Chapter 54Hope"And he said, 'Will you take your sister's place?' I was so surprised! I-I wanted to say no but how could I have said no to such a scary person? I foolishly nodded my head. That, my friends, is why I stand before you today!" I explained to the soldiers. "I remember that day. You even cried when it was time to seal the bond with blood," a soldier, who I couldn't remember the name of, spoke up and I nodded in agreement."Whaddya mean?! Of course I cried. Did you see how sharp that knife was. I never want to do such a thing again! Never!" I emphasized, then jumped on one of the empty logs of wood and started to walk on it while tilting uncontrollably since the world was spinning a bit.Ever since I drank that sweet ale, the world has been spinning and a lot of soldiers became twins and triplets. How wonderful that so many of them were here and listening to my stories. Whereas, Kyle was sitting at the far back behind the soldiers, exactly where I had told him to sit a fe
Chapter 55HopeWhat a horrible dream I had. I dreamt that I had been partying with the soldiers and was making fun of Darius, then he appeared and looked like he was going to kill me. A horrible dream indeed. I opened my eyes and saw that I was back in my room. "Phew," I breathed out, taking a sitting position on my bed."You're awake," someone said."Argh!" My heart flew out of my chest in surprise. I turned to check who just spoke and saw Darius seated on a chair beside the bed with his legs and arms crossed. There was also an expression on his face that I couldn't decipher.Oh no. It wasn't a dream. Darius had really barged into me singing a song about him. And what happened after that? Did I faint? I think I did. So how did I get here? Did he carry me here? Oh my gods, no. This couldn't be happening to me."You've become more notorious in my absence, haven't you?" Darius began saying.I started recalling everything that had happened in his absence. I hadn't done that much. I was
Chapter 56Hope"... And so I told him that the only way I would ever sleep with him was if he was to coronate me and make me queen." "My lady, I don't think this is something you should be sharing with me," Kyle forced out from his mouth and attempted to stand up from the bed. I pressed one of my hands on his shoulders to stop him."If I don't tell you, who am I supposed to tell?" He didn't have any comebacks for that question so I went on."Of course he ignored me and acted like I had asked for the most ridiculous thing in existence. I knew that chances of him saying, 'sure, why not', to that demand were slim to none, so I dropped the matter and moved on.""Can I go now?" Kyle asked.I glowered at him while saying, "No, you can't. I'm not done yet." Kyle let out an exasperated breath though his nose after I said those words, but I ignored his frustration and continued talking to him."He left for the trip after that. Yesterday, he told me that he was going to get me coronated. And
Chapter 57HopeMy coronation was in four days. It was neither a trick being played on me by Darius nor was it a game. The entire castle was buzzing with news of my coronation. Earlier today, I was told to write an invitation letter to my parents so they would come for it. I wondered what the two of them thought of me now. Did they think that I had stolen what was never meant to mine? Were they proud of me for seizing this opportunity? I desperately wanted to know.Since I'd gotten married, I haven't communicated with either of them. I had no clue what was going on in the human lands. Whenever I started thinking about my parents, of course thoughts of Light swooped in.Was she communicating with our parents? Were they aware of her being the leader of rebels? Were they part of her plans? Was everything that was happening to me part of Light's plans? Did she run away fully knowing that I would take her place and get married to Darius? Did she want me to get coronated as the queen of Mo
Chapter 58Darius"I can't believe you. You're acting like you've been possessed!" Orion slammed his hands against my desk as he shouted. Talia's reaction was not too far from her husband's as she watched me with angry eyes."Get on with the report," I ground out, ignoring their unnecessary agitation. Whatever I was doing was not under the influence of anyone's charm or persuasion but of my own decision. I might have been steered to take this path but it was all my choice at the end of the day. "Really? You're interested in an unimportant daily report when we're stuck in such a serious crisis?!" Talia fumed.I puffed out a sharp breath. The two of them were just finding out about the coronation ceremony that was going to take place in two days time. This was because they had just returned to the castle today. I was supposed to be with them, arriving today as well, but I had cut the trip short for myself when something came up and had them look after the things I was supposed to.I ha
Chapter 59 Hope My coronation was going to take place at night when the full moon was out, so I would receive maximum blessings from the 'moon goddess'. It was almost sundown. The palace had been in disarray all day. I took advantage of everyone's overwhelmed state to visit Amara but she wasn't in the library's secret room when I got there. It was weird not finding her in her home, so I had to return to my room. Every now and then while my makeup and hair was getting done, I would get anxious and start to question myself whether I was doing the right thing or not. I would start to question my existence and location. Who am I? What right do I have to be here? How could I be a queen? Questions like that kept on spinning inside my head no matter how much I tried to rid myself of those thoughts. At first, all I wanted was peaceful life. But what was my goal now? Revenge? A powerful position? Happiness? I wasn't very sure. But I knew that I wanted a crown to sit on my head. That was
Chapter 60HopeThis was my coronation party but I wasn't feeling very elated. I was uneasy. Ever since the crown sat on my head, I've been having this feeling. Like I was being pulled to be somewhere. Like I wasn't supposed to be here, like my place was someplace else.I couldn't understand the feeling. And it was annoying. I wanted to chase it, let it lead me, but I couldn't do that right now. I had just become queen, the least that I could do was attend to my current responsibilities which was making small talk with the distinguished guests today.I wasn't a very good conversationalist but I've been researching on how to behave like a certified diplomat. On Amara's instructions, I've been reading more and more books in the library about politics and the history of Moratia, but I was wary about the informations that I've been acquiring from them. The things in the history books about India and the things I had known about her from her diary were drastically different. That led me i
Chapter 61Hope"Light... What are you...""Breathe, sister. I can't have you passing out from shock, can I? We've only just reunited." Light spoke with an easygoing tone. I marched right over to where she was standing to check if she was real or not. Once I got close enough, I touched her arm which was covered with a long sleeve. She was dressed in all-black, from her head down to her feet which were covered in big black boots."How are you.. what are you... you are... how..." I couldn't form proper words because of the shocked state I was in.Light smiled at my plight and threw her arms over my shoulders. I didn't react as she hugged me tightly. After a while when she was satisfied, she let go of me and took two steps backward to stare at me."Look at you. You're a queen now." She remarked. I couldn't decipher if she was speaking out of jealousy, surprise, or pride.My hand unconsciously travelled up to touch the crown that was still sitting prettily on top of my head. Light began
Hope I was still alive. Barely. Surprisingly. But still alive. As soon as I opened my eyes, I let out a sigh of relief. Pain was not fun at all."Your Majesty, you're awake!" I heard someone say.I didn't have the strength to sit up from the bed yet and look at the person. I could only shift my eyes. I saw Kyle already down on his knees on the side of my bed. I instantly managed to find a way to frown."Did you plan to kill me?" I asked, my voice was void of anger and sadness. My intent was to show annoyance and anger, but I didn't have the strength to portray those emotions. "Of course not, your Majesty. The person I hired to... do it, did more than I instructed. But I've disciplined him very well and ensured never to-" "Are you mad?" I cut Kyle off.His throat bobbed, he didn't respond."I ask again, are you mad, Kyle Arsen?!" "... No, your Majesty." Kyle said after a beat."Then why did you let another person in on the plan!? Weren't you supposed to be the one to stab me?! Why
HopeDarius and I stopped the carriage at a place referred to as the 'Land of many Legends.' He had said that it was the most magical place in the Moratian Kingdom as it captured the essence and statues of past heroes, both humans and Lycans.It was also an attraction sight that had many different things displayed all around it. A perfect place for sightseeing Darius said.But he had no idea that I had already been here and seen all that there was to see. Twice, even. There was no way to tell Darius about my night outings with Kyle while he was away in a manner that he would be able to digest them without getting angry. Or worse, getting disappointed.A disappointed Darius was harder to deal with than an angry Darius. I knew this very well. So my night outings were forever going to go as an untouched secret.Darius led me out of the carriage and the other visitors of the Land of the Legends had to stop and pay the utmost respect to their beloved king and queen.Ever since I became que
HopeI was in a very good mood today. I woke up early feeling refreshed. Maybe it was because there was no longer a creature inside my stomach draining my energy. I freshened up and sent a maid to tell Darius to meet me for breakfast at the dining table. By the time I reached the dining table myself, I was surprised to see that Darius was already there.And an even more surprising thing to me was that I saw the head of the dining table now had two throne-like chairs placed side-by-side to each other.Darius was standing behind the chairs with a stroke of uneasiness on his expression. I walked over to him and said, "Good morning." "Good morning, Hope." Darius said back to me, then his eyes bounced and landed on Kyle who was close behind me. I could sense the hostility in Darius' gaze as he looked at Kyle. It made me want to frown. Was this foolish husband of mine jealous of the same bodyguard that he had hired to protect me?I almost facepalmed myself at the thought. But since I was
Kyle "S-Shut your mouth." I said with a stutter."Why should I? Everyone knows about your unrequited love for her. It's honestly pathetic, but to think that you would go against the kingdom for her. You've become so soft and stupid-"I tightened my grip on Thomas's hands and forced him to shut up."I've said what I wanted to say. Stop making a fool of yourself and keep quiet. This has absolutely nothing to do with you." I spoke with a deep and threatening voice.Thomas didn't say anything again, but it looked like he had something to say."And if you think about telling anyone about tonight, remember that you were also in that shop." I added.It meant that Thomas also wanted to purchase something that was not appropriate. His eyes widened as he understood what I was talking about. Then they narrowed into slits."Fine. Whatever." He finally relented with a reluctant tone.I slowly let go of him and backed away. "What were you there for?" I asked him.Thomas glared at me shamelessly a
Kyle My hands were trembling. Ever since I left the castle, my entire body has been shaking. Would I really be able to do this? Betray my kingdom... Betray everything I serve, everything I believe in. All for the very person that I serve, the person I believe in, the person I love. Could I really do that? What was I thinking? I was already doing it. I was already close to a hidden tonic shop. There was no time to regret my actions or turn back. I had already promised my lady that I would do everything for her. Including this. And I very well knew why she wouldn't want to give birth to the next heir. She was human, damn it! And she wanted to remain human. She didn't want to turn into us... me... It was still clear that she held resentment for the Lycan kind. Abortion tonics were not exactly illegal. From time to time, people would come to order them. Not everyone had to bear the heir to the throne who was important and ending their life in a womb was a sin. And also, this par
Hope Back in my room, I folded myself into a ball on my bed. It seemed like everyone else was happy about my pregnancy except for me. Why did that make me feel bad? That they were all placing their hope on me and that I was going to destroy it?Maybe that was why.I didn't know how long I was curled up for before I heard the subtle sounds of knocking on my door."Your Majesty, it's me. I've brought you food." I heard a voice similar to Kyle's own coming from the outside of the room.I sighed and forced myself to say, "Come in." Not even a second later, the door to my room opened up and Kyle walked in with a food tray. Thankfully, it was only Kyle, and not another person whom I did not want to see or talk to.Kyle walked over to my bed to set the food tray next to me, but I directed him to put the food away and shut the door. There was a complex look on Kyle's face after receiving those orders, however he still obeyed them."Come closer." I said to Kyle, who was still standing by the
Hope I had hoped things wouldn't turn out this way, but they still did. After Darius left, I sunk into deep thoughts. Darius wanted me to keep this child, but the heavens knew that I couldn't.I wouldn't be able to even if I could.I looked down at my stomach. My hand led itself to touch it. It wasn't the child's fault. I just didn't want to become a Lycan. I didn't want to lose my humanity.The Blood Moon would occur in less than a week. This was the absolute worst time to even be thinking about bringing a child into the world.I had no clue why Darius would want a child at this time. Suddenly, I remembered something. He had once told me that he wanted to get me pregnant so that I wouldn't leave him.How foolish of him.If I truly wanted to leave him now, being pregnant would be the least thing that I would be bothered about in our relationship.*****Later in the day, I got out of bed and decided to actually do queenly activities. But as soon as I stepped out of my chambers, Kyle w
Hope"This is the greatest news ever!" Darius exclaimed joyfully, standing up to his feet to rejoice."Congratulations, your majesties," the physician said to me and Darius with a proud smile. "The queen is about two to three months pregnant. We should quickly begin the transformation process in order to ensure a safe delivery and a stable health for her Majesty." "Transformation process...?" I said slowly, then looked at Darius.There was a bright smile on his face as he said, "Yes. The transformation process. You know you can't give birth to a royal Lycan child with a human bodily constitution. There is a ninety percent chance of dying. It is better to transform into a Lycan to give birth."It is not a very difficult process. Painful, yes. But I will be there for you and help you-" "Are you listening yourself, Darius Moratis?" I cut him off with a sharp tone. The tension in the room surged."Ah... Your majesties, I will take my leave now." The physician said with a hint of discomf
Hope It was annoying how I was always waking up to Darius sitting by my bed. However, today, he was not the only person by my bed. There was a physician standing over the bed. I easily recognized him as he had attended to me once before.I sat up on my bed defensively and said, "What is it? What's going on?" "Calm down. Everything is going to be alright." Darius said in a soothing voice, then reached to touch my face.I slapped his hand away from my face. "Don't. Why's he here? What's happening?" Seeing that I wasn't going to relent until I got answers, Darius exhaled through his mouth and decided to explain things to me."He is here to perform a full body check up on-""I don't need one," I quickly said, cutting Darius off.A full body check up? That was equivalent to executing me with a stake! I glanced at the physician and glared at him. If he touched me and sensed my pulse, he would immediately be able to tell that I was pregnant.And since he appeared to be deathly loyal to Da