The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Blue's Perspective)

"What about Mazazine? Is there really going to be a war?" I asked the beta.

Dem was not letting me work on anything other than the matters within the palace. Whenever Dem acted that way, it was either because he was insecure, or because he wanted to hide something. The first one could not be applied this time. It was definitely the second one.

"Your Highness doesn't need to worry about anything. Everything is going to be alright," the beta said. "Worrying is not good for Your Highness's health."

"Well, I cannot just stay still and worry about nothing when there can be a war!"

It had been almost three months of my pregnancy. I was already worried about Cyan who I could not see even once after escaping together; and now, there was the matter of the war. Things were getting serious. I could see the preparation of the knights. I would an idiot to not know what they were preparing for.

"There is a high possibility of a war not taking place, Your Highness. Please do not worry."

Dem and I had announced my pregnancy quite a long time ago. So, everyone now knew. I was a matter of concern to a lot of people, but I also felt like they were hiding something from me. Why could I not deal with the other matters now like I used to do before?

"Are you lying to me?" I asked.

"I would not dare," he said.

My head started to hurt. It was frustrating to know that everyone was hiding something obviously, but they were not telling even when they knew I realized that they were lying.

I studied his face for a while. The guy had gotten old but still could work just fine. He was great at lying. No wonder he became the beta. No matter what moral books said about being honest. The ones who actually got the best jobs were the biggest liars and manipulators.

"Whatever you say," I said and stomped out.

Perita and Calix were on my heels. "Are you alright, Your Highness?" Calix asked.

"No, I'm not! Everyone is hiding everything from me! What's the point, huh? Even if I find out the truth, will it not happen? If a war is bound to happen, it will take place whether I know about it or not!"

"Your Highness, there really isn't…," Calix started.

"Oh please! What the hell do you think these knights are doing?" I asked, pointing out the window. The knights were training harder than ever. They did not get much rest. Dam personally trained them. The knights were quite far away from the Imperial Palace, but they could be seen from the window.

"Dem never had them work this hard. Everyone is anxious. Don't lie to me! It's… frustrating!"

"Your Highness, you are mistaken…," Calix started again.

"I don't understand," Perita said. "I don't see the point."

"Don't you dare, Perita!" Calix warned her.

"What is the point in hiding? Who will not know?" Perita muttered.

"I am right, ain't I? Just what is going on?"

"Perita, stop it! His Highness…"

"You are my knight, both of you! My orders are what you are going to follow before the King's orders. You are forgetting the most important part, aren't you?"

Calix looked confused. "Your Highness, we would not do something to hurt you."

"The truth won't hurt me, Calix. Just because I'm pregnant, it doesn't mean I am to be kept away from all the truth just because it's a little hard to accept," I said, as calmly as possible. I did not want to yell too much. First of all, yelling hurt my throat. And secondly, I loved my knights. I did not want to yell at them.

"Your Highness, let us go back to your room, or wherever you want to go. I promise I will tell you everything," Perita said.

"Perita…," Calix mumbled.

"Her Highness has a right to know, even if she is pregnant. Being pregnant doesn't make her less of a Queen and she can know about this if she wants to," Perita said sharply. It was surprising how she managed to keep everything a secret from me for this long. She was the type of person who could not keep a word in their stomach, especially from me.

I gave her a nod. "The bedroom. I want to go there," I said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

They took me to the bedroom. I sat down on the couch. Doctor Dimitri always advised me to sit down after a while if I started to have a headache since I sometimes fainted or fell because of fatigue.

"Do you need some water, Your Highness?" Calix asked.

"Yes," I mumbled and sighed. I motioned for Perita to sit down. "Now, tell me."

"Actually," she started, "the first prince of Mazazine has been murdered."

"Yes, I know that. Everyone knows that. He was dismembered, wasn't he?"

"He was. And the King thinks it was His Highness, who did it."

"What? Why?"

It was not like Dem could not kill someone. He could be very cruel and I was completely aware of that side of my husband. But he never killed someone for no reason. And the first prince of Mazazine had nothing to do with him.

"They say there were proofs. His Highness knows about them but did not tell us. The King of Mazazine sent him the proofs. A person from another kingdom, killing someone from the other kingdom's Imperial family can easily lead to war. And this is the first prince we are talking about. He was the heir."

"Here you go, Your Highness," Calix handed me the glass of water.

"Thank you," I said. "Sit down. I always considered you to be my kid, but you really keep things from me. That's so upsetting, Calix!"

"My apologies. I did not want to worry Your Highness like His Highness said," Calix said. "But I don't understand how can I be Your Highness's kid when I am only two years younger than you? It's not like you can give birth when you are two…"

"Don't think that way," I said. "You are my kid even if you are only two years younger than me. There is this motherly thing that I feel around you. Anyway, so, what are you two's opinions on this matter? Do you think there can be a war? Tell me the truth."

"I personally think there is a huge possibility, kind of like there is a ninety-five percent chance of a war," Calix said. "But we can be hopeful because of the last five percent."

"Oh, fuck that five percent! Please excuse my language, Your Highness," Perita said.

"So, what do you think, Perita?"

"I think there is surely going to be a war and it is inevitable," Perita said. "I have suggested to His Highness to send Your Highness to somewhere else for the time being with a group of knights. Even the palace won't be safe. Sometimes, the war spreads as far as the palace. There are examples of the members of the Imperial family being slaughtered within the palace.

Now that Your Highness is carrying the possible heir, you are a target." Stay tuned with empire

"Even if Her Highness was not pregnant, she would still be a target," Calix said.

"Well, that's true."

Unlike the royal tradition I heard of, the rules were different here. Here, a King and a Queen had the same amount of power. Even if the one with Royal blood passed away, their significant other would still be the ruler until they wanted to pass their position to someone else, usually their son or daughter.

It meant even if something happened to Dem, I had the right to stay as the Queen if the public was not collectively against it. I also had the right to choose literally anyone as the next ruler. So, I was just as important pregnant with Dem's child as I was alone.

"So, there is going to be a war…," I mumbled.

"I know what Your Highness is worried about. But His Highness doesn't need to go. The King almost never joins the war if it is not too serious," Calix said. "At least, in the beginning, I don't think His Highness needs to go. I feel like he won't need to go at all. But it will be a good decision to leave the palace for the time being.

His Highness mentioned moving you to a different place a few days ago."

But Dem had not told me anything. He had the habit of doing things about me without discussing first. It was not like the war had begun already. He could have told me a bit about it beforehand. We had enough time.

"I see… I will talk to him… I need to have a talk with him," I mumbled. "Can one of you go and…"

"I am here already. No one needs to go and get me."