~Lucian~There was a knock on my door and I stirred up on my bed. I hoped it wasn’t Cassandra because I wasn’t ready to talk to her. “Lucian, it is me.” I heard Irene’s voice, and I hastily got up. “Irene.” I called as I walked to the door. Opening the door, she greeted me with a smile and I smiled back. “What are you doing here?” I asked, and she furrowed her brows. “Why? I shouldn’t be here in your chamber?” She asked, and I shook my head and chuckled. “Come in.” I retorted, moving away from the door. She nodded and walked in. “This place is very nice. More like Royal.” She responded, her eyes scanning through the room. “Thank you. How is your first day in the palace?” I inquired, pointing to the couch so she could sit, but instead, she walked to the bed and sat on it. “It’s going well. I just finished talking to the Queen.” She uttered, and the smile on my face slowly faded off. “Really?” I asked as I settled next to her. She stared into my eyes and nodded. “Yes. She is h
~Cassandra~ It’s been a month since Lucian found out about Damian and I, and since then, Lucian had not, for once, stepped into my chamber to do his duties as a husband to me. He ignored me completely and left me to suffer in a way I never knew existed. Being ignored in your own house. On the other hand, I also hadn’t set my eyes on Damian since he left, and truth be told, I missed him so much and wanted to see him. Standing in front of my mirror and faced with my reflection, I took some time to admire the bump that was beginning to pop out in my belly. “I still don’t know if there’s a place for you here. Isn’t it better to be dead than to be born in a place where you’ll never be loved?” I said to myself as I rubbed my belly. Heaving a loud sad sigh, I walked away from the mirror and approached the window. Looking down, I saw Zoe and Robert discussing. It wasn’t my first time seeing them that way, and I strongly believe that they had some chemistry, and he was the only reason w
~Cassandra ~ “You know what I mean.” He responded coldly, walking away. Blinking severally, I tried waking up from the nightmare I was, but to my greatest surprise, it was no nightmare. It was reality. Tears streamed down my eyes with no restrictions as I turned to look at Irene who seemed equally confused. “I don’t think he meant it.” She uttered as she turned her gaze from Lucian to look at me. “I don’t think he’s joking either.” I mumbled, still pretty dumbfounded by his statement.Becky on the other hand scoffed and shrugged. “He is finally going to do what he should have done a long time ago.” She muttered and also turned to leave. Irene shook her head in disgust at Becky and turned to look at him. “You need to go after him, Queen Cassandra. You can’t let him do this to you. Go and talk to him, okay?!” She retorted, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her. into the palace. I staggered behind her, because I was too weak to walk properly. It was like the ground was falling
~Lucian~ I looked at her as she exclaimed and shrugged. “What? We both made mistakes that day.” I answered coldly. “No, Lucian. Mine was different. I didn’t know you weren’t the one because he disguised himself as you. You, on the other hand, intentionally went to be with another woman. Who is she?” I could see and perceive the anger in her voice as she spoke, and I wasn’t ready to give her a response to her question. “If we are going to tell each other our secrets, then we would have to restrain ourselves from getting so mad at each other. That’s the best way to deal with this.” I retorted. “Fine, yeah. So you started cheating on me right before our marriage? And you kept saying sweet things to me, making me believe you’re the perfect husband. I can’t believe this, Lucian. Did it stop that day or did it continue?” She further asked, anger still evident in her voice. Locking my gaze with hers, I remained silent, watching how tears began to stream down her cheeks again. “All thi
~Damian~ After taking my bath, I cleaned my body with my towel. My hair was still dripping wet, but I cared less. I had only one towel. While I was cleaning my body, there was a knock on my door. “Who is there?” I asked from inside the room as I reached for my clean boxers and put them on. I found a white shirt and I put that one on too. I kept asking who was there while I did this, but I got no response. All I got was constant knocking on the door. I then realized the person at the door could be Sara. Most times she visits, she keeps knocking without saying a word until I open up, sometimes after knocking for a few minutes, she walks in herself. ‘She can’t come in because I locked the door already.’ I thought, heading to the living room. Since I met my uncle, Mr. Tiger, my bond with Sara had grown stronger, considering the fact that she’s my cousin. At first, I found it hard to believe that my mother had an uncle and I never knew about it until now, but when he explained he wa
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I kept staring and staring, wishing I could pull him closer and hug him for hours. I missed him so much and I could hardly control how I felt. But I was being very careful because Lucian was around too. Truly, we had found out the truth, I still didn’t want to look so desperate to him, so I just had to keep my cool. After the brothers excused themselves and walked out, I took my time to examine the house even more. Staring at Melissa’s portrait, I saw how beautiful she was. “No wonder her sons are so handsome too.” They took after almost all her facial features, especially Damian. Damian had the exact same eyes as hers, but Lucian’s was different. He probably got it from their father. Lifting my eyes to the wall behind the portrait, I saw a few writings on the wall, and while I was about to read them, the door opened. I looked back and saw Lucian walking in. He had an angry expression, and I creased my brows, wondering what got him angry in a few
~Lucian~ As Sara and I approached the house, I couldn’t help but wonder why it was built in such a secluded area. There were so many kingdoms and open spaces they could build their house. Why here?Sara refused to let go of my hand until we got to the main door. The house was more like a hut. I bet they didn’t have any comfortable furniture inside. It was just like Melissa’s house too, but it seemed smaller and local than that. Sara knocked on the door twice before walking in. She left the door open and signaled me to walk in. I looked back to see if I could catch a glimpse of Damian and Cassandra, but I couldn’t see them. I knew they were back there doing whatever stupid thing they wanted. With a deep sigh, I walked into the house, my eyes carrying out a 360 scan of the shattered place that was supposed to be the living room. “Mom! Dad! King Lucian is here! Damian’s twin brother!” Sara called in a loud voice, disappearing into one of the two hung curtains. Heaving a sigh, I sho
~Damian~ We all got to the palace after enjoying our goat soup at Uncle Bernard’s. As we made our way into the palace, all eyes were on us. Some eyes seemed confused seeing me walk into the palace again, some eyes looked at Uncle Bernard and his family strangely. I bet they were wondering where Lucian found them and who they are, but we owe them no explanation. “Uncle Bernard, there are empty rooms on the first and second floor. The top floor is pretty occupied.” Lucian explained, and Uncle Bernard nodded. Sara and her mother seemed lost at observing and staring at the beauty of the palace. “We can always manage a room, King Lucian. I believe the room would be bigger than our own house.” He retorted, and Lucian chuckled. “No, I don’t think Sara should stay in the same room as you and your wife. She should have her own room.” Lucian explained, and he nodded. “Also, you don’t have to call me King Lucian. You are my uncle. Lucian is fine.” Lucian added. Uncle Bernard shook his h
~Cassandra~ ~After A Year~ “Good morning!” I heard Zoe’s loud voice from my slumber, causing me to tighten my eyes in discomfort.“Wake up! I have good news!” She continued talking in a loud voice and even jumped on my bed, forcing my eyes open. “Shhh! You’ll wake Darian up!” I mumbled, hastily throwing a glance at the baby bed that was placed not so far from my bed. He was the first person I was concerned about. “Relax, Cassie. Damian and Lucian are playing with him already. He woke up and began to cry so they took him away before he could wake you up.” Zoe further explained, and I raised my eyebrows. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he wasn’t here. I was up all through the night because he kept wanting to eat.” I grumbled, lifting my body off the bed and sitting up. “Well, for the tenth time in three months, welcome to motherhood,” Zoe answered, causing me to smile. Three months ago, I conceived and gave birth to Darian. Everyone in the kingdom was happy. We finally have such
~ Lucian ~ When we got closer to the palace, I realized that the people who had left before had arrived again. Bernard must have sent some of his people to summon them. Deep down, I wanted to break free and teach him a lesson, but somehow, I felt extremely weak. I was a Lycan, why wouldn’t I summon the wolf in me? While tied to the church, I tried too hard to reach that locked-up power inside of me, but it was so hard, I couldn’t even brush the surface. It wasn’t really surprising because I never really used that part of me. I never found any reason to, and now it seemed like it was gone. Like my Lycan power was dead completely. I also couldn’t believe I chose to trade my throne for Cassandra’s life. At the point of death, I realized I still loved her and saw her as my wife, regardless of everything that had happened between us. The soldiers that went with us were armed and more in number compared to the guards at the palace. I knew they had no chance right from when I set my ey
~Sara~ “I hired Sara and Agatha to act like my family so that we could execute our plans better. The fact is, I am single, but I won’t mind having your wife as my queen when I inherit the throne.” Bernard uttered with a smirk. “Go f**k yourself.” Lucian spat angrily. I couldn’t look them in the eyes because I knew they were disappointed, and they hated me already. I kept my head lowered as I let my guilt taunt me. “I think I’ve done enough talking. We need to get down to business.” Bernard uttered. “Now to you…” He added, making his way back to the bed where Cassandra lay. “Your life is tied to whatever Lucian wants.” He uttered, raising his hand to touch her hair. “Don’t you dare touch her!” Lucian growled, causing Bernard’s hand to hang in the air. “I hate you,” Cassandra mumbled, staring at him in a disgusted manner. “Well, I never liked you. So here is what we are going to do. We are going to match down to the kingdom right now, call everyone together, and then you’ll anno
~Damian~ Getting to the house where Sara told me to hide in the meantime, I wasn’t at rest. Something felt so wrong, but I found it so hard to figure it out. I couldn’t stop thinking about Cassie and the palace as a whole. What was going on? Was it a good idea to run off in such a heated moment? Shouldn’t I have taken Cassie along with me? That guilty thought and part of me kept resurfacing. And I couldn’t help but feel bad. It was like I ran away from the problem that was looming around those I love. I felt like a coward. Heaving out a deep sigh, I raised my head and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what I was going to do next. ‘If Cassie doesn’t get here in the next forty-eight hours, then I have to return to the palace. Hopefully, Lucian won’t ask for my head on a platter of gold.’ While I was lost in thoughts, trying to cook up my next big plan, a knock came on the door. Surprised and excited, I sprang to my feet and ran to the door. “Cassie?” I called, opening the d
~Cassandra~ I felt disgusted as Bernard exposed his tobacco-damaged teeth when he smiled. I should have always suspected him. I should have always known that something was so fishy about them. How they came into our lives was pretty suspicious. But who could have imagined it would turn out like this? Damian came into our lives the same way, and he’s one of the reasons I’m still fighting to stay alive. “What do you mean by that? What games are you trying to play, Uncle…” “I told you I’m not your uncle! Call me Bernard! And I’m playing no games. This is reality. The earlier you realize that the better for you.” He disrespectfully cut Lucian’s short, letting him choke on his own words. In awe, Lucian turned to look at me, and I shook my head, feeling so bad for us. “Fine. If you’re not my uncle, then can you please tell me who you are?” Lucian retorted, trying to keep on that bold, masculine look, but I could perceive that this layer was pretty thin. He was going to lose it any m
~Bernard~ I headed back to the palace after Cassandra opened her eyes. Before I fetch Lucian, I need to do one more thing. I needed to convince the people that I was the right king for them. After that, I need him to come in front of the people and renounce his throne to the people. Hopefully, he was going to cherish his life and that of his wife so that that would happen. Getting back to the palace, I saw the people were beginning to exit the building. They still murmured things to each other nonstop. When some of them saw me, they diverted their attention to me. “Where were you, Mr. Bernard? We expected you to be in the hall too so that you can support our claims. You were the one that told us everything that has been happening. Why didn’t you show up?” One of the elderly men spoke up. “Yes, that is true. You should have been there to call him a liar to his face. How do you prove to me that you’re the one we want when you were absent?” Another woman added. “Relax, everyone. I
~Sara~ After making sure we were very far from the kingdom, I stopped running. Damian also stopped and turned to look at me. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?” He asked, our chests rising and falling due to our intense breathing. “I need to go back. No one can know I snuck out with you. But I need you to keep going. Don’t look back.” I warned him, and he nodded. “Remember your promise, Sara. You promised me you’d help Cassie too.” He retorted, and I gulped hard and nodded slowly. “Yes, I will.” I lied. How was I supposed to help her? My father got her already and there was no going back this time. Only the gods could shift the death lurking around her. “Okay. Thank you, Sara. I’ll be in the house you prepared. Bye.” He uttered as he took to his heels again. Watching him leave, a relieved sigh escaped my lips. I was so glad I could save him from my parents. He had been so nice to me and I wasn’t going to take it for granted. I had described the path to our former kingdom to him,
~Lucian~ “We want another king! Give us another king!” The persistent voices of the people pierced the door of the hall where they were, hitting my earbuds mercilessly. Shaking off the fear that began to rise in me, I occupied my mind with the words that I had planned to say to them. I kept repeating the words in my head as I walked into the hall. The voices of the people multiplied greatly when they saw me, and it seemed like if I wasn’t very careful, they were going to pounce on me. Even though guards surrounded me, it didn’t seem like enough protection. I raised my hand, hoping to see if they still had little regard for me, and I wasn’t disappointed. The roaring and murmurings stopped instantly. “Thank you,” I uttered in a loud voice before I proceeded to what exactly I wanted to say. “Good evening, people of this kingdom! Your complaints have reached my ears, and I think it’s only fair that you let me share my own side of the story too, don’t you think?” I asked, and I got a
~Cassandra~ I headed to Lucian’s chamber with so many thoughts running through my head. How were we supposed to handle the situation on ground? I knew Lucian wasn’t his best self, but I still needed to talk to him about Damian too. I hated that Damian was locked up in a cell for no reason. Getting to his chamber, I walked in and met him pacing at the cover of his study. “Lucian,” I called, but he ignored me and kept pacing. I heaved a sigh and moved closer to him. “Can you stop pacing? You’re making me dizzy.” I retorted, causing him to abruptly stop. “What do you want?” He asked in a cold manner, keeping his gaze off me. “What are we going to do now? I don’t understand what has come over these people anymore. Are we not going to do something?” I asked worriedly, and he scoffed, finally looking at me. “What do you want me to do, huh? I know you all are happy with how everything is going. You don’t have to pretend like you are worried.” He responded and continued his pacing aga