The murmurs and whispers among the wicked gossipers became louder as the party progressed. Finally, Karenina couldn't take it anymore. She downed her wine and snorted in annoyance.
Karenina was getting more and more determined to make the king sleep with her. After tonight, Nicholas would have no choice but to marry her. She would prove to those people that she would not be a withered flower who was tossed to the ground.
Several guests were seen crowded around a table where Queen Marianne was doing something so peculiar. At that moment, she was playing tricks with Luciel and Jan, the children of the Duke and Duchess Romanov.
"Here," Luciel and Jan answered in unison and pointed at one of the cups.
"Are you sure?" The queen raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Um." Jan and Luciel nodded confidently.
"Okay, let's see." Queen Marianne raised the cup the two children were pointing at. Her face lit up as she looked at the two handsome boys who guessed correctly where the coin was. It was indeed under the cup they had chosen. "Wow, how could you always know? You guys are amazing!"
The queen dowager was all smiles. She looked very happy as she played with Luciel and Jan, and it became an interesting sight for the guests.
Princess Karenina, who saw this from afar, was feeling very displeased, especially when she saw Sophie and Queen Marianne laughing together. Her jealousy burned.
She then stepped closer, and the guests who noticed her arrival immediately gave way.
"Oh, Karenina. Do you want to play with us? This is so much fun," said Queen Marianne with a happy smile when she saw Karenina standing at the side of the table.
The queen's face was beaming with happiness and, for the first time in years, she actually looked younger.
Karenina had lived in the palace for approximately five years and closely interacted with the queen, but she had never seen Queen Marianne as cheerful as she was now.
Sophie smiled warmly as she came face to face with Princess Karenina. But her smile was actually met with a murderous glare of the princess. Instantly, Sophie's smile faded. She was confused by Princess Karenina's cold attitude towards her.
While she watched Luciel and Jan playing with Queen Marianne, Sophie occasionally looked at Princess Karenina, who now sat to the queen's left.
Karenina, who realized Sophie was looking at her, glanced back at Sophie scornfully. This time, she openly showed her displeasure and jealousy.
When she saw the hostility, Sophie began to feel uncomfortable and awkward. She realized Karenina must be unhappy to see Sophie and her children hog all the attention of the queen who might have needed to interact with the other guests.
"Uhm, Luciel, Jan, We should go now," Sophie said hesitantly. She also felt bad for the queen, who seemed very happy to play with Luciel and Jan.
"What?" The queen, who was shuffling the cups, suddenly halted her movement and looked at Sophie with an expression that seemed to ask 'why?'
The moment Sophie saw Princess Karenina, Karenina immediately smiled sweetly. She did that as she wanted to look good in the eyes of the queen, who turned to see her.
"What is it, Lady Romanov? Is something bothering you?" Karenina asked with a fake smile, and Sophie knew it.
Her voice sounded as sweet as honey. However, to Sophie's ears, it was more like poison because her gaze just now was clearly filled with hatred.
"Is something bothering you?" Queen Marianne repeated the question. "Why do you want to go now? I think the boys are still eager to play."
Sophie smiled stiffly. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. The beautiful woman cast her glance around. She realized that Leland was not in the ballroom.
"Ah, nothing is bothering me, Your Majesty. It's just that I don't see my husband anywhere. That's why I wanted to look for him," Sophie said, making an emergency excuse.
She wasn't sure if this was okay, but she hoped it would be acceptable to Queen Marianne, and the Queen wouldn't mind letting her go with Luciel and Jan.
"He must be around here, don't worry," said the old queen dismissively. She seemed like she still wished to play with Luciel and Jan for even longer.
Sophie also didn't have the heart to drag her children to leave the queen dowager, who seemed to really like them, but Sophie was really uncomfortable with Princess Karenina's hateful gaze.
She was very clearly aware that her presence and her children were not accepted by the king's future wife. Sophie didn't want to cause trouble for Leland's mission if Princess Karenina saw their family as enemies of the royal family.
Now, what would Sophie say? She was annoyed by Princess Karenina's attitude, but at the same time, she felt bad for Her Majesty Queen Marianne.
"Then you can go find your husband but let them both stay here with me. How about it?" Queen Marianne offered. "I'll look after them until you two come back."
Queen Marianne seemed adamant not to let Luciel and Jan go. She wished to stay with them a little longer. Her pair of eyes stared at Sophie pleadingly.
"I'm really sorry, Your Majesty. I can't let you look after my children. If I did that, people would criticize me. I'm sorry, please forgive me," Sophie said, getting up from her seat.
She curtseyed to the queen dowager, then hurriedly asked Luciel and Jan to leave before the queen could argue further.
The queen's eyes were gleaming with tears when she saw Luciel and Jan move away from her sight. Somehow, she felt so sad.
The guests who were still standing around the table glanced at each other. They were surprised to see the queen, who now looked very sad.
However, soon, the attention of the guests was diverted when the host, who saw King Nicholas enter the room, immediately announced the arrival of the king.
"Ladies and gentlemen, His Majesty King Nicholas Hannenbergh has entered the room."
Everyone rose from their seats and bowed or curtseyed respectfully.
Princess Karenina rose to her feet elegantly. Her smile widened, and her eyes sparkled when she saw the man she had been waiting for finally arrived.
"Your Majesty, you've finally come," Karenina said softly, as Nicholas stood before her.
"Sorry I'm late," Nicholas said dryly. He cast his gaze around, trying to look for something, and didn't pay any attention to his fiancee.
Nicholas's gaze was still darting around, scrutinizing everyone in the room.
"Mother, where are Duke Romanov and his family?" he asked his mother when he couldn't find the person he was looking for, but then he fell silent when he noticed his mother's really sad face. "Mother… what's wrong?"
"No, nothing." The queen wiped her tears then started nagging at Nicholas, who came late. "Why did it take you so long to arrive? The guests have been waiting for a long time to officially start the event."
Nicholas couldn't help but apologize. Even though in his heart, there was no regret at all.
Princess Karenina, who felt ignored, clenched her fists in annoyance. Inwardly, she swore that she would really make Nicholas sleep with her tonight. Just you wait, she gritted her teeth.
Nicholas could never ignore her again.
Outside the ballroom, Leland who had just given instructions to Lucas and Duncan, re-entered the hall. He walked over toward the table where Sophie had previously been to look for her.
However, Leland suddenly froze, and his eyes opened wide when he saw the figure of a black-haired man standing on the side of the table he was heading for.
Instead of Sophie, he saw a man with black hair standing on her spot. Leland furrowed his brows when he noticed the man's side profile. It was a tall, handsome man with an impressive appearance, wearing a regal outfit.
Nicholas, who sensed someone's presence from the door, immediately turned around.
BADUMP
For a moment, Leland's heart skipped a beat as the black-haired man now turned towards him.
He felt like his heart dropped to the ground.
That black hair? Those amber eyes? And that face?
Instantly Leland's mind went back to the past. It was a defining moment when he realized he was in love and feeling heartbroken at the same time.
That time, after he got word from Max and Duncan that Sophie was in Hauntingen, he rushed to Hauntingen to meet Sophie. However, when he got there, he had to swallow his disappointment and bitterness because Sophie had belonged to another man.
Sophie was already married to a man whose face exactly matched the face of the man standing before him right now.
Leland scanned the amber-eyed man's appearance from top to bottom, and his gaze sharpened when he saw the crown on the man's head.
Was this man... the king?
For a few seconds, Leland doubted whether the man standing in front of him was the same man he had seen in Hauntingen at that time. The man was none other than Sophie's first husband and the biological father of Jan and Luciel.
But then, he became convinced when he could smell the man's lycan scent.
It was him!
The king smelled exactly like Sophie's first husband.
Leland's expression behind the mask tightened, and his gaze became murderous.
Nicholas, who received Leland's piercing glare, returned it with the same intensity. When he remembered that the man standing in front of him right now was the husband of the woman he fell in love with at first sight, he felt irritated.
Something in his mind told him that this man had taken what was rightfully his.
The two men walked closer to each other and stopped when they were a step away.
A pair of blue-green eyes and a pair of amber eyes met, locked, and glared at each other.
Queen Marianne, Princess Karenina, and everyone else in the ballroom suddenly felt confused and uneasy when they saw the tension and the aura of hostility emitted by Duke Romanov and the King.
.
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From Missrealitybites:
This chapter is a bit longer because I don't want to cut it at an important moment. Hope you like it!
Btw, Sophie will meet Nicholas in tomorrow's chapter. Yeay!!
PS: Have you read my mentee's book? It's called "Loving The Cursed Werewolf King" by Gigi_Saga. I am mentoring her in writing the story and I really like it!
The story is so fluffy and the male lead is shameless but adorable. Go read it now while waiting for more chapters of this book. ^^
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮