The King's Wife Is The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 465 Heartfelt Conversation

Sophie listened to Nicholas' explanation about his parents. She realized the man went through a difficult life too. She couldn't imagine what it was like having a parent who didn't want you or love you. Her father doted on her and would do anything for her.

However, now that she remembered Leland also suffered the same fate as Nicholas, or even worse because both his parents were indifferent, Sophie realized both men were more alike than they thought.

However, Nicholas didn't seem bitter about it. He showed understanding toward his father's behavior, not blaming the man for his indifference toward his own son and his wife. Nicholas seemed to focus more on the fact that his mother loved him so much and would do anything for him.

"I am sorry to hear that," Sophie said. She looked at Nicholas with sympathy.

"Yeah, that's why I feel devastated when I found out about Luciel and Jan. I was disappointed in myself for, unknowingly, letting my sons suffer. That's why I try so hard to make up for it. I want to be there for them now and be the father they deserve," Nicholas said.

He added, "And I understand it will not be fair for their younger siblings if Luciel and Jan have their father figure who loves them and would do anything for them - and they don't. In the long run, it will impact Luciel and Jan as well. So, that's why... with your permission, I would like to step up for them too."

"Oh..." Sophie looked at Nicholas with a complicated expression. Of course, she really appreciated this gesture. She knew he was right. At this moment, she needed to focus on her children and what was best for them.

Even though she and Nicholas were in a strange place, because of their past relationship and their current situation, she must not let her kids suffer just because she thought it would be awkward.

"You know how I feel about you," Nicholas said softly. His eyes were fixed on her. "I love you with all my heart, it has never changed, and probably never will. If you would allow me, I would take you in a heartbeat, but I don't want to put you in a difficult position and accept me because you feel pressured."

Sophie bit her lip. She looked at Nicholas deeply and tried to form her response. This man was so mature now and, of course, he always had the charm that made her fall so deeply in love with him in the past.

However, how could she even think about a man when she was just having her heart broken and she was waiting for a new baby to arrive? It seemed inappropriate. So, she was glad Nicholas had cleared that up immediately.

Sophie waited for Nicholas to finish his sentence. She wanted to hear more from this man.

"Sophie, I will be here for you... anytime you need anything, be it money, time, or someone to talk to, I am here. Please don't ever think you will bother me. You are more important to me than the whole kingdom of Riga." Nicholas looked at her and smiled sincerely.

He continued, "And with your permission, I would love to take care of the children too, so you don't have to stress yourself about raising them. When Luciel and Jan come to the palace, if Jack and Anne want to go with them, please let them. Siblings should always stay together."

This offer was so good that Sophie knew she would be stupid to say no. She finally nodded and smiled back.

"Thank you, Nicholas." She touched his arm and looked at him sincerely. "You just took such a big burden out of my chest. I will always remember this."

She lowered her head. "I loved you and always think you are so cool. I feel honored to have shared a life with you in the past. Right now, I don't know where life will take us. So, I will not say yes or no."

Nicholas' chest pounded when he heard her words. Sophie didn't blatantly reject him. She said she would not say yes or no.

So, there was hope after all!

Sophie continued her words. "At the moment, I am still grieving the end of my relationship with the man who is the father of my children, and I am still making sense of my situation. Some days are worse than others. I am still finding my foothold in this new world presented to me. So, I beg your understanding to let me take my time to heal and be myself again."

Definitely! Nicholas understood that she needed time. That's why he was treading carefully.

"Absolutely," said Nicholas. He stood there looking at her with a new smile on his face. He felt so happy because they had this conversation, even though it was unplanned - while cooking. Sophie stood still looking at him too.

Then she saw the recently killed chicken in Nicholas' hand with blood still dripping from its almost severed neck. She chuckled to see a king standing before her looking like a village butcher.

"Uhm, you might want to start working on the chicken," she said. "The spices are almost ready."

Nicholas looked at the chicken and realized he must have looked weird in front of her. He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I will pluck this chicken's feathers quickly."

He went back to work and left Sophie to her spices and garnish. They didn't say anything anymore and focused on cooking. In less than an hour, the people in the dining room could smell a mouthwatering aroma coming from the kitchen.

"Dinner is ready," said Nicholas who came out with an apron. He brought a tray of food, filled with grilled chicken and placed it on the table. Sophie brought bread, salad, garnish, and sliced fruits. Her maids immediately came to help with plates and cutlery.

After the food was served, the unconventional family sat to eat. Queen Marianne was very happy to see how Nicholas and Sophie worked together cooking the dinner and the results were great. She could tell that the food was made with love.

"This is delicious," she commented as she took more meat from the table. "You are a great cook."

"Thank you, Your Grace," said Sophie with a smile. Getting complimented for her cooking by a queen was something to be proud of.

Her kids also praised the food and thanked her and Nicholas for preparing dinner. The dinner was so warm and joyful. When Queen Marianne and Nicholas finally had to leave, they looked really sad,

"Good luck with your tavern," said the queen. "I will recommend it to people I know so you will get a lot of business."

When she saw Nicholas giving her a weird gaze, she quickly added, "Of course, I will keep your identity a secret. Nobody's going to know we are acquaintances."

"Thank you, Your Grace," said Sophie. She turned to Nicholas and thanked him too. The king only smiled.

"Remember our conversation, please," he reminded. Sophie nodded.

Nicholas kissed his sons' forehead before he left. When he saw Little Jack in his basket looking at him with narrowed eyes, Nicholas smiled at the little wolf and came to pick him up.

He raised the wolf to the air and kissed his head. "You be good and protect your sister, okay? Come to the palace when Luciel and Jan come there."

Jack pretended to struggle to free himself from Nicholas' hands. Even though he started to like this uncle, he wouldn't want to show it openly.

Nicholas just chuckled when he saw Jack's reaction. He put the little wolf down and went to Anne who was sleeping soundly in her basket. He rubbed her fur very lightly. "Get better soon, Anne."

"Good night, Sophie." Nicholas smiled at Sophie and then turned around. He pulled his mother's hand to leave. The queen sighed and followed him.

Sophie watched the two leave until they disappeared from her vision. She was grateful to have them at this point in her life. The reason why she was not broken and destroyed was that she had strong support from Nicholas and his mother, unlike she was eight years ago.

She also had her children who became her strength to carry on. When she turned to look at her little ones, Sophie smiled faintly. It seemed everything would be okay from here onward.

She just needed to rebuild her life and see what would happen in the future.

If someday... Nicholas and she would get back together, it would be because she wanted to be with him, not because she was cornered and had to rely on a man to survive and for protection.

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NOTE: Apologies. I am uber busy this week, working at a conference. My little island, Bali, is the host of the G20 summit this month and I got so many works lined up related to G20, and it's been one crazy month and I can barely find time to write.

I think next week will be even worse because the main summit will be held and we know the geopolitical situation at the moment is not at its best with leaders of Russia vs the US and EU will be meeting in G20. It's already quite intense around here with security and all. We even have warships and military jets securing the area.

I forced myself to keep publishing something on here - and at times using a placeholder for Winwin, because I know if I lost Winwin, I will also lose the motivation to write continuously for the whole month. So, please support me this month with your patience as I slowly update the chapters as soon as I can sit down to type.

To be safe, you can just clear your cache tomorrow, together with the next chapter update. I hope it's okay.