Alpha's replacement bride is destined mate-Chapter 39 The Cold War

Emily and Klaus are locked in a cold war, and for the next few days, they ignore each other. Dealing with Western spies has left Klaus with no time for anything else, and he spends most of his days interrogating prisoners in the prison. Returning late to the hotel, he avoids disturbing Emily, who is asleep, and instead retreats to the drawing room to rest alone.

The next morning, he sets out early again.

Even though such a relationship is awkward for both of them, neither is willing to take the initiative to break the ice. That is, until one day. Meiss informs Klaus that the royal family will be hosting a wedding reception for him and Emily. It had originally been scheduled for the day after the press conference, but had to be postponed due to the bombing in the square.

Now that the task of dealing with Western spies is nearly complete, the royal staff finally has extra time to organize the wedding reception.

"The banquet will be held tomorrow night," Meiss says to Klaus over the phone. "Also, at the King’s request, you and Luna Emily need to move to the palace today. I’ll send a car to pick you up in fifteen minutes."

"Moving to the palace?" Klaus sits up on the couch and rubs his eyes. "Why?"

"I don’t know," Meiss replies. "It’s the king’s order."

It takes a few seconds before Klaus responds, "Okay, I see."

Klaus hung up the phone, rubbing his forehead with his hand as Meiss’s words prompted him to ponder. He had been away from the palace for so many years. Why had the king now asked him to move back? Unable to fathom the reason, he decided to take a shower and wake up fully.

With a heavy heart, Klaus made his way to his bedroom, intending to grab a change of clothes. His hand had just touched the doorknob when the door swung open unexpectedly. For the first time since the onset of their cold war, Emily stood on the other side. Her eyes were a complex blend of determination and hesitation, as if waiting for the silence of their impasse to be shattered.

For two tense seconds, there was silence, and the atmosphere thickened like ice. Klaus felt a jumble of emotions within him. He was both angry and full of reluctance, and finally, with difficulty, he pursed his lips and said, "Good morning."

Emily’s gaze was cast downward, as if avoiding Klaus’s eyes. Her response was equally cold, "Good morning."

She would have retreated, but Klaus stood like a rock in her path. She could only stand there, uneasy. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Meiss had said the wedding banquet would be held tomorrow night. Klaus’s voice took on a formal tone, masking his inner turmoil, "Today we are moving into the palace." The remark seemed like an attempt to disguise the rift between them, men bound by duty and responsibility.

Emily’s answer was bland, "Okay." There was no inflection in her voice, leaving Klaus with a profound sense of helplessness. They stood face to face, and the air was thick with unresolved misunderstandings and difficult-to-reconcile resentments.

"Please, Emily," Klaus finally couldn’t help himself, his emotions repressed, making him seem a little helpless. "Say something."

It was more than a request; it was a longing for her to break the stifling silence.

Emily looked up, with mixed emotions hidden in her eyes. She asked rhetorically, "I thought you had something to say to me."

"Do you have to talk about Maya?" Klaus’s tone was pained; he didn’t want to bring it up again, but he couldn’t escape the subject that had divided them.

Emily looked at Klaus with a trace of helplessness in her eyes. She spoke slowly, "I can understand that the bond between mates might make it hard for you to forget your ex. But, Klaus, I’m not a replacement for Maya."

Klaus’s eyes flashed with a mixture of emotions, and he struggled to maintain his composure. His voice was slightly hoarse as he replied, "Who said you were her replacement?"

There was a hint of reproach in his words, as if protesting the sudden accusation.

Emily’s expression took on a hint of bitterness, and the corners of her mouth twisted into a dry smile. She looked Klaus in the eye and said in a serious voice, "Don’t fool yourself. It’s an indisputable fact that the bond between mates makes it difficult, if not impossible, to forget one’s ex."

A shade of pain crossed Klaus’s face, and his deeply furrowed brow and clenched teeth betrayed the struggle within. Emily’s words stabbed him like a sharp needle to the heart. He knew she spoke the truth, but he didn’t want to acknowledge his nostalgia for the past.

That’s why he relied on alcohol every night to sleep. Those bitter memories would resurface in the dead of night, like a sharp knife to the heart when he was least prepared.

For years, he had been tormented by those bitter memories, until the sight of Emily filled his broken heart. She made him forget his pain, at least for a while, and only by embracing her warm body could he sleep peacefully.

If it hadn’t been for the king stirring up his memories of that day, he wouldn’t have had that dream about Maya, and he wouldn’t have called out her name in his sleep.

He felt a surge of shame and irritation at the revelation of his secret.

Emily’s tone became calm and resolute: "It’s time to stop." Her words were like an ultimatum, drawing a clear line in the sand.

"What do you mean?"

Emily looked at Klaus with a mixture of emotions. Her voice trembled slightly as she said, "I don’t want to meet my mate again while I’m in love with you. I don’t want to have to make that kind of cruel decision."

The remark cast a shadow over their relationship.

"Then reject him," Klaus growled, and his clenched fist struck the wall with a muffled thud.

Emily was taken aback by the sudden move, and Klaus immediately felt remorse, apologizing softly: "Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you."

Emily sighed deeply, a faint desperation in her voice, "Let’s go back to where we started."

The words stabbed Klaus’s heart like a knife, but he still looked at her suspiciously, unsure of her intentions. "What do you want to do?"

"Remember the pact between us?" Emily reminded Klaus, her voice firm and clear. "You promised to give me freedom after a year."

Her words seemed to declare a predestined fate, immutable and final.

Klaus was stunned, then sneered, his voice tinged with bitterness and acceptance, "Very well, then let’s revert to our contractual relationship."

There was a reluctant compromise in his tone.

"I’ll take on Luna’s role," Emily said, her voice calm and resolute. "There will be no further progress in our relationship beyond this point."

Klaus looked at her, reluctantly, but all he could muster was, "That’s what you said."

"Yes, I did say that," Emily replied, a hint of stubbornness and determination in her tone.

Klaus watched Emily walk past him, his heart filled with conflicting emotions and inner turmoil. Silently, he thought, "Do you really think I’m going to let you leave me in a year’s time? No, I won’t, Emily."

Though he kept these words to himself, the determination to hold on had already taken root in his heart.

When the doorbell rang, it was a visitor from the royal family.