In the blood…
Simon, who had been watching silently all along, said nothing. His expression remained stern, offering no comfort to her growing panic.
I smirked, enjoying the sight of her unraveling before me. “Aww, it seems your husbands didn’t think you needed to know about this, did they? That’s just sad,” I teased, shaking my head in mock pity.
Veronica’s face paled as she looked back at me. “Tell me what’s going on!” she demanded, her voice shaky but still filled with desperation.
I took a step closer, leaning in as I spoke softly but clearly. “The so-called ‘unfortunate little things’ you referred to are Lucas and Simon’s children-*both* of them.”
For a moment, Veronica looked as though she couldn’t breathe. She turned to Simon, who was still standing frozen by the door, his expression nonchalant.
“Is this true?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper now, trembling with shock and betrayal.
Simon still didn’t say anything, but I was already growing very tired of the drama. Surprisingly, he finally broke the silence, his voice low but firm. “Yes, Veronica. It’s true.”
Veronica stumbled backward, her hands trembling as she gripped the edge of the bed. “But… but how? How could you-both of you-keep this from me?”
Simon didn’t respond, and I could see the weight of the revelation beginning to crush her. I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
“Well, now that you know the truth, I think it’s best for me to go find my children,” I said, brushing past her toward the door.
Veronica, however, wasn’t done. “You think you can just waltz in here and ruin everything? Do you think they’ll ever accept your sons as part of the royal family?” she spat, her voice venomous.
I paused at the door and looked back at her, my expression calm but resolute. “Whether they accept them or not is none of your concern. My sons are rightful heirs, and no one, not even you, can take that from them.”
Veronica glared at me, her eyes burning with hatred, but she had no response. She knew the truth now, and there was nothing she could do to change it.
I turned and walked out of the room, my heart racing as I hurried to find Luke and Simeon. I had no idea where they had run off to after escaping from the room, and the thought of them wandering the mansion alone filled me with anxiety. But I couldn’t afford to show weakness, not now.
As I made my way down the hallway, I saw Lucas approaching from the other end, a look of concern on his face.
“Ashley,” he called out as he reached me. “What happened? I heard shouting.”
“It was Veronica,” I said, my voice tight with anger. “She knows.”
Lucas sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face. “Simon and I should have told her sooner. I knew this would happen eventually.”
“Well, it is obviously not my concern what you tell her or when, Lucas. My only concern is my children,” I replied coldly.
He nodded, his gaze softening slightly. “I understand. But, Ashley, you have to know that this is going to get more complicated. Now that she knows-”
“I don’t care,” I interrupted. “All I care about is keeping my boys safe.”
Lucas opened his mouth to say something more, but I wasn’t interested in hearing it. I needed to find my sons.
“Where are Luke and Simeon?” I asked, my voice sharp.
“I saw them run toward the gardens,” Lucas replied, pointing down the hall.
“What? And you didn’t try to stop them or anything?”
“Ashley, this is their home. They are free to go wherever they want.”
“No, this is not their home! I have told you I’m never going to agree to this, and my decision is final. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would love to go get my children before your crazy wife does something everybody is going to regret.”
Without another word, I turned and hurried toward the garden, my heart pounding in my chest. I had to get to them before anything else happened.
—
As I stepped outside into the garden, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the ground. I spotted Luke and Simeon playing near a fountain, their laughter echoing through the air. Relief washed over me as I approached them.
“Mama!” Luke called out, running toward me with a wide smile.
I bent down and pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close. “Are you okay, sweetie?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded, looking up at me with wide, innocent eyes. “We were playing hide and seek! Did you come to play with us?”
I smiled softly, brushing a hand through his hair. “Maybe later, sweetheart. Right now, we need to stick together, okay?”
Simeon, who had been watching quietly from the fountain, walked over and took my hand. “Mama, are we in trouble?” he asked, his voice small and uncertain.
I shook my head, pulling both of them close. “No, my loves. We’re not in trouble. But we need to be careful.”
As I held my boys in my arms, I felt a renewed sense of determination. No matter what happened next, I would protect them. Lucas, Simon, and Veronica could plot and scheme all they wanted, but my sons were mine. And I would never let them go.
I sat down on one of the many garden chairs, which was well-sculpted and hardened with concrete. Right there, I felt a bit of relief just taking in the fresh air the garden had to offer while watching my children play. They ran around, their giggles filling the air, unaware of the growing turmoil concerning our presence here in the mansion. I didn’t understand what exactly I was supposed to feel with the current situation, but one thing I wasn’t going to let happen was allowing myself to be overwhelmed by all the drama. I chose to have peace even in the storm, not just for myself but for my children most especially.
As soon as they tired each other out, I took them back inside to wash up and rest. On my way, I kept getting stares from the maids around, who began whispering to one another. As expected, a good number of them were still the same maids who worked in the palace when I was living there six years ago, while others had been hired in the time I had been sent away.
Whispers moved around as I made my way in, and though I could hear some, I chose to ignore them for my own sanity. I dropped the kids off at their room and then went to look for either Simon or Lucas.
I didn’t know what intentions they had in bringing my sons and me to the mansion, but I wasn’t going to stay here without first getting a proper explanation. When I finally found Lucas, he was seated quietly in the general office room alone. The place was silent, and he appeared lost in thought, not realizing my presence despite my knocking. It took me walking inside and tapping him to bring him back to reality before he finally noticed his surroundings.
“Oh, Ashley, it’s you. What are you doing here?” he asked, his words coming together awkwardly as he tried to get himself together.
“Greetings, Lucas. I hope I’m not interrupting something important.”
“Oh, not at all, it’s fine. Please, sit.” I walked closer to the chair he offered and took my seat. I looked at him, trying to read what was going on in his mind, but he was hiding every emotion previously written on his face.
“Well, I guess I’ll go straight to the point. What exactly is going on in the house?”
“What do you mean?”
“First of all, I’m not going to dismiss the fact that you and Simon figured out everything there is to know about me and my children, and for that, I commend you. But the whole thing has me wondering why you two went out of your way to get all that information despite having moved on with your lives with Veronica. You both sent me out of the mansion on the basis of treachery and murder, left me to the cold hands of fate, and proceeded to marry the woman your parents arranged for you before their deaths.”
“So, what are you driving at now?”
“The point is, you and Simon could have completely shut the chapter on me the moment you sent me out of the house. You could have started your own family. Even if you found out about the children the way you have now, you wouldn’t have to bring them up since the recognized Queen is Veronica, who is expected to provide the kingdom with an heir. However, things aren’t the way they should be because Veronica still hasn’t produced an heir despite six years of marriage. If I’m not mistaken, I’m sure the council advising your Lordship would have complained, pushing you and Simon to dig deeper into my life and the status of my sons in terms of their paternity.”
Lucas dropped his head, burying it in his hands. He didn’t say anything for a while, and neither did I, as I waited for a response. Finally, he raised his head and held a steady gaze with me.
“I see you’ve figured it all out. But one thing I’ll tell you is that royal blood is not ordinary. It doesn’t matter how hard you try to cover it up; our blood will always speak for itself. Yes, it was and still is expected for Veronica to give the kingdom an heir, but she cannot, and that has sparked controversy, even threats to the throne and our lineage. You cannot blame Simon and me for acting once we suspected that those boys could be ours”
Listen, Ashley, there is a lot that comes with our roles as kings-so many dynamics and mysteries tied to the throne…”
“And this is exactly why I’m trying to protect my sons from it all.”
“But that’s the thing-you’re not protecting them. You’re only hindering them, Ashley. As long as they have royal blood, there is no escaping the responsibility. That’s why it’s better to prepare them now, because they can evade it for a while, but it will find them eventually, no matter what. That’s what you’re failing to understand. And whether you like it or not, you can’t escape this either.”
“Wait, what? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You interacted with Simon and me. We marked you, Ashley. You carried our seeds, housed them in your body for nine months, and gave birth to them. Do you think it was only you sharing your body and nutrients? It was an exchange. Simon and I not only passed royal blood to you, but our sons also did the same throughout your pregnancy. That’s why it doesn’t matter what you try to do to avoid this. You will eventually be dragged in, just like they will.”
I could feel my heart pounding at every word he said, and I could hardly take it anymore.
I didn’t like the sound of what Lucas was telling me. But when I pieced it all together, it started to make sense. My biggest worry now, however, was Veronica. That woman was dangerous, and the fact that neither Lucas nor Simon knew the whole truth about what happened six years ago only proved how cunning she was. Even if I eventually accepted everything, the thought of Veronica harming my children scared me off again.
Just as I was thinking about Veronica, my wolf senses suddenly heightened. The next thing I heard was the sound of Simeon crying, but I couldn’t hear Luke at all. That wasn’t right. I quickly got up, rushing toward the room while Lucas followed behind, confused, as he didn’t understand what had gotten me so tense all of a sudden.
—