The three weeks that passed since Calhoun woke up were less eventful even for him. The only thing he was now looking forward to was the banquet which he not only wanted to use as a form of celebration for his awakening, but he also wanted to use it to perform a mating ceremony for his clan.
It had been a long since his pack had done the mating ceremony. It was just any wolf finding its mate by chance. It had left so many of them unmarried. And now, after the war with the blood pack, they had lost so many wolves and he wanted them to reproduce.
He wanted to recount the ones he had lost. He wasn't all that much happy with the fact that he had lost so many wolves.
Calhoun discovered that Felix was unable to transform into his wolf form, but pretended not to be bothered by it. However, secretly, he was determined to find out who was responsible for this. His two main suspects were Yara and Simon, but both of them were already deceased.
Even though Felix's inability to transform was a major setback, Calhoun remained calm and composed. He knew that he had to find out who was behind this, not only for Felix's sake but also for the safety of the entire pack. He was determined to get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took.
In the end, Calhoun's investigation led him to a surprising conclusion. It remained the dead end. Yara or Simon. With this knowledge, he could immediately understand that he might be doing some things wrongly.
Maybe because he was doing the investigation based on what he had heard from Felix. Maybe there was more.
But that wouldn't be his worry for the week. He had to be certain that no one would try to enchant him in this banquet. This would be his first public appearance since he woke up and he had to be careful about it.
He went up to his tower where he always stayed. Since he awoke, it was only that first day did Felix's wife cook for him. Every other day, he had been cooking all by himself. He made the food that he ate and if he felt too lazy to eat, he would run into the forest, turn into his wolf form and hunt for animals to eat, humans if he was lucky.
Felix's wife made her way to the castle to visit Calhoun. She was there to prepare food for him, as he had recently woken from an unconscious state and was unable to trust anyone else to make his meals. Calhoun had expressed his concern about being poisoned, so she took it upon herself to ensure his safety.
Upon arriving at the castle, Felix's wife was greeted by the guards and escorted to the kitchen. She began preparing the meals for Calhoun, carefully selecting each ingredient and ensuring that everything was cooked to perfection. She took great care to follow his dietary restrictions and preferences, as she knew how important it was to him.
Calhoun strolled into the kitchen to find her there, busy with the meal. He wished it was Diana.
"Oh, my king!" She exclaimed as she noticed him standing behind her. Calhoun smiled softly.
"I can see how busy you are." He said. "Did Felix send you over? How is he?"
"He didn't. I chose to come." She said. "I kind of figured that you would not be able to trust anyone with your meal and well, he told me that you have been making your food yourself."
Calhoun nodded. "What are you making?"
"Porridge and stew." She answered, washing some vegetables. "it might seem like a lot of food."
"Mmhmm." Calhoun nodded. "I wonder if my entire relatives are going to show up."
It would have been a beautiful family reunion for him.
She laughed softly. "My king, you amuse me."
"Other people think I frighten them," Calhoun said with a shrug.
"It's because I want to keep some for you, you could warm them and eat them later. Rather than stressing about cooking."
Calhoun nodded. He thanked her and left the kitchen. If anyone had told him he would be kind to someone who was also kind to him, he would have never believed it.
After several hours of cooking, Felix's wife presented the meals to Calhoun. He was grateful for her efforts and praised her cooking skills. She was pleased to have been able to help him in this way and left the castle feeling fulfilled.
Evander was on his way to the castle when he encountered Felix's wife leaving. She informed him that she had come to make food for the king. Although Evander did not say anything, he had a suspicion that something was amiss with her relationship with the king.
As he continued on his way, Evander couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story. He decided to investigate further and began to observe the interactions between the king and Felix's wife. Perhaps he would notice if some subtle gestures and glances could only make him even more suspicious.
Eventually, he calmed his suspicions as he entered the castle. He had to remain loyal to the king. It didn't mean he wouldn't ask Calhoun and wouldn't also advise him on his to behave around the woman to avoid any suspicion from the servants. Not like Calhoun would care, but for the sake of his newly awoken self, he had to be careful.
Evander had hoped to express his concerns to the king regarding the idea of Felix's wife cooking for him at the castle. However, he found himself being forced to join the king for a meal and discuss the upcoming banquet. Despite his worries, he left the castle without mentioning them to the king.
During the meal, Evander listened attentively to the king's plans for the banquet. He was impressed by the attention to detail and the effort being put into the preparations. However, his mind was preoccupied with the thought of Felix's wife coming to the castle to cook. He felt that it was not appropriate and would cause unnecessary tension.
Despite his reservations, Evander did not want to offend the king by expressing his concerns. He decided to keep his worries to himself and left the castle without mentioning them. He hoped that everything would work out for the best and that the banquet would be a success.
Calhoun had given the servants the job to decorate the castle. He sent ten of them to the market to buy things they would need for the cooking of the banquet. He had the idea for a mask-themed banquet.
Everyone was invited but everyone was to wear a mask. That way, they could do everything they wanted to do, and he could be present there too without being spotted.
He hoped that Diana would also come. Didn't that mean that he had to write a letter to her?
He went into his chamber and took out fresh paper and a pen.
Dearest Diana
From your beloved king and lover; I don't know why you have refused to return home to me. I just want you to know that even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will find you.
I am allowing you to return home by yourself. Even if you feel shy or ashamed to return, here. I have designed a means for you to return.
In seven days we will be having a banquet here in the castle. It's a mask-themed banquet. Meaning you can come, masked. Stay till after the banquet and we shall discuss your position.
I am expecting you, Diana. Don't fail me this time. Perhaps this would be the last chance I will give you to come home, willingly.
The next time you shall hear from me, you would be too surprised to refute.
Love, Calhoun.
He read it again and again. It sounded pleasing to his ears and he smiled. He folded the paper and put it in a fancy envelope.
"George." He called. "Get your ass in here."
George hurried over to where he was and bowed to him. "My king."
"I think we ought to increase the tax of the people. I'm going broke."
George swallowed. "Of course my king. You shall discuss this with the members of your cabinet and the nobles. Hear what they have to say?"
"Brilliant suggestion, George," Calhoun said. "Here, I want this to be sent to the same address in Sunshine Town."
"My king... But if you know where she is, why don't you just send the letter to her directly? Why bother with the lady in Sunshine Town?"
"Do as I say, George," Calhoun ordered. "It's not in your place to question me."
George bowed and collected the letter from him. He turned to go.
"Oh, George?" Calhoun called. "Ensure to inform the nobles that I want to see them. Also, send in Patricia as you go."
George nodded. "Yes, my Lord."
He left the room. Calhoun smiled. Patricia? He almost fell for her charms. Who would have thought that she was also an ambitious lady? Letting her off was what he had planned to do. But then he decided to use her for his benefit.
If his enemies wanted to use her and she wanted to love him, why couldn't he allow her to love him and use her against the people who think they are using her? It was so easy to control a woman in love. Especially if you are the one she loves.
Patricia came in pretty early and he smiled inwardly.
"Tricia, I might have walked around too much after a long time and my feet and ankles are sore. Do you think you could massage them for me?" He asked.
Patricia was too eager to do it. She nodded rapidly. "it will be an honor, my king. Let me hurry and get a balm."
"Never mind about that. I have some balm you can use." Calhoun said. "It's in the drawer of my bed."
"Your bed has a drawer?" Patricia asked in surprise. "I never knew."
"Me too," Calhoun said. "But you should see it there."
Patricia nodded. She entered the room and knelt beside the bed. She could see the mark that showed the wood was withdrawable. She smiled softly. Pulling it, it made some creaky noises and then it opened.
She found some letters in the drawer and she saw the names they were addressed to. George? She began to pick them and go through them one after the other.
So the king was stealing letters that had been addressed to George and was keeping them there? But he said he also didn't know he had a drawer so if so, how then did they appear there?
Unless it was someone else who was trying to frame the king. She couldn't believe all she was seeing. Thinking about the nights she and George had shared, she began to pack the letters, leaving the wrap in the drawer.
"Have you seen them yet, Patricia?" Calhoun asked from the outer chamber. Patricia jolted in fright.
"There are two and I can't tell which is which. The blue and the green... Oh, there's a yellow one too." She called back.
"I also don't know which is which. Perhaps you could open them and sniff?" Calhoun called back.
Patricia, too disturbed by the letters she was reading, opened the first cup and sniffed it. The smell was repulsive to her so she quickly closed it. She opened the green one and sniffed it, it smelled nice but she could tell it wasn't the balm since it didn't have the sting.
Wait, human balm was different from Wolf balm right? She didn't know which one it was. She opened the yellow one and sniffed it. The next thing she knew was that everywhere turned dark and she could feel herself fall to the cold tiles before her vision darkened completely.
Calhoun waited a few more minutes without hearing her movements and he decided to check up on her. When he arrived, he saw her lying almost lifelessly on the floor.
"Isn't that a sight?" He asked, chuckling softly.