Aster let me walk outside my bed chamber after telling him that I will be careful and to assure him that I will be safe, I told him I allow the guards to go with me wherever I go in the palace. He was still skeptical about it but if I will stay longer inside the four corners of my room, I will surely lose my sh*t especially since Lady Marian didn’t come back last night, which made Aster send more men to find the two all over the downtowns surrounding the Headow Stronghold.“Still no news about them?” I asked Cecil with a worried look.She was standing still beside me waiting for me to ask her for anything that I needed, especially since it was getting harder for me to move with my growing belly. I am just grateful that I don’t feel any kind of dizziness or pain. I just crave a lot of roasted chicken and apples, and the favorite place I wanted to read my books is the Garden of white roses, which is just near the gazebo, the very first place where I met Aster Bentham.I shook my head, e
“What, what is the meaning of this?! Where are you taking me!”I pushed myself away from the palace soldier’s tight grip on my arm. He was too strong and I couldn't even move him an inch away from where he was standing until he started dragging me along with them.“Soldier! There is no way you can treat one of the Emperor’s concubines like this! The lady is pregnant with the Emperor’s child and once he finds out about this, he will surely send you to the guillotine himself!” The polite Talaphatian soldier warned the palace soldier who was the captain of the troop that came to take me from somewhere.The captain stared at the Talaphatian soldier condescendingly, displeased by the presence of a foreign soldier inside their territory. He must have contemplated what the soldier had told him and he released my arm from his cruel grip.Nina and Cecil immediately pulled me closer to them and they both shielded their bodies between me and the ruthless soldiers. I glared at the captain of the
[ASTER’s Point-of-View]“LAURENT!”I called his name as loud as I could.All my senses are on full alert while we all look for King Laurent on the outskirt of the west premise of the realm. The forest was thick with old giant sequoias and the mist was thick, making it so difficult to search for a person’s body— no… I shouldn’t think that my best friend died in that ambush that happened in one of the brothels in one of the alleys downtown. One of his men survived the attack and managed to follow the assassins in this part of the forest. I just wish we are not too late. I wish he was still alive and just unconscious somewhere.My sense of smell doesn’t work in this kind of place when all I can smell is the musky scent of the forest trees, the bushes, and the freshly moist dirt. I filled my lungs with the cool, fresh air, hoping it can somehow calm me down while I keep the pace of my horse slow, my ears sensitive to any rustling sounds surrounding us.“LAURENT!”I heard Lady Marian’s des
“Aster!”I was ready to rip off someone or something else’s shoulder and I am thankful I recognized her scent right away.“Marian!” I exclaimed, a little upset, “You made everyone worried about you! Where did you go? I told you not to get too far from me!”“I know, your Grace, I deeply apologize for what I did. But I have to!” she apologized with despair in her voice and I sensed the distress in her as her body trembled in fear.I looked at her and held her in both of her arms, “What happened? Are you hurt?”“NO!” she shoved my hands away from her until I realized she was in a panic. She grabbed my coat and looked at me straight in the eyes with her eyes wide with fear, “I-I found him!”The way she looks at me, I know that Laurent is not in good condition. I shouldn’t waste any more time, “Lead the way, Lady Marian.” I firmly uttered and she immediately moved, almost half running towards the place where she found Laurent.I couldn’t figure out how Lady Marian found Laurent through thi
“Aster! Your GRACE!”I heard Lady Marian’s hysterical scream as the creature behind the white fog stood at its full height, towering over all of us with its gigantic length. I watched it, wide-eyed and waited for it to attack the three of us. My mind registered the next things I have to do to fight the wild beast and thought of putting down Laurent on the ground gently, not wanting to agitate the creature more.Then loud, aggressive snorting and deep grunting noises filled the place. As the creature approached closer and the thick cloud of white mist subsided, Lady Marian and I’s tensed bodies relaxed, relieved that it was just the horse that the Emperor left in the middle of the forest.“D*mnit, horse! You almost gave me a heart attack,” I hissed nervously at the animal. Of course, I am not scared. I am not ready to kill any wild creatures that might attack us. But with Laurent with the bones on his limbs all broken, there is no way I can fight back, knowing that Laurent is as fragil
[EODELLE’s Point-of-View]Nina and the Talaphatian Guard whose name I learned was James didn’t leave me inside my room unattended after what happened to Cecil.Both of them are on full alert, agitated every time they see a shadow under the door of my bed chamber. James, the soldier, holds his spear tight while guarding the door with his life, and Nina made sure to calm me down after three hours of incessant crying, worried for Cecil and what the palace soldiers did to her. I can’t lie to myself. I feel terrified because I know what they do to people they throw in the dungeon. I have experienced it myself and just remembering it brings a huge trauma to me that makes my whole body tremble in fear.“I have to do something to get to her, Nina! We have to make sure they don't hurt Cecil!” I cried to her and she couldn’t do anything but give me a cup of warm tea to calm me down. “That is not possible, your Grace. It will only endanger your life and the future heir of this Kingdom. There is
I flinched from my bed, making myself ready for whatever Emyr would do. I saw James step forward with the spear in his hand pointing at Emyr but it was too late for me to yell at him not to fight the Beta.“Your Grace, I apologize but you are not to—-”Without saying any word, Emyr caught the Talaphatian soldier’s neck with one hand and lifted him up in the air. I watched them, wide-eyed, as the soldier did his best to get out of Beta's hand while Nina stayed behind me, her hand holding my shoulders, stopping me from running to stop Emyr from breaking James' neck.Emyr glared at me with an evil smirk on his face. The tension rose like wildfire inside my room when I heard James wheeze and grunt in pain, gasping for air. I see the dread in his eyes and that’s when I found out he was dying already. Panic-stricken, both of his hands are on Emyr’s hand, pulling it away as hard as he could. But the Beta’s strength is just so formidable that no one in the room dared to attack him.“NO, EMYR
“What does this all mean, Emyr? Why did you bring me here?” “Relax, m’lady,” he chuckled after he heard the nervousness in my tone, enjoying the taste of fear that was spreading inside the carriage. I can’t stop my body from trembling. My throat felt like I was being strangled by an invisible hand. I could barely breathe. My stomach tightens and my shoulders are so stiff. Beads of cold sweat ran down my face as I suppressed myself not doing anything stupid in front of the two werewolves in front of me, knowing there is no way I could escape from them alive even if I ran as fast as I could.“Just go on with the flow, Lady Eodelle… which you are supposed to do. Now, everything got complicated because you always think you are better than me,” Helena raised an eyebrow at me, her condescending look made me feel so small. She is like a dangerous animal ready to devour me any moment and I am nothing but a pathetic rabbit being cornered inside her den of despair.I couldn't do anything but
“Aster no…”But I couldn’t stop him anymore.As fast as he could, I saw how he killed the palace soldiers one by one inside the Emperor’s Hall and saved Nina. But to his shock, he stopped in front of Lady Marian’s body which was lying on the marble floor, cold and unmoving. He stared at her for a bit with a solemn face like she was some kind of a sister for him and lifted her, and carried her towards me and Nina where she covered her lifeless body with a curtain he took from one of the walls with the insignia of the North Kingdom as one of the allied Kingdoms of the Empire.As soon as he came back to me and our baby, He held me tight once again and looked at the small child in my arms with his gentle eyes despite the agony he must be feeling all over his body. And then he glanced back at Lady Marian's body which made me sob as my heart broke into pieces for losing a great friend.“She is a good person, Eodelle… She helped me through a lot about you and Laurent. She never deserved thi
"MARIAN!!!"My whole body froze as I watched her kneel in front of the red guard who stabbed her. Her face turned dark before she fell to the ground, her body not moving anymore. My nose was filled with the scent of her blood as it wafted all over the place, giving me shudders all over my body. The hall turned silent as we all watched Lady Marian dead on the floor. I feel like my heart and soul were shattered into millions of pieces and it horrified me more when I could no longer hear my child's cry. He also turned silent as fear crawled all over me. "See what you have done, Eodelle... I told you not to fight me anymore. I may be a liar sometimes but you know what I can do when someone upsets me," Emyr sneered while I stood frozen, still in denial that Marian was already gone just like that.Tears fell from my eyes, "What do you want me to do then, Emyr? What do you want from me?!" I tried to contain the anger inside me as my throat ached while I sobbed. My whole body was trembling
It is a call of desperation.I glared at Emyr. He knew from the start that he and Helena won't win this war. That is why he is trying to make some bargain to spare his and Helena's life. But there is no way I could let these two escape after what they did to my son...to Aster. I don't exactly know if he will do his side of the bargain though. But I am getting more desperate to see Aster once again and have my baby in my arms. I know I shouldn't trust Emyr with his poisonous words. I shouldn't let myself be deceived by his lies. But my child's life is more important to me."Show them to me first, Emyr! And then I'll decide!" I yelled at him with confidence in my voice. It is me he is pleading to and not the other way around. I should be the one who must ask for demands. "Sure! Just follow me!" He answered with a grin on his face which made me more suspicious. I know I should be more careful but knowing that I am finally going to have my son back takes all the fear in my head and jus
I immediately went to the officers who were leading a horse for her to use and then thanked them shortly after I put on some new set of clothes and before I hopped on the animal and galloped towards the Imperial City in a route not too familiar for me. I had to take it as per Lady Marian's advice so that no Red soldier wouldn't recognize me on that path where few people take it because it was a little farther than the main road.With gritted teeth, I made the horse run to its full speed. But I have other plans. I know Lady Marian is already waiting for me at the downtown alley where four Talaphatian soldiers are with her. I know she will surely get mad once she finds out I didn't go just as we planned. I have to go alone and never wanted to put my best friend's life in danger just like what I promised King Laurent. She will be safe with her guards.Through the woods, all I think about is Aster and our son. I will go to Headow Stronghold alone and face whatever will be waiting for me t
This is the day.I feel like my heart is in my throat. My heartbeat pains my ears as the throbbing goes harder, faster, making my hands tremble in fear as we all march towards the wide plain at the border of Northern Kingdom and the Imperial city.King Laurent didn’t allow Lady Marian to march with us. She is waiting for me at one of the darkest downtown alleys for the mission to save Aster, and my child. I can’t wait until this battle march is over. I can’t wait to see Aster again and our son. I pray Helena didn’t do anything to him. I pray he is safe inside the Headow Stronghold and being watched by my ancestors, keeping him safe.The sky is clear and the sun is gentle on my skin as I rode with the three Kings on my side. The North, West and Talaphatian King swore their loyalty to me and the future that I promised to them. The future that we all are seeking is free from greed, violence and self-interest that the Imperial council portrays just to make themselves more powerful and t
The council meeting with the Northern Kingdom and the Western Kingdom was not good. There was tension between the two Kings and I can feel that even Laurent felt a little frustrated about it. King Anthony never liked the arrogance of the King of the West who was Katrina’s father. His grumpy face reminded me of my father and I can’t deny that each time he looks at me with his mouth curved downward and his eyes judging, piercing eyes penetrating through the stoic facade I have been practicing because I never wanted them to think I am scared of them.We are all in a place—a carved cave the northern men use as the council chamber. In the middle is the wide wooden table with the map of the continent carved into it with wooden pieces representing each Kingdom and the Headow Stronghold. King Lauren and Lady Marian never left my side even when we entered the chamber. King Anthony never wanted his little sister to join the war meeting with me but she insisted because she is also part of what
I have to make him believe I have the ability to rule the Kingdom just like a true Wycliffe does. I can feel the blood of my ancestors running through me as my inner wolf convinces me that I am not the same Eodelle who used to fear a lot of things. King Laurent and Lady Marian looked at me with their brows angled upward, worried that I might fail to convince the Northern King to join the alliance. King Laurent cannot guarantee that he can beat the Headow Stronghold after the Southern Kingdom already pledged its alliance with Helena and the Western side was still indecisive about it.“Eodelle, you don’t have to. We all know…” Laurent whispered to me as he stood on my left and Lady Marian on my right. They still have no idea that I have finally had my wolf. But to be honest, I am scared I won’t be able to control myself once I unleash and shift into my werewolf form. It will be my very first time and I am aware I will have to endure a hell of pain once the process of physical change ha
[ASTER’s Point-of-View]Now I understand how terrifying it must be for Eodelle when I threw her into this very dungeon. Dark, cold, stinking… I am a monster for making her suffer the first night we met. What a tragic first meeting we had. I totally hate myself just thinking of it.I promised Eodelle I will bring our child back. But I failed. I underestimated Helena and I was overconfident that I could still have her trust. I never thought that while I was gone, she had lost our child. I should feel bad about it but what she did to Eodelle is beyond forgiveness.I heard someone sniffing not too far from my cell in the middle of my mooring. The voice was familiar to me as I listened to it carefully.“Nina?”The sniffing stopped.“Your Grace? Is that you? Why are you here?” she asked in shock. I don’t know what cell she was in but her voice was clear. She is careful enough not to make it echo inside the dungeon.“Long Story. But can you tell me what happened?”Nina was very detailed when
For two days I have been trying to stand up on my own feet, wishing the effect of the poison that was given to me by that healer would finally be gone. Despite my anger and my demand not to see her again, the healer still comes into my tent to give me an antidote from the poison for my fast recovery. She had been asking for forgiveness for what she did to me and what happened to me and my baby but I refused to talk to her, letting her guilt eat her inch by inch. Without my baby in my hands, I can’t find any sympathy to give her. My heart is just filled with revenge and a huge desire to have my child and Aster back. To save Nina and make Helena pay for everything she did to me and to the people important to me.I have been suffering from a high fever and with the level of dizziness I feel, I could barely get up from my bed. My body feels like I am inside an oven, slowly being cooked into ashes. I am sweating so badly that the maidservants in the camp had to replace my bedsheet thrice