Nicholas didn't respond. He finally realized the reason why Noel acting suspiciously since he came knocking on the door to his study earlier.
Apparently, the head of the Royal Lycan Hunter suspected him of being a lycan.
Well.. why wouldn't he? Noel had been working as a lycan hunter for so long, that he must be able to see something not quite right about Nicholas.no
The king was only safe from suspicions because he didn't show any signs of lycanthropy for the past six years after the wolfsbane made him lose his memory and suppressed his lycanthropy.
The fact that Noel took him for sparring and then intentionally injured him to prove his suspicion, instead of directly accusing him, could mean either he was not sure, or he didn't consider the king his enemy, and so he wanted Nicholas to tell him the truth with his own mouth.
Which one was it?
Could Nicholas trust Noel?
They had known each other almost his whole life and after the old king died, Noel and Nicholas actually became closer than before. Was their 'friendship' enough to make Noel forgive Nicholas for being a lycan?
"Noel, that was a good spar, even though you did cheat by attacking me after we ended the fight," Nicholas pretended not to hear Noel's question. He picked up his sword and dusted his clothes with his hands. "Thanks for the exercise. This makes me tired and I wish to rest. Goodbye."
"Your Majesty." Noel bowed his head reluctantly and dropped his sword to the ground. He didn't expect this outcome. He thought Nicholas would either attack him and feel enraged because Noel dared to accuse him, or he would deny the allegations.
Yet, Nicholas didn't do any of those. He chose to retreat and not answer Noel's question. Perhaps he wanted to think about what would be a wise reply to this question. Or, he was too shocked and didn't know what to say? Noel didn't know.
One thing for sure, this made Noel feel more convinced that King Nicholas Hannenbergh was truly a lycan.
He looked at the king's back view until it disappeared from sight and then he sighed. The hunter with scarred face came to him and gave Noel a towel.
"How is it, chief?" he asked his captain.
Noel took the towel and wiped his face with it. Then he gave the towel back to his man. He said, "I will have to think about it."
Noel realized, now that he knew the king was really a lycan, he needed to make a decision on what he as Noel would do, and what the captain of the Royal Lycan Hunter would do.
***
While Noel was thinking about how he would respond to the fact that their own king was actually a lycan, Nicholas was also thinking about what had happened. He had showered and changed into clean clothes and was enjoying a glass of whiskey by his window.
He was looking outside, but he didn't really see the view. His mind was busy thinking about so many things. Right at this moment, he realized he didn't have trusted people. Meaning, people who would ride or die with him, knowing full well who he was.
His ministers, commanders, and noblemen who swore loyalty to the Hannenberghs were loyal to his family without knowing that he was not like them. He was now a lycan, not human. If they knew of this fact, would they stay loyal to him?
This was something that he didn't quite know.
He clenched his glass with anger. He didn't want to be a lycan. He was turned out of his own will because that evil Alpha of Blood River Pack thought it would be funny if the heir of the Hannenbergh family who had been waging war against the lycans would become one himself.
To him, it was a funny joke, perhaps, but to Nicholas, it was cruel and traumatizing. He hated himself for a long time and only came to accept his fate after so many years. His father died without being able to know the truth because his mother was too afraid to take that risk.
Their relationship was strained because Nicholas was often hidden by the queen to prevent the old king to become aware of his condition. One thing led to another, and now Nicholas paid the price. He was separated from his wife, the only woman he loved, and his children.
HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE LYCAN.
Yet he was stuck in this form. It was not his fault. Would his people still think of him as a monster, the enemy, and chose to rebel when they found out the truth?
He downed his whiskey and slammed his glass on the table. Looking at the bottle, he realized why his alcohol tolerance was really high. Perhaps, it was because he was a lycan. Being a lycan came with so many good and bad things.
He became stronger, and faster, and all his senses were also heightened. Those were all good things.
What were the bad things?
Well.. lycans were considered the enemy. They were monsters.
Nicholas realized this was the perception that people had about lycans for a long time because the previous rulers didn't like having lycans in their kingdom. Those so-called monsters were too strong and if they were to have their way, they could topple the existing human government.
He remembered his late father always talked about lycans in that way, and that's how Nicholas came to see lycans as horrible and evil creatures. All the other people did too. They were made to think of lycans as monsters.
Maybe his mother was right. Perhaps, if he started to change the narratives about lycans, the people would be more open-minded. Surely there were good and bad people anywhere. So, some lycans were bad and evil, some were not. Just like humans, they could be good or they could be bad.
Lycans who were turned shouldn't be blamed for their lycanthropy. They didn't ask to be lycans, they were actually victims.
Nicholas massaged his temple. Could he really change their minds?
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