Chapter 466 Sophie Opens Her Tavern
That night, Sophie couldn't immediately sleep in her new home. Even though it was her home, it still felt foreign because, until earlier that day, she and the children had not stayed there. She felt more at home in the royal palace, having her own apartment there and spending months living there with the children.
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Come in," Sophie said when she heard the knocks on her door.
The door was opened by her oldest sons who came inside her room with their hands holding their pillows.
"Mom, can we sleep here?" Luciel asked Sophie. He gave her his best puppy eyes. "I can't sleep in my room."
"Me neither," Jan added. "This is a new place."
Sophie nodded with a smile. She patted the space on her bed and motioned the boys to come. "Sure, come up here."
Secretly she was happy they still wanted to sleep with her when they felt lonely or unwell. It was obvious that they wanted to be with her while they got themselves used to this new place.
Luciel and Jan happily approached their mother and climbed up the bed. They took the space on the outside part, while Sophie moved to the inner part to give them space. She placed Anne and Jack in the middle. Both pups were lying on their backs with all feet going up in the air. They both looked so adorable.
Luciel narrowed his eyes when he looked at his younger siblings and chuckled. Then he turned to his mother and asked, "Mom... were we this cute when we were babies?"
Sophie nodded and whispered, "You are the cutest! Sssh... don't let Anne and Jack know."
Her words made the boys feel so good about themselves and they both smiled smugly. Sophie looked at them with amusement. They really looked like Nicholas day by day.
Slowly, the image from earlier that day, when Nicholas told her that he still loved her and would take her back in a heartbeat if she allowed him, came back to her mind.
She realized, without Nicholas by her side all these months, her life would have been so much harder. She was grateful for him and appreciated his presence in her life.
"Good night, Mom," said Luciel who came and kissed Sophie on the cheek before he lay down on the far end of the bed. Jan followed suit. They closed their eyes and quickly fell asleep.
Sophie still stayed awake fora few moments and watched her children sleeping soundly. They were all healthy, except for Anne, and they looked happy. She prayed that they would keep being this way.
She thought as long as she could have her children live well and all their needs met, she would be happy and content. When Sophie lowered her head and saw her stomach that already started bulging, she smiled faintly.
This was her first human pregnancy. It would be very different from her previous ones. The baby she would give birth to would also be a human baby, not a wolf pup. This thought gave her a strange but endearing feeling.
This must be what her mother experienced when Anne was carrying her for nine months and then raised a human baby from the start. Sophie realized her youngest baby would be her mini version. Would it be a boy or a girl? She couldn't wait to find out.
***
It took them several days of staying in their new home before the little family became used to their home. After one week, Luciel and Jan had moved and slept in their own bedroom. Even though Sophie loved having all their children around her at night, she realized that it was better for the boys to be more independent.
Three times a week, the old carriage from the palace would come and pick up the boys for their lessons in the royal palace. They would return to the tavern after their lessons and they would spend the weekends with their father and the old queen.
Sometimes, when Luciel and Jan went to study, Jack or Jack and Anne would go along with them. They would play with Queen Marianne while their older brothers were studying. This helped Sophie greatly when she had to focus on her budding business.
However, when Jan and Luciel spend the weekends in the royal palace, the little ones never went. Sophie couldn't be separated from them at night. Not only because they were still nursing, but also because she was always worried if she couldn't see them for a day.
A few times, she would come to the palace and stay overnight with all her children because the queen invited her to tea and other things.
However, as her pregnancy became farther along, she slowly limited her visit to the palace. She was very busy handling her business and taking care of her staff.
The tavern needed several weeks of operation before business was starting to pick up. It seemed many high-class women liked going there with their friends to taste the special ale that was only served in that tavern. News traveled fast that the special ale was made with a recipe from the lycan tribe.
The fact that the tavern manager was a handsome man who was rumored to be a lycan became another thing that made it attractive for women to come there. Apparently, after the king came out as a lycan and there was peace between humans and lycans, werewolves became a sexy thing among the women in the capital.
Sophie only realized this when she overheard a group of women talking about it, not knowing she was the owner of the tavern.
"Yes, I came here to prove the rumors that the tavern manager is actually a lycan," said one woman excitedly. She stole a glance at Max who was walking from the kitchen to the entrance to welcome newly arrived guests. "See? He does look like a lycan. Look at his broad shoulders and how manly he looks."
Sophie furrowed her brows at that. She turned to look at Max and then smiled. She must have had a really good karma in her past life that she kept getting help from good people around her.
Max was a very loyal pack member who acted as her sons' nanny for many years and developed a fondness for the boys that he decided to stay and help even though Sophie and her children were no longer in the pack. And of course, Lucas was so kind as to let Max stay here.
Sophie never paid attention to Max's looks before, because, to her, he was like a younger brother. Now, she understood why those women all ogled at him.
Max was handsome with his long messy blonde hair which he tied in a ponytail, his face was friendly, and his shoulders were broad, his body was tall and burly, and his arms holding the tray were toned, and since he easily felt hot, he always wore his shirt with the top three buttons unhooked.
He looked so manly compared to most male humans in the capital. Sophie knew not only his charming appearance, but as a lycan, he also oozed testosterone that made all the female patrons' hearts flutter.
Sophie looked around her in the tavern and realized, she had more female patrons here than males. This made her chuckle. Maybe if she hired more lycans to work for her, they would have to start rejecting guests.
"You are right... he is sooooo manly!!" said the other woman. "I am so glad now we are at peace with the lycans and they can slowly live among us. Yesterday, I saw a lycan open a stand and sold his hunted game. They have very good meat."
"How did you know he is a lycan?" Her friend asked.
"He said so," said the second woman. "When people asked him, he actually partially transformed his arm into a paw and cut the meat with it. So cool!"
"Oh, wow... I'd like to see that," Another woman said. She turned to look at Max who was standing by the door and talking with the new guests. "Do you think we can ask the manager to show us his transformation as well? It will be awesome!"
"Maybe... but... I think it's rude to do it?" her friend pursed her lips. "I wanted to see it though..."
Sophie was happy to hear their conversation. She realized the situation now was very different compared to the past, where Lycans and humans were hunting and killing each other. Now, there was acceptance and genuine curiosity of each other.
For this, she really should thank Nicholas. This was what she always dreamed of, to have her children live in peace and be accepted by society, and there was no need for them to hide their identities.
"Oh, Nicholas, you are so good," she muttered to herself. "You have done so well for yourself and for our children."
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