Odette wanted to refuse since she thought it was unnecessary and improper. But then, she heard the duckling say, 'The thorns are too dangerous, just hop on and let him carry you.'
Thus, after getting persuaded by the Elder Duckling, Odette finally climbed on and put her weight on his back.
Sir Zircon carried her effortlessly and walked through the long maze.
There was nothing but silence for a while until Zircon couldn't stand the silence any longer and thoughtfully comforted, "Don't take His Majesty's words at heart, Milady. He has been suffering for thousands of years. His heart is numb after so many deaths of his beloved."
"Mm, it's okay. I assume that you refer to me as Milady instead of Your Grace because of His Majesty's order, right?" Odette asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Sir Zircon confirmed. Since Lady Odette had been rejected, Zircon thought it was okay to at least tell her about the Masked Alpha King's search for his beloved over thousands of years. "His Majesty and everyone in this kingdom have lived for thousands of years. We're frozen in time because His Majesty's fated mate—our original luna and queen—died a long time ago."
"Then, why didn't he die alongside her? That's the thumb rule of fated mate, right?" Odette asked. She recalled how her adopted mother, the luna of her pack, died of illness. Soon after, her adopted father followed. He died out of heartbreak, and it was a fairly common occurrence for fated mates bound by the Moon Goddess' blessing.
"Unfortunately, he is cursed with immortality. He cannot accept her death, so he uses his enormous magic to turn everyone inside the kingdom into immortal. We're frozen in time, and no matter what happens, as long as he desires us to live, then we will live forever and more," Zircon explained. "For thousands of years, he always found our original queen's incarnations. But none of those incarnations could live long. Even if His Majesty cursed them with immortality, they would still die when they reached the age of twenty-one, the same age when our original queen died."
"Then, the reason for him saving me and bringing me here…"
"You… happen to have our original queen's face, voice, and scent, Milady," Zircon admitted. "I have long forgotten about her appearance, but when I saw you lying weakly in His Majesty's arms, the memories of the past flowed back into my brain, and I can clearly remember her face. She has different hair, eye color, and temperament, but you have her beauty and soothing voice."
"I see. So, His Majesty mistook me as the incarnation of his fated mate?" Odette asked.
"Indeed. But he said he had already checked, and you are not his fated mate. You just happen to look similar to our original queen," Zircon said.
"That's why he told me that I am my own person now," Odette nodded, full of understanding. "It's been over thousands of years. It's not surprising if there are people with similar faces, right?"
"That's true."
"But I am my own person! As far as I remember, I never have any memories of the past. I was born as a commoner in my pack. Well, less than that, since I have no wolf, haha…" Odette chuckled awkwardly.
Zircon smiled, "Indeed, you're your own person, Milady. You don't need to worry. His Majesty is fair, and since he's the one who brought you here, he told me to treat you just like before."
"W-well, since I can't give what His Majesty needs, then I'll do my best to be useful. I'll continue learning and helping Irida to make medicine, and also learn magic and perhaps military," Odette said determinedly.
"I would be glad to assist you, Milady," Zircon smiled.
"Thank you. Uhm… Sir, we're already out of the maze," Odette reminded as she felt embarrassed being carried like this before she entered the castle. What if someone saw them?
"Oh, my apologies," Sir Zircon carefully put her down, and said to her, "I'll escort you back to the clinic to talk with Irida, Milady. I'll also mobilize a party to gather all necessary ingredients needed to cure the Crushian Fever."
"Thank you," Odette smiled.
Sir Zircon stared at Odette for a while and noticed her sweet smile that was even sweeter after she left the garden of thorns.
She was akin to the first spring flower that bloomed after a long winter. It soothed his heart, knowing that such a kind person wouldn't have to suffer the terrible fate of dying at the age of twenty-one.
They finally stopped in front of the clinic. Sir Zircon bowed before excusing himself, "I will take my leave now. Please excuse me, Milady."
Odette thanked Sir Zircon again and watched as the six-foot-tall man walked away from her.
'You don't seem to be sad after knowing that you're not His Majesty's fated mate,' the duckling commented. 'Also, since you can see me, you can always talk to me with telepathy.'
Odette looked up, and she was smiling, full of joy.
Honestly, her heart was conflicted.
There was a strange discomfort and sadness when the Masked Alpha rejected her.
But after listening to Sir Zircon, she realized that it was a blessing in disguise. She didn't want to be a stand-in for His Majesty's long-lost love.
'I don't think I'd be happy if I became His Majesty's fated mate. I don't want to die so early, since I'm already nineteen right now,' Odette replied inwardly. 'On top of that, I am truly my own person. I don't want to be a replacement for a woman who died thousands of years ago. I want my fated mate to love me for who I am.'
'Hm~ very clever,' the duckling replied.
'Elder Duckling, do you remember His Majesty's original fated mate from thousands of years ago?'
'Of course!' the duckling confirmed. 'She was very beautiful. Cute, and lively. She was the light in His Majesty's dark path, until her untimely death, of course.'
'And yes, you have her face and voice. But you don't have her hair and eyes. There have been many attempts of women trying to pose as His Majesty's fated mate's incarnation. They have her face, her voice, her eyes, and even her scent, but they are all fakes.'