Title of the document But I let her be. She was still my mother, after all. If she didn’t want to divulge her secrets to me, then I would not force her hand. I would just have to wait for Crystal to wake up and ask her. And if that didn’t work still, I’d just have my people investigate the matter. I didn’t think I would come up empty-handed in the end.
I sat by my mother’s bedside and waited for the doctor to arrive. She was doing her best to stay still.
Not wanting to make things difficult for her, I stood up and went outside.
No sooner had I gone past the door than I heard the rustling sound of her turning over in the bed.
I just smiled and said nothing. Life had not been easy on my mother. She had been depressed ever since my father died. It wasn’t until Beryl and Arron came that I saw her regain the energy she once had.
So, no matter what secrets she was hiding with Crystal, I made up my mind not to condemn them.
The doctor arrived shortly after, and I ushered him in to give my mother an examination.
She was still pretending to be unconscious. I glanced at the fan, which had fallen on the floor. It was on the nightstand when I exited the room. She must have used it at some point and tried to put it back in a hurry.
I picked it up without a word and set it back to its original place.
After checking her, the doctor turned to me and said, “It’s nothing serious. I believe she is a little distressed. I’ll prescribe her some medicine, and she will be better after a good rest.”
I nodded. “In any case, please do a full check-up on my mother. She has been fainting a lot these days. I’m really worried about her.”
“Of course. I will arrange it right away.” The doctor scurried away, presumably to fetch his instruments and whatnot.
I sat by my mother’s bed and said, “Get some rest, Mom. You can explain everything to me when you wake up. Crystal’s condition is still uncertain. I can’t leave her alone for too long. I’ll take my leave now.”
Sure enough, my mother opened her eyes and let out a fake cough. “Yes, yes, you may go. I’ll be fine.”
“Yes, have a good rest.” I stepped out of the room and told a maid to keep an eye on my mother. I had no doubt that she would be up and running as soon as I left her palace.
But before that, I dropped by the children’s room. They were sleeping soundly on the same bed, their heads pressed against each other.
I sat on a stool beside their bed and reached out to touch their faces.
A keen sense of contentment filled me.
Now that I thought about it, if I looked more closely, Beryl resembled me, too. We shared the same nose and mouth. But overall, she looked a lot like Crystal.
I felt like I was losing my mind.
I had yet to confirm the truth with facts, but in my heart, I was already sure of my suspicions.
Suddenly, Arron flailed and shouted, “Mommy!” He seemed to be having a nightmare.
I stroked his back and hummed a children’s lullaby to comfort him.
Arron continued to frown and fidget for a while, but he soon drifted back to sleep. I breathed a sigh of relief. I stood up quietly and left my mother’s palace, taking the same path as before.
I didn’t know how Crystal was doing in the short time I was not by her side. I quickened my pace, and before I knew it, I was jogging back to where she was.
Rufus’ POV
I immediately accosted the attending physician as soon as I arrived at Crystal’s palace and asked him about her condition. I didn’t let my worry ease until he reassured me that she was on the mend.
I dismissed the doctor and all the servants from the room. I was alone with Crystal.
I gazed down at her delicate face and slowly took in her unique scent. Why had I never realized how good she smelled before? It felt like. . home. Like it was where my soul belonged.
“Do you feel it as well, Rufus?” Omar piped up out of the blue. “Crystal’s scent is pleasant and so familiar. It reminds me of something, I just don’t know what.”
“What’s the first thing that you think of?” I asked him.
Omar was silent for a while, as though giving it a long, hard thought. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. But I like the way she smells.”
His response did not surprise me. If I couldn’t remember Crystal’s scent, then neither would he.
Omar would naturally be attuned to my emotions, especially toward other people.
I took Crystal’s hand and stared at the tiny dimple at the back of her thumb. It occurred to me then that every part of her was beautiful. Even a single, tiny dimple in her hand was so alluring.
“I know that you’re hiding something from me,” I murmured, stroking her fingers one by one. “I may have lost my memories, but I’m certain that we knew each other in the past. I’m waiting for you to wake up and give me a proper explanation. Your children. . . You sure put a lot of effort into hiding them from me. But I won’t let you fool me anymore.”
Exhaustion soon took over me, and before I knew it, I was fast asleep. I had a dream.
I was back in the palace where I used to reside when I was still a prince.
It was completely different from the palace that I currently knew. In the dream, the place was warm and bright, full of life.
I walked along the corridor to the small garden in the courtyard, and sure enough, the she-wolf was there, waiting for me. She was on the swing, lurching back and forth as the wind played with her skirt and the tendrils of her hair. I still couldn’t make out her face, but I found her breathtaking.
The scene felt so real that for a moment, I doubted I was still dreaming.
“Who the hell are you?” I rasped before I could stop myself.
The she-wolf put her feet down, and the swing stopped short. She dusted her skirt and skipped over. She stopped right in front of me and cocked her head to the side. “What’s the matter, Rufus? I just sent you out to buy chestnuts. What took you so long?”
“Chestnuts?” I asked in confusion, only to realize that I was holding a bag of roasted chestnuts in one hand.
The she-wolf scoffed before taking the bag from me. She skillfully peeled a chestnut and popped it into my mouth, catching me off-guard.
I froze for a second, then angrily crushed the nut between my teeth. I had almost been distracted again. “Tell me who you are!” I demanded.
“What’s this? Do you want to do a bit of role play again? Then guess. ” The snarky she-wolf didn’t even look at me and just peeled one chestnut after another. Now and then, she would feed me, but she mostly gobbled them up.
Within minutes, she had eaten half of the bag.
Losing my patience, I grabbed her wrist with one hand and raised her chin with the other. “Stop toying with me. Crystal. It’s you, isn’t it?”
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