Chapter 107 Love Lingers?

Chapter 107 Love Lingers?
\- Princess Helena’s POV -
Until now, I still couldn’t believe what I just read as I held the scroll with my shaking hand. I couldn’t believe that the vampire Heminica was referring to as her mate was the Former Crowned Prince... now the Vampire King.
My fingers tightened around the parchment, crinkling its edge. The ink of the royal seal shimmered faintly under the light, as if it carried magic of its own. My sister’s handwriting was firm and elegant, the same as I remembered from our childhood. Seeing it again made my chest ache with a strange mix of comfort and longing.
I may have been in the Human World all these years, but that doesn’t mean vampires aren’t around here. Vampires could be anywhere, hiding among humans, waiting for prey. And humans, helpless humans, are always at the top of their list.
I have seen it before.
I have seen villages emptied overnight. I have seen bodies drained of blood and left like broken dolls. I have heard the cries of mothers searching for children who would never return.
The human world calls them myths.
But I know the truth.
Still, I had no objection to my sister’s wedding. The man she will marry is her mate, the one chosen for her by the deities. No one could ever change that truth.
The mate bond is sacred.
It is not something anyone can fight... not even a Queen.
Besides, maybe this is finally the end of war between werewolves and vampires. With the marriage of the Werewolf Queen Luna and the Vampire King, two great supernatural beings would finally unite.
Two races.
Two histories of bloodshed.
Two enemies bound by fate.
I smiled softly.
I was glad for this.
A lot of creatures had been longing for peace, and maybe this time… maybe peace would finally come.
Maybe no more children would grow up hearing war stories.
Maybe no more mothers would bury their sons.
Maybe no more mates would be torn apart.
The thought made my eyes sting.
I went inside the house and called my son. “Frost! Come down here!”
“Coming, Mommy!” he answered. I could already hear his tiny footsteps rushing toward me, fast and uneven, like a small storm rolling through the hallway.
“Slow down, Frost, or you’ll fall,” I said in a worried tone.
That made him walk down the stairs more carefully, gripping the railing with his small hand. His tongue peeked out slightly in concentration, and I had to hide my smile.
When he reached me, he looked up with those big, questioning eyes.
Oh goodness, he was so cute, so innocent.
So unaware of the world waiting for him.
“Do you want to meet your Grandma and Grandpa?” I asked with a soft smile.
His face lit up as if the sun had risen inside him. “R-really, Mommy!? W-will I also see Tita Heminica?” he asked excitedly, bouncing in place.
“Yes, you will. She’s very excited to see you.”
“Me too, Mommy!” he exclaimed, his little voice filled with joy.
His happiness was pure, untouched by fear or doubt.
I kneeled down so I could level my eyes with his. “Baby, your Tita Heminica is getting married to your Tito Simone. That’s why we have to go, okay?”
He blinked, processing my words.
But then, his excitement turned into curiosity. “Who’s Tito Simone, Mommy?”
I smiled gently. “Your Tito Simone is a King. You’ll also meet him, so you better be prepared. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
His eyes widened in surprise and delight. “I will, Mommy!”
He was about to run upstairs, but suddenly he stopped and turned back to me.
This time, his face looked different.
His lips trembled a little as he bit them.
“Will I s-see Father, Mommy?” he asked, his voice hesitant, almost afraid.
Froylan.
The moment Frost asked, my mate’s name echoed in my head like thunder rolling across a silent sky.
My heart thudded uncontrollably.
My breath almost caught.
I didn’t know if I would see Froylan.
I didn’t know what he had been doing for the last five years.
I didn’t know if he still thought of me… if he still thought of us.
If he hated me.
If he had moved on.
If he had taken another mate.
The thoughts struck like knives.
So instead of answering, I smiled weakly. “Prepare your clothes, baby. I’ll cook lunch.”
He nodded, smiling sweetly, and stormed back to his room. “Yes, Mommy!”
As soon as he disappeared, I turned my back, and a tear rolled down my cheek.
Even after five years, the pain was still fresh... sharp and deep.
The pain of losing my wolf… and my mate.
I don’t even know if Froylan would feel the same about me now.
Without my wolf, I felt incomplete.
I felt… less.
Would he still want me?
Would he still love me?
Damn.
My heart squeezed tightly in my chest, making it hard to breathe.