Chapter 472 Catherine Is Dead
After dinner was over, Nicholas waited at the dining table until his mother and the children went out of the dining room, carrying their little siblings in their arms. They knew Nicholas wanted to talk to Sophie about something important.
Once the servants closed the door and left, Nicholas got up and turned to Sophie. He looked at the woman carefully and studied her expression.
"How well do you know Catherine?" he asked her.
Sophie looked at Nicholas and wondered if anything bad had happened to Catherine from the way he asked that question.
"I know her quite well..." Sophie said softly. "I have known her since I was twelve."
The first time Sophie met Catherine was 14 years ago when the witch was invited to come to her aunt's home to teach Valerie and Lucia, her cousins. Initially, it was to help them pass the entrance test to attend Cawden Academy.
However, since the two girls were not too bright, she was then asked to come and give them private tutoring three times a week so they could keep up with their school. Catherine immediately showed sympathy to Sophie after she found out that the girl was an orphan like her.
Out of her own kindness, Catherine secretly helped Sophie to study the subjects that she tutored Valerie and Lucia, and she did it for free. Sophie already knew how to read and write because her parents taught her that before they died, but she didn't have any access to education until she met Catherine.
Catherine taught her everything she knew and even helped her enter Cawden Academy. Even though they were separated for several years, when they met again, they still had a good relationship and Catherine helped tutor Sophie's sons too.
So, when Nicholas asked Sophie how well she knew Catherine, of course, she could confidently say that she knew her very well.
Wait...
She didn't actually know that Catherine was a witch until years later, and it was only because Leland found out who Catherine really was.
Was there anything else that Sophie failed to find out about Catherine?
"I..." Sophie furrowed her brows. "I know that she is an orphan. And... she is also a witch."
"Well, there is another thing..." Nicholas looked at Sophie deeply. "She is dead."
"WHAT?" Sophie was shocked to hear Nicholas' words. She stepped back a little and looked at the man with horror and disbelief. "Please don't joke about something like this."
Nicholas shook his head. He said, "I received an anonymous tip about Catherine so I looked into her. It took a long time before I could find out the truth. My intel caught a witch who confessed that their leader killed Catherine many years ago."
"No..." Sophie pressed her mouth. She was so upset to hear Nicholas' explanation. "That can't be happening..."
"She was already dead many years ago..." Nicholas repeated his words. "... apparently, not long after Luciel and Jan were born. So, whoever taught them was not Catherine."
Sophie cried and her body staggered as she tried to find balance. Nicholas quickly approached her and supported her shoulder. He felt so bad about letting her know about Catherine's fate. Knowing that her old friend had died must be shocking and devastating to Sophie.
Nicholas wished he could shield her from this and keep all the bad things to himself so she would never need to know. However, he thought it was best if Sophie was informed so she could be more vigilant and protect herself and the kids from strangers or bad people who would try to get closer to them by using the identities of people she knew.
"I am so sorry..." Nicholas whispered. He could feel her pain and her sadness. Gosh... he hated seeing her tears. It made him feel inadequate and unable to protect her from this harsh life. He was a king, wasn't he? But why couldn't he make her happy and protect her from this world?
When he heard Noel's report that Catherine was dead and someone was hovering around Sophie and the children for a long time without inviting suspicions, Nicholas immediately remembered the books he read in the library about the witches and wizards' community. They could do things that his logic tried to deny.
However, now.... they all started to make sense. The only explanation for someone taking Catherine's identities for years and fooling Sophie was Catherine had a twin or... someone used her face to pose as her.
The darkest of dark magic was in play and Nicholas could only think about Eloise as the strongest witch around Riga who had the capabilities to do it.
So, did Eloise kill Catherine and took her face to pose as her from time to time? Thinking that the evil witch was around Sophie and the little ones often in the past, sent a shiver down his spine.
What if something bad happened to them? Leland didn't even seem to be aware of that. This was such a dangerous thing for the children.
'Fuck you, Leland. You didn't protect Sophie as well as you should, that a stranger can hover around her for that long. Fuck fuck fuck!' Nicholas cursed inwardly. He didn't know if Leland truly missed it or if he knew Eloise was around his family often.
Meanwhile, Sophie broke down and cried in her chair. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed despondently. She felt so sad for Catherine. She was her only friend growing up. Catherine was like the older sister she never had. She missed Catherine so badly.
The pain that filled her chest was so intense that Sophie felt difficulty breathing. She had lost her parents, she had lost two babies, she had lost Leland... and now she lost Catherine too.
Nicholas stood frozen in his place. He didn't expect Sophie to grieve this badly for Catherine. He didn't know her feelings for Catherine were that deep.
"I was going to send her a letter, asking her to come and visit us in the capital. I will tell her about my business and how her teaching me bookkeeping and everything I know has helped me a lot in life," Sophie spoke with a croaked voice. When she looked up at Nicholas, he could see her eyes were wet with tears. "She is like a sister to me."
"I am very sorry, Sophie," said Nicholas. He sat on the chair beside Sophie and wrapped his arm around her shoulder gently, trying to console her. "I am sorry."
There was nothing else he could say but sorry. What was there to do?
Sophie finally buried her face in his shoulder and cried there. At this moment, she felt so alone. Finally, it was like the weight of the world was crushing her.
She had been keeping her sadness and her pain to herself because she didn't want to make her children and Nicholas worry, but today the news of Catherine's death opened the floodgate and she finally let everything out.
Nicholas's heart felt so heavy. He lent her his shoulder to cry on and he sat where he was without moving even an inch, so she wouldn't think she made him feel uncomfortable. The man waited patiently until Sophie's tears finally subsided. It was almost an hour later.
"I am sorry..." Sophie muttered when she realized she had been crying on his shoulder for a long time and her tears had made his shirt soaked. She moved back and rubbed her eyes roughly. Nicholas didn't move and watched her attentively.
He said, "It's fine, Sophie. Don't think about me. Let's think about the children and the people who have been interacting with them all this time. If someone can pose as Catherine to get close to you and the children undetected, maybe other people tried it too. We must not lower our guard."
"How could they do it?" Sophie asked Nicholas with her hoarse voice. It was still difficult for her to accept the truth that the Catherine she saw the last time was not the real Catherine she knew. "She looked just like Catherine. Her voice too... and don't lycans have a great sense of smell? Why can't they smell her scent?"
Nicholas took a deep breath and stood from the chair. He had heard from Max about the witch's special potion that they used to remove their scent.
He suspected that they must also have the potion to mask their scent. Hiding the scent must be so easy for someone who could take over someone's appearance so convincingly.
"Witches and wizards use magic proficiently," Nicholas explained. "I believe someone from their community took over Catherine's identity and used it to get closer to you. I am not sure what was the intention because as we know you are all safe and unharmed. So, I don't know if they really don't want to hurt you, or they just haven't been able to do it."
Sophie rubbed her temple. She remembered the moments when Catherine was around her. The fake Catherine had so many opportunities to kill her if she wanted to, but the fact was Sophie was still safe until now.
So, did she not mean to hurt Sophie? What was the reason she posed as Catherine then? Who was that person?
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From Missrealitybites:
Thank you sooo much for your patience. I was sick on my birthday (November 19) and couldn't do anything for days. It was not fun. I wish to celebrate it by doing nice things for myself and having a relaxing weekend. Sigh. I don't know why I am always sick around my birthday.
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