The people who had gathered when Karenina was about to commit suicide noticed the king immediately leaving. They were surprised to see him get on his horse and then really left.
In no time, the king had passed through the gate and disappeared at a faraway road.
"His Majesty didn't even stick around to wait for his fiancee to wake up."
"There must be something urgent that he has to attend."
"But, what happened? Who saved Princess Karenina just now?"
"I am not sure, but I think I saw the king carry her from that tower. So, perhaps... he was the one who saved her?"
The crowd was talking amongst each other. What happened in the royal palace compound today was really juicy gossip. From the reason why Karenina tried to kill herself, who saved her, and why the king fled the royal palace not long after.
People were thirsty for gossip and whatever they could get from the royalties.
***
"Monster!!"
Meanwhile, Karenina, who was being examined by a doctor, suddenly woke up screaming. Her back was filled with cold sweat and so was her pale face. The fact that she woke up hysterical surprised the doctor as well as Queen Marianne who sat next to her bed.
"What's wrong?" Queen Marianne was tense and confused to see Karenina, who woke up in a panic.
"I-I... saw a monster," Karenina spoke with bated breaths. She couldn't spit out the word lycan. Just thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.
Karenina looked around her and gathered her thoughts. She let out a sigh when she realized she was back in her room. She pressed her temples in frustration. What happened to her on that tower? Was what she saw real?
"Karenina what's wrong?" Queen Marianne repeated her question.
"I saw a monster! It was... furry... and hideous!" Karenina replied in stammer.
When she heard the young woman's words, Queen Marianne immediately ordered the doctor out as well as all the servants in the room.
After everyone left, the queen immediately asked Karenina to calm down and stop screaming.
"Monster, monster, His Majesty is... the king, he… he is… a lycan…"
"Karenia, shut up and calm yourself!"
"..." Karenina, who spoke in panic, fell silent as the queen snapped at her. She was startled and confused because it was the first time the queen had raised her voice to her. But then it made sense, didn't it? This was about her precious son.
After Karenina became silent, Queen Marianne hurriedly closed the open bedroom door and returned to Karenina's side.
"Tell me what you saw?"
Karenina looked at the queen's face then slowly recalled the incident when the king saved her and then she saw the king turned into a terrible creature.
"His Majesty... he... risked his life to save me… but then I saw him turn into a lycan," she said, which made Queen Marianne gasp.
The queen quickly cupped Karenina's face and made her face towards her. Then she said with a very stern voice, "Listen, I order you to keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone about what you have seen, including your father."
Queen Marianne's face looked very serious. The feat that Nicholas performed to save Katherine could still be explained away, the queen believed.
Karenina was silent as Queen Marianne let go of her hand. Karenina's eyes looked straight at the queen. Now she knew that even Nicholas' mother confirmed that the king was a lycan.
Somehow it didn't mean that the queen was one herself based on how Queen Marriane acted.
For a moment, Karenina swallowed hard as she tried to make sense of the situation. There was no doubt that something like this could be used as an upper hand, but somehow her thoughts focused elsewhere.
She closed her eyes and breathed softly. The past five years flew by in her mind. She was with King Nicholas and yet the man was always aloof and told her that he didn't love her…
No... he actually said that he couldn't love her.
People believed the rumors he preferred men to women, but was it because he was a lycan that he kept everyone at arm's length, especially his fiancee?
Was this the reason why the king avoided her for the past five years? Because he had a terrible dark secret and didn't think that Karenina would accept him?
No wonder Queen Marianne easily accepted a girl from a lower nobility to become her son's fiance. She didn't want to go for princesses from another country or daughters of powerful noblemen. She was worried that they wouldn't accept the king if they found out his dark secret.
Slowly, Karenina could piece everything together and understood where she stood.
***
A horse didn't have energy to run without stopping at all. Luckily, Nicholas was a king and that meant he could ride nonstop all the way to Hauntingen. All it took was buying one horse and then replacing it with a new and fresh one after his mount ran out of energy.
A part of him wondered if he could reach the small village if he transformed into his lycan form and ran there. However, he did not want to risk it.
After days and days of endless riding, finally, Nicholas arrived at the edge of the forest in Hauntingen. The place turned out to be more secluded than he had thought.
"How is the farm today?"
"Not good. Lots of vegetables rot."
Nicholas, who had just dismounted, turned his head when he heard the conversation of people coming from behind him. He saw an old man and a young man walking together. The clothes that they wore looked very simple, the typical appearance of people from the countryside.
The old man who accidentally came face to face with Nicholas suddenly stopped walking, making the young man walking beside him feel confused and look back at the king who came undercover.
"Do you know him, father?" asked the young man to the older man who was apparently his father.
"Yeah, I think I do," The old man only answered with a nod as he walked over to Nicholas. The king fixed his eyes on the figures of the two people who continued to approach him.
As the two of them stood in front of him, Nicholas opened his mouth to ask for direction but before his voice came out, the old man immediately greeted him and asked how he was.
"It's been such a long time," the old man smiled. "Are you coming back with your wife?"
"Huh?" The old man's words made Nicholas feel surprised and confused. However, the thing that surprised him the most was when the old man mentioned the word wife.
"Wife?" Nicholas asked with knitted eyebrows. Perhaps this old man mistook him for someone else? He smiled and decided to ask, "I am sorry. Do you know me?"
The old man nodded. "Yes, I do. I have this thing with me that I can never forget anyone I have met, even after years of not seeing them. How long ago was it? Six years ago?"
"Six years?" Nicholas asked carefully. "Did we meet six years ago?"
"Yes, we did. Well... maybe you don't recognize me now, because I lost most of my hair in recent years," the old man laughed. "I used to have more hair... haha. But, I definitely remember you, since I know your wife. You both are such a lovely couple."
.
.
________________________
From Missrealitybites:
YES!!! Finally, he is getting there. Nicholas will soon remember. What do you think he will do once he regains his memory?
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