"Tell me who she is and how did you end up marrying her..." Queen Marianne looked at her son intently. "Did something bad happen to you there that they forced you to marry?"
This news was shocking to her. Six years ago... Nicholas was only 21. He was too young for marriage. At least that's what the queen dowager thought. Was her son set up by a woman?
Nicholas nodded. "Yeah... something really bad happened. It looks like I took a big quantity of wolfsbane when I was in Hauntingen, to cure my lycanthropy. It had a really bad side effect. I got sick, lost my memories, and the rest... you already know what happened."
Queen Marianne pressed her lips in shock. She could finally see what happened to Nicholas after he left the royal palace six years ago for Hauntingen. The queen understood why Nicholas made such a rash decision by taking that much wolfsbane and it had affected his life badly.
"But.. you were there for only one month," the queen said. "You left Livstad for Hauntingen, and we received news about you being found six weeks later."
She shook her head in disbelief. "How could you marry someone within that duration? Were you set up by someone? Who told you that you were married? Have you investigated it? What if they lied to you and you didn't even marry anyone?"
Nicholas stared at his mother with a confused gaze. He thought his mother would be happy to know he was already married. Didn't she want to see Nicholas settle down that she actually worked hard to make Nicholas marry Karenina?
"No, I don't think I was set up, mother." Nicholas sighed. "The head of the village told me we were in love."
"But it's really suspicious. You were there for only one month," the queen insisted. "I cannot imagine you would fall in love with someone within such a short time. Also, you cannot just trust what a stranger told you. They might have their own agenda."
Queen Marianne started to look confused and uncomfortable. In her mind, the scenario was not the good one. If her son met a bad woman who just wanted to take advantage of him, the queen couldn't see herself accepting that woman.
Also, what would happen to Karenina? She was Nicholas' fiancee. They had been engaged for a long time now. Nicholas also had deflowered Karenina, even though it was by accident and he claimed not remembered doing that.
There was no other way for him but to marry Karenina. This new development was giving Queen Marianne a headache. Things would have been better as they were.
Nicholas couldn't respond to his mother's statement. He believed he married his wife out of love. That's what the village head told him, and that's how he felt when he saw Sophie Hansley or Sophia Romanov.
However, how could he tell his mother about it that would make sense to her? Nicholas actually thought Sophie Hansley was the same little girl who helped him after he was attacked by the lycan tribe.
This might change his mother's opinion of the woman that Nicholas married. However, how could he convince his mother that his wife was a good woman and they were in love and that she was the little girl who saved his life?
Nicholas only assumed Sophia Hansley was the same girl. He didn't have proof and wouldn't know for sure unless he could meet Sophie and talk to her.
Dammit. Today, more than ever, he hated himself for losing his memories. There were so many important things that he needed to remember.
Queen Marianne touched Nicholas' hands and looked him in the eye. "I am very worried about you. The last thing I want to see is for you to get hurt."
Nicholas suddenly regretted sharing the information to his mother about him being married. He should have known that his mother would be biased toward Karenina.
She really liked that woman and had been pestering him to marry Karenina for years. He could sense his mother's reluctance to believe Nicholas' story about having a wife. That would ruin so many of her plans.
"I am a man, mother. I am the king of this country and I can take care of myself, as well as my people." Nicholas replied. "Please, don't treat me like a young child who can't save himself."
He added, "All this time, I let you do whatever you want, because you are my mother and you have suffered so much for me, but there will come a time where I have to make you understand that I cannot always make you happy with my decisions."
The queen was silent for a moment. Nicholas' words were uttered calmly, but she could feel his displeasure. Was it wrong for her to look out for her son by asking questions about his so-called relationship? It totally broke my heart.
Finally, she spoke.
"I know you are no longer little Nicholas but you are still my son and I will always worry about you especially when I know your life is in danger. If I lose you, then I will not be able to live. So please take good care of yourself. When you want to go to a dangerous place please think of me, think of how I would feel if you were hurt."
"Mother …."
Queen Marianne wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. "I'll make you breakfast, you must be hungry."
She decided to change the subject. Talking about Nicholas' past and knowing his secret marriage was not something the queen could take easily. She needed time to think about it.
"Breakfast?" Nicholas didn't understand why his mother said those words and changed the subject.
"What's wrong? Do you think I can't cook you breakfast? When you were little I used to cook for you," said Queen Marianne, remembering that she was the first to cook and messed up the Riga royal palace kitchen.
At that time she wanted to cook because she wanted to impress the king, her husband. Someone told her that if she wanted to win a man's heart she should always enter from his stomach, which means cooking good food for him.
Unfortunately, that didn't work in her case.
"Really, I don't remember, I hope the food is good," Nicholas said and chuckled.
"Bad child, of course, the food is good," said the queen said, raising an eyebrow. "You always ate a lot whenever I cooked. I actually miss cooking for you."
Nicholas could only watch his mother leave his room to make his breakfast, without being able to stop her.
Sigh. He regretted telling her about his biggest secret immediately after she came. She seemed struggling to accept the information and now she chose to change the subject.
After an hour, the queen returned to Nicholas' room with a bowl of homemade chicken soup. She was helped a little by the maid to make it, but still, Nicholas really appreciated her efforts.
Nicholas loved chicken, especially since he became a lycan, his interest in chicken and meat grew. He also started to dislike vegetables. Maybe it's because wolves were carnivores.
Nicholas got up and leaned against the pillow his mother had arranged.
After helping Nicholas, Queen Marianne took the bowl of soup that she had placed on the table and sat down on the chair beside Nicholas.
"After eating you have to take medicine," she said as she watched Nicholas enjoy the soup she made for him.
"How is the soup?" asked the queen.
Nicholas nodded his head and said, "It's delicious. Thank you for cooking for me, mother."
As soon as he finished his sentence, a sudden pain shot through Nicholas' head and fragments of memories from his past reappeared.
He remembered himself making soup in the hut in Hauntingen after that he fed someone whose face he couldn't remember. The figure looked blurry but he could confirm that it was a female.
"Sophia Hansley," he said quietly. Too low for the queen to hear.
"Ah!" He sighed as the pain gripped his head.
Queen Marianne became worried. She touched his arm and said, "I will ask James to call the doctor."
"Ugh... no need, mother," Nicholas sat down on the bed and leaned on the headboard. He closed his eyes and massaged his temple. Fortunately, the pain subsided not long after. Nicholas was relieved that it didn't last long.
"Are you sure?" Queen Marianne touched Nicholas' forehead and Nicholas replied with a nod. "Quickly finish this and then take your medicine."
Nicholas obeyed his mother. He finished the soup then took the medicine after which he lay back down because he was still feeling dizzy. At times like these, he was happy that his mother was by his side.
"Mother, how did you fall in love with my father and decided that you wanted to marry him?" asked Nicholas suddenly. He still wanted to talk to his mother about Sophie. Perhaps, he should try another way.
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