The sound of the water dripping not far away from her echoed inside the dungeon. Aside from her heartbeat, it had become the only sound that she heard since she arrived in this place. When was the last time she visited this place? Fifty? Seventy years ago?
Her tears had stopped flowing, and her throat had become so dry that even talking a word hurts. Yet, she was still hopeful. Yes, she was still alive and that meant there is still hope. Perhaps, her son would pity her and come here. After all, she only did it for him. Everything that she had done was only for him. As if on cue, footsteps echoed toward her.
For the umpteenth time, she wondered if it was Drigo. But a part of her knew that it was the knights with her ration for the day. She was lucky she was given food. Most of the prisoners here weren’t allowed to have anything. No water, no food, no light. Many of them would become crazy before even dying from starvation.
She lifted her head and tried to make out of the silhouette that she can see from where she was at. Outside of the cell was a man that—
"Drigo?" she called out. "My son?" Unable to stop herself, tears started flowing down her cheeks. "You have come..." she sobbed. She forced herself to calm down when she noticed the absence of reaction from the man before her. "You cannot hate me," she uttered.
"You can’t." Another sob came out of her throat.
"I don’t." Drigo’s words immediately give her the relief that she needed. "I can’t hate you. No matter what. I can’t just hate the woman who did everything to make me into the King that I once was."
"Once?" Margery frowned. "Did you really— "
"Matthew is already the new King and that’s the only reason why you are still alive."
"What?"
"He knows about the facility."
"What are you— "
"The experiments. The witches. The reason why you didn’t want me to make some changes to our laws."
"Drigo— "
"I saw the images mother," Drigo said, his voice completely cold. "I saw the cells where you kept the witches. I— " his voice broke. "I saw the younger witches that you and your people took."
"What? I didn’t— "
"You knew about them," Drigo said. "You knew about everything but you didn’t stop them. What made you think that you are better than them? What made you think that you are better than those people!?"
"Drigo let me explain..."
"Explain?" Drigo snorted. "Of course. Please feel free to explain why you let them harm those people. Why you— "
"It’s because of you."
"You— "
"You cannot blame me for something that I did because of you!"
Margery couldn’t exactly see her son’s reaction but she could clearly feel his gaze— his disappointed gaze.
"Because of me?" Drigo chortled. "You did everything because— "
"I just wanted you to be King!" Margery said. "When I — It happened before Matthew was born. When I heard that she was pregnant I just... I panicked and I made some deals with people. I didn’t— at that time, I didn’t know what they were doing. I didn’t know about the experiments but they wanted witches. They promised support as long as I gave them witches."
"You mean the de Cene family."
"I— "
"Just so you know... his Majesty let them go."
"What?"
"We have no proof against them."
"It was the de Cene family who approached me. They were— "
"I don’t want to hear it."
"Drigo— "
"I know you are going to blame them then blame it on me. Was it because you wanted me to become the King!?" Drigo asked. "Well guess what mother, I am no longer the current King. I willingly made Matthew the new King of the Lycans. And I would do it again."
"Drigo you— " Margery’s voice trembled. "How dare you throw away everything that I had worked so hard for?"
However, instead of an answer, Drigo only laughed at his mother in response. It started with a low chuckle that had become full-blown laughter that was weirdly full of mockery and pity.
"It’s — entertaining," Drigo said. "I never realized this until Matthew told me."
"What?"
"I am not a good King," he said. "I am only good at giving you what you want. I am only good at... doing what you want. I am only good at proving myself worthy to be your son." freeweɓnøvel~com
"Drigo."
"And he was right. When I stood up against you... I immediately hated myself for even trying. I had doubted myself. I had doubted the things that I want simply because they are different from what I wanted. I have hated myself for not wanting what you want." Drigo said. "Matthew was right, mother. I am not a King. I am but a son who wanted to impress his mother. I am like a three-year-old who can’t even have my own opinions because they were against yours."
"Drigo that’s not true. You are strong. Don’t— Don’t believe him. He is nothing like you. Can’t you see? He Is just doing this to make you doubt yourself. To make you give him the throne. He is trying to— "
"Can you stop it?" he asked. "You are still talking about something that isn’t even mine in the first place."
"The throne is yours! You are born from— "
"From what?"
"I— "
"The fact that I was born first didn’t make me the strongest or the smartest, mother." To be honest, one of Drigo’s greatest insecurity is the fact that he isn’t as strong as Matthew. But after so much internalization, after everything that he had experienced in the past few days, he realized something.
Even his insecurity only appeared because of his mother.
So while his mother was trying to blame him for everything, he too was blaming her for raising him like this. Of course, he didn’t want to voice out these words as he knew Matthew would only laugh at him. That man would probably scoff at him in disgust.
Embarrassment flashed on his face.
"I did it for you," she uttered. Hearing this, Drigo sighed.
"No mother, you did it for yourself," Drigo said. "Am I wrong?"
"What?"
"The only reason why you wanted me to become the King is that you wanted to become the mother of the King. You didn’t do it for me. You did it for your own selfish reasons. So don’t — stop using me as the reason for your actions. At the end of the day, it was your choice."
"I loved you," Margery hissed. "I cared for you. I raised you. I did everything for your sake! How could you turn on against your very own mother!? Against the only person that loved you even when you lost your status!?"
Drigo clenched his jaw.
At that time, he thought the world owe him something as he was the next king of the Lycans. But meeting someone who was born to be King, someone who didn’t grow up with the love and care that he had, Drigo quickly realized something.
All throughout his life, he had been dependent on other people’s opinions. He had been chasing other people’s approval since he was a kid. First his mother’s, then the previous king— his father, and now Matthew.
How pathetic, he thought inwardly as he walked out of the dungeon without saying another word.
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