A/N

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"Apollo?"

"It's me."

Exasperation coloured his voice as he confirmed his identity. Lykos and Amaree both disappeared as we gained back control over our bodies. A big question was finally answered on that stormy night. The Duke's body was a vessel of the Warrior King's soul in this era.

How we became their reincarnation deeply troubled my mind, but what was more important to deal with was in this reality. What was in the past should have simply stayed in the past but Apollo and I were bound by a vow that these two fulfilled. Our fates intertwined because of their strong will and love for each other-- these things, I dreaded, were unnatural to us.

As Apollo sat on the mattress, I could tell by just looking at him that he was discomfited with what occurred between us. His long fingers covered his face. His sigh could easily be heard as we sat side by side. My heart plummeted as a lightning flashed together with the rain continuously pelting down from the dark sky.

"It was him. Not me. He yearns greatly for Amaree."

A lodge in my throat was already forming. The atmosphere around us thickened as the conversation started. Somehow, a heavy feeling of sorrow clung around my chest. Was he apologizing for the kindness and intimacy he exhibited just moments ago? Sorrow began to turn to disappointment. Was there no care for me at all from the real him?

"Have you known about this before?" I asked in order for me to lead the unhealthy thoughts astray.

"Aye. It hasn't been that long when I realized I was changing personas." He sighed.

"I do not know exactly when it happened but if I were to trace when I noticed the shifting of souls, it is safe to say that I acknowledged it when the fire broke out in the King's Chamber."

Goosebumps crawled all over my body. It was the time when he protected the memento of my father-- the brooch of our pack. I could clearly remember how I saved him from being engulfed by the monstrous flames. I even doubted my sincerity when I risked my life for him. This time, it's his sincerity that gnawed me with doubts.

"Do you remember what happened that day when you summoned me in your chamber while you were recuperating?" I probed. "You spoke to me in the old language and... and you called me Regina Mea (my queen) ? Or was it Lykos?"

"Hm. It was him."

"It was the first time my mind was conscious while he was using my body. I wanted to exit the chamber instinctively, but his thoughts bombarded me. There was a sense of urgency in getting the chest where your belongings were placed.

I had the faintest idea he had been living inside of me until that incident occurred. By then I knew that an influential soul is sharing my body and it has to do something with you being close to me."

Little by little, my questions about his identity grew. The Duke finally opened up to me, shedding his mask of perfection. He hid this secret very well that I believed none of his closest acquaintances noticed his split-personalities. 

"That makes a lot of sense, considering that Amaree is living inside of me too. The sapphire triggered her appearance but when my beast turned feral, many changes have begun. She would often talk to me when the bond is in havoc..."

I froze just as those words left my tongue. He picked up the bitterness in them quickly and replied.

"I did not know you were struggling with the bond." 

I could have slapped him right there and then for being too negligent of my feelings but he said something more that instantly slashed my paper thin anger.

"I never felt our bond after that fire."

"It is a well-known fact that the bond can be seen by those who share it, right? It may sound bizarre but our bond is purely invisible to me. It's effect on me suddenly vanished." 

Impossible. How could one who shares a bond such as ours not be felt by the other party? Werewolves, even in this kingdom knew about the ability of the bond to create strong impacts in our minds and emotions. It all seemed ridiculous to me, but as I treaded my thoughts about it carefully, a recollection of memories of events that almost  tore me apart flashed inside my mind like a film. A mental evaluation commenced. 

The times when I thought he was ignoring me and the occasions when I felt pangs of jealousy... the reason why he never seemed fazed or never had the urge to show even just a speck of comfort was because he was not being influenced by it. 

"When was the last time you felt it?" were the only words I could come up with as my throat felt constricted. Have I thought of him wrongly all this time?

"The first time I returned to you after our march in Crux." He was staring blankly at the raindrops stuck on the windows as if he had everything perfectly stored in his memory. 

"At the first sight of you waiting for me in the castle with the Queen, I felt nervous for the very first time in my life. You were at the end of the hall and as I walked closer towards you, I never knew before then that such a tremendous force could shackle my indifference towards others. You can say that I was glad someone was waiting for my return. Even I couldn't admit to myself that a life-long contract could be that powerful."

Baring himself like that was a very rare sight. Honeyed were his true to the core words, but my heart ached as reasoning lost its reasons. He had only felt that way because of the bond. Just as Amaree and Lykos' influence had affected our actions, the bond was the only thing that kept him connected to me. When he lost it, it clearly showed me his real side. It suddenly felt unfair to me that I was the only one being held by the threads of fate. I was the one enduring the consequences of his mindless actions and decisions.

"I'm the only one protecting it." 

I turned my sight away from him as I gazed at the drenched windows too. 

"You pushed me to the brink of insanity more than you will ever know. When I saw you at the Rose Garden that winter day... I—"

"That winter day?"

His question slickly burst and hung in the thin air. 

A straight smile crossed my lips. That event broke the bond's thread of trust and I was being reminded of it repeatedly even during our wedding day. Powerless was how I would describe what I felt when I saw him and Illaria's lips locked. I stared back at him with that smile but my eyes were pleading him not to press the matter further.

"Your Highness."

As if heaven heard my plea, a knock on the door interrupted our conversation.

"Come in." 

Apollo pulled his wet boots from under the bed and put them on. Raking his fingers through his dark tousled hair, he stood up and collected his white cape hanging on the clothes stand.

"The astrologers say that the storm will only end at dawn. We have informed the Palace that you are staying at Lycaon with the Duchess."

Lord Gilford had two servants behind him who kept their heads bowed as he continued speaking to the Duke. "We brought you and the duchess new sets of clothes. The private bath has also been prepared downstairs."

"Assist the duchess first." The duke waved his hand. "Ask for General Javier's presence at the dining hall. We have important subjects to discuss."

"Aye, Milord."

Apollo had no intentions of resigning to sleep for the night. I'd heard of this General Javier's name being mentioned at the West Gates. He was the one who found out that the vagabond wolves were from a place called Qiguan? The link between the Duke and the one they say was 'Zhang Yixing' had me very curious. I knew Apollo wouldn't let me meddle with the state affairs, thus him sending me away...  but I couldn't let myself be ignorant anymore. I would have to ask him about it sooner or later.

"Milady." Lord Gilford patiently waited for me to follow the Duke's orders, and so I propped myself out of bed and walked right past Apollo. 

Halting my track just right in front of him, I raised myself up on tiptoes, whispering in his ear, "I'll see you later, Milord."

As I was about to continue my stride to leave the room, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to lower his head down and to speak to me the same way I did. "I might not be able to return to you tonight. I will see you in the morning at the castle."

Indeed, he did not return to the chamber we shared at Lycaon. I knew his words were absolute but I still waited for him only to end up disappointing myself. I wanted to take the opportunity of him finally opening up to me somehow, the way he did that night, but as I watched the dawn breaking from the balcony, I knew I'd lost my chance.

In the castle, Catherine escorted me as soon as I came back, and she prepared a lilac dress layered with ruffles; the bust adorned with diamonds. It seemed lighter than the gowns they used to make me wear and I liked it. The Spring Festival I arranged had finally arrived. The Queen was too elated that she hurried to my chamber with the little prince— Galax.

"Your Majesty," I curtsied to the Queen and quickly lifted my gaze to face her bright smile.

Queen Robin had a fascinator clipped to her hair. I was the one who designed it for her, introducing the 'new' fashion to Sidus which I had actually seen humans wearing in our world. She adored the peacock feathers decorating the small macaron hat and it matched her elegant teal gown.

Galax simply wore his jumpers and a woolen beret. The Queen allowed him to enjoy his youth comfortably, exempting him from following the rules of dressing up as part of the monarchy. He still had to go out with a minimum of two sentinels though, for security. And he often complained about them scaring his playmates sometimes.

"You look very lovely, my dear." The Queen's compliment had me blushing a bit.

"Oh. You should wear your fascinator too!" She marched to the vanity and snatched the hat shaped like an oversized flower. It matched my lilac dress and the Queen excitedly gave me the honor of her putting it on me.

"It is a statement piece, indeed!" She cheered. "I offer you my gratitude for all the hardwork and creativity you put into this year's Spring Festival. I have never felt this excitement in a long time since the King vanished... There you go. It's done!"

The left side of my head felt the additional weight of the floral fascinator.

"It is my duty as duchess, Your Highness. You are very much welcome. It is my pleasure to serve the Queen."

Beaming a smile at her, I felt a soft force tugging on my dress. Looking down, I saw those plum cheeks and an adorable toothy smile. Light blue eyes were looking for my attention.

"Momma, you look like a fairy." 

I pinched the boy's cheek lightly and held his little hand. He simply forced a smile again and I got what he wanted to tell me.

"You lost two baby teeth?" 

"Aye, momma. I lost my balance climbing up a tree while playing with Daiyu yesterday. How could she laugh at me while I was bleeding?" The boy's smile gradually turned upside down and mine disappeared too.

Aside from the parental instinct to show concern over learning that my son fell from a tree, I was curious about the unfamiliar name he mentioned since I knew all of the servants' children whom he liked to play with. Daiyu sounded quite foreign.

"Daiyu?"

The Queen chimed in and cleared the clouds of suspicion in my head but at the same time, she added more to it too. "You should be grateful you made that little girl laugh, Galax."

"Daiyu is the only child of Robert Walsh and her mother passed away after giving birth to her. She has always been a sudden lass, I pity her at times. It must be hard growing up without a mother, let alone have a father who works his fingers to the bone. Promise me you must be kind and understanding to her Galax."

Galax obediently nodded, his eyes brimming with innocence. It sounded very melancholic that I could somehow relate to this girl as I grew up almost having the same experience. I'd seen her once, the morning after the wedding, and I did find her looking very strange as if she was void of emotions. Her black hair and cat eyes contributed to that sullen image the Queen was pertaining to.

"Oh, enough with the chit-chat. We need to get ready." The Queen cut the story short. "Catherine, before we leave, summon Gregory in my stead. I shall meet him shortly at the Town Square before the festival begins."

"Aye, Your Majesty."

The Capital City of Therion was in glee, crowds were cheering at musicians and performers. Every house complied with the royal decree to put up bright-colored flaglets on their front doors. Flowers formed creatively in different giant shapes were being paraded. It was the first time such type of competition was held in the Kingdom according to the Queen. She could not hide the amusement she had for me that her praises flowed continuously.

There were many things that seemed normal to me that this Kingdom was oblivious of. The fact that they were stuck in old traditions and practices made it easy for me to believe that the knowledge and experience I had from our world made me more 'genius' and advanced. It was as if I had the blueprints to suggest the discovery of something 'new' to them.

The Spring Festival commenced and the scheduled events were held one after the other. I stood behind the stage where the Queen and three Alphas were seated, judging a street performance. Galax was in Catherine's care while I was busy checking the goods and ingredients for the harvest banquet which was planned to start just as the sun sets.

"Do you even know how to differentiate a poisoned vegetable from a safe one?"

I already knew from that cocky tone who stole the large potato from my hand. I picked another one from the basket and brought it up to my nose, detecting its safety with my mere sense of smell. Lord Dilmond, however, quickly snatched it away.

"Na-ah. Move away! 'Tis very dangerous to do that, Milady."

He looked as though he was at wit's end when he said that, thinking I did something so reckless. "For someone who knows more about futuristic things than we do, I thought you would have been more careful."

"Am I right, Milord?"

His presence crept its way right behind me. Feeling the light touch of his chest on my back as his hand grabbed a potato from the basket in front of me, the Duke of Therion pushed me gently to the side and grabbed two bowls and asked the sentinels to bring a large vase from a wooden cargo.

"Dilmond makes a good point. As a member of the royal family, you should be more wary and have proficient knowledge about poisoning."

"Is this water?" Apollo asked, already holding the glass pitcher on the table.

"Aye." I confirmed as I interestedly observed his next movements.

He placed the two bowls with dragon carvings on the table, side by side. He filled half of each with water and then dipped the potatoes in it. Over a minute had passed and nothing happened to his little experiment.

"These are safe." He confirmed. "Use the large vase to check the rest." He commanded to the sentinels around us.

"How do you know it's safe by simply dipping them in water?" I probed.

"Water has nothing to do with it." Apollo held one of the bowls up and handed it to me.

"This special bowl is made of celadon. Although there is no sufficient scientific study that it can accurately detect poison in food, it is believed that when it comes into contact with toxins or poison, this bowl will break or split into two."

I was very amused to learn an odd technique from the duke but I also wondered, "Whoever thought of this must have experienced almost getting poisoned..."

Apollo hummed in agreement but there was something in the air that changed when Dilmond heard what I said. The earl scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat, hinting his discomfort.

The duke placed the bowl back on the table and answered, "Indeed. You are correct."

"Not long ago, a former palace official discovered its properties when there were continuous threats from the anti-monarchy, wishing to covet my father's throne."

"I am not proud to still be using this trick that person devised to ensure the safety of what we eat, but we have proven it to be better than using nothing."

"That person?" I could not hold my tongue. There were words he purposely left out.

I could feel the tension escalating when I realized Lord Dilmond's aura was turning gray. It was too strong that my chest felt his aggravation and some sort of feeling of misgiving?

I could neither look at the faces of the gentlemen beside me. All I could do was to stare at the celadon bowls on the table, tracing the intricate dragon carvings with my sight. 

"We have not mentioned him for years on end but I discern it is just right to tell you about the person who once served as the King's Preceptor." Apollo broke the defeaning silence.

"He was given the honor to be the royal family's trusted councilor, his knowledge was impeccable, so was his wisdom and experience that we thought of him as a very gifted individual who could help Sidus progress. He dedicated his life to advice the King and to warn him about threats of rebellion and war. My father thought of him as his best acquaintance as they shared a long time together as valiant knights who vowed to protect the Kingdom before he ascended to the throne.

Dilmond can attest that there were many attempts of assassination during my childhood as I am the only son of the King, and that person was the first to try my every meal before it was given to me. He said poisoning was the easiest way to kill a child so I should be wary. He had proven his loyalty for many instances and one of these was when he drank the poisoned tea which  was supposed to be given to me. He struggled to survive that incident but that made him realize what I thought you today about celadon and its poison detecting properties.

That was an 'honorable' sacrifice he did for me, but there was this particular time when he was stabbed on the chest because he disguised as the King when they voyaged to the old land of Qiguan where the anti-monarchy once resided. He was given the medal of valor by my father for taking the fall, and that was when his rank rose to being the right-hand of the King. 

However, as the saying goes, if anything or anyone is too praiseworthy and excellent, think about it carefully because it must be too good to be true. Little did we know that the very person who put his life at stake for the Royal Family would also be the Kingdom's greatest enemy. He was the traitor who started the rebellion against my father's reign."

This was one of the first moments I'd seen the Duke of Therion bearing an aura of regret and betrayal. The dwindling flecks of dark muted colors encapsulated his presence, brewing like a storm of ashes.

"Zhang Yixing." 

His name was cast out from his lips at last. There was no ounce of mercy, only anger and a sense of betrayal could be heard from the Duke's tone. He grasped the special bowl from the table so tightly that I thought his hand could crush it.

"Everyone thought he died at the hands of the King but his existence is resurfacing." Lord Dilmond said. "Qiguan is the oriental and abandoned 8th land of the Kingdom that nobody dared to enter again after King Licinius burned it to the ground."

As I listened to this piece of their dark history, I thought there was no room for me to blame them for trusting a person who disguised as their most loyal servant. He gained their favor as a tactic, like an inside job to learn the loopholes of the monarchy and their weaknesses.

"Are they the suspected attackers in the west gate the other night?" I probed. "I did not mean to overhear but I have heard of the name 'Zhang Yixing' when I went there."

"Indeed." Apollo cut to the chase. "But the Queen does not know that the traitor and his descendants could still be alive." He continued, setting alight an inviolable and blind terror that crept its way inside of me. Knowing that such an important matter was being hidden from the Queen made me realize that the Duke was trying to protect his mother's peace quietly.

"We still need adequate evidences to support our suspicion."

"What would you do if he is truly alive?" I grabbed Apollo's arm, finally looking up to see his disgruntled expression.

He kept his gaze on the celadon bowl and uttered, "I will hunt him down and pull his heart out with my own hand."

• • •

A/N

*Hides behind the Duke of Therion after not updating according to schedule.
I feel so guilty for not updating regularly.*
I'm sorry.

Tell me if you're still here though.

-Therese