The Werewolf King's Bride

(From Blue's Perspective)

Three horses raced through the wind. It was cold but refreshing. I was sensitive to very cold weather or very hot weather. Even a strong wind could make me sick. So, I wore another coat over my suit.

We reached the academy very quickly. I had sent a letter to the headmaster before, so she was waiting for me outside. She was reading a book, looking over the glasses she was wearing.

'What's the point of wearing glasses, then?'

"Oh my!" she screamed, startled as I stopped right in front of her.

"Hello there, headmaster," I smiled.

"Your Highness?! Oh my god…! Has Your Highness ridden a horse?"

"Yes, it was quicker this way," I said. "My niece is sick. May I go to her room straightly?"

"Of course. Please come with me."

I gave a nod to Abel and Calix. Calix remained to guard our horses while Abel went with me.

"Lady Ava has a fever. The fever is quite high now. The temperature increased suddenly," she said. "The doctor has checked up on her. She is resting now."

"I see," I muttered. "I got a letter this morning. When has she gotten the fever? This morning?"

"Last night," she said. "It was mild at first. So, we thought it would go down quickly. But the situation has worsened."

I had sent the palace doctor to check up on Ava. He was the one the headmaster was talking about.

We reached Ava's room on the second floor. She had changed her room because she claimed her previous room did not have enough light.

"I will go in," I said. "Abel, will you…?"

"I have to go wherever Your Highness goes," he said. "The toilet is an exception."

I chuckled. "Alright," I gave a nod.

Ava was sleeping for real. He looked really innocent and peaceful. Her face was that of an angel's.

'Not biblically accurate, of course.'

I only breathed for once in her room and she opened her eyes right away. I was surprised. I could swear I made no noise, just stood there and breathed.

"Aunt…?"

"Oh, baby, I heard you are sick," I said, hugging her. "So, Aunt came running to see you. I did not intend to wake you up, dear Ava."

"Aunt has come to see me?" she asked. Her high-pitched voice was not as energetic as usual.

"Yes," I said. "How are you feeling now?"

"I am good…"

"Do not lie, Ava."

"I feel weak. My head hurts…"

"Is that so? Your fever is quite high," I muttered, touching her forehead with the back of my hand. I turned to the headmaster who was standing near the door. "Has she not been given any medicine?"

"Yes, the doctor gave her some medicines. The lady told us she will take them by herself," she said.

I looked suspiciously at Ava. "You have not taken the medicines?"

She looked away without answering. I sighed. Well, she was still a kid. "Ava, medicines are not something we take for fun. We have to take them for our health when we are sick because we need to get better. Don't you want to get better, Ava?"

"I do…"

"Then, in order to get better, you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and follow the advice of the doctor which includes taking the medicines he has prescribed," I said. "Do you understand, my dear Ava?"

"But I don't like them, Aunt…! They taste so terrible!"

"I know. I am sick almost all the time," I said. "I have to take a lot of medicines a day. They don't always taste good. But I want to get better. The people who love me don't like it when I get sick.

They get sad. And I don't want that. That's why I force myself to take the medicines even though it tastes so bad and sometimes smell bad. At least, I can get better. In the same way, the people who love you don't want you to get sick. You should get better as soon as possible."

"Do you love me, Aunt?"

"Of course. I love you so much," I said. "A lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I love Ava a lot. Has this aunt failed to show it?"

"No… I thought Aunt loves that boy more than me?"

"Abel is a good kid, Ava. Think about it. He is the son of my friend, the duchess. Why would I not love him? Besides, he is a well-mannered kid. I love both of you a lot," I said.

"Do you hate him?"

"He is annoying."

'But you two play with each other these days when you visit the palace.'

"Now, take your medicine. Do you want me to help you?"

"No, I can do it."

I assisted her to sit up and she took her medicine. She looked disgusted the moment she took the medicine. It was not very pleasant probably.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

I smiled and patted her on the head. "Good job!"

She smiled tiredly at me. Her eyes looked very weak as if she was looking at me blankly. "Now, why don't you try to sleep?"

"I am not sleepy though…"

"Then, do you want me to read you a book?"

"Um, will Aunt stay with me?"

"Yeah, I will stay with you for as long as you want to," I said. "I think you should come to the palace, for the time being, Ava. At least, until you get better, you should stay at the palace."

"But I have to study."

"That's alright. One of our substitute teachers can accompany Lady Ava to the palace," the headmaster said.

"Then, you can stay at the palace, hm?"

"Uhm," she gave a small nod.

"Do you want to go to the palace tonight?"

"Can I?"

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "Abel, can you send a word to the palace mages?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Abel nodded.

"Why?" Ava asked. "What about your carriage?"

"Ah, I haven't brought a carriage. I have ridden my horse," I said.

"Horse? Then, I want to ride a horse too."

"It's cold, sweetie. You have a fever. You will feel colder if you ride a horse," I said.

"I will be fine. I will wear a thick sweater," she insisted, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Ava could ride a horse. I had seen her riding a horse myself last year. It surprised me how a four-year-old could ride a horse. Her mother taught her how to ride a horse, although I did not entirely support teaching a four-year-old how to ride a horse. It was dangerous. Her way of teaching was a dangerous act in itself.

She left her on the horse alone on the first day of teaching her, saying that was the way Evelyn had learned how to ride a horse as well. I could not argue much, because in the end, it was her own parents and I was her aunt. They had more rights over her life than I did.

Abel looked at me, waiting for my final order. I stared at him for a moment, before finally telling him there was no need to send a word to the palace.

"Can I touch your closet?" I asked.

"Yes…"

When I opened her closet, I was welcomed with a rush of blue. Everything was of the color blue. I knew she liked blue, but I did not know she was literally obsessed with the color. Dem knew it though. He told me about it before, but I did not believe so.

Now that I paid more attention to the decoration of the room, almost everything was blue, including her bedsheet, her nightgown, the curtains, and so on. Only the walls and the floor were white.

'Oh god, this much blue… Doesn't she get tired? Then again, Dem wears black all the time. He doesn't get tired either.'

"I want to wear the one with butterfly wings," Ava said from her bed.

"Ah, butterfly wings…," I mumbled, looking for the one she was talking about. I found it quickly. It was a thick frock with two blue butterfly wings. I held it up so she could see. "This one?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Do you want me to help you get ready?"

"Hmm…"

"Abel, can you go out for a moment? It will take us five to ten minutes only. You can come in once she changes her clothes," I said. "That will take five minutes only?"

"Alright. I will come in after five minutes," he said and walked out.

The headmaster looked uncomfortable. She did not know what to do. "I will talk to you a bit later. You can be in your office."

"Yes, Your Highness. Then, excuse me."