The Alpha's Replacement Bride

Breakfast Date

"Are you still mad at me?" asked Liam, who took Harriet's hand and put her fingers to his lips, kissing it long and deeply.

Harriet looked the other way and still didn't say anything. Liam kept trying to figure out what Harriet was seeing because he thought maybe she was interested in something, but the woman seemed to be staring blankly into the air by her side.

As their breakfast arrived, Harriet finally turned to Liam. The man looked like a remorseful Golden Retriever. Harriet suppressed her smile, trying to control her face, which was about to burst into laughter.

"All right, let's have breakfast, Milord," said Harriet.

Liam's golden eyes stared straight at her.

"I'm sorry," the man said once again in a very soft voice, even making the people sitting and having breakfast at the tables around them swoon. It was no exception for the breakfast shop waitress, who immediately blushed.

"I'm not angry anymore," said Harriet no less gently. Unlike Liam's bright and shining eyes, her lavender eyes radiated shaded warmth.

"Then don't ignore me, hm?" Liam didn't want to let go of Harriet's hand.

Harriet then grabbed Liam's hand back.

“I know you were choosing a way so we wouldn't waste too much time jumping straight to the city from the tower. And that is right. We got here in a trice…” said Harriet.

Liam raised an eyebrow, not expecting Harriet to understand his intention immediately. Liam had been trying to contain his drowsiness, so he was in such a hurry and finally decided to jump straight to the city.

"If I had known you were in such a hurry, we should just have had breakfast together at the castle," said Harriet softly.

"We can have breakfast together at the castle whenever I wake up," Liam said flatly.

"So you mean you will try to get up every morning?" asked Harriet.

Liam scooped the soup in front of him and fed it to Harriet. The man shook his head.

"I will try to wake up every time I feel your presence," said the man.

A confused Harriet opened her mouth and took Liam's spoonful of soup, but she blinked at the man as soon as she heard his explanation. Liam told her that he could faintly sense Harriet's presence while sleeping. And when that happened, his desire to wake up would increase.

"You have to eat too," said Harriet, blocking Liam's continuous feedings with the palm of her hand.

"I fed you; don't you want to feed me, too?" the man looked at Harriet innocently.

Harriet smiled a little and scooped up the stew on her plate. She fed the man a spoonful. Liam looked happy to receive it. The pink atmosphere between Harriet and Liam certainly caught the attention of many people.

Harriet realized that Liam's stunning appearance would not escape the attention of anyone who saw it. Under the morning sun, Liam looked like the most brilliant man in the world.

"Madam, will you get me some water?" Liam asked, clearing his throat softly and wiping his lips with his sleeve. The hot tea in Liam's cup had run out.

Harriet nodded, asking Liam to wait a moment after realizing all the servers were busy delivering orders to other tables. She had to go to the bar herself to make the order.

Harriet's good mood involuntarily created a faint smile on her face, but at the same time, it made her movements and footsteps more fluid than usual. Harriet's stoic and aristocratic manner immediately made her the center of attention when she got up and walked over to the bar.

The diner was quite spacious, with an indoor and outdoor section. Since Harriet and Liam were sitting on the side of the road, Harriet had to walk some distance to the bar, though she could still see their table from there. Harriet thus asked the waiter for two glasses of water and an extra cup of coffee.

“Missy, are you a newcomer?” asked the waiter, starting the conversation.

Harriet blinked once and smiled.

"That's right," said Harriet softly.

"I was just about to treat you to breakfast, but it turns out that Missy already has a man," the male waiter blinked one eye with confidence.

Harriet chuckled.

"If he hurts you, Missy, you know where to look for me," the young man continued.

“Aww,” Harriet kept her friendly smile and was slightly surprised. It turned out that Northern men were bold and persistent casanova, whether it was the waiter or her husband.

"Unfortunately, I'm not considering a divorce. Sorry," said Harriet with an apologetic face.

The young man immediately changed his expression. He was clearly disappointed by Harriet's words, especially when Harriet said she was married. But politely, he prepared Harriet's order and placed it on the tray. Harriet thanked the young man and lifted her order on the tray back to her table.

When Harriet got to her table, she saw Liam leaning limply in the chair with his eyes closed. Harriet's previously bright expression slowly turned somber, accompanied by a gentle smile.

Harriet set her tray on the table and crouched in front of Liam to get a better look at his slightly bowed face. She then noticed Liam's sleeves were stained with blood. It seemed that when Liam cleared his throat earlier, he had coughed up some blood and hid it from Harriet.

Harriet's expression became more complicated than before. Her husband forced himself to ask her out on a date in such a rush that he jumped from the tower into the city center. Then, the man still managed to be generous to her and bought her the knick-knacks that she was looking at… even hiding the blood he coughed.

Harriet felt a tight squeeze in her chest, and her eyes began to water as she took a deep breath to hold back her tears.

"Is everything all right, Miss?" asked the young man, the waiter, who had been worried for Harriet after watching her from behind the ordering bar.

Harriet smiled, blinked to hide her tears, and chuckled.

"No problem," she said slowly.

Harriet took her purse and handed the waiter a gold coin. She instructed the waiter to summon Secretary Daniel from the Almandine Castle to come and pick them up.

The young man was taken aback when Harriet gave the instructions. He no longer delayed and followed Harriet's instructions to the castle.

While waiting, Harriet pulled her chair closer to Liam's side and tried to prop Liam's body against her shoulder.

Harriet didn't have to wait long until Daniel appeared with a few big and burly Lycans. They bowed politely to Harriet, again attracting the attention of the diner patrons and the servers.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Madam," said Daniel.

Harriet just shook her head and smiled.

"Thank you for coming," she said.

Daniel nodded and smiled back at Harriet. They took the unconscious Liam in a horse-drawn carriage back to the castle while Daniel finished paying for their breakfast.

On the carriage, holding Liam’s head on her lap, Harriet thought the date was quite successful as the man was fast asleep. Although, in the end, everyone there knew that they were from the Almandine Family after seeing the Almandine Emblem on the carriage they were using, Harriet felt it was worth it.

After all, she never thought she'd be able to have a date with her dying husband, who could only wake up on a full moon.

Harriet wanted to thank Liam when he woke up again.

Harriet's hand reached into Liam's hand, which was folded over his stomach, and he kissed his finger like he had kissed hers so profoundly and long before.

"Thank you, Milord."