Chapter 59 - The King And Queen Come To Visit

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A message was sent to the royal palace that day with the swiftest hawks to carry the letter. The Viscount informed the king and queen that the crown prince was injured and currently staying with them. 

At first, it seemed to be impossible because the queen knew that her son, Prince Nicholas, was finding his cure or searching for the young girl who saved him, but then the woman realized that the Viscount's manor was located near Hauntingen. 

It meant that it was possible.

She suddenly felt so worried that something might have happened to Nicholas. The queen then convinced her husband to go with her to pick their son up.

When Nicholas was younger and kidnapped by the werewolves tribe, the king himself was worried. He sent search parties everywhere. He was so distraught when Nicholas went missing for over one month.

When the boy suddenly returned, alive, the king was one of the first who was overjoyed.  However, over the years, their relationship soured up and it was difficult because the king had high expectations of their son.

"Nicholas cannot even take care of himself at this age?" The king scowled. "What was he doing that he still needed getting saved by strangers?"

"Acccording to this letter, our son has been poisoned, Your Majesty. I will go pick him up and meet the one who saved Nicholas," the queen told her husband who was still in bed. There was a pointed look in her eyes that made the king rise up.

"Fine. Let us see who has saved him this time," the king spoke. "It is right that we reward those who have saved the crown prince and future king of this kingdom."

*** 

The king and queen traveled for about three weeks to reach the Viscount's Manor nearby Hauntingen and were quickly greeted by all of the staff and its people. 

However, both the king and queen were only searching for one person and that was their son.  The Viscount bowed low and thanked His Majesty and Her Majesty for their prompt arrival. Before the two could question what happened, the Viscount already launched into a story.

"My daughter, Lady Karenina, is an adventurous spirit who likes leaving our house despite my orders," Viscount Verhoven said. "But it is how she discovered the crown prince just outside of Blackwoods Forest and quickly brought him in. Through her quick-wittedness, she was able to help bring the crown prince's fever down."

The king and queen shared some looks, but then thanked the Viscount for his tale and asked for their son. They were led upstairs and into one of the rooms in the manor. Compared to the royal palace, it was much simpler. 

A servant who was standing guard outside the room bowed so deeply to the monarchs and then opened the door for them. As soon as the king and queen stepped inside, they found Nicholas in bed.

There was a young woman across from him. It was a lady who was holding up a spoon and clumsily carrying a bowl in her hands. She wasn't used to working but wanting to become closer with the prince by feeding him the soup so he could recover his strength.

So, she had been staying around Nicholas since day one and served him medicine or food whenever she could.

"Open your mouth, Your Highness, and I will serve you. Be careful... it's quite hot."

Nicholas frowned and sighed inwardly. He knew that he shouldn't be rude to the lady who saved his life, but he still liked doing things on his own and didn't want to be treated like a child.

He also didn't like how she kept getting into his personal space. However, he didn't want to be an ungrateful person. So, he threw her a fake smile. "I can do it by myself, Lady Karenina."

Before Lady Karenina  could argue with him and insist that she fed him, the queen and king already entered the room. Viscount Verhoven was following along and throwing looks at his daughter.

"Nic!" The queen called out to Nicholas and quickly rushed to his side. She gave him a tight hug and then smiled at the young lady. Her voice was hoarse when she expressed her gratitude. "Thank you for saving my son's life."

"It is my great honor, Your Majesty," Karenina  said and inclined her head lowly before sweeping into a full curtsy. "Anyone would have done the same."

"You are a kind young lady with good manners," The queen gushed but then she glanced at Nicholas. She placed a hand on his forehead and whispered into his ear. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Nicholas blinked and stared unsurely at her. "What?"

The queen's eyes widened but then she reached for Nicholas' face. She whispered underneath her breath so the king wouldn't hear. "My son, do you know who I am and who you are?"

"You are… my mother." Nicholas frowned at her and was a bit unused at this feeling of closeness. "And I am the crown prince of this kingdom."

"Then… the reason why you went to Hauntingen is…?" His mother cleared her throat. "Do you know why you came here in the first place, Nic? For who… or... what you were searching for?"

"I don't know. I am sorry, mother..." Nicholas' eyes widened and he clenched his hands together. He tried to grab something in the back of his head. He knew it was so important, so vital, but then he couldn't reach for it. 

It was at the tip of his tongue but it was oh so foreign. 

"That's alright." the queen noticed the beginning of Nicholas' panic attacks and started to calm him down to no avail.

She feared that her son was about to transform. It already caught the attention of both the king, the viscount, and the young lady who saw him with his hands in his head.

"I really don't know. What happened to me? Did something happen? How did I end up here?" Nicholas asked his mother.

The queen could see that her son was panicking but all throughout that moment, there were no signs of him transforming at all. 

It was different from the last time.

Did this mean.. Nicholas succeeded in treating his lycanthropy? The queen was wondering.

Was her son no longer a monster?

.

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From Missrealitybites:

I really hate how his parents always refer to his condition as a 'monster'.. No wonder Nicholas was so adamant to remove his lycanthropy and hated himself at times.