All this time, Beryl had been sobbing in a low voice due to the pain of her stomach still aching. Even though we tried our best to coax her, it was heartbreaking to watch the girl weep.
Besides, maybe it was because Beryl was not feeling well, she relied more on Rufus than usual. After leaving my arms, she stayed in his arms all the time. After taking the medicine, she seemed to feel better as she leaned against Rufus’ shoulder listlessly. I wanted her to get some sleep, but she said that she didn’t want to go to bed. So, I chose to do paper folding to cheer her up.
In the past when we were in the border pack, Beryl liked doing handcraft very much, such as wooden carvings and pottery. In fact, she was the one who taught me paper folding, but the little girl forgot that.
Rufus picked up a tiger-shape folded paper on the table and made a comment with interest. “I didn’t expect you to be quite good at making handcraft.”
I secretly rolled my eyes and snorted, retorting, “Otherwise, how could I make a whistle with the exact same mark as yours?”
Rufus laughed and said, “It seems that you are not only skilled but also vindictive.”
I lowered my head and continued to work on the paper kitten in my hand which was about to take shape. I didn’t say anything to his remarks, but he was wrong because if I really was vindictive, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. After all, I knew that Rufus was just interested in those secrets I had hidden. Loyalty was particularly important to a king. In the past, Rufus couldn’t tolerate any betrayal, and now, even more so. The one thing I was afraid was that he wouldn’t let me leave the capital city before he completely trusted me.
I couldn’t help but sigh thinking of this. Rufus seemed to notice it as he asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable talking to me?”
What a sensitive and suspicious person! I didn’t know how to answer his question at that moment, so I kept silent.
Since Rufus didn’t get my response, his handsome face darkened and he snorted coldly. Then, he went upstairs with Beryl who was now sleepy in his arms. Clearly, he was refusing to let me be with Beryl!
I could only choke out, “You!” Looking at his back, I was so angry that I wanted to rush up to beat him up. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t because I wouldn’t defeat him.
I was so annoyed by him that I didn’t want to stay here any longer. After tidying up the folded papers on the table, I said goodbye to Laura and left.
Rufus’ POV
After putting Beryl to sleep, I left her room and went downstairs. I swept my eyes around the living room, but didn’t spot the she-wolf I was seeking. “Who are you looking for? Crystal left.” My mother was sitting at the table and leisurely sipping her coffee.
“I’m stepping out for a while.” After saying that, I quickly marched out of the lycan king’s palace.
My mind flashed back to seeing Crystal sneaking around the forbidden forest today, and I had no clue about what she was doing there. So I would have to go to the forest again.
We passed the City Hall and then the Royal Military School, but I kept walking forward.
My bodyguard kept pace with me and asked, “Your Majesty, are we going the wrong way? This path leads to the forbidden forest.”
“That’s our destination. I need to confirm something,” I replied.
Crystal must have done some unknown deed in the forbidden forest. I quickened my steps and reached the entrance. The sun had already set. Except for a few lamps at the entrance of the forbidden forest, everything else was pitch-black.
I turned on the torch on my phone and entered the forbidden forest. A faint stench of death came from afar, pulling me into the forest. My spirits lifted and I focused on finding its source.
After a long hike, we finally came upon a clearing that didn’t match the surroundings.
Although normally no one was allowed to get into the forbidden forest, wild animals roamed it, and they were usually noisy especially at night. But this part of the forest was eerily quiet and weird. All living creatures seemed to deliberately avoid this place. Even the birds who fluttered around the forest had disappeared, as if some terrible thing here made them wary of approaching, heightening the sense of death one felt around this area.
I cautiously took a couple of steps forward, and the stench of death I’d followed suddenly weakened.
I stopped in my tracks and scrutinized the ground around me. It was much softer than the rest of the forest floor I’d encountered on my way here. It seemed that someone had cleaned this place a little while ago and covered it with dirt. Although the perpetrators had tried to conceal something, the color of the soil at the edge of the clearing was deeper than the soil in the rest of the forest. The exposed soil was wet and red.
I crouched down and checked the soil. It indeed contained a particularly strong evil aura. I frowned and commented, “I’d heard that an ominous place existed in the forest. I can finally see it, but I never expected it to be so strange.”
My attendant also seemed to feel a strong sense of death. He stepped back with a serious expression, the fear clearly visible on his face, and said, “It must be true. I heard that Queen Mother Laura had killed Noreen and buried her bones in the forest. Perhaps this is the burial spot. We have accidentally stumbled upon it today.”
I gazed at the ground in front of me, lost in deep thought. I was ill when my mother had killed Noreen, so I knew nothing about how she had done it. Besides, when she brought it up later, she was very casual about it and there was hardly any detail. That was the reason I didn’t pay any attention to it, nor did I bring up this topic again.
Things didn’t look as simple as I thought they were anymore, because Crystal was definitely involved.
She wouldn’t have come here if she had simply lost her way. She must have some connection to this witch.
My mind was buzzing with doubts. I bent down a little to touch the ground, and my fingers were immediately stung. I quickly pulled my hand back, and my expression changed. It looked like a witch had put a spell over this land. It must be Crystal.
Rufus’ POV
The invisible barrier shielded me from the outside. No one could set up such an enchanted barrier except for witches and wizards.
I took a couple of steps back and closed my eyes as I willed the lycan power in my body to feel around my surroundings and take in whatever detail was worth noting. I could tell that the barrier had just been set up, and that the air inside was much denser than in other areas.
I opened my eyes and had a theory of my own. It was probably Crystal.
No outsider was allowed to step foot in this place, and it was far away from the imperial palace. Crystal said she just got lost and stumbled here? What a big fat lie!
If it hadn’t been for my informant, I would never have guessed that she would come to the forbidden forest, either. But why had she come? And how could a person who had lived at the border for most of her life be so familiar around this place?
I only grew more confused the more I pondered it. I was beginning to suspect that the she-wolf had something to do with the witches, after all. Otherwise, why was there a new enchanted barrier shortly after Crystal had visit?
Just as I was about to look into the matter more closely, I suddenly heard a noise from the nearby bushes.
I immediately became vigilant. “Who is there?” I called out.
A figure flashed through the trees. It didn’t look like human, but rather like a giant beast.
I held my breath and sharpened my senses, and then I slowly walked toward it.
The forest was quiet save for the soft rustle of the leaves above me. If I hadn’t seen the shadowy monster for myself, I would have thought that I was just hearing things.
The next thing I knew, the huge beast had jumped out of the bushes up front and was lunging straight at me.
I was able to get a clear glimpse of it for a brief second and realized that it was a gray wolf with thick fur. I quickly stepped to the side to dodge its attack.
Thankfully, the wolf made no attempt to pounce on me again. Instead, it stood at the very spot I had just been in and stared at me.
My wolf, Omar, was yelling excitedly in my mind. “Rufus, let me out! I’ll take care of that wolf! I haven’t seen such an interesting prey in a long time. Although, this wolf looks like it would make a meager appetizer at most.”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I calculated the amount of time it would take to kill this wolf. Despite Omar’s words, the wolf wasn’t small. Perhaps it would be better to attack it from the side.
I braced myself for the transformation when the gray wolf suddenly raised its head and let out a long howl. Shortly after, two more wolves appeared, flanking the first one on both sides. These other two were smaller and younger. They looked eager to kill. Did these rascals really think I was the prey here? They were certainly getting ahead of themselves.
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