After doing her makeup and checking herself in the mirror, Sophie held her purse and stood in front of her dressing table.
Her bedroom was spacious, and the decoration was as extravagant as she wanted. Whatever the furniture, carpets or decoration pieces, she chose the best.
It just suited her status as the king's cousin, so living in luxury was a must.
She liked bright colours. Thus she has a mixture of yellow, red and blue colours in her room.
The bathroom door opened, and her husband walked out wearing a grey pyjama. His black hair was still wet from the shower. He looked at her for a second before he retreated to his bed. "Another party?" he asked, sitting in the king-sized bed. His face was serious like usual.
"Bethany held a welcome party for her son and invited me as a guest of honour. So I should go," Sophie replied, tidying her blue dress, smiling as she looked perfect.
"A guest of honour or not, you are just looking for a reason not to stay in the house," he murmured, flipping the pages of a scientific magazine.
Sophie shifted her gaze to the man and fisted her hand. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I was stating the fact. Since your return from the palace, you didn't spend a day in the house. All you did was attend social gatherings and parties, aren't you tired?" he stated, looking at her.
Sophie tightened her lips together and crossed her hands over her chest. She took a deep breath and calmed herself. "You know, I am tired of your nagging over and over this matter, you want me to stay here and do what? I am just having fun with my friends. Why does it bother you so much to see me happy? I asked you to go with me every time but you declined because you don't like my friends," she said, raising her voice.
Marten stood up and said, "I am not bothered seeing you happy. I am bothered because you care about outsiders more than your family." he wished that the one who made her happy was him instead of her friends. But she didn't care. The thought made his heart ache. "You don't care neither about me nor our family," he continued.
Sophie looked at him with winded eyes. "Wow. Aren't you tired of repeating the same words every time? Yes, I am a careless and heartless woman who doesn't care about her family. I admit. What should you do?" Sophie put on her coat. "I don't have time to argue with you. I feel suffocated." she stomped her feet, walking to the door.
He ruined her mood!
She opened the door. A silhouette stood in front of her chamber. Sophie's angry face softened when she looked at her daughter and said, "Kim? When did you come? Why did you leave the academy without notifying us," she said.
Hopefully, she didn't hear them arguing.
"Mom, Dad. I missed you so much," Kim said.
Marten came out and hugged his daughter. The three of them sat inside, talking with each other. They asked her about her studies in college and how was she doing.
"You must be tired from travelling. Why don't you go to your room and have a rest," Sophie said and accompanied her daughter to the room.
"Mom, I will rest so don't change your plan for me," Kim said, walking through the corridor.
Sophie put a light kiss on her daughter's forehead when they arrived at the room. She turned around.
"Mom .... Are you happy?" she asked her.
Sophie's leg stopped, and her eyes widened. Facing her daughter, she opened her mouth but didn't know how to answer. Caressing her daughter's cheek. "You don't have to worry about me, just focus on your life." then she marched away.
Meanwhile, Kim looked at her mother's back. Her mother didn't reply to her question.
…
Lucette closed her eyes.
'It's the end.'
The pain she waited for never came, instead, she heard a collision sound.
Lucette watched as a man fought with the wolf. The man's back was facing her as he attacked the giant wolf. He had long black hair, just a few centimetres above his shoulder. He dodged the animal's vicious attacks with difficulty, injuring his arm with the sharp claws.
The wolf threw the man away, knocking him into a tree, and then it stared at her. She held her breath and stopped moving.
'It will attack me next.'
The stranger launched another attack at the wolf, distracting the brute animal. Lucette summoned all her courage and stood up, running away between the trees and plants, hoping she could find the way to return home. And also for the safety of the man who saved her.
After minutes of jogging, she found the way out of the forest. However, she continued to run to the house after seeing the house from afar. Lucette got in with her muddy shoes and locked the doors, and the windows and double-checked them to reassure herself.
After that, she went to her room. Her legs were still shaking, and her breathing was fast. She shut the door and fell on the cold floor, hugging her knees.
Her body trembled, her hair was a mess, the muddy soil covered her hands, and her clothes.
She didn't have the energy to wash, but she forced herself to do so and then lay in her bed. Her mind was blank after experiencing a terrifying incident.
The exhaustion from running around consumed her energy, fell asleep the moment her head touched the soft pillow.
Lucette woke up from her sleep, clutching her shirt. "I am alive! I am alive..." she said, patting her chest. She looked at the clock. It was eight in the morning, the first time she slept this late.
'A nightmare! It's just a nightmare,' she thought. After what happened yesterday, she had nightmares revolving around bright golden eyes and sharp claws.
Lucette sighed and walked out to make breakfast as she needed to eat to lessen her thirst for blood.
Looking at the shoe prints on the floor, she pursed her lips. She passed them and went to the kitchen to make a simple breakfast. She cleaned those marks with a half-handle cleaning brush from her room to the living room downstairs.
Lucette looked at the shining floor and smiled. 'Ten on ten mark.' Then she heard footsteps at the stairs. Her heartbeat increased. 'I locked the doors and the windows yesterday so who broke into the house!'
The event last night still frightened her, then this now. 'What am I going to do?'
She clasped the broken handle and waited for the intruder to appear.
'I'm going to fight this time.'