Louisa's POV
"Duko was a very open-minded person. I was invited to his coronation ceremony. I have attended so many King's coronation ceremonies, and their speeches were almost the same cliche, talking about building a better and brighter Kingdom in the future. But Duko was different. He was talking about building a free market zone in the west, a bridge to connect the North and South, ports, roads, infrastructures, and fortifications. He's obsessed with building things and was determined to spin the wheel of history faster into a more modernized, foreseeable future. In my humble opinion, our world needs leaders like Duko. They're not interested in ideologies or principles but focus on down-to-earth practicalities. Also, he made it very clear that he would not follow Guillaume's bloodline principle to marry his own sister."
"What is Guillaume's bloodline principle?" I asked.
This name had been mentioned so many times, but I didn't know what exactly it was.
"Ah, you don't know about Guillaume's Principle? I guess it's better to let the best student in Royal Academy explain it to you." Vincent pointed to Lucian and said.
Lucian looked at me and said, "It was a very old principle. A werewolf scholar named Guillaume found out that the purer a werewolf's bloodline is, the more powerful he will get. So, he insisted on Lycans marrying people of their own bloodline to preserve the purest blood and power."
"That's why a Lycan can only get married to their sisters," Vincent said.
I said, "But that's incest! Their children will be..."
Lucian said, "Yes. Some of their children will be born with inherited chronic diseases, physical deformities, and all kinds of other physical and mental issues. But at the same time, there will always be the luckiest, healthiest, and strongest child. The child who kept the purist Lycan bloodline and takes it all."
"But what about the rest of the children?" I asked.
"They are usually kept away from the public eye, hidden as family scandals. You can only see what the Lycans want you to see," Lucian said.
"But that's not fair for those children!" I said.
"And it's not fair for the chosen one, either, since he can't get married to his mate. Instead, he has to marry one of his sisters," Lucian said.
I lowered my head. I knew how hard and painful it was.
"Is that why you decided to drop out of the academy?" I asked Lucian. "Because you're a Lycan, but you can't accept this principle?"
"I met Gianna when I was six and I immediately knew she was my mate. As we grew up together, I knew she was the girl I'm going to marry," Lucian said.
"Oh, puppy love. How lovely," Vincent exclaimed.
I couldn't speak a word.
Lucian dropped everything because of his love for Gianna.
They'd grown up together, and I was so stupid to think that I knew Lucian better than Gianna.
I was just being jealous because Gianna had the perfect mate and love that I could never get.
Vincent noticed the change in my mood and continued, "So, as I was just saying, Duko didn't get married to one of his sisters, as his bloodline-possessed mother had arranged. Instead, he brought Princess Tallulah to his coronation ceremony. They were one of the most lovely couples I had ever seen in my life. Princess Tallulah used to be the Alpha of Star Chasers, which was a mythical ancient tribe. It is said, the ancestors of this tribe were the Gifted Ones. King Czar's favorite consort, Ray Fay used to be the leader of the Star Chasers. Their offspring carried the bloodline of werewolves and Gifted Ones."
"That's why there was a Ray Fay's statue!" I exclaimed.
"Yes, indeed," Vincent said. "Duko and Tallulah had a son, Lycidas, who is the current King. But somehow, Daliah, the King's mother, didn't believe Lycidas' bloodline is pure. So, she declared that Duko was mad when he married Tallulah, so their marriage wasn't valid. Then, he exiled Lycidas to the North and drove Tallulah away. But the thing is, Tallulah was pregnant with Duko's child at that time."
I gasped.
"I didn't know what exactly happened later. But somehow, Tallulah ended up in Crimson Pack. Alpha Jacob accepted her and she managed to deliver a beautiful girl before passing away. And that girl was you, Louisa," Vincent looked at me and said.
I couldn't say a word. I didn't even dare to take a breath.
"Before Tallulah passed away, she asked Alpha Jacob to conceal your identity. I guess she just wanted to protect you. Alpha Jacob kept his promise. He didn't mean to ignore you, Louisa. He just didn't want anyone to get suspicious."
"Why... Why did you know all about this?" I asked.
Vincent looked at me and said, "I was Tallulah's personal tutor when she was a child. His father was an old friend of mine. After her father passed away, Tallulah would always turn to me for help when she was in trouble. She used to write to me all the time."
"Why didn't you help her?! Why didn't you protect her when she was driven away by Daliah?" I clenched my fists.
"It happened all too fast. Daliah confiscated her letter. By the time I learned about her disappearance, it was already too late. Before she passed away, she wrote a letter to me. I was heartbroken and I blamed myself. That's why I was traumatized. Tallulah... Your mother... She used to be a very talented child. She could talk to animals and wherever she went, animals would follow. And that's why when one day, she wrote to me and said she was in love with a Lycan, it broke my heart. They wouldn't accept her. I knew they would never accept someone like her. I wanted to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. I didn't manage to see her one last time. But when I saw you in the woods, for a brief moment, I thought she was back. You look just like your mother, Louisa," Vincent sighed and stood up.
He walked towards a stand, picked up a wooden box, and handed it to me.
"These are the letters your mother wrote to me in the past," he said. "I have kept them all these years and I didn't give them to you when I met you for the first time. I wasn't sure if I should let you know about your real identity. A the same time, I was being selfish, because by reading them from time to time, I could somehow pretend she was still alive. But that's not the right thing to do. It's your mother's legacy and you should have it."
Then, he put his slender fingers on the box and said, "Please promise me that you'll take these letters up to read them, and then you'll put them down. Memory can be lethal and people who cannot put down the past will not be drowned to death."