My Only Person

A Crown Woven of Promises and Her

(The above-used image does not belong to me. The credit goes to the rightful owner.)

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Clarissa's POV

"...We shall hold our formal mating ceremony with Lady Isabella in two months. Proceed with the preparations, inform the pack and the werewolf community. We shall inform the Lady of this good news ourself."

He smiled as he issued the decree, though the happiness of the union didn't reach his eyes.

He took his time to survey everyone's reaction, his gaze lingering on me as well. In that moment, his expression became impassive.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Cheers erupted in the meeting room, and Keith embraced him in a brotherly hug, but from my vantage point, I could see - he was not truly happy.

Well, not everyone can defy their faith. As Ned Kelly said, 'Such is life.'

Following the announcement to the pack, all the departments were swamped with work. The people Gregory referred to filed into the castle in rows like trained soldiers ready for battle within the hour and immediately set to work.

While the entire pack was celebrating, the groom himself, the King, got busier. Standing guard alongside the Captain, I observed a constant stream of people entering and exiting his office, like a human centipede. It reached a point where he ordered the door to be kept open all day. He stopped going to his private palace, resting only briefly in the bedroom attached to his office to complete the work. Fortunately, due to this matter, the King didn't have the time to burden me with random unnecessary tasks to keep me away from him and his family.

Similarly, Lady Isabella immersed herself in ceremony preparations. Just like the King, although she wore a smile while talking to her associates about the mating ceremony, the feeling of innate bliss remained absent. The Duchess, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. She radiated unbridled joy, practically prancing around.

A week later, Amin returned from vacation. He looked refreshed and ready to dive into the pile of files awaiting him. Someone to share the workload with, I now had some free time on my hands, so I went to look for the princess.

I heard that ever since the announcement of the King's impending mating ceremony was made, she has been spending most of her time in the garden with Charlotte's children. Perhaps it's because the King cannot afford her the usual time and attention, but even with a breathless schedule, he dutifully played the part of a good, caring father. Every morning and night, he visited his daughter, whether she was still asleep or just drifting off. He made sure to remain with her for a while, chatting with her nanny about her well-being and daily activities before returning to work.

Strolling around for a bit, I found her sitting inside a gazebo, playfully kicking her feet and diligently scribbling on the paper in her hand.

Charlotte's children were nowhere in sight, and the princess's nanny was sitting in a shed located at a distance, overseeing her while giving her space.

I exchanged greetings with the nanny, sensing a subtle tension in her demeanour upon my arrival. Nonetheless, she refrained from asking me to leave, likely remembering the last time when I escorted the princess to her residence after she had picked flowers for me. It appears that she has acknowledged the shift in the princess's comfort level around me, recognizing that she no longer treads on thin ice. Moreover, she also understands the emotional need of the princess to have someone close to her, especially during this transitional period when she will be getting a new mommy, and her only family, her father, is too busy to accompany her.