Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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“Wow, this place is luxurious, spacious, and beautiful…”

“If Grandma lived here, she would be so happy. She wouldn’t have to sleep on that worn-out mattress anymore.” Elena stepped into the room inside the pavilion hidden behind the palace.

As soon as she entered, she was once again stunned by the luxury of the place. Her eyes widened and sparkled as she imagined what it would be like if her grandmother lived here.

She wouldn’t have to stay in that dusty, shabby house at the edge of the forest. Surely her grandmother’s back wouldn’t hurt anymore.

But Elena quickly shook her head and slapped both her cheeks until they turned red.

“Ah, no! He is so cruel and loves to bully me. There’s no guarantee he would treat Grandma well. The right thing to do now is escape!”

“While he’s not here, I have to use this chance to run back home to Grandma!”

Elena clenched her fists tightly. Quickly, she removed Lucien’s shirt from her body and hurried to the large wardrobe nearby. Once again, she was astonished.

Inside the wardrobe, there were so many beautiful dresses. They seemed to belong to the previous queen. Elena swallowed hard when she saw many jewels stored there as well.

But she remembered her grandmother’s teachings, stealing was not good behavior. So she immediately abandoned the idea of taking any of the jewels from the wardrobe.

However, she would take one of the simplest dresses to cover her body. If she had the chance in the future, she would return it.

“Whoever owns this dress, please allow me to wear it. My dress is torn,” Elena whispered innocently.

Even though the dress no longer had an owner, she still asked politely before quickly putting on the pale yellow dress that looked simple and modest.

It reached her calves and had long sleeves. Elena quickly tied up her still-damp hair so she could run into the forest more easily.

“Hmm!”

Once she looked neat and fully covered, Elena nodded firmly and clenched her fists.

It was time to escape, while it was still daylight.

...

At the same time…

Lucien had changed into neat, dignified attire. There was a meeting with royal messengers and the Moon Council regarding Umbreal, which had reportedly grown more brutal this year.

“Your Majesty.” Lucien’s loyal guard greeted him as he stepped out of his chamber.

Hasgard Golard, a noble wolf from the Silverhowl Pack, thousands of years old, served as Lucien’s advisor and teacher regarding the order of the Lupus Kingdom.

“Mm.” Lucien said nothing more. He was a cold king who trusted no one, including Hasgard Golard, especially since Hasgard came from the noble pack that governed the Lupus Kingdom.

They walked toward the heart of the palace, where the king met with the Moon Council and the Alphas of all Packs.

When Lucien and Hasgard entered the grand hall, all the Moon Council members and elders immediately lowered their heads before the young king.

Lucien sat on his magnificent throne, and the wolves seated themselves in silence.

“Your Majesty, I will report the findings of the Blackthorn Pack regarding Umbreal this year. It is said that their size has doubled and they are far more dangerous…”

“Alpha Caelan Blackthorn and Beta Elias Frostclaw successfully eliminated all the Umbreal that escaped the seal. However, twenty of their soldiers were severely injured and exposed to Umbreal blood, and three others lost their lives. It is feared that next year the Umbreal will be even more dangerous than before…” The royal messenger delivered the information he had received from the Blackthorn Pack.

Lucien fell silent for a moment. His eyes burned with anger, his jaw tightening. Every wolf in the room could feel the king’s fury.

Although half of his power had disappeared, Lucien was still the strongest wolf in the kingdom. His anger alone made the wolves in the hall feel suffocated and struggle to breathe.

If a half-human or weak wolf had been present, they would have fainted under the pressure of his rage.

“Is there still no report from Huggles Iron regarding the border? In which area did the seal suddenly weaken and allow the Umbreal to escape?” Lucien asked, causing the messenger to shake his head.

“Alpha Huggles Iron and his troops have been patrolling for twenty-four hours a day. However, the seal weakens unpredictably, as if those in the Underworld can open it at will,” the messenger replied, making Lucien’s expression grow darker.

“Your Majesty, please control your emotions. If your anger continues to surge, we will be in danger…” one elder interrupted.

All the wolves in the hall were drenched in cold sweat and felt intimidated. Lucien, who had not fully learned to control his anger since the tragedy eight years ago, closed his eyes and took a long breath.

“Very well. For now, instruct Huggles Iron to expand patrols, and tell Caelan Blackthorn to strengthen his forces.”

“Until my power fully awakens, all we can do is reinforce our defenses.”

The messenger nodded and withdrew from the hall.

After that, an elderly woman who could no longer open her eyes spoke of something crucial, something that made the meeting even more significant.

“Your Majesty…” The old woman was Lady Miravel Moonwyn, wife of Alpha Morgan Mooncrest. She was the mentor of Moon Seer Hera, through whom the Moon Goddess delivered guidance in dreams.

Whenever the Moon Goddess sent a dream to Lady Miravel Moonwyn, the message was directly related to the king of the Lupus Kingdom.

“The Moon Goddess gave me a dream last night. Your Majesty will surely regain your full power, and the path has already come before you…”

“But the Moon Goddess did not reveal what path has come to you. She only said that Your Majesty will determine the fate of our people.”

Lucien clenched his fist.

“Again, a vague message. I don’t care what path has come before me. I am certain I will regain my power!”

“The only thing I desire is to destroy every creature in the Underworld!”

“To destroy Gargan Noctyrr Noar with my own hands, the one who killed my parents!” Lucien growled, and the hall fell silent.

He stood up, anger surging within him. The meeting had reminded him of his parents’ deaths while protecting him from Gargan Noctyrr Noar.

That anger still poisoned his heart to this day.

“This meeting ends here. If you have anything to report, report it to Hasgard Golard. I will hear it from him!”

Lucien left the hall, leaving the Moon Council and elders deeply worried.

They felt King Lucien was too unstable and unable to control his emotions. They were truly anxious about the future of the Lupus Kingdom.

...

At the same time, Elena had run out of the pavilion. She ran as fast as she could, but her eyes widened when she saw several royal guards patrolling ahead.

Panicking, Elena looked around and immediately jumped into a nearby flower bush, hiding there.

“Uh, if I’m caught, I’ll definitely die!” she muttered softly, covering her mouth and holding her breath.

“Do you smell something?” one of the patrolling guards asked, sensing something near the pavilion.

They checked the surroundings. After determining everything was safe, they began walking away.

“It seems the bad weather has affected my sense of smell,” one of them said as they moved farther from Elena’s location.

Once they left, Elena finally breathed in relief.

“Hufff…”

“Thank goodness I wasn’t caught…” she whispered.

She was about to step out of the bushes, but when she peeked, she immediately changed her mind.

The palace guards were standing at the gate leading to the forest, her only escape route.

“Ah, why are they there? How am I supposed to escape?” Elena muttered, looking around. The only way out was that large gate.

The palace was surrounded by steep cliffs. If Elena tried escaping beyond the pavilion, she would surely fall into the ravine and die.

“Huh…”

Elena lay back in the bushes, staring at the bright blue sky.

“That man… why are his eyes so sharp yet also so lonely? Even though he lives in a place like this and rules the Lupus Kingdom, why does he look so sad?” Elena whispered unconsciously.

Somehow, she had seen sadness within Lucien’s cold and cruel gaze.

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