"Oh, My Mighty Goddess, please hear my humble prayer and help this poor soul. Lift the curse that had been bounded him and save him from this damnation cycle. May you bless his life with your grace." Seiran muttered a prayer whilst closing her eyes in concentration. A bead of sweat is rolling down from her forehead as she is using a large amount of her inner energy to conjure a high-level healing spell, to counter the ancient curse in Jae Woon's body.
At the same time, Jae Woon reluctantly swallowed the pill inside his mouth. As soon as the pill is dissolved, a chain of reactions is taking place.
Hazy, black smoke is seeping out from his body along with a thick, foul odor. A rotten stench is wafting in the air, that it's almost making Jae Woon vomit on the spot. He managed to hold his bile though as he glances at the beautiful girl beside him. Her concentration sure deserved some applause as the rotten smell didn't bother her even the slightest bit. He is impressed by her determination to heal him.
Thirty minutes had passed and both of them finally collapsed on the ground, feeling helpless as extreme exhaustion took a toll on their sweaty bodies. The golden light dissipates into thin air.
"Ah, I forgot the side effect..." Seiran sighed as her sight is blurring. The last thing she saw is a tall and handsome male, with flawless skin, fainting beside her. "Daddy, husband sure is a handsome man." She giggles as the thought is fleeting away along with her own consciousness. Darkness soon takes place.
Mochi blinked its eyes. Then, a sudden realization is flashed by its mind.
(I should probably remind the host to find a place to hide before they performed the healing ritual. Hmm... Whatever. This mighty system will just put a barrier around you guys. No one will saw you as long as you are inside.)
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Seiran had the most comfortable sleep right now. A warm, and sturdy chest is hugging her small body from behind and she instinctively turned around, before burying her face into the crook of the person's neck. She rubbed her face on the smooth and sturdy chest, whilst inhaling the heavenly scent.
A manly scent of sandalwood and fresh mint are wafting into her nose, and she sighed in contentment as the smell is lulling her back to her most comfortable sleep. A strong arm circling around her thin waist and pulling their bodies impossibly closer. Seiran hummed in delight.
"Still want to continue your sleep, my dear Seiran?" A deep baritone voice is whispering in her ears, and warm breath grazing over the sensitive part of her body, that is her neck. Her neck instantly turned bright red.
Hmm? A male voice? Whose voice is that? Seiran mentally thought. Sluggish, exhausted, and she is still feeling the aftereffect of using high-level healing magic, Seiran lazily opened her heavy eyelids.
"Good evening." Jae Woon chuckles as he saw the dumbfounded expression on her beautiful face. Looking closely at this distance, he is mesmerized by her long, and thick eyelashes that fluttered adorably at him. And, her almond-like eyes shone in the dark, as her beautiful hazel orbs are being reflected by moonlight.
It's taken several minutes before Seiran finally realized their awkward position. Her face felt hotter than a molten iron. She is sleeping in Danial's embrace for god know how long?! Seiran, aren't you ashamed of your action?! Not only that, she also shamelessly rubbed her face on Danial's chest just now! Oh my god!
"I...I'm sorry!" Feeling flustered, she tried to part away from Danial.
Instead of loosening his hold though, Danial tightens his embrace around her body. He left a trail of tender kisses from the top of Seiran's head until he reached the tip of her pointy nose. His lips lingered around Seiran's lips.
"Can we, stay like this for a while?" He asked for her permission. "Will you allowed me to hold you like this, for a while, Seiran?"
Seiran lifted her face. Their eyes coincidentally meeting one another. With a smile on her face, she nodded.
"Hold me, as long as you need me." She said. "Danial, I swear to devote my body, my love, and my life only to you. Use me however you like. Just please, promise me this one thing?"
"What is it?"
Seiran lifted her right hand and hesitantly touched Jae Woon's left cheek. She tucked his wild long curl behind his ears. Unexpectedly, once his curse is lifted, his hair grew longer than she anticipated, and his skin becomes slightly tanned. He resembles the late Queen more than the Emperor himself.
"Please don't abandon me, don't reject me and please let me keep loving you even if you no longer feel the same feeling like me," Seiran uttered these words with a shaky voice. She didn't want to felt the painful feeling of rejection anymore. The hopelessness and dismay she had experienced might ruin her completely. Once is enough. "Please don't reject me, Danny."
Jae Woon engulfed her small, trembling hand with his own.
"Such a small wish, if I cannot grant it, then, I am not qualified to earn your love, my dear Ran."
"You have a sweat mouth, my prince."
"I'm not. You're the first woman I ever uttered such an embarrassing line to. Also, don't call me that. Call me by my name."
Seiran snuggles herself into Jae Woon's warm embrace. She closed her eyes and enjoying this blissful moment together with her beloved.
"Yes, yes, I will call you Danny. This name is only reserved for me. Do not let other girls call you by that name. Or else..."
"What?"
"I cripple your family jewel for being a lecherous bastard."
Jae Woon's face turned dread the moment Seiran said those words.
"You're cruel."
"No. I'm possessive." Seiran replied.
--------------
Lady Liliane opened her front door as she heard a soft knocking sound on it.
As soon as she opened them, an unfamiliar man is standing out there with her daughter in his arms. The male had long and curl silver hair that surpassed his broad shoulder. He is tall, approximately six feet, with long and slender legs. A pair of piercing brown eyes are staring at her daughter with visible love and adoration. His skin is a bit tan, but, flawless. He looks familiar to her, and at the same time, he is not.
"Who are you...?" She asked with a frown. "And why is my daughter..."
"Good morning, Liliane." His deep and husky voice is sending chills on Lady Liliane's spine. The authoritative vibe he owned proved that he is not an ordinary person.
"Hello...?"
"I need to talk with you and Lona. Is she here?"
"You know Lona?"
The male chuckles.
"Of course I know her. The two of you are my mother's friends."
Her eyes widen. Lady Liliane's knee immediately dropped onto the floor as she bowed her head in haste.
"My Imperial Prince! Forgive my rudeness!"
Jae Woon scanned his surroundings.
"Lona, is she not here?"
Lady Liliane still bowing her head, answered in a timid voice.
"She is exploring the world. There are rumors about Queen Carina's murderer is seen in the neighboring country. She went there to check."
"By the way, when will you invite me inside? Until when will I stayed outside, standing like a sore thumb while holding your sleeping daughter?"
Lady Liliane is startled as she heard the displeasure tone in Jae Woon's voice.
"Forgive me, Sire! Please come inside!"
Jae Woon entered the mansion as soon as he received the house owner's permission. Rather than walking, he teleported directly into Seiran's room.
Contrary to her tough nature, her room is a normal adolescent girl's room. Decorated lavishly with expensive stuff, her room is painted in white, while the curtain, the blanket, the pillow sheet, and the sofa were in soft pink color. A bundle of soft and fluffy toys like teddy bears is put on her bed.
Jae Woon tucked Seiran in her bed. He kissed her forehead lovingly before teleported again to the living room, as Lady Liliane is nervously waiting for his arrival there.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The antique hanging watch on the wall is reverberating when the time hits ten o'clock in the morning. The ticking sound of the clock is not deafening enough, however, it's disrupted the tranquility state of the living room. Lady Liliane fiddled with her fingers. She had no qualms in continuing her silly lie to the prince. They have been sitting in the living room in silence for almost fifteen minutes. She is subconsciously holding her breath and greedily exhaled a relief sigh once she heard the sound interruption from the clock. Nevertheless, the longer the time is dragging by, the more nervous and fidgety she felt about the situation on her hands. She apprehensively glances at the handsome male in front of her. "What will you do aft
Seiran opened her heavy eyelids. She is stretching out on her big bed like a lazy domesticated Persian cat. Her watery eyes swept around her surroundings in wonder. Seiran no longer felt lethargic and her inner energy and magic power already rekindled to their maximum state. Although right now, she is yearning for the comfortable and cozy feeling of Danial's embrace. The familiar setting of her own room and the homely vibe she is experiencing proved that she is back in her own haven. Ah, this is my room. Seiran dazedly contemplated this in the back of her mind. Did Danial bring her home? Seiran covered her blushing face with her palms as she remembers Danial's handsome and stunning appearance. His dazzling, and enthralling
Liliane finally calmed down. She released a relieved breath. Her shoulders shagged down a lot and she suddenly felt exhausted with all this secret she is keeping. Her daughter, Seiran keeps asking about her condition, which she assured her multiple times already, that she is okay and nothing is wrong with her. Liliane curled her lips into a smile. As soon as Seiran confirmed her mother's well-being, she turned her body around and face Danial. Danial flinched as he saw the fury in her almond-like eyes. Her eyes are burning with fire. Both of her hands are on her waist, while she is throwing an accusatory look toward the prince. The prince, however, just lifted his hands in mock surrender and give her his best puppy eyes and innocent look. Seiran's tense shoulders visibly relaxed. Her eyes soften at the pitiful expr
"Queen Carina's death is not accidental nor a coincident. Her death is a joyous event for Maverick. He, for so long had set to take Carina's life. No. not her life, but, Goddess Athena's descendant's life." Liliane lifted her head, and her hooded eyes come in contact with Jae Woon's surprised look and Seiran's disbelief expression."Goddess Athena's descendant? You mean Danial is...?" Seiran almost choked on her biscuit when she heard the shocking news from her mother. "I thought, the story about Goddess Athena is only a myth. a legend of our empire, being passed down from one descendant to another for learning purposes?"" You should probably aware, legend also had a solid background story behind them, Ran," Liliane responded. "The story is passed down from one generation to another generation because they ho
Deep in the dark, thick forest, there stood a shaded and mossy building, fenced with heavy black gates. The exterior looked abandoned and lonely. Inside the enormous place, it's held only a few essential pieces of furniture such as a deep red comfy couch, a round table made up of fragile glass, and two wooden chairs at either side of the table. The dimmed place is being lit up by several torches on the walls. The mansion is desolate from any human being. There is one lonely figure sitting on the couch. The man is staring outside of the balcony, with his sword-like brows furrowed in rage. The man has tousled, long black hair surpassing his broad shoulder and a pair of piercing scarlet eyes. His moist lips tugged into a sinister smile as he is remembering something funny from the past. He had a fit and muscular stature, despite wearing a large cloak around his body. His long and slender legs are crossed lazily on the couch, with his arms is resting on the couch handle. He
The big torrent of fire soared high to the starless night sky, brutally swallowing everything on its path. Thick dust and hazy smoke ran rampant upon the street. Civilians are running away in fear, begging and pleading for anyone to help them. The cries of grievance echoing from all directions. The sight is too gruesome. Burned and charred remains, limbless bodies, and decapitated corpses are scattered on the ground. Hell has broken loose. The once beautiful Grandia has no longer existed. This is a pure catastrophe. Liliane cast a spell on the ghouls that chasing after a group of children. Her ice attack swiftly pierced those monsters in one deadly attack. Deafening screams from those ghouls reverberating in the air, before silence finally ensued. "Are you guys okay?" She worriedly ask
Recap of the previous chapter. Hell had broken loose in the Grandia Kingdom. Those malevolent creatures from the underworld under the command of Maverick had attacked and slaughtered the civilian in just one deadly night. Rather than slaughter or mass murder, it was more fitted to call these tragedies a total human annihilation. ----------- Maverick threw a disgusted look on the other twin, who is staring at him from the big bed, warped in a blanket. The older twin never once cried. Instead, his brown doe eyes curiously scanning the man in front of him. As if he is etching Maverick's profile deep into his brain. The older twin had the same hair color as his mother, the color of untainted snow. The one who inherited Athena's blood can be identified through their hair. Which explained Maverick's intense hatred towards him. As expected, this boy is his enemy that needs to be pulverized before he reaches adulthood. He needs to k
Flashback ended. Liliane wiped her tears away. "Too many people lose their lives that night. The Emperor went ballistic once he realized that his beloved Queen died, his oldest son in such miserable condition, while his youngest son is missing. He loses control over his magic due to his grief. On top of that, the death of his best friend, Zarack, slapped him hard on the face. The Emperor started to change for the worst. He treated his child harshly, pushing all the blame on you. Until this day, his hatred towards you never recede. The rumor about you also played a significant role in exponentially increasing his dislike. For anyone who showed pity towards you, or defending you, will be severely punished by him. Anyone who talked about the incident also got exiled to the Dark Forest for
The silence was unsettling. From a distance, someone can even hear the sound of dropping a pin onto the floor.The Bronze Pavilion became eerily quiet despite the palace crowding with people. The sudden drop in temperature, the unexpected coldness that froze out everything in its path, and the heavy pressure of tremendous Mana shrouded the place, all of this happened due to one person.The culprit who caused such disturbance casually leaned his body on the wall with his arms propped on the handrails. He looked at the kneeling humans, and some even groveling on the floor. Those people got denied the right to raise their heads by the oppressive force radiating from Danial's body. The piles of humans scattering before him kept groaning and whimpering in pain. They begged with their heads on the floor for the prince to let them off the hook.Danial said nothing. He neither felt pleasure nor guilty witnessing this scene.Instead, the brown pupils kept glowing, and the pair of irises turned
It took a whole hour for the chaotic situation from before to calm down completely. The injured were sent to the hospital while Princess Natasha refused her maid's help and threw an unwarranted tantrum.She kept yelling and unreasonably lashed her anger toward the innocent maid and blamed everything on her.With her mess-up appearance, she looked like a deranged person. Her beet-red face turned several times darker when her eyes which drifted towards Danial, had unfortunately aligned with his line of sight.She felt embarrassed, and she had never thought of such a humiliating situation occurring to her upon encountering this handsome stranger.Danial tilted his head and chuckled humorously. He seemed to laugh at her miserable condition.Natasha felt a pang of sadness inside her heart, albeit the giddy feeling overwhelmed her more. That by any means, the handsome stranger had noticed her presence. He would recall her face every tim
Present time.Sofia changed her outfit into a presentable one.She is completely engrossed in her gardening duty and often neglects her appearance. At the very least, when seeing Danial, she must look outwardly alright, or he might think of her as a gardener pretending to be a palace concubine.After a while, she rushed towards the Prince Pavilion, leaving behind her palace maids.She needed to deliver the thing that Carina entrusted to her. There was no way she would keep quiet any longer. Keeping a secret is a hassle and cumbersome thing. For eighteen years, she had a restless sleep and often had insomnia.That woman had not only burdened her with an unbelievable request. She also insisted on her telling him the truth. And, despite the unwillingness to do what she instructed, Sofia decided to confide everything to Danial, letting him determine his own fate.She had a feeling that Danial knew what Carina was hiding from the rest of th
"I said that my time has come." Carina calmly repeated the words. She lifted her hands, making the quote and unquoted gestures. "The ending of my life is just around the corner." A bolt of thunder seemed to strike Sofia as she stared unbelievably at Carina. She was speechless at her revelation. Did she mishear it? Seeing Sofia's dumbfounded face, Carina patted her cheek to make her soul come back to reality. "What? Could you repeat it?" Sofia blinked her eyes, her head tilted awkwardly as her round eyes stared at Carina in disbelief. She could barely hold back the snort that bubbled at the back of her throat. "I seemed to mishear your words?"
Eighteen years ago. Two months before the tragedy happened. In the Imperial Garden, during the night. The Imperial Garden brimmed with the vitality of nature, as lush of greenness spread as far as eyes could see. Colorful flowers and plants bloomed and flourished, creating a breathtaking scene under the serenity of the night. On this night, all the living beings in the garden were very energetic with the additional help of Carina's light magic. The plants energized and exuded more fragrances, filling the air with crisp and mellow scents. Carina was not alone. The small animals willingly participate, hurdled together in an inconspicuous corner, some well-hidden and some were not, accompanying her. Their appearances add layers of
Shadow Guard number six, whose name is akin to the master of infiltration, Wind Master. His nickname is Sixth. He served the Emperor as his personal bodyguard, alongside their leader, Master Art. Sixth's duty alleviated to be the Imperial Prince's bodyguard as soon as the young prince learned to walk by himself. His coworkers teased him that the Emperor was angry with him and demoted his rank to supervise the hated and ill-bringer prince, The First Prince, Prince Danial. Initially, he also thought so. The Emperor loathed his son and unceremoniously abandoned him to the farthest place within the palace. The palace was the Cold Palace. The young prince at that time was only five years old. He knew nothing and was still green about everything, especially
Danial entered his pavilion. He casually surveyed his surrounding with an expressionless face. He strode along the magnificent hallways with the shadow guard trailed behind him. The whole place seemed to paint in white. Only the curtains, the ornaments, and decorations were in different colors. The floor beneath is made of glossy wood. The surface seemed translucent and glistened when the light reflected on them. When you stepped on them, the footstep reverberated across the peaceful residential palace. In the center, there is a pond with a beautiful fountain. The Kois swam with great vitality, splashing the water around and sometimes creating waves after waves. The pond separated the palace into two parts and sturdy black fences barricaded around it. To the left side, you will reach the Prince's residence. And, to the right side, you will be entering the princesses'. At this time
Danial arrived at the outskirt of the Main City when the sun had spread its comfortable and soothing light on the boundless horizon. He left The Knight Residence when the dawn itself was welcomed by the world. The bright sunshine shone above him with its warm light. The sky is clear, and the weather for today is as spectacular as yesterday. The beautiful ambiance is befitting for anyone to take a stroll with family or friends, leisurely spending time together. Danial strode over the bridge, walking in a steady gait while evading the rush of upcoming carriage from his front. The luxurious carriage bypassed him in a flash, and he managed to catch a glimpse of a slender hand that lifted the white curtain. The long, golden hair shimmered under the sun as a head peeked outside the carriage's window. Danial scrunched his nose, left in a daze and astounded. The remaining nostalgia feeling of the good old days hit him on t
The rest of the family forced themselves to enter their rooms under the warning glare of Seiran. Although unwilling, the sibling reluctantly dragged their feet upstairs and obediently locked their doors, including Duke Arklight. The man was forcibly half-dragged and half-walked by his wife. Lady Liliane finally lost her temper and pulled her husband's right ear. She glowered, expressing her fatigues and sleepiness, and Duke Arklight relented. He kept sending a fierce glare towards Danial, who politely nodded his head in response. Duke Arklight felt that his vein was throbbing as he was infuriated by Danial's reaction. Before he could say anything, Liliane drilled both of her knuckles on her husband's temples. "Mercy! Darling, it hurts!" He wailed.