea party. Why is he here? Because of him, I could not talk to Aunt as much as I would have loved to!" she eximed angrily.

    "We can always talk again, Ava. Besides, Abel did not know that you will be here when he came here," I said. "It''s not his fault."

    "It still is his fault! I don''t like him!"

    "Ava! This kind of behavior is not eptable," I said, a bit angrily. "Isn''t it only natural for us to act kind to others? We should not be rude for no reason."

    "�� I don''t like it," she mumbled and stormed off.

    "She doesn''t like me. Why though?"

    "�� She doesn''t hate you. She is still a kid," I said. "Calix, go and check up on her."

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    "It''s alright. I hate her too," Abel said, shrugging.

    "It''s not alright," I said. "Why would you hate each other? Let''s see. She is just five. So��"

    "She is five?" he asked, shocked.

    "Yes."

    "Only five?"

    "Yeah," I nodded. "That''s what I meant. She is still a kid."

    "Then, why does she talk like she is older? All the five years old I have seen before are not like this. They act like kids. But she doesn''t. She even can talk so clearly about everything. I thought she was eight or more, just looks small."

    "The kids from the Royal family mature too quickly," I said. "I suppose theyn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "I see," he mumbled. "In that case, the prince or princess will be like that too��"

    "What prince or princess?" I asked, surprised.

    "There is no�� I heard��"

    He turned red. "You heard I am pregnant?" I asked and he gave a nod. "It''s a rumor. If you asked Iris, she could have told you the truth. You see, there are countless rumors around. I am the Queen, so it is bound to happen.

    Just like me, there are rumors about the King, the duke, the duchess, and you two. Have you heard the rumor that Athena is actually the saint and we have kidnapped her?"

    "I have�� It''s not a lie, is it? I don''t know the whole thing because no one told me. But I believe it is the truth. Or, why would I have to be the duke''s son and her brother as well?"

 Chapter 375 Part Of The Deal

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Your Majesty, I might be little, but I know that no one in this world can be utterly selfless. I don''t me them. If we want to survive in this cruel world, we have to be selfish. I am not any different. So, I know that the duke won''t suddenly adopt me out of kindness. There are hundreds of children on the street right now.

    He can''t be that kind to give every single one of them home. He has his reasons."

    "I promised not to lie to you, Abel. I will tell you the truth," I said. "You are right. We are not selfless, not the duke, not the duchess, not the king, and not me. Athena is indeed the saint. But she did not choose it."

    "No saints choose their fate, of course. They cannot," he said.

    "That''s right. But it''s unfair, isn''t it? If it''s our life, we should get to choose our fate. But she could not. When the king and I went to the temple, we could not ignore the little girl. We decided to save her and that''s what we did.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    They say we kidnapped her. She came willingly with us, so I doubt that''s the term that should be used though Dem doesn''t agree. Anyway, we needed to find a home for her. The king and I are not ready to take care of a child as parents. We just got married. It hasn''t been a year yet.

    The master and the mistress of the magic tower are newly married as well. They are not ready to have a child. The duke and the duchess proposed to adopt Athena. They are good people, but we still decided to let them spend some time with Athena so we, as well as she, can see that they will do well as her parents.

    She got close to them and when I asked her, she said she was fine if they were her parents. But there was another problem."

    "The temple," he said.

    "Yes," I nodded. "Athena led a hard life there. None of us wanted her to go back there. You see, Athena had a unique feature, that of a saint. So, she could be easily recognized. The priests were looking for proof that we kidnapped her.

    We hid her well, so they could not find anything regarding her. We imprisoned the priests for their misdeeds, but the rumors remained. Then, I suggested that if the duke wanted to adopt Athena, he has to adopt another kid with the same physical features as her. It was not that hard to find."

    "He found me��"

    "That''s right. That''s what happened. I know changing your hair and eye color might not have been up to you and it was very selfish of us."

    "I never cared for my appearance anyway. So, it''s nothing. I was offered food and shelter as well as my friends, so I don''t hold any grudge about it," he said.

    "I see�� That''s good then. Now, I have told you the truth as I promised. Yes, we have taken advantage of you, but it''s not like we did not help you. Besides, the affection that we show you is not fake. The duke is a child lover. You might have seen it too.

    The duchess and my friend Iris is a good person. It''s true that she still doesn''t have the heart of a mother, but she doesn''t hate you, any of you. Iris has her problems, so it is still hard for her to adapt to the life of a mother. Just like you are having a hard time adapting to your new family and this new life. But she will do well in no time. She is trying very hard you know.

    In every single letter, she mentions the two of you and asks how she can do better. I am not a mother myself. I could have been�� You see, I lost my child in the first month. It affected me a lot. I don''t think I have the heart of a mother. But, I think I can understand kids and the people who have some simrities with me."

    "I am sorry��"

    "For what?"

    "That day, I acted rude," he said, looking down at hisp. "Your Majesty''s life was not simple at all. I was too narrow-minded that I thought it was just me."

    "It''s alright. You are still a kid. Besides, you are not narrow-minded at all. You are a smart kid," I said. "I could not even imagine thinking about things like this at your age. Although it is very impressive, I wish you will live a few more years as a kid.

    No hard thinking, no problems, just eat, study, y and smile. Really, that''s what a kid should do."

    We talked for a while. The conversation was very normal. Calix came back and reported that Ava went back to the academy. She was still upset it seemed. I would send her a letterter and also one to her Headteacher to arrange a monthly basic behavior ss. It was important to form these things in childhood, or it would be a huge problemter on.

    "Your Majesty, I should go back now," Abel said.

    "Eh? Already?" I muttered. "Ah, it''s been a long time. I haven''t noticed it��"

    "The duke is here," Calix said. "He is in His Majesty''s study."

    "Dem hase back from the meeting? He must be in a bad mood," I said.

    Dem did not like meetings. They always put him in a bad mood. Actually, he did not like the position of the King in the first ce. But he had to be because Evelyn gave up the right first. Usually, siblings in a Royal family fought for the throne. But the Easton siblings wanted to give up the right.

    Both of them wanted the other one to be the ruler. In the end, Evelyn managed to give up the right first. In her word, it was true freedom.

    "Let''s go. I will go to Dem''s study too. It''s been a long time since I have seen him."

    "It''s been a few hours actually," Calix said.

    "Whatever. It''s the same thing," I shrugged. "You are just jealous because you are a kid and can''t experience it."

    "I am only two years younger than Your Highness. I am not a kid," he sighed.

    Calix did not argue like Perita. Perita did not want to give up an argument without stating her points, while Calix did state his points, but not all the time. His tone would be very gentle and he did not care whether he lost or won.

    When we reached Dem''s study, we found Dem and the duke discussing something. Dem was in a bad mood just as I expected and the duke had a solemn expression as usual. I never could guess what that guy was thinking.

    Dem once said that no one could ever understand what the duke was thinking, observing his face. He would lookpletely unfazed while thinking that something looked so cute that he might go mad.

    "The tea party is over?" the duke asked.

    "Yes, Father," Abel replied. The little expressions that he showed before me had disappeared from his facepletely.

    "Then, if you excuse us, we will take our leave. It has been a long time."

    "Can Ie again, Your Majesty?" Abel blurted out.

    "Sure," I smiled. "You can visit me whenever you want to. You have that handkerchief, right? That will work as my permission."

    "Yes��"

    The duke and Abel left. The duke was surely jealous because it seemed Abel was closer to me than him even though he spent the most time with him. Well, understanding kids was different than loving them.

    Calix also left because his duty time was over. It was time for Perita to guard me. Calix guarded me for a longer time today than usual, so I rewarded him with some candies. He did not want to ept them, so I shoved them in his hands.

    "The duke is jealous of you. Is he a kid or something?" Dem muttered.

    "He is, isn''t he? I knew it! I was thinking about it just now, you know," I said.

    "Remember, I told you that Athena told me about the duke and the duchess''s marital problems?" he said.

    "Yeah?"

    "Today, I told him to make sure that nothing regarding their marriage should affect the kids," he said.

    "You did the right thing. We are not someone to intervene when it came to their marriage, but we surely will if ites to the kids. After all, it was part of our deal that we can even take the kids away if they fail to be good parents."

 Chapter 376 One Year Anniversary

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    There was nothing that could be found in the ocean. Well, the ocean was a vast ce, full of water. Anything could get lost there; a dead body was no different.

    Blue told me to keep the investigation going for a long time. ording to her, we had money and people. Then, why would we stop? It was not like we had to search the ocean ourselves.

    More time passed. Just as I had not given up the investigation to find the dead body if the previous Queen was truly dead, my wife had not given up on finding the whereabouts of her father. Luc gathered more than ten dark mages after he had gone to look for them two days after my birthday banquet, so they could try to awaken Blue''s power. But all of them failed.

    Their power was significantly small considering her power. Rather than sending them away, Blue started gathering those dark mages and making a team who would work for her. Even though her power had been awakened only a bit, she was more powerful than them. It was very natural to follow the powerful one.

    Some of them refused to follow her and they had taken their leave. But most of them stayed and decided to work for her.

    She sent them to different ces to find out anything about her father and her brother. I could understand her desperation. She wanted to end this cycle of mystery as soon as possible, and so was I.

    Along with that investigation, there was another one that she had not given up on. It was about the shadow. I asked her why she was so adamant about finding him. She said that she wanted to at least know the truth. I did not know she could be so curious about something that did not involve her much. Or, did she suspect I was somehow behind it?

    ''Her gut feelings are no joke after all. They are urate or almost urate most of the time.''

    Almost two months passed. And it was a special day today. It was our one-year anniversary and also my wife''s birthday. So, a grand banquet would be held.

    It still felt like just yesterday that we got married and it had been one year already.

    For her birthday, we celebrated in a small wayst night after twelve. It was just the two of us, in our bedroom.

    I personally wanted to be with her only. But it was her day. So, I decided to respect her wishes. I thought she would want to invite Ruby, Luc, the duchess, and the kids including Ava. But surprisingly, she did not.

    When I asked her about it, her reply was, she enjoyed nothing more than spending time with just me. She liked them a lot, but at the end of the day, she wanted to be with me. That made me feel great.

    "I can''t believe it''s been one year already!" Blue eximed while we were taking a walk in the garden in the afternoon. We would get ready for the banquet a bitter. Before that, she wanted to take a walk.

    Since it was a special day, we did not do any work and spent the day together. Blue was very enthusiastic about us not working today even though she was the one who was usually crazy about work.

    "Really? It still feels like yesterday, doesn''t it?" she said,ughing loudly. She looked very happy. "More than my birthday, the fact that today is our anniversary makes me so happy! Right, honey? It feels amazing, right?"

    "Yeah, it does," I chuckled. "You look really happy."

    "I am! Aren''t you?" she pouted.

    "I am too. How can I not be happy?"

    "That''s right! It''s our one-year anniversary. Let''s keep on spending a long time with each other. It will be so much fun!"

    "A long time?"

    "Yeah. Why are you asking like that? Don''t you wanna spend a long time with me?"

    "Not a long time," I said. "But forever."

    We were not immortal. We had to die someday. If I died before her, which was what I wanted, then it was fine. If something happened to her, I would leave the world too, just to be with her. If I could not be with her in this world, there was no point in my existence. There never was.

    If I told her this, she would get mad. Some things were better left unsaid.

    "Ah, that''s right. Forever," she said. "A lot of people have sent us tons of letters. I read most of them because they were filled with good wishes. I could not finish."

    "They are too much. Even if you read them all day, you can''t finish."

    "That''s true. There are lots," she said. "That said, how did you even make the chain all by yourself?" she asked. "I don''t think you knew how to make it before."

    I did not have a good sense of giving gifts. After spending a long time thinking about what to give her, I gave her a waist chain. It was a verymon gift, so I tried making it myself. I perhaps did not do badly.

    "Ruby taught me," I replied. "Among the people we know, she might be the only one who knows these things."

    "Haha, she is an all-rounder," sheughed. "But really, it''s impressive how you managed to do it so well."

    "I am quite talented, ain''t I?" I chuckled. "Just kidding. I tried too many times. If I could not do it well, that would be a shame."

    "It was amazing, really," she smiled. "I am wearing it right now, by the way. That said, you still are wearing that bracelet?"

    "Of course. I am going to wear it forever," I said.

    "I thought it was a joke��," she mumbled.

    "I would never joke about something like that," I said, smiling at her as she looked quite embarrassed and confused.

    The banquet tonight was not as annoying as I thought it would be. It was not because I suddenly started to like partying, or because I started to like people, but because I could not get the time to feel annoyed since my darling wife drank so much that she was losing herself.

    I was trying to stop her from drinking, while also keeping up with her already drunken state.

    "Why would you drink this much?" I asked. "I told you so many times. I was talking to that guy or whatever because he suggested something which sounded good at first and you took the opportunity."

    "Hmm�� How do I look today?" she asked, grinning broadly; she waspletely unbothered.

    "You look beautiful as always. But you shouldn''t have drank this much. As I said��"

    "I want to dance��!"

    "Not now. You will fall."

    "You will hold me. Or won''t you?"

    "It''s not like I won''t��"

    "Then��?" she pouted. "Please�� Let''s dance."

    "Haa�� Alright," I sighed. "It''s hard to win against you, you know."

    "Yeah," she grinned.

    "Is she going to dance that way? She will fall," Ruby said in her usual concerned tone. She sometimes acted as if she was the mother of the people around her. Blue did that too in front of her subordinates, but Ruby could act as Blue''s mother as well.

    "Let her enjoy, Ruby. She won''t fall," the duchess said. "His Majesty is with her, isn''t he?"

    "But�� I could not stop Her Highness from drinking because I was busy stopping Luc from drinking�� That guy�� He hasn''t drunk yet because I am with him."

    "What? Why are talking as if I am not here?" Luc grumbled. "I wasn''t going to drink too much anyway."

    "Yeah, yeah��," Ruby shrugged.

    "Guys, we are going to dance�� Talk to youter, hmm?" Blue said.

    "Oh my, I didn''t know you like to dance so much, Blue," Iris said. "You alwaysined that dancing makes you tired."

    "She doesn''t. Her drunken self does," I said. "Anyway, I will take her to the dancing ground. That said, Luc, catch that brat. He is here today."

    ''That? How do you know that? Who is that?'' Luc asked with his mind.

    ''He is that guy with white hair and baby looking face. He is the one who tried to steal items from the magic tower.''

    ''How do you know that?''

    ''Is that important now? I just know.''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Two days ago, someone tried to steal from the magic tower. Ruby was in the magic tower, but not in Luc''s research room, so she noticed only when she heard something. The thief stole some rare herbs. Although Luc was very untidy, he kept a track of his items regarding magic. So, he noticed immediately what was missing.

    Luc had to search for dark mages here and there, but he still came to the magic tower once a week because he missed his wife. After the incident, Ruby sent an emergency message to Luc and he appeared right away.

    I could rte to his concern for his wife because I knew what it felt like to hear their loved one faced something dangerous.

 Chapter 377 Never Drink Again

    (From Demetrius''s Perspective)

    "You dance quite well even though you are drunk," I chuckled.

    "Ain''t I a good dancer?"

    "You are. I am really impressed."N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "But Iris dances better than me. Everyone likes it when she dances," she said.

    "Everyone is looking at you too, my love," I said. "They like it."

    "Have you seen her dancing?"

    "She always dances even if the duke doesn''t do so. So, yeah, but I have not noticed that well," I replied. I truly did not care what others did around me. My life had too many prob-lems to pay attention to useless things.

    "She dances really well. I am jealous."

    "Why? You dance really great too," I said. "Others are jealous of you, my love."

    "Why?" she asked.

    "Well, first of all, you look really beautiful. A lot of men have crush on you. It''s kinda normal. Some people make someone their crush just seeing their looks, not their nature."

    "You mean I have a bad nature?"

    "I don''t mean that," I said. "I just mean they don''t even know you, but fall for you because of your face."

    "Am I beautiful enough for people to fall for me right away?" she mumbled. "I always thought I look kinda average."

    "It''s not about average look, or looking too beautiful. Each person has different prefer-ences. For me, you are the most beautiful person in the world and nothing or no one can change that."

    "Is that right?"

    "Yeah."

    "Hmm��"

    She suddenly startedughing. She grinned at me broadly and suddenly pulled me towards her by my arm. I did not know what she wanted to do, but I did not think she would sud-denly press her lips against mine like the way she did.

    It was the perfect moment as the song was about to end. It ended with our passionate kiss which made some people go crazy in excitement and shock.

    "Wow��!"

    "Whoa! Look at them��!"

    "His Highness and Her Highness are��"

    "Ohho!"

    It was the duchess who started screaming as if the world was falling apart. She supported my wife''s reckless moves the most and always told her to drink as much as she wished.

    "Why so suddenly��?" I muttered.

    "Some women were looking at you as if they were devouring you. But you are mine. So, I showed them that," she said, looking around as if she was annoyed suddenly. Her moods changed in the blink of an eye when she was drunk. "Hmph! Thirsting after my husband, those women!

    Don''t they know you are a married man? How dare they! Huh, my husband is mine!"

    I bit my bottom lip to stop myself fromughing out loud. My wife might feel bad if I startedughing. She was so cute when she was jealous. It was hard for me to control my expressions.

    "That''s why you kissed me just now?"

    "Yep!"

    The song had ended. She did not look like she wanted to dance anymore, so I pulled her to one side, away from the duchess as she would surely tell Blue that a lot of women were looking at me. I read her mind and found out what she was nning to do. The duchess''s intention was to let Blue know about their names so she could be careful of them. I could not say it was a bad intention.

    But my wife was too drunk and she would get crazy if the duchess told her this now.

    "Wasn''t it you who said you don''t like it if I kiss you deeply in public? But you have done the same?"

    "��"

    "I don''t mind it though," I said. "You can kiss me again."

    "Really?"

    "Are you going to do it?"

    "No��"

    "You seem reluctant. So, you want to kiss me?"

    "It''s not like I don''t. Just not here," she mumbled. "Anyway, I want to see something."

    "See what?" I asked, surprised.

    "I want to see you drunk�� You promised you will get drunk."

    "The wine today served is not that strong. I don''t want to have someone throw up on my floor."

    "But we have wine in our bedroom. There, you have one of the strongest wines ever from Lacuna," she pointed out. "Let''s go back."

    "�� What if I attack you? I don''t know how I act when I am drunk��"

    "Attack me? Well, you aren''t going to hit me or kill me."

    "Yeah, but��"

    "Please�� Today is my birthday. Won''t you listen to me?"

    ''How can I deny if you look at me like that?''

    We took our leave after talking to a few more people. I told her to have some food, but she refused. I did not bug as much as usual since there was a chance she would throw up if she ate something.

    I drank a lot of wine that night just as I promised her. The wine was very strong, so one bottle made me quite drunk.

    I did not remember what we did that night. Thest thing I remembered was her calling me cute.

    Judging my character, I surely did something extreme. Seeing the state of our room in the morning and ourselves, it was kind of obvious what happened though I could not remember anything.

    "Ugh��," I groaned.

    "Let''s not drink ever again," Blue said. I was surprised because I thought she was sleeping, judging the way she had her eyes closed. It looked like she had a headache too just as bad as mine.

    "Do you remember anything fromst night?" I asked.

    "Yeah��"

    "Yeah? Everything?"

    "Everything," she replied.

    "What did we do?"

    "Look at us and the state of our surroundings."

    I was wearing my bracelet, watch and gloves only. It was very weird to have gloves on while having nothing else on. Wearing the watch looked strange too. For her, half of her dress was torn and the other half was still on her body, though not in a good shape at all. Her hair was messed up and not all of her essories were taken off.

    The bed was very messy with the bedsheet lying on the floor. At least, we were covered with the nket, or perhaps she had woken up first and covered us. My attire was lying on the floor near the door. I had no idea how it could have gone there, or what we were doing near the door. The distance between the door and our bed was not less at all. On my coat, Blue''s cat was sleeping.

    In short, it was indeed a sight for my eyes and also a warning that I should never drink again.

    "Do you still have any questions aboutst night?"

    "�� How are our clothes there, near the front door? I mean, we were having drink on the couch. The front door is very far away from the couch, forget about the bed," I asked.

    "Well, isn''t that because there was a knock on the door and it turned out to be a maid and she came to return my headpin that fell on the dance ground? I went to check and you sud-denly grabbed my waist from behind. She saw us acting crazy a bit. Because you are so im-patient, you couldn''t wait until we got to the bed, or at least, the couch."

    "Why is the cat here?"

    "She got through the window; I don''t know when. I woke up because she was licking my face," she replied. "It was just a while ago. Then, I put her down on the floor and she went ahead and reserved your clothes for her to sleep on."

    "Why do I have my watch on? It''s so weird."

    "What weird? You were too impatient," she said. "Really, you remember nothing? Nothing at all?"

    "I have a ckout."

    "You were really drunkst night. Nah, you go crazy when you are drunk. You are already a crazy person when ites to sex, but when you are drunk, the craziness increased dra-matically," she said. "Ugh, I have a headache. You do too, right?"

    I gave a nod and slumped my head back on the pillow. I could not even sleep because of the headache.

    Both of us had lemon juice in the morning to help with the hangover. I usually had a full breakfast, but today, I had light breakfast like my wife did every morning as I did not have much of an appetite and it felt like I would throw up if I ate more.

    The feeling was not good at all. In the next few months, we decided not to drink at all. We learnt a huge lesson on our wedding anniversary.

 Chapter 378 Leaving For Two Months

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    After the disaster on our anniversary night, we were careful about drinking. I almost did not drink anymore and Dem also did not drink strong wine too much.

    Luc left again to look for more dark mages. There were some mages assigned to protect Ruby and the magic tower now after the theft. The thief got caught at the banquet. He turned out to be the son of a fallen noble. He stole some rare herbs to make medicine for his sick old mother. I could not me him because I would take any risk for my loved ones too.

    Just as I could sympathize with him, I could not say he was not guilty either.

    Luc was enraged because it took him years to find those herbs. He was quite unforgiving. Luc got angry at Dem sometimes, but that anger and the anger he showed towards the thief were very different. I had heard that the master of the magic tower was unforgiving and did not sympathize with someone if that person did something to enrage Luc.

    After seeing him like that, I could understand why people said so.

    Though it was the decision of the court to decide upon the thief''s punishment, it was mainly in our hands. Luc could affect the justice system too. It was not supposed to be in the Imperial family''s hands, yet if the Imperial family was powerful enough, they managed to have the justice systempletely in their hands, just like we did.

    It was all thanks to Dem being one of the most powerful kings ever.

    Luc wanted to cut that man''s hands off, but Ruby somehow managed to convince him to give a lighter punishment. In the end, the man was locked up in a cell for two months. I paid for that man''s mother''s treatment because I felt bad.

    Our lives were going as usual despite all of that. The duke and Iris''s rtionship improved slightly as he started to talk more ording to Iris. She said he now spent some time with her as well. Although the kids were always present and it seemed he paid more attention to the kids, she was still happy. At least, that was what she said. Her situation made me feel bad for her.

    I knew that their rtionship would never be normal. But still, in the back of my heart, I wished they could be happy together too.

    Abel visited me once a week, sometimes twice. I did not have time to only chat with him all the time, so I took him to my office where he would drink hot chocte and talk to me. I would reply to him while doing my work.

    I did not know why he liked to spend time with me. I was at least seven years older than him after all. Now that I thought about it- the gap between Dem''s and my age was simr to my and Abel''s age gap.

    Athena also sent me letters, but she could meet me as much as Abel did. First of all, she was too considerate and always thought it would disturb me if she visited me. Abel told me not to tell her about him visiting me. It seemed the duke and Iris did not tell her either.

    Ava visited me a few times and also apologized for being rude the other day. I told her to apologize to Abel because she was rude to him, not me. She said she would do it someday. I did not know if she did yet; probably she did not. She always sent me letters beforehand asking if Abel wasing over. If I said no, then she woulde to meet me.

    I still had not found out about that mysterious man. I had some new suspicions, but I debated with myself about them and did not trust my own guts.

    ''I mean, just because I feel like that Dem might be somehow rted to the murder of the King of Lacuna doesn''t mean it''s the truth. How can he be rted to that? And why would he do that? It''s not like he can''t. I know how cruel my husband can be, but what''s the reason?

    It''s not like he will kill him just because that guy tried to do something bad to me; well, in the end, he could not do anything after all.''

    I did not believe myself at all and kept on investigating. I also assigned some dark mages to look for my father. They found some clues, but they did not help much. He did not try tomunicate with me again. Sometimes, he talked to me through my dreams, but not when I was awake.

    I followed Dem''s advice and ignored whatever he said. Even if Dem did not tell me to, I would still not believe him.

    My work was getting more and moreborious each day. It was very tiring. The amount of work I started doing at first was nothingpared to what I had to do now.

    Mother''s dead body was not found either. Dem firmly believed that she was alive. It seemed to be the case to me too. Dem also stopped calling her ''Mother'' and called her the previous queen instead. It was sad, but I could understand him.

    Just like that, time passed by. Our marital life improved and we got closer with each passing day. Luc could not find a dark mage who could activate my powerpletely. I told Luc to give up now and stay in the magic tower. Rather, Dem and I put the decision to have a child on hold.

    After eight months after our first wedding anniversary, we had to separate for the first time in a long while.

    "Monsters have increased and I have to check the borders," Dem said. "Ugh, I really hate to be the King."

    "It''s our job. Can Ie wi��"

    "No," he said firmly even before I could finish my question. "I told you, it will always be a no if you ask something like this."

    "You are always like this��"

    "That''s irrefutable," he shrugged.

    "How long will you have to leave for?"

    "It will take more than one month. A lot more than one month actually," he said, calcting something in his head. "I think it will be at least two months."

    "Two months?" I gasped. "That long?"

    "�� It''s impossible to do something about it, like shorten the time or not go there at all. But I will try to finish the work as soon as possible and then return."

    "No, no, take your time. I don''t want you to get hurt while fighting the monsters because you were impatient," I said, quickly, holding his hands with both of my hands. "I will be fine. Let''s meet again after two months. We can send letters to each other. Two months will go by in no time."

    "Haa, it''s really hard. I will miss you so much."

    "Me too," I said, hugging him. "But what can we do? We have to endure this much. Anyway, what about the preparation? When do you have to leave?"

    "We have to leave a weekter. The resources are enough too."

    "Really? Just make sure that you don''t have to work with tight constraints," I said. "Should I check the list again to make sure?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Everything is fine."

    "The weapons, food supply, knights��"

    "Darling, I have checked everything. You don''t have to worry too much."

    "Is that so��? A week�� We only have a week in hand. Let''s go somewhere before you leave," I said. "Luc will be going with you?"

    "No," he shook his head. "He is not needed. If he is, I can always call him."

    "That''s right. He has worked very hard going here and there," I said. "I think we should let him rest now."

    "I won''t lie- he actually has worked hard," Dem said. It probably was one of the few times when he said something empathizing with Luc. "It won''t be bad to give him a break. At least, he should be in good health if we want to use him next. It''s not like I am worried."

    "Yeah, yeah," I chuckled.

    "You don''t trust me?" he asked, frowning.

    "I do��"

    "Not so sincere, is it?"

    "I am being sincere! Anyway, where should we go? To the nearby mountain? Wanna go hiking?"

    "Hiking? You will get tired."

    "I am not that weak," I defended myself. "I am practicing swordsmanship every day. Let''s try reaching the summit as it''s not too tall."

    "It''s not too tall, but not short either. But if you want to, we can go there tomorrow," he said.

    Although I smiled and said it was okay, I was actually very sad that he would leave for two months. I could not bring myself to express it too much in front of him as it might make him feel bad.

    Perhaps it was time for me to cry in the bathroom alone.

 Chapter 379 Hiking

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Haa, someone�� help�� Gosh��"

    *pant*

    "I told you. It''s a long way," Dem said, patting me on the back. "Here, drink some water."

    I took the bottle from him and drank some water. The water was cold as the bottle was made by Luc, who installed some exclusive features like it would keep the water warm or cold, or even make the water warm if pressed buttons. It was slightly like a tumbler.

    "Do you want me to carry you?" he asked.

    "No! It''s not too long now. Let''s try again," I said.

    I did not want to give up aftering this far. That would be aplete waste of our time and efforts.

    The path was longer than I thought. We brought enough food and water. Dem was more worried about me as he was an overprotective husband, so he kept bringing more food in case I got hungry.

    We walked for two more hours before we reached the peak. It felt incredible though it was very tiring, kind of like an aplishment.

    "Oh��!" I eximed. "It''s amazing, isn''t it?"

    "You look tired," he said, not bothering to look around us, rather focusing his gaze on me.

    "I am. But look around, not at me," I said.

    He nced around as if he was scanning the area. It did not seem like he was enjoying the beauty. It was more like he was making sure there was no danger around us.

    "Hm��"

    "Hm, what?"

    "It''s indeed a calming ce," he said. "It doesn''t feel that bad."

    "Yeah�� You have nevere here before?"

    "I have."

    "When?"

    "To kill monsters?"

    "To kill monsters?" I repeated. "Wait�� There are monsters around us? Is that why you have brought your de?"

    "Yeah, but they are less now," he said.

    "Wait�� What if monsters attack us? Why are you so carefree?"

    The calmness I felt was removed with the sudden anxiety, fearing that monsters could attack us anytime. I knew Dem was carefree about some things, but it was too much.

    "They will die if they attack us. I will kill them, of course," he replied nonchntly.

    "Just like that?"

    "Yeah. It''s no big deal," he said. "That''s why I am not worried. The monsters here are not that strong."

    "Really? Can I kill them too with my power?"

    "I think so. Your power is greater than those puny things," he said.

    "Oh? Then, we don''t have to worry?"

    "I am not worried. You are the one who is worried. You don''t have to worry about those things. Just enjoy yourself."

    After Dem said that I could defeat them with my power if they emerged, I felt less anxious though the anxiety did not go awaypletely.

    I spread the mat on a good spot and Dem ced the food that we brought. We did not bring an umbre because I felt it was extra. Besides, it was not sunny today. Because we had walked a long way, we were sweating profusely despite the weather not being too hot.

    "There are no pebbles under the mat, right?" Dem asked.

    "I checked. There is none," I replied.

    "Yeah, be careful. Or, it will hurt your butt."

    "I know��"

    We sat down and had the sandwiches we packed. It was the special sandwich our chef made. Dem and I had not eaten them in a long time because we got bored. So, after two months, we decided to have them again.

    "Is it turkey meat today?" Dem asked.

    "Is it? I thought it was chicken."

    "No, it''s turkey," he said, taking another bite.

    "Is that so? I guess my taste buds are not as improved as yours," I chuckled. "It feels good to have them again."

    "The taste never changes. It''s weird."

    "Why?"

    "I mean if you make the same thing again and again, is it bound to be the same way every single time? Your cake tasted different when you made it again."

    "Well, that''s because most of the time the cakes got burnt," I grumbled. "Are you saying this to embarrass me?"

    "Why would I do that?"

    "Because you made the perfect cake on your first try?"

    Dem also wanted to make a cake once. It was after our anniversary. That time, he made a lemon cake and it was the best lemon cake I ever had. It tasted even better than our cook''s lemon cake. It was Dem''s first try, but he aced it, making me jealous. How could he do everything so well?

    Though I was jealous, my jealousness did not stop me from eating the most and flooding him with praise.

    "It was not that perfect. You kept praising me too much," Dem said.

    "It was. You just don''t agree."

    "I like yours the most," he said.

    ''Isn''t that because I am the one who made it and not because the cake is actually the best?''

    We also brought watermelon juice with us because I loved it. Dem liked desserts that included strawberries; actually, he liked sweet things, but he liked things made with strawberries the most. Though he cared for what I wanted only, I told the maids to pack strawberry milkshakes too. I personally did not like strawberries too much. But it was fun to watch him enjoy.

    We also had chocte cake. It had strawberry toppings which Dem seemed to like a lot. After eating, Dem picked some flowers for me. I was not a fan of flowers either, but it felt good when he gave them to me.

    The borders of the white blossoms were slightly red. Green dots were visible on the tips. The petals had very minor scalloping. They were extremely lovely to behold.

    "What flower is this?" Dem asked. "I picked them and I don''t know. It''s kinda good to look at these though."

    "They are snowbell if I''m right," I said, taking the flowers from him. "I have never seen them in real life before, only in the books. Are they called snowbell here too?"

    "I don''t know. I have never seen them before. Or perhaps I did, but it was too insignificant to remember."

    "Well, they are not noticeable. Since you havee this way before, you must have seen them before," I said.

    "Yeah�� Don''t sniff them. There might be bugs or something."

    "I am not, geez��!"

    Dem and I stayed there untilte afternoon. Then, we started to head back. We were chatting a lot, so we did not realize that much time had passed. It was when the mosquitoes started to attack us, we found out howte it had been. We did not n to stay for that long in the first ce.

    "Let''s go as far as possible before it gets darkpletely. There are mosquitoes, so let''s try not to stop anywhere," he said. "If you are tired, that''s a different matter."

    "We should have brought that gel," I said.

    There was a gel that kept the mosquitoes away if applied. It did not need to be applied everywhere, just one ce was enough. The smell would keep mosquitoes away.

    "I can''t believe I forgot something so important," Dem grumbled.

    "It''s not like we nned to stay until thiste," I pointed out.

    It took us four hours to get to the top. It would take the same or perhaps more to get down. Though it took a long time, I did not regret it as it was enjoyable.

    "Be careful of the rocks. The road is not that even," Dem warned.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I am being careful, honey," I sighed. "It''s maybe the tenth time you have warned me."

    "That''s because I am worried about you."

    "I know��"

    It had been half an hour and I was already tired. It was getting dark and I was hearing noise around us.

    "Can you hear the noise?" I asked.

    "I can. They are just small animals."

    I trusted Dem about it because he was a werewolf and he had better hearing than me. He kept telling me not to worry about our surroundings. I had my dagger and my power as a dark mage, yet I could not fully stop from worrying.

    As we walked more, it felt like someone was following us, or perhaps there was more than one. Dem did not seem to care, so I thought I could hear things because I was scared.

    ''It''s nothing, Blue. Just rx,'' I told myself.

    We went near the biggest tree I had ever seen. It looked a bit like a willow tree, but there were differences as well. Dem and I talked about that tree on our way before.

    Just as we reached that tree, I heard a loud growl. The sound was very deep. There was no way I mistook it.

    "Dem, have you��?"

    Before I could finish my question, I saw something in the air ahead of us, jumping to attack us.

 Chapter 380 Strange Rumors

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Dem! Be care��"

    Some kind of green liquid sttered across my face and body as Dem shed the creature in half with a single blow of his sword. He was so first that I noticed nothing but the corpse and heard the agonizing scream of that monster before itsst moment.

    "Fucking monster!" Dem grumbled, wiping the green liquid off his face.

    He faced me with a rxing posture as if a monster did not attack us and he did not sh it in half.

    "That�� that thing��," I mumbled shakily.

    ''What dark mage? I am so scared right now�� My biological father would be ashamed of me, wouldn''t he?''

    "Ah, it was a nuisance," he said, casually slicing another monster that jumped from the side with just one hand. "These are the monsters I talked about. They are not that dangerous, such puny things."

    "These�� are puny?"

    More and more monsters started toe. Their growls were filled with anger and hunger. Dem did not let any of them get near me and fought them all alone.

    The scariest thing about them was their appearance. They were huge, at least seven feet long, hairy creatures with gaping mouths. Their teeth were sharp and yellowish and they had sharp ws. The iris of their eyes was ck and the white part of their eyes was red, which made them look scarier.

    Dem ughtered at least twenty of the monsters, but they kepting. ording to Dem, it was a very small number.

    After seeing Dem fighting that way, I gained some mental strength too, and decided to use my power as well.

    I targeted the group of ten monsters ahead of us and hit them with an electric shock. It looked like thunder erupted from the tip of my fingers. They turned into ashes in the blink of an eye.

    "See? They are easy to kill, huh?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Yeah�� But it''s gross��"

    It took us half an hour to kill all the monsters that came our way. It was my first time seeing a creature like that, so I was taken aback greatly.

    When we returned to the pce, it was night. Dem did not let me use my power much as he said I did not need to help him. Looking at the way he was killing those monsters, it truly looked like he did not need my help. But I was worried, so I kept on helping him sneakily.

    He perhaps knew about it though.

    "Oh my, what happened?"

    The maids gasped seeing our states, or probably just my state as they kept looking at me more to make sure I did not get hurt. They acted like they were used to seeing Dem that way.

    All of the knights that we met on the way kept on asking if I was alright. They had the same worried look on their faces.

    "We met a few monsters on the way," I said to the maids. "Help me clean up."

    "Yes, Your Highness. The bath is prepared. Pleasee with us."

    The blood of those monsters was green and slimy. It was gross. The smell made me want to vomit. The moment I saw myself in the mirror, I could understand why people were giving me looks. I was covered more in that green blood than Dem even though he was the one who mainly killed them.

    The maids took off my clothes and I sat down in the bath. My clothes were a bit hard to take off, especially my pants because they got tight because of the slimy and sticky green blood. Thankfully, my hair was tied in a bun, so not too much blood was in my hair.

    "Your Highness doesn''t seem to have gotten hurt," one of the maids said.

    "No, Dem was very fast."

    "At least, the monsters there aren''t that smart and strong. They are easy to defeat," she said. "Even Ruby�� I mean, Lady Ruby also defeated one on her own."

    "What? She did?" I asked, surprised.

    "Yes, Your Highness. When we went to collect berries from that mountain and enjoy ourselves on our day off, a monster appeared out of nowhere. Ruby turned into her wolf form and bit its eyes off. It was scary looking, but the monster was weak."

    ''Ruby did that?''

    I always knew that Ruby was quite strong, but I did not know that she killed a monster on her own.

    The main question was- was that monster so weak that any werewolf could defeat it? Or, was Ruby exceptionally strong than most werewolves?

    Ruby always said she did not like to work out and she was always with me, so if she worked out, I would have known. But she never did so.

    Perhaps it was her hidden strength that I did not know about.

    "Your Highness, may I report one thing?"

    "Yes?"

    "There is another rumor that Your Highness had�� a miscarriagest month," she said.

    "�� A miscarriage? It''s my first time hearing of a woman suffering a miscarriage when she is not even pregnant. Is there something special about women that I never knew?"

    "We don''t know how a rumor like this even spread," she said. "Probably some stupid people spread them."

    There were constantly more and more new rumors about me and Dem. If someone wanted to spread a rumor, they needed a base first. But these people did not seem to know one and thought whatever they felt like about us.

    I was pregnant at least six times in the rumors after our marriage. ording to the rumors, I was a maniptive woman who made Dem hate his mother and send her to the ind where shemitted suicide because of her sadness and severe depression. Dem apparently drank blood as some rumors said.

    When Dem heard it, he did not care. He said there were many rumors about him over the years. Though it was a weird one, there were no less weird rumors about him before as well. He admitted that once a rumor said that he did not eat cooked food, but raw food which was very weird.

    On the contrary, Dem''s food always needed to be cooked thoroughly, or he could not eat it. He preferred his steak fully cooked. I did not have any problem eating medium rare, but he said he got a raw smell from it if it was not cooked.

    "That said, Your Highness, Lady Ruby came today."

    "When?"

    "In the afternoon," another maid replied. "We told her that Your Highness has gone out with His Highness. She left some documents and told us to tell Your Highness to check them when you have time."

    "Documents?"

    "We don''t know what they are about."

    "Hmm�� I will check them."

    When I returned to the bedroom after the bath, Dem was back after taking a bath as well. He looked even more handsome with his wet hair. I was quite a pervert for my husband''s after-shower look and his bed hair.

    "Done?" he asked, sitting up straight. He was leaning against the bed frame, looking at the bracelet I made for him closely. It looked like he truly loved it and there were times when I found him smiling at it. He had been wearing it since I had gifted it to him. I had also been wearing the waist chain he made for me.

    "Uhm," I nodded.

    "Come here," he said, spreading his arms.

    I chuckled and walked up to him. He pulled me by the waist as soon as I reached at his arm''s length.

    "You look so beautiful. You smell so good," he mumbled, rubbing his nose against my chest.

    "What''s up with you?" Iughed.

    The maids were used to seeing us quite yful and intimate. They were not the least bothered by it anymore. If Dem did not have the ability to read minds, they surely would have walked up on us while we were having sex. I was grateful for Dem''s ability for this reason.

    "You are so soft," he kept mumbling. "Your breasts are so soft. Everything is so soft."

    "Gosh�� Dem��"

    "Hmm?"

    ''My god, he is so cute��!''

    "Babe, let''s just wait a bit�� I know what you want. But after dinner, okay?"

    He suddenly bit on my nipple from over the oversized t-shirt that I was wearing. "Ow!" I moaned in pain. "Babe, please�� Later��"

    I pushed him gently by the chest. "I am not telling you to have sex. Let me just��"

    "Let you what? Bite my nipples?"

    "�� You can do whatever you want to. Let me just be close to you."

    "Haa," I sighed. "I will check the documents Ruby has sent. You have to be good, okay?"

 Chapter 381 Dont Mind Falling In Love Again

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "What are these?" Dem asked as I sat between his legs while he kept rubbing his lips on my back and nape.

    "The documents Ruby sent," I replied.

    "I know that. I mean, what kind of documents?"

    "I don''t know�� Let''s see��"

    I opened the file and started looking through the documents. They were an organized version of Luc''s work that he did for the Imperial Pce. Ruby had told me she was going to work and had started learning. It was the first time she sent a document that she had written.

    "Wow��!"

    "What��?" Dem mumbled, not caring much. It was more like it had be his habit to ask me everything regarding what I was doing.

    "She has written and arranged it herself. It''s quite cohesive," I said. "She has done very well."

    "Well, she is supposed to. She has been studying for a long time now. A year?"

    "Don''t be like that," I said. "We should support her. I think she has done very well. I am still lethargic when ites to arranging documents."

    "It''s okay. It''s not your job anyway. Your assistant is the one to do it."

    "Yeah�� Oh, there is a letter as well."

    I opened the envelope and read the letter out loud.

    Dear Your Highness,

    Please take my sincere greeting. I hope you are doing well. My apologizes for suddenly sending these documents to you without any notice. I believe it was very inconsiderate of me. But I hope you will not hold it against me just this time. I will make sure to send a notice beforehand after this.

    I was just way too excited to show this to Your Highness. I am not confident enough to show it to anyone else other than Your Highness. Your Highness is the one who supported me the most and kept on telling me that it''s alright to make mistakes. But it is hard for me to believe that myself.

    This time, I gathered my strength finally and wrote a document. This is my first document, so I am very nervous. I hope I have not done too badly. If Your Highness has some time in hand, will you kindly check them and see how I have done? I will be very thankful if Your Highness gives me an honest review.

    It is also okay if Your Highness does not get enough time to check them. I know how busy Your Highness is.

    Anyway, please make sure to take enough rest. I am always worried about Your Highness''s health. You should not overwork yourself and not drink much. Take care.

    Yours sincerely,

    Ruby, the mistress of the magic tower

    "As respectful as always," I said. "I told her to be casual, but she refuses��"

    "You were supposed to read the letter first, then check the documents," Demughed.

    "It''s not my fault. I couldn''t see it," I said.

    "Pfft! You checked the documents first, haha!"

    "What''s there tough about?" I asked, surprised.

    "I don''t know�� Hahaha! It''s just so funny!"

    Dem seemed to have found the fact that I did not read the letter first very funny. I could not understand what was funny about it. But he wasughing so hard that he even snorted once.

    "You are really enjoying yourself, aren''t you?" Iughed. When someone snorted whileughing, it made the situation twice as funnier.

    It took a while for Dem to calm downpletely. I had no idea why he wasughing so hard like that. At least, he enjoyed himself. That was all that mattered.

    "Have you calmed down now?"

    "Yeah��," he replied, stillughing a bit.

    "Anyway, I have something to ask you now that you are doneughing," I said. "How far did it go? No news about Mother?"

    "No, nothing about that egotist," Dem grumbled. After much thought, Dem resolved not to think innocently about her anymore about anything. He also got annoyed every time she was mentioned. "Even today, the report they have sent includes no important information, the same thing again and again only."

    "I see�� You are trying so hard," I said. "There is nothing we can do but hope."

    He did not reply, just bit his bottom lip as if he was angry. He fisted his hands and hugged me tightly unconsciously. Although it was a bit hard to breathe, I did not object. He then breathed out deeply.

    "Let''s forget it for now. When she is in a conversation, it ruins the mood," he said. "Let''s have dinner. It''s time, isn''t it?"

    "Oh? It''s been so long�� I will tell the maids," I said, realizing the time. "Now that you mentioned food, I am hungry."

    "Tell them to bring red wine. It''splimentary with beef," Dem said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "How do you know it''s beef tonight?"

    "I told the chef that I want to eat beef."

    "Ah, I see."

    The dinner was served. Dem had a habit of having different things every day. He liked the variety. I did not care too much, at least not as much as him. He also wanted his food to be as perfect as possible. And, our chef was perfect for this as his skills could not be belittled in any way.

    "You still eat like a bird," Dem said.

    "You can''t change someone''s habit. Besides, I am not eating like a bird. I just take little food in my mouth."

    "That''s what a bird does," he chuckled.

    "Stop mocking me!"

    "My darling wife looks so beautiful when she is angry. I might fall in love again."

    "�� I don''t mind it��"

    "What?"

    "I don''t mind it��," I repeated. "I don''t mind if you fall for me again and again, as I do fall for you every single day, every moment, again and again. I just�� wish you will not fall in love with someone else. I will never forgive you if you do that. Never��"

    "Baby, I will never love someone else other than you. I will never fall in love romantically with someone who is not you," he said, touching my hand. "It''s always you. It will always be you. I cannot even think about it. Don''t you believe me?"

    "I do�� It''s just��"

    "Please don''t worry, my love. I will not love someone else other than you. I also wish the same. I won''t forgive you if you love someone else. If you love someone else, I won''t leave you, nor will I let you leave me. You see, I will lock you up.

    Even if you don''t fall for someone, but try to run away, I will still lock you up. Darling, you don''t have to be worried about my loyalty as I can see no one other than you with my eyes."

    "I believe you�� It''s just you cheated on me once, so��"

    "It was in your dream!"

    "Yeah, but you still cheated on me."

    "Don''t start about that damn dream! It pisses me off!"

    "It was your fault. Why are you pissed?"

    "�� How can it be my fault that you had a dream of me cheating on you with some random blonde?"

    "Oh, you remember her hair color?"

    "Isn''t that because you said that at least a hundred times?!"

    "Whatever��"

    He did not argue as he knew I was not going to back down. That dream irritated me a lot. I did not have that kind of dream again. But I kept shbacks of that dream a lot of times. Whenever I remembered the dream, I was in a bad mood. It was too ominous.

    After dinner, Dem did even let me pet Sapphire a bit as he could not wait any longer. He had be greedier. Or perhaps he was like this but did not express his greediness sooner.

    "You know, I can''t wait��"

    "You are always like that," I said.

    "Don''t make fun of me," he sulked. "Why don''t you take care of me instead? Take care of this thing here?"

    He took my hand to touch his bulge over the robe. Even though I had seen it countless times, it still did not fail to amaze me as to how big it was.

    "Can you feel it?"

    "No?"

    "��"

    "Just kidding. Don''t sulk," I said,ughing. "It''s impossible not to feel something like that."

    "Then, take care of it. And take care of me too. I can''t wait."

    I stared at his face as his huge figure hovered over mine on the bed. I bit my bottom lip and palmed his face, feeling his lips with mine. He touched my breasts and yed with my nipples as our tongues entangled as if they could not get enough, we could not get enough.

    "Haa�� More, kiss me more," I said.

    "You have be very demanding," he smirked.

    "Do you hate it?"

    "Oh, my love, never. I can never hate it," he said as we dived into the bottomless sea of pleasure.

 Chapter 382 Rubys Documents

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "The quality of the documents is top-notch."

    "Your Highness, that is too much, I think. That isn''t even that good��," Ruby mumbled.

    "Pour some sense into your sister''s head," I said, nudging Reece on the elbow.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I feel so bad. Your Highness did not need toe yourself. Just sending a letter was enough," Ruby said, getting flustered. "Even though I sent it at the wrong time��"

    "Yes, it was not okay," Reece said. "But Her Highness said it''s okay, right? Then, why are you being like this?"

    "See? Reece is saying the right thing. Where is Luc when he is needed the most? Have you shown him the documents?"

    "I haven''t," she shook her head. "Your Highness is the first person I have shown it."

    "They are great. The format is apparent. I like the way you organized every single piece of information. Designs also help because it looks neat. Not to mention, your handwriting is amazing," I said. "Dem praised you as well, you know.

    He said it''s great."

    ''Actually, Dem said it was worthy to look at. But he always talks like this. It actually means it is quite great.''

    "Can you call Luc? Where is he?" I asked.

    "He is napping," Ruby replied.

    "Wake him up," I said, remembering how many times he had woken Dem and me up in the middle of our sleep. He had not done it just once or twice.

    "Alright," Ruby gave me thumbs up, grinning. She also knew about Luc''s behaviors. He had stopped doing odd things for a while now. That must be because he was busy being with his wife.

    I wondered if Luc told Ruby how he felt and vice versa. Luc did not talk about it again. He usually liked to say to me almost everything when we hung out; it was the same with Demetrius. It was actually not like he did not tell me, he just could not because we barely could meet for a long time. All of us were so busy that we did not have time to hang out.

    "Blue! Can''t believe this! I thought it was Demetrius as he always does immature things like this! Waking me up when I was napping?"

    "You did the same many times to Dem and me," I said. "Don''t be like that. Come here and take a look at these documents. Do you know the great things our Ruby has done? She wrote the very first document. Come on and check it out."

    "She did��?" he mumbled and looked at Ruby in shock. "You did? Why didn''t you tell me?"

    "I wanted to show it to Her Highness first," Ruby shrugged. "You are always going on about this and that��"

    "When did I even��?" he muttered. "Oh, my brother-inw is here too. How have you been?"

    "I am well. What about you, Lord Luc?" Reece asked.

    "I am so tired�� Anyway, take a seat."

    "I am here as Her Highness''s assistant, so��"

    "Just sit down, Reece. I always tell you to do so, but you never listen," I said.

    "Yes, Your Highness."

    Reece sat down beside me, keeping a good distance between us. Calix also kept a distance. Perita was the only exception. She liked to be as close to me as possible as if I was her friend. I did not hate it. Rather, I quite liked it.

    "Ruby''s handwriting is very good, isn''t it?" Luc chuckled.

    "Are you mocking me because yours is better than mine?" Ruby pouted.

    "No, I am sincere," Luc said quickly.

    Luc had to be serious. Both Luc''s and Ruby''s handwriting were beautiful. Reece had clean handwriting, but his letters had weird shapes which did not match the regr shapes of those letters. Dem also had good handwriting. My handwriting was not that great. Dem always said it was cute, but that was just because he loved me.

    Flint had bad handwriting.

    "It is actually great," Luc said, surprised. "It''s your first try, isn''t it? It''s so amazing!"

    It might sound like we were exaggerating, but we were not. Writing a document about a mage''s work was always difficult if the person who was writing it was not a mage. Writing about the master of the magic tower''s work was twice as difficult. Ruby was not a mage and had never studied magic before. Yet, she managed to write a clear and correct report about Luc''s work. It was amazing.

    I was not good at writing reports even though it was not about magic. It was lucky that Reece was my assistant. Or, I would have a hard time dealing with my work.

    "See? Luc says it too," I said. "Come on, Luc, just tell Ruby that she did very well again and again. She doesn''t believe it."

    "Why not? You really did well," Luc said. "So, does that mean you will start doing it for my work?"

    Ruby gave a small nod. Her face was red, almost matching the color of her hair. I had always praised Ruby for her work when she was my personal maid. She took those praises well and did not look too flustered. But when she was praised for this, she was very surprised and could not take it without a doubt.

    Before their marriage, I had known that Ruby would have problems with self-worth after their marriage and that she would feel she was not enough or worthy to be the mistress of the magic tower. That was the reason I suggested she worked alongside Luc because when she would start working, she would feel like she was someone important too and would not feel worthless anymore.

    If she felt worthless for being the mistress of the magic tower, it was the same for me. I also sometimes felt worthless for being the Queen as I was a nobody before. It was after I had started working, I could ept it and not feel as worthless as before. Still, there were times when I wondered if I was doing all the things a Queen needed to do.

    "Now that you know that your report writing style is perfect, why don''t you make a schedule for your work and start working? Of course, it is up to you when you are going to work. None of us are going to force you. Just make sure to let me know," I said. "Remember, if you start working, you will have to go to meetings as well. Prepare yourself for that, hm?"

    "I will try my best, Your Highness," Ruby said. "Thank you for everything."

    "I have done nothing. You are the one who did everything," I said. "So, don''t thank me when I don''t deserve it."

    "Don''t talk like that, Your Highness," Reece said. "Your Highness helped all of us a lot."

    "Not that again��"

    "Our Blue is very kind," Luc said. "But this time, I have to admit that Ruby is the one who Ruby needs to thank. What I mean is, Ruby should thank her own self for working this hard. I have been with you the whole time, so I know how hard you worked. Because of that, at some night, we could not even��"

    "Don''t say it!" Ruby eximed, and shut him pressing her palm on his lips. "This shameless guy��!"

    "That was indeed unimportant information that we don''t need to know," Reece said, clearing his throat.

    "Why are you so much like Dem about this? He acts like this too," I said. "Geez, are all men this shameless?"

    "No, Your Highness. I can guarantee you that not all men are like this. I am not shameless."

    "Yeah, not all men are that way," Ruby agreed. "I think they are a peculiar type of men. I thought knights are that way mostly."

    "Not really. My Calix is very pure. He gets red easily," I said.

    "Your Calix? Demetrius will kill him if he hears that," Luc said.

    "He knows," I shrugged. "Calix is my knight. He feels like my son?"

    "Pfft!" Lucughed. "He is only two years younger than you, isn''t he?"

    "Two years and three months," I corrected him. "Calix was supposed to guard me today. But he got bitten on the nose by a bee. It looked painful, so I told him to rest."

    "A bee? Where did a beee from?"

    "On the tree right beside my office; I don''t know the tree''s name. Anyway, Perita threw a stone at it this morning. I was not there and I have no idea what both of them were doing there when only Calix was supposed to be there. Perita is just really childish. Oddly, the bees did not attack her, and attacked Calix only."

    "Perita still acts that way?" Ruby muttered.

    Ruby did not like Perita that much because she was so noisy and childish. Sapphire did not like her for the same reason too. I did not mind that much.

 Chapter 383 Goodbye

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "You are leaving tomorrow��?"

    "Yes, you knew it too. Why are you crying?" Dem asked softly, wiping my tears.

    I was just too sad that he had to leave for two months. I had been trying to control my emotions so he would not think his wife was too weak emotionally. But my n failed and I ended up letting everything out in front of him tonight.

    "Are you leaving in the morning?" I asked, sobbing.

    "Yeah, that''s the n," he said. "Honey, if you cry this way��"

    "�� I am not that sad��"

    "Yes?"

    "Actually, I am," I said, crying harder, hugging him. "I will miss you so much. I don''t want to cry like this, but�� I will miss you too much��"

    "I know, darling, I know," he said, hugging me even tighter. "I will miss you too. It hurts to leave you. But what can we do? As a King, I just have to do it. Please don''t cry, my love, even if it is hard.

    It makes me feel very bad."

    He looked like he was in pain. I could understand him. I was in pain as well. It was not like we were going to be parted for years, yet it felt very painful.

    We did not have sex that night, rather just hugged each other to sleep. It felt like we were closer this way. I cried the whole night. Demforted me a lot and told me to send him letters using the bird of death. Dem would send me letters frequently as well.

    "Don''t cheat on me. Just because I have forgiven you once��"

    "That was in your dream, honey! I would never do something so disgusting!"

    "Hmm�� Just saying," I mumbled before I fell asleep when it was almost morning. "I love you��"

    "I love you too, my dear."

    I clearly felt him kissing me on the forehead. But I could open my eyes. When I woke up in the morning at seven, I thought Dem was gone already. I wanted to say him goodbye and told him to wake me up before leaving. But he did not listen to me.

    I heard loud chattering outside. It was unusual for knights to gather here and chatter. So, Dem had not left yet?

    I jumped down from the bed quickly and ran to the balcony. I was right. They had not left yet. They were preparing to leave.

    I still had the chance to say goodbye.

    I held my breath and raced out of the door. The maids were surprised as they had never seen me run this way. But I could not wait. I had to see him, onest time as we would not be able to meet each other for two months.

    "Your Highness!"

    "Be careful, Your Highness!"

    The maids warned on the way. Sometimes, it seemed they were truly worried about me although Dem said not to trust thempletely.

    The knights opened the front door when they saw me. They were not even the least bit surprised to see me wearing my nightgown as I sometimes even took walks in the garden in my nightgown because I was too tired to change into something else. But they did not forget to tell me to be careful.

    "Dem!" I called after him as he was about to mount his horse. He was surprised. Perhaps I came running so fast and suddenly that he did not have the time to get my smell beforehand.

    Before he could process everything, I ran into his arms and hugged him. "�� I thought you left."

    "So suddenly�� You have woken up this early today?"

    "I told you to wake me up, but you didn''t," I grumbled as he cupped my face.

    "Don''t be angry. You cried all night. I did not want you to have a headache in the morning," he said, kissing me on the forehead. "You are still pouting. So cute��"

    "Hmph, I am still sad��"

    "Don''t be, honey. It''s not like I am going to war. Anyone will think so if they see you crying."

    "I am not crying."

    "So, it''s the precum of your heart?"

    "Oh my god, don''t talk like that!"

    I regretted telling him about this joke.

    He chuckled. "Don''t cry anymore, darling. I wille back within two months, right? If you cry, it will make me very sad. Let''s part with a smile, hmm?"

    I could not tell him that I had been having a bad feeling all this time. I always felt like something would go wrong before he woulde back.

    "Alright, I won''t cry anymore," I said, taking a deep breath. "Just promise me you will be careful and you won''t get hurt."

    "I promise," he said, entwining our little fingers. "And you promise me to be right here when Ie back."

    "Of course. Where will I go?" I shrugged.

    ''It''s not like I have anywhere else to go. The Imperial Pce is my only home in this world, after all. Besides, why would I leave you?''

    "Just saying��"

    "Don''t cheat on me," I warned.

    "Don''t start it again," he sighed. "It pisses me off so much�� Please, honey��"

    "Alright�� Haa, I really will miss you so much. Anyway, I won''t hold you back anymore. I just wanted to say goodbye," I said. "I love you."

    "I love you too," he said and kissed me on the lips in front of everyone. Well, we were already quite intimate in front of them, so this did not matter.

    I thought it would be a light kiss. But Dem took it too far and started ravishing my lips. I tried to push him away, but who could push away someone so strong?

    His lips left mine only after he waspletely satisfied, leaving both of our lips red and swollen.

    "Dem! Are you crazy��?" I whispered.

    "Goodbye then. Love you, my beautiful wife," he smirked.

    "Hmph, I don''t love you," I said. After a while, I added, "Just kidding. I love you too."

    I waved him goodbye as he rode away slowly along with the other knights. The knights waved me back too which was very adorable. I clearly saw Dem asking them why they were waving too. It was easy to understand what he was saying just by seeing the way he moves his lips.

    "Are you done saying goodbye?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I was not even surprised to hear Luc''s voice out of nowhere. He had the habit to appear suddenly when he was not needed at all.

    "I woke up early today for some reason, so thought ofing here," he added. "It''s a good thing that guy is away for a while now. I can have peace now."

    I red at him. "Oh�� You are crying? Why are you crying?" he asked, shocked. "Did I make you cry? I am sorry. I was just kidding."

    "Two months�� It''s a long time," I sobbed. "I already miss him."

    "You really miss him that much already?" he sighed and patted me on the back. "There, there. I was just joking."

    "Hmm��"

    "Come to the magic tower whenever you feel like it. The three of us can hang out," he said. "Two months will pass by in no time."

    "We can also go to Mom and Dad''s residence. They always tell us to go there," he added as I remained silent. "Last night, Ruby said we all should go there together. It will be fun."

    "Okay��"

    "Will youe to the magic tower now? Ruby is awake. We can hang out," he asked.

    "No��," I shook my head. "I have work. I wille tomorrow."

    "You can just skip work."

    "I am not like you."

    "I hate work�� Anyway,e whenever you feel like it. Tomorrow is okay too," he said. "You don''t have to send us a word beforehand like you usually do. We are very close, so that''s not needed. Just appear out of nowhere. We won''t mind."

    "Haha, you don''t mind it because you do it all the time?" Iughed, wiping my tears.

    "Right?" he chuckled. "Cheer up now. Don''t just keep crying just because Demetrius has gone for two months. It''s not like we are not here. If you act this way, it will make us feel useless."

    "I''m sorry. I won''t," I said. "I will go to work now. I wille tomorrow, so make sure you two keep your schedule empty."

    "Alright," he nodded. "Bring cookies, okay?"

    "Sure thing."

    "And Ruby will prepare tea. Red velvet cookies go well with the special tea she makes."

    "Ruby''s tea is surely special, but I don''t dip red velvet cookies into tea. I only dip sugar cookies."

    "You are so weird. Who doesn''t do it?" he mumbled.

    "It''s just my choice, geez," I said. "Anyway, I will go now. Remember to keep your schedule empty tomorrow, okay?"

    "Yeah, yeah."

 Chapter 384 Am I Kind?

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "His Highness wille back very soon. Two months will go by in the blink of an eye," Calix said.

    I was in a bad and miserable state. Calix had been trying tofort me in every way he could. He made me tea, arranged my documents even when I did not tell him to, cleaned my desk because he thought a tidy space would make me feel better and he also suggested going on a walk in the garden.

    "I am being pathetic��," I sighed. "My eyes are all red now. Anyone can see I have cried too much. For what though? It''s not like he is not gonnae back. I am overreacting."

    "I can''t help it�� I feel like something will go wrong. This feeling�� It just won''t go away. It''s too ominous��," I added.

    "It sometimes happens with some people, I heard. Sometimes, it''s baseless as it doesn''t have a logical exnation. We cannot see the future after all, nor can we predict it. It''s just if something wrong keeps on happening, there is an automatic feeling of uneasiness that something wrong might happen again. If something goes too well, we also feel that way.

    And we don''t know about a lot of things, what I mean is if there are a lot of mystery around us regarding our lives, the same feeling appears," he said.

    "�� You have a point there," I said. "So, what you mean is regardless of what happens in our lives, if someone thinks too much, they are bound to feel this way?"

    "Yes," he gave a nod.

    "�� When have you grown up so much, Calix? You have gotten smarter," I said.

    "Please don''t make fun of me, Your Highness."

    "I am not," I said sincerely. "I mean what I said. Actually, you are right. It''s baseless. I cannot see the future after all. If there is a god, I believe even they can''t see the future.

    I just think too much."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    I had the problem of thinking too much from childhood. I always thought of a lot of negative possibilities about every situation which was harmful to not just my mental health, but also my physical health.

    "Don''t just work, Your Highness. Let''s take a walk sometime too," he said. "It will clear your mind and make you feel better."

    "Not today. I feel too tired to do so," I said. "Let''s do it starting tomorrow. That said, aren''t you going to the festival?"

    There was a festival every year. Dem had gone out during the festival seasonst year. It was the same this year.

    It suddenly reminded me of Ezekiel. Thinking about him made me very angry. Because of his foolish love for me, I had to lose my child. I could never forgive him for this. Isaac, Dem''s cousin, was as much guilty as him. Both of them nned it.

    "I am not sure. The knights will go. Maybe I will go too once or twice," he said.

    "You get the evening off. So, you can go," I said.

    "Won''t Your Highness go?"

    "I don''t think so. Festivals are not that great for me."

    "What does that mean?"

    "I don''t like crowded ces. They give me a headache," I said.

    Besides, what happened after I went to the festivalst year did not make me want to visit it again. Aftering from the festivalst year, Ezekiel took advantage of me and kissed my neck when I was drunk. Dem had seen it and was very angry. He had the right to be. I would have gotten angry if I had seen another woman kissing him.

    Just having a dream about him being intimate with another woman made me angry and I was sure even if I was immortal, I would remember that dream for eternity. Seeing something like that in real life would break me and make me go crazy.

    ''Well, my Dem is not like that. He is very loyal and loving. He would never do something like that. That stupid dream��''

    "Has Your Highness gone therest year?" he asked.

    "I did," I gave a nod. "I drank for the first time there. It was a disaster. I don''t even want to remember that time."

    "It must have been pretty bad," he said.

    "It was," I said.

    I was chatting with him while doing my work in my office. Calix was truly an amazing person to hang out with. He was younger than me, so I felt like I was responsible for him even though he was the one guarding me. He was more mature than Perita who was at least five years older than him.

    I had to make sure Perita did not cross the line of being childish, so I developed the habit of taking care of Calix as well.

    After my work was done, I went to have lunch. I invited Calix and Perita to have lunch with me as I felt lonely.

    "Your Highness!" Perita eximed and hugged me as soon as she saw me.

    "Why are you being like this to Her Highness?" Calix grumbled, pulling her so she would let go of me.

    "His Highness has left this morning, hasn''t he? I knew Your Highness will be lonely, so I brought this for Your Highness," Perita said and showed me a small box that she had in her pocket. She did not pay any attention to Calix.

    "What is this?" I asked.

    "It''s some seeds," she replied.

    "Seeds?" I asked.

    "I did not Her Highness likes growing nts��," Calix mumbled.

    ''That''s because I don''t.''

    "It''s no usual seeds. The seeds will start growing into a single nt within twelve hours after nting them," Perita said. "I bought them from the market. That guy had a few seeds and I bought all of them as he said it will look more beautiful if there are more seeds. He said this nt will do something to relieve loneliness."

    "You believe that? You were scammed," Calix said.

    "Nah, my mother had this nt too. It was in her room. I was not allowed to go there, so I don''t know. But she also said that it relieved the feeling of loneliness," she said. "Please take it, Your Highness."

    "Ah, thank you," I said with a smile. "That was very thoughtful of you."

    "Wee," she grinned. "I don''t want to see Your Highness unhappy. I don''t know what more to do. But if Your Highness wants me to do something to make you feel better, please feel free to do so. I can even beat Calix up if Your Highness wants me to."

    "No, I don''t want that," I chuckled. "You two are important to me and are very helpful and supportive. I am d to have you both. Anyway, let''s have lunch, shall we?"

    The chef made all the things that I liked as if it was my birthday. It was like a feast. Well, every day was like a feast for me as the Queen. But today, it was even more than before.

    "Dig in, you two," I said.

    "It''s an honor, Your Highness," Calix said.

    "Stop being too formal when there is no one else," I said. "I told you before too."

    "Yes, but I feel guilty sometimes."

    "Why?" I muttered, taking a sip of my watermelon juice.

    "I mean, Your Highness is our Queen and you are very kind. Sometimes, I feel like I am not doing enough," he said. "Life as a knight is hard. But I and Perita don''t have to live that hard life as Your Highness''s personal guards. We are supposed to stand behind Your Highness all the time, but we don''t have to do that when there is no one else.

    When it was raining that day and we were in the garden, Your Highness pulled me under the umbre as well. When I had a small fever, Your Highness gave me a break. Your Highness gives us bonuses very often. Really, I feel like we are not doing enough for Your Highness, at least, I feel that I am not doing enough."

    "What nonsense? You both are doing your best. I don''t expect anything else," I said. "You two respect me and listen to me. That''s all I need."

    "See? Your Highness is again as kind as usual," he chuckled.

    ''Kind and me? Am I doing things a kind person would do? I don''t know�� I don''t understand them much. Just because the Royals are usually self-centered people who think they are gods doesn''t mean I have to be the same. I am self-centered enough to be rude to others who work for me. But I am not particrly kind either.

    Considering how other Royal usually I might seem like a saint, but in reality, I am just being a regr human.''

 Chapter 385 Overthinking

    (From Blue''s Perspective)N?v(el)B\\jnn

    Hey Dem,

    It''s been just one day, but I miss you so much. I am sorry I cried a bit today. I will try not to anymore. How are you doing now? Is everything good? Give me a broad exnation if you have time, or just keep it short.

    If you really have much time in hand, try to tell me as many things as possible. I want to hear everything.

    Lucforted me today and invited me to hang out with him and Ruby. I refused to go today and said I will go tomorrow. I have too much work in hand today. I will finish my work early tomorrow, or tell Reece that I am taking a break.

    Calix was trying to cheer me up today because I was in a bad mood. Let me apologize again for being so miserable when you have gone for just two months. I am acting too weak, ain''t I? I know I am; I hate myself for it.

    I invited Perita and Calix to have lunch with me. The chef made watermelon juice, broli, rib''s eye, torti soup and many more things. It was like a feast, you know. I could not eat too much, but I tried everything. You see, the chef worked very hard on the dishes. If I did not try all of them, he would feel bad.

    Don''t worry, I have not forced myself to eat. I skipped breakfast today, so I was pretty hungry.

    Perita and Calix ate a lot, so the chef was very happy. He always bes very happy when someone eats his food a lot.

    After that, I worked a bit. I practiced swordsmanship in the afternoon as usual. I am at thest step of being a proper swordswoman now. I am excited to finish it, you know. It will be a matter of pride then.

    I have had my dinner just now. I ate a lot at lunch, so I was not that hungry. I had some broli, chicken sd and lemon water.

    You know, I have been thinkingtely but could not mention it to you before�� It''s been almost two years of our marriage. If my power is awakened, let''s have a kid as soon as possible. I mean, you said it''s okay. Of course, I will hear what you say first. After youe back, let''s talk about it.

    That said, Perita gave me a gift today; some seeds. She said they are a special type of seeds and one nt will grow from all of them. I think one seed will grow one branch and they will kind of swirl around each other. I am just guessing it. She doesn''t know the name of it. Anyway, I will nt them now.

    I will tell you more about itter.

    Goodbye now. I love you, honey. I love you so much. Write to me when you get time. And goodnight.

    Yours,

    Blue

    I kissed the letter before putting it in the envelope. The bird was waiting on the window frame.

    I rubbed its feathers affectionately. She liked it when I did that. Then, I tied the envelope to its leg.

    "Take it to Dem. Be careful on your way, hm?"

    It took off quickly and I waved it goodbye. After it left, I did not have much to do. So, I decided to nt the seeds.

    I brought a book from the library about how to nt seeds in a tub. I never did it before, so I did not know. I told the maids to bring me a good tub to nt the seeds and some soil. They brought a very big one even though I told them it was not a big tree.

    When I sorted everything out and sat on the floor of the balcony, I noticed they had brought everything I needed, including a pair of gloves, water, soil, a tub, and some notes from the gardener.

    "Hmm, let''s see what I have to do first."

    The books said to have my seeds and choose a container first. I had both of them. Then, I needed to add a seed starting mix. I did not notice it before, but then I did. The maids got them for me too. They were needed to prevent fungal diseases.

    I started by adding water to my starting mix. Thankfully, there was not too much water added when I squeezed a handful of the mixture to check. When I pressed it, there were only a few drops of water that came out, which was ideal. I filled the tub to within an inch of the top after thoroughly moistening the mix, then squeezed it until it was tightly packed and t on top.

    After that, I buried my seeds. I tamped the soil with the palm of my hand after burying the seeds. I was not sure if I was supposed to bury the seeds or just leave them on the surface. Perita mentioned something about burying, so I went with it even though I was not so sure about it.

    I enclosed my seeds with ayer of stic wrap. Perita told me to just keep it in my room when I asked if it needed sunlight orplete darkness. She said my bedside table would be fine. Enough sunlight would fall on my bedside table, so this nt probably needed sunlight.

    I was required to water them every day. Perita told me to care for them myself as it would make me feel better. It would not be a big deal. I was not so busy that I could not even take care of a nt.

    I was just worried that Sapphire would destroy it. She hated nts, or perhaps she yed with them in the form of destroying them.

    It took me a while to finish nting the seeds. I had to read the instructions, again and again, to make sure I was not messing it up. I ced the tub on the bedside table carefully. Sapphire was in the room. She had the habit to throw things on the floor from the table. But the tub was too heavy for her to be able to push it with her tiny paw.

    I took Sapphire with me to the bath. She did not hate water, nor did she like it. She just could not care less about it. I ced her on the stool by the bathtub and sat down in the bath after undressing. Late-night baths were always fun unless I caught a cold.

    "I am so lonely now, Sapphire. Don''t leave my side, okay? Mommy won''t be like before and take you everywhere," I said, touching her fur. She was quite a moody cat. "Don''t be mad at me anymore, okay?"

    She meowed as if she understood me. Even she meowed with an attitude. "What the��?"

    Sapphire understood me a lot even though she was just a cat. It was because we had a mental connection between us as I unconsciously transferred some ck mana to her. After I suffered a miscarriage, Sapphire helped me a lot get better. That time, I felt like I was lost. There were times when I did not care even if I died.

    Thinking about that time made me recall how much I had grown mentally and how things had changed.

    I was still not a very strong person mentally. I broke down just because Dem had left. He woulde back after two months, yet I felt very sad. But I had stopped trusting people easily like the way I trusted Dem even though I did not know him. Now that I thought about it, it was pretty stupid of me to do so.

    Anything could have happened.

    I was still forced to get married. It was not like I regretted my marriage with him. I was very happy, on the other hand. But I sometimes wished we met under different circumstances where everything would have happened because we wanted it, not because someone else nned everything for us.

    Dem''s obsession and my trauma- if they did not exist, would our lives have been different? There was no answer to a probable scenario. I was just being silly.

    I was feeling quite restless for thest few days. Perhaps that was why I was thinking about these things.

    Calix was right. I thought too much for no reason. I should rx and enjoy my everyday life than worry about everything.

    ''Geez, me and my overthinking habit�� I hate it!''

    Sapphire stayed there the whole time I was taking a bath. She was more curious about the soap bubbles than my blubbering. I did not mind it. Just having her around gave me a sense of calmness.

    "Let''s go to sleep now, okay, my Sapphire? I will allow you on the bed today."

 Chapter 386 Uncomfortable Feeling

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Why that gloomy face?" Luc asked. "You wereughing even just a while ago."

    "I had a dreamst night," I said.

    "What dream?" Ruby asked. "A bad dream like Your Highness used to have before?"

    "I don''t know�� It''s�� I was inside someone, like their soul. That person was very angry and was punching a mirror. He ended up breaking it. His fist was bleeding," I said. "I could�� clearly feel the pain�� It was scary��"

    "What��? That''s so crazy��!" Ruby gasped. "Who is that?"

    "I don''t know that either�� But I believe that''s Cyan."

    "Cyan�� Who is that again?" Luc asked. "Why do you always have weird dreams?"

    "Cyan�� That name�� Isn''t that Your Highness''s twin brother''s name?" Ruby asked, surprised.

    "Yeah��"

    I had told them about the time when Azure talked to me. So, they knew all about my situation now.

    "Ah, yes," Luc said, recalling. "I remember now. But how do you know it''s him? It can be someone else."

    "I can only sense what he is feeling or experiencing because he is my twin brother. There is no one else," I said. "Besides, I heard someone knocking on the door, calling him Lord Cyan."

    "Are you sure you haven''t misheard it?" Luc asked and I just stared at him in disbelief. How could I mishear that thing specifically and nothing else? "I see. It''s worrying. I thought you could see what he is seeing, but not experience what he is feeling, like pain. Now, that is something to worry about."

    "Can the connection be broken?" Ruby asked.

    "I know literally nothing about it," Luc sighed. "I have never heard of something like this happening. It''s the first time."

    "Has Your Highness told His Highness about it?"

    "I wrote him a letterst night, but that''s about how my day was and stuff like that. I had this dreamst night. So, no, I haven''t yet."

    "Tell him about it. I would have suggested you to not tell him if it was just a dream and nothing more. But you experienced pain from something your brother was doing," Luc said. "It''s better if you tell Demetrius about it. As he is out, he can try to search dark mages as well. He has a lot of connections, you see."

    At first, I thought of not telling Dem about it since it might worry him. But what Luc said was right. I felt physical pain this time from my dream. What if something more extreme happened next time?

    "I will write to him," I said.

    *meow*

    "What, Sapphire? You want some attention, huh?" I chuckled, petting Sapphire.

    I had brought her with me as I promised. She had been running after a mouse, but now she was sitting on myp.

    "It''s a good thing you have brought Sapphire here. Because of her, we found out there is a mouse here," Luc said.

    "There were a lot of mice when I first came here. I got rid of them all, at least, that''s what I thought. But there is one now," Ruby grumbled. "Thanks to a certain someone who never lived in a healthy way, mice start to live where he lives."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "I just did not have enough time to take care of myself," Luc said.

    "Yeah, yeah��," Ruby shrugged, not believing him.

    "What? You don''t believe me?"

    "Who will believe you?"

    While they fought, I enjoyed the tea Ruby made. I could not praise her tea enough. It was amazing.

    "Why are you acting like that in front of Her Highness?" Ruby snapped at him. "Have some shame!"

    "Blue knows about everything regarding our marriage anyway. We also know about hers and Demetrius''s anyway," Luc pointed out. "It might seem that guy is secretive, but in the end, he tells everything too."

    "Haa�� With you, I can''t��," Ruby sighed.

    "Haha, Luc seems to stress Ruby out," I chuckled.

    "He does," Ruby said. "I don''t know how weird can he be. Really��? Like�� Ugh, I can''t even begin to describe."

    "What do you mean? It''s fun to be weird," Luc said. "What''s fun is there to be just like others?"

    ''And, you like that weird man, Ruby.''

    It was fun to watch them like this. They looked like a fun couple, bickering at each other andughing and in the end, loving each other.

    ''Have they told they love each other yet? I am so curious�� But I am afraid to ask. Ruby loves Luc and she is quite sensitive. So, if Luc still has not, it will make her feel bad. And for Luc, he is dumb when ites to matters like romance.''

    I left the magic tower after a long time. They wanted me to stay there more, but I rejected as I had too much work to do. Calix came to pick me up after I sent him a signal from the magic tower.

    "Your Highness can just take the day off," Calix said.

    "Who will do my work then?"

    "Lord Reece," he replied nonchntly. "It''s not like Your Highness skips work every single day. Once in a while is fine."

    "Nah, I have to take off another day tomorrow anyway," I said.

    "Why?"

    "I am going to the festival," I said.

    "But you said you were not before��"

    I actually did not n to go to the festival. But Luc and Ruby kept telling me and I could not refuse. Mom and Dad were going to be there too. Ruby knew what happened at thest festival better than others because she was there. So, she knew why I kept refusing. But she also wanted me to go and said there was no Ezekiel anymore.

    If Mom and Dad were going there, I would hang out with them and let Luc and Ruby have a romantic time. Luc did not like crowds as well. He hated it more than I did. I had to prepare my ears to hear all hisints.

    "Luc, Ruby, and Luc''s parents are going to go. Ruby invited her parents too, but they are noting. Reece will go somewhere else, he said. Will you join us? I will ask Perita too."

    "Perita will probably say no this time. We, knights, have a party. Since they will be drinking a lot, I won''t join. I cane with Your Highness," he said.

    "Oh, really? Cool! Then, I will let you know the timing," I said. "Who is that, by the way? I have never seen that little boy before."

    "He is not a little boy. He is the gardener''s younger brother who sometimeses instead of the gardener when the gardener is sick," Calix said. "He is a dwarf, so sometimes, it''s easy to misunderstand if you see him from behind."

    "Ah, I see��"

    "Don''t worry, Your Highness. He is a verified one."

    "Is he?" I muttered and that''s the moment that man looked at me. "Why does he look at me that way? Do I have something on me? Is he looking at my cat?"

    "He is surprised to see Your Highness perhaps."

    "It doesn''t look like he is surprised. It''s more like he is looking at Sapphire�� Or, wait, my chest��?"

    "What?" Calix eximed in shock and anger and walked up to him with quick leaps. "Hey, what are you looking at?"

    "�� My, my�� I am just wondering who that person might be," that guy said, grinning.

    "That is Her Highness, the Queen. You better want to pay respect to Her highness and not gawk at her like a creep!"

    I walked there slowly as well and stood by Calix. "Greetings, Your Highness. My apologies if I creeped Your Highness out. What can this man do? My eyes have always been like this since my birth, must be because I am a dwarf."

    "I have work to do, Calix. Let''s go," I said.

    "Yes, Your Highness," Calix said.

    "I don''t like him," I said when we were inside the pce. "Something about him seems fishy."

    "He is a pervert, I think," he said. "I also don''t like the way he was looking at Your Highness."

    I felt truly ufortable. The man said something was wrong with him eyes since birth because of his dwarfism which was clearly nonsense. His dwarfism had nothing to do with it. Rather, something was wrong with him. His gaze was very ufortable. I felt like covering myself up.

    "I will tell the guards to keep an eye on him in case Your Highness is ufortable," Calix said.

    "Has he always been like this?"

    "I saw him before and knew that he came here, but I did not really pay any attention to his gaze," he said.

    "Why have I never seen him before then? I mean, it''s been almost two years that I am here."

    "I don''t know that��"

    "That''s okay," I said, shaking my hand. "Tell the guards to keep an eye on him."

    Although I emerged in the work, I could not shake the ufortable feeling off that I got from him.

 Chapter 387 Going To The Festival

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    I was getting ready to go to the festival. It had been a long time since I went out somewhere. Because I was the Queen, I did not need to go anywhere myself. There was always someone to go and represent me. Usually, Kings and Queens joined a lot of functions. But Dem and I always avoided them.

    It did not do us too much harm and we always made sure that the people''s loyalty was directed to us by asionally gifting the poor, making orphanages, and taking care of a lot of other things.

    Today, I got a letter from Dem and Evelyn. They coincidentally arrived at the same time. I read Dem''s one first of course.

    Dear Blue,

    Sorry for being one dayte. I would have sent you early, but I havee back to the tent just a while ago now. When I came back, I found two letters.

    Okay, let''s talk about the second letter first. What do you mean you felt pain? You saw your brother or whatever in your dream and you felt like you are inside him like a soul like the previous dream, right? He was punching a mirror out of anger or something and you felt the pain? Now that''s really worrying.

    Are you okay? Was the pain too much? Describe more to me about it in your next letter. I want every single piece of information. Have you told Luc? That silver punk might know something.

    If you haven''t told him yet, tell him soon. Then, tell me what he says. No, it''s fine, I will ask him myself. I will send him a letter now.

    I can''t bring myself to calm down, you know. It''s a good thing you told me and did not hide it out of concern that I will freak out. Yes, I am freaking out, but that''s no reason for you not to tell me.

    Just take care of yourself, okay? I am worried about you.

    And I am not hurt. I am taking care of myself. So, you do so as well. If you are bored, go to the magic tower. You don''t have to force yourself to work if you don''t want to. Just shove them all to Kenzo.

    That said, you also mentioned in the second letter that you will go to the festival with them. Be careful, okay? Calix will also go with you, right? Don''t go anywhere without Luc, Luc''s parents or Calix. Danger always seems to find you.

    I am not saying it''s your fault. Just be careful, okay?

    After nagging me a lot more about my safety in the letter, he finally talked about his day. Just like I said, he gave me detailed information.

    I thought he would not want me to go to the festival, but his attitude surprised me a bit. It seemed he got past his insecurities a lot.

    There were times when I wondered what it would be like if he truly locked me up. But would he lock me up for real? It was a tough question. He told me many times that he would lock me up if he had to. I always wanted to ask him, if would he truly do it. But I never could.

    I could not open my mouth.

    I read Evelyn''s letter while the maids were doing my hair. I had saved it to read the letter because something came up at that time.

    I had not seen her after Mother''s funeral. The bond between her and her daughter was not very strong. She did not evene to meet her even though it had been quite a long time. Ava did not seem to mind as well. I asked her about it indirectly, but Ava understood and said she did not care.

    I felt bad even though it was not my business.

    I talked to Dem about it, but he said it was not unusual. In his family, parents were not very close with their kids. Their rtionship felt robotic, sometimes like a business and sometimes like an investment.

    In her letter, Evelyn mentioned traveling more. They had not left Mazazine. They could not find anything interesting rted to Mother. Perhaps she had not given up yet.

    They at least should havee to their daughter''s birthday. Last year, because none of them came, I prepared a party for Ava. She was a party lover like her mother. I did not know that before. She was very happy and thanked me a lot. I wanted to lie to her and say that her mother was the one who told me to prepare a party for her because she could note.

    But Dem told me not to. ording to him, Ava knew her mother well and would see through the lies, so I refrained from doing so.

    "This dress is pretty normal looking, isn''t it? No gemstones on it, yay! I look like amoner now?"

    "Uh�� Your Highness still looks like a Queen no matter how much we try�� We even skipped the diamond earrings��"

    "That''s because you guys are used to seeing me and know that I am the Queen," I shrugged. "I think I actually look like amoner. If not amoner, at least just a nobledy, not someone from the Royal family."

    I was morefortable walking in a normal dress anyway. This dress was much morefortable.

    "We all are going to wearmoner''s attire today. I am quite excited!" I eximed. After being the Queen for almost two years, wearing regr clothes felt special to me. Some people wanted this life. But I still wanted to live a simple life.

    After getting ready, I went downstairs with Calix where everyone was waiting for me. Iris had gone on a vacation with her family, so we could not invite her. Abel had sent me a long letter exining why he wants going on vacation and why he had to do it anyway. It was adorable as he was truthful. Experience tales at empire

    One of his reasons included he had to listen to elders about what he did not like and because of that, he could not do everything he wanted to do.

    "Wow, you all are here!" I eximed. "Mom, Dad, it''s been a long time since west saw each other."

    "Yeah, my daughter, it has been," Mom said and hugged me. Dad joined too.

    "It''s just been one month. Stop being dramatic," Luc grumbled.

    "Are you jealous? Mother-inw and Father-inw hugged you that way too," Ruby said.

    "I am not jealous!"

    "Our Luc is still a kid. He needs Mom and Dad''s attention all the time," Mom mocked.

    "Don''t be like that, dammit!"

    "Pfft��"

    Along with me, others startedughing too. Luc waspletely red. I had never seen him embarrassed that much before. Usually, he felt like someone who never got embarrassed. It turned out that was not the case.

    "Blue looks a lot less like amoner, doesn''t she?" Dad said.

    "Well, that''s because we are not used to seeing her like this. In our eyes, she is still the Queen," Mom said.

    "That''s true. That''s the same for you two too," Luc said.

    "And you still look like a homeless man. That''s the same for you too," Dad said.

    "Dad!"

    "He is not lying, Luc. If you had just lived in a healthier way, no one would say it to you," Ruby said.

    "Thank goodness, Ruby has be your wife," Mom said. "Or, I would have passed away worrying. She can keep you in check. Thank you for everything, Ruby."

    "I will keep doing my best, Mother," Ruby smiled.

    "You all just like to mock me," Luc grumbled.

    "Don''t sulk, Luc. You also mock my husband a lot," I said. "Don''t you forget that. You are guilty too."

    "I was not mocking that guy. He is the one who kept��"

    "Don''t talk like that about His Majesty, Luc," Dad warned.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Be respectful. We didn''t raise you this way," Mom added.

    "It''s funny to see the master of the magic tower get scolded by his parents," Calix whispered to me.

    "Mom and Dad can''t bear to hear any disrespect toward the King," I whispered back.

    Well, even so, Mom warned me about Dem and told me multiple times to be careful. I was a human and Dem was a werewolf, an Alpha. If he lost himself as werewolves did, he would not listen to me. She told me to make sure I was ready all the time. Even Dem did not know when it could happen. It still had not.

    It happened when one emotion took over them, especially anger. Other emotions could trigger it too, but it had to be something that affected them extremely.

    And only mated werewolves faced it. It was like an extreme urge to mate with their partner. Dem had never felt it before. He liked to have sex and was sometimes very aggressive. But it was not the same thing as losing himself. That would much more extreme.

 Chapter 388 Going To The Festival (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    We walked around the festival for a long time. There were a lot of things to see. But because of the crowd, I could not enjoy everything. Crowded ces bothered me a lot.

    "It''s suffocating��," I muttered. "It seems more crowded here��"

    "The candies this old woman makes are very famous. I have tried it before. It''s so good," Mom said and then looked at Dad at once the moment he was about to try one. "Don''t eat more than three pieces, dear. The doctor told you not to."

    "You won''t have any?" Dad asked me.

    "No, I don''t like sweets," I rejected politely. "Can it be saved for a long time?"

    "Nah, it''s best to eat it fresh," he said. "Why though?"

    "�� It''s nothing," I mumbled.

    "What do you mean why? Are you that dumb?" Mom bickered.

    "What did I say wrong?" Dad asked, surprised.

    "Unfortunately, you cannot save it for two months," Mom exined. "The taste will go bad. But I wonder if His Majesty will even like these cheap sweets. Most nobles don''t even know about these, forget the Royal family. We know about it because we liked to see howmoners live."

    "Dem loves sweet things. He mentioned this candy once," I said. "He wanted to taste it again, but it seems it will go bad if I save it for two months."

    "Is that so? That is very surprising��"

    When I asked if Dem enjoyed anything regarding the festival, at first, he said he hated it. Then, he admitted to liking a certain candy that an old woman made. The beta brought some for Dem once and he liked it. But he was too busy to tell the beta to buy him more. In the end, he did not taste it again for two years.

    "Calix, go get her information," I instructed Calix. "Don''t frighten her though. That poor woman looks very fragile already."

    If I could not preserve the candies, I would just get information about the old woman and give her money to make some for Dem when he woulde back.

    "Right now?"

    "What if we lose him? It''s so crowded here. She might just close her store and go home and we won''t notice," I said.

    "Shees here every day during the festival. If not today, we can always find her tomorrow. I will keep an eye on her�� Wait, what is he doing here?"

    "Who?" I asked. I looked in the direction he was looking and then I noticed him. "Abel?"

    "Who is that? Another knight?" Dad asked. "That is�� Ah, that''s Sir Abel, the famous knight who fought side by side with His Highness in thest war!"

    "Abel��? What are you doing here?" I asked as he walked up to us when our eyes met. "Didn''t you��?"

    "Yes, I went with His Highness. But His Highness ordered me toe back and stay by Your Highness''s side."

    "There is Calix and Perita and others��," I muttered.

    "This is what His Highness ordered me, Your Highness. I hope it won''t be a bother to Your Highness."

    "It won''t be, of course," I said quickly. "It''s fine. I am just worried if it''s okay for you to just guard me��"

    "It ispletely fine, Your Highness. It is an honor for me," he said.

    "His Majesty is very worried about you," Mom said. "I won''t lie. I am worried about you too. You are so fragile. You get sick so easily."

    "You also overwork yourself," Dad added.

    Luc and Ruby had gone to enjoy themselves; though it was more like we pushed them to go while Ruby was reluctant. Actually, she wanted to enjoy the festival with her husband. She was just too worried that it would not look good if they left. We dismissed her remarks anyway. I was grateful that Ruby was not here. Or, she would start nagging me.

    Her nagging was very dangerous. Luc admitted so as well.

    After Mom and Dad nagged me for a while, we started looking around the festival again. I could not believe they would actually nag me here. Abel joined us too. He was by my side all the time.

    Calix respected Abel a lot as his senior knight and talked about him a lot of times to me. Calix mentioned Abel was the one who taught him a lot of tricks. It helped him a lot.

    It got more crowded as we walked. We lost Mom and Dad somewhere in the crowd. It was useless to look for them. If separated, it was better to look around by myself with my knights.

    Abel and Calix both held my hand to make sure I was with them. None of them realized that the other one held my hand too, so they started pulling me at different directions.

    "Gosh, do you guys want to tear my arms off?" I chuckled.

    "Ah, I am so sorry, Your Highness," Calix apologized.

    "It''s crowded. Don''t call me that," I reminded.

    "Right, I am sorry."

    "Please forgive me too. I did not notice," Abel said.

    "Why don''t Calix walk first and I lead Her Highness where you go?" Abel suggested. "That will be better than this."

    "Yes, that will be great. Let''s do that. Is Your Highness okay with that?"

    "Yes, let''s do it," I nodded. "Take me somewhere to eat. I am so hungry. You two will eat with me too. Don''t refuse; I don''t like to eat alone."

    Calix took us to the nearby diner. It was not a fancy one, but there was a cozy vibe to it. Calix could not suggest any diners, and neither could Abel. So, we had to dine there.

    "Sit down, Abel. We are not eating standing up," I said, seeing Abel reluctant to it at the same table as me. "If you are ufortable, you can sit a bit away from me if you want to."

    "No, that''s not it!" he quickly said. "I am not ufortable. I am just not used to it��"

    Abel did not usually have a change of expression. I was used to seeing him that way. But he looked quite embarrassed now. It was a sudden change of expression which surprised me a bit.

    "Good then, sit down," I smiled and he sat down.

    Calix was ufortable when he first became my knight, but not anymore. He got used to being around me. The mostfortable person around me among my knights was probably Perita. She was that way since the beginning.

    "Miss, what are you going to order?"

    "Are you the owner?" I asked.

    "Yes, miss, I am," she replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Do you have a spicy dish that you suggest?" I asked.

    "Spicy�� Yes, there is our special pasta. Would you like to try it?" she said. "It''s very spicy, let me warn you."

    Discover hidden tales at empire

    "Oh my, I will definitely love it!" I eximed. "Please, bring that for me and as for my drink, lemon water will be good. Please take the order from these gentlemen. Ah, I will also love a sd."

    Calix and Abel were knights, so I thought both of them would eat a lot as they worked out a lot. But it turned out Abel ate very little. It was too little for a grown-up man like him in my opinion.

    "Will Your Highness be able to handle that? It looks too spicy," Calix said. "I mean, I know Your Highness loves spicy food. But that looks dangerous."

    "I will be fine," I shrugged. "Want to try something?"

    "No, I am fine. Thanks though," Calix refused quickly.

    "Too bad. I won''t offer it again. Do you want some, Abel?"

    "No, I am good too, Your Highness."

    "Okay, whatever. I will eat now."

    The pasta was truly spicy. It was like I would have trouble in the toilet too. Tears welled up in my eyes and my tongue was burning. And I absolutely loved it.

    "Oh my, this is the best! Why can''t our chef make food this spicy too? He thinks I can''t handle it? Really?"

    "Your Highness, what if you get a stomach ache for eating that thing?" Calix muttered.

    "I will be fine," I said. "You don''t even know how much I love spicy food. I can handle spice very well."

    Dem could not handle spice at all. On our first date, he tried to have spicy food with me. But then, he could not bear it and had to drink a whole ss of milk.

    Thinking about Dem made me realize how much I missed him. If he was with me, everyone would be twice more fun.

 Chapter 389 The Queen Is Here

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    After having some food, we went to look around again. We found Ruby and Luc. They apparently were looking for me and Mom and Dad. They had not yet found Mom and Dad.

    "What happened to your lips and nose? Why are they so red and big?" Luc asked.

    "Your Highness had something spicy, right?" Ruby asked suspiciously. She was against me most of the time about having spicy things. She thought it would give me a bad stomachache.

    "Just a bit," I said. "Enough about me. I am fine. What about you two? Did you two enjoy yourselves?"

    "It''s too noisy, but it was fun. We saw a man making random things in a moment with mud. Then, there was another woman who can literally put her hand in hot oil."

    "What? Hot oil?" I asked, surprised.

    "Yeah, you won''t believe it if you don''t see it. She just cooking literally with her hand," Luc said.

    "Actually, I have seen a guy do this in my world," I said. "Not with my own two eyes though. Someone at school showed it once on his phone."

    "Oh, is that so? Isn''t that impressive?" Ruby said. "What''s a phone by the way?"

    "It is. I was surprised too. And a phone is an electronic device people use to talk, message, take photos, and a lot of other things," I said. "Have two eaten something? Sorry I ate without you. I thought we would not be able to meet up again here."

    "Nah, we had something; some fried chicken," Luc said. "And some of that thing too�� I don''t know the name. There is a sausage inside and cheese."

    ''Corn dog?''

    "Is it a heavily dipped in cornmeal batter and deep-fried sausage on a stick?" I asked.

    "Yeah. Have you had it before?"

    "It''s corndog. That''s what we call it in our world. It''s tasty," I said. "It''s quite filling too."

    "It is. I don''t think I can eat anything else," Ruby said.

    "I can though," Luc said.

    "Why are you always so hungry?" Ruby muttered.

    "What can I do? I have a good appetite."

    "I am full now. You can go eat," I said. "I will go look for Mom and Dad. How is that?"

    "Will you be okay alone, Your Highness?" Ruby asked. Your journey continues at empire

    "Calix and Abel are with me."

    "Wait, when did youe here?" Luc asked, pointing at Abel.

    "It has been a while," Abel replied.

    "Why though? Aren''t you the King''s knight?"

    "His Highness ordered me to guard Her Highness for two months. I am carrying out that order," he replied.

    "He has sent you?"

    "Yes, Lord Luc," Abel gave a nod.

    Luc looked as if he could not believe it. Then, heughed. It was more like he was so confused that he did not know how to react.

    "His Highness must be so worried about Your Highness," Ruby said.

    "But she literally has an entire knights'' force behind her in the pce. The knights who went with Demetrius are his knights only. And besides, not all of them," Luc pointed out. "What''s the point of sending one of his knights to guard her? What difference will that make?"

    ''Well, it''s not just to guard me after all. Abel is here to make sure I don''t run away. I was not nning to do so anyway. Why would I run away from my own husband? But he doesn''t understand that. It''s sad that he can''t trust me about this thing.''

    Luc and Ruby went to the diner we ate at earlier. I, along with Abel and Calix, looked around a bit more while looking for Mom and Dad.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Oh my, Your Highness, the Queen is here�� What an amazing fortune!" someone eximed in the crowd, causing all of them to look directly at me.

    Abel took action very rapidly. He quickly covered my head and face with his cloak. It would be a bad thing if everyone knew that I went out sometimes without too much protection. And not everyone in the kingdom needed to know what I looked like. The fewer people knew, the better.

    "The Queen is here��?"

    "Her Highness? Is that Her Highness?"

    "What nonsense! How can the Queen be here?"

    "But that guy is saying it''s the Queen. He works at the Imperial Pce garden. How can he not know?"

    "It''s that fucking dwarf!" Calix yelled, striding to him very rapidly.

    "That creepy guy��?" I muttered.

    Abel led me out of the crowd very quickly before they could approach me. Calix went to deal with that man. Why would he call me that way suddenly even if he recognized me? That was very rude when I was the Queen.

    A crowd of people tried to follow us, but Abel quickly found a way to escape and we ended up in a dark alley.

    "Are you okay, Your Highness?" he asked. "My apologies if I have startled you. I did not mean to touch Your Highness without permission."

    Evenst time when he held my hand to make sure I was not lost, he had asked for permission with his eyes and I had nodded in agreement.

    "You don''t need to apologize. It''s okay to touch me in an emergency situation without my permission," I said.

    "Still��"

    "It''s fine, Abel."

    "I see. Then, it''s okay," he muttered.

    "Have we beaten thempletely?"

    "I have sent a signal. I contacted Flint beforeing here. He is the one I have sent a signal to. He wille soon. We have to wait here till hees. A lot of people are running here and there in hope of seeing Your Highness.

    It''s dangerous to go out," he said. "Any of them can attack you. We don''t know who are rebels among them."

    "You are right. But it''s surprising you have contacted Flint beforehand. That guy is still at the pce?"

    "Yes, Your Highness. He was working," he replied.

    "Hmm��"

    Was Flint going to ask for a day off again? I would not let him take any more days off. I had had enough. Even if he gave the excuse of his daughter being so cute, I would not let him have his way this time.

    ''D is actually very cute. She looks a lot like Flint. I have met her a few times. It seems she likes me as she always spreads her arms and makes cute noises whenever I go to meet her.''

    "Can I ask you something, Flint?" I asked after a while.

    "Your Highness does not require my permission to ask me something. I am your servant," he said.

    I had tried to tell him that it was not the case. He was not my servant. I would rather treat him like my friend. But his loyalty took over him and he could not see me as anything more than his master.

    "Why do you eat so less? I mean, I am not judging. I am just worried about you. You are a knight and wasn''t that a bit too less?"

    "I am okay though. That much is enough for me," he said.

    "You had only sd though," I said.

    That said, Abel looked a bit unhealthypared to before. It was like he had lost a lot of weight very suddenly.

    "I think I am gaining weight too much, so I am eating less. It is filling though."

    "Gaining weight too much? It''s more like you are losing weight, Abel," I said. "Who said you are losing weight?"

    "I��"

    "Ugh, I can''t believe I have toe here right now! I hate crowded ces!" Flint grumbled, appearing out of nowhere. "You Highness��! Are you okay?"

    "I am. Take me back to the pce quickly. And Abel hasn''t answered me yet��"

    "It''s nothing, Your Highness. It is a very insignificant thing," he said.

    It looked like Abel did not want to talk about him. I did not push it. People had many secrets they did not want others to know. But I wished whatever he was facing would get better soon.

    Flint teleported us back to the pce in my office. I sighed in relief, finally arriving at a peaceful environment.

    "Ah, finally��!"

    "Why were people screaming like that? It was like something happened," Flint asked.

    "One random guy said that Her Highness was there. He was looking directly at Her Highness, so everyone looked at her too."

    "Well, you covered my face up with the cloak. So, no one could see my face," I said.

    "Who is that person? How does he know Her Highness? That bastard increased my work!"

    "Shut up, Flint! It was just a matter of two minutes," I said, rolling my eyes. "Aren''t you making a big deal out of it? And why are you here even though it''s sote? Are you nning to ask for another day off? It won''t happen, okay?"

 Chapter 390 Butterflies

    (From Blue''s Perspective)n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Nah, I did it because I had so much work to do, not because I want a day off," Flint said.

    "Oh?"

    It would be wrong if I said I was not surprised. I was actually taken aback greatly because Flint was not the type of person to care about work too much if it was not for money or to take a day off.

    "Does Your Highness not trust me?" Flint asked suspiciously.

    "I will go back to my room now," I said, not answering him. "Can you take me to my room, Abel?"

    "Yes, Your Highness," Abel bowed.

    "Don''t ignore me, Your Highness!"

    "Who are you again? I don''t know you?"

    "Your Highness!"

    "Why are you making so much noise, Flint? Let us go now, Your Highness. You must be tired."

    "Yes, let''s go."

    Abel escorted me to the bedroom and waited in front of the room. "I hope you can sleep well, Your Highness. Please rest up," he said.

    "Yes, I will. Goodnight, Abel."

    "Goodnight, Your Highness."

    Abel closed the door and left. There were guards in front of my bedroom now to protect me. Dem was very overprotective.

    Protecting their loved ones was a good thing, but overprotecting sometimes might lead to something bad. But I could not say that to my husband who already had too many insecurities.

    I took a shower and went to bed. I opened my eyes right after I closed them as I felt I had seen something.

    It was a butterfly; a butterfly that had glowing blue wings. I could see it clearly in the dark room because of the glow of its wings.

    "What is�� this?"

    I sat up slowly. It flew gently around the room and then sat gently on my nose. I did not like butterflies. They scared me for some reason. Actually, the way their tiny legs felt against their skin scared me the most.

    But it did not feel scary, nor did it feel weird against my skin. Rather than scared, I feltforted.

    Another butterfly sat on my hand. I looked around me to see where they wereing from. That was when I noticed it.

    It was that nt on my bedside table, the one that Perita gifted me.

    Even this morning, the seeds did not show any sign of growth. But now, it was a nt. How could it happen?

    A leaf grew in the blink of an eye and it turned into a butterfly with glowing blue wings. They were flying around the room, leaving glowing marks on their traces.

    They were magnificent.

    "So beautiful��," I mumbled.

    I had never seen anything so magical before. Many of them sat on me while the others flew around me. I seemed to have forgotten everything. I could only feel rxed and focus on the beauty of the butterflies. It was almost the same as getting drunk. Both could give a temporary feeling of rxation.

    I did not remember when I fell asleep that night. All I knew was that I stayed awake for a very long time and just watched those butterflies.

    The next morning, I woke up in a good mood. But I missed Dem. Last night, I did not miss him, probably because I was so fascinated by the beauty of those butterflies.

    I never thought I would be fascinated by something so much that I would not miss him. He was just always there in my mind, so I was taken aback.

    The day went smoothly. Mom and Dad sent me a letterst night asking if I went home safely. They were worried because they could not see me. They also heard from the people that the Queen had gone to the festival. So, they thought someone revealed my identity and I got into danger.

    I sent them a letter to let them know that I was safe. Luc and Ruby were worried as well. Ruby came to meet me in person.

    "I heard from others on the road that the Queen hade," Ruby said. "Your Highness won''t believe how worried I was."

    "I am fine. Abel covered my face up at the right time," I said. "It was that damn substitute of the gardener��! That guy�� Calix caught him and locked him up. I haven''t gone to see him in the cell yet."

    "Are you really not hurt, Your Highness?"

    "I am fine, Ruby. You worry too much," I said.

    "That bastard, he did that on purpose! He can''t be that dumb to call the Queen like that on the street as if you are his pal!"

    "I don''t know�� I feel ufortable around him�� Something about his eyes��"

    "What about his eyes?"

    "It''s just�� Nothing. I just don''t like the way he looks at me. I don''t know if he looks at everyone that way�� Forget that. You said you will join your very first meeting today."

    "Yes, with the prime minister. It''s about the deal between him and Luc," she said. "Luc will be there. So, I think I will be fine."

    "You will do well," I said.

    "Your Highness always encourages me so much. Thank you so much," Ruby said.

    "I am d if I am able to help you. You have helped me a lot too."

    "But that was my job back then, Your Highness."

    "Not just that. You were there for me when Dem and I had that misunderstanding going on," I reminded her.

    "Ah, that one�� That time, Your Highness was worried that His Highness might think you are not good in bed as he did not share another night with you after the first night. Truly, that was worrying. I think because both of you got married only recently back then,munication was not that strong," she said.

    "You literally pushed me to tell him what I thought. It cleared the misunderstanding. If it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t have known that he wanted me to tell him that I wanted him since he was worried that I did it because I felt obligated to," I said. "Well, I did feel obligated to on our first night as I did not know him very well. But after that, I truly wanted him.

    It was really�� Thinking about it makes me feel dumb. I should have just talked to him before the month passed. We had that misunderstanding going on for a whole month."

    "It can happen, Your Highness. At least, now, you twomunicate about every single thing and there is no misunderstanding," she said. "Luc and I also try to talk about everything. Luc is already a straightforward person, so on his part, there is no problem withmunication. At first, I was reluctant to think what he might think if I tell him my weird thoughts too.

    Will he think I am a weirdo of some sort? But that wasn''t the case. When Luc saw me angry because��"

    "Because what?"

    "I was angry because�� he was not trying to understand me. I mean, I�� love him��But he wasn''t understanding that and kept saying that we are like friends and we get along well��!"

    ''Pfft, friends?''

    "Luc kept on requesting to tell him what was wrong. I did in the end out of frustration. I yelled at him��"

    "What did he do next?" I asked.

    "He went like�� well, isn''t that how it''s supposed to be?"

    "What��?" I eximed in surprise.

    "I was very surprised too. Then, he said, I love you too, but why did you make me say it now? After that, we fought. It turned out he wanted to tell me with a bouquet of special flowers and he was making them himself using a potion. It''s not a real flower though, just some kind of decoration made with a potion solidifying. But it''s very beautiful.

    He fought with me because I ruined the timing of his confession, what an idiot!"

    "So, he told you he likes you?"

    "He did. It was after he came back from Lacuna," she replied.

    "Oh my, that''s so amazing! It means there is love now! Woohoo! It''s really amazing!"

    "Your Highness should be given credit for this too," she smiled. "You are the one who told me that I should get married. Even if there is no love, at least I could be near him. To be truthful, I did it because I trusted Your Highness. That was the best decision I have ever made."

    The smile on Ruby''s face said it all. I was d that they could make the marriage work in the best way possible. I was very happy for them. Both of them were very close to me and I always wished the best for them. Dem also mentioned a lot of times that if they were happy, it would be good. He actually cared about Luc but did not mention it much.

    Either way, Luc and Dem both cared for each other and wished the best. Now, Ruby and I were in the picture too. We made a great team together. If we could live happily like this forever, that would be great.

 Chapter 391 Hallucinations

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Dem and I sent each other letters almost every day. I sent him multiple letters some day too. He also replied to every single one of them.

    A few days passed by and another night came. Every night, I saw a different animal in my room. On the first night, it was butterflies with glowing blue wings. On the second night, it was a bird with glowing red wings. It was a phoenix. I never thought I would see one in real life.

    On the third night, it was a fairy with glowing green wings. Like that, I saw a horse, dragonflies, a wolf and a rabbit. Though they were different animals, I felt serenity every time they came before me.

    It was truly a wonderful nt. Perita was right. It made me feel calm and rxed. The nt was the reason I did not cry at night. I did not have nightmares as well. And the room did not feel sorge and empty anymore.

    I was waiting for the next creature to arrive when I heard a knock on the door. There was no one supposed toe at a time like this. There were guards in front of my room, so there was no chance of an intrudering.

    "Who is it?"

    "It''s me, Blue," Luc replied from outside.

    ''Why is he here at a time like this? It''s one already.''

    I opened the door. It was not just Luc. Ruby hade too. "Demetrius has just sent me a letter. I mean, the letter arrived just now. He said you mentioned some animalsing to your room every night," Luc said.

    "What��?"

    I had written to Dem about it because I thought it was interesting. But why would he tell Luc that? It was just an interesting nt, after all, nothing dangerous.

    "That''s true, isn''t it? Unless you told him about your dream," Luc said.

    "I�� I have seen them in real life, not in my dreams."

    "Is that so? Let us in. We will talk, then," he said.

    I moved from the door to let them in. Ruby closed the door for us and we sat down on the couch. Luc was looking around the room as if searching for something.

    "Can Your Highness tell me what you have seen?" Ruby asked.

    "Butterflies, horse, dragonflies�� Phoenix��"

    "How did that make you feel?" Luc asked, standing up and looking around the room, walking all over.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "Calm�� I felt rxed��," I replied. "But why are you asking me that? It''s not like I have drunk or something��"

    "You miss your husband a lot all day, don''t you?" he asked.

    "Of course. I miss him a lot," I said.

    "What about at night? When you meet those animals at night, do you miss him that time too?"

    "Not so much�� I kind of�� feel rxed and out of the world��"

    "You forget about him and everything else, don''t you?"

    "��"

    "It might sound bad, but that''s what you feel," Luc said, knowing my answer. "Blue, have you heard of hallucination?"

    "I have, of course," I said. "It''s an experience involving the apparent perception of something not present."

    "You are right. It''s experiencing something that''s not present," Luc said.

    "Luc, I have not�� Don''t even��," I said, gritting my teeth. "I was not hallucinating. If you havee to say that only, you can go."

    "That nt�� Where did you get it?"

    "That''s a gift. Why?"

    "Isn''t it the reason you are seeing those animals?"

    "What???"

    "It''s the truth, isn''t it?"

    "It is, but��"

    "Blue, let me tell you something," he said. "This nt is not just a usual nt."

    "Yes, I know. It''s a magical one."

    "What magical? It''s not magical, okay? It is just a nt that has a strange aroma. If the consumer stays in the same ce where it is for a certain amount of time, they will start to hallucinate. It is the specialty of this nt. It will start spreading the aroma at night.

    The consumer won''t even know they are smelling something. But it will affect them. It is like someone who is addicted to alcohol."

    "I don''t understand�� It''s just��"

    "It''s not a magical nt, Blue," he said calmly while Ruby rubbed my back. "This nt''s smell causes hallucinations. That''s why you were seeing those things."

    "But I heard it calms people done."

    "Calms people down? It means seeing the things that calm you down. They are not real," he said. "It''s like an addiction. When you don''t see them, you get anxious. It''s a very dangerous nt.

    The more seeds, the more aroma it spreads. Thankfully, it hasn''t been too long. Or, you would have gone crazy. Who gave you this damn thing? They should just go and die!"

    "Is this the nt Your Highness told me about? The one that Perita gave you?" Ruby asked and I gave a nod.

    "What? Why the fuck would she give you this?"

    "She did not want me to miss Dem so much and look sad all the time," I said. Luc looked like he could kill Perita in a moment if she was here. "No, it''s not her fault! She�� Her mother had the same nt and once said that it makes someone calm. That''s why she gifted me this. She did not know��"

    "How are you so sure she did not know? She is just a knight. Most knights can be bought with money."

    "If Perita was that kind of person, Dem would have known already!"

    "How will he know? He is away. Besides, can he read minds? It''s not like just because he is the King, he can never be betrayed."

    "I believe Perita, Luc. She has not done it to�� She did not mean any harm," I said.

    ''How can I say that Dem can really read minds? If she had bad thoughts about me in her head, Dem would know instantly. It''s not like she would n suddenly. I think it is just an ident. She did not know, neither did I.''

    "I don''t know why you trust that knight of yours so much, but let me give you a piece of advice, Blue. If you want to live in this world as a Queen, you cannot believe just anybody."

    "I know��"

    "But you trust too many people!"

    "So, what do you want me to do? Not trust you or Ruby, or anyone else? I trust very little people here already��"

    "I know what you mean, Luc. Although Perita can be quite annoying at times, she is not the type of person to try to harm Her Highness. I have seen her for a long time. I know her. She won''t do it. She is��," Perita pointed at her head, "quite a bit slow up there.

    That might be the reason��"

    Luc nced between us for a moment and then sighed. "Let me talk to that knight. Send her to my magic tower tomorrow morning. I will take this nt with me and throw it on her face tomorrow."

    "Don''t do that, gosh!"

    "I will make sure he doesn''t do anything crazy," Ruby whispered to me.

    I nodded at Ruby. She was someone to rely upon. She was probably the only person who could handle Luc.

    After Luc and Ruby left, I felt very restless. Luc was a genius mage. He could not be wrong about the nt. But were those truly hallucinations and not real? How could I touch those then? Was it part of the hallucinations too?

    I drank some water. But I still felt thirsty. I finished the whole jug of water, but my thirst did not go away. I felt like I was going crazy. I could not even breathe properly. My heart felt heavy and painful.

    "Haa�� I don''t�� I don''t feel okay��"

    I went to the toilet and tried to vomit as I felt like it. But I could not even do so which made me feel even worse.

    I cried, sitting in the toilet for a long time. Eventually, after an hour or so, I pulled myself out of the toilet and washed myself up. Crying at night was rxing as I could let all my emotions out, but in the morning, the consequence would show up.

    The next morning, my eyes almost could not be seen because of the puffiness. The maids went all crazy about it. I sent a word to Perita via a maid to tell her to go to the magic tower. At least, Ruby was there, so I would not have to worry about Luc acting all crazy.

    ''He won''t kill her, right? I mean, Ruby is there. She will handle him�� What if he goes crazy and doesn''t listen to her? Whatever, I know Ruby can handle him. I should worry about my puffy eyes instead. What to do with them now?''

 Chapter 392 Cannot Sleep

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Away from the chaos, I was doing some work in the garden. The ce was set up very well. Abel was guarding me as Dem ordered. I had asked Dem why he had sent Abel. His reply was that he was worried about me.

    Perita still had note back from the magic tower. Or perhaps she was back, but I did not get the news.

    "Your Highness, may I ask what happened to your eyes?" Abel asked.

    It looked like he intended to ask about it for a long time, but could not find the right time or way to ask.

    "Uh��"

    "It''s alright if Your Highness does not want to answer. My apologies for asking such a question," he said.

    "I cried," I said.

    "Cried?"

    I gave a nod. "I was not feeling well. So, I cried. I just�� have never been alone like this aftering to this world. Of course, there are people around me. But�� when Dem is not here, it feels very lonely.

    My room feels very lonely and empty. Last year, Ruby was with me the whole time, so I felt less lonely. But this time, it''s not the same. I am letting my emotions take over me. I am trying to get stronger emotionally. Sometimes it''s really hard.

    But I am trying. So, from now on, if you see my eyes puffy, know that there is no new reason for it. Just the same. I wish no one has to see this again. Crying doesn''t suit a Queen."

    "Can I say something, Your Highness?"

    "Go ahead."

    "I think I have to disagree with Your Highness. I don''t think there is any saying that crying does not suit a Queen. Crying does not make a Queen weaker."

    "You are saying I should not listen to others?"

    "That is right, Your Highness."

    "Then why do you do it?"

    "Pardon me?"

    "Why do you listen to others and eat less because they told you that you eat like a dragon?"

    He did not reply, just stared at me with a perplexed look in his eyes.

    "It''s true, is it not?"

    "It is, Your Highness."

    "You don''t lie. I like that part."

    "I won''t dare lie to Your Highness," he said. "But may I ask where have you heard about it?"

    "I cannot reveal their name. Someone told me. They are worried about you. They don''t want me to reveal their name," I said.

    "I see."

    "A lot of people can say a lot of things, Abel. But I personally don''t think listening to every single one of them is a good idea. Some people will say nonsense. But we cannot trust that and do ording to what they say and harm ourselves."

    "I know what I am doing is not the right thing for my body. And I am a knight. So, eating properly is important for me. But listening to the same thing, again and again, caused me to change my eating habit. Now, even if I want to, I cannot just return to my normal eating habit," he said, without showing any expression on his face. "But I am trying."

    I could not talk about the situation much longer. It was not because Abel did not want to talk about it. He said the truth no matter what I asked. The most unsettling fact was his emotionless face as he told me about his eating disorder and how people used to mock him for eating too much. I could not bear it. I felt pain.

    It was like I could feel the pain that he did not show on his face or voice.

    I had heard about it from his fellow knight. I heard from Calix that Knight Lucinda started training at the same year as Abel did and she was one of the few people who knew Abel quite well. So, I called her. She was more than happy to help and told me about his eating disorder that had started two years ago.

    Abel apparently took a potion to keep his body fit even though it was a very dangerous thing for his health. He stopped eating enough, so he would take the potion which would not make him weak. But it secretly sure was running his health.

    I mentioned the drug and he admitted to taking it. I told him not to take it anymore. He promised to listen to me. I knew he would. If he did not eat and did not take the potion as well, he would grow weaker. But he would still listen to me.

    He was a very loyal knight who would even die if Dem or I told him to. I did not want him to do that though.

    I would send the pce doctor to him. He would tell Abel what to do.

    I met Perita again at noon. She came to apologize. I was sure she did not know about it beforehand. It turned out Luc lectured her a lot for a long time.

    "What is the problem?" Doctor Dimitri asked.

    I had summoned him tonight because I was afraid I would not be able to sleep.

    "I cannot sleep," I said.

    "At all?"

    "I do fall asleep in the end. But that''s after a long time," I exined.

    "I see�� Let me prescribe some medicine," he said, scribbling away on his notebook.

    He always wrote down the names to let me know what he was feeding me. We did not ask for it, but he always did it. He wanted to make sure that we knew he was giving me the right medicine and was not harming my health in any way.

    "Has it started to happen after His Highness left?" he asked.

    "Yes," I nodded. "I am ashamed to be in a pathetic condition for no reason."

    "It can happen," he said. "This is not normal, however, and not good as well. Your Highness, let me tell you something. You are also a very powerful person. You are a dark mage and your power is not less at all even if it is not fully awakened. Your Highness should never think you cannot live without a certain person and that you are useless without that person because you are not.

    You can still live, you can still shine. Living with someone, and spending life with someone should be a matter of your decision, not an obligation. So, never think that way. It will make you feel lonely and dependent."

    "I know I am strong too. I can live by myself. It''s just�� I feel pathetic sometimes. Whenever I take a step forward, the wind of my past pushes me backward. There are people who want to push me down, who don''t want me to shine. How can I ovee all of that?"

    One of the people who could boost my confidence was Doctor Dimitri. He was young, but he always seemed quite wise. He was a brilliant doctor after all; he had to be wise.

    "It''s not hard. Your Highness just needs to have the mentality to ovee all of this. Just don''t think that you are useless without someone," he said.

    I knew who that someone was. I did not have to ask and he did not tell me either. What he wanted to do was let me know that I was not useless; I could shine without anyone leading me.

    I did not have enough confidence. But I tried to believe him.

    "Take these medicines every night. One of each after dinner, before going to bed. Continue for seven days. If Your Highness still cannot sleep, please let me know."

    "And please keep in mind what I said," he added before leaving.

    I stared at the two bottles of pills, then sighed. How did I end up in such a pathetic state? Or, was I always so pathetic? Love did not make me pathetic, my life did, and my past did.

    I pulled myself up and went to the washroom to freshen up. I had my dinner already. Before going to bed, I took the pills as the doctor instructed.

    His words were running through my head. I was thinking about every single of his words carefully. My eyes felt heavy very quickly, putting an end to my thoughts as I drifted off to sleep quickly.

    ''What the hell��? Not again��!''

    I was inside him again, my brother. I could see with his eyes and experience his life. He was standing in the middle of a dark room. Half of the bedsheet was falling on the floor from the bed as he sat on a side. I felt anxiety and anger. It was something he was feeling.

    There were broken pieces of ss all around the room, papers were torn into uneven pieces and there was a burning smell.

    The burning smell did note from far away, but rather from the paper he was holding in his hand which was on fire.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 393 Unconditional

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Half of the paper was burnt already. The other half contained random lines.

    I hate it.

    I hate everything.

    Everything hurts.

    I want to end it.

    End it all.

    I want to kill everyone.

    I want to see them bloody, all of them.

    I flinched reading those lines. Did he write them? The answer was clear. Who else would write it?

    ''Why did he write everything hurts? Where? Why? It sounds like he is in pain and in mental distress. I know it. I can somehow understand.

    But why is he feeling this way?''

    The room he was in was huge, although not asrge as my bedroom in the Imperial Pce. It made sure he was in arge mansion. But where was this mansion? I sent people to search every single ce in Querencia. They had been looking for any sign of Azure for over a year. But there was nothing.

    He let go of the paper and it fell on the floor, turning into ash. He stared at it for a while, then stood up. With slow, but steady steps, he walked to the firece. His knees made a cracking sound as he crouched on the floor. His eyes were shifted to the unsteady fire. I could sense danger.

    My mind automatically gave me alerts that something bad was going to happen.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    The thing I suspected did not take long to happen. He ced his left hand straight into the fire.

    ''Ugh! Oh my��! It''s so painful! Is this guy insane or what?''

    He flinched in pain but did not move his hand. It was like burning his hand was not painful enough for him to feel something. But I was in excruciating pain.

    I remembered the time when my father almost burnt my hand. I had to go to the hospital at that time. But I was beaten up again because my hospital bill was too much.

    ''Well, if you go to a hospital in the USA, your pocket will be empty anyway. I wish I was born in Europe. Maybe the bills aren''t that much in some countries of Asia too.''

    He did not move his hand even when the flesh was visible. I could not scream. I could not say anything but feel the pain only.

    ''Stop, please��,'' I thought as if trying to deliver the message to him.

    "It''s you," he said as if he heard me.

    ''What��? Are you talking to me?''

    "Yes, I am. It''s you, Blue."

    ''You can hear me? But that''s not the point. Please move your hand from the fire. It''s��''

    "Why would I? And why do you care?"

    ''I don''t actually. It''s just�� Let''s talk, okay? That''s�� not really a good way to talk when your hand is burning.''

    "You don''t have to care about that?"

    What was he saying? I could feel the pain too. It was very painful. I was stuck inside his body. I could not scream or move the hand. For some reason, I kept it from him.

    I did not think it was a good idea to let him know that I could feel what he was feeling.

    What if he did not like me? It looked like he did not care if he was hurt. So, what if he hurt himself to hurt me?

    ''I��''

    "Blue, don''t get close to me, okay? It doesn''t matter if you are my twin sister. I don''t care. I don''t even acknowledge you as my sister. I never will. This fucking bond�� Well, we can''t do anything about it.

    But that doesn''t mean we have to act all friendly and stuff. Don''t even try," he said calmly, not moving his hand from the fire. His words felt so cold that I could feel the pain anymore. I could only hear what he was saying and feel nothing at all. "If you do so, I will fucking kill you."

    I shivered. He hated me. He was just like Draven. But something was different between them. Draven was someone who had a hot temper. He yelled a lot.

    He said horrible things to me. But Cyan had a cool tone. He did not change his expression, or his voice. He was calm, calm like small snowdrops.

    "Why are you so silent now? Oh my, are you gone already?"

    ''I am not��"

    "You cannot go back on your own, can you?"

    He finally pulled his hand back from the fire. The state of his hand was unbelievable. It was ruined. I could not look away because he was looking at it intently. I could not close my eyes either. I had to see what he was seeing.

    "I was stuck in your body too, multiple times. Actually, four or five times maybe. I had to see things I did not want to see; hear things I did not want to hear. It''s annoying."

    ''I don''t want to be here too.''

    "I did not want to see you two mingling your bodies for no reason."

    ''��''

    "Thankfully, it did not go too far. But he surely does touch you here and there for no reason."

    ''�� We are married.''

    "Oh yeah, you are," he said, still observing his burnt hand. "You have a very noisy knight. That girl does talk a lot."

    ''Why can we talk now?'' I asked. ''It wasn''t like this before. I could notmunicate with you before.''

    "Then, the master of the magic tower is so weird and childish. You have a literal kid as your guard. Your personal mage is odd," he said, not answering me.

    ''Answer me first.''

    "I am not obliged to listen to you, Blue. Stop with that tone."

    ''I am talking normally though. It''s not an order.''

    "How would you know? You are the Queen, after all. You have developed the habit to order everyone," he chuckled. "It''s like a beggar from a Queen transformation by luck, don''t you think?"

    ''�� I know that. But that doesn''t change anything. In the end, I am the Queen.''

    "Such bold word''s from someone like you�� It''s amusing and annoying too. I don''t know what to feel. Let''s see. I can decide what to feel. How about amusing? I will try to be amused."

    I did not understand him. He did not make any sense. Something was wrong. Was he sick in the head? Or, was he just trying to scare me?

    If he tried to scare me, then he had won already. Even if he had not said anything, I would have been scared of him. I always had some kind of fear; I was scared of my brother because of Draven. It seemed like I was not wrong to be scared of him. He turned out to be a scary person.

    "Tell me, Blue, why are you trying to go away from Father? Why do you not want toe to him? Why do you not want to embrace the life you are supposed to have? Tell me."

    ''Because I have not chosen that life.''

    "You haven''t chosen this life either. Did you choose to get married to King Demetrius Easton? Did you choose to be the Queen?"

    I did not answer. No, I did not choose to be the King of Querencia''s wife. I did not choose to be the Queen. I did not have the choice to do so. My opinion did not matter. I was not given the time to state what I wanted.

    I was not asked what I wanted.

    I thought I would end up being a ve. The worst was what was in my mind. I was preparing myself for the worst, so I did not expect much. But I got more than I expected, more than I ever expected.

    I just wanted to live without any worries about being in pain.

    "What do you want now? Do you love your life? Do you love King Demetrius Easton? Why? What did he show you? What did he give you?

    Affection? Love? Sweet words? Wealth? Power?"

    ''You don''t need a reason to love someone��''

    "Absurd! You do need a reason to love someone," he said, carefully pronouncing each word. "If someone shows you affection unconditionally, if someone loves you unconditionally and if someone cares for you unconditionally, then you can love them. That''s what love truly is. But his love for you is not unconditional. He won''t give you your freedom.

    You cannot leave him. Love can be fleeting. You can fall out of love. But you cannot leave that person."

    Cyan must have been inside me when Dem said those things. That was how he knew about all of this.

    ''I know he won''t let me leave, at least, that is what he says. If you know this much, then you must also know that he cannot keep me tied to him if I wanted to leave. I have the power to leave him if I want to," I said. "And you know what, his love is truly unconditional.''

 Chapter 394 Those Four Days

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    ''He epted me even though I had nothing. You know, even if I leave, he will keep on loving me. Falling out of love is not for him. I don''t think I will fall out of love with him as well. I just want to be with him.''

    "Is that the reason you don''t want toe to Father?"

    ''He is lying. I don''t trust him. Not you as well. You all are lying every second.''

    "When did he lie?" he asked.

    His tone did not change the whole time. Even when heughed, it was very cold. I was scared, but not ufortable.

    ''About the whole thing. He is saying he did not know our mother was married when he slept with her and he did not know what kind of household she was living in. He knew. I know he knew. He nned the whole thing. He controlled my husband''s mind.

    He tried to control me.''

    "Hmm, but he did not control your husband''s mind."

    ''I know. He was behind it all anyway.''

    "Oh, you know?"

    He perhaps was not inside me when Dem and I discussed Dem''s mother. We believe she was the one who controlled his mind and she was an ally of Azure, my biological father.

    "Yeah, he is not the one who did it. But he surely was behind it. So chaotic, isn''t it?" he chuckled. "Is that the reason you don''t want toe here?"

    ''Yes��''

    "Well, I better prepare myself to see some drama. You see, a lot of things are going to happen. It doesn''t matter if you are careful or not, they will happen anyway."

    ''What will happen?''

    He opened his mouth to say something, but I was not in that room anymore. I could not hear what he was about to say. It was not like he would reveal their n to me. After all, he was with them.

    I did not feel the burning pain anymore. When I was talking to him, I had forgotten about the excruciating pain. It was very surprising. Oddly enough, I was not ufortable talking to him. Was it because we were twins?

    I woke up with someone shaking me violently. I barely opened my eyes when I felt someone hugging me tightly. Albeit in a daze, I recognized the smell of the person within a second.

    "Huh, you are up��"

    "Dem��? What are you doing here? Weren''t you��?"

    "I got the word. You were not waking up. It has been four days," he said, his voice shaking.

    "Four days? But it has been just a while��"

    "Just a while?"

    He almost got angry, but then controlled himself. He sighed and kissed the side of my neck. He pressed his lips there and stayed that way as if taking my smell.

    I could feel his hot breath on my skin which caused me to shiver slightly.

    "I heard you took pills for sleep?"

    "I did. But�� I don''t think that''s the reason I did not wake up��"

    "I talked to the doctor. He said it was not the case. There are other reasons. He believes it is rted to your power as a dark mage. I have no idea what to make out of that."

    Dem''s voice was full of yearning and fear. He was afraid, afraid of losing me. His big hands trembled as he hugged me tightly.

    "Honey, I am alright now," I said, trying to ease his fear.

    He did not reply. "What were you dreaming about?"

    "What��?"

    "You were shaking and mumbling something. I could not understand. But it seemed like you were dreaming. That was the only thing that kept me sane. I am d that at least your hands trembled. In that way, I knew you were�� alive��"

    "I am sorry��"

    "Why are you apologizing? It''s not even your fault."

    It was nighttime. I noticed it when a freezing cold air suddenly came through, blowing the curtains.

    I told Dem about what I had seen in my dream and the fact that I could talk to Cyan this time. I also told him how he burned his hand. It was when I was finished telling him about other parts that I told him about how he burnt his hand and I felt the pain. Dem lost it.

    "How could he��? Does he not know it hurts you too?"

    "He doesn''t," I shook my head. "And even if he knows, why will he stop? There is no reason for him to care whether I am in pain or not."

    "That bastard burnt his entire hand."

    "Apparently yes."

    "Why? Is he crazy?"

    "I don''t know why. But I have a guess. He might be depressed to the point of having suicidal thoughts, or self-harming thoughts."

    "What if he is hearing us right now?"

    "I don''t know��"

    "Is that all you talked about?"

    "There were a lot of questions. But�� I was not sure if I wanted to ask him all of those. I did not know if I trusted him. I just went with the flow."

    Dem did not say anything for a while. He just stared at me. Then, he cupped my face and looked deeply into my eyes.

    "Were you scared?" he asked, as gently as he could. But his deep voice always sounded quite hoarse which was far from gentle.

    I leaned into his touch. "I was�� I was really scared. I was constantly reminded of�� Draven. He�� Cyan is scary. But�� not as much as Draven."

    "I see. I am d you have woken up. And I am sorry I cannot help with the pain. I don''t know what to do to make sure you don''t feel pain for something he does," he said.

    "It''s not your fault. None of us can do anything��"

    "Now, it seems your father knows a lot about what we are thinking."

    "How? He can''te when you are present."

    "Through your brother? He must have told him all about what he heard when he entered your body like a soul," he said.

    There was a possibility that Cyan told Azure about it. It was also logical to think that way as they worked together. But something did not add up. The way he talked about Azure did not look like he liked him. But I could not tell anything for sure. For now, I tried to believe that Azure knew about what he thought regarding the whole situation.

    "What''s wrong?" he asked.

    "He is a strange guy, Dem. Really strange. Although very rude, he��"

    "Don''t stop midway."

    "Let''s talk about itter," I said. "You will have to return, right? I will tell you about it through letters. What if he is truly listening?"

    "Alright," he sighed. "I havee here two days ago. Luc is currently there as well as Abel. They wille back after I leave. No, only Abel wille back. Luc is needed there.

    There are way too many monsters around the two borders. I will take care of one, but he needs to lead the other one. I cannot be at both ces at the same time."

    "There are no other knights who can lead them? What about themander?"

    "She got injured. Age is still a matter even if she doesn''t think so. She has gotten old. An ident is bound to happen," he said.

    "Yeah. She should retire soon. It''s for her own good."n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "We cannot afford to lose a leader halfway," Dem said. "There needs to be a newmander."

    ''Both of us have different reasons as to why themander should retire. He has a valid point though.''

    "Abel will be the nextmander," he said.

    "Abel? Right, he is the secondmander."

    There were twomanders. One for the King''s knights'' order and the other for the Queen''s knights'' order. In a knights'' order, there was amander and a secondmander. The secondmander led the knights in the absence of themander. When themander retired, the secondmander became themander and a new secondmander was selected.

    "That said, is it okay for him to be here?"

    "He is here to guard you."

    "I know. I mean, is he not needed there��?"

    "We can manage without him. It''s not a must for him to be there. Besides, your safety is important," he said. "Now,e on. Eat something, then bathe. I will help you.

    I will leave in the morning. Before that, let me take care of you. Don''t give me that look."

    Dem fed me with his own hands. He was being careful as if I was too fragile. I did not understand why would he act that way when he was just feeding me.

 Chapter 395 Expected

    The maids were used to seeing me sick very often. So, they were not surprised and were always ready in case I needed something in an emergency anytime. For example, they always had some food ready when I was sick all the time, even if it was the middle of the night. There were now two ropes in my room. One was for summoning them, and the other one was for emergencies.

    Even if they were just a bitte when we summoned them, they would hurry if it was the other bell. The sounds were different so they could differentiate them.

    After feeding me, he took me to give me a bath. I did not feel weak at all. Rather, I felt like my usual self. It was unbelievable that I did not wake up for four days.

    "Babe, are you feeling weak somewhere?"

    "No, I feelpletely fine," I said, shaking my head while he massaged my shoulders.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yeah�� It''s weird. I thought I would feel weak. But I feel nothing out of ordinary."

    "Being sick is ordinary for you too because of how often you catch the sickness."

    "No, I don''t mean that."

    "I know," he murmured.

    "What about you?"

    "What about me?"

    "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Fighting monsters is not easy. They must not be as weak as the ones we saw before��"

    "They are not. But it''s okay. It''s not hard. I won''t lie; the hard part is fighting other Alphas. Because our strengths match, I get tired. Well, they do too.

    It''s hard for both parties. Here, skill is a great factor."

    "You have your other power too?"

    "Controlling blood? Yeah, but they can block the power. I can block another Alpha''s power too. It is exhausting though. The moment you let go, you die."

    "It sounds so�� harsh��"

    "I am a powerful man, I admit. I can defeat almost everyone, but, fighting Alphas is really difficult. I don''t want to deny it to you."

    "Yes, I know��"

    Dem was quite arrogant about his ability, but I noticed that he was arrogant only when he knew he was right about it. He did not hide his weakness from me. He also did not brag about his ability. I liked that part of him.

    "I am d you tell me about your weakness too and what makes it hard for you to aplish. There are very less Kings who do that."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

    "King? No, to you, I am not a King. I am your husband. I am sharing my strengths and weaknesses with you as your husband."

    "That''s right. It''s very normal for a husband to do so," I chuckled. "It''s sometimes hard to believe, that''s it."

    "What is?"

    "That you are my husband. I have a family now�� I cannot seem to believe it myself even though it''s real," I mumbled.

    He remained silent for a while. "What can I say? Sometimes, I feel the same way. It feels unreal."

    I heard the rustling of clothes. I did not turn around, but rather held my breath until the warmth of another body rested against my back.

    His hands gently touched my shoulder and neck. I felt his warm breath falling on my nape, only momentster to feel the sensation of his lips against my skin.

    "Haa��," I breathed out heavily as I was being pressed down by something.

    "You are shaking," he whispered into my ear, kissing and licking my earlobe.

    "This�� It''s so sudden��"

    "You expected it."

    I expected it right when he asked me if I was feeling weak or not. He had two reasons to ask that. The primary reason was to make sure I was alright. And the second reason was to embrace each other because he would be leaving tomorrow.

    He fondled my breasts while kissing me sideways. It did not take me long to get into the mood to emerge myself in the pleasure. I bit on his lip and he tightened his grip on my breasts.

    "Face me," he said.

    I stood up in the tub, facing him. He looked up and down at my body as if seeing if there was any change. I was not too insecure about my body, at least it was not as much as my confidence. I did not tense up when he observed me. He was not the type of person who hated a certain kind of body. He always told me it was okay to have any kind of body.

    He just wanted me to be healthy and happy.

    He ran his cold fingers above my nipples. I wondered why his fingertips were so cold when his entire body was so hot.

    ''Must be because of the water.''

    "Hnn��"

    "They are erect," he muttered.

    "That''s because�� you are touching them��"

    "Would you be aroused like this if someone else touched you?"

    "Why do you ask things like that? Ugh��!"

    I winced in pain as he pinched my nipple between his fingers. His eyes never leaving my body, he mumbled something. I could not hear it. Then, he opened his mouth again, not moving his eyes.

    "Will you react if someone else touches you?"

    "Why would someone else touch me?" I asked, irritated. He always asked strange things.

    "You never know," he mumbled. "What if you get tired of me and get another man? No one can refuse you because you are so beautiful."

    "It''s you, Dem. It''s just you who finds me beautiful. And I will never look for another guy. I am not crazy enough to leave a husband who loves me this much," I said, staring at him, but he did not meet my gaze. He was observing my body as if he was searching for something.

    "Is that true?"

    "It is," I said confidently, gathering as much certainty in my voice as possible. I did not want to leave a shred of doubt in his insecure mind.

    "But, what if you do it?"

    "I won''t!"

    "Can I punish you then?"

    "Sure. I won''t mind," I said, knowing that that time would nevere as I would never choose another man. "You can punish me if I do something like that. I won''t do it. So, it''s meaningless."

    "I have your word?"

    "You do," I nodded.

    For a moment, I saw something sh in his eyes, then it disappeared as fast as it came. He vigorously bit on my right breast. If it had not been for him, I almost forgot that I was naked for a moment.

    "Haa��," I gasped in pain and pleasure, not sure which one suppressed the other one. "Dem��"

    "I had a dream that you ran away," he muttered. "Well, it doesn''t matter. You are here. You will always be with me. Even if you manage to run away, I will catch you."

    He kissed my breasts, and my belly and went downwards. Between my thighs and all over my legs, even my toes, he did not leave a single ce where he did not mark me.

    "Ahh��"

    "It''s ufortable?" he asked and I gave a small nod. Standing up surely was not an option when I had just woken up and someone was touching my sensitive spots. My legs would start shaking, or worse, they might give away.

    He took my hand so gently that it seemed he was touching something very soft and fragile. He pulled me down just as gently as he touched my hand and made me sit on his legs.

    The tub wasrge. It was no problem for us to sit therefortably. He brought his face closer to mine and closed the gap between our faces within a moment as he took me in for a kiss. It was something I expected, so I gave myself to the passion.

    Hisrge hand was almost the size of my face. I understood it more as he touched the back of my head, pressing my lips to his more.

    "Dem��," I whispered.

    He stared at me for no more than three seconds before he kissed me again; this time, more passionately. He led my hand and ced it over something hard. The hotness surged through my body the moment my hand touched it.

    He ced my fingers around it as if letting me know how to do it. But I knew very well what to do. After all, I had done it countless times for him.

    I pushed his hand away, but the movement was harder than I expected. He pulled back from the kiss and let out a chuckle.

    "Too rough, huh? You don''t me to guide you anymore," he smirked.

    "Well, I am good at this, I suppose," I said, pulling my hips up and getting close to him so my breasts almost touched his neck. I touched his right ear slightly which had turned red and whispered, "I can make you climax within five minutes just using my hand my dear husband."

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 396 One Of A Kind

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    There was a thunderstorm tonight. The sound of thunder echoed in the massive bedroom, but that did not bother any of us.

    We were too busy to care about anything else other than each other.

    "Ahh��! Ah! Uhn��!"

    p.

    "Ugh!"

    Another p. And another one followed.

    I did not have to look in the mirror to know my butt cheeks were scarlet and there were his handprints on them. He liked to do it. I could not deny that I felt more aroused when he pped my butt cheeks because it truly felt incredible. It added to the pleasure.

    "Ahh! Dem!"

    Without saying anything, he thrusted back inside me, only to pull out again. The rhythm kept going on and on. Low grunts were leaving his mouth. I loved that sound as I knew when he was feeling good.

    We went for one round in the tub, then he brought me to the bedroom as I insisted. The tub was not toofortable.

    He held my throat and pulled me up, but not hurting me. My legs were shaking as well as my whole body. Every time his sweat dripped on my back, I shivered from the coldness.

    "Uh��"

    "Move your hips," he said throatily. "Move them by yourself. If your move is not powerful enough, you will be pped on your ass."

    "What kind of��?"

    "Don''t argue. Do it."

    I gulped and fisted my hands as if to gather enough strength. Then, I pushed back against him.

    "Ahh! Huh�� uh��!"

    "It was just one push. Don''t fall right after moving just once," he said.

    p.

    "Ugh��!" I cried in pain as a palm fell on my buttock suddenly quite forcefully.

    "Don''t stop now, darling. Do you want to be punished again?"

    "No��"

    "Then, move. Move your hips."

    I moved my hips again, this time using all the energy I had. I did not stop, not in the fear of him punishing me as I loved the punishment as well, but because my body would not let me stop. The feeling was unbearably pleasant and strong.

    "Oh god�� Ahh��"

    "You are doing well," he muttered, rubbing my hips with his fingers. It sent tingly sensations through my veins.

    I was so absorbed in it to hear any other words he was saying. But he was saying something like- ''Don''t say god.''

    He let go of the hand that was holding my throat. It kind of ached. Then, he pulled out suddenly, causing me to re at him in frustration. It was not like he was done. Then, why did he pull out?

    "So disappointed, huh? Just have patience for a while, my love," he said and flipped me so I was on my back effortlessly.

    He held both of my legs with one of his hands and held them in a way so they were over the other half of my body. It looked like I was bent in half.

    "That��"

    "I like this position," he said with a smirk before his hips got to work again.

    His smirk made me self-conscious. But I did not have time to react as my body heated up again and I felt fullness inside me.

    "Ah��! Uhn��! Please��"

    "If you do something like leaving me for someone else, or leaving me in whole, I will punish you. I won''t hear your exnation if it doesn''t make sense," he said.

    I did not know why he was saying it now. He had mentioned the same thing during the bath. He just added thest part this time.

    "Why��?"

    "Just say yes, baby."

    "Yeah�� ahh�� More, give me more."

    As insanity took control over my head, I was babbling whatever came to my mind and whatever my mind desired. I did not care if it made me look like a pervert. I heard it was okay to be a pervert with my husband.

    "More?"

    "Yes, more. Fuck me more, please!"

    "As you wish, my dear," he grinned and I felt his shaft going in and out of me violently as if hitting the wall of my insides so forcefully that I might lose my mind.

    He stopped after two rounds. I felt his arm around me protectively as hey me down to sleep. He thought I had fallen asleep as I had my eyes closed. I actually was just tired and kept my eyes closed to catch my breath.

    When I noticed how carefully he was cing me in the right position on the bed, so I decided to act like I was sleeping.

    It was surprising that he did not put the nket over me like he usually did. He was the type of person who nagged me for not covering me with the nket at night. So, I was taken aback when he did not do it. Rather, hey down beside me and ced his arm around me.

    He stayed like that for a few minutes. Then, he got up and got down the bed. He went straight to the bathroom and came back within a while. I had my eyes closed so I did not know what he was doing until he started to wipe my entire body. Every single one of his touches was filled with pure innocence and care. I liked how he never touched me in the other way when I was sleeping.

    Then, he put a nightgown on me. He did not struggle much as if he was used to doing it. There were times when I would find myself wearing a nightgown even though I had fallen asleep naked. The maids did not touch me when I was sleeping. I always told them not to.

    After carefully cing me on the bed again, he pulled the nket up to my shoulders. He gave me a goodnight kiss on the forehead.

    ''My goodness�� He really is one of a kind, huh?''

    I thought he would get on the bed with me. Oddly enough, he did not. I opened my eyes slightly to see what he was doing.

    He put on a robe and paced around the room. He looked so deep in thought. I wondered what was bothering him that he did not even want to sleep.

    "Son of a bitch!"

    ''What��?''

    I heard some rustling. Dem did not make much of a sound while walking. But who else was in our room?

    "Well, what do we have here?" Dem said, his voice oddly cold and shivering. "You havee on a suicide mission, haven''t you?"

    There was no noise. Only silence filled the room. "Well, I can clearly see you. Are you dumb or what?" Dem said.

    Then, I heard footsteps, very faint. But as nothing else was making any sound, I heard them clearly.

    "Who are you?" Dem asked.

    I could not keep my eyes closed anymore. I opened my eyes and that was when I saw another presence in our bedroom.

    I sat up slowly and stared as the mysterious man just stared at Dem without a word. Dem looked like he was rxing. Suddenly, the man attacked Dem with a dagger. Out of the horror of the possible oue, I let out a scream and hit the man using my power. Dem still looked like he was chilling, but was surprised at my sudden attack.

    "Why are you awake?"

    "Do something about him! How are you so rxed?"

    "What? A random dude with a dagger can do something to me?"

    I got down from the bed and walked towards the man. Dem stopped me midway and did not let me get close to the man who was now barely conscious. Dem knelt on the ground and grabbed the man''s face.

    "Mazazine''s spy," he muttered. "Has your master told you to watch the King and the Queen of Querencia make love? Such a pervert��"

    ''Why is Dem wearing gloves over a robe? When did he even put those on?''

    "Why are you here?"

    "I am not telling shit!"

    Dem did not even stop him as he put something in his mouth that was apparently in his hand. The man died right in front of us with white foam getting out of his open mouth.

    "He died!"

    "Yeah. Made our work easier. Who wants to kill a random spy?"

    "But�� he is dead��"

    "I know," he muttered, rolling the body over and groping to see if he had something important.

    "He might have�� had some information�� We don''t know��"

    "Rx, babe. I already know," he said.

    "How?"N?v(el)B\\jnn

    He did not reply. "This motherfucker literally watched us have sex, you know."

    "Well, if he was in the room, he obviously did. What did he evene for? To take something? Information?"

    "He came to hurt you," he said. "He is a mage. He teleported right outside the balcony in a swinging position? I mean, that''s what he thought. I don''t exactly know what the position is."

    "Swinging position?"

    "He used that word in his mind," he said. "I don''t know."

    "Maybe he was hanging holding the railing of the balcony?"

    "Who cares? I would not have cared even if he died falling from above," he grumbled.

    "Ah, good point��"

 Chapter 397 Eyes

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "His master�� He doesn''t know who it is. He only got letters as instructions," Dem said. "But I think I know who it is."

    "Who?" I asked curiously.

    A dead body was lying in front of us, but both of us did not seem to care much. It was odd how quickly I settled into this kind of attitude. Or, perhaps I cared, but I forced myself to not show it.

    "He was instructed to take out both of your eyes or one of your eyes."

    "�� What?!!" I screamed in utter horror. "My goodness��! My eyes? Kill this bastard!"

    "He is dead already. But I can cut his body into pieces by myself if that makes you happy."

    "No�� Not needed��"

    "Heard about the master of the magic tower of Mazazine?"

    "Ah, that guy�� He�� Wait! It''s him! He is the one who likes to collect eyeballs. Are you sure?"

    "This one bastard in front of us has a sign on the side of his neck," he said and I noticed it. It was a sign of an eye in the middle of a circle. I had never seen a symbol like that. The one I had seen before was an eye in the middle of a triangle.

    ''That''s called the Eye Of Providence. It is surrounded by rays of light which means divine providence and the eye represents God watching over us. It is on the US one dor bill.''

    "I have never seen it before. An eye within a circle��?"

    "The five kingdoms have five signs, remember?"

    "Five signs��? Yeah, of course. That''s one of the first things I have learned. A triangle for Trouvaille, a star for Querencia, a square for Ataraxia, an oval for Lacuna, and��"

    I stared at him. "�� a circle for Mazazine��" I finished.

    "That''s right. Sometimes, a circle and an oval are mistaken. If you look closely, you can see it''s a circle," he said. "What do spies do?"

    "Get information."

    "Yes, their eyes go everywhere. And they are called the eyes of a kingdom. We do not give any symbols to our spies because of this very reason. What if they get caught? The spies working for the King and the Queen do not have any symbols on their bodies. But the ones working for the master of the magic tower of Mazazine do.

    I don''t know why, but they do. I have seen the same thing many times."

    "What can we do about it now?"

    "Nothing much, except for getting rid of that son of a bitch."

    "You can kill the master of the magic tower?"

    "Yeah. I can send someone."

    "A mage? You know, no mages are more powerful than the master of the magic tower."

    "He is not a mage."

    "Who is that then who can kill even a master of the magic tower when he is not even a mage?"

    "Someone," he muttered, not interested to give me details. "I will call the guards to take this filthy body out. He ruined our floor."

    "Babe, wait�� Don''t leave me with the dead body here��," I said, hurriedly tugging his sleeve.

    "Babe, I am just pulling the rope," he said, pointing at the rope with his eyes.

    I was embarrassed. But I still did not let go of him. "Just hold my hand if you are scared," he said. "You are really cute, you know."

    ''Cute, my ass! I should be scared at the sight of a dead body! You are weird for not having any reaction��!''

    The guards took the body out and gave me sympathetic looks when Dem scolded them for not being careful enough. It was actually not their fault. It was impossible to prevent the whole pce area from making a ce where no one could teleport. It was a very important thing to use teleportation for different purposes inside the pce area. How could the knights stop someone when a spy teleported here?

    Well, yes, they could still be a bit more careful.

    "Are you alright, Your Highness?" Perita asked.

    She hade to see if I was alright hearing themotion.

    "Yes, I am," I replied.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    "Ugh, what is that thing?" she squinted disgustedly at the corpse that was being taken away by the guards.

    "Someone who came to hurt me," I said.

    "What? A man in the middle of the night in a woman''s room��? Did hee for what I think he did?"

    Dem was holding my hands tightly. His grip tightened even more hearing Perita. He red at her as if he could burn her to death right away.

    "I mean��," Perita mumbled.

    "No, he came for my eyes," I replied.

    "Eyes?"

    "The master of the magic tower of Mazazine likes collecting eyeballs. It''s his hobby," I said. Even when I said it, goosebumps spread on my skin. How could someone have that kind of hobby?

    "Bastard! Crazy bastard!" Perita muttered under her breath.

    "Well, yeah��"

    They cleaned the ce thoroughly and only then, Dem agreed to sleep in that room. It was a bit scary for me to sleep in that room alone after tonight. So, Dem told Perita to stay with me in the grand bedroom. She agreed quickly.

    Since I was scared, Dem hugged me even tighter than usual as we went to sleep. It felt protective and good. I felt safe.

    When I woke up, Dem was already gone. Perita was in the bedroom, sleeping on the couch. Dem must have told her toe to the bedroom in the morning.

    I rubbed my eyes as they itched. I nced at where that guy diedst night. It was not as traumatizing as I thought it would be.

    I got down from the bed slowly, making sure not to make much noise as Perita might wake up. She was sleeping soundly and it was eight in the morning. I could wake her up after taking a shower.

    "Your Highness��?"

    "You are up?"

    "Yeah, I heard noise��"

    ''Ah, I forgot she was a knight for a moment.''

    "Where is Your Highness going?"

    "To take a bath," I replied. "Sleep some more if you want to."

    "Does Your Highness require me to call the maids to assist Your Highness?"

    "Nah, I am fine. Just sleep," I said with a smile and made my way to the bathroom yawning.

    I had seen a letter on the bedside table beforeing to the bathroom. I would read it after taking the bath. Perhaps it was left by Dem.

    I thought I would have a dream where I would enter Cyan''s body, but it did not happen. I did not want to go there again.

    I rxed in the bath while thinking about what happened recently. The fact that I had slept for four days straight still felt unbelievable. Dem was the type of person toe running if something serious happened to me, so it was not a lie. It truly happened.

    "Cyan said something will happen soon. But what will happen? Will Azure do something? At least, try to do something? I am not responding to him and I can now block my mind too so he cannot enter."

    I was confused. Would Cyan lie to me about it? I did not trust him, but I did not understand why he would say something like that. Did he want to scare me?

    Well, if Azure did something, that would not be unexpected. He had been almost quiet for a long time. There was no word of Dem''s mother either, so we could not find anything about him or his n.

    If she trulymitted suicide by jumping into the ocean, it was possible to never find her body as the waves could take her body away. But I could not make myself believe that it was the case. She never seemed like a person who would decide to take her life for a petty reason.

    But the fact that she had some kind of obsession with her son had to be real. She wanted him for herself. And the way she wanted him was questionable and confusing too. I was sure it was real. It was obvious seeing the letters she sent to Dem.

    "Ugh, how can someone feel that way toward her own son?"

    I just wished it was not real even though I knew it was. Dem was utterly disgusted. But he knew that was the case even before me.

    The bad feeling inside me did not go away even after the peaceful and rxing bath. I kept hearing Cyan''s words.

 Chapter 398 Reeces Disapperance

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    After a few days, something happened. I started to get anonymous letters that were always in my office. No matter how many security guards I assigned, the letters could not be prevented. They were always in my office, one every single day.

    The time hase -- the first letter read.

    Are you anxious? - the second letter read.

    That way, there were seven letters in total. All of them contained odd sentences. There was only one sentence in each letter.

    "What''s the meaning of all these?" Luc grumbled, throwing the seventh letter on the table angrily.

    "There is no way of figuring who has sent it," Abel said. "We have been looking for all sorts of clues."

    "Well, it''s not impossible to know who has sent it. We can always guess," I said. "This time, I don''t think my spection is wrong."

    "You are wrong," Luc nodded. "I also think the same. How are you like this when you have such a piece of trash as your��?"

    "Is that apliment?"

    "It is. I never thought I would have to say that it''s apliment afterplimenting someone."

    "It''s because of the way you say it. Anyway, what to do about it? Where is Reece by the way? Someone call him," I said. "Wasn''t he supposed to bring me the finance report?"

    "I will call him," Calix said.

    "When I came to Your Highness''s office, he was not there," Abel added while Calix went to get Reece.

    "He was not? But hees very early saying he would rather work more than idle around," I muttered, surprised.

    "He is a legend," Luc said in the most serious tone possible.

    "He hasn''te. His office is locked, Your Highness," Calix announced.

    "Is he sick?" I mumbled.

    Reece never once skipped work. Even when he was sick, he still came to the pce. It was not because he liked work. Even though he said he liked work, I knew that was not the case, He just felt like he owed me something big for how much I helped his family.

    I sent a letter to him. I got a response the next day. But it was not him who wrote it. Rather, it was his father.

    To Your Majesty, the mother of the kingdom,

    Hope Your Majesty is doing well. I and my family are doing great, thanks to Your Highness''s grace and kindness.

    More than half of the letter followed him praising me. I skipped those parts to readter because I needed to know if Reece was sick or not.

    Yesterday, Your Majesty has sent a letter to my son Reece. But he is not at home. He did not returnst night. I thought he was staying at the pce.

    Reece is not the type of person to go anywhere without a word. Perhaps he has gone out for a brief period. But it was not right for him to leave without a word to Your Majesty. I will punish him for the mistake, Your Majesty. Please let us know if hees to the pce first. I will also send a letter if hees home.

    It was clear that Reece was not at his ce and not in the pce. I had not sent him out as well. Then where was he?

    I had asked Ruby too. But she did not know anything. She hade with Luc to the pce for work-rted matters. After our meeting was over, we went to the garden to have tea together.

    "Reece never sends me any letter regarding where he is going or what he is doing which is obvious as we are not kids," Ruby said, taking a sip of her tea. I had to admit her movements had gotten more elegant. "He is an introvert. So, he likes to stay at home when he doesn''t have work. So, there is no way he went to parties or any social gatherings.

    Besides, he always lets Mother and Father know where he is going."

    "I also figured that''s the case. Reece only works when I give him a break," I said.

    "He is a grown man. Maybe, he has found a lover or something. It''s not like he has found his mate. Maybe he is hanging out with someone," Luc spected.

    "Brother is not like that. He is really shy," Ruby shook her head. "And he is not someone who will skip work for something so petty. I think something is wrong."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

    I also thought something was wrong. Did something happen to Reece? I did not have any idea where to look for him. There was no clue at all.

    "Your Highness, please send people to look for him," Ruby said. "I believe this is a nned incident."

    "Maybe the letters that were sent to Her Highness are rted to the strange disappearance of Reece?" Abel suggested.

    "That can happen," I said, nodding. "Can any of you give me any idea about where should I start looking for him first? If we point a type of location first, I believe it will be slightly easier to look for him."

    "No idea," Luc said.

    "Abel, sit down," I said quickly to Abel because he still felt awkward sitting at the same table as me. He sat down obediently this time.

    "I don''t have any idea as well. We have to follow the hard path, it seems," Ruby said. "Luc, what about we send some of the mages too? You said you have selected some of them as talented. Maybe they can help as well as the knights."

    "I will send some of them," Luc said. "When should we start the search?"

    "Starting now, obviously. It''s been more than a day," I said. "Since he is not the type of person to disappear without a word, let''s not dy any more. Abel, can I rely on you to choose the best knights to look for Reece?"

    "Yes, Your Highness. I will prepare them immediately," Abel bowed.

    Knights and mages started searching for Reece. Ruby was mentally stronger than I was. It looked like I was more anxious than her.

    Reece was a very valuable person to me, not just because he was a good assistant, but also because he was a good friend. I did not want anything to happen to him.

    I also wrote to Dem about Reece''s disappearance and the odd letters. He also believed those two incidents were connected and warned me to be careful. Right now, someone was always by my side, guarding me. Abel and Calix were always with me. This morning, I sent Calix to search Reece''s office for any clues. Other times, both Calix and Abel guarded me.

    Abel left only after I would enter my bedroom and closed the door. Perita slept in my bedroom to make sure I was safe. She was a knight, so any noise would wake her up. Even when I took a bath, she was there on Dem''s order.

    In short, I was not alone at any time of the twenty-four hours.

    I was being as careful as possible. There were guards right outside my bedroom and under my balcony. I was being protected as if I was a one and only gem.

    ''It''s kind of strange, but expected, judging my position right now.''

    A few days passed. But there was no word of Reece. The worry just increased. I started to fear the worst. The letters also stopped, so there was not a single clue.

    His parents were informed of the situation. I did it myself even though Ruby wanted to do it at first. I believed I should as he was working for me when he disappeared suddenly.

    "Your Highness, do not stress yourself. Lord Reece will be found," Perita said.

    "I am really worried. What if something happened to him? And what if it''s because of me?"

    "Although Your Highness might be rted to it, it''s not like Your Highness did it yourself. You never wanted it. So, it''s not Your Highness''s fault," she said. "Don''t me yourself, Your Highness."

    She was right. It was not my fault this happened. I did not do it. But I was rted to it. And I still could not say I was not guilty at all.

    ***

    I was going to meet Ava today. I heard she had a fever. Abel and Calix were going to apany me.

    It was evening, the perfect time for me to go. I avoided going during the daytime because it attracted unwanted attention.

    I wore a suit as it was morefortable to ride a horse wearing it. I did not want to take a carriage. Going by horse was easier. We could easily use the shortcut.

    "Are you ready, Your Highness?" Calix asked.

    "Yeah," I gave a nod as I hopped on the horse. After learning swordsmanship for more than one and a half years, I could do some things that I was not able to do before. I also learned how to ride horses and rode them a lot, so right now, I could ride them easily.

 Chapter 399 Going To Meet Ava

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Three horses raced through the wind. It was cold but refreshing. I was sensitive to very cold weather or very hot weather. Even a strong wind could make me sick. So, I wore another coat over my suit.

    We reached the academy very quickly. I had sent a letter to the headmaster before, so she was waiting for me outside. She was reading a book, looking over the sses she was wearing.

    ''What''s the point of wearing sses, then?''

    "Oh my!" she screamed, startled as I stopped right in front of her.

    "Hello there, headmaster," I smiled.

    "Your Highness?! Oh my god��! Has Your Highness ridden a horse?"

    "Yes, it was quicker this way," I said. "My niece is sick. May I go to her room straightly?"

    "Of course. Pleasee with me."

    I gave a nod to Abel and Calix. Calix remained to guard our horses while Abel went with me.

    "Lady Ava has a fever. The fever is quite high now. The temperature increased suddenly," she said. "The doctor has checked up on her. She is resting now."

    "I see," I muttered. "I got a letter this morning. When has she gotten the fever? This morning?"

    "Last night," she said. "It was mild at first. So, we thought it would go down quickly. But the situation has worsened."

    I had sent the pce doctor to check up on Ava. He was the one the headmaster was talking about.

    We reached Ava''s room on the second floor. She had changed her room because she imed her previous room did not have enough light.

    "I will go in," I said. "Abel, will you��?"

    "I have to go wherever Your Highness goes," he said. "The toilet is an exception."

    I chuckled. "Alright," I gave a nod.

    Ava was sleeping for real. He looked really innocent and peaceful. Her face was that of an angel''s.

    ''Not biblically urate, of course.''

    I only breathed for once in her room and she opened her eyes right away. I was surprised. I could swear I made no noise, just stood there and breathed.

    "Aunt��?"

    "Oh, baby, I heard you are sick," I said, hugging her. "So, Aunt came running to see you. I did not intend to wake you up, dear Ava."

    "Aunt hase to see me?" she asked. Her high-pitched voice was not as energetic as usual.

    "Yes," I said. "How are you feeling now?"

    "I am good��"

    "Do not lie, Ava."

    "I feel weak. My head hurts��"

    "Is that so? Your fever is quite high," I muttered, touching her forehead with the back of my hand. I turned to the headmaster who was standing near the door. "Has she not been given any medicine?"

    "Yes, the doctor gave her some medicines. Thedy told us she will take them by herself," she said.

    I looked suspiciously at Ava. "You have not taken the medicines?"

    She looked away without answering. I sighed. Well, she was still a kid. "Ava, medicines are not something we take for fun. We have to take them for our health when we are sick because we need to get better. Don''t you want to get better, Ava?"

    "I do��"

    "Then, in order to get better, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and follow the advice of the doctor which includes taking the medicines he has prescribed," I said. "Do you understand, my dear Ava?"

    "But I don''t like them, Aunt��! They taste so terrible!"

    "I know. I am sick almost all the time," I said. "I have to take a lot of medicines a day. They don''t always taste good. But I want to get better. The people who love me don''t like it when I get sick.

    They get sad. And I don''t want that. That''s why I force myself to take the medicines even though it tastes so bad and sometimes smell bad. At least, I can get better. In the same way, the people who love you don''t want you to get sick. You should get better as soon as possible."

    "Do you love me, Aunt?"

    "Of course. I love you so much," I said. "A lot."

    "Really?"

    "Yeah, I love Ava a lot. Has this aunt failed to show it?"

    "No�� I thought Aunt loves that boy more than me?"

    "Abel is a good kid, Ava. Think about it. He is the son of my friend, the duchess. Why would I not love him? Besides, he is a well-mannered kid. I love both of you a lot," I said.

    "Do you hate him?"

    "He is annoying."

    ''But you two y with each other these days when you visit the pce.''

    "Now, take your medicine. Do you want me to help you?"

    "No, I can do it."

    I assisted her to sit up and she took her medicine. She looked disgusted the moment she took the medicine. It was not very pleasant probably.

    I smiled and patted her on the head. "Good job!"

    She smiled tiredly at me. Her eyes looked very weak as if she was looking at me nkly. "Now, why don''t you try to sleep?"

    "I am not sleepy though��"

    "Then, do you want me to read you a book?"

    "Um, will Aunt stay with me?"

    "Yeah, I will stay with you for as long as you want to," I said. "I think you shoulde to the pce, for the time being, Ava. At least, until you get better, you should stay at the pce."

    "But I have to study."

    "That''s alright. One of our substitute teachers can apany Lady Ava to the pce," the headmaster said.

    "Then, you can stay at the pce, hm?"

    "Uhm," she gave a small nod.

    "Do you want to go to the pce tonight?"

    "Can I?"

    "Yeah, sure," I replied. "Abel, can you send a word to the pce mages?"

    "Yes, Your Highness," Abel nodded.

    "Why?" Ava asked. "What about your carriage?"

    "Ah, I haven''t brought a carriage. I have ridden my horse," I said.

    "Horse? Then, I want to ride a horse too."

    "It''s cold, sweetie. You have a fever. You will feel colder if you ride a horse," I said.

    "I will be fine. I will wear a thick sweater," she insisted, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

    Ava could ride a horse. I had seen her riding a horse myselfst year. It surprised me how a four-year-old could ride a horse. Her mother taught her how to ride a horse, although I did not entirely support teaching a four-year-old how to ride a horse. It was dangerous. Her way of teaching was a dangerous act in itself.

    She left her on the horse alone on the first day of teaching her, saying that was the way Evelyn had learned how to ride a horse as well. I could not argue much, because in the end, it was her own parents and I was her aunt. They had more rights over her life than I did.

    Abel looked at me, waiting for my final order. I stared at him for a moment, before finally telling him there was no need to send a word to the pce.

    "Can I touch your closet?" I asked.

    "Yes��"

    When I opened her closet, I was weed with a rush of blue. Everything was of the color blue. I knew she liked blue, but I did not know she was literally obsessed with the color. Dem knew it though. He told me about it before, but I did not believe so.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

    Now that I paid more attention to the decoration of the room, almost everything was blue, including her bedsheet, her nightgown, the curtains, and so on. Only the walls and the floor were white.

    ''Oh god, this much blue�� Doesn''t she get tired? Then again, Dem wears ck all the time. He doesn''t get tired either.''

    "I want to wear the one with butterfly wings," Ava said from her bed.

    "Ah, butterfly wings��," I mumbled, looking for the one she was talking about. I found it quickly. It was a thick frock with two blue butterfly wings. I held it up so she could see. "This one?"

    "Yeah, that one."

    "Do you want me to help you get ready?"

    "Hmm��"

    "Abel, can you go out for a moment? It will take us five to ten minutes only. You cane in once she changes her clothes," I said. "That will take five minutes only?"

    "Alright. I wille in after five minutes," he said and walked out.

    The headmaster looked ufortable. She did not know what to do. "I will talk to you a bitter. You can be in your office."

    "Yes, Your Highness. Then, excuse me."

 Chapter 400 Lavender Field

    [Hehe, we have reached the four hundredth chapter. Keep on following Blue and Dem to know whates next. Thanks for all the support. Love you all]

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    "Whoa! Aunt rides faster than Father!" Ava eximed, sitting on the horse with me. One of my hands was around her to make sure she was safe even though she was holding onto the leash pretty well.

    "At least, I ride faster than Merrick. I can never ride the horse as fast as your mother," I sighed.

    Evelyn rode the horse as if she did not fear falling at all. It was way too fast. Dem rode even faster. They scared me.

    "Mother says that''s the way to ride a horse. It has to be that fast," she said. "But I think Aunt rides in the perfect way."

    "Is that so?" I chuckled. "I am d it''s the perfect way."

    "Your Highness, are youfortable?" Calix asked. He had wanted to take Ava with him or make her ride with Abel, but Ava insisted on riding with me.

    "I am. Don''t worry," I reassured him.

    We reached the pce quickly. It was time for dinner already. Since Ava did not have dinner, we decided to have dinner together.

    "It''smb meat today," I said. "You likemb meat, don''t you?"

    "Uh-huh. They are the tastiest," she said. "What does Aunt like the most?"

    "I like all types of meat," I said.

    "Aunt, may I ask you something?"

    "Yes?"

    "I heard�� Uncle came back a few days ago�� Is that true?"

    "Where did you hear that?"

    "Some people im Aunt fell sick all of a sudden and so Uncle came back. Some people even say they saw him," she said.

    "It''s true," I nodded. "I fell sick suddenly. So, your uncle came back because he was worried."

    "Are you okay now?" she asked softly, clearly worried.

    "I am," I said. "I was not that sick. I mean, I was slightly sick. Dem worries too much. He did not need toe back."

    "Uncle is right to worry. Aunt worries me too," she said.

    "I worry you?" I asked, surprised.

    "Yeah. I think Aunt is very fragile. That''s why you worry me," she said. "Even the slightest pressure can hurt Aunt."

    "I�� Am I that weak��?" I mumbled, seriously thinking about it. After all, I heard what a kid said was almost all the time the truth.N?v(el)B\\jnn

    "I also heard another rumor. Aunt, am I having a cousin for real this time?"

    "Eh��? Cousin?"

    ''Why do people keep thinking I am pregnant? Do I act pregnant? Or, is it because I get sick often?''

    "Do you want a cousin, Ava?"

    "It''s not like that��"

    "It will be good if you have a cousin. I know you will love your cousin dearly. But�� it''s not time yet," I said. "It''s just a rumor. When it happens, you will know through me or your uncle, not through a rumor. It will be special news, so it is only natural to let the family know first."

    "Really?"

    "Yes, that''s right. You will be one of the first people to know that," I said.

    She chewed her food slowly, absorbed in thoughts. "I don''t like kids."

    "You don''t want a cousin?"

    She did not reply. I did not understand why she was against it. Eventually, Dem and I would have a kid or more. Well, nothing could change our decision anyway. Besides, Ava would eventually love that kid.

    I ate, keeping an eye on her movements. I usually had a knack for understanding kids. I could understand them better than most adults for some reason, probably because I was fascinated by kids'' innocence and always wanted to protect them.

    But oddly, I did not understand Ava fully. She confused me. Was it because she belonged to the Easton family? Dem always said his family was exceptional.

    After dinner, I took her to her room. There was a room in the main pce always prepared for her in case she wanted to stay there. I always had the maids keep the room clean and ready. What if she came suddenly? I did not want her to stay in another room.

    "Good night, Ava. Sweet dreams," I said as I kissed her on the forehead. Shey down on the bed and smiled broadly at me. Her fever was still high, but not as high as before. I made sure she took her medicines too.

    The headmaster said she would send the teacher tomorrow to be with Ava. I had given her an earful because of her failure to look after Ava and make sure she took her medicines. She apologized and promised to make sure it never happened again.

    "Good night, Aunt," she said.

    "Go to sleep now. I have put all your plushies on the bed, so you can hug them to sleep. You like to have them on your bed, don''t you?"

    "Uh-huh. Thank you, Aunt."

    "You are wee, sweetie. Sleep now. I will be in my room. If you get scared, or can''t sleep,e to my room, okay?"

    "Okay��"

    I closed the door. Abel was waiting for me in front of Ava''s room. He did not leave me alone even for just a second.

    "Let me escort you to your room, Your Highness?"

    "My room? No�� I will go out for a bit."

    "Now? It''s ten at night," he pointed out.

    "I know."

    "I see. I will prepare the horse."

    It did not take long for him to prepare the horse. I quickly jumped on the horse and elerated with Abel right beside me. He did not ask where I was going as if he knew what was on my mind.

    "Do you know a shortcut?" I asked.

    He gave me a look of approval. "Follow me, Your Highness."

    Our horses ran very fast through the jungle, matching the rhythms as if there was only one horse, not two.

    "Oh��! It''s gonna rain��" I barely finished my sentence when it started raining suddenly. The weather was cold, but no one expected it would rain suddenly. The droplets were quite big and left both of us soaked in a matter of moments.

    "I should have brought umbres. Your Highness is soaked," Abel said.

    "So are you," I pointed out. "No one expected it anyway. It''s fine."

    "Your Highness will catch a cold."

    ''That''s for sure. But what can we do? We can''t stop in the middle of the forest. I don''t have anything to change into. I am bound to catch a cold.''

    "Let''s just go where we are supposed to go," I said. "There is no point in worrying about that since I will catch a cold nheless."

    We reached the ce within thirty minutes. It was quite a long way from the pce. But I needed toe here, at least see this ce.

    When Azure used to talk to me in the library, he often mentioned this ce. Avender field, a mesmerizing art of violet and light purple, spread over at least 1000 acres. I had nevere to this ce, but always wondered what it looked like. Azure mentioned this ce saying his mind always took him here whenever he wanted to make something work. For some reason, I felt like I shoulde here.

    I asked Abel about this ce for thest few days after Reece got missing. So, he knew I woulde here.

    "It''s gorgeous��," I mumbled, as I got down from the horse, in the rain. I looked around, ignoring the raindrops falling on my face.

    "Your Highness��"

    "Yeah��?"

    "Look on your right," he muttered, standing beside me, his eyes focused on something. I followed his eyes and that was when I noticed it.

    Something was there. Or, was it someone?

    "It''s a body��?" I muttered. "A human was murdered here? Oh my god!"

    "A werewolf, you mean," he corrected.

    "Ah, that''s right," I said.

    ''I keep forgetting only werewolves exist in this world.''

    "Your Highness, let''s go back. Never check something strange out by yourself. I cannot check it as well because I can''t leave Your Highness alone," he said.

    "That''s a woman��," I mumbled, squinting at the thing. I listened to what he said, but was not paying much attention to him. "I think I know her."

    "How can Your Highness understand anything? We are standing too far."

    "That''s��," I muttered, squinting harder to make sure I was right, "�� Lady Caerlion."

    "Lady Caerlion?" he repeated. "That''s�� the wife of Lord Victor."

    "She is the King''s aunt," I said. "I can''t believe it. Why is she here? Abel, let''s go and see. We can''t just��"

    "We can leave her be. But if this is what Your Highness wants��," he said, motioning with his hands for me to follow him.

    I would not have recognized her or anyone from this far. But I did, thanks to the locket she was wearing. That locket illuminated in the dark and it was in the shape of an arrow. She always wore it. She even bragged about it when she invited me to her tea party.

    ''Well, I agree it is made of high-quality materials, but not enough to be bragged about. But I am d she did.''

 Chapter 401 Lavender Field (2)

    (From Blue''s Perspective)

    Abel led the way and I followed him, drenched in the rainwater until we reached the motionless body of Dem''s aunt. He crouched on the ground and examined her body carefully while I stood near, horrified.

    "She is dead," he announced within a few seconds.

    ''Knowing if someone is dead is easy. But knowing if someone is alive is hard.''

    "No chance?" I asked.

    "No," he shook his head.

    "She has died fifteen minutes ago approximately," he exined. "I can''t even do CPR. There is no point."

    "And the cause of death? Can you understand anything?" I asked, bending slightly. As for me, I had no idea. But he surely had experience.

    "No, nothing."

    "Gosh��," I sighed. "Why today out of all day? And why here?"

    "Your Highness, something doesn''t feel right. We need to go back," he said, his voice cautious.

    I also suspected something was wrong. It was possible Lady Caerlion was murdered. It was not like she would die in the middle of avender field all of a sudden. But why would someone kill her here? And that was also on the day I came here? Did someone know I woulde here beforehand?

    Only Abel knew about it. Besides, I decided toe here at thest minute.

    Abel was trustworthy. Or, Dem would never send him to guard me. Abel was not a dark mage as he could turn into a wolf and did so many times in front of Dem.

    ''Mages cannot shapeshift after all. It''s the same for dark mages.''

    I still nced down at Abel, who was still on the ground, looking around. I checked his movements and expressions. As always, he did not have any expression on his face. Sometimes, it felt like he was a sculpture that could move its mouth only.

    ''No, he can''t be. He can''t be a traitor.''N?v(el)B\\jnn

    I examined the surrounding a few more times. It did not take me long to find something that was not supposed to be there. Or, should I say I found someone who was not supposed to be here?

    "Your Highness, what should we do with��?"

    Abel could not finish. He stood up abruptly and almost attacked the man who was standing barely a foot away from me.

    I stopped Abel, creating a barricade with my arm between the two men. I seemed puny in their presence.

    "Your Highness, do you know him?" Abel asked, clearly not confused that the man in front of us did not mean well.

    "You�� You did this," I muttered.

    "I did," he gave me a smile.

    "You killed this woman?" Abel asked threateningly.

    "My daughter, do you know how long have I waited to greet you in person?" he smiled again, not bothering to even nce once at Abel. The very familiar set of eyes was fixed on me.

    Abel was stunned. I did not have the chance to be shocked at all. Actually, I was barely taken aback.

    The fact that he was here did not surprise me at all for some reason. It was like I knew he was following me and would corner me anytime he would get the chance. I was more surprised seeing his face.

    He looked exactly like me. It was like I was looking at my male counterpart. He did not even look too old. He actually did not look old enough to be my biological father. Did my mother truly have sex with a minor? Now, that was a crime.

    He touched my face, his hand colder than ice, despite Abel''s effort to p his hand away. Abel''s hand froze in midair as if an invisible rope was keeping his hand in ce. I flinched, not looking away.

    "My daughter, it''s time to go home."

    "What if I say no?"

    "Do not be like that. This father will be very sad."

    "Azure, you are not my father," I said.

    "Anyone can see the truth when they look at us. Have you looked in the mirror at yourself, Blue? And have you looked at me? Tell me that again."

    "Blood means nothing. Blood is not family," I said. "I have new parents now. I don''t need another father."

    "Blood might not decide family, but you cannot deny the blood," he said, his tone gentle. "Do you think if you deny our rtionship, it will change?"

    "Free Abel, Azure," I said.

    "Ah, your husband''s knight��," he muttered, finally looking at Abel. "He is here to make sure you won''t run away, isn''t he?"

    "Your Highness," Abel said, asking for an order.

    "Stop ying with us, Azure," I said.

    "My daughter, you know very well, I don''t y. Or, I would have already sent you a pair of brown eyes as a toy."

    I stared at him in horror as he smiled at me as if a daughter smiling at his daughter. "You�� you wouldn''t��"

    "Son of a��!"

    Abel attempted to hit him, but his hand got stuck in midair again. This time, he could not move any part of his body.

    "Agh!!!" Abel groaned in pain and fell to the ground.

    "Let him go!"

    "My daughter, who taught you to care for every single person?"

    "Let him go, bastard!"

    "I have note here to let go, my daughter. I havee here to take you," he said.

    I gritted my teeth and tried to hit him using my power. Once, twice and more times. But nothing happened. No matter how hard I tried, nothing happened.

    "What��?"

    "I gave you the power," he said, in a whispering tone. "And I can take it back too, my daughter."

    I opened my mouth to say something. Perhaps I did say something. But I did not remember as ckness covered my vision. I wondered how Abel was. Did he get into trouble because of me? He surely did.

    Still, I hoped the obvious did not happen.

    "Oh dear," Azure clicked his tongue. "I did not wish to be so forceful."

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