Fated To The Cursed Lycan Prince

Crystal’s POV:

I accidentally heard Rufus’ voice today, and it was more than enough to send my heart racing, so much so that I couldn’t calm down.

Laura didn’t call again, so I figured Rufus was still there with her. I held my phone and let myself crouch in the corridor, daze clear on my face.

It had been so long since I last heard his voice; I couldn’t remember exactly the last time when I did. True, a lot of videos of his speeches were uploaded on the Internet, but I resisted the urge to watch or even listen any of them. I feared control would be out of my grasp—all because I missed him. All of this was for him, and I couldn’t risk everything just because of some silly emotion.

Just hearing his voice even for a few seconds somehow eradicated the phantom of longing that was haunting me. The low rumble of his voice brought satisfaction to my being. Yet, as quick as contentment settled within me, it was replaced with striking loneliness.

Reality impinged me with the painful truth that Rufus had lost his memories. To prevent similar tragedies from happening, I had to keep myself from suddenly becoming too familiar with him and stay at an arm’s length. The thought wrung my writhing heart until breathing became painful.

I lightly hit my forehead against the wall, as if that would stop my tears from bursting. I had to remind myself about what had happened. Still, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by this surge of emotions.

When a tear was threatening to fall from my eye, a pair of hands gently tugged the hem of my dress. I turned my head to see through my teary eyes a confused Beryl and Arron, standing behind me.

“Mommy’s crying.” Beryl reached out her chubby hand and wiped the gushing tears from the corners of my eyes. Then her mouth twitched downwards, her nose turning red. “Mom, please don’t cry. Seeing you like that makes me want to cry too.”

Arron’s eyes started to mirror Beryl’s glassy eyes. Misery engulfed me seeing these precious kids looking so vulnerable.

I immediately tried hard to stop more tears from escaping my eyes and came to their aid, coaxing them. “Mommy wasn’t crying. Something got caught in my eyes.”

“Well, then I won’t cry anymore.” Beryl nodded in understanding like a grown-up, and her enthusiasm got back. “Mom, come tell us a story. We couldn’t fall asleep without your bedtime story!”

“Okay.” I lightly chuckled. I had no choice but to carry them back to the room. Yes, this was my life now.

The bed had already been made; the quilt had been laid, and two small pillows were neatly placed on both sides of the big one.

Beryl held my face and planted an affectionate k**s on my cheek. “Mom, who was that man speaking in the video call earlier? His voice sounded so nice.”

“He’s Granny’s…” I trailed, partly because I was trying to iron my shaky voice and partly because I was buying some time to find an excuse. I fumbled for a while but couldn’t make a believable story to justify Rufus’ identity at the last minute; my mind was blank.

“Granny’s who?” Beryl and Arron shot at me a curious look.

“Servant…” I spitted out the word slowly.

As if that made any sense, Beryl seemed enlightened. She beamed as she replied, “I see.”

“Okay, okay. It’s time to sleep.” I didn’t like where our conversation was going, so I tugged the quilt and tucked them to bed. I heaved a lungful of air before I told them a story of horror.

Yes, a horror story. I had always wondered why these kids never fancied fairy tales. Anyway, they fell asleep faster when I scared them than when I told them stories that would likely end in “happily ever after.” I guess it just wasn’t their cup of tea.

I let out a sigh. After I managed to get them to sleep, I got up and gave them one last glance before heading out of the room. I went straight to the bathroom and took a bath.

When I stepped out, Laura rang me up again and told me what Rufus had in mind. I stood there, surprised to know that he had noticed something was odd.

“Sylvia, what should we do now? Rufus made up his mind to see you this time.” Laura asked, worry evident in her voice. I could almost picture her forehead creasing on the other end of the line.

I hesitated for a while. I, too, was confused and at a loss for words. I inhaled sharply as I gathered my thoughts and said, “Well, we can’t let him come to the border. We can’t risk him seeing me or the children, especially Arron.”

“I understand. Arron is almost the carbon copy of his father. It would take the most foolish person to not recognize the resemblance between them once they meet.” Laura let out a long sigh, lost in thought.

For a moment, silence triumphed over us until I broke it. I came up with an idea, and I only hoped this would work out just fine. “The only solution is for me to go there, instead of having him here. I will try my best to avoid Rufus at all costs. If meeting him would be inevitable, I can wear a mask and make up a story like I have a marred face or something.”

“Are you going to take the kids with you?” Laura asked.

“It’s best that I go there alone, so probably not.” I knew she was hoping to see the kids, but both of us knew better than to have a little reunion. Having the kids in the capital would mean high chances of making a mistake. I didn’t mean to break her heart this time, but it was for everyone’s sake.

After consulting with Laura on the phone, a subordinate ran over in a hurry and reported an emergency announcement from the king.

After hearing the news that I wanted to know, I interrupted him. “I see. Convey the order and make an arrangement for a journey to the capital for the ceremony in two days’ time.”