I raised my head, shot her a frosty glance, and ignored her sad expression. Picking up a document, I dismissively said, “I still have to deal with government affairs. You can leave now.”
“Then, please eat something first. The servants have told me that you’re too busy to have dinner, so I specially cooked a few dishes for you.” Adela was persistent. She picked up the tray of food again and came closer to me with the intention of feeding me. “Health matters the most. How can you skip dinner? Your Majesty, let me feed you.”
“No! Just put it there,”
I hastily stopped her, behaving as if she had the plague. I stood up and quickly walked to the other side of the table.
Rufus’ POV
As usual, Adela brought dinner for me. She would prepare something different each time, and she had never served me soup again. It seemed that my sudden burst of temper that day had scarred her.
“Your Majesty, please try this beef stew. I made it myself.” Adela’s voice was overly sweet as she set the dish and table ware in front of me.
Besides the stew, there was also a small array of exquisite pastries. I eyed them blankly, vaguely thinking that they were all my favorite. My restless heart slowed its pace. Even though Adela was weak, she was earnest. She must have studied the things that I liked in order to cater to me better.
Maybe Omar was right, and I should be more patient. Adela was my destined mate, after all, brought to me by the Moon Goddess herself. Maybe I just wasn’t used to having her around yet, just as Omar had said.
I picked up a fork and scraped a piece of dessert, putting it into my mouth. My lips twisted as soon as the pastry touched my tongue.
Besides the stew, there was also a small array of exquisite pastries. I eyed them blankly, vaguely thinking that they were all my favorite. My restless heart slowed its pace. Even though Adela was weak, she was earnest. She must have studied the things that I liked in order to cater to me better.
Maybe Omar was right, and I should be more patient. Adela was my destined mate, after all, brought to me by the Moon Goddess herself. Maybe I just wasn’t used to having her around yet, just as Omar had said.
I picked up a fork and scraped a piece of dessert, putting it into my mouth. My lips twisted as soon as the pastry touched my tongue.
Adela reacted immediately. “What’s wrong?” she asked in what sounded to me like a cautious voice. “Does it taste bad?”
I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head. “No, it tastes good.”
The problem was that it tasted nothing like I imagined, like I expected to be.
My brain seemed to stutter at the thought. Once more, I felt that familiar suffocating sensation, and the white mist blanketed my mind yet again.
I stared at the dessert on my plate as I tried to make sense of the chaos raging inside my head. Have I had this dessert before?
The answer was a resounding no. I didn’t like sweets. Never ate the stuff.
But why did I think that it was my favorite just now, as if I’d been devouring the damn thing my whole life?
I glanced at the other dishes on the table. I hated avocado the most, but when it was first laid out before me, I instantly thought about taking a bite.
What the hell was wrong with me? This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, either. Last time, my mother had brought me some durian, which I’d eaten without hesitation only to puke it up in the next second. Yet all the while, I had been certain that I liked durian.
Just what was going on? Had I lost bits of my memory somehow?
I tried to dredge up things from the past, but as expected, my head started to ache again. Every time I tried to reach for a memory that lingered in the outskirts of my mind, I would suddenly have this excruciating headache. This meant that I was ill, didn’t it? But the doctor had told me that nothing was wrong with me, and even my mother agreed.
They kept telling me not to think too much about it, but I have this nagging feeling that whatever memory I’d lost was very important. I must get it back at all costs.
The fork slipped from my hand and fell on the plate with a loud clang. The incessant pounding in my head was fanning my impulse to rage and destroy. I tried to think of the pleasant scent from that night, knowing that it was the only thing that could quell my violent urges.
But where would I even look for it? I didn’t even have the first clue what it was! That scent had only appeared in my dream, leaving the faintest ghost of its trail to keep my yearning alive.
I felt like my head was being split open. I shot up to my feet and staggered away from the table, desperately looking for that scent that probably didn’t even exist.
Adela was instantly next to me, her face filled with panic. She reached for my arm, but her proximity caused her disgusting scent to assault my senses, aggravating my pain even further. I f0rcefully shook her off and tried to roar at her to keep her away from me, but I couldn’t utter a single word. My brain hurt like hell, like dozens of hammers were clobbering it simultaneously, robbing me of the ability to speak, let alone think clearly.
I felt my consciousness snap and drift away. I fell into a daze, where I suddenly heard a young girl’s voice. I couldn’t make out her words, but I somehow knew that she had prepared something for me to try, and that I trusted her implicitly. The next thing I knew, I was picking up a piece of the burnt food she presented me, and popped it into my mouth. A strong, bitter tasted assailed my tongue. Her food was terrible. But instead of feeling annoyed or displeased, I felt strangely content.
This girl…
Who was she?
Rufus’ POV
The girl’s presence immediately calmed my pouncing head. Even my soul felt warm just by having her close.
A faint voice inside my head told me that it was time to wake up.
And so, I opened my eyes, only to flinch and squint from the bright light that flooded the room. It took me a while to finally get adjusted and take in my surroundings.
The clock on the wall said that it was just a little after eight in the morning. I had no idea how it happened, but I was back in my former palace. Despite my slight confusion, I felt refreshed and at peace for the first time in as long as I could remember.
A soft, rustling sound broke through my thoughts, and I turned to see a petite woman sleeping soundly next to me. I must have disturbed her when I’d moved earlier. She had her back to me as she burrowed deeper into the blankets. It was an adorable sight, one that I wouldn’t mind seeing every morning.
I basked in the knowledge that this she-wolf was my wife.
And then the confusion washed over me again. Did I ever have a wife?
Deep in my heart, I had this sincerity that I had a mate whom I loved deeply. We had been married for several years, and were utterly devoted to each other.
I leaned over and turned her toward me, desperate to see her face. But all her features blurred in my vision.
Only then did I realize that I was dreaming.
And yet, everything felt so real. Even the idea that I was married didn’t feel foreign to me at all. It terrified me a little. The remaining sense in me urged me to wake up and end this illusion, but then the she-wolf started to stir.
“Rufus.”
My name sounded like heaven on her tongue. She reached for me, her slender arms snaking around my neck as she nuzzled her head against my chest. That sweet, familiar scent instantly came over me, taking over my senses. I felt myself sinking back into this divine dream.
But no, it wasn’t a dream at all. It couldn’t be.
I pushed my misgivings aside and decided not to think too much, at least not now. Instead, I took her face in my hands and kissed her. The touch of her tongue against mine immediately lit me on fire. It was a wonderful sensation, and all too familiar, as though I had done it a thousand time before.
I felt the she-wolf pause in surprise for one brief moment, but she soon kissed me back with equal passion, her arms tightening around my shoulders. I couldn’t tell how long we kissed, but I knew that it wasn’t nearly long enough. I ravaged her mouth until we were both out of breath.
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