As soon as he heard the servant's words, Nicholas rushed to his mother's chamber. He was so worried and distraught at this turn of events. His father just passed away not long ago and now his mother was on her deathbed too?
This was too much!
When he reached the queen's chamber, as he feared, Nicholas found Queen Marianne was indeed on her bed and she looked deathly pale. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly and heavily.
The prince's heart ached at the sight of his mother suffering. She was truly the most fragile of health between them all that Nicholas had once thought that he would get stuck with his father after she passed away.
Perhaps, he was truly destined to never be happy. After losing his father to the lycans attack and having to take the responsibility to manage a kingdom, finally met a woman who could make his heart flutter only to find out she was married to another man, now he also had to lose his only family.
He didn't know how he could live alone if his mother left him so soon. He was not ready. His heart was still bleeding from the tragedy of losing his father, he was just a young man who had to pretend that he knew what he was doing and acted brave and smart all the time.
The truth was… he wasn't as brave and smart as people thought he was. He had his fears and his moments when he made bad judgment calls. Even if his mother couldn't help him rule this country, at least he could come to her and vent, pour his heart out, and be himself.
He couldn't be himself in front of other people. He was not ready to always put that mask of confidence, courage, and intelligence that people expected of him. He needed his family.
Nicholas stepped inside the queen's chamber and stood by her bed with a sorrowful expression.
Servants and the royal doctor fussed around the chambers of the queen. They looked bothered and were talking to each other in hushed voices as if keeping the diagnosis a secret.
They bowed down when Nicholas arrived… and so did someone else.
"Your Highness!" Karenina's eyes widened and she quickly turned back to Queen Marianne. She gently whispered to the older woman. "Your Majesty, your son is here safe and sound. Not one hair out of place."
Nicholas inwardly sighed.
At his mother's side was none other than the viscount's daughter.
He actually wished Karenina and her father were packing their bags and left for Hauntingen after the lycans attack. However, he should have known that he wouldn't be that lucky.
Who was the real child in this situation? If Nicholas hadn't known any better, Lady Karenina acted like the daughter of the queen with how much she placed herself at his mother's side.
Nicholas knew he needed to put those things aside though.
His mother needed him.
Queen Marianne's eyes fluttered weakly at the sound of Karenina's voice and they quickly made their way to her son.
"Gosh, Nic, you're alive!" Queen Marianne choked out as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
In the woman's pale and sickly state, she burst into tears at the sight of her son being alive. She was most relieved at the sight and worried about his condition.
In the deepest part of her heart, she had feared that her son would transform at the last moment when he went out to meet the lycans in battle, or for the other lycans to reveal that fact.
She didn't want to lose him. And she didn't want the dark secrets that had been buried to come up to the surface. Not at this critical time when Nicholas was about to ascend the throne.
What would the people think? That their soon-to-be king was a monster???
She could imagine the gossip and the uproar. All those noblemen would accuse the royal family of intentionally raising a monster among them and deceiving the people.
Worse yet, they would think the late king was a hypocrite. Pretending to hate werewolves, when his own son was one.
And the worst-case scenario… they would use this reason to topple down the monarchy. Many dukes who had been eyeing the throne would be happy to gather power and usurp the throne.
Queen Marianne was stressed just thinking about those things. And that affected her health greatly. She thought she would rather die than witness the secrets unfold and civil war erupt.
That's why she was so relieved when she saw her son come through that door, looking healthy and… not transforming into a lycan as she was feared.
"Mother…"
Nicholas made his way to the other side of his mother. He knelt down and held her hand. The prince looked gravely at Queen Marianne. From her weak pulse and her heavy breath, Nicholas realized his mother was indeed in a precarious state.
This was why that stupid Lord Siegfried's words bothered him. Nicholas' being found out to have any longing for another man's wife was probably enough to shock his poor mother to death because of how weak she was.
If Lord Siegfried found out about his secret, maybe the queen did too. She had her own network of spies which she used to make sure her son and husband were always safe.
Did Nicholas' informant also tell the queen about his order to look into Duke Romanov's wife?
It bothered Nicholas far more than he would let on.
"Mother, I am here." Nicholas closed his eyes and then quietly spoke to her, low enough that only she would hear. There was a grim expression on his face. "Please don't join father too soon."
Queen Marianne coughed lightly and saw the expression on her son's face. Despite the way that he sometimes acted like he hated both his father and mother, there was an ounce of vulnerability in his tone.
He was such a good boy. She felt blessed to give birth to this wonderful young man. She didn't mind having only one child, because one Nicholas was enough for her.
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