Nicholas brushed his face roughly as he felt sorry for Sophie. She must be so worried and confused when he didn't return.
Being alone in the hut by the forest and... when did she realize that she was pregnant? How did she feel back then? Did she feel devastated? And when she finally saw him alive and well in the royal palace last week.. did she resent him?
Looking back, thinking of what happened from her perspective, Nicholas realized he must have disappointed his wife so, so badly. He regretted what happened, even though it was an accident. He didn't want to shove the responsibility to bad luck.
He did make a careless decision that ended up making his wife suffer.
How could he do that to her?
Nicholas closed his eyes and remember Sophia Romanov's beautiful face. Now, he understood the reason why he fell in love at first sight when he saw her for the first time outside of Livstad.
Gosh... Nicholas now realized he must have loved his wife so deeply, that when they met again, even though he didn't recognize her, his heart was immediately attracted to her.
She was playing with... two pups? Were those his children?
Were their sons, their beautiful sons... born as lycans?
Were they the pups he saw in that meadow five years ago when he saw Sophia Romanov for the first time?
Gosh... he was this close!
All of a sudden, his desire to go back to the capital filled his heart to the brim. He really wanted to meet Sophie and beg her for forgiveness.
He kept the almanac in his coat pocket and strode out of the cave. However, suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks when he remembered the fact that Sophie was currently married to Duke Romanov. She was now another man's wife.
He couldn't blame her for marrying a man who could give her protection and provide for her and her children. Life would be too hard for her to go through alone and have to raise two boys.
He was sure she could do it, but he wouldn't have the heart to see her go through so much more suffering after he left her without news for years.
Gosh...! Nicholas felt a pang of pain attack him.
He clutched his head and screamed out his frustration. The man was angry at himself for only investigating this after so long. Why couldn't he look into her since five years ago?
Why didn't he work harder to unravel the mystery about his loss of memory?
Was it already too late?
Nicholas remembered the two boys who had entered with Sophie that night. They looked so much like him and he was convinced they were his.
If those two children really were his biological children, then perhaps he still had hope. He still had claims over them being their real father. Blood is thicker than water.
Nothing can break their bond as a family if the boys were truly his sons. They were the heirs of the Riga Kingdom.
What's more...
His mother would be over the moon if she found out that Nicholas actually was already married and had children. Wasn't it her only dream all these years?
Queen Marianne only wanted to see her son get married and produced chubby grandchildren for her. She was obsessed with it because Nicholas was her only child.
Ah... if Nicholas could get his children... and then hopefully his wife back... he wouldn't need anything else. He would have everything he needed in this life.
All this time, he thought his life was meaningless. He hated his position as the king and only took on the role because he was raised to serve this kingdom and devote his life to it. However, he was not happy. He didn't have anything for him to live for.
Now.. he finally had something. He would do anything for his family.
But first... he had to get them back. So what if Sophie was already married to Duke Romanov? Nicholas was the king and his words were law. If he wanted, he could make their marriage illegal.
He would play dirty if he had to.
Nicholas pressed his temple. What did he say? He would play dirty?
'Come on, Nicholas. You are a king. You have your honor,' he chided himself. He was embarrassed by his impulsive thought just now.
Maybe he should challenge the duke in a duel. They should settle this problem in a life or death fight and whoever survived, would be deemed strong enough and worthy of being in Sophie's life.
A weak man would not be able to care for and protect her. So, it would only make sense if this dispute was settled through a duel.
Yeah... that made total sense.
But first... he had to win her back first. He also should win his sons' hearts, if they were truly his.
After a moment of silence, Nicholas dashed out of the place. He went back to Sophie's hut to get his horse. He climbed on the animal and dashed it to return to the capital.
His mind was already in Livstad, even though his body was still traveling from Hauntingen to the capital.
'Gosh... Sophie. Please take me back. I will do anything for you. Please, let me make up for what happened in the past.'
'Please forgive me...'
***
After their heated conversation last week when they finally talked about Nicholas and Sophie's past, Sophie had been using all her time to think about what she should do when her first husband finally regained his memory and come back for her and the twins.
She and Leland didn't talk much for days, both were trying to give each other space to think and understand their unusual situation. However, they still treat their mate well.
Sophie and Leland still slept in their bedroom on the same bed, but they just didn't talk about the elephant in the room again. Secretly, Leland was worried about what Sophie would decide. However, as usual, he always kept his expression flat.
Tonight, in their bedroom, Sophie reflected on Leland's words. The Alpha had asked her to continue living with him and forget her past with Nicholas. He didn't want to budge.
For the first time in six years, Sophie witnessed how stubborn her mate could be.
.
.
.
__________________________
From Missrealitybites:
Nicholas wanted to settle the dispute by duel. Yet, he didn't realize he actually already had a duel with his competition/enemy. XD
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