Nicholas was still seated down by the window as he continued to gaze at Duke Romanov's building.
He wondered about Duke Romanov having ties to the lycans and what they were doing in Livstad and was reminded of the events of five years ago.
At that time, Duke Romanov brought his whole family to leave Livstad, and coincided with an attack from a werewolf pack.
Were the two things related?
"Ah." Nicholas grabbed his neck again in frustration.
Every time he tried to find an answer, new questions came up, which made him even more confused and frustrated. But even so, he couldn't stop thinking about them because they involved his life, the security of his kingdom, and… Sophia Romanov.
He frowned at the thought of her.
He did not know when Sophia Romanov became so important to him. At first, he thought that the feelings he had for her were merely admiration, as the man knew that he had never seen a woman as beautiful as Sophia Romanov before.
However, at the party, when he saw Sophia Romanov being taken away from him, he suddenly felt empty, and his heart ached. It was then that he realized the feelings he had for Sophia Romanov were not just admiration.
It was more than that.
Now the king wondered if Sophia was safe in the manor. Did the woman know that the man she married had a relationship with the lycan, or maybe he was actually… a lycan himself?
"Ish." Nicholas hissed and he ruffled his own hair in frustration. He couldn't go on like this. He had to stop making his own guesses because it was just a never-ending chain of puzzles.
Before he figured out the problem about Duke Romanov having a connection with the lycans or not, he should first find out why HE became a lycan. After thinking about it deeply, he decided he needed to seek the answer to that question from his mother.
For some reason, he had a strong hunch that all the things he was questioning about how he became a lycan had to do with the matter of his lost memory.
He could have been sure he would get an answer from his mother, as all this time he felt that she was hiding something.
***
The sun's rays were still warm against the skin, and the dewdrops were still present on the leaves and flower petals.
After breakfast, Nicholas, who was already very frustrated with the series of questions in his head, decided to immediately return to the palace to meet his mother.
The villa keeper offered to escort the king in a carriage but Nicholas refused and decided to ride a horse himself, as he thought it would be faster.
Even though Nicholas didn't give any orders, several villa guards followed him from behind. After all, Nicholas was the king of the Riga Kingdom, whose life was often the target of people from various parties who were hostile to the kingdom.
Plus, at this time, the king didn't look well. There were many mysterious wounds on his body.
As the sun continued to rise, the rays started to sting the skin. Nicholas rode his horse very fast towards the palace, and after one hour, he finally entered the castle gates.
All the guards present bowed respectfully to him as he dismounted. Yet he didn't pay attention and walked straight into the palace building.
Everyone who saw his return immediately whispered around, but he didn't realize it at all because right now, his focus was distant.
He was thinking about the fact that he was a lycan, and he wanted to immediately meet his mother to find answers to all the issues that filled his head. However, when he was about to turn into the corridor leading to his mother's room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Three meters in front of him, two servants seemed to be chatting with each other. They didn't notice the king was nearby and continued talking about the latest gossip in the royal palace.
"Did the king and Princess Karenina really sleep together?" asked Servant A.
"Where have you been? Everyone in the palace is talking about this," said Servant B.
"I haven't been in for a week because I have to take care of my sick mother. I just came back today," said servant A, explaining the reason for being late about the news of the king and Princess Karenina sleeping together.
Then, she added, "So the news was true, huh? The king actually slept with Princess Karenina?"
She looked dumbfounded. It was hard to believe the news for her.
Servant B shook her head. "That's not true. The truth is that the king raped Princess Karenina."
Servant A's eyes and mouth widened in disbelief when she heard the news.
"Th-that's impossible. The King is a good man, he couldn't possibly do such a lecherous thing." Servant A refused to believe it, but Servant B told her that she saw everything.
She explained that when Her Majesty Queen Marianne and Viscount Verhovent opened the king's chambers, people were shocked to see Princess Karenina huddled on the bed naked, weeping bitterly.
However, the most shocking thing was when Viscount Verhovent asked Princess Karenina about what had happened, and Princess Karenina said that she had been raped by the king.
"..."
Nicholas, who listened to the servant's words, was annoyed that he couldn't remember anything. Had he really done such a shameful thing? He really didn't remember anything.
Nicholas finally resumed his pace and headed towards his destination. For now, he decided to focus on finding out how he lost his memory and how he became a lycan.
He was very sure that if he got the answer to those problems, then the answers to other questions would also be revealed. About Duke Romanov, the lycan pack attack on Livstad five years ago, and also about Sophia, as he had always felt she was familiar.
He would take care of the matter with Princess Karenina later.
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