The Lycan King's Muse

Ep 26: Sky

–the boy–

Initially, I plan to sabotage the sudden labor in the royal infirmary. I thought that if both the baby and the woman die, Father might blame Mars and put her in jail. Then I can kill Mars in the cold, dark cell to get a name from my mother. Or perhaps Father would kill Mars himself.

I hover above them all with invisibility magic so no one can see me. None of the lycans has magic as powerful as I am. Even the extraordinary twins, Naver and Ganesh, don't notice my presence.

Among the half-dozen warriors gathered in the infirmary with the old twins and Father, three are Mother's loyal supporters. Mother helped them in the past, making them feel indebted to her. They still try to make Mother returns to the castle however they can, though Father never falters from their tricks. They, however, also don't know about my presence in the infirmary. Then again, only a few of Mother's most trustworthy supporters know about my existence.

It is my first time seeing how babies are born. Once, I asked Mother how ordinary babies are delivered to the world, but she lashed out at me. She told me it's not something I should fill my head with.

In the human picture books I saw, they wrote that human babies are delivered by cranes. So I assumed babies were being brought to the world like that until I read one of the healers' books in the library. Since then, I know babies grow in their mothers' bellies until it is time for them to be popped out into the world.

Sometimes I wonder... if I was created like a normal baby, would Mother love me? Would Father love me too?

I watch intently when Mars helps the lady to give birth. It looks excruciatingly painful that I question why women would want to go through something like that?

But... somehow, I am glued to my spot when I hear the baby crying. I even forget my window to do something to both the baby and the woman. When I see Mars's and the woman's faces as they look at the baby... I can understand a little why all the pain and risks are worth it.

Their faces glow with adoration. The woman, especially, looks lovingly at her baby without reason, without the baby having to do something other than exist.

Does love bring this much joy?

Why then... does my mother not look at me like that? I wonder... If I had been born naturally, would my mother love me and give me a name without me having to kill someone for it?

I follow the couple to Ganesh's office right after the labor process is done, and then to the king's room, looking for windows of opportunities to kill Mars. It's too risky to kill her in the king's presence, yet spying on them with invisibility magic might give me some valuable information that I can use later on. It's also not the first time I've spied on Father.

In the years I've existed in this world, occasionally I would follow Father to learn of his habits, what he likes, and what he hates. I have seen him becoming colder, more devoid of expression in recent years, and I have seen his cruel side. Yet when Mars came, it was the first time I have ever seen him... seem warm.

Mars could make him laugh, show this vulnerable emotion on his face, and make him look just like an ordinary man. Once, I caught him humming on his way to his office. I even had to make sure multiple times that it was truly Father and not someone with a similar face.

Until now, Father still doesn't know that I survive that night. None of Mother's supporters that know I still exist have told him, as well. If he knows I'm still alive, he wouldn't be this unguarded living his life. He knows how to detect and protect himself from dark magic, as the previous queen used dark magic, too. But since he thinks Mother is already chained in a magical prison tower and I'm dead, he doesn't use any of that protection anymore, since they usually drain his energy.