"It is fitting that your marriage comes before your baby, and also for your coronation, dear," said my father, the king of Elbarrack Magnolia.Indeed, my breath stopped at that moment, when he uttered the word marriage so abruptly without a foundation. But before my heart could pump with rage, he mentioned marriage next to Matthias' name.Where I thought they were going to marry me off to Frederick, it turned out to be the other way around."What do you mean, father? What wedding are you referring to?" I asked confused, as I glanced at Matthias who was standing next to me, still supporting my body with both hands."What else? Marriage, darling. You want to marry Matthias, don't you? Then the sooner the better. Everything is already prepared. We're just waiting for your body to recover," he replied with a hand that tapped me lightly on the shoulder, then moved to my head which was the target of his stroking."I don't understand, sorry," I replied clumsily. Both my mom and dad's eyes sh
The arrival of the horse-drawn carriage was our farewell to this young crowning party."I still remember how Frederick used to ask me to cool the war between the five Princes of Theodosius Kingdom. I did not agree to it at first, but now I do not regret having done so," my father declared one last time before getting into the carriage.A wave of my hand accompanied their departure. My father's words still lingered in my mind, or rather what Frederick did for me never left my mind."Your father was right. If it hadn't been Frederick who broke up the civil war between the princes of Theodosius, we wouldn't be here." Matthias, next to me, finally spoke up after stroking my tense shoulders."Hm." I nodded my head in response. "He's also the one who sacrificed his princely throne for you so that he could legally marry me."The look on Matthias' face showed great agreement. We wouldn't have been able to do anything without Frederick's great sacrifice.Matthias was almost sentenced to death
"Your Highness. I'm sorry to interrupt your time, but Princess Starling continues to cry in her room. And she refuses to be touched by her nannies. It seems she would like to be touched by you."The servant's voice coming from behind the guest room door slapped me back to reality. It was not joy that attended my heart when I heard the name of our love child. Instead, it was exhaustion."Can't you take care of Starling for a day?" I pleaded harshly, my head throbbing with pain. "I'm so tired tonight. If I'm the only one struggling to take care of her, then what's the point of your presence in this kingdom? You'd better die before—ah."Oh no. I'd slipped up again.Once again, I let my evil mouth hurt the hearts of others, just because of my unstable state of heart."Sorry, I'm sorry," I said, correcting my evil words earlier. My head was throbbing with pain even though I had repeatedly massaged it. "Alright. Give me five minutes to wash my face. I will go to Starling's room after gettin
I don't know where else that fear came from. I should be happy that he and I are now on the same page. Matthias had forgiven me, and I had managed to admit my mistake.It was just that, as I watched our genitals almost merge, I was again haunted by an uneasy feeling.The image of Frederick's angry, sad face, disappointed that I had taken everything from him, haunted me as if I wasn't allowed to be happy."Matthias, stop." Finally, my mouth uttered the same mistake for the umpteenth time. I ruined our happy moment with my selfish nature and my weak mentality."Don't touch me. For tonight, I want to sleep alone first," I said, blocking with my hand, his waist that was already almost fused with my bottom."I said stop it!" my voice raised on its own."Ah." I only realized how cruel I sounded when I got a hurt look from Matthias in return.In the blink of an eye, our romance, which was so sweet in the air, melted into a cold snow that smelled sharp and pierced the heart. There was no equi
"Arthur?" I couldn't believe it. The Alpha who I thought would bring disaster in the early hours of the morning, turned out to be an old friend who I thought had disappeared somewhere."Are you for real Arthur?" I said again, my voice floating in the air following the turmoil of my disbelief, at the reflection of someone's bias in the moonlight."You'r e... Still alive?" I said incredulously. Then, I realized one thing I had missed just now.He didn't come alone. In his arms, there was the tiny figure of a baby in a little dress wrapped around her smooth body. My baby, Starling, is in his arms.My little brain was still having trouble digesting the fact that Arthur was visiting me with Starling in his arms."Your baby is very lovely, she didn't whine when I tried to hold her," Arthur said with a smile, his voice still the same as it was in my memory, the last time we met half a year ago."But I wonder why the nannies have trouble calming her down?" he asked. "Because it only takes one
"Why don't I meet him tomorrow?" he asked without hesitation. And just like that, he stood up from her seat, faced me, and pulled my hand away from him."We'll meet the Alpha who's been keeping you up at night," he continued with a confident grin that I didn't understand. "We talked things over with him. And of course, he's the one who understands you best. More than anyone else in the world."I don't understand.My brain was too slow to digest his plan, which made no sense to me."You? Can you find out where Frederick is right now?" I asked incredulously. "You know, I'm tired myself from my failure to locate him. Matthias is too, he's put everything he's got into it.""Ordinary people wouldn't be able to figure out where he is," he replied with an amused chuckle, making me tilt my head even more in astonishment. "I was able to bring him here because I've been living with him."My mouth opened wide in surprise but lost all sound. "You? Living with him? Where? I mean, how could you? Di
[Isabelle's POV stops here][Now is Frederick's POV]....- Two days before the visit to Magnolia Castle- Remote area, edge of Theodosius' capital- 07.00 AM."Wake up, sleepyhead. Someone has been waiting for your painting since a month ago. How can you let it gather dust here? Gosh, it's really hard to take care of a prince. I should have just let you starve by the river."It's not that I didn't hear, it's just that my hearing was blocked by the hard pillow that was the only support for my head when I fell asleep.The poor hut that people called a rubbish dump was, for me, the most delicious escape ever. Since leaving the kingdom of Theodosius, I decided to become a lone traveler.This is where I live. Accompanied only by an old man who took pity on me, knowing that I lost everything for one Omega."I'm sorry, but I'm not selling this painting," I said, raising my voice so that the potential buyers waiting outside my hut could hear me. "Please choose a painting other than the one h
"I do love her, but I'm determined to forget her," I replied harshly. He was still standing there, next to Isabelle's painting. But I didn't care anymore.I picked up my backpack and carried it on my back. I ignored the Crying Mother painting. It's more interesting for me to get out of here before my resolve dissolves.I don't want to hear any more about Isabelle, because I know she's my weak spot."She can't forget you."Just as the toe of my grungy shoe touched the boundary line between my room and the front yard, an unexpected sentence burned through my emotions."What?" I replied, widening completely at his words. I stopped right in line with where he was standing, and from this side, I could see an expression that seemed to be tinged with anxiety.Arthur threw a face full of cold sweat, at me beside him. "Do you know what? She's not even married to Matthias. I don't want to ruin your sacrifice for her, but I can tell that what you expect from her life is completely different.""W