Loving The Cursed Werewolf King-Chapter 99: Arielle And Her Siblings

"I am representing the family of King Hugo Dellune, as the king of Nieverdell, would like to express our apologies. We have not been able to replace the baby wolf as we promised in the royal letter."

Huh? Arielle looked up to look at the back of Prince Alexis and the king in turn. So, no baby wolves? Didn’t the king say at that time that they had found a pair of wolves and the female wolf was pregnant?

Ronan restrained himself from grinning behind his mask.

"Is that the truth?" he asked, trying to sound disappointed when actually he was feeling overjoyed.

"That’s right, Your Majesty. Some time ago, the wolf we encountered was attacked by a monster that we have not been able to confirm. Therefore I have come to represent the Kingdom of Nieverdell to apologize for our negligent behavior."

Arielle quietly breathed a sigh of relief. She bit her lip to keep from smiling at the news. Maybe she was a little sad, but it was because of the two wolves’ misfortune. Not because she had to delay her return to the South.

"Well then, there’s nothing I can do but keep Princess Arielle in the North a little longer, right?" asked Ronan, who glanced at Arielle behind his two siblings.

(She’s happy? The girl looks happy? Did I see it wrong?)

The girl’s smile slipped, making Ronan smile too.

(Damn, she’s smiling) gushed Ronan with a big smile behind his mask.

The girl immediately lowered her head as the two siblings turned around.

***

Arielle and her two siblings were entertained in a room with a sofa, table, and a larger fireplace at Whitethorn Palace. After conveying the purpose of their arrival, Ronan allowed Arielle’s two siblings to stay for a few days while in the North to unwind from their journey.

In the banquet hall, Arielle was pouring warm tea for Andrea. Alexis himself was busy choosing books on a bookshelf near the window. After finding a book, he sat by the window and began to read.

"Please enjoy the tea, Sister," Arielle said while giving Andrea a cup of tea.

The young woman accepted it with a small smile. She took a sip of the warmth of the tea while glancing at her youngest sister. She looked back at Arielle from top to bottom. After getting warm, Andrea put her cup on the table and changed her seat to face Arielle.

"Arielle," Andrea called, making the girl’s body stiffen.

"Y-yes, Andrea?"

"You look fine. Do the Northerners treat you well?" Andrea asked directly without further ado.

"Yes, Andrea. The people in the North are very friendly, and they treat me well even though I’m a prisoner here."

"They should have done that. You’re the king’s daughter. So what do you think about the news?"

"Yes?"

Andrea raised her eyebrows, making Arielle look down again. Arielle knew that her sister did not like to repeat questions that had been asked. And now, how should Arielle answer such a question? She couldn’t possibly say she was relieved that she didn’t have to return to the South so soon. That meant... Arielle had to lie, right?

Arielle hid her nervous hands behind her back.

"I’m sad, Sister," answered Arielle, looking at the two toes of her shoes that were touching each other.

"Sad? Really?" Andrea raised an eyebrow.

Arielle nodded, trying to convince her sister of the answer. Andrea stood up slowly and surrounded Arielle. The woman rested her hand on Arielle’s shoulder.

"Really? Or maybe you actually feel relieved?"

Arielle shook her head quickly.

"Why? Didn’t you get a prettier dress here? It’s the dress the North gave you, right?"

"N-no Sister. I-I miss Nieverdell. This dress was given because the warm clothes I brought from the South were stolen away by the bandits when I first came here."

"Bandits?" asked Alexis and Andrea at the same time. Arielle looked at her two siblings alternately, then nodded.

"After crossing the border, our carriage was attacked by a group of bandits. Even Tania had disappeared for two days," answered Arielle, hoping her two siblings would stop asking about her feelings about the North.

Andrea let go of Arielle’s shoulders and sat back down on the sofa where she had been previously. The atmosphere of the room became silent. Arielle sat in doubt. She was wondering, what were her two siblings thinking?

Alexis closed his book. He stood up to look at the view of the white garden in front of him.

"Arielle, what have you been doing in the North?" asked Alexis.

The man was considering whether Arielle felt at home in the North or not. The girl could be lying about wanting to return to the South. Seeing the interaction between Arielle and the king’s personal bodyguard, William, made Alexis have another thought.

Alexis just didn’t want Arielle to be tied to the North. That would make things difficult to bring the girl home to marry her to Duke Pellington.

"I... I don’t have much to do here. I’m learning to read and write. His Majesty the King also provided many canvases for me to paint. I’m also taking care of five rabbits with me," Arielle answered enthusiastically.

She added, "And yesterday, I just came back from Frostmount Village in the western border area. His Majesty the King took me with Tania there and spent time harvesting Frostberries and making jam with the local residents."

One of the prince’s eyebrows twitched at his youngest sister’s answer. The answer was quite off the mark. Learning to read and write? Painting? Caring for animals? And go on a royal trip? It was clearly not a treatment for a prisoner.

Alexis walked closer to Arielle. He held out the book he was holding. "Read it."

"Eh? Why?" asked Arielle, confused.

The man shrugged his shoulders.

"I just wanted to know how well you can read," Alexis answered simply.

Arielle complied with her brother’s wishes and began to spell one word at a time. Andrea glanced at Alexis, then turned to Arielle, who was still trying to read.

When finding a difficult combination of letters, the girl’s eyebrows furrowed and Alexis helped Arielle by showing her how to read it properly.

"You’re pretty smart. Who taught you?" asked Alexis, who asked for his book back.