Chapter 93 [I Love You]
In the blink of an eye, winter passed and spring arrived, and the newborn cubs opened their eyes, still dazed and confused.
A reassuring scent filled the air, so even when they discovered their powerful mother was not in the nest, they were not alarmed at all. Instead, they lazily yawned and continued to reunite with their brothers and sisters.
Mella's cabin also welcomed an unexpected guest today.
It's not quite accurate to call it one, because suddenly one, two, three, or four equally furry little heads popped out from behind the huge, furry body.
"So cute! These must be your litter of cubs from last year." Mela happily gathered the wolf cubs into her arms, petting one after another.
Upon hearing Mela's words, the big black wolf let out a short howl, as if in response.
Meanwhile, it lay lazily to one side, using its massive body to surround Mela and its children, occasionally raising its tail to brush against Mela's skirt.
Having learned from the first experience, the mother wolf successfully gave birth to her second litter of wolf cubs last year. When the cubs were old enough to run around freely, the big black wolf carried them on its back to find Mela, knowing that Mela liked furry little things.
When the big black wolf arrived at the cabin, he found the door locked and neither Mela nor the noisy crow were inside.
So the big black wolf had no choice but to lead the children back the way they came.
It wasn't until spring returned and the frozen river began to flow again that Mela was able to finally see the much-grown wolf cubs.
The grown-up wolf cubs couldn't resist pouncing on their prey, including their own litter brothers and sisters. However, today they were unusually well-behaved, staying in Mela's arms and rubbing against her hand affectionately, like clingy little dogs.
Mela paused abruptly as she stroked the wolf's fur. She belatedly realized that more than a month had passed since Lex last sent a letter. Had something held her back?
*
Inside the palace, many new faces appeared before the public.
With their arrival, the smoldering fire that had spread from the capital to various territories finally began to subside.
This also allowed many people who are still standing under the throne to breathe a sigh of relief.
No one expected that the young king, immediately upon his coronation, would begin a purge with an undeniable and powerful stance.
Not only the once illustrious Gardner family, but also Count Salle, who considered himself part of the King's Party, and the Jude family, who had been arrogant for many years thanks to Queen Elizabeth... Even the haughty Church had to keep its head down and remain silent about the fact that a new pope had been appointed in just six months.
The blood of the rebels flowed from the holes in their bodies, and the supreme royal power once again weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, shaking the deepest darkness within.
At this moment, even though everyone was standing right below, they could almost smell the faint scent of blood emanating from the throne.
Therefore, when Lex suddenly glanced at them with a half-closed look, the ministers couldn't help but look at each other nervously, wondering who had offended this young lion.
Queen Elijah was unwilling to accept that Severi had been granted the title of Marquis and then sent to the North, or were the nobles dissatisfied with Lex's changes to the inheritance law that increased the number of female heirs?
As a result, the ministers waited for a long time, racking their brains to recall if they might be caught in the crossfire, when they heard a muttered monologue coming from above:
"Actually, no one stipulates that the Queen must stay in the palace. Of course, she is free to choose the life she wants, isn't she?"
Hmm? The ministers all pricked up their ears simultaneously.
His Majesty the King wants to marry the Queen? That's wonderful news!
If they weren't worried that a furious Lex would order the guards to throw them out of the palace, or even imprison them for a few days, these ministers would have long ago advised Lex to hurry up and marry a queen to produce a worthy heir.
But something just doesn't sound right.
They always felt that the queen Lex wanted to marry was definitely not the best choice in their hearts.
Thinking of this, the ministers all turned their gaze to Fernando, who was standing at the very front and closest to the throne.
However, Fernanki kept his eyes downcast, his expression inscrutable, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking.
Others might not know, but how could Fernando not know? That sentence just now was deliberately said to him by Lex.
After all, of the two insiders, he and Cherk, only he would strongly oppose Lex placing the crown that belonged to the Queen on Mela's head.
Since Prime Minister Fernando remained silent, the minister who considered himself the boldest had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Your Majesty, when do you plan to hold the ball?"
"A ball?" Lex raised an eyebrow, looking down at the minister. "My queen doesn't need to compete with a bunch of women to earn the right to come to my side."
Because from the very beginning, he only ever went to her.
He wanted to hold her hand and win her favor.
“This, this, this won’t do…” The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Whether it was Lilyles, who had long been recognized by Nurenger VIII as the next queen, or Ilya, who was in love with Nurenger IX, they all participated in the ball without exception, showing everyone their outstanding qualities that made them queens.
Now, Lex says he's going to break with centuries-old royal traditions—how can that be allowed?
Seeing this, Lex stood up nonchalantly, said, "If you insist on holding this ball, then be prepared to come for nothing," and walked past the crowd.
On the magnificent crown, huge gemstones shone brightly in the sunlight.
The ministers could only watch helplessly as Lex's figure disappeared, then asked Fernando, bewildered, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"
"It means he will absolutely not attend this ball."
After saying that, Fernando also stepped out of everyone's sight.
Knowing Lex's plan all along, Cherk, who had been waiting outside the porch, saw Fernanki come out and immediately followed him, casually making a fist and coughing lightly to his lips:
"Ahem, I didn't expect you to not publicly oppose His Majesty's decision?"
“Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to see?” Fernando glanced coldly at Cherge beside him. “Besides, even if I wanted to object, I would have to come up with a way to object.”
In the past six months, Lex's decisive and ruthless approach, along with the replacement of many of his supporters with others, has not only cleared obstacles for securing his throne but also made ample preparations to restrain Fernanki.
Now, the pros and cons of clashing with Lex over opposing Mela's ascension to the throne are clearly greater than the cons; Fernando is not so foolish as to do that.
Moreover, since Lex wanted to let Mela be a free queen without her having to bear any of the obligations of a queen, Fernando would not care about it anymore once they had an heir.
"It's good that you can think positively." Cherge smiled and patted Fernanki on the shoulder, otherwise he would have been in a real headache being caught between Lex and Fernanki.
However, "I'll have to ask you to work hard during these next few days."
"What do you mean?" Fernando frowned, sensing an ominous undertone in Chelge's words.
“Ah… well…” Chelge mumbled, glancing at the sky and then at the ground, but he dared not look Fernando in the eye.
He felt that if he told Fernanki that Lex had run away, Lex might not be able to leave the capital smoothly.
Anyway, Lex should be back from the Dark Forest with good news in a month at most, right? Cherk thought guiltily.
*
After seeing off the big black wolf and his cubs, Mela sat on the steps of the wooden house, propping her chin up with her hand, quietly admiring the afterglow of the setting sun.
The orange glow spread out generously across the ground, carrying the lingering warmth of the sun's burnt-out rays.
She suddenly remembered a long time ago, when she sat like this, re-braiding her messy braids, and inviting Lex, who had just come out of the basement, to join her in basking in the sunset.
At that time, Lex, mindful of his status, refused to sit on the ground with her without any decorum, and only stood beside her, like a sapling that would not bend even an inch no matter how much it was battered by wind and rain.
Now the saplings have grown into towering trees, and even their shadows cast on the ground are exceptionally upright.
"Lex, you're here." A flicker of surprise crossed Mela's eyes, but she quickly greeted Lex, who had suddenly appeared on horseback, with a smile.
"Yes, I'm here." Lex nimbly dismounted.
Mela noticed that he seemed to be holding something in his left hand, hidden under his cloak, and he only took it out when he was right in front of her.
It turned out to be a small crown.
Although it is only the size of a palm, the gemstones and intricate patterns set on it are quite valuable.
"This is a crown that was reserved for queens throughout history," Lex explained briefly about its origins.
At the same time, he knelt on one knee before Mela, lowering his head, which he should have always held proudly as king.
“If you are willing to have mercy on me and accept this crown, then I swear by the name of Nurenger, that I will be faithful to my love for the rest of my life, never betraying or abandoning her, until death do us part.”
Mela stared intently at the crown Lex presented to her, tilting her head slightly. "Even if I can't leave here with you to become a proper queen in the palace, you still insist on giving me this crown?"
Upon hearing this, Lex looked up, and Mela saw the unwavering determination in his eyes.
“Alright.” Mela took the crown and casually put it on her head, noticing with a sigh, “Hmm, this crown seems quite heavy.”
However, through Lex's golden eyes, Mela could see her reflection gradually enlarging.
The next second, Mela's lips touched Lex's nose.
"Lex, you're still missing the most important sentence, aren't you?"
Mela guided them with a sticky, honey-sweet voice.
Before Lex could react and press his lips to hers, he hastily uttered the words Mela wanted to hear:
"I love you, Mela."
Mela's "I love you too" response could only be conveyed through her lips and into Lex's body, filling them with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
The last rays of the setting sun gradually faded, carrying with them the whispered murmurs of lovers, and sank into the deep darkness of the night.
The night is still long.
——End
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