Chapter 250: King Armen And His Past

When it was still noon in Megaris, the sun had already bid farewell to Abetha. Standing by the window of his study while staring at the empty tower where he could see the light coming from the lamp glowing out from the room where Seren used to stay, King Armen was in some deep thoughts. 

After Seren and Martha left, the tower was empty but King Armen had ordered for that tower to be taken care of. It was getting cleaned every day and everything had been kept just as it was.

The memories of visiting that empty tower flashed in front of his eyes. After Seren left, the next day King Armen entered the tower and visited the empty bedchamber that belonged to his daughter. It was the place where she had spent seventeen years of lonely and imprisoned life. When she was here, he couldn't enter the tower, and now that he was there, his daughter was gone, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

He tried to feel her presence while looking around inside her bedchamber. That bed, her study table, and the books arranged on the shelves were the ones that he had sent her. He picked up one book and opened it as he found his daughter had scribbled something inside it.

His eyes caught one specific thing that she had written her name 'Seren' at the right corner of every page of that book. Not a single page was there where she had not written her name. King Armen went through other books and he found the same thing.

'Why has she written her name on each page of every book?'

King Armen tried to think but he could not find any answer. Since that day he had asked to take care of everything that belonged to his daughter and not to change even a single thing in her bedchamber. 

When King Armen was busy remembering his visit to the tower, Cian entered the room, "Greetings, Father."

It pulled King Armen out of his thoughts and he looked at his son as he accepted the greetings with a light nod. 

Before greeting his father, Cian had noticed like all other times his father was looking at the tower where Seren used to live. 

"Is father missing her?" Cian asked. 

King Armen nodded, "But it seems like I don't have a right to do so."

Cian didn't deny it and instead added, "Maybe none of us has that right. When she was here, we couldn't cherish her. Now that she has left, we don't deserve to do so."

King Armen nodded, agreeing to what his son said. 

"Father, is there something that is bothering you?" Cian asked. 

"When I visited her bedchamber and went through the books she had read, I saw she had written her name on each page of all those books. I was wondering why."

"She must be scared of forgetting her own name," Cian answered. 

It surprised King Armen and Cian explained, "There was no one who called her by her name."

This hurt King Armen badly as his eyes turned moist. Not a single word could come out of his mouth. 

Cian looked at the wooden stand placed close to his father's study table which had a painting of a woman. It was mostly covered with a silk cloth but today it was uncovered showing the beautiful and elegant royal woman in the portrait. 

"Were you missing my mother?" Cian asked who was familiar with every habit of his father

King Armen sighed, "Your mother, Cassiel if she was alive, all this would have never happened."

"Do you still love her father?" Cian asked. 

"She was the one I have loved the most but it's sad that she left me so soon," King Armen answered. 

"I thought father had always loved Seren's mother more," Cian replied. 

"I won't deny, I do love Seren's mother but somewhere your mother was the reason I fell for her." King Armen replied. 

Cian paused for a moment and said, "Father, you have never told me how you met her mother and why all of this happened with Seren. Where is her mother now? Will father ever tell me about it?"

King Armen inhaled deeply and stared at the tower. When Cian thought his father wouldn't answer, he heard him after talking.

"After your mother was gone once she gave birth to you, I was devastated. I loved her so much that I never thought I would ever have another woman as my wife. Her sudden demise broke me and I had turned into a weak King who forgot his kingdom just because his wife had left him. Your grandmother handled everything in my stead. Soon she fixed my wedding with the princess from Othinia, your current mother."

"Though I was unwilling, I had to do it for the sake of the kingdom as it was all my fault to neglect my duties as King after your mother passed away. For the strong alliance of two kingdoms, I had to marry her. Niobe always respected that I only loved your mother and never let it affect her. She was a good wife and a Queen who handled everything along with me and became my strong support."

"Then why did father never love Queen Niobe?" Cian asked. 

"I tried to be a good husband but I couldn't love her the way I loved your mother. Niobe was aware of it and never said anything to me. I am grateful to her and the way she took care of everything and even looked after you like her own son, I can never say anything to her."

"It is indeed unfair to her," Cian commented. 

"I know. I have been so unfair to her and I am the reason for turning one great woman into a cold-hearted person," King Armen said and looked at his son, "If ever you find your mother has done something wrong, never say anything to her. If you ever wish to confront or punish someone, you can punish me instead. I will accept whatever it is."

"Is father referring to what happened with Seren?" Cian asked, straightforwardly.

"I know you will find it out soon," King Armen commented. 

"I was planning to soon discuss it with you," Cian informed. 

"As I said, you can punish me in her stead. She is a Queen of this Kingdom so you can't punish her openly and it's not easy. Moreover, I will never allow you to."

"May I know why?" Cian asked.

"Because she has sacrificed a lot of things for me and also for this Kingdom. The reason why this kingdom is so strong is in spite of my negligence she was the one to build it when I was at the worst phase of my life. When she married into the Ilven Royal family, she had only me, who neglected her while remembering my late wife but she never complained. She treated you as her own son and to look after you, she didn't even plan to have her own child even after the three years of marriage with me. Everyone criticized her and thought she was not capable of having a child but she paid attention to no one but you. After she had two daughters, everyone asked her to have her own son as you were not her own blood, but she never thought like that. Her love towards you is genuine."

"I know father," Cian replied, "I am grateful to have her as my mother, but…."

"I know what you want to ask. Her anger towards Seren is all because of me. She was the one to sacrifice herself selflessly for our family, for this kingdom, and accepted the fact that her husband doesn't love her. She never got that affection from her husband but some other woman received it. I am the one at fault. I had hurt her pride and had disappointed her gravely."

"But in all of this, an innocent person got hurt," Cian said. 

King Armen could only sigh helplessly and heard his son ask, "Father, how did you meet Seren's mother?"

"It was during the time when Niobe was carrying Miera and in the next few months, she was about to give birth. One day when I had gone hunting before winter, the rebels had attacked our troupe. It was a trap that we fell into and I was severely injured and went unconscious. I woke up after two days only to find out that one woman, who was taking care of me. When I managed to see that woman's face in my half-unconscious state, all I could see was that she looked like your mother and I almost thought Cassiel had come back to me."

"Did she look like my mother?" Cian asked.

"Not completely but in some way she resembled your mother, the way she talked gently and that pleasant smile she carried on her face all the time, it reminded me of your mother. When I regained complete consciousness, I realized she was not your mother. Thanking her, I left and returned back to the kingdom but couldn't forget that one week I had spent with her. I used to think about her and wished to see her again. I knew it was because I had started seeing your mother in her but it was difficult to stop myself. Maybe I was young and reckless."

"Do you regret it, father?" Cian asked. 

King Armen shook his head, "I don't regret it as I loved her. Just like your mother, she was a great woman but when I think about Seren, I end up blaming myself for that recklessness."