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Chapter 0115
Chapter 0115
+25 BONUS
Alistair gives a bland smile. “I trust you may understand that King Peter has been distraught over the welfare of his children. He cares for them deeply. All he asks is that you allow his son, Prince Jacob, to return home where he belongs.”
“No way,” Rainier counters. “We’re not letting him go so you feel comfortable attacking us with nothing to lose.”
“My king has learned of his son’s injuries and only wants to have him treated by his royal physician. Surely, we can all understand that everyone is deserving of compassion and should be treated accordingly.”
I look down from my seat on the throne at Alistair’s face, which does remind me of a weasel, and contemplate my next move. I know I can’t let Jacob go–not until we have assurance that King Peter will not attack us once his heir is back in his grasp. I need to buy us time.
“I will send my own doctor to heal Jacob’s injuries and to make sure he is well taken care of,” I offer. “He will continue to stay in the castle as he heals.”
Alistair’s pale blue eyes blink before he starts, “Surely, Prince Jacob would be better healing at home than here-”
“Surely, we can provide adequate care for him here,” I cut him off. “I have a competent doctor in the castle, and I assure you that Jacob will be getting the care he needs.”
Knowing he’s beaten, Alistair gives another dry smile and bows low. “Thank you for your compassion, Your Majesty. I will inform King Peter of your merciful consideration with and take my leave for the evening. I will let His Majesty know of the situation.”
I dismiss him, and the weasel scurries off. He will be staying in the castle in a bedroom furthest away from mine. I have many servants and guards watching his every movement should he try anything. I even double the security in the dungeons.
“I don’t like that guy,” Rainier remarks. “He reminds me of a rat sniffing for cheese.”
I stand from my throne and step down the podium stairs. “The cheese being my downfall, I take it.”
“I expect him to scurry around like a little rodent for his master.”
That makes me smirk in amusement. “Perhaps you should prepare some mouse traps.”
Rainier’s eyes light up in delight. “That would be entertaining and useful. Good idea.”
“Just make sure you don’t get him injured. I already have enough trouble to deal with.”
Rainier salutes me before walking away from the throne room. I decide to look for Emory. I go to her bedroom and only find Helga who tells me that the princess should be having lunch with my mother. This new development still concerns me.
I go outside toward the gazebo and find my mother and Emory having a pleasant lunch of tea and pastries. Lola is there eating colorful macaroons. My usually stoic mother is laughing at a story Emory is telling her. I don’t remember seeing the queen laugh like that in years.
My mother notices me first as I approach the gazebo. “Hello, darling. What are you doing here?”
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I walk over to her and kiss her on her cold cheek. The familiar scent of roses and vanilla remind me of my childhood. 1 was about to ask you the same question
Tim having lunch with Emory and Lola. We were discussing her childhoods. She was telling me this amusing story of the time she played a prank on her brother.”
I turn to her eyebrows doing in question. She exclams used to scare my younger brother by hiding in his closet and pretending to be a vampire about to be him and bleed him dry.”
We’re the bogeyman in your childhood stones?
Tim sure we were the bogeyman in your world” she replies. How did you scare vampire children mo behaving?
“We don’t”
That’s not true. I heard plenty of stories involving temying werewolves while growing up. Temfyng children to stop misbehaving is a universal thing amongst all sentient species. When it comes down to it. we are all more similar than what we would want to admit.
“Don’t lie to the girl, Kane,” my motter chides. “You used to chase your brother pretending to be the big
bad wolf”
Chapter 0116
Chapter 0116
+25 BONUS
Emory gives me a knowing look, smug in her righteousness. I have to resist the urge to kiss that look off her face. I will have to do that later. I won’t kiss her in front of my mother–not yet anyway.
“Have you eaten, Kane?” my mother asks. “Darling, you must eat. You’re getting far too thin these days.”
“I’m fine, mother.”
“Come take a seat. We have those butter biscuits you enjoy.”
I take the empty seat beside Emory. Food will do nothing to put meat on my bones. Only blood will do that. But they do taste good, so I help myself to a cup of blood and the butter biscuits, leaving the macaroons to Lola. I pour the blood into my cup carefully and stir it with a spoon.
My mother takes a sip of her blood. “There’s a matter of importance I need to discuss with you, Kane.”
“About what?”
“We should renovate the nursery in the castle as it’s been some time since we had a baby to take care of. And we’ll need to purchase ‘wth all the things you’ll be needing to take care of the child. Your old things
won’t do at all.”
I stare at my mother in shock, trying to comprehend what she’s saying. I try to play dumb. “What do you mean? What baby?”
She puts down her cup to give me an exasperated look. “Are we really doing this, Kane? You are far too old to be pretending like you don’t know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I truly don’t know what you’re going on about, Mother.” From my peripheral vision, I can see Emory’s guilty face. Turning to her, I stare at her in disbelief and betrayal.
She swallows hard. “She knows.”
Turning to face her, my eyes widen. “You told her? How could you?‘
She winces. “It just slipped out. It felt wrong not to tell your mom. Besides, she sort of already knew.”
“Did she tell you how much she wants grandkids? She’s been using that line on me for years.”
“You’re being dramatic, Kane,” my mother rebukes. “Emory simply wanted to share the good news with me, the grandmother of your unborn child. It’s not as if I couldn’t hear the heartbeat.”
She says ‘grandmother‘ with such relish. She can’t even hide her glee at the news even if she wants to.
“We were going to wait until Emory was past her first trimester to tell anyone. You know how risky pregnancies are for our kind.”
“I am very aware, which is why Emory needs to have a support system. You are far too busy to be here every moment of the day. Emory could use all the help she can get before and after that baby comes.
I resist the urge to stab myself in the eye with a butter knife out of frustration. I mistakenly thought my mother was trying to poison Emory out of disapproval of our relationship. Instead, my mother approves wholeheartedly and is practically frothing at the mouth at finally becoming a grandmother. This shouldn’t be a surprise as my mother has been nagging me about having an heir for decades.
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Chap bite. “King Peter’s rat just found some cheese.”
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