The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Blue's Perspective)

"Is that why you sent me to get that flower?" he asked.

We both were lying down on the bed after fulfilling our everyday routine. He was a bit excessive tonight and kept saying that it was his birthday present, so I could not refuse.

"Hmm… But I didn't know you will get it anyway," I said. "It's a rare flower. I knew you would look for it a lot, so I sent you out to get it for me. I thought you will be back after seeing you can't find it. I mean, I needed two hours to prepare the room and thought you would be back within that time. I could just make you stay away from the bedroom.

You wouldn't know about my plan since no one in the palace knew about it."

"You did it all by yourself?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah," I nodded. "It's my first time decorating a room. How did I do?"

"You did well," he smiled. "I was truly surprised. You know, nothing or no one ever could surprise me since I can read minds. I always knew what was up. Besides, there was no one who would surprise me with these things. It's maybe the first time I got a surprise like this.

You did really amazing."

"The maids were asking what's up. They say I was acting weird for the last few days," I said. "I didn't tell them anything about the plan."

Luc kept saying it was a hassle and there was no need to arrange a surprise party for a grown-up man like Dem, but in the end, he worked just as much as we did if not more.

"That said, how did you even get that flower? I thought it could not be found here," I asked.

"An old woman had it."

"You bought it from her?"

He sighed. "No, it was a weird task."

He told me how he got a flower from the old woman. Old people sometimes acted in a strange way which younger people often did not understand. It was oddly wholesome. It was surprising that Dem went along with it. He was not a friendly person and did not want to get close to people or even talk to them more than necessary. Did he do it for me? Experience exclusive tales on empire

I knew the answer. But sometimes, it was hard to believe that someone would go out of their way just for me.

"Tomorrow is the birthday party. Do I need to know something?" I asked.

"No," he shook his head. "There is nothing. We will just attend the party. I am supposed to give a little speech, but I don't. I just say 'Enjoy the party'."

"That's it?"

"I don't like giving speeches. I don't like to talk to people at all. It's not like I am an introvert. I can talk in front of people without any problem. But I just don't like to do it."

"Do I have to say something?" I asked.

"No, nothing. Just join the party with me, that's all. If you don't feel well, we will leave early. People will enjoy it even if we are not there."

'Will another person come up to me and say I am not eligible to be the Queen and another person is more suitable?'

"Don't frown too much," he muttered, pressing his index finger between my brows. "Share with me if you are worried about something."

"Just my usual worries, nothing more. You know it too- I am always a bit nervous before a party or a gathering," I sighed. "Don't worry about me."

"You should not worry either. You will do well," he said. "Besides, you are the Queen. You can act however you want to."

"Hmm…"

"That said, your ability to use magic has improved, right?"

"Yeah, it has improved a lot. I can now easily make something float in the air. I have shown you, right?"

"You made my pen fly," he said.

"I can do simple things, like make potions and now, I am working on making magical artifacts," I said.

Making potions required different materials. Most of the materials were easy to find, but some of them were quite rare. Anyone could make the liquid, but to activate the potion, one needed their magic.

Magical artifacts were made by using magic on normal artifacts. Some mages made their own artifacts. That worked better because a mage knew better than anyone what they wanted to make. Luc also made his own artifacts usually.

For now, I was trying to make a magical artifact by using magic on a normal artifact. I was not successful yet. I had been trying for seven days. But magic was something I never got tired of. I was very excited to learn more, so I did not give up even though I was not a patient person.

"That's good. Just make sure you don't get hurt or too exhausted. Using too much magic can tire you out, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I won't do that," I said. Even if I wanted to practice magic more, I could not. I had to finish my work as the Queen. I could not tell Dem that. If I did, he would take all the work to do them himself.

"Did that bas… Azure or whatever tried to do something funny? Did he threaten you again?"

"He never threatened me. He is just saying the usual things," I said. "I have told him that I want to see his face. But he refused. He said I could just visit him. This time, he said I can visit him for a short while."

"It's one of his tricks. Don't fall for them," he cautioned.

"I know. I won't," I shook my head. "I don't know what he truly wants at this point. I mean, yeah, he wants me for my power. I believe so. But what's he doing now?

Chatting with me freely? What's the point?"

"Perhaps he is trying to mold your thought the way he wants to and make you believe that you are better off going with him?"

"… But I don't trust him."

"The way he planned everything- it doesn't look like he is an impatient person. He is willing to wait," he said. "He surely knows that you don't trust him. But he is still trying. It shows only one thing- he thinks he can change you."

"… What makes him so sure?"

"Think about what Doctor Dimitri said. The environment serves greatly in molding a person's mental health. The environment you grew up in was a terrible place. It caused you to trust others quickly the way you trusted me. I won't betray your trust, but not all people are the same. It's not just your trust issues.

The doctor also said that people who grew up in an abusive environment tend to be vulnerable mentally usually. I am not saying you are the same, but there can be. I don't believe that he doesn't know about your family. He knew about everything," he said. "It won't be a surprise if he chose your mother because he knew what kind of environment you will grow up in."

"Could it be he wanted me to grow in an abusive environment so I turn emotionally vulnerable and fall for his tricks easily?"

"He wanted to be your god, darling. He wanted to make you see him as the one who saved you from hell," he said. "As per his plan, he maybe wanted to control my mind and make me… abuse you too, so you will lose your hope. Then, he will appear as the one who saved you, and as a payment, you would offer to do anything for him since you are so kind."

"… That… That's not impossible at all," I muttered. "But thankfully, Evan awakened my power a bit, so he could not control your mind anymore. If his plan went accordingly, it would have been scary and… I would have misunderstood you greatly."

"Right now, it seems he wants you to go against me. I have a feeling that he thinks you found out about my obsessive nature using your experience and understanding. I don't think he knows that I told you about it myself," he said. "That's why he thinks he still has a chance to make you go against me. Honey, no matter what he says, just like you are doing now, tell me everything."

"I will. I don't want secrets like this to be between us."

"Ah, and has King Ford replied to you yet?"

"He did. He said he can't come right now. There are too many things to take care of. He will let us know when he will," I replied.

"I see… There is always a lot of work after a war. It probably will take months," he said.

"Hmm… By the way, shouldn't I gift Flint's daughter something?"