The King's Wife Is The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 48 Visiting The Village Elder

Nicholas was glad and relieved that his father allowed him to have some time for himself before his birthday and coronation, and it also meant that he could spend some money he brought to throw Sophie a wedding.

It wasn't going to be the most lavish one, but they would also throw another wedding once he came back to the capital with Sophie.

The villagers in Hautingen were a bit surprised when both Nicholas and Sophie came around together to prepare for a wedding ceremony. The two of them actually divided their tasks and roles.

"When marrying here in the village, we ask for the village elder to officiate our wedding, right?" Nicholas asked her.

"Mhmm," Sophie nodded. "I know the village elder here and can approach them."

Nicholas rubbed his chin and was actually reluctant in parting with her, "Do you not want to choose what decorations we're having and other things?"

Sophie chuckled and fixed Nicholas' cloak.

"It's a very small wedding with just the two of us and the village ceremony making it a legal document, there's not a lot of things to buy. Besides, I don't have any specific thing in my mind. I'm sure that you can surprise me."

Nicholas was indeed a good judge of character and had a good eye. He'd find the most elegant flower garlands, crystals, and other items to make their wedding place in the woods look beautiful.

"Okay, I'll make the wedding place beautiful and it's up to you to look like the most beautiful bride, and you don't have to worry about me looking handsome."

"Pfft… okay, I'll leave you to handle it." Sophie kissed the young man's cheek and then left for the village elder.

When Sophie arrived at the village elder's house, she bumped into two men who were about to depart from the house. They were exceedingly tall and well-built and it was obvious from their demeanor that they were not from this place.

One of them absentmindedly and accidentally bumped her and she fell to the ground.

Uff.

"Oh, sorry about that, Miss! I didn't see you, you're incredibly small."

Sophie shook her head and waved a hand. "No worries."

"Please let me help you up," One of the men ducked and offered a hand to Sophie. But then the man stopped when he had a good look on her face and he was suddenly distracted by how enchanting she was.

And yet there was something more.

His partner clicked his tongue and said, "Hurry up, Duncan. We don't have all day."

"Sorry," Duncan sniffed and then blinked again as he helped Sophie up to her feet. He thought he smelled something awfully familiar with her scent but then it was gone. It was a trace of something almost wolf-like.

Actually, it really was a werewolf-like scent!

There were two scents actually, one male werewolf and the very faint scent of the woman in front of him.

Duncan grinned at Sophie and said, "May the goddess bless you."

"Huh?" Sophie blinked and smiled awkwardly at him.

Before Duncan could say anything else, his partner grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away before the man revealed their identities to the woman. "Forgive him, my friend is a bit confused and mistaken you for a goddess of beauty!"

That wasn't what Duncan said to Sophie, but then she let the strange men leave as she headed to the village elder's house and knocked on the door. There was no answer and Sophie tried again.

"Hello? Is the village elder home? It's Sophie from Blackwood Forest."

It took a couple of minutes before the village elder opened the door and when he did, there was a look of relief on his face. He was the same old man that handled the funeral rites of her parents.

"Oh, it's you. It really is you." His eyes widened as he looked at her and the man quickly glanced over Sophie's shoulder as if checking on something. He motioned for her to come in and then quickly shut the door before offering her a seat. "What can I do for you?"

Sophie noticed how the old man seemed a bit nervous, but she smiled.

"I'll be getting married to a childhood friend I have here in Hauntingen, well, in the Blackwood Forest to where my home is. Would you please officiate it?"

"The Blackwood Forest?" the old man gasped and clutched his chest.

Sophie's smile faded slightly.

It seemed like even the old man still believed in the rumors of witches and monsters lurking in the forest and didn't seem excited about going there.

"Yes, it will be held there but I reassure you that it is completely safe, Village Elder. You don't have to worry about anything and neither do you have to stay around long either. We just want to be officially married."

The old man tapped his feet nervously before he looked at Sophie and asked, "Do you have wolfsbane around your house?"

"Huh?" Sophie blinked and realized that it was the exact same plant that Nicholas was looking for.

The village elder clasped his hands together and explained himself.

"Wolfsbane or Aconite is both a medicinal and poisonous plant. In proper dosages, it can be considered a healing item and most importantly something of a fertility charm. As someone who will be getting married, it will be nice for you to get them."

"Ahhh," Sophie blushed and didn't realize that wolfsbane was also used for that. "I do not have them, Village Elder. Do you have any idea where to get them?"

The old man looked seriously at her and asked, "The man that you will marry… is he strong?"

"Strong?" Sophie raised a brow.

"Physically capable, a hunter of some sort? Who is he?" the Village Elder asked and tried to remember any particular child in their village that Sophie played with when she was younger.

None came to mind.

Sophie didn't know why the man was asking such things but answered truthfully. "He's a strong person. One of the strongest I've ever met and quite fast and agile too. So if the location of the wolfsbane is the problem, we will get them regardless."

"Okay, once you get that, then I can officiate the wedding," the Village Elder said and then corrected himself. "I mean, you will have the fertility charm which is an essential part of the marriage rituals here in Hautingen. I will provide a map."

Sophie smiled in relief, "Thank you!"

***

When Sophie and Nicholas reunited later that day, she brought home a map that contained directions to a part of the Blackwood that contained a garden filled with wolfsbane and other flowers in great clusters and variety.

Nicholas quickly hugged and lifted her into the air as he laughed in relief. "Sophie you're incredible! I thought that I'd have the biggest surprise, but you always outdo me."

Sophie cupped his face and smiled. "I'm just incredibly lucky that the Village Elder and Hauntingen use wolfsbane as an important part of weddings here."

"Who would have thought that?" Nicholas chuckled.

A part of him questioned if it was really the truth, but then he was too happy to give much thought to it. He was excited about having this wedding with Sophie, curing his lycanthropy and then heading back to the capital to live as husband and wife.

"It's um, some kind of charm," Sophie blushed and decided not to divulge the details of it being a fertility charm. It was almost like yesterday that the two of them were kids and living together to survive their day to day.

Now they were getting married?!

Sophie didn't want to suddenly bring up children and fertility or else they would be taking things really fast. She never considered any of this before and was only imagining being a tavern owner.

"Should we go look for it today?" Nicholas asked.

"Right now?" Sophie raised a brow.

"The faster we find it, the sooner we can get married and then the two of us can have our honeymoon," Nicholas grinned at her. "I'd love to introduce you to my parents, I am sure that they will love you."

Sophie's heart pounded at the thought, but she smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's do it."