"Mummy..."
While having breakfast in the morning, Aami called out to Olivia. Everyone's eyes turned toward her.
"Mummy, is there really any mystery behind this Edinburgh Castle, like people say...???"
Aami asked. Aami had heard many rumors about Edinburgh Castle on several occasions. It is said that the ghosts of soldiers who died there during the time of the monarchy are still seen. Similarly, there are frightening sounds, cries, and a headless boy playing a drum—a ghost. In truth, that castle is one of the most haunted places in the city of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Castle is a fortress that strikes fear into anyone who sees it. It is one of the most attacked castles in the world. It has witnessed all the growth, decline, and invasions of the city of Edinburgh. King David I, famous for the "Davidian Revolution," began building a castle atop Castle Rock in the 12th century. To anyone who looks, this "Demon Castle" appears like a giant standing fifty feet tall on top of a dead volcano, evoking a sense of dread.
"Mummy," Aami said, thinking to herself about Edinburgh.
"If you want to know if the rumors are true, we have to experience it, dear..." Mummy said playfully.
"If that's the case, then is what you told me about the Werewolf true...?" Aami asked.
"Haven't you let go of that yet...?" Miya asked. The behavior of the others was no different.
"When an unanswered question remains in the mind, is it possible to let it go, Miya...?" Aami asked.
"Mummy, tell us."
Then she turned back toward Olivia.
"I don't know for sure if it's true... it's a story my grandma told me. But Grandma used to say those were things that actually happened. Because it was a castle that faced the most attacks, the people there often had to suffer a lot. Their protection had troubled the Queen greatly. It was a time when David III was in power..."
Olivia continued the story with a sense of ease.
"That was when he brought powerful warriors into the army. They were never from this country... Not only that, they were a group of extremely handsome men with fierce temperaments..."
Their eyes possessed a strange, irresistible attraction... but no one could look into those eyes while speaking to them. It was said that those eyes held a depth of intense sharpness and mystery....
Olivia paused for a moment...
everyone sat listening in unison with rapt attention.
"Even though they were warriors, it is said that the King of that time held a sense of fearful devotion and respect toward them...
but they reportedly felt a special love and affection for Lucy... there were many rumors about that during those times. Lucy was the love interest of David's younger son, Daniel... it is not clear which land the incredibly beautiful Lucy actually came from...".
David's two eldest sons had died in a war. After that, the authority of the kingdom fell to Daniel. Lucy's involvement in the affairs of the kingdom alongside her husband and her reforms were carried out with great planning—it was a truly fine lifestyle that the people of that time received from them. In the midst of this, Daniel passed away in another war. After that, no one ever saw Lucy again.
Some heard rumors that she had passed away... while others said that, unable to bear the shock of her husband's death, she was somewhere inside the dark rooms of that palace. Many stories circulated... but because she was such a good Queen, no one ever questioned it.
Their only son was Frederic III... a son who inherited all of Lucy's beauty. However, although Frederic III did not possess even half of Lucy's capabilities, he was a good King himself. He was able to protect the kingdom by putting a limit on continuous attacks... but when the time came where he could no longer resist the uncontrolled invasions and assaults, it was then that he prepared such an army....
"Mystic Shadow"
That was the name of that army. By effortlessly eliminating every enemy, they protected Edinburgh... not only that, this army was capable of instilling a sense of fear about this kingdom in the minds of others....
"What were those rumors...??" Vyshnavi asked in the middle of it....
"That Lucy was a werewolf..." Olivia said.
"Werewolves are a dangerous species, aren't they Mummy?" Miya asked.
"If you ask if they are dangerous, they are... but it's about when they become dangerous... If something they dislike happens—well, isn't that the case with the soul of any living creature? It's even true among humans. However, werewolves are those who carry out everything including laws and justice with complete acceptance and faith... yet, there are those among them who break the laws... but..."Their pack will punish them... or they will be cast out," Olivia said.
"What I was coming to say is that if Lucy was a werewolf, and if such a being loses their 'mate'—meaning those who have completed 'Marking' and 'Mating'—then it is extremely difficult for them to continue living on this earth," Olivia explained.
"I understand Marking... but what is Mating??" Aami asked this time, as she had already understood the concept of Marking through Google.
"love making... according to their belief, is the union through which the souls of those who have undergone Marking and Mating become one. It is not just a belief; it truly happens that way," Olivia clarified. Aami nodded as if she finally understood.
"So, if they lose that mate, they cannot bear the pain of their soul separating from their body. They either writhe in that agony or become a mere shell of a body with a lost soul. Those in such a state become unable to understand emotions or the feelings of others, turning into something equivalent to a 'Beast'. Because this becomes harmful, they are often forced to take their own lives. If they don't, it is the tradition of their own pack to hunt them down and kill them...".
"Mummy, you seem to have a significant amount of knowledge about them, don't you?" Arthur interjected.
"I don't know much, Arthur... these are the answers my Grandma gave to the same doubts I had when I heard the story. We don't really know how much of this is actually true, do we...?".
As Mummy said this with a smile, everyone else sat in silence, waiting expectantly to hear the rest of the story....