Ghost Husband's Watch, Betrayal of the Healer King

The man my wife had loved in secret for years had finally claimed the throne of our enemy pack!

During the war between our two territories, she added an extra herb to the King's medicine just to give her sweetheart a chance to survive.

Because of that single choice, all one hundred and thirty-eight healers in the Royal Infirmary were executed.

I was among those who died in that senseless bloodbath.

When questioned about her actions, my wife, Princess Seraphina, simply frowned with annoyance.

"I only added a little extra medicine. My father is just slightly ill," she said.

"But if I hadn't done it, Kaelen would have died."

She had no idea that because of her medicine, the King had lost all five senses and was now paralyzed in bed.

The entire pack was in chaos.

In just one month, our great kingdom was falling to pieces!

1.

The execution chamber was a sea of red.

The bodies of the one hundred and thirty-eight healers were piled carelessly in the corner.

These men had spent their lives studying medicine and serving the pack, only to be killed by a single herb.

All of this was because of my wife, Seraphina.

After my soul left my broken body, it instinctively floated to her side.

Seraphina was currently at an underground club, leaning against Kaelen, the former hostage from the enemy pack.

Her eyes were filled with nothing but pure devotion.

"Kaelen, I secretly changed my father's prescription. Now you can finally return to your pack and take over," she whispered.

Kaelen stroked her face as if rewarding a loyal dog.

"Did that husband of yours, the Head Healer, actually agree to this?"

When he mentioned me, Seraphina's expression turned cold.

"That blockhead? There is no way he would have agreed."

She grew angry just thinking about it.

"I only added a simple supplement to my father's medicine, but he blocked me at every turn."

"He kept rambling about how the ingredients would clash and cause a backlash."

"Some Head Healer he is. He can't even tell the difference between a supplement and a poison. Does he really think I would murder my own father?"

"I waited until he wasn't looking and swapped the herbs myself."

Kaelen looked excited and pulled Seraphina into his arms.

"Seraphina, you've suffered so much for me."

Being held by the man of her dreams made her blush instantly.

"I don't want to go back home for a few days. If Callum finds out I changed the medicine, he won't stop nagging me."

Kaelen replied casually, "Then stay here in the club. It's private, and no one would guess we are here."

The two of them whispered sweet nothings to each other like a pair of newlyweds.

In their conversation, I was nothing but a coward and an incompetent healer who was too afraid to use a simple supplement.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Even if she did go back, how could I nag her?

I was already dead. I died because of her ignorance.

The supplement Seraphina had added was White Root.

On its own, it is indeed a supplement.

But in the world of medicine, ingredients can react violently when mixed.

Adding even a tiny bit can turn a cure into a deadly toxin.

Her White Root had turned a simple cold into a terminal illness for the King.

He was barely clinging to life.

The Queen had locked down all news of the King's condition and ordered the secret execution of the entire medical staff.

I was caught in the middle of that political storm.

Before I died, the last thing I heard was Seraphina's voice complaining about me.

"Callum is such a cunning, petty man. He forbids everything just to keep me away from you."

"We were childhood sweethearts. He is just an outsider. He isn't even worthy of cleaning your boots."

2.

I was once the top scholar in the country.

To marry the Princess, I gave up a promising political career to become a healer in the Royal Infirmary.

After our marriage, I gave Seraphina everything.

She was physically weak, so I personally crafted her medicine and monitored her health every single day.

Kaelen was a prisoner from a rival pack, and his life in the palace was miserable.

I knew Seraphina was secretly helping him with money and food, but I looked the other way.

I gave her my life, but in her eyes, I was just an outsider.

She didn't know that her precious sweetheart hated our pack to his very core.

Right now, he was planning to drown our entire territory in blood.

The kingdom was without a leader, and the different political factions were already fighting for power.

Meanwhile, the enemy army had already crossed our borders in secret.

Their inside contact was Kaelen, the man who had lived among us for over ten years.

Inside the club, the air was thick with the scent of cheap perfume and lust.

Seraphina and Kaelen sat in the crowd, watching a dancer on the stage.

A pang of sadness hit my heart.

I used to crush fresh flowers and herbs to make a custom scent for our home because she hated the smell of heavy perfume.

She hated the smell of alcohol, so I quit drinking the day we got married.

But now, she was sitting in a room full of heavy scents and smoke.

Kaelen had his arms around other women while sitting right next to her.

Seraphina just smiled gently and drank the wine he offered her.

It turns out that when someone doesn't love you, the difference is painfully obvious.

3.

"Princess! What are you doing here?"

A sharp cry rang out.

A young girl was being dragged toward the back of the club by two large men.

It was Briar, Seraphina's personal maid from our house.

Briar's face was swollen, and her clothes were torn. She had clearly been fighting back.

After I was executed, the servants in our house were either exiled or sold.

Poor Briar had ended up in a place like this.

Seraphina frowned when she saw her.

She raised her hand and told the men to let Briar go.

Briar crawled to her feet, crying. "Princess, why are you here? My Lord, he..."

"Did Callum send you to find me?"

Seraphina's face twisted into a familiar look of contempt.

"Go back and tell him to stop looking for me. I'm going to divorce him."

Briar looked at her in disbelief.

"Princess, how can you be so cold? My Lord died because of you..."

Suddenly, Kaelen moved.

He lunged forward and drove a wooden stake straight through Briar's throat.

Briar's eyes went wide.

She made a horrific gasping sound as blood sprayed across the floor.

Seraphina jumped back to avoid the blood, looking at Kaelen with annoyance.

Kaelen said coldly, "She was your maid, yet she dared to speak for another man. What use is a disloyal servant?"

Seraphina's eyes filled with admiration.

"Decisive and ruthless. That is the mark of a true King."

"Kaelen, once you return home, you will achieve greatness."

She then turned and kicked Briar's cooling body.

"A loyal dog, just like Callum."

A chill ran through my soul.

That was Briar, the girl who had served her every day and treated her like family.

How could she be so heartless?

4.

Kaelen clearly enjoyed Seraphina's praise.

He pulled her onto his lap.

"I'm not the weak man I used to be. Do you want to see my real power?"

His face was full of arrogance. Seraphina nodded excitedly.

Kaelen took her to a secret camp outside the city.

There were already thirty thousand enemy soldiers stationed there.

Seraphina looked worried for a moment.

"Kaelen, why are there so many soldiers from your pack here?"

Kaelen's eyes darkened. "Don't you know me? I was a prisoner for years. I hate war more than anyone."

"I only have these soldiers for protection. People only respect you if you have power."

"Why? Do you not trust me, Seraphina?"

He let go of her hand, and she immediately grabbed it back.

"Of course I trust you!"

"A man as strong and peaceful as you deserves to rule the world."

She seemed to forget that her own father was the current King.

If her precious Kaelen became the ruler of the world, her family would be the first to be slaughtered.

She felt sorry for Kaelen's past, but she never stopped to think about the future of her own people.

5.

They walked through the camp hand-in-hand.

When they reached the training grounds, I saw a man tied to a target post.

A row of soldiers was firing arrows at him, laughing and hurling insults.

It was Commander Alaric, our pack's greatest general!

Alaric saw Seraphina holding Kaelen's hand, and his face filled with rage.

"Callum treated you like a queen, and here you are with another man! Have you no shame?"

Seraphina sneered. "He treated me well, but he was a useless man."

"My husband should be a warrior, a genius, a leader of men."

"What did Callum ever have?"

Alaric let out a dry laugh. "Callum was a master of both medicine and combat. He could have been the Prime Minister if he wanted."

"He only became a healer because of you."

Seraphina blinked, looking stunned for a second.

Alaric mocked her. "So, because your husband wasn't 'manly' enough, you decided to sleep with the enemy? You poisoned your own father for this traitor?"

Seraphina's face turned pale. "Kaelen is not the enemy!"

"He is a good man who wants peace between our packs."

"Unlike you generals who only care about war and making people suffer. You don't deserve to be a commander!"

Alaric looked at her like she was the stupidest person he had ever met.

Seraphina seemed to think of something and started laughing.

"I get it. Callum sent you, didn't he?"

"No wonder you're talking about my father. He must have found out about the medicine and told you to find me."

Her voice turned angry.

"I only added a little supplement, and he's making such a big deal out of it. So what if my father's recovery is a bit slow? If I hadn't helped him, Kaelen would have lost his position!"

"Kaelen just got back his power. If he didn't prove himself now, he would have been sidelined forever!"

She looked at Alaric with cold eyes.

"Go back. Tell Callum to stop looking for me. I'll give him the divorce papers when I return."

Alaric sighed and looked up at the sky in despair.

To Seraphina, this looked like a gesture of disrespect.

She grabbed a bow from a nearby soldier and aimed it at Alaric.

"You're a general, yet you spend your time slandering innocent people instead of protecting the pack."

"As the Princess, I will rid our people of this pest!"

The arrow flew through the air and pierced Alaric's heart.

The Commander coughed up a mouthful of blood and grinned at her one last time.

The man who had spent his life guarding our borders didn't die on the battlefield.

He died at the hands of the Princess he had sworn to protect.

My heart felt like it was breaking.

How could she not see it? A General of our pack would never be in an enemy camp voluntarily.

He had been captured and tortured.

Now, the kingdom had no King and no General. A catastrophe was coming.

And it was all because of the pack's favorite little Princess.

6.

Back in the tent, Seraphina felt a bit uneasy.

She stared at the scented pouch hanging from her waist.

I had made that for her using a special blend of herbs.

She had been losing her appetite lately, so I used rare ingredients like Reishi and Ginger to help her.

At first, she didn't want to wear it, but she realized it worked, so she kept it with her.

Kaelen walked in and saw her staring at it.

"What? Are you missing him now? Are you touched that he gave up his career for you?"

Seraphina jumped and said, "Of course not."

Kaelen's voice grew angry. "Have you forgotten? When I was dying in the palace, Callum refused to treat me. He even ordered a coffin for me!"

"If I hadn't woken up on the way to the graveyard, I'd be a corpse right now."

Seraphina's hesitation turned into pure hatred.

"I almost forgot. Callum is such a petty, power-hungry snake."

She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a letter to the Queen, reporting my 'crimes' and demanding a divorce.

I laughed.

Back then, Kaelen's heart had truly stopped.

The King had decided to send his body back to his pack to avoid a diplomatic nightmare.

I only realized now that he had faked his death.

It was a trap he had set long ago.

And yet, he was blaming me for not saving him.

Kaelen ripped the scented pouch from Seraphina's waist and toyed with it.

"When I become the High Alpha, I will make you my Queen. You won't need these trashy herbs anymore."

Seraphina looked delighted.

Marrying Kaelen was her only dream.

She had no idea that Kaelen already had a loverDa female General from his own pack.

Kaelen had been a hostage since he was ten. His pack had abandoned him long ago.

The only reason he had an army now was because of that female General.

Poor Seraphina didn't realize that once she was no longer useful, she would be discarded.

Kaelen threw the pouch out of the tent and reached for her.

Seraphina looked toward the door for a split second before placing her hand in his.

Kaelen laughed, swept her up in his arms, and carried her to the bed.

The sounds of their passion filled the tent.

7.

Three days later, the Queen arrived at the camp.

The King had held on for a month, but he finally passed away.

The Queen had kept the news secret. The crown prince was too young, and the other princes were too busy fighting each other.

She had come to negotiate with Kaelen.

Seraphina looked annoyed when she saw her mother.

"Mother, don't tell me you're here to help Callum. Are you here to drag me back?"

"I only added a little supplement to the medicine, and he wouldn't stop complaining."

"I told him Kaelen's life was on the line, but he didn't care."

"My mind is made up. I am divorcing Callum. I will never live with him again!"

The Queen was shaking with rage. She finally snapped and slapped Seraphina across the face.

"You stupid girl!"

Seraphina fell to the ground, clutching her cheek in shock.

"Mother? You hit me? You hit me because of Callum?"

The Queen's face was twisted with fury. "Because of Callum? Callum is dead! The day you poisoned the King, every single healer in the Infirmary was executed!"

"What?"

Seraphina froze. "That's impossible. Kaelen said White Root was a supplement. Why would everyone be killed for that?"

"You're lying to me."

The Queen looked at her coldly. "Why would I lie? Callum is gone. As for your father's condition, I'm sure your precious Kaelen knows the truth better than anyone."

Seraphina was stunned.

The Queen wouldn't come all this way just to tell a lie.

The truth began to sink in.

Her face started to twitch with fear, and her body began to shake.

"No... it can't be..."

...