Note:
This chapter is dedicated to my lovely Kelly Goodwin. THANK YOU for gifting 2 spacecrafts to this book yesterday. xx
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The queen smiled faintly when she heard his question. Nicholas and she didn't talk about their personal feelings. So, his sudden question surprised her. "Why did you ask that?"
Nicholas looked up at the ceiling of his room as his mind went back to the little girl from his past and he subconsciously smiled. He was sure that the girl was his first love. That girl was Sophia Hansley whom he had married.
"Because... I think I do love my wife. I know because I start to remember bits and pieces from my past," Nicholas replied. "When you gave me the soup earlier, I remember making similar soup for her. I remember I made it out of love, because I wanted her to eat well."
Queen Marianne went silent. She watched Nicholas who now looked dreamy, and her heart was stirred. Maybe her son was truly in love.
It was hard to believe that he could fall in love with a woman in such a short time, but maybe that could happen? Didn't she also fall in love with her husband after meeting him for the first time?
She was enamored and infatuated with the young prince after she was brought to see him in the royal gala. It was an event organized by the palace to celebrate Prince William Hannenbergh's 25th birthday in a not-so-discreet attempt to find him a wife.
Marianne came from one of the most influential families in Riga and was immediately considered as a strong candidate to be the next queen and help William on his duty as the next king of Riga, after she came to the royal palace and met William's mother who approved her.
If William returned her feelings, she was sure they would not waste time and get married fast, just like what Nicholas claimed he did.
However, William didn't share her feelings and it took them a while to get through the courtship procedure arranged by the palace before they got married - for him, it was out of duty, and for her it was out of love.
"So, are you sure that they didn't lie to you?" Finally, Queen Marianne decided to open her mind and listen to what Nicholas had to say. "If you said you fall in love with a woman and you married her, I believe you. I just don't trust other people, especially strangers telling you this and that."
"I understand, mother," Nicholas was relieved to see his mother's new reaction. He knew she was basically a good person. She just didn't trust easily and was very protective of her son. He added, "I started getting some of my memories and the village head's stories only added to the missing pieces."
Queen Marianne bit her lip and nodded. "Very well. Tell me what you remember."
Nicholas took a deep breath and then closed his eyes. He thought he could remember more things if he concentrate and focus all his mind on Sophie's image.
"A few weeks ago when I went to Hauntingen, I managed to find some information about my forgotten past," he said slowly. "And I am not talking about six years ago, but fourteen years ago."
"Fourteen years ago?" The queen furrowed her brows. "You were thirteen."
"Yes. Did you remember what happened to me when I was thirteen?" Nicholas looked at his mother intently.
"You were..." The queen swallowed. "You were kidnapped."
'You were kidnapped and turned into a lycan by the enemy.'
She didn't dare say the whole thing. Every time she remembered how Nicholas was turned into a lycan after the incident, she felt like crying.
"Someone saved me," Nicholas reminded his mother. "Do you remember that?"
The queen nodded. "Yeah. You did say a young girl saved you, but when we came there to thank her, she was gone."
"Her name is Sophia Hansley," said Nicholas. He smiled when he saw his mother's eyes looked surprised.
"Did you find her?" the queen couldn't help but ask.
"Yes," Nicholas nodded. "I think I did. I am not sure, but my heart told me I did, and when I found her, I fell in love with her... and that's why I decided to marry her."
"Huh?" The queen couldn't follow Nicholas' words. "I don't understand."
"Sophia Hansley. She is my first love," said Nicholas firmly. "That girl appeared in my dreams many times and then my dreams always ended with her growing up into a young woman."
"So, she is still alive?"
"Not only alive but also... I have met her when I went to Hauntingen six years ago," Nicholas explained. "I think I know why I married her in secret."
"Why?"
"To force you and father to accept our relationship," Nicholas replied. "I must have thought that if I married her before I took her to see you both, you and father would have no choice but to accept her as your daughter-in-law."
"Oh..." The queen, knowing herself and her husband, understood how Nicholas could think that way.
Nicholas was the crown prince, the future ruler of Riga. He must marry a woman from his level. She could be a princess from the neighboring kingdoms or a daughter of one of the most influential dukedoms in the country, but definitely not a poor commoner from a village.
So, it made total sense if Nicholas fell in love with a commoner, he would have to force his parents to accept the woman he loved.
Getting married immediately was a method he could use to force the king and queen to let her marry the woman of his choosing.
"Unfortunately, my plan didn't work because I ended up getting sick and I lost my memories of her." Nicholas' voice was hoarse when he spoke. "I only started to remember what happened after my lycanthropy was awakened last month."
He added, "I still don't remember the whole thing. Right now, it is mostly bits and pieces but I believe the woman I married was the girl who helped me fourteen years ago and I'm currently looking for her."
Queen Marianne was silent.
She could see how Nicholas was deeply in love with the girl he believed saved his life 14 years ago when he was kidnapped by the Blood River Pack.
Was she really the same girl? The queen truly wanted to believe it. If Sophia Hansley truly saved the king when they were little, it would make her worthy of becoming Nicholas' wife even though she was just a commoner.
"Did you know what happened to her now?" The queen decided to ask. "When you came to Hauntingen, did you find any clues of her whereabouts?"
"Yeah, actually I did," Nicholas explained. "However, I am not really sure. Not until I can meet her in person and ask her to confirm this."
"What do you mean?"
"Mother... do you remember our guests when we held the party in the royal palace last month?" Nicholas looked his mother in the eye and asked her with his most serious tone. "Duchess Romanov from Frisia."
Queen Marianne furrowed her brows. "Sophia Romanov, you mean? She came with her husband and twin sons—"
The queen suddenly pressed her lips.
Nicholas noticed the change of expression on his mother's face. From confusion to surprise and finally... realization.
She must have remembered how Luciel and Jan looked a lot like Nicholas, her son, when he was still a boy their age. Blood didn't lie.
They were his spitting image and, when given this context, Queen Marianne could immediately put two and two together.
"Are they...?" The queen gripped Nicholas' arms and asked with a choked voice. "Her name is also Sophia."
Nicholas nodded. "Yeah."
The queen pressed her lips again. She forgot to breathe for some seconds.
"The boys look a lot like you!"
Nicholas nodded again. "Yes."
"Are they..." The queen couldn't say the words because she was too shocked. She could only mumble in disbelief. "The boys are almost six..."
She wanted to cry when she remembered Luciel and Jan and how adorable they were. When she saw them for the first time, she immediately fell in love with them. Deep in her heart, she was jealous of the Romanov couple for having such beautiful sons.
She regretted the fact that Karenina and Nicholas did not immediately get married five years ago, after their engagement. She would already have grandchildren too by now. She chided herself for not pushing Nicholas enough.
However... now Nicholas suddenly said that the boys might be his sons? And Sophia Romanov was... his wife?
How could this be?
Sophia was married to another man. Duke Romanov came with her to the royal party and they seemed like a really happy couple.
The queen didn't see the duke's face because he was wearing a mask, but from what physical appearance he showed to everyone, the man didn't seem to resemble his sons.
So, was it possible that Sophia Hansley married Duke Romanov after Nicholas left and never returned? The woman might have thought Nicholas died. So, she went to find protection from another man.
Gosh... this was such a mess.
"Nicholas, do you really believe Sophia Romanov is your wife and the boys are your children?" Queen Marianne asked. "I need to know."
Nicholas took a deep breath and nodded. "I believe so. However, I need to see her again and confirm everything."
"Yeah, you should do that." The queen massaged her temple.
Her mind was filled with mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was shocked to find out what might have happened between Nicholas and Sophia Romanov, but on the other hand, she was suddenly excited and happy at the realization that Luciel and Jan were actually her grandchildren.
Those adorable boys. She loved them already!
"I tried, but..." Nicholas looked away. Now came the hardest part. He had to tell his mother that Sophie was now living with a pack of lycans. The enemy. And so were his sons.
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