Eero's perspective
Days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. Before I even knew it, years had passed by.
My brows met with confusion as the dress I was supposed to wear for a meeting with a client and investor today was nowhere to be seen.
"I swear I left it on the bed before I showered," I continue to whisper."
I let go of the towel I was using to dry my hair. I had looked at every corner of the room, but I still couldn't find it anywhere.
"Ophelia!" I called our maid.
With a floor map in her left hand, she barges inside my room after a few minutes."Hi, Ophi, but did you happen to see a black dress here? The one Miguel and I bought the other day." Ophelia shook her head in response. Even so, her eyes automatically roamed the entire room to help me find it.
My eyes landed on a familiar piece of Lego on the floor near my bed.
"I walked past your room to clean Sir Miguel's room, but I didn't notice a dress on your bed, your grace," she said to me.
I turned to her and shook my head before I flashed a weak smile. "It's fine. Can you prepare a breakfast for us? As usual, Perseus will have his cereal, but let him be the one to pour his milk into his bowl," I muttered and walked out of my room.
From the small opening in the door of his room, I saw Perseus hiding something in his drawer with his back turned to the door.
"Perseus." I pushed open the door and saw how his almond eyes widened as shock seeped into him at my unexpected presence in his room. He quickly finished closing the drawer and blocked himself there which made my forehead frown even more.
"Mother, you scared me!" Perseus exclaimed.
I opened my palm to ask for the dress that I knew he had hidden. Perseus darted his brown eyes at me with a deceiving innocent look plastered on them.
He looks cute whenever he does that but it won't work for me, at least not now.
"What is i-it, Mother?" Perseus asked, faking his innocence.
"Give me back my dress, Perseus. I'm in a hurry. I have a meeting with an investor and I need to be there within an hour," I said calmly. I opened my hand to him again.
Perseus pouted his lip and looked away as he shook his head.
"I d-don't have it, Mother. What would I do with your dress? Wear it?" I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
"Mother because—,"
"Because what? Hmmm?"
"Mama because..." his voice sounded as he interrupted what I was supposed to say. He strides towards me and inches our distance. Perseus was quick to wrap his arms around my waist as if he was trying to calm me down from my anger.
"Because your clothes are sexy." He pouted his full lips and looked up at me with those puppy eyes of his. "Don't wear that anymore, Mama," he pleaded. I just sighed and hugged him back at the same time as I nodded.
"Why did Father let you buy that dress anyway? Isn't he afraid that another shifter might steal you from him?" Perseus continued to inquire innocently.
"Baby, Miguel, your father is not the jealous type, but he won't let any shifter steal me from him. He won't let our family fall apart," I explained to Perseus.
***********
"I thought you'd pick me up at 11:00 so we could be at the restaurant at 11:30?" Miguel asked as soon as he got inside my car. I picked him up from his company.
Four years had passed since we got married and after what happened between me and Aelice in the past. Miguel and I decided that it would be better if we stayed in Blackthorn until it was time for me to ascend to the throne and be the Alpha of Regulus.
"I thought you'd wear the black lacy dress we bought in Paris?" Miguel asked after he realized that I was wearing a different dress. I glanced at him and flashed a timid smile as I shrugged my shoulder.
Miguel quickly understood the meaning of that smile. He even burst out laughing.
"Moon Goddess, Perseus is such an adorable creature. As he grows older, the evidence that Claudius' blood running in his veins becomes more obvious. I remember how protective and possessive Claudius can be when it comes to you."
"Miguel," I called him with a warning voice. Miguel raised his hand in mid-air.
"Can you stop bringing that up? I'm afraid that one day. Perseus will hear you. You know that he has no idea who Claudius is. In his eyes, you are his father and my mate."
Miguel went silent.
He may be right. No matter how hard I tried to deny it myself, Perseus resembles Claudius a lot, not only in appearance but in his attitude and behavior too, and this is why I thanked myself and my father for allowing us to reside in Blackthorn. If not, Perseus might have heard vile rumors about his birth.
"How long are we going to deceive your son, your grace? It's been five years since Claudius banished himself to Greece, and I could feel that sooner or later, he'll show up and before that happens you better tell Perseus the truth."
I pulled the car to the side of the street and couldn't help, but turn angrily at Miguel.
"I'll find a solution when this problem needs to be solved, but while Claudius is rotting in Greece, Perseus shouldn't find out about him either." I licked my lower lip.
"I knew it was hard raising a pup that isn't yours, but my father will soon hand me the realm and you'll be free to go."
"That's not what I'm trying to imply, Eero," Miguel that I chose to ignore and drove to the restaurant where our clients awaited us.