Chapter 116

Chapter 116 He likes her a lot

ASHER

As Bert read his report about the preparations for the celebration in honor of Silas Moses, I could hardly focus. I knew it wasn’t good that my mind was elsewhere. With Silas returning, I needed to pay special attention to the Beta’s

family.

I didn’t know much about him personally, just that he had a long history of military service and that he was new to the position of Beta. His role as a military official could make him potentially difficult to work with, as I had little experience. when it came to matters of war and battle, but truth be told, my concerns weren’t

about him.

I was still preoccupied with what Kane had said to me the other day. His strange disposition brought me to a realization I’d never had before- I knew too little about my own brother.

I hadn’t asked Kane if he’d discovered Cas sandra’s true identity, as exposing it directly could be risky, but I knew something was up. I was puzzled about why he seemed to care so much about her. From what I could recall from our childhood, Kane had always been a loner and rarely showed concern for anyone, but now… he appeared to be looking after Cas sandra, which made me uncomfortable and stirred up feelings of jealousy within me.

First, it was Kaleb, and now Kane. As the days went by and the list of suitors grew longer, the impulse to claim Cas sandra as my mate only strengthened. I didn’t like the ilea of others getting so close to her.

“Your Majesty, shall we invite the king of Yurene to the celebration?” Bert sked, and his question pulled me right back into reality. I blinked a few times and tried to get my head on straight.

“I… I don’t know,” I murmured as I searched my mind for the right decision.

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“It would be impolite to exclude guests from the celebration,” Bert suggested gently.

Though I wanted to deny this idea outright, I knew he was correct. Excluding the king of Yurene from the event would be impolite as well as suspect, and I didn’t want any opportunity to raise suspicion in the palace. Kaleb and I were already on thin ice with one another, and any slight, no matter how small, could put Wegalla and Yurene in a precarious position.

So, I took a deep breath and nodded.

“You’re right,” I decided. “Bert, please issue invitations for the king and his guards. They will be welcome to the celebration.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said, and he offered me a small bow.

Though I didn’t trust Kaleb by any means, I knew this was the right choice. Besides, the foreign king was set to return to Yurene in two weeks. I wouldn’t have to continue this polite charade for too much longer. Having him close at the celebration would allow me to keep an eye on him and ensure he couldn’t be alone with Cas sandra.

“You may leave, Bert,” I addressed the head of serv nts politely. Bert bowed once more, and after he gave me a small smile, he left the room. Once I was alone, I released the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

Everything as of late had me so stressed. I was ready for life to settle into some normalcy, but I wasn’t so certain that that was a possibility. There was always some event to attend and host, or some other form of drama or crisis that pulled me in a million directions. I was only one man and yet there were so many roles for me to fill.

I sat back in my chair and closed my eyes. I wondered if my father had ever felt his way when he was king. His reign was far different from m.. and he’d greatly hanged as a person in the later half of his life, but was there ever a time when he just wanted to hide and get away from it all? How did he handle the weight of so many pressures and expectations?

At the end of the day, though, I wasn’t my father. I had a duty to fulfill to

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Wegalla, and when I’d taken the crown, I’d decided I was going to be a much better ruler than him.

My head pounded as if on cue, and I winced at the sudden pain. I wasn’t sleeping as well as I wanted to, and my headaches were growing stronger with every day. It was a torment that only made the agitations of my day-to-day life event

worse.

I sat back for a while and let the pain subside, and once it became more bearable, I opened my eyes and rose from my seat.

Despite having other meetings and matters to attend to, I decided I wanted to go to the clinic. I needed to see Ca ss andra. Surely, her mere presence would improve my poor mood.

It always did.

I snuck out of the palace through the back door and made my way to the clinic. It was surprisingly chilly, and I shivered, but the fresh air was nice.

When I arrived at the clinic, I noticed a sign reading “Keller’s”. It was a welcome but strange sight to see.

The door was closed, but when I gently pushed it, it opened.

“Hello?” I called out, and when I got no answer, I stepped insid

Despite the lights being on, the clinic appeared to be empty, but when I got a little further into the reception area, I spied Finnick and Cas sandra’s maid, Erika, were seated on the floor in the hallway. Finnick was playing with some toys while Erika witched on happily.

It had been a while since I’d seen Finnick, and the first time since I’d found out hat he was my son. As I stared at the young boy who shared both my dark hair and my serious gray eyes, I felt momentarily lost for words.

Erika and Finnick soon noticed my arrival, and the maid rose to her feet and offered me a curtsy.

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in.”

“Your Majesty,” she greeted me warmly. “My apologies, I didn’t hear you come

“Quite alright,” I a*sured her, and I made my way to the hall to join them. Once I reached Finnick, I crouched down to his level and smiled. “Hello, Finnick.”

“Hello, Your Majesty,” the boy greeted me politely. “Are you looking for my Mommy? She’s busy working with Becky in the back room.”

“I was,” I said. “But I wouldn’t want to disturb her. So I wondering if it would be okay if I waited here with you?”

Finnick nodded, and I carefully sat down beside him. He had a row of stuffed animals arranged in front of him and the sight made me smile.

“Now, who are these?” I wondered as I gestured at the toys.

Finnick lit up at once.

“These are my friends,” he announced happily. “We’re playing healer and patient. Mr. Bear is feeling sick, so his friends are here to help him feel better. And I’m the healer, just like Mommy.”

I smiled. “Mr. Bear is lucky to have you as his healer. It sounds like he’s in capable hands.”

“Would you like to hug him?” Finnick asked me earnestly.

When I nodded, he handed me the slightly worn and well-loved brown stuffed bear. I smiled at its button eyes. The toy looked handmade. I gave it a hug and then hander it back to Finnick.

“I hope he feels better soon,” I remarked.

“He will now,” Finnick replied happily. “Thanks to us.”

He hugged the bear tightly, and then his expression grew rious.

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“Do you like my mommy?” he asked me

was taken aback by the sudden question, but I couldn’t help but smile and

“1 do,” I confirmed. ” like her a lot.”