“Eodelle!”I glanced a little behind me and saw King Lauret Dawson approaching. He was alone and he was wearing only a simple coat which surprised me because most of the time that I saw him, he always looked so regal with all his furs and expensive tunics with hose, leggings, and breeches. Today, he is only wearing a simple black cloak with black trousers and his long, blonde hair is tied tightly behind his back which accentuates more his clear blue eyes.His steps are slow. Perhaps, all his duties for today are already finished, unlike Aster who is still having meetings with the noble merchants of this Kingdom and still negotiating with them about the goods that they can offer in the main city Empire. To be honest, Aster doesn’t have to address the issue on his own and make an appearance in that kind of meeting but he insisted. And I presume he is trying to learn and observe what kind of people the Empire is dealing with.He is too hands-on for an Emperor.“Your Grace,” I curtsied in
It is not a good idea.But why am I not scared at all even though I know Aster will surely get mad at me if he finds out I am with King Laurent on the riverside?I am not good at horseback riding but the black mare that the King let me borrow is so gentle and I never had any hard time navigating with her through the forest. The Eunuch that watched my whole day was silenced by the King, telling him that there is nothing to worry about because I am in good hands and he is a very nice friend of the Emperor which I am not sure if that will be effective once Aster gets back from his important meetings.King Laurent used a white horse which made him look more like a knight that is ready to save a damsel in distress. I want to consider myself as one though. But there is no way I would give him trouble by begging him to take me away from the Headow Stronghold and just let me stay in this peaceful and beautiful place.Besides, Sofia will never be happy about that.She would surely kill her bro
During the dinner, My mind just couldn’t focus on the foods no matter how scrumptious they look because I can feel the King’s eyes staring at me with a small smile on his lips. It made me nervous that Alpha Aster might think differently about Laurent’s behavior and I never want their friendship to be ruined just because I failed to obey his order not to get too close to the man. But King Laurent is a gentle guy and I don’t see anything bad about talking with him. After our secret visit at the riverbanks this morning, he made sure that the Eunuch would never tell anything about what happened to Aster. I felt bad that he had to threaten my personal guard though. To be fair, He gave the Eunuch a bag of gold for her silence and the Eunuch gladly took it with a smile on her face.Nothing can’t really be bought with a bag of gold.I just stayed in my room the whole day thinking about the riverbank and its beauty. I can’t also erase the King’s sweet smiles in my head. It was the very first
"Hmmm…" I woke up with someone kissing my neck. I opened my eyes and saw Aster’s languid eyes staring at me. I was surprised because it was the very first time he had stayed in bed when the sun hadn't shined yet. I felt his arms around me, his fingers tracing my smooth pale skin under the warm blanket. I can feel his breath brushing against my neck, his lips making small kisses that tickle me. “I’m sorry I woke you up… I just want to kiss you before I go with the boys for the hunt,” his raspy, sexy voice gave chills to my skin as he pulled me towards him, our naked bodies touched under the thick blanket. I bit my lower lip when I felt his manhood go rigid against my stomach. “You feel that?” he whispered teasingly, his eyes staring at me with desire. "Tell me…" "It is long… and hard, your Grace…" I whispered back in a hoarse tone and as if a keyword, Aster quickly positioned on top of me and didn't waste any moment. We shared a blissful moment together, two more times until Aster
“Are you sure about it, your Grace?”Cecil looked troubled while helping me get dressed for the hunt. I preferred light clothing and a hat so that even if the sun would shine bright above us, it won’t blind me when I get to strike down the target. Her hands are fast and her face was a little upset as she tied the lace of my boots.“It will be fine, Cecil. There is nothing to worry about,” I chuckled at her because I just think she is somehow exaggerating, “I have a lot of experience with using guns and how to handle them. And hunting is one of my hobbies so I will be alright out there. I promise.”“I just don’t understand why you have to go with all those men. You can just let the Emperor handle this, your Grace. You are not fit to do such ridiculous sports! This is dangerous!”“What? I think it is more dangerous to deal with the other concubines though. I would prefer hunting wild beasts out there. At least this activity gives me the power to kill what is dangerous to me and not suff
Aster didn’t stop me from going with them despite the four Lord merchant’s warning that this kind of activity is not for ladies like me. They just sounded like Cecil though but I don’t care. They can’t let me wait in the camp. Because I couldn’t shift, my father used to train me how to use a rifle so I know how to protect myself in case something bad happens. I think it is the only thing I am thankful about Oswald Wycliffe. He taught me how to be tough no matter what the situation is. I thought at first it was some kind of punishment when I was young. But then as I age, I get that there are bad men who are just waiting for their turn to execute wherever their plans. And that gave me the motivation to be better at using guns. There were times that I thought of using it against my own father when he used to hurt me a lot whenever I made something that displeases him. The anger piled in my chest and every time I aimed my gun at something, I always thought about his angry face.Now I r
"Your Grace… we are not sure yet what is inside the cave. I have a feeling it is not just a bear. The sound makes it seem like the creature is more massive than a typical bear in this forest—""You worry too much, Eodelle. If it is not a bear, we will find out what it is then," He answered me back while glaring at the cave where the guttural groaning sound came from, "Good thing I am in the right mood to deal with such things right now."It made me frown and my heart started to feel nervous at the same time. I don't feel good in this part of the forest at all. I can feel the danger that is surrounding us. Even my inner wolf warns me about it and I know Alpha Aster can feel it too. I just don’t understand why he wanted to stay and wait for the thing that lingers inside the cave.Since I cannot convince him to turn back, I just prepared myself for whatever might happen. I kept my body upright, my back a little stiff so I had to let out a breath to relax my body a little bit and kept my
“Your Grace!”One of the Lord Merchants ran towards us, the worry etched on his face as he checked on the Emperor, “We have been looking for both of you for over an hour!”It was already dark when we came back to the camp and everyone surrounded me and the Emperor the moment they recognized both of us. They quickly gave Aster and me some warm cloaks because we are both a little drenched from the soft drizzle in the forest.“Your Grace,” King Laurent approached us, his eyes going to Aster and down at me. I saw him sigh as if he got relieved when he found out that I was not hurt and was finally safe, “We apologize for the lack of action we had. We just didn’t know which part of the forest you went to together with lady Eodelle. Some of the rangers are still in the forest looking for you though. I am glad you finally came back unscathed and unharmed.”Aster laughed shortly and then walked alongside King Laurent, leaving me standing in front of the three Lord Merchants. Laurent gave me a
“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