The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Evan's Perspective)

I got Blue's letter this morning. This time, it was an invitation to the party where Dion would be officially introduced as the first prince of Querencia.

I had not seen her or her son for quite a while. It felt like a long time. Maybe, it was because I had been with her for a long time even a few months ago.

I ran my fingers over her handwriting. I had a lot of things to worry about these days, but maybe I could make it there. I should. I wanted to see her once more.

The woman I slept with who looked kind of like Blue turned out to be not a prostitute, but a noble lady. I did not want to get involved in any kind of scandal. Sleeping with a random noble lady was not the worst part. She turned out to be the youngest daughter of the Duke of Trouvaille.

I confronted her after finding out. She actually planned to get pregnant with my child, so she did not take any pills afterward. But I had already given her one when she was sleeping. I did not want to take any risk.

Apparently, her father wanted to marry her off to a man who is even older than the duke himself. It was utterly gross to do so, but I was in no place to interfere.

"If I am going to marry someone I don't love, I might as well marry the King," she had said when I confronted her about it.

"What makes you think I would marry you even if you got pregnant?" I had asked.

She looked a little surprised. It reminded me so much of Blue, especially the way she pouted.

'Shit!'

"It would be your child. Your Highness doesn't have an heir."

"I am not desperate to have one, even if it meant having an illegitimate one."

"… What would you do then?"

"Kill you, before you could open your mouth. My lady, I am no fair player."

"… Even an unborn child?"

I had shrugged. An unborn child? I was not so sure. I had cared for Blues' child, even before he was born. Maybe it was because it was her child. Would it be the same for others too?

"Who is Blue?" she had asked.

"My lady, I will look into your matter a little more," I had said. "You should go now."

"Is she someone you love but can't have?"

"Please leave, my lady."

There had been a small smile on her lips. "Your Highness, if you marry me, I don't mind if I will be a replacement. I won't mind if you call me Blue, or whatever you want. I would not mind trying to act like her."

I had thought about it for a while. What if I married her? She looked like Blue, even if the similarities were not too much.

I felt bad for using her like that, but then again, she knew what she would sign for if I accepted her offer. I would need an heir anyway. I was almost thirty. There was not much time to wait. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

I was not born to marry for love anyway.

I called for her this afternoon, so it would not be too late. There was no reason for me to waste any more time. If I was going to marry her, I might as well do so quickly.

"Greetings, Your Highness," she bowed. She was wearing a light blue dress. It reminded me of spring.

"Please take a seat, Lady Liliana," I said.

She took a seat ahead of me on the couch. I watched her movements. She was twenty-two years old, one year older than Blue. Her dress suited her, but Blue almost always wore black. Black suited Blue. It might suit this woman too.

"If I say I will marry you, is your answer still the same?" I asked.

Her blue eyes brightened up. I was once again reminded of how different they were from Blue's. I had never seen a more beautiful pair of eyes than the eyes Blue had.

I cleared my throat. "If it is a yes, I must remind you what you are walking into," I said. "You must never talk to anyone about this arrangement. It will be between us only."

"May I ask Your Highness something then?"

"Yes?"

"Is Blue truly a woman you love?"

"… Yes. I will always love her," I said. "You might even meet her. But you must not speak of it even to her."

"… My apologies. I thought she was your dead lover," she mumbled.

"No. She is very much alive and very much happy as well. I do not want to come in the path of her happiness," I said.

"Is she married?"

"She is," I said. "She has a son."

"… Really? I am really sorry," she said gently. It looked like she was being genuine.

"There is no need to be sorry. I fell for her when I shouldn't have," I said. "Anyway, do you agree? We will proceed very quickly."

"Yes, I do. I am okay with all of this. I just hope I will be respected."

"Of course. I will respect you and will make sure no one can bring down your honor," I said. "If it's okay with you, we should discuss the details over dinner to make sure both of us are okay with the terms."

"I will have to return soon."

"Because of the duke?"

"Father will not like it if I stay out for a long time."

Of course, that night she snuck out to sleep with me. She bribed a prostitute to switch places with her.

"Not if I send a letter to the dukedom," I said. "Will you stay for dinner then?"

"In that case, sure."

"And, my lady, I will not have any concubines," I said. "I will not tell you to do the same, of course."

She looked taken aback. I was as well. I was not that much of a moral person, but I respected people. Yet, I never thought I would do it. Maybe Blue had a greater influence on me than I realized.

"Having concubines when your partner doesn't is like a slap to their face," she had told me once.

"I don't… Your Highness, I have no need for concubines. I am not used to those things anyway. I don't need any," she said.

"Then, I will ask for your faithfulness in the marriage. You will be loyal to me and you can expect the same from me," I said. "We both will sign papers containing these terms. If one of us breaks it, we will get a divorce. A relationship is based on trust. I do not want that trust to be broken."

"It is the same for me, Your Highness," she said. I could tell she did not expect all of this when she came here today.

Well, I did not either.

The banquet for Dion was a mere seven days away when I announced my engagement to Lady Liliana. We would marry six months later, after the banquet that I would hold in Trouvaille. There was not much time. I told Blue to come at least one month before. She said she would try. Honestly, I missed her too much.

So, the last six days felt crucial till the banquet for Dion. I prepared another gift for Dion, along with the gift that I had already prepared for him. It was funny how much I cared for this child. I might not have cared for him this much if I had not loved his mother so much.

I was jealous of King Demetrius more than anyone else. I had never felt this way. He got everything in his life. Even though he acted like a crazy bastard sometimes, his wife still loved him. And the worst part was- I could not deny the fact that he also loved his wife too much. They could barely keep their hands off each other.

It was truly a blessing. It was not long before I started to view their relationship as something I truly craved. It might be toxic, but it was perfect, truly perfect.

Blue was right. If both were toxic in a relationship, that relationship was healthier than normal relationships. Then again, when was she ever wrong about something?

I had asked for a portrait of Dion. I could not say I wanted to see her too, as that would be crossing the line.

But she refused to give me one.

'If I just show you, where is the surprise? You should see him yourself when you come here. He has gotten so big, you know, in such a short while. It still feels like yesterday when he was born, and now he is so big…'- it was what Blue wrote.

I smiled as I imagined her playful smile.

Oh, I loved this woman a little too much.