My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 250: Curious Eyes

Violet

I regarded her carefully, not quite sure what to make of her sudden appearance.

"You were looking for me?" I asked.

"In a manner of speaking." She smiled, and there was something disarmingly genuine about it. "I wanted to apologize again for earlier. I have a terrible habit of overwhelming people when I first meet them. My father says my mouth moves faster than my thoughts, and unfortunately, he is not wrong."

She let out a small laugh, her hand drifting to her chest in that same gesture I had noticed before, almost self-conscious, like she was physically trying to contain herself.

I didn’t respond immediately, still trying to figure out what she wanted.

Nessa seemed to sense my hesitation. Her smile softened, losing some of its brightness in favour of something more subdued.

"I truly didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable," she continued. "When I sensed your presence... or rather, when I couldn’t sense it, I was so startled that I acted without thinking. It’s not every day you encounter someone you can’t sense at all."

"You mentioned that before," I said.

"Yes." She tilted her head, studying me with open curiosity.

I didn’t really know what to say, and I clearly wasn’t going to explain my syzygy to her.

A moment of silence passed between us.

"Were you exploring the castle?" she asked, glancing around the corridor. "I noticed you seemed a bit turned around when I found you."

"Turned around?" I asked, confused.

I did not understand what she said.

She smiled. "I noticed you seemed a bit lost."

Oh...

"I’m not lost," I answered a bit too quickly.

Her smile widened knowingly. "Of course not. But this place can be confusing if you’re not familiar with it. I got lost here constantly when I first started coming to the court. Once, I wandered into the kitchens by accident and ended up helping the cooks peel root vegetables for an hour before anyone found me."

I stared. I don’t think I have particularly met anyone aside Mira who talked too much.

"Truly," she continued, her eyes bright with amusement. "I was too embarrassed to admit I had no idea where I was, so I just... kept peeling. By the time my father’s attendant found me, I had gone through three baskets of potatoes."

The image was absurd enough that a small breath of laughter escaped me before I could stop it.

Nessa’s expression lit up, as though she had won something.

"There," she said warmly. "You have a lovely smile. You should use it more often."

I quickly swallowed my smile and averted my gaze, not sure how to respond to the compliment.

"If you’d like," Nessa continued, her tone shifting to something more casual, "I could show you around. I know almost every spot."

I hesitated.

I didn’t know this woman. She was forward, overly familiar, and clearly had her own reasons for seeking me out. But I would be able to navigate my way through the castle faster this way, and I had the day to waste anyway.

"I don’t mind," I told her.

Nessa gestured down the corridor, her golden hair catching the light as she moved. "It would be my pleasure."

[ - ]

Nessa led me through a maze of corridors and halls, each one grander than the last. The structure was striking in certain rooms and connected towers. High vaulted ceilings were supported by dark stone pillars, tall windows let in streams of pale afternoon light, and there were intricate carvings decorating the walls and doorframes.

"This wing houses most of the administrative offices," Nessa explained as we walked. "Records, correspondence, trade negotiations, some of the tedious work that keeps a nation running. My father, along with some council members, spend a lot of their time here when not in council meetings."

We continued walking, passing servants who bowed their heads respectfully as Nessa passed. She acknowledged each of them by name much to my surprise, and I noticed that several of them seemed genuinely pleased to see her.

We turned down another hallway, and this one was quieter than the others.

Nessa looked at me and her face became slightly more serious.

"Violet, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but..." She hesitated, as though choosing her words carefully. "I am quite fascinated to see and meet an actual Lycan."

I stopped and turned to face her.

"The council discussed it," she continued quickly. "When the envoys returned from Fresna with their reports. We all know that you’re a Lycan."

I understood it made sense for her to have known but for her to have mentioned it still felt a bit strange.

I was already accustomed to keeping it a secret like how I had done throughout my stay in Fresna.

Nessa’s expression softened with something that looked almost like sympathy.

"I want you to know that I—that we—do not hold any ill will toward you because of it. What happened to your people back in time was... horrific. A stain on our history that can never be fully erased." She shook her head slowly. "But that was centuries ago. We don’t share our ancestors’ sentiments. I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable being here, among us."

I blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in her voice.

"I..." I paused, gathering my thoughts. "I understand. Thank you."

Nessa nodded, looking relieved.

"I kept wondering if I should bring it up with you or not," she admitted. "But you seemed a bit guarded, when Rowan was introducing you, and even now. All in all, I didn’t want you to feel like you had to walk on eggshells around us, or worry that someone might... I don’t know. Hold it against you, somehow." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

To be honest, she wasn’t wrong about her observations. And back when Rowan was introducing me, I had actually been bothered about something else.

But this was very considerate of her.

"Thank you." I sheepishly looked away before a question rose in my mind.

I looked at Nessa. "I am wondering, who exactly knows about me being a Lycan?"

"Only the council members, their immediate families, and a few close aides," Nessa said. "Rowan was very clear that the information wasn’t to spread beyond that circle." She paused, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "And believe me, no one would dare defy that order unless they want to meet death at the hands of our Supreme Alpha. "

The words were delivered so casually, so matter-of-factly, that it took me a moment to register them.