Louisa's POV
"This is very intriguing," Will said. "Who are Leo's parents?"
"Didn't you remember anything at that time?" I asked. "You've been there."
Will said, "I was busy taking care of my father. I couldn't leave him. He was so terribly hurt when Tallulah passed away. In his endless life, it seemed that he had only been suicidal twice. The first time was when my mother passed away. The second time was when Tallulah died. I was so scared of losing him at that time, so I couldn't let him stay out of my sight. That's why I knew nothing out of the castle."
I was very confused. I couldn't understand how people could live so isolated away from the outer world.
Will continued, "Vampires are very different from wolves. We're very reclusive and we never live in packs. My father was an odd one. He's very sociable and open-minded. A lot of vampires left this continent after King Czar the Great took power. But my father chose to stay and he has enjoyed the company of wolves ever since. However, when he makes up his mind to shut himself down, no one will be able to get access to him. That's why we've missed a couple of decades of wolves' history."
At that time Leo walked into the tent with a giant pile of books in his hands. Some soldiers were following him and they had even more books in their hands.
"You don't have to bring Lucian's entire study here," I said with a wry smile.
"Gianna wants to bring you some books as well," Leo said. "She feels morning sickness and can't get here."
"Is she alright now? Is Lucian with her now?" I asked.
"Yeah, he's with her now. The due date is next week, so the morning sickness is getting worse," Leo said. "It's very hard to give birth to a baby."
He looked very worried.
I pulled him in my arms and said, "Leo, don't worry. I'll look after her. I'll be there when she delivers the baby. I have helped many wolves to deliver babies. I'm a very experienced midwife. Doctor Jafar will be there."
Leo nodded without saying anything.
I didn't want Leo to notice, but I was extremely nervous about Gianna's well-being. The traveling druid's prophet about Gianna's stillborn baby was very disturbing.
The most upsetting part was, their prophets were seldom wrong.
I have to figure out a way to protect Gianna and her baby. I thought to myself.
So, I walked to the edge of the tent and saw Mick and Lynel, my two personal guards, patrolling outside.
They looked at me and said, "Miss Louisa, do you need anything?"
"I need someone to stay around Beta Lucian's tent in secret and keep an eye on Gianna. Can anyone of you do this for me?"
"Yes, of course, Miss Louisa. Fokka and Chaser are very good at spying on others," Mick said.
He said and waved at another two men standing outside the tent.
"Miss Louisa, we're at your disposal," they said.
"Mick said you're very good at spying on others," I said.
"We used to be soldiers, so we've trained to do things like that," Fokka said.
"We're not very proud of it, but it does come in hand," Chaser said.
"So, could you two go to Beta Lucian's tent and stay there these days? I'm worried about Gianna and her baby. It seems something is going to happen to them. Please find a place around the tent and hide there. Stay at close range to keep an eye on everything. Keep a time log, if you can. Note down everyone who gets into the tent and their identities. If you see something that you don't like, please tell me straight away," I said.
"Yes, Miss Louisa," Fokka and Chaser said.
"Please use your best judgment and discretion," I said.
"No problem, Miss Louisa. We'll keep you updated." They said and walked away.
After I got back into the tent, I saw Leo and Will sitting on the carpet and reading together. Leo was holding Will in his arms, pointing at the pictures in a book. Will looked very interested and he just couldn't take his eyes off the books.
My heart melted immediately. They looked like some characters in a lovely picture on a holiday postcard.
I picked up the scissors and cloth and started to make a cloak for Will.
Whenever I felt upset about something, I just had to keep myself busy, either doing housework or cooking. It helps me to stay focused.
"Who are those people in cloaks?" Will asked.
"Those are the Gifted Ones," Leo replied.
"And these?"
"These are werewolves," Leo said. "The one with the crown is King Czar the Great."
"And who's the blonde lady standing next to him?"
"She's Wray Fay, King Czar's favorite wife," Leo said.
"My father said King Czar had nine wives and he attended all his weddings," Will said. "How can a man have nine wives? He must have been very busy keeping all of them happy."
"Every capable man is busy," Leo said.
Will looked at the picture again and lifted his head to look at me.
"Wray Fay looks like Louisa," Will said. "They've all got fair hair. My father said Wray Fay used to be the Head Priest of Star Chasers. She was a Gifted One."
"Yeah. She was the most powerful one among the Gifted Ones. She can communicate with animals and control all elements of the universe. At the same time, she's beautiful, benevolent, and kind."
"Just like Louisa!" Will clapped his hands and said.
I looked at Leo and saw him staring at me.
When he met my eyes, he immediately felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his head.
"It is said here, the Star Chasers used to be a clan of the Gifted Ones. There were other clans as well, but they all participated in the First War with King Czar the Great. The Gifted Ones, the warlocks, and witches helped the werewolves to get freedom from vampires," Will said. "My father seldom talked about that period of time, because a lot of his friends died in the First War."
Leo sighed and said, "My brother once said, wars were inevitable. They come when people are in need of them, but they never go away when people are done with them."
Will frowned and said, "Is there going to be another war?"
"I really don't know, Will," Leo said.
"But we're not going to fight with each other, right?" Will asked.
He lifted his head and looked at Leo. It seemed that he was very eager to get an answer from Leo.
What would Leo's answer be?