A/N

Hello, it's been a while! I was finally able to retrieve my wattpad account! The story continues.

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THERE WERE NO WORDS OF ASSURANCE that I could fulfill Apollo's proposal but I was certain that the bond was in favour of this. The Duke being my other half, had that edge over Lykos.

What was in my dream or nightmare, I wished for it not to manifest. The trouble of choosing who should live and who should die must not be decided by a mere mortal like me. That night, I was not able to give the Duke an answer. Winter had gone so cold that even the thawed attitude of the Duke towards me froze back to how it was before.

The next few days flew by and Spring had finally blessed the kingdom with a little warmth. The Duke and I were the same. We ate together, but we slept in our own chambers again. Duties were formally fulfilled as Duke and Duchess in front of the people. Him and I tended to Galax's needs, and joined tribunals with the Queen.

Everything seemed fine except for the fact that I was only being used for appearances. The title as the Duchess of the capital city was with me, but I was being treated like a mere accessory to glamorize the Duke and the royal family.

I thought the Duke and I would at least have a common point as alphas in nature, but the royal family would not even let me participate properly. It did not help that the Spring Festival was coming, and I was expected to be the one to organize the event with the Queen. I knew I needed to assert my position but it would have helped me greatly if the support was shown by the Duke himself but there was none.

There he was again, avoiding me like a plague even when we both visited Galax during his studies with the tutor the Queen assigned. He would only greet me briefly in front of the servants and the lords. Was he avoiding me for my indecision? I still had no courage to entertain the idea of choosing between him and Lykos in a matter of life and death situation.

None of us ever mentioned the subject of Lykos and Amari after the night we spoke about them. Mavis would come visit me in the palace from time to time but both of us failed to reach Amari and Lykos in my visions again. Out of curiosity, I asked her about the duke's whereabouts, but Mavis was a tough wizard. She knew how to divert her answers, a true expert in keeping a secret. She was very loyal to the Duke.

The sapphire did not burn my sensations the way it usually did. For the next couple of days, I felt like I had forgotten the troubles coming my way. I was a 'normal' royal in the palace who had everything in the palm of her hands. Each time I met the nobles, they would say how fortunate I was to be wedded to the Duke of Therion but it was not for me to brag about.

The weight of the crown was all I could think of whenever they say that. There were times when The Ton would put me on a pedestal, interrogating about bearing an heir to the throne. I could only laugh about the matter and run around insincere sentences. I could not even tell them that the Duke and I were sleeping in separate quarters again.

I occupied my mind with the preparations for the Parade of Flowers and the Harvest Festival. Dilly was also hard to reach that only Catherine and I spent most of the days together. He told me that the lords of the seven lands were busy discussing how to suppress the fugitives attacking the North. Little did he know that hearing this gave me a slight sense of comfort that Illaria was not doing well too. It might sound selfish and inappropriate but I was gloating with the fact that she would not be able to extend her help in the upcoming Spring Festival.

The days passed by, and exhaustion ruled over my mind and body that I only had the preparations to worry about. Two nights left before the anticipated day, I submitted to exhaustion and took a hot bath for an hour.

I did not even notice that I fell asleep for a while as the smell of roses besotted my senses. I sighed as I went out of the bath and put on my robe, water droplets dripped from the wet strands of my hair. I almost sneezed but it was interrupted. It gave me a little headache because I was not able to release it. Was it a bad idea to take a bath at night?

A knock on the door made me hurry as I slipped into the silk chemise.

Lo and behold, I swallowed hard as I saw the duke simply in his black tunic the moment I opened the door. The slight difference in our height made him look down to meet my gaze. I could not even glance at him straightly, and so I diverted my gaze a little lower and I found out that he brought me a mid-sized chest.

There was a little tension brewing inside of me as the unexpected visit occurred. He welcomed himself inside the room, and he casually moved towards the round coffee table. He saw the tea set Catherine prepared for me and without a word, he poured me a cup of tea.

He sat quietly in front of me with that stoic expression. I did not know what to say and so I examined the chest and found out that it contained different kinds of gemstones.

"What should I do with these gifts?" I asked him nonchalantly, knowing that these arrived from the treasury office as a wedding gift from the members of The Ton.

He just shrugged his shoulders, bringing the cup of chamomile tea to his lips. I almost lost interest in the jewels as I looked at his face. His hair was a little disheveled and damp as if he had just gone to the bath as well. I could not deny that he looked good even in his plain tunic. He had everything to charm a woman. Except for his ambitions and his cold demeanor, he could have anyone fall head over heels. I touched my cheek with my cold hands to remove myself from unnecessary thoughts.

He visited me in my chamber for the first time since the wedding night, maybe he had something important to tell me.

"I knew it wouldn't help asking you. " I retorted. "Maybe I should use one for your cravat, and the others to design a ring, a crown, a scepter, or--"

"Use it as a reward or an offering to anyone who finds Elise." The Duke was straightforward as expected. I stopped spewing irrelevant words. The matter would not be left unattended for a while longer, I supposed.

"I thought we were never going to discuss this again." I said, raising the hot cup of tea as I breathed in its aroma.

"We have been searching for her since we visited Auriga and she's just nowhere to be found." There was a tone of resignation in my voice.

I could be wrong, but the duke's eyes seemed to have turned into gold for a second before he removed his gaze from me. There was a part of me wondering if he had anything to do with Lykos. Could he be his reincarnation? I thought of this as I glanced at him whilst sipping the warm tea.

"I have heard news from a royal acquaintance in Circinus that a wandering wolf trespassed in Alfheim." His words immediately nullified the growing questions inside my mind.

"Alfheim?" I asked as the place was never mentioned to me before, although I was aware that the land of Circinus is under the rule of Lord Walsh.

"Alfheim is a sacred place where the elves of the kingdom reside. No one is allowed to enter their domain except the wizards."

"Elves exist?" I muttered under my breath. This realm truly was beyond my imagination. The probability that other creatures and entities exist in this land befogged my plain view of the universe.

I still had a lot of things to learn in this kingdom. I was once introduced to the story of the witches in Galax's old home, and now the big surprise-- his mother entered the forbidden land of the elves.

"Hm." He briefly confirmed. "You seem as if you are about to inquire next if they do have long and pointed ears." He chimed, drinking from his cup with a small smile.

That was not true at all, my nose scrunched at his teasing expression, but when he said those words, I did start to wonder what they looked like. Brushing the ideas off to return to the main subject of our conversation, I picked some of the crystals from the small chest of gifts.

"If 'Alfheim' is where Elise really is, does that mean she is a wizard too?"

"Topaz, ruby, moonstone." He casually dictated the names of the stones I took out even if I did not request for him to do so. He left my question hanging in the air.

"Amethyst, Carnelian. Malachite..." The frigid wind crossed through the lancet windows that I was not able to hold a squeaky sneeze infront of the Duke. Embarrassed, my entire face felt warm like a kettle with boiling water.

He seemed as though I caught him by surprise as his shoulder 'jumped' a little too. In addition to that, he paused naming the stones as I sniffed and reached for the small piece of handkerchief on top of the wooden table.

"Excuse me." I wiped the tip of my nose, sniffing lightly. "These stones are going to be offered to the elves, aren't they?" I hoped not to lengthen the discussion and cut to the chase. He would not have come here with these gifts if they weren't significant to his plans. The Duke of Therion leaned his back against his chair and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Hm." He answered with the same tone of agreement he gave earlier. "The elves ought not to be disturbed, however, there is a festival each spring when they accept offerings. They are fond of receiving the first harvest but the elders who are elusive to other creatures similar to us, only take gemstones and minerals."

There was a fleck of worry that marred my face as I heard his explanation. "If we offer this to them, is it guaranteed that they will let us take Elise or know where she went?"

Surely it would not be that easy to meet such sacred entities. If witches were said to be powerful during King Malachor's reign, I was certain that the elves contained higher divine power as well that werewolves dare not to even step on their domain out of fear.

"Aye. You are right. Which is why we need Mavis to do the offering on our behalf. And if Elise is indeed a wizard, it means she did not trespass the land. I suppose she offered something to obtain the elves' protection. To think she has been on the run since she left Galax." Apollo stared out on the window as if he was collecting his thoughts, deciphering a riddle, building a puzzle.

Brushing my palms lightly on my arms, I felt another round of chilly wind slipping inside the room. "She disappeared when I met her in the market while you were away. Something about our sudden meeting must have been sort of a signal to her that she fled without a trace." I nipped the bottom of my lip as I tried to recall how she escaped and everything that happened on that day. Galax was attacked by my wolf but Elise was no longer there in that scene. Why was Galax alone?

"That's all I have to say today." The Duke of Therion pushed the small chest of stones towards my direction. The sound of his leather boots against the marble floor as he stood took my attention back to him. He was about to leave me again without discussing his entire plan. He didn't even look at me before he escorted himself out of the chamber. I turned my back, not wanting to see him depart like the cool wind.

I felt a little disappointed and miffed, thinking that he was still treating me as though I was less of a comrade, when in fact, his meeting with the alphas always took them hours.

I was not begging for his time, but I wanted him to regard me as an alpha... that I was capable of understanding, contributing, and devising plans too. With his actions in the past few days, I could only feel discredited as a leader, more so, neglected as a wife.

I was duchess for appearances. Even the Queen would not allow me to run the castle with her. All of these grievances visited my head as I closed the lancet windows. The bed dipped as I sat there, glaring at the unlit firewood in the hearth. I had no energy to even request for the servants to light it up for me. Pulling the thick blankets up to cover my body, I succumbed to an awaited slumber without a dream.
  

• • •

The sound of wooden furniture brushing against the floor woke me up from deep sleep. Eyes still closed, I groaned wishing to nap a little while longer. However, the noise coming from inside my chamber took me away from achieving that. The crackling sound of burning firewood and glass clinking made me sit up. Leaning my back against the headboard, I rubbed my eyes and yawned inaudibly, stretching my arms as I examined the busy view before me.

"Good morning, Milady." Catherine and three more servants bowed to me. "I hope we did not disturb your rest too early." She meekly apologized. I noticed she had breakfast prepared on the table, and the fireplace was indeed lit, casting warmth inside the space.

"It's fine with me. But I did not request for your assistance this early." I didn't mean to snap at her and make the others flinch. Catherine seemed used to my morning temper though. She flashed me a little smile before apologizing again.

"I am sorry, Milady. T'was His Highness who sent the breakfast to your room and ordered for us to make you feel comfortable last night. He seemed worried about your health which is why he sent us to look after you." She was about to end her litany but she must have seen me staring at the fireplace and added, "We added more firewood this morning. We hope you have gotten bountiful of rest."

"Thank you" was all I could utter. I slipped out of the large mattress and put on the wrinkly cotton robe on the side table. The servants scurried and brought me a basin of water to wash my face. I allowed the warm water to dry itself on my skin. I could not absorb the fact that the Duke showed an ounce of concern towards me.

That morning, I felt all right. I thought I would fall sick because of the way I slept with the low room temperature in the evening. One of the servants came to my aid and brushed my short hair. She took two small portions from both sides and braided them together, tying them at the back.

After washing me up, they did not even let me choose what dress to wear. Catherine had prepared a slick emerald gown and topaz jewelries to match it. I insisted that I wanted to eat first to avoid spoiling the beautiful clothing.

My favorite lentil stew was served on the table with a small basket of meat buns. "Where is the Duke at the moment?" I asked as I took a spoonful of soup that warmed my stomach. The aromatic dish tasted new to me, or maybe because I barely ate breakfast in the last few weeks because I had no appetite.

"His Highness went out with the Order of the Knights and the Lord Gregory to oversee the construction of the west gate of the Capital City. Vagabond wolves apparently injured the peasants who were working there last night."

Suddenly, the food in my mouth tasted bitter. Something serious happened to this lair and I did not even know it. As if Catherine understood my mood, she opened her mouth about to explain, "The Duke didn't want to—" and then closed it again, stopping herself from defending the duke.

"Did it happen before I resigned to the chamber... last night?" I probed, composing myself.

"Aye, Milady." She bit her lip and lowered her gaze down to her shoes.

"And you happened to know about it without informing me?" I raised a brow as I took a small bite of the meat bun. Even the servants were trying hard to conceal the palace issues from me. I slammed the piece of bread back to the plate and sighed.

Was it the lack of trust or faith? My chest tightened as Catherine stood silent, unable to answer my query. To me, that already meant a yes. Annoyed was an understatement. I was pissed to be taken as a puppet of the royal family. This only proved that they were treating my like a doll without a say in the current issues of the land. Waving a hand, I ordered everyone in the room to leave me alone.

I didn't need his concern. I felt blind, deaf, and mute to my surroundings. This politics would never be easy but I was not one to be used for appearances only, more so, not one to be overprotected. I did not agree to be duchess or to be married to the Duke to lose power.

That was the last day of preparations for the Harvest Festival. I knew I needed to recuperate my stamina in order to attend to all the concerns of the already busy city, and so I finished my food and headed outside of the castle to see the preparations with my own eyes.

They cannot refrain me from doing what I want.The urge to be treated as an equal burned inside of me, flaming the will to show what I was truly capable of, that I was more than qualified to be standing by Apollo's side. When the preparations and the meeting with the merchants finally ended, I went back to the carriage with a clear resolution.
 
 

"Take me to the west gate."
   
   
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A/N

Thank you for continuing to read my book. It's been so long but I would really be happy to hear from you again too. Thanks for reading this chapter. Next one will be updated on Tuesday.