Chapter Three

PRESENT

"You've got to fix it all, Sevina."

Orion, the black crow that had been kept inside Queen Sevina's quarters ever since she set foot on Earthoria, spoke with a voice that only Queen Sevina will hear and understand. He was the spiritual guardian that was sent together with her to make sure Sevina would oblige on the request of the people who summoned her there.

Spiritual guardians could also become the voice of conscience and judgment to steer the witch away from doing mistakes yet despite that capability, Orion still has no control over the personal choices that Queen Sevina will make for herself. And that was something Orion had been pointing out for quite some time now. Even when he hadn't seen himself what happened between Sevina and the prince that night, he could clearly see a glimpse of the troubled thoughts Sevina had been trying to drive out of her mind lately.

Orion felt alarmed about that, for their own sake. He didn't want this mistake to further affect Sevina's mentality in the coming days ahead, especially now that the engagement of the prince is nearing its date.

"Fix what, exactly?" she nagged back at him as she plopped down on the side of the bed and glared at the bird inside the cage across her. It had been a very tough day for her after continuously checking the matters about the trade on the borders of Vire that had started to become a little stressful and the arrangements that needed her utmost approval about the upcoming meeting of Prince Kevian and the person he was decided to marry soon.

"First and foremost, Sevina," Orion began, chirping, "You need to have control on your emotions. You've been here in Earthoria for so many years that you're starting to behave like most of them... Can't you see? You're getting too careless and very impulsive and you know it's dangerous."

Sevina knew that, but it was pretty obvious that she had been trying to ignore that fact now. Orion had been watching her all this time, there was nothing else that could slip his eye anymore.

"We're here to fulfill your promise with the late King and Queen, first," Orion explained, "It's the only thing that is keeping your existence present here in this kingdom. Once the prince is given the crown, you can let yourself be... But despite that condition, you know it's impossible for you to continue what you have in your heart..."

"What are you talking about?" Sevina sharply asked with a defensive tone in her voice, trying to keep her voice cold. "I know all of that. What's the point of telling me this now, Orion?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Sevina," Orion pressed on, undeterred, "Those foolish feelings... you better do something to get rid of it. I'm warning you, Sevina... Those feelings will end up shattering you apart."

Sevina could not find her voice at that point... She was completely defeated by the words Orion told her. He was right. She had to get rid of those feelings and make sure not to think about it again. This was a difficult situation because it felt rather more painful than having to face a thousand enemies. Because Sevina knew that she could defeat countless armies with just her powers but there was no effective weapon to overcome this emotion she had in her heart.

That was the truth... Her heart was the enemy now yet it felt like even if she could really get rid of it or not, she was still going to lose.

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PRINCE KEVIAN sat on the huge couch inside his quarters, looking deep in his thoughts as he blankly stared at the dance of the flames on the fireplace across the spacious room. He had been troubled by a lot of things all day.

First was the news about his upcoming engagement. No matter how much he tried not to think too much about it, he was still repeatedly reminded by the servers and the royal advisor that it started to annoy him too much. It felt suffocating to know that everybody was trying to put their hands on the matters of his life...

Whether it would be personal or something that his status requires him to do so, it seemed more like Prince Kevian really had no power to decide for his own fate. Everything was perfectly planned and laid out now that Prince Kevian felt more like an outcast in his own journey as the crowned prince.

For so many years, he tried to live up to the expectations of others, not caring if that was something he wanted to do or not. He was brought up with the belief that everything has already been decided and that he has to be King for the kingdom... Because that was the only reason he even existed in the first place. But lately, ever since he had turned eighteen and fully understood the gravity of the royalty and the power of the throne, Prince Kevian felt the pressure and the weight of that responsibility drag him down that it sometimes made him lose some sleep just worrying about it.

How can he even be King?

All his life, he never really thought about the extent of that position. He was so used of seeing Queen Sevina do everything for Vire. He tried to fought in the battles, but he knew that it was all in vain because the Queen has always been the one protecting everyone... it was a lame attempt to prove his role in this kingdom... But can he even blame his helplessness? The Queen has always been very powerful... she has always been there...

And somehow, when Prince Kevian thinks about him taking over the throne and Queen Sevina leaving the crown, he started fearing the idea of her not standing there anymore... with him.

Ever since that night.

But not just since that night... It was way way long ago that he had started to see the Queen in a different light. He had always admired Queen Sevina for her kindness and bravery. But that night just made everything even more quite intense... And this time, Prince Kevian started to feel more burden to face that by the time he will be taking over the King's role, Queen Sevian might leave him for good...

And that gave him a deep, heart-wrenching pain that sent him jumping up from his seat and pacing across the room with a look of alarm and fright shown on his face. He didn't want to marry someone else...

If the only way to keep the Queen by his side is to do something else to keep her as a queen then he will marry her instead... And from that unexpected idea flashing over his head, Prince Kevian felt a surge of eagerness to make sure that will eventually come into fruition.