Chapter 171: Love and Obsession

Adolph narrowed his eyes down at Olivia. She was just as pretty as she had been before, but he saw the wicked light in her eyes.
“Shouldn’t you be greeting our son whom you’ve never met?” Adolph asked.
She smiled at him, poisonous and vicious, “I would never put anyone before you dear husband.”
“You are dead,” Adolph said, “Speak to Basil.”
“… very well.”
Olivia turned her head and looked at Basil. Adolph was about to retract his statement at the hopeful look on Basil’s face, but it was too late.
“You asked them to kill the man who raised you,” Olivia said, “You asked for the death penalty.”
“Mother, they—”
“Don’t call me that!” Olivia hissed at him. “All of them. Murdered and for what? What of your loyalty to me?”
Basil’s eyes widened, “To you…?”
“After what your father did to me?” Olivia said, “What is a bit of money?”
“You… You knew?” Basil asked. “But—”
“I love your father,” she said, her eyes glimmering with tears. “But… that wasn’t good enough. My love was never good enough for him. The kingdom was always more important. The battles, the fighting… Never once did he love me! Never once did he care!”
Basil stared at her in shock. He could hear her speaking, but he couldn’t make sense of her words. She was… angry at his father for not loving her because she was Olivia Mirabelle and she deserved to be the love of King Adolph’s life. He hadn’t abused her or treated her terribly. He just hadn’t participated in her fantasy.
Moon, how insane was this? He felt his heart clenching and breaking. The image of his mother he’d carried in his mind since he was a child shattered like a mirror and there was this cruel woman who was so desperate for his father to love her that she cursed him.
“You never came for our anniversary or my birthday! Not once!”
For the humiliation, for his stubbornness, she’d given piles of gold to her father out of the luna treasury thinking it would bring Adolph back and make him pay attention to her.
“I gave birth to your son and you would not even return for his birth!” Olivia said turning back to Adolph. “You were content to be injured on the battlefield. As if I would believe that! You never mourned me either.”
“Mother,” Basil said. “You… You’re nothing like I was told.”
Olivia glared at him, “And how is that?”
“Grandfather said you were kind… He said you were the perfect luna, but… you’re nothing but a spoiled, selfish brat!”
Adolph’s jaw dropped open in shock and Laurel gasped.
“Father was on the front lines defending us from that evil woman, risking his life and you cursed him!” Basil shook his head, “How is that—”
“I gave birth to you! You should be on my side!” Olivia growled, “You should be happy, but I suppose you’ve been tainted.”
“Tainted?” Basil’s eyes bulged.
“That little slut Laura,” Olivia scoffed. “Thinking she knows best. Getting in the way. I was glad when that idiot shoved her off the cliff, but she didn’t know her place either! If I didn’t know I would never sleep with any man that wasn’t my beloved king, I’d wonder if you were my son being tricked by a potion!”
Basil flushed and went ridged.
“Olivia,” Adolph said calmly. “Shut your mouth about things you don’t understand.”
She turned on him, “You would never succumb to such a thing! I would know!”
Adolph glared at her, “You tried to enchant me?”
“And it didn’t, just as I thought it wouldn’t,” Olivia said, looking up at him dreamily. “You’re truly the—”
“Enough!” Adolph snarled, “You have no right to speak to my son like this or speak to me at all as if we were happy when you knew I would never love you.”
“But I—”
“We are not mates, Olivia,” Adolph shook his head. “I am sorry that your mate died on the battlefield, but your pain does not justify your actions!”
Laurel gasped. Adolph had never told her that he’d known Olivia’s mate.
“It was my fault that he died, and I… cannot and could not apologize enough, but this is too much,” Adolph said. “He wouldn’t want this. He died a good man, he died defending this country. He died thinking of you. We were never meant to be, you know that.”
Olivia blinked before she sighed dreamily, “You’re so… magnificent.”
Adolph’s stomach turned at her tone. His wolf had grown still with shock. What did that mean?
She tittered, “I… had forgotten all about that. To think you remembered. Don’t you see that you loved me? What can that child mean to you after me, my love?”
Adolph drew back as if he’d been burned, “What… do you mean? You *forgot?* How could you have forgotten your mate?”
She’d cried and mourned, he’d been told. He’d seen her tears when he returned and told her that he was dead.
Olivia chuckled, “Well, how could I lower myself to mate with that peasant?”
She shuddered, “I knew the moon goddess had a better destiny for me. She was just testing my resolve! I told him to find me after the war to get him out of the way. It all worked out so well that he was a part of your battalion… I made sure the information was wrong.”
Adolph’s blood ran cold staring at her, “You… changed the message.”
“Oh, I was never worried about you,” Olivia said, “You’re the Goddess-Blessed King, touched by the moon! The black wolf! The sword of the moon. An ambush would never be enough to hurt you, but he was in the way of our chance to be together, and—”
“All these years,” Adolph said. “I… I thought—”
He broke off and shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. I can’t revive any of them.”
“But you can be with me,” Olivia said smiling up at him. “We can be together just like we were supposed to be…and—”
“You’re insane!” Basil yelled. Olivia’s face turned furious as she turned around. “You’re no better than your father. No—You’re *worse!* ”
“My father was hasty,” Olivia conceded. “It would have been fine if he hadn’t panicked at the end.”
“Olivia,” Adolph said, “If you ever cared for me at all, lift the curse.”
Olivia shook her head, “Never. I love you too much.”
“Olivia—”
“And even if I was inclined to let you be with that… woman,” she snarled and sneered. “For some misplaced sense of goodness, I can’t. I anchored my curse in that which you would never destroy willingly.”
“You anchored it in our son!” Adolph yelled, “You mean to say that it would only be lifted if he died?”
Olivia chuckled, “Brilliant, isn’t it? I made sure you had an heir. It’s the least he could do for being born to such a fantastic lineage.”
She grabbed him, clenching her fists in his shirt. Adolph shuddered at the dark taint of her spirit. It was cold and irritating. His stomach turned.
Basil pulled out his dagger and Adolph grew still.
“Basil, no!”
He looked at Adolph as Nimue stared at Basil in horror.
“You heard what she said,” Basil said, trembling. “There’s no other way.”
Olivia looked over her shoulder, “He won’t. He’s much too afraid.”
“Put the dagger down,” Adolph said, reaching out to him. “Put it down, Basil.”
“T-Tina told me that… that she was always healthy. When she got drunk, she’d always cry and tell me that it was as if Olivia had simply wanted to die because you were on the b-brink of death.”
“Put down the dagger, son,” Adolph said.
“Ignore him,” Olivia said flippantly. “He is your son by blood, but he doesn’t have your courage, your heart… your dedication to the kingdom. He isn’t strong enough and I know you would never—”
“Shut your mouth!” Adolph growled at her, not taking his eyes off Basil.
Their gazes met. Olivia had been clever anchoring the spell in Basil’s life, but she was wrong.
Basil was every bit his son. There was courage and strength in him. There was more than enough dedication and everything else that was necessary to make him choose his death rather than let him lose his mind in Basil.
It had been hidden and locked away for years, but it had been growing and blooming steadily. He’d seen it.
Basil closed his eyes, lifting the dagger a bit.
His heart clenched, “Basil, look at me, son.”
“No.”
“Basil, please, look at me.”
Slowly, his eyes opened wet and fearful. They widened just a little as their gazes met.
“I would rather spend whatever time I have left with you, Laurel, your newest sibling, teaching you everything you need to know than extending my life.” Tears welled in Basil’s eyes. “Put the dagger down, son. Nimue, end the séance.”