Loving The Cursed Werewolf King-Chapter 616: The Ancient Curse (Cecillia’s Point Of Views)

I always walked behind Queen Alicia. A lady-in-waiting had set up the seats for the both of us. Queen Alicia sat with the women who were about to receive the gifts of the hunting event from their partners. As a concubine of the king, I was placed right beside Queen Alicia’s seat.

One by one, the men arrived carrying the animal bodies covered in blood. One brought three swans with their necks tied, two men each brought a small doe with its limbs still stuck to the ground.

My body turned cold. I didn’t want to see the hunting animals again. I started to feel dizzy from the rancid smell of blood that filled the palace grounds. I hoped I couldn’t see again, so I didn’t have to witness human vices like this.

The trumpets could be heard from afar, which meant King Theodore had arrived. I didn’t want to see what the man brought for Queen Alicia, but I couldn’t leave my seat. Suddenly, everyone clapped their hands excitedly. I didn’t know what the king brought, but it must be something big.

"And the winner of this season’s hunting event is His Majesty King Theodore! With a giant wolf to be presented to Her Highness Queen Alicia!"

I looked up and saw something wrapped in cloth on a cart being dragged by the king’s guards. As the guard was about to show the animal that the king had hunted down, King Theodore stopped him. He turned to look at me, and I distracted myself by looking at my fingers that were gripping each other nervously.

Queen Alicia rose from her seat to accept her gift. Along the tables where the ladies sat, only mine was empty. It didn’t matter. After all, this was what I wanted. I really wished I could get out of this place right away. I didn’t want to see the wolf that Queen Alicia was showing off to the others.

After seeing a bit of the color of the wolf’s fur, I felt more at ease. The wolf that King Theodore caught had a silver fur mixed with white while the werewolf I met had a black fur, as dark as the night sky.

As I counted the rocks on the ground, someone approached me. I looked up and saw king Theodore standing at my table. I just smiled faintly because maybe the man was confused why I could be in this place when I should be in the palace right now.

Then, something like a large box-shape was placed on my table. It was covered by a red cloth, and when it was placed in front of me, it swayed slightly, making me frown.

"What is this, Your Majesty?"

"Open it. I brought you a new friend."

"Friend?"

I immediately took off the cover and was surprised to see three white fluffy rabbits nibbling the leaves in the basket.

"The color is so pretty. It reminds me of you. You like it?"

I nodded, still admiring the cuteness of the rabbits. King Theodore asked me to bring the rabbits. After confirming that I really was allowed to return to the palace, I excused myself and hurried back to my room.

I let go of those fluffy animals just like that on the floor. They jumped happily, running here and there. They looked really, really adorable that I felt grateful. After this, I would thank King Theodore properly.

In the evening, I was invited to have dinner together again. I frowned a bit when a nobleman mentioned that our dinner tonight would be wolf meat, bear, as well as all the other hunting animals. I didn’t want to eat it. I couldn’t eat the meat of wild animals other than farmed ones.

Seeing the people at the dining table eating heartily made the nausea that had disappeared rush back to me. A woman asked if I didn’t like my food, and I could only smile and answer that the food was quite delicious even though not a single bite of it touched my mouth.

Since earlier, the knife and fork were still in hand. I lowered my head when I accidentally met Queen Alicia’s gaze. After an hour of torturous atmosphere, the dinner finally ended with congratulations from the guests to Queen Alicia who once again won the hunting party with King Theodore.

When I was about to leave the dinner hall, my hand was suddenly grabbed by someone. Queen Alicia invited me to sit together in the palace garden.

"Cecil, I saw you didn’t eat earlier. You don’t like the food?" Queen Alicia asked in a gentle tone. It made me confused about what was actually on that woman’s mind. Why did she suddenly become gentle when a few moments ago, she was still looking at me intently and full of intimidation?

"I just feel a bit nauseous, Your Highness. I haven’t been feeling well since this morning."

Queen Alicia let out a long sigh.

"You’re pregnant?" she asked so suddenly.

"Sorry?"

"Are you pregnant? I realized that you and King Theodore seem to be getting closer lately. Have you two slept together?"

I shook my head quickly. "No, Your Highness. King Theodore and I haven’t slept together at all. We’re just friends."

Queen Alicia looked at me from head to toe. Maybe she was trying to find a loophole to make sure that the thing I had just said was the truth or just a lie.

But, what I just had said earlier was the truth. We both hadn’t slept together yet, not even kissing.

***

It looked like my answer still couldn’t satisfy Queen Alicia. I didn’t understand why she suddenly said that I was pregnant. After asking like that, the queen turned her face away.

For the second time, she took a deep breath, but this time, it was as if something heavy had been lifted from her shoulders. Moreover, Queen Alicia began to tell me about her married life with the king, which had been going on for ten years, and there was absolutely no progress.

Queen Alicia felt lonely because of King Theodore’s cold attitude. She also wanted a royal successor, but that would not be achieved because so far the king had never touched her as a husband.

King Theodore preferred to go to war for months, leaving her alone, so she erased her loneliness by getting many friends. She felt really appreciated as a human being when she was at the party. She would be known as a queen and the wife of a great king who had conquered many kingdoms to build up this Great Kingdom of Northendell.

I just listened without daring to interrupt when Queen Alicia spoke. Even when the woman said that she didn’t like my presence, I still kept my mouth shut. Of course, I was shocked at Queen Alicia’s honesty. After expressing her honest feelings towards me, the woman stood up and turned around.

However, before leaving, she gave me a warning that made me feel scared.

"If you can’t keep your attitude and cross the line with King Theodore, you will regret it, Cecil."

I saw the back of Queen Alicia who left me alone, still sitting on a bench in the garden. I ignored the cold night breeze that brushed my hair and face and kept thinking about the warning given by the queen earlier.

Since that night, many things happened every time King Theodore and I finished spending time together.

Three days after the threat from Queen Alicia, King Theodore invited me to have tea in his room, and at night, I found a snake on my bed.

The snake was quickly caught. It was the type of a venomous snake that could kill people in an instant. I didn’t want to make a fuss about it. When King Theodore wanted to check everyone in the palace, I forbade him. I lied by saying that I forgot to close the balcony window of the room, which was right on a big tree.

Maybe the snake got in when I went for tea in the king’s office.

After that, small terrors such as finding glass shards in soup or tea, perfume whose contents were replaced with liquid that made my hands blister. It got really worse that King Theodore couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Luckily, I didn’t spray the perfume on my neck first and tested the scent on my hand, so it only hurt my hand.

The next day, the culprit was found. It was a lady-in-waiting who had always accompanied me since I first arrived at this palace. She had been trying to harm me all along. She didn’t say on whose orders she did it, but even without being told, I immediately knew who had caused it.

The lady-in-waiting just said that I was someone who was troublesome. I didn’t know what happened to the woman next because King Theodore didn’t tell me the reason the lady-in-waiting slandered me like that.

The wound in my hand healed quickly. It only took one day for the blister to disappear magically.

After all my wounds had healed without a trace, for the first time I dared to confront someone secretly.

"Her Highness Queen Alicia, could we speak for a moment?"