Fourteen

“What did you just say?”

Mateo lowers his eyes. “I didn’t mean to sound offensive, Your Highness. I’m just saying all this with your best interest at heart. I know I shouldn’t even dare, so I apologize if I’ve overstepped my boundary. But I wish you could use your stay here as an opportunity, Your Highness,”

Caralyn’s brow knitted together. “What do you mean?”

“How does the Supreme Ultima make your rage fit disappear? I know you are curious about that.” Mateo pauses for a few seconds before he continues. “Perhaps you will be able to find your answer, and through that, figure out a permanent cure to your curse, Your Highness.

 

Caralyn’s breath increases subtly, and Mateo’s statement greatly piqued her interest. In a span of just seconds, she had imagined a lot of things, a lot of scenarios, a lot of instances; what her life would be like without the curse.

Could she really figure out a permanent way to break her curse? She wonders. Mateo scrutinizes her, already knowing his words are swaying her. And that is the main reason he had brought up that topic, as Alessio had instructed.

Something she is desperate for, that is the only way to convince her to stay in the Supreme Faction. He does not have the slightest feeling of guilt for trying to manipulate her.

In his own mind, he is doing it for Riccardo’s sake. Aside from Alessio’s orders, Mateo also wants Caralyn to stay; he believes she might just be the pressure valve that their Supreme Ultima needs.

Even though Riccardo didn’t command Alessio to convince Caralyn to stay, Alessio knows he wants her to. Riccardo wants Caralyn, and he wants her to stay. But was the Supreme Ultima going to tell the Princess that? No.

That is why Alessio feels the need to step in, and he has sent Mateo, the bubbly and carefree younger brother of the stoic and merciless Enzo.

Unknown to them, however, their ears aren’t the only ones listening. The duo with super-hearing are beside their master,  listening in on their conversations, and the master doesn’t seem too pleased to hear what they are discussing.

Mateo gives Caralyn a hopeful look. “What is your decision, Yo-”

“-ur Highness,” Enzo repeats Mateo’s words to Riccardo.

“I think I will consider it,” Enzo repeats Caralyn’s words.

“The Supreme Ultima is a very difficult person to deal with, though. I wish I could vent my anger the way I have wanted to,” Enzo speaks out, Caralyn’s words.

Mateo chuckles. “Perhaps venting to me in words can make you feel better, Your Highness.”

Enzo repeats to Riccardo.

 

Caralyn sighs, crosses her arms, and starts speaking, while Enzo parrots her conversation with Mateo to Riccardo.

Riccardo, standing beside him, narrows his eyes at the distant figure of Alessio and Caralyn. He was on a walk with Enzo when he saw the two speaking to each other. He immediately tells Enzo to listen in on their conversation and repeats it to him.

Alessio sighs heavily. This is not how he expected things to go. It’s a complete coincidence that Riccardo chooses to take a walk and stumbles upon the two.

Caralyn swipes her ear behind her ear. “Where should I even start from?”

“Let’s start with my father, shall we? He wasn’t a good father, but he is still my father, and I couldn’t help but mourn his loss. But I don’t hold his death against the Supreme Ultima. I mean, King Brooks asked for it.”

Mateo nods subtly, listening intently to her.

“Coming down to the crowning ceremony of King Williams. He just sits there leisurely drinking wine poured by the smiling princess while his third-in-command insults me.”

Caralyn snorted. “Enzo or whatever his name is. Thinking about it now, that man is really audacious and disrespectful. A wicked soul that always seems happy to shed blood.

Mateo clears his throat and hesitantly speaks. “He is actually my brother.”

Caralyn was shocked for a moment. Then, she recovers and feels an immense empathy towards Mateo.

 

“Oh my! You poor Lycan.” She pats his back. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think your brother might be a psychopath.”

Mateo chuckles. “He is not.”

His voice drops into a whisper for his next words.

 

{In a distance…}

Enzo couldn’t repeat the words.

He was quite surprised to hear his brother gossiping about him with the princess. Alessio, on the other hand, is greatly amused, and he happily takes over the parroting, which makes Enzo glare at him.

“I doubted at first, but after some secret inquiry, I found out he is not,” Alessio parrots Mateo’s sentence, amusement clear in his voice.

Even Riccardo was amused as he listened on.

“Really? Then, was he abused or abandoned as a child?” Alessio repeats Caralyn’s curious question.

While Enzo is sulking, Riccardo’s lips stretch into a lopsided smile.

Back to Caralyn and Mateo……

“Nope. He is just like that,” Mateo says funnily, and they both laugh loudly.

“Anyway, back to the Supreme Ultima. He has so much darkness in him that he kills the king’s subjects without batting an eye. Even though they are criminals, I am the victim, and I clearly stated that I don’t want them dead.”

Caralyn flails her hand around as she speaks, showing how invested she is in the conversation.

“And the most annoying part of it all. The night we spent together.”

Alessio expects Riccardo to stop him, but he didn’t. So he continues relaying to him everything that is being said.

Caralyn chuckles humorlessly. “I mean, I know I’m the one who approached him and made that audacious request. But how dare he yell at me to leave his room after taking my virginity?”

‘She’s more outspoken than I thought,’ Riccardo says, inside his head.

Mateo clears his throat. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Your Highness.” He starts to get up. “Perhaps we should-”

Mateo is cut off when Caralyn pulls him down by his shoulder so that he is now sitting again.

She gives him a pointed look. “You said I could vent to you.”

“I did. However-”

“Mateo,” she calls with her eyes fixed on his knees.

“Yes? Your Highness?”

“Why is your knee shaking like that?” she gives him a look of disbelief. “Are you scared of this topic that much?”

“I guess. It’s a topic that should be spoken between you and the Supreme Ultima after all, not just to anyone.”

“You are not just anyone. You are my friend now. Your friend needs to vent, Mateo. What you should do in turn is offer your good ear and listen,” Caralyn gives him a stern look.

Mateo sighs. “You will get me in trouble.”

She shook her head. “I won’t.” Her face suddenly turns serious. “If I hear our conversation in any other place, however, that will change this friendship, and you will really be in trouble then.” She puts on her scariest expression. “I can be a very scary person, Mateo.”

Mateo’s laughter starts as a stifled snicker before it grows into a loud, open one.

Caralyn resumes her normal expression, giving him a confused look.

“Y-you look li-like a constipated puppy,” he managed to say, while still laughing.

Caralyn crossed her arms against her chest, pretending to be offended.

That brings Mateo back to his senses. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn’t have-” 

It is Caralyn’s turn. She bursts into a belly-aching laughter. Mateo realizes she just played him, and he smiles.

“You will be a good friend. I like you… and Alessio too.”

The last words Caralyn spoke, Alessio couldn’t repeat them.

It is Enzo’s turn to be amused; he finishes the word for him. “… and Alessio too.”

Riccardo’s eyes drifted to Alessio. “She likes you.”

“My Lord. I-that’s it’s probably-I think-” Alessio couldn’t find the right words.

Enzo chuckles.

Riccardo’s dead-eyed gaze moves from Alessio to Enzo. “She likes your brother, too.”

Enzo’s amusement vanished within seconds.