After a while, Anwen calmed down and fell asleep. Odette was still awake, waiting for Narine to come back. She sat by the window, watching the snow fall slowly. The entire ground was now covered with snow.
Odette tightened her coat as the air got colder. When she first came to the palace, it was summer and now it was already winter.
After waiting long, the crystal finally shone brightly. Not long after that, Narine appeared.
“Narine!”
“Huh?” The fairy was surprised to see Odette who suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Y-yes.”
“I’ve been waiting for you. I need to talk to you,” said Odette, immediately catching the little fairy.
“Let’s talk somewhere else.”
“But, I’m hungry!”
Odette took the cake that Anwen al
Odette walked out of the room blankly. All of Narine’s words kept ringing inside her head.... Aathreya did that so that Dario could feel what he felt before.... Dario sacrificed your mother for Queen Isabelle, so he sacrificed Rose for you.... The purpose he brought you back here was because he wanted you to take Rose’s place.Odette held onto the wall as her legs went numb. The memory of Rion’s hatred for the people that caused Rose’s death filled her mind.… I couldn’t forget that incident. Everything is still very clear. It was a nightmare that haunted me for six years.… I killed Rose with my own hands.… I couldn’t forgive myself.… Perhaps my hatred for them is too great because even if I killed them, I wouldn’t be satisfied.
Rion, who was informed by Nadin that Odette was in the north tower, rushed there right away. When he got there, he met Elis who was watching his wife from afar.“The Queen has been sitting there since this afternoon,” said Elis worriedly. She and Nadin took turns watching the queen in the tower from noon until evening. Rion was surprised to hear that, and he immediately approached Odette. He took off his coat and draped it over Odette’s shoulder then sat beside her.“What is it?” Odette asked confusedly.“What do you mean by what is it?”“You’re here.”“Because you’re also here.”“Did you finish your work?”“I skipped,” said Rion while turning around. Odette smiled, but the smile looked forced, not like her usual sweet smile. “What should I do?” Rion asked, making Odette confused.“What do you mean?”“What should I do to make you smile like you used to?” He reached out and held Odette’s hand, which was cold from being outside for too long. Besides, the wind was very cold because it
It was early in the morning. People gathered in the plaza to watch Duchess Scarlet receive her punishment.Requiring people to come was part of the tradition. It was done to show people the strictness of Panthera’s laws and to make people think twice before committing a crime.Inside the palace, Michell Scarlet’s parents were kneeling and bowing down before Rion and Odette’s feet, begging for forgiveness for their daughter.They had always lived with pride, walking with their heads high and their chests out. Today they knelt and even bowed down until their foreheads kissed the floor.“We beg your wisdom, Your Majesty. Please forgive Michell. We will pay for whatever it takes to save her life. Please don’t punish her.” Michell’s m
Michelle’s body was taken out of the capital to be buried. Since she was no longer a member of the Scarlet family, then she couldn’t be buried in Scarlet Family Cemetery.Aerith was exiled, while Cristela along with Erika and Erina started doing community services to the citizens in the capital. They distributed food and blankets to the homeless and provided other assistance using their personal possessions.The cold air made her cough, but Cristela took her punishment wholeheartedly, hoping it would lessen her sins.As his promise, Rion took Odette out of the palace while riding on Derby’s back.Anwen and Trish followed and watched them from afar.“Rion, stop.”Hearing his wife’s order, Rion immediately stopped his horse.“What’s wrong?”Odette took out her phone,
After praying, Rion asked Saintess Angela for help to treat Odette. The queen had already said that she was fine, but Rion still insisted. Finally, Odette complied with her husband’s wish so the man would feel at ease. Besides, she was pretty sure she was fine.As Odette lay on the bed, she was slightly startled as she felt a refreshing cold sensation run through every vein in her head the moment the Saintess Angela’s palm touched her forehead. The green light also flashed from it.It was hard to believe!Her mind really worked hard to get a logical explanation of every incident that happened before her eyes. The more Odette thought about it, the more confused she became, so she just accepted it.“Huh?” Odette was stunned when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and her heart felt like it was being stabbed by several tiny needles. It hurt, but she could still endure it
The soft light of the golden afternoon sun shimmered over the snow, forming a beautiful sight that was very captivating.Odette hugged Rion’s neck tightly and kissed the man’s cheek lightly. Rion’s smile somehow never faded.After walking around the garden for a while, Rion stopped then lowered Odette from his back.“I’m glad to see you looking cheerful again,” he said.“So do I. I’m happy to see you happy.”“All thanks to you. I can’t even remember the last time I laughed like today.” Rion looked at the sky. “It feels very light. As a child, I didn’t get many chances to play. When I played with the children, I felt like a bird that finally got its freedom after years of being locked up.”He chuckled then looked at Odette. “Thank you, Odette,” he said while h
Rion opened the bedroom door and looked around the room. It was very quiet even though when he left the room this morning, it was very warm, but when he came back, everything looked very gloomy.Trish was very worried because from the garden, Rion didn’t speak at all, so he followed his king all the way there to check his condition.“Your Majesty, what happened?” He had asked that question many times.“Go to Randle and bring Narine here,” Rion said flatly.Trish was silent. He was actually confused by Rion’s order.“Didn’t you hear me?” Rion glanced at Trish sharply. Even his voice sounded very cold. This stunned Trish. Two seconds later, he immediately nodded obediently.“Very well, Your Majesty.”Trish rushed out of the room. Although he didn’t know what the problem
Odette wiped her tears then took a deep breath. “If you want me to feel better, go away from here. You’re only making me sadder.”Anwen was stunned. “W-why? What did I do wrong?”“I SAID GO! GO AWAY!” Odette’s voice was loud. This took Anwen by surprise. “I don’t need you! GO AWAY!” she snapped again.Anwen still refused to leave, but when Odette continued to yell at her while crying in despair, she finally reluctantly complied with the queen’s wishes.She would go back to the palace and see how her brother was. Right now, she thought Rion and Odette were having a big fight because if it was a normal fight, Odette wouldn’t have cried like that.Anwen left the Lilium Residence to go to the palace. She ran fast under the falling snow. The cold air pierced her skin to the bone.Anwen l
“Doctor Ody.”“Mia?”Mia smiled and sat beside Odette.“I know you’re feeling scared right now, but we can definitely handle it properly,” Mia said reassuringly.“You’re not afraid of him?”“When Bee was born, and I saw him for the first time, I cried because I remembered when Alvin was born. At that time, I didn’t want to see his face because I hated his father so much. Every time I remembered that, my heart hurt, and I felt bad for having such a thought. Alvin doesn’t know anything, so why should he be hated?”“Mia...”“Bee doesn’t know anything either. He’s a sweet child with a heart as pure as an angel. Why should I be afraid of him?” Mia smiled, then looked at the sky. “Since my parents died, I don’t have anyone anymore. People who should be called family actually treat me like trash. Perhaps even tr
“Odette!” Hans finally came. He quickly approached Odette, who was struggling to get away from one of the firefighters who were holding her and preventing her from getting closer to the flames blazing the house.“Senior, help Bee! BEEE!” Odette let out a hoarse cry.Then Hans was stunned to see Bee being carried out by the firefighter. “Bee?”“Baby, Honey.” Odette immediately dragged her wobbling feet to approach the child, carefully taking him from the firefighter. “It’s okay, Honey. Mom is here. Mom is here.” She rubbed Bee’s back and kissed him as she hugged him so tightly. It wasn’t long before Bee suddenly lost consciousness.“B-Bee? Bee!”“Let’s take him to the hospital!”Odette and Hans rushed into the car and took Bee to the hospital. Arriving at the hospital, Bee was handled by the doctor immediately.“Bee…
In the palace garden, Rion, Trish, and Anwen sat together while enjoying dessert.“What?” Anwen and Trish were shocked to hear of Rion’s plans to retire and leave Panthera.“Are you serious, Your Majesty?” Trish asked hurriedly. “What’s wrong? Why so sudden?”“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”“Then what about Panthera?”“There is you.” Rion casually said it as though it wasn’t something serious, then cut the cake in front of him before eating it in delight.“What?” His eyebrows raised a little upon noticing the sharp gaze from Anwen and Trish. The two of them couldn’t believe what the king had just said.“Your Majesty, your joke isn’t funny at all,” Trish said flatly.“This isn’t a joke.” Rion took a deep breath and then looked up at the sky.
Betelgeuse, Alpha of the Orion constellation.Betelgeuse D. Panther was the star in the hearts of Odette and Rion.“Bee...” Odette kept smiling as she watched Bee’s sleeping face. When the boy was asleep like this, he became very calm.Somehow, every time she looked at Bee, she was like seeing Rion’s figure when he was small.“Mom… Zzz…”“Mom’s here.” Odette chuckled when she heard Bee calling out to her. She remembered Rion also calling her name in his sleep. Indeed, Bee really was the son of Arion D. Panther.“Sweet dream, Honey,” she whispered and kissed the boy’s forehead.She then got off the bed then left the room, walking towards the living room. When she arrived, she saw Mia was busy with piles of fabrics that needed to be sewn.“Mia.”The young woman stopped her activities and turned her head naturally.&ldqu
“Drystan,” Rion called the young man again, and this time, Drystan cast his gaze at him.“Is my father…?” Drystan wanted to ask about his father’s condition but couldn’t finish his sentence. The words stuck in his throat as though, deep down, he had already guessed it.“Did you already know about this?”Drystan nodded with a faint smile, but sadness was evident in his eyes. He told Rion that before going to the capital, he went to Bosa with his father. When his father found out that Aathreya was dead, and so did Rion, he decided to take that step.“He regretted that he never gave any happiness to Odette. If you died, Sister Odette would definitely suffer a lot, and he didn’t want her to suffer anymore. I told you that my father deeply regretted all the things he had done in the past, and now he had proven it. That’s it, I’m leaving,” Drystan said in a self-deprecating man
“Big brother?” As Anwen saw Rion’s fingers moving slightly, she rushed to kneel beside him, followed by Dario.As Rion’s consciousness returned, Dario’s consciousness actually faded.“When… when you meet your sister-in-law, tell her that I’m sorry,” Dario said while looking at Rion wistfully.Anwen was silent. She didn’t give any responses, as she wasn’t sure if there would be a chance to see Odette again or not.Dario’s eyes quivered. They slowly closed before opening again, closed again, and opened again. This continued until his body slumped to the ground helplessly. Luckily, Anwen immediately reacted and supported his back.Dario’s eyes were still open, and he looked in a daze at the cloudy sky above him. At this moment, he had sunken into his trove of memories of Odette.‘I DON’T HAVE A FATHER! MY FATHER IS DEAD!’The image of Odette
Rose sat by the river while Rion lay on her lap, enjoying every second of their togetherness.“Rose, I’m sorry,” Rion said as he looked at the woman, holding her hand, which stroked his forehead gently.Rose smiled gently. “You’ve said it 100 times.”“I am so sorry.”“You’ve said that a hundred times already.”“Since you left, I couldn’t breathe properly every day, and something invisible kept tightening my heart.”“Yes… You’ve said it, and Lucas also told me.”“Lucas?” Rion got up and looked at Rose questioningly.“Yeah. He said Trish told him about it.”“Trish?”When Rose told him everything Lucas had told her, Icarus arrived at the Rose Garden. Anwen was surprised to find Dario and Saintess Angela there.Dario hopped onto Icarus’ back and carried Rion down
Aiden was finally gone as his body was destroyed from within by the combined power of Rion and Aathreya. However, although Aiden was dead, the problem wasn’t really over because Gerald’s soul had already left his body and resided in Rad’s body instead.At the moment, Gerald was floating in the air, under the purple eye that still stood firm in the sky. He raised his hands to activate the Divine Eye, but Icarus came and breathed out a powerful flame, forcing Gerald to move away to escape it.“Narine?” Anwen muttered when he saw the little fairy on the back of Icarus flying towards her.“Get the king onto Icarus’ back,” said Narine briskly.“What?” Anwen and Trish felt puzzled.“Just do it if you still want to meet the king!” Narine exclaimed in a bit of a hurry as if she was being chased by time.Roul, who was listening to their conversation, nodded to Trish as the man lo
Swoosshh…The wind blew against the leaves of the shady trees while the blooming rose swayed gracefully and gave off a sweet fragrance. Several butterflies flew around and perched from one flower to another, showing off their stunning wings.Odette walked among the roses while looking right and left. That place reminded her of the Rose Garden in Green Castle, or… was she actually in the Rose Garden?Her gaze swept around the area, looking for the Green Castle building, but no matter how far she looked ahead, she didn’t see the building anywhere.Tap!Her steps came to an abrupt halt when her eyes fixed on Rion’s figure, who stood a few steps away from her. The man was wearing a charming white cloak with gold thread fluttering slightly. For some reason, Rion looked more handsome than usual.“Rion?”The man smiled gently at her.Seeing that, Odette couldn’t help but feel an endless joy