The Royal Harem

Capitol IX

It was a tiring day for Wolf after dealing with a lot of children at once. Alrien would constantly tease him like what he did on the stables, thankfully Dion was there to keep his son in check. The twins were rowdy as well, they quickly warmed up to Wolf and had him play with them. Akihito woke up after a few minutes of snoozing and got to properly introduced to Wolf. Unlike the eldest to the siblings, Akihito was calmer and more collected, earning good praises from Dion which made his son irritated. Daquan would sometimes lend Wolf his son to help him get used on holding children.

The imperial consorts treated him fair. They never opened a conversation about what had happen on the Ice Palace's gardens. Wolf expected for them to be more hesitant but upon meeting them, he learned that they were not as bad as he thought they were. They were patient in helping him get used on how the harem works. He still need to learn a lot and Dion told him that he will be participating in consort classes like they did.

Wolf properly understood that Dion, Hikaru, Lynx and Daquan are the only ones who managed to conceive a child with the empress. Stellan is unable, Kai is still trying, and Adlai is simply just awkward towards children and can't still handle to have one. During their stay at the parlor, Adlai would keep his distance from the rowdy children and continue with his reading.

He took a good long rest after dealing with the children. The next day, Wolf woke up with Alathea sitting on the other side of the bed. There are few servants who are already working inside the room, packing for their trip to Valhale kingdom.

Hearing the sheets shuffling, Alathea looked back and saw Wolf sitting up from his sleep "Did we woke you?" Wolf shook his head and yawned. Alathea smiled at him and reached for his face. She gently placed a hand on his cheek and caress it, she usually does this to her sons whenever she has time to wake them "Go ahead and clean yourself. I will have someone prepare for breakfast. The children must've worn you out"

Wolf hummed and went out of the bed to fix himself; he was quickly followed by a few servants to help him with his bath. Alathea cannot help but smile widely at how Wolf changes so quickly. When they met, he already had a huge wall between the two of them and Alathea is glad that their relationship is showing improvement. He's even letting her touch him freely without any complaints and that's good, touching Wolf made Alathea warm and she absolutely love feeling his warmth.

But this small improvement could disappear once they visit Valhale to finally meet his former lover. She admits that she cannot be compared to a past lover and yet she is ready to face any consequences.

She just have to be more patient and understanding.

"I'm sure he'll open up" She mumbled to herself as she stared at the hand that just touched Wolf "Even if it takes me years, I'll patiently wait for him to open his heart to me"

--

And so, the day of their departure has come, everything is clearly planned and ready. Alathea's consorts were there to see them off. Lynx will have to stay behind since he cannot join Alathea and Wolf's time together. He had few of his subordinates to guard the Empress while she is to stay at the Valhale Kingdom. He is quite hesitant in sending her off especially that Valhale used to be an enemy kingdom, but Dion reassured that nothing should happen while she's there.

It took them days to reach the Duchy of Restault where they'll be sent off from the docks. The Vauville family had to use the royal boat, the Howler, while Alathea and Wolf are to use Undine Empire's royal boat, the Moon. It is an exquisite looking boat on par with the howler. With its glorious white color, it was called the moon by many people. It is a fast ship and is known for its powerful attacks. If Howler is great with stealth attacks, Moon specializes in both offensive and defensive.