Chapter 462 Moving Into The New Home
Sophie didn't stay long at the ceremony. Her discomfort was immediately noticed by Nicholas who was talking with Lucas about the future of the pack and what he planned for Blood River Pack after they left Lievstad.
"Are you okay?" he came to Sophie immediately and asked her if she wanted to go home. She nodded.
"I can't leave the kids for too long," Sophie gave an excuse. She turned to Lily and hugged her again to show her support. "Congratulations, again, Lily. I wish you and Lucas all the happiness in the world."
"Thank you, Lady Sophie," said Lily with a genuine smile. She wished Sophie could stay longer but she knew Sophie had to be with her children.
Both Nicholas and Sophie came to Lucas and took their leave. Lucas, Duncan, and some others who liked Sophie and were always kind to her walked her and Nicholas to their carriage. It felt bittersweet.
Sophie got in the carriage and looked at the manor from the window. The place was home to her for quite a long time. It was sad that she and her children would not step into the manor again, especially after the pack decided to relocate back to Hastings, or even maybe to Frisia.
When the carriage started moving, Sophie was sitting in silence, she was busy with her thoughts. Nicholas who sat across from her watched her from the corner of his eyes. Sophie looked so beautiful but sad. Her sadness made him feel sad too. He wished he could take away all the pain from her, and replace her sorrow with joy.
Alas! He was only a man.
"Have you heard about their plans to move out of Riga?" Nicholas asked Sophie after a long silence. He wanted to have a conversation with her so Sophie would be distracted from her thoughts that seemed to make her sad.
Sophie looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, Lily told me."
"How do you feel about that?" Nicholas asked again.
"Sad," Sophie replied honestly. "They were our family. Even though we have left the pack on our own accord, knowing that they would always be there for the kids to someday go back to, or at least have a relationship with, was comforting. The kids would still have people who are like them, who know them the best, and are like uncles and aunts for them..."
She sighed and added, "But now, the pack will go away, and we won't be able to have that relationship going forward. It feels like becoming an orphan again."
Nicholas was silent. He understood what Sophie meant. It must be hard because the children were used to the life of a pack, unlike Nicholas who was a rouge from the start. He was not part of any pack and he learned to live as a lycan on his own, being the only lycan in the capital - at least the only one he knew.
He was more used to life as a human anyway. He still had his mother, his extended family, and the court people. He didn't miss any companionship or relationship with fellow lycans. However, he understood if his children would need it.
"Maybe I can take them to visit the Blue Moon Pack or other packs?" Nicholas said. "I went on progress to many packs around the country to promote peace. There are many friendly people among those packs. And I think it will be good for Luciel and Jan to meet many leaders from different packs to keep the peace between us. They will be the next ruler of Riga anyway."
Sophie looked at Nicholas with a smile. Then she nodded. She thought Nicholas was very wise at this age. He looked very mature and fit for a king. Whenever she remembered the young man who often skipped school because he was bored, Sophie wanted to sigh. Nicholas surely had changed a lot.
"I'd like that," she said softly.
***
Sophie continued with her work and she truly kept herself busy to distract her mind from all the pain she was feeling. She met with suppliers and entered into an agreement with them to supply her with wine, ale, and other liquor.
She also employed two cooks who were trained directly by the royal cooks to create the best dishes for her tavern. Two female knights from the royal palace were sent to work undercover for her as waiters and they were so good at their jobs that Sophie felt so happy.
After a bit over one month, finally, the renovation was finished and Sophie could move in with her children. By this time, her pregnancy was already five months in and she had started showing.
Royal doctors kept close attention on her health and the baby in her womb and they were actually worried because her bulge was only showing a little even after five months, indicating that her fetus was small.
Sophie was told to take a lot of vitamins, rest well, and ate nutritious food. She complied with all the doctors' orders but still, her stomach didn't show a lot of progress even after five months passed.
"Maybe it's because you are stressed or have a lot on your mind," said Nicholas worriedly. "Can we postpone the opening of the tavern?"
"No, we cannot," said Sophie stubbornly. "We already worked hard for this."
She looked at Nicholas seriously. "I already told you, I will not be prideful and will ask your help if I needed it."
Nicholas could only sigh. Sophie was still as stubborn as before, he thought. They were standing in front of Sophie's room in the royal palace. The servants had finished packing her stuff and the kids. With Nicholas' signs, they started taking the luggage down to the ground floor and put them in the carriage that would take Sophie and her children to their new home.
"I will go with you," said Nicholas. "We can throw a housewarming party. Just us."
Sophie didn't argue with him. She walked with Nicholas to the carriage. Nicholas was holding Anne in his arms, while Jack walked with puffed-up chest with Luciel and Jan.
The queen was waiting for them down the stairs. Her eyes looked puffy because she was crying. Even though she knew that she could visit her grandchildren anytime, and Luciel and Jan would also stay in the royal palace, three nights a week, she still felt sad.
She was already used to having the boys 24/7 for all these months. She loved them so dearly and now they had to split their time between here and their new home. It felt so sad.
"Mother, would you like to join us take Sophie and the children to their new home?" Nicholas offered his mother. "But you must wear a coat to disguise your appearance. People around the area don't know who Sophie is. If they saw you come with your royal outfit, they will ask questions."
Sophie was wearing commoner clothes, and so were her children. Nicholas too. At a glance, people would think they were a family of merchants traveling within the city. Nicholas who liked going out as a commoner since he was very young had been enjoying this excuse to go out more and leave the palace in his commoner's outfits.
The queen looked at her beautiful silk dress, ornated with jewelry and many precious stones, she then looked up and see Sophie's dress. It did look very out of place if she stood with her in front of her shophouse.
"Ah.. you are right. Let me get a simple coat to cover up," she said. The queen waved her hand at a servant and asked her to bring her a simple robe. She said, "You can just borrow the cook's robe or something. I need something simple."
The servant bowed down and then went inside the palace to borrow the said robe. Queen Marianne looked at her son and Sophie alternately. They looked so good together, she thought to herself.
They looked good as a king and queen, and they still looked good as a merchant husband and wife. The queen hoped someday Sophie would open up her heart to Nicholas and they could be together again. It would be good to have Sophie back in the palace, the queen pondered.
She noticed Sophie's baby bump and wondered what her baby would look like. Ah... if only Sophie was willing, the queen wouldn't mind asking Nicholas to acknowledge Sophie's human baby as his, if she would marry him. People didn't need to know that the baby was her previous husband's child.
That way, when the child was born, nobody would dare insult him as a bastard, since he was born after his mother was no longer married.
"What are you thinking, mother?" Nicholas noticed his mother's expression and he asked her what she had in mind.
"Huh?" the queen was startled and immediately lied to cover up her feelings. "Nothing. I can't wait to see their new home."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺