The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Blue's Perspective)

We walked around the festival for a long time. There were a lot of things to see. But because of the crowd, I could not enjoy everything. Crowded places bothered me a lot.

"It's suffocating…," I muttered. "It seems more crowded here…"

"The candies this old woman makes are very famous. I have tried it before. It's so good," Mom said and then looked at Dad at once the moment he was about to try one. "Don't eat more than three pieces, dear. The doctor told you not to."

"You won't have any?" Dad asked me.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"No, I don't like sweets," I rejected politely. "Can it be saved for a long time?"

"Nah, it's best to eat it fresh," he said. "Why though?"

"… It's nothing," I mumbled.

"What do you mean why? Are you that dumb?" Mom bickered.

"What did I say wrong?" Dad asked, surprised.

"Unfortunately, you cannot save it for two months," Mom explained. "The taste will go bad. But I wonder if His Majesty will even like these cheap sweets. Most nobles don't even know about these, forget the Royal family. We know about it because we liked to see how commoners live."

"Dem loves sweet things. He mentioned this candy once," I said. "He wanted to taste it again, but it seems it will go bad if I save it for two months."

"Is that so? That is very surprising…"

When I asked if Dem enjoyed anything regarding the festival, at first, he said he hated it. Then, he admitted to liking a certain candy that an old woman made. The beta brought some for Dem once and he liked it. But he was too busy to tell the beta to buy him more. In the end, he did not taste it again for two years.

"Calix, go get her information," I instructed Calix. "Don't frighten her though. That poor woman looks very fragile already."

If I could not preserve the candies, I would just get information about the old woman and give her money to make some for Dem when he would come back.

"Right now?"

"What if we lose him? It's so crowded here. She might just close her store and go home and we won't notice," I said.

"She comes here every day during the festival. If not today, we can always find her tomorrow. I will keep an eye on her… Wait, what is he doing here?"

"Who?" I asked. I looked in the direction he was looking and then I noticed him. "Abel?"

"Who is that? Another knight?" Dad asked. "That is… Ah, that's Sir Abel, the famous knight who fought side by side with His Highness in the last war!"

"Abel…? What are you doing here?" I asked as he walked up to us when our eyes met. "Didn't you…?"

"Yes, I went with His Highness. But His Highness ordered me to come back and stay by Your Highness's side."

"There is Calix and Perita and others…," I muttered.

"This is what His Highness ordered me, Your Highness. I hope it won't be a bother to Your Highness."

"It won't be, of course," I said quickly. "It's fine. I am just worried if it's okay for you to just guard me…"

"It is completely fine, Your Highness. It is an honor for me," he said.

"His Majesty is very worried about you," Mom said. "I won't lie. I am worried about you too. You are so fragile. You get sick so easily."

"You also overwork yourself," Dad added.

Luc and Ruby had gone to enjoy themselves; though it was more like we pushed them to go while Ruby was reluctant. Actually, she wanted to enjoy the festival with her husband. She was just too worried that it would not look good if they left. We dismissed her remarks anyway. I was grateful that Ruby was not here. Or, she would start nagging me.

Her nagging was very dangerous. Luc admitted so as well.

After Mom and Dad nagged me for a while, we started looking around the festival again. I could not believe they would actually nag me here. Abel joined us too. He was by my side all the time.

Calix respected Abel a lot as his senior knight and talked about him a lot of times to me. Calix mentioned Abel was the one who taught him a lot of tricks. It helped him a lot.

It got more crowded as we walked. We lost Mom and Dad somewhere in the crowd. It was useless to look for them. If separated, it was better to look around by myself with my knights.

Abel and Calix both held my hand to make sure I was with them. None of them realized that the other one held my hand too, so they started pulling me at different directions.

"Gosh, do you guys want to tear my arms off?" I chuckled.

"Ah, I am so sorry, Your Highness," Calix apologized.

"It's crowded. Don't call me that," I reminded.

"Right, I am sorry."

"Please forgive me too. I did not notice," Abel said.

"Why don't Calix walk first and I lead Her Highness where you go?" Abel suggested. "That will be better than this."

"Yes, that will be great. Let's do that. Is Your Highness okay with that?"

"Yes, let's do it," I nodded. "Take me somewhere to eat. I am so hungry. You two will eat with me too. Don't refuse; I don't like to eat alone."

Calix took us to the nearby diner. It was not a fancy one, but there was a cozy vibe to it. Calix could not suggest any diners, and neither could Abel. So, we had to dine there.

"Sit down, Abel. We are not eating standing up," I said, seeing Abel reluctant to it at the same table as me. "If you are uncomfortable, you can sit a bit away from me if you want to."

"No, that's not it!" he quickly said. "I am not uncomfortable. I am just not used to it…"

Abel did not usually have a change of expression. I was used to seeing him that way. But he looked quite embarrassed now. It was a sudden change of expression which surprised me a bit.

"Good then, sit down," I smiled and he sat down.

Calix was uncomfortable when he first became my knight, but not anymore. He got used to being around me. The most comfortable person around me among my knights was probably Perita. She was that way since the beginning.

"Miss, what are you going to order?"

"Are you the owner?" I asked.

"Yes, miss, I am," she replied.

"Do you have a spicy dish that you suggest?" I asked.

"Spicy… Yes, there is our special pasta. Would you like to try it?" she said. "It's very spicy, let me warn you."

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"Oh my, I will definitely love it!" I exclaimed. "Please, bring that for me and as for my drink, lemon water will be good. Please take the order from these gentlemen. Ah, I will also love a salad."

Calix and Abel were knights, so I thought both of them would eat a lot as they worked out a lot. But it turned out Abel ate very little. It was too little for a grown-up man like him in my opinion.

"Will Your Highness be able to handle that? It looks too spicy," Calix said. "I mean, I know Your Highness loves spicy food. But that looks dangerous."

"I will be fine," I shrugged. "Want to try something?"

"No, I am fine. Thanks though," Calix refused quickly.

"Too bad. I won't offer it again. Do you want some, Abel?"

"No, I am good too, Your Highness."

"Okay, whatever. I will eat now."

The pasta was truly spicy. It was like I would have trouble in the toilet too. Tears welled up in my eyes and my tongue was burning. And I absolutely loved it.

"Oh my, this is the best! Why can't our chef make food this spicy too? He thinks I can't handle it? Really?"

"Your Highness, what if you get a stomach ache for eating that thing?" Calix muttered.

"I will be fine," I said. "You don't even know how much I love spicy food. I can handle spice very well."

Dem could not handle spice at all. On our first date, he tried to have spicy food with me. But then, he could not bear it and had to drink a whole glass of milk.

Thinking about Dem made me realize how much I missed him. If he was with me, everyone would be twice more fun.