Reborn To Change My Fate

Chapter 348 - Three Hundred And Forty Seven

A Month Later...

Spring has finally arrived in the kingdom of Eudora. The cold, brutal, and unforgettable winter has passed. The thick white snow that covered the capital city slowly melted away, revealing bright green grass and the soft brown earth. The trees in the royal gardens began to grow small green leaves. The afternoon sun was warm and gentle, but a cool, refreshing breeze still blew through the streets, carrying the sweet smell of blooming flowers. It was a season of rebirth and new beginnings for the people.

But for Derek, the season meant very little.

Inside the royal palace, Derek was having a very long, very tiring meeting with the high court. They were sitting around a massive oak table in the council room, looking at maps and lists. They were discussing the final details concerning his official coronation.

Derek sat at the head of the table, wearing his dark uniform. He looked exhausted. He rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"We must delay the ceremony," Derek said firmly. He looked at the Royal Chancellor. "I want to shift the date."

The Chancellor sighed respectfully and shook his head. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, we cannot delay it again. The invitations have been sent to every corner of the kingdom. The people are waiting. The coronation has been officially scheduled for next week, and preparations have already started in the streets."

Derek closed his eyes. He tried to shift the date because Marissa hasn’t woken up yet. For thirty long days, she had been lying in their bed, breathing softly, warm and alive, but completely trapped in a deep sleep. Derek did not want to stand in front of the kingdom and take the crown without his Queen standing right by his side. It felt wrong.

But he knew it wasn’t possible to delay anymore. A kingdom needed its King.

The room was filled with the highest lords of the land. They all looked at Derek with deep sympathy. After Lord Colton’s ultimate sacrifice in the snowy courtyard a month ago, Derek had told the inner circle of the court the truth. The lords had seen the dead body of the Grand Duchess. They knew when Lord Colton was taken back to the west.

The court had sworn an oath of absolute secrecy to keep Marissa’s death and her magical resurrection a complete secret from the public. To the rest of Eudora, the Grand Duchess simply fell very ill during the winter and was slowly recovering.

"Very well," Derek finally agreed, his voice heavy with resignation. He opened his eyes. "The coronation will happen next week as planned. Let us finish the security reports."

The meeting dragged on for hours. It finally concluded late by late afternoon. The lords bowed and left the council room.

Derek walked out of the palace alone. He walked down the stone steps and got outside. He closed his eyes for a second and felt the cool spring breeze blow against his tired face. It felt nice, but it could not wash away the heavy worry in his chest. Every day he left the house, he feared she would slip away while he was gone.

He mounted his mare. He did not want an escort of guards today. He rode back home alone, taking the quiet streets toward the Thompson estate.

When he reached the high iron gates of his home, they were opened immediately. Derek rode into the sunny courtyard.

He brought the mare to a stop near the wooden stables. As he got down from his mare, a young stable hand quickly ran over to help him.

The stable hand had a massive, bright smile on his face. He looked incredibly happy as he took the leather reins from Derek’s hands.

"Welcome home, Your Grace!" the stable hand greeted him cheerfully, practically bouncing on his heels. "It is a beautiful afternoon!"

Derek frowned. He was deeply confused. Ever since the terrible night a month ago, the staff at the estate had been very quiet and very serious around him. They knew the Grand Duke was grieving and waiting for his wife to wake up. They never smiled this widely. They never spoke this cheerfully.

"Thank you," Derek replied slowly, watching the boy lead the horse away.

Derek turned around and began walking toward the main house. He walked toward the grand stone stairs leading up to the front doors.

Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors burst open.

Ryan ran out of the house. The young boy was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. He was not wearing his heavy winter coat anymore, just a simple white shirt and dark trousers. His face was glowing with pure, explosive happiness.

"Father! Father!!" Ryan yelled at the top of his lungs, waving his arms wildly in the air.

He ran toward the top of the grand stairs, not looking at his feet.

Derek saw the boy running too fast near the edge of the stone steps. His fatherly instincts kicked in immediately.

"Careful, Ryan!" Derek called out loudly, holding his hand out. "Slow down! You will fall!"

But Ryan was moving too fast to stop. His soft leather shoe caught the edge of the top stone step. He lost his balance completely.

And he fell.

Ryan tumbled down the first three steps. He landed hard on the stone, scraping his hands and his knees on the rough surface, obtaining a small injury.

He exclaimed loudly, "Ouch!"

Derek’s heart jumped into his throat. He did not care about his own tired muscles. He ran to him instantly, taking the steps two at a time.

"Ryan!" Derek shouted, dropping to his knees on the hard stone right beside the boy.

He gently grabbed Ryan’s shoulders, checking him for broken bones. But Ryan’s happiness was much stronger than the sharp pain in his knees. The boy did not cry. He did not even look at his scraped hands.

Ryan immediately stood up. He rubbed his hands together, quickly cleaned his dirty hands on his dark trousers, and looked up.

He saw Derek kneeling there, towering over him. Derek’s face was pale, and deep worry was plastered all over his features.

"Are you hurt?" Derek asked frantically, checking the boy’s face and arms. "Let me see your hands, Ryan."

Ryan shook his head vigorously. His messy hair bounced around his face. He reached out and grabbed Derek’s large, rough hand with both of his small ones. He squeezed his father’s hand tightly, dragging him forward slightly, trying to pull him into the house, causing Derek to stand.

"Mother is awake!" Ryan shouted, his voice ringing with absolute joy.