“Since you don’t want to go back to sleep, shall we go?” I asked.
Arron rubbed his eyes and nodded sleepily. “Okay, Mommy.”
“Come on, reach for the skies.” I instructed him to stretch out his arms and helped him put his coat on. I looked at the bandage on the bedside table and hesitated. In the end, I wrapped Arron’s face with a scarf and put a hat on his head.
Arron sat on the edge of the bed, letting me dress him obediently. The soft scarf was more comfortable than the bandage. He rubbed the fragrant scarf happily and said, “It’d be nice if I don’t need the bandages anymore.” My heart ached. Squatting down in front of Arron, I touched his cheek and said, “Soon, you won’t have to cover your face anymore. Just a little longer, Arron.”
“Okay, Mommy.” I gave him a candy, and Arron smiled so happily, bring out the dimples on his cheeks.
I cautiously carried Arron downstairs, only to find the living room empty. A servant quickly came over and said, “The lycan king and the queen mother are in the study. Would you like me to inform them?”
“No, thanks. If they ask, just tell them that Arron and I have left.” After giving the servant brief instructions, I headed back.
I saw someone passby the window. It was Crystal, holding her kid in her arms.
Was she leaving so soon? Somehow, I felt that she looked a bit sad.
I wanted to chase after her by instinct, but when I heard my mother calling me, I stopped and held back the impulse in my heart.
“Rufus, what’s wrong?” she asked in a concerned tone.
I stared in the direction the she-wolf had left for a long time without saying anything. I didn’t know why, but recently, I felt deeply affected by that she-wolf. As long as she was present, I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything but her. Whenever I felt that she was unhappy, I subconsciously wanted to comfort her. It took every inch of willpower to restrain myself from doing so, and I always failed miserably.
This was the first time I ever cared so much about a she -wolf. I know it was wrong. As a king, I shouldn’t be affected by an insignificant she-wolf, let alone a she- wolf who already had two kids.
But strangely, I found myself unbothered by the fact that she had given birth to another man’s children. Everyone had the right to love and to have children. It was not shameful. On the contrary, I was more bothered by the fact that the jerk ended up abandoning her.
I sighed inwardly. I couldn’t figure out why I cared so much about her anyway. In the end, I concluded that this she-wolf was a dangerous existence, and was very- likely a threat to the royal family. She was ambitious and scheming, which was why I paid attention to her in the first place.
When I came to my senses, I answered, “Mother, you seem to be on good terms with Crystal.”
My mother cast a sidelong glance at me and asked curtly, “Since when did you become so concerned with my social life?”
“It’s not that. I just haven’t seen you so friendly to other noble ladies before,” I explained lightly. Moreover, she even treated Crystal’s two kids as if they were her own grandchildren. She was happier to see them than seeing her own son-me.
My mother then snorted, “Crystal isn’t just some noblewoman. She’s also the Alpha of the border pack. It’s not bad to make friends with her. As for you, you should focus on choosing a wife now.”
I couldn’t retort, because she was right. It was time for me to think about the future of the throne. Crystal was nothing but a distraction.
“Let’s go to the study. See who else needs to be added to the list.” My mother turned around and headed upstairs. She still moved so gracefully.
I followed her to the study. Without checking the lists in my hand, I put them on the desk and said indifferently, “Mom, you can decide on the candidates for me. I’ll be okay with whoever you choose.”
“I plan on inviting the Alphas and Betas from various packs. We’ll ask them to bring their daughters as well,” my mother said slowly, taking a sip from her cup of coffee.
I nodded. Everyone already knew about the reason why we were holding this ball. Otherwise, why else would there be so many noblewomen coming with the Alphas to the imperial capital for the military parade this year? “Although I’ve already checked the lists for you, you’re still the one who’ll make the final call in the end. After all, you’re going to choose your favorite she-wolf among them to be your queen.” My mother was worried, so she kept nagging me again and again. It was as if she was afraid that I’d suddenly change my mind and turn the ball into just another social gathering.
Truth be told, I was extremely tempted to do so, because I didn’t even want to get married. If it wasn’t for the fact that I needed to provide the royal family with an heir, I would’ve preferred to stay mate-less for the rest of my life.
“What’s with the long face?” My mother seemed to have read my mind. Her eyes suddenly became sharp and her body tensed up, as if she was ready to pour her coffee over my head if I said no.
I smiled helplessly. “Don’t worry. I know what I have to do.”
“Good.” My mother relaxed somewhat and smiled at me gently. “Don’t worry. I’ve looked into the backgrounds of every girl on the list. They’re all worthy.”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Since we’ve invited all the Alphas from every pack, will the border pack’s Alpha also come?”
My mother seemed stunned. She looked at me, wide- eyed, and asked warily, “Do you want her to come?”
Laura’s POV
Rufus hesitated for a while before utterly denying, “No, I’m just curious.”
Despite his reassuring response, I was still worried.
These past few days, Rufus didn’t show any sign of favoritism toward Crystal, but I had noticed that whenever he looked at her, there was happiness in his eyes that he wasn’t even aware of.
I remembered Crystal once said that if Rufus fell in love with her again, the black thorns on his back would grow again. And if that happened, there was no way to save him.
I hoped that nothing tragic would happen again. Crystal, more than anybody else, could not bear to go through that agonizing separation again.
Having mentally prepared my question, I asked hesitantly, “You seem to be interested in Crystal, huh?”
“Really? Maybe I’m just being overly cautious with a potentially dangerous person,” Rufus said in a light voice, as if he was answering a question about his meal today. “A potentially dangerous person?” I didn’t expect this answer at all, so I raised my voice uncontrollably.
“Isn’t a she-wolf who doesn’t take me seriously dangerous?” Rufus snorted. Although he sounded normal, I somehow felt that he was feeling wronged. On second thought, Crystal really didn’t take Rufus seriously enough. She would occasionally surprise me with her brazen behavior. Only Crystal had the courage to bring up issues that even I avoided discussing with Rufus.
Who else could Rufus blame? He had spoiled her too much before, and that was why she turned out like this. I vented my frustrations internally.
“Besides, I’m only paying attention to her because she is Beryl’s biological mother,” Rufus said quite seriously with a straight face. If I didn’t know better, I’d take his word for it.
“In that case, choose a mate at the ball.” After giving Rufus a quick glance, I continued to listen to what he had to say.
He pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before he squeezed out, “If there is a suitable one.”
I didn’t know what else to say. From Rufus’ hesitant demeanor, I had a really bad feeling that the ball would not end peacefully.
At this time, we caught wind of a kid playing outside. I looked out and saw Beryl playing with the servants in the garden. A bandage covered her adorable face, but that didn’t stop her from smiling sweetly. After a few days of recovery, the wound on Beryl’s head had healed. But the swelling had not yet subsided. Even if she lost her memory, I knew that Beryl wouldn’t stay here for long. Crystal would definitely take her back.
Thinking of this, my heart was filled with sadness and pity. I turned to Rufus and asked, “Do you like Beryl?”
Rufus took a glance at the garden and his eyes softened. After a while, he answered, “She is a lovely girl.”
I hesitated for a moment before asking hesitantly, “How about we keep Beryl here?”
I knew it was cruel to Crystal, but Beryl has lost her memory. The child would be devastated if she were f0rced to leave.
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