Fated To The Cursed Lycan Prince

Rufus’ POV:

Truth be told, over the past few days, I had actually come to recognize the reality of things; I just hadn’t been willing to accept it.

I had deceived myself into believing that Crystal could still be resurrected somehow, but if she could’ve come back to life, she would’ve done so by now.

Now that the magic medicine that preserved her body from decaying had started to wear off, it seemed that my hopes were nothing but a pipe dream.

I didn’t dare to open the lid of the coffin to verify, but I still didn’t want to cremate Crystal. There was this small voice in my heart that kept telling me that as long as her body was there, there was still hope.

But my hope was running thin.

I tightly clenched my fists, the round silver ring deeply embedding in my flesh.

The sharp pain it caused sobered me up somewhat.

Laura and I sat side by side in front of the ice coffin for a long time. Neither of us said a word until the clock in the center of the imperial capital tolled three times, signaling midnight. It was the start of a new day.

I moved my stiff body and slipped a thin chain through the ring, which I then put around my neck. Then I turned to Laura and said,

“Mom, let’s prepare for

the cremation.”

Laura breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up, patted the dust off her black dress, and said,

“I’ll go and make the necessary arrangements.”

Before she left, she turned on all the lights in the mourning hall. The room was finally lit up after several days of darkness. I squinted uncomfortably, not used to the sudden light. From the reflection of the glass window, I could see how emaciated and disgusting I looked with my overgrown stubble. I bitterly smiled, knowing that Crystal would probably be disappointed to see me like this.

Laura was efficient. It didn’t take long before a group of soldiers came in to carry the coffin out.

I made way for them. The soldiers approached with trepidation. “Your Majesty, can we take the ice coffin away?” one of them asked falteringly.

I responded with a nod, swallowing the b***d in my mouth. After taking one last look at the ice coffin, I turned around and walked towards the gate of the mourning hall.

The soldiers’ sighs of relief and the sound of the ice coffin being moved came from behind.

I tried my best not to stop them, forcing myself to keep going. I didn’t stop until I had made it to my bedroom on the second floor.

Laura sent someone to bring me food. Since I hadn’t eaten in several days, the smell of grilled meat made me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

But my body was on the verge of collapse, and if I didn’t eat something now, I might not have the strength to do anything.

So I forced myself to eat two mouthfuls of food to sustain myself. Laura had also prepared medicine for my acidic stomach, which I took with some soup. After a while, the burning pain in my stomach subsided.

I then sat quietly on the sofa, closing my eyes until the faint light of dawn began to seep through.

I opened my bloodshot eyes, rubbed the spot between my eyebrows, and stood up to change into a black suit in the dressing room. Then, I made my way to the cremation site.

Over the past few days, Flora, Harry, and the others had taken residence in the palace. Only Blair had left to return to the border. Everyone else who was close to Crystal was already at the cremation site.

Even my two kids were there. I found Beryl and Arron hiding behind Laura, looking at me timidly with Crystal’s clear eyes.

I felt guilty and stretched out my arms to them. Arron immediately ran over, throwing his tiny arms around my thighs, rubbing his cheek against my palm.

“Don’t be sad, Daddy. Mommy will always be with us. She will love us forever!” His voice was childish, but his words were mature.

With tears in my eyes, I pulled Arron close and apologized in a hoarse voice. “I’m so sorry…”

Arron hugged me even more tightly and whispered, “Beryl and I will always love you, Daddy. We’ll always be with you.”