When Prince Nicholas and Lord Archibald Ferdinand returned to the capital, they were all summoned to the king's chambers to meet with the king. Nicholas's mother, the queen, was seated at the side of the bed and was taking care of her husband when the two arrived.
"Ah, Nicholas," Queen Cordelia's expression brightened. "You're finally back after so long."
Nicholas nodded politely and then bowed. "I have finally returned upon His Majesty's request."
The king sat up from bed despite his coughing and nodded. "Good. It's about time that you finally focus on becoming the next king instead of wasting your time and bothering Lord Ferdinand."
Lord Ferdinand tried to laugh it off. "I'm actually glad to have a companion, Your Majesty. It has been incredibly lonely for an old man to live by himself."
"Your Majesty," Nicholas's mother glanced at her husband with a small frown. "The two of us agreed that it was right for our son to leave the palace so he would remain safe and recover."
"That was several years ago when he was a boy," the king coughed. "I have allowed this little charade of 'recovery' from this so-called trauma to go on for too long. How will this young man become king if the thought of werewolves makes him want to run away?"
Nicholas stayed silent and only listened with a blank face.
"Well? Are you just going to stand there and not say anything, lad?" the king addressed him. "This is about your fate and you'll simply stay silent? That's not how a king should act."
"I will do as you will, father, not for my sake but for the sake of the entire kingdom," Nicholas said. "But I hope that my coronation is not announced right away when I have just come back. There are still some things that I have to get in order with and places I wish to go."
"Is this about your savior? It's already been years since any person who's visited Hauntingen went to that shambly hut. If it weren't for my intervention, it would have already been disposed of."
Nicholas gritted his teeth. "Father, I am still wishing for that person to return there. It is in my intention to repay them for everything they've done for me."
He remembered Sophie expressed her wish to head back there in Hautingen someday. He could imagine how she would be heartbroken to see her home be destroyed.
The older man scoffed, but then waved a hand dismissively. "Then I take it that we'll announce your coronation as king during your upcoming birthday celebration. Let my gift to you be passing you the throne even while I'm still alive."
"That soon?!" Nicholas's mother immediately burst out in worry. She couldn't hide the worry and concern in her chest, but then restrained her features. Only she knew about Nicholas's actual condition, which she even hid from her husband.
"It's about time. I've let this boy go about his life like some dog without a home."
Nicholas's father thought it was already so long since his son was captured by his greatest enemies. In the man's eyes, there was no time left for the young man to try and 'pretend' that he was still recovering after those traumatic events.
There was no sign of any scars or whatsoever on Nicholas's body, so the king thought he was fine. It meant that the boy was fine compared to the king who actually sustained real injuries and was forced to stay in bed to recover.
He failed to realize that some of the scars were sometimes given to the mind and one's heart, not necessarily it being the physical body.
More importantly, though, the king didn't know the truth at all. His wife had kept it a secret all these years.
***
When Nicholas left the king's chambers, the queen left her husband with a royal physician and chased after her son. She touched Nicholas's face worriedly and whispered, "My son, I'm incredibly sorry. I wish I could delay this…"
"It's fine mother," Nicholas smiled. "My father is incapable of running a kingdom while being bedridden anyway."
"But what about your—" The queen didn't dare finish her sentence aloud.
p
For the past ten years, Nicholas never saw anything that was substantial in treating his condition, but it was better to not make the woman lose any hope at all.
"Okay," his mother nodded. "There is an entire library of new books again that was added as an addition. I hope they will help you in your research. I have also asked the royal librarian to not disturb you."
Nicholas got a bit worried that it was not a good idea to let anyone know about his sudden interest in books regarding werewolves at all, but his mother was usually a good judge of character.
He nodded and gave her a hug before heading to the library.
Nicholas needed to be quick. Find a cure, return to Hastings and then take Sophie to the capital. The crown prince wished that she would understand why Nicholas had to hide his identity at first and not say things right away when the young man recognized her.
Everything was going to be fine, he convinced himself.
As soon as the young man arrived, Nicholas thought about immediately looking at the books, but then he saw the royal librarian. With a quick change of heart, the prince approached the librarian.
If there was anyone who knew about the books more than him, it would be the person who worked at the library all their life. It wasn't rare for a royal librarian to also engage interest in active research.
"Hello there, can I ask for some assistance?" Nicholas asked.
"Ah, Your Highness!" The librarian bowed. "Is there anything I can help you with right now? Your mother has ordered at least a thousand books to be added to our archives. I have finished making a directory."
Nicholas paused and doubted himself for a moment. "Is there anything substantial about injuries sustained by our soldiers from werewolves?"
"Your Highness, most people die from those injuries as they tend to be extremely severe."
"Survivors then," Nicholas continued. "What about them?"
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