The Werewolf King's Bride

The next morning, Dem went to call for Evan. I stayed in our bedroom. Dem came back with Evan within ten minutes.

"The grand bedroom is quite extravagant, isn't it?" Evan stated, looking around.

"I don't think your room is any less extravagant if not more," I said.

"I have seen this room before. It's just more decorated now…," he said. "That said, how come I am so fortunate that I am brought to the grand bedroom of the most famous Royal couple?"

"The King of Trouvaille needs to take a look at a mark and tell us if we can do anything to remove it," Dem said.

"Don't tell me… That mark is real?" Evan asked, looking shocked.

I was wearing a backless dress so I could show it to him. I turned my back to him on the bed. He quickly came behind me with quick strides and started observing the mark closely. Since he was a dark mage, Dem wanted to show it to him in case he had a way to remove it since neither one of us liked it.

"This mark… Can I touch it?" Evan asked. His voice was slightly shaky as if a scientist discovered something he was looking for all his life.

I glanced at Dem. I was not sure if he was okay with it.

"… Alright," Dem said. It did not surprise me too much as I knew he agreed because he wished Evan would find a way to remove it in some way.

Evan ran his fingers over the mark. "It's… It's real…," he mumbled.

"You surely did not think we were lying, did you?" I said.

"No… But seeing it up close like this… I always thought it was not real…," he said. He removed his hand after a minute or so. "And what you want is impossible, to be fair. You cannot remove this mark now that it is here already. It is not a tattoo. It is a brand.

This mark has been branded onto her skin. How can it go away? This mark has been used to awaken her power. There is no way, forget me, anyone can remove this. Even the black lord himself doesn't have the ability to do so."

The fact that I was a dark mage was something I disclosed to others at the dinner. But I did not tell them that my biological father was the black lord himself. It looked like the duke had questions, but everyone was busy talking about my pregnancy, so he did not get the opportunity to ask.

"So, I will have… it forever?" I asked.

"I'm afraid so," Evan said.

Dem let out a sigh. "Well, then, there is nothing more to do," he said.

"It shouldn't hurt anymore," Evan said.

"It doesn't…"

"But it surely did hurt a lot when it was branded…," he said, looking at me pitifully.

"Yeah… It hurt for more than a day…," I said. "But it's fine now…"

Evan went back that night. Dem's mood was not too good since he found out the mark would stay there. It was not like he hated how it looked or thought it looked bad on me. But, he did not like it because it reminded him how much it had hurt me when I was branded with it.

***

"I really thought you died. So, I cried a bit too. Now, how can I get those tears back?"

"Abel, I cannot… give you… your tears back…," I said.

Abel and Athena had come to visit me a week after the dinner. Athena was sitting on my lap in my office while Abel sat in a chair in front of me.

I started to take a look at some work even though Dem was against it. I wanted to work a bit because I had nothing else to do and I felt bad for Dem and my subordinates.

The duke had gone to a meeting while Athena and Abel stayed with me to talk. They had come to spend some time with me after all. Iris could not come because she was taking care of some work.

"Why are talking that way, Abel?" Athena barked.

"It's alright… I'm the one… who told him to be… comfortable…," I said.

"But it's not being comfortable. It's being rude!" Athena protested.

"It's fine, really…," I said.

"Are you not going to leave anymore?" Abel asked.

"I'm not… I will stay right here… till I get old…," I said.

"You don't have to leave even when you are old. You can live as a Queen forever," he said.

"Yes. If I become the heir, I will accept you as my Queen," Athena said.

"It is the same for me," Abel said. "I will accept you as well."

"So, stay here forever, Your Majesty," she said.

"Alright… But what about the… little one? Someday, maybe the… kid will take over the throne," I said.

"What if it doesn't want to?" Abel asked. "Does your child has to be the ruler someday?"

"Not really… The King and I don't… want t-that… We want our… kid t-to choose what it wants," I said. "If the kid doesn't want… to be the ruler, it's fine. We have candidates anyway… It's just a valid… option. We will give… our kid the choice… to choose for themselves."

Dem and I always thought about our kid that way. If we had one kid, it would have the choice to choose its life. If we had more kids, we would let them choose who wanted to be the ruler. If there were more than one who wanted to take over the throne, the one who was better at ruling between them would be the next ruler.

The rule was simple; firstly, they needed to choose, and then, their abilities would be considered.

"Your stomach will get big, won't it?" Athena asked.

"It would be so weird…," Abel said, squinting his nose.

"Yeah… It will be after a few months… though," I said.

"It will look like a ball. So weird~"

"It's not… weird… It's how women's body… work," I said. "I think it's beautiful… though I don't know… if I will look beautiful… like all the other women do… during pregnancy…"

"You will! You are really beautiful! You will look more beautiful that time!" Athena exclaimed.

"Maybe… you won't… look weird…," Abel said.

"Maybe? Her Majesty can never look weird!" Athena snapped.

"Don't fight, kids… Eat the cookies and… your tea. It will get cold," I said. "That said… Calix and Perita… aren't you two way… too quiet? I have noticed… this for a while. Since I have come… back, you two… are not like usual… What happened?"

Athena started drinking her tea. She was being careful not to drop any on me. I could observe her all day, but I had more pressing matters.

"Answer… me," I said.

"It's just…," Calix mumbled. He looked a lot bigger than before. It looked like he grew a lot within one month.

'Is it because of puberty?'

"We think the punishment you gave us is not enough. Your Highness, you did not actually punish us at all! Helping the gardener and the maids is not a punishment!" Perita exclaimed. Continue reading on empire

"I don't see the… reason t-to punish you. It's not like you did not… protect me… on purpose," I said. "And as I said, you two… would be nothing… even if you were there… Look at Abel and Reece now… They haven't woken… up yet…," I said.

"At least, I could have been there with Your Highness," Calix mumbled. "Your Highness would not have to suffer alone then."

"Calix… If any of you two… ever mention this t-to me again, you don't have t-to be… my knight anymore. It will be over…!"

"But, Your Highness…," Perita started.

"I said it's the end of this if you… still want… t-to be my knight," I said. "You think… I want to be reminded… of that time, again and again, every single… time I look at you two… I want to forget…! Just stop it already!"

They looked surprised, and so did Athena and Abel. Calix lowered his head. "My apologies, Your Highness. We won't say it again."

"But…"

"Just stop it, Perita! Don't you want to be Her Highness's guard anymore?" Calix barked.

"I'm sorry…," Perita mumbled.

"This chapter… is closed forever now," I said. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Perita and Calix said at the same time.

"Good…"

I breathed out sharply. My head was hurting.

"Let's go back… to how we used t-to be, shall we?" I said.

"Yes," Perita said.

"It doesn't make… me feel good, you know, if… you two… keep blaming yourself. It was not my… intention to get… angry at you…," I said. My eyes started to water. "I just… don't like it."