"Isn't that too harsh? What if he really thinks he is going crazy? You gave him that dream twice, and then he also witnessed you do your self-replication skills. There is no sane human who will not question their common sense because of that."
Elara, her best friend, finally visited her after a while. It was related to their previous conversation on the phone a few days ago. Elara decided to follow her here because she was curious about Leander's third reincarnation.
For that reunion, they were having a girl's party at Lillianne's apartment. There were various delicious dishes, delectable desserts, and even some liquors -- although those weren't things they enjoyed as werewolves. They just wanted to imitate the way human celebrated their special event.
"Well, actually, I feel sorry for seeing his confused face lately because of that. I think he is also starting to think that there is something wrong with him." Lillianne replied, moving towards the sofa occupied by Elara. "But I assume that's part of the training he has to get before finding out his true identity. I mean, he will witness even scarier things when his inner werewolf awakens. He also has to face his nightmares like Zephyr. So, I think that's nothing compared to that."
"What do you think so far? Will he be able to get through?" Elara asked, increasingly curious.
"Of course." Lillianne didn't think twice about saying yes. "Despite everything, he is still the Alpha King Leander anyway. He is someone who is originally tough. I could even say, compared to his two previous lives, Blaze Davies has the character that is most similar to him. That also makes me very confident that this time he will survive till the end, defeat Zephyr, and then take over his throne again."
Elara nodded her head. "Argh, I am becoming more and more curious about him. I think I want to see him in person to prove what you said. Anyway, what about his daughter? What did you get after a few days of disguising yourself as her teacher?"
Instead of answering, Lillianne took a deep breath. "Still nothing. It turned out to be more complicated than I thought. At first, I thought I just needed to approach her to get information about her parents, but she is a complicated child. She is too shy. It took a lot of effort to get her to talk even a single word."
"I see. She grew up without a mother since birth anyway. Ne wonder she has difficulty getting along with other people compared to other children in her age. Even though her father tries to be there for her, maybe that's not enough. The presence of a mother is the most significant thing to the lives of children after all."
"But I won't give up. I will continue to try to infiltrate her defensive walls like I do with her father. That is something that cannot be avoided in the end," said Lillianne before sipping her favorite champagne.
"Yes. I think you should." Elara took a sip of her tequila too. She thought for a moment before glancing at her friend again. "By the way, didn't you mention a vagabond who came from the Prostatis clan who becomes Leander's assistant? I wonder if you can really trust him? I mean, he could be lying and even betraying you in the end."
"His name is Theodoros or Theo Greg. To be honest, I am still wary of him, but I can say that I trust him more and more so far. He seems reliable. So far, he has been a great help to me in my mission. I will just keep paying attention to him for now."
"You can't do it alone. Let me help you. As you know, my instincts are sharper when it comes to that."
Lillianne raised her eyebrows. "You mean?"
"I am going to join that company as well. What is it called again? Pageant Corp? Whatever it is, anyway, I will be an employee there soon too.” Elara looked so confident. “Do you have any recommendations on which position I could take? Maybe you have someone you don't like or something?"
"Uhm, let me think. So far, I have three friends among the chiefs' secretaries. Even though I don't really like them, they know a lot about Blaze Davies. Two of them had even been there when Rhea Harrison was alive. You can take over the rest because I don't care about them," said Lillianne, shrugging her shoulders.
Elara nodded. "Okay, then. Let me take care of that. At least next week, I will follow you there."
"It will be so cool!"
The two of them chatted while enjoying their beverages.
"By the way, what about what you said the other day?" Lillianne asked again after about a few minutes of silence. "About Zephyr. You said you would tell me when we met. What was that about?"
"Oh..."
Elara put down her glass, then tidied her sitting position to face Lillianne. She looked more tense than before. It made Lillianne have a bad feeling about it. There was no good news for her when it came to Zephyr anyway.
"I heard from my friend about a rumor that has been circulating in the Notos kingdom recently. His father was one of the staff at the palace, he is also someone who is very trusted, so you can decide for yourself whether you want to believe it or not." Elara made quite a long foreword before adding, "Lately, Zephyr has been mentioning how he wants to have children. However, since he refuses to get them from his concubines, it's certain that this is meant for you. I want to warn you to be more careful about that."
Lillianne couldn't hide her disgust for that.
All this time, Zephyr had always tortured her. She always refused to have s*x with him, but the Alpha King always forced her. He was so strong that it was difficult for Lillianne to escape from his clutch. She would only be released if the man grew fed up with her and started seeing his numerous concubines.
All this time, she always believed that Leander would come back to protect her from Zephyr. That was why she desperately fought to find him like this. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if her efforts would also fail this time. The future seemed too dark to her.
The thought of her having to return to Zephyr with no hope of escaping, locked in the palace, and then having children with him made her sick. She would probably choose to disappear forever with Leander rather than face all that.
"Don't worry too much, Lillianne. I am sure that won't happen to you." Elara reassured her from her dark imagination about the future. A pat on the shoulder also made her feel better. "I believe your effort will not be in vain, just like how you always manage to find Leander's reincarnation even in various parts of the world. I am sure this time it will work. You will be united with the only person you love," said her friend with a gentle smile.
"You think so?"
"Of course. I am here to make sure that happens. So, don't lose hope, okay?"
Lillianne smiled back at her. "Thank you, El. I am so lucky to have a friend like you."
Even though she felt better, Lillianne still couldn't hide her worry. It made her even more eager to carry out her plan. She had to do well. It was the last chance for her to restore her damaged life.
***